At noon of the second day of a journey that led him up the winding1 watered valleys of the lower ranges, Bob surmounted2 a ridge3 higher than the rest and rode down a long, wide slope. Here the character of the country changed completely. Scrub oaks, young pines and chaparral covered the ground. Among this growth Bob made out the ancient stumps4 of great trees. The ranch5 houses were built of sawn lumber6, and possessed7 brick chimneys. In appearance they seemed midway between the farm houses of the older settled plains and the rougher cabins of the mountaineers.
Bob continued on a dusty road until he rode into a little town which he knew must be Durham. Its main street contained three stores, two saloons, a shady tree, a windmill and watering trough and a dozen chair-tilted loafers. A wooden sidewalk shaded by a wooden awning8 ran the entire length of this collection of commercial enterprises. A redwood hitching9 rail, much chewed, flanked it. Three saddle horses, and as many rigs, dozed10 in the sun.
Bob tied his saddle horse to the rail, leaving the pack animal to its own devices. Without attention to the curious stares of the loafers, he pushed into the first store, and asked directions of the proprietor11. The man, a type of the transplanted Yankee, pushed the spectacles up over his forehead, and coolly surveyed his questioner from head to foot before answering.
"I see you're a ranger12," he remarked drily. "Well, I wouldn't go to Samuels's if I was you. He's give it out that he'll kill the next ranger that sets foot on his place."
"I've heard that sort of talk before," replied Bob impatiently.
"Samuels means what he says," stated the storekeeper. "He drove off the last of you fellows with a shotgun--and he went too."
"You haven't told me how to get there," Bob pointed13 out.
"All you have to do is to turn to the right at the white church and follow your nose," replied the man curtly14.
"How far is it?"
"About four mile."
"Thank you," said Bob, and started out.
The man let him get to the door.
"Say, you!" he called.
Bob stopped.
"You might be in better business than to turn a poor man out of his house and home."
Bob did not wait to hear the rest. As he untied15 his saddle horse, a man brushed by him with what was evidently intentional16 rudeness, for he actually jostled Bob's shoulder. The man jerked loose the tie rein17 of his own mount, leaped to the saddle, and clattered18 away. Bob noticed that he turned to the right at the white church.
The four-mile ride, Bob discovered, was almost straight up. At the end of it he found himself well elevated above the valley, and once more in the sugar-pine belt. The road wound among shades of great trees. Piles of shakes, gleaming and fragrant19, awaited the wagon20. Rude signs, daubed on the riven shingles21, instructed the wayfarer22 that this or that dim track through the forest led to So-and-so's shake camp.
It was by now after four of the afternoon. Bob met nobody on the road, but he saw in the dust fresh tracks which he shrewdly surmised23 to be those of the man who had jostled him. Samuels had his warning. The mountaineer would be ready. Bob had no intention of delivering a frontal attack.
He rode circumspectly24, therefore, until he discerned an opening in the forest. Here he dismounted. The opening, of course, might be only that of a natural meadow, but in fact proved to be the homestead claim of which Bob was in search.
The improvements consisted of a small log cabin with a stone and mud chimney; a log stable slightly larger in size; a rickety fence made partly of riven pickets25, partly of split rails, but long since weathered and rotted; and what had been a tiny orchard26 of a score of apple trees. At some remote period this orchard had evidently been cultivated, but now the weeds and grasses grew rank and matted around neglected trees. The whole place was down at the heels. Tin cans and rusty27 baling wire strewed28 the back yard; an ill-cared-for wagon stood squarely in front; broken panes29 of glass in the windows had been replaced respectively by an old straw hat and the dirty remains30 of overalls31. The supports of the little verandah roof sagged33 crazily. Over it clambered a vine. Close about drew the forest. That was it: the forest! The "homestead" was a mere34 hovel; the cultivation35 a patch; the improvements sketchy36 and ancient; but the forest, become valuable for lumber where long it had been considered available only for shakes, furnished the real motive37 for this desperate attempt to rehabilitate38 old and lapsed39 rights.
The place was populous40 enough, for all its squalor. A half-dozen small children, scantily41 clothed, swarmed42 amongst the tin cans; two women, one with a baby in her arms, appeared and disappeared through the low doorway43 of the cabin; a horse or two dozed among the trees of the neglected orchard; chickens scratched everywhere. Square in the middle of the verandah, in a wooden chair, sat an old man whom Bob guessed to be Samuels. He sat bolt upright, facing the front, his knees spread apart, his feet planted solidly. A patriarchal beard swept his great chest; thick, white hair crowned his head; bushy white brows, like thatch44, overshadowed his eyes. Even at the distance, Bob could imagine the deep-set, flashing, vigorous eyes of the old man. For everything about him, save the colour of his hair and beard, bespoke45 great vigour47. His solidly planted attitude in his chair, the straight carriage of his back, the set of his shoulders, the very poise48 of his head told of the power and energy of an autocrat49. Across his knees rested a shotgun.
As Bob watched, a tall youth sauntered around the corner of the cabin. He spoke46 to the old man. Samuels did not look around, but nodded his massive head. The young man disappeared in the cabin to return after a moment, accompanied by the individual Bob had seen in Durham. The two spoke again to the old man; then sauntered off in the direction of the barn.
Bob returned, untied his horse; and, leading that animal, approached the cabin afoot. No sooner had he emerged into view when the old man arose and came squarely and uncompromisingly to meet him. The two encountered perhaps fifty yards from the cabin door.
Bob found that a closer inspection50 of his antagonist51 rather strengthened than diminished the impression of force. The old man's eyes were flashing fire, and his great chest rose and fell rapidly. He held his weapon across the hollow of his left arm, but the muscles of his right hand were white with the power of his grip.
"Get out of here!" he fairly panted at Bob. "I warned you fellows!"
Bob replied calmly.
"I came in to see if I could get to stay for supper, and to feed my horse."
At this the old man exploded in a violent rage. He ordered Bob off the place instantly, and menaced him with his shotgun. Had Bob been mounted, Samuels would probably have shot him; but the mere position of a horseman afoot conveys subtly an impression of defencelessness that is difficult to overcome. He is, as it were, anchored to the spot, and at the other man's mercy. Samuels raged, but he did not shoot.
At the sounds of altercation52, however, the whole hive swarmed. The numerous children scuttled53 for cover like quail54, but immediately peered forth55 again. The two women thrust their heads from the doorway. From the direction of the stable the younger men came running. One of them held a revolver in his hand.
During all this turmoil56 and furore Bob had stood perfectly57 still, saying no word. Provided he did nothing to invite it, he was now safe from personal violence. To be sure, a very slight mistake would invite it. Bob waited patiently.
He remembered, and was acting58 upon, a conversation he had once held with Ware59. The talk had fallen on gunfighting, and Bob, as usual, was trying to draw Ware out. The latter was, also, as usual, exceedingly reticent60 and disinclined to open up.
"What would you do if a man got your hands up?" chaffed Bob.
Ware turned on him quick as a flash.
"No man ever got my hands up!"
"No?" said Bob, hugely delighted at the success of his stratagem61. "What do you do, then, when a man gets the cold drop on you?"
But now Ware saw the trap into which his feet were leading him, and drew back into his shell.
"Oh, shoot out, or bluff62 out," said he briefly63.
"But look here, Ware," insisted Bob, "it's all very well to talk like that. But suppose a man actually has his gun down on you. How can you 'shoot out or bluff out'?"
Ware suddenly became serious.
"No man," said he, "can hold a gun on you for over ten seconds without his eyes flickering64. It's too big a strain. He don't let go for mor'n about the hundredth part of a second. After that he has holt again for another ten seconds, and will pull trigger if you bat an eyelash. _But if you take it when his eyes flicker65, and are quick, you'll get him!_"
"What about the other way around?" asked Bob.
"I never pulled a gun unless I meant to shoot," said Ware grimly.
The practical philosophy of this Bob was now utilizing66. If he had ridden up boldly, Samuels would probably have shot him from the saddle. Having gained the respite67, Bob now awaited the inevitable68 momentary69 relaxing from this top pitch of excitement. It came.
"I have not the slightest intention of tacking70 up any notices or serving any papers," he said quietly, referring to the errand of the man whom Samuels had driven off at the point of his weapon. "I am travelling on business; and I asked for shelter and supper."
"No ranger sets foot on my premises," growled71 Samuels.
"Very well," said Bob, unpinning and pocketing his pine tree badge. (_"Oh, I'd have died rather than do that!" cried Amy when she heard. "I'd have stuck to my guns!" "Heroic, but useless," replied her brother drily._) "I don't care whether the ranger is fed or not. But I'm a lot interested in me. I ask you as a man, not as an official."
"Your sort ain't welcome here; and if you ain't got sense enough to see it, you got to be shown!" the youngest man broke in roughly.
Bob turned to him calmly.
"I am not asking your sufferance," said he, "nor would I eat where I am not welcome. I am asking Mr. Samuels to bid me welcome. If he will not do so, I will ride on." He turned to the old man again. "Do you mean to tell me that the North End is so far behind the South End in common hospitality? We've fed enough men at the Wolverine Company in our time."
Bob let fly this shaft72 at a venture. He knew how many passing mountaineers paused for a meal at the cook house, and surmised it probable that at least one of his three opponents might at some time have stopped there. This proved to be the case.
"Are you with the Wolverine Company?" demanded the man who had jostled him.
"I was for some years in charge of the woods."
"I've et there. You can stay to supper," said Samuels ungraciously.
He turned sharp on his heel and marched back to the cabin, leaving Bob to follow with his horse. The two younger men likewise went about their business. Bob found himself quite alone, with only this ungracious permission to act on.
Nevertheless, quite imperturbably73, Bob unsaddled, led his animal into the dark stable, threw it some of the wild hay stacked therein, washed himself in the nearby creek74, and took his station on the deserted75 verandah. The twilight76 fell. Some of the children ventured into sight, but remained utterly77 unmoved by the young man's tentative advances. He heard people moving about inside, but no one came near him. Finally, just at dusk, the youngest man protruded78 his head from the doorway.
"Come to supper," said he surlily.
Bob ducked his head to enter a long, low room. Its walls were of the rough logs; its floor of hewn timbers; its ceiling of round beams on which had been thrown untrimmed slabs79 as a floor to the loft80 above. A board table stood in the centre of this, flanked by homemade chairs and stools of all varieties of construction. A huge iron cooking stove occupied all of one end--an extraordinary piece of ordnance81. The light from a single glass lamp cast its feeble illumination over coarse dishes steaming with food.
Bob bowed politely to the two women, who stood, their arms crossed on their stomachs, without deigning82 his salutation the slightest attention. The children, of all sizes and ages, stared at him unblinking. The two men shuffled83 to their seats, without looking up at the visitor. Only the old man vouchsafed84 him the least notice....
"Set thar!" he growled, indicating a stool.
Bob found on the board that abundance and variety which always so much surprises the stranger to a Sierra mountaineer's cabin. Besides the usual bacon, beans, and bread, there were dishes of canned string-beans and corn, potatoes, boiled beef, tomatoes and pressed glass dishes of preserves. Coffee, hot as fire, and strong as lye, came in thick china cups without handles.
The meal went forward in absolute silence, which Bob knew better than to interrupt. It ended for each as he or she finished eating. The two women were left at the last quite alone. Bob followed his host to the veranda32. There he silently offered the old man a cigar; the younger men had vanished.
Samuels took the cigar with a grunt85 of thanks, smelled it carefully, bit an inch off the end, and lit it with a slow-burning sulphur match. Bob also lit up.
For one hour and a half--two cigars apiece--the two sat side by side without uttering a syllable86. The velvet87 dark drew close. The heavens sparkled as though frosted with light. Bob, sitting tight on what he knew was the one and only plan to accomplish his purpose, began to despair of his chance. Of his companion he could make out dimly only the white of his hair and beard, the glowing fire of his cigar. Inside the house the noises made by the inhabitants thereof increased and died away; evidently the household was seeking its slumber88. A tree-toad chirped89, loudest in all the world of stillness.
Suddenly, without warning, the old man scraped back his chair. Bob's heart leaped. Was his one chance escaping him? Then to his relief Samuels spoke. The long duel90 of silence was at an end.
收听单词发音 |
1
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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7
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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hitching
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| 搭乘； （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的现在分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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dozed
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| v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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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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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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16
intentional
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| adj.故意的，有意（识）的 | |
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rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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21
shingles
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| n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板 | |
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wayfarer
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| n.旅人 | |
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surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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circumspectly
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| adv.慎重地，留心地 | |
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pickets
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| 罢工纠察员( picket的名词复数 ) | |
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26
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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28
strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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panes
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| 窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 ) | |
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30
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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overalls
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| n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣 | |
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32
veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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sagged
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| 下垂的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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35
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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sketchy
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| adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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rehabilitate
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| vt.改造(罪犯)，修复；vi.复兴，(罪犯)经受改造 | |
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lapsed
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| adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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scantily
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| adv.缺乏地；不充足地；吝啬地；狭窄地 | |
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42
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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43
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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44
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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45
bespoke
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| adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求 | |
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46
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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47
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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48
poise
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| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
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49
autocrat
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| n.独裁者；专横的人 | |
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50
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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51
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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52
altercation
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| n.争吵，争论 | |
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53
scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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54
quail
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| n.鹌鹑；vi.畏惧，颤抖 | |
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55
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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56
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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57
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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58
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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59
ware
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| n.(常用复数)商品，货物 | |
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60
reticent
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| adj.沉默寡言的；言不如意的 | |
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61
stratagem
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| n.诡计，计谋 | |
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62
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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63
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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64
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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65
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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66
utilizing
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| v.利用，使用( utilize的现在分词 ) | |
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67
respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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68
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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69
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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70
tacking
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| （帆船）抢风行驶，定位焊[铆]紧钉 | |
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71
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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72
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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73
imperturbably
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| adv.泰然地，镇静地，平静地 | |
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74
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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75
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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76
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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77
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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78
protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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79
slabs
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| n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片 | |
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80
loft
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| n.阁楼，顶楼 | |
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81
ordnance
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| n.大炮，军械 | |
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82
deigning
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的现在分词 ) | |
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83
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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84
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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85
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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86
syllable
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| n.音节；vt.分音节 | |
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87
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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88
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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89
chirped
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| 鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的过去式 ) | |
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90
duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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