登陆注册
5421300000068

第68章

THE LONG TRAIL

The round-up crew started early the next morning, just about sun-up. Senor Johnson rode first, merely to keep out of the dust. Then followed Torn Rich, jogging along easily in the cow-puncher's "Spanish trot" whistling soothingly to quiet the horses, giving a lead to the band of saddle animals strung out loosely behind him. These moved on gracefully and lightly in the manner of the unburdened plains horse, half decided to follow Tom's guidance, half inclined to break to right or left. Homer and Jim Lester flanked them, also riding in a slouch of apparent laziness, but every once in a while darting forward like bullets to turn back into the main herd certain individuals whom the early morning of the unwearied day had inspired to make a dash for liberty. The rear was brought up by Jerky Jones, the fourth cow-puncher, and the four-mule chuck wagon, lost in its own dust.

The sun mounted; the desert went silently through its changes.

Wind devils raised straight, true columns of dust six, eight hundred, even a thousand feet into the air. The billows of dust from the horses and men crept and crawled with them like a living creature. Glorious colour, magnificent distance, astonishing illusion, filled the world.

Senor Johnson rode ahead, looking at these things. The separation from his wife, brief as it would be, left room in his soul for the heart-hunger which beauty arouses in men. He loved the charm of the desert, yet it hurt him.

Behind him the punchers relieved the tedium of the march, each after his own manner. In an hour the bunch of loose horses lost its early-morning good spirits and settled down to a steady plodding, that needed no supervision. Tom Rich led them, now, in silence, his time fully occupied in rolling Mexican cigarettes with one hand. The other three dropped back together and exchanged desultory remarks. Occasionally Jim Lester sang. It was always the same song of uncounted verses, but Jim had a strange fashion of singing a single verse at a time. After a long interval he would sing another.

"My Love is a rider And broncos he breaks, But he's given up riding And all for my sake, For he found him a horse And it suited him so That he vowed he'd ne'er ride Any other bronco!"he warbled, and then in the same breath:

"Say, boys, did you get onto the pisano-looking shorthorn at Willets last week?

"Nope."

"He sifted in wearin' one of these hardboiled hats, and carryin'

a brogue thick enough to skate on. Says he wants a job drivin'

team--that he drives a truck plenty back to St. Louis, where he comes from. Goodrich sets him behind them little pinto cavallos he has. Say! that son of a gun a driver! He couldn't drive nails in a snow bank." An expressive free-hand gesture told all there was to tell of the runaway. "Th' shorthorn landed headfirst in Goldfish Charlie's horse trough. Charlie fishes him out. 'How the devil, stranger,' says Charlie, 'did you come to fall in here?' 'You blamed fool,' says the shorthorn, just cryin'

mad, 'I didn't come to fall in here, I come to drive horses.'"And then, without a transitory pause:

同类推荐
  • 林野奇禅师语录

    林野奇禅师语录

    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。
  • 续贞元释教录

    续贞元释教录

    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。
  • 东山国语

    东山国语

    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。
  • 新受戒比丘六念五观法

    新受戒比丘六念五观法

    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。
  • 止观大意

    止观大意

    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
  • 独占帝心

    独占帝心

    你说夫妻是什么?一张床上同寝共眠,早早的就被红线绑在一起了,还指望能撇下我?就是百年后你我化了鬼,棺材不得紧紧挨在一起?他日儿孙们翻看族谱,你也都是跟我一个姓的。清翎,我们是夫妻,是要相守一世的夫妻。
  • Old Fritz and the New Era

    Old Fritz and the New Era

    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。
  • 因你的到来

    因你的到来

    无论从诗的立意,还是意象、意境、语言而论,本书都不失为近年壮乡推出的又一部好诗集。如果说有什么瑕疵可指的话,那么,由于诗人思维的跳跃性,意蕴的隐晦性,往往有“阳春白雪,和者盖寡”之嫌。有些篇什,专业人士解读尚且困难,罔论中低水平的读者群。因此,当代诗歌要赢得较大市场份额,不能不考虑“下里巴人”的阅读心理和欣赏习惯。
  • 蔷薇一色

    蔷薇一色

    关于爱情、友情。你 是我的 在劫难逃; 我一直以为爱情一定是轰轰烈烈任何人也不能阻挡的两厢情愿。 又名《1243的信息》
  • 予此生

    予此生

    一条直线和一条曲线有了交点,却又错开,他们还会再重逢吗? 如果还在17的年纪,沈卿屿肯定说:“不会。”但当他遇见时浅笙后,他说:“把‘不会’变成‘会’的过程很难,但我可以做到!”下雪的冬季。高中时期,沈卿屿总喜欢捂住时浅笙冻红了的耳朵,一边责备:“你是笨蛋吗?心疼死我了!”大学时期,沈卿屿总喜欢把自己的手,伸进时浅笙的袖子里,取暖!不仅如此他还振振有词:“我的人,我牵着有什么问题吗?”后来,在娱乐圈闪闪发光的他们,对着镜头,沈卿屿把时浅笙拥入怀中,亲吻着她的秀发,霸道宣言:“你这一辈子只能属于我。”
  • 锦绣王妃

    锦绣王妃

    她以为古代生活真的像小说那样遇皇上,调戏王爷,逍遥江湖。为毛这个却是这么乱世的一个世界,当与天下为敌的时候。她该如何应对,是负了这个天下?还是成全这个天下。不管他是伤是死,亦是记不住她了,他也永远只有那么一句话,那就是:不管天塌下了,地崩了,不怕,有我在。
  • 极品全能霸主

    极品全能霸主

    宇宙某处,一座祭坛之上,一颗直径比太阳还要巨大的血色眼球猛然放射出血色光芒,映红了整个星系。“这是祖器的气息!”有人发出惊喜的声音。“位置在哪里?”“地球!”大宇宙时代降临!
  • 女捕快叱咤江湖

    女捕快叱咤江湖

    本书视频地址:在教堂里举行婚礼的她,等着男友回答“我愿意”之时,穿越到了另一个时空,在这里,她依然是新娘,只是,她的丈夫只有七岁。穿越女的命运,基本上分为两种,叱咤江湖或者宠冠六宫,她会摆脱这个符咒吗?只要穿越,就注定她无法平淡一生,就算她做了捕快,也是一样。她的相公十二岁的时候,命运的齿轮终于更改了轨迹,她陷入了一个巨大的旋涡。她是一个幸运的人,武功九流,智商一流,遇到困难的时候,总会有人出来相助。她是一个倒霉的人,富可敌国,纵横商场,到最后才发现,这一切不过是一场空。办案时,她智慧干练,无案不破,面对爱情时,她却如雾里看花,看不清自己的心意。这个世界,美男实在多,且个个够痴情。小夫君飒风:文武全才,古灵精怪,才华横溢,痴心不改。(他说:娘子,你为何非要把一颗心放在别人身上,别忘了,我们已经拜过天地,我们是夫妻,我不管你从前心里有谁,从这一刻开始,你要牢牢记住,你的心里,只能有我一个人。”)王爷齐嵘轩:表里不一,权欲极深的腹黑男,初时,只是想利用她,谁知,一颗心却逐渐陷落下去,无法自拔。(他说:蜜儿,相信我,我是真的爱你,从前,我也不敢相信,有一天会爱上你。)丐帮帮主裴宁:正直潇洒,武功高强的侠士。她穿越是为他而来,再次相见,他却忘了她是谁,命运的线却牵着他慢慢走向她,只是,不知道他还有没有机会。(他说:蜜儿,我全都想起来了,我想起来了,蜜儿,跟我走吧,你来到这里,不就是因为我吗?)盗圣永夜:通天大盗,亦正亦邪,一个比女人还要貌美的男人,也是一个谜团最多的人,是一个愿意为了爱情放弃一切的人。(他说:蜜儿,你为什么不相信我呢?为了你,我甘愿放弃所有,只要你跟我走,我一定会放弃!)本文慢热,可以先收藏,七八万的时候,会渐入高潮。每一篇文,从开篇、布局、铺垫、情节推进、高潮到结局,是一个循序渐进的过程,这些过程缺一不可,我用心写,也希望您耐心看,我的文基本上不会很快进入高潮,就如一杯唯美的白兰地,先看颜色,再嗅其香,才会知晓它的一经沾唇,醇美无瑕,细细品味,才可知它的醇和、甘洌、沁润、细腻、丰满、绵延、纯正。呵呵,有些自夸了,但我自认每一篇文都是反复推敲之后才写出来的,所以,请您带着品味美酒的心情,欣赏我的文,谢谢。 ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄☆★我的其他作品:极品下堂妻:
  • 佛说慈氏菩萨陀罗尼

    佛说慈氏菩萨陀罗尼

    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。
  • 想把妹妹给嫁出去

    想把妹妹给嫁出去

    借三尺明月,街两袖青龙,轻剑快马恣意,携侣江湖同游。