登陆注册
4703500000088

第88章

On the foot-hills' side of The Gap, on a grassy plain bounded on three sides by the Bow River and on the other by ragged hills and broken timber, stood Surveyor McIvor's camp, three white tents, seeming wondrously insignificant in the shadow of the mighty Rockies, but cosy enough. For on this April day the sun was riding high in the heavens in all his new spring glory, where a few days ago and for many months past the storm king with relentless rigour had raged, searching with pitiless fury these rock-ribbed hills and threatening these white tents and their dwellers with dire destruction. But threaten though he might and pin them though he did beneath their frail canvas covers, he could not make that gang beat retreat. McIvor was of the kind that takes no back trail. In the late fall he had set out to run the line through The Gap, and after many wanderings through the coulees of the foothills and after many vain attempts, he had finally made choice of his route and had brought his men, burnt black with chinook and frost and sun, hither to The Gap's mouth. Every chain length in those weary marches was a battle ground, every pillar, every picket stood a monument of victory. McIvor's advance through the foot-hill country to The Gap had been one unbroken succession of fierce fights with Nature's most terrifying forces, a triumphal march of heroes who bore on their faces and on their bodies the scars and laurels of the campaign. But to McIvor and his gang it was all in the day's work.

To Cameron the winter had brought an experience of a life hitherto undreamed of, but never even in its wildest blizzards did he cherish anything but gratitude to his friend Martin, who had got him attached to McIvor's survey party. For McIvor was a man to "tie to," as Martin said, and to Cameron he was a continual cause of wonder and admiration. He was a big man, with a big man's quiet strength, patient, fearless of men and things, reverent toward Nature's forces, which it was his life's business to know, to measure, to control, and, if need be, to fight, careful of his men, whether amid the perils of the march, or amid the more deadly perils of trading post and railway construction camp. Cameron never could forget the thrill of admiration that swept his soul one night in Taylor's billiard and gambling "joint" down at the post where the Elbow joins the Bow, when McIvor, without bluff or bluster, took his chainman and his French-Canadian cook, the latter frothing mad with "Jamaica Ginger" and "Pain-killer," out of the hands of the gang of bad men from across the line who had marked them as lambs for the fleecing. It was not the courage of his big chief so much that had filled Cameron with amazed respect and admiration as the calm indifference to every consideration but that of getting his men out of harm's way, and the cool-headed directness of the method he employed.

"Come along, boys," McIvor had said, gripping them by their coat collars. "I don't pay you good money for this sort of thing." And so saying he had lifted them clear from their seats, upsetting the table, ignoring utterly the roaring oaths of the discomfited gamblers. What would have been the result none could say, for one of the gamblers had whipped out his gun and with sulphurous oaths was conducting a vigourous demonstration behind the unconscious back of McIvor, when there strolled into the room and through the crowd of men scattering to cover, a tall slim youngster in the red jacket and pill-box cap of that world-famous body of military guardians of law and order, the North West Mounted Police. Not while he lived would Cameron forget the scene that followed. With an air of lazy nonchalance the youngster strode quietly up to the desperado flourishing his gun and asked in a tone that indicated curiosity more than anything else, "What are you doing with that thing?"

"I'll show yeh!" roared the man in his face, continuing to pour forth a torrent of oaths.

"Put it down there!" said the youngster in a smooth and silky voice, pointing to a table near by. "You don't need that in this country."

The man paused in his demonstration and for a moment or two stood in amazed silence. The audacity of the youngster appeared to paralyse his powers of speech and action.

"Put it down there, my man. Do you hear?" The voice was still smooth, but through the silky tones there ran a fibre of steel.

Still the desperado stood gazing at him. "Quick, do you hear?"

There was a sudden sharp ring of imperious, of overwhelming authority, and, to the amazement of the crowd of men who stood breathless and silent about, there followed one of those phenomena which experts in psychology delight to explain, but which no man can understand. Without a word the gambler slowly laid upon the table his gun, upon whose handle were many notches, the tally of human lives it had accounted for in the hands of this same desperado.

"What is this for?" continued the young man, gently touching the belt of cartridges. "Take it off!"

The belt found its place beside the gun.

"Now, listen!" gravely continued the youngster. "I give you twenty-four hours to leave this post, and if after twenty-four hours you are found here it will be bad for you. Get out!"

The man, still silent, slunk out from the room. Irresistible authority seemed to go with the word that sent him forth, and rightly so, for behind that word lay the full weight of Great Britain's mighty empire. It was Cameron's first experience of the North West Mounted Police, that famous corps of frontier riders who for more than a quarter of a century have ridden the marches of Great Britain's territories in the far northwest land, keeping intact the Pax Britannica amid the wild turmoil of pioneer days.

同类推荐
  • 皇清书史

    皇清书史

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 上清大洞真经

    上清大洞真经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 罗云忍辱经

    罗云忍辱经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • LYSIS

    LYSIS

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说灌洗佛形像经

    佛说灌洗佛形像经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 婚婚欲睡

    婚婚欲睡

    宫先生宫太太结婚周年庆,商业界的传奇某著名宠妻狂魔宫南倾被记者提问。“如果您的妻子和您发生了争吵,您会怎么解决?”宫南倾沉默傲娇脸,扬起手重重的拍了一下桌子。“啪。”“如果您的妻子要跟您离婚,您会怎么解决?”宫南倾挑眉。“不可能。”
  • 云溪俍亭挺禅师语录

    云溪俍亭挺禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 在土耳其合唱

    在土耳其合唱

    小说讲述五个中国人游历土耳其时的所见所思所感以及与导游彭亮之间所发生的故事。彭亮是一个阳光的土耳其男孩,曾不远万里来中国学习中文,但又极其维护本民族的历史文化,他的人生经历,折射了两种文化的融合与碰撞,他对祖国的热爱,对历史的迷思,引起了五个中国人的共鸣。
  • 龙女萌妻:邪魅夫君不好惹

    龙女萌妻:邪魅夫君不好惹

    “睡觉不能睡地上,要睡床的,你去睡床吧。”龙幺幺轻轻抚摸了一下他的头,柔柔的说道。“哎哎!你你怎么进我屋了?”这点龙幺幺就有点不能接受,人家“小奶狗”却一脸委屈,不是说好的,要随时随地,紧紧跟随的吗?龙幺幺竟无言以对。“哎哎!你睡我屋就算了,为什么还爬我床啊?”龙幺幺立刻一个头两个大。小奶狗依旧一脸委屈,他不会说话,跟龙幺幺后慢慢的学会了说话,他无比困难的才说出了两个字,“暖……床。”立刻龙幺幺面临崩溃。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 毒步天下:嚣张嫡女笑

    毒步天下:嚣张嫡女笑

    >封后大典,血溅三尺四肢断,父亲以命换她残生依旧逃不过被做成人肉包子的下场!一朝重生,嚣张无人敌,打姨娘辱庶妹那都是小意思,势必要那负心人用一生来偿还!九五之尊照样虐,腹黑冷情王爷旁边滚,翩翩美丞相也只沦落到棋子,武林盟主也敢毒!嚣张嫡女自然是要傲苍穹,凡夫俗子怎堪配!
  • 盛世妖娆:邪帝宠狂妻

    盛世妖娆:邪帝宠狂妻

    她是王牌杀手,世称“妖娆活阎王”,一朝穿越,却成了一个废材嫡小姐。废材?呵呵呵,你们见过修灵,空间,御兽,炼药,炼器一手抓,把顶级魔兽拎起来当小鸡玩儿的废材么?有人挑衅?不好意思,她什么都不会,只会杀人。有人追求?开玩笑!看看身后杵着的某尊腹黑邪魅大神,他什么都不会,也只会杀人。某大神看着某女身后的追求大军,一脸风轻云淡,咬牙切齿,“初儿啊,最近为夫有些无聊,想要砍几亩桃花树玩玩儿。”某初:“唔,砍树有什么好玩儿,来奴家给你个儿子乐乐。”
  • 灾祸的降临上(破解人类文明与科学之谜)

    灾祸的降临上(破解人类文明与科学之谜)

    宇宙茫茫,星空浩瀚。亿万年来,宇宙每天都在人类的面前,炫示着她的神奇与伟大,灿烂与深邃。
  • 无尽世界我为王

    无尽世界我为王

    一个从天而降的手机,一段段瑰丽神奇的历程,从武侠到仙侠,从魔法到科技,从水蓝星到宇宙······无尽世界任我行,宇宙洪荒我为王。穿越不是目的,咱们滴目标,是星辰大海。
  • 塔杜施先生

    塔杜施先生

    本书是密茨凯维奇的一部长诗,代表了他的创作成就,也是波兰的民族史诗,全诗共12卷,一万余行。译者易丽君,1934年生,北京外国语大学教授,博士生导师;林洪亮,1935年生,中国社会科学院外国文学研究所研究员。本书曾由人民文学出版社于1998年出版,收入“世界文学名著文库”。
  • 不一样的25年:施耐德电气的中国故事

    不一样的25年:施耐德电气的中国故事

    世界500强企业、全球能效管理专家施耐德电气拥有着强大的市场能力。它为200多个国家的能源、基础设施、工业过程控制、住宅市场提供方案,致力于为客户安全、可靠、高效的能源。自1987年进入中国市场,到现在建立起令对手望而生畏的产业地位,施耐德面临了很多挑战,实现了很多跨越。作为一家成功进军中国市场并取得全球性认可的跨国企业,施耐德电气的成功经验值得探讨与学习。本书由施耐德电气郑重授权,以时间为线索,从施耐德电气不同阶段所作出的决策及案例入手,真实地展现了其成功的产品竞争及与并购方式。作为世界顶级公司,它独特的生产、物流、仓储及销售体系,给许多企业提供了做大做强的实际参考。