Back in the covert he found Bart lying with his head on his paws, his eyes closed, his sides swelling4 and closing till every rib5 seemed broken; yet now and then he opened one red eye to look at Satan. The stallion lay in almost exactly the same position, and the rush and rattle6 of his breathing was audible even in the noise of the Asper; Barry dropped prone7 and pressed his ear against the left side of the horse, just behind the shoulder. The fierce vibration9 fairly shook his head; he could hear the rush of the blood except when that deadly rattling10 of the breath came. When he rose to his knees the face of the master was serious, thoughtful.
“Satan!” he called, but the river must have drowned his voice. Only when he passed his fingers down the wet neck, one of Satan's ears pricked11, and fell instantly back. It would not do to let him lie there in the cool mold by the water, for he knew that the greatest danger in overheating a horse is that it may cool too quickly afterward12.
He stooped directly in front of Satan and swept up an arm in command; it brought only a flicker13 of the eyelid14, the eyelid which drooped15 over a glazing16 eye.
“Up!” he commanded.
One ear again pricked; the head lifted barely clear of the ground; the forelegs stiffened17 with effort, trembled, and were still again.
“Bart!” shouted the master, “wake him up!”
The voice could not have carried to the wolf through the uproar18 of the waters, but the gesture, the expression brought home the order, and Black Bart came to his feet, staggering. Right against the nose of Satan he bared his great teeth and his snarl19 rattled20. No living creature could hear that sound without starting, and the head of Satan raised high. Still before him Bart growled21 and under his elbow and his chest the hands of the master strained up. He swayed with a snort very like a human groan22, struggled, the forelegs secured their purchase, and he came slowly to his feet. There he stood, braced23 and head low; a child might have caught him by the mane and toppled him upon his side, and already his hind8 legs were buckling24.
“Get on!” cried Barry.
There was a lift of the head, a quivering of the tensed nostrils25, but that was all. He seemed to be dying on his feet, when the master whistled. The sound cut through the rushing of the Asper as a ray of light probes a dark room, shrill26, harsh, like the hissing27 of some incredible snake, and Satan went an uncertain step forward, reeled, almost fell; but the shoulder of the master was at his side lifting up, and the arm of the master was under his chest, raising. He tried another step; he went on among the trees with his forelegs sprawling28 and his head drooped as though he were trying to crop grass. Black Bart did his part to recall that flagging spirit. Sometimes it was his snarl that startled the black; sometimes he leaped, and his teeth clashed a hair's breadth from Satan's nose.
By degrees the congealing29 blood flowed freely again through Satan's body; he no longer staggered; and now he lifted a forepaw and struck vaguely30 at Bart as the wolf-dog leaped. Barry stepped away.
“Bart!” he called, and the shouting of the Asper was now so far away that he could be heard. “Come round here, old boy, and stop botherin' him. He's goin' to pull through.”
He leaned against a willow31, his face suddenly old and white with something more than exhaustion32, and laughed in such an oddly pitched, cracked tone that the wolf-dog slunk to him on his belly33 and licked the dangling34 hand. He caught the scarred head of Bart and looked steadily35 down into the eyes of the wolf.
“It was a close call, Bart. There wasn't more than half an inch between Satan and—”
The black turned his head and whinnied feebly.
“Listen to him callin' for help like a new-foaled colt,” said the master, and went to Satan.
The head of the stallion rested on his shoulder as they went slowly on.
“Tonight,” said the master, “you get two pieces of pone36 without askin'.” The cold nose of the jealous wolf-dog thrust against his left hind. “You too, Bart. You showed us the way.”
The rattle had left the breathing of Satan, the stagger was gone from his walk; with each instant he grew perceptibly larger as they approached the border of the wood. It fell off to a scattering37 thicket38 with the Grizzly39 Peaks stepping swiftly up to the sky. This was their magic instant in all the day, when the sun, grown low in the west, with bulging40 sides, gave the mountains a yellow light. They swelled41 up larger with warm tints42 of gold rolling off into the blue of the canyons43; at the foot of the nearest slope a thicket of quaking aspens was struck by a breeze and flashed all silver. Not many moments more, and all the peaks would be falling back into the evening.
It seemed that Satan saw this, for he raised his head from the shoulder of the master and stopped to look.
“Step on,” commanded Barry.
The stallion shook himself violently as a dog that knocks the water from his pelt44, but he took no pace forward.
“Satan!”
The order made him sway forward, but he checked the movement.
“I ask you man to man, Bart,” said the master in sudden anger, “was there ever a worse fool hoss than him? He won't budge45 till I get on his back.”
The wolf-dog shoved his nose again into Barry's hand and growled. He seemed quite willing to go on alone with the master and leave Satan forgotten.
“All right,” said Barry. “Satan, are you comin'?”
The horse whinnied, but would not move.
“Then stay here.”
He turned his back and walked resolutely46 across the meadow, but slowly, and more slowly, until a ringing neigh made him stop and turn. Satan had not stirred from his first halting place, but now his head was high and his ears pricked anxiously. He pawed the ground in his impatience47.
“Look there, Bart,” observed the master gloomily. “There's pride for you. He won't let on that he's too weak to carry me. Now I'd ought to let him stay there till he drops.”
He whistled suddenly, the call sliding up, breaking, and rising again with a sharp appeal. Satan neighed again as it died away.
“If that won't bring him, nothin' will. Back we got to go. Bart, you jest take this to heart: It ain't any use tryin' to bring them to reason that ain't got any sense.”
He went back and sprang lightly to the back of the horse and Satan staggered a little under the weight but once, as if to prove that his strength was more than equal to the task, he broke into a trot48. A harsh order called him back to a walk, and so they started up into the Grizzly Peaks.
By dark, however, a few halts, a chance to crop grass for a moment here and there, a roll by the next creek49 and a short draught50 of water, restored a great part of the black's strength, and before the night was an hour old he was heading up through the hills at a long, swift trot.
Even then it was that dark, cold time just before dawn when they wound up the difficult pass toward the cave. The moon had gone down; a thin, high mist painted out the stars; and there were only varying degrees of blackness to show them the way, with peaks and ridges51 starting here and there out of the night, very suddenly. It was so dark, indeed, that sometimes Dan could not see where Bart skulked52 a little ahead, weaving among the boulders53 and picking the easiest way. But all three of them knew the course by instinct, and when they came to a more or less commanding rise of ground in the valley Dan checked the stallion and whistled.
Then he sat canting his head to one side to listen more intently. A rising wind brought about him something like an echo of the sound, but otherwise there was no answer.
“She ain't heard,” muttered Dan to Bart, who came running back at the call, so familiar to him and to the horse. He whistled again, prolonging the call until it soared and trembled down the gulch54, and this time when he stopped he sat for a long moment, waiting, until Black Bart whined55 at his side.
“She ain't learned to sleep light, yet,” muttered Barry. “An' I s'pose she's plumb57 tired out waitin' for me. But if something's happened—Satan!”
That word sent the stallion leaping ahead at a racing58 gait, swerving59 among rocks which he could not see.
“They's nothin' wrong with her,” whispered Barry to himself. “They can't be nothin' happened to her!”
He was in the cave, a moment later, standing60 in the center of the place with the torch high above his head; it flared61 and glimmered62 in the great eyes of Satan and the narrow eyes of Bart. At length he slipped down to a rock beside him while the torch, fallen from his hand, sputtered63 and whispered where it lay on the gravel64.
“She's gone,” he said to emptiness. “She's lef' me—” Black Bart licked his limp hand but dared not even whine56.
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1
wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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2
brandished
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| v.挥舞( brandish的过去式和过去分词 )；炫耀 | |
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3
covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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rib
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| n.肋骨，肋状物 | |
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6
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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7
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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8
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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9
vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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10
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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11
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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12
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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eyelid
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| n.眼睑，眼皮 | |
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15
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
glazing
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| n.玻璃装配业；玻璃窗；上釉；上光v.装玻璃( glaze的现在分词 )；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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17
stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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18
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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19
snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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20
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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21
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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22
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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23
braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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24
buckling
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| 扣住 | |
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25
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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26
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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27
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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28
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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29
congealing
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| v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的现在分词 )；（指血）凝结 | |
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30
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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31
willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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32
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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33
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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34
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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35
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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36
pone
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| n.玉米饼 | |
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37
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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38
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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39
grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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40
bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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41
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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42
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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43
canyons
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| n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 ) | |
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44
pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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45
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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46
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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47
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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48
trot
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| 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 | |
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49
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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50
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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51
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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52
skulked
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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54
gulch
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| n.深谷，峡谷 | |
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55
whined
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| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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56
whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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57
plumb
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| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
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58
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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59
swerving
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的现在分词 ) | |
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60
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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61
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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62
glimmered
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| v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
sputtered
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| v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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64
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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