CHAPTER VII

 In the meantime Nelson lost no time in driving his jaded¹ horses to Tomahawk town. It was dark when he arrived, and he went straight to Reber’s house, where he found Reber with the old doctor. Nelson blurted² out his story as quickly as possible. He helped the doctor carry Herd³’s body into the house, and the doctor found that Herd had been killed almost instantly.

 

Reber, still weak from his wound, sat down in a chair and swore impotently.

 

“Just for that I’ll wipe Buck⁴ Priest and Jack⁵ Silver off the map,” he declared bitterly. “You say you met Priest and his men? They circled back to see if you got help at the Half-Wheel. Oh, I know Buck Priest!”

 

“Only one of ’em looked in at the body,” said Nelson.

 

“They knew it was there. Oh, I’ll make Priest pay. It was either Priest or Silver—perhaps both. They work together. Nelson, go to the Tomahawk and see if any of my men are in from the ranches⁶. Bring them here to me. Wait! Send them here. You get a horse and ride for the Half-Wheel. Don’t spare the horse. Tell Slim Patterson what happened. Then you go to the Circle S and tell Jim Carlin to bring his outfit⁷ to the Half-Wheel and to send a man to the Lightnin’ for Jackson and his crew. We’ll all meet at the Half-Wheel.”

 

Nelson ran from the house, and the old doctor turned to Reber.

 

“You’ll not ride tonight,” he said firmly.

 

“You try to stop me, Doc.”

 

“Hm-m-m-m! You’re a fool, Park. That wound isn’t healed up. You’ll wreck⁸ your health, I tell you.”

 

“Bah! Wreck my health! I’m goin’ out to find that girl and to whip all this scum out of the valley. I’ve stood all I’ll ever stand from Priest and Silver.”

 

“It was a foolish thing, that sending of a woman,” said the old doctor. He had known Park Reber for years, and felt privileged to speak his mind.

 

“Mebbe,” said Reber shortly. “Mebbe not. She’s smart, Doc. I wish she was my daughter. If things had turned out different I might have had a girl or a boy of about her age.”

 

“Yes, that’s true.”

 

“And she spoiled Buck Priest’s shot,” said Reber. “He’s got no love for her. I wonder where these men would take her? Not to any known place, that’s a cinch. She’s their ace⁹ in the hole. I’d like to get my two hands around Buck Priest’s throat and choke the truth from him. Oh, he hates me, Doc!

 

“When he looks at me with his lop-sided grin, I feel that he’s gloating over somethin’.”

 

“Be calm,” advised the doctor. “You’ll work yourself into a fever. Did any doctor ever have such a patient to contend with? That meeting almost ruined everything; and now you insist on getting excited and riding helter-skelter over the hills in the dark! I ought to tie you down.”

 

“Here come some of my men,” said Reber. “Now you keep your tongue out of it, Doc. I’m goin’, if I have to go on a stretcher.”

1 jaded   

adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• I felt terribly jaded after working all weekend. 整个周末工作之后我感到疲惫不堪。
• Here is a dish that will revive jaded palates. 这道菜简直可以恢复迟钝的味觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 blurted   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止，她已脱口而出。
• He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相，说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

4 buck   

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。

5 jack   

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 ranches   

大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They hauled feedlot manure from the ranches to fertilize their fields. 他们从牧场的饲养场拖走肥料去肥田。
• Many abandoned ranches are purchased or leased by other poultrymen. 许多被放弃的牧场会由其他家禽监主收买或租用。

7 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

8 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

9 ace   

n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的

参考例句：

• A good negotiator always has more than one ace in the hole.谈判高手总有数张王牌在手。
• He is an ace mechanic.He can repair any cars.他是一流的机械师,什么车都会修。