Time passed by, as time is rather apt to do, and still the feud3 between the rival fur companies continued, to the detriment4 of the Indians and the fur-trade, the unsettling of Red River Settlement, and the demoralisation more or less of all concerned.
Men who would gladly have devoted5 all their energies to the arts of peace, became more or less belligerent6 in spirit, if not in act, and many were forced to take sides in the controversy—some siding with the Nor’-Westers and others with the Hudson’s Bay Company.
One important fact was that our hero Daniel Davidson took the side of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Being a stout9 fellow, with a good brain, a strong will, an independent spirit, and a capable tongue, he was highly appreciated by the one side and considerably10 hated by the other, insomuch that some of the violent spirits made dark suggestions as to the propriety11 of putting him out of the way. It is not easy, however, or safe, to attempt to put a strong, resolute12 man out of the way, and his enemies plotted for a considerable time in vain.
The unsettled state of the colony, and the frequent failure of the crops had, as we have seen, exerted an evil influence for a long time on poor Dan’s matrimonial prospects, and at last, feeling that more settled times might yet be in the remote future, and that, as regarded defence and maintenance, it would be on the whole better both for Elspie and himself that they should get married without delay, he resolved to take the important step, and, as old McKay remarked, have it over.
“You see, Taniel,” said the old man, when the subject was again broached13, “it iss of no use hangin’ off an’ on in this fashion. Moreover, this nasty stiff leg o’ mine is so long of getting well that it may walk me off the face o’ the earth altogether, an’ I would not like to leave Elspie till this matter iss settled. Tuncan also iss a little better just now, so what say you to have the weddin’ the month after next? Mr Sutherland will be back from the Whitehorse Plains by then, an’ he can tie the knot tight enough—whatever. Anyway, it iss clear that if we wait for a munister o’ the Auld14 Kirk, we will hev to wait till doomsday. What say you, Taniel?”
It need hardly be said that Dan had nothing whatever to say in objection to this scheme. It was therefore settled—under the proviso, of course, that Elspie had no objection. Dan went off at once to see Elspie, and found that she had no objection, whereupon, after some conversation, etcetera, with which we will not weary the reader, he sought out his friend Fred Jenkins, to whom he communicated the good news, and treated him to a good many unanswerable reasons why young people should not delay marriage when there was any reasonable prospect2 of their getting on comfortably in life together.
The sailor agreed with effusive15 heartiness16 to all that he said, and Dan thought while he was speaking—orating—as one of the American settlers would have expressed it—that Jenkins wore a peculiar17 expression on his manly18 countenance19. Attributing it to unusual interest in the event, he continued—
“Now, Fred, I want you to be my best-man—”
“How—impossible!”
“Ab-so-lutely unpossible.”
“But why? Explain yourself, Fred.”
“’Cause it’s only a bachelor as can be a best-man to a bachelor—ain’t it?”
“I believe so, though I’m no authority in such matters; but surely that is a matter of no importance, for you are a bachelor, you know.”
“True, that’s what I am to-day, but I won’t be that long, for I am goin’ to be married next month, so I won’t be available, d’ee see, the month after.”
“Well, that’s a point blank shot right between wind an’ water. Hows’ever, I suppose I can’t go wrong in tellin’ you, Dan, for it’s all settled, though not a soul knows about it except Little Bill, an’ yourself, an’ her brother.”
“But I don’t know about it yet,” returned Dan. “Who is it?”
“A angel—pure an’ unmixed—come straight down from heaven a-purpus to marry poor, unedicated, sea-farin’ Fred Jenkins, an’ her terrestrial name is Elise Morel!”
Dan laughed while he congratulated the modest seaman, and admitted the strength of his difficulty.
“D’you know, Fred, I’ve had a suspicion for some time past that you had a leaning in that direction?”
“So have I, Dan, had an uncommon22 strong suspicion for a very long time past, not only that I had a leanin’ that way, but a regular list to port, an’ now I’m fairly over on my beam-ends!”
“But, surely, it must have come upon you very sudden at last,” said Dan. “How was it?”
“Sudden! I should just think it did—like a white squall in the Mediterranean23, or a hurricane in the China seas. This is how it was. I’d bin24 cruisin’ about her—off an’ on—for a considerable time, tryin’ to make up my mind to go into action, an’ screwin’ my courage up to the stickin’ pint25 by recallin’ all the fine sentiments that has carried Jack26-tars through fire an’ smoke, shot and shell since the world began—‘England expects every man to do his dooty,’—‘Never say die,’—‘Hookey Bunkum,’ an’ such like. But it warn’t no manner o’ use, for I’m an’ outrageous27 coward wi’ the gals28, Dan. So, in a sort o’ despair, I sailed away this very mornin’ into the plantation29 at the futt o’ your garden, intendin’ to cool myself an’ think over it, when, who should I see almost hull30 down on my lee bow but the enemy—Elise herself!
“Well, I changed my course at once; bore straight down on her, an’ soon overhauled31 her, but the nearer I came the more did my courage run out, so I gradooally begun to take in sail an drop astarn. At last I got savage32, ‘You’re a fool, Jenkins!’ says I to myself. ‘That’s a fact!’ says su’thin’ inside o’ me.
“Now, if that su’thin’ had kep’ quiet, I do believe that I’d have gone about-ship an’ showed her my heels, but that su’thin’, whatever it was, set up my dander. ‘Now then,’ says I, ‘haul taut33 the main brace34! Up wi’ the t’gall’nt-s’ls an’ sky-scrapers! “England expects,” etceterer!’
“Afore you could say Jack Robinson, I was along side—grapplin’-irons hove into her riggin’, and a broadside fired. The way I gave it her astonished even myself. Nelson himself could scarce ha’ done it better! Well, she struck her colours at the first broadside, an’ somehow—I never could make out exactly how—we was sittin’ on the stump35 of a tree with her head on my rough unworthy buzzum. Think o’ that! Dan, her head—the head of a Angel! Give us your flipper36, mate.”
“I congratulate you, Jenkins, with all my heart,” said Dan, grasping the seaman’s flipper, and giving it a hearty37 shake. “So now, I must look out for another best-man. Morel will do for me, I think, and you can have my brother Peter, no doubt. But could we not manage to have both weddings on the same day?”
“But we might compromise the matter. I might have mine a little sooner and you could have yours a little later.”
Still Jenkins shook his head. “Not fair-play,” he said. “All the advantage on your side. However, we might consider it. Hold a sort o’ drum-head court-martial over it, with Elise and Elspie as judges.”
When the said court-marital—as Dan called it—was held, the compromise was agreed to, and it was finally fixed39 that six weeks thereafter the two couples should be united in Ben Nevis Hall.
But the current of these parallel streams of true love was not yet destined40 to run smooth—as the next chapter will show.
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1
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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detriment
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| n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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belligerent
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| adj.好战的，挑起战争的；n.交战国，交战者 | |
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contentions
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| n.竞争( contention的名词复数 )；争夺；争论；论点 | |
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meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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broached
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| v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体 | |
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auld
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| adj.老的，旧的 | |
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effusive
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| adj.热情洋溢的；感情(过多)流露的 | |
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heartiness
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| 诚实，热心 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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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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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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pint
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| n.品脱 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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gals
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| abbr.gallons （复数）加仑（液量单位）n.女孩，少女( gal的名词复数 ) | |
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plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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overhauled
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| v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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taut
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| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
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brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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flipper
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| n. 鳍状肢，潜水用橡皮制鳍状肢 | |
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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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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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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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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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