Chapter 25 The Horse-Thieves

 All four slept soundly, but the visitors awoke first.

 

'Are you awake, Tom?' inquired Mosely.

 

'I should say so,' answered his friend.

 

Bill Mosely raised himself on his elbow and surveyed Ben and Bradley. Their deep, tranquil¹ breathing showed that they were sound asleep.

 

Mosely next glanced at the mustangs which were tethered near-by.

 

'Tom,' said he, 'I wish we had them mustangs. It's a deal easier ridin' than walkin'.'

 

'I should say so.'

 

'When I struck this party last night I meant to have 'em; but this man is such a bloody² ruffian that I don't know as it would be safe.'

 

Hadley said nothing. His customary phrase would not apply, and he was a man of few words, besides.

 

'What did he say he would do if a fellow stole his horses, Tom?'

 

'Said he'd die within a week,' answered Had-ley, with unfailing memory.

 

Bill Mosely looked discouraged. He privately³ thought Bradley was just the man to keep his word, and he did not fancy getting into difficulty with him.

 

'That depends on whether he caught him,' he said, after a while, hopefully.

 

'I should say so, Bill.'

 

'Now,' said Mosely, lowering his voice, 'if we could get away while they are asleep, there wouldn't be much chance of their knowin' where we were.'

 

'That's so, Bill.'

 

'Anyway, if we don't take 'em we may be overtaken by the party that we borrowed some gold-dust from.'

 

Tom Hadley responded in his customary manner.

 

'And that would be mighty⁴ bad luck,' continued Mosely, with a shudder⁵.

 

'I should say so, Bill.'

 

In fact, Mosely felt that their situation was not likely to be made worse by a new theft. Only thirty miles away was a party of miners with whom they had worked in company, but without much success, till, emboldened⁶ by temptation and opportunity, they had stolen a bag of gold-dust from a successful comrade, and fled under cover of the night.

 

In the primitive⁷ state of society at the mines, stealing was a capital offense⁸, and if they were caught their lives would probably pay the penalty. Even now some of the injured party might be on their track, and this naturally inspired them with uneasiness. Thus they were between two fires, and, in spite of the fear with which Bradley had inspired them, it looked as if another theft would conduce to their safety. If they carried away the mustangs, Bradley and Ben, even if they hit on the right trail, would have to pursue them on foot, and among the Sierras a man is no match for a mustang in speed and endurance.

 

'I've a great mind to carry off them mustangs,' said Mosely thoughtfully. 'Are you with me?'

 

'I should say so.'

 

'Why don't you ever say something else, Tom?' demanded Mosely impatiently.

 

'What do you want me to say?' asked Hadley, in surprise.

 

'Well, never mind; it's your way, I suppose, and I can rely upon you.'

 

'I should say so.'

 

Mosely shrugged⁹ his shoulders. It was clearly idle to expect any great variety in Tom Hadley's conversation.

 

'Whatever we do must be done quickly,' he said, in a quiet, decided¹⁰ tone. 'They'll wake up before long, and there won't be any chance. You, Tom, take that near animal, and I'll tackle the other. Jest untie¹¹ them quiet and easy, and when I say the word start. Do you understand?'

 

'I should say so, Bill,' said Hadley, nodding.

 

'Then here goes.'

 

In a few seconds they had loosened the mustangs and had sprung upon their backs.

 

'Now, go!' exclaimed Mosely, in a energetic whisper.

 

So on their stolen horses they drew stealthily away from the camp till they were perhaps a furlong away, and then, putting the mustangs to their speed, they soon put a distance of miles between them and their sleeping owners. They would have liked to remain long enough to have a trout¹² breakfast, but that was impracticable. 

1 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

2 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

3 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

4 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

5 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

6 emboldened   

v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine, he went over to introduce himself to her. 他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• His success emboldened him to expand his business. 他有了成就因而激发他进一步扩展业务。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

8 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

9 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》

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 untie   

vt.解开，松开；解放

参考例句：

• It's just impossible to untie the knot.It's too tight.这个结根本解不开。太紧了。
• Will you please untie the knot for me?请你替我解开这个结头，好吗？

12 trout   

n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属)

参考例句：

• Thousands of young salmon and trout have been killed by the pollution.成千上万的鲑鱼和鳟鱼的鱼苗因污染而死亡。
• We hooked a trout and had it for breakfast.我们钓了一条鳟鱼，早饭时吃了。