the red one-第14章

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from　Kelterville　up　over　Tarwater　Mountain　to　Old　Almaden　…　which

was　a　sporadically　worked　quick…silver　mine　in　the　upland　cattle

country。　　With　his　old　horses　it　took　all　his　time　to　make　the　two

weekly　round　trips。　　And　for　ten　years；　rain　or　shine；　he　had　never

missed　a　trip。　　Nor　had　he　failed　once　to　pay　his　week's　board　into

Mary's　hand。　　This　board　he　had　insisted　on；　in　the　convalescence

from　his　Patagonian　fever；　and　he　had　paid　it　strictly；　though　he

had　given　up　tobacco　in　order　to　be　able　to　do　it。



〃Huh！〃　he　confided　to　the　ruined　water　wheel　of　the　old　Tarwater

Mill；　which　he　had　built　from　the　standing　timber　and　which　had

ground　wheat　for　the　first　settlers。　　〃Huh！　　They'll　never　put　me

in　the　poor　farm　so　long　as　I　support　myself。　　And　without　a　penny

to　my　name　it　ain't　likely　any　lawyer　fellows'll　come　snoopin'

around　after　me。〃



And　yet；　precisely　because　of　these　highly　rational　acts；　it　was

held　that　John　Tarwater　was　mildly　crazy！



The　first　time　he　had　lifted　the　chant　of　〃Like　Argus　of　the

Ancient　Times；〃　had　been　in　1849；　when；　twenty…two　years'　of　age；

violently　attacked　by　the　Californian　fever；　he　had　sold　two

hundred　and　forty　Michigan　acres；　forty　of　it　cleared；　for　the

price　of　four　yoke　of　oxen；　and　a　wagon；　and　had　started　across　the

Plains。



〃And　we　turned　off　at　Fort　Hall；　where　the　Oregon　emigration　went

north'ard；　and　swung　south　for　Californy；〃　was　his　way　of

concluding　the　narrative　of　that　arduous　journey。　　And　Bill　Ping

and　me　used　to　rope　grizzlies　out　of　the　underbrush　of　Cache　Slough

in　the　Sacramento　Valley。〃



Years　of　freighting　and　mining　had　followed；　and；　with　a　stake

gleaned　from　the　Merced　placers；　he　satisfied　the　land…hunger　of

his　race　and　time　by　settling　in　Sonoma　County。



During　the　ten　years　of　carrying　the　mail　across　Tarwater　Township；

up　Tarwater　Valley；　and　over　Tarwater　Mountain；　most　all　of　which

land　had　once　been　his；　he　had　spent　his　time　dreaming　of　winning

back　that　land　before　he　died。　　And　now；　his　huge　gaunt　form　more

erect　than　it　had　been　for　years；　with　a　glinting　of　blue　fires　in

his　small　and　close…set　eyes；　he　was　lifting　his　ancient　chant

again。



〃There　he　goes　now　…　listen　to　him；〃　said　William　Tarwater。



〃Nobody　at　home；〃　laughed　Harris　Topping；　day　labourer；　husband　of

Annie　Tarwater；　and　father　of　her　nine　children。



The　kitchen　door　opened　to　admit　the　old　man；　returning　from

feeding　his　horses。　　The　song　had　ceased　from　his　lips；　but　Mary

was　irritable　from　a　burnt　hand　and　a　grandchild　whose　stomach

refused　to　digest　properly　diluted　cows'　milk。



〃Now　there　ain't　no　use　you　carryin'　on　that　way；　father；〃　she

tackled　him。　　〃The　time's　past　for　you　to　cut　and　run　for　a　place

like　the　Klondike；　and　singing　won't　buy　you　nothing。〃



〃Just　the　same；〃　he　answered　quietly。　　〃I　bet　I　could　go　to　that

Klondike　place　and　pick　up　enough　gold　to　buy　back　the　Tarwater

lands。〃



〃Old　fool！〃　Annie　contributed。



〃You　couldn't　buy　them　back　for　less'n　three　hundred　thousand　and

then　some；〃　was　William's　effort　at　squelching　him。



〃Then　I　could　pick　up　three　hundred　thousand；　and　then　some；　if　I

was　only　there；〃　the　old　man　retorted　placidly。



〃Thank　God　you　can't　walk　there；　or　you'd　be　startin'；　I　know；〃

Mary　cried。　　〃Ocean　travel　costs　money。〃



〃I　used　to　have　money；〃　her　father　said　humbly。



〃Well；　you　ain't　got　any　now　…　so　forget　it；〃　William　advised。

〃Them　times　is　past；　like　roping　bear　with　Bill　Ping。　　There　ain't

no　more　bear。〃



〃Just　the　same　…　〃



But　Mary　cut　him　off。　　Seizing　the　day's　paper　from　the　kitchen

table；　she　flourished　　it　savagely　under　her　aged　progenitor's

nose。



〃What　do　those　Klondikers　say？　　There　it　is　in　cold　print。　　Only

the　young　and　robust　can　stand　the　Klondike。　　It's　worse　than　the

north　pole。　　And　they've　left　their　dead　a…plenty　there　themselves。

Look　at　their　pictures。　　You're　forty　years　older　'n　the　oldest　of

them。〃



John　Tarwater　did　look；　but　his　eyes　strayed　to　other　photographs

on　the　highly　sensational　front　page。



〃And　look　at　the　photys　of　them　nuggets　they　brought　down；〃　he

said。　　〃I　know　gold。　　Didn't　I　gopher　twenty　thousand　outa　the

Merced？　　And　wouldn't　it　a…ben　a　hundred　thousand　if　that

cloudburst　hadn't　busted　my　wing…dam？　　Now　if　I　was　only　in　the

Klondike　…　〃



〃Crazy　as　a　loon；〃　William　sneered　in　open　aside　to　the　rest。



〃A　nice　way　to　talk　to　your　father；〃　Old　Man　Tarwater　censured

mildly。　　〃My　father'd　have　walloped　the　tar　out　of　me　with　a

single…tree　if　I'd　spoke　to　him　that　way。〃



〃But　you　ARE　crazy；　father　…　〃　William　began。



〃Reckon　you're　right；　son。　　And　that's　where　my　father　wasn't

crazy。　　He'd　a…done　it。〃



〃The　old　man's　been　reading　some　of　them　magazine　articles　about

men　who　succeeded　after　forty；〃　Annie　jibed。



〃And　why　not；　daughter？〃　he　asked。　　〃And　why　can't　a　man　succeed

after　he's　seventy？　　I　was　only　seventy　this　year。　　And　mebbe　I

could　succeed　if　only　I　could　get　to　the　Klondike　…　〃



〃Which　you　ain't　going　to　get　to；〃　Mary　shut　him　off。



〃Oh；　well；　then；〃　he　sighed；　〃seein's　I　ain't；　I　might　just　as　well

go　to　bed。〃



He　stood　up；　tall；　gaunt；　great…boned　and　gnarled；　a　splendid　ruin

of　a　man。　　His　ragged　hair　and　whiskers　were　not　grey　but　snowy

white；　as　were　the　tufts　of　hair　that　stood　out　on　the　backs　of　his

huge　bony　fingers。　　He　moved　toward　the　door；　opened　it；　sighed；

and　paused　with　a　backward　look。



〃Just　the　same；〃　he　murmured　plaintively；　〃the　bottoms　of　my　feet

is　itching　something　terrible。〃



Long　before　the　family　stirred　next　morning；　his　horses　fed　and

harnessed　by　lantern　light；　breakfast　cooked　and　eaten　by　lamp

fight；　Old　Man　Tarwater　was　off　and　away　down　Tarwater　Valley　on

the　road　to　Kelterville。　　Two　things　were　unusual　about　this　usual

trip　which　he　had　made　a　thousand　and　forty　times　since　taking　the

mail　contract。　　He　did　not　drive　to　Kelterville；　but　turned　off　on

the　main　road　south　to　Santa　Rosa。　　Even　more　remarkable　than　this

was　the　paper…wrapped　parcel　between　his　feet。　　It　contained　his

one　decent　black　suit；　which　Mary　had　been　long　reluctant　to　see

him　wear　any　more；　not　because　it　was　shabby；　but　because；　as　he

guessed　what　was　at　the　back　of　her　mind；　it　was　decent　enough　to

bury　him　in。



And　at　Santa　Rosa；　in　a　second…hand　clothes　shop；　he　sold　the　suit

outright　for　two　dollars　and　a　half。　　From　the　same　obliging

shopman　he　received　four　dollars　for　the　wedding　ring　of　his　long…

dead　wife。　　The　span　of　horses　and　the　wagon　he　disposed　of　for

seventy…five　dollars；　although　twenty…five　was　all　he　received　down

in　cash。　　Chancing　to　meet　Alton　Granger　on　the　street；　to　whom

never　before　had　he　mentioned　the　ten　dollars　loaned　him　in　'74；　he

reminded　Alton　Granger　of　the　little　affair；　and　was　promptly　paid。

Also；　of　all　unbelievable　men　to　be　in　funds；　he　so　found　the　town

drunkard　for　whom　he　had　bought　many　a　drink　in　the　old　and　palmy

days。　　And　from　him　John　Tarwater　borrowed　a　dollar。　　Finally；　he

took　the　afternoon　train　to　San　Francisco。



A　dozen　days　later；　carrying　a　half…empty　canvas　sack　of　blankets

and　old　clothes；　he　landed　on　the　beach　of　Dyea　in　the　thick　of　the

great　Klondike　Rush。　　The　beach　was　screaming　bedlam。　　Ten　thousand

tons　of　outfit　lay　heaped　and　scattered；　and　twice　ten　thousand　men

struggled　with　it　and　clamoured　about　it。　　Freight；　by　Indian…back；

over　Chilcoot　to　Lake　Linderman；　had　jumped　from　sixteen　to　thirty

cents　a　pound；　which　latter　was　a　rate　of　six　hundred　dollars　a

ton。　　And　the　sub…arctic　winter　gloomed　near　at　hand。　　All　knew　it；

and　all　knew　that　of　the　twenty　thousand　of　them　very　few　would　get

across　the　passes；　leaving　the　rest　to　winter　and　wait　for　the　late

spring　thaw。



Such　the　beach　old　John　Tarwater　stepped　upon；　and　straight　across

the　beach　and　up　the　trail　toward　Chilcoot　he　headed；　cackling