When they rode out of the town the wet sand squashed under the feet of their horses and splashed up on their riding boots and their slickers. It even spotted1 their faces here and there, and a light brown spray darted2 out to right and left of the falling hoofs3. For all the streets of Elkhead were running shallow rivers, with dark, swift currents, and when they left the little town the landscape was shut out by the falling torrents4. It made a strange and shifting panorama5, for the rain varied6 in its density7 now and again, and as it changed hills which had been quite blotted8 out leaped close upon them, like living things, and then sprang back again into the mist.
So heavy was that tropical fall of water that the horses were bothered by the beating of the big drops, and shook their heads and stamped fretfully under the ceaseless bombardment. Indeed, when one stretched out his hand the drops stung him as if with lashes9 of tiny whips. There was no wind, no thunder, no flash of lightning, only the tremendous downpour which blended earth and sky in a drab, swift river.
The air was filled with parallel lines, as in some pencil drawings—not like ordinary rain, but as if the sky had changed into a vast watering-spout and was sending down a continuous flood from a myriad10 holes. It was hard to look up through the terrific downpour, for it blinded one and whipped the face and made one breathless, but now and again a puff11 of the rare wind would lift the sodden12 brim of the sombrero and then one caught a glimpse of the low-hanging clouds, with the nearest whiffs of black mist dragging across the top of a hill. Without noticeable currents of wind, that mass of clouds was shifting slowly—with a sort of rolling motion, across the sky. And the weight of the rain forced the two to bend their heads and stare down to where the face of the earth was alive with the gliding13, brown waters, whose surface was threshed into a continual foam14. To speak to each other through the uproar15, they had to cup their hands about their lips and shout. Then again the rainfall around them fell away to a drizzling16 mist and the beating of the downpour sounded far away, and they were surrounded by distant walls of noise. So they came to the McDuffy place.
It was a helpless ruin, long abandoned. Not an iota17 of the roof remained. The sheds for the horses had dropped to the earth; but the walls of the house still remained standing18, in part, with the empty windows looking out with a mocking promise of the shelter which was not within. Upon this hollow shack19 the rain beat with redoubled fury, and even before they could make out the place through the blankets of rain, they heard the hollow drumming. For there were times, oddly enough, when any sound would carry a great distance through the crashing of the rain.
A wind now sprung up and at once veered20 the rain from its perpendicular21 fall. It slashed22 them in the face under the drooping23 brims of their sombreros, so they drew into the shelter of the highest part of the standing wall. Still some of the rain struck them, but the major part of it was shunted over their heads. Moreover, the wall acted as a sort of sounding board, catching24 up every odd noise from the storm-beaten plain beyond. They could speak to each other now without effort.
"D'you think," asked Haw-Haw Langley, pressing his reeking25 horse a little closer to Mac Strann, "that he'll come out after us in a rain like this?"
But simple-minded Mac Strann lifted his head and peered through the thick curtains of rain.
"D'you think," he parried, "that Jerry could maybe look through all this and see what I'm doin' to-day?"
It made Haw-Haw Langley grin, but peering more closely and observing that there was no mockery in the face of the giant, he wiped out his grin with a scrubbing motion of his wet hand and peered closely into the face of his companion.
"They ain't any doubt of it," he said reassuringly26. "He'll know what you do, Mac. What was it that Pale Annie said to you?"
"Wanted me not to meet Barry. Said that Barry had once cleaned up a gang of six."
"And here we are only two."
"You ain't to fight!" warned Mac Strann sharply. "It'll be man to man,
Haw-Haw."
"But he might not notice that," cried Haw-Haw, and he caressed27 his scrawny neck as though he already felt fingers closing about his windpipe. "Him bein' used to fight crowds, Mac. Did you think of that?"
"I never asked you to come," responded Mac Strann.
"Mac," cried Haw-Haw in a sudden alarm, "s'pose you wasn't to win.
S'pose you wasn't able to keep him away from me?"
"You don't think you'll lose," hurried on Haw-Haw, "but neither did them six that Pale Annie was tellin' about, most like. But they did! They lost; but if you lose what'll happen to me?"
"They ain't no call for you to stay here," said Mac Strann with utter indifference30.
Haw-Haw answered quickly: "I wouldn't go—I wouldn't miss it for nothin'. Ain't I come all this way to see it—I mean to help? Would I fall down on you now, Mac? No, I wouldn't!"
And twisting those bony fingers together he burst once more into that rattling31, unhuman laughter which all the Three B's knew so well and dreaded32 as the dying dread33 the sight of the circling buzzard above.
"Stop laughin'!" cried Mac Strann with sudden anger. "Damn you, stop laughin'!"
The other peered upon Mac Strann with incredulous delight, his broad mouth gaping34 to that thirsted grin of enjoyment35.
"You ain't gettin' nervous, Mac?" he queried36, and thrust his face closer to make sure. "You ain't bothered, Mac? You ain't doubtin' how this'll turn out?" There was no answer and so he replied to himself: "I know what done it to you. I seen it myself. It was that yaller light in his eyes, Mac. My God, it come up there out of nothin' and it wasn't a light that ought to come in no man's eyes. It was like I'd woke up at night with a cold weight on my chest and found two snakes' eyes glitterin' close to my face. Makes me shivery, like, jest to think of it now. D'you notice that, Mac?"
And so saying he swung his great head slowly around and glared at Haw-Haw. The latter shrank away with an undulatory motion in his saddle. And when the head of Mac Strann turned away again the broad mouth began gibbering: "It's gettin' him like it done me. He's scared, scared, scared—even Mac Strann!"
He broke off, for Mac Strann had jerked up his head and said in a strangely muffled38 voice: "What was that?"
The bullet head of Haw-Haw Langley leaned to one side, and his glittering eyes rolled up while he listened.
"Nothin'!" he said, "I don't hear nothin'!"
"Listen again!" cried Mac Strann in that same cautious voice, as of one whispering in the night in the house of the enemy. "It's like a voice in the wind. It comes down the wind. D'ye hear now—now—now?"
It was, indeed, the faintest of faint sounds when Haw-Haw caught it. It was, in the roar of the rain, as indistinct as some distant light on the horizon which may come either from a rising star or from the window of a house. But it had a peculiar39 quality of its own, even as the house-light would be tinged40 with yellow when the stars are cold and white. A small and distant sound, and yet it cut through the crashing of the storm more and more clearly; someone rode through the rain whistling.
He shrilled43 suddenly: "What if he should hit us both, seein' us together? They ain't no heart in a feller that can whistle in a storm like this!"
But Mac Strann had lowered his head, bulldog-like, and now he listened and thrust out his blunt jaw44 farther and farther and returned no answer.
"God gimme the grit45 to stick it out," begged Haw-Haw Langley in an agony of desire. "God lemme see how it comes out. God lemme watch 'em fight. One of 'em is goin' to die—may be two of 'em—nothin' like it has ever been seen!"
The rain shifted, and the heart of the storm rolled far away. For the moment they could look far out across the shadow-swept hills, and out of the heart of the desolate46 landscape the whistling ran thrilling upon them. It was so loud and close that of one accord the two listeners jerked their heads about and stared at each other, and then turned their eyes as hastily away, as though terrified by what they had seen—each in the face of the other. It was no idle tune47 which they heard whistled. This was a rising, soaring pean of delight. It rang down upon the wind—it cut into their faces like the drops of the rain; it branded itself like freezing cold into their foreheads.
And then, upon the crest48 of the nearest hill, Haw-Haw Langley saw a dim figure through the mist, a man on a horse and something else running in front; and they came swiftly.
"It's the wolf that's runnin' us down!" screamed Haw-Haw Langley. "Oh, God A'mighty, even if we was to want to run, the wolf would come and pull us down. Mac, will you save me? Will you keep the wolf away?"
He clung to the arm of his companion, but the other brushed him back with a violence which almost unseated Haw-Haw.
"Keep off'n me," growled49 Mac Strann, "because when you touch me, it feels like somethin' dead was next to my skin. Keep off'n me!"
Haw-Haw dragged himself back into the saddle with effort, for it was slippery with rain. His face convulsed with something black as hate.
"It ain't long you'll do the orderin' and be so free with your hands. He's comin'—soon! Mac, I'd like to stay—I'd like to see the finish——" he stopped, his buzzard eyes glittering against the face of the giant.
The rain blotted out the figure of the coming horseman, and at the same instant the whistling leaped close upon them. It was as if the whistling man had disappeared at the place where the rain swallowed his form, and had taken body again at their very side. Mac Strann shrank back against the wall, bracing50 his shoulders, and gripped the butts51 of his guns. But Haw-Haw Langley cast a frightened glance on either side; his head making birdlike, pecking notions, and then he leaned over the pommel of his saddle with a wail52 of despair and spurred off into the rain.
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收听单词发音
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1
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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3
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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4
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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5
panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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6
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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7
density
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| n.密集，密度，浓度 | |
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8
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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9
lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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10
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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11
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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12
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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13
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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14
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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15
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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16
drizzling
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| 下蒙蒙细雨，下毛毛雨( drizzle的现在分词 ) | |
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17
iota
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| n.些微，一点儿 | |
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18
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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19
shack
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| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
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20
veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（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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21
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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22
slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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23
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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24
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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25
reeking
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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26
reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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27
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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29
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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30
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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31
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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32
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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33
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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34
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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35
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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36
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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37
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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38
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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39
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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40
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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42
reined
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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43
shrilled
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| （声音）尖锐的，刺耳的，高频率的( shrill的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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45
grit
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| n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关 | |
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46
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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47
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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48
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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49
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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50
bracing
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| adj.令人振奋的 | |
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51
butts
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| 笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂 | |
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52
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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