The day had been an ideal one, overflowing14 with radiant sunshine, surcharged with ozone15 and with a sky of a crystalline clearness which Italy throughout all its historic centuries has never surpassed. The summer was drawing to a close; the nights were perceptibly longer, and there was a crisp coolness which increased after sunset and told of the coming of autumn and winter.
Scout2 Master Hall sat among his boys looking out upon the placid16 lake, the conversation rambling17 and not important enough to call for record. The chair in which Jack18 Crandall reclined while he talked had been carried inside by two of the Scouts, Doctor Spellman having advised that this should be done now that the weather was growing chilly19.
Suddenly, Gerald Hume, of the Stag Patrol, who sat nearest to the end of the porch, said:
“Hello? we have a visitor.”
A general turning of heads followed. Coming along the beach from the direction of Uncle Elk’s home was a boy, probably fifteen or sixteen years old, rather tall for his age, dressed in khaki, with leggings, a close-fitting cap and short coat with belt around the waist. While his attire20 resembled in some respects that of the Boy Scouts, it was not the same. He swung a swagger or short cane21 in his right hand, and advanced with the elastic22 grace of an athlete. As he drew nearer it was seen that he had a pleasing face, with regular features, dark eyes and hair, and that air which while it cannot be described, yet reveals the polish and culture of the true gentleman.
Glancing aside at the boys who were busy with their culinary duties, he stepped lightly upon the porch and with a military salute23 called out:
“Good evening, boys; I am glad to meet you.”
Scout Master Hall and every youth sprang to their feet and made the regulation salute, the leader advancing and offering his hand.
“And I assure you we are all pleased to welcome you. You are in time to join us at supper and of course will stay over night. Are you alone?”
“I am; my name is George Burton and my home is in the city of New York. I am spending a week or two at the Hotel Samoset on Mouse Island, but must soon leave to meet my folks on their return from the other side.”
“Did you come from Mouse Island to-day?” inquired Scout Master Hall.
“I left there early this morning; crossed to Boothbay Harbor and then struck on foot, just as my brother and I did last summer in tramping through Switzerland. A farmer gave me a ride of several miles, when I resorted to shanks-mare again. Then I caught another ride—not quite so long as the former—until I came to the half-broken track through the woods, over which I believe the wagon24 labors25 that brings your supplies. I had heard that a party of Boy Scouts were stopping at the clubhouse, which I saw from the other side of the lake, so I skirted the sheet of water to this point.”
“That makes a pretty good tramp for one day,” remarked the Scout Master.
“I have done a good deal better, and I am sure it would not tax any one of you. You asked me a few minutes ago if I were alone; I am, but I expect soon to be joined by a friend.”204
Young Burton laughed at the surprised looks turned toward him.
“He is my dog, named Zip.”
“He will be as welcome as his master,” said Mr. Hall.
“I know that and I thank you for us both.”
“It’s mesilf that is wondering why ye don’t kaap company,” said Mike Murphy; “me dad explained to Father Hoogan, as his rason for taking me wid him whereiver he wint, that he liked to have a pup at his heels whin he wandered round the country.”
The visitor smiled at the Irish lad’s drollery26, and was on the point of answering the query27, when the Scouts in charge of the dinner preparations announced that the meal was ready.
“We are all curious to hear your story, which we know is interesting,” remarked the Scout Master as he and the boys rose to their feet, “but nothing can be so attractive just now as the meal to which we have just been summoned.”
“I am of your opinion,” replied Burton, moving off with the others to the table.205
“May I ask when you look for the arrival of your friend Zip?”
The guest took out his watch and glanced at its face.
Every one was puzzled, but made no comment. As the Scout Master had remarked, the question of satisfying their hunger dominated all others for the time.
Needless to say the whole party partook of the food with the satisfying enjoyment29 which waits on sound health and exuberant spirits. As Scout Master Hall quoted, all “ate like horses when you hear them eat,” the feast enlivened by continuous chatter30, jest and merriment. Jack Crandall’s chair was wheeled to the table, and with a little help from his friends he did his part well. Less than half an hour thus passed, when the company adjourned31 to the front porch, the only absent ones being the half dozen who had to clean up and leave things ready for the morning meal. This work did not take long, and all were soon gathered together, the Scouts much interested in 206their guest, and what he told them about his dog Zip.
“He is a bloodhound,” he explained, “not quite two years old. The breed is not specially32 noted33 for its intelligence, but its delicacy34 or power of scent35 would be unbelievable had it not been proved over and over again. I hope to give you some demonstrations36 by my own dog, who is of pure breed, and with more brains than the generality of his kind.”
“Are you sure he will trail you to this place?” asked Scout Master Hall.
“There is not a particle of doubt about it. He has performed more difficult feats37 than that; in fact, I am trying to find something he cannot do, but so far haven’t succeeded.”
“Will you tell us the particulars of his present task?”
“I left Mouse Island this morning about seven o’clock on the Norman II, run by Captain Pinkham. Having made my arrangements with Manager Dodge38, I explained to my friend Chester Greenleaf that Zip would be at the dock and board the boat at twenty minutes to two for the roundabout trip to Boothbay Harbor. I advised Greenleaf not to try to collect a ticket from Zip, as he might resent it, and the young man promised to bear the counsel in mind. All that was to be done was to take the pup to the wharf39 at Boothbay and leave him to do the rest.
“Zip didn’t like the idea of being left behind at Mouse, but he knew what was expected of him, and stood quietly on the dock as with a lugubrious40 expression he watched me go. I waved my hand at him, and he wagged his tail in return, as much as to say I couldn’t lose him in that fashion.
“Now,” said Burton animatedly41, “consider what Zip has had to do. He left Mouse Island at twenty minutes to two o’clock this afternoon and reached Boothbay Harbor at about half past two, which was fully42 seven hours behind me. I’ll warrant he was the first one ashore43, and in a twinkling picked up my trail and was speeding northward44 from the town. Two miles out he lost it for the time because I had a lift from a farmer, but Zip knew what that meant, and he loped on up the road, certain of discovering when I left the vehicle.”
“Is it possible,” asked Scout Master Hall, “that he could keep your scent while you were riding in a wagon?”
“I am not prepared to deny it, incredible as it may sound. A bloodhound has been known to trot45 twenty feet to one side of a trail along a broad highway, and not lose it for miles. Zip is so familiar with my scent that he may have detected it from the first. Be that as it may, he lost no time in nosing about the road, but detected the very spot where my foot again touched ground, and was after me like a thunderbolt. I had a second ride—not quite so long as the first—which brought me to the rough unbroken track over which your supply wagon brings your provisions. It was a long tramp to this place, and, as you know, the afternoon was gone when I arrived.”
“Did you make any attempts to throw him off your track?”
“No, for it was useless. Had a canoe been at hand I might have crossed the lake in it, but that would have been unfair, for of course no trail can be followed through water, since in the nature of things none can be made.209
“Since I have been specially interested in this breed of dogs,” young Burton modestly added, “I may have picked up a few points that are not familiar to all of you.”
“There is no question as to that,” replied Scout Master Hall, “you have already proved it; you are telling us facts that are not only new to us but of special interest. All the boys feel as I do.”
“You are more complimentary48 than I deserve. While the bloodhound is not the most common breed of dogs in this country, I suppose most of you are familiar with his looks and history. They were once used in Cuba to track escaping prisoners and runaway49 slaves, and probably served the same purpose in some parts of the South before the Civil War, but in our country they were employed simply to track the negroes and were trained not to harm them, for, aside from the cruelty of the act, it was against the interests of the slave owner to injure his own property. In Cuba, the bloodhounds were like ravening50 tigers. The poor wretch51 in threshing through the thickets52 and swamps heard the horrible baying fast drawing nearer. His only escape was to leap among the limbs of a tree, and climb beyond reach of the brutes53. If he was tardy54 in doing so, the black terror that burst through the undergrowth buried his fangs55 in his throat the next instant and never let go, no matter how desperately56 the man fought.”
“How was it when the poor fellow reached a perch?”
“The dogs sat down and waited until the pursuers came up and claimed the prisoner.”
“Suppose the slave took to water?”
“He was pretty sure to do that sooner or later, but it rarely availed against the marvelous scent of his enemies. After a time the man had to leave the creek57 or river, as it might be, and with two or three or more bloodhounds trotting58 along the bank with their muzzle59 to the ground, they were certain to pick up the scent with little or no loss of time.
“This peculiarly Spanish product became famous during the war with the Seminole Indians of Florida some seventy years ago. You know that those redskins retreated 211into the swamps and everglades where our soldiers could not follow them, or, if they followed, could not find them. The war dragged on year after year until the patience of the government was worn out. In its perplexity a number of Cuban bloodhounds were imported; and, although our officers took pains to declare that the dogs would be used to track and not to rend60 the Seminoles, an indignant protest went up against the barbarity of the act.
“But,” added young Burton with a laugh, “the crime, if it were such, worked its own remedy. Somehow or other the Indians learned to make friends with the black brutes which came to them in the swamps, and they trained them with so much skill that they used them to hunt down the stray soldiers and former owners. The use of bloodhounds in the Seminole war proved a farce61.”
The guest suddenly ceased talking for a moment and said:
“It is time I heard from Zip.”
“Some accident may have befallen him or perhaps he has gone astray.”
“Both are improbable—listen!”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
elk
|
|
| n.麋鹿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
scout
|
|
| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
scouts
|
|
| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
bungalow
|
|
| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
detailed
|
|
| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
perch
|
|
| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
bass
|
|
| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
salmon
|
|
| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
trout
|
|
| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
fragrant
|
|
| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
resinous
|
|
| adj.树脂的，树脂质的，树脂制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
rugged
|
|
| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
exuberant
|
|
| adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
overflowing
|
|
| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
ozone
|
|
| n.臭氧，新鲜空气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
placid
|
|
| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
rambling
|
|
| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
jack
|
|
| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
chilly
|
|
| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
attire
|
|
| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
cane
|
|
| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
elastic
|
|
| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
salute
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
wagon
|
|
| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
labors
|
|
| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
drollery
|
|
| n.开玩笑，说笑话；滑稽可笑的图画（或故事、小戏等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
query
|
|
| n.疑问，问号，质问；vt.询问，表示怀疑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
margin
|
|
| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
enjoyment
|
|
| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
chatter
|
|
| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
adjourned
|
|
| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
specially
|
|
| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
noted
|
|
| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
delicacy
|
|
| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
demonstrations
|
|
| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
feats
|
|
| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
dodge
|
|
| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
wharf
|
|
| n.码头，停泊处 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
lugubrious
|
|
| adj.悲哀的，忧郁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
animatedly
|
|
| adv.栩栩如生地，活跃地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
ashore
|
|
| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
northward
|
|
| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
trot
|
|
| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
assent
|
|
| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
complimentary
|
|
| adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
runaway
|
|
| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
ravening
|
|
| a.贪婪而饥饿的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
wretch
|
|
| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
thickets
|
|
| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
brutes
|
|
| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
tardy
|
|
| adj.缓慢的，迟缓的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
fangs
|
|
| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
creek
|
|
| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
trotting
|
|
| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
muzzle
|
|
| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
rend
|
|
| vt.把…撕开，割裂；把…揪下来，强行夺取 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
farce
|
|
| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |