“Hallo! where are you!” shouted a voice that rang through the glades1 of the forest like the blast of a silver trumpet2, testifying to lungs of leather and a throat of brass3.
The ringing tones died away, and naught4 was heard save the rustling5 of the leafy canopy6 overhead, as the young man, whose shout had thus rudely disturbed the surrounding echoes, leaned on the muzzle7 of a long rifle, and stood motionless as a statue, his right foot resting on the trunk of a fallen tree, and his head bent8 slightly to one side, as if listening for a reply. But no reply came. A squirrel ran down the trunk of a neighbouring pine, and paused, with tail and ears erect9, and its little black eyes glittering as if with surprise at the temerity10 of him who so recklessly dared to intrude11 upon and desecrate12 with his powerful voice the deep solitudes13 of the wilderness14. They stood so long thus that it seemed as though the little animal and the man had been petrified15 by the unwonted sound. If so, the spell was quickly broken. The loud report of a fowling-piece was heard at a short distance. The squirrel incontinently disappeared from the spot on which it stood, and almost instantaneously reappeared on the topmost branch of a high tree; while the young man gave a smile of satisfaction, threw the rifle over his shoulder, and, turning round, strode rapidly away in the direction whence the shot proceeded.
A few minutes’ walk brought him to the banks of a little brook16, by the side of which, on the projecting root of a tree, sat a man, with a dead goose at his feet and a fowling-piece by his side. He was dressed in the garb17 of a hunter; and, from the number of gray hairs that shone like threads of silver among the black curls on his temples, he was evidently past the meridian18 of life—although, from the upright bearing of his tall, muscular frame, and the quick glance of his fearless black eye, it was equally evident that the vigour19 of his youth was not yet abated20.
“Why, Stanley,” exclaimed the young man as he approached, “I’ve been shouting till my throat is cracked, for at least half an hour. I verily began to think that you had forsaken21 me altogether.”
“In which case, Frank,” replied the other, “I should have treated you as you deserve, for your empty game-bag proves you an unworthy comrade in the chase.”
“So, so, friend, do not boast,” replied the youth with a smile; “if I mistake not, that goose was winging its way to the far north not ten minutes agone. Had I come up half an hour sooner, I suspect we should have met on equal terms; but the fact is that I have not seen hair or feather, save a tree-squirrel, since I left you in the morning.”
“Well, to say truth, I was equally unfortunate until I met this luckless goose, and fired the shot that brought him down and brought you up. But I’ve had enough o’ this now, and shall back to the fort again. What say you? Will you go in my canoe or walk?”
The young man was silent for a few seconds; then, without replying to his companion’s question, he said,—“By-the-bye, is it not to-night that you mean to make another attempt to induce the men to volunteer for the expedition!”
“It is,” replied Stanley, with a alight frown. “And what if they still persist in refusing to go?”
“I’ll try once more to shame them out of their cowardice22. But if they won’t agree, I’ll compel them to go by means of more powerful arguments than words.”
“’Tis not cowardice; you do the men injustice,” said Frank, shaking his head.
“Well, well, I believe I do, lad; you’re right,” replied Stanley, while a smile smoothed out the firm lines that had gathered round his lips for a few seconds. “No doubt they care as little for the anticipated dangers of the expedition as any men living, and they hesitate to go simply because they know that the life before them will be a lonely one at such an out-o’-the-way place as Ungava. But we can’t help that, Frank; the interests of the Company must be attended to, and so go they must, willing or not willing. But I’m annoyed at this unexpected difficulty, for there’s a mighty23 difference between men who volunteer to go and men who go merely because they must and can’t help it.”
The young man slowly rubbed the stock of his rifle with the sleeve of his coat, and looked as if he understood and sympathised with his friend’s chagrin25.
“If Prince were only here just now,” said he, looking up, “there would be no difficulty in the matter. These fellows only want a bold, hearty26 comrade to step forward and show them the way, and they will follow to the North Pole if need be. They look upon our willingness to go as a mere24 matter of course, though I don’t see why we should be expected to like banishment27 more than themselves. But if Prince were—”
“Well, well, Prince is not here, so we must do the best we can without him,” said Stanley.
As he spoke28, the trumpet note of a goose was heard in the distance.
“There he goes!—down with you!” exclaimed Frank, darting29 suddenly behind the stump30 of the tree, while his companion crouched31 beside him, and both began to shout at the top of their voices in imitation of the goose. The bird was foolish enough to accept the invitation immediately, although, had it been other than a goose, it would have easily recognised the sound as a wretched counterfeit32 of the goose language. It flew directly towards them, as geese always do in spring when thus enticed33, but passed at such a distance that the elder sportsman was induced to lower his piece.
“Ah! he’s too far off. You’d better give him a shot with the rifle, Frank; but you’re sure to miss.”
“To hit, you mean,” cried his companion, flushing with momentary34 indignation at this disparaging35 remark. At the same moment he took a rapid aim and fired. For a few yards the goose continued its forward flight as if unhurt; then it wavered once or twice, and fell heavily to the ground.
“Bravo, boy!” cried Stanley. “There, don’t look nettled36; I only jested with you, knowing your weakness on the score of rifle-shooting. Now, pick up your bird, and throw it into the canoe, for I must away.”
Frank finished reloading his piece as his friend spoke, and went to pick up the goose; while the other walked down to the edge of the rivulet37, and disengaged a light birch-bark canoe from the long grass and sedges that almost hid it from view.
“Make haste, Frank!” he shouted; “there’s the ice coming up with the flood-tide, and bearing down on the creek38 here.”
At a short distance from the spot where the sportsmen stood, the streamlet already alluded39 to mingled40 its waters with a broad river, which, a few miles farther down, flows into James’s Bay. As every one knows, this bay lies to the south of Hudson’s Bay, in North America. Here the river is about two miles wide; and the shores on either side being low, it has all the appearance of an extensive lake. In spring, after the disruption of the ice, its waters are loaded with large floes and fields of ice; and later in the season, after it has become quite free from this wintry encumbrance41, numerous detached masses come up with every flood-tide. It was the approach of one of these floes that called forth42 Stanley’s remark.
The young man replied to it by springing towards the canoe, in which his companion was already seated. Throwing the dead bird into it, he stooped, and gave the light bark a powerful shove into the stream, exclaiming, as he did so, “There, strike out, you’ve no time to lose, and I’ll go round by the woods.”
There was indeed no time to lose. The huge mass of ice was closing rapidly into the mouth of the creek, and narrowing the only passage through which the canoe could escape into the open water of the river beyond. Stanley might, indeed, drag his canoe up the bank, if so disposed, and reach home by a circuitous43 walk through the woods; but by doing so he would lose much time, and be under the necessity of carrying his gun, blanket, tin kettle, and the goose, on his back. His broad shoulders were admirably adapted for such a burden, but he preferred the canoe to the woods on the present occasion. Besides, the only risk he ran was that of getting his canoe crushed to pieces. So, plunging44 his paddle vigorously in the water, he shot through the lessening45 channel like an arrow, and swept out on the bosom46 of the broad river just as the ice closed with a crash upon the shore and ground itself to powder on the rocks.
“Well done!” shouted Frank, with a wave of his cap, as he witnessed the success of his friend’s exploit.
“All right,” replied Stanley, glancing over his shoulder.
In another moment the canoe disappeared behind a group of willows47 that grew on the point at the river’s mouth, and the young man was left alone. For a few minutes he stood contemplating48 the point behind which his companion had disappeared; then giving a hasty glance at the priming of his rifle, he threw it across his shoulder, and striding rapidly up the bank, was soon lost to view amid the luxuriant undergrowth of the forest.
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1
glades
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| n.林中空地( glade的名词复数 ) | |
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2
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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3
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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8
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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9
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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10
temerity
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| n.鲁莽，冒失 | |
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11
intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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12
desecrate
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| v.供俗用，亵渎，污辱 | |
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13
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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14
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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15
petrified
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| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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16
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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17
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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18
meridian
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| adj.子午线的；全盛期的 | |
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19
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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20
abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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21
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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22
cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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23
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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banishment
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| n.放逐，驱逐 | |
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28
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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29
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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30
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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31
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
counterfeit
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| vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的 | |
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33
enticed
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| 诱惑，怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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35
disparaging
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| adj.轻蔑的，毁谤的v.轻视( disparage的现在分词 )；贬低；批评；非难 | |
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36
nettled
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| v.拿荨麻打，拿荨麻刺（nettle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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37
rivulet
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| n.小溪，小河 | |
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38
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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39
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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41
encumbrance
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| n.妨碍物，累赘 | |
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42
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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43
circuitous
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| adj.迂回的路的，迂曲的，绕行的 | |
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44
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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45
lessening
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| 减轻，减少，变小 | |
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46
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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47
willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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48
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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