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第15章 The White Silence（第2页）

Infasufferedleastofall，forhespenthistimeieheGreatSmokyMountains，livihesesofhisostpatheticwasthemelodyofhislottenSouthernvernacular，asheravedofswimmingholesandtsandwatermelonraids。ItwasasGreektoRuth，buttheKiduoodaasonlyonefeelwhohasbeenshutoutforyearsfromallthatcivilizationmeans。

Mhtesstothestri，aeKidbechhiswhispers。

‘Yourememberwheheredoanana，fouryearsei?Ididn'tuchforherthen。Itwasmorelikesheretty，andtherewasasmaentaboutit，Ithink。ButI'veknoos;veetothinkaheapofher。She'sbeenagoodwifetome，alwaysatmyshoulderinthepindwherading，youknowthereisn'therequal。D'yerecollectthetimesheshottheMoosehornRapidstopullyouarock，thebulletswhippierlikehailstohetimeofthefamio?-wheheitthenews?’

Yes，she'sbeenagoodwifetome，better'nthatotherone。Didn'tknoos;dbeenthere?

&oldyou，eh?Well，ItrieditontheStates。That'sos;mhere。Beeher，too。Icameawaytogiveheracefotit。

‘Butthat'sgotnothingtodowithRuth。Ihadthoughtofgupandpullisideyear-herandI-butit'stoolate。Don'tseoherpeople，Kid。It'sbeastlyhardforawomantogobakofit!-nearlyfouryearsonourbadbeansandfloura，aogobacktoherfishandp;apos;snotgoodforhertohavetriedourways，toetoknoos;rebetter'nherpeople's，ahem。Takecareofher，Kidos;tyou-butno，youalwaysfoughtshyofthem-aoldmewhyyoucametothistry。Bekindtoher，aotheStatesassoonasyou。Butfixitsosheeback-liabletogethomesiow。’

‘Aer-it'sdrawnuscloser，Kid。Ioisaboy。Thinkofit!-fleshofmyflesh，Kid。Hemustn'tstopinthisdifit'sagirl，os;t。Sellmyfurs;they'llfetchatleastfivethousand，andI'vegotasmuchmorewiththepany。Aerestswithyours。Ithinkthatbenchclaimwillshowup。Seethathegetsagoodsg;andKid，aboveall，don'tlethimeback。Thistrywasemen。’

‘I'magoneman，Kid。Threeorfoursleepsatthebest。You'vegottogoon。Youmustgoo'smyos;smyboy-OGod!Ihopeit'saboy!You'tstaybyme-andIchargeyou，adyingman，topullon。’

&hreedays，'pleadedMalemuteKid。'Youmaygeforthebetter;somethingmayturnup。’

‘No。’

‘Justthreedays。’

‘Youmustpullon。’

‘T>

‘It'smywifeandmyboy，Kid。Youwouldnotaskit。’

‘Oneday。’

‘No，ne-’

‘Onlyoneday。Weshaveitthroughonthegrub，andImightknooose。’

‘Nht;onotaminutemore。And，Kid，don't-don'tleavemetofae。Justashot，onepuller。Youuhinkofit!Thinkofit!Fleshofmyflesh，andI'lloseehim!’

&hhere。Iwanttosaygood-byashemustthinkoftheboyandnotwaittillI'mdead。ShemightrefusetogowithyouifIdidn't。Goodby，oldman;good-by。’

‘Kid!Isay-a-sihepup，heslide。Ipafortyyshovelthere。’

‘And，Kid!'Hestoopedlowertocatchthelastfaintwords，thedyingman'ssurrenderofhispride。'I'msorry-for-youkno;apos;LeavingthegirlgsoftlyoverhermaeKidslippedintohisparkaandsuckedhisrifleunderhisarm，aawayi。HewasnotyroiernsorrowsoftheNorthland，butneverhadhefacedsostiffaproblemasthis。I，itlaiicalpropositionthreepossiblelivesasagainstoed。Forfiveyears，shouldertoshoulder，orails，inthedmines，fagdeathbyfieldandfloodaheykhebondsoftheirradeship。SoclosewasthetiethathehadoftenbeensciousofavaguejealousyofRuth，fromthefirsttimeshehadebetween。Andnowitmustbeseveredbyhiso>

Thoughheprayedforamoose，justonemoose，allgameseemedtohavedesertedtheland，andnightfallfouedmangintocamp，lighthaed。AnuproarfromthedogsandshrillRuthhastenedhim。

Burstingintothecamp，hesawthegirliofthesnarlingpagaboutherwithanax。Thedogshadbrokentheiroheirmastersandwererushingthegrub。

&heissuewithhisriflereversed，andthehameofionlayedoutwithalltheruthlesssprimevale。Rifleaupanddown，hitormissedwithmonularity;lithebodiesflashed，withwildeyesanddrippingfangs;andmafoughtforsupremacytothebitterest。Theescrepttotheedgeht，ligtheirwounds，voigtheirmiserytothestars。

&ockofdriedsalmonhadbeendevoured，andperhapsfivepoundsofflourremaiidethemovertwohundredmilesofwilderhreturoherhusbaeKidcutupthewarmbodyofoheskullofwhichhadbeeheax。Everyportioaway，savethehideandoffal，whichwerecasttohisfellowsofthemomentbefore。

Mhtfreshtrouble。Theaurher。，whostillgtoherslehreadoflife，wasdowhelashfellamongthemuheyddertheblows，butrefusedtoscattertillthelastwretchedbithaddisappeared-bones，hide，hair，everything。

&eKidwentabouthiswork，listeningtoMason，whowasbaessee，deliveringtangleddisdwildexhortationstohisbrethrenofotherdays。

Takingadvantageofneighbpines，heidly，andRuthwatchedhimmakeacachesimilartothosesometimesusedbyhuopreservetheirmeatfromthewolverinesanddogs。

&heother，hebeopsoftiowardeachotheraheground，makiwiththongsofmoosehide。Thehedogsintosubmissionahemtotwoofthesleds，loadiheverythingbutthefurswhiason。Theseheedalyabouthim，fastehereothebentpines。Asirokeofhishuntingknifewouldreleasethemahebodyhighintheair。

Ruthhadreceivedherhusband'slastwishesaruggle。Pirl，shehadlearhelessonofobediencewell。Fromachild，shehadbowed，andseeothelordsof，anditdidhehingsforwomaheKidpermittedherrief，asshekissedherhusband-herownpeoplehadnosu-theheforemostsledaohersnowshoes。Blindly，iookthegeepoleand;apos;mushed'thedogsoutoheoMason，whohadfallenintoaa，andlongaftershewasoutofsightcrouchedbythefire，ing，prayingforhisradetodie。

ItisobealohpainfulthoughtsieSilehesilenerciful，shroudihprotedbreathingathousandihies;butthebrightWhiteSilence，ddersteelyskies，ispitiless。

Anhourpassed-twohours-butthemanwouldhighhitsrimabovethesouthernhestiotheheavens，thenquicklydrewitback。MalemuteKidrousedanddraggedhimselftohisp;apos;sside。Heeglahim。TheWhiteSilereatfear。Thereort;MasonswungintohisaerialsepuldMalemuteKidlashedthedogsintoaashefledacrossthesnow。