During the days that ensued a certain intimacy1 sprang up between Sam Bolton and the Indian girl. At first their talk was brief and confined to the necessities. Then matters of opinion, disjointed, fragmentary, began to creep in. Finally the two came to know each other, less by what was actually said, than by the attitude of mind such confidences presupposed. One topic they avoided. Sam, for all his shrewdness, could not determine to what degree had persisted the young man's initial attraction for the girl. Of her devotion there could be no question, but in how much it depended on the necessity of the moment lay the puzzle. Her demeanor2 was inscrutable. Yet Sam came gradually to trust to her loyalty3.
In the soft, sweet open-air life the days passed stately in the manner of figures on an ancient tapestry4. Certain things were each morning to be done,--the dressing5 of Dick's cuts and contusions with the healing balsam, the rebandaging and adjusting of the splints and steadying buckskin strap6; the necessary cooking and cleaning; the cutting of wood; the fishing below the rapids; the tending of traps; the occasional hunting of larger game; the setting of snares7 for rabbits. From certain good skins of the latter May-may-gwán was engaged in weaving a blanket, braiding the long strips after a fashion of her own. She smoked tanned buckskin, and with it repaired thoroughly8 both the men's garments and her own. These things were to be done, though leisurely9, and with slow, ruminative10 pauses for the dreaming of forest dreams.
But inside the wigwam Dick Herron lay helpless, his hands clenched11, his eyes glaring red with an impatience12 he seemed to hold his breath to repress. Time was to be passed. That was all he knew, all he thought about, all he cared. He seized the minutes grimly and flung them behind him. So absorbed was he in this, that he seemed to give grudgingly13 and hastily his attention to anything else. He never spoke14 except when absolutely necessary; it almost seemed that he never moved. Of Sam he appeared utterly15 unconscious. The older man performed the little services about him quite unnoticed. The Indian girl Dick would not suffer near him at all. Twice he broke silence for what might be called commentatorial speech.
"It'll be October before we can get started," he growled16 one evening.
"Yes," said Sam.
"You wait till I _can_ get out!" he said on another occasion, in vague threat of determination.
At the beginning of the third week Sam took his seat by the moss17 and balsam pallet and began to fill his pipe in preparation for a serious talk.
"Dick," said he, "I've made up my mind we've wasted enough time here."
Herron made no reply.
"I'm going to leave you here and go to look over the other hunting districts by myself."
Still no reply.
"Well?" demanded Sam.
"What about me?" asked Dick.
"The girl will take care of you."
A long silence ensued. "She'll take everything we've got and get out," said Dick at last.
"She will not! She'd have done it before now."
"She'll quit me the first Injuns that come along."
Sam abandoned the point.
"You needn't take the risk unless you want to. If you say so, I'll wait."
"Oh, damn the risk," cried Dick, promptly18. "Go ahead."
The woodsman smoked.
"Sam," said the younger man.
"What?"
"I know I'm hard to get along with just now. Don't mind me. It's hell to lie on your back and be able to do nothing. I've seemed to hinder the game from the first. Just wait till I'm up again!"
"That's all right, my boy," replied Sam. "I understand. Don't worry. Just take it easy. I'll look over the district, so we won't be losing any time. And, Dick, be decent to the girl."
"To hell with the girl," growled Dick, lapsing19 abruptly20 from his expansive mood. "She got me into this."
Not another word would he speak, but lay, staring upward, chewing the cud of resentment21.
Promptly on the heels of his decision Sam Bolton had a long talk with May-may-gwán, then departed carrying a little pack. It was useless to think now of the canoe, and in any case the time of year favoured cross-country travel. The distances, thus measured, were not excessive, and from the Indian's descriptions, Sam's slow-brooding memory had etched into his mind an accurate map of the country.
At noon the girl brought Dick his meal. After he had eaten she removed the few utensils22. Then she returned.
"The Little Father commanded that I care for your hurt," she said, simply.
"My leg's all right now," growled Dick. "I can bandage it myself."
May-may-gwán did not reply, but left the tent. In a moment she reappeared carrying forked switches, a square of white birch-bark, and a piece of charcoal23.
"Thus it is," said she rapidly. "These be the leg bones and this the bone of the ankle. This bone is broken, so. Thus it is held in place by the skill of the Little Father. Thus it is healing, with stiffness of the muscles and the gristle, so that always Eagle eye will walk like wood, and never will he run. The Little Father has told May-may-gwán what there is to do. It is now the time. Fifteen suns have gone since the hurt."
She spoke simply. Dick, interested in spite of himself, stared at the switches and the hasty charcoal sketch24. The dead silence hung for a full minute. Then the young man fell back from his elbow with an enigmatical snort. May-may-gwán assumed consent and set to work on the simple yet delicate manipulations, massages25, and flexings, which, persisted in with due care lest the fracture slip, would ultimately restore the limb to its full usefulness.
Once a day she did this, thrice a day she brought food. The rest of the time she was busy about her own affairs; but never too occupied to loop up a section of the tepee covering for the purpose of admitting fresh air, to bring a cup of cold water, to readjust the sling26 which suspended the injured leg, or to perform an hundred other little services. She did these things with inscrutable demeanour. As Dick always accepted them in silence, she offered them equally in silence. No one could have guessed the thoughts that passed in her heart.
At the end of a week Dick raised himself suddenly on his elbow.
"Some one is coming!" he exclaimed, in English.
At the sound of his voice the girl started forward. Her mouth parted, her eyes sparkled, her nostrils27 quivered. Nothing could have been more pathetic than this sudden ecstatic delight, as suddenly extinguished when she perceived that the exclamation28 was involuntary and not addressed to her. In a moment Sam Bolton appeared, striding out of the forest.
He unslung his little pack, leaned his rifle against a tree, consigned30 to May-may-gwán a dog he was leading, and approached the wigwam. He seemed in high good humour.
"Well, how goes it?" he greeted.
But at the sight of the man striding in his strength Dick's dull anger had fallen on him again like a blanket. Unreasonably31, as he himself well knew, he was irritated. Something held him back from the utterance32 of the hearty33 words of greeting that had been on his tongue. A dull, apathetic34 indifference35 to everything except the chains of his imprisonment36 enveloped37 his spirit.
"All right," he answered, grudgingly.
Sam deftly38 unwound the bandages, examining closely the condition of the foot.
"Bone's in place all right," he commented. "Has the girl rubbed it and moved it every day?"
"Yes."
"Any pain to amount to anything now?"
"Pretty dull work lying on your back all day with nothing to do."
"Yes."
"Took in the country to southeast. Didn't find anything. Picked up a pretty good dog. Part 'husky.'"
Dick had no comment to make on this. Sam found May-may-gwán making friends with the dog, feeding him little scraps39, patting his head, above all wrinkling the end of his pointed40 nose in one hand and batting it softly with the palm of the other. This caused the dog to sneeze violently, but he exhibited every symptom of enjoyment41. The animal had long, coarse hair, sharp ears set alertly forward, a bushy tail, and an expression of great but fierce intelligence.
"Eagle-eye does well," said the woodsman.
"I have done as the Little Father commanded," she replied, and arose to cook the meal.
The next day Sam constructed a pair of crutches42 well padded with moss.
"Listen, Little Sister," said he. "Now I go on a long journey, perhaps fifteen suns, perhaps one moon. At the end of six suns more Jibibánisi may rise. His leg must be slung29, thus. Never must he touch the foot to the ground, even for an instant. You must see to it. I will tell him, also. Each day he must sit in the sun. He must do something. When snow falls we will again take the long trail. Prepare all things for it. Give Eagle-eye materials to work with."
To Dick he spoke with like directness.
"I'm off again, Dick," said he. "There's no help for it; you've got to lay up there for a week yet. Then the girl will show you how to tie your leg out of the way, and you can move on crutches. If you rest any weight on that foot before I get back, you'll be stiff for life. I shouldn't advise you to take any chances. Suit yourself; but I should try to do no more than get out in the sun. You won't be good for much before snow. You can get things organised. She'll bring you the stuff to work on, and will help. So long."
"Good-by," muttered Dick. He breathed hard, fully43 occupied with the thought of his helplessness, with blind, unappeasable rage against the chance that had crippled him, with bitter and useless questionings as to why such a moment should have been selected for the one accident of his young life. Outside he could hear the crackle of the little fire, the unusual sound of the Indian girl's voice as she talked low to the dog, the animal's whine44 of appreciation45 and content. Suddenly he felt the need of companionship, the weariness of his own unending, revolving46 thoughts.
"Hi!" he called aloud.
May-may-gwán almost instantly appeared in the entrance, a scarcely concealed47 hope shining in her eyes. This was the first time she had been summoned.
"Ninny-moosh--the dog," commanded Dick, coldly.
She turned to whistle the beast. He came at once, already friends with this human being, who understood him.
"Come here, old fellow," coaxed48 Dick, holding out his hand.
But the half-wild animal was in doubt. He required assurance of this man's intentions. Dick gave himself to the task of supplying it. For the first time in a month his face cleared of its discontent. The old, winning boyishness returned. May-may-gwán, standing49 forgotten, in the entrance, watched in silence. Dick coaxed knowingly, leading, by the very force of persuasion50, until the dog finally permitted a single pat of his sharp nose. The young man smoothly51 and cautiously persisted, his face alight with interest. Finally he conquered. The animal allowed his ears to be rubbed, his nose to be batted. At length, well content, he lay down by his new master within reach of the hand that rested caressingly52 on his head. The Indian girl stole softly away. At the fireside she seated herself and gazed in the coals. Presently the marvel53 of two tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them away and set about supper.
收听单词发音 |
1
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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snares
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| n.陷阱( snare的名词复数 )；圈套；诱人遭受失败（丢脸、损失等）的东西；诱惑物v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的第三人称单数 ) | |
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8
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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ruminative
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| adj.沉思的，默想的，爱反复思考的 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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grudgingly
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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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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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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lapsing
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| v.退步( lapse的现在分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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24
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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massages
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| 按摩，推拿( massage的名词复数 ) | |
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26
sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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27
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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unreasonably
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| adv. 不合理地 | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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33
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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apathetic
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| adj.冷漠的，无动于衷的 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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41
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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42
crutches
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| n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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44
whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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45
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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46
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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48
coaxed
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱 | |
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49
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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50
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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51
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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52
caressingly
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| 爱抚地，亲切地 | |
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53
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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