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The Night Horseman by Max Brand, CHAPTER XXXI. THE MESSAGE

CHAPTER XXXI. THE MESSAGE

Buck Daniels opened his eyes and sat bolt-upright in bed. He had dreamed the dream again, and this time, as always, he awakened before the end. He needed no rubbing of eyes to rouse his senses. If a shower of cold water had been dashed upon him he could not have rallied from sound slumber so suddenly. His first movement was to snatch his gun from under his mattress, not that he dreamed of needing it, but for some reason the pressure of the butt against his palm was reassuring. It was better than the grip of his friend—a strong man.

It was the first grey of dawn, a light so feeble that it served merely to illuminate the darkness, so to speak. It fell with any power upon one thing alone, the bit of an old, dusty bridle that hung against the wall, and it made the steel glitter like a watchful eye. There was a great dryness in the throat of Buck Daniels; and his whole big body shook with the pounding of his heart.

He was not the only thing that was awake in the grey hour. For now he caught a faint and regular creaking of the stairs. Someone was mounting with an excessively cautious and patient step, for usually the crazy stairs that led up to this garret room of the Rafferty house creaked and groaned a protest at every footfall. Now the footfall paused at the head of the stairs, as when one stops to listen.

Buck Daniels raised his revolver and levelled it on the door; but his hand was shaking so terribly that he could not keep his aim—the muzzle kept veering back and forth across the door. He seized his right hand with his left, and crushed it with a desperate pressure. Then it was better. The quivering of the two hands counteracted each other and he managed to keep some sort of a bead.

Now the step continued again, down the short hall. A hand fell on the knob of the door and pressed it slowly open. Against the deeper blackness of the hall beyond, Buck saw a tall figure, hatless. His finger curved about the trigger, and still he did not fire. Even to his hysterical brain it occurred that Dan Barry would be wearing a hat—and moreover the form was tall.

"Buck!" called a guarded voice.

The muzzle of Daniels' revolver dropped; he threw the gun on his bed and stood up. "Jim Rafferty!" he cried, with something like a groan in his voice. "What in the name of God are you doin' here at this hour?" "Someone come here and banged on the door a while ago. Had a letter for you. Must have rid a long ways and come fast; while he was givin' me the letter at the door I heard his hoss pantin' outside. He wouldn't stay, but went right back. Here's the letter, Buck. Hope it ain't no bad news. Got a light here, ain't you?" "All right, Jim," answered Buck Daniels, taking the letter. "I got a lantern. You get back to bed." The other replied with a noisy yawn and left the room while Buck kindled the lantern. By that light he read his name upon the envelope and tore it open. It was very brief.

"Dear Buck, Last night at supper Dan found out where you are. In the morning he's leaving the ranch and we know that he intends to ride for Rafferty's place; he'll probably be there before noon. The moment you get this, saddle your horse and ride. Oh, Buck, why did you stay so close to us?

Relay your horses. Don't stop until you're over the mountains. Black Bart is well enough to take the trail and Dan will use him to follow you. You know what that means.

Ride, ride, ride!

Kate." He crumpled up the paper and sank back upon the bed.

"Why did you stay so close?" He had wondered at that, himself, many times in the past few days. Like the hunted rabbit, he expected to find safety under the very nose of danger. Now that he was discovered it seemed incredible that he could have followed so patently foolish a course. In a sort of daze he uncrumpled the note again and read the wrinkled writing word by word. He had leaned close to read by the uncertain light, and now he caught the faintest breath of perfume from the paper. It was a small thing, smaller among scents than a whisper is among voices, but it made Buck Daniels drop his head and crush the paper against his face. It was a moment before he could uncrumple the paper sufficiently to study the contents of the note thoroughly. At first his dazed brain caught only part of the significance. Then it dawned on him that the girl thought he had fled from the Cumberland Ranch through fear of Dan Barry.

Ay, there had been fear in it. Every day at the ranch he had shuddered at the thought that the destroyer might ride up on that devil of black silken grace, Satan. But every day he had convinced himself that even then Dan Barry remembered the past and was cursing himself for the ingratitude he had shown his old friend. Now the truth swept coldly home to Buck Daniels. Barry was as fierce as ever upon the trail; and Kate Cumberland thought that he—Buck Daniels,—had fled like a cur from danger.

He seized his head between his hands and beat his knuckles against the corrugated flesh of his forehead. She had thought that!

Desire for action, action, action, beset him like thirst. To close with this devil, this wolf-man, to set his big fingers in the smooth, almost girlish throat, to choke the yellow light out of those eyes—or else to die, but like a man proving his manhood before the girl.

He read the letter again and then in an agony he crumpled it to a ball and hurled it across the room. Catching up his hat and his belt he rushed wildly from the room, thundered down the crazy stairs, and out to the stable.

Long Bess, the tall, bay mare which had carried him through three years of adventure and danger and never failed him yet, raised her aristocratic head above the side of the stall and whinnied. For answer he shook his fist at her and cursed insanely.

The saddle he jerked by one stirrup leather from the wall and flung it on her back, and when she cringed to the far side of the stall, he cursed her again, bitterly, and drew up the cinch with a lunge that made her groan. He did not wait to lead her to the door before mounting, but sprang into the saddle.

Here he whirled her about and drove home the spurs. Cruel usage, for Long Bess had never denied him the utmost of her speed and strength at the mere sound of his voice. Now, half-mad with fear and surprise, she sprang forward at full gallop, slipped and almost sprawled on the floor, and then thundered out of the door.

At once the soft sandy-soil received and deadened the impact of her hoofs. Off she flew through the grey of the morning, soundless as a racing ghost.

Long Bess—there was good blood in her. She was as delicately limbed as an antelope, and her heart was as strong as the smooth muscles of her shoulders and hips. Yet to Buck Daniels her fastest gait seemed slower than a walk. Already his thoughts were flying far before. Already he stood before the ranch house calling to Dan Barry. Ay, at the very door of the place they should meet and one of them must die. And better by far that the blood of him who died should stain the hands of Kate Cumberland.

CHAPTER XXXI. THE MESSAGE РОЗДІЛ XXXI. ПОСВІДЧЕННЯ

Buck Daniels opened his eyes and sat bolt-upright in bed. Buck Daniels abriu os olhos e sentou-se ereto na cama. He had dreamed the dream again, and this time, as always, he awakened before the end. He needed no rubbing of eyes to rouse his senses. Ele não precisava esfregar os olhos para despertar seus sentidos. If a shower of cold water had been dashed upon him he could not have rallied from sound slumber so suddenly. Se uma chuva de água fria tivesse sido lançada sobre ele, ele não poderia ter despertado de um sono profundo tão repentinamente. His first movement was to snatch his gun from under his mattress, not that he dreamed of needing it, but for some reason the pressure of the butt against his palm was reassuring. Seu primeiro movimento foi pegar a arma de baixo do colchão, não que sonhasse em precisar, mas por algum motivo a pressão da coronha contra a palma da mão era reconfortante. It was better than the grip of his friend—a strong man. Foi melhor do que o aperto de seu amigo - um homem forte.

It was the first grey of dawn, a light so feeble that it served merely to illuminate the darkness, so to speak. Era o primeiro cinza da aurora, uma luz tão tênue que servia apenas para iluminar a escuridão, por assim dizer. It fell with any power upon one thing alone, the bit of an old, dusty bridle that hung against the wall, and it made the steel glitter like a watchful eye. Ela caiu com qualquer poder sobre uma única coisa, o pedaço de uma rédea velha e empoeirada que estava pendurada contra a parede, e fez o aço brilhar como um olho atento. There was a great dryness in the throat of Buck Daniels; and his whole big body shook with the pounding of his heart. Havia uma grande secura na garganta de Buck Daniels; e todo o seu grande corpo tremia com as batidas de seu coração.

He was not the only thing that was awake in the grey hour. For now he caught a faint and regular creaking of the stairs. Por enquanto, ele percebeu um rangido fraco e regular das escadas. Someone was mounting with an excessively cautious and patient step, for usually the crazy stairs that led up to this garret room of the Rafferty house creaked and groaned a protest at every footfall. Alguém estava subindo com um passo excessivamente cauteloso e paciente, pois geralmente as escadas malucas que levavam a este sótão da casa dos Rafferty rangiam e gemiam em protesto a cada passo. Now the footfall paused at the head of the stairs, as when one stops to listen. Agora os passos pararam no alto da escada, como quando se para para ouvir.

Buck Daniels raised his revolver and levelled it on the door; but his hand was shaking so terribly that he could not keep his aim—the muzzle kept veering back and forth across the door. Buck Daniels ergueu o revólver e apontou-o para a porta; mas sua mão tremia tão terrivelmente que ele não conseguia manter a mira — o cano continuava virando para a frente e para trás pela porta. He seized his right hand with his left, and crushed it with a desperate pressure. Then it was better. Então foi melhor. The quivering of the two hands counteracted each other and he managed to keep some sort of a bead. O tremor das duas mãos se contrabalançava e ele conseguiu manter algum tipo de conta.

Now the step continued again, down the short hall. Agora o passo continuou novamente, descendo o pequeno corredor. A hand fell on the knob of the door and pressed it slowly open. Against the deeper blackness of the hall beyond, Buck saw a tall figure, hatless. Contra a escuridão mais profunda do salão, Buck viu uma figura alta, sem chapéu. His finger curved about the trigger, and still he did not fire. Even to his hysterical brain it occurred that Dan Barry would be wearing a hat—and moreover the form was tall.

"Buck!" called a guarded voice. chamou uma voz cautelosa.

The muzzle of Daniels' revolver dropped; he threw the gun on his bed and stood up. "Jim Rafferty!" he cried, with something like a groan in his voice. ele gritou, com algo como um gemido em sua voz. "What in the name of God are you doin' here at this hour?" "Someone come here and banged on the door a while ago. "Alguém veio aqui e bateu na porta um tempo atrás. Had a letter for you. Must have rid a long ways and come fast; while he was givin' me the letter at the door I heard his hoss pantin' outside. Deve ter percorrido um longo caminho e vindo rápido; enquanto ele estava me entregando a carta na porta, eu ouvi sua anfitriã ofegante do lado de fora. He wouldn't stay, but went right back. Ele não quis ficar, mas voltou logo. Here's the letter, Buck. Hope it ain't no bad news. Got a light here, ain't you?" Tem uma luz aqui, não é?" "All right, Jim," answered Buck Daniels, taking the letter. "I got a lantern. You get back to bed." Você volta para a cama." The other replied with a noisy yawn and left the room while Buck kindled the lantern. O outro respondeu com um bocejo barulhento e saiu da sala enquanto Buck acendia a lanterna. By that light he read his name upon the envelope and tore it open. Sob aquela luz, ele leu seu nome no envelope e o rasgou. It was very brief.

"Dear Buck, Last night at supper Dan found out where you are. In the morning he's leaving the ranch and we know that he intends to ride for Rafferty's place; he'll probably be there before noon. The moment you get this, saddle your horse and ride. Oh, Buck, why did you stay so close to us?

Relay your horses. Transfira seus cavalos. Don't stop until you're over the mountains. Não pare até que você esteja sobre as montanhas. Black Bart is well enough to take the trail and Dan will use him to follow you. You know what that means.

Ride, ride, ride!

Kate." He crumpled up the paper and sank back upon the bed. Ele amassou o papel e afundou na cama.

"Why did you stay so close?" He had wondered at that, himself, many times in the past few days. Ele próprio se perguntara isso, muitas vezes nos últimos dias. Like the hunted rabbit, he expected to find safety under the very nose of danger. Como o coelho caçado, ele esperava encontrar segurança sob o nariz do perigo. Now that he was discovered it seemed incredible that he could have followed so patently foolish a course. Agora que ele foi descoberto, parecia incrível que ele pudesse ter seguido um curso tão obviamente tolo. In a sort of daze he uncrumpled the note again and read the wrinkled writing word by word. Em uma espécie de torpor, ele desamarrou a nota novamente e leu a escrita enrugada palavra por palavra. He had leaned close to read by the uncertain light, and now he caught the faintest breath of perfume from the paper. Ele se inclinou para ler à luz incerta, e agora ele sentiu um leve sopro de perfume do papel. It was a small thing, smaller among scents than a whisper is among voices, but it made Buck Daniels drop his head and crush the paper against his face. It was a moment before he could uncrumple the paper sufficiently to study the contents of the note thoroughly. Passou-se um momento antes que ele pudesse desamassar o papel o suficiente para estudar o conteúdo da nota a fundo. At first his dazed brain caught only part of the significance. Then it dawned on him that the girl thought he had fled from the Cumberland Ranch through fear of Dan Barry. Então se deu conta de que a garota pensava que ele havia fugido do Cumberland Ranch por medo de Dan Barry.

Ay, there had been fear in it. Sim, havia medo nisso. Every day at the ranch he had shuddered at the thought that the destroyer might ride up on that devil of black silken grace, Satan. Todos os dias no rancho ele estremeceu com o pensamento de que o destruidor pudesse montar naquele demônio de graça sedosa e negra, Satanás. But every day he had convinced himself that even then Dan Barry remembered the past and was cursing himself for the ingratitude he had shown his old friend. Now the truth swept coldly home to Buck Daniels. Agora, a verdade chegou friamente a Buck Daniels. Barry was as fierce as ever upon the trail; and Kate Cumberland thought that he—Buck Daniels,—had fled like a cur from danger. Barry estava mais feroz do que nunca na trilha; e Kate Cumberland pensou que ele — Buck Daniels — tinha fugido como um vira-lata do perigo. Барри, как и всегда, был яростен на тропе, и Кейт Камберленд решила, что он - Бак Дэниелс - бежал от опасности, как курица.

He seized his head between his hands and beat his knuckles against the corrugated flesh of his forehead. Ele agarrou a cabeça entre as mãos e bateu os nós dos dedos contra a carne ondulada de sua testa. She had thought that!

Desire for action, action, action, beset him like thirst. O desejo de ação, ação, ação, o assedia como sede. To close with this devil, this wolf-man, to set his big fingers in the smooth, almost girlish throat, to choke the yellow light out of those eyes—or else to die, but like a man proving his manhood before the girl. Para fechar com esse diabo, esse homem-lobo, colocar os dedos grandes na garganta lisa, quase feminina, sufocar a luz amarela daqueles olhos – ou então morrer, mas como um homem provando sua masculinidade diante da garota. Сблизиться с этим дьяволом, этим человеком-волком, впиться своими огромными пальцами в гладкое, почти девичье горло, задушить желтый свет этих глаз - или умереть, но как мужчина, доказывающий свою мужественность перед девушкой.

He read the letter again and then in an agony he crumpled it to a ball and hurled it across the room. Ele leu a carta novamente e então, em agonia, amassou-a em uma bola e a atirou do outro lado da sala. Catching up his hat and his belt he rushed wildly from the room, thundered down the crazy stairs, and out to the stable. Apanhando o chapéu e o cinto, ele saiu apressado do quarto, trovejou pelas escadas malucas e saiu para o estábulo.

Long Bess, the tall, bay mare which had carried him through three years of adventure and danger and never failed him yet, raised her aristocratic head above the side of the stall and whinnied. Long Bess, a égua alta e baia que o levara por três anos de aventuras e perigos e nunca o decepcionara, ergueu a cabeça aristocrática acima da lateral da baia e relinchou. For answer he shook his fist at her and cursed insanely. Como resposta, ele sacudiu o punho para ela e amaldiçoou insanamente.

The saddle he jerked by one stirrup leather from the wall and flung it on her back, and when she cringed to the far side of the stall, he cursed her again, bitterly, and drew up the cinch with a lunge that made her groan. A sela ele puxou por um estribo de couro da parede e jogou nas costas dela, e quando ela se encolheu para o outro lado da baia, ele a amaldiçoou novamente, amargamente, e puxou a cilha com uma estocada que a fez gemer. He did not wait to lead her to the door before mounting, but sprang into the saddle.

Here he whirled her about and drove home the spurs. Aqui ele a girou e levou para casa as esporas. Cruel usage, for Long Bess had never denied him the utmost of her speed and strength at the mere sound of his voice. Uso cruel, pois Long Bess nunca havia negado a ele o máximo de sua velocidade e força com o mero som de sua voz. Now, half-mad with fear and surprise, she sprang forward at full gallop, slipped and almost sprawled on the floor, and then thundered out of the door. Agora, meio louca de medo e surpresa, ela saltou para a frente a todo galope, escorregou e quase se esparramou no chão, e então saiu trovejando pela porta. Полубезумная от страха и неожиданности, она бросилась вперед на полном скаку, поскользнулась и едва не растянулась на полу, а затем с грохотом вылетела за дверь.

At once the soft sandy-soil received and deadened the impact of her hoofs. Imediatamente o solo arenoso macio recebeu e amorteceu o impacto de seus cascos. Off she flew through the grey of the morning, soundless as a racing ghost. Ela voou pelo cinza da manhã, silenciosa como um fantasma correndo.

Long Bess—there was good blood in her. She was as delicately limbed as an antelope, and her heart was as strong as the smooth muscles of her shoulders and hips. Ela tinha membros tão delicados quanto um antílope, e seu coração era tão forte quanto os músculos lisos de seus ombros e quadris. Yet to Buck Daniels her fastest gait seemed slower than a walk. No entanto, para Buck Daniels, seu andar mais rápido parecia mais lento do que uma caminhada. Already his thoughts were flying far before. Seus pensamentos já estavam voando muito antes. Already he stood before the ranch house calling to Dan Barry. Ele já estava diante da casa do rancho chamando Dan Barry. Ay, at the very door of the place they should meet and one of them must die. And better by far that the blood of him who died should stain the hands of Kate Cumberland. E muito melhor que o sangue daquele que morreu manche as mãos de Kate Cumberland.