53
No storms broke the monotony of fair weather and quiet sailing, and when at last they entered Magdalena Bay and approached the settlements they were almost sorry to leave the fruit steamer. At ten o’clock one bright morning they climbed into the cutter and were pulled away to the shore, landing at length on the sandy soil of the small town of Quito.
Ned’s ranch6 lay several miles inland, and the only means of travel was a lumbering7 wagon8 which went to the mines. Learning that this vehicle was to start out the following morning they hunted up the driver, a Mexican, and arranged to drive with him. A small hotel provided them with a place to put up over night and after a satisfying supper they wandered around the town, seeing the sights. The steamer had gone on its voyage after a brief stop.
The population of the town was very small, and exceedingly sleepy. Terry remarked that they slept all day in order to recruit strength enough to play on guitars at night. The population was composed of Spaniards, Mexicans, and a few Americans, whose interest seemed to be chiefly centered in the inland mines, and a number of halfbreeds. Droves of dogs, whose seemingly endless variety astonished the boys, roamed the streets.
“Gosh,” exclaimed Jim, as they came around a pack of them. “I used to like pups, but I don’t know as I do after seeing these. Guess I’ll look under my bed when we get back to the hotel and see if there are any there!”
54
Soft lights gleamed from most of the houses when evening came on, and the sound of guitars was to be heard on every street. There were no lights along the streets, but the night was warm and bright, and the Americans had no difficulty in walking around the town. Quite early they returned to their hotel and after drinking some cold orange drink, went to bed.
Bright and early in the morning they were up, as they had been told that the mine wagon was to leave at six, and after a hearty9 breakfast went out and loaded their bags on the vehicle. The driver appeared shortly afterward10, rolling a cigaret11 with amazing skill between two fingers. Terry eyed him in admiration12.
“By golly!” he muttered. “I don’t smoke and don’t know as I shall, but if I did I’d give a lot to be able to roll ’em like that! I couldn’t roll one that way with both hands.”
Later on, when in the course of their journey the Spaniard yawned, Terry pretended to be enthusiastic. Without bothering to take the cigaret out of his mouth the driver yawned heartily13, and the cigaret, clinging to his upper lip, simply hung suspended until he closed his lips again. Then he resumed smoking, the operation being none the worse for the act, and Terry again shook his head in envy.
“Wonderful people!” he whispered to Don. “Too lazy to do anything at all! Wonder what happens to a cup of coffee when he yawns!”
55
“Probably he keeps right on pouring it down and doesn’t waste any time,” chuckled14 Jim. “Great labor15 savers, these people!”
“I guess their hardest work is to keep from doing any work,” smiled Professor Scott.
The wagon was a large open affair, with two long boards like benches on the side, and the boys and the teacher sat on the seats with their baggage at their feet. The driver sat slumped16 forward on the front seat, smoking, yawning and dozing17 by turns, muttering in broken exclamations18 sometimes to the horses and sometimes to himself. Although they tried to talk to him they received only weary shrugs19 of his narrow shoulders, and they soon gave it up and talked among themselves.
The country through which they were passing led up in a gradual sweep from Magdalena Bay, and they soon drew out of sight of that broad sheet of blue water and plunged20 on into the more open country. The soil was somewhat sandy, with an almost tropical vegetation, and small brooks21 spread like silver ribbons toward the sea. As they continued to work further inland the country became more and more open, with rolling plains and afar off darker stretches marked the hills in which the mines were located.
56
“Ned’s place is off in that direction,” said the professor, pointing to the southwest. “He tells me that it is in a basin between two small ranges, so we’ll probably come across it all at once.”
At noontime they halted in the shade of a spreading tree which was more of an overgrown bush, a species that the professor did not know, and in which he speedily became interested. The driver immediately sat in the shade and proceeded to eat his lunch from a black box which he had, paying not the slightest attention to them. The boys, wishing to make some coffee, cut some mesquite bushes which were nearby and kindled22 a small fire. Jim set the coffee to boil and they ate some sandwiches which they had been wise enough to bring with them.
When the coffee was made Don took some to the Spaniard, who accepted it with a brief nod of his head. Terry poked23 Jim.
“That means thank you,” he said. “Too much trouble to say it!”
Immediately after the noon meal the driver toppled over silently and went to sleep, a movement that afforded Terry much amusement. On this particular occasion, however, the boys could not blame him very much. It was hot, so much so that they were glad to stretch out and nap themselves. At the end of an hour the driver got up suddenly, resumed his seat and clicked his tongue at the two horses. The wagon, with its crew, rumbled24 on.
57
It was five o’clock when they topped the final rise and looked down on the Scott ranch. As the wagon rolled down to the place they had a good opportunity to study it closely. There was the main ranch building, a single story affair, constructed of plain boards that showed up gray and sordid25 against the declining sun. Two large barns flanked the house and an inclosed field with some scattered26 patches of grass afforded a ground for a half dozen horses. In back of the ranch was another frame building, which they afterward found out was Ned’s laboratory, in which he tested metal from the mines.
Ned Scott was at home when they arrived, in fact, he had seen the wagon top the rise, and came riding out to meet them. They saw him swing carelessly onto the back of a horse and dash up, and Jim, who was used to riding a cavalry27 horse at school, admired the grace and ease with which he did it. Then, having greeted his father enthusiastically, Ned Scott was introduced to the boys.
He was a young man in his early thirties, broadly built, with black hair and eyes and a serious look. For some years he had lived in practically what was solitude28, seeing a few white men from the mines and a good many halfbreeds and Mexicans. The sight of three boys somewhat near his own age was welcome, and he looked forward to some interesting days to come.
58
When greetings had been exchanged the young engineer led the way to the ranch, where the boys alighted from the mine wagon, and paid the driver. The man took the money unemotionally and drove off, having only exchanged a word in Spanish with Ned.
“Well,” said Terry, as they watched him drive off. “That man is a treat!”
“How is that?” asked Ned.
“He is so calm,” replied Terry, solemnly. “And he is a splendid example. After seeing him I don’t think I’ll ever be fussed or excited over anything again!”
Ned Scott led them into the ranch building, a rough but comfortable place, with a wide, hospitable29 living room, a big dining-room, kitchen and a number of small bedrooms, all on the one floor. There was a small loft30 above for storage purposes, but no real upper floor. After they had stowed their things away and had made themselves comfortable Ned took them around the ranch and showed them the place in detail.
As his chief interest was centered in the mines he did not raise cattle, but he had one man to take care of his horses and generally help about the place. There was also an Indian cook, who was blackened by the sun and wind until his skin glowed with a dull color. Ned explained that the man who kept the horses and the barns was a mestizo.
59
“What is that?” asked Don.
“A man of mixed Spanish and Indian blood,” explained Ned. “Sometimes he is very funny. The Spanish in him gets very dignified31 at times and he is almost stately, and at other times he is just plain Indian, not much of anything. However, he has a passion for the horses and he is faithful, and outside of the fact that I have to drive him to work in the barns he is all right. I call him Yappi.”
Yappi was seen presently, a tall old man with curiously32 mixed white and black hair, a skin that was a mottled yellow, and dull black eyes. He bowed to them and passed on, apparently33 not at all curious. They inspected the barns and looked with considerable interest through Ned’s laboratory and the metals from the mines.
Supper was well served by Spanci the cook, and in the evening they sat on the long low porch talking until it was time to turn in. After a good sleep they were up, taking a trip with Ned to the mines. He led them through the tunnels and explained the complete workings to them, showing how the silver and lead was mined. This took up most of the day and they were thoroughly34 tired when night came.
Ned was not impressed by the loss of his letter. “Those fellows who attacked you have probably thrown it away,” he said. “I’ll write you another one sometime, dad!”
60
He asked the boys if they could ride and was delighted to find that they could. Jim, being a cavalry lieutenant35 at Woodcrest, was somewhat better at it than the others were, but they soon got accustomed to it. On the third day of their visit Ned proposed that they take a moonlight ride that night.
“The moon, as you noticed last night, is beautiful just at this time, and there is a lot more fun riding in the coolness of the night than in the heat of the day,” he said. “I think you will thoroughly enjoy it.”
After supper they mounted and rode out of the ranch grounds, the professor refusing to accompany them. It was a beautiful night, with a glowing moon and a sky splashed with stars and they rode for miles across the open country. The air was clear and cool, the mountains dark and mysterious near at hand, and the boys from Maine enjoyed every minute of it. As they were returning Ned spoke36 up:
“When we get to the top of the next hill I’ll show you the ranch of my neighbor, Senorita Mercedes,” he said.
His tone was casual, but the boys, remembering what the professor had said about Ned’s interest in the senorita, felt that he was himself interested in looking at the place where she lived. He had not mentioned her name since they had been there, and Terry did not know anything about her. Nor had they discussed the treasure as yet, thought the boys, but that would no doubt come soon.
61
They topped the rise and paused to rest the graceful37, lively horses while Ned pointed38 to a small white ranch which gleamed brightly in the moonlight. The house itself was small, but the outlying barns were large, and Ned explained that the senorita was at present raising cattle.
“Not many of them,” he went on. “Just enough to keep her alive and eating regularly. She has three ranchman and an overseer.”
Near the ranch some trees and mesquite bushes grew and Don was looking toward this clump39 fixedly40. He thought that he had detected some movement there but was not sure. Ned pulled the rein41 and turned his horse’s head.
“Well, I guess we had better be getting back,” he said.
“Wait a minute,” called Don, in a low voice. “There are two men coming out of that clump of trees near the ranch and creeping toward the house.”
Ned spun42 around in his saddle and looked closely. Two men were crossing an open space toward the house, taking care to keep as much as possible in the shadows. Gaining the side of the house they crept to a window and one of them reached up and pushed it. Instantly it swung open.
“Are those fellows her ranchmen?” asked Terry.
62
“I don’t think so,” said Ned. “That is the library window they just opened. By George, I think they’re going in that window!”
“I suppose that’s what they are opening it for,” nodded Jim.
Ned dug his heels into the flank of his horse. “Then come on,” he shouted, as the first man slipped through the window. “We’ve got to see what is going on in Senorita Mercedes’ ranch!”
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1
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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9
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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cigaret
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| n.（cigarette）香烟，纸烟，卷烟 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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16
slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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17
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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18
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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19
shrugs
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| n.耸肩（以表示冷淡，怀疑等）( shrug的名词复数 ) | |
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20
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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brooks
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| n.小溪( brook的名词复数 ) | |
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22
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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23
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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24
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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sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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26
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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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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hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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loft
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| n.阁楼，顶楼 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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32
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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36
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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37
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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38
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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39
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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40
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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41
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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42
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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