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第1章

作者:Bret Harte 字数:12490 更新:2026-03-10 23:18:31

Alonglevelofdullgraythatfurtherawaybecameafaintblue,withhereandtheredarkerpatchesthatlookedlikewater。Attimesanopenspace,blackenedandburntinanirregularcircle,withashredofnewspaper,anoldrag,orbrokentincanlyingintheashes。Beyondthesealwaysalowdarklinethatseemedtosinkintothegroundatnight,androseagaininthemorningwiththefirstlight,butneverotherwisechangeditsheightanddistance。

Asenseofalwaysmovingwithsomeindefinitepurpose,butofalwaysreturningatnighttothesameplace——withthesamesurroundings,thesamepeople,thesamebedclothes,andthesameawfulblackcanopydroppeddownfromabove。Achalkytasteofdustonthemouthandlips,agrittysenseofearthonthefingers,andanall-pervadingheatandsmellofcattle。

Thiswas\"TheGreatPlains\"astheyseemedtotwochildrenfromthehoodeddepthofanemigrantwagon,abovetheswayingheadsoftoilingoxen,inthesummerof1852。

Ithadappearedsotothemfortwoweeks,alwaysthesameandalwayswithouttheleastsensetothemofwonderormonotony。Whentheyvieweditfromtheroad,walkingbesidethewagon,therewasonlytheteamitselfaddedtotheunvaryingpicture。Oneofthewagonsboreonitscanvashoodtheinscription,inlargeblackletters,\"OfftoCalifornia!\"ontheother\"Root,Hog,orDie,\"butneitherofthemawokeinthemindsofthechildrenthefaintestideaofplayfulnessorjocularity。Perhapsitwasdifficulttoconnecttheseriousmen,whooccasionallywalkedbesidethemandseemedtogrowmoretaciturnanddepressedasthedayworeon,withthispasteffusivepleasantry。

Yettheimpressionsofthetwochildrendifferedslightly。Theeldest,aboyofeleven,wasapparentlynewtothedomestichabitsandcustomsofalifetowhichtheyounger,agirlofseven,wasevidentlynativeandfamiliar。Thefoodwascoarseandlessskillfullypreparedthanthattowhichhehadbeenaccustomed。

Therewasacertainfreedomandroughnessintheirintercourse,asimplicitythatborderedalmostonrudenessintheirdomesticarrangements,andaspeechthatwasattimesalmostuntranslatabletohim。Hesleptinhisclothes,wrappedupinblankets;hewasconsciousthatinthematterofcleanlinesshewaslefttohimselftoovercomethedifficultiesoffindingwaterandtowels。Butitisdoubtfulifinhisyouthfulnessitaffectedhimmorethananovelty。Heateandsleptwell,andfoundhislifeamusing。Onlyattimestherudenessofhiscompanions,or,worse,anindifferencethatmadehimfeelhisdependencyuponthem,awokeavaguesenseofsomewrongthathadbeendonetohimwhichwhileitwasvoicelesstoallothersandevenuneasilyputasidebyhimself,wasstillalwaysslumberinginhischildishconsciousness。

Tothepartyhewasknownasanorphanputonthetrainat\"St。Jo\"

bysomerelativeofhisstepmother,tobedeliveredtoanotherrelativeatSacramento。Ashisstepmotherhadnoteventakenleaveofhim,buthadentrustedhisdeparturetotherelativewithwhomhehadbeenlatelyliving,itwasconsideredasanactof\"riddance,\"andacceptedassuchbyherparty,andevenvaguelyacquiescedinbytheboyhimself。Whatconsiderationhadbeenofferedforhispassagehedidnotknow;heonlyrememberedthathehadbeentold\"tomakehimselfhandy。\"Thishehaddonecheerfully,ifattimeswiththeunskillfulnessofanovice;butitwasnotapeculiaroramenialtaskinacompanywherealltookpartinmanuallabor,andwhereexistenceseemedtohimtobearthecharmofaprolongedpicnic。NeitherwashesubjectedtoanydifferenceofaffectionortreatmentfromMrs。Silsbee,themotherofhislittlecompanion,andthewifeoftheleaderofthetrain。

Prematurelyold,ofill-health,andharassedwithcares,shehadnotimetowasteindiscriminatingmaternaltendernessforherdaughter,buttreatedthechildrenwithequalandunbiasedquerulousness。

Therearwagoncreaked,swayed,androlledonslowlyandheavily。

Thehoofsofthedraft-oxen,occasionallystrikinginthedustwithadullreport,sentlittlepuffslikesmokeoneithersideofthetrack。Within,thechildrenwereplaying\"keepingstore。\"Thelittlegirl,asanopulentandextravagantcustomer,waspurchasingoftheboy,whosatbehindacounterimprovisedfromanail-kegandthefrontseat,mostoftheavailablecontentsofthewagon,eitherundertheirownnamesoranimaginaryoneasthemomentsuggested,andpayingforthemintheeasyandliberalcurrencyofdriedbeansandbitsofpaper。Changewasgivenbytheexpeditiousmethodoftearingthepaperintosmallerfragments。Thediminutionofstockwasremediedbybuyingthesamearticleoveragainunderadifferentname。Nevertheless,inspiteofthesefavorablecommercialconditions,themarketseemeddull。

\"Icanshowyouafinequalityofsheetingatfourcentsayard,doublewidth,\"saidtheboy,risingandleaningonhisfingersonthecounterashehadseentheshopmendo。\"Allwoolandwillwash,\"headded,witheasygravity。

\"IcanbuyitcheaperatJackson\'s,\"saidthegirl,withtheintuitiveduplicityofherbargainingsex。

\"Verywell,\"saidtheboy。\"Iwon\'tplayanymore。\"

\"Whocares?\"saidthegirlindifferently。Theboyherepromptlyupsetthecounter;therolled-upblanketwhichhaddeceitfullyrepresentedthedesirablesheetingfallingonthewagonfloor。Itapparentlysuggestedanewideatotheformersalesman。\"Isay!

let\'splay\'damagedstock。\'See,I\'lltumbleallthethingsdownhererightontopo\'theothers,andsell\'emforlessthancost。\"

Thegirllookedup。Thesuggestionwasbold,bad,andmomentarilyattractive。Butsheonlysaid\"No,\"apparentlyfromhabit,pickedupherdoll,andtheboyclamberedtothefrontofthewagon。Theincompleteepisodeterminatedatoncewiththatperfectforgetfulness,indifference,andirresponsibilitycommontoallyounganimals。Ifeithercouldhaveflownawayorboundedofffinallyatthatmoment,theywouldhavedonesowithnomoreconcernforpreliminarydetailthanabirdorsquirrel。Thewagonrolledsteadilyon。Theboycouldseethatoneoftheteamstershadclimbeduponthetail-boardoftheprecedingvehicle。Theotherseemedtobewalkinginadustysleep。

\"Kla\'uns,\"saidthegirl。

Theboy,withoutturninghishead,responded,\"Susy。\"

\"Wotareyougoingtobe?\"saidthegirl。

\"Goin\'tobe?\"repeatedClarence。

\"Whenyouisgrowed,\"explainedSusy。

Clarencehesitated。Hissettleddeterminationhadbeentobecomeapirate,mercilessyetdiscriminating。Butreadinginabethumbed\"GuidetothePlains\"thatmorningofFortLamarieandKitCarson,hehaddecideduponthecareerofa\"scout,\"asbeingmoreaccessibleandrequiringlesswater。Yet,outofcompassionforSusy\'spossibleignorance,hesaidneither,andrespondedwiththeAmericanboy\'smodestconventionality,\"President。\"Itwassafe,requirednoembarrassingdescription,andhadbeenapprovedbybenevolentoldgentlemenwiththeirhandsonhishead。

\"I\'mgoin\'tobeaparson\'swife,\"saidSusy,\"andkeephens,andhavethingsgiv\'tome。Babyclothes,andapples,andapplesass——

andmelasses!andmorebabyclothes!andporkwhenyoukill。\"

Shehadthrownherselfatthebottomofthewagon,withherbacktowardshimandherdollinherlap。Hecouldseethecurveofhercurlyhead,andbeyond,herbaredimpledknees,whichwereraised,andoverwhichshewastryingtofoldthehemofherbriefskirt。

\"Iwouldn\'tbeaPresident\'swife,\"shesaidpresently。

\"Youcouldn\'t!\"

\"CouldifIwantedto!\"

\"Couldn\'t!\"

\"Couldnow!\"

\"Couldn\'t!\"

\"Why?\"

Findingitdifficulttoexplainhisconvictionsofherineligibility,Clarencethoughtitequallycrushingnottogiveany。Therewasalongsilence。Itwasveryhotanddusty。Thewagonscarcelyseemedtomove。Clarencegazedatthevignetteofthetrackbehindthemformedbythehoodoftherear。Presentlyheroseandwalkedpasthertothetail-board。\"Goin\'togetdown,\"

hesaid,puttinghislegsover。

\"Mawsays\'No,\'\"saidSusy。

Clarencedidnotreply,butdroppedtothegroundbesidetheslowlyturningwheels。Withoutquickeninghispacehecouldeasilykeephishandonthetail-board。

\"Kla\'uns。\"

Helookedup。

\"Takeme。\"

Shehadalreadyclappedonhersun-bonnetandwasstandingattheedgeofthetail-board,herlittlearmsextendedinsuchperfectconfidenceofbeingcaughtthattheboycouldnotresist。Hecaughthercleverly。Theyhaltedamomentandletthelumberingvehiclemoveawayfromthem,asitswayedfromsidetosideasiflaboringinaheavysea。Theyremainedmotionlessuntilithadreachednearlyahundredyards,andthen,withasuddenhalf-real,half-assumed,butaltogetherdelightfultrepidation,ranforwardandcaughtupwithitagain。Thistheyrepeatedtwoorthreetimesuntilboththemselvesandtheexcitementwereexhausted,andtheyagainploddedonhandinhand。PresentlyClarenceutteredacry。

\"My!Susy——lookthere!\"

Therearwagonhadoncemoreslippedawayfromthemaconsiderabledistance。Betweenitandthem,crossingitstrack,amostextraordinarycreaturehadhalted。

Atfirstglanceitseemedadog——adiscomfited,shameless,ownerlessoutcastofstreetsandbyways,ratherthananhoneststrayofsomedrover\'strain。Itwassogaunt,sodusty,sogreasy,soslouching,andsolazy!Butastheylookedatitmoreintentlytheysawthatthegrayishhairofitsbackhadabristlyridge,andthereweregreatpoisonous-lookingdarkblotchesonitsflanks,andthattheslouchofitshauncheswasapeculiarityofitsfigure,andnotthecoweringoffear。Asitlifteditssuspiciousheadtowardsthemtheycouldseethatitsthinlips,tooshorttocoveritswhiteteeth,werecurledinaperpetualsneer。

\"Here,doggie!\"saidClarenceexcitedly。\"Gooddog!Come。\"

Susyburstintoatriumphantlaugh。\"Ettain\'tnodog,silly;it\'sercoyote。\"

Clarenceblushed。Itwasn\'tthefirsttimethepioneer\'sdaughterhadshownhersuperiorknowledge。Hesaidquickly,tohidehisdiscomfiture,\"I\'llketchhim,anyway;he\'snothin\'mor\'nakiyi。\"

\"Yecan\'t,tho,\"saidSusy,shakinghersun-bonnet。\"He\'sfasternorahoss!\"

Nevertheless,Clarencerantowardshim,followedbySusy。Whentheyhadcomewithintwentyfeetofhim,thelazycreature,withoutapparentlytheleasteffort,tooktwoorthreelimpingboundstooneside,andremainedatthesamedistanceasbefore。Theyrepeatedthisonsetthreeorfourtimeswithmoreorlessexcitementandhilarity,theanimalevadingthemtooneside,butneveractuallyretreatingbeforethem。Finally,itoccurredtothemboththatalthoughtheywerenotcatchinghimtheywerenotdrivinghimaway。TheconsequencesofthatthoughtwereputintoshapebySusywithround-eyedsignificance。

\"Kla\'uns,hebites。\"

Clarencepickedupahardsun-bakedclod,and,runningforward,threwitatthecoyote。Itwasaclevershot,andstruckhimonhisslouchinghaunches。Hesnappedandgaveashortsnarlingyelp,andvanished。Clarencereturnedwithavictoriousairtohiscompanion。Butshewasgazingintentlyintheoppositedirection,andforthefirsttimehediscoveredthatthecoyotehadbeenleadingthemhalfroundacircle。

\"Kla\'uns,\"saidSusy,withahystericallittlelaugh。

\"Well?\"

\"Thewagon\'sgone。\"

Clarencestarted。Itwastrue。Notonlytheirwagon,butthewholetrainofoxenandteamstershadutterlydisappeared,vanishingascompletelyasiftheyhadbeencaughtupinawhirlwindorengulfedintheearth!Eventhelowcloudofdustthatusuallymarkedtheirdistantcoursebydaywasnowheretobeseen。Thelonglevelplainstretchedbeforethemtothesettingsun,withoutasignortraceofmovinglifeoranimation。Thatgreatbluecrystalbowl,filledwithdustandfirebyday,withstarsanddarknessbynight,whichhadalwaysseemedtodropitsrimroundthemeverywhereandshutthemin,seemedtothemnowtohavebeenliftedtoletthetrainpassout,andthencloseddownuponthemforever。

CHAPTERII

Theirfirstsensationwasoneofpurelyanimalfreedom。

Theylookedateachotherwithsparklingeyesandlongsilentbreaths。Butthisspontaneousoutburstofsavagenaturesoonpassed。Susy\'slittlehandpresentlyreachedforwardandclutchedClarence\'sjacket。Theboyunderstoodit,andsaidquickly,——

\"Theyain\'tgonefar,andthey\'llstopassoonastheyfindusgone。\"

Theytrottedonalittlefaster;thesuntheyhadfollowedeverydayandthefreshwagontracksbeingtheirunfailingguides;thekeen,coolairoftheplains,takingtheplaceofthatall-

pervadingdustandsmelloftheperspiringoxen,invigoratingthemwithitsbreath。

\"Weain\'tskeeredabit,arewe?\"saidSusy。

\"What\'stheretobeafraidof?\"saidClarencescornfully。Hesaidthisnonethelessstronglybecausehesuddenlyrememberedthattheyhadbeenoftenleftaloneinthewagonforhourswithoutbeinglookedafter,andthattheirabsencemightnotbenoticeduntilthetrainstoppedtoencampatdusk,twohourslater。Theywerenotrunningveryfast,yeteithertheyweremoretiredthantheyknew,ortheairwasthinner,fortheybothseemedtobreathequickly。

SuddenlyClarencestopped。

\"Theretheyarenow。\"

Hewaspointingtoalightcloudofdustinthefar-offhorizon,fromwhichtheblackhulkofawagonemergedforamomentandwaslost。Butevenastheygazedthecloudseemedtosinklikeafairymiragetotheearthagain,thewholetraindisappeared,andonlytheemptystretchingtrackreturned。Theydidnotknowthatthisseeminglyflatandlevelplainwasreallyundulatory,andthatthevanishedtrainhadsimplydippedbelowtheirviewonsomefurtherslopeevenasithadoncebefore。Buttheyknewtheyweredisappointed,andthatdisappointmentrevealedtothemthefactthattheyhadconcealeditfromeachother。Thegirlwasthefirsttosuccumb,andburstintoaquickspasmofangrytears。Thatsingleactofweaknesscalledouttheboy\'sprideandstrength。

Therewasnolongeranequalityofsuffering;hehadbecomeherprotector;hefelthimselfresponsibleforboth。Consideringhernolongerhisequal,hewasnolongerfrankwithher。

\"There\'snothin\'toboo-boofor,\"hesaid,withahalf-affectedbrusqueness。\"Soquit,now!They\'llstopinaminit,andsendsomeonebackforus。Shouldn\'twonderifthey\'redoin\'itnow。\"

ButSusy,withfemininediscriminationdetectingthehollowringinhisvoice,herethrewherselfuponhimandbegantobeathimviolentlywithherlittlefists。\"Theyain\'t!Theyain\'t!Theyain\'t。Youknowit!Howdareyou?\"Then,exhaustedwithherstruggles,shesuddenlythrewherselfflatonthedrygrass,shuthereyestightly,andclutchedatthestubble。

\"Getup,\"saidtheboy,withapale,determinedfacethatseemedtohavegotmucholder。

\"Youleavemebe,\"saidSusy。

\"Doyouwantmetogoawayandleaveyou?\"askedtheboy。

Susyopenedoneblueeyefurtivelyinthesecuredepthsofhersun-

bonnet,andgazedathischangedface。

\"Ye-e-s。\"

Hepretendedtoturnaway,butreallytolookattheheightofthesinkingsun。

\"Kla\'uns!\"

\"Well?\"

\"Takeme。\"

Shewasholdingupherhands。Heliftedhergentlyinhisarms,droppingherheadoverhisshoulder。\"Now,\"hesaidcheerfully,\"youkeepagoodlookoutthatway,andIthis,andwe\'llsoonbethere。\"

Theideaseemedtopleaseher。AfterClarencehadstumbledonforafewmoments,shesaid,\"Doyouseeanything,Kla\'uns?\"

\"Notyet。\"

\"Nomoredon\'tI。\"Thisequalityofperceptionapparentlysatisfiedher。Presentlyshelaymorelimpinhisarms。Shewasasleep。

Thesunwassinkinglower;ithadalreadytouchedtheedgeofthehorizon,andwaslevelwithhisdazzledandstrainingeyes。Attimesitseemedtoimpedehiseagersearchandtaskhisvision。

Hazeandblackspotsfloatedacrossthehorizon,androundwafers,likeduplicatesofthesun,glitteredbackfromthedullsurfaceoftheplains。Thenheresolvedtolooknomoreuntilhehadcountedfifty,ahundred,butalwayswiththesameresult,thereturnoftheempty,unendingplains——thediskgrowingredderasitnearedthehorizon,thefireitseemedtokindleasitsank,butnothingmore。

Staggeringunderhisburden,hetriedtodistracthimselfbyfancyinghowthediscoveryoftheirabsencewouldbemade。Heheardthelistless,half-querulousdiscussionaboutthelocalitythatregularlypervadedthenightlycamp。HeheardthediscontentedvoiceofJakeSilsbeeashehaltedbesidethewagon,andsaid,\"Comeouto\'thatnow,youtwo,andmightyquickaboutit。\"Heheardthecommandharshlyrepeated。HesawthelookofirritationonSilsbee\'sdusty,beardedface,thatfollowedhishurriedglanceintotheemptywagon。Heheardthequery,\"What\'sgoneo\'themlimbsnow?\"handedfromwagontowagon。Heheardafewoaths;Mrs。Silsbee\'shighraspingvoice,abuseofhimself,thehurriedanddiscontenteddetachmentofasearchparty,Silsbeeandoneofthehiredmen,andvociferationandblame。Blamealwaysforhimself,theelder,whomighthave\"knownbetter!\"Alittlefear,perhaps,buthecouldnotfancyeitherpityorcommiseration。

Perhapsthethoughtupheldhispride;undertheprospectofsympathyhemighthavebrokendown。

Atlasthestumbled,andstoppedtokeephimselffromfallingforwardonhisface。Hecouldgonofurther;hisbreathwasspent;

hewasdrippingwithperspiration;hislegsweretremblingunderhim;therewasaroaringinhisears;roundreddisksofthesunwerescatteredeverywherearoundhimlikespotsofblood。Totherightofthetrailthereseemedtobeaslightmoundwherehecouldrestawhile,andyetkeephiswatchfulsurveyofthehorizon。Butonreachingithefoundthatitwasonlyatangleoftallermesquitegrass,intowhichhesankwithhisburden。Nevertheless,ifuselessasapointofvantage,itofferedasoftcouchforSusy,whoseemedtohavefallenquitenaturallyintoherusualafternoonsiesta,andinameasureitshieldedherfromacoldbreezethathadsprungupfromthewest。Utterlyexhaustedhimself,butnotdaringtoyieldtothetorporthatseemedtobecreepingoverhim,Clarencehalfsat,halfkneltdownbesideher,supportinghimselfwithonehand,and,partlyhiddeninthelonggrass,kepthisstrainingeyesfixedonthelonelytrack。

Thereddiskwassinkinglower。Itseemedtohavealreadycrumbledawayapartofthedistancewithitseatingfires。Asitsankstilllower,itshotoutlong,luminousrays,divergingfan-likeacrosstheplain,asif,intheboy\'sexcitedfancy,ittooweresearchingforthelostestrays。Andasonelongbeamseemedtolingeroverhishiding-place,heeventhoughtthatitmightserveasaguidetoSilsbeeandtheotherseekers,andwasconstrainedtostaggertohisfeet,erectinitslight。Butitsoonsank,andwithitClarencedroppedbackagaintohiscrouchingwatch。Yetheknewthatthedaylightwasstillgoodforanhour,andwiththewithdrawalofthatmysticsunsetgloryobjectsbecameevenmoredistinctandsharplydefinedthanatanyothertime。Andwiththemercifulsheathingofthatflamingswordwhichseemedtohaveswayedbetweenhimandthevanishedtrain,hiseyesalreadyfeltablessedrelief。

CHAPTERIII

Withthesettingofthesunanominoussilencefell。HecouldhearthelowbreathingofSusy,andevenfanciedhecouldhearthebeatingofhisownheartinthatoppressivehushofallnature。

Fortheday\'smarchhadalwaysbeenaccompaniedbythemonotonouscreakingofwheelsandaxles,andeventhequietofthenightencampmenthadbeenalwaysmoreorlessbrokenbythemovementofunquietsleepersonthewagonbeds,orthebreathingofthecattle。

Butheretherewasneithersoundnormotion。Susy\'sprattle,andeventhesoundofhisownvoice,wouldhavebrokenthebenumbingspell,butitwasapartofhisgrowingself-denialnowthatherefrainedfromwakingherevenbyawhisper。Shewouldawakensoonenoughtothirstandhunger,perhaps,andthenwhatwashetodo?

Ifthatlooked-forhelpwouldonlycomenow——whileshestillslept。

Foritwaspartofhisboyishfancythatifhecoulddeliverherasleepandundemonstrativeoffearandsuffering,hewouldbelessblameful,andshelessmindfulofhertrouble。Ifitdidnotcome——

buthewouldnotthinkofthatyet!Ifshewasthirstymeantime——

well,itmightrain,andtherewasalwaysthedewwhichtheyusedtobrushoffthemorninggrass;hewouldtakeoffhisshirtandcatchitinthat,likeashipwreckedmariner。Itwouldbefunny,andmakeherlaugh。Forhimselfhewouldnotlaugh;hefelthewasgettingveryoldandgrownupinthisloneliness。

Itwasgettingdarker——theyshouldbelookingintothewagonsnow。

Anewdoubtbegantoassailhim。Oughthenot,nowthathewasrested,makethemostoftheremainingmomentsofdaylight,andbeforetheglowfadedfromthewest,whenhewouldnolongerhaveanybearingstoguidehim?Buttherewasalwaystheriskofwakingher!——towhat?ThefearofbeingconfrontedagainwithHERfearandofbeingunabletopacifyher,atlastdecidedhimtoremain。

Buthecreptsoftlythroughthegrass,andinthedustofthetracktracedthefourpointsofthecompass,ashecouldstilldeterminethembythesunsetlight,withalargeprintedWtoindicatethewest!Thisboyishcontrivanceparticularlypleasedhim。Ifhehadonlyhadapole,astick,orevenatwig,onwhichtotiehishandkerchiefanderectitabovetheclumpofmesquiteasasignaltothesearchersincasetheyshouldbeovercomebyfatigueorsleep,hewouldhavebeenhappy。Buttheplainwasbarrenofbrushortimber;hedidnotdreamthatthisomissionandtheveryunobtrusivenessofhishiding-placewouldbehissalvationfromagreaterdanger。

Withthecomingdarknessthewindaroseandswepttheplainwithalong-drawnsigh。Thisincreasedtoamurmur,tillpresentlythewholeexpanse——beforesunkinawfulsilence——seemedtoawakewithvaguecomplaints,incessantsounds,andlowmoanings。Attimeshethoughtheheardthehalloaingofdistantvoices,attimesitseemedasawhisperinhisownear。Inthesilencethatfollowedeachblasthefanciedhecoulddetectthecreakingofthewagon,thedullthudoftheoxen\'shoofs,orbrokenfragmentsofspeech,blownandscatteredevenashestrainedhisearstolistenbythenextgust。Thistensionoftheearbegantoconfusehisbrain,ashiseyeshadbeenpreviouslydazzledbythesunlight,andastrangetorporbegantostealoverhisfaculties。Onceortwicehisheaddropped。

Heawokewithastart。Amovingfigurehadsuddenlyuplifteditselfbetweenhimandthehorizon!Itwasnottwentyyardsaway,soclearlyoutlinedagainstthestillluminousskythatitseemedevennearer。Ahumanfigure,butsodisheveled,sofantastic,andyetsomeanandpuerileinitsextravagance,thatitseemedtheoutcomeofachildishdream。Itwasamountedfigure,butsoludicrouslydisproportionatetotheponyitbestrode,whoseslimlegswerestifflyburiedinthedustinabreathlesshalt,thatitmighthavebeenastragglerfromsomevulgarwanderingcircus。A

tallhat,crownlessandrimless,acastawayofcivilization,surmountedbyaturkey\'sfeather,wasonitshead;overitsshouldershungadirtytatteredblanketthatscarcelycoveredthetwopaintedlegswhichseemedclothedinsoiledyellowhose。Inonehanditheldagun;theotherwasbentaboveitseyesineagerscrutinyofsomedistantpointbeyondandeastofthespotwherethechildrenlayconcealed。Presently,withadozenquicknoiselessstridesofthepony\'slegs,theapparitionmovedtotheright,itsgazestillfixedonthatmysteriouspartofthehorizon。

Therewasnomistakingitnow!ThepaintedHebraicface,thelargecurvednose,thebonycheek,thebroadmouth,theshadowedeyes,thestraightlongmattedlocks!ItwasanIndian!NotthepicturesquecreatureofClarence\'simagination,butstillanIndian!Theboywasuneasy,suspicious,antagonistic,butnotafraid。Helookedattheheavyanimalfacewiththesuperiorityofintelligence,atthehalf-nakedfigurewiththeconscioussupremacyofdress,atthelowerindividualitywiththecontemptofahigherrace。Yetamomentafter,whenthefigurewheeledanddisappearedtowardstheundulatingwest,astrangechillcreptoverhim。YethedidnotknowthatinthispuerilephantomandpaintedpigmytheawfulmajestyofDeathhadpassedhimby。

\"Mamma!\"

ItwasSusy\'svoice,strugglingintoconsciousness。Perhapsshehadbeeninstinctivelyconsciousoftheboy\'ssuddenfears。

\"Hush!\"

HehadjustturnedtotheobjectivepointoftheIndian\'sgaze。

ThereWASsomething!Adarklinewasmovingalongwiththegatheringdarkness。Foramomenthehardlydaredtovoicehisthoughtseventohimself。Itwasafollowingtrainovertakingthemfromtherear!Andfromtherapidityofitsmovementsatrainwithhorses,hurryingforwardtoeveningcamp。Hehadneverdreamtofhelpfromthatquarter。ThiswaswhattheIndian\'skeeneyeshadbeenwatching,andwhyhehadsoprecipitatelyfled。

Thestrangetrainwasnowcomingupataroundtrot。Itwasevidentlywellappointedwithfiveorsixlargewagonsandseveraloutriders。Inhalfanhouritwouldbehere。YetherefrainedfromwakingSusy,whohadfallenasleepagain;hisoldsuperstitionofsecuringhersafetyfirstbeingstilluppermost。Hetookoffhisjackettocoverhershoulders,andrearrangedhernest。Thenheglancedagainatthecomingtrain。Butforsomeunaccountablereasonithadchangeditsdirection,andinsteadoffollowingthetrackthatshouldhavebroughtittohissideithadturnedofftotheleft!Intenminutesitwouldpassabreastofhimamileandahalfaway!IfhewokeSusynow,heknewshewouldbehelplessinherterror,andhecouldnotcarryherhalfthatdistance。Hemightrushtothetrainhimselfandreturnwithhelp,buthewouldneverleaveheralone——inthedarkness。Never!Ifshewokeshewoulddieoffright,perhaps,orwanderblindlyandaimlesslyaway。

No!Thetrainwouldpassandwithitthathopeofrescue。

Somethingwasinhisthroat,buthegulpeditdownandwasquietagainalbeitheshiveredinthenightwind。

Thetrainwasnearlyabreastofhimnow。Heranoutofthetallgrass,wavinghisstrawhatabovehisheadinthefainthopeofattractingattention。Buthedidnotgofar,forhefoundtohisalarmthatwhenheturnedbackagaintheclumpofmesquitewasscarcelydistinguishablefromtherestoftheplain。Thissettledallquestionofhisgoing。Evenifhereachedthetrainandreturnedwithsomeone,howwouldheeverfindheragaininthisdesolateexpanse?

Hewatchedthetrainslowlypass——stillmechanically,almosthopelessly,wavinghishatasheranupanddownbeforethemesquite,asifhewerewavingalastfarewelltohisdepartinghope。Suddenlyitappearedtohimthatthreeoftheoutriderswhowereprecedingthefirstwagonhadchangedtheirshape。Theywerenolongersharp,oblong,blackblocksagainstthehorizonbuthadbecomeatfirstblurredandindistinct,thentallerandnarrower,untilatlasttheystoodoutlikeexclamationpointsagainstthesky。Hecontinuedtowavehishat,theycontinuedtogrowtallerandnarrower。Heunderstooditnow——thethreetransformedblocksweretheoutriderscomingtowardshim。

Thisiswhathehadseen——

[Drawingofthreeblackblocks]

Thisiswhathesawnow——

!!!

HeranbacktoSusytoseeifshestillslept,forhisfoolishdesiretohavehersavedunconsciouslywasstrongerthanevernowthatsafetyseemedsonear。Shewasstillsleeping,althoughshehadmovedslightly。Herantothefrontagain。

Theoutridershadapparentlyhalted。Whatweretheydoing?Whywouldn\'ttheycomeon?

Suddenlyablindingflashoflightseemedtoburstfromoneofthem。Awayoverhisheadsomethingwhistledlikearushingbird,andspedoffinvisible。Theyhadfiredagun;theyweresignalingtohim——Clarence——likeagrown-upman。Hewouldhavegivenhislifeatthatmomenttohavehadagun。Buthecouldonlywavehishatfrantically。

Oneofthefigureshereboreawayandimpetuouslydartedforwardagain。Hewascomingnearer,powerful,gigantic,formidable,asheloomedthroughthedarkness。Allatoncehethrewuphisarmwithawildgesturetotheothers;andhisvoice,manly,frank,andassuring,cameringingbeforehim。

\"Holdup!GoodGod!It\'snoInjun——it\'sachild!\"

InanothermomenthehadreinedupbesideClarenceandleanedoverhim,bearded,handsome,powerfulandprotecting。

\"Hallo!What\'sallthis?Whatareyoudoinghere?\"

\"LostfromMr。Silsbee\'strain,\"saidClarence,pointingtothedarkenedwest。

\"Lost?——howlong?\"

\"Aboutthreehours。Ithoughtthey\'dcomebackforus,\"saidClarenceapologeticallytothisbig,kindlyman。

\"Andyoukalkilatedtowaitherefor\'em?\"

\"Yes,yes——Idid——tillIsawyou。\"

\"Thenwhyinthunderdidn\'tyoulightoutstraightforus,insteadofhangingroundhereanddrawingusout?\"

Theboyhunghishead。Heknewhisreasonswereunchanged,butallatoncetheyseemedveryfoolishandunmanlytospeakout。

\"OnlythatwewereonthekeenjumpforInjins,\"continuedthestranger,\"wewouldn\'thaveseenyouatall,andmighthevshotyouwhenwedid。Whatpossessedyoutostayhere?\"

Theboywasstillsilent。\"Kla\'uns,\"saidafaint,sleepyvoicefromthemesquite,\"takeme。\"Therifle-shothadawakenedSusy。

Thestrangerturnedquicklytowardsthesound。Clarencestartedandrecalledhimself。\"There,\"hesaidbitterly,\"you\'vedoneitnow,you\'vewakenedher!THAT\'SwhyIstayed。Icouldn\'tcarryherovertheretoyou。Icouldn\'tletherwalk,forshe\'dbefrightened。Iwouldn\'twakeherup,forshe\'dbefrightened,andI

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