登陆注册
5148900000048

第48章 AN ODYSSEY OF THE NORTH(12)

'"Yes," I answered; "I am Naass, head man of Akatan, the last of the blood, as you are the last of the blood."'And she laughed. By all the things I have seen and the deeds I have done may I never hear such a laugh again. It put the chill to my soul, sitting there in the White Silence, alone with death and this woman who laughed.

'"Come!" I said, for I thought she wandered. "Eat of the food and let us be gone. It is a far fetch from here to Akatan."'But she shoved her face in his yellow mane, and laughed till it seemed the heavens must fall about our ears. I had thought she would be overjoyed at the sight of me, and eager to go back to the memory of old times, but this seemed a strange form to take.

'"Come!' I cried, taking her strong by the hand. "The way is long and dark. Let us hurry!'

'"Where?" she asked, sitting up, and ceasing from her strange mirth.

'"To Akatan," I answered, intent on the light to grow on her face at the thought. But it became like his, with a sneer to the lips, and cold anger.

'"Yes,' she said; "we will go, hand in hand, to Akatan, you and I.

And we will live in the dirty huts, and eat of the fish and oil, and bring forth a spawn- a spawn to be proud of all the days of our life. We will forget the world and be happy, very happy. It is good, most good. Come! Let us hurry. Let us go back to Akatan."'And she ran her hand through his yellow hair, and smiled in a way which was not good. And there was no promise in her eyes.

'I sat silent, and marveled at the strangeness of woman. I went back to the night when he dragged her from me and she screamed and tore at his hair- at his hair which now she played with and would not leave. Then I remembered the price and the long years of waiting;and I gripped her close, and dragged her away as he had done. And she held back, even as on that night, and fought like a she-cat for its whelp. And when the fire was between us and the man. I loosed her, and she sat and listened. And I told her of all that lay between, of all that had happened to me on strange seas, of all that I had done in strange lands; of my weary quest, and the hungry years, and the promise which had been mine from the first. Aye, I told all, even to what had passed that day between the man and me, and in the days yet young. And as I spoke I saw the promise grow in her eyes, full and large like the break of dawn. And I read pity there, the tenderness of woman, the love, the heart and the soul of Unga. And I was a stripling again, for the look was the look of Unga as she ran up the beach, laughing, to the home of her mother. The stern unrest was gone, and the hunger, and the weary waiting. The time was met. I felt the call of her breast, and it seemed there I must pillow my head and forget.

She opened her arms to me, and I came against her. Then, sudden, the hate flamed in her eye, her hand was at my hip. And once, twice, she passed the knife.

'"Dog!" she sneered, as she flung me into the snow. "Swine!" And then she laughed till the silence cracked, and went back to her dead.

'As I say, once she passed the knife, and twice; but she was weak with hunger, and it was not meant that I should die. Yet was Iminded to stay in that place, and to close my eyes in the last long sleep with those whose lives had crossed with mine and led my feet on unknown trails. But there lay a debt upon me which would not let me rest.

'And the way was long, the cold bitter, and there was little grub.

The Pellys had found no moose, and had robbed my cache. And so had the three white men, but they lay thin and dead in their cabins as Ipassed. After that I do not remember, till I came here, and found food and fire- much fire.'

As he finished, he crouched closely, even jealously, over the stove.

For a long while the slush-lamp shadows played tragedies upon the wall.

'But Unga!' cried Prince, the vision still strong upon him.

'Unga? She would not eat of the ptarmigan. She lay with her arms about his neck, her face deep in his yellow hair. I drew the fire close, that she might not feel the frost, but she crept to the other side. And I built a fire there; yet it was little good, for she would not eat. And in this manner they still lie up there in the snow.'

'And you?' asked Malemute Kid.

'I do not know; but Akatan is small, and I have little wish to go back and live on the edge of the world. Yet is there small use in life. I can go to Constantine, and he will put irons upon me, and one day they will tie a piece of rope, so, and I will sleep good. Yet-no; I do not know.'

'But, Kid,' protested Prince, 'this is murder!'

'Hush!' commanded Malemute Kid. 'There be things greater than our wisdom, beyond our justice. The right and the wrong of this we cannot say, and it is not for us to judge.'

Naass drew yet closer to the fire. There was a great silence, and in each man's eyes many pictures came and went.

THE END

同类推荐
  • 提纲释义

    提纲释义

    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。
  • 叶天士医案精华

    叶天士医案精华

    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。
  • 华阳陶隐君内传

    华阳陶隐君内传

    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。
  • 菊谱

    菊谱

    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。
  • 庆芝堂集

    庆芝堂集

    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
  • 重生都市武道至尊

    重生都市武道至尊

    【2018都市爽文畅销榜第三名,小马力荐!全网热搜!】抱歉,这世上能和我打成平手的没有几人。
  • 邻家拽校草

    邻家拽校草

    “我当你男朋友吧!”某房东又一次半夜三更跳窗追求。“我不喜欢男人!”某女语出惊人。“我也不喜欢女人,我就喜欢你!”“抱歉,你走错了!你的房子在隔壁!”“没事过来串串门也不行么?我可是你的房东诶!”“那你能不能别爬我房间的窗户!”“……我想玩突击看看你在干什么。”为了任务,她乔装打扮成为学校内一根平凡无奇的杂草。可是……杂草都有人穷追不舍?对方还是校草?老天,谁能带着这位帅哥去看一下眼科!他的视力绝对不正常!
  • 独占之豪门惊婚

    独占之豪门惊婚

    第一次提分手:叶扶桑说:“唐骓,我们真的不合适,分手吧!”唐骓直接爬上三楼窗台,回头:“你再说一次分手我就从这跳下去。”叶扶桑重复道:“我们分手吧。”唐骓什么话没说,头也不回纵身跃下……第一次闹分居:叶扶桑对着他喊:“唐骓,我真是受够你了!”唐骓直着脖子站在路边,西装革履玉树临风,一派贵公子模样,抬着下巴高傲的问:“所以呢?”叶扶桑呼气:“我们都冷静下行不行?”唐骓转身往车流里冲:“你敢说乱七八糟的东西,老子就死给你看!”……第一次闹离婚:叶扶桑抓头发:“我要离婚!”唐骓指着叶扶桑咬牙切齿:“你敢再说一次?”叶扶桑抬头看他:“唐骓,我跟你过够了,离婚吧!”唐骓转身出去,不多时怀里多了个胖乎乎的小奶娃回来,居高临下看着叶扶桑:“你信不信我今天晚上就带唐蛟去跳河?”……风平浪静时也能好好说话。叶扶桑给他打预防针:“唐骓,一哭二闹三上吊是女人的戏码,你是女人吗?”唐骓不在乎:“老子是男是女你还不知道,你要是敢提分手我就敢死。”叶扶桑叹气:“你到底想怎么样?”唐骓扭着脖子:“没想怎么样!就这样!”对,就这样,安安静静的过日子。他也不想怎么样,就是想独占这个女人到老,谁都不准跟他抢。&&&爱情是火,扎进去的人无不遍体鳞伤。先爱上的总是输家,所以豪赌中总有人输的血本无归。
  • 有勇有谋的自我保护

    有勇有谋的自我保护

    《有勇有谋的自我保护》的主要内容有立正确的荣辱观、维护祖国的安全荣誉和利益、多学习法律知识、把法律用到生活当中、怎样才算中国公民、怎么才能休息一合格的分民、原来出版也有规定、奇怪的“老爷爷”、父母打开我们的日记本、如何看待父母私拆我们的信件等。
  • 张恨水经典作品系列:纸醉金迷(上)

    张恨水经典作品系列:纸醉金迷(上)

    故事发生在1945年国民政府陪都重庆。这里聚集着一批灯红酒绿、醉生梦死者。一切都围绕着金钱转,官员贪污、商人及银行家投机、女人做拆白党,一时成风。小说以小公务员魏端本与其艳冠群芳却又虚荣至极的夫人田佩芝由同居而分手为线索,以众多人物抢购黄金储蓄券发国难财为契机,展开了纷纭复杂的故事。待到抗日战争胜利,投机者的一切均成为泡影。作品将批判的锋芒直指抗战胜利前夕的国统区的丑陋、卑琐的世态炎凉。揭示了在特殊年代背景下,人性与金钱面前的迷失与挣扎。
  • 公关办事要有“心机”

    公关办事要有“心机”

    本书的目的是教人应付人生最难办的事,让关键的那些事情都办成功。同时本书引用了大量成功人士的实例,帮助读者了解他们在关键时刻是如何把事情办得圆满融通。书中所选用的事例都是人们熟知的或发生在我们身边的事,具有现实的借鉴性和可操作性。如果读者朋友能够认真通读全书,一定能找到公关办事时的最佳心态和解决方法,在事业上找到自己的成功之地,也希望本书能为千千万万个读者朋友们解决公关办事中遇到的困扰和难题。
  • 妖神

    妖神

    莲起炎落,幽生冰魄。定空间,掌时间。何谓仙?何谓妖?我异成妖,仙又如何!
  • 月半倾城

    月半倾城

    世间万物,总逃不过一个命字。满地扶桑,遍地浮光;月半倾城,转瞬沧桑。
  • 齐鲁飞将军

    齐鲁飞将军

    罗荣恒元帅率领八路军一一五师东进齐鲁,在这古老的土地上曾经演过了一出威武雄壮的活剧,留下了许多可歌可泣的事迹。
  • 世间最美是心安

    世间最美是心安

    周国平、张德芬、李尚龙、十点读书林少联袂倾情推荐,高人气专栏作家李月亮提笔书写给万千读者的暖心之作,心乱一切乱,心安一切安,不必急躁,不必慌乱,不沉湎过去,不畏惧将来,生活自会给出想要的答案。