He knew only too well that to the tyro3 at big game shooting any large animal appears about twice as large and ferocious4 as it really is. Many lives have been lost and many painful and disfiguring wounds carried to the grave because a man’s nerve has failed him at the critical moment when hunting dangerous game.
“You’re only shootin’ at a mark, boy! That’s all! Hold on ’em now! Hold on ’em!”
Jim’s voice steadied Ralph’s nerves wonderfully. He glanced down the rifle barrel and then, as his finger pressed the trigger the report roared and crashed through the valley.
[220]
“Give it to ‘em! Oh, give it to ‘em!” yelled Jim wildly.
Following the two sharp, quick reports and mingling5 with them came a scream full of ferocious agony. Ralph saw a big, tawny6 body leap high into the air and then, falling back, begin to claw the earth and stones frantically7.
“Look out for the other!” roared Jim, and none too soon, for the female, seeing that her mate was stricken by the brave boy’s shot, now prepared to spring.
Ralph’s attention had been distracted from her by the death agonies of the male cougar8. Jim’s warning shout recalled the boy to himself.
He fired once more, but this time he did not inflict9 a mortal wound. Instead, his bullet pierced the lion’s shoulder. Apparently10 she did not care for any more of that sort of punishment, for with a yelp11 and a howl she turned and dashed off, leaving her mate stark12 in death on the ground in front of the cave.
[221]
Ralph, white and shaking, now that it was all over, reeled for a minute and then leaned against the rock to recover himself a little.
“Bravely done, lad!” came a voice from above.
It was Jim, but Ralph felt almost too weak from the ordeal14 he had just passed through to answer.
“The rifle just seemed to go off by itself,” he stammered15. “I was so scared I couldn’t see anything plainly.”
“Never mind that. You did the trick, and that’s what counts. Wish you’d got both of ’em, though. That lioness wasn’t badly hurt and she’ll be back for her young ones before long.”
“Well, she can’t get into the cave,” said Ralph with a rather shaky laugh, “any more than you can get out,” he added ruefully.
“That’s so. I declare for a minute I’d forgotten all about our fix. Say, but those lions served us one good turn when they drove off[222] those Bloods. The fellows were ugly and meant trouble.”
“But won’t they be back?”
“Not they. They’ve had time to think it over by this time, and they’ll have come to realize that these ain’t early days, and that horse stealing would result in their whole reservation being turned inside out till the culprits were found.”
“Hark!” cried Ralph suddenly, “somebody’s coming now. Maybe it is those Indians coming back, after all.”
“Great Blue Bells of Scotland, it’s someone on a horse, sure enough. I’ll duck down into the cave and get your rifle up.”
For it was Jim’s “Old Trusty,” as he called it, with which Ralph had despatched one lion and wounded the other.
But to Ralph’s unspeakable relief it was no band of Bloods that rode into the clearing, but a bearded man on a wild, shaggy pony16 leading a pack mule17 by a hair rope. From the pack[223] Ralph could see shovel18 and pick handles sticking out and both rider and animals appeared to have been roughing it for many months.
The man wore rough buckskin garments, and his stirrups were made of rope. On his head was a battered19 old Stetson hat with a leather band around it. Across his saddle bow he carried a long-barrelled rifle, with the stock embossed with silver. He glanced at Ralph in a quick, surprised sort of way.
“Wa’al, what in the ’tarnal’s bin20 goin’ on here?” he demanded in a nasal tone, which Ralph recognized as belonging to a native of the States.
“Why, I—that is, we’ve been mixed up in a sort of scrap21 with Indians and lions,” replied Ralph hesitatingly.
The man looked so wild and uncouth22 that he did not know but he might have to deal with a highwayman of some sort.
“Do tell,” exclaimed the rough-looking stranger, “and you’re only a kid, too! Yankee?”
[224]
Ralph nodded. Just then Jim reappeared at the crack on the top of the fallen rock, and as his eyes fell on the stranger he uttered a yell of astonishment23.
“Great Blue Bells of Scotland,” he shouted, “it’s Bitter Creek24 Jones!”
“That’s me,” rejoined the stranger shifting in his saddle, “but who may you be? Come out and show yourself.”
“I can’t. My door is locked on the outside, so to speak; but I’m Mountain Jim Bothwell—remember me?”
The stranger broke into a great roar of delight.
“Wa’al, do tell. If this ain’t luck. Mountain Jim! I ain’t never forgot that day on the Bow River that you saved me from that bunch of huskies that was goin’ to hold me up and take my dust away frum me. But come on out. Let’s shake your paw, old pal25!”
“Sorry, but I’m not receiving to-day,” responded[225] Mountain Jim. He hastened on to explain what had happened within the last few hours, interrupted constantly by Bitter Creek Jones’ astonished exclamations26.
“I heard an almighty27 firin’ an’ blazin’ away frum over this neck of the woods,” he said, “and I jes’ nacherally come over ter see what in Sam Hill was goin’ forward. So ye’re all walled up, hey? Jes’ wait a jiffy while I take a look at that rock. It’ll be tough luck if Bitter Creek can’t get you out’n that mouse-trap without’n you havin’ ter ride fifty miles fer help.”
“Do you think you can do anything, Mr. Jones?” asked Ralph, as the odd-looking stranger slipped off his sorry-appearing steed.
“Say, Sonny, I’m plain Bitter Crik to my friends. I’m Mister Jones to them that don’t like me, see? So far as gittin’ Mountain Jim out’n that hole, it’ll be hard luck if I kain’t do it. Bitter Crik’s got gold out’n tougher places nor that, you kin13 bet your last red. Lucky I came along this[226] way, too. You see I’ve bin prospectin’ all through here, but it’s a rotten country. I’m going back to the States and ship to Alasky, when I git out’n the Rockies.”
Talking thus, Bitter Creek, who looked so ferocious, but proved so good-natured, examined the rock from all sides. As he carried on his investigations28 he hummed to himself like a man in deep thought.
At length he straightened up and hailed Jim.
“I’ll get you out’n here, Jim,” he said.
“All right, old man, wish you would. These cubs29 smell like a shoe factory on fire. I ain’t particular, but I know a heap of smells that’s sweeter, including skunk30.”
Bitter Creek turned to Ralph.
“Know what I’m goin’ ter do, Sonny?” he asked.
Ralph shook his head.
“Well, see here. That rock rests on this little terrace or ledge31, don’t it?”
[227]
“Yes.”
“And the ground all slopes away from it toward the creek?”
“It does,” rejoined Ralph, seeing that the odd man expected some sort of a reply.
“Well, I’m going to put a slug of giant powder in under that terrace and blow it out from under the rock. Onless I mistake my guess, that’s all that’s holdin’ it. When we blow that to Kingdom Come that ol’ rock is jes’ nacherally goin’ ter start rollin’ down ther hill, and out ’ull walk Jim as large as life and twice as nacheral.”
“But won’t the explosion hurt him?” asked Ralph, to whom this appeared to be a dangerous proceeding32.
“May shake him up a bit, but yer see, the force of giant powder works downward, and I’ll drive in under the rock for the shot.”
The scheme was explained to Mountain Jim, who entirely33 acquiesced34 in it. Bitter Creek Jones wasted no more time, but hurried off to his[228] mule. From the pack he produced a small box carefully wrapped in various soft cloths. This proved to be filled with excelsior, amidst which nestled sticks of giant powder. From another box came caps and fuse.
Then with a crowbar, the miner drove a deep hole under the terrace on which the rock rested, and this done, capped and fused two sticks of dynamite35 and “tamped” them into place. Then summoning Ralph they both retreated to a distance, and Bitter Creek bent36 over and lit the fuse.
“Look out, Jim!” he yelled as it sputtered37 and sparked. “In about tew minutes there’s goin’ ter be ‘Hail Columbia’ round these diggin’s.”
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收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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2
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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3
tyro
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| n.初学者；生手 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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5
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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6
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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7
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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8
cougar
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| n.美洲狮；美洲豹 | |
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9
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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10
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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12
stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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13
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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14
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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15
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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17
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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18
shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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19
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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20
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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21
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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23
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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24
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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25
pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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26
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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27
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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29
cubs
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| n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 ) | |
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30
skunk
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| n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥 | |
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31
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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32
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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33
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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34
acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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36
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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37
sputtered
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| v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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