In the afternoon they came to a rapid and spent some time hauling the canoe round it, and then they went back for the stores. Turner, as the newcomer was called, was first despatched with a load which contained nothing eatable, and Andrew was the last to set off. Dark spruces on the high bank cut off the wind, the sun was very hot, and the perspiration6 dripped from Andrew as he floundered across the stones. They were large and uneven7, and he had to proceed cautiously to save himself from falling into the hollows between. Graham and Carnally were some distance ahead, but after a while he overtook Turner, who was moving slowly. Shortly before Andrew came up the man dropped the things he carried and turned with signs of distress8 in his hot face.
"I'm not trying to kick," he said. "Guess you've[Pg 283] got a pull on me and I have to work, but I'm a bit played out yet, and your partner piled more weight on me than I can stand."
"Stop and take a smoke," said Andrew, handing him his tobacco pouch9. "I don't feel very fresh, but I could carry those blankets. Let me have them."
"I'll have to do that or leave them. It was a tough march I made with nothing to eat." He filled his pipe before he resumed: "There's no meanness in you."
"Never mind that. What was Mappin to give you for this job?"
"Three dollars a day while I was out on it. Four hundred dollars when I'd staked the claim, if the specimens10 assayed right."
"But how could he tell whether you would do the square thing by him?"
Turner grinned.
"It wouldn't be safe to do anything else. Supposing I'd gone round, looking for another buyer, he'd have had me doped or sandbagged before I'd made the sale. You can't fool Mappin. You have to put your job through when you deal with him."
"It seems to me that you haven't made a success of this particular business," Andrew remarked.
"I certainly haven't," the other admitted with a rueful air. "Your partner has me fixed11—he's a smart man. There'll be no three dollars a day for mine when I go home."
"You have struck bad luck," said Andrew with a smile. "I'm not sure you don't deserve it, but that's another matter. And now give me the blankets: we'll take the things along."
They went on, and when they reached the next wild stream where tracking was necessary Andrew[Pg 284] got into the water. Turner gave him a grateful glance, but he afterward12 did his share of the heaviest work, and when they made camp in the evening he soon went to sleep. When the firelight, leaping up, fell on his shadowy form, Carnally chuckled13.
"A handy man; he's going to save us a lot of trouble, and we got him cheap."
"He's a bit of a rogue14, and claim-jumping isn't a creditable profession," Andrew replied. "Still, I don't think we ought to take too much advantage of the fellow's necessity. After all, he's only a tool. It's his employer who's really responsible."
"Just so," Graham agreed. "The pity is that he should find men willing to do his dirty work on very moderate pay; but there's no lack of them. There are men you can only dynamite15 out of the mire16, because if you pull them out by gentler means they crawl straight back again. It's unfortunate, because you meet some with a few likable qualities; I think our new packer is one of these."
"Their trouble generally begins when they get into the clutches of such a hog17 as we're up against," Carnally said. "He knows how to handle them and it needs some grit18 to break away from him. We'll get Turner to tell us some of his claim-jumping experiences to-morrow night. You'll find them interesting."
Supper was finished and they were sitting in camp after a hard day's toil19 when Carnally cleverly drew the packer out. He was not unwilling20 and, warming to his subject, recounted incidents that filled Andrew with surprise and disgust. Sitting in the shadow with his eyes fixed on the ragged21 adventurer, he heard how small sawmill owners had been jockeyed out of the timber leases they were not rich enough to defend;[Pg 285] how dams and flumes had been tampered22 with until their harassed23 proprietor24 sold out his water rights; and the means by which impecunious25 owners of minerals had been robbed of their claims. Turner occasionally chuckled over the memory of some roguish trick, but, for the most part, his manner was impressively matter-of-fact. Andrew did not think he was drawing much upon his imagination; but it seemed incredible that such things should be done without the men who plotted them and reaped the benefit incurring26 general odium. After Turner had strolled away, he said something of the kind to Graham.
"The point is," Graham explained, "the low-down rascals27 who are used as tools daren't talk where they'll be heard, and nobody attaches much importance to what is said in third-rate saloons. Respectable people don't ask too many questions when they see a prospect28 of dividends29; there may be something not quite straight, but so long as it's well hidden, they don't want to know. Still, I'll say this: if you put the ugly facts square before them, they'll quite often act, even if they have to make some sacrifice to set matters right."
"Now we'll talk of something else," Carnally interposed. "It's my opinion that we ought to leave the water soon, perhaps to-morrow, and push straight across the last height of land for the lode31. We want to keep well ahead of the Mappin boys."
They discussed it until they went to sleep, and the next day they carried the canoe some distance back from the river and carefully hid her in the brush. Farther on they cached part of their stores, and then plunged32 into a desolate33, stony34 waste. Their journey[Pg 286] across it proved uneventful, and at length they came down into the hollow where the lode lay. As it was noon, they ate a meal before anything was said; and then Carnally gave Turner a fishing-line with a trolling bait on it.
"You go back to the last creek we crossed and catch some trout35," he ordered. "Stay there until supper, whether you get any or not."
"If I catch one with this outfit37, it will be a mighty38 silly trout; the thing's made for spinning behind a canoe on a lake. Don't you want help with your prospecting39? I know something about minerals."
"So do we," Carnally replied. "I'd rather hear that you were fond of fishing, because you're going to get a good deal of it. Every day we're here you'll light out after breakfast and not come back till dark. If we see you from the camp, we'll fire you on the spot."
"I understand," said Turner. "Guess I'll stay out. I've no use for taking the trail without any grub."
He left them and Carnally turned to Graham.
"We must get our prospecting done before the Mappin gang arrives, and the sooner we start the better. We'll begin where we fired the shot last time, and follow up the vein40."
It proved to be fairly well defined when they set to work with the light tools they had brought, and their task was rendered easier because the small but rapid creek had exposed the strata41 in scouring42 out its channel. In some places they picked a hole, in others they fired a charge of giant-powder, carefully separating the specimens they obtained; and when evening came they sat in camp, examining several heaps of stones.
[Pg 287]"They're promising," said Graham. "The weight is a good rough test, and though it doesn't tell us much about the proportion of lead to silver, I can find out something about that to-morrow. Jake, you might pound this handful of stuff as fine as you can."
He opened a small box which he had taken great care of during the journey, and Andrew was surprised to see it contained a delicate balance and several phials.
"I didn't know you were an assayer," he said.
"I'm not," Graham answered, smiling. "But you must remember that for twenty years I've clung to the idea that I might find the lode, and perhaps it isn't astonishing that I should try to learn something about minerals and chemistry. In fact, it's been my only recreation; but I didn't bring this outfit last trip because the frost would have prevented my making much use of it."
There was something that touched Andrew in the thought of the sawmill clerk, patiently discharging his monotonous43 duties year after year and preparing himself for the search which was the great object of his life, though he knew he might never be able to make it. It was, however, obvious that he had studied to some purpose, because he had shown skill in tracing the vein, and Andrew had noticed that Carnally, who knew a good deal about minerals, deferred44 to him.
"I was lucky in getting hold of you and Jake," he said.
Soon afterward Turner appeared with one trout, which he confessed he had caught with his hands, and Graham carefully put away the box and specimens.
They began again at sunrise and worked with determined45 activity. Before noon it grew very hot; there[Pg 288] was no wind in the sheltered basin, and the smell of the scattered46 spruces filled the listless air. By degrees the men stripped off most of their clothing, and the strong sun burned Andrew's bare arms and neck as he swung the pick. They stopped only a few minutes for dinner, and continued with no slackening of exertion47 until the shadows of the rocks covered the hollow. Then Andrew, throwing down his tools, glanced with a curious satisfaction at the pile of stones which marked the course of the vein. He had accomplished48 something that day; the result of his toil could be seen.
"You look pleased," Carnally commented.
"I feel so," declared Andrew. "We haven't improved the appearance of the place from an artistic49 point of view; but I don't know when I felt so content with what I've done. I used to feel proud when I'd helped to fill the game cart at home; but this is different. Somehow it's more bracing50."
"I understand; though I'm not much of a sport and when I work it isn't for fun."
Andrew slept as soon as he lay down on his bed of spruce twigs51, and awakened52, fresh and sanguine53, ready for another day's determined toil. There was something strangely exhilarating in the resin-scented air; Andrew felt vigorous and cheerful. Graham had expressed his satisfaction with the rough tests he had made, and the more they exposed the reef the better the ore looked. It would undoubtedly54 pay for working and might yield a handsome profit, and Andrew felt that the first half of the battle had been won. The other half would no doubt entail55 some stubborn fighting, but he looked forward to it with new courage. He had proved his ability and gained confidence in himself; it was no longer a forlorn hope he was leading.[Pg 289] He would meet his cunning antagonist56 on fairly equal terms.
Apart from all this, he found a keen pleasure in his work. It was good to get up in the bracing cold of dawn and smell the aromatic57 wood smoke as he renewed the fire. He had never enjoyed his breakfast as he did in the desolate North; there was satisfaction in using the drill with a dexterity58 he had painfully acquired. He could bring down the hammer squarely upon the head of the tool, and swing the pick all day with delight in the strength of his muscles instead of exhaustion59. It was gratifying to find that he had chosen the right line of cleavage in the stone when the great fragments leaped up through the vapor60 of the exploding charge. Judgment61 as well as strength was needed in these things—all were worth doing and made for health and tranquillity62 of mind.
Turner seemed to recognize that Carnally was not to be trifled with. He gave them no trouble, remaining away until the day's work was done. Then as they lounged about the fire in the sharp cold of the evening, he told stories, amusing and grim, and Andrew listened, divided between admiration63 of the man's ingenuity64 and daring, and disgust at his frank rascality65.
When the claims had been carefully staked and the last evening came, Andrew was sensible of a keen regret. He had been happy in the wilderness66, and it was hardly probable that he would use the pick and drill again. Henceforward his duty would lie in a different sphere; it was the last time he would lie down in soil-stained clothes, healthily tired after a day of bodily labor67. The air was wonderfully clear; scattered spruces and towering rocks stood out with sharp distinctness against a glow of transcendental green. The[Pg 290] smoke of the fire rose straight up; the splash of the creek came musically out of the shadow.
"I think we're all ready to start south at sunrise," Graham said presently, and looked at Turner. "Can you guess why your partners haven't turned up?"
"No," answered the man. "I'll allow that I've been expecting them the last day or two. Perhaps they couldn't strike your trail, and there's a chance that when they made the cache, starving, they found there wouldn't be grub enough to take them up and down."
"It's possible," said Andrew, and looked at the others. "Though I think we've staked off the best of the vein, it seems a pity that you couldn't secure some of the rest."
"It can't well be done," Carnally explained. "A man can locate only one claim on the same lode; but if the ore pans out as good as it looks, I'll be content with the terms you promised me."
"I'm the one who's got left," Turner broke in. "I've packed your truck and done your hardest work, and don't get five cents for it. It wouldn't rob you if you let me stake a claim."
"The difficulty is that you'd have to sell it to Mappin," Andrew reminded him.
"That's so," Turner admitted. "If I tried to go back on that man, it would be the worse for me. The way I'm fixed is mighty rough."
"You got your grub," said Graham; "you ran a big risk of being left to starve; and you might have got shot. It strikes me you had better quit Mappin's service and try how honesty pays."
They left camp at sunrise and met with no misadventures on their journey south. It was nearly com[Pg 291]pleted and they expected to reach the mine in a few more days when Carnally called Turner as he was loading the canoe one morning.
"You can let up on that job. We won't want you any more," he said bluntly.
"Are you going to fire me here?"
"You've hit it," said Carnally. "We'll give you grub for two meals, and if you hustle69 you ought to make the camp back at the awkward portage by noon to-morrow. You'll find a cache with provisions that should last you to the mine by the water's edge. As I'll give Watson orders you're not to have a canoe, we should be down at the settlement a week before you get there."
He was leaving the camp when Andrew called to him.
"Though I suppose you would have jumped our claim without hesitation72, I don't want to be too hard, and we have found you a useful help. If you will call on me at the Landing, I think I can promise you three dollars for every day you have been with us. But it's conditional73 on your playing no tricks!"
"Your partner doesn't leave me many chances," Turner grinned.
"I don't know that the fellow could make trouble for us; but he's safer up here until we get our records filed," he said.
Then he swung his paddle and the canoe drove faster toward a rapid.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
creek
|
|
| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
wade
|
|
| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
allotted
|
|
| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
rascal
|
|
| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
philosophically
|
|
| adv.哲学上；富有哲理性地；贤明地；冷静地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
perspiration
|
|
| n.汗水；出汗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
uneven
|
|
| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
distress
|
|
| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
pouch
|
|
| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
specimens
|
|
| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
chuckled
|
|
| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
rogue
|
|
| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
dynamite
|
|
| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
mire
|
|
| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
hog
|
|
| n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
grit
|
|
| n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
toil
|
|
| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
unwilling
|
|
| adj.不情愿的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
ragged
|
|
| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
tampered
|
|
| v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
harassed
|
|
| adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
proprietor
|
|
| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
impecunious
|
|
| adj.不名一文的，贫穷的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
incurring
|
|
| 遭受，招致，引起( incur的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
rascals
|
|
| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
prospect
|
|
| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
dividends
|
|
| 红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
assented
|
|
| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
lode
|
|
| n.矿脉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
plunged
|
|
| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
desolate
|
|
| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
stony
|
|
| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
trout
|
|
| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
winked
|
|
| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
outfit
|
|
| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
prospecting
|
|
| n.探矿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
vein
|
|
| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
strata
|
|
| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
scouring
|
|
| 擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
monotonous
|
|
| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
deferred
|
|
| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
exertion
|
|
| n.尽力，努力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
accomplished
|
|
| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
artistic
|
|
| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
bracing
|
|
| adj.令人振奋的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
twigs
|
|
| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
awakened
|
|
| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
sanguine
|
|
| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
undoubtedly
|
|
| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
entail
|
|
| vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
antagonist
|
|
| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
aromatic
|
|
| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
dexterity
|
|
| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
exhaustion
|
|
| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
vapor
|
|
| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
judgment
|
|
| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
tranquillity
|
|
| n. 平静, 安静 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
admiration
|
|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
ingenuity
|
|
| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
rascality
|
|
| 流氓性，流氓集团 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
66
wilderness
|
|
| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
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： |
|
|
|
|
68
dismally
|
|
| adv.阴暗地，沉闷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
hustle
|
|
| v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
acquiesced
|
|
| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
grumbling
|
|
| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
hesitation
|
|
| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
conditional
|
|
| adj.条件的，带有条件的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
alluded
|
|
| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |