登陆注册
4708200000037

第37章

To-night, as usual, with a keen ear to the wind, Gale listened as one on guard; yet he watched the changing phantom of a sweet face in the embers, and as he watched he thought. The desert developed and multiplied thought. A thousand sweet faces glowed in the pink and white ashes of his campfire, the faces of other sweethearts or wives that had gleamed for other men. Gale was happy in his thought of Nell, for Nell, for something, when he was alone this way in the wilderness, told him she was near him, she thought of him, she loved him. But there were many men alone on that vast southwestern plateau, and when they saw dream faces, surely for some it was a fleeting flash, a gleam soon gone, like the hope and the name and the happiness that had been and was now no more. Often Gale thought of those hundreds of desert travelers, prospectors, wanderers who had ventured down the Camino del Diablo, never to be heard of again. Belding had told him of that most terrible of all desert trails--a trail of shifting sands. Lash had traversed it, and brought back stories of buried waterholes, of bones bleaching white in the sun, of gold mines as lost as were the prospectors who had sought them, of the merciless Yaqui and his hatred for the Mexican. Gale thought of this trail and the men who had camped along it. For many there had been one night, one campfire that had been the last. This idea seemed to creep in out of the darkness, the loneliness, the silence, and to find a place in Gale's mind, so that it had strange fascination for him.

He knew now as he had never dreamed before how men drifted into the desert, leaving behind graves, wrecked homes, ruined lives, lost wives and sweethearts. And for every wanderer every campfire had a phantom face. Gale measured the agony of these men at their last campfire by the joy and promise he traced in the ruddy heart of his own.

By and by Gale remembered what he was waiting for; and, getting up, he took the halter and went out to find Blanco Sol. It was pitch-dark now, and Gale could not see a rod ahead. He felt his way, and presently as he rounded a mesquite he saw Sol's white shape outlined against the blackness. The horse jumped and wheeled, ready to run. It was doubtful if any one unknown to Sol could ever have caught him. Gale's low call reassured him, and he went on grazing. Gale haltered him in the likeliest patch of grass and returned to his camp. There he lifted his saddle into a protected spot under a low wall of the mound, and, laying one blanket on the sand, he covered himself with the other and stretched himself for the night.

Here he was out of reach of the wind; but he heard its melancholy moan in the mesquite. There was no other sound. The coyotes had ceased their hungry cries. Gale dropped to sleep, and slept soundly during the first half of the night; and after that he seemed always to be partially awake, aware of increasing cold and damp.

The dark mantle turned gray, and then daylight came quickly. The morning was clear and nipping cold. He threw off the wet blanket and got up cramped and half frozen. A little brisk action was all that was necessary to warm his blood and loosen his muscles, and then he was fresh, tingling, eager. The sun rose in a golden blaze, and the descending valley took on wondrous changing hues. Then he fetched up Blanco Sol, saddled him, and tied him to the thickest clump of mesquite.

"Sol, we'll have a drink pretty soon," he said, patting the splendid neck.

Gale meant it. He would not eat till he had watered his horse.

Sol had gone nearly forty-eight hours without a sufficient drink, and that was long enough, even for a desert-bred beast. No three raiders could keep Gale away from that well. Taking his rifle in hand, he faced up the arroyo. Rabbits were frisking in the short willows, and some were so tame he could have kicked them. Gale walked swiftly for a goodly part of the distance, and then, when he saw blue smoke curling up above the trees, he proceeded slowly, with alert eye and ear. From the lay of the land and position of trees seen by daylight, he found an easier and safer course that the one he had taken in the dark. And by careful work he was enabled to get closer to the well, and somewhat above it.

The Mexicans were leisurely cooking their morning meal. They had two fires, one for warmth, the other to cook over. Gale had an idea these raiders were familiar to him. It seemed all these border hawks resembled one another--being mostly small of build, wiry, angular, swarthy-faced, and black-haired, and they wore the oddly styled Mexican clothes and sombreros. A slow wrath stirred in Gale as he watched the trio. They showed not the slightest indication of breaking camp. One fellow, evidently the leader, packed a gun at his hip, the only weapon in sight. Gale noted this with speculative eyes. The raiders had slept inside the little adobe house, and had not yet brought out the carbines.

Next Gale swept his gaze to the corral, in which he saw more than a dozen horses, some of them fine animals. They were stamping and whistling, fighting one another, and pawing the dirt. This was entirely natural behavior for desert horses penned in when they wanted to get at water and grass.

But suddenly one of the blacks, a big, shaggy fellow, shot up his ears and pointed his nose over the top of the fence. He whistled.

Other horses looked in the same direction, and their ears went up, and they, too, whistled. Gale knew that other horses or men, very likely both, were approaching. But the Mexicans did not hear the alarm, or show any interest if they did. These mescal-drinking raiders were not scouts. It was notorious how easily they could be surprised or ambushed. Mostly they were ignorant, thick-skulled peons. They were wonderful horsemen, and could go long without food or water; but they had not other accomplishments or attributes calculated to help them in desert warfare. They had poor sight, poor hearing, poor judgment, and when excited they resembled crazed ants running wild.

同类推荐
  • 本草易读

    本草易读

    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。
  • 栖霞阁野乘

    栖霞阁野乘

    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。
  • 贤劫经

    贤劫经

    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。
  • 眼科阐微

    眼科阐微

    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。
  • History of Friedrich II of Prussia

    History of Friedrich II of Prussia

    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
  • 灵钥传说之绝代铸空师

    灵钥传说之绝代铸空师

    身怀完整的空间能力,拥有开启无限修仙资源的灵泽仙境的秘钥也有错?看着她的父亲,她的族人,她的家园惨遭灭亡,弱小无助的黎弄决然吞下秘钥自杀,却不料,还没死成就被强大的敌人重创,肉身化为齑粉,神魂三分……三百多年后,黎弄非常郁闷,次魂跑了一个就算了,为啥,她的雷劫被打断,传承被抢一半,出生了还缩水……这是上天将降大任的节奏?黎弄咬咬牙,化悲愤为力量,扛起大刀,一路披荆斩棘,不畏艰苦,不断强大自己,以报复仇敌。黎弄:在孤独艰辛的复仇路上,有你相伴,再苦再累,也有人和我共享!风帝:一统大陆的执著,沉醉医药的研究都不及遇见你的,惊艳刹那时光,从此沦陷!本文别样的穿越重生,女强男强,1V1。
  • 君心为谋

    君心为谋

    一朝变故,家族覆灭,从万千宠爱及一身的君后也落为最低贱的奴婢,步步为营,苦心策划,后宫争斗,尔虐我诈,谋心夺权,只为夺取帝心
  • 曾经清晰的某个角落

    曾经清晰的某个角落

    写实类总裁文他,遭遇惨痛,白手起家,性情温和,感恩之心,害怕薄情这个又薄情了那个!她是陪伴他白手起家,患难与共,同甘共苦,勤勤奋奋的妻子!而她是她的表妹,在恰当的时间以恰当的方式走进了他们的婚姻!如果爱是一江春水,会不会有一天源头变成了沙漠而岌岌可危。或者源头之水流向了他处,不再流向曾经抚慰的地方...曾经清晰的某个角落
  • Rosmersholm

    Rosmersholm

    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。
  • 柏拉图的永恒缘来是你

    柏拉图的永恒缘来是你

    人可一个曾经红遍两岸三地的知名艺人,在自己的演绎事业走入低谷,感情千疮百孔的失落中,选择了逃离,带着对自由的向往,来到了他飞镖射中的内地的一个小山村——桑树堰,在这样一个风景如画,静僻闲凉的地方,化名希瑞遇到了同样来这里的可爱姑娘——彤彤,在相处的过程里逐渐被这个并不漂亮但积极乐观真实的女孩吸引,她被彤彤快乐兰花般的热情感动着,享受着这里简单的快乐。当彤彤知道了人可的事情后,终于没有勇气跨向那个她不敢触及的世界,两人都回到了各自的生活,在人可精致的生活中,他越来越想念那个如兰花般的姑娘。他们真的就没机会见面了吗?他们的人生还会有什么样的交集呢?敬请期待
  • 西普同人大陆

    西普同人大陆

    本小说内容来自“西普大陆”的同人作品,与其的本身内容是没有任何关联的,部分的剧情会来自“西普大陆”里,但绝不会是所有都和“西普大陆”的剧情一致,本小说因为是出自游戏的同人作品,所以也只单纯的适合玩“西普大陆”游戏的朋友观看,而没玩过这个游戏的朋友可能会看不懂,就不要在意这种小细节啦~
  • 狼烟北平

    狼烟北平

    本书讲述的是一个关于“战争与人性”的故事。北京城沦陷了,日、伪、国、共,四方角逐,狼烟北平,浮生百绘。各色人物却忙着为自己争取利益,麻木的国民亦在苦难与矛盾中挣扎,所有人以各自的方式见证着一国之盛衰兴亡。家国天下,烟火人间,斜阳里叹一片苍凉。无论如何,战争放大了人性的光辉和卑劣。
  • 太乙仙元志

    太乙仙元志

    无垠的夜幕降临,天地间却是一片血红。少年踏上了寂灭的土地,寻找他内心渴望的光辉。面前是深渊,背后是烈焰,纵然千难万险,他也要打破束缚,渡劫成仙!
  • 余心有碍

    余心有碍

    萧瑀觉得,沈晏上辈子那么喜欢自己,这辈子应该也一样。沈晏却觉得,重活一世,就不要跳进同一个坑里了吧。本文是讲一个渣男锲而不舍终成忠犬的故事。萧瑀:这跟设定的不一样啊!
  • 温州人凭什么发财

    温州人凭什么发财

    温州人在“无资金、无技术、无市场”的情况下白手创业,起点低,风险小,回报率稳定,被誉为“东方犹太人”。他们关注市场,不在乎形式。当人们都在一味地追求“最好”时,温州人重视的却是什么是最适合自己的东西。温州商人所取得的成绩为世人所注目,吸引着许多人学习他们的经商模式,探寻他们的创业致富精神。《温州人:凭什么发财》从温州人生存理念、思维方式、经商手段、金钱观念、创业精神等方面讲述了他们创业致富的风雨历程。事例生动,故事感人,文笔清新,具有很强的借鉴意义,是立志从商者必读宝典。