At the place where he was, the stream was only some twenty feet broad, but, it was swimming deep and quite rapid.
On the other side it was five times as broad, but much more shallow, so that his opponent would have that advantage over him. Still, being on the arc of a circle, the distance to be traversed was much greater, and reduced the chances to evenness.
Simon Kenton leaped into the current, rifle in hand, and sunk over his head in a moment, striking out for the opposite shore with desperate energy. Twice the strong current carried him down, and twice he touched a rock and shoved against it so vigorously that he nearly reached the opposite shore. Each time, the weight of his long rifle ducked his[17] head and nearly strangled him, while the struggle became fiercer than ever.
At last, just as he was passing the end of the island, he caught a friendly bough2 and dragged himself up to shore with dripping weapons, just as he caught sight of the dark figure of his enemy about the middle of the stream in the shallows, but up to his waist in water.
Simon Kenton uttered the Shawnee war-whoop once more and tore through the brushwood to intercept3 his foe4.
“Now, ye ornary kuss, I’ve got ye, by the holy poker5!” he growled7 savagely8, as he stood on the bank above, and leveled his rifle at the other.
Click! fizz! sput!
The soaked powder missed fire, and Kenton uttered a savage9 growl6 as he flung the heavy rifle with all his force at his opponent, who was just raising his own weapon to fire back.
The ranger’s rifle hit the other as it went off, with such violence, that the man in the water staggered, slipped in the current, and fell back splashing and going under.
“Now we’re even, durn your painted hide!” yelled the irate10 Kenton, as he made one tremendous bound off the high bank into the water, drawing his knife as he leaped.
In another moment two strong men were grappling in water nearly up to their armpits, each having a knife in his right hand, and grasping his antagonist’s wrist with his left.
They tripped and stumbled, wrestled11 and struggled in grim silence, both being equally matched in strength and agility12, and fighting with the deadliest ferocity. Twice they went under water, and stumbled up without relaxing their gripe, and still neither had gained the least advantage.
At last, almost at the same moment, Kenton and his foe wrenched13 away from each other to regain14 breath, and stood panting and glaring at each other for several seconds at about six feet apart.
The Kentuckian was the first to speak.
“You’re a tough cuss, stranger, I don’t deny it; but you and me’s got to settle this hyar business afore we go home, and by the holy poker, you kurn’t sculp that gal15, ef you’re Blackfish hisself. So now.”
[18]
The stranger had been entirely16 silent so far in the struggle. As Kenton finished, he put out one hand and said:
“Simon, is that you? Well, this is a good story.”
The voice of the stranger was deep and powerful; he spoke17 better English than Kenton, and the latter seemed to recognize the tones in a moment.
The ranger sprung back in the water, with a cry of wonder, and shouted out:
“Gee-Christopher-cricket-and-blue-blazes! Wal, ef we arn’t be’n a couple of durndest jack-mules this side of ole Virginny. By the holy poker, it’s Cunnel Boone!”
Daniel Boone himself indulged in a short laugh, instantly checked, as he quietly said:
“And I took you for a Shawnee scout18, Kenton, and thought you wanted to scalp the girl on the island. Well, well.”
Not another word passed between the two famous hunters, so strangely met, for some time. They returned their knives in silence, groped about in the water with their moccasined feet, and discovered their rifles, with which they slowly landed on the island, both buried in curious cogitations.
They ascended19 the bank together and entered the thick cover of bushes before either of them spoke, and then Kenton, in a sort of sheepish tone, said:
“’Twon’t do to tell this story too permiskus, cunnel, I reckon. I’m clean ashamed o’ myself fur not pluggin’ ye, when ye give me such a chance. I war a-sayin’ to myself, what would cunnel say ef he knowed I’d made sich a show o’ myself to a Injun varmint, leave alone a white man, and sich a white man as you, cunnel.”
Boone again uttered one of his low laughs.
“To tell you the truth, Simon, I was thinking that I was the man to feel ashamed. You never saw me, and you put two holes into my old cap, for all that. I saw you, and missed you. Simon, I thank God for my erring20 hand.”
There was a short silence, both hunters being busily employed in drawing the charges from their wet rifles, and wiping the same. Then Kenton spoke, with a curious mingling21 of pride and regret in his voice, hesitating in a manner not usual with the reckless borderer.
[19]
“Then ye don’t think I did so bad arter all, cunnel. I swow I feel amazin’ glad I didn’t hit yer, but still—ye don’t think I acted like a greeny—eh, cunnel?”
“You did what no other woodman in Kentucky could do, Simon. You fooled Daniel Boone,” said the elder hunter, in a grave tone. “I didn’t believe it lay in ye, and I don’t want to meet ye again in such a fashion. But one thing we forget. There’s a white woman on this island, and we have to find her; and, besides that, we haven’t a dry thread till we light a fire. Take one side the island, and I’ll take the other, and hunt till we find her.”
The young ranger raised his hand to his cap in a military salute22, as he turned away.
“All right, cunnel. We’ll git her.”
The two hunters moved off on either side of the island in a circuit, which speedily brought them face to face at the upper end, for there was not more than an acre of ground embraced in its limits.
Neither of them had come across any traces of a human being.
Again they turned and searched in the opposite direction, moving cautiously and stopping frequently to listen for the rustle23 of bushes. At last it became plain that the former occupant of the island, whoever it might be, had decamped in some manner, probably during the noise and confusion of their struggle in the river. At all events, she was not to be found, and the two hunters gave up the search in their second round.
It was altogether too dark to trail, and both concluded to wait till morning for the purpose. Meantime a fire was kindled24 in the midst of a dense25 thicket26 in the middle of the island, screened on all sides by brushwood, and made of dry punk gathered from a rotten fallen tree. Then, by the side of the glowing embers, the wearied hunters dried clothes and arms, cleaned their guns, and consulted on their future movements, after detailing to each other the results of their separate scouts27 through the Shawnee hunting-grounds, up to the time when they had so unexpectedly met on the banks of the Kentucky.
It took but a little time to exchange news, and then both[20] composed themselves to slumber28, with their feet to the fire, and slept till the first streaks29 of dawn appeared in the eastern sky.
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收听单词发音
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1
ranger
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| n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员 | |
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2
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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3
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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4
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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5
poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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6
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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7
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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8
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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9
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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10
irate
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| adj.发怒的，生气 | |
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11
wrestled
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| v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤 | |
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12
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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13
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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14
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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15
gal
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| n.姑娘，少女 | |
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16
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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17
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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18
scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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19
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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erring
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| 做错事的，错误的 | |
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21
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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22
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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23
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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24
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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25
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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26
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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27
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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28
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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29
streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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