Chapter 5 Further Adventures Of Bill Mosely

 Bill Mosley and his companion pushed on after leaving the poor Chinaman tied to the tree.

 

"The yellow heathen may starve, for all I care," said Mosely, carelessly. "It's all his own fault. Why didn't he speak up like a man and tell me what I wanted to know?"

 

"I should say so," chimed in Tom Hadley.

 

"The question is now, 'Whereabouts is that cabin we are in search of?'"

 

Hadley appeared to have no idea, and no suggestion to offer.

 

"It strikes me it must be somewhere near the top of the mountain," said Mosely. "What do you say?"

 

"I should say so."

 

"Then we'll take the shortest way to the summit. I tell you, Tom, we're on the track of something rich. We'll take all this fellow's gold-dust, and he can't help himself. It'll be richer than any claim we've worked yet, if it pans out as well as I expect--eh, Tom?"

 

"I should say so, Bill," answered Hadley, with an expression of interest.

 

"I tell you, Tom," said Bill Mosely, complacently¹, "you were in luck when you fell in with me. We've done pretty well since we j'ined hosses, pard."

 

"I should say so--but," added Hadley, after a pause, "it would go hard with us if we got caught."

 

"We don't mean to get caught," said Mosely, promptly². "As for this new job, there's no danger in it. This man is down with a broken leg, and he can't help our taking his gold. The Chinaman's out of the way, and we've got a clear field. Take a good look, Tom, for your eyes are better than mine, and tell me if you see anything that looks like a cabin anywhere around?"

 

This inquiry³ was made some twenty minutes after they had left Ki Sing. They had pursued a circuitous⁴ course, or in half the time they might have been as near the cabin as they now were.

 

Tom Hadley didn't answer in his customary phrase, but instead raised himself erect⁵ on his mustang and looked sharply about him.

 

"Well?" demanded Mosely, impatiently.

 

"I don't see anything that looks like a cabin," said Hadley, deliberately⁶, "but I think I see smoke."

 

"Where?" asked his companion in an eager tone.

 

"There," said Tom Hadley, pointing with his whip in a particular direction.

 

Mosely strained his eyes, but he was a trifle near-sighted and could see nothing.

 

"I can't see anything," he said, "but that proves nothing. If there's smoke, there's a house. There's no question about that, and there's not likely to be more than one cabin about here. Steer⁷ in the direction of the smoke, Tom, and I'll follow in your tracks. My horse is getting tired; he'll be glad to rest for the night."

 

"Will it be safe?" queried⁸ Hadley.

 

"Safe enough. The Chinaman is disposed of, and as for this broken-legged Dewey, we'll bind⁹ him fast and set him outside of the cabin while we make ourselves comfortable within. I shall be sorry to inconvenience him, but when a man has company he must expect to be put out--eh, Tom?"

 

"I should say so, Bill."

 

The two worthy¹⁰ gentlemen kept on their way till, making a sudden turn, the house, which had hitherto been concealed¹¹ from them by a cliff, stood plainly revealed.

 

"There it is, Tom!" cried Mosely, joyfully¹². "We've found it, in spite of that lying heathen. It seems good to see a house after wandering about for weeks without a chance to sleep under a roof--eh, Tom?"

 

"I should say so, Bill."

 

It will be observed that Mr. William Mosely was fond of designating Ki Sing as a heathen, evidently appreciating his own superiority as a Christian¹⁴. Yet I am inclined to think that a heathen like the Chinaman possessed¹⁵ more moral worth than a dozen Christians¹⁶ of the type of Mosely. From youth he had preyed¹⁷ upon the community, and his aim had been to get a living in any way that did not involve labor¹⁸. Honesty was an obsolete¹⁹ word in his vocabulary, and a successful theft yielded him a satisfaction such as other men derive²⁰ from the consciousness of well-doing. In fact, Mosely's moral nature was warped²¹, and there was very little chance of his reformation.

 

Now that the cabin was near at hand, the two men did not quicken their speed, for the ascent²² was somewhat steep and their animals were tired.

 

"Take it easy, Tom. The whole thing's in our hands. Wonder whether Dewey's expectin' visitors?" he added, chuckling²³. "I say, Hadley, he'll be glad to see us--don't you think so?"

 

"I should say so," returned Hadley, before the joke dawned upon him.

 

"You see, we are going to relieve him of the care of that gold-dust of his. We're two bankers from 'Frisco, that's what we are, and we'll take care of all the gold-dust we can take in."

 

"I shall want my half," said Tom Hadley, unexpectedly deviating²⁴ from his customary formula.

 

Mosely shrugged²⁵ his shoulders. He did not quite like this new disposition²⁶ of Hadley's to look after his own interests, but at present did not think it politic²⁷ to say much about it. Though Tom Hadley had generally been subservient²⁸ to him, he knew very well that if any difficulty should arise between them Tom would be a formidable antagonist²⁹. Fortunately for him, Hadley did not know his own power, or he would not have remained in subjection to a man whom he could have overcome had he been so disposed. He did not fully¹³ believe Bill Mosely's ridiculous boasts of his own prowess, but he was nevertheless disposed to overrate the man who made so many pretensions³⁰. All he asked was a fair share of the booty which the two together managed to secure, and this he had made up his mind to have.

 

They reached the cabin at last, and halted their horses before the door.

 

Both sprang off, and Bill Mosely, with a sign to his companion to remain in charge of them, entered at the open door.

 

"Is that you, Ki Sing?" asked Dewey, whose face was turned toward the wall.

 

Bill Mosely could not tell from the way he lay on the pallet, covered with a blanket, whether his leg were broken or not, but believed that this was the case. "That doesn't happen to be my name, stranger," he answered.

 

Richard Dewey turned suddenly on his low bed and fixed³¹ his eyes on the intruder. "Who are you? what do you want?" he demanded suspiciously.

 

"I thought I'd come round and make you a call, being in the neighborhood," answered Mosely, with a smile.

 

"Who are you?"

 

"Well, I'm not the President of the United States, nor I ain't Queen Victoria, as I know of," said Mosely.

 

"You look more like a horse-thief," said Richard Dewey, bluntly.

 

"Do you mean to insult me?" exclaimed Bill Mosely, fiercely. "Do you know who I am?"

 

Dewey was not easily frightened, and he answered coolly, "You haven't told me yet."

 

"Well, I'm Bill Mosely from the State of Missouri. I'm a regular tearer, I am. I don't take no back talk. When a man insults me I kill him."

 

"Very well. Now I know who you are," said Richard Dewey, calmly. "Now, what do you want?"

 

"How much gold-dust have you in this cabin? We may as well come to business."

 

"None at all."

 

"I know better. You can't pull wool over my eyes. Your Chinaman tells a different story."

 

"Ha! Have you seen Ki Sing?" asked Dewey, interested at last.

 

"Yes, I had the pleasure of meeting the heathen you refer to."

 

"Where is he now? Can you tell me?"

 

"To the best of my knowledge he is tied to a tree a mile or so from here. I don't think he will get away very easily."

 

"Scoundrel! you shall answer for this!" exclaimed Richard Dewey, springing to his feet, and thereby³² showing that neither of his legs was broken. 

1 complacently   

adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地

参考例句：

• He complacently lived out his life as a village school teacher. 他满足于一个乡村教师的生活。
• "That was just something for evening wear," returned his wife complacently. “那套衣服是晚装，"他妻子心安理得地说道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

2 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

3 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

4 circuitous   

adj.迂回的路的，迂曲的，绕行的

参考例句：

• They took a circuitous route to avoid reporters.他们绕道避开了记者。
• The explanation was circuitous and puzzling.这个解释很迂曲，让人困惑不解。

5 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

6 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

7 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

8 queried   

v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问

参考例句：

• She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

9 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

10 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

11 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

12 joyfully   

adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着，脚底下轻飘飘的。
• During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里，她干得很高兴。

13 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

14 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

15 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

16 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

17 preyed   

v.掠食( prey的过去式和过去分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生

参考例句：

• Remorse preyed upon his mind. 悔恨使他内心痛苦。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He had been unwise and it preyed on his conscience. 他做得不太明智，这一直让他良心不安。 来自辞典例句

18 labor   

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

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

19 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

20 derive   

v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自

参考例句：

• We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
• We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。

21 warped   

adj.反常的；乖戾的；（变）弯曲的；变形的v.弄弯，变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾，

参考例句：

• a warped sense of humour 畸形的幽默感
• The board has warped. 木板翘了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

22 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

23 chuckling   

轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I could hear him chuckling to himself as he read his book. 他看书时，我能听见他的轻声发笑。
• He couldn't help chuckling aloud. 他忍不住的笑了出来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

24 deviating   

v.偏离，越轨( deviate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I compromise by using a prepared text and deviating from it whenever I feel the need. 我搞折衷办法，准备一份讲稿，觉得需要的时候就自由发挥。 来自辞典例句
• Theories deviating practices are inane, while practices deviating theories are blindfold. 脱离实践的理论是空泛的，脱离理论指导的实践是盲目的。 来自互联网

25 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

27 politic   

adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政

参考例句：

• He was too politic to quarrel with so important a personage.他很聪明，不会与这么重要的人争吵。
• The politic man tried not to offend people.那个精明的人尽量不得罪人。

28 subservient   

adj.卑屈的，阿谀的

参考例句：

• He was subservient and servile.他低声下气、卑躬屈膝。
• It was horrible to have to be affable and subservient.不得不强作欢颜卖弄风骚，真是太可怕了。

29 antagonist   

n.敌人，对抗者，对手

参考例句：

• His antagonist in the debate was quicker than he.在辩论中他的对手比他反应快。
• The thing is to know the nature of your antagonist.要紧的是要了解你的对手的特性。

30 pretensions   

自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力

参考例句：

• The play mocks the pretensions of the new middle class. 这出戏讽刺了新中产阶级的装模作样。
• The city has unrealistic pretensions to world-class status. 这个城市不切实际地标榜自己为国际都市。

31 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

32 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。