登陆注册
5161200000002

第2章 THE GOD OF HIS FATHERS(2)

"But mark you, for this is the strangeness of woman, the way of which no man may understand.One of the saddles I emptied was that of her father's, and the hoofs of those who came behind had pounded him into the earth.This we saw, the girl and I, and this I had forgot had she not remembered.And in the quiet of the evening, after the day's hunt were done, it came between us, and in the silence of the night when we lay beneath the stars and should have been one.It was there always.She never spoke, but it sat by our fire and held us ever apart.She tried to put it aside, but at such times it would rise up till I could read it in the look of her eyes, in the very in-take of her breath.

"So in the end she bore me a child, a woman-child, and died.Then I went among my mother's people, that it might nurse at a warm breast and live.But my hands were wet with the blood of men, look you, because of the church, wet with the blood of men.And the Riders of the North came for me, but my mother's brother, who was then chief in his own right, hid me and gave me horses and food.And we went away, my woman-child and I, even to the Hudson Bay Country, where white men were few and the questions they asked not many.And I worked for the company a hunter, as a guide, as a driver of dogs, till my woman-child was become a woman, tall, and slender, and fair to the eye.

"You know the winter, long and lonely, breeding evil thoughts and bad deeds.The Chief Factor was a hard man, and bold.And he was not such that a woman would delight in looking upon.But he cast eyes upon my woman-child who was become a woman.Mother of God!

he sent me away on a long trip with the dogs, that he might--you understand, he was a hard man and without heart.She was most white, and her soul was white, and a good woman, and--well, she died.

"It was bitter cold the night of my return, and I had been away months, and the dogs were limping sore when I came to the fort.

The Indians and breeds looked on me in silence, and I felt the fear of I knew not what, but I said nothing till the dogs were fed and I had eaten as a man with work before him should.Then Ispoke up, demanding the word, and they shrank from me, afraid of my anger and what I should do; but the story came out, the pitiful story, word for word and act for act, and they marvelled that Ishould be so quiet.

"When they had done I went to the Factor's house, calmer than now in the telling of it.He had been afraid and called upon the breeds to help him; but they were not pleased with the deed, and had left him to lie on the bed he had made.So he had fled to the house of the priest.Thither I followed.But when I was come to that place, the priest stood in my way, and spoke soft words, and said a man in anger should go neither to the right nor left, but straight to God.I asked by the right of a father's wrath that he give me past, but he said only over his body, and besought with me to pray.Look you, it was the church, always the church; for Ipassed over his body and sent the Factor to meet my woman-child before his god, which is a bad god, and the god of the white men.

Then was there hue and cry, for word was sent to the station below, and I came away.Through the Land of the Great Slave, down the Valley of the Mackenzie to the never-opening ice, over the White Rockies, past the Great Curve of the Yukon, even to this place did I come.And from that day to this, yours is the first face of my father's people I have looked upon.May it be the last! These people, which are my people, are a simple folk, and Ihave been raised to honor among them.My word is their law, and their priests but do my bidding, else would I not suffer them.

When I speak for them I speak for myself.We ask to be let alone.

We do not want your kind.If we permit you to sit by our fires, after you will come your church, your priests, and your gods.And know this, for each white man who comes to my village, him will Imake deny his god.You are the first, and I give you grace.So it were well you go, and go quickly.""I am not responsible for my brothers," the second man spoke up, filling his pipe in a meditative manner.Hay Stockard was at times as thoughtful of speech as he was wanton of action; but only at times.

"But I know your breed," responded the other."Your brothers are many, and it is you and yours who break the trail for them to follow.In time they shall come to possess the land, but not in my time.Already, have I heard, are they on the head-reaches of the Great River, and far away below are the Russians."Hay Stockard lifted his head with a quick start.This was startling geographical information.The Hudson Bay post at Fort Yukon had other notions concerning the course of the river, believing it to flow into the Arctic.

"Then the Yukon empties into Bering Sea?" he asked.

"I do not know, but below there are Russians, many Russians.

Which is neither here nor there.You may go on and see for yourself; you may go back to your brothers; but up the Koyukuk you shall not go while the priests and fighting men do my bidding.

Thus do I command, I, Baptiste the Red, whose word is law and who am head man over this people.""And should I not go down to the Russians, or back to my brothers?""Then shall you go swift-footed before your god, which is a bad god, and the god of the white men."The red sun shot up above the northern skyline, dripping and bloody.Baptiste the Red came to his feet, nodded curtly, and went back to his camp amid the crimson shadows and the singing of the robins.

Hay Stockard finished his pipe by the fire, picturing in smoke and coal the unknown upper reaches of the Koyukuk, the strange stream which ended here its arctic travels and merged its waters with the muddy Yukon flood.Somewhere up there, if the dying words of a ship-wrecked sailorman who had made the fearful overland journey were to be believed, and if the vial of golden grains in his pouch attested anything,--somewhere up there, in that home of winter, stood the Treasure House of the North.And as keeper of the gate, Baptiste the Red, English half-breed and renegade, barred the way.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 风雷印记

    风雷印记

    炜焱不断的提升功力,想要破解带来无边痛苦的,在体内对撞的风之力和雷之力,以及自己眉心处北斗七星印记的秘密。
  • 大秦之歌

    大秦之歌

    神州大地群雄并起,战乱纷扰。大秦帝国外有强敌虎视眈眈,内有王子乱臣觊觎帝位,朝纲一片混乱,民不聊生。被放逐的镇国公世子为了寻求救世之法,通过异宝穿越到了现代。二十年后再次回到了那个世界,一幅传奇画卷正徐徐展开...(PS:本书是一个架空历史的故事,发生在虚构的年代,并非历史中的秦朝。)
  • 王者的脚下潜伏深渊

    王者的脚下潜伏深渊

    王者的英雄们启程探索未知的世界;幽暗森林中的阴影正在窥伺着机会。亡灵从死亡的国度返回,隐秘的存在被仪式唤醒。两个世界因为偶然和宿命互相触碰。仁义?多么奢侈!
  • 大腕崛起

    大腕崛起

    新书《文骚》已发,不一样的文娱体验!_______________________________2013年,内地总票房怒破200亿大关!2012年,华语电影单片票房首次突破12亿!2011年,华语电影单片票房首次达到一亿美元!2010年,内地总票房强势突破100亿!2009年,内地市场有三部电影票房过4亿!2008年,内地票房过亿电影共计12部!……2005年,怀揣明星梦的何沐从横店影城走出来,并成为娱乐江湖的一个变数,所以上面的数据都做不得准,未来大势将由强者左右!何沐就是那个娱乐圈的强者,众人仰视的大腕!
  • 若你不弃,此生不离

    若你不弃,此生不离

    人一生会遇到约2920万人,而两个人相爱的概率只有0.000049。 曾唯一与纪齐宣订婚,是为了让另一个男人林穆森难堪。六年之后,她嫁给纪齐宣,是为了给儿子优越的生活,也让自己重新回到上流社会。只是,被她抛弃过的纪齐宣,再也不是当年那个默默爱着她的沉静少年。生子、结婚、也许有爱情,曾唯一的经历与别人的完全相反,这个骄傲不懂爱的女人会收获她的幸福吗?
  • 全系召唤师绝世大小姐

    全系召唤师绝世大小姐

    21世纪的绝色特工――1号一朝穿越到了凤舞大陆的13岁孤女身上召唤师,炼丹师,炼器师……为了在这个弱肉强食的世界上生存她创造了无数个令人羡艳的奇迹在成神的道路上,是谁陪伴在她身旁
  • 琅令天下

    琅令天下

    一个神秘符令掀起六界风云,阴谋算计,尔虞我诈又何止于沉沉浮世......
  • 佛说金身陀罗尼经

    佛说金身陀罗尼经

    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。
  • 我在大唐有座城

    我在大唐有座城

    在大唐,有这么一座城!它没有城墙防御,却是这个世界上最安全的地方!这里的商店拥有无数超脱这个时代的奇珍!这里的医疗,教育,文娱都引领着世界主流!这里的居民必须是各个领域的精英级人才!某国国王为求购一套这里的公寓只能搭上国土!这里是大唐的经济中心。也是整个世界的经济中心!而它的主人,拥有这个世界80%的财富总和...
  • 五行修神

    五行修神

    一个先天血脉浓度为零,不可能走上修真之路的废物,却有着极为超常的智力!天生拥有水之印记却又没有水之血脉,却是神秘五行族之水之传人!身为世袭武修家族的二少爷,却又拥有来自其他星球的古老强悍血脉!在即将登上修真之巅的时候,却又发现原来五行的终极目标另有其意!