Whether it was that the prospect1 of getting about, or the diversion of the dog was responsible for the change, Dick's cheerfulness markedly increased in the next few days. For hours he would fool with the animal, whom he had named Billy, after a hunting companion, teaching him to shake hands, to speak, to wrinkle his nose in a doggy grin, to lie down at command, and all the other tricks useful and ornamental2 that go to make up the fanciest kind of a dog education. The mistakes and successes of his new friend seemed to amuse him hugely. Often from the tent burst the sounds of inextinguishable mirth. May-may-gwán, peeping, saw the young man as she had first seen him, clear-eyed, laughing, the wrinkles of humour deepening about his eyes, his white teeth flashing, his brow untroubled. Three days she hovered3 thus on the outer edge of the renewed good feeling, then timidly essayed an advance.
Unobtrusive, she slipped inside the teepee's flap. The dog sat on his haunches, his head to one side in expectation.
"The dog is a good dog," she said, her breath choking her.
Apparently4 the young man had not heard.
"It will be well to name the dog that he may answer to his name," she ventured again.
Dick, abruptly5 gripped by the incomprehensible obsession6, uneasy as at something of which he only waited the passing, resentful because of the discomfort7 this caused him, unable to break through the artificial restraint that enveloped8 his spirit, lifted his eyes suddenly, dead and lifeless, to hers.
"It is time to lift the net," he said.
The girl made no more advances. She moved almost automatically about her accustomed tasks, preparing the materials for what remained to be done.
Promptly9 on the seventh day, with much preparation and precaution, Dick moved. He had now to suffer the girl's assistance. When he first stood upright, he was at once attacked by a severe dizziness, which would have caused a fall had not May-may-gwán steadied him. With difficulty he hobbled to a seat outside. Even his arms seemed to him pithless. He sank to his place hard-breathed, exhausted10. It was some minutes before he could look about him calmly.
The first object to catch his eye was the cardinal11 red of a moose-maple, like a spot of blood on velvet-green. And thus he knew that September, or the Many-caribou12-in-the-woods Moon, was close at hand.
"Hi!" he called.
May-may-gwán came as before, but without the look of expectation in her eyes.
"Bring me wood of mashkigiwáteg, wood of tamarack," he commanded; "bring me mókamon, the knife, and tschì-mókamon, the large knife; bring the hide of ah-ték, the caribou."
"These things are ready, at hand," she replied.
With the _couteau croche_, the crooked13 knife of the North, Dick laboured slowly, fashioning with care the long tamarack strips. He was exceedingly particular as to the selection of the wood, as to the taper14 of the pieces. At last one was finished to his satisfaction. Slowly then he fashioned it, moulding the green wood, steaming it to make it more plastic, until at last the ends lay side by side, and the loop of wood bowed above in the shape of a snow-shoe raquette. The exact shape Dick still further assured by means of two cross-pieces. These were bound in place by the strips of the caribou-skin rawhide15 wet in warm water, which was also used to bind16 together the two ends. The whole was then laid aside to dry.
Thus in the next few days Dick fashioned the frame of six snow-shoes. He adhered closely to the Ojibway pattern. In these woods it was not necessary to have recourse to the round, broad shape of the rough bowlder-hills, nor was it possible to use the long, swift shoe of the open plains. After a while he heated red the steel end of his rifle cleaning-rod and bored holes for the webbing. This also he made of caribou rawhide, for caribou shrinks when wet, thus tightening17 the lacing where other materials would stretch. Above and below the cross-pieces he put in a very fine weaving; between them a coarser, that the loose snow might readily sift18 through. Each strand19 he tested again and again; each knot he made doubly sure.
Nor must it be imagined that he did these things alone. May-may-gwán helped him, not only by fetching for him the tools and materials, of which he stood in need, but also in the bending, binding20, and webbing itself. Under the soft light of the trees, bathed in the aroma21 of fresh shavings and the hundred natural odours of the forest, it was exceedingly pleasant accurately22 to accomplish the light skilled labour. But between these human beings, alone in a vast wilderness23, was no communication outside the necessities of the moment. Thus in a little the three pairs of snow-shoes, complete even to the buckskin foot-loops, hung from the sheltered branch of a spruce.
"Bring now to me," said the young man, "poles of the hickory, logs of gijik, the cedar24; bring me wigwass, the birch-bark, and the rawhide of mooswa, the moose."
"These things are at hand," repeated May-may-gwán.
Then ensued days of severe toil25. Dick was, of course, unable to handle the axe26, so the girl had to do it under his direction. The affair was of wedges with which to split along the grain; of repeated attempts until the resulting strips were true and without warp27; of steaming and tying to the proper curve, and, finally, of binding together strongly with the tough _babiche_ into the shape of the dog-sledge. This, too, was suspended at last beneath the sheltering spruce.
"Bring me now," said Dick, "rawhide of mooswa, the moose, rawhide of ah-ték, the caribou, wátab, the root for sewing."
Seated opposite each other, heads bent28 over the task, they made the dog-harness, strong, serviceable, not to be worn out, with the collar, the broad buckskin strap29 over the back, the heavy traces. Four of them they made, for Sam would undoubtedly30 complete the team, and these, too, they hung out of reach in the spruce-tree.
Now Sam returned from his longest trip, empty of information, but light of spirit, for he had succeeded by his simple shrewdness in avoiding all suspicion. He brought with him another "husky" dog, and a strong animal like a Newfoundland; also some tea and tobacco, and an axe-blade. This latter would be especially valuable. In the extreme cold steel becomes like glass. The work done earned his approval, but he paused only a day, and was off again.
From the inside of the teepee hung many skins of the northern hare which May-may-gwán had captured and tanned while Dick was still on his back. The woven blanket was finished. Now she lined the woollen blankets with these hare-skins, over an hundred to each. Nothing warmer could be imagined. Of caribou skin, tanned with the hair on, she and Dick fashioned jackets with peaked hoods31, which, when not in use, would hang down behind. The opening about the face was sewn with bushy fox's tails, and a puckering-string threaded through so that the wearer could completely protect his features. Mittens32 they made from pelts33 of the muskrat34. Moccasins were cut extra large and high, and lined with fur of the hare. Heavy rawhide dog-whips and buckskin gun-cases completed the simple winter outfit35.
But still there remained the question of sustenance36. Game would be scarce and uncertain in the cold months.
It was now seven weeks since Dick's accident. Cautiously, with many pauses, he began to rest weight on the injured foot. Thanks to the treatment of massage37 and manipulation, the joint38 was but little stiffened39. Each day it gained in strength. Shortly Dick was able to hobble some little distance, always with the aid of a staff, always heedfully. As yet he was far from the enjoyment40 of full freedom of movement, but by expenditure41 of time and perseverance42 he was able to hunt in a slow, patient manner. The runways where the caribou came to drink late in the evening, a cautious float down-stream as far as the first rapids, or even a plain sitting on a log in the hope that game would chance to feed within range--these methods persisted in day after day brought in a fair quantity of meat.
Of the meat they made some jerky for present consumption by the dogs, and, of course, they ate fresh as much as they needed. But most went into pemmican. The fat was all cut away, the lean sliced thin and dried in the sun. The result they pounded fine, and mixed with melted fat and the marrow43, which, in turn, was compressed while warm into air-tight little bags. A quantity of meat went into surprisingly little pemmican. The bags were piled on a long-legged scaffolding out of the reach of the dogs and wild animals.
The new husky and Billy had promptly come to teeth, but Billy had held his own, much to Dick Herron's satisfaction. The larger animal was a bitch, so now all dwelt together in amity44. During the still hunt they were kept tied in camp, but the rest of the time they prowled about. Never, however, were they permitted to leave the clearing, for that would frighten the game. At evening they sat in an expectant row, awaiting the orderly distribution of their evening meal. Somehow they added much to the man-feel of the camp. With their coming the atmosphere of men as opposed to the atmosphere of the wilderness had strengthened. On this side was the human habitation, busy at its own affairs, creating about itself a definite something in the forest, unknown before, preparing quietly and efficiently45 its weapons of offence and defence, all complete in its fires and shelters and industries and domestic animals. On the other, formidable, mysterious, vast, were slowly crystallising, without disturbance46, without display, the mighty47 opposing forces. In the clarified air of the first autumn frosts this antagonism48 seemed fairly to saturate49 the stately moving days. It was as yet only potential, but the potentialities were swelling50, ever swelling toward the break of an actual conflict.
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1
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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obsession
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| n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感) | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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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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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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caribou
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| n.北美驯鹿 | |
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crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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taper
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| n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小 | |
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rawhide
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| n.生牛皮 | |
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bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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tightening
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| 上紧，固定，紧密 | |
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sift
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| v.筛撒，纷落，详察 | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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aroma
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| n.香气，芬芳，芳香 | |
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accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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cedar
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| n.雪松，香柏(木) | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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warp
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| vt.弄歪，使翘曲，使不正常，歪曲，使有偏见 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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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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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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hoods
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| n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩 | |
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mittens
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| 不分指手套 | |
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pelts
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| n. 皮毛，投掷, 疾行 vt. 剥去皮毛，（连续）投掷 vi. 猛击，大步走 | |
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muskrat
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| n.麝香鼠 | |
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outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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massage
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| n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据 | |
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joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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39
stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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40
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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41
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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42
perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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43
marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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44
amity
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| n.友好关系 | |
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45
efficiently
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| adv.高效率地，有能力地 | |
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46
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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47
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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48
antagonism
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| n.对抗，敌对，对立 | |
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49
saturate
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| vt.使湿透，浸透；使充满，使饱和 | |
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50
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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