These men did not know why June was going to the ranch, nor did they ask Reber. They loaded June and her baggage into a light wagon3, kicked off the brake and drove out of town. It was nearly thirty miles to the Two Bar X, and the roads were none too good. June occupied the back seat, and with the rattle4 and lurch5 of the vehicle there was little opportunity for conversation. The two men devoted6 themselves exclusively to chewing tobacco and keeping the wagon on the road.
At the forks of the river, about twelve miles south of town, they saw Slim Patterson and two of his cowboys. The road passed close to the Half-Wheel ranchhouse. Slim waved at them, but they did not stop. They took the right-hand road, which led to the Two Bar X. There were no bridges, and the river crossings were almost deep enough to float the wagon.
About three miles south of the Half-Wheel ranch they passed the mouth of Trapper Creek7, One of the men told her it was Trapper Creek, and she knew that Jack8 Silver’s place was somewhere between the West Fork and the mountains.
June was still in somewhat of a daze9 over her new job. She didn’t know a thing about cattle; she knew nothing about running a ranch. But Reber had told her merely to use her head. He was the real head of all the ranches, and he would see that she learned the game. Not that Reber intended keeping her at the Two Bar X. He was not crazy. But he was willing to grasp at any straw to stop the cattle rustling10. If June could figure out a way to trap Silver it would be worth many dollars to the Diamond R and he was going to give her a chance.
He knew the temper of his men, knew that the majority of them were against the idea of hiring a woman. But he did feel that any of them would support any scheme she might formulate11 to stop the wholesale12 stealing of his cattle.
They had just passed the mouth of Trapper Creek and were traveling through a willow13 patch in the river bottom, near a ford14, when the driver suddenly jerked up his team, almost throwing June off the seat. She had a confused impression of the team’s twisting sidewise, of a man yelling a warning, of the sound of a shot.
She flung out her right hand, grasping the back of the front seat to steady herself. Sam Herd15 was sprawling16 forward, as if looking down over the left front wheel, and he suddenly slid ahead limply and slithered over the wheel to the ground.
Jud Nelson’s two hands were in the air. Two masked men had turned their horses in close to the wagon. They were wearing empty flour sacks over their heads, with holes cut in them for eyes. One of them looked down at Herd.
The one man kept a rifle trained on Nelson, while the other dismounted, climbed up and removed Nelson’s revolver.
June’s face was pale, but she kept her nerve when this masked man turned to her.
“Git out of the wagon,” he ordered gruffly.
There was nothing else for her to do. These men had killed one man already. She climbed down and he indicated his horse.
“Climb on.”
She looked at Nelson, who was looking straight ahead, his lips compressed tightly, both hands held rigidly18 above his head. June could ride. She climbed into the saddle, hampered19 by her skirts, and the other bandit laughed.
“Good lookin’ squaw,” he observed.
The other man turned and walked around the wagon to where Herd’s body lay. He picked him up, carried him to the rear of the wagon and dumped him unceremoniously over the tailgate into the wagon-box. He came back and motioned to Nelson.
“Turn around and drive back,” he said hoarsely20. “Take all the time yuh need. A little hurry might ruin yore health.”
“And yuh might tell old Reber that he ain’t runnin’ this valley yet a while,” added the other. “The road from here to Tomahawk won’t be healthy for him and his men, so they don’t need to blame us if they git what this feller got.”
Nelson nodded. He was more than willing to get away with a whole skin. He managed to turn the team around in the willows21, and started back, holding the team to a slow walk.
The man mounted behind June, but before they started out he blindfolded22 her with a none too clean handkerchief.
Then they rode out of the river bottom, forded the river and headed into the hills. June knew this, because the horse was climbing most of the way. There was no conversation. The bandit guided the horse, with an arm on each side of June. He had been drinking, but not enough to give him more than a whisky breath.
It seemed to June that they had been riding about an hour, when the horses fairly slid downward for considerable distance, traveled along for a while on level ground and stopped. The men dismounted and lifted June off the saddle, guiding her into a cabin, where they removed the blindfold23.
It was a small log cabin, crudely furnished, with a dirt floor. It smelled musty in there. June blinked painfully as she looked around at the two men. One of them secured a length of lariat-rope with which he roped her tightly to a chair. He knew how to knot ropes, and when he was finished there was no possible way for June to escape. The other man inspected the knots and nodded his approval.
“That’s the old Injun knot,” he growled. “No squaw ever wiggled loose from one like that.”
The other laughed.
“You’ll stay here quite a while,” he told June. “No use to yelp24. There ain’t a man within miles of here. When Jack Silver does a job, he does it well. Park Reber can hunt and be ⸺ to him, but he’ll never find yuh. We’re goin’ away, but we’ll be back tonight some time and bring some feed for yuh.”
They turned abruptly25 and left the cabin, closing the door behind them. June heard the creak of their saddles and the sound of the horses walking away. She tried to loosen her bonds, but she soon found that there was nothing to do but to sit and wait.
She wanted to cry, to scream for help. But she knew that it would not help matters in the least. She was going to need all her nerve. She wondered what Park Reber would do. What could he do, she wondered? It might take them weeks to find her. Jack Silver had outwitted him again.
She wondered whether one of these men was Silver. Neither looked like the man who had taunted26 her. They were not so tall and slim as Silver.
It was, possibly, thirty minutes after the departure of the two men when she heard the soft plop-plop of a horse’s hoofs27. She listened intently. The horse had stopped near the cabin door, and she heard a footstep.
Suddenly the door was flung open and a man stood in the opening—a tall, slender man. She was looking against the light and could not see his features, but she knew it was Jack Silver.
He came slowly in and stood looking down at her.
“Reber’s squaw, eh?” he said softly.
June shut her lips tightly, refusing to reply. He walked back to the door and looked around. Beyond him she could see his tall black horse looking toward him. Finally he came back to her and began taking off the ropes.
It did not take him long to unfasten her hands, and then he dropped to his knees beside her, fumbling28 with the knots beneath the chair. It was her big chance, and she had the nerve to take advantage of it.
Leaning slightly toward him she reached down and quickly whipped the six-shooter from his holster and shoved the muzzle30 against his neck. June knew guns. The hammer came to full cock from a twist of her thumb.
Jack Silver did not look up, but his hands came away from the rope. He did not move, but waited for her to act.
“Unfasten that rope,” she ordered, and was surprized to find her voice fairly steady.
Silver unfastened the remaining rope, and she got to her feet, backing away from him.
“Now I’ve got you,” she said hoarsely.
“Looks thataway,” he said slowly. “I hope yuh know that trigger only pulls about a pound.”
“I am not interested in trigger pulls, Mr. Silver.”
“Possibly not. I am.”
June picked up the loose rope with her left hand, keeping an eye on Silver, and then motioned for him to precede her out of the cabin. He made no objection, but his eyes were just a little curious.
June tossed him the looped end of the rope.
“Put it around your neck,” she ordered.
He shut his lips tightly and studied her intently. She had the gun at her hip29 now, and the hammer was still cocked. He shrugged31 his shoulders and smiled thinly.
“Single-handed lynchin’?” he asked.
June shook her head firmly.
“I’m not your judge, Jack Silver. But you’re going to guide me to the Two Bar X ranch, you know. You’ll walk ahead with the rope around your neck and I’ll ride your horse.”
Jack Silver laughed softly as he put the loop around his neck.
“So that’s your game, eh?” he said amusedly. “You’ve got a lot of nerve for a woman. I never knew that pretty women had nerve. That’s how yuh won old man Reber, eh? Pretty girl with plenty nerve. Oh, he’s worth winnin’. He’s got nobody to leave his money to—no relatives. And he’s got plenty money. I heard he had made you a foreman.”
Silver threw back his head and laughed.
June had a notion to yank the loop tight and choke off that laugh.
“You’ll laugh different when I get you to the Two Bar X,” she promised him.
He sobered suddenly.
“That’s right,” he said quickly. “They don’t like me. But what I’d like to know is what you were doing in this cabin all tied up like that?”
“How did you know I was in that cabin?” she retorted.
“I didn’t. I saw two men riding away from here, so I came to investigate. Where most men are my enemies, I kinda look at things, yuh know.”
“You lie!”
Silver’s eyes narrowed with sudden anger.
“You know you lie,” said June hotly. “You and your men knew I was going to the Two Bar X today. You had them stop us, and they killed a man—Sam Herd. You had them bring me to this place. That’s how you knew I was here. Now I’m going to take you to the Two Bar X and turn you over to the men. You’re responsible for the death of Sam Herd, and if Park Reber’s men don’t hang you the law will!”
Silver turned his head away and stared off across the hills.
“Your men won’t be back for quite a while so you don’t need to look for them,” said June. “How far is it to the Two Bar X?”
“About three miles,” said Silver slowly. “You better let the hammer down on that gun before yuh mount. Don’t be afraid of that horse—he’s gentle enough. Compadre! Stand still and let the squaw get on.”
June managed to get into the saddle without tangling32 up the rope. She did not dare take her eyes off Silver, and she did not uncock the revolver. June was taking no chances.
“Now you take me straight to the Two Bar X ranch,” she ordered, “and don’t try any tricks.”
“You are a very, very smart young lady,” he said seriously. “And I am not going to try and trick yuh.”
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1
ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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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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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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4
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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5
lurch
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| n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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8
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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9
daze
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| v.(使)茫然，(使)发昏 | |
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10
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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11
formulate
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| v.用公式表示；规划；设计；系统地阐述 | |
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12
wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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13
willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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14
Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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15
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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16
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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17
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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rigidly
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| adv.刻板地，僵化地 | |
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hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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blindfolded
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| v.（尤指用布）挡住（某人）的视线( blindfold的过去式 )；蒙住（某人）的眼睛；使不理解；蒙骗 | |
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blindfold
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| vt.蒙住…的眼睛；adj.盲目的；adv.盲目地；n.蒙眼的绷带[布等]； 障眼物，蒙蔽人的事物 | |
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24
yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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25
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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26
taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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27
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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28
fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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29
hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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30
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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31
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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32
tangling
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| （使）缠结， （使）乱作一团( tangle的现在分词 ) | |
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