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CHAPTER III
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 The S\ Bar\ P ranchhouse and other buildings were of log construction, rambling2 old structures one story in height. The ranchhouse and bunk-house had the old mud-and-stone fire-places. Back of the stables was Porcupine3 Creek4, which ran northwest to Tomahawk River. It was about six miles from the ranch1 to Tomahawk town.
 
It was the day after Reber had sent the message to his foremen when Jack5 Silver rode in at the S\ Bar\ P ranch. He rode a tall black gelding, a fitting mount for a man of his physique.
 
Silver was tall, lithe6, dark-skinned. He wore his hair long, but his face was smooth-shaven. His shirt was black, as were his muffler and sombrero, and he wore no chaps. His high-heeled boots were of the short-topped Southwest style, and around his waist was a hand-made cartridge7 belt supporting a Colt gun in a hand-made holster.
 
He swung off his horse, waving a greeting to three of Buck8 Priest’s men who were down near the corrals. Priest met him at the door of the ranchhouse and they shook hands warmly.
 
“How are yuh, Jack?” asked Priest, as they sat down in the main room of the ranchhouse.
 
“I’m fine,” replied Silver. “Been over in Clear Valley for a week and just got back. Ran into Dave McLeese yesterday and he told me about you and Reber havin’ a fight.”
 
Priest scowled9 heavily and slapped the palm of his right hand on his knee.
 
“I tried to kill him, Jack. A girl ruined the shot.”
 
Silver smiled, showing a flash of white, even teeth.
 
“A girl, eh? McLeese didn’t tell me about her.”
 
“A fiddler in the Tomahawk,” said Priest. “Flung her fiddle10 and hit me in the hand. Oh, I was goin’ to kill him, Jack. Reber and his gang of cutthroats are runnin’ all the S\ Bar\ P cattle out of the valley.”
 
“I thought there was sort of a truce11.”
 
“Truce!” Priest laughed shortly. “Reber sent me word that he’d quit if I would. I quit, Jack. But he didn’t. The only way I can ever make Park Reber quit is to kill him. Next time there won’t be any fiddle-throwin’ female present.”
 
Jack Silver laughed softly.
 
“You know what they think of me, Buck. I’m watched every minute by Reber’s men. Why, I can’t even kill a piece of fresh meat any more. They’re layin’ for a chance to kill me. Some day they’ll put up a job on me—and I’ll swing for it.
 
“Oh, they’re nice to my face—McLeese, Jim Carlin, Nort Jackson—all nice to my face. Behind my back they call me the dirty half-breed—the Injun rustler12. I trap for a livin’, Buck. You know that. Reber hates me because I’m half Cheyenne.”
 
Buck Priest smiled crookedly13, nodding slowly.
 
“There’s plenty of hate in this valley, Jack. I hope some day to see Park Reber suffer.”
 
“He ought to be half Injun,” said Silver bitterly. “That’s enough sufferin’ for one man. Last night he sent word to me by one of the Half-Wheel punchers to be at his place tonight.”
 
“He sent word to you?”
 
“Yeah.”
 
“Wants to trap yuh, eh?”
 
Silver shrugged14 his shoulders.
 
“I played safe, Buck. Today I came across the hills and I’ll stay here until dark. I don’t know what Reber wants.”
 
“He’s still crippled, and that girl is nursin’ him. She’s makin’ a play for Reber.”
 
“Pretty girl, Buck?”
 
Priest nodded.
 
“Yeah, pretty as a picture. But what do yuh suppose Reber wants of you?”
 
“I dunno.”
 
“Are you goin’ to take a chance on him, Jack?”
 
“I’ll see what he wants.”
 
“It might be a scheme to harm yuh, Jack.”
 
“Might be. But as far as that’s concerned, if they want to kill me they can pick me off most any time.”
 
“That’s true,” agreed Priest. “We’ll all ride in after supper, Jack. If things go wrong, we’ll do what we can.”
 
“And if Reber finds you in town he’ll set his dogs on yuh,” said Silver grimly.
 
“I’ll have my dogs along,” replied Buck meaningly. “We went into the Tomahawk and came out safe enough. But I was drunk, Jack. It wasn’t a job for a sober man. We sure shocked that gang a-plenty.”
 
“I wish I had been there,” smiled Jack. “I’ve never been in the Tomahawk.”
 
“It’s not a safe place, Jack; and maybe you’ll find it out tonight.”
 

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1 ranch dAUzk     
n.大牧场,大农场
参考例句:
  • He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
  • The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。
2 rambling MTfxg     
adj.[建]凌乱的,杂乱的
参考例句:
  • We spent the summer rambling in Ireland. 我们花了一个夏天漫游爱尔兰。
  • It was easy to get lost in the rambling house. 在布局凌乱的大房子里容易迷路。
3 porcupine 61Wzs     
n.豪猪, 箭猪
参考例句:
  • A porcupine is covered with prickles.箭猪身上长满了刺。
  • There is a philosophy parable,call philosophy of porcupine.有一个哲学寓言,叫豪猪的哲学。
4 creek 3orzL     
n.小溪,小河,小湾
参考例句:
  • He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
  • People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。
5 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
6 lithe m0Ix9     
adj.(指人、身体)柔软的,易弯的
参考例句:
  • His lithe athlete's body had been his pride through most of the fifty - six years.他那轻巧自如的运动员体格,五十六年来几乎一直使他感到自豪。
  • His walk was lithe and graceful.他走路轻盈而优雅。
7 cartridge fXizt     
n.弹壳,弹药筒;(装磁带等的)盒子
参考例句:
  • Unfortunately the 2G cartridge design is very difficult to set accurately.不幸地2G弹药筒设计非常难正确地设定。
  • This rifle only holds one cartridge.这支来复枪只能装一发子弹。
8 buck ESky8     
n.雄鹿,雄兔;v.马离地跳跃
参考例句:
  • The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
  • The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。
9 scowled b83aa6db95e414d3ef876bc7fd16d80d     
怒视,生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
  • The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。
10 fiddle GgYzm     
n.小提琴;vi.拉提琴;不停拨弄,乱动
参考例句:
  • She plays the fiddle well.她小提琴拉得好。
  • Don't fiddle with the typewriter.不要摆弄那架打字机了。
11 truce EK8zr     
n.休战,(争执,烦恼等的)缓和;v.以停战结束
参考例句:
  • The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
  • She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。
12 rustler bYdxr     
n.[美口]偷牛贼
参考例句:
  • The ants have cornered the rustler and are attacking it. 蚂蚁把大虫围困起来并展开进攻。
  • Roffman is a cattle-rustler, and he'sgot some stuff for sale. 罗夫曼是个盗肉贼,他又有赃可销了。
13 crookedly crookedly     
adv. 弯曲地,不诚实地
参考例句:
  • A crow flew crookedly like a shadow over the end of the salt lake. 一只乌鸦像个影子般地在盐湖的另一边鬼鬼祟祟地飞来飞去的。
14 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》


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