×

We use cookies to help make LingQ better. By visiting the site, you agree to our cookie policy.


image

The Night Horseman by Max Brand, CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE CHALLENGE

CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE CHALLENGE

All this time Black Bart had trotted contentedly ahead of Satan, never having to glance back but apparently knowing the intended direction; save that when Dan Barry turned to the road leading out of the little town, the wolf-dog had turned in an opposite direction. The rider turned in the saddle and sent a sharp whistle towards the animal, but he was answered by a short howl of woe that made him check Satan and swing around. Black Bart stood in the centre of the street facing in the opposite direction, and he looked back over his shoulder towards his master.

There was apparently a perfect understanding between them, and the master first glanced up and made sure of the position of the sun and the length of time he might allow for the trip home, before he decided to follow the whim of the wolf-dog. Then he turned Satan and cantered, with the piebald trailing, back towards Black Bart.

At this the wolf-dog began to trot down the street, turned the next corner, and drew up at the door of a rambling building above which hung a dirty, cracked sign: "GILEAD SALOON" and underneath in smaller letters was painted the legend: "Here's where you get it!" Black Bart strolled up to the swinging doors of the emporium and then turned to look back at his master; clearly he wished Dan to enter the place. But the rider shook his head and would certainly have ridden on had not, at that moment, the rain which had hitherto fallen only in rattling bursts, now burst over the roofs of the town with a loud roaring as of wind through a forest. It was possible that the shower might soon pass over, so Dan rode under the long shelter which stretched in front of the saloon, dismounted, and entered behind Black Bart.

It was occupied by a scattering of people, for the busy time of the day had not yet commenced and Pale Annie was merely idling behind the bar—working at half-speed, as it were. To this group Black Bart paid not the slightest heed but glided smoothly down the centre of the long room until he approached the tables at the end, where, in a corner, sat a squat, thick-chested man, and opposite him the most cadaverously lean fellow that Whistling Dan had ever seen. Before these two Black Bart paused and then cast a glance over his shoulder towards the master; Whistling Dan frowned in wonder; he knew neither of the pair.

But Black Bart apparently did. He slouched a pace closer, crouched, and bared his fangs with a tremendous snarl. At this the lean man left his chair and sprang back to a distance. Terror convulsed his face; but his eyes glittered with a fascinated interest and he glanced first at his companion and then at the great wolf-dog, as if he were making a comparison between them. It was the broad shouldered man who first spoke.

"Partner," he said in a thick voice, in which the articulation was almost lost, "maybe you better take your dog out before he gets hurt. He don't like me and I don't like him none too much." "Bart!" called Dan Barry.

But Black Bart gave no heed. There had been a slight flexing of his muscles as he crouched, and now he leaped—a black bolt of fighting weight—squarely in the face of the giant. He was met and checked midway in his spring. For the two long arms darted out, two great hands fastened in the throat of the beast, and Black Bart fell back upon the floor, with Mac Strann following, his grip never broken by the fall.

A scurry of many feet running towards the scene; a shouting of twenty voices around him; but all that Whistling Dan saw were the fangs of Bart as they gnashed fruitlessly at the wrists of Mac Strann, and then the great red tongue lolling out and the eyes bulging from their sockets—all he heard was the snarling of the wolf and the peculiar whine of rage which came from the throat of the man-beast fighting the wolf. Then he acted. His hands darted between the thick forearms of Mac Strann—his elbows jerked out and snapped the grip; next he dragged Black Bart away from the danger.

The wolf was instantly on his feet and lunging again, but a sharp "Heel!" from Dan checked him mid-leap. He came to a shuddering halt behind the legs of his master. Whistling Dan slipped a little closer to the giant.

"I should have knowed you before," he said in a voice which carried only to the ears of Strann. "You're the brother of Jerry Strann. And they's a reason why Bart hates you, partner!" The thick upper lip of Strann lifted slightly as he spoke.

"Him or you—you and your wolf together or one by one—it don't make no difference to me. I've come for you, Barry!" The other straightened a little, and his eyes travelled slowly up and down the form of Strann.

"I been hungering to meet a man like you," he said. "Hungerin', partner." "North of town they's the old McDuffy place, all in ruins and nobody ever near it. I'll be there in an hour, m'frien'." "I'll be waiting for you there," nodded Mac Strann, and so saying, he turned back to his table as if he had been interrupted by nothing more than a casual greeting. Still Dan Barry remained a moment with his eyes on the face of Mac Strann. And when he turned and walked with his light, soundless step down the length of the silent barroom, the wolf-dog slunk at his heels, ever and anon swinging his head over his shoulder and glancing back at the giant at the end of the room. As the door closed on man and dog, the saloon broke once more into murmur, and then into an excited clamoring. Pale Annie stepped from behind the bar and leaned upon the table beside Mac Strann. Even while leaning in this manner the bartender was as tall as the average man; he waved back the others with a gesture of his tremendous arm. Then he reached out and took the hand of Mac Strann in his clammy fingers.

"My friend," said the ex-undertaker in his careful manner, "I seen a man once California a husky two-year-old—which nobody said could be done, and I've seen some other things, but I've never seen anything to touch the way you handled Black Bart. D'you know anything about that dog?" Mac Strann shook his ponderous head and his dull eyes considered Pale Annie with an expression of almost living curiosity.

"Black Bart has a record behind him that an old time gun-man would have heard with envy. There are dead men in the record of that dog, sir!" All this he had spoken in a comparatively loud voice, but now, noting that the others had heeded his gesture and had made back towards the bar to drink on the strength of that strange fight between man and beast, the bartender approached his lips close to the ear of the giant.

He said in a rapid murmur: "I watched you talking with Dan Barry and I saw Barry's face when he went out. You and he are to meet somewhere again to-day. My friend, don't throw yourself away." Here Mac Strann stared down at his mighty hand—a significant answer, but Pale Annie went on swiftly: "Yes, you're strong, but strength won't save you from Dan Barry. We know him here in Elkhead. Do you know that if he had pulled his gun and shot you down right here where you sit, that he could have walked out of this room without a hand raised to stop him? Yes, sir! And why? Because we know his record; and I'd rather go against a wolf with my bare hands—as you did—than stand up against Dan Barry with guns. I could tell you how he fought Jim Silent's gang, one to six. I could tell you a lot of other things. My friend, I will tell you about 'em if you'll listen." But Mac Strann considered the speaker with his dull eyes.

"I never was much on talkin'," he observed mildly. "I don't understand talkin' very well." Pale Annie started to speak again, but he checked himself, stared earnestly at Mac Strann, and then hurried back behind his bar. His face was even graver than usual; but business was business with Pale Annie—and all men have to die in their time! Haw-Haw Langley took the place which Pale Annie had left vacant opposite Mac Strann.

He cast a frightened glance upward, where the rain roared steadily on the roof of the building; then his eyes fluttered back until they rested on the face of his companion. He had to moisten his thin lips before he could speak and even then it was a convulsive effort, like a man swallowing too large a morsel.

"Well?" said Haw-Haw. "Is it fixed?" "It's fixed," said Mac Strann. "Maybe you'd get the hosses, Haw-Haw. If you're comin with me?" A dark shadow swept over the face of Haw-Haw Langley.

"You're going to beat it?" he sneered. "After you come all this way you're going to run away from Barry? And him not half your size?" "I'm going out to meet him," answered Mac Strann. Haw-Haw Langley started up as if he feared Mac Strann would change his mind if there were any delay. His long fingers twisted together, as if to bring the blood into circulation about the purple knuckles.

"I'll have the hosses right around to the front," he said. "By the time you got your slicker on, Mac, I'll have 'em around in front!" And he stalked swiftly from the room.

CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE CHALLENGE

All this time Black Bart had trotted contentedly ahead of Satan, never having to glance back but apparently knowing the intended direction; save that when Dan Barry turned to the road leading out of the little town, the wolf-dog had turned in an opposite direction. Todo esse tempo Black Bart trotou satisfeito à frente de Satanás, nunca tendo que olhar para trás, mas aparentemente sabendo a direção pretendida; exceto que quando Dan Barry virou para a estrada que saía da pequena cidade, o cão-lobo virou na direção oposta. The rider turned in the saddle and sent a sharp whistle towards the animal, but he was answered by a short howl of woe that made him check Satan and swing around. O cavaleiro virou-se na sela e enviou um assobio agudo em direção ao animal, mas foi respondido por um uivo curto de aflição que o fez parar Satanás e se virar. Black Bart stood in the centre of the street facing in the opposite direction, and he looked back over his shoulder towards his master. Black Bart estava no centro da rua virado na direção oposta, e ele olhou por cima do ombro para seu mestre.

There was apparently a perfect understanding between them, and the master first glanced up and made sure of the position of the sun and the length of time he might allow for the trip home, before he decided to follow the whim of the wolf-dog. Aparentemente havia um entendimento perfeito entre eles, e o mestre primeiro olhou para cima e se certificou da posição do sol e do tempo que ele poderia conceder para a viagem de volta para casa, antes de decidir seguir o capricho do cão-lobo. Then he turned Satan and cantered, with the piebald trailing, back towards Black Bart. Então ele virou Satanás e galopou, com o malhado atrás, de volta para Black Bart.

At this the wolf-dog began to trot down the street, turned the next corner, and drew up at the door of a rambling building above which hung a dirty, cracked sign: "GILEAD SALOON" and underneath in smaller letters was painted the legend: "Here's where you get it!" Com isso, o cão-lobo começou a trotar pela rua, virou a próxima esquina e parou na porta de um prédio irregular, acima do qual pendia uma placa suja e rachada: "GILEAD SALOON" e embaixo em letras menores estava pintada a legenda : "Aqui é onde você consegue!" Black Bart strolled up to the swinging doors of the emporium and then turned to look back at his master; clearly he wished Dan to enter the place. Black Bart caminhou até as portas de vaivém do empório e então se virou para olhar para seu mestre; claramente ele desejava que Dan entrasse no local. But the rider shook his head and would certainly have ridden on had not, at that moment, the rain which had hitherto fallen only in rattling bursts, now burst over the roofs of the town with a loud roaring as of wind through a forest. Mas o cavaleiro balançou a cabeça e certamente teria continuado se, naquele momento, a chuva que até então caía apenas em rajadas ruidosas, agora estourava sobre os telhados da cidade com um rugido alto como um vento atravessando uma floresta. It was possible that the shower might soon pass over, so Dan rode under the long shelter which stretched in front of the saloon, dismounted, and entered behind Black Bart. Era possível que a chuva passasse em breve, então Dan cavalgou sob o longo abrigo que se estendia na frente do salão, desmontou e entrou atrás de Black Bart.

It was occupied by a scattering of people, for the busy time of the day had not yet commenced and Pale Annie was merely idling behind the bar—working at half-speed, as it were. Estava ocupado por um punhado de pessoas, pois a hora movimentada do dia ainda não havia começado e Pale Annie estava apenas ociosa atrás do bar – trabalhando a meia velocidade, por assim dizer. To this group Black Bart paid not the slightest heed but glided smoothly down the centre of the long room until he approached the tables at the end, where, in a corner, sat a squat, thick-chested man, and opposite him the most cadaverously lean fellow that Whistling Dan had ever seen. A esse grupo Black Bart não prestou a menor atenção, mas deslizou suavemente pelo centro da sala comprida até se aproximar das mesas no final, onde, em um canto, estava sentado um homem atarracado e de peito grosso, e diante dele o mais cadavérico sujeito magro que Whistling Dan já tinha visto. Before these two Black Bart paused and then cast a glance over his shoulder towards the master; Whistling Dan frowned in wonder; he knew neither of the pair.

But Black Bart apparently did. He slouched a pace closer, crouched, and bared his fangs with a tremendous snarl. Ele deu um passo mais perto, agachou-se e mostrou suas presas com um rosnado tremendo. At this the lean man left his chair and sprang back to a distance. Com isso, o homem magro deixou sua cadeira e saltou para longe. Terror convulsed his face; but his eyes glittered with a fascinated interest and he glanced first at his companion and then at the great wolf-dog, as if he were making a comparison between them. O terror convulsionou seu rosto; mas seus olhos brilharam com um interesse fascinado e ele olhou primeiro para seu companheiro e depois para o grande cão-lobo, como se estivesse fazendo uma comparação entre eles. It was the broad shouldered man who first spoke. Foi o homem de ombros largos quem falou primeiro.

"Partner," he said in a thick voice, in which the articulation was almost lost, "maybe you better take your dog out before he gets hurt. He don't like me and I don't like him none too much." Ele não gosta de mim e eu não gosto muito dele." "Bart!" called Dan Barry.

But Black Bart gave no heed. There had been a slight flexing of his muscles as he crouched, and now he leaped—a black bolt of fighting weight—squarely in the face of the giant. Houve uma ligeira flexão de seus músculos quando ele se agachou, e agora ele pulou – um raio preto de peso de luta – bem na cara do gigante. He was met and checked midway in his spring. Ele foi recebido e checado no meio do caminho em sua primavera. For the two long arms darted out, two great hands fastened in the throat of the beast, and Black Bart fell back upon the floor, with Mac Strann following, his grip never broken by the fall. Pois os dois braços compridos dispararam, duas grandes mãos presas na garganta da fera, e Black Bart caiu de costas no chão, com Mac Strann seguindo, seu aperto nunca quebrado pela queda. Две длинные руки вырвались вперед, две огромные кисти вцепились в горло зверя, и Черный Барт рухнул на пол, а Мак Странн последовал за ним, его хватка не ослабла от падения.

A scurry of many feet running towards the scene; a shouting of twenty voices around him; but all that Whistling Dan saw were the fangs of Bart as they gnashed fruitlessly at the wrists of Mac Strann, and then the great red tongue lolling out and the eyes bulging from their sockets—all he heard was the snarling of the wolf and the peculiar whine of rage which came from the throat of the man-beast fighting the wolf. Uma correria de muitos pés correndo em direção à cena; um grito de vinte vozes ao seu redor; mas tudo o que Dan Assobiador viu foram as presas de Bart enquanto elas rangiam inutilmente os pulsos de Mac Strann, e então a grande língua vermelha pendendo para fora e os olhos esbugalhados das órbitas – tudo o que ele ouviu foi o rosnado do lobo e o peculiar gemido de raiva que veio da garganta do homem-fera lutando contra o lobo. Then he acted. His hands darted between the thick forearms of Mac Strann—his elbows jerked out and snapped the grip; next he dragged Black Bart away from the danger. Suas mãos se lançaram entre os antebraços grossos de Mac Strann — seus cotovelos saltaram para fora e estalaram o aperto; em seguida, ele arrastou Black Bart para longe do perigo.

The wolf was instantly on his feet and lunging again, but a sharp "Heel!" O lobo ficou instantaneamente de pé e investiu novamente, mas um agudo "Calcanhar!" from Dan checked him mid-leap. He came to a shuddering halt behind the legs of his master. Ele parou estremecendo atrás das pernas de seu mestre. Whistling Dan slipped a little closer to the giant.

"I should have knowed you before," he said in a voice which carried only to the ears of Strann. "Eu deveria ter conhecido você antes", disse ele em uma voz que chegou apenas aos ouvidos de Strann. "You're the brother of Jerry Strann. And they's a reason why Bart hates you, partner!" The thick upper lip of Strann lifted slightly as he spoke.

"Him or you—you and your wolf together or one by one—it don't make no difference to me. I've come for you, Barry!" Eu vim por você, Barry!" The other straightened a little, and his eyes travelled slowly up and down the form of Strann.

"I been hungering to meet a man like you," he said. "Eu estava ansioso para conhecer um homem como você", disse ele. "Hungerin', partner." "North of town they's the old McDuffy place, all in ruins and nobody ever near it. I'll be there in an hour, m'frien'." "I'll be waiting for you there," nodded Mac Strann, and so saying, he turned back to his table as if he had been interrupted by nothing more than a casual greeting. Still Dan Barry remained a moment with his eyes on the face of Mac Strann. And when he turned and walked with his light, soundless step down the length of the silent barroom, the wolf-dog slunk at his heels, ever and anon swinging his head over his shoulder and glancing back at the giant at the end of the room. E quando ele se virou e caminhou com seu passo leve e silencioso pelo comprimento do bar silencioso, o cão-lobo se esgueirou em seus calcanhares, de vez em quando balançando a cabeça por cima do ombro e olhando para o gigante no final da sala . As the door closed on man and dog, the saloon broke once more into murmur, and then into an excited clamoring. Quando a porta se fechou para o homem e o cachorro, o salão quebrou mais uma vez em murmúrios e depois em um clamor excitado. Pale Annie stepped from behind the bar and leaned upon the table beside Mac Strann. Even while leaning in this manner the bartender was as tall as the average man; he waved back the others with a gesture of his tremendous arm. Mesmo inclinado dessa maneira, o barman era tão alto quanto um homem comum; ele acenou de volta para os outros com um gesto de seu braço tremendo. Then he reached out and took the hand of Mac Strann in his clammy fingers. Então ele estendeu a mão e pegou a mão de Mac Strann em seus dedos úmidos.

"My friend," said the ex-undertaker in his careful manner, "I seen a man once California a husky two-year-old—which nobody said could be done, and I've seen some other things, but I've never seen anything to touch the way you handled Black Bart. "Meu amigo", disse o ex-funcionário com seu jeito cuidadoso, "vi um homem uma vez na Califórnia, um menino robusto de dois anos - o que ninguém disse que poderia ser feito, e vi algumas outras coisas, mas nunca vi nada para tocar na maneira como você lidou com Black Bart. "Друг мой, - осторожно произнес бывший казначей, - однажды я видел, как человек калифорнил двухлетнего хаски, о чем никто не говорил, и я видел кое-что еще, но никогда не видел ничего, что могло бы сравниться с тем, как вы обращались с Черным Бартом. D'you know anything about that dog?" Mac Strann shook his ponderous head and his dull eyes considered Pale Annie with an expression of almost living curiosity. Mac Strann balançou a cabeça pesada e seus olhos opacos consideraram Annie Pálida com uma expressão de curiosidade quase viva.

"Black Bart has a record behind him that an old time gun-man would have heard with envy. "Black Bart tem um registro atrás dele que um pistoleiro dos velhos tempos teria ouvido com inveja. There are dead men in the record of that dog, sir!" All this he had spoken in a comparatively loud voice, but now, noting that the others had heeded his gesture and had made back towards the bar to drink on the strength of that strange fight between man and beast, the bartender approached his lips close to the ear of the giant. Tudo isso ele havia falado em uma voz relativamente alta, mas agora, percebendo que os outros haviam acatado seu gesto e voltado para o bar para beber na força daquela estranha luta entre homem e animal, o barman aproximou seus lábios a orelha do gigante.

He said in a rapid murmur: "I watched you talking with Dan Barry and I saw Barry's face when he went out. You and he are to meet somewhere again to-day. My friend, don't throw yourself away." Meu amigo, não se jogue fora." Here Mac Strann stared down at his mighty hand—a significant answer, but Pale Annie went on swiftly: "Yes, you're strong, but strength won't save you from Dan Barry. We know him here in Elkhead. Do you know that if he had pulled his gun and shot you down right here where you sit, that he could have walked out of this room without a hand raised to stop him? Você sabe que se ele tivesse sacado sua arma e atirado em você aqui mesmo onde você está sentado, ele poderia ter saído desta sala sem uma mão levantada para detê-lo? Yes, sir! And why? Because we know his record; and I'd rather go against a wolf with my bare hands—as you did—than stand up against Dan Barry with guns. I could tell you how he fought Jim Silent's gang, one to six. Eu poderia te contar como ele lutou contra a gangue de Jim Silent, de um a seis. I could tell you a lot of other things. My friend, I will tell you about 'em if you'll listen." But Mac Strann considered the speaker with his dull eyes. Mas Mac Strann considerou o orador com seus olhos opacos.

"I never was much on talkin'," he observed mildly. "Eu nunca fui muito de falar," ele observou suavemente. "I don't understand talkin' very well." Pale Annie started to speak again, but he checked himself, stared earnestly at Mac Strann, and then hurried back behind his bar. Pale Annie começou a falar de novo, mas ele se conteve, olhou seriamente para Mac Strann, e então correu de volta para trás de seu bar. His face was even graver than usual; but business was business with Pale Annie—and all men have to die in their time! Haw-Haw Langley took the place which Pale Annie had left vacant opposite Mac Strann. Haw-Haw Langley ocupou o lugar que Pale Annie havia deixado vago em frente a Mac Strann.

He cast a frightened glance upward, where the rain roared steadily on the roof of the building; then his eyes fluttered back until they rested on the face of his companion. Ele lançou um olhar assustado para cima, onde a chuva rugia sem parar no telhado do prédio; então seus olhos se voltaram para trás até que pousaram no rosto de seu companheiro. He had to moisten his thin lips before he could speak and even then it was a convulsive effort, like a man swallowing too large a morsel. Ele teve que umedecer os lábios finos antes de poder falar e mesmo assim foi um esforço convulsivo, como um homem engolindo um bocado muito grande.

"Well?" said Haw-Haw. "Is it fixed?" "It's fixed," said Mac Strann. "Está consertado", disse Mac Strann. "Maybe you'd get the hosses, Haw-Haw. "Talvez você pegue as mangueiras, Haw-Haw. If you're comin with me?" Se você vem comigo?" A dark shadow swept over the face of Haw-Haw Langley.

"You're going to beat it?" he sneered. ele zombou. "After you come all this way you're going to run away from Barry? And him not half your size?" "I'm going out to meet him," answered Mac Strann. Haw-Haw Langley started up as if he feared Mac Strann would change his mind if there were any delay. His long fingers twisted together, as if to bring the blood into circulation about the purple knuckles. Seus dedos longos se torceram, como se quisesse fazer o sangue circular em torno dos nós dos dedos roxos.

"I'll have the hosses right around to the front," he said. "By the time you got your slicker on, Mac, I'll have 'em around in front!" "No momento em que você colocar sua capa, Mac, eu vou tê-los na frente!" And he stalked swiftly from the room. E ele saiu rapidamente da sala.