the man of the forest-第59章
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think one or t'other of the girls would do thet varmint。
Wal; thet sorta started goin's…on。 Carmichael beat Riggs an'
drove him out of town。 But he come back。 Beasley called on
Miss Helen an' offered to marry her so's not to take the
ranch from her; he said。〃
Dale awoke with a thundering curse。
〃Shore!〃 exclaimed John。 〃I'd say the same only I'm
religious。 Don't thet beady…eyed greaser's gall make you
want to spit all over yourself? My Gawd! but Roy was mad!
Roy's powerful fond of Miss Helen an' Bo。 。 。 。 Wal; then;
Roy; first chance he got; braced Beasley an' give him some
straight talk。 Beasley was foamin' at the mouth; Roy said。
It was then Riggs shot Roy。 Shot him from behind Beasley
when Roy wasn't lookin'! An' Riggs brags of bein' a
gun…fighter。 Mebbe thet wasn't a bad shot for him!〃
〃I reckon;〃 replied Dale; as he swallowed hard。 〃Now; just
what was Roy's message to me?〃
〃Wal; I can't remember all Roy said;〃 answered John;
dubiously。 〃But Roy shore was excited an' dead in earnest。
He says: 'Tell Milt what's happened。 Tell him Helen Rayner's
in more danger than she was last fall。 Tell him I've seen
her look away acrost the mountains toward Paradise Park with
her heart in her eyes。 Tell him she needs him most of all!'〃
Dale shook all over as with an attack of ague。 He was seized
by a whirlwind of passionate; terrible sweetness of
sensation; when what he wildly wanted was to curse Roy and
John for their simple…minded conclusions。
〃Roy's crazy!〃 panted Dale。
〃Wal; now; Milt thet's downright surprisin' of you。 Roy's
the level…headest of any fellars I know。〃
〃Man! if he MADE me believe him an' it turned out untrue
I'd I'd kill him;〃 replied Dale。
〃Untrue! Do you think Roy Beeman would lie?〃
〃But; John you fellows can't see my case。 Nell Rayner
wants me needs me! 。 。 。 It can't be true!〃
〃Wal; my love…sick pard it jest IS true!〃 exclaimed John;
feelingly。 〃Thet's the hell of life never knowin'。 But
here it's joy for you。 You can believe Roy Beeman about
women as quick as you'd trust him to track your lost hoss。
Roy's married three girls。 I reckon he'll marry some more。
Roy's only twenty…eight an' he has two big farms。 He said
he'd seen Nell Rayner's heart in her eyes; lookin' for you
an' you can jest bet your life thet's true。 An' he said
it because he means you to rustle down there an' fight for
thet girl。〃
〃I'll go;〃 said Dale; in a shaky whisper; as he sat down
on a pine log near the fire。 He stared unseeingly at the
bluebells in the grass by his feet while storm after storm
possessed his breast。 They were fierce and brief because
driven by his will。 In those few moments of contending
strife Dale was immeasurably removed from that dark gulf of
self which had made his winter a nightmare。 And when he
stood erect again it seemed that the old earth had a
stirring; electrifying impetus for his feet。 Something
black; bitter; melancholy; and morbid; always unreal to him;
had passed away forever。 The great moment had been forced
upon him。 He did not believe Roy Beeman's preposterous hint
regarding Helen; but he had gone back or soared onward; as
if by magic; to his old true self。
Mounted on Dale's strongest horses; with only a light pack;
an ax; and their weapons; the two men had reached the
snow…line on the pass by noon that day。 Tom; the tame
cougar; trotted along in the rear。
The crust of the snow; now half thawed by the sun; would not
hold the weight of a horse; though it upheld the men on
foot。 They walked; leading the horses。 Travel was not
difficult until the snow began to deepen; then progress
slackened materially。 John had not been able to pick out the
line of the trail; so Dale did not follow his tracks。 An old
blaze on the trees enabled Dale to keep fairly well to the
trail; and at length the height of the pass was reached;
where the snow was deep。 Here the horses labored; plowing
through foot by foot。 When; finally; they sank to their
flanks; they had to be dragged and goaded on; and helped by
thick flat bunches of spruce boughs placed under their
hoofs。 It took three hours of breaking toil to do the few
hundred yards of deep snow on the height of the pass。 The
cougar did not have great difficulty in following; though it
was evident he did not like such traveling。
That behind them; the horses gathered heart and worked on to
the edge of the steep descent; where they had all they could
do to hold back from sliding and rolling。 Fast time was made
on this slope; at the bottom of which began a dense forest
with snow still deep in places and windfalls hard to locate。
The men here performed Herculean labors; but they got
through to a park where the snow was gone。 The ground;
however; soft and boggy; in places was more treacherous than
the snow; and the travelers had to skirt the edge of the
park to a point opposite; and then go on through the forest。
When they reached bare and solid ground; just before dark
that night; it was high time; for the horses were ready to
drop; and the men likewise。
Camp was made in an open wood。 Darkness fell and the men
were resting on bough beds; feet to the fire; with Tom
curled up close by; and the horses still drooping where they
had been unsaddled。 Morning; however; discovered them
grazing on the long; bleached grass。 John shook his head
when he looked at them。
〃You reckoned to make Pine by nightfall。 How far is it
the way you'll go?〃
〃Fifty mile or thereabouts;〃 replied Dale。
〃Wal; we can't ride it on them critters。〃
〃John; we'd do more than that if we had to。〃
They were saddled and on the move before sunrise; leaving
snow and bog behind。 Level parks and level forests led one
after another to long slopes and steep descents; all growing
sunnier and greener as the altitude diminished。 Squirrels
and grouse; turkeys and deer; and less tame denizens of the
forest grew more abundant as the travel advanced。 In this
game zone; however; Dale had trouble with Tom。 The cougar
had to be watched and called often to keep him off of
trails。
〃Tom doesn't like a long trip;〃 said Dale。 〃But I'm goin' to
take him。 Some way or other he may come in handy。〃
〃Sic him onto Beasley's gang;〃 replied John。 〃Some men are
powerful scared of cougars。 But I never was。〃
〃Nor me。 Though I've had cougars give me a darn uncanny
feelin'。〃
The men talked but little。 Dale led the way; with Tom
trotting noiselessly beside his horse。 John followed close
behind。 They loped the horses across parks; trotted through
the forests; walked slow up what few inclines they met; and
slid down the soft; wet; pine…matted descents。 So they
averaged from six to eight miles an hour。 The horses held up
well under that steady travel; and this without any rest at
noon。
Dale seemed to feel himself in an emotional trance。 Yet;
despite this; the same old sensorial perceptions crowded
thick and fast upon him; strangely sweet and vivid after the
past dead months when neither sun nor wind nor cloud nor
scent of pine nor anything in nature could stir him。 His
mind; his heart; his soul seemed steeped in an intoxicating
wine of expectation; while his eyes and ears and nose had
never been keener to register the facts of the forest…land。
He saw the black thing far ahead that resembled a burned
stump; but he knew was a bear before it vanished; he saw
gray flash of deer and wolf and coyote; and the red of fox;
and the small; wary heads of old gobblers just sticking
above the grass; and he saw deep tracks of game as well as
the slow…rising blades of bluebells where some soft…footed
beast had just trod。 And he heard the melancholy notes of
birds; the twitter of grouse; the sough of the wind; the
light dropping of pine…cones; the near and distant bark of
squirrels; the deep gobble of a turkey close at hand and the
challenge from a rival far away; the cracking of twigs in
the thickets; the murmur of running water; the scream of an
eagle and the shrill cry of a hawk; and always the soft;
dull; steady pads of the hoofs of the horses。
The smells; too; were the sweet; stinging ones of spring;
warm