There is a proverb--or a saying--or at leastsomebody or book has told us, that some Irishmanonce said, "Be aisy; or, if ye can't be aisy, be asaisy as ye can."Now, we count that good advice, and strongly recommendit to all and sundry2. Had we been at theside of Dick Varley on the night after his taming ofthe wild horse, we would have strongly urged thatadvice upon him. Whether he would have listenedto it or not is quite another question; we rather thinknot. Reader, if you wish to know why, go and dowhat he did, and if you feel no curious sensationsabout the region of the loins after it, we will tell youwhy Dick Varley wouldn't have listened to that advice.
Can a man feel as if his joints3 were wrenchedout of their sockets4, and listen to advice--be thatadvice good or bad? Can he feel as though thesejoints were trying to re-set and re-dislocate themselvesperpetually, and listen to advice? Can he feel as ifhe were sitting down on red-hot iron, when he's notsitting down at all, and listen to advice? Can he--butno! why pursue the subject. Poor Dick spentthat night in misery5, and the greater part of the followingday in sleep, to make up for it.
When he got up to breakfast in the afternoon he feltmuch better, but shaky.
"Now, pup," he said, stretching himself, "we'll goand see our horse. Ours, pup; yours and mine: didn'tyou help to catch him, eh, pup?"Crusoe acknowledged the fact with a wag and a playful"bow-wow--wow-oo-ow!" and followed his masterto the place where the horse had been picketed6. Itwas standing7 there quite quiet, but looking a littletimid.
Dick went boldly up to it, and patted its head andstroked its nose, for nothing is so likely to alarm eithera tame or a wild horse as any appearance of timidity orhesitation on the part of those who approach them.
After treating it thus for a short time, he strokeddown its neck, and then its shoulders--the horse eyinghim all the time nervously8. Gradually he strokedits back and limbs gently, and walked quietly roundand round it once or twice, sometimes approachingand sometimes going away, but never either hesitatingor doing anything abruptly9. This done, he went downto the stream and filled his cap with water and carriedit to the horse, which snuffed suspiciously and backeda little; so he laid the cap down, and went up andpatted him again. Presently he took up the cap andcarried it to his nose. The poor creature was almostchoking with thirst, so that, the moment he understoodwhat was in the cap, he buried his lips in it and suckedit up.
This was a great point gained: he had accepted abenefit at the hands of his new master; he had becomea debtor10 to man, and no doubt he felt the obligation.
Dick filled the cap and the horse emptied itagain, and again, and again, until its burning thirstwas slaked11. Then Dick went up to his shoulder, pattedhim, undid12 the line that fastened him, and vaultedlightly on his back!
We say lightly, for it was so, but it wasn't easily, asDick could have told you! However, he was determinednot to forego the training of his steed on accountof what he would have called a "little bit pain."At this unexpected act the horse plunged14 and reareda good deal, and seemed inclined to go through the performanceof the day before over again; but Dick pattedand stroked him into quiescence15, and having done so,urged him into a gallop16 over the plains, causing the dogto gambol17 round in order that he might get accustomedto him. This tried his nerves a good deal, and no wonder,for if he took Crusoe for a wolf, which no doubt he did,he must have thought him a very giant of the pack.
By degrees they broke into a furious gallop, andafter breathing him well, Dick returned and tied himto the tree. Then he rubbed him down again, andgave him another drink. This time the horse smelthis new master all over, and Dick felt that he hadconquered him by kindness. No doubt the tremendousrun of the day before could scarcely be calledkindness, but without this subduing19 run he never couldhave brought the offices of kindness to bear on so wilda steed.
During all these operations Crusoe sat looking onwith demure20 sagacity--drinking in wisdom and takingnotes. We know not whether any notes made by thecanine race have ever been given to the world, butcertain are we that, if the notes and observations madeby Crusoe on that journey were published, they would,to say the least, surprise us!
Next day Dick gave the wild horse his second lesson,and his name. He called him "Charlie," after a much-lovedcompanion in the Mustang Valley. And long andheartily did Dick Varley laugh as he told the horse hisfuture designation in the presence of Crusoe, for it struckhim as somewhat ludicrous that a mustang which, twodays ago, pawed the earth in all the pride of independentfreedom, should suddenly come down so low as to carrya hunter on his back and be named Charlie.
The next piece of instruction began by Crusoe beingled up under Charlie's nose, and while Dick patted thedog with his right hand he patted the horse with hisleft. It backed a good deal at first and snorted, butCrusoe walked slowly and quietly in front of himseveral times, each time coming nearer, until he againstood under his nose; then the horse smelt18 him nervously,and gave a sigh of relief when he found thatCrusoe paid no attention to him whatever. Dick thenordered the dog to lie down at Charlie's feet, and wentto the camp to fetch his rifle, and buffalo21 robe, andpack of meat. These and all the other things belongingto him were presented for inspection22, one by one,to the horse, who arched his neck, and put forward hisears, and eyed them at first, but smelt them all over,and seemed to feel more easy in his mind.
Next, the buffalo robe was rubbed over his nose, thenover his eyes and head, then down his neck and shoulder,and lastly was placed on his back. Then it was takenoff and flung on; after that it was strapped23 on, and thevarious little items of the camp were attached to it.
This done, Dick took up his rifle and let him smell it;then he put his hand on Charlie's shoulder, vaulted13 onto his back, and rode away.
Charlie's education was completed. And now ourhero's journey began again in earnest, and with someprospect of its speedy termination.
In this course of training through which Dick puthis wild horse, he had been at much greater pains andhad taken far longer time than is usually the case amongthe Indians, who will catch, and "break," and ride awild horse into camp in less than three hours. ButDick wanted to do the thing well, which the Indiansare not careful to do; besides, it must be borne in remembrancethat this was his first attempt, and that hishorse was one of the best and most high-spirited, whilethose caught by the Indians, as we have said, are generallythe poorest of a drove.
Dick now followed the trail of his lost companions ata rapid pace, yet not so rapidly as he might have done,being averse24 to exhausting his good dog and his newcompanion. Each night he encamped under the shadeof a tree or a bush when he could find one, or in theopen prairie when there were none, and, picketing25 hishorse to a short stake or pin which he carried with himfor the purpose, lit his fire, had supper, and lay downto rest. In a few days Charlie became so tame and soaccustomed to his master's voice that he seemed quitereconciled to his new life. There can be no doubt whateverthat he had a great dislike to solitude26; for on oneoccasion, when Dick and Crusoe went off a mile or sofrom the camp, where Charlie was tied, and disappearedfrom his view, he was heard to neigh so loudly thatDick ran back, thinking the wolves must have attackedhim. He was all right, however, and exhibited evidenttokens of satisfaction when they returned.
On another occasion his fear of being left alone wasmore clearly demonstrated.
Dick had been unable to find wood or water that day,so he was obliged to encamp upon the open plain. Thewant of water was not seriously felt, however, for hehad prepared a bladder in which he always carriedenough to give him one pannikin of hot sirup, andleave a mouthful for Crusoe and Charlie. Dried buffalodung formed a substitute for fuel. Spreading his buffalorobe, he lit his fire, put on his pannikin to boil, andstuck up a piece of meat to roast, to the great delightof Crusoe, who sat looking on with much interest.
Suddenly Charlie, who was picketed a few hundredyards off in a grassy27 spot, broke his halter close by theheadpiece, and with a snort of delight bounded away,prancing and kicking up his heels!
Dick heaved a deep sigh, for he felt sure that hishorse was gone. However, in a little Charlie stopped,and raised his nose high in the air, as if to look forhis old equine companions. But they were gone; noanswering neigh replied to his; and he felt, probablyfor the first time, that he was really alone in the world.
Having no power of smell, whereby he might havetraced them out as the dog would have done, he lookedin a bewildered and excited state all round the horizon.
Then his eye fell on Dick and Crusoe sitting by theirlittle fire. Charlie looked hard at them, and then againat the horizon; and then, coming to the conclusion, nodoubt, that the matter was quite beyond his comprehension,he quietly took to feeding.
Dick availed himself of the chance, and tried to catchhim; but he spent an hour with Crusoe in the vainattempt, and at last they gave it up in disgust and returnedto the fire, where they finished their supper andwent to bed.
Next morning they saw Charlie feeding close at hand,so they took breakfast, and tried to catch him again.
But it was of no use; he was evidently coquetting withthem, and dodged28 about and defied their utmost efforts,for there were only a few inches of line hanging to hishead. At last it occurred to Dick that he would trythe experiment of forsaking29 him. So he packed up histhings, rolled up the buffalo robe, threw it and the rifleon his shoulder, and walked deliberately30 away.
"Come along, Crusoe!" he cried, after walking a fewpaces.
But Crusoe stood by the fire with his head up, andan expression on his face that said, "Hallo, man! what'swrong? You've forgot Charlie! Hold on! Are youmad?""Come here, Crusoe!" cried his master in a decidedtone.
Crusoe obeyed at once. Whatever mistake theremight be, there was evidently none in that command;so he lowered his head and tail humbly32, and trotted33 onwith his master, but he perpetually turned his head ashe went, first on this side and then on that, to look andwonder at Charlie.
When they were far away on the plain, Charlie suddenlybecame aware that something was wrong. Hetrotted to the brow of a slope, with his head and tailvery high up indeed, and looked after them; then helooked at the fire, and neighed; then he trotted quicklyup to it, and seeing that everything was gone he beganto neigh violently, and at last started off at full speed,and overtook his friends, passing within a few feet ofthem, and, wheeling round a few yards off, stood tremblinglike an aspen leaf.
Dick called him by his name and advanced, whileCharlie met him half-way, and allowed himself to besaddled, bridled34, and mounted forthwith.
After this Dick had no further trouble with his wildhorse.
At his next camping-place, which was in the midst ofa cluster of bushes close beside a creek35, Dick came unexpectedlyupon a little wooden cross which marked thehead of a grave. There was no inscription36 on it, but theChristian symbol told that it was the grave of a whiteman. It is impossible to describe the rush of mingledfeelings that filled the soul of the young hunter as heleaned on the muzzle37 of his rifle and looked at thissolitary resting-place of one who, doubtless like himself,had been a roving hunter. Had he been young or oldwhen he fell? had he a mother in the distant settlementwho watched and longed and waited for the sonthat was never more to gladden her eyes? had he beenmurdered, or had he died there and been buried by hissorrowing comrades? These and a thousand questionspassed rapidly through his mind as he gazed at the littlecross.
Suddenly he started. "Could it be the grave of Joeor Henri?" For an instant the idea sent a chill to hisheart; but it passed quickly, for a second glance showedthat the grave was old, and that the wooden cross hadstood over it for years.
Dick turned away with a saddened heart; and thatnight, as he pored over the pages of his Bible, his mindwas filled with many thoughts about eternity38 and theworld to come. He, too, must come to the grave oneday, and quit the beautiful prairies and his lovedrifle. It was a sad thought; but while he meditatedhe thought upon his mother. "After all," he murmured,"there must be happiness without the rifle, and youth,and health, and the prairie! My mother's happy, yetshe don't shoot, or ride like wild-fire over the plains."Then that word which had been sent so sweetly to himthrough her hand came again to his mind, "My son,give me thine heart;" and as he read God's Book, hemet with the word, "Delight thyself in the Lord, and heshall give thee the desire of thine heart." "The desireof thine heart" Dick repeated this, and pondered ittill he fell asleep.
A misfortune soon after this befell Dick Varley whichwell-nigh caused him to give way to despair. For sometime past he had been approaching the eastern slopesof the Rocky Mountains--those ragged39, jagged, mightyhills which run through the whole continent from northto south in a continuous chain, and form, as it were, thebackbone of America. One morning, as he threw thebuffalo robe off his shoulders and sat up, he was horrifiedto find the whole earth covered with a mantle41 of snow.
We say he was horrified40, for this rendered it absolutelyimpossible any further to trace his companions either byscent or sight.
For some time he sat musing42 bitterly on his sad fate,while his dog came and laid his head sympathizingly onhis arm.
"Ah, pup!" he said, "I know ye'd help me if yecould! But it's all up now; there's no chance of findin'
them--none!"To this Crusoe replied by a low whine43. He knewfull well that something distressed44 his master, but hehadn't yet ascertained45 what it was. As something hadto be done, Dick put the buffalo robe on his steed, andmounting said, as he was in the habit of doing eachmorning, "Lead on, pup."Crusoe put his nose to the ground and ran forward afew paces, then he returned and ran about snuffing andscraping up the snow. At last he looked up and uttereda long melancholy46 howl.
"Ah! I knowed it," said Dick, pushing forward.
"Come on, pup; you'll have to follow now. Any waywe must go on."The snow that had fallen was not deep enough tooffer the slightest obstruction47 to their advance. It was,indeed, only one of those occasional showers common tothat part of the country in the late autumn, whichseason had now crept upon Dick almost before he wasaware of it, and he fully48 expected that it would meltaway in a few days. In this hope he kept steadilyadvancing, until he found himself in the midst of thoserocky fastnesses which divide the waters that flow intothe Atlantic from those that flow into the Pacific Ocean.
Still the slight crust of snow lay on the ground, and hehad no means of knowing whether he was going in theright direction or not.
Game was abundant, and there was no lack of woodnow, so that his night bivouac was not so cold or drearyas might have been expected.
Travelling, however, had become difficult, and evendangerous, owing to the rugged49 nature of the groundover which he proceeded. The scenery had completelychanged in its character. Dick no longer coursed overthe free, open plains, but he passed through beautifulvalleys filled with luxuriant trees, and hemmed50 in bystupendous mountains, whose rugged sides rose upwarduntil the snow-clad peaks pierced the clouds.
There was something awful in these dark solitudes,quite overwhelming to a youth of Dick's temperament51.
His heart began to sink lower and lower every day, andthe utter impossibility of making up his mind what todo became at length agonizing52. To have turned andgone back the hundreds of miles over which he hadtravelled would have caused him some anxiety underany circumstances, but to do so while Joe and Henriwere either wandering about there or in the power ofthe savages53 was, he felt, out of the question. Yet inwhich way should he go? Whatever course he tookmight lead him farther and farther away from them.
In this dilemma54 he came to the determination ofremaining where he was, at least until the snow shouldleave the ground.
He felt great relief even when this hopeless coursewas decided31 upon, and set about making himself an encampmentwith some degree of cheerfulness. When hehad completed this task, he took his rifle, and leavingCharlie picketed in the centre of a dell, where the long,rich grass rose high above the snow, went off to hunt.
On turning a rocky point his heart suddenly boundedinto his throat, for there, not thirty yards distant, stooda huge grizzly bear!
Yes, there he was at last, the monster to meet whichthe young hunter had so often longed--the terrible sizeand fierceness of which he had heard so often spokenabout by the old hunters. There it stood at last; butlittle did Dick Varley think that the first time he shouldmeet with his foe55 should be when alone in the dark recessesof the Rocky Mountains, and with none to succourhim in the event of the battle going against him. Yes,there was one. The faithful Crusoe stood by his side,with his hair bristling56, all his formidable teeth exposed,and his eyes glaring in their sockets. Alas57 for poorCrusoe had he gone into that combat alone! One strokeof that monster's paw would have hurled58 him dead uponthe ground.
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1
grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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picketed
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| 用尖桩围住（picket的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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debtor
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| n.借方，债务人 | |
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slaked
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| v.满足( slake的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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Undid
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| v. 解开, 复原 | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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quiescence
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| n.静止 | |
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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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gambol
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| v.欢呼，雀跃 | |
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smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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subduing
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| 征服( subdue的现在分词 )； 克制； 制服； 色变暗 | |
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demure
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| adj.严肃的；端庄的 | |
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buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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picketing
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| [经] 罢工工人劝阻工人上班，工人纠察线 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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forsaking
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| 放弃( forsake的现在分词 )； 弃绝； 抛弃； 摒弃 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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bridled
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| 给…套龙头( bridle的过去式和过去分词 )； 控制； 昂首表示轻蔑（或怨忿等）； 动怒，生气 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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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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eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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42
musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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43
whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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44
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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45
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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47
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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48
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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49
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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50
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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51
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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52
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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53
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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54
dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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55
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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56
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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