the silverado squatters-第20章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
darkness; and this plump; handsome woman; seated on an
upturned valise beside the bunks; talking and showing her
fine teeth; and laughing till the rafters rang。 Any ship; to
be sure; with a hundredth part as many holes in it as our
barrack; must long ago have gone to her last port。 Up to
that time I had always imagined Mrs。 Hanson's loquacity to be
mere incontinence; that she said what was uppermost for the
pleasure of speaking; and laughed and laughed again as a kind
of musical accompaniment。 But I now found there was an art
in it; I found it less communicative than silence itself。 I
wished to know why Ronalds had come; how he had found his way
without Rufe; and why; being on the spot; he had not
refreshed his title。 She talked interminably on; but her
replies were never answers。 She fled under a cloud of words;
and when I had made sure that she was purposely eluding me; I
dropped the subject in my turn; and let her rattle where she
would。
She had come to tell us that; instead of waiting for Tuesday;
the claim was to be jumped on the morrow。 How? If the time
were not out; it was impossible。 Why? If Ronalds had come
and gone; and done nothing; there was the less cause for
hurry。 But again I could reach no satisfaction。 The claim
was to be jumped next morning; that was all that she would
condescend upon。
And yet it was not jumped the next morning; nor yet the next;
and a whole week had come and gone before we heard more of
this exploit。 That day week; however; a day of great heat;
Hanson; with a little roll of paper in his hand; and the
eternal pipe alight; Breedlove; his large; dull friend; to
act; I suppose; as witness; Mrs。 Hanson; in her Sunday best;
and all the children; from the oldest to the youngest; …
arrived in a procession; tailing one behind another up the
path。 Caliban was absent; but he had been chary of his
friendly visits since the row; and with that exception; the
whole family was gathered together as for a marriage or a
christening。 Strong was sitting at work; in the shade of the
dwarf madronas near the forge; and they planted themselves
about him in a circle; one on a stone; another on the waggon
rails; a third on a piece of plank。 Gradually the children
stole away up the canyon to where there was another chute;
somewhat smaller than the one across the dump; and down this
chute; for the rest of the afternoon; they poured one
avalanche of stones after another; waking the echoes of the
glen。 Meantime we elders sat together on the platform;
Hanson and his friend smoking in silence like Indian sachems;
Mrs。 Hanson rattling on as usual with an adroit volubility;
saying nothing; but keeping the party at their ease like a
courtly hostess。
Not a word occurred about the business of the day。 Once;
twice; and thrice I tried to slide the subject in; but was
discouraged by the stoic apathy of Rufe; and beaten down
before the pouring verbiage of his wife。 There is nothing of
the Indian brave about me; and I began to grill with
impatience。 At last; like a highway robber; I cornered
Hanson; and bade him stand and deliver his business。
Thereupon he gravely rose; as though to hint that this was
not a proper place; nor the subject one suitable for squaws;
and I; following his example; led him up the plank into our
barrack。 There he bestowed himself on a box; and unrolled
his papers with fastidious deliberation。 There were two
sheets of note…paper; and an old mining notice; dated May
30th; 1879; part print; part manuscript; and the latter much
obliterated by the rains。 It was by this identical piece of
paper that the mine had been held last year。 For thirteen
months it had endured the weather and the change of seasons
on a cairn behind the shoulder of the canyon; and it was now
my business; spreading it before me on the table; and sitting
on a valise; to copy its terms; with some necessary changes;
twice over on the two sheets of note…paper。 One was then to
be placed on the same cairn … a 〃mound of rocks〃 the notice
put it; and the other to be lodged for registration。
Rufe watched me; silently smoking; till I came to the place
for the locator's name at the end of the first copy; and when
I proposed that he should sign; I thought I saw a scare in
his eye。 〃I don't think that'll be necessary;〃 he said
slowly; 〃just you write it down。〃 Perhaps this mighty
hunter; who was the most active member of the local school
board; could not write。 There would be nothing strange in
that。 The constable of Calistoga is; and has been for years;
a bed…ridden man; and; if I remember rightly; blind。 He had
more need of the emoluments than another; it was explained;
and it was easy for him to 〃depytize;〃 with a strong accent
on the last。 So friendly and so free are popular
institutions。
When I had done my scrivening; Hanson strolled out; and
addressed Breedlove; 〃Will you step up here a bit?〃 and after
they had disappeared a little while into the chaparral and
madrona thicket; they came back again; minus a notice; and
the deed was done。 The claim was jumped; a tract of
mountain…side; fifteen hundred feet long by six hundred wide;
with all the earth's precious bowels; had passed from Ronalds
to Hanson; and; in the passage; changed its name from the
〃Mammoth〃 to the 〃Calistoga。〃 I had tried to get Rufe to
call it after his wife; after himself; and after Garfield;
the Republican Presidential candidate of the hour … since
then elected; and; alas! dead … but all was in vain。 The
claim had once been called the Calistoga before; and he
seemed to feel safety in returning to that。
And so the history of that mine became once more plunged in
darkness; lit only by some monster pyrotechnical displays of
gossip。 And perhaps the most curious feature of the whole
matter is this: that we should have dwelt in this quiet
corner of the mountains; with not a dozen neighbours; and yet
struggled all the while; like desperate swimmers; in this sea
of falsities and contradictions。 Wherever a man is; there
will be a lie。
TOILS AND PLEASURES
I MUST try to convey some notion of our life; of how the days
passed and what pleasure we took in them; of what there was
to do and how we set about doing it; in our mountain
hermitage。 The house; after we had repaired the worst of the
damages; and filled in some of the doors and windows with
white cotton cloth; became a healthy and a pleasant dwelling…
place; always airy and dry; and haunted by the outdoor
perfumes of the glen。 Within; it had the look of habitation;
the human look。 You had only to go into the third room;
which we did not use; and see its stones; its sifting earth;
its tumbled litter; and then return to our lodging; with the
beds made; the plates on the rack; the pail of bright water
behind the door; the stove crackling in a corner; and perhaps
the table roughly laid against a meal; … and man's order; the
little clean spots that he creates to dwell in; were at once
contrasted with the rich passivity of nature。 And yet our
house was everywhere so wrecked and shattered; the air came
and went so freely; the sun found so many portholes; the
golden outdoor glow shone in so many open chinks; that we
enjoyed; at the same time; some of the comforts of a roof and
much of the gaiety and brightness of al fresco life。 A
single shower of rain; to be sure; and we should have been
drowned out like mice。 But ours was a Californian summer;
and an earthquake was a far likelier accident than a shower
of rain。
Trustful in this fine weather; we kept the house for kitchen
and bedroom; and used the platform as our summer parlour。
The sense of privacy; as I have said already; was complete。
We could look over the clump on miles of forest