the riverman-第13章

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ambitious；　and　the　young　man；　with　inexhaustible　patience；　threw　out　

the　cards；　the　corners　of　his　mouth　twitching　sardonically　at　each　

wrong　guess。



At　length　he　called　a　halt。



〃By　this　time　I'd　have　had　all　your　money；〃　he　pointed　out。　　〃Now；　

I'll　pick　the　jack。〃



For　the　last　time　he　made　his　swift　passes　and　distributed　the　

cards。　　Then　quite　calmly；　without　disturbing　the　three　on　the　

cracker…box；　he　held　before　their　eyes　the　jack　of　hearts。



An　exclamation　broke　from　the　interested　group。　　Tim　Nolan；　who　was　

the　nearest；　leaned　forward　and　turned　over　the　three　on　the　board。　　

They　were　the　eight　of　diamonds　and　two　tens　of　spades。



〃That's　how　the　thing　is　worked　nine　times　out　of　ten；〃　announced　

Newmark。　　〃Once　in　a　while　you'll　run　against　a　straight　game；　but　

not　often。〃



〃But　you　showed　us　the　jack　every　time　before　you　throwed　them！〃　

puzzled　Johnny　Simms。



〃Sleight　of　hand；〃　explained　Newmark。　　〃The　simplest　kind　of　

palming。〃



〃Well；　Charlie；〃　said　big　Tim；　〃looks　to　me　as　if　you　had　just　about　

as　much　chance　as　a　snowball　in　hell。〃



〃Where'd　you　get　onto　doing　all　that；　Newmark？〃　inquired　North。　　

〃You　ain't　a　tin　horn　yourself？〃



Newmark　laughed　briefly。　　〃Not　I；〃　said　he。　　〃I　learned　a　lot　of　

those　tricks　from　a　travelling　magician　in　college。〃



During　this　demonstration　Orde　had　sat　well　in　the　background；　his　

chin　propped　on　his　hand；　watching　intently　all　that　was　going　on。　　

After　the　comment　and　exclamations　following　the　exposure　of　the　

method　had　subsided；　he　spoke。



〃Boys；〃　said　he；　〃how　game　are　you　to　get　Charlie's　money　backand　

then　some？〃



〃Try　us；〃　returned　big　Tim。



〃This　game's　at　McNeill's；　and　McNeill's　is　a　tough　hole；〃　warned　

Orde。　　〃Maybe　everything　will　go　peaceful；　and　maybe　not。　　And　you　

boys　that　go　with　me　have　got　to　keep　sober。　　There　isn't　going　to　

be　any　row　unless　I　say　so；　and　I'm　not　taking　any　contract　to　

handle　a　lot　of　drunken　river…hogs　as　well　as　go　against　a　game。〃



〃All　right；〃　agreed　Nolan；　〃I'm　with　you。〃



The　thirty　or　so　men　of　the　rear　crew　then　in　camp　signified　their　

intention　to　stay　by　the　procession。



〃You　can't　make　those　sharps　disgorge；〃　counselled　Newmark。　　〃At　the　

first　look　of　trouble　they　will　light　out。　　They　have　it　all　fixed。　　

Force　won't　do　you　much　goodand　may　get　some　of　you　shot。〃



〃I'm　not　going　to　use　force；〃　denied　Orde。　　〃I'm　just　going　to　play　

their　game。　　But　I　bet　I　can　make　it　go。　　Only　I　sort　of　want　the　

moral　support　of　the　boys。〃



〃I　tell　you；　you　CAN'T　win！〃　cried　Newmark　disgustedly。　　〃It's　a　

brace　game　pure　and　simple。〃



〃I　don't　know　about　it's　being　pure；〃　replied　Orde　drolly；　〃but　it's　

simple　enough；　if　you　know　how　to　make　the　wheels　go　'round。　　How　is　

it；　boyswill　you　back　my　play？〃



And　such　was　their　confidence　that；　in　face　of　Newmark's　

demonstration；　they　said　they　would。







VII





After　the　men　had　been　paid　off；　perhaps　a　dozen　of　them　hung　around　

the　yards　awaiting　evening　and　the　rendezvous　named　by　Orde。　　The　

rest　drifted　away　full　of　good　intentions；　but　did　not　show　up　

again。　　Orde　himself　was　busy　up　to　the　last　moment；　but　finally　

stamped　out　of　the　office　just　as　the　boarding…house　bell　rang　for　

supper。　　He　surveyed　what　remained　of　his　old　crew　and　grinned。



〃Well；　boys；　ready　for　trouble？〃　he　greeted　them。　　〃Come　on。〃



They　set　out　up　the　long　reach　of　Water　Street；　their　steel　caulks　

biting　deep　into　the　pitted　board…walks。



For　nearly　a　mile　the　street　was　flanked　solely　by　lumber…yards；　

small　mills；　and　factories。　　Then　came　a　strip　of　unimproved　land；　

followed　immediately　by　the　wooden；　ramshackle　structures　of　Hell's　

Half…Mile。



In　the　old　days　every　town　of　any　size　had　its　Hell's　Half…Mile；　or　

the　equivalent。　　Saginaw　boasted　of　its　Catacombs；　Muskegon；　Alpena；　

Port　Huron；　Ludington；　had　their　〃Pens；〃　〃White　Rows；〃　〃River　

Streets；〃　〃Kilyubbin；〃　and　so　forth。　　They　supported　row　upon　row　of　

saloons；　alike　stuffy　and　squalid；　gambling　hells　of　all　sorts；　

refreshment　〃parlours；〃　where　drinks　were　served　by　dozens　of　

〃pretty　waiter…girls；〃　and　huge　dance…halls。



The　proprietors　of　these　places　were　a　bold　and　unscrupulous　lot。　　

In　their　everyday　business　they　had　to　deal　with　the　most　dangerous　

rough…and…tumble　fighters　this　country　has　ever　known；　with　men　

bubbling　over　with　the　joy　of　life；　ready　for　quarrel　if　quarrel　

also　spelled　fun；　drinking　deep；　and　heavy…handed　and　fearless　in　

their　cups。　　But　each　of　these　rivermen　had　two　or　three　hundred　

dollars　to　〃blow〃　as　soon　as　possible。　　The　pickings　were　good。　　Men　

got　rich　very　quickly　at　this　business。　　And　there　existed　this　

great　advantage　in　favour　of　the　dive…keeper：　nobody　cared　what　

happened　to　a　riverman。　　You　could　pound　him　over　the　head　with　a　

lead　pipe；　or　drug　his　drink；　or　choke　him　to　insensibility；　or　rob　

him　and　throw　him　out　into　the　street；　or　even　drop　him　tidily　

through　a　trap…door　into　the　river　flowing　conveniently　beneath。　　

Nobody　botheredunless；　of　course；　the　affair　was　so　bungled　as　to　

become　public。　　The　police　knew　enough　to　stay　away　when　the　drive　

hit　town。　　They　would　have　been　annihilated　if　they　had　not。　　The　

only　fly　in　the　divekeeper's　ointment　was　that　the　riverman　would　

fight　back。



And　fight　back　he　did；　until　from　one　end　of　his　street　to　the　other　

he　had　left　the　battered　evidences　of　his　skill　as　a　warrior。　　His　

constant　heavy　lifting　made　him　as　hard　as　nails　and　as　strong　as　a　

horse；　the　continual　demand　on　his　agility　in　riding　the　logs　kept　

him　active　and　prevented　him　from　becoming　muscle…bound；　in　his　wild　

heart　was　not　the　least　trace　of　fear　of　anything　that　walked；　

crawled；　or　flew。　　And　he　was　as　tireless　as　machinery；　and　

apparently　as　indifferent　to　punishment　as　a　man　cast　in　iron。



Add　to　this　a　happy　and　complete　disregard　of　consequencesto　

himself　or　othersof　anything　he　did；　and；　in　his　own　words；　he　was　

a　〃hard　man　to　nick。〃



As　yet　the　season　was　too　early　for　much　joy　along　Hell's　Half…Mile。　　

Orde's　little　crew；　and　the　forty　or　fifty　men　of　the　drive　that　had　

preceded　him；　constituted　the　rank　and　file　at　that　moment　in　town。　　

A　little　later；　when　all　the　drives　on　the　river　should　be　in；　and　

those　of　its　tributaries；　and　the　men　still　lingering　at　the　woods　

camps；　at　least　five　hundred　woods…weary　men　would　be　turned　loose。　　

Then　Hell's　Half…Mile　would　awaken　in　earnest　from　its　hibernation。　　

The　lights　would　blaze　from　day　to　day。　　From　its　opened　windows　

would　blare　the　music；　the　cries　of　men　and　women；　the　shuffle　of　

feet；　the　noise　of　fighting；　the　shrieks　of　wild　laughter；　curses　

deep　and　frank　and　unashamed；　songs　broken　and　interrupted。　　Crews　

of　men；　arms　locked；　would　surge　up　and　down　the　narrow　sidewalks；　

their　little　felt　hats　cocked　one　side；　their　heads　back；　their　

fearless　eyes　challenging　the　devil　and　all　his　worksand　getting　

the　challenge　accepted。　　Girls　would　flit　across　the　lit　windows　

like　shadows　before　flames；　or　stand　in　the　doorways　hailing　the　men　

jovially　by　name。　　And　every　few　moments；　above　the　roar　of　this　

wild　inferno；　would　sound　the　sudden　crash　and　the　dull　blows　of　

combat。　　Only；　never　was　heard　the　bark　of　the　pistol。　　The　fighting　

was　fierce；　and　it　included　kicking　with　the　sharp　steel　boot…

caulks；　biting　and　gouging；　but　it　barred　knives　and　firearms。　　And　

when　Hell's　Half…Mile　was　thus　in　full　eruption；　the　citizens　of　

Redding　stayed　away　from　Water　Street　after　dark。　　〃Drive's　in；〃　

said　they；　and　had　business　elsewhere。　　And　the　next　group　of　

rivermen；　hurrying　toward　the　fun；　broke　into　an　eager　dog…trot。　　

〃Taking　the　old　town　apart　to…night；〃　they　told　each　other。　　〃Let's　

get　in　the　game。〃



To…night；　however；　the　street　was　comparatively　quiet。　　The　saloons　

were　of　modified