He sprang into the saddle easily as a bird， got the quirt from the horn， and gave his pony a slash with it. “Cricket.” who once brought in Good Boy by a neck at Hawthorne—and a 10 to 1 shot—had his foot in the stirrupsstirrup n.马镫， 镫形物 again.
他像鸟一样轻快地飞身上马，从鞍头取了鞭子，往小马身上一抽。曾在霍索思骑着“好孩子”跑了第一名（当时的赌注是十对一）的“蟋蟀”麦圭尔，现在又踩上了马蹬。
McGuire led the cavalcade as they dashed away for San Carlos， and the cowpunchers gave a yell of applause as they closed in behind his dust.
这队人马向圣卡洛斯驰去时，麦圭尔一马当先，牧童们落在后面，不由得齐声喝彩。
But in less than a mile he had lagged to the rear， and was last man when they struck the patch of high chaparralchaparral n.丛林， 茂密的树丛 below the horse pens. Behind a clump of this he drew rein， and held a handkerchief to his mouth. He took it away drenched with bright， arterial blood， and threw it carefully into a clump of prickly pear. Then he slashed with his quirt again， gasped “Gwan” to his astonished pony， and galloped after the gang.
但是，不出一英里，他慢慢地落后了。当他们驰过牧马地，来到那片高林树林时，他是最后的一个。他在几株株树后面勒住马，把手帕按在嘴上。手帕拿下来时，已经浸透了鲜红的动脉血。他小心地把它扔在一簇仙人掌里面。接着，他又扬起鞭子，嘶哑地对那匹吃惊的小马说“走吧”，快跑着向队伍赶去。
That night Raidler received a message from his old home in Alabama. There had been a death in the family， an estate was to divide， and they called for him to come. Daylight found him in the buckboard， skimming the prairies for the station. It was two months before he returned. When he arrived at the ranch houseranch house n.低矮的平房 he found it wellnigh deserted save for Ylario， who acted as a kind of steward during his absence. Little by little the youth made him acquainted with the work done while he was away. The branding camp， he was informed， was still doing business. On account of many severe storms the cattle had been badly scattered， and the branding had been accomplished but slowly. The camp was now in the valley of the Guadalupe， twenty miles away.
那晚，雷德勒接到阿拉巴马老家捎来的信。他家里死了人；要分一宗产业，叫他回去一次。第二天，他坐着四轮马车，穿过草原，直奔车站。他在阿拉巴马待了两个月才回来。回到牧场对，他发现除了伊拉里奥以外，庄院里的人几乎都不在。伊拉里奥在他离家期间，权且充当了总管。这个小伙子点点滴滴地把这段时间里的工作向他作了汇报。他得悉打烙印的营地还在干活。由于多次严重的风暴，牛群分散得很远，因此工作进行得很慢。营地现在扎在二十英里外的瓜达卢佩山谷。
“By the way，” said Raidler， suddenly remembering， “that fellow I sent along with them—McGuire—is he working yet？”
“说起来，”雷德勒突然想到说，“我让他们带去的那个家伙——麦圭尔——他还在干活吗？”
“I do not know.” said Ylario. “Mans from the camp come verree few times to the ranch. So plentee work with the leetle calves. They no say. Oh， I think that fellow McGuire he dead much time ago.”
“我不清楚。”伊拉里奥说。“营地里的人难得来牧场。小牛身上有许多活要干。他们没提起。哦，我想那个麦圭尔早就死啦”
“Dead！” said Raidler， “What you talking about？”
“死啦！”雷德勒嚷道，“你说什么？”
“Verree sick fellow， McGuire，” replied Ylario， with a shrug of his shoulder. “I think he no live one， two month when he go away.”
“病得很重，麦圭尔。”伊拉里奥耸耸肩膀说。“他走的时候，我就认为他活不了一两个月。”
“Shucks！” said Raidler. “He humbugged you， too， did he？ The doctor examined him and said he was sound as a mesquite knot.”
“废话！”雷德勒说。“他把你也给蒙住了，对不对？医师替他检查过，说他像牧豆树疙瘩一样结实。”
“That doctor，” said Ylario， smiling， “he tell you so？ That doctor no see McGuire.”
“那个医师，”伊拉里奥笑着说，“他是这样告诉你的吗？那个医师没有看过麦圭尔。”
“Talk up，” ordered Raidler. “What the devil do you mean？”
“讲讲清楚。”雷德勒命令说。“你到底是什么意思？”
“McGuire，” continued the boy tranquilly， “he getting drink water outside when that doctor come in room. That doctor take me and pound me all over here with his fingers”—putting his hand to his chest—“I not know for what. He put his ear here and here and here， and listen—I not know for what. He put little glass stick in my mouth. He feel my arm here. He make me count like whisperso—twenty， treinta， cuarenta. Who knows，” concluded Ylario， with a deprecating spread of his hands， “for what that doctor do those verree droll and suchlike things？”
“医师进来的时候，”那小伙子平静地说，“麦圭尔正好到外面去取水喝了。医师拖住我，用手指在我这儿乱敲，”——他把手放在胸口——“我不知道为什么。他把耳朵贴在这儿，这儿，这儿，听了听——我不知道为什么。他把一支小玻璃棒插在我嘴里。他按我手臂这个地方。他叫我轻轻地这样数——二十、三十、四十。谁知道，”伊拉里奥无可奈何地摊开双手，结束道，“那个医师干吗要做这许多滑稽的事情？”
“What horses are up？” asked Raidler shortly.
“家里有什么马？”雷德勒简洁地问道。
“Paisano is grazing out behind the little corralcorral n.畜栏 vt.关进畜栏， senor.”
“乡巴佬”在外面的小栅栏里吃草，先生。”
“Saddle him for me at once.”
“立刻替我备鞍。”
Within a very few minutes the cattleman was mounted and away. Paisano， well named after that ungainly but swiftrunning bird， struck into his long lope that ate up the ground like a strip of macaronimacaroni n.［食］通心面， 纨绔子弟. In two hours and a quarter Raidler， from a gentle swell， saw the branding camp by a water hole in the Guadalupe. Sick with expectancy of the news he feared， he rode up， dismounteddismount v.(使)下马， and dropped Paisanos reins. So gentle was his heart that at that moment he would have pleaded guilty to the murder of McGuire.
短短几分钟内，牧场主上马走了。“乡巴佬”的模样并不好看，可是跑得快，跟它的名字很相称。它大步慢跑着，脚下的道路像一条通心面给吞掉时那样，飞快地消失了。过了两小时十五分钟，雷德勒从一个隆起的小山冈上望到打烙印的营帐扎在瓜达卢佩的干河床里的一个水坑旁边。他急切地想听听他所担心的消息，来到营帐前面，翻身下马，放下“乡巴佬”的缰绳。他的心地是那样善良，当时他甚至会承认自己有罪，害死了麦圭尔。
The only being in the camp was the cook， who was just arranging the hunks of barbecued beef， and distributing the tin coffee cups for supper. Raidler evadedevade v.规避， 逃避， 躲避 a direct question concerning the one subject in his mind.
营地上只有厨师一个人，他正在张罗晚饭，把大块大块的烤牛肉和盛咖啡的铁皮杯摆好。雷德勒不愿意开门见山地问到他最关心的那个问题。
“Everything all right in camp， Peter？” he managed to inquire.
“营地里一切都好吗，彼得？”他转弯抹角地问道。