The lad sat listening to this, when suddenly it ceased. Silence from each beast came as completely and simultaneously4 as if they were members of an orchestra subject to the wand of such an enchanter as Theodore Thomas. What could it be?
For the space of two or three minutes the silence remained as profound as that of the tomb, and then there came a rush and patter, made by the wolves as they fled pell-mell.
At first sight this seemed a reason for congratulation in getting rid of such unwelcome company; but Fred saw in it more cause for alarm. Very evidently the creatures would not have left the spot in such a hurry unless they were frightened away by some wild animal more to be dreaded6 than themselves.
“I'm afraid I'll have to use my rifle,” he thought, as he moved softly downward until he reached a point from which he could see anything that passed beneath. “It's pretty rough to have to fire a fellow's last shot, when he's likely to starve to death for it; but a beast that can scare away a pack of wolves is likely to be one that will take a well-aimed bullet to stop—-”
This train of thought was abruptly7 checked by a sight which almost paralyzed him. He could dimly discern the ground beneath, and he was watching and listening when a large figure came to view, and halted directly beneath him, where the first wolf had sat upon his haunches and looked so longingly8 upward.
No noise could be heard and it seemed to move like a phantom9; but, even in the gloom, the peculiar10 swinging motion of the body showed prodigious11 strength and activity. There could be no doubt, either, that the animal was a climber, and therefore more to be feared than a thousand wolves.
Fred had gained quite a knowledge of the animals of the country on his way across the plains, and in the indistinct view obtained he made up his mind that this was that most dangerous of wild beasts in the Southwest, the American cougar13. If such were the case, the lad's only defense14 lay in the single charge of his rifle. The cougar could leap among the limbs as easily as a cat bounds from the floor into the chair.
Fred had left his rifle beyond his reach, and he was about to climb up to it, when the possibility occurred to him that, perhaps, the cougar was not aware that any one was in the tree, and, if unmolested might pass by. Accordingly, the fugitive15 remained as motionless as a statue, his eyes fixed16 upon the dreaded brute17, ready to make for his gun the instant the cougar showed any sign of making for him.
The animal, known in some parts of the country as the panther, or “painter,” remained equally motionless. It looked precisely18 as if he suspected that something was in the wind and had slipped up to this point to listen for some evidence of what it was. Fred, who had heard fabulous19 stories of the “smelling” powers of all wild animals, feared that the cougar would scent20 him out, but he showed no evidence of his ability to do so.
After remaining stationary21 a minute or two, he moved forward a couple of steps, and then paused as before. The lad was fearful that this was an indication that he had detected his presence in the tree and was about to make his leap; but, preliminary to doing so, all such animals squat22 upon their haunches, and pick out a perch23 at which to aim. This he had not done, and the boy waited for it before changing his own position.
The head of the cougar was close to the trunk of the tree, and he had maintained the attitude hut a few seconds when he started forward again and continued until he vanished from view.
“I hope he is gone,” was the wish that came to Fred, as he peered through the leaves, in his effort to catch a glimpse of him.
But the intervening leaves prevented, and he saw him no more.
He remained where he was for some time, on the look-out for the beast, but finally climbed back to his former place, where his gun was within reach, and where he disposed of himself as comfortably as possible.
In less than ten minutes thereafter, the whole pack of wolves were back again. The cougar had departed, and they returned to claim their breakfast. They were somewhat less demonstrative in their manner, as though they did not wish to bring the panther back again.
They were scarcely upon the ground, however, when Fred noticed that it was growing light in the east. The long, terrible night, the most dreadful of his life, was about over, and he welcomed the coming day as the shipwrecked mariner24 does the approach of the friendly sail.
The light rapidly increased, and in a short time the sun itself appeared, driving the darkness from the mountain and bathing all in its rosy25 hues26.
The wolves seemed to dread5 its coming somewhat as they did that of the cougar. By the time the morning was fairly upon them, one of them slunk away. Another speedily followed, and it soon became a stampede.
Fred waited awhile, and then peered out. Not a wolf was to be seen, and he concluded it was safe to descend27.
He made several careful surveys of his surroundings before trusting his feet on solid ground again. When he found himself there he grasped his rifle firmly, half expecting the formidable cougar to pounce28 upon him from some hiding-place; but everything remained quiet, and he finally ventured to move off toward the eastward29, feeling quite nervous until he had gone a couple of hundred yards, and was given some assurance that no wild beasts held him in sight.
Now that the lad had some opportunity to gather his wits, he paused to consider what was best to do, for with the coming of daylight came the necessity for serious work. His disposition30 was to return to the ravine, which he had left for the purpose of seeking a sleeping-place, and to press homeward as rapidly as possible. There was no time to be lost, for many a long and wearisome mile lay between him and New Boston.
As was natural, Fred was hungry again, but he resolved to make no attempt to secure food until night-fall, and to spend the intervening time in traveling. Of course, if a camp-fire should come in his way, where he was likely to find any remnants of food, he did not intend to pass it by; but his wish was to improve the day while it lasted. By taking to the ravine again, he entered upon the Apache highway, where he was likely, at any moment, and especially at the sharp turns, to come in collision with the red men, but the advantage was too great to overlook, and he hoped by the exercise of unusual care to keep out of all such peril31.
He was on the margin32 of the plateau, and before returning to the gorge33 he thought it best to venture upon a little exploration of his own. Possibly he might stumble upon some narrower pass, one unfit for horses, which would afford him a chance of getting out of the mountains without the great risk of meeting his old enemies.
For a short distance, the way was so broken that his progress was slow. He found himself clambering up a ledge12 of rocks, then he was forced to make his way around some massive boulders34, and in picking his way along a steep place, the gravelly earth gave way beneath his weight, and he slid fully36 a hundred feet before he could check himself. His descent was so gradual that he was not bruised37 in the slightest, but he was nearly buried beneath the gravel35 and dirt that came rattling38 down after him.
“I wish I could travel all the way home that way,” he laughed, as he picked himself up. “I would soon get there, and wouldn't have to work very hard, either.”
But this was not very profitable work, and when he had quaffed39 his fill from a small rivulet40 of icy-cold water, he was conscious of the importance of going forward without any further delay.
“I guess the best thing I can do is to get back in that ravine or pass without any more foolery. It looks as though the way was open ahead yonder.”
It was useless to attempt to retrace41 his steps, for it was impossible to climb up that incline, which came so near burying him out of sight, so he moved forward, with rocks all around him—right, left, in the rear, and in the front. There was considerable stunted42 vegetation, also, and, as the day was quite warm, and no wind could reach him, he found the labor43 of traveling with a heavy rifle anything but fun. Still, he had no thought of giving up, or even halting to rest, so long as his strength held out, and he kept it up until he concluded that it was about time that he reached the ravine for which he aimed from the first.
“It must be right ahead, yonder,” he said, after pausing to survey his surroundings. “I've kept going toward it ever since I picked myself up, and I know I wasn't very far away.”
He had been steadily44 ascending45 for a half hour, and he believed that he had nearly reached the level upon which he had spent the night. His view was so shut in by the character of his surroundings, that he could recognize nothing, and he was compelled, therefore, to depend upon his own sagacity.
Fred had enough wit to take every precaution against going astray, for he had learned long since how liable any one in his circumstances was to make such a blunder. He fixed the position of the sun with regard to the ravine, and as the orb46 was only a short distance above the horizon, he was confident of keeping his “reckoning.”
“That's mighty47 strange!” he exclaimed, when, having climbed up the place he had fixed in his mind, he looked over and found nothing but a broken country beyond. “There is n't anything there that looks like the pass I'm looking for.”
He took note of the position of the sun, and then carefully recalled the direction of the ravine with regard to that, and he could discover no error in the course which he had followed. According to the reasoning of common sense, he ought to strike it at right angles. But just then he recalled that the gorge did not follow a straight line. Had it done so, he would have succeeded in what he had undertaken, but it was otherwise, and so he failed.
“I'll try a little more.”
With no little labor, he climbed to an eminence48 a short distance away, where he hoped to gain a glimpse of the promised land; but the most studied scrutiny49 failed to show anything resembling the pass.
“I'm lost!” he exclaimed, in despair.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
frightful
|
|
| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
discordant
|
|
| adj.不调和的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
simultaneously
|
|
| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
dread
|
|
| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
dreaded
|
|
| 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) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
longingly
|
|
| adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
phantom
|
|
| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
peculiar
|
|
| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
prodigious
|
|
| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
ledge
|
|
| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
cougar
|
|
| n.美洲狮；美洲豹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
defense
|
|
| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
fugitive
|
|
| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
brute
|
|
| n.野兽，兽性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
precisely
|
|
| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
fabulous
|
|
| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
stationary
|
|
| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
squat
|
|
| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
perch
|
|
| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
mariner
|
|
| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
rosy
|
|
| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
hues
|
|
| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
descend
|
|
| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
pounce
|
|
| n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
eastward
|
|
| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
disposition
|
|
| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
peril
|
|
| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
margin
|
|
| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
gorge
|
|
| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
boulders
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
gravel
|
|
| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
bruised
|
|
| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
rattling
|
|
| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
quaffed
|
|
| v.痛饮( quaff的过去式和过去分词 )；畅饮；大口大口将…喝干；一饮而尽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
rivulet
|
|
| n.小溪，小河 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
retrace
|
|
| v.折回；追溯，探源 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
stunted
|
|
| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
labor
|
|
| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
ascending
|
|
| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
orb
|
|
| n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
eminence
|
|
| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
scrutiny
|
|
| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |