Welton strode away into the darkness, followed closely by Bob. He made his way as rapidly as he could through the village to an attractive house at the farther outskirts1. Here he turned through the picket2 gate, and thundered on the door.
It was almost immediately opened by a meek3-looking woman of thirty.
"Plant in?" demanded Welton.
The meek woman had no opportunity to reply.
"Sure! Sure! Come in!" roared the Supervisor4's great voice.
They entered to find the fat man, his coat off, leaning luxuriously5 back in an office chair, his feet up on another, a cigar in his mouth. He waved a hospitable6 hand.
"Sit down! Sit down!" he wheezed7. "Glad to see you."
"They tell me there's a fire over in the Stone Creek8 country," said Welton.
"So it's reported," said Plant comfortably. "I've sent a man over already to investigate."
"That timber adjoins ours," went on Welton. "Sending one ranger9 to investigate don't seem to help the old man a great deal."
"Oh, it may not amount to much," disclaimed10 Plant vaguely11.
"But if it does amount to much, it'll be getting one devil of a start," persisted Welton. "Why don't you send over enough men to give it a fight?"
"Haven't got 'em," replied Plant briefly12.
"There's three playing poker13 now, down in the first saloon," broke in Bob.
Plant looked at him coldly for ten seconds.
"Those men are waiting to tally14 Wright's cattle," he condescended15, naming one of the most powerful of the valley ranch16 kings.
But Welton caught at Bob's statement.
"All you need is one man to count cattle," he pointed17 out. "Can't you do that yourself, and send over your men?"
"Are you trying to tell me my business, Mr. Welton?" asked the Supervisor formally.
Welton laughed one of his inexpressible chuckles18.
"Lord love you, no!" he cried. "I have all I can handle. I'm merely trying to protect my own. Can't you hire some men, then?"
"My appropriation19 won't stand it," said Plant, a gleam coming into his eye. "I simply haven't the money to pay them with." He paused significantly.
"How much would it take?" inquired Welton.
Plant cast his eyes to the ceiling.
"Of course, I couldn't tell, because I don't know how much of a fire it is, or how long it would take to corral it. But I'll tell you what I'll do: suppose you leave me a lump sum, and I'll look after such matters hereafter without having to bother you with them. Of course, when I have rangers20 available I'll use 'em; but any time you need protection, I can rush in enough men to handle the situation without having to wait for authorizations and all that. It might not take anything extra, of course."
"How much do you suppose it would require to be sure we don't run short?" asked Welton.
"Oh, a thousand dollars ought to last indefinitely," replied Plant.
The two men stared at each other for a moment. Then Welton laughed.
"I can hire a heap of men for a thousand dollars," said he, rising. "Goodnight."
Plant rumbled21 something. The two went out, leaving the fat man chewing his cigar and scowling22 angrily after them.
Once clear of the premises23 Welton laughed loudly.
"Well, my son, that's your first shy at the government official, isn't it? They're not all as bad as that. At first I couldn't make out whether he was just fat and lazy. Now I know he's a grafter24. He ought to get a nice neat 'For Sale' sign painted. Did you hear the nerve of him? Wanted a thousand dollars bribe25 to do his plain duty."
"Oh, that was what he was driving at!" cried Bob.
"Yes, Baby Blue-eyes, didn't you tumble to that? Well, I don't see a thousand in it whether he's for us or against us."
"Was that the reason he didn't send over all his men to the fire?" asked Bob.
"Partly. Principally because he wanted to help old Simeon Wright's men in with the cattle. Simeon probably has a ninety-nine year lease on his fat carcass--with the soul thrown in for a trading stamp. It don't take but one man to count cattle, but three extra cowboys comes mighty26 handy in the timber."
"Would Wright bribe him, do you suppose?"
Welton stopped short.
"Let me tell you one thing about old Simeon, Bob," said he. "He owns more land than any other man in California. He got it all from the government. Eight sections on one of his ranches27 he took up under the Swamp Act by swearing he had been all over them in a boat. He had. The boat was drawn28 by eight mules29. That's just a sample. You bet Simeon owns a Supervisor, if he thinks he needs one; and that's why the cattle business takes precedence over the fire business."
"It's an outrage30!" cried Bob. "We ought to report him for neglect of duty."
"I didn't tell you this to get you mad, Bobby," he drawled with his indescribable air of good humour; "only to show you the situation. What difference does it make? As for reporting to Washington! Look here, I don't know what Plant's political backing is, but it must be 99.84 per cent. pure. Otherwise, how would a man as fat as that get a job of Forest Supervisor? Why, he can't ride a horse, and it's absurd to suppose he ever saw any of the Reserve he's in charge of."
Welton bestirred himself to good purpose. Inside of two hours a half-dozen men, well-mounted and provisioned, bearing the usual tools of the fire-fighter, had ridden off into the growing brightness of the moon.
"There," said the lumberman with satisfaction. "That isn't going to cost much, and we'll feel safe. Now let's turn in."
收听单词发音 |
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outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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picket
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| n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫 | |
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meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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supervisor
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| n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师 | |
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luxuriously
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| adv.奢侈地，豪华地 | |
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hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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wheezed
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| v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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ranger
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| n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员 | |
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disclaimed
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| v.否认( disclaim的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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tally
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| n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致 | |
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15
condescended
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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18
chuckles
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的名词复数 ) | |
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19
appropriation
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| n.拨款，批准支出 | |
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rangers
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| 护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员 | |
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rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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22
scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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grafter
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| 嫁接的人，贪污者，收贿者； 平铲 | |
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bribe
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| n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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ranches
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| 大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 ) | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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29
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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31
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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