章节正文
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news from the freighters. Bland's supposed to be in Mexico."
Nearly all the outlaws in camp were assembled on the riverbank,
lolling in the shade of the cottonwoods. The heat was
oppressive. Not an outlaw offered to help the freighters, who
were trying to dig a heavily freighted wagon out of the
quicksand. Few outlaws would work for themselves, let alone for
the despised Mexicans.
Duane and Euchre joined the lazy group and sat down with them.
Euchre lighted a black pipe, and, drawing his hat over his
eyes, lay back in comfort after the manner of the majority of
the outlaws. But Duane was alert, observing, thoughtful. He
never missed anything. It was his belief that any moment an
idle word might be of benefit to him. Moreover, these rough men
were always interesting.
"Bland's been chased across the river," said one.
"New, he's deliverin' cattle to thet Cuban ship," replied
another.
"Big deal on, hey?"
"Some big. Rugg says the boss hed an order fer fifteen
thousand."
"Say, that order'll take a year to fill."
"New. Hardin is in cahoots with Bland. Between 'em they'll fill
orders bigger 'n thet."
"Wondered what Hardin was rustlin' in here fer."
Duane could not possibly attend to all the conversation among
the outlaws. He endeavored to get the drift of talk nearest to
him.
"Kid Fuller's goin' to cash," said a sandy-whiskered little
outlaw.
"So Jim was tellin' me. Blood-poison, ain't it? Thet hole
wasn't bad. But he took the fever," rejoined a comrade.
"Deger says the Kid might pull through if he hed nursin'."
"Wal, Kate Bland ain't nursin' any shot-up boys these days. She
hasn't got time."
A laugh followed this sally; then came a penetrating silence.
Some of the outlaws glanced good-naturedly at Duane. They bore
him no ill will. Manifestly they were aware of Mrs. Bland's
infatuation.
"Pete, 'pears to me you've said thet before."
"Shore. Wal, it's happened before."
This remark drew louder laughter and more significant glances
at Duane. He did not choose to ignore them any longer.
"Boys, poke all the fun you like at me, but don't mention any
lady's name again. My hand is nervous and itchy these days."
He smiled as he spoke, and his speech was drawled; but the good
humor in no wise weakened it. Then his latter remark was
significant to a class of men who from inclination and
necessity practiced at gun-drawing until they wore callous and
sore places on their thumbs and inculcated in the very deeps of
their nervous organization a habit that made even the simplest
and most innocentmotion of the hand end at or near the hip.
There was something remarkable about a gun-fighter's hand. It
never seemed to be gloved, never to be injured, never out of
sight or in an awkward position.
There were grizzled outlaws in that group, some of whom had
many notches on their gun-handles, and they, with their
comrades, accorded Duane silence that carried conviction of the
regard in which he was held.
Duane could not recall any other instance where he had let fall
a familiar speech to these men, and certainly he had never
before hinted of his possibilities. He saw instantly that he
could not have done better.
"Orful hot, ain't it?" remarked Bill Black, presently. Bill
could not keep quiet for long. He was a typical Texas
desperado, had never been anything else. He was
stoop-shouldered and bow-legged from much riding; a wiry little
man, all muscle, with a square head, a hard face partly black
from scrubby beard and red from sun, and a bright, roving,
cruel eye. His shirt was open at the neck, showing a grizzled
breast.
"Is there any guy in this heah outfit sport enough to go
swimmin'?" he asked.
"My Gawd, Bill, you ain't agoin' to wash!" exclaimed a comrade.
This raised a laugh in which Black joined. But no one seemed
eager to join him in a bath.
"Laziest outfit I ever rustled with," went on Bill,
discontentedly. "Nuthin' to do! Say, if nobody wants to swim
Nearly all the outlaws in camp were assembled on the riverbank,
lolling in the shade of the cottonwoods. The heat was
oppressive. Not an outlaw offered to help the freighters, who
were trying to dig a heavily freighted wagon out of the
quicksand. Few outlaws would work for themselves, let alone for
the despised Mexicans.
Duane and Euchre joined the lazy group and sat down with them.
Euchre lighted a black pipe, and, drawing his hat over his
eyes, lay back in comfort after the manner of the majority of
the outlaws. But Duane was alert, observing, thoughtful. He
never missed anything. It was his belief that any moment an
idle word might be of benefit to him. Moreover, these rough men
were always interesting.
"Bland's been chased across the river," said one.
"New, he's deliverin' cattle to thet Cuban ship," replied
another.
"Big deal on, hey?"
"Some big. Rugg says the boss hed an order fer fifteen
thousand."
"Say, that order'll take a year to fill."
"New. Hardin is in cahoots with Bland. Between 'em they'll fill
orders bigger 'n thet."
"Wondered what Hardin was rustlin' in here fer."
Duane could not possibly attend to all the conversation among
the outlaws. He endeavored to get the drift of talk nearest to
him.
"Kid Fuller's goin' to cash," said a sandy-whiskered little
outlaw.
"So Jim was tellin' me. Blood-poison, ain't it? Thet hole
wasn't bad. But he took the fever," rejoined a comrade.
"Deger says the Kid might pull through if he hed nursin'."
"Wal, Kate Bland ain't nursin' any shot-up boys these days. She
hasn't got time."
A laugh followed this sally; then came a penetrating silence.
Some of the outlaws glanced good-naturedly at Duane. They bore
him no ill will. Manifestly they were aware of Mrs. Bland's
infatuation.
"Pete, 'pears to me you've said thet before."
"Shore. Wal, it's happened before."
This remark drew louder laughter and more significant glances
at Duane. He did not choose to ignore them any longer.
"Boys, poke all the fun you like at me, but don't mention any
lady's name again. My hand is nervous and itchy these days."
He smiled as he spoke, and his speech was drawled; but the good
humor in no wise weakened it. Then his latter remark was
significant to a class of men who from inclination and
necessity practiced at gun-drawing until they wore callous and
sore places on their thumbs and inculcated in the very deeps of
their nervous organization a habit that made even the simplest
and most innocentmotion of the hand end at or near the hip.
There was something remarkable about a gun-fighter's hand. It
never seemed to be gloved, never to be injured, never out of
sight or in an awkward position.
There were grizzled outlaws in that group, some of whom had
many notches on their gun-handles, and they, with their
comrades, accorded Duane silence that carried conviction of the
regard in which he was held.
Duane could not recall any other instance where he had let fall
a familiar speech to these men, and certainly he had never
before hinted of his possibilities. He saw instantly that he
could not have done better.
"Orful hot, ain't it?" remarked Bill Black, presently. Bill
could not keep quiet for long. He was a typical Texas
desperado, had never been anything else. He was
stoop-shouldered and bow-legged from much riding; a wiry little
man, all muscle, with a square head, a hard face partly black
from scrubby beard and red from sun, and a bright, roving,
cruel eye. His shirt was open at the neck, showing a grizzled
breast.
"Is there any guy in this heah outfit sport enough to go
swimmin'?" he asked.
"My Gawd, Bill, you ain't agoin' to wash!" exclaimed a comrade.
This raised a laugh in which Black joined. But no one seemed
eager to join him in a bath.
"Laziest outfit I ever rustled with," went on Bill,
discontentedly. "Nuthin' to do! Say, if nobody wants to swim
- coward [´kauəd]
n.胆怯者 a.胆小的 (初中英语单词) - hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)
- instinct [´instiŋkt] n.本能；直觉；天资 (初中英语单词)
- reality [ri´æliti] n.现实(性)；真实；逼真 (初中英语单词)
- atmosphere [´ætməsfiə] n.大气；空气；气氛 (初中英语单词)
- careless [´keəlis] a.粗心的；草率的 (初中英语单词)
- otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)
- valley [´væli] n.谷；河谷；流域 (初中英语单词)
- beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)
- evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)
- fascinate [´fæsineit] v.迷住；强烈地吸引住 (初中英语单词)
- motive [´məutiv] n.动机；主题 a.运动的 (初中英语单词)
- haunted [´hɔ:tid] a.常出现鬼的，闹鬼的 (初中英语单词)
- communication [kə,mju:ni´keiʃən] n.通信；通讯联系 (初中英语单词)
- constant [´kɔnstənt] a.坚定的；坚贞的 (初中英语单词)
- import [im´pɔ:t, ´impɔ:t] vt.&n.进口；输入 (初中英语单词)
- waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
- responsible [ri´spɔnsəbəl] a.尽责的；责任重大的 (初中英语单词)
- mexican [´meksikən] n.&a.墨西哥人(语)的 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- ashore [ə´ʃɔ:] ad.向岸上 (初中英语单词)
- reckon [´rekən] v.计算；认为；估计 (初中英语单词)
- supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)
- belief [bi´li:f] n.相信；信仰，信条 (初中英语单词)
- moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)
- laughter [´lɑ:ftə] n.笑，笑声 (初中英语单词)
- nervous [´nə:vəs] a.神经的；神经过敏的 (初中英语单词)
- innocent [´inəsənt] a.无罪的；单纯的 (初中英语单词)
- remarkable [ri´mɑ:kəbl] a.值得注意的；显著的 (初中英语单词)
- conviction [kən´vikʃən] n.定罪；确信，信服 (初中英语单词)
- instance [´instəns] n.例子，实例，例证 (初中英语单词)
- instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)
- presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)
- muscle [´mʌsəl] n.肌肉；体力；力量 (初中英语单词)
- partly [´pɑ:tli] ad.部分地；不完全地 (初中英语单词)
- gamble [´gæmbəl] v.&n.赌博；投机；冒险 (高中英语单词)
- decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)
- theirs [ðeəz] pron.他们的 (高中英语单词)
- tragic [´trædʒik] a.悲剧的；悲惨的 (高中英语单词)
- comfortably [´kʌmfətəbli] ad.舒适地 (高中英语单词)
- encouragement [in´kʌridʒmənt] n.鼓励；赞助；引诱 (高中英语单词)
- wither [´wiðə] v.(使)枯萎(衰弱) (高中英语单词)
- intense [in´tens] a.强烈的；紧张的 (高中英语单词)
- successive [sək´sesiv] a.相继的；接连的 (高中英语单词)
- thoughtful [´θɔ:tfəl] a.深思的；体贴的 (高中英语单词)
- significant [sig´nifikənt] a.重要的；意义重大的 (高中英语单词)
- ignore [ig´nɔ:] vt.忽视，不理，不顾 (高中英语单词)
- inclination [,inkli´neiʃən] n.倾斜；爱好；天资 (高中英语单词)
- motion [´məuʃən] n.手势 vt.打手势 (高中英语单词)
- awkward [´ɔ:kwəd] a.笨拙的；为难的 (高中英语单词)
- typical [´tipikəl] a.典型的；象征的 (高中英语单词)
- outfit [´aut,fit] n.装备 vt.供给；装备 (高中英语单词)
- right-hand [´rait´hænd] a.右手的，右边的 (英语四级单词)
- warning [´wɔ:niŋ] n.警告；前兆 a.预告的 (英语四级单词)
- passionately [´pæʃənitli] ad.多情地；热烈地 (英语四级单词)
- wistful [´wistfəl] a.渴望的；不满足的 (英语四级单词)
- sickening [´sikəniŋ, ´sikniŋ] a.引起疾病的 (英语四级单词)
- outlaw [´autlɔ:] n.歹徒 vt.将…放逐 (英语四级单词)
- trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
- drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)
- gruffly [´grʌmfli] ad.粗暴地 (英语六级单词)
- willingness [´wiliŋnis] n.情愿，乐意，自愿 (英语六级单词)
- inexplicable [,inik´splikəbəl] a.难以理解的 (英语六级单词)
- manifestly [´mænifestli] ad.明显的 (英语六级单词)
- practiced [´præktist] a.经验丰富的；熟练的 (英语六级单词)
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文章标签:名著
章节正文
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