“Well, what were you fighting with?” asked Nell, with a smile that ended in a yawn.
“I won’t tell you just now, lass, as it might spoil your appetite for breakfast. Set about getting that ready as fast as you can, for I want to be off as soon as possible to visit my snares3.”
“I guess we shall have rabbits for dinner to-day.”
“What are you going to do with the sled?” inquired Nelly, observing that her brother was overhauling4 the lashings and drag-rope.
“Well, I set a lot o’ snares, an’ there’s no sayin’ how many rabbits may have got into ’em. Besides, if the rabbits in them parts are tender-hearted, a lot o’ their relations may have died o’ grief, so I shall take the sled to fetch ’em all home!”
After breakfast Roy loaded his gun with ball, and putting on his snow-shoes, sallied forth5 with an admonition to his sister to “have a roarin’ fire ready to cook a rare feast!”
Nelly laughingly replied, that she would, and so they parted.
The first part of Roy’s journey that day led him through a thickly-wooded part of the country. He went along with the quick, yet cautious and noiseless, step of a hunter accustomed to the woods from infancy6. His thoughts were busy within him, and far away from the scene in which he moved; yet, such is the force of habit, he never for a moment ceased to cast quick, inquiring glances on each side as he went along. Nothing escaped his observation.
“Oh, if I could only get a deer this day,” thought he, “how scrumptious it would be!”
What he meant by “scrumptious” is best known to himself, but at that moment a large deer suddenly—perhaps scrumptiously!—appeared on the brow of a ridge7 not fifty yards in advance of him. They had been both walking towards each other all that forenoon. Roy, having no powers of scent8 beyond human powers, did not know the fact, and as the wind was blowing from the deer to the hunter, the former—gifted though he was with scenting9 powers—was also ignorant of the approaching meeting.
One instant the startled deer stood in bewildered surprise. One instant Roy paused in mute amazement10. The next instant the deer wheeled round, while Roy’s gun leaped to his shoulder. There was a loud report, followed by reverberating11 echoes among the hills, and the deer lay dead on the snow.
The young hunter could not repress a shout of joy, for he not only had secured a noble stag, but he had now a sufficiency of food to enable him to resume his homeward journey.
His first impulse was to run back to the hut with the deer’s tongue and a few choice bits, to tell Nelly of his good fortune; but, on second thoughts, he resolved to complete the business on which he had started. Leaving the deer where it fell he went on, and found that the snares had been very successful. Some, indeed, had been broken by the strength of the boughs12 to which they had been fastened, and others remained as he had set them; but above two-thirds of them had each a rabbit hung up by the neck, so that the sled was pretty well loaded when all the snares had been visited.
He had by this time approached the spot where the bear-trap was set, and naturally began to grow a little anxious, for, although his chance of success was very slight, his good fortune that morning had made him more sanguine13 than usual.
There is a proverb which asserts that “it never rains but it pours.” It would seem to be a common experience of mankind that pieces of good fortune, as well as misfortunes, come not singly. Whether the proverb be true or no, this experience was realised by Roy on that day, for he actually did find a bear in his trap! Moreover it was alive, and, apparently14, had only just been caught, for it struggled to free itself with a degree of ferocity that was terrible to witness.
It was an ordinary black bear of considerable size and immense strength. Heavy and thick though the trees were that lay on its back and crushed it to the earth, it caused them to shake, leap, and quiver as though they had been endowed with life. Roy was greatly alarmed, for he perceived that at each successive struggle the brute15 was ridding itself of the superincumbent load, while fierce growls16 and short gasps17 indicated at once the wrath18 and the agony by which it was convulsed.
Roy had neglected to reload his piece after shooting the deer—a most un-hunter-like error, which was the result of excitement. Thinking that he had not time to load, he acted now on the first suggestion of his bold spirit. Resting his gun against a tree, he drew the small axe19 that hung at his belt and attacked the bear.
The first blow was well delivered, and sank deep into bruin’s skull20; but that skull was thick, and the brain was not reached. A roar and a furious struggle caused Roy to deliver his second blow with less effect, but this partial failure caused his pugnacity21 to rise, and he immediately rained down blows on the head and neck of the bear so fast and furious that the snow was speedily covered with blood. In proportion as Roy strove to end the conflict by vigorous and quick blows, the bear tried to get free by furious efforts. He shook the tree-stem that held him down so violently that one of the other trees that rested on it fell off, and thus the load was lightened. Roy observed this, and made a desperate effort to split the bear’s skull. In his haste he misdirected the blow, which fell not on the head but on the neck, in which the iron head of the axe was instantly buried—a main artery22 was severed23, and a fountain of blood sprang forth. This was fortunate, for the bear’s strength was quickly exhausted24, and, in less than two minutes after, it sank dead upon the snow.
Roy sat down to rest and wipe the blood from his hands and garments, and then, cutting off the claws of the animal as a trophy25, he left it there for a time. Having now far more than it was possible for him to drag to the hut, he resolved to proceed thither26 with the rabbits, and bring Nelly back to help him to drag home the deer.
“Well done, Roy,” cried Nelly, clapping her hands, when her brother approached with the sled-load of rabbits, “but you are covered with blood. Have you cut yourself?”
She became nervously27 anxious, for she well knew that a bad cut on a journey costs many a man his life, as it not only disables from continuing the journey but from hunting for provisions.
“All right, Nell, but I’ve killed a deer—and—and—something else! Come, lass, get on your snow-shoes and follow me. We’ll drag home the deer, and then see what is to be done with the—”
“Oh, what is it? do tell!” cried Nell, eagerly.
“Well, then, it’s a bear!”
“Nonsense!—tell me true, now.”
“That’s the truth, Nell, as you shall see, and here are the claws. Look sharp, now, and let’s off.”
Away went these two through the snow until they came to where the deer had been left. It was hard work to get it lashed28 on the sled, and much harder work to drag it over the snow, but by dint29 of perseverance30 and resolution they got it home. They were so fatigued31, however, that it was impossible to think of doing the same with the bear. This was a perplexing state of things, for Roy had observed a wolf-track when out, and feared that nothing but the bones would be left in the morning.
“What is to be done?” said Nelly, with that pretty air of utter helplessness which she was wont32 to assume when she felt that her brother was the proper person to decide.
Roy pondered a few moments, and then said abruptly, “Camp-out, Nelly.”
“Camp-out?”
“Ay, beside the bear—keep it company all night with a big fire to scare away the wolves. We’ll put everything into the hut, block up the door, and kindle33 a huge fire outside that will burn nearly all night. So now, let’s go about it at once.”
Although Nelly did not much relish34 the idea of leaving their comfortable hut, and going out to encamp in the snow beside the carcase of a dead bear, she was so accustomed to regard her brother’s plans as perfect, and to obey him promptly35, that she at once began to assist in the necessary preparations. Having secured everything safely in the hut, and kindled36 a fire near it, which was large enough to have roasted an ox, they set off for the bear-trap, and reached it in time to scare away a large wolf which was just going to begin his supper on bruin.
An encampment was then made in the usual way, close to the bear-trap, a fire as large as could be conveniently made was kindled, and the brother and sister wrapped themselves in their blankets and lay comfortably down beside it to spend the night there.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
buffalo
|
|
| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
snares
|
|
| n.陷阱( snare的名词复数 )；圈套；诱人遭受失败（丢脸、损失等）的东西；诱惑物v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
overhauling
|
|
| n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
infancy
|
|
| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
ridge
|
|
| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
scenting
|
|
| vt.闻到（scent的现在分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
reverberating
|
|
| 回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
boughs
|
|
| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
sanguine
|
|
| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
brute
|
|
| n.野兽，兽性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
growls
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的第三人称单数 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
gasps
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
wrath
|
|
| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
axe
|
|
| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
skull
|
|
| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
pugnacity
|
|
| n.好斗，好战 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
artery
|
|
| n.干线，要道；动脉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
severed
|
|
| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
trophy
|
|
| n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
thither
|
|
| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
nervously
|
|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
lashed
|
|
| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
dint
|
|
| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
perseverance
|
|
| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
fatigued
|
|
| adj. 疲乏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
wont
|
|
| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
kindle
|
|
| v.点燃，着火 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
relish
|
|
| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
kindled
|
|
| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |