When night came and Herbert did not return, he decided6 to search for him, and bring him back, if found, the very next day. He did not impart his purpose to Mrs. Bickford, for he was at no loss to discover that the sympathies of the kind-hearted housekeeper7 were not with him, but with the boy whom he wished to abuse. When breakfast was over, therefore, he merely said: “Mrs. Bickford, I am going out for a short time. If Herbert should return while I am absent, you may tell him to finish hoeing those potatoes in the garden.”
“Do you think he will come back, Mr. Holden?” asked the housekeeper.
“Yes; he will soon be tired of wandering about. He will learn to prize a good home after he has slept out of doors one night.”
Mrs. Bickford did not reply; but she did not feel quite so much confidence as her employer appeared to do in the excellence8 of the home which Herbert had enjoyed under Abner Holden's roof.
“It's just as well he doesn't suspect Herbert's plan,” she thought, and without further words, began to clear away the breakfast dishes.
Abner was not long in deciding that Herbert was hidden in the woods. That, indeed, seemed the most natural place of refuge for one placed in his circumstances. He determined9, therefore, to seek there first.
We must now return to Herbert.
“If you will wait till nightfall,” said Ralph, “you will be more safe from pursuit, and I will accompany you for a few miles.”
Ralph went off on a hunting expedition, but Herbert remained behind, fearing that he might tear or stain his clothes, of which it was necessary, now, to be careful. How to pass the time was the question. To tell the truth, the hunter's cabin contained little that would help him. There were no books visible, for Ralph seemed to have discarded everything that would remind him of that civilization which he had forsaken11 in disgust.
Herbert went outside, and watched the squirrels that occasionally made their appearance flitting from branch to branch of the tall trees. After a while his attention was drawn12 to a bird, which flew with something in its beak13 nearly to the top of a tall tree not far off.
“I shouldn't wonder,” thought Herbert, interested, “if she's got a nest, and some young ones up there. I have a great mind to climb up and see whether she has or not.”
He measured the tree with his eye. It was very tall, exceeding in its height most of its forest neighbors.
“I don't know as I can climb it,” he said to himself, a little doubtfully; “but anyway, I am going to try. There's nothing like trying.”
This was a lucky determination for Herbert, as will speedily appear.
It was twenty feet to the first branching off, and this was, of course, the most difficult part of the ascent14, since it was necessary to “shin up,” and the body of the tree was rather too large to clasp comfortably. However, it was not the first time that Herbert had climbed a tree, and he was not deficient15 in courage as well as skill. So he pushed on his way, and though once or twice in danger of falling, he at length succeeded in reaching the first bough16. From this point the ascent was comparatively easy.
In a short time our hero was elated to find himself probably fifty feet from the ground, so high it made him feel a little dizzy to look down. He reached the nest, and found the young birds—three in number. The parent bird hovered17 near by, evidently quite alarmed for the safety of her brood. But Herbert had no intention of harming them. He only climbed up to gratify his curiosity, and because he had nothing more important to do. Though he did not know it, his own danger was greater than that which threatened the birds. For, just at that moment, Mr. Holden, in his wanderings, had reached Ralph's cabin, and Herbert, looking down, beheld18, with some anxiety, the figure of the unwelcome visitor. He saw Abner enter the cabin, and, after a few moments' interval19, issue from it with an air of disappointment and dissatisfaction.
“How lucky,” thought our hero, “that he did not find me inside!”
Abner Holden looked about him in every direction but the right one. He little dreamed that the object of his pursuit was looking down upon him, securely, from above.
“I don't think he'll find me,” thought Herbert. “Wouldn't he give something, though, to know where I am?”
But our young hero was doomed20 to disappointment. Just at that moment—the unluckiest that could have been selected—he was seized with a strong inclination21 to sneeze.
Alarmed lest the sound should betray him, he made desperate efforts to suppress it but Nature would have its way, and probably did so with greater violence than if no resistance had been made.
“Ker-chew!” sneezed Herbert, violently.
As he anticipated, Abner's attention was attracted by the loud noise, which he rightly concluded could hardly proceed from a bird or squirrel. He had just been on the point of leaving the cabin for some other part of the woods, but at this sound he stood still. Looking up to discover whence it proceeded, his keen eyes detected Herbert in his lofty perch22. His eyes sparkled with joy.
“Ha, you young rascal23!” he exclaimed. “So you are there, are you? You were going to run away, were you?”
Now that Herbert was actually discovered, his fear left him, and he became perfectly24 self-possessed and confident.
“Yes, Mr. Holden,” he answered, quietly; “such is my intention.”
“Boldly spoken,” said Abner, provoked by our hero's coolness, for he had hoped to find him terrified and pleading for forgiveness. “I admire your frankness, and will try to equal it. I suppose you'll give it up as a bad job now.”
“No, sir,” said Herbert, firmly.
“Take care, sir,” said Abner, in anger and astonishment25. “Take care how you defy me. Come down here at once.”
“What for?” inquired Herbert, without stirring.
“What for?” repeated Abner Holden. “That I may flog you within an inch of your life.”
“That's no inducement,” said our hero, coolly.
“Do you refuse to obey me?” shouted Abner, stamping angrily.
“I refuse to be flogged. You don't get me down for any such purpose, Mr. Holden.”
“Then, by Heaven, if you won't come otherwise, I'll come up and help you down.”
The angry man at once commenced the ascent. Anger gave him strength, and, though he was unaccustomed to climbing, he continued to mount up about halfway26 to the first branching off, somewhat to Herbert's uneasiness, for he felt there was a chance that he might fall into Abner's clutches.
But Abner's success was only temporary. At the height of a dozen feet he began to slip, and, despite his frantic27 struggles, he slid gradually to the ground, tearing his coat, which he had not taken the precaution to remove, and blistering28 his hands.
What was to be done?
In his anger and excitement, he drew a pistol from his breast pocket, and pointed29 upward, saying menacingly, “Come down at once, you young rascal, or I will fire!”
Herbert was startled. He did not believe the pistol to be loaded. Still it might be.
“Will you come down?” repeated Abner, fiercely. “Quick, or I fire.”
Abner Holder31, laid his finger upon the trigger, and would, in his anger, have carried his threat into execution; but at the critical moment he was conscious of a violent blow, and the pistol was wrenched32 from his hand.
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1
permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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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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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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28
blistering
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| adj.酷热的；猛烈的；使起疱的；可恶的v.起水疱；起气泡；使受暴晒n.[涂料] 起泡 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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holder
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| n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物 | |
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32
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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ranger
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| n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员 | |
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