This discovery could mean but one thing: the individual was an enemy, and was on the point of making a hostile movement against him. He had undoubtedly1 dismounted on learning of Burnet’s approach and interposed his steed between them. Despite the gloom on every hand, Avon read aright the meaning of the almost imperceptible movement on the other side of the saddle, and he slipped from the back of his mustang with a celerity which, being displayed almost at the instant of the discharge of the other weapon, looked as if it was the result of a fatal shot.
But, although the bullet so treacherously3 fired came near its mark, the youth was not touched. His action was in the nick of time: a second later could not have availed him.
He was incensed4, as he had the best cause for being, and he resolved that the miscreant5 should not escape him. His rifle was snatched from its resting-place, and, stepping from behind Thunderbolt, he drew the best bead6 possible on his foe7.
The dexterity8 of the latter was marvellous. It was as if, at the very instant of discharging his weapon, he had vaulted9 into the saddle, and, wheeling the head of his horse away, sent him scurrying10 straight from his intended victim.
Not only that, but, in accordance with the fashion of the frontier in such emergencies, he flung himself forward on the neck of his animal, so as to offer the least possible target to the other, who, if not hit hard, was certain to return the shot.
The curious feature of the proceeding11 was that the man, having seen the youth vanish from the back of his steed at the instant the gun was discharged, did not assume that he was killed. Possibly such was his supposition, and his hasty flight was partly due to his anxiety to place himself beyond reach of his friends, who were likely to be drawn12 thither13 by the sound of firing. His act in throwing himself upon the neck of his mustang was simply in obedience14 to the rule which requires the frontiersman to avail himself of every possible means of safety, even when there is seemingly no call for it.
Despite the quickness of young Burnet, he was able to bring his Winchester to a level only at the moment the steed was thundering out of sight in the darkness, but he let fly three times in rapid succession, reckless whether he struck rider or animal; but since the sound of the hoofs15 still came to him, he was chagrined16 at the conviction that he had missed both.
“But you haven’t escaped me yet,” he muttered, swinging himself into the saddle; “there is no horse in Texas or the Indian Nation that can leave me behind; now, Thunderbolt, run him down!”
But, while the fates had been kind to Avon, in that he escaped death by the narrowest conceivable chance, they seemed equally well disposed toward the object of his wrath17. The boast of the pursuer as to the fleetness of his mustang was warranted, and had the circumstances continued favorable for only a few minutes, he would have brought his young rider beside the fleeing steed, where the account between the two men must have been quickly settled.
But at the very moment of starting, the forelegs of Thunderbolt sank into a hole above the knees. His activity saved him from harm, but his rider took a header over his ears, sprawling18 on the wet grass in front with a shock that stunned19 him.
By the time he could rally and remount his mustang, the other was not only beyond sight, but his listening ear could not detect the slightest sound of the flying hoofs.
“He has escaped this time,” thought Avon, as he once more resumed his place in the saddle, “but the account is still open and must be settled very soon.”
He was right, except that the account was closed not only sooner than he suspected, but in a manner of which he never dreamed.
Despite his alarming experience he had not lost his reckoning, and, facing toward the bed-ground of the herd20, he had ridden but a short way, when the familiar sounds told him he was near the animals from which he was lost only a short time before.
“They are here, Baby, just as I thought.” The remark was made by Gleeson, who loomed21 up in the gloom as he spoke22, with his mustang on a deliberate walk.
“I am glad of that, and, since no one beside you and me knows of our slip last night, we’ll keep it to ourselves.”
“I’ve no objection; but didn’t I hear a gun go off a few minutes ago? What was you shooting at?”
“It wasn’t I––someone shot at me.”
And thereupon Avon related the particulars of his encounter with the treacherous2 horseman. Gleeson listened and said nothing until 243he had finished. Then, with a characteristic exclamation23, he expressed his regret that Thunderbolt should have stumbled as he did.
“Keep your eyes open,” he added. “I’ll do the same, and we’ll get the drop on him soon.”
“Why does he want to hurt me?” asked Avon, “when there has never been a word between us?”
“It’s the nature of the animal,” was the reply. “It wouldn’t have made any difference whether it was you or me, so he thought he had a sure thing of it. That’s what he’s here for.”
It was evident from these words that each of the speakers was satisfied as to the identity of the one that had fired the well-nigh fatal shot. Gleeson named him immediately.
“I warned the cap, when he hired that Comanche, that we would have trouble with him. We left Texas a little short-handed, but we could have got through well enough without him. Howsumever, Shackaye, as you remember, rode into camp one day and asked the cap to give him a job, and the cap done it.”
“I recall your words about him, and I thought they were not justified24; but what made you so suspicious?”
The Texan uttered an impatient exclamation.
“In the first place he’s an Injin, and that ought to be enough. I never seen one of his race that it’s safe to trust; they’ll shoot the man that gives them a cup of water or a piece of bread. Talk about Injin gratitude25! There aint any such thing.”
“What did my uncle say to your sentiments?”
“He laughed in that quiet way of his, and said maybe as I was right, but he didn’t see what we had to fear from one Injin that was in camp with us; he reckoned we could pull his teeth before he could bite enough to hurt.”
“I am sure he will think differently when he hears my story.”
“Don’t tell him or anyone else a word about it. Promise me that.”
“And why?” asked the surprised Avon.
“Well,” was the hesitating answer, “I’ve several reasons: one of them is that though you and me have fixed26 on the Comanche as the chap, we aint sure of it. It looks very much that way, but it may be someone else after all. We mustn’t make any mistake, and above all, don’t let Shackaye think we suspect him.”
The youth gave his promise, though in his mind there was no doubt of the identity of the man that had come so near shooting him from his mustang. He saw the wisdom of not allowing Shackaye to know that he was suspected.
The cattle having been located, the couple had little to do but to hold them where they were. This proved less difficult than at other times. They had the help of Burrell, or Old Bronze, in the work, and the three did little but ride back and forth27, timing28 their course in such a way that they skirted the large body of animals, often meeting and exchanging greetings, but more often passing without seeming to see each other.
Sometimes one of the cattle would show a determination to dash away from the main body, but before he went far, a horseman was in front of him and he was forced back. The night was too chilly29 for sleeping, else one or more of the herders would have stretched out on the damp earth, with his bridle30 reins31 so interlocked with his arm that his horse could not wander off, or he would have fallen asleep in his saddle. When worn out with fatigue32 and loss of slumber33, a cowboy often rides for miles totally unconscious of what is going on around him.
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1
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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2
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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treacherously
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| 背信弃义地； 背叛地； 靠不住地； 危险地 | |
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incensed
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| 盛怒的 | |
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miscreant
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| n.恶棍 | |
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bead
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| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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9
vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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scurrying
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 ) | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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16
chagrined
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| adj.懊恼的，苦恼的v.使懊恼，使懊丧，使悔恨( chagrin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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18
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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19
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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22
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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23
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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timing
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| n.时间安排，时间选择 | |
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chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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30
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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31
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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32
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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