第10章

类别:其他 作者:Ralph Connor字数:23851更新时间:18/12/21 14:18:22
TheextraordinarysuddennessoftheseatmosphericchangesonlyincreasedthesenseofphantasmicunrealitywithwhichCameronhadbeenstrugglingduringthepastthirty-sixhours。Astheafternoonworeontheairbecamesensiblywarmer。Themoistureroseinsteamingcloudsfromthemountainsides,thesnowraneverywhereingurglingrivulets,therivuletsbecamestreams,thestreamsrivers,andthemountaintorrentswhichtheyhadeasilyfordedearlierinthedaythreatenedtosweepthemaway。 Thetrader’sspiritsappearedtorisewiththetemperature。Hewasinhighglee。Itwasasifhehadescapedsomeimminentperil。”Wewillmakeitallright!”heshoutedtoLittleThunderastheypausedforafewmomentsinagrassyglade。”CanwemaketheForksbeforedark?” LittleThunder’sgruntmightmeananything,buttothetraderitexpresseddoubt。”Onthen!”heshouted。”Wemustmakethesebrutesgetamoveon。 They’llfeedwhenwecamp。” Sosayinghehurledhishorseuponthestragglingbunchofponiesthatwereeagerlysnatchingmouthfulsofgrassfromwhichthechinookhadalreadymeltedthesnow。Mercilesslyandsavagelythetrader,withwhipandvoiceandchargingstallion,hustledthewretchedanimalsintothetrailoncemore。Andthroughthelongafternoon,withunceasingandbrutalferocity,hebelaboredthefaltering,stumbling,half-starvedcreatures,tillfromsheerexhaustiontheywereliketofalluponthetrail。Itwasawearybusinessanddisgusting,butthedemonspiritofNighthawkseemedtohavepassedintohismaster,andwithaninsistencethatknewnomercytogethertheybatteredthatwretchedbunchupanddownthelongslopestillatlengththemercifulnightfelluponthestraggling,stumblingcavalcadeandmadearapidpaceimpossible。 AttheheadofalongslopeLittleThundercametoanabrupthalt,rodetotherearandgruntedsomethingtohischief。”What?”criedRaveninastartledvoice。”Stonies!Where?” LittleThunderpointed。”Didtheyseeyou?”ThisinsultLittleThunderdisdainedtonotice。”Good!”repliedRaven。”Stayhere,Cameron,wewilltakealookatthem。” Inaveryfewminuteshereturned,aneagertoneinhisvoice,aneagergleaminhiseyes。”Stonies!”heexclaimed。”Andabigcamp。Ontheirwaybackfromtheirwinter’strapping。OldMacdougallhimselfincharge,I think。Doyouknowhim?””Ihaveheardofhim,”saidCameron,andhistoneindicatedhisreverencefortheagedpioneerMethodistmissionarywhohadaccomplishedsuchmarvelsduringhislongyearsofservicewithhisIndianflockandhadgainedsuchawonderfulcontroloverthem。”Yes,heisallright,”repliedRaven,answeringhistone。”Heisashrewdoldboy,though。Looksmightycloseafterthetradingend。Well,wewillperhapsdoalittletradeourselves。Butwewon’tdisturbtheoldman,”hecontinued,asiftohimself。”Comeandtakealookatthem。” LittleThunderhadhaltedataspotwherethetrailforked。Onepartledtotherightdownthelongslopeofthemountain,theothertotheleft,graduallyclimbingtowardthetop。TheStonieshadcomebytherighthandtrailandwerenowcampedoffthetrailonalittleshelteredbenchfurtherdownthesideofthemountainandsurroundedbyascatteringgroupoftallpines。Throughthemistynighttheircampfiresburnedcheerily,lightinguptheirlodges。Aroundthefirescouldbeseengroupsofmensquattedonthegroundandhereandthereamongthelodgesthesquawswerebusy,evidentlypreparingtheeveningmeal。Atonesideofthecampcouldbedistinguishedanumberoftetheredponiesandnearthemothersquietlygrazing。 Butthoughthecamplayonlyafewhundredyardsawayandonalowerlevel,notasoundcameupfromittoCameron’searsexcepttheoccasionalbarkofadog。TheIndiansareasilentpeopleandmovenoiselesslythroughNature’ssolitudesasifinreverenceforhersacredmysteries。”Wewon’tdisturbthem,”saidRaveninalowtone。”Wewillslippastquietly。””TheycomefromMorleyville,don’tthey?”enquiredCameron。”Yes。””Whynotvisitthecamp?”exclaimedCameroneagerly。”IamsureMr。Macdougallwouldbegladtoseeus。AndwhycouldnotIgobackwithhim?MycampisrightonthetrailtoMorleyville。” Ravenstoodsilent,evidentlyperplexed。”Well,”herepliedhesitatingly,”weshallseelater。Meantimelet’sgetintocampourselves。Andnonoise,please。”Hisvoicewaslowandstern。 Silently,andasswiftlyaswasconsistentwithsilence,LittleThunderledhisbandofpackhorsesalongtheuppertrail,thetraderandCameronbringinguptherearwiththeotherponies。Forabouthalfamiletheyproceededinthisdirection,then,turningsharplytotheright,theycutacrossthroughthestragglingwoods,andsocameuponthelowertrail,beyondtheencampmentoftheStoniesandwelloutofsightofit。”Wecamphere,”saidRavenbriefly。”Butremember,nonoise。””Whataboutvisitingtheircamp?”enquiredCameron。”Thereisnoimmediatehurry。” HespokeafewwordstoLittleThunderinIndian。”LittleThunderthinkstheymaybeBlackfeet。Wecan’tbetoocareful。Nowlet’sgetgrub。” Cameronmadenoreply。Thetrader’shesitatingmannerawakenedallhisformersuspicions。HewasfirmlyconvincedtheIndianswereStoniesandheresolvedthatcomewhatmighthewouldmakehisescapetotheircamp。 Withoutunloadingtheirpackstheybuilttheirfireuponalargeflatrockandthere,crouchingaboutit,forthemistswerechilly,theyhadtheirsupper。 InundertonesRavenandLittleThunderconversedintheIndianspeech。Thegaycarelessairofthetraderhadgivenplacetooneofkeen,purposefuldetermination。Therewasevidentlyseriousbusinessonfoot。ImmediatelyaftersupperLittleThundervanishedintothemist。”Wemayaswellmakeourselvescomfortable,”saidRaven,pullingacoupleofbuffaloskinsfromapackandgivingonetoCameron。”LittleThunderisgonetoreconnoiter。”Hethrewsomesticksuponthefire。”Bettergotosleep,”hesuggested。”WeshallprobablyvisitthecampinthemorningiftheyshouldprovetobeStonies。” Cameronmadenoreply,but,lyingdownuponhisbuffaloskin,pretendedtosleep,thoughwiththefirmresolvetokeepawake。 Buthehadpassedthroughanexhaustingdayandbeforemanyminuteshadpassedhefellintoadoze。 Fromthisheawokewithastart,hisearsfilledwiththesoundofsinging。BeyondthefirelayRavenuponhisface,apparentlysoundasleep。ThesingingcamefromthedirectionoftheIndiancamp。 Noiselesslyheroseandstoleupthetrailtoapointfromwhichthecampwasplainlyvisible。Awonderfulscenelaybeforehiseyes。AgreatfireburnedinthecentreofthecampandroundthefirethewholebandofIndianswasgatheredwiththeirsquawsinthebackground。Inthecentreofthecirclestoodatallmanwithavenerablebeard,apparentlyreading。Afterhehadreadthesoundofsingingoncemoreroseuponthenightair。”Stonies,allright,”saidCameronexultantlytohimself。”Andateveningprayers,too,byJove。” HerememberedhearingMcIvortellhowtheStoniesneverwentonahuntingexpeditionwithouttheirhymnbooksandneverclosedadaywithouttheireveningworship。Thevoiceswerehigh-pitchedandthin,butfromthatdistancetheyfloatedupsoftandsweet。HecouldclearlydistinguishthemusicoftheoldMethodisthymn,thewordsofwhichwerequitefamiliartohim:”ThereisafountainfilledwithbloodDrawnfromImmanuel’sveins; Andsinnersplungedbeneaththatflood。 Losealltheirguiltystains。” Overandoveragain,withstrangewildcadencesoftheirowninvention,theworshipperswailedforththerefrain,”Losealltheirguiltystains。” Then,allkneeling,theywenttoprayer。Overall,themistymoonstrugglingthroughthebrokencloudscastapaleandghostlylight。 Itwas,toCameronwithhisold-worldreligiousconventionsandtraditions,aweirdlyfascinatingbutintenselyimpressivescene。 Afarbeyondthevalley,appearedindimoutlinethegreatmountains,withtheirheadsthrustupintothesky。Nearerattheirbasesgatheredthepines,atfirstinsolidgloomymasses,then,astheyapproached,instragglinggroups,andatlastsingly,liketallsentinelsonguard。Onthegrassyglade,surroundedbythesentinelpines,thecircleofduskyworshippers,kneelingabouttheircampfire,liftedtheirfacesheavenwardandtheirheartsGod-wardinprayer,andasuponthoseduskyfacesthefirelightfellinfitfulgleams,soupontheirhearts,darkwiththesuperstitionsofahundredgenerations,therefellthegleamsofthetorchheldhighbythehandsoftheirdauntlessambassadoroftheblessedGospeloftheGraceofGod。 WithmingledfeelingsofreverenceandofpityCameronstoodgazingdownuponthisscene,resolvedmorethanevertoattachhimselftothiscampwhosedaysclosedwitheveningprayer。”Impressivescene!”saidamockingvoiceinhisear。 Cameronstarted。Asuddenfeelingofrepulsionseizedhim。”Yes,”hesaidgravely,”animpressivescene,inmyeyesatleast,andIshouldnotwonderifintheeyesofGodaswell。””Whoknows?”saidRavengruffly,astheybothturnedbacktothefire。 CHAPTERIV THEDULLREDSTAIN Theminutespassedslowly。ThesceneinthecampoftheStoniesthathehadjustwitnesseddroveallsleepfromCameron。Hewasfirmlyresolvedthatatthefirstopportunityhewouldmakehisbreakforliberty;forhewasnowfullyawarethatthoughnotconfessedlyhewasnonethelessreallyaprisoner。 Ashelayintentlythinking,forminganddiscardingplansofescape,twoIndians,followedbyLittleThunder,walkedquietlywithinthecircleofthefirelightandwithanodandagrunttowardsRavensatdownbythefire。Ravenpassedhistobaccobag,which,withoutaword,theyaccepted;and,fillingtheirpipes,theygravelybegantosmoke。”WhiteCloud,”gruntedLittleThunder,wavinghishandtothefirstIndian。”BigChief。Him,”pointingtothesecondIndian,”WhiteCloudbrother。””Mybrothershadgoodhuntingthisyear,”saidRaven。 TheIndiansgruntedforreply。”Yourpacksareheavy?” Anothergruntmadeanswer。”Wehavemuchgoods,”continuedRaven。”Butthetimeisshort。 Comeandsee。” Ravenledthemoutintothedarktowardsthepackhorse,LittleThunderremainingbythefire。FromthedarknessCameroncouldhearRaven’svoiceinlowtonesandtheIndians’gutturalrepliesmingledwithunusuallaughter。 Whentheyreturnedthechangeintheirappearancewasplainlyvisible。Theireyesweregleamingwithanunnaturalexcitement,theirgraveanddignifieddemeanourhadgivenplacetoaneager,almostchildishexcitement。Camerondidnotneedthewhiffthatcametohimfromtheirbreathtoexplainthecauseofthissuddenchange。Thesignsweretohimonlytoofamiliar。”Mybrotherswillneedtohurry,”saidRaven。”Wemovewhenthemoonishigh。””Good!”repliedWhiteCloud。”Go,quick。”Hewavedhishandtowardthedark。”Come。”Hebroughtitbackagain。”Heapquick。” Withoutfurtherwordtheyvanished,silentastheshadowsthatswallowedthemup。”Now,then,Cameron,wehavebigbusinessonfoot。Upandgiveusahand。LittleThunder,takethebunchdownthetrailacoupleofmilesandcomeback。” Selectingoneofthepackponies,hetiedittoapinetreeandtheothershehurriedoffwithLittleThunderdownthetrail。”Goingtodosometrading,areyou?”enquiredCameron。”Yes,ifthepriceisright,thoughI’mnottookeen,”repliedRaven,throwinghimselfdownbesidethefire。”Whatareyouafter?Furs?””Yes,fursmostly。Anythingtheyhavetooffer。””Whatdoyougiveinexchange?” Raventhrewhimasharpglance,butCameron’sfacewasturnedtowardthefire。”Oh,variousarticles。Wearingapparel,tobacco,finery。Molassestoo。Theyareveryfondofmolasses。””Molasses?”echoedCameron,withatouchofscorn。”Itwasnotmolassestheyhadto-night。Whydidyougivethemwhiskey?”heaskedboldly。 Ravenstarted。Hiseyesnarrowedtotwopiercingpoints。”Why?That’smybusiness,myfriend。Ikeepaflasktotreatmyguestsoccasionally。Haveyouanyobjection?””Itisagainstthelaw,Iunderstand,andmightybadfortheIndians。””Againstthelaw?”echoedRaveninchildlikesurprise。”Youdon’ttellme!””SotheMountedPolicedeclare,”saidCameron,turninghiseyesuponRaven’sface。”TheMountedPolice!”exclaimedRaven,pouringforthafloodofoaths。”That!fortheMountedPolice!”hesaid,snappinghisfingers。”But,”repliedCameron,”Iunderstoodyouveryespeciallytoobjecttotheoperationsofthewhiskeyrunners?””Whiskeyrunners?Who’sspeakingofwhiskeyrunners?I’mtalkingoftheapprovedmethodoftreatingourfriendsinthiscountry,andifthepoliceshouldinterferebetweenmeandmyfriendstheywouldbecarryingthingsalittletoofar。Butallthesame,”hecontinued,hastilycheckinghimself,”thepoliceareallright。 Theyputdownalotoflawlessnessinthiscountry。ButImayaswellsaytoyouhere,Mr。Cameron,”hecontinued,”thattherearecertainthingsitisbestnottosee,or,havingseen,tospeedilyforget。”AshespokethesewordshiseyesnarrowedagaintotwogreypointsthatseemedtoborerightthroughtoCameron’sbrain。”Thismanisaverydevil,”thoughtCamerontohimself。”Iwasafoolnottoseeitbefore。”Buttothetraderhesaid,”TherearesomethingsIwouldrathernotseeandsomethingsIcannotforget。” BeforeanotherhourhadpassedtheStoniesreappeared,thistimeonponies。Thetradermadenomovetomeetthem。Hesatquietlysmokingbythefire。SilentlytheIndiansapproachedthefireandthrewdownapackoffurs。”Huh!”saidWhiteCloud。”Good!Vergood!”Heopenedhispackandspreadoutupontherockwithimpressivedeliberationitscontents。Andgoodtheywere,eventoCameron’sunculturedeye。 Wolfskinsandbear,cinnamonandblack,beaver,fox,andmink,aswellassomemagnificentspecimensofmountaingoatandsheep。”Good!Good!Big——fine——heapgood!”WhiteCloudcontinuedtoexclaimashedisplayedhiscollection。 Raventurnedthemovercarelessly,feelingthefurs,examiningandweighingthepelts。Thengoingtothepackhorsehereturnedandspreadoutupontherockbesidethefursthegoodswhichheproposedtoofferinexchange。Andapitifuldisplayitwas,gaudycalicoesandflimsyflannels,thebrillianceofwhosecolourwasonlyequalledbytheshoddinessofthematerial,cheapdomesticblankets,halfwoolhalfcotton,preparedespeciallyfortheIndiantrade。These,withbeadsandbuttons,trinkets,wholestringsofbrassrings,rollsoftobacco,bagsofshotandpowder,potmetalknives,andotherarticles,allbearingthestampofglitteringfraud,constitutedhisstockforbarter。TheIndiansmadestrenuouseffortstomaintainanairofdignifiedindifference,buttheglitterintheireyesbetrayedtheireagerness。WhiteCloudpickedupagoatskin,heavywithitsdeepsilkyfurandwithitsrichsplendourcoveredovertheglitteringmassofRaven’scheapandtawdrystuff。”Goodtrade,”saidWhiteCloud。”Him,”pointingtotheskin,”and,”turningitback,”him,”layinghishanduponthegoodsbeneath。 Ravensmiledcarelessly,pulledoutaflaskfromhispocket,tookadrinkandpassedittotheothers。Desperatelystrugglingtosuppresshiseagernessandtomaintainhisdignifiedbearing,WhiteCloudseizedtheflaskand,drinkinglonganddeep,passedittohisbrother。”Haveadrink,Cameron,”saidRaven,ashereceivedhisflaskagain。”No!”saidCameronshortly。”AndIwouldsuggesttoyourfriendsthattheycompletethetradebeforetheydrinkmuchmore。””Myfriendheresaysthisisnogood,”saidRaventotheIndians,tappingtheflaskwithhisfinger。”Hesaysnomoredrink。” WhiteCloudshotakeenenquiringglanceatCameron,buthemadenoreplyotherthantostretchouthishandforRaven’sflaskagain。 BeforemanyminutestheefficacyofRaven’smethodsofbarterbegantobeapparent。TheIndianslosttheirgraveanddignifieddemeanour。Theybecamecurious,eager,garrulous,anddemonstrative。 WithchildishgleetheybeganexaminingmorecloselyRaven’ssupplyofgoods,tryingontherings,drapingthemselvesinthegaudycalicoesandflannels。AtlengthRavenrolleduphisarticlesofbarterandsetthemupononeside。”Howmuch?”hesaid。 WhiteCloudselectedthegoatskin,laiduponitsomehalfdozenbeaverandmink,andacoupleoffoxes,androllingthemupinapilelaidthembesideRaven’sbundle。 Thetradersmiledandshookhishead。”Nogood。Nogood。”Sosayinghetookfromhispackanotherflaskandlaidituponhispile。 InstantlytheIndianincreasedhispilebyabearskin,agreywolf,andamountaingoat。Then,withoutwaitingforRaven’swords,hereachedfortheflask。”No,notyet,”saidRavenquietly,layinghishanddownupontheflask。 TheIndianwithgleamingeyesthrewonthepilesomeadditionalskins。”Good!”saidRaven,surrenderingtheflask。SwiftlytheIndiancaughtitupand,seizingthecorkinhisteeth,bititoffclosetotheneckoftheflask。Snatchinghisknifefromhispocketwithalmostfranticenergy,heproceededtodigouttheimbeddedcork。”Here,”saidRaven,takingtheflaskfromhim。”Letmehaveit。” FromhispockethetookaknifecontainingacorkscrewandwiththishedrewthecorkandhandedtheflaskbacktotheIndian。 Withshameless,bestialhastetheIndianplacedthebottletohislipsandafteralongpullpassedittohiswaitingbrother。 AtthispointRavenroseasiftoclosethenegotiationsandtookouthisownflaskforafinaldrink,butfounditempty。”Aha!”heexclaimed,turningtheemptyflaskupsidedown。AtoncetheIndianpassedhimhisflask。Raven,however,wavedhimasideand,goingtohispack,drewoutatinoilcanwhichwouldcontainaboutagallon。Fromthiswithgreatdeliberationhefilledhisflask。”Huh!”exclaimedtheIndian,pointingtothecan。”Howmuch?” Ravenshookhishead。”Nosell。Forme,”heanswered,tappinghimselfonthebreast。”Howmuch?”saidtheIndianfiercely。 StillRavendeclinedtosell。 SwiftlytheIndiangathereduptheremaininghalfofhispackoffursand,throwingthemsavagelyatRaven’sfeet,seizedthecan。 StillRavenrefusedtoletitgo。 AtthispointthesoftpaddingofalopingponywasheardcomingupthetrailandinafewminutesLittleThundersilentlytookhisplaceinthecircleaboutthefire。Cameron’sheartsankwithinhim,fornowitseemedasifhischanceofescapehadslippedfromhim。 RavenspokeafewrapidwordstoLittleThunder,whoenteredintoconversationwiththeStonies。AtlengthWhiteClouddrewfromhiscoatablackfoxskin。InspiteofhimselfRavenutteredaslightexclamation。Itwasindeedasuperbpelt。Withsavagehateineverylineofhisfaceandineverymovementofhisbody,theIndianflungtheskinuponthepileoffursandwithouta”Byyourleave”seizedthecanandpassedittohisbrother。 AtthispointRaven,withasuddendisplayofrecklessgenerosity,placedhisownflaskupontheIndian’spileofgoods。”Askthemiftheywantmolasses,”saidRaventoLittleThunder。”No,”gruntedtheIndiancontemptuously,preparingtodepart。”Askthem,LittleThunder。” ImmediatelyasLittleThunderbegantospeakthecontemptuousattitudeoftheStoniesgaveplacetooneofkeeninterestanddesire。AftersomefurthertalkLittleThunderwenttothepack- pony,returnedbearingasmallkegandsetitontherockbesideRaven’spileoffurs。HastilytheStoniesconsultedtogether,WhiteCloudapparentlyreluctant,thebrotherrecklesslyeagertoclosethedeal。FinallywithagestureWhiteCloudputanendtotheconversation,steppedouthastilyintothedarkandreturnedleadinghisponyintothelight。Cuttingasunderthelashingswithhisknife,hereleasedabundleoffursandthrewitdownatRaven’sfeet。”Sameting。Good!”hesaid。 ButRavenwouldnotlookatthebundleandproceededtopackupthespoilsofhisbarter。EarnestlytheStoniesappealedtoLittleThunder,butinvain。Angrilytheyremonstrated,butstillwithoutresult。AtlengthLittleThunderpointedtotheponyandwithouthesitationWhiteCloudplacedthebridlereininhishands。 Cameroncouldcontainhimselfnolonger。SuddenlyrisingfromhisplacehestrodetothesideoftheIndiansandcried,”Don’tdoit! Don’tbesuchfools!Thisnogood,”hesaid,kickingthekeg。”WhatwouldMr。Macdougallsay?Come!Igowithyou。Takebackthesefurs。” Hesteppedforwardtoseizethesecondpack。SwiftlyLittleThunderleapedbeforehim,knifeinhand,andcrouchedtospring。 TheStonieshadnodoubtastohismeaning。Theirheartswerefilledwithblackrageagainsttheunscrupuloustrader,buttheirinsanethirstforthe”fire-water”sweptfromtheirmindseveryotherconsiderationbutthatofdeterminationtogratifythismadlust。UnconsciouslytheyrangedthemselvesbesideCameron,theirhandsgoingtotheirbelts。QuietlyRavenspokeafewrapidwordstoLittleThunder,who,slowlyputtinguphisknife,madeabriefbutvigourousharanguetotheStonies,theresultofwhichwasseeninthedoubtfulglanceswhichtheycastuponCameronfromtimetotime。”Comeon!”criedCameronagain,layinghishanduponthenearestIndian。”Let’sgotoyourcamp。Takeyourfurs。Heisathief,arobber,abadman。Allthat,”sweepinghishandtowardsRaven’sgoods,”nogood。This,”kickingthekeg,”bad。Killyou。” Thesewordstheycouldnotentirelyunderstand,buthisgesturesweresufficientlyeloquentandsignificant。TherewasanuglygleaminRaven’seyesandanuglycurltohisthinlips,butheonlysmiled。”Come,”hesaid,wavinghishandtowardthefurs,”takethemaway。 Tellthemwedon’twanttotrade,LittleThunder。”Hepulledouthisflask,slowlytookadrink,andpassedittoLittleThunder,whogreedilyfollowedhisexample。”Tellthemwedon’twanttotradeatall,”insistedRaven。 LittleThundervolublyexplainedthetrader’swishes。”Good-bye,”saidRaven,offeringhishandtoWhiteCloud。”Goodfriends,”headded,oncemorepassinghimhisflask。”Don’t!”saidCameron,layinghishandagainupontheIndian’sarm。 ForasingleinstantWhiteCloudpaused。”Huh!”gruntedLittleThunderincontempt。”Bigchiefscared。” QuicklytheStonyshookoffCameron’shand,seizedtheflaskand,puttingittohislips,draineditdry。”Come,”saidCamerontotheotherStony。”Comewithme。” RavenutteredawarningwordtoLittleThunder。TheIndiansstoodforsomemomentsuncertain,theirheadsbowedupontheirbreasts。 ThenWhiteCloud,throwingbackhisheadandlookingCameronfullintheface,said——”Goodman。Goodman。Menogo。””ThenIgoalone,”criedCameron,springingoffintothedarkness。 Asheturnedhisfootcaughtthepileofwoodbroughtforthefire。 Hetrippedandstumbledalmosttotheground。BeforehecouldrecoverhimselfLittleThunder,swiftasawildcat,leapeduponhisbackwithhisever-readyknifeinhisupraisedhand,butbeforehecouldstrike,CameronhadturnedhimselfandthrowingtheIndianoffhadstruggledtohisfeet。”Holdthere!”criedRavenwithaterribleoath,flinginghimselfuponthestrugglingpair。 AmomentortwotheStonieshesitated,thentheytooseizedCameronandbetweenthemalltheyborehimfightingtotheground。”Keepback!Keepback!”criedRaveninaterriblevoicetoLittleThunder,who,knifeinhand,wasdancinground,seekinganopportunitytostrike。”Willyouliestill,orshallIknockyourheadin?”saidRaventoCameronthroughhisclenchedteeth,withonehandonhisthroatandtheotherpoisingarevolveroverhishead。Camerongaveupthestruggle。”Speakandquick!”criedRaven,hisfaceworkingwithpassion,hisvoicethickandhusky,hisbreathcominginquickgaspsfromthefurythatpossessedhim。”Allright,”saidCameron。”Letmeup。Youhavebeatenmethistime。” Ravensprangtohisfeet。”Lethimup!”hesaid。”Now,then,Cameron,givemeyourwordyouwon’ttrytoescape。””No,Iwillnot!I’llseeyouhangedfirst,”saidCameron。 Ravendeliberatelydrewhispistolandsaidslowly:”Ihavesavedyourlifetwicealready,butthetimeispastforanymoretrifling。Nowyou’vegottotakeit。” AtthisLittleThunderspokeaword,pointingtowardthecampoftheStonies。Ravenhesitated,thenwithanoathhestrodetowardCameronandthrustinghispistolinhisfacesaidintonesofcoldandconcentratedrage:”Listentome,youfool!Yourlifeishangingbyahairtriggerthatgoesoffwithafeathertouch。Igiveyouonemorechance。 Movehandorfootandthebulletinthisgunwillpassneatlythroughyoureye。SohelpmeGodAlmighty!” HespoketoLittleThunder,stillkeepingCameroncoveredwithhisgun。TheIndianslippedquietlybehindCameronandswiftlythrewalineoverhisshouldersand,drawingittight,boundhisarmstohisside。AgainandagainherepeatedthisoperationtillCameronstoodswathedinthecoilsoftheropelikeamummy,inwardlyraging,notsomuchathiscaptor,butathimselfandhisstupidbunglingofhisbreakforliberty。HishelplessandabsurdappearanceseemedtorestoreRaven’sgoodhumour。”Now,then,”hesaid,turningtotheStoniesandresuminghiscarelessair,”wewillfinishourlittlebusiness。Sitdown,Mr。 Cameron,”hecontinued,withapleasantsmile。”Itmaybelessdignified,butitismuchmorecomfortable。” Oncemorehetookouthisflaskandpasseditround,forgettingtotakeitbackfromhisIndianvisitors,whocontinuedtodrinkfromitinturn。”Listen,”hesaid。”Igiveyouallyouseehereforyourfursandaponytopackthem。Thatismylastword。Quick,yesorno? Tellthemnomoretrifling,LittleThunder。Themoonishigh。Westartintenminutes。” Therewasnofurtherhaggling。TheIndiansseemedtorecognisethatthetimeforthatwaspast。Afterabriefconsultationtheygruntedtheiracceptanceandproceededtopackuptheirgoods,butwithnogoodwill。Morevividlythananyinthecompanytheyrealisedtheimmensityofthefraudthatwasbeingperpetrateduponthem。Theywerebeingrobbedoftheirwholewinter’skillandthatofsomeoftheirfriendsaswell,buttheywerehelplessinthegripoftheirmadpassionforthetrader’sfire-water。Disgustedwiththemselvesandfilledwithblackrageagainstthemanwhohadsopitilesslystrippedthembareoftheprofitsofayear’stoilandprivation,howgladlywouldtheyhaveputtheirknivesintohisback,buttheyknewhissortbyonlytoobitterexperienceandtheyknewthatathishandstheyneedexpectnopity。”Here,”criedRaven,observingtheirblacklooks。”Apresentformybrothers。”Hehandedthemeacharolloftobacco。”Andapresentfortheirsquaws,”addingascarletblanketapiecetotheirpack。 Withoutawordofthankstheytookthegiftsand,loadingtheirstuffupontheirremainingpony,disappeareddownthetrail。”Now,LittleThunder,let’sgetoutofthis,foroncetheiroldmanfindsouthewillbehotfootonourtrail。” Withfurioushastetheyfelltotheirpacking。Cameronstoodaghastattheamazingswiftnessanddexteritywithwhichthepackswereropedandloaded。WhenallwascompletethetraderturnedtoCameroningaygoodhumour。”Now,Mr。Cameron,willyougopassengerorfreight?”Cameronmadenoreply。”Inotherwords,shallwepackyouonyourponyorwillyouridelikeagentleman,givingmeyourwordnottoattempttoescape?Timepresses,soanswerquick!Givemetwenty-fourhours。 Givemeyourwordfortwenty-fourhours,afterwhichyoucangowhenyoulike。””Iagree,”saidCameronshortly。”Cuthimloose,LittleThunder。”LittleThunderhesitated。”Quick,youfool!Cuthimloose。IknowagentlemanwhenIseehim。Heistiedtighterthanwithropes。””Itisagreatpity,”hecontinued,addressingCameroninapleasantconversationaltoneastheyrodedownthetrailtogether,”thatyoushouldhavemadeanassofyourselfforthosebrutes。 Bah!Whatodds?OldMacdougallorsomeoneelsewouldgettheirstuffsoonerorlater。WhynotI?Come,cheerup。Youarejollywelloutofit,for,Godknows,youmaylivetolookdeathinthefacemanyatime,butneverwhileyoulivewillyoubesoneartouchingtheoldsportasyouwereafewminutesago。WhyIhaveinterferedtosaveyouthesethreetimesblessedifIknow!Manyaman’sboneshavebeenpickedbythecoyotesinthesehillsforafractionoftheprovocationyouhavegivenme,nottospeakofLittleThunder,whoisproperlythirstingforyourblood。Buttakeadvicefromme,”hereheleanedovertowardsCameronandtouchedhimontheshoulder,whilehisvoicetookasternertone,”don’tventureonanyfurtherlibertieswithhim。” SuddenlyCameron’srageblazedforth。”Nowperhapsyouwilllistentome,”hesaidinavoicethrillingwithpassion。”Firstofall,keepyourhandsoffme。Asforyourcomradeandpartnerincrime,IfearhimnomorethanIwouldadogandlikeadogIshalltreathimifhedarestoattackmeagain。 Asforyou,youareacowardandacad。Youhavemeatadisadvantage。Butputdownyourgunsandfightmeonequalterms,andIwillmakeyoubegforyourlife!” TherewasagleamofamusedadmirationinRaven’seyes。”ByJove!Itwouldbeaprettyfight,Idobelieve,andoneI shouldgreatlyenjoy。Atpresent,however,timeispressingandthereforethatpleasurewemustpostpone。MeantimeIpromiseyouthatwhenitcomesitwillbeonequalterms。””Iasknomore,”saidCameron。 Therewasnofurtherconversation,forRavenappearedintentonputtingaslargeaspaceaspossiblebetweenhimselfandthecampoftheStonies。Thediscoveryofthefraudheknewwouldbeinevitableandheknew,too,thatGeorgeMacdougallwasnotthemantoallowhisflocktobefleecedwithimpunity。 SobeforethegreylightofmorningbegantostealoverthemountaintopsRaven,withhisbunchofponiesandhisloot,wasmanymilesforwardonhisjourney。Buttheenduranceevenofbronchosandcayuseshasitslimit,andtheirdesperateconditionfromhungerandfatiguerenderedfoodandrestimperative。 ThesunwasfullyupwhenRavenorderedahalt,andinasunnyvalley,deepwithgrass,unsaddlingtheweariedanimals,heturnedthemloosetofeedandrest。Apparentlycarelessofdangerandhighlycontentedwiththeirnight’sachievement,heandhisIndianpartnerabandonedthemselvestosleep。Cameron,too,thoughhisindignationandchagrinpreventedsleepforatime,wasfinallyforcedtoyieldtothegenialinfluencesofthewarmsunandthelanguidairsofthespringday,and,firmlyresolvingtokeepawake,hefellintodreamlessslumber。 Thesunwasridinghighnoonwhenhewasawakenedbyahanduponhisarm。ItwasRaven。”Hush!”hesaid。”Notaword。Mountandquick!” LookingaboutCameronobservedthatthepackhorseswerereadyloadedandRavenstandingbyhisbronchoreadytomount。LittleThunderwasnowheretobeseen。”What’sup?”saidCameron。 ForanswerRavenpointedupthelongslopingtraildownwhichtheyhadcome。Therethreehorsemencouldbeseenridinghard,butstilldistantmorethanhalfamile。”Sawthemthreemilesaway,luckilyenough,”saidRaven。”Where’sLittleThunder?”enquiredCameron。”Oh,roundingupthebunch,”answeredRavencarelessly,wavinghishandtowardthevalley。”Thosemenarecomingsome,”headded,swingingintohissaddle。 Ashespokearifleshotshatteredthestillnessofthevalley。 Thefirstoftheridersthrewuphishands,clutchedwildlyatthevacantairandpitchedheadlongoutofthesaddle。”GoodGod! What’sthat?”gaspedCameron。Theothertwowheeledintheircourse。Beforetheycouldturnasecondshotrangoutandanotheroftheridersfelluponhishorse’sneck,clungthereforamoment,thengentlyslidtotheground。Thethird,throwinghimselfoverthesideofhispony,rodebackfordearlife。 Athirdandafourthshotwereheard,butthefleeingriderescapedunhurt。”Whatdoesthatmean?”againaskedCameron,weakandsickwithhorror。”Mount!”yelledRavenwithaterribleoathandflourishingarevolverinhishand。”Mountquick!”Hisfacewaspale,hiseyesburnedwithafierceglare,whilehisvoicerangwiththeblastofabugle。”Leadthosepackhorsesdownthattrail!”heyelled,thrustingthelineintoCameron’shand。”Quick,Itellyou!””Crack-crack!”TwiceabulletsangsavagelypastCameron’sears。”Quicker!”shoutedRaven,circlingroundthebunchofponieswithwildcriesandoathslikeamangonemad。Againandagaintherevolverspatwickedlyandhereandthereaponyplungedrecklesslyforward,nickedintheearbyoneofthosevenomoussingingpellets。Helplesstodefendhimselfandexpectingeverymomenttofeelthestingofabulletsomewhereinhisbody,Cameronhurriedhisponywithallhismightdownthetrail,draggingthepackanimalsafterhim。Inhuddledconfusiontheterrifiedbrutesfollowedafterhiminamadrush,forhardupontheirrear,likeabeastdevil-possessed,Nighthawkpressed,biting,kicking,squealing,totheaccompanimentofhisrider’soathsandyellsandpistolshots。Downthelongslopingtrailtotheveryendofthevalleythemadrushcontinued。Theretheascentcheckedthefuryofthespeedandforcedaquieterpace。Butthroughtheafternoontherewasnoweakeningofthepressurefromthereartilltheeveningshadowsandthefrequentfallingoftheworn-outbeastsforcedaslackeningofthepaceandfinallyahalt。 Sickwithhorrorandloathing,Camerondismountedandunsaddledhisbroncho。HehadhardlyfinishedthisoperationwhenLittleThunderrodeupuponastrangepony,leadingabeautifulwhitebronchobehind。CameroncouldnotrepressanexclamationofdisgustastheIndiandrewnearhim。”Beautifulbeastthat,”saidRavencarelessly,pointingtothewhitepony。 Cameronturnedhiseyesupontheponyandstoodtransfixedwithhorror。”MyGod!”heexclaimed。”Lookatthat!”Acrossthebeautifulwhiteshouldersandreachingdowncleartothefetlockthereranabroadstain,dullredandhorrible。Thenthroughhisteeth,hardclenchedtogether,thesewordscameforth:”Someday,byGod’shelp,Ishallwipeoutthatstain。” Thetradershruggedhisshoulderscarelessly,butmadenoreply。 CHAPTERV SERGEANTCRISP ThehorrorofthedayfollowedCameronthroughthenightandawokewithhimnextmorning。EverytimehiseyesfoundtheIndianhisteethcametogetherinagrindingrageasherepeatedhisvow,”SomedayIshallbringyoutojustice。SohelpmeGod!” AgainstRavensomehowhecouldnotmaintainthesameheatofrage。 ThathewasapartytothemurderoftheStoniestherewaslittlereasontodoubt,butasallnextdaytheylayinthesunnygladerestingtheponies,orwentlopingeasilyalongthewindingtrailsmakingevertowardstheSouthwest,thetrader’scheerfulface,hisendlesstales,andhisinvinciblegoodhumourstolefromCameron’sheart,inspiteofhisfirmresolve,thefiercenessofhiswrath。 Buttheresolvewasnonethelessresolutethatonedayhewouldbringthismantojustice。 Astheyjourneyedon,thewoodsbecamemoreopenandthetreeslarger。Mid-dayfoundthemrestingbyalittlelake,fromwhichastreamflowedintotheupperreachesoftheColumbiaRiver。”WeshallmaketheCrow’sNesttrailbyto-morrownight,”saidRaven,”whereweshallpart;nottoyourverygreatsorrow,I fancy,either。” TheeveningbeforeCameronwouldhavesaid,”No,buttomygreatjoy,”anditvexedhimthathecouldnotbringhimselftosaysoto-daywithanygreatshowofsincerity。Therewasacharmaboutthismanthathecouldnotresist。”Andyet,”continuedRaven,allowinghiseyestorestdreamilyuponthelake,”inothercircumstancesImighthavefoundinyouanexcellentfriend,andamostrareandvaluablefindthatis。””Thatitis!”agreedCameron,thinkingofhisoldfootballcaptain,”butonecannotmakefriendswitha——””Itisanuglyword,Iknow,”saidRaven。”But,afterall,whatisabunchoffursmoreorlesstothoseIndians?””Furs?”exclaimedCameroninhorror。”Whatarethelivesofthesemen?””Oh,”repliedRavencarelessly,”theseIndiansarealwaysgettingkilledonewayoranother。Itisallintheday’sworkwiththem。 Theypickeachotheroffwithoutqueryorqualm。Besides,LittleThunderhasagrudgeofveryoldstandingagainsttheStonies,whomheheartilydespises,andhedoubtlessenjoysconsiderablesatisfactionfromthethoughtthathehaspartiallypaidit。Itwillbehisturnnext,likeasnot,fortheywon’tletthisthingsleep。Orperhapsmine!”headdedafterapause。”Themanisdoubtlessonthetrailatthispresentminutewhowillfinallygetme。””Thenwhyexposeyourselftosuchafate?”saidCameron。”Surelyinthiscountryamancanliveanhonestlifeandprosper。””Honestlife?Idoubtit!Whatisanhonestlife?DoesanyIndiantraderleadanhonestlife?DotheHudsonBaytraders,orI。G。Baker’speople,oranyofthemdothehonestthingbytheIndiantheytradewith?Inthelongrunitisaquestionofthepolice。Whatescapesthepoliceishonest。Thecrime,afterall,isingettingcaught。””Oh,thatistooold!”saidCameron。”Youknowyouaretalkingrot。””Quiteright!Itisrot,”assentedRaven。”Thewholebusinessisrot。’Vanityofvanities,saiththepreacher。’Oh,IknowtheBook,yousee。Iwasnotborna——a——anoutlaw。”Thegrey-browneyeshadinthemawistfullook。”Bah!”heexclaimed,springingtohisfeetandshakinghimself。”ThesightofyourEdinburghfaceandthesoundofyourEdinburghspeechandyouroldcountrywaysandmannershavegotonmyrecollectionworks,andIbelievethataccountsforyoubeingaliveto-day,oldman。” Hewhistledtohishorse。Nighthawkcametrottingandwhinneyingtohim。”Ihaveonefriendintheworld,oldboy,”hesaid,throwinghisarmovertheblack,glossyneckandsearchinghispocketforabiscuit。”Andevenyou,”headdedbitterly,”Ifeardonotlovemefornaught。” Saddlinghishorse,hemountedandcallingLittleThundertohimsaid:”TakethebunchonasfarastheBigCanyonandwaitthereforme。 Iamgoingbackabit。Itisbettertobesurethansorry。 Cameron,yourbestroutelieswithus。Yourtwenty-fourhours’ paroleisalreadyup。To-morrow,perhapsto-night,IshallputyouontheMacleodtrail。Youareafreeman,butdon’ttrytomakeanybreakswhenIamgone。Myfriendhereisextremelypromptwithhisweapons。Farewell!Getamoveon,LittleThunder!Cameronwillbringuptherear。” HeaddedsomefurtherwordsintheIndiantongue,hisvoicetakingasterntone。LittleThundergruntedasurlyandunwillingacquiescence,and,wavinghishandtoCameron,thetraderwheeledhishorseupthetrail。 InspiteofhimselfCameroncouldnotforbearafeelingofpityandadmirationashewatchedthelithe,uprightfigureswayingupthetrail,hiseverymovementinunisonwiththatofthebeautifuldemonhebestrode。Butwithallhispityandadmirationhewasnonethelessresolvedthathewoulddowhatinhimlaytobringthesetwotojustice。”Thisuglydevilatleastshallswing!”hesaidtohimselfasheturnedhiseyesuponLittleThundergettinghispackponiesoutuponthetrail。Thisaccomplished,theIndian,pointingonward,saidgruffly,”Yougoinfront——meback。””Notmuch!”criedCameron。”Youheardtheordersfromyourchief。 Yougoinfront。Ibringuptherear。Idonotknowthetrail。””Huh!Trailgood,”gruntedLittleThunder,thered-rimmedeyesgleamingmalevolently。”Yougofront——meback。”Hewavedhishandimpatientlytowardthetrail。Followingthedirectionofhishand,Cameron’seyesfelluponthestockofhisownrifleprotrudingfromapackupononeoftheponies。Foramomenttheprotrudingstockheldhiseyesfascinated。”Huh!”saidtheIndian,notingCameron’sglance,andslippingoffhispony。Inaninstantbothmenwereracingforthepackandapproachingeachotheratasharpangle。Arrivedatstrikingdistance,theIndianleapedatCameron,withhisknife,aswashiswont,readytostrike。 TheappearanceoftheIndianspringingathimseemedtosetsomeofthegreymatterinCameron’sbrainmovingalongoldtracks。Likeaflashhedroppedtohiskneesinanoldfootballtackle,caughttheIndianbythelegsandtossedhimhighoverhisshoulders,then,springingtohisfeet,hejerkedtheriflefreefromthepackandstoodwaitingforLittleThunder’sattack。 ButtheIndianlaywithoutsoundormotion。Cameronusedhisopportunitytolookforhiscartridgebelt,which,afterafewminutes’anxioussearch,hediscoveredinthepack。Hebuckledthebeltabouthim,madesurehisWinchesterheldashell,andstoodwaiting。 Thatheshouldbewaitingthuswiththedeliberatepurposeofshootingdownafellowhumanbeingfilledhimwithasenseofunreality。Buttheeventsofthelastforty-eighthourshadcreatedanentirelynewenvironment,andwithextraordinaryfacilityhismindhadadjusteditselftothisenvironment,andthoughtwodaysbeforehewouldhaveshrunkinhorrorfromthepossibilityoftakingahumanlife,heknewashestoodtherethatatthefirstsignofattackheshouldshoottheIndiandownlikeawildbeast。 SlowlyLittleThunderraisedhimselftoasittingpostureandlookedaboutindazedsurprise。Ashismindregaineditsnormalconditiontheredeepenedinhiseyesalookofcunninghatred。 WithdifficultyherosetohisfeetandstoodfacingCameron。 Cameronwaitedquietly,watchinghiseverymove。”Yougoinfront!”atlengthcommandedCameron。”Andnononsense,mindyou,”headded,tappinghisrifle,”orIshootquick。” TheIndianmightnothaveunderstoodallCameron’swords,buthewasinnodoubtastohismeaning。Itwascharacteristicofhisracethatheshouldknowwhenhewasbeatenandstoicallyacceptdefeatforthetimebeing。Withoutfurtherwordorlookheledoffhispackponies,whileCamerontookhisplaceattherear。 Butprogresswasslow。LittleThunderwaseitherincapableofrapidmotionorsullenlyindifferenttoanynecessityforit。 Besides,therewasnodemoniacaldynamicforcingthebeastsonfromtherear。TheyhadnotbeenmorethanthreehoursonthetrailwhenCameronheardbehindhimthethunderingofhoofs。Glancingoverhisshoulder,hesawcomingdownuponhimRaven,ridingasifpursuedbyathousanddemons。Theconditionofhishorseshowedthattheracehadbeenlongandhard;hisblacksatinskinwasdrippingasifhehadcomethroughariver,hiseyeswerebloodshotandstartingfromhishead,hismouthwaswideopenandfromitinlargeclotsthefoamhadfallenuponhisneckandchest。 PastCameronanddownuponLittleThunderRavenrushedlikeawhirlwind,yellingwithwildoathsthewhile,”Geton!Geton!Whatareyouloafingaboutherefor?” AfewvehementdirectionstotheIndianandhecamethunderingbackuponCameron。”Whathaveyoubeendoing?”hecriedwithanoath。”Whyareyounotmileson?Geton!Move!Move!!Move!!!”Ateveryyellhehurledhisfrenziedbronchoupontheponieswhichbroughtuptherear,andinafewminuteshadthewholecavalcademadlycareeringdowntheslopingtrail。Wilderandwildergrewthepace。Turningasharpcornerroundajuttingrockapackponystumbledandwentcrashingfiftyfeettotherockbelow。”On!On!”yelledRaven,emptyinghisgunintothestrugglinganimalashepassed。Moreandmoredifficultbecametheroaduntilatlengthitwasimpossibletokeepupthepace。”Wecannotmakeit!Wecannotmakeit!”mutteredRavenwithbitteroaths。”Oh,thecursedfools!Anothertwomileswoulddoit!” Atlengththeycametoaspotwherethetrailtouchedalevelbench。”Halt!”yelledthetrader,ashegallopedtotheheadofthecolumn。AfewminuteshespentinrapidandfierceconsultationwithLittleThunderandthencameragingback。”Wearegoingtogetthisbunchdownintothevalleythere,”heshouted,pointingtothethicktimberatthebottom。”Idonotexpectyourhelp,butI askyoutoremainwhereyouareforthepresent。Andletmeassureyouthisisnomomentfortrifling。” WithextraordinaryskillandrapidityLittleThundermanagedtoleadfirstthepackponiesandthentheothers,onebyone,atintervals,offthetrailastheywentonward,takinginfinitepainstocovertheirtracksatthevariouspointsofdeparture。Whilethiswasbeingdonethetraderstoodshoutingdirectionsandgivingassistancewithafuryofenergythatseemedtocommunicateitselftotheverybeasts。Buttheworkwasoneofgreatdifficultyandtookmanyminutestoaccomplish。”Halfanhourmore,justhalfanhour!Fifteenminutes!”hekeptmuttering。”Justashortfifteenminutesandallwouldbewell。” AsthelastponydisappearedintothewoodsRaventurnedtoCameronandwithasmilesaidquietly,”There,that’sdone。Nowyouarefree。Herewepart。Thisisyourtrail。ItwilltakeyoutoMacleod。Iamsorry,however,thatowingtoachangeincircumstancesforwhichIamnotresponsibleImustaskyouforthatrifle。”WiththeswiftnessofaflashoflighthewhippedhisgunintoCameron’sface。”Don’tmove!”hesaid,stillsmiling。”Thisgunofmineneverfails。 Quick,don’tlookround。Yes,thosehoofbeatsareourfriendsthepolice。Quick!Itisyourlifeormine。I’dhatetokillyou,Cameron。Igiveyouonechancemore。” Therewasnohelpforit,andCameron,withhisheartfilledwithfutilefury,surrenderedhisrifle。”Nowrideinfrontofmealittleway。Theyhavejustseenus,buttheydon’tknowthatweareawareoftheirpresence。Ride!Ride! Alittlefaster!”NighthawkrusheduponCameron’slaggingpony。”There,that’sbetter。” Ashoutfellupontheirears。”Gorightalong!”saidRavenquietly。”Onlyafewminuteslonger,thenwepart。Ihavegreatlyenjoyedyourcompany。” Anothershout。”Aha!”saidRaven,glancinground。”Itis,IverilybelieveitismyoldfriendSergeantCrisp。Onlytwoofthem,byJove!Ifwehadonlyknownweneednothavehurried。” Anothershout,followedbyabulletthatsangovertheirheads。”Ah,thisisinteresting——toointerestingbyhalf!Well,heregoesforyou,sergeant!”Hewheeledashespoke。Turningswiftlyinhissaddle,Cameronsawhimraisehisrifle。”Holdup,youdevil!”heshouted,throwinghisponyacrosstheblackbroncho’strack。 Theriflerangout,thepolicehorsestaggered,swayed,andpitchedtotheearth,bringinghisriderdownwithhim。”Ah,Cameron,thatwasawkwardofyou,”saidRavengently。”However,itisperhapsaswell。Goodbye,oldman。Tellthesergeantnottofollow。Trailshereaboutaredangerousandgoodpolicesergeantsarescarce。Againfarewell。”Heswunghisbronchooffthetrailand,wavinghishand,withasmile,disappearedintothethickunderbrush。”Holdupyourhands!”shoutedthepoliceofficer,whohadstruggleduprightandwasnowswayingonhisfeetandcoveringCameronwithhiscarbine。”Hurry!Hurry!”criedCameron,springingfromhisponyandwavinghishandswildlyintheair。”Comeon。You’llgethimyet。””Standwhereyouareandholdupyourhands!”criedthesergeant。 Cameronobeyed,shoutingmeanwhilewrathfully,”Oh,comeon,youballyfool!Youarelosinghim。Comeon,Itellyou!””KeepyourhandsuporIshoot!”criedthesergeantsternly。”Allright,”saidCameron,holdinghishandshigh,”butforGod’ssakehurryup!”Herantowardsthesergeantashespoke,withhishandsstillabovehishead。”Halt!”shoutedthesergeant,asCameroncamenear。”ConstableBurke,arrestthatman!””Oh,come,getitover,”criedCameroninafuryofpassion。”Arrestme,ofcourse,butifyouwanttocatchthatchapyou’llhavetohurry。Hecannotbefaraway。””Ah,indeed,myman,”saidthesergeantpleasantly。”Heisnotfaraway?””No,he’samurdererandathiefandyoucancatchhimifyouhurry。””Ah!Verygood,verygood!ConstableBurke,tiethismanuptoyoursaddleandwe’lltakealookround。Howmanymighttherebeinyourgang?”enquiredthesergeant。”Tellthetruthnow。Itwillbethebetterforyou。””One,”saidCameronimpatiently。”AchapcallinghimselfRaven。””Raven,eh?”exclaimedSergeantCrispwithanewinterest。”Raven,byJove!””Yes,andanIndian。LittleThunderhecalledhim。””LittleThunder!Jove,whatafind!”exclaimedthesergeant。”Yes,”continuedCameroneagerly。”RavenisjustaheadinthewoodstherealoneandtheIndianisfurtherbackwithabunchofponiesdownintheriverbottom。””Oh,indeed!Veryinteresting!AndsoRavenisallaloneinthescrubthere,waitingdoubtlesstogivehimselfup,”saidsergeantCrispwithfinesarcasm。”Well,wearenotyetontoyourgame,youngman,butwewillnotjustplayuptothatleadyetawhile。” InvainCameronragedandpleadedandstormedandswore,tellinghisstoryinincoherentsnatches,totheintenseamusementofSergeantCrispandhiscompanion。AtlengthCamerondesisted,swallowinghisrageasbesthecould。”Nowthen,weshallmoveon。Thepassisnotmorethananhouraway。WewillputthisyoungmaninsafekeepingandreturnforMr。Ravenandhisinterestingfriend。”Foramomenthestoodlookingdownuponhishorse。”Pooroldchap!”hesaid。”WehavegonemanyamiletogetheronHerMajesty’serrands。IfIhavedonemydutyasfaithfullyasyouhavedoneyoursIneednotfearmyrecord。Takehissaddleandbridleoff,Burke。We’vegotoneofthegang。SomedayweshallcomeupwithMr。Ravenhimself。””Yes,”saidCameronwithpassionatebitterness。”Andthatmightbeto-dayifyouhadonlylistenedtome。Why,man,”heshoutedwithrevivingrage,”wethreecouldtakehimevenyet!””Ah!”saidSergeantCrisp,”sowecould。””Youhadhiminyourhandsto-day,”saidCameron,”butlikeafoolyoulethimgo。Butsomeday,sohelpmeGod,Ishallbringthesemurdererstojustice。””Ah!”saidSergeantCrispagain。”Good!Verygoodindeed!Now,myman,march!” CHAPTERVI ADAYINTHEMACLEODBARRACKS”What’sthis,SergeantCrisp?”TheCommissioner,atall,slight,andsoldier-likeman,keen-eyedandbriskofspeech,rappedouthiswordslikeamanintentonbusiness。”Oneofawhiskeygang,Sir。DickRaven’s,Isuspect。””Andthecharge?””Whiskeytrading,theft,andmurder。” TheCommissioner’sfacegrewgrave。”Murder?Wheredidyoufindhim?””Kootenaytrail,Sir。GotwindofhimatCalgary,followedupthecluepastMorleyville,thenalongtheKootenaytrail。Ablizzardcameonandwefearedwehadlostthem。WefellinwithabandofStonyIndians,foundthatthebandhadbeenrobbedandtwooftheirnumbermurdered。””Twomurdered?”TheCommissioner’svoicewasstern。”Yes,Sir。Shotdownincoldblood。Wehavethetestimonyofaneyewitness。Wefollowedthetrailandcameupontwoofthem。Myhorsewasshot。Oneofthemescaped;thismanwecaptured。” TheCommissionersatpondering。Thenwithdisconcertingswiftnessheturnedupontheprisoner。”Yourname?””Cameron,Sir。””Wherefrom?””IwasworkinginMcIvor’ssurveycampnearMorleyville。Iwentoutshooting,lostmywayinablizzard,wascapturedbyamanwhocalledhimselfRaven——””Wait!”saidtheCommissionersharply。”Bringmethatfile!” TheorderlybroughtafilefromwhichtheCommissionerselectedaletter。Hiskeeneyesrapidlyscannedthecontentsandthenranovertheprisonerfromheadtofoot。Thereupon,withoutamoment’shesitation,hesaidcurtly:”Releasetheprisoner!””But,Sir——”beganSergeantCrisp,withanexpressionofutterbewildermentanddisgustuponhisface。”Releasetheprisoner!”repeatedtheCommissionersharply。”Mr。 Cameron,Ideeplyregretthismistake。Underthecircumstancesitcouldhardlyhavebeenavoided。Youwereinbadcompany,yousee。 Iamgreatlypleasedthatmymenhavebeenofservicetoyou。Weshallcontinuetodoallwecanforyou。InthemeantimeIamverypleasedtohavethepleasureofmeetingyou。”HepassedthelettertoSergeantCrisp。”IhaveinformationaboutyoufromMorleyville,yousee。Nowtellusallaboutit。” IttookCameronsomemomentstorecoverhiswits,sodumbfoundedwasheatthesuddenchangeinhiscondition。”Well,Sir,”hebegan,”Ihardlyknowwhattosay。””Sitdown,sitdown,Mr。Cameron。Takeyourtime,”saidtheCommissioner。”Wearesomewhathurriedthesedays,butyoumusthavehadsometryingexperiences。” ThenCameronproceededwithhistale。TheCommissionerlistenedwithkeenattention,nowandthenarrestinghimwithaquestionoracomment。WhenCameroncametotellofthemurderoftheStonieshisvoiceshookwithpassion。”WewillgetthatIndiansomeday,”saidtheCommissioner,”neverfear。Whatishisname?””LittleThunder,Ravencalledhim。AndIwouldliketotakeahandinthattoo,Sir,”saidCameroneagerly。”Youwould,eh?”saidtheCommissionerwithasharplookathim。”Well,we’llsee。LittleThunder,”herepeatedtohimself。”BringthatRecordBook!” Theorderlylaidalargecanvas-coveredbookbeforehim。”LittleThunder,eh?”herepeated,turningtheleavesofthebook。”Oh,yes,Ithoughtso!BloodIndian——formerlyChief——supplantedbyRedCrow——gotintotroublewithwhiskeytraders。Yes,I remember。Heisathisoldtricks。Thistime,however,hehasgonetoofar。Wewillgethim。Goon,Mr。Cameron!” WhenCameronhadconcludedhisstorytheCommissionersaidtotheorderlysharply:”SendmeInspectorDickson!” InafewmomentsInspectorDicksonappeared,atall,slightman,withagentlefaceandkindlyblueeyes。”InspectorDickson,howareweformen?Canyousparetwoorthreetoroundupagangofwhiskeytradersandtorundownamurderer? WeareonthetrackofRaven’sbunch,Ibelieve。””Weareveryshort-handedatpresent,Sir。Thishalf-breedtroubleinthenorthiskeepingourIndiansallveryrestless。Wemustkeepintouchwiththem。””Yes,yes,Iknow。Bytheway,howaretheBloodsjustnow?””Theyarebetter,Sir,buttheBlackfeetarerestlessanduneasy。 Therearealotofrunnersfromtheeastamongthem。””HowisoldCrowfootbehaving?””Crowfoothimselfisapparentlyallrightsofar,butofcoursenomancantellwhatCrowfootisthinking。””That’srightenough,”repliedtheCommissioner。”Bytheway,Sir,itwasCrowfoot’ssonthatgotintothattroublelastnightwiththatMacleodman。TheoldChiefisintown,too,infactisoutsidejustnowandquiteworkedupoverthearrest。””Well,wewillsettlethisCrowfootbusinessinafewminutes。 Now,aboutthisRavengang。Youcannotgoyourselfwithacoupleofmen?Heisanexceedinglycleverrascal。”