CONTENTS:
THENIGHT—BORN
THEMADNESSOFJOHNHARNED
WHENTHEWORLDWASYOUNG
THEBENEFITOFTHEDOUBT
WINGEDBLACKMAIL
BUNCHESOFKNUCKLES
WAR
UNDERTHEDECKAWNINGS
TOKILLAMAN
THEMEXICAN
THENIGHT—BORN
ItwasintheoldAlta—InyoClub——awarmnightforSanFrancisco——andthroughtheopenwindows,hushedandfar,camethebrawlofthestreets。ThetalkhadledonfromtheGraftProsecutionandthelatestsignsthatthetownwastoberunwideopen,downthroughallthegrotesquesordidnessandrottennessofmanhateandman—meanness,untilthenameofO’Brienwasmentioned——O’Brien,thepromisingyoungpugilistwhohadbeenkilledintheprize—ringthenightbefore。Atoncetheairhadseemedtofreshen。O’Brienhadbeenaclean—livingyoungmanwithideals。Heneitherdrank,smoked,norswore,andhishadbeenthebodyofabeautifulyounggod。Hehadevencarriedhisprayer—booktotheringside。Theyfounditinhiscoatpocketinthedressing—room……afterward。
HerewasYouth,cleanandwholesome,unsullied——thethingofgloryandwonderformentoconjurewith……afterithasbeenlosttothemandtheyhaveturnedmiddle—aged。Andsowelldidweconjure,thatRomancecameandforanhourledusfarfromtheman—cityanditssnarlingroar。Bardwell,inaway,starteditbyquotingfromThoreau;butitwasoldTrefethan,bald—headedanddewlapped,whotookupthequotationandforthehourtocomewasromanceincarnate。AtfirstwewonderedhowmanyScotcheshehadconsumedsincedinner,butverysoonallthatwasforgotten。
\"Itwasin1898——Iwasthirty—fivethen,\"hesaid。\"Yes,Iknowyouareaddingitup。You’reright。I’mforty—sevennow;looktenyearsmore;andthedoctorssay——damnthedoctorsanyway!\"
Heliftedthelongglasstohislipsandsippeditslowlytosootheawayhisirritation。
\"ButIwasyoung……once。Iwasyoungtwelveyearsago,andI
hadhairontopofmyhead,andmystomachwasleanasarunner’s,andthelongestdaywasnonetoolongforme。Iwasahuskybacktherein’98。Yourememberme,Milner。Youknewmethen。Wasn’tIaprettygoodbitofallright?\"
Milnernoddedandagreed。LikeTrefethan,hewasanotherminingengineerwhohadcleanedupafortuneintheKlondike。
\"Youcertainlywere,oldman,\"Milnersaid。\"I’llneverforgetwhenyoucleanedoutthoselumberjacksintheM。&M。thatnightthatlittlenewspapermanstartedtherow。Slavinwasinthecountryatthetime,\"——thistous——\"andhismanagerwantedtogetupamatchwithTrefethan。\"
\"Well,lookatmenow,\"Trefethancommandedangrily。\"That’swhattheGoldsteaddidtome——Godknowshowmanymillions,butnothingleftinmysoul……norinmyveins。Thegoodredbloodisgone。Iamajellyfish,ahuge,grossmassofoscillatingprotoplasm,a——a……\"
Butlanguagefailedhim,andhedrewsolacefromthelongglass。
\"Womenlookedatmethen;andturnedtheirheadstolookasecondtime。StrangethatInevermarried。Butthegirl。That’swhatIstartedtotellyouabout。Imetherathousandmilesfromanywhere,andthensome。AndshequotedtomethoseverywordsofThoreauthatBardwellquotedamomentago——theonesabouttheday—borngodsandthenight—born。\"
\"ItwasafterIhadmademylocationsonGoldstead——anddidn’tknowwhatatreasure—potthatthattripcreekwasgoingtoprove——thatImadethattripeastovertheRockies,anglingacrosstotheGreatUpNorththeretheRockiesaresomethingmorethanaback—bone。Theyareaboundary,adividingline,awallimpregnableandunscalable。Thereisnointercourseacrossthem,though,onoccasion,fromtheearlydays,wanderingtrappershavecrossedthem,thoughmorewerelostbythewaythanevercamethrough。AndthatwaspreciselywhyItackledthejob。Itwasatraverseanymanwouldbeproudtomake。IamprouderofitrightnowthananythingelseIhaveeverdone。
\"Itisanunknownland。Greatstretchesofithaveneverbeenexplored。Therearebigvalleystherewherethewhitemanhasneversetfoot,andIndiantribesasprimitiveastenthousandyears……almost,fortheyhavehadsomecontactwiththewhites。Partiesofthemcomeoutonceinawhiletotrade,andthatisall。EventheHudsonBayCompanyfailedtofindthemandfarmthem。
\"Andnowthegirl。Iwascomingupastream——you’dcallitariverinCalifornia——uncharted——andunnamed。Itwasanoblevalley,nowshutinbyhighcanyonwalls,andagainopeningoutintobeautifulstretches,wideandlong,withpastureshoulder—highinthebottoms,meadowsdottedwithflowers,andwithclumpsoftimberspruce——virginandmagnificent。Thedogswerepackingontheirbacks,andweresore—footedandplayedout;whileIwaslookingforanybunchofIndianstogetsledsanddriversfromandgoonwiththefirstsnow。Itwaslatefall,butthewaythoseflowerspersistedsurprisedme。Iwassupposedtobeinsub—arcticAmerica,andhighupamongthebuttressesoftheRockies,andyettherewasthateverlastingspreadofflowers。Somedaythewhitesettlerswillbeinthereandgrowingwheatdownallthatvalley。
\"AndthenIliftedasmoke,andheardthebarkingofthedogs——Indiandogs——andcameintocamp。Theremusthavebeenfivehundredofthem,properIndiansatthat,andIcouldseebythejerking—framesthatthefallhuntinghadbeengood。AndthenImether——Lucy。Thatwashername。Signlanguage——thatwasallwecouldtalkwith,tilltheyledmetoabigfly——youknow,halfatent,openontheonesidewhereacampfireburned。Itwasallofmoose—skins,thisfly——moose—skins,smoke—cured,hand—rubbed,andgolden—brown。UnderiteverythingwasneatandorderlyasnoIndiancampeverwas。Thebedwaslaidonfreshspruceboughs。Therewerefursgalore,andontopofallwasarobeofswanskins——whiteswan—skins——Ihaveneverseenanythinglikethatrobe。Andontopofit,sittingcross—legged,wasLucy。Shewasnut—brown。Ihavecalledheragirl。Butshewasnot。Shewasawoman,anut—brownwoman,anAmazon,afull—blooded,full—bodiedwoman,androyalripe。Andhereyeswereblue。
\"That’swhattookmeoffmyfeet——hereyes——blue,notChinablue,butdeepblue,liketheseaandskyallmeltedintoone,andverywise。Morethanthat,theyhadlaughterinthem——warmlaughter,sun—warmandhuman,veryhuman,and……shallIsayfeminine?Theywere。Theywereawoman’seyes,aproperwoman’seyes。Youknowwhatthatmeans。CanIsaymore?Also,inthoseblueeyeswere,atthesametime,awildunrest,awistfulyearning,andarepose,anabsoluterepose,asortofall—wiseandphilosophicalcalm。\"
Trefethanbrokeoffabruptly。
\"YoufellowsthinkIamscrewed。I’mnot。Thisisonlymyfifthsincedinner。Iamdeadsober。Iamsolemn。Isitherenowsidebysidewithmysacredyouth。ItisnotI——’old’
Trefethan——thattalks;itismyyouth,anditismyyouththatsaysthosewerethemostwonderfuleyesIhaveeverseen——soverycalm,soveryrestless;soverywise,soverycurious;soveryold,soveryyoung;sosatisfiedandyetyearningsowistfully。Boys,Ican’tdescribethem。WhenIhavetoldyouabouther,youmayknowbetterforyourselves。\"
\"Shedidnotstandup。Butsheputoutherhand。\"
\"’Stranger,’shesaid,’I’mrealgladtoseeyou。’
\"Ileaveittoyou——thatsharp,frontier,Westerntangofspeech。Picturemysensations。Itwasawoman,awhitewoman,butthattang!Itwasamazingthatitshouldbeawhitewoman,here,beyondthelastboundaryoftheworld——butthetang。I
tellyou,ithurt。Itwaslikethestabofaflattednote。Andyet,letmetellyou,thatwomanwasapoet。Youshallsee。\"
\"ShedismissedtheIndians。And,byJove,theywent。Theytookherordersandfollowedherblind。Shewashi—yuskookamchief。
Shetoldthebuckstomakeacampformeandtotakecareofmydogs。Andtheydid,too。Andtheyknewenoughnottogetawaywithasmuchasamoccasin—laceofmyoutfit。ShewasaregularShe—Who—Must—Be—Obeyed,andIwanttotellyouitchilledmetothemarrow,sentthoselittlethrillsMarathoningupanddownmyspinalcolumn,meetingawhitewomanoutthereattheheadofatribeofsavagesathousandmilestheothersideofNoMan’sLand。
\"’Stranger,\"shesaid,’Ireckonyou’resurethefirstwhitethateversetfootinthisvalley。Setdownan’talkaspell,andthenwe’llhaveabitetoeat。Whichwaymightyoubecomin’?’
\"Thereitwas,thattangagain。ButfromnowtotheendoftheyarnIwantyoutoforgetit。ItellyouIforgotit,sittingthereontheedgeofthatswan—skinrobeandlisteningandlookingatthemostwonderfulwomanthateversteppedoutofthepagesofThoreauorofanyotherman’sbook。
\"Istayedonthereaweek。Itwasonherinvitation。ShepromisedtofitmeoutwithdogsandsledsandwithIndiansthatwouldputmeacrossthebestpassoftheRockiesinfivehundredmiles。Herflywaspitchedapartfromtheothers,onthehighbankbytheriver,andacoupleofIndiangirlsdidhercookingforherandthecampwork。Andsowetalkedandtalked,whilethefirstsnowfellandcontinuedtofallandmakeasurfaceformysleds。Andthiswasherstory。
\"Shewasfrontier—born,ofpoorsettlers,andyouknowwhatthatmeans——work,work,alwayswork,workinplentyandwithoutend。
\"’Ineverseenthegloryoftheworld,’shesaid。’Ihadnotime。Iknewitwasrightoutthere,anywhere,allaroundthecabin,buttherewasalwaysthebreadtoset,thescrubbin’andthewashin’andtheworkthatwasneverdone。Iusedtobeplumbsickattimes,jes’togetoutintoitall,especiallyinthespringwhenthesongsofthebirdsdrovememostcleancrazy。Iwantedtorunoutthroughthelongpasturegrass,wettingmylegswiththedewofit,andtoclimbtherailfence,andkeeponthroughthetimberandupandupoverthedividesoastogetalookaround。Oh,Ihadallkindsofhankerings——tofollowupthecanyonbedsandslosharoundfrompooltopool,makingfriendswiththewater—dogsandthespecklytrout;topeepontheslyandwatchthesquirrelsandrabbitsandsmallfurrythingsandseewhattheywasdoingandlearnthesecretsoftheirways。Seemedtome,ifIhadtime,I
couldcrawlamongtheflowers,and,ifIwasgoodandquiet,catchthemwhisperingwiththemselves,tellingallkindsofwisethingsthatmerehumansneverknow。’\"
Trefethanpausedtoseethathisglasshadbeenrefilled。
\"Anothertimeshesaid:’Iwantedtorunnightslikeawildthing,justtorunthroughthemoonshineandunderthestars,torunwhiteandnakedinthedarknessthatIknewmustfeellikecoolvelvet,andtorunandrunandkeeponrunning。Oneevening,plumbtuckeredout——ithadbeenadreadfulhardhotday,andthebreadwouldn’traiseandthechurninghadgonewrong,andIwasallirritatedandjerky——well,thateveningI
madementiontodadofthiswantingtorunofmine。Helookedatmecurious—someandabitscared。Andthenhegavemetwopillstotake。SaidtogotobedandgetagoodsleepandI’dbeallhunky—doryinthemorning。SoInevermentionedmyhankeringstohim,oranyoneanymore。’
\"Themountainhomebrokeup——starvedout,Iimagine——andthefamilycametoSeattletolive。Theresheworkedinafactory——longhours,youknow,andalltherest,deadlywork。
Andafterayearofthatshebecamewaitressinacheaprestaurant——hash—slinger,shecalledit。\"Shesaidtomeonce,’RomanceIguesswaswhatIwanted。Buttherewan’tnoromancefloatingaroundindishpansandwashtubs,orinfactoriesandhash—joints。’
\"Whenshewaseighteenshemarried——amanwhowasgoinguptoJuneautostartarestaurant。Hehadafewdollarssaved,andappearedprosperous。Shedidn’tlovehim——shewasemphaticaboutthat,butshewasalltiredout,andshewantedtogetawayfromtheunendingdrudgery。Besides,JuneauwasinAlaska,andheryearningtooktheformofadesiretoseethatwonderland。Butlittleshesawofit。Hestartedtherestaurant,alittlecheapone,andshequicklylearnedwhathehadmarriedherfor……tosavepayingwages。Shecameprettyclosetorunningthejointanddoingalltheworkfromwaitingtodishwashing。Shecookedmostofthetimeaswell。Andshehadfouryearsofit。
\"Can’tyoupictureher,thiswildwoodscreature,quickwitheveryoldprimitiveinstinct,yearningforthefreeopen,andmowedupinavilelittlehash—jointandtoilingandmoilingforfourmortalyears?
\"’Therewasnomeaninginanything,’shesaid。’Whatwasitallabout!WhywasIborn!Wasthatallthemeaningoflife——justtoworkandworkandbealwaystired!——togotobedtiredandtowakeuptired,witheverydaylikeeveryotherdayunlessitwasharder?’Shehadheardtalkofimmortallifefromthegospelsharps,shesaid,butshecouldnotreckonthatwhatshewasdoin’wasalikelypreparationforherimmortality。
\"Butshestillhadherdreams,thoughmorerarely。Shehadreadafewbooks——what,itisprettyhardtoimagine,SeasideLibrarynovelsmostlikely;yettheyhadbeenfoodforfancy。
’Sometimes,’shesaid,’whenIwasthatdizzyfromtheheatofthecookingthatifIdidn’ttakeabreathoffreshairI’dfaint,I’dstickmyheadoutofthekitchenwindow,andclosemyeyesandseemostwonderfulthings。AllofasuddenI’dbetravelingdownacountryroad,andeverythingcleanandquiet,nodust,nodirt;juststreamsripplin’downsweetmeadows,andlambsplaying,breezesblowingthebreathofflowers,andsoftsunshineovereverything;andlovelycowslazyingknee—deepinquietpools,andyounggirlsbathinginacurveofstreamallwhiteandslimandnatural——andI’dknowIwasinArcady。I’dreadaboutthatcountryonce,inabook。Andmaybeknights,allflashinginthesun,wouldcomeridingaroundabendintheroad,oraladyonamilk—whitemare,andinthedistanceI
couldseethetowersofacastlerising,orIjustknew,onthenextturn,thatI’dcomeuponsomepalace,allwhiteandairyandfairy—like,withfountainsplaying,andflowersallovereverything,andpeacocksonthelawn……andthenI’dopenmyeyes,andtheheatofthecookingrangewouldstrikeonme,andI’dhearJakesayin’——hewasmyhusband——I’dhearJakesayin’,\"Whyain’tyouservedthembeans?ThinkIcanwaithereallday!\"Romance!——IreckonthenearestIevercometoitwaswhenadrunkenArmeniancookgotthesnakesandtriedtocutmythroatwithapotatoknifeandIgotmyarmburnedonthestovebeforeIcouldlayhimoutwiththepotatostomper。
\"’Iwantedeasyways,andlovelythings,andRomanceandallthat;butitjustseemedIhadnolucknohowandwasonlyandexpresslybornforcookinganddishwashing。TherewasawildcrowdinJuneauthemdays,butIlookedattheotherwomen,andtheirwayoflifedidn’texciteme。IreckonIwantedtobeclean。Idon’tknowwhy;Ijustwantedto,Iguess;andI
reckonedImightaswelldiedishwashingasdietheirway。\"
Trefethanhaltedinhistaleforamoment,completingtohimselfsomethreadofthought。
\"AndthisisthewomanImetupthereintheArctic,runningatribeofwildIndiansandafewthousandsquaremilesofhuntingterritory。Andithappened,simplyenough,though,forthatmatter,shemighthavelivedanddiedamongthepotsandpans。But’Camethewhisper,camethevision。’Thatwasallsheneeded,andshegotit。
\"’Iwokeuponeday,’shesaid。’Justhappenedonitinascrapofnewspaper。Iremembereverywordofit,andIcangiveittoyou。’AndthenshequotedThoreau’sCryoftheHuman:
\"’Theyoungpinesspringingup,inthecornfieldfromyeartoyeararetomearefreshingfact。WetalkofcivilizingtheIndian,butthatisnotthenameforhisimprovement。Bythewaryindependenceandaloofnessofhisdimforestlifehepreserveshisintercoursewithhisnativegodsandisadmittedfromtimetotimetoarareandpeculiarsocietywithnature。
Hehasglancesofstarryrecognition,towhichoursaloonsarestrangers。Thesteadyilluminationofhisqenius,dimonlybecausedistant,islikethefaintbutsatisfyinglightofthestarscomparedwiththedazzlingbutineffectualandshort—livedblazeofcandles。TheSocietyIslandershadtheirday—borngods,buttheywerenotsupposedtobeofequalantiquitywiththe……night—borngods。’
\"That’swhatshedid,repeateditwordforword,andIforgotthetang,foritwassolemn,adeclarationofreligion——pagan,ifyouwill;andclothedinthelivinggarmentureofherself。
\"’Andtherestofitwastornaway,’sheadded,agreatemptinessinhervoice。’Itwasonlyascrapofnewspaper。ButthatThoreauwasawiseman。IwishIknewmoreabouthim。’Shestoppedamoment,andIswearherfacewasineffablyholyasshesaid,’Icouldhavemadehimagoodwife。’
\"Andthenshewenton。’Iknewrightaway,assoonasIreadthat,whatwasthematterwithme。Iwasanight—born。I,whohadlivedallmylifewiththeday—born,wasanight—born。ThatwaswhyIhadneverbeensatisfiedwithcookinganddishwashing;thatwaswhyIhadhankeredtorunnakedinthemoonlight。AndIknewthatthisdirtylittleJuneauhash—jointwasnoplaceforme。AndrightthereandthenIsaid,\"Iquit。\"
Ipackedupmyfewragsofclothes,andstarted。Jakesawmeandtriedtostopme。
\"’Whatyoudoing?\"hesays。
\"’Divorcin’youandme,’Isays。’I’mheadin’fortalltimberandwhereIbelong。’\"
\"’Noyoudon’t,\"hesays,reachingformetostopme。\"Thecookinghasgotonyourhead。Youlistentometalkbeforeyouupanddoanythingbrash。’\"
\"’ButIpulledagun—alittleColt’sforty—four——andsays,\"Thisdoesmytalkin’forme。’\"
\"’AndIleft。’\"
Trefethanemptiedhisglassandcalledforanother。
\"Boys,doyouknowwhatthatgirldid?Shewastwenty—two。Shehadspentherlifeoverthedish—panandsheknewnomoreabouttheworldthanIdoofthefourthdimension,orthefifth。Allroadsledtoherdesire。No;shedidn’theadforthedance—halls。OntheAlaskanPan—handleitispreferabletotravelbywater。Shewentdowntothebeach。AnIndiancanoewasstartingforDyea——youknowthekind,carvedoutofasingletree,narrowanddeepandsixtyfeetlong。Shegavethemacoupleofdollarsandgotonboard。
\"’Romance?’shetoldme。’ItwasRomancefromthejump。Therewerethreefamiliesaltogetherinthatcanoe,andthatcrowdedtherewasn’troomtoturnaround,withdogsandIndianbabiessprawlingovereverything,andeverybodydippingapaddleandmakingthatcanoego。’Andallaroundthegreatsolemnmountains,andtangleddriftsofcloudsandsunshine。Andoh,thesilence!thegreatwonderfulsilence!And,once,thesmokeofahunter’scamp,awayoffinthedistance,trailingamongthetrees。Itwaslikeapicnic,agrandpicnic,andIcouldseemydreamscomingtrue,andIwasreadyforsomethingtohappen’mostanytime。Anditdid。
\"’Andthatfirstcamp,ontheisland!Andtheboysspearingfishinthemouthofthecreek,andthebigdeeroneofthebucksshotjustaroundthepoint。Andtherewereflowerseverywhere,andinbackfromthebeachthegrasswasthickandlushandneck—high。Andsomeofthegirlswentthroughthiswithme,andweclimbedthehillsidebehindandpickedberriesandrootsthattastedsourandweregoodtoeat。Andwecameuponabigbearintheberriesmakinghissupper,andhesaid\"Oof!\"andranawayasscaredaswewere。Andthenthecamp,andthecampsmoke,andthesmelloffreshvenisoncooking。Itwasbeautiful。Iwaswiththenight—bornatlast,andIknewthatwaswhereIbelonged。Andforthefirsttimeinmylife,itseemedtome,Iwenttobedhappythatnight,lookingoutunderacornerofthecanvasatthestarscutoffblackbyabigshoulderofmountain,andlisteningtothenight—noises,andknowingthatthesamethingwouldgoonnextdayandforeverandever,forIwasn’tgoingback。AndIneverdidgoback。’
\"’Romance!Igotitnextday。Wehadtocrossabigarmoftheocean——twelveorfifteenmiles,atleast;anditcameontoblowwhenwewereinthemiddle。ThatnightIwasalongonshore,withonewolf—dog,andIwastheonlyoneleftalive。’
\"Pictureityourself,\"Trefethanbrokeofftosay。\"Thecanoewaswreckedandlost,andeverybodypoundedtodeathontherocksexcepther。Shewentashorehangingontoadog’stail,escapingtherocksandwashinguponatinybeach,theonlyoneinmiles。
\"’Luckyformeitwasthemainland,’shesaid。’SoIheadedrightawayback,throughthewoodsandoverthemountainsandstraightonanywhere。SeemedIwaslookingforsomethingandknewI’dfindit。Iwasn’tafraid。Iwasnight—born,andthebigtimbercouldn’tkillme。AndontheseconddayIfoundit。
Icameuponasmallclearingandatumbledowncabin。Nobodyhadbeenthereforyearsandyears。Theroofhadfallenin。Rottedblanketslayinthebunks,andpotsandpanswereonthestove。
Butthatwasnotthemostcuriousthing。Outside,alongtheedgeofthetrees,youcan’tguesswhatIfound。Theskeletonsofeighthorses,eachtiedtoatree。Theyhadstarvedtodeath,Ireckon,andleftonlylittlepilesofbonesscatteredsomehereandthere。Andeachhorsehadhadaloadonitsback。
Theretheloadslay,inamongthebones——paintedcanvassacks,andinsidemoosehidesacks,andinsidethemoosehidesacks——whatdoyouthink?’\"
Shestopped,reachedunderacomerofthebedamongthespruceboughs,andpulledoutaleathersack。SheuntiedthemouthandranoutintomyhandasprettyastreamofgoldasIhaveeverseen——coarsegold,placergold,somelargedust,butmostlynuggets,anditwassofreshandroughthatitscarcelyshowedsignsofwater—wash。
\"’Yousayyou’reaminingengineer,’shesaid,’andyouknowthiscountry。Canyounameapay—creekthathasthecolorofthatgold!’
\"Icouldn’t!Therewasn’tatraceofsilver。Itwasalmostpure,andItoldherso。
\"’Youbet,’shesaid。’Isellthatfornineteendollarsanounce。Youcan’tgetoverseventeenforEldoradogold,andMinookgolddon’tfetchquiteeighteen。Well,thatwaswhatI
foundamongthebones——eighthorse—loadsofit,onehundredandfiftypoundstotheload。’
\"’Aquarterofamilliondollars!’Icriedout。
\"’That’swhatIreckoneditroughly,’sheanswered。’TalkaboutRomance!AndmeaslavingthewayIhadalltheyears,whenassoonasIventuredout,insidethreedays,thiswaswhathappened。Andwhatbecameofthementhatminedallthatgold?
OftenandoftenIwonderaboutit。Theylefttheirhorses,loadedandtied,andjustdisappearedoffthefaceoftheearth,leavingneitherhidenorhairbehindthem。Ineverheardtellofthem。Nobodyknowsanythingaboutthem。Well,beingthenight—born,IreckonIwastheirrightfulheir。’
Trefethanstoppedtolightacigar。
\"Doyouknowwhatthatgirldid?Shecachedthegold,savingoutthirtypounds,whichshecarriedbacktothecoast。Thenshesignaledapassingcanoe,madeherwaytoPatHealy’stradingpostatDyea,outfitted,andwentoverChilcootPass。
Thatwasin’88——eightyearsbeforetheKlondikestrike,andtheYukonwasahowlingwilderness。Shewasafraidofthebucks,butshetooktwoyoungsquawswithher,crossedthelakes,andwentdowntheriverandtoalltheearlycampsontheLowerYukon。ShewanderedseveralyearsoverthatcountryandthenonintowhereImether。Likedthelooksofit,shesaid,seeing,inherownwords,’abigbullcaribouknee—deepinpurpleirisonthevalley—bottom。’ShehookedupwiththeIndians,doctoredthem,gainedtheirconfidence,andgraduallytookthemincharge。Shehadonlyleftthatcountryonce,andthen,withabunchoftheyoungbucks,shewentoverChilcoot,cleaneduphergold—cache,andbroughtitbackwithher。
\"’AndhereIbe,stranger,’sheconcludedheryarn,’andhere’sthemostpreciousthingIown。’
\"Shepulledoutalittlepouchofbuckskin,wornonhernecklikealocket,andopenedit。Andinside,wrappedinoiledsilk,yellowedwithageandwornandthumbed,wastheoriginalscrapofnewspapercontainingthequotationfromThoreau。
\"’Andareyouhappy……satisfied?’Iaskedher。’Withaquarterofamillionyouwouldn’thavetoworkdownintheStates。Youmustmissalot。’
\"’Notmuch,’sheanswered。’Iwouldn’tswopplaceswithanywomandownintheStates。Thesearemypeople;thisiswhereI
belong。Buttherearetimes——andinhereyessmolderedupthathungryyearningI’vementioned——’therearetimeswhenIwishmostawfulbadforthatThoreaumantohappenalong。’
\"’Why?’Iasked。
\"’SoasIcouldmarryhim。Idogetmightylonesomeatspells。
I’mjustawoman——arealwoman。I’veheardtelloftheotherkindofwomenthatgallivantedofflikemeanddidqueerthings——thesortthatbecomesoldiersinarmies,andsailorsonships。Butthosewomenarequeerthemselves。They’remorelikementhanwomen;theylooklikemenandtheydon’thaveordinarywomen’sneeds。Theydon’twantlove,norlittlechildrenintheirarmsandaroundtheirknees。I’mnotthatsort。Ileaveittoyou,stranger。DoIlooklikeaman?’
\"Shedidn’t。Shewasawoman,abeautiful,nut—brownwoman,withasturdy,health—roundedwoman’sbodyandwithwonderfuldeep—bluewoman’seyes。
\"’Ain’tIwoman?’shedemanded。’Iam。I’m’mostallwoman,andthensome。Andthefunnythingis,thoughI’mnight—bornineverythingelse,I’mnotwhenitcomestomating。Ireckonthatkindlikesitsownkindbest。That’sthewayitiswithme,anyway,andhasbeenalltheseyears。’
\"’Youmeantotellme——’Ibegan。
\"’Never,’shesaid,andhereyeslookedintominewiththestraightnessoftruth。’Ihadonehusband,only——himIcalltheOx;andIreckonhe’sstilldowninJuneaurunningthehash—joint。Lookhimup,ifyouevergetback,andyou’llfindhe’srightlynamed。’
\"AndlookhimupIdid,twoyearsafterward。Hewasallshesaid——solidandstolid,theOx——shufflingaroundandwaitingonthetables。
\"’Youneedawifetohelpyou,’Isaid。
\"’Ihadoneonce,’washisanswer。
\"’Widower?’
\"’Yep。Shewentloco。Shealwayssaidtheheatofthecookingwouldgether,anditdid。PulledagunonmeonedayandranawaywithsomeSiwashesinacanoe。Caughtablowupthecoastandallhandsdrowned。’\"
Trefethandevotedhimselftohisglassandremainedsilent。
\"Butthegirl?\"Milnerremindedhim。
\"Youleftyourstoryjustasitwasgettinginteresting,tender。Didit?\"
\"Itdid,\"Trefethanreplied。\"Asshesaidherself,shewassavageineverythingexceptmating,andthenshewantedherownkind。Shewasveryniceaboutit,butshewasstraighttothepoint。Shewantedtomarryme。
\"’Stranger,’shesaid,’Iwantyoubad。Youlikethissortoflifeoryouwouldn’tbeheretryingtocrosstheRockiesinfallweather。It’salikelyspot。You’llfindfewlikelier。Whynotsettledown!I’llmakeyouagoodwife。’
\"Andthenitwasuptome。Andshewaited。Idon’tmindconfessingthatIwassorelytempted。Iwashalfinlovewithherasitwas。YouknowIhavenevermarried。AndIdon’tmindadding,lookingbackovermylife,thatsheistheonlywomanthateveraffectedmethatway。Butitwastoopreposterous,thewholething,andIliedlikeagentleman。ItoldherIwasalreadymarried。
\"’Isyourwifewaitingforyou?’sheasked。
\"Isaidyes。
\"’Andshelovesyou?’
\"Isaidyes。
\"Andthatwasall。Sheneverpressedherpoint……exceptonce,andthensheshowedabitoffire。
\"’AllI’vegottodo,’shesaid,’istogivetheword,andyoudon’tgetawayfromhere。IfIgivetheword,youstayon……
ButIain’tgoingtogiveit。Iwouldn’twantyouifyoudidn’twanttobewanted……andifyoudidn’twantme。’
\"Shewentaheadandoutfittedmeandstartedmeonmyway。
\"’It’sadarnedshame,stranger,\"shesaid,atparting。’Ilikeyourlooks,andIlikeyou。Ifyoueverchangeyourmind,comeback。’
\"NowtherewasonethingIwantedtodo,andthatwastokisshergood—bye,butIdidn’tknowhowtogoaboutitnorhowshewouldtakeit。——ItellyouIwashalfinlovewithher。Butshesettleditherself。
\"’Kissme,’shesaid。’Justsomethingtogoonandremember。’
\"Andwekissed,thereinthesnow,inthatvalleybytheRockies,andIleftherstandingbythetrailandwentonaftermydogs。IwassixweeksincrossingoverthepassandcomingdowntothefirstpostonGreatSlaveLake。\"
Thebrawlofthestreetscameuptouslikeadistantsurf。A
steward,movingnoiselessly,broughtfreshsiphons。AndinthesilenceTrefethan’svoicefelllikeafuneralbell:
\"ItwouldhavebeenbetterhadIstayed。Lookatme。\"
Wesawhisgrizzledmustache,thebaldspotonhishead,thepuff—sacksunderhiseyes,thesaggingcheeks,theheavydewlap,thegeneraltirednessandstalenessandfatness,allthecollapseandruinofamanwhohadoncebeenstrongbutwhohadlivedtooeasilyandtoowell。
\"It’snottoolate,oldman,\"Bardwellsaid,almostinawhisper。
\"ByGod!IwishIweren’tacoward!\"wasTrefethan’sansweringcry。\"Icouldgobacktoher。She’sthere,now。Icouldshapeupandlivemanyalongyear……withher……upthere。Toremainhereistocommitsuicide。ButIamanoldman——forty—seven——lookatme。Thetroubleis,\"heliftedhisglassandglancedatit,\"thetroubleisthatsuicideofthissortissoeasy。Iamsoftandtender。Thethoughtofthelongday’stravelwiththedogsappallsme;thethoughtofthekeenfrostinthemorningandofthefrozensled—lashingsfrightensme——\"
Automaticallytheglasswascreepingtowardhislips。Withaswiftsurgeofangerhemadeasiftocrashitdownuponthefloor。Nextcamehesitancyandsecondthought。Theglassmovedupwardtohislipsandpaused。Helaughedharshlyandbitterly,buthiswordsweresolemn:
\"Well,here’stotheNight—Born。SheWASawonder。\"
THEMADNESSOFJOHNHARNED
ITELLthisforafact。Ithappenedinthebull—ringatQuito。
IsatintheboxwithJohnHarned,andwithMariaValenzuela,andwithLuisCervallos。Isawithappen。Isawitallfromfirsttolast。IwasonthesteamerEcuadorefromPanamatoGuayaquil。MariaValenzuelaismycousin。Ihaveknownheralways。Sheisverybeautiful。IamaSpaniard——anEcuadoriano,true,butIamdescendedfromPedroPatino,whowasoneofPizarro’scaptains。Theywerebravemen。Theywereheroes。DidnotPizarroleadthreehundredandfiftySpanishcavaliersandfourthousandIndiansintothefarCordillerasinsearchoftreasure?AnddidnotallthefourthousandIndiansandthreehundredofthebravecavaliersdieonthatvainquest?ButPedroPatinodidnotdie。HeitwasthatlivedtofoundthefamilyofthePatino。IamEcuadoriano,true,butIamSpanish。
IamManueldeJesusPatino。Iownmanyhaciendas,andtenthousandIndiansaremyslaves,thoughthelawsaystheyarefreemenwhoworkbyfreedomofcontract。Thelawisafunnything。WeEcuadorianoslaughatit。Itisourlaw。Wemakeitforourselves。IamManueldeJesusPatino。Rememberthatname。
Itwillbewrittensomedayinhistory。TherearerevolutionsinEcuador。Wecallthemelections。Itisagoodjokeisitnot?——whatyoucallapun?
JohnHarnedwasanAmerican。ImethimfirstattheTivolihotelinPanama。Hehadmuchmoney——thisIhaveheard。HewasgoingtoLima,buthemetMariaValenzuelaintheTivolihotel。
MariaValenzuelaismycousin,andsheisbeautiful。Itistrue,sheisthemostbeautifulwomaninEcuador。Butalsoisshemostbeautifulineverycountry——inParis,inMadrid,inNewYork,inVienna。Alwaysdoallmenlookather,andJohnHarnedlookedlongatheratPanama。Helovedher,thatIknowforafact。ShewasEcuadoriano,true——butshewasofallcountries;shewasofalltheworld。Shespokemanylanguages。
Shesang——ah!likeanartiste。Hersmile——wonderful,divine。
Hereyes——ah!haveInotseenmenlookinhereyes?TheywerewhatyouEnglishcallamazing。Theywerepromisesofparadise。
Mendrownedthemselvesinhereyes。
MariaValenzuelawasrich——richerthanI,whoamaccountedveryrichinEcuador。ButJohnHarneddidnotcareforhermoney。Hehadaheart——afunnyheart。Hewasafool。HedidnotgotoLima。HeleftthesteameratGuayaquilandfollowedhertoQuito。ShewascominghomefromEuropeandotherplaces。Idonotseewhatshefoundinhim,butshelikedhim。ThisIknowforafact,elsehewouldnothavefollowedhertoQuito。Sheaskedhimtocome。WelldoIremembertheoccasion。Shesaid:
\"CometoQuitoandIwillshowyouthebullfight——brave,clever,magnificent!\"
Buthesaid:\"IgotoLima,notQuito。Suchismypassageengagedonthesteamer。\"
\"Youtravelforpleasure——no?\"saidMariaValenzuela;andshelookedathimasonlyMariaValenzuelacouldlook,hereyeswarmwiththepromise。
Andhecame。No;hedidnotcomeforthebull—fight。Hecamebecauseofwhathehadseeninhereyes。WomenlikeMariaValenzuelaarebornonceinahundredyears。Theyareofnocountryandnotime。Theyarewhatyoucallgoddesses。Menfalldownattheirfeet。Theyplaywithmenandrunthemthroughtheirprettyfingerslikesand。Cleopatrawassuchawomantheysay;andsowasCirce。Sheturnedmenintoswine。Ha!ha!Itistrue——no?
ItallcameaboutbecauseMariaValenzuelasaid:
\"YouEnglishpeopleare——whatshallIsay?——savage——no?Youprize—fight。Twomeneachhittheotherwiththeirfiststilltheireyesareblindedandtheirnosesarebroken。Hideous!Andtheothermenwholookoncryoutloudlyandaremadeglad。Itisbarbarous——no?\"
\"Buttheyaremen,\"saidJohnHarned;\"andtheyprize—fightoutofdesire。Noonemakesthemprize—fight。Theydoitbecausetheydesireitmorethananythingelseintheworld。\"
MariaValenzuela——therewasscorninhersmileasshesaid:
\"Theykilleachotheroften——isitnotso?Ihavereaditinthepapers。\"
\"Butthebull,\"saidJohnHarned。
\"Thebulliskilledmanytimesinthebull—fight,andthebulldoesnotcomeintothetheringoutofdesire。Itisnotfairtothebull。Heiscompelledtofight。Butthemanintheprize—fight——no;heisnotcompelled。\"
\"Heisthemorebrutetherefore,\"saidMariaValenzuela。
\"Heissavage。Heisprimitive。Heisanimal。Hestrikeswithhispawslikeabearfromacave,andheisferocious。Butthebull—fight——ah!Youhavenotseenthebullfight——no?Thetoreadorisclever。Hemusthaveskill。Heismodern。Heisromantic。Heisonlyaman,softandtender,andhefacesthewildbullinconflict。Andhekillswithasword,aslendersword,withonethrust,so,totheheartofthegreatbeast。Itisdelicious。Itmakestheheartbeattobehold——thesmallman,thegreatbeast,thewidelevelsand,thethousandsthatlookonwithoutbreath;thegreatbeastrushestotheattack,thesmallmanstandslikeastatue;hedoesnotmove,heisunafraid,andinhishandistheslenderswordflashinglikesilverinthesun;nearerandnearerrushesthegreatbeastwithitssharphorns,themandoesnotmove,andthen——so——theswordflashes,thethrustismade,totheheart,tothehilt,thebullfallstothesandandisdead,andthemanisunhurt。
Itisbrave。Itismagnificent!Ah!——Icouldlovethetoreador。
Butthemanoftheprize—fight——heisthebrute,thehumanbeast,thesavageprimitive,themaniacthatreceivesmanyblowsinhisstupidfaceandrejoices。CometoQuitoandIwillshowyouthebravesportofmen,thetoreadorandthebull。\"
ButJohnHarneddidnotgotoQuitoforthebull—fight。HewentbecauseofMariaValenzuela。Hewasalargeman,morebroadofshoulderthanweEcuadorianos,moretall,moreheavyoflimbandbone。True,hewaslargerofhisownrace。Hiseyeswereblue,thoughIhaveseenthemgray,and,sometimes,likecoldsteel。Hisfeatureswerelarge,too——notdelicatelikeours,andhisjawwasverystrongtolookat。Also,hisfacewassmooth—shavenlikeapriest’s。Whyshouldamanfeelshameforthehaironhisface?DidnotGodputitthere?Yes,IbelieveinGod——IamnotapaganlikemanyofyouEnglish。Godisgood。
HemademeanEcuadorianowithtenthousandslaves。AndwhenI
dieIshallgotoGod。Yes,thepriestsareright。
ButJohnHarned。Hewasaquietman。Hetalkedalwaysinalowvoice,andhenevermovedhishandswhenhetalked。Onewouldhavethoughthisheartwasapieceofice;yetdidhehaveastreakofwarminhisblood,forhefollowedMariaValenzuelatoQuito。Also,andforallthathetalkedlowwithoutmovinghishands,hewasananimal,asyoushallsee——thebeastprimitive,thestupid,ferocioussavageofthelongagothatdressedinwildskinsandlivedinthecavesalongwiththebearsandwolves。
LuisCervallosismyfriend,thebestofEcuadorianos。HeownsthreecacaoplantationsatNaranjitoandChobo。AtMilagroishisbigsugarplantation。HehaslargehaciendasatAmbatoandLatacunga,anddownthecoastisheinterestedinoil—wells。
AlsohashespentmuchmoneyinplantingrubberalongtheGuayas。Heismodern,liketheYankee;and,liketheYankee,fullofbusiness。Hehasmuchmoney,butitisinmanyventures,andeverheneedsmoremoneyfornewventuresandfortheoldones。Hehasbeeneverywhereandseeneverything。WhenhewasaveryyoungmanhewasintheYankeemilitaryacademywhatyoucallWestPoint。Therewastrouble。Hewasmadetoresign。HedoesnotlikeAmericans。ButhedidlikeMariaValenzuela,whowasofhisowncountry。Also,heneededhermoneyforhisventuresandforhisgoldmineinEasternEcuadorwherethepaintedIndianslive。Iwashisfriend。ItwasmydesirethatheshouldmarryMariaValenzuela。Further,muchofmymoneyhadIinvestedinhisventures,moresoinhisgoldminewhichwasveryrichbutwhichfirstrequiredtheexpenseofmuchmoneybeforeitwouldyieldforthitsriches。IfLuisCervallosmarriedMariaValenzuelaIshouldhavemoremoneyveryimmediately。
ButJohnHarnedfollowedMariaValenzuelatoQuito,anditwasquicklycleartous——toLuisCervallosandmethatshelookeduponJohnHarnedwithgreatkindness。Itissaidthatawomanwillhaveherwill,butthisisacasenotinpoint,forMariaValenzueladidnothaveherwill——atleastnotwithJohnHarned。Perhapsitwouldallhavehappenedasitdid,evenifLuisCervallosandIhadnotsatintheboxthatdayatthebull—ringinQuito。ButthisIknow:weDIDsitintheboxthatday。AndIshalltellyouwhathappened。
Thefourofuswereintheonebox,guestsofLuisCervallos。I
wasnexttothePresidente’sbox。OntheothersidewastheboxofGeneralJoseEliceoSalazar。WithhimwereJoaquiinEndaraandUrcisinoCastillo,bothgenerals,andColonelJacintoFierroandCaptainBaltazardeEcheverria。OnlyLuisCervalloshadthepositionandtheinfluencetogetthatboxnexttothePresidente。IknowforafactthatthePresidentehimselfexpressedthedesiretothemanagementthatLuisCervallosshouldhavethatbox。
ThebandfinishedplayingthenationalhymnofEcuador。Theprocessionofthetoreadorswasover。ThePresidentenoddedtobegin。Thebuglesblew,andthebulldashedin——youknowtheway,excited,bewildered,thedartsinitsshoulderburninglikefire,itselfseekingmadlywhateverenemytodestroy。Thetoreadorshidbehindtheirsheltersandwaited。Suddenlytheyappearedforth,thecapadores,fiveofthem,fromeveryside,theircoloredcapesflingingwide。Thebullpausedatsightofsuchagenerosityofenemies,unableinhisownmindtoknowwhichtoattack。Thenadvancedoneofthecapadorsalonetomeetthebull。Thebullwasveryangry。Withitsfore—legsitpawedthesandofthearenatillthedustroseallaboutit。
Thenitcharged,withloweredhead,straightforthelonecapador。
Itisalwaysofinterest,thefirstchargeofthefirstbull。
Afteratimeitisnaturalthatoneshouldgrowtired,trifle,thatthekeennessshouldloseitsedge。Butthatfirstchargeofthefirstbull!JohnHarnedwasseeingitforthefirsttime,andhecouldnotescapetheexcitement——thesightoftheman,armedonlywithapieceofcloth,andofthebullrushinguponhimacrossthesandwithsharphorns,widespreading。
\"See!\"criedMariaValenzuela。\"Isitnotsuperb?\"
JohnHarnednodded,butdidnotlookather。Hiseyesweresparkling,andtheywereonlyforthebull—ring。Thecapadorsteppedtotheside,withatwirlofthecapeeludingthebullandspreadingthecapeonhisownshoulders。
\"Whatdoyouthink?\"askedMariaVenzuela。\"Isitnota——what—you—call——sportingproposition——no?\"
\"Itiscertainly,\"saidJohnHarned。\"Itisveryclever。\"
Sheclappedherhandswithdelight。Theywerelittlehands。Theaudienceapplauded。Thebullturnedandcameback。Againthecapadoreeludedhim,throwingthecapeonhisshoulders,andagaintheaudienceapplauded。Threetimesdidthishappen。Thecapadorewasveryexcellent。Thenheretired,andtheothercapadoreplayedwiththebull。Afterthattheyplacedthebanderillosinthebull,intheshoulders,oneachsideoftheback—bone,twoatatime。ThensteppedforwardOrdonez,thechiefmatador,withthelongswordandthescarletcape。Thebuglesblewforthedeath。HeisnotsogoodasMatestini。
Stillheisgood,andwithonethrusthedrovetheswordtotheheart,andthebulldoubledhislegsunderhimandlaydownanddied。Itwasaprettythrust,cleanandsure;andtherewasmuchapplause,andmanyofthecommonpeoplethrewtheirhatsintothering。MariaValenzuelaclappedherhandswiththerest,andJohnHarned,whosecoldheartwasnottouchedbytheevent,lookedatherwithcuriosity。
\"Youlikeit?\"heasked。
\"Always,\"shesaid,stillclappingherhands。
\"Fromalittlegirl,\"saidLuisCervallos。\"Irememberherfirstfight。Shewasfouryearsold。Shesatwithhermother,andjustlikenowsheclappedherhands。SheisaproperSpanishwoman。
\"Youhaveseenit,\"saidMariaValenzuelatoJohnHarned,astheyfastenedthemulestothedeadbullanddraggeditout。
\"Youhaveseenthebull—fightandyoulikeit——no?Whatdoyouthink?
\"Ithinkthebullhadnochance,\"hesaid。\"Thebullwasdoomedfromthefirst。Theissuewasnotindoubt。Everyoneknew,beforethebullenteredthering,thatitwastodie。Tobeasportingproposition,theissuemustbeindoubt。Itwasonestupidbullwhohadneverfoughtamanagainstfivewisemenwhohadfoughtmanybulls。Itwouldbepossiblyalittlebitfairifitwereonemanagainstonebull。\"
\"Oronemanagainstfivebulls,\"saidMariaValenzuela;andwealllaughed,andLuisCeryalloslaughedloudest。
\"Yes,\"saidJohnHarned,\"againstfivebulls,andtheman,likethebulls,neverinthebullringbefore——amanlikeyourself,SenorCrevallos。\"
\"YetweSpanishlikethebull—fight,\"saidLuisCervallos;andIswearthedevilwaswhisperingtheninhisear,tellinghimtodothatwhichIshallrelate。
\"Thenmustitbeacultivatedtaste,\"JohnHarnedmadeanswer。
\"WekillbullsbythethousandeverydayinChicago,yetnoonecarestopayadmittancetosee。\"
\"Thatisbutchery,\"saidI;\"butthis——ah,thisisanart。Itisdelicate。Itisfine。Itisrare。\"
\"Notalways,\"saidLuisCervallos。\"Ihaveseenclumsymatadors,andItellyouitisnotnice。\"
Heshuddered,andhisfacebetrayedsuchwhat—you—calldisgust,thatIknew,then,thatthedevilwaswhisperingandthathewasbeginningtoplayapart。
\"SenorHarnedmayberight,\"saidLuisCervallos。\"Itmaynotbefairtothebull。Forisitnotknowntoallofusthatfortwenty—fourhoursthebullisgivennowater,andthatimmediatelybeforethefightheispermittedtodrinkhisfill?\"
\"Andhecomesintotheringheavywithwater?\"saidJohnHarnedquickly;andIsawthathiseyeswereverygrayandverysharpandverycold。
\"Itisnecessaryforthesport,\"saidLuisCervallos。\"Wouldyouhavethebullsostrongthathewouldkillthetoreadors?\"
\"Iwouldthathehadafightingchance,\"saidJohnHarned,facingtheringtoseethesecondbullcomein。
Itwasnotagoodbull。Itwasfrightened。Itranaroundtheringinsearchofawaytogetout。Thecapadorssteppedforthandflaredtheircapes,butherefusedtochargeuponthem。
\"Itisastupidbull,\"saidMariaValenzuela。
\"Ibegpardon,\"saidJohnHarned;\"butitwouldseemtomeawisebull。Heknowshemustnotfightman。See!Hesmellsdeaththereinthering。\"
True。Thebull,pausingwherethelastonehaddied,wassmellingthewetsandandsnorting。Againheranaroundthering,withraisedhead,lookingatthefacesofthethousandsthathissedhim,thatthreworange—peelathimandcalledhimnames。Butthesmellofblooddecidedhim,andhechargedacapador,sowithoutwarningthatthemanjustescaped。Hedroppedhiscapeanddodgedintotheshelter。Thebullstruckthewalloftheringwithacrash。AndJohnHarnedsaid,inaquietvoice,asthoughhetalkedtohimself:
\"Iwillgiveonethousandsucrestothelazar—houseofQuitoifabullkillsamanthisday。\"
\"Youlikebulls?\"saidMariaValenzuelawithasmile。
\"Ilikesuchmenless,\"saidJohnHarned。\"Atoreadorisnotabraveman。Hesurelycannotbeabraveman。See,thebull’stongueisalreadyout。Heistiredandhehasnotyetbegun。\"
\"Itisthewater,\"saidLuisCervallos。
\"Yes,itisthewater,\"saidJohnHarned。\"Woulditnotbesafertohamstringthebullbeforehecomeson?\"
MariaValenzuelawasmadeangrybythissneerinJohnHarned’swords。ButLuisCervallossmiledsothatonlyIcouldseehim,andthenitbrokeuponmymindsurelythegamehewasplaying。
HeandIweretobebanderilleros。ThebigAmericanbullwasthereintheboxwithus。Weweretostickthedartsinhimtillhebecameangry,andthentheremightbenomarriagewithMariaValenzuela。Itwasagoodsport。Andthespiritofbull—fighterswasinourblood。
Thebullwasnowangryandexcited。Thecapadorshadgreatgamewithhim。Hewasveryquick,andsometimesheturnedwithsuchsharpnessthathishindlegslosttheirfootingandheplowedthesandwithhisquarter。Buthechargedalwaystheflungcapesandcommittednoharm。
\"Hehasnochance,\"saidJohnHarned。\"Heisfightingwind。\"
\"Hethinksthecapeishisenemy,\"explainedMariaValenzuela。
\"Seehowcleverlythecapadordeceiveshim。\"
\"Itishisnaturetobedeceived,\"saidJohnHarned。\"Whereforeheisdoomedtofightwind。Thetoreadorsknowit,youknowit,Iknowit——weallknowfromthefirstthathewillfightwind。
Heonlydoesnotknowit。Itishisstupidbeast—nature。Hehasnochance。\"
\"Itisverysimple,\"saidLuisCervallos。\"Thebullshutshiseyeswhenhecharges。Therefore——\"
\"Themansteps,outofthewayandthebullrushesby,\"Harnedinterrupted。
\"Yes,\"saidLuisCervallos;\"thatisit。Thebullshutshiseyes,andthemanknowsit。\"
\"Butcowsdonotshuttheireyes,\"saidJohnHarned。\"IknowacowathomethatisaJerseyandgivesmilk,thatwouldwhipthewholegangofthem。\"
\"Butthetoreadorsdonotfightcows,\"saidI。
’Theyareafraidtofightcows,\"saidJohnHarned。
\"Yes,\"saidLuisCervallos,\"theyareafraidtofightcows。
Therewouldbenosportinkillingtoreadors。\"
\"Therewouldbesomesport,\"saidJohnHarned,\"ifatoreadorwerekilledonceinawhile。WhenIbecomeanoldman,andmayhapacripple,andshouldIneedtomakealivingandbeunabletodohardwork,thenwouldIbecomeabull—fighter。Itisalightvocationforelderlygentlemenandpensioners。\"
\"Butsee!\"saidMariaValenzuela,asthebullchargedbravelyandthecapadoreludeditwithaflingofhiscape。\"Itrequiresskillsotoavoidthebeast。\"
\"True,\"saidJohnHarned。\"Butbelieveme,itrequiresathousandtimesmoreskilltoavoidthemanyandquickpunchesofaprize—fighterwhokeepshiseyesopenandstrikeswithintelligence。Furthermore,thisbulldoesnotwanttofight。
Behold,herunsaway。\"
Itwasnotagoodbull,foragainitranaroundthering,seekingtofindawayout。
\"Yetthesebullsaresometimesthemostdangerous,\"saidLuisCervallos。\"Itcanneverbeknownwhattheywilldonext。Theyarewise。Theyarehalfcow。Thebull—fightersneverlikethem。——See!Hehasturned!\"
Onceagain,baffledandmadeangrybythewallsoftheringthatwouldnotlethimout,thebullwasattackinghisenemiesvaliantly。
\"Histongueishangingout,\"saidJohnHarned。\"First,theyfillhimwithwater。Thentheytirehimout,onemanandthenanother,persuadinghimtoexhausthimselfbyfightingwind。
Whilesometirehim,othersrest。Butthebulltheyneverletrest。Afterward,whenheisquitetiredandnolongerquick,thematadorstickstheswordintohim。\"
Thetimehadnowcomeforthebanderillos。Threetimesoneofthefightersendeavoredtoplacethedarts,andthreetimesdidhefail。Hebutstungthebullandmaddenedit。Thebanderillosmustgoin,youknow,twoatatime,intotheshoulders,oneachsidethebackboneandclosetoit。Ifbutonebeplaced,itisafailure。ThecrowdhissedandcalledforOrdonez。AndthenOrdonezdidagreatthing。Fourtimeshestoodforth,andfourtimes,atthefirstattempt,hestuckinthebanderillos,sothateightofthem,wellplaced,stoodoutofthebackofthebullatonetime。Thecrowdwentmad,andarainofhatsandmoneyfellonthesandoftheringAndjustthenthebullchargedunexpectedlyoneofthecapadors。Themanslippedandlosthishead。Thebullcaughthim——fortunately,betweenhiswidehorns。Andwhiletheaudiencewatched,breathlessandsilent,JohnHarnedstoodupandyelledwithgladness。Alone,inthathushofallofus,JohnHarnedyelled。Andheyelledforthebull。Asyouseeyourself,JohnHarnedwantedthemankilled。Hiswasabrutalheart。ThisbadconductmadethoseangrythatsatintheboxofGeneralSalazar,andtheycriedoutagainstJohnHarned。AndUrcisinoCastillotoldhimtohisfacethathewasadogofaGringoandotherthings。OnlyitwasinSpanish,andJohnHarneddidnotunderstand。Hestoodandyelled,perhapsforthetimeoftenseconds,whenthebullwasenticedintochargingtheothercapadorsandthemanaroseunhurt。
\"Thebullhasnochance,\"JohnHarnedsaidwithsadnessashesatdown。\"Themanwasuninjured。Theyfooledthebullawayfromhim。\"ThenheturnedtoMariaValenzuelaandsaid:\"Ibegyourpardon。Iwasexcited。\"
Shesmiledandinreprooftappedhisarmwithherfan。
\"Itisyourfirstbull—fight,\"shesaid。\"Afteryouhaveseenmoreyouwillnotcryforthedeathoftheman。YouAmericans,yousee,aremorebrutalthanwe。Itisbecauseofyourprize—fighting。Wecomeonlytoseethebullkilled。\"
\"ButIwouldthebullhadsomechance,\"heanswered。
\"Doubtless,intime,Ishallceasetobeannoyedbythemenwhotakeadvantageofthebull。\"
Thebuglesblewforthedeathofthebull。Ordonezstoodforthwiththeswordandthescarletcloth。Butthebullhadchangedagain,anddidnotwanttofight。Ordonezstampedhisfootinthesand,andcriedout,andwavedthescarletcloth。Thenthebullcharged,butwithoutheart。Therewasnoweighttothecharge。Itwasapoorthrust。Theswordstruckaboneandbent。
Ordoneztookafreshsword。Thebull,againstungtofight,chargedoncemore。FivetimesOrdonezessayedthethrust,andeachtimetheswordwentbutpartwayinorstruckbone。Thesixthtime,theswordwentintothehilt。Butitwasabadthrust。Theswordmissedtheheartandstuckouthalfayardthroughtheribsontheoppositeside。Theaudiencehissedthematador。IglancedatJohnHarned。Hesatsilent,withoutmovement;butIcouldseehisteethwereset,andhishandswereclenchedtightontherailingofthebox。
Allfightwasnowoutofthebull,and,thoughitwasnovitalthrust,hetrottedlamelywhatoftheswordthatstuckthroughhim,inonesideandouttheother。Heranawayfromthematadorandthecapadors,andcircledtheedgeofthering,lookingupatthemanyfaces。
\"Heissaying:’ForGod’ssakeletmeoutofthis;Idon’twanttofight,’\"saidJohnHarned。
Thatwasall。Hesaidnomore,butsatandwatched,thoughsometimeshelookedsidewaysatMariaValenzuelatoseehowshetookit。Shewasangrywiththematador。Hewasawkward,andshehaddesiredacleverexhibition。
Thebullwasnowverytired,andweakfromlossofblood,thoughfarfromdying。Hewalkedslowlyaroundthewallofthering,seekingawayout。Hewouldnotcharge。Hehadhadenough。Buthemustbekilled。Thereisaplace,intheneckofabullbehindthehorns,wherethecordofthespineisunprotectedandwhereashortstabwillimmediatelykill。
Ordonezsteppedinfrontofthebullandloweredhisscarletclothtotheground。Thebullwouldnotcharge。Hestoodstillandsmelledthecloth,loweringhisheadtodoso。Ordonezstabbedbetweenthehornsatthespotintheneck。Thebulljerkedhisheadup。Thestabhadmissed。Thenthebullwatchedthesword。WhenOrdonezmovedtheclothontheground,thebullforgottheswordandloweredhisheadtosmellthecloth。AgainOrdonezstabbed,andagainhefailed。Hetriedmanytimes。Itwasstupid。AndJohnHarnedsaidnothing。Atlastastabwenthome,andthebullfelltothesand,deadimmediately,andthemulesweremadefastandhewasdraggedout。
\"TheGringossayitisacruelsport——no?\"saidLuisCervallos。
\"Thatitisnothumane。Thatitisbadforthebull。No?\"
\"No,\"saidJohnHarned。\"Thebulldoesnotcountformuch。Itisbadforthosethatlookon。Itisdegradingtothosethatlookon。Itteachesthemtodelightinanimalsuffering。Itiscowardlyforfivementofightonestupidbull。Thereforethosethatlookonlearntobecowards。Thebulldies,butthosethatlookonliveandthelessonislearned。Thebraveryofmenisnotnourishedbyscenesofcowardice。\"
MariaValenzuelasaidnothing。Neitherdidshelookathim。Butsheheardeverywordandhercheekswerewhitewithanger。Shelookedoutacrosstheringandfannedherself,butIsawthatherhandtrembled。NordidJohnHarnedlookather。Hewentonasthoughshewerenotthere。He,too,wasangry,coldlyangry。
\"Itisthecowardlysportofacowardlypeople,\"hesaid。
\"Ah,\"saidLuisCervallossoftly,\"youthinkyouunderstandus。\"
\"IunderstandnowtheSpanishInquisition,\"saidJohnHarned。
\"Itmusthavebeenmoredelightfulthanbull—fighting。\"
LuisCervallossmiledbutsaidnothing。HeglancedatMariaValenzuela,andknewthatthebull—fightintheboxwaswon。
NeverwouldshehavefurthertodowiththeGringowhospokesuchwords。ButneitherLuisCervallosnorIwaspreparedfortheoutcomeoftheday。IfearwedonotunderstandtheGringos。HowwerewetoknowthatJohnHarned,whowassocoldlyangry,shouldgosuddenlymad!Butmadhedidgo,asyoushallsee。Thebulldidnotcountformuch——hesaidsohimself。
Thenwhyshouldthehorsecountforsomuch?ThatIcannotunderstand。ThemindofJohnHarnedlackedlogic。Thatistheonlyexplanation。
\"Itisnotusualtohavehorsesinthebull—ringatQuito,\"
saidLuisCervallos,lookingupfromtheprogram。\"InSpaintheyalwayshavethem。Butto—day,byspecialpermissionweshallhavethem。Whenthenextbullcomesontherewillbehorsesandpicadors—youknow,themenwhocarrylancesandridethehorses。\"
\"Thebullisdoomedfromthefirst,\"saidJohnHarned。\"Arethehorsesthenlikewisedoomed!\"
\"Theyareblindfoldedsothattheymaynotseethebull,\"saidLuisCervallos。\"Ihaveseenmanyhorseskilled。Itisabravesight。\"
\"Ihaveseenthebullslaughtered,\"saidJohnHarned\"Iwillnowseethehorseslaughtered,sothatImayunderstandmorefullythefinepointsofthisnoblesport。\"
\"Theyareoldhorses,\"saidLuisCervallos,\"thatarenotgoodforanythingelse。\"
\"Isee,\"saidJohnHarned。
Thethirdbullcameon,andsoonagainstitwerebothcapadorsandpicadors。Onepicadortookhisstanddirectlybelowus。I
agree,itwasathinandagedhorseherode,abagofbonescoveredwithmangyhide。
\"Itisamarvelthatthepoorbrutecanholduptheweightoftherider,\"saidJohnHarned。\"Andnowthatthehorsefightsthebull,whatweaponshasit?\"
\"Thehorsedoesnotfightthebull,\"saidLuisCervallos。
\"Oh,\"saidJohnHarned,\"thenisthehorsetheretobegored?
Thatmustbewhyitisblindfolded,sothatitshallnotseethebullcomingtogoreit。\"
\"Notquiteso,\"saidI。\"Thelanceofthepicadoristokeepthebullfromgoringthehorse。\"
\"Thenarehorsesrarelygored?\"askedJohnHarned。
\"No,\"saidLuisCervallos。\"Ihaveseen,atSeville,eighteenhorseskilledinoneday,andthepeopleclamoredformorehorses。\"
\"Weretheyblindfoldedlikethishorse?\"askedJohnHarned。
\"Yes,\"saidLuisCervallos。
Afterthatwetalkednomore,butwatchedthefight。AndJohnHarnedwasgoingmadallthetime,andwedidnotknow。Thebullrefusedtochargethehorse。Andthehorsestoodstill,andbecauseitcouldnotseeitdidnotknowthatthecapadorsweretryingtomakethebullchargeuponit。Thecapadorsteasedthebulltheircapes,andwhenitchargedthemtheyrantowardthehorseandintotheirshelters。Atlastthebullwasangry,anditsawthehorsebeforeit。
\"Thehorsedoesnotknow,thehorsedoesnotknow,\"JohnHarnedwhisperedtohimself,unawarethathevoicedhisthoughtaloud。