We had been at the shooting box in the Cardinal1 Woods five days when a telegram was brought to Barris by a mounted messenger from the nearest telegraph station, Cardinal Springs, a hamlet on the lumber2 railroad which joins the Quebec and Northern at Three Rivers Junction3, thirty miles below.
Pierpont and I were sitting out under the trees, loading some special shells as experiments; Barris stood beside us, bronzed, erect4, holding his pipe carefully so that no sparks should drift into our powder box. The beat of hoofs5 over the grass aroused us, and when the lank6 messenger drew bridle7 before the door, Barris stepped forward and took the sealed telegram. When he had torn it open he went into the house and presently reappeared, reading something that he had written.
“This should go at once,” he said, looking the messenger full in the face . . . “At once, Colonel Barris,” replied the shabby countryman.
Pierpont glanced up and I smiled at the messenger who was gathering8 his bridle and settling himself in his stirrups. Barris handed him the written reply and nodded good-bye: there was a thud of hoofs on the greensward, a jingle9 of bit and spur across the gravel10, and the messenger was gone. Barris’ pipe went out and he stepped to windward to relight it.
“It is queer,” said I, “that your messenger — a battered11 native — should speak like a Harvard man.”
“He is a Harvard man,” said Barris.
“And the plot thickens,” said Pierpont; “are the Cardinal Woods full of your Secret Service men, Barris?”
“No,” replied Barris, “but the telegraph stations are. How many ounces of shot are you using, Roy?”
I told him, holding up the adjustable12 steel measuring cup. He nodded. After a moment on two he sat down on a camp-stool beside us and picked up a crimper.
“That telegram was from Drummond,” he said; “the messenger was one of my men as you two bright little boys divined. Pooh! If he had spoken the Cardinal County dialect you wouldn’t have known.”
“His make-up was good,” said Pierpont.
Barris twirled the crimper and looked at the pile of loaded shells. Then he picked up one and crimped it.
“Let ’em alone,” said Pierpont, “you crimp too tight.”
“Does his little gun kick when the shells are crimped too tight?” enquired14 Barris tenderly; “well, he shall crimp his own shells then — where’s his little man?”
“His little man” was a weird15 English importation, stiff, very carefully scrubbed, tangled16 in his aspirates, named Howlett. As valet, gilly, gun-bearer, and crimper, he aided Pierpont to endure the ennui17 of existence, by doing for him everything except breathing. Lately, however, Barris’ taunts18 had driven Pierpont to do a few things for himself. To his astonishment19 he found that cleaning his own gun was not a bore, so he timidly loaded a shell or two, was much pleased with himself, loaded some more, crimped them, and went to breakfast with an appetite. So when Barris asked where “his little man” was, Pierpont did not reply but dug a cupful of shot from the bag and poured it solemnly into the half-filled shell.
Old David came out with the dogs and of course there was a pow-wow when “Voyou,” my Gordon, wagged his splendid rail across the loading table and sent a dozen unstopped cartridges20 rolling over the grass, vomiting21 powder and shot.
“Give the dogs a mile or two,” said I; “we will shoot over the Sweet Fern Covert22 about four o’clock, David.”
“Two guns, David,” added Barris.
“Are you not going?” asked Pierpont, looking up, as David disappeared with the dogs.
“Bigger game,” said Barris shortly. He picked up a mug of ale from the tray which Howlett had just set down beside us and took a long pull. We did the same, silently. Pierpont set his mug on the turf beside him and returned to his loading.
We spoke13 of the murder of Professor La Grange, of how it had been concealed23 by the authorities in New York at Drummond’s request, of the certainty that it was one of the gang of gold-makers who had done it, and of the possible alertness of the gang.
“Oh, they know that Drummond will be after them sooner on later,” said Barris, “but they don’t know that the mills of the gods have already begun to grind. Those smart New York papers builded better than they knew when their ferret-eyed reporter poked24 his red nose into the house on 58th Street and sneaked25 off with a column on his cuffs26 about the ‘suicide’ of Professor La Grange. Billy Pierpont, my revolver is hanging in your room; I’ll take yours too —”
“Help yourself,” said Pierpont.
“I shall be gone over night,” continued Barris; “my poncho27 and some bread and meat are all I shall take except the ‘barkers.’”
“Will they bark to-night?” I asked.
“No, I trust not for several weeks yet. I shall nose about a bit. Roy, did it even strike you how queer it is that this wonderfully beautiful country should contain no inhabitants?”
“It’s like those splendid stretches of pools and rapids which one finds on every trout28 river and in which one never finds a fish,” suggested Pierpont.
“Exactly — and Heaven alone knows why,” said Barris; “I suppose this country is shunned29 by human beings for the same mysterious reasons.”
“The shooting is the better for it,” I observed.
“The shooting is good,” said Barris, “have you noticed the snipe on the meadow by the lake? Why it’s brown with them! That’s a wonderful meadow.”
“It’s a natural one,” said Pierpont, “no human being even cleared that land.”
“Then it’s supernatural,” said Barris; “Pierpont, do you want to come with me?”
“True,” said Barris gravely, “you can’t take Howlett, you know.”
Pierpont muttered something which ended in “d — n.”
“Then,” said I, “there will be but one gun on the Sweet Fern Covent this afternoon. Very well, I wish you joy of your cold supper and colder bed. Take your night-gown, Willy, and don’t sleep on the damp ground.”
“Let Pierpont alone,” retorted Barris, “you shall go next time, Roy.”
“Oh, all right — you mean when there’s shooting going on?”
“And I?” demanded Pierpont, grieved.
“You too, my son; stop quarrelling! Will you ask Howlett to pack our kits32 — lightly mind you — no bottles — they clink.”
“My flask34 doesn’t,” said Pierpont, and went off to get ready for a night’s stalking of dangerous men.
“It is strange,” said I, “that nobody ever settles in this region. How many people live in Cardinal Springs, Barris?”
“Twenty counting the telegraph operator and not counting the lumbermen; they are always changing and shifting. I have six men among them.”
“Where have you no men? In the Four Hundred?”
“I have men there also — chums of Billy’s only he doesn’t know it. David tells me that there was a strong flight of woodcock last night. You ought to pick up some this afternoon.”
Then we chatted about alder-coven and swamp until Pierpont came out of the house and it was time to part.
“Au revoir,” said Barris, buckling35 on his kit33, “come along, Pierpont, and don’t walk in the damp grass.”
“If you are not back by to-morrow noon,” said I, “I will take Howlett and David and hunt you up. You say your course is due north?”
“Due north,” replied Barris, consulting his compass.
“Which we won’t use for various reasons,” added Barris pleasantly; “don’t worry, Roy, and keep your confounded expedition out of the way; there’s no danger.”
He knew, of course, what he was talking about and I held my peace.
When the tip end of Pierpont’s shooting coat had disappeared in the Long Covert, I found myself standing37 alone with Howlett. He bore my gaze for a moment and then politely lowered his eyes.
“Howlett,” said I, “take these shells and implements38 to the gun room, and drop nothing. Did Voyou come to any harm in the briers this morning?”
“No ‘arm, Mr. Cardenhe, sir,” said Howlett.
“Then be careful not to drop anything else,” said I, and walked away leaving him decorously puzzled. For he had dropped no cartridges. Poor Howlett!
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1
cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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2
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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3
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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4
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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5
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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6
lank
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| adj.瘦削的；稀疏的 | |
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7
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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8
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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9
jingle
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| n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵 | |
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10
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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11
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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12
adjustable
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| adj.可调整的，可校准的 | |
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13
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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14
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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15
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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16
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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17
ennui
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| n.怠倦，无聊 | |
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18
taunts
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| 嘲弄的言语，嘲笑，奚落( taunt的名词复数 ) | |
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19
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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20
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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21
vomiting
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| 吐 | |
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22
covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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23
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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24
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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25
sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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26
cuffs
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| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
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27
poncho
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| n.斗篷，雨衣 | |
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28
trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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29
shunned
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| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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31
piqued
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| v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心） | |
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32
kits
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| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
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33
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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34
flask
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| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
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35
buckling
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| 扣住 | |
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36
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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37
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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38
implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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