By this time, they're making a mile or two per day. On the seventh of August, they cross Braddock's Road at 189 miles and 69 Chains. Thirty-two Chains further on, they cross the Road a second Time. The next Day, a Mile and 35 Chains beyond that, they cross it a Third Time.
"I'm not content with this, Dixon, not at all."
Three agents for Philadelphia land-speculating Interests are said to be out here this summer, scouting1 real estate,— Harris, Wallace, and Friggs. The Metropolitan2 cabal3 back there, 'tis said, goes upon the hope of the next Purchase of the Indians, of as much trans-Alleghenian Land as possible. The settlers having been serv'd Eviction4 Notices last year by Capt. Mackay and the Highland5 Forty-second, and withal Surveying itself about to be proclaim'd a Crime,— fifty Pounds' fine and three months in Jail,— these Gentlemen suppose they may take over the Rights out here for virtually nothing.
"Three months for Surveying!" Mason marvels7. "And if someone's been doing it all his Life? A-and think of the Money! Is that fifty Pounds per Act of surveying? Per Diem, perhaps?"
"Thankee, Friend Mason."
Before crossing the Big Yochio Geni, in the evening after Mess, the Surveyors gather all who've follow'd the Party undaunted this far.
"Now like Prospero must I conjure9 you all away, for from here to the Warpath, we'll have no time for gentle recreations, but must stand Watch and Watch for as far west as we may.”
"Whah',— no musicians? The Indians love our Musick."
"The Indians will need their Ears for other Tasks."
"We must go back to that Fort, then."
"We'll wait for them at Cumberland."
"A long way, sister. So far we've enjoy'd an Escort of Mohawk fighters, best in the Land. Who'll be protecting us on the way back?"
"Might get lucky and hook up with a band of Axmen headed home?"
"They'll be long gone. Absorb'd like Hail-Stones into the Earth."
"Well I'm not languishing10 by the Banks of Potowmack, I'm for some?place with Lamps outdoors, and purses full of idle Specie. Anybody for Williamsburg?"
They arrange to keep the Sector11 at the House of Mr. Spears, where Brad-dock's Road meets the Bank of the Yochio, and go in search of the Fer?ryman, Mr. Ice. "They expect a Ferryman to be silent," announces he, his eyes a-glimmer. Taking his Coat and draping it over his head so as to hood12 his face, "Well. Welcome aboard. Smoking Lamp's lit on this Craft." On shore his brother-in-law is letting out the line, allowing them to be taken by the Stream, as his Nephew upon the further side waits to begin hauling them in. Exactly at the middle of the River, for a moment, no one can see either Father or Son. To appearance, the passengers stand upon a raft in a boundless13 body of water.
"Now here is what they did to me, and mine,"— and the last Ice pro6?ceeds to tell ev'ry detail of the Massacre14 that took his family, in the dread15 days of Braddock's defeat. Time, whilst he speaks, is abolish'd. The mist from the River halts in its Ascent16, the Frogs pause between Croaks17, and the peepers in mid-peep. The great black cobbles of the River-bed stir and knock no longer. The Dead are being summon'd. The Ferryman's Grief is immune to Time,— as if in Exchange for a sacrifice of earthly Freedom, to the Flow of this particular Stream.
"You think this is some kind of Penance18? Hey, I enjoy this. Such looks on Passengers' Faces, when they hear how the Flesh and Bones of those I lov'd were insulted! They are us'd to tales of Frederick's rank'd Automata, executing perfect manoeuvres upon the unending German Plain,— down here in the American Woods, that same War proceeded
silently, in persistent19 Shade, one swift animal Death at a time.. .no Treaty can end it, and when all are dead, Ghosts will go on contending. 'Twas the perfect War. No mercy, no restraint, pure joy in killing20. It cannot be let go so easily."
The Youghiogheny, cov'd and willow'd and Sycamor'd, has no Fish in it that Mason has been able to learn of. "Yah, you'll hear that," says Ice,— "Yet ev'ryone up and down this River knows of the great School of Ghost-fish that inhabit it, pale green, seldom seen, two sets of Fins21 each side and a Tail like a Dragon's. They travel unmolested where they will, secure in the belief that no Angler in his right mind would dare attempt to catch any of them. And that, Sir, could be where you come in."
Dixon is trying to nudge Mason alert, but owing to the Darkness, not always connecting. Mason is already simpering like a Milk-maid. "Who, Sir? I am but a Country coarse-fisher, after the odd Chub or Roach, what?ever the Mills haven't kill'd or chas'd off, actually, is usually what I set?tle for, and goodness, why this Fish of yours sounds far too much for my light-rod skills, being so very, as ye might say, big,—
"Mason," Dixon, not often a Mutterer, mutters.
"Up to five, some say six foot long," Ice avows22, "big as a man or Woman, pale as a floating Corpse,...yet these do live...tho' few have dar'd, some of us out here have taken Ghosters,— I could show you more than one, stuft and mounted,— no question of eating them, of course...indeed, no question trying to hang one over the Hearth23, given the Wives who object to looking at them for long.— Or at all.
"The Yochio as it comes down off the Mountains of Virginia descends24 very rapidly, very dangerously. You might not want, or even be able, to wade25 in it. Some think it's the Fall, the very Speed of the Flow, that cre?ates those Ghosters. No one knows. Their entire lives are engulf'd unceasingly in change. They never come to rest. They never know an Instant of Tranquillity26. One wonders, what must their idea of Death be," Ice's feign'd Smile nearly unendurable, "how are they going to deal with eternal Rest? unless this World be already their Purgatory27, and they no longer classifiable as living Fish."
"And what of those who seek them?"
"Ghosters are accorded a respect comparable to that shewn the Dead.... If we get out upon this River tonight," says Mr. Ice, "perhaps
we'll see a few. They like it just after the rain. In the sun-light, they show up against the black rocks of the River-Bed. In the Dark, they glow some,— for one another, they do. Us,— they pay no mind. In a way, that could prove an advantage...to an Angler bold enough."
"Pray you," Mason's hands upon his Bosom28.
Mr. Ice abruptly29 turning to Dixon, "Forgive me, Sir, if I stare. Yours is the first Red Coat to be seen in these parts since Braddock's great Tragedy,— the only ones out here with Opportunity to wear one, being the Indians who from the Corpses30 of English soldiers, took them. Even to these Savages31, even intoxicated32, 'tis too much shame, ever to put a Red Coat on."
"Yet I find it a means, when in the Forest, of not being innocently mis?taken for an Elk33...?"
"Nor should any mistake me for a tearful fool," advises Immanuel Ice, "merely upon observing how I must battle against a daily Sadness. The Graves of my Family are in back of the Cabin, up that Meadow, near the line of Cedars35...! visit ev'ry Day,— yet, Grief too Solitary36 breeds mad?ness. At my Work I meet a good many of the Publick, who travel in these parts, who will sometimes, like you, let me bend their Ears with my par8?ticular Woes37. It keeps away the Madness. Hey? You think it's over out here, Redcoat? It's not over. The Fall of Quebec was not the end, nor Bouquet's Success at Bushy Run, nor the relief of Fort Pitt,— for there is ever a drop in the cup left, another Shot to be fir'd, another life to be taken off cruelly, in unmediated Hate, ev'ry day in this Forest Life, somewhere. The last Dead in this have not yet been born. Young Horst will now pass among ye with a Raccoon Hat, the Contribution is six?pence. Thanks to Audiences like you, this place is proving to be an Elves' Treasury38."
"But,— this is horrible," protests Mason, " - Mr. Ice, how can you use your private Tragedy for the mere34 accumulation of sixpences?"
"How sinful is that?" Mr. Ice wishes to know. "Were any of you out here then? Not since Westphalia, such Evil. Without Restitution39, what's the Point? Here's my opportunity to redeem40 some of that terrible time, to convert enemy Rifle-Balls to Gold. How can any Person of Sense object to that? Meanwhile, there all of you are, accosting41 Strangers in Taverns42, spilling forth43 your Sorrows, Gratis44. One day, if it be his Will, God will
seize and shake you like wayward daughters, and you will thenceforward give nothing away for free."
Between Laurel Hill and Cheat, the Account-book shows at least in Hands on the pay-list, not including the Surveyors, various McCleans, and those forever omitted from the official Books. Once over Laurel Hill, they are in the Country of the Old Forts,— all across these hilltops are the Ruins, ancient when the Indians first arrived. Broken Walls, fallen nearly to Plan Views of themselves, act as Flues that the Wind must find its way past, in a long Moan with a Rise at the end of it, as if posing a Question. The Fort at Redstone lies upon the site of one. The Creek45 below is crowded with Rocks with lines of Glyphs inscrib'd on them. Nobody can read them, but all believe they are Grave Markers.
"The old stories say the Forts were built and later abandon'd by a Nation of Giants, who possess'd a magick more powerful even than that of the English or the French."
"Fortifications?" says Dixon. "Against what?"
The Indians laugh. "Each other, maybe."
"Now and then you'll find these Gigantick Bones," says Hugh Crawf-ford.
"Human?" inquires Mason.
"Sure seem to be. Been there a long time."
Ev'ryone out here knows of the Old Forts. When it becomes very
Dark, and Thunder-Gusts come sailing in over the Ridge-line, fanciful
Uncles tell Nieces and Nephews that the Giant People are back, loud as
ever, seeking to reclaim46 their Country. Redeem it. Some bite at this,
some do not. Within the broken Perimeters47 lie Monoliths that once stood
on end,— recumbent, the Indians believe, " - they are dead or sleep?
ing,— upright, they live,— likenesses neither of Gods, nor of men,— but of Guardians48 "
"Guardians,— of...?"
"Helpers. They live. They have Powers."
"In England, you see," Mason feels impell'd to instruct the Indians, "They mark the positions of Sun, Moon, some say Planets, thro' the Year.... They are tall, like Men, for the same reason our Sector is Tall,— in order to mark more closely these movements in the Sky."
"Small Differences mean much to you. There is Power in these?”
"The finer the Scale we work at, the more Power may we dispose. The Lancaster County Rifle is precise at long range, because of microscop-ick refinements49 in the Finish, the Rifling, the ease with which it may be held and aim'd. They who control the Microscopick, control the World."
"Listen to me, Defecates-with-Pigeons. Long before any of you came here, we dream'd of you. All the people, even Nations far to the South and the West, dreamt you before ever we saw you,— we believ'd that you came from some other World, or the Sky. You had Powers and we respected them. Yet you never dream'd of us, and when at last you saw us, wish'd only to destroy us. Then the killing started,— some of you, some of us,— but not nearly as many as we'd been expecting. You could not be the Giants of long ago, who would simply have wip'd us away, and for less. Instead, you sold us your Powers,— your Rifles,— as if encour?aging us to shoot at you,— and so we did, tho' not hitting as many of you, as you were expecting. Now you begin to believe that we have come from elsewhere, possessing Powers you do not— Those of us who knew how, have fled into Refuge in your Dreams, at last. Tho' we now pursue real lives no different at their Hearts from yours, we are also your Dreams."
As they have come West, the Visto has grown sensibly wider, and the Hands have tended more and more to be in it as little as they may, in the Day-time, as to sleep up and down its Center-Line at Night.
The Axmen begin to depart unannounc'd,— as the Army might say, desert. Cheat is the Rubicon, Monongahela is the Styx. At last there are the Indians, and fifteen Axmen newly hired, and Tom Hynes ("Somebody has to cook..."). And after the first terrible Poker50 invisible up the Arse, after allowing themselves a moment to see if they wish to begin screaming and flinging themselves about, Mason and Dixon notice the Indians, politely enough, yet unarguably, watching them, to see how they will react.
Hendricks seems fascinated. "What do they believe waits them, on the other side of the River, that sends them away so fast?"
"They said Shawanese, Delawares, Mingoes,— someone said, a tribe whose Name they've never heard."
"A Tribe with no name?" He translates quickly for his Companions, as if trying to finish before being careen'd by the gathering51 Sea of Mirth.
"We know that Tribe,— we are afraid of them, too, the Tribe with no Name." The Indians sit and smoke, continuing to laugh for what, to Europeans, might seem a length of time far out of proportion to the Jest. The Day passes, the night deepens, the Absence of the Axmen is felt at Ear-drums and Elbow-joints, as in the sleeplessness52 attending Watch and Watch, as the Days of their Westering, even the most obtuse53 of the Company can see, are rapidly decremented, as in a game of Darts54, to Zero, waiting moment upon moment the last fatal Double.
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scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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metropolitan
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| adj.大城市的，大都会的 | |
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cabal
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| n.政治阴谋小集团 | |
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eviction
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| n.租地等的收回 | |
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highland
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| n.(pl.)高地，山地 | |
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pro
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| n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者 | |
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marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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par
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| n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的 | |
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conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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languishing
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| a. 衰弱下去的 | |
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sector
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| n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形 | |
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hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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croaks
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的第三人称单数 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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penance
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| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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fins
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| [医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌 | |
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avows
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| v.公开声明，承认( avow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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descends
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| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
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wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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purgatory
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| n.炼狱；苦难；adj.净化的，清洗的 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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elk
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| n.麋鹿 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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cedars
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| 雪松，西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 ) | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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restitution
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| n.赔偿；恢复原状 | |
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redeem
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| v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等） | |
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accosting
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的现在分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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taverns
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| n.小旅馆，客栈，酒馆( tavern的名词复数 ) | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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gratis
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| adj.免费的 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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reclaim
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| v.要求归还，收回；开垦 | |
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perimeters
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| 周边( perimeter的名词复数 )； 周围； 边缘； 周长 | |
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guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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refinements
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| n.（生活）风雅；精炼( refinement的名词复数 )；改良品；细微的改良；优雅或高贵的动作 | |
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poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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sleeplessness
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| n.失眠，警觉 | |
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obtuse
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| adj.钝的；愚钝的 | |
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darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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