The dog Crusoe was once a pup. Now do not,courteous reader, toss your head contemptuously,and exclaim, "Of course he was; I could have told youthat." You know very well that you have often seen aman above six feet high, broad and powerful as a lion,with a bronzed shaggy visage and the stern glance of aneagle, of whom you have said, or thought, or heard otherssay, "It is scarcely possible to believe that such a manwas once a squalling baby." If you had seen our heroin2 all the strength and majesty3 of full-grown doghood,you would have experienced a vague sort of surprisehad we told you--as we now repeat--that the dogCrusoe was once a pup--a soft, round, sprawling,squeaking pup, as fat as a tallow candle, and as blindas a bat.
But we draw particular attention to the fact ofCrusoe's having once been a pup, because in connectionwith the days of his puppyhood there hangs a tale.
This peculiar4 dog may thus be said to have had twotails--one in connection with his body, the other withhis career. This tale, though short, is very harrowing,and as it is intimately connected with Crusoe's subsequenthistory we will relate it here. But before doingso we must beg our reader to accompany us beyond thecivilized portions of the United States of America--beyondthe frontier settlements of the "far west," intothose wild prairies which are watered by the greatMissouri River--the Father of Waters--and his numeroustributaries.
Here dwell the Pawnees, the Sioux, the Delawarers,the Crows, the Blackfeet, and many other tribes of RedIndians, who are gradually retreating step by step towardsthe Rocky Mountains as the advancing whiteman cuts down their trees and ploughs up their prairies.
Here, too, dwell the wild horse and the wild ass6, thedeer, the buffalo7, and the badger8; all, men and brutesalike, wild as the power of untamed and ungovernablepassion can make them, and free as the wind thatsweeps over their mighty9 plains.
There is a romantic and exquisitely10 beautiful spot onthe banks of one of the tributaries5 above referredto--long stretch of mingled11 woodland and meadow, witha magnificent lake lying like a gem12 in its green bosom--whichgoes by the name of the Mustang Valley.
This remote vale, even at the present day, is but thinlypeopled by white men, and is still a frontier settlementround which the wolf and the bear prowl curiously,and from which the startled deer bounds terrified away.
At the period of which we write the valley had justbeen taken possession of by several families of squatters,who, tired of the turmoil14 and the squabbles of the thenfrontier settlements, had pushed boldly into the farwest to seek a new home for themselves, where theycould have "elbow room," regardless alike of thedangers they might encounter in unknown lands and ofthe Redskins who dwelt there.
The squatters were well armed with axes, rifles, andammunition. Most of the women were used to dangersand alarms, and placed implicit16 reliance in the powerof their fathers, husbands, and brothers to protect them;and well they might, for a bolder set of stalwart menthan these backwoodsmen never trod the wilderness17.
Each had been trained to the use of the rifle and theaxe from infancy18, and many of them had spent so muchof their lives in the woods that they were more than amatch for the Indian in his own peculiar pursuits ofhunting and war. When the squatters first issued fromthe woods bordering the valley, an immense herd19 ofwild horses or mustangs were browsing20 on the plain.
These no sooner beheld21 the cavalcade22 of white menthan, uttering a wild neigh, they tossed their flowingmanes in the breeze and dashed away like a whirlwind.
The new-comers gave one satisfied glance at theirfuture home, and then set to work to erect24 log hutsforthwith. Soon the axe15 was heard ringing throughthe forests, and tree after tree fell to the ground, whilethe occasional sharp ring of a rifle told that the hunterswere catering25 successfully for the camp. In course oftime the Mustang Valley began to assume the aspect ofa thriving settlement, with cottages and waving fieldsclustered together in the midst of it.
Of course the savages26 soon found it out and paid itoccasional visits. These dark-skinned tenants28 of thewoods brought furs of wild animals with them, whichthey exchanged with the white men for knives, andbeads, and baubles29 and trinkets of brass30 and tin. Butthey hated the "Pale-faces" with bitter hatred31, becausetheir encroachments had at this time materially curtailedthe extent of their hunting-grounds, and nothingbut the numbers and known courage of the squattersprevented these savages from butchering and scalpingthem all.
The leader of this band of pioneers was a MajorHope, a gentleman whose love for nature in its wildestaspects determined33 him to exchange barrack life for alife in the woods. The major was a first-rate shot, abold, fearless man, and an enthusiastic naturalist34. Hewas past the prime of life, and being a bachelor, wasunencumbered with a family. His first act on reachingthe site of the new settlement was to commence theerection of a block-house, to which the people mightretire in case of a general attack by the Indians.
In this block-house Major Hope took up his abodeas the guardian35 of the settlement. And here the dogCrusoe was born; here he sprawled36 in the early mornof life; here he leaped, and yelped37, and wagged hisshaggy tail in the excessive glee of puppyhood; andfrom the wooden portals of this block-house he boundedforth to the chase in all the fire, and strength, andmajesty of full-grown doghood.
Crusoe's father and mother were magnificent Newfoundlanders.
There was no doubt as to their being ofthe genuine breed, for Major Hope had received themas a parting gift from a brother officer, who had broughtthem both from Newfoundland itself. The father'sname was Crusoe, the mother's name was Fan. Whythe father had been so called no one could tell. Theman from whom Major Hope's friend had obtained thepair was a poor, illiterate38 fisherman, who had neverheard of the celebrated39 "Robinson" in all his life. Allhe knew was that Fan had been named after his ownwife. As for Crusoe, he had got him from a friend,who had got him from another friend, whose cousin hadreceived him as a marriage-gift from a friend of his;and that each had said to the other that the dog's namewas "Crusoe," without reasons being asked or given oneither side. On arriving at New York the major'sfriend, as we have said, made him a present of the dogs.
Not being much of a dog fancier, he soon tired of oldCrusoe, and gave him away to a gentleman, who tookhim down to Florida, and that was the end of him. Hewas never heard of more.
When Crusoe, junior, was born, he was born, ofcourse, without a name. That was given to him afterwardsin honour of his father. He was also born incompany with a brother and two sisters, all of whomdrowned themselves accidentally, in the first month oftheir existence, by falling into the river which flowedpast the block-house--a calamity40 which occurred,doubtless, in consequence of their having gone out withouttheir mother's leave. Little Crusoe was with hisbrother and sisters at the time, and fell in along withthem, but was saved from sharing their fate by hismother, who, seeing what had happened, dashed withan agonized41 howl into the water, and, seizing him inher mouth, brought him ashore42 in a half-drowned condition.
She afterwards brought the others ashore oneby one, but the poor little things were dead.
And now we come to the harrowing part of our tale,for the proper understanding of which the foregoingdissertation was needful.
One beautiful afternoon, in that charming season ofthe American year called the Indian summer, therecame a family of Sioux Indians to the Mustang Valley,and pitched their tent close to the block-house. Ayoung hunter stood leaning against the gate-post of thepalisades, watching the movements of the Indians, who,having just finished a long "palaver43" or talk withMajor Hope, were now in the act of preparing supper.
A fire had been kindled44 on the greensward in front ofthe tent, and above it stood a tripod, from which dependeda large tin camp-kettle. Over this hung an ill-favouredIndian woman, or squaw, who, besides attendingto the contents of the pot, bestowed45 sundry46 cuffs47 andkicks upon her little child, which sat near to her playingwith several Indian curs that gambolled48 round the fire.
The master of the family and his two sons reclined onbuffalo robes, smoking their stone pipes or calumets insilence. There was nothing peculiar in their appearance.
Their faces were neither dignified49 nor coarse inexpression, but wore an aspect of stupid apathy50, whichformed a striking contrast to the countenance51 of theyoung hunter, who seemed an amused spectator of theirproceedings.
The youth referred to was very unlike, in manyrespects, to what we are accustomed to suppose a backwoodshunter should be. He did not possess that quietgravity and staid demeanour which often characterizethese men. True, he was tall and strongly made, butno one would have called him stalwart, and his frameindicated grace and agility52 rather than strength. Butthe point about him which rendered him different fromhis companions was his bounding, irrepressible flow ofspirits, strangely coupled with an intense love of solitarywandering in the woods. None seemed so well fittedfor social enjoyment53 as he; none laughed so heartily54, orexpressed such glee in his mischief-loving eye; yet fordays together he went off alone into the forest, andwandered where his fancy led him, as grave and silentas an Indian warrior55.
After all, there was nothing mysterious in this. Theboy followed implicitly56 the dictates57 of nature withinhim. He was amiable58, straightforward59, sanguine60, andintensely earnest. When he laughed, he let it out, assailors have it, "with a will." When there was goodcause to be grave, no power on earth could make himsmile. We have called him boy, but in truth he wasabout that uncertain period of life when a youth is saidto be neither a man nor a boy. His face was good-looking(every earnest, candid61 face is) and masculine;his hair was reddish-brown and his eye bright-blue.
He was costumed in the deerskin cap, leggings, moccasins,and leathern shirt common to the western hunter.
"You seem tickled62 wi' the Injuns, Dick Varley,"said a man who at that moment issued from the blockhouse.
"That's just what I am, Joe Blunt," replied theyouth, turning with a broad grin to his companion.
"Have a care, lad; do not laugh at 'em too much.
They soon take offence; an' them Redskins never forgive.""But I'm only laughing at the baby," returned theyouth, pointing to the child, which, with a mixture ofboldness and timidity, was playing with a pup, wrinklingup its fat visage into a smile when its playmaterushed away in sport, and opening wide its jet-blackeyes in grave anxiety as the pup returned at full gallop63.
"It 'ud make an owl13 laugh," continued young Varley,"to see such a queer pictur' o' itself."He paused suddenly, and a dark frown covered hisface as he saw the Indian woman stoop quickly down,catch the pup by its hind-leg with one hand, seize aheavy piece of wood with the other, and strike it severalviolent blows on the throat. Without taking thetrouble to kill the poor animal outright64, the savage27 thenheld its still writhing65 body over the fire in order tosinge off the hair before putting it into the pot to becooked.
The cruel act drew young Varley's attention moreclosely to the pup, and it flashed across his mind thatthis could be no other than young Crusoe, which neitherhe nor his companion had before seen, although they hadoften heard others speak of and describe it.
Had the little creature been one of the unfortunateIndian curs, the two hunters would probably haveturned from the sickening sight with disgust, feelingthat, however much they might dislike such cruelty,it would be of no use attempting to interfere66 withIndian usages. But the instant the idea that it wasCrusoe occurred to Varley he uttered a yell of anger,and sprang towards the woman with a bound thatcaused the three Indians to leap to their feet and grasptheir tomahawks.
Blunt did not move from the gate, but threw forwardhis rifle with a careless motion, but an expressive67 glance,that caused the Indians to resume their seats and pipeswith an emphatic68 "Wah!" of disgust at having beenstartled out of their propriety69 by a trifle; while DickVarley snatched poor Crusoe from his dangerous andpainful position, scowled70 angrily in the woman's face,and turning on his heel, walked up to the house, holdingthe pup tenderly in his arms.
Joe Blunt gazed after his friend with a grave, solemnexpression of countenance till he disappeared; then helooked at the ground, and shook his head.
Joe was one of the regular out-and-out backwoodshunters, both in appearance and in fact--broad, tall,massive, lion-like; gifted with the hunting, stalking,running, and trail-following powers of the savage, andwith a superabundance of the shooting and fightingpowers, the daring, and dash of the Anglo-Saxon. Hewas grave, too--seldom smiled, and rarely laughed.
His expression almost at all times was a compound ofseriousness and good-humour. With the rifle he wasa good, steady shot, but by no means a "crack"one. His ball never failed to hit, but it often failedto kill.
After meditating71 a few seconds, Joe Blunt againshook his head, and muttered to himself, "The boy'sbold enough, but he's too reckless for a hunter. Therewas no need for that yell, now--none at all."Having uttered this sagacious remark, he threw hisrifle into the hollow of his left arm, turned round, andstrode off with a long, slow step towards his own cottage.
Blunt was an American by birth, but of Irish extraction,and to an attentive72 ear there was a faint echo of thebrogue in his tone, which seemed to have been handeddown to him as a threadbare and almost worn-out heirloom.
Poor Crusoe was singed73 almost naked. His wretchedtail seemed little better than a piece of wire filed off toa point, and he vented32 his misery74 in piteous squeaks75 asthe sympathetic Varley confided76 him tenderly to thecare of his mother. How Fan managed to cure him noone can tell, but cure him she did, for, in the course ofa few weeks, Crusoe was as well and sleek77 and fat asever.
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收听单词发音
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1
agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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heroin
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| n.海洛因 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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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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tributaries
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| n. 支流 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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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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gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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implicit
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| a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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browsing
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| v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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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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catering
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| n. 给养 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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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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tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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baubles
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| n.小玩意( bauble的名词复数 )；华而不实的小件装饰品；无价值的东西；丑角的手杖 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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yelped
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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41
agonized
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| v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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palaver
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| adj.壮丽堂皇的；n.废话，空话 | |
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kindled
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| （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 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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47
cuffs
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| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
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gambolled
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| v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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apathy
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| n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡 | |
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51
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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52
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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54
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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55
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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56
implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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dictates
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| n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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58
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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61
candid
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| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
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62
tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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63
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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64
outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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66
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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67
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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68
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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69
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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70
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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72
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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73
singed
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| v.浅表烧焦( singe的过去式和过去分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿] | |
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74
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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75
squeaks
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| n.短促的尖叫声，吱吱声( squeak的名词复数 )v.短促地尖叫( squeak的第三人称单数 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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76
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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77
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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