章节正文
hope, even gladness, and a fugitive mounting assurance of
victory.
Twice Duane endeavored to speak, failed of all save a hoarse,
incoherent sound, until, forcing back a flood of speech, he
found a voice.
"Any service? Every service! MacNelly, I give my word," said
Duane.
A light played over MacNelly's face, warming out all the grim
darkness. He held out his hand. Duane met it with his in a
clasp that men unconsciously give in moments of stress.
When they unclasped and Duane stepped back to drop into a chair
MacNelly fumbled for another cigar--he had bitten the other
into shreds--and, lighting it as before, he turned to his
visitor, now calm and cool. He had the look of a man who had
justly won something at considerable cost. His next move was to
take a long leather case from his pocket and extract from it
several folded papers.
"Here's your pardon from the Governor," he said, quietly.
"You'll see, when you look it over, that it's conditional. When
you sign this paper I have here the condition will be met."
He smoothed out the paper, handed Duane a pen, ran his
forefinger along a dotted line.
Duane's hand was shaky. Years had passed since he had held a
pen. It was with difficulty that he achieved his signature.
Buckley Duane--how strange the name looked!
"Right here ends the career of Buck Duane, outlaw and
gunfighter," said MacNelly; and, seating himself, he took the
pen from Duane's fingers and wrote several lines in several
places upon the paper. Then with a smile he handed it to Duane.
"That makes you a member of Company A, Texas Rangers."
"So that's it!" burst out Duane, a light breaking in upon his
bewilderment. "You want me for ranger service?"
"Sure. That's it," replied the Captain, dryly. "Now to hear
what that service is to be. I've been a busy man since I took
this job, and, as you may have heard, I've done a few things. I
don't mind telling you that political influence put me in here
and that up Austin way there's a good deal of friction in the
Department of State in regard to whether or not the ranger
service is any good--whether it should be discontinued or not.
I'm on the party side who's defending the ranger service. I
contend that it's made Texas habitable. Well, it's been up to
me to produce results. So far I have been successful. My great
ambition is to break up the outlaw gangs along the river. I
have never ventured in there yet because I've been waiting to
get the lieutenant I needed. You, of course, are the man I had
in mind. It's my idea to start way up the Rio Grande and begin
with Cheseldine. He's the strongest, the worst outlaw of the
times. He's more than rustler. It's Cheseldine and his gang who
are operating on the banks. They're doing bank-robbing. That's
my private opinion, but it's not been backed up by any
evidence. Cheseldine doesn't leave evidences. He's intelligent,
cunning. No one seems to have seen him--to know what he looks
like. I assume, of course, that you are a stranger to the
country he dominates. It's five hundred miles west of your
ground. There's a little town over there called Fairdale. It's
the nest of a rustler gang. They rustle and murder at will.
Nobody knows who the leader is. I want you to find out. Well,
whatever way you decide is best you will proceed to act upon.
You are your own boss. You know such men and how they can be
approached. You will take all the time needed, if it's months.
It will be necessary for you to communicate with me, and that
will be a difficult matter. For Cheseldine dominates several
whole counties. You must find some way to let me know when I
and my rangers are needed. The plan is to break up Cheseldine's
gang. It's the toughest job on the border. Arresting him alone
isn't to be heard of. He couldn't be brought out. Killing him
isn't much better, for his select men, the ones he operates
with, are as dangerous to the community as he is. We want to
kill or jail this choice selection of robbers and break up the
rest of the gang. To find them, to get among them somehow, to
learn their movements, to lay your trap for us rangers to
spring--that, Duane, is your service to me, and God knows it's
a great one!"
"I have accepted it," replied Duane.
"Your work will be secret. You are now a ranger in my service.
But no one except the few I choose to tell will know of it
until we pull off the job. You will simply be Buck Duane till
it suits our purpose to acquaint Texas with the fact that
you're a ranger. You'll see there's no date on that paper. No
one will ever know just when you entered the service. Perhaps
we can make it appear that all or most of your outlawry has
really been good service to the state. At that, I'll believe
it'll turn out so."
MacNelly paused a moment in his rapid talk, chewed his cigar,
drew his brows together in a dark frown, and went on. "No man
on the border knows so well as you the deadly nature of this
service. It's a thousand to one that you'll be killed. I'd say
there was no chance at all for any other man beside you. Your
reputation will go far among the outlaws. Maybe that and your
nerve and your gun-play will pull you through. I'm hoping so.
But it's a long, long chance against your ever coming back."
"That's not the point," said Duane. "But in case I get killed
out there--what--"
"Leave that to me," interrupted Captain MacNelly. "Your folks
will know at once of your pardon and your ranger duty. If you
lose your life out there I'll see your name cleared--the
service you render known. You can rest assured of that."
"I am satisfied," replied Duane. "That's so much more than I've
dared to hope."
"Well, it's settled, then. I'll give you money for expenses.
You'll start as soon as you like--the sooner the better. I hope
to think of other suggestions, especially about communicating
with me."
Long after the lights were out and the low hum of voices had
ceased round the camp-fire Duane lay wide awake, eyes staring
into the blackness, marveling over the strange events of the
day. He was humble, grateful to the depths of his soul. A huge
and crushing burden had been lifted from his heart. He welcomed
this hazardous service to the man who had saved him. Thought of
his mother and sister and Uncle Jim, of his home, of old
friends came rushing over him the first time in years that he
had happiness in the memory. The disgrace he had put upon them
would now be removed; and in the light of that, his wasted life
of the past, and its probabletragic end in future service as
atonement changed their aspects. And as he lay there, with the
approach of sleep finally dimming the vividness of his thought,
so full of mystery, shadowy faces floated in the blackness
around him, haunting him as he had always been haunted.
It was broad daylight when he awakened. MacNelly was calling
him to breakfast. Outside sounded voices of men, crackling of
fires, snorting and stamping of horses, the barking of dogs.
Duane rolled out of his blankets and made good use of the soap
and towel and razor and brush near by on a bench--things of
rare luxury to an outlaw on the ride. The face he saw in the
mirror was as strange as the past he had tried so hard to
recall. Then he stepped to the door and went out.
The rangers were eating in a circle round a tarpaulin spread
upon the ground.
"Fellows," said MacNelly, "shake hands with Buck Duane. He's on
secret ranger service for me. Service that'll likely make you
all hump soon! Mind you, keep mum about it."
The rangers surprised Duane with a roaring greeting, the warmth
of which he soon divined was divided between pride of his
acquisition to their ranks and eagerness to meet that violent
service of which their captain hinted. They were jolly, wild
fellows, with just enough gravity in their welcome to show
Duane their respect and appreciation, while not forgetting his
lone-wolf record. When he had seated himself in that circle,
now one of them, a feeling subtle and uplifting pervaded him.
After the meal Captain MacNelly drew Duane aside.
"Here's the money. Make it go as far as you can. Better strike
straight for El Paso, snook around there and hear things. Then
go to Valentine. That's near the river and within fifty miles
or so of the edge of the Rim Rock. Somewhere up there
Cheseldine holds fort. Somewhere to the north is the town
Fairdale. But he doesn't hide all the time in the rocks. Only
after some daring raid or hold-up. Cheseldine's got border
towns on his staff, or scared of him, and these places we want
to know about, especially Fairdale. Write me care of the
adjutant at Austin. I don't have to warn you to be careful
where you mail letters. Ride a hundred, two hundred miles, if
necessary, or go clear to El Paso."
MacNelly stopped with an air of finality, and then Duane slowly
rose.
"I'll start at once," he said, extending his hand to the
Captain. "I wish--I'd like to thank you."
"Hell, man! Don't thank me!" replied MacNelly, crushing the
proffered hand. "I've sent a lot of good men to their deaths,
and maybe you're another. But, as I've said, you've one chance
in a thousand. And, by Heaven! I'd hate to be Cheseldine or any
other man you were trailing. No, not good-by--Adios, Duane! May
we meet again!"
BOOK II THE RANGER
CHAPTER XV
West of the Pecos River Texas extended a vast wild region,
barren in the north where the Llano Estacado spread its
shifting sands, fertile in the south along the Rio Grande. A
railroad marked an undeviating course across five hundred miles
of this country, and the only villages and towns lay on or near
this line of steel. Unsettled as was this western Texas, and
despite the acknowledged dominance of the outlaw bands, the
pioneers pushed steadily into it. First had come the lone
rancher; then his neighbors in near and far valleys; then the
hamlets; at last the railroad and the towns. And still the
pioneers came, spreading deeper into the valleys, farther and
wider over the plains. It was mesquite-dotted, cactus-covered
desert, but rich soil upon which water acted like magic. There
was little grass to an acre, but there were millions of acres.
The climate was wonderful. Cattle flourished and ranchers
prospered.
The Rio Grande flowed almost due south along the western
boundary for a thousand miles, and then, weary of its course,
turned abruptly north, to make what was called the Big Bend.
The railroad, running west, cut across this bend, and all that
country bounded on the north by the railroad and on the south
by the river was as wild as the Staked Plains. It contained not
one settlement. Across the face of this Big Bend, as if to
isolate it, stretched the Ord mountain range, of which Mount
Ord, Cathedral Mount, and Elephant Mount raised bleak peaks
above their fellows. In the valleys of the foothills and out
across the plains were ranches, and farther north villages, and
the towns of Alpine and Marfa.
Like other parts of the great Lone Star State, this section of
Texas was a world in itself--a world where the riches of the
rancher were ever enriching the outlaw. The village closest to
the gateway of this outlaw-infested region was a little place
called Ord, named after the dark peak that loomed some miles to
the south. It had been settled originally by Mexicans--there
were still the ruins of adobe missions--but with the advent of
the rustler and outlaw many inhabitants were shot or driven
away, so that at the height of Ord's prosperity and evil sway
victory.
Twice Duane endeavored to speak, failed of all save a hoarse,
incoherent sound, until, forcing back a flood of speech, he
found a voice.
"Any service? Every service! MacNelly, I give my word," said
Duane.
A light played over MacNelly's face, warming out all the grim
darkness. He held out his hand. Duane met it with his in a
clasp that men unconsciously give in moments of stress.
When they unclasped and Duane stepped back to drop into a chair
MacNelly fumbled for another cigar--he had bitten the other
into shreds--and, lighting it as before, he turned to his
visitor, now calm and cool. He had the look of a man who had
justly won something at considerable cost. His next move was to
take a long leather case from his pocket and extract from it
several folded papers.
"Here's your pardon from the Governor," he said, quietly.
"You'll see, when you look it over, that it's conditional. When
you sign this paper I have here the condition will be met."
He smoothed out the paper, handed Duane a pen, ran his
forefinger along a dotted line.
Duane's hand was shaky. Years had passed since he had held a
pen. It was with difficulty that he achieved his signature.
Buckley Duane--how strange the name looked!
"Right here ends the career of Buck Duane, outlaw and
gunfighter," said MacNelly; and, seating himself, he took the
pen from Duane's fingers and wrote several lines in several
places upon the paper. Then with a smile he handed it to Duane.
"That makes you a member of Company A, Texas Rangers."
"So that's it!" burst out Duane, a light breaking in upon his
bewilderment. "You want me for ranger service?"
"Sure. That's it," replied the Captain, dryly. "Now to hear
what that service is to be. I've been a busy man since I took
this job, and, as you may have heard, I've done a few things. I
don't mind telling you that political influence put me in here
and that up Austin way there's a good deal of friction in the
Department of State in regard to whether or not the ranger
service is any good--whether it should be discontinued or not.
I'm on the party side who's defending the ranger service. I
contend that it's made Texas habitable. Well, it's been up to
me to produce results. So far I have been successful. My great
ambition is to break up the outlaw gangs along the river. I
have never ventured in there yet because I've been waiting to
get the lieutenant I needed. You, of course, are the man I had
in mind. It's my idea to start way up the Rio Grande and begin
with Cheseldine. He's the strongest, the worst outlaw of the
times. He's more than rustler. It's Cheseldine and his gang who
are operating on the banks. They're doing bank-robbing. That's
my private opinion, but it's not been backed up by any
evidence. Cheseldine doesn't leave evidences. He's intelligent,
cunning. No one seems to have seen him--to know what he looks
like. I assume, of course, that you are a stranger to the
country he dominates. It's five hundred miles west of your
ground. There's a little town over there called Fairdale. It's
the nest of a rustler gang. They rustle and murder at will.
Nobody knows who the leader is. I want you to find out. Well,
whatever way you decide is best you will proceed to act upon.
You are your own boss. You know such men and how they can be
approached. You will take all the time needed, if it's months.
It will be necessary for you to communicate with me, and that
will be a difficult matter. For Cheseldine dominates several
whole counties. You must find some way to let me know when I
and my rangers are needed. The plan is to break up Cheseldine's
gang. It's the toughest job on the border. Arresting him alone
isn't to be heard of. He couldn't be brought out. Killing him
isn't much better, for his select men, the ones he operates
with, are as dangerous to the community as he is. We want to
kill or jail this choice selection of robbers and break up the
rest of the gang. To find them, to get among them somehow, to
learn their movements, to lay your trap for us rangers to
spring--that, Duane, is your service to me, and God knows it's
a great one!"
"I have accepted it," replied Duane.
"Your work will be secret. You are now a ranger in my service.
But no one except the few I choose to tell will know of it
until we pull off the job. You will simply be Buck Duane till
it suits our purpose to acquaint Texas with the fact that
you're a ranger. You'll see there's no date on that paper. No
one will ever know just when you entered the service. Perhaps
we can make it appear that all or most of your outlawry has
really been good service to the state. At that, I'll believe
it'll turn out so."
MacNelly paused a moment in his rapid talk, chewed his cigar,
drew his brows together in a dark frown, and went on. "No man
on the border knows so well as you the deadly nature of this
service. It's a thousand to one that you'll be killed. I'd say
there was no chance at all for any other man beside you. Your
reputation will go far among the outlaws. Maybe that and your
nerve and your gun-play will pull you through. I'm hoping so.
But it's a long, long chance against your ever coming back."
"That's not the point," said Duane. "But in case I get killed
out there--what--"
"Leave that to me," interrupted Captain MacNelly. "Your folks
will know at once of your pardon and your ranger duty. If you
lose your life out there I'll see your name cleared--the
service you render known. You can rest assured of that."
"I am satisfied," replied Duane. "That's so much more than I've
dared to hope."
"Well, it's settled, then. I'll give you money for expenses.
You'll start as soon as you like--the sooner the better. I hope
to think of other suggestions, especially about communicating
with me."
Long after the lights were out and the low hum of voices had
ceased round the camp-fire Duane lay wide awake, eyes staring
into the blackness, marveling over the strange events of the
day. He was humble, grateful to the depths of his soul. A huge
and crushing burden had been lifted from his heart. He welcomed
this hazardous service to the man who had saved him. Thought of
his mother and sister and Uncle Jim, of his home, of old
friends came rushing over him the first time in years that he
had happiness in the memory. The disgrace he had put upon them
would now be removed; and in the light of that, his wasted life
of the past, and its probabletragic end in future service as
atonement changed their aspects. And as he lay there, with the
approach of sleep finally dimming the vividness of his thought,
so full of mystery, shadowy faces floated in the blackness
around him, haunting him as he had always been haunted.
It was broad daylight when he awakened. MacNelly was calling
him to breakfast. Outside sounded voices of men, crackling of
fires, snorting and stamping of horses, the barking of dogs.
Duane rolled out of his blankets and made good use of the soap
and towel and razor and brush near by on a bench--things of
rare luxury to an outlaw on the ride. The face he saw in the
mirror was as strange as the past he had tried so hard to
recall. Then he stepped to the door and went out.
The rangers were eating in a circle round a tarpaulin spread
upon the ground.
"Fellows," said MacNelly, "shake hands with Buck Duane. He's on
secret ranger service for me. Service that'll likely make you
all hump soon! Mind you, keep mum about it."
The rangers surprised Duane with a roaring greeting, the warmth
of which he soon divined was divided between pride of his
acquisition to their ranks and eagerness to meet that violent
service of which their captain hinted. They were jolly, wild
fellows, with just enough gravity in their welcome to show
Duane their respect and appreciation, while not forgetting his
lone-wolf record. When he had seated himself in that circle,
now one of them, a feeling subtle and uplifting pervaded him.
After the meal Captain MacNelly drew Duane aside.
"Here's the money. Make it go as far as you can. Better strike
straight for El Paso, snook around there and hear things. Then
go to Valentine. That's near the river and within fifty miles
or so of the edge of the Rim Rock. Somewhere up there
Cheseldine holds fort. Somewhere to the north is the town
Fairdale. But he doesn't hide all the time in the rocks. Only
after some daring raid or hold-up. Cheseldine's got border
towns on his staff, or scared of him, and these places we want
to know about, especially Fairdale. Write me care of the
adjutant at Austin. I don't have to warn you to be careful
where you mail letters. Ride a hundred, two hundred miles, if
necessary, or go clear to El Paso."
MacNelly stopped with an air of finality, and then Duane slowly
rose.
"I'll start at once," he said, extending his hand to the
Captain. "I wish--I'd like to thank you."
"Hell, man! Don't thank me!" replied MacNelly, crushing the
proffered hand. "I've sent a lot of good men to their deaths,
and maybe you're another. But, as I've said, you've one chance
in a thousand. And, by Heaven! I'd hate to be Cheseldine or any
other man you were trailing. No, not good-by--Adios, Duane! May
we meet again!"
BOOK II THE RANGER
CHAPTER XV
West of the Pecos River Texas extended a vast wild region,
barren in the north where the Llano Estacado spread its
shifting sands, fertile in the south along the Rio Grande. A
railroad marked an undeviating course across five hundred miles
of this country, and the only villages and towns lay on or near
this line of steel. Unsettled as was this western Texas, and
despite the acknowledged dominance of the outlaw bands, the
pioneers pushed steadily into it. First had come the lone
rancher; then his neighbors in near and far valleys; then the
hamlets; at last the railroad and the towns. And still the
pioneers came, spreading deeper into the valleys, farther and
wider over the plains. It was mesquite-dotted, cactus-covered
desert, but rich soil upon which water acted like magic. There
was little grass to an acre, but there were millions of acres.
The climate was wonderful. Cattle flourished and ranchers
prospered.
The Rio Grande flowed almost due south along the western
boundary for a thousand miles, and then, weary of its course,
turned abruptly north, to make what was called the Big Bend.
The railroad, running west, cut across this bend, and all that
country bounded on the north by the railroad and on the south
by the river was as wild as the Staked Plains. It contained not
one settlement. Across the face of this Big Bend, as if to
isolate it, stretched the Ord mountain range, of which Mount
Ord, Cathedral Mount, and Elephant Mount raised bleak peaks
above their fellows. In the valleys of the foothills and out
across the plains were ranches, and farther north villages, and
the towns of Alpine and Marfa.
Like other parts of the great Lone Star State, this section of
Texas was a world in itself--a world where the riches of the
rancher were ever enriching the outlaw. The village closest to
the gateway of this outlaw-infested region was a little place
called Ord, named after the dark peak that loomed some miles to
the south. It had been settled originally by Mexicans--there
were still the ruins of adobe missions--but with the advent of
the rustler and outlaw many inhabitants were shot or driven
away, so that at the height of Ord's prosperity and evil sway
- considerable [kən´sidərəbəl]
a.重要的；值得重视 (初中英语单词) - pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)
- conditional [kən´diʃənəl] a.附条件的 (初中英语单词)
- career [kə´riə] n.经历；生涯；职业 (初中英语单词)
- waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
- lieutenant [lef´tenənt] n.陆军中尉；代理；副手 (初中英语单词)
- rustle [´rʌsl] v.&n.(使)沙沙作响 (初中英语单词)
- acquaint [ə´kweint] vt.使....认识；告知 (初中英语单词)
- deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)
- humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)
- grateful [´greitful] a.感谢的；令人愉快的 (初中英语单词)
- disgrace [dis´greis] n.耻辱 vt.玷辱；贬黜 (初中英语单词)
- probable [´prɔbəbəl] a.大概的n.很可能的事 (初中英语单词)
- mystery [´mistəri] n.神秘；秘密；故弄玄虚 (初中英语单词)
- daylight [´deilait] n.日光；黎明 (初中英语单词)
- luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)
- circle [´sə:kəl] n.圆圈 v.环绕；盘旋 (初中英语单词)
- welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)
- western [´westən] a.西的；西方的 (初中英语单词)
- steadily [´stedili] ad.坚定地；不断地 (初中英语单词)
- climate [´klaimit] n.气候；特殊气候地带 (初中英语单词)
- abruptly [ə´brʌptli] ad.突然地；粗鲁地 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- cathedral [kə´θi:drəl] n.大教堂 (初中英语单词)
- elephant [´elifənt] n.象 (初中英语单词)
- riches [´ritʃiz] n.房地产；丰富 (初中英语单词)
- height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)
- prosperity [prɔ´speriti] n.繁荣；成功；幸运 (初中英语单词)
- fugitive [´fju:dʒitiv] n.逃亡者，亡命者 (高中英语单词)
- assurance [ə´ʃuərəns] n.保证；自信；信任 (高中英语单词)
- extract [ik´strækt, ´ekstrækt] vt.取出；摘录 n.精华 (高中英语单词)
- communicate [kə´mju:nikeit] vi.通讯；传达；传播 (高中英语单词)
- community [kə´mju:niti] n.团体；社区；公众 (高中英语单词)
- selection [si´lekʃən] n.选择；选拔；精选物 (高中英语单词)
- tragic [´trædʒik] a.悲剧的；悲惨的 (高中英语单词)
- shadowy [´ʃædəui] a.有阴影的；模糊的 (高中英语单词)
- eagerness [´i:gənis] n.渴望；热忱 (高中英语单词)
- gravity [´græviti] n.严肃；严重；重力 (高中英语单词)
- appreciation [ə,pri:ʃi´eiʃən] n.评价；感激 (高中英语单词)
- fertile [´fə:tail] a.肥沃的；有繁殖力的 (高中英语单词)
- gateway [´geit-wei] n.入口；通道；途径 (高中英语单词)
- originally [ə´ridʒənəli] ad.本来；独创地 (高中英语单词)
- gladness [´glædnis] n.愉快，高兴，喜悦 (英语四级单词)
- warming [´wɔ:miŋ] n.暖和；加温 (英语四级单词)
- unconsciously [ʌn´kɔʃəsli] ad.无意识地；不觉察地 (英语四级单词)
- bitten [´bitn] bite的过去分词 (英语四级单词)
- lighting [´laitiŋ] n.照明，发光 (英语四级单词)
- outlaw [´autlɔ:] n.歹徒 vt.将...放逐 (英语四级单词)
- friction [´frikʃən] n.摩擦(力)；冲突 (英语四级单词)
- blackness [´blæknis] n.黑色；阴险 (英语四级单词)
- valentine [´væləntain] n.情人 (英语四级单词)
- daring [´deəriŋ] a.&n.勇敢(的) (英语四级单词)
- alpine [´ælpain] a.高山的 (英语四级单词)
- advent [´ædvent] n.来临；降临 (英语四级单词)
- assured [ə´ʃuəd] a.确实的 n.被保险人 (英语六级单词)
- hazardous [´hæzədəs] a.危险的 (英语六级单词)
- extended [iks´tendid] a.伸长的；广大的 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
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