the silverado squatters-第22章
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late at night; the scent of the sweet bay trees filled the
canyon; and the down…blowing night wind must have borne it
hundreds of feet into the outer air。
All this vegetation; to be sure; was stunted。 The madrona
was here no bigger than the manzanita; the bay was but a
stripling shrub; the very pines; with four or five exceptions
in all our upper canyon; were not so tall as myself; or but a
little taller; and the most of them came lower than my waist。
For a prosperous forest tree; we must look below; where the
glen was crowded with green spires。 But for flowers and
ravishing perfume; we had none to envy: our heap of road…
metal was thick with bloom; like a hawthorn in the front of
June; our red; baking angle in the mountain; a laboratory of
poignant scents。 It was an endless wonder to my mind; as I
dreamed about the platform; following the progress of the
shadows; where the madrona with its leaves; the azalea and
calcanthus with their blossoms; could find moisture to
support such thick; wet; waxy growths; or the bay tree
collect the ingredients of its perfume。 But there they all
grew together; healthy; happy; and happy…making; as though
rooted in a fathom of black soil。
Nor was it only vegetable life that prospered。 We had;
indeed; few birds; and none that had much of a voice or
anything worthy to be called a song。 My morning comrade had
a thin chirp; unmusical and monotonous; but friendly and
pleasant to hear。 He had but one rival: a fellow with an
ostentatious cry of near an octave descending; not one note
of which properly followed another。 This is the only bird I
ever knew with a wrong ear; but there was something
enthralling about his performance。 You listened and
listened; thinking each time he must surely get it right; but
no; it was always wrong; and always wrong the same way。 Yet
he seemed proud of his song; delivered it with execution and
a manner of his own; and was charming to his mate。 A very
incorrect; incessant human whistler had thus a chance of
knowing how his own music pleased the world。 Two great birds
… eagles; we thought … dwelt at the top of the canyon; among
the crags that were printed on the sky。 Now and again; but
very rarely; they wheeled high over our heads in silence; or
with a distant; dying scream; and then; with a fresh impulse;
winged fleetly forward; dipped over a hilltop; and were gone。
They seemed solemn and ancient things; sailing the blue air:
perhaps co…oeval with the mountain where they haunted;
perhaps emigrants from Rome; where the glad legions may have
shouted to behold them on the morn of battle。
But if birds were rare; the place abounded with rattlesnakes
… the rattlesnake's nest; it might have been named。 Wherever
we brushed among the bushes; our passage woke their angry
buzz。 One dwelt habitually in the wood…pile; and sometimes;
when we came for firewood; thrust up his small head between
two logs; and hissed at the intrusion。 The rattle has a
legendary credit; it is said to be awe…inspiring; and; once
heard; to stamp itself for ever in the memory。 But the sound
is not at all alarming; the hum of many insects; and the buzz
of the wasp convince the ear of danger quite as readily。 As
a matter of fact; we lived for weeks in Silverado; coming and
going; with rattles sprung on every side; and it never
occurred to us to be afraid。 I used to take sun…baths and do
calisthenics in a certain pleasant nook among azalea and
calcanthus; the rattles whizzing on every side like spinning…
wheels; and the combined hiss or buzz rising louder and
angrier at any sudden movement; but I was never in the least
impressed; nor ever attacked。 It was only towards the end of
our stay; that a man down at Calistoga; who was expatiating
on the terrifying nature of the sound; gave me at last a very
good imitation; and it burst on me at once that we dwelt in
the very metropolis of deadly snakes; and that the rattle was
simply the commonest noise in Silverado。 Immediately on our
return; we attacked the Hansons on the subject。 They had
formerly assured us that our canyon was favoured; like
Ireland; with an entire immunity from poisonous reptiles;
but; with the perfect inconsequence of the natural man; they
were no sooner found out than they went off at score in the
contrary direction; and we were told that in no part of the
world did rattlesnakes attain to such a monstrous bigness as
among the warm; flower…dotted rocks of Silverado。 This is a
contribution rather to the natural history of the Hansons;
than to that of snakes。
One person; however; better served by his instinct; had known
the rattle from the first; and that was Chuchu; the dog。 No
rational creature has ever led an existence more poisoned by
terror than that dog's at Silverado。 Every whiz of the
rattle made him bound。 His eyes rolled; he trembled; he
would be often wet with sweat。 One of our great mysteries
was his terror of the mountain。 A little away above our
nook; the azaleas and almost all the vegetation ceased。
Dwarf pines not big enough to be Christmas trees; grew thinly
among loose stone and gravel scaurs。 Here and there a big
boulder sat quiescent on a knoll; having paused there till
the next rain in his long slide down the mountain。 There was
here no ambuscade for the snakes; you could see clearly where
you trod; and yet the higher I went; the more abject and
appealing became Chuchu's terror。 He was an excellent master
of that composite language in which dogs communicate with
men; and he would assure me; on his honour; that there was
some peril on the mountain; appeal to me; by all that I held
holy; to turn back; and at length; finding all was in vain;
and that I still persisted; ignorantly foolhardy; he would
suddenly whip round and make a bee…line down the slope for
Silverado; the gravel showering after him。 What was he
afraid of? There were admittedly brown bears and California
lions on the mountain; and a grizzly visited Rufe's poultry
yard not long before; to the unspeakable alarm of Caliban;
who dashed out to chastise the intruder; and found himself;
by moonlight; face to face with such a tartar。 Something at
least there must have been: some hairy; dangerous brute
lodged permanently among the rocks a little to the north…west
of Silverado; spending his summer thereabout; with wife and
family。
And there was; or there had been; another animal。 Once;
under the broad daylight; on that open stony hillside; where
the baby pines were growing; scarcely tall enough to be a
badge for a MacGregor's bonnet; I came suddenly upon his
innocent body; lying mummified by the dry air and sun: a
pigmy kangaroo。 I am ingloriously ignorant of these
subjects; had never heard of such a beast; thought myself
face to face with some incomparable sport of nature; and
began to cherish hopes of immortality in science。 Rarely
have I been conscious of a stranger thrill than when I raised
that singular creature from the stones; dry as a board; his
innocent heart long quiet; and all warm with sunshine。 His
long hind legs were stiff; his tiny forepaws clutched upon
his breast; as if to leap; his poor life cut short upon that
mountain by some unknown accident。 But the kangaroo rat; it
proved; was no such unknown animal; and my discovery was
nothing。
Crickets were not wanting。 I thought I could make out
exactly four of them; each with a corner of his own; who used
to make night musical at Silverado。 In the matter of voice;
they far excelled the birds; and their ringing whistle
sounded from rock to rock; calling and replying the same
thing; as in a meaningless opera。 Thus; children in full
health and spirits shout together; to the dismay of
neighbours; and their idle; happy; deafening vociferation