Buck1 Daniels opened his eyes and sat bolt-upright in bed. He had dreamed the dream again, and this time, as always, he awakened2 before the end. He needed no rubbing of eyes to rouse his senses. If a shower of cold water had been dashed upon him he could not have rallied from sound slumber3 so suddenly. His first movement was to snatch his gun from under his mattress4, not that he dreamed of needing it, but for some reason the pressure of the butt5 against his palm was reassuring6. It was better than the grip of his friend—a strong man.
It was the first grey of dawn, a light so feeble that it served merely to illuminate8 the darkness, so to speak. It fell with any power upon one thing alone, the bit of an old, dusty bridle9 that hung against the wall, and it made the steel glitter like a watchful10 eye. There was a great dryness in the throat of Buck Daniels; and his whole big body shook with the pounding of his heart.
He was not the only thing that was awake in the grey hour. For now he caught a faint and regular creaking of the stairs. Someone was mounting with an excessively cautious and patient step, for usually the crazy stairs that led up to this garret room of the Rafferty house creaked and groaned12 a protest at every footfall. Now the footfall paused at the head of the stairs, as when one stops to listen.
Buck Daniels raised his revolver and levelled it on the door; but his hand was shaking so terribly that he could not keep his aim—the muzzle13 kept veering14 back and forth15 across the door. He seized his right hand with his left, and crushed it with a desperate pressure. Then it was better. The quivering of the two hands counteracted16 each other and he managed to keep some sort of a bead17.
Now the step continued again, down the short hall. A hand fell on the knob of the door and pressed it slowly open. Against the deeper blackness of the hall beyond, Buck saw a tall figure, hatless. His finger curved about the trigger, and still he did not fire. Even to his hysterical18 brain it occurred that Dan Barry would be wearing a hat—and moreover the form was tall.
"Buck!" called a guarded voice.
The muzzle of Daniels' revolver dropped; he threw the gun on his bed and stood up.
"What in the name of God are you doin' here at this hour?"
"Someone come here and banged on the door a while ago. Had a letter for you. Must have rid a long ways and come fast; while he was givin' me the letter at the door I heard his hoss pantin' outside. He wouldn't stay, but went right back. Here's the letter, Buck. Hope it ain't no bad news. Got a light here, ain't you?"
"All right, Jim," answered Buck Daniels, taking the letter. "I got a lantern. You get back to bed."
The other replied with a noisy yawn and left the room while Buck kindled19 the lantern. By that light he read his name upon the envelope and tore it open. It was very brief.
"Dear Buck,
Last night at supper Dan found out where you are. In the morning he's leaving the ranch20 and we know that he intends to ride for Rafferty's place; he'll probably be there before noon. The moment you get this, saddle your horse and ride. Oh, Buck, why did you stay so close to us?
Relay your horses. Don't stop until you're over the mountains. Black Bart is well enough to take the trail and Dan will use him to follow you. You know what that means.
Ride, ride, ride!
Kate."
"Why did you stay so close?"
He had wondered at that, himself, many times in the past few days. Like the hunted rabbit, he expected to find safety under the very nose of danger. Now that he was discovered it seemed incredible that he could have followed so patently foolish a course. In a sort of daze22 he uncrumpled the note again and read the wrinkled writing word by word. He had leaned close to read by the uncertain light, and now he caught the faintest breath of perfume from the paper. It was a small thing, smaller among scents23 than a whisper is among voices, but it made Buck Daniels drop his head and crush the paper against his face. It was a moment before he could uncrumple the paper sufficiently24 to study the contents of the note thoroughly25. At first his dazed brain caught only part of the significance. Then it dawned on him that the girl thought he had fled from the Cumberland Ranch through fear of Dan Barry.
Ay, there had been fear in it. Every day at the ranch he had shuddered26 at the thought that the destroyer might ride up on that devil of black silken grace, Satan. But every day he had convinced himself that even then Dan Barry remembered the past and was cursing himself for the ingratitude27 he had shown his old friend. Now the truth swept coldly home to Buck Daniels. Barry was as fierce as ever upon the trail; and Kate Cumberland thought that he—Buck Daniels,—had fled like a cur from danger.
He seized his head between his hands and beat his knuckles28 against the corrugated29 flesh of his forehead. She had thought that!
Desire for action, action, action, beset30 him like thirst. To close with this devil, this wolf-man, to set his big fingers in the smooth, almost girlish throat, to choke the yellow light out of those eyes—or else to die, but like a man proving his manhood before the girl.
He read the letter again and then in an agony he crumpled it to a ball and hurled31 it across the room. Catching32 up his hat and his belt he rushed wildly from the room, thundered down the crazy stairs, and out to the stable.
Long Bess, the tall, bay mare33 which had carried him through three years of adventure and danger and never failed him yet, raised her aristocratic head above the side of the stall and whinnied. For answer he shook his fist at her and cursed insanely.
The saddle he jerked by one stirrup leather from the wall and flung it on her back, and when she cringed to the far side of the stall, he cursed her again, bitterly, and drew up the cinch with a lunge that made her groan. He did not wait to lead her to the door before mounting, but sprang into the saddle.
Here he whirled her about and drove home the spurs. Cruel usage, for Long Bess had never denied him the utmost of her speed and strength at the mere7 sound of his voice. Now, half-mad with fear and surprise, she sprang forward at full gallop34, slipped and almost sprawled35 on the floor, and then thundered out of the door.
At once the soft sandy-soil received and deadened the impact of her hoofs36. Off she flew through the grey of the morning, soundless as a racing37 ghost.
Long Bess—there was good blood in her. She was as delicately limbed as an antelope38, and her heart was as strong as the smooth muscles of her shoulders and hips39. Yet to Buck Daniels her fastest gait seemed slower than a walk. Already his thoughts were flying far before. Already he stood before the ranch house calling to Dan Barry. Ay, at the very door of the place they should meet and one of them must die. And better by far that the blood of him who died should stain the hands of Kate Cumberland.
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1
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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2
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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3
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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4
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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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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6
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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7
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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8
illuminate
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| vt.照亮，照明；用灯光装饰；说明，阐释 | |
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bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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11
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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12
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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13
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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14
veering
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| n.改变的；犹豫的；顺时针方向转向；特指使船尾转向上风来改变航向v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的现在分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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counteracted
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| 对抗，抵消( counteract的过去式 ) | |
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17
bead
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| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
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18
hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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21
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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22
daze
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| v.(使)茫然，(使)发昏 | |
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23
scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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24
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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25
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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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
ingratitude
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| n.忘恩负义 | |
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28
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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29
corrugated
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| adj.波纹的；缩成皱纹的；波纹面的；波纹状的v.（使某物）起皱褶(corrugate的过去式和过去分词) | |
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30
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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31
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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32
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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34
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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35
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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36
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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37
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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38
antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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39
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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