“The rock! The rock! It’s moving!”
“Hold on, boy,” warned the prospector2, laying a hand on Ralph’s shoulder. “Watch!”
The big boulder3 hesitated, swayed, and then, with a reverberating4 crash, as the blasted terrace under it gave way, it rolled down the hillside. An instant after, Jim Bothwell burst from the cavern5 and ran toward them. It was all that Ralph, in his joy, could do to keep from embracing him, but just then a sudden shout from Bitter Creek6 Jones caught and distracted his attention. In their excitement they had forgotten all about[230] the tethered ponies7. The great rock was now bounding toward them with great velocity8.
It shook the ground as its ponderous9 weight rumbled10 down the hillside. The ponies whinnied with terror and tugged11 and strained at their ropes. But just as it appeared inevitable12 that they must be crushed, the huge rock struck a smaller one and its course was diverted. Down it went, but on a safe track now, and terminated its career in the clump13 of thick growing alders14 that fringed the stream.
“Wow, a narrow escape!” ejaculated Ralph breathlessly.
“Yep, we come pretty durn near killin’ two birds—or ponies, rayther—with one stone,” grinned Bitter Creek Jones; “but all’s well as turns out all right, as the poet says.”
“Bitter, you’re all right,” cried Jim, clutching the hand of the prospector who had turned up so opportunely15.
“Shucks! That’s all right, Jim. It wasn’t[231] much to do fer you, old pal,” responded Bitter returning the pressure. “And now,” he went on, as if anxious to change the subject, “you’d better skin that lion and be gettin’ on yer way. It’s drawin’ in late, and this is a bad part of the country to get benighted17 in, more specially18 with a bunch of Bloods hanging about all lit up with fire-water.”
“Reckon you’re right, Bitter,” was the response as Mountain Jim deftly19 made the necessary incisions20 and he and his friend skinned the dead cougar21 with skillful hands.
It was not long after that they parted company. Bitter Creek Jones continuing toward the south, while Ralph and Mountain Jim swung on to their ponies and resumed their journey toward the northwest. The last they saw of Bitter Creek Jones he was waving a hearty22 adieu to them and shouting:
“See you in Alaska north of fifty-three, some time.”
[232]
Then a shoulder of mountain shut him out and they saw him no more.
“There’s a white man,” said Jim with deep conviction, as the ponies carried them from the scene. “He’s rough as a bear, is Bitter, but white right down to his gizzard.”
Ralph regretted that he could not have taken one of the cubs23 along, but on the rough trip that still lay before them it would have been extremely difficult if not impossible to transport it. So the little den1 of young cougars24 had to be left behind to await the return of their wounded mother, an event which, Mountain Jim declared, would take place within a short time.
“Maybe I ought to have killed the whole boiling of them young termagents,” he said. “They’ll grow up and make a heap of trouble for sheepmen, but let ’em be. I ain’t got the heart to make away with a lot of babies like them.”
It was dark when, on topping a backbone25 of desolate26 mountain, they saw in a valley below[233] them a light shining amidst the blackness. Jim declared that this must be the ranch27 for which they were searching, and they made their best speed toward the lonely beacon28. If it had been hard traveling by daylight through the forest, it was doubly difficult to make their way by night. But Jim appeared to possess in a superlative degree that wonderful sense of location peculiar29 to persons who have passed their lives in the great silent places of the earth. It has been noted30 by travelers that a young Indian boy, who has apparently31 not noted in the slightest the course followed on a hunting expedition into the great woods, has been able, without any apparent mental effort, to guide back to camp the party of which he formed a member. Such a faculty32 has been ascribed as more due to instinct, the sense that brings a carrier pigeon home over unknown leagues, than to anything else.
Through the darkness they blundered on, through muskegs, fallen timber and swollen[234] creeks—the latter due to the heavy rains of the afternoon. At length, after it appeared to Ralph almost certain that they must have lost their way, they came out on a plateau and saw shining not half a mile from them the light for which Mountain Jim had been aiming.
A sea captain, with all the resources of highly perfected instruments, could not have made a more successful land-fall. But as they drew nearer to the light, a puzzled expression could have been observed on Mountain Jim’s face had it been clearly visible. Ralph, too, soon became aware of a great noise of shouting and singing proceeding33 from the vicinity of the light.
“Must have some sort of a party going on,” he observed to his companion.
“I dunno,” was Mountain Jim’s rejoinder. “Donald Campbell used to be a bachelor and no great shakes for company. Maybe he’s married and they’re havin’ a pink tea or something.”
Soon after, they rode up to a rough looking[235] house, behind which, bulking blackly against the darkness, were the outlines of haystacks. Several horses were hitched34 in front of the place and the door was open, emitting a ruddy stream of light that fell full on one of the animals. Ralph recognized the cayuse with a start. It was one of those that had been ridden by the Bloods. There was no mistaking the animal’s pie-bald coat and wall-eye. He was what is known among cowmen as a “paint-horse.”
Ralph gasped35 out his information to Mountain Jim. His companion only nodded.
“I’ve been thinking for some time that there is something queer about this place,” he said, “but there’s no help for it, we’ve got to see it through now.”
And then a minute later he made an odd inquiry36:
“Where’ve you got the money for the ponies, Ralph?”
“Right in my inside coat pocket. Why?”
[236]
“Oh, I dunno. Better put it in a safer place; you might lose it.”
Ralph could not quite understand the drift of his companion’s remark, but he shifted the money—one hundred dollars in bills—to his belt, which had a money pocket for such purposes. By this time they were up to the long hitching37 post where the other ponies were tied and they dismounted and secured their own animals.
“Let me do the talking,” warned Mountain Jim as they approached the door. The noise of their arrival had been noticed within, and a short, stocky figure of a man with a flaming red beard blocked the light from the doorway38 as they approached.
“Great Blue Bells of Scotland, that ain’t Donald Campbell, by a long shot!”
“Maybe he’s moved on,” said Ralph, recollecting39 the phrasing of the notice in the deserted40 log cabin.
[237]
“Maybe,” responded Jim briefly41. The next minute the man in the doorway hailed them.
“Evening, strangers.”
“Evening,” responded Jim. “Donald Campbell about?”
“Naw. He ain’t lived here in quite a spell. Gone up the valley ten miles or more. Lookin’ for him?”
“Well, I calculated on seeing him,” was Jim’s response. “Can we stay here to-night?”
The man hesitated an instant, but then spoke42 swiftly as if to cover up his momentary43 vacillation44.
“Yep. Come right in. Guess we kin16 get you supper and a shake-down. That’s all you want, ain’t it?”
“That’s all,” responded Jim as they passed the threshold. Inside they found themselves in a rough looking room lighted by a hanging lamp which reeked45 of kerosene46. At a table under it some men had been sitting, but they vanished with[238] what appeared suspicious haste as the two strangers came in. The host left them alone soon after, promising47 to give them some bacon and eggs and coffee. The noise that they had heard as they drew close to the ranch had died out, and now all was as silent as a graveyard48. Ralph lowered his voice as he addressed Mountain Jim.
“What sort of a place is this, anyhow?”
In the same low tones Jim made his reply:
“Dunno, but it looks to me like what they call up in this section a ‘whisky ranch.’ It’s the resort of bad characters and is stuck back here in the woods so as to be beyond the ten-mile limit. You see the Canadian government, knowing what harm that stuff does, won’t let liquor be sold within ten miles of a public roadway.”
“Then that’s what brought those Indians here?”
“Looks that way. But this fellow would be in mighty49 bad if it was found out by the mounted police. But—hush! I reckon he’s coming now.”
[239]
Sure enough the red-bearded man re-entered the room at this juncture50. He bore a big dish of bacon and eggs in one hand and in the other he had a blackened tin pot from which came the savory51 aroma52 of coffee.
From a corner cupboard he got tin plates and cups and wooden-handled knives and forks. He asked them what their business was as he laid the table, which required no cloth, being covered with a strip of white oil-cloth.
“We wanted to buy some ponies from Donald Campbell,” spoke Ralph before Jim’s heavy foot kicked him under the table. For an instant there was a sharp glint in the red-bearded man’s eyes.
“Buyin’ ponies, eh? Must have lots of money. Ponies is high right now.”
“In that case we can’t afford ’em,” said Jim, taking the conversation into his own hands. He had noticed the momentary flash in the man’s eyes when Ralph spoke of buying ponies, and rightly interpreted it. The man stood by them[240] while they ate and told them that he had bought the ranch some time before, but that it was a poor place and he could make nothing out of it He appeared anxious to impress them that he was a rancher and nothing else, and spoke much of crops and stock. Jim and Ralph listened, replying at intervals53.
When they had finished eating, the red-bearded man offered to escort them to bed. He wanted to put them in separate rooms, but Mountain Jim demurred54 to this.
“My partner here is a heavy sleeper,” he said, “and we’ve got to be up early to-morrow. I’d rouse up the whole house waking him if you put him in another room.”
“All right, I can put you in the attic55,” said the man, “but you’ll not be over comfortable.”
“Oh, that’s all right,” said Jim airily. “We’re used to roughing it.”
“You may be, but your partner don’t look over and above husky,” said the red-bearded man,[241] glancing at Ralph’s slender form, which rather belied56 the boy’s real strength and activity. He conducted them upstairs and left them in an unceiled attic in which were two rough cots. He took the lamp with him when he went, saying that it was too dangerous to leave a kerosene lamp up there so close to the rafters.
“Don’t sleep too sound,” whispered Jim as they got into their cots. “I’ve a notion that our friend with the vermilion chin coverings isn’t any better than he ought to be. I’m sorry you made that crack about buying ponies; it’s given him the idea that we are carrying a lot of money. I saw it in his eyes as soon as he spoke.”
Ralph hadn’t much to say to this. He realized that he had made a bad mistake and blamed himself bitterly. But he determined57 to try to retrieve58 his error by keeping awake to watch for any sudden alarm. But try as he would, his exhausted59 eyelids60 drooped61 as if weighted with lead, and before long, tired nature had asserted her[242] sway and the lad was sound asleep on his rough couch.
Just what hour it was Ralph could not determine, but he was suddenly awakened62 by a noise as if someone had pushed a chair across the room or had stumbled on it. Broad awake in an instant he sat up in the cot, his every sense alert and his heart throbbing63 violently.
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1
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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prospector
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| n.探矿者 | |
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boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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reverberating
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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ponies
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| 矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑 | |
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velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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alders
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| n.桤木( alder的名词复数 ) | |
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opportunely
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| adv.恰好地，适时地 | |
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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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benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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incisions
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| n.切开，切口( incision的名词复数 ) | |
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cougar
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| n.美洲狮；美洲豹 | |
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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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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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cougars
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| n.美洲狮( cougar的名词复数 ) | |
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backbone
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| n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气 | |
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26
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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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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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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34
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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35
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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hitching
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| 搭乘； （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的现在分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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38
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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39
recollecting
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| v.记起，想起( recollect的现在分词 ) | |
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40
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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41
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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42
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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43
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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44
vacillation
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| n.动摇；忧柔寡断 | |
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45
reeked
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的过去式和过去分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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46
kerosene
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| n.(kerosine)煤油，火油 | |
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47
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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48
graveyard
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| n.坟场 | |
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49
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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50
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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51
savory
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| adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的 | |
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52
aroma
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| n.香气，芬芳，芳香 | |
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53
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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54
demurred
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| v.表示异议，反对( demur的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
attic
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| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
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56
belied
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| v.掩饰( belie的过去式和过去分词 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎 | |
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57
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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58
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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59
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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60
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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61
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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63
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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