“I'm tired of this,” he exclaimed, impatiently, after he had waited several minutes, “and it is n't going to be played on me again.”
With this, he began clambering up out of the ravine, with the resolve to reach some place where no shadowy horseman could ride over him.
The climbing was difficult at first, but he soon reached a point where the inclination4 was not so steep, and where he could progress with much more ease and facility. In this way he in time reached the upper level, and, believing himself out of range of his phantom5 pursuer, had time to look about for some sleeping-place for the night.
He frequently paused and listened, but could not see or hear anything of man or beast, and, confident that no danger was to be apprehended6 from either, he devoted7 himself to hunting for some refuge, that he could consider secure against molestation8. His first inclination was to seek out a place among the rocks, as he was likely to gain room where he could stretch out at his ease and enjoy a few hours' slumber9, but, on reflection, there were several objections to this.
In that part of the world were an abundance of poisonous serpents, and he had a natural dread10 of disturbing some of them.
“If I can find the right kind of tree, I think that will be the best sort of a place, for nothing could get at me there, and there may be all the limbs I want to make a bed. I guess there's the location now.”
He was walking along all the time that he had been thinking and talking, and, at this juncture11, he approached a straggling group of trees, which seemed likely to offer the very refuge he was seeking. He made his way toward them with quickened steps.
Fred found himself upon a sort of plateau, broken here and there by rocks, boulders12, and irregularities of surface, but in the main easy to be traversed, and he lost no time in making a survey of the grove13 which had caught his eye. There were some twenty in all, and several of them offered the very shelter. The limbs were no more than six or eight feet above the ground, and the largest trees were fifty feet in height, the branches appearing dense14, and capable, apparently15, of affording as firm a support as anyone could need while asleep.
“I guess that will do,” he concluded, after surveying the largest, which happened to stand on the outer edge of the grove. “If I can get the bed, there ain't any danger of being bothered by snakes and wild animals.”
Fred naturally pondered a moment as to the best means of climbing into the tree with his gun. It was full size, and of such weight that he had been considerably16 wearied in carrying it such a distance, but it contained a precious charge, to be used in some emergency that was likely to arise, and no man was wealthy enough to buy it from him. The way that he decided17 upon was to leave the gun against the trunk of the tree, and then climb in the way that comes natural to a boy. The barrel of course, would bother him a little, but he could pull through very well, and he immediately set about doing so.
As he expected, the gun got in his way, but he managed it very well, without knocking it down, and in a few minutes had climbed high enough to grasp the first limb with one hand, which was all that he desired, as he could easily draw himself up in that fashion.
Fred had just made his grasp certain, when he heard a peculiar18 yelp19, and a rush of something by him.
Not knowing what it meant, but apprehending20 some new danger, he drew himself upon the limb with a spasmodic effort, and then turned to see what it meant. To his amazement21 and terror, he discovered that it was an immense wolf, which had made a snap at and narrowly missed his heels. It had come like a shadow, making no announcement of its presence, and a second or two sooner would have brought the two into collision.
As Fred looked downward the wolf looked upward, and the two glared at each other for a minute or so, as if they meant to stare each other out of countenance22. The wolf was unusually large, belonging to what is known as the mountain species, and he seemed capable of leaping up among the limbs without any extra effort; but wolves are not addicted23 to climbing trees, and the one in question seemed to content himself with looking up and meditating24 upon the situation. It seemed to the lad that he was saying:
“Well, young man, you're up there out of my reach, but I can afford to wait; you'll have to come down pretty soon.”
“If I only had some powder and ball,” reflected Fred, “I'd soon wipe you out.”
The temptation was very strong to spend the last bullet upon him, but he could not fail to see the absurdity25 of the thing; besides which, his gun was seated upon the ground, with the muzzle26 pointed27 upward at him. He could reach it from his perch28 on the lowermost limb, but it was hardly safe to attempt it while his enemy was seated there upon his haunches, as if debating whether he should go up or not.
The boy was in terror lest the brute29 should strike the piece and knock it down, in which case it was likely to be discharged and to be placed altogether beyond his reach. But the dreaded30 creature sat as motionless as if he were a carved statue in front of some gentleman's residence, his eyes fixed31 upon his supper, which had escaped him by such a narrow chance. The situation was about as interesting as it could well be, and, in fact, it was rather too interesting for Fred, who was alarmed at the prospect32 of being besieged34 by a mountain wolf.
After the lapse35 of a minute or two, the brute quietly rose from his haunches, trotted36 a few paces, and then gave utterance37 to the dismal38 wail39 peculiar to his species. It had a baying, howling tone, which made the chills creep over the boy from head to foot. He had heard the barking and howling of wolves when crossing the prairies, but there was deep, thunderous bass40 to the one which now struck upon his ear such as he had never before heard, and which gave it a significance that was like a voice from the tomb.
The instant the brute left his station, Fred reached down, seized the muzzle of his gun, and drew it up. Then he made his way some twenty feet above, where he could feel secure against any daring leap from his foe41. He had scarcely perched himself in this position, when the bay of the wolf was answered from fully42 a dozen different directions.
He had called to his comrades, and their replies came from every point of the compass—the same rumbling43, hoarse44, wailing45 howls that had notified them where a prize awaited them. A minute later, the brute trotted back to his place, where he sat down until the arrival of reinforcements.
“It isn't one wolf, but a hundred, that going to besiege33 me!” gasped46 the terrified boy.
He spoke47 the truth.
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1
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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2
vacancy
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| n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺 | |
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3
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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4
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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5
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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6
apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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7
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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8
molestation
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| n.骚扰，干扰，调戏；折磨 | |
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9
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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10
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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11
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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12
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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13
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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14
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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15
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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16
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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17
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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18
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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20
apprehending
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的现在分词 )； 理解 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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addicted
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| adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的 | |
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meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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26
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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27
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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28
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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29
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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30
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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31
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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32
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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33
besiege
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| vt.包围，围攻，拥在...周围 | |
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34
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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36
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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37
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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38
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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39
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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40
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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41
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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42
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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43
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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44
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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45
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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46
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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47
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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