Ignace Koppowski, lazily rolling a cigarette, stood before his shack1 on the hill, apparently2 absorbed in the camp scene at his feet. In reality he was watching Torrance and Conrad watching him from the shack beside the trestle. After a time he returned inside, picked up his hat from the bunk3 and, rolling another cigarette, strolled out, pulling the door behind him.
From the shaded side of the hut he put his fingers to his nose and waggled them in the direction of the grade, then he climbed back through the window. Inside, every vestige4 of impudence5 deserted6 him. A grave frown puckered7 his forehead as he seated himself thoughtfully on the solitary8 chair to sit like a statue staring at the floor. Certain sudden twistings of his clumsy frame revealed the vagrant9 meanderings of his mind, now satisfied and determined10, now uncertain and reflective. Plainly it was a mind that refused to settle.
Thus he missed the first three low taps on the wall of his hut. When it was repeated he jerked his head nervously11, stared for an appreciable12 moment at an upper corner of the room, gripped his fists and teeth, and whispered a soft response.
Werner's head appeared in the window space, smiled, pushed through, followed by a scrambling13 body. After him came Morani, Heppel, and eighteen villainous-looking companions. Werner, first to enter, as usual, selected the bunk, throwing himself on it with a cunning smile. He always thought too quickly for the others. His companions littered the floor, Koppy retaining the seat of state. Twenty-two vile-featured conspirators14 gathered in solemn conclave15.
A twenty-third, not so vile-featured but swarthier of skin, sank softly against the logs at the rear of the shack, one ear pressed to a chink.
"You've gone the rounds?" demanded Koppy, probing each face in turn.
Koppy turned on him. "Sure?" He knew the craven hearts and beclouding imaginations of these companions of his.
"We saw marks. It was the place."
The frown on their leader's forehead deepened, and for a long time he was wrapped in thought. "Yours, too, Werner!" he muttered, shaking his head.
Werner read censure17 into the three words. "That dirty redskin caught me a clump18 on the coco from behind, and then a whole lot of Indians jumped on me. See, there's the lump." He felt tenderly of the crown of his head, but made no advance to enable his friends to verify his claim; it was too sore for that. "I just dropped. When I came round, the rifles were gone."
"You saw the Indian?"
"Sure I saw him." In time he recalled the darkness and added hastily, "with my nose. You can't fool this guy when an Indian's within a mile. I know when they're inside the township. I guess I ought to: I used to steal with 'em, out further west, trapping we was--or stealing from the other fellow's traps. Smell 'em? Well, I guess."
"Do you smell one now?" asked Koppy suddenly.
Twenty-one pair of eyes went swiftly to the window. Blue Pete, at his chink behind the shack, held his ground, but his muscles were tense.
Werner grinned at the little joke.
"There ain't much chance to smell anything else with this bunk of yours under my nose. When they burn this shack down--and they got to if they're going to live in the country--somebody's going to be asphyxiated19. I hope I'm five hundred miles away about then."
Koppy, struggling with anger and scorn, frowned on the would-be humourist, who hastily grinned.
"Course you know it's only a joke of mine, Koppy."
"Better so," returned the leader coldly. "Many Indians about?" He was searching Werner's eyes. "You saw--or smelt20 them."
Werner wilted21 under that stare. Volubly he struggled to support his story with convincing details, but his face was flushed and his eyes were anywhere but on his leader's. And Koppy smiled inscrutably.
Koppy struck him to sudden silence by a peremptory23 hand. "You talk too much," he said acidly.
"Just let me fire the first shot, that's all I want," babbled24 Werner, reading the disfavour under which he rested. "I'll blow the whole bunch to hell."
Morani's long knife passed slickly back and forth25 on the side of his boot; and they watched with staring eyes. A dirty, moistened finger tested the keen edge, the dark, cruel face lit up with satisfaction, and the weapon slid unobtrusively out of sight somewhere in the Italian's clothing.
Werner shuddered26. "It's a wonder your vittles don't sour on your stomach, Chico. Every time I dream I can feel that stiletto spiding down my spine27."
And then, by a stealthy, apparently innocent movement, the knife was out again, sliding along the leather of the boot.
"If you don't put that sticker where it belongs," protested Werner, "I'm going to carry a gun. I suppose you got to be carving28 something. Well, go out and tackle a log. You was brought up on a knife instead of a spoon."
"Saturday night!" Koppy announced suddenly.
"Er--what's that?" Werner had straightened on the bunk and was regarding his leader with fearful eyes. "Ah--yes--Saturday night. But don't you think a week from now, say next Tuesday--"
"Saturday night," repeated Koppy.
"If you wouldn't be so swift, Koppy, I was going to point out that the moon will be darker a few days later. I'm a regular nightingale when it comes to the dark."
"Look here, old chap," Werner bridled30, "you don't think I ran about looking for that Indian and threw the damn things at him?"
Werner made a furious movement, but noticed the Italian's knife-hand in time.
"I wish to blazes I'd run spryer before he hit me. Anybody's welcome to this knob on my nut. Trouble was I was too heavily armed to fight. Ask me my private opinion and I'd say Mavy's brought his tribe down to bother us. I'm game to butt32 up against anything that wears boots. But them Indians don't even wear pants--not what you'd notice."
"Indians got-a you--they wear pants, no?" leered Morani.
Koppy interrupted what promised to develop into a row.
"At one o'clock Saturday night," he announced in a loud voice. "Till then no touch rifles. Say nothing till the day. That's all."
He dismissed them with a wave of his hand. The half breed lifted himself from the ground behind the shack and slunk away.
Half the conspirators were already through the window when Koppy made a movement of his hand toward the camp. Creatures of his will, they obeyed without a word and wound away, later to drop down to the camp. Koppy followed. Straight through the unkempt cluster of buildings they went until they were out in the open river bottom far from the nearest group of gamblers, who turned dull eyes on them between plays.
Koppy seated himself and waved to his followers33 to do the same. Up at the end of the trestle the light from the boss's shack twinkled through the gloom. Close beside them the gurgle of the waters was soft and soothing34, and the colour-touched clouds above the setting sun cast an unreal glow over the edges of the river bank. Koppy moved his eyes about uncomfortably on the day's good-night. The mumblings of Werner brought him to the task in hand.
"We attack to-morrow night at midnight!" he announced.
A gasp35 went up from the lips about him. Fanatic36 and bloodthirsty as they were, the imminence37 of the ordeal38 that was to requite39 their wrongs startled them. Their preference was to curse their bosses and spur others to dangerous revenge. In moments of carefully developed hysteria they were reckless enough--when the hour came they would probably go forward blindly, with the foolhardiness of the ignorant--but Koppy's methods to-night were singularly unenflaming.
Werner expressed himself first:
"Like hell we do!"
Koppy ignored their agitation40; for some reason he did not choose to exercise then the petty arts of the leader.
"Perhaps some one hear up there," he explained, jerking an impatient thumb toward the shack they had left. "I fool him."
"To-morrow night at midnight we strike. Boss asleep, everybody asleep. Police asleep, too. Sure thing!"
"I be blowed!" Werner snarled42 to himself. "Here I been counting on a week or so to live--or make a getaway. Now I'm to be shot at midnight! A dog would get a fairer chance."
"At supper to-morrow tell the men," ordered Koppy. "Morani get dynamite43. Werner take ten men and watch Mr. Conrad--perhaps a knife. Heppel tear up track and stop Police. Lomask take ten rifles back of boss's shack. Hoffman smash boss's speeder. One-Eye Sam take rock-hogs to trestle. Dimhoff cut wires."
Silence was over the group. Even in their trepidation44 the completeness of their leader's programme over-awed them. Werner alone, driven by his fears, forgot to await the formal dismissal that was the main feature of the ritual, and started away. Koppy waved him back angrily.
"One thing--remember!" He glared about on them.
"There's a hundred and one I'm trying to remember before I kick the bucket," murmured Werner. "But all I seem to get is a picture of a thousand bullets meanderin' about loose to-morrow night in the dark at midnight, and the worst of them's not going to be going away from us."
The leader closed the mouth of the fearful one with a look.
"Remember"--the grimness of Koppy's tone was a threat--"the girl's mine."
"First catch your fish," muttered Werner.
"All the others, kill. But the girl--must not--be hurt! Understand?"
"Not till you get your ugly paws on her!" said Werner with a significant leer.
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1
shack
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| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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vestige
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| n.痕迹，遗迹，残余 | |
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impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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6
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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7
puckered
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| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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vagrant
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| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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appreciable
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| adj.明显的，可见的，可估量的，可觉察的 | |
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13
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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14
conspirators
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| n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
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15
conclave
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| n.秘密会议，红衣主教团 | |
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16
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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17
censure
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| v./n.责备；非难；责难 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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asphyxiated
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| v.渴望的，有抱负的，追求名誉或地位的( aspirant的过去式和过去分词 )；有志向或渴望获得…的人 | |
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smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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wilted
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| （使）凋谢，枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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24
babbled
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| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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25
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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26
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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27
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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28
carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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29
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
bridled
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| 给…套龙头( bridle的过去式和过去分词 )； 控制； 昂首表示轻蔑（或怨忿等）； 动怒，生气 | |
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31
jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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33
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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34
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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35
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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36
fanatic
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| n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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imminence
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| n.急迫，危急 | |
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38
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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39
requite
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| v.报酬，报答 | |
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40
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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41
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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42
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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43
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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44
trepidation
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| n.惊恐，惶恐 | |
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