At the time of which I speak most of the traveling was done by stage. Now railroads unite the different portions with links of steel, and make traveling less cumbersome3 and laborious4. There was one of the party, however, who did not complain, but rather enjoyed the jolting5 of the lumbering6 stage-coach.
Col. Warner was of the party. He professed7 to feel an extraordinary interest in George Melville, and was anxious to show him the country where he had himself regained8 his health.
“Lonely, sir!” repeated the colonel, in answer to a remark of George Melville. “Why, sir, it's a populous9 city compared with what it was in '55, when I was out here. I built myself a cabin in the woods, and once for twelve months I didn't see a white face.”
“Were there many Indians, Colonel?” asked Herbert.
“Indians? I should say so. Only twenty miles from my cabin was an Indian village.”
“Well, they tried to,” answered the colonel. “One night as I lay awake I heard stealthy steps outside, and peeping through a crevice11 between the logs just above the head of my bed—by the way, my bed was the skin of a bear I had myself killed—I could see a string of Utes preparing to besiege12 me.”
“Were you afraid?” asked Herbert, a little mischievously13, for he knew pretty well what the colonel would say.
“Afraid!” repeated the colonel, indignantly. “What do you take me for? I have plenty of faults,” continued Col. Warner, modestly, “but cowardice14 isn't one of them. No, sir; I never yet saw the human being, white, black, or red, that I stood in fear of. But, as I was saying, the redskins collected around my cabin, and were preparing to break in the door, when I leveled my revolver and brought down their foremost man. This threw them into confusion. They retreated a little way, then advanced again with a horrible yell, and I gave myself up for lost. But I got in another shot, bringing down another warrior15, this time the son of their chief. The same scene was repeated. Well, to make a long story short, I repulsed16 them at every advance, and finally when but three were left, they concluded that prudence17 was the better part of valor18, and fled, leaving their dead and wounded behind them.”
“How many were there of them?” asked Herbert.
“Well, in the morning when I went out I found seven dead redskins, and two others lying at the point of death.”
“That was certainly a thrilling adventure, Colonel,” said George Melville, smiling.
“Egad, I should say so.”
“I confess I don't care to meet with any such.”
“Oh, no danger, no danger!” said the colonel, airily. “That is, comparatively speaking. In fact, the chief danger is of a different sort.”
“No, I speak of the gentlemen of the road—road agents as they are generally called.”
“You mean highwaymen?”
“Yes.”
“Is there much danger of meeting them?” asked Melville.
“Well, there's a chance. They are quite in the habit of attacking stage-coaches, and plundering20 the passengers. Sometimes they make rich hauls.”
“That must be rather inconvenient21 to the passengers.” said Melville. “Can't the laws reach these outlaws22?”
“They don't seem to. Why, there are men who have been in the business for years, and have never been caught.”
“Very true,” said a fellow traveler. “There's Jerry Lane, for instance. He has succeeded thus far in eluding24 the vigilance of the authorities.”
“Yes,” said the colonel, “I once saw Lane myself. Indeed he did me the honor of relieving me of five hundred dollars.”
“Couldn't you help it?” asked Herbert.
“No; he covered me with his revolver, and if I had drawn25 mine I shouldn't have lived to take aim at him.”
“Were you in a stage at the time?”
“No, I was riding on horseback.”
“Is this Lane a large man?” asked George Melville.
“Not larger than myself,” continued the colonel.
“Where does he live—in some secret haunt in the forest, I suppose?”
“Oh, no, he doesn't confine himself to one place. He travels a good deal. Sometimes he goes to St. Louis. I have heard that he sometimes even visits New York.”
“And is he not recognized?”
“No; he looks like anything but an outlaw23. If you should see him you might think him a prosperous merchant, or banker.”
“That's curious!” said Herbert.
“The fact is,” said the colonel, “when you travel by stage-coaches in these solitudes26 you have to take the chances. Now I carry my money concealed27 in an inner pocket, where it isn't very likely to be found. Of course I have another wallet, just for show, and I give that up when I have to.”
There was a stout28, florid gentleman present, who listened to the above conversation with ill-disguised nervousness. He was a New York capitalist, of German birth, going out to inspect a mine in which he proposed purchasing an interest. His name was Conrad Stiefel.
“Good gracious!” said he, “I had no idea a man ran such a risk, or I would have stayed at home. I decidedly object to being robbed.”
“Men are robbed in a different way in New York,” said George Melville.
“How do you mean, Mr. Melville?”
“By defaulting clerks, absconding29 cashiers, swindlers of excellent social position.”
“Oh, we don't mind those things,” said Mr. Stiefel. “We can look out for ourselves. But when a man points at you with a revolver, that is terrible!”
“I hope, my dear sir, you take good care of your money.”
“That I do,” said Stiefel, complacently30. “I carry it in a belt around my waist. That's a good place, hey?”
“They won't think of looking there, hey?” laughed Stiefel.
“I should say not.”
“You may think what you like, Mr. Stiefel,” said a tall, thin passenger, who looked like a book peddler, “but I contend that my money is in a safer place than yours.”
“Indeed, Mr. Parker, I should like to know where you keep it,” said Col. Warner, pleasantly.
“You can't get at it without taking off my stockings,” said the tall man, looking about him in a self-satisfied manner.
“Very good, 'pon my soul!” said the colonel. “I really don't know but I shall adopt your hiding place. I am an old traveler, but not too old to adopt new ideas when I meet with good ones.”
“I think you would find it to your interest, Colonel,” said Parker, looking flattered.
“Well, well,” said the colonel, genially32, “suppose we change the subject. There isn't much chance of our being called upon to produce our money, or part with it. Still, as I said a while since, it's best to be cautious, and I see that you all are so. I begin to feel hungry, gentlemen. How is it with you?”
“Are we anywhere near the place for supper?” asked Stiefel. “I wish I could step into a good Broadway restaurant; I feel empty.”
“Only a mile hence, gentlemen, we shall reach Echo Gulch33, where we halt for the night. There's a rude cabin there, where they will provide us with supper and shelter.”
This announcement gave general satisfaction. The colonel proved to be right. The stage soon drew up in front of a long one-story building, which bore the pretentious34 name of the Echo Gulch Hotel.
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1
edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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cumbersome
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| adj.笨重的，不便携带的 | |
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laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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jolting
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| adj.令人震惊的 | |
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lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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besiege
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| vt.包围，围攻，拥在...周围 | |
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mischievously
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| adv.有害地；淘气地 | |
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cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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canyons
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| n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 ) | |
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plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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outlaws
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| 歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯 | |
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outlaw
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| n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法 | |
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eluding
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的现在分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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absconding
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| v.（尤指逃避逮捕）潜逃，逃跑( abscond的现在分词 ) | |
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complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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genially
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| adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地 | |
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gulch
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| n.深谷，峡谷 | |
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pretentious
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| adj.自命不凡的，自负的，炫耀的 | |
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