The days in that high latitude2 were now so long that, even at midnight, there was a twilight3 glow over the summits of Father and Son in the north. At three in the morning, it was broad daylight, and Roly, as he awoke into delightful4 anticipations5, heard the "quack6, quack" of big brown mallards, and the whistling wings of smaller ducks, as they flew to their feeding grounds. He was out of the bunk7 in an instant, and slipping on his jacket and long rubber boots, which, with his cap, were the only articles needed to complete his attire8, he snatched a hasty breakfast, put a piece of corn-bread in his pocket, and then, gun in hand, softly opened the cabin door, and[167] stole out into the fresh morning air. The joy of youth was in his heart, and a sense of freedom and adventure came with the thought of hunting all alone in that great wide valley, and made the blood tingle9 to his finger-tips.
There were ponds and marshes11 in every direction, but Roly decided12 to cross the river and walk southward, for he observed several ducks flying that way. He therefore made his way down the face of the bluff13, through the sliding sand to the river-bank, where a raft of three logs had been moored14. Loosing this unwieldy craft, he laid the unloaded gun upon it, then seized the long push-pole, and sprang on board. It required considerable effort to free the lower end of the raft from the mud, but finally it swung out into the stream. Roly pushed and paddled lustily for some moments before he succeeded in urging the heavy affair to the farther shore, for the current was strong and carried him down the stream fully15 two hundred yards. He fastened the raft to a clump16 of alders17, picked up the gun, and set off up the stream to the south, keeping a sharp lookout18 for any kind of game.
After penetrating19 a tangled20 thicket21, he saw that he was coming out upon a long, open swamp. There might be ducks here, and he paused to look carefully at two or three pools which gleamed at some distance. Seeing nothing, however, he skirted the edge of the swamp to the higher wooded land beyond, where he was startled[168] by the sudden chattering22 of a red squirrel in a spruce over his head. He could have shot the squirrel easily, but felt it would be unmanly to kill any creature wantonly. The little animal was too small to have much value as food, and, besides, cartridges24 were precious. So he passed on, in the hope of seeing larger game.
On every sandy bank the ground-squirrels sat, and while they were larger than the red squirrels, they were very lean after their long winter sleep. They were plentiful25 near the cabin, and Roly thought he could catch them with traps or snares26, as soon as they were in better condition. For the present, therefore, the ground-squirrels were also left in peace.
Everywhere were traces of rabbits, but no rabbits were to be seen. Lucky had explained this one day by saying, "Rabbit come bime-by—plenty rabbit—all gone now,"—which Mr. Bradford interpreted to mean that the animals migrated from place to place, and at some seasons would, no doubt, fairly overrun the country, while at other times they would be very scarce.
At length Roly caught a glimpse of a long, swampy27 pond between the trees ahead, and on its smooth surface, near the centre, he could see three ducks, one small, the others larger and of a dark-brown color,—doubtless mallards. Hardly had he made this discovery, and paused to consider how he should approach, when up flew two little ducks, one variegated28, and the other an even brown,—the[169] male and female,—from a near arm of the pond which had escaped his notice. The boy trembled, lest the other three should also be alarmed; but they went on dipping their bills under the water quite unconcernedly, while the small one occasionally dived.
Near the bank stood a green spruce, the branches of which came thickly down to the ground on the side toward the water, forming a splendid cover. Roly thought that if he could only reach this tree, it would be an easy matter to bag a duck or two, so he started cautiously on tiptoe, keeping the tree between himself and the birds. But there were many dry twigs29 and little bushes in the space over which he had to pass, and the two mallards—most wary30 of Alaskan ducks—presently took alarm at the almost imperceptible crackling on the shore. Up they flew, quacking32 loudly, and making a wide sweep in Roly's direction, so that he felt sure he could have shot one of them on the wing. Indeed, he would have tried it, had not his father given strict orders to the contrary. Cartridges were too precious here to be spent on experiments. Roly had never practised wing-shooting, and his father knew he would waste a great deal of ammunition33 before acquiring the knack34. Where sport was the object, not food, and ammunition was plentiful, Mr. Bradford would have advised his son to shoot only at birds on the wing, that being more sportsmanlike, and giving the birds a chance. But here it[170] was simply a matter of food, and every cartridge23 must count.
Roly, therefore, after one longing35 look at the now distant mallards, crept up under the tree, and, kneeling on the moss36, took aim through an opening in the branches at the small duck, which seemed much less timid than the others, though it had paddled a short distance toward the farther shore. There was a puff37 of smoke, and the report rang out sharply on the still morning air. The duck flopped38 once or twice, then lay motionless on the water, on perceiving which, Roly executed an immediate39 triumphal war-dance under the tree.
It was now a question whether the pleased youngster could secure his prize. The wind was too light to blow it ashore40, and the longest pole he could use would not be long enough. The water looked dark and deep, but at least he would try it; so, pulling up his rubber boots to their full length, he stepped carefully out into the pond. To his surprise, he found that the mud on the bottom was solidly frozen, and the water was nowhere more than two feet deep. The duck was therefore quickly reached and brought back to the tree, where the young hunter ambushed41 himself again to await developments.
He now bethought him of the empty shell in his gun, and had hardly thrown it out, preparatory to snapping another into place, when two fine mallards appeared from[171] the southward, and plumped heavily down upon the water, not thirty feet from his hiding place. Alas31 that, of all times, the cartridge should stick at that golden moment! But stick it did, refusing to go in, or even to come out again. Roly fairly bit his lips with vexation, and tugged42 with nervous fingers at the mechanism43 of the breech, keeping an eye on the ducks all the while, and trying to be as quiet as possible. It was all to no purpose. A bit of dirt had found its way in somewhere, and he had to shake the gun violently before the cartridge would move. The mallards could not be expected to turn a deaf ear to this commotion44. They raised their heads, and then with one impulse fluttered up and away, and poor Roly nearly cried, as the obstinate45 cartridge slipped easily in, ere the birds were fairly out of sight.
It was yet early, however, and the lad knew that he had only to wait patiently, to find another chance. He could occasionally hear the whistle of wings as a flock flew past, and sometimes he could see the birds from his covert46. He had watched and waited a half hour, when four ducks settled down at the remote end of the pond. They were out of range, but soon began to come closer. Two were like those he had first frightened from the narrow arm of the marsh10, small in size, the male brightly plumaged, the female a smooth brown. It was a male of this species which he had shot. The other two seemed much larger, but in other respects almost exactly like[172] their companions. They kept quite near each other, and splashed or dived unconscious of danger.
Roly watched his opportunity, hoping they would bunch together, so that he might kill more than one at a shot. He had not long to wait. As they came in range, the two larger birds and the smaller female were exactly in line, one beyond another. It was the favorable moment. He aimed at the middle one and fired.
The small male duck, which had been out of the line, seemed bewildered rather than frightened by the noise. He dived, came up at a distance, and paddled away without taking flight. The two larger birds were instantly killed, while the small female beyond was crippled, and fluttered around in a circle. Roly felt justified47 in using another cartridge at once to put her out of suffering. Then he waded48 out and brought in his prizes, the fourth duck having escaped into the swamp-grass.
He wondered if the others back at the cabin had heard the shots. It was not unlikely, for they would be stirring by this time. Having seated himself again, he fell to thinking over the strange life he had been leading for the past two months, so different from that at home. His reverie was interrupted by the arrival of a fine mallard, which was bagged without delay.
No more ducks visited the pond, though he waited until the middle of the morning, when they ceased flying. He therefore prepared to return. The legs of the birds were[173] tied together, and they were slung49 over the barrel of the gun, which he then raised to his shoulder, and found he had something of a burden.
But he was destined50 to carry still more. He had not proceeded far when he heard the clucking of a ptarmigan in the woods to his left, so leaving the ducks where he could easily find them, he stole softly in the direction of the sound. The clucking soon seemed very near,—so near that he did not dare to go a step farther, for fear of frightening the bird, but, look as he would, he could see nothing of it. He scanned the ground for a glimpse of white, forgetting entirely51 that the ptarmigan becomes brown when the snow disappears, and was just giving up in despair when he sighted the bird perched on the dead branch of a tree across a little glen. And, what was better, there were two in the tree. Roly man?uvred till he had the birds in line, and it was such an easy shot that both fell stone dead at once, amid a shower of feathers.
"Well done, Roly, my boy!" said Mr. Bradford, heartily52, when the prospectors53 returned late that afternoon and found Roly's bunch of birds. "Let's see, here's a mallard, two golden-eyes, two little butter-balls, and two ptarmigan,—seven birds in all. And how many shots did you fire?"
"Five," said Roly, with pardonable pride. "There were no large flocks to fire into, but I meant to make every shot tell."
[174]
"Yes," said his father, "and you've done very well, especially for a beginner."
"And how many did you get, Johnson?" asked Uncle Will. Johnson had been on a similar errand for the other party.
"Five ducks and a white rabbit," was the reply. "On the whole, Roly has carried off the honors, for I fired six shots."
So the campers obtained fresh meat, and all were very glad to abstain54 awhile from bacon. Both Roly and David went duck-hunting often after that, and always with good success throughout the migrating season.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
eking
|
|
| v.（靠节省用量）使…的供应持久( eke的现在分词 )；节约使用；竭力维持生计；勉强度日 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
latitude
|
|
| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
twilight
|
|
| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
delightful
|
|
| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
anticipations
|
|
| 预期( anticipation的名词复数 )； 预测； （信托财产收益的）预支； 预期的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
quack
|
|
| n.庸医；江湖医生；冒充内行的人；骗子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
bunk
|
|
| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
attire
|
|
| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
tingle
|
|
| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
marsh
|
|
| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
marshes
|
|
| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
bluff
|
|
| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
moored
|
|
| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
clump
|
|
| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
alders
|
|
| n.桤木( alder的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
18
lookout
|
|
| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
penetrating
|
|
| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
tangled
|
|
| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
thicket
|
|
| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
chattering
|
|
| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
cartridge
|
|
| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
cartridges
|
|
| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
plentiful
|
|
| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
snares
|
|
| n.陷阱( snare的名词复数 )；圈套；诱人遭受失败（丢脸、损失等）的东西；诱惑物v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
swampy
|
|
| adj.沼泽的，湿地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
variegated
|
|
| adj.斑驳的，杂色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
twigs
|
|
| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
wary
|
|
| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
alas
|
|
| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
quacking
|
|
| v.（鸭子）发出嘎嘎声( quack的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
ammunition
|
|
| n.军火，弹药 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
knack
|
|
| n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
longing
|
|
| n.（for）渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
moss
|
|
| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
puff
|
|
| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
flopped
|
|
| v.（指书、戏剧等）彻底失败( flop的过去式和过去分词 )；（因疲惫而）猛然坐下；（笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地）移动或落下；砸锅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
ashore
|
|
| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
ambushed
|
|
| v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
tugged
|
|
| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
mechanism
|
|
| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
commotion
|
|
| n.骚动，动乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
obstinate
|
|
| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
covert
|
|
| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
justified
|
|
| a.正当的，有理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
waded
|
|
| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
slung
|
|
| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
destined
|
|
| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
heartily
|
|
| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
prospectors
|
|
| n.勘探者，探矿者( prospector的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
abstain
|
|
| v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |