the enchanted bluff-第1节

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The　Enchanted　Bluff







We　had　our　swim　before　sundown；　and　while　we　were　cooking　our



supper　the　oblique　rays　of　light　made　a　dazzling　glare　on　the　white



sand　about　us。　　The　translucent　red　ball　itself　sank　behind　the



brown　stretches　of　cornfield　as　we　sat　down　to　eat；　and　the　warm



layer　of　air　that　had　rested　over　the　water　and　our　clean　sand　bar



grew　fresher　and　smelled　of　the　rank　ironweed　and　sunflowers



growing　on　the　flatter　shore。　　The　river　was　brown　and　sluggish；



like　any　other　of　the　half…dozen　streams　that　water　the　Nebraska



corn　lands。　　On　one　shore　was　an　irregular　line　of　bald　clay　bluffs



where　a　few　scrub　oaks　with　thick　trunks　and　flat；　twisted　tops



threw　light　shadows　on　the　long　grass。　　The　western　shore　was　low



and　level；　with　cornfields　that　stretched　to　the　skyline；　and　all



along　the　water's　edge　were　little　sandy　coves　and　beaches　where



slim　cottonwoods　and　willow　saplings　flickered。







The　turbulence　of　the　river　in　springtime　discouraged　milling；



and；　beyond　keeping　the　old　red　bridge　in　repair；　the　busy　farmers



did　not　concern　themselves　with　the　stream；　so　the　Sandtown　boys



were　left　in　undisputed　possession。　　In　the　autumn　we　hunted　quail



through　the　miles　of　stubble　and　fodder　land　along　the　flat　shore；



and；　after　the　winter　skating　season　was　over　and　the　ice　had　gone



out；　the　spring　freshets　and　flooded　bottoms　gave　us　our　great



excitement　of　the　year。　　The　channel　was　never　the　same　for　two



successive　seasons。　　Every　spring　the　swollen　stream　undermined　a



bluff　to　the　east；　or　bit　out　a　few　acres　of　cornfield　to　the　west



and　whirled　the　soil　away；　to　deposit　it　in　spumy　mud　banks



somewhere　else。　　When　the　water　fell　low　in　midsummer；　new　sand



bars　were　thus　exposed　to　dry　and　whiten　in　the　August　sun。



Sometimes　these　were　banked　so　firmly　that　the　fury　of　the　next



freshet　failed　to　unseat　them；　the　little　willow　seedlings　emerged



triumphantly　from　the　yellow　froth；　broke　into　spring　leaf；　shot　up



into　summer　growth；　and　with　their　mesh　of　roots　bound　together　the



moist　sand　beneath　them　against　the　batterings　of　another　April。　



Here　and　there　a　cottonwood　soon　glittered　among　them；　quivering　in



the　low　current　of　air　that；　even　on　breathless　days　when　the　dust



hung　like　smoke　above　the　wagon　road；　trembled　along　the　face　of



the　water。







It　was　on　such　an　island；　in　the　third　summer　of　its　yellow



green；　that　we　built　our　watch　fire；　not　in　the　thicket　of　dancing



willow　wands；　but　on　the　level　terrace　of　fine　sand　which　had　been



added　that　spring；　a　little　new　bit　of　world；　beautifully　ridged



with　ripple　marks；　and　strewn　with　the　tiny　skeletons　of　turtles



and　fish；　all　as　white　and　dry　as　if　they　had　been　expertly　cured。　



We　had　been　careful　not　to　mar　the　freshness　of　the　place；　although



we　often　swam　to　it　on　summer　evenings　and　lay　on　the　sand　to　rest。







This　was　our　last　watch　fire　of　the　year；　and　there　were



reasons　why　I　should　remember　it　better　than　any　of　the　others。　



Next　week　the　other　boys　were　to　file　back　to　their　old　places　in



the　Sandtown　High　School；　but　I　was　to　go　up　to　the　Divide　to　teach



my　first　country　school　in　the　Norwegian　district。　　I　was　already



homesick　at　the　thought　of　quitting　the　boys　with　whom　I　had　always



played；　of　leaving　the　river；　and　going　up　into　a　windy　plain　that



was　all　windmills　and　cornfields　and　big　pastures；　where　there　was



nothing　wilful　or　unmanageable　in　the　landscape；　no　new　islands；



and　no　chance　of　unfamiliar　birdssuch　as　often　followed　the



watercourses。







Other　boys　came　and　went　and　used　the　river　for　fishing　or



skating；　but　we　six　were　sworn　to　the　spirit　of　the　stream；　and　we



were　friends　mainly　because　of　the　river。　　There　were　the　two



Hassler　boys；　Fritz　and　Otto；　sons　of　the　little　German　tailor。　



They　were　the　youngest　of　us；　ragged　boys　of　ten　and　twelve；　with



sunburned　hair；　weather…stained　faces；　and　pale　blue　eyes。　　Otto；



the　elder；　was　the　best　mathematician　in　school；　and　clever



at　his　books；　but　he　always　dropped　out　in　the　spring　term　as　if



the　river　could　not　get　on　without　him。　　He　and　Fritz　caught　the



fat；　horned　catfish　and　sold　them　about　the　town；　and　they　lived



so　much　in　the　water　that　they　were　as　brown　and　sandy　as　the　river



itself。







There　was　Percy　Pound；　a　fat；　freckled　boy　with　chubby　cheeks；



who　took　half　a　dozen　boys'　story…papers　and　was　always　being　kept



in　for　reading　detective　stories　behind　his　desk。　　There　was　Tip



Smith；　destined　by　his　freckles　and　red　hair　to　be　the　buffoon　in



all　our　games；　though　he　walked　like　a　timid　little　old　man　and　had



a　funny；　cracked　laugh。　　Tip　worked　hard　in　his　father's　grocery



store　every　afternoon；　and　swept　it　out　before　school　in　the



morning。　　Even　his　recreations　were　laborious。　　He　collected



cigarette　cards　and　tin　tobacco…tags　indefatigably；　and　would　sit



for　hours　humped　up　over　a　snarling　little　scroll…saw　which　he　kept



in　his　attic。　　His　dearest　possessions　were　some　little　pill



bottles　that　purported　to　contain　grains　of　wheat　from　the　Holy



Land；　water　from　the　Jordan　and　the　Dead　Sea；　and　earth　from　the



Mount　of　Olives。　　His　father　had　bought　these　dull　things　from　a



Baptist　missionary　who　peddled　them；　and　Tip　seemed　to　derive　great



satisfaction　from　their　remote　origin。







The　tall　boy　was　Arthur　Adams。　　He　had　fine　hazel　eves　that



were　almost　too　reflective　and　sympathetic　for　a　boy；　and　such　a



pleasant　voice　that　we　all　loved　to　hear　him　read　aloud。　　Even　when



he　had　to　read　poetry　aloud　at　school；　no　one　ever　thought　of



laughing。　　To　be　sure；　he　was　not　at　school　very　much　of　the　time。　



He　was　seventeen　and　should　have　finished　the　High　School　the　year



before；　but　he　was　always　off　somewhere　with　his　gun。　　Arthur's



mother　was　dead；　and　his　father；　who　was　feverishly　absorbed　in



promoting　schemes；　wanted　to　send　the　boy　away　to　school　and　get



him　off　his　hands；　but　Arthur　always　begged　off　for　another　year



and　promised　to　study。　　I　remember　him　as　a　tall；　brown　boy　with　an



intelligent　face；　always　lounging　among　a　lot　of　us　little　fellows；



laughing　at　us　oftener　than　with　us；　but　such　a　soft；　satisfied



laugh　that　we　felt　rather　flattered　when　we　provoked　it。　　In



after…years　people　said　that　Arthur　had　been　given　to　evil　ways



as　a　＇ad；　and　it　is　true　that　we　often　saw　him　with　the　gambler's



sons　and　with　old　Spanish　Fanny's　boy；　but　if　he　learned　anything



ugly　in　their　company　he　never　betrayed　it　to　us。　　We　would　have



followed　Arthur　anywhere；　and　I　am　bound　to　say　that　he　led　us　into



no　worse　places　than　the　cattail　marshes　and　the　stubble　fields。　



These；　then；　were　the　boys　who　camped　with　me　that　summer　night



upon　the　sand　bar。







After　we　finished　our　supper　we　beat　the　willow　thicket　for



driftwood。　　By　the　time　we　had　collected　enough；　night　had　fallen；



and　the　pungent；　weedy　smell　from　the　shore　increased　with　the



coolness。　　We　threw　ourselves　down　about　the　fire　and　made　another



futile　effort　to　show　Percy　Pound　the　Little　Dipper。　　We　had　tried



it　often　before；　but　he　could　never　be　got　past　the　big　one。







〃You　see　those　three　big　stars　just　below　the　handle；　with　the



bright　one　in　the　middle？〃　said　Otto　Hassler；　〃that's　Orion's　belt；



and　the　bright　one　is　the　clasp。〃　　I　crawled　behind　Otto's　shoulder



and　sighted　up　his　arm　to　the　star　that　seemed　perched　upon　the　tip



of　his　steady　forefinger。　　The　Hassler　boys　did　seine…fishing　at



night；　and　they　knew　a　good　many　stars。







Percy　gave　up　the　Little　Dipper　and　lay　back　on　the　sand；　his



hands　clasped　under　his　head。　　〃I　can　see　the　North　Star；〃　he



announced；　contentedly；　pointing　toward　it　with　his　big　toe。　



〃Anyone　might　get　lost　and　need　to　know　that。〃







We　all　looked　up　at　it。







〃How　do　you　suppose　Columbus　felt　when　his　compass　didn't



point　north　any　more？〃　Tip　asked。







Otto　shook　his　head。　　〃My　father　says　that　there　was　another



North　Star　once；　and　that　maybe　this　one　won't　last　always。　　I



wonder　what　would　happen　to　us　down　here　if　anything　went　wrong



with　it？〃







Arthur　chuckled。　　〃I　wouldn't　worry；　Ott。　　Nothing's　apt　to



happen　to　it　in　your　time。　　Look　at　the　Milky　Way！　　There　must　be



lots　of　good　dead　Indians。〃







We　lay　back　and　looked；　meditating；　at　the　dark　cover　of　the



world。　　The　gurgle　of　the　water　had　become　heavier。　　We　had　often



noticed　a　mutinous；　complaining　note　in　it　at　night；　quit