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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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?”
“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.”
点击收听单词发音
1 ranch | |
n.大牧场,大农场 | |
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2 rambling | |
adj.[建]凌乱的,杂乱的 | |
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3 porcupine | |
n.豪猪, 箭猪 | |
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4 creek | |
n.小溪,小河,小湾 | |
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5 jack | |
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克 | |
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6 lithe | |
adj.(指人、身体)柔软的,易弯的 | |
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7 cartridge | |
n.弹壳,弹药筒;(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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8 buck | |
n.雄鹿,雄兔;v.马离地跳跃 | |
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9 scowled | |
怒视,生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10 fiddle | |
n.小提琴;vi.拉提琴;不停拨弄,乱动 | |
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11 truce | |
n.休战,(争执,烦恼等的)缓和;v.以停战结束 | |
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12 rustler | |
n.[美口]偷牛贼 | |
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13 crookedly | |
adv. 弯曲地,不诚实地 | |
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14 shrugged | |
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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