CHAPTER XLII. THE JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

There was no doubting the meaning of Joe Cumberland. Não havia dúvida do significado de Joe Cumberland. It grew upon them with amazing swiftness, as if the black stallion were racing upon the house at a swift gallop, and the whistling rose and rang and soared in a wild outburst. Cresceu sobre eles com incrível rapidez, como se o garanhão negro estivesse correndo sobre a casa em um galope rápido, e o assobio subisse e soasse e voasse em uma explosão selvagem. Give the eagle the throat of the lark, and after he has struck down his prey in the centre of the sky and sent the ragged feathers and the slain body falling down to earth, what would be the song of the eagle rising again and dwindling out of sight in the heart of the sky? Dê à águia a garganta da cotovia, e depois que ela abater sua presa no centro do céu e enviar as penas esfarrapadas e o corpo morto cair na terra, qual seria o canto da águia subindo novamente e diminuindo de vista no coração do céu? What terrible pean would he send whistling down to the dull earth far below? Que terrível feijão ele enviaria assobiando para a terra opaca lá embaixo? And such was the music that came before the coming of Dan Barry. E essa era a música que veio antes da chegada de Dan Barry. It did not cease, as usual, at a distance, but it came closer and closer, and it swelled around them. Não cessou, como sempre, à distância, mas foi chegando cada vez mais perto, e inchou ao redor deles. Buck Daniels had risen from his chair and stolen to a corner of the room where not a solitary shaft of light could possibly reach him; and Kate Cumberland slipped farther into the depths of the big chair. Buck Daniels se levantou de sua cadeira e se esgueirou para um canto da sala onde nenhum único raio de luz poderia alcançá-lo; e Kate Cumberland deslizou ainda mais para as profundezas da grande cadeira.

So that, in their utter silence, in spite of the whistling that blew in upon them, they could hear the dull ticking of the tall clock, and by a wretched freak of fate the ticking fell exactly in with the soaring rhythm of the whistle and each had a part in the deadliness of the other. De modo que, em seu silêncio absoluto, apesar do assobio que soou sobre eles, eles podiam ouvir o tique-taque surdo do relógio alto, e por um capricho miserável do destino o tique-taque coincidiu exatamente com o ritmo crescente do apito e cada um tinha uma parte na letalidade do outro.

Very near upon them the music ceased abruptly. Muito perto deles, a música cessou abruptamente. A footfall swept down the hall, a weight struck the door and cast it wide, and Black Bart glided into the room. Um passo varreu o corredor, um peso atingiu a porta e a escancarou, e Black Bart deslizou para dentro da sala. He cast not a glance on either side. He turned his head neither to right nor to left. But he held straight on until he came to Kate Cumberland and there he stood before her.

She leaned forward.

"Bart!" she said softly and stretched out her hands to him.

A deep snarl stopped the gesture, and at the flash of the long fangs she sank into the chair. Um grunhido profundo interrompeu o gesto, e ao clarão das longas presas ela afundou na cadeira. Old Joe Cumberland, with fearful labour, dragged himself to a sitting position upon the couch, and sitting up in this fashion the light fell fully upon his white face and his white hair and his white beard, so that he made a ghostly picture. O velho Joe Cumberland, com trabalho temeroso, arrastou-se para uma posição sentada no sofá e, sentando-se dessa maneira, a luz caiu totalmente sobre seu rosto branco e seus cabelos brancos e sua barba branca, de modo que ele fez uma imagem fantasmagórica.

Then an outer door slammed and a light step, at an almost running pace speeded down the hall, the door was swung wide again, and Dan was before them. Então, uma porta externa bateu e um passo leve, quase correndo, acelerou pelo corredor, a porta foi aberta novamente, e Dan estava diante deles. He seemed to bring with him the keen, fresh air of the light, and at the opening of the door the flame in the lamp jumped in its chimney, shook, and fell slowly back to its original dimness; but by that glow of light they saw that the sombrero upon Dan Barry's head was a shapeless mass—his bandana had been torn away, leaving his throat bare—his slicker was a mass of rents and at the neck had been crumpled and torn in a thousand places as though strong teeth had worried it to a rag. Parecia trazer consigo o ar vivo e fresco da luz e, ao abrir a porta, a chama da lamparina saltou pela chaminé, tremeu e voltou lentamente à sua obscuridade original; mas por aquele brilho de luz eles viram que o sombreiro na cabeça de Dan Barry era uma massa disforme – sua bandana havia sido rasgada, deixando sua garganta nua – sua capa era uma massa de rasgos e no pescoço havia sido amassado e rasgado em um mil lugares como se dentes fortes o tivessem feito um trapo. Spots of mud were everywhere on his boots, even on his sombrero with its sagging brim, and on one side of his face there was a darker stain. Manchas de lama estavam por toda parte em suas botas, até mesmo em seu sombrero com a aba caída, e em um lado de seu rosto havia uma mancha mais escura. He had ceased his whistling, indeed, but now he stood at the door and hummed as he gazed about the room. Ele havia parado de assobiar, de fato, mas agora estava na porta e cantarolava enquanto olhava ao redor da sala. Straight to Kate Cumberland he walked, took her hands, and raised her from the chair.

He said, and there was a fibre and ring in his voice that made them catch their breaths: "There's something outside that I'm following to-night. Ele disse, e havia uma fibra e um toque em sua voz que os fez recuperar o fôlego: "Há algo lá fora que estou seguindo esta noite. I don't know what it is. It is the taste of the wind and the feel of the air and the smell of the ground. É o gosto do vento e a sensação do ar e o cheiro do chão. And I've got to be ridin'. E eu tenho que estar cavalgando. I'm saying good-bye for a bit, Kate." Estou me despedindo um pouco, Kate." "Dan," she cried, "what's happened? What's on your face?" "The mark of the night," he answered. "I don't know what else. "Não sei o que mais. Will you come with me, Kate?" "For how long? Where are you going, Dan!" "I don't know where or how long. All I know is I've got to be going. Come to the window. Take the air on your face. You'll understand!" He drew her after him and cast up the window. Ele a puxou atrás dele e levantou a janela.

"Do you feel it in the wind" he called to her, turning with a transfigured face. "Você sente isso no vento" ele a chamou, virando-se com um rosto transfigurado. "Do you hear it?" She could not speak but stood with her face lifted, trembling.

"Look at me!" he commanded, and turned her roughly towards him. ele ordenou, e virou-a rudemente para ele. There he stood leaning close to her, and the yellow light flickered and waned and burned again in his eyes. Lá estava ele inclinado perto dela, e a luz amarela cintilou e diminuiu e queimou novamente em seus olhos.

He had held her hands while he stared. Now he dropped them with an exclamation.

"You're blank," he said angrily. "Você está em branco", disse ele com raiva. "You've seen nothing and heard nothing." He turned on his heel. Ele girou nos calcanhares.

"Bart!" he called, and walked from the room, and they heard the padding of his soft step down the hall and on the porch and then—silence. ele chamou, e saiu da sala, e eles ouviram o som de seus passos suaves pelo corredor e na varanda e então... silêncio.

Black Bart slunk to the door and into the hall, but instantly he was back and peering into the gloom of the silent place like an evil-eyed spectre. Black Bart se esgueirou até a porta e entrou no corredor, mas instantaneamente ele estava de volta e espiando a escuridão do lugar silencioso como um espectro de olhos malignos.

A sharp whistle rang from outside, and Black Bart started. Um assobio agudo soou do lado de fora, e Black Bart sobressaltou-se. Still he glided on until he stood before Kate; then turned and stalked slowly towards the door, looking back after her. Ainda assim ele deslizou até ficar diante de Kate; então se virou e caminhou lentamente em direção à porta, olhando para trás atrás dela. She did not move, and with a snarl the wolf-dog whirled again and trotted back to her. Ela não se moveu, e com um rosnado o cão-lobo girou novamente e trotou de volta para ela. This time he caught a fold of her skirt in his teeth and pulled on it. Desta vez ele pegou uma dobra de sua saia com os dentes e puxou-a. And under the pressure she made a step.

"Kate!" called Joe Cumberland. "Are you mad, girl, to dream of goin' out in a night like this?" "I'm not going!" she answered hurriedly. ela respondeu apressadamente. "I'm afraid—and I won't leave you, Dad!" She had stopped as she spoke, but Black Bart, snarling terribly, threw his weight back, and dragged her a step forward. Ela parou enquanto falava, mas Black Bart, rosnando terrivelmente, jogou seu peso para trás e a arrastou um passo à frente.

"Buck," cried old Joe Cumberland and he dragged himself up and stood tottering. "Buck", gritou o velho Joe Cumberland e ele se arrastou e ficou cambaleando. "Shoot the damned wolf—for God's sake—for my sake!" "Atire no maldito lobo - pelo amor de Deus - pelo meu bem!" Still the wolf-dog drew the girl in that snarling progress towards the door.

"Kate!" cried her father, and the agony in his voice made it young and sent it ringing through the room. "Will you go out to wander between heaven and hell—on a night like this?" "I'm not going!" she answered, "I won't leave you—but oh—Dad!——" He opened his lips for a fresh appeal, but the chorus of the wild geese swept in upon the wind, blown loud and clear and jangling as distant bells out of tune. Ele abriu os lábios para um novo apelo, mas o coro dos gansos selvagens varreu o vento, soprado alto e claro e tilintando como sinos distantes desafinados. And Kate Cumberland buried her face in her hands and stumbled blindly out of the room and down the hall—and then they heard the wild neighing of a horse outside. E Kate Cumberland enterrou o rosto nas mãos e cambaleou cegamente para fora da sala e pelo corredor — e então eles ouviram o relinchar selvagem de um cavalo do lado de fora.

"Buck!" commanded Joe Cumberland. "He's stealin' my girl—my Kate—go out! "Ele está roubando minha garota - minha Kate - saia! call up the boys—tell'em to stop Dan from saddlin' a horse for Kate——" "Wait and listen!" cut in Buck Daniels. "D'you hear that?" On the wet ground outside they heard a patter of galloping hoofs, and then a wild whistling, sweet and keen and high, came ringing back to them. No chão molhado do lado de fora, eles ouviram um tamborilar de cascos galopando, e então um assobio selvagem, doce, agudo e alto, voltou para eles. It diminished rapidly with the distance. Diminuiu rapidamente com a distância.

"He's carryin' her off on Satan!" "Ele está levando ela para Satanás!" groaned Joe Cumberland, staggering as he tried to step forward. gemeu Joe Cumberland, cambaleando enquanto tentava dar um passo à frente. "Buck, call out the boys. Even Satan can't beat my hosses when he's carryin' double—call'em out—if you bring her back——" His voice choked and he stumbled and would have fallen to his knees had not Buck Daniels sprang forward and caught him and carried him back to the couch.

"What's happened there ain't no man can stop," said Buck hoarsely. "O que aconteceu, ninguém pode parar", disse Buck com a voz rouca. "God's work or devil's work—I dunno—but I know there ain't no place for a man between Dan and Kate." "Turn up the lights," commanded Joe Cumberland sharply. "Got to see; I got to think. "Tenho que ver, tenho que pensar. D'you hear?" Buck Daniels ran to the big lamp and turned up the wick. Buck Daniels correu para o grande lampião e acendeu o pavio. At once a clear light flooded every nook of the big room and showed all its emptiness. Imediatamente uma luz clara inundou todos os cantos da grande sala e mostrou todo o seu vazio.

"Can't you make the lamp work?" "Você não pode fazer a lâmpada funcionar?" asked the old ranchman angrily. "Ain't they any oil in it? "Não há óleo nele? Why, Buck, they ain't enough light for me to see your face, hardly. But I'll do without the light. Buck, how far will they go? Kate's a good girl! She won't leave me, lad!" Ela não vai me deixar, rapaz!" "She won't," agreed Buck Daniels. "Jest gone with Dan for a bit of a canter." "Jest foi com Dan para um pouco de galope." "The devil was come back in his eyes," muttered the old man. "O diabo voltou em seus olhos", murmurou o velho. "God knows where he's headin' for! "Deus sabe para onde ele está indo! Buck, I brought him in off'n the range and made him a part of my house. Buck, eu o trouxe para fora do campo e fiz dele parte da minha casa. I took him into my heart; and now he's gone out again and taken everything that I love along with him. Eu o levei em meu coração; e agora ele saiu de novo e levou tudo que eu amo junto com ele. Buck, why did he go?" "He'll come back," said the big cowpuncher softly. "It's gettin' darker and darker," said Joe Cumberland, "and they's a kind of ringing in my ears. Talk louder. I don't hear you none too well." Eu não te ouço muito bem." "I said they was comin' back," said Buck Daniels. Something like a light showed on the face of Joe Cumberland.

"Ay, lad," he said eagerly, "I can hear Dan's whistlin' comin' back—nearer and nearer. "Ay, rapaz", disse ele ansiosamente, "eu posso ouvir o assobio de Dan voltando - cada vez mais perto. Most like he was jest playin' a joke on me, eh, Buck?" Mais como se ele estivesse brincando comigo, hein, Buck? "Most like," said Buck, brokenly. "A maioria", disse Buck, entrecortado. "Ay, there it's ringin' at the door of the house! "Ay, lá está tocando na porta da casa! Was that a footstep on the hall?" Isso foi um passo no corredor?" "It was," said Buck. "They's comin' down the hall!" "Eles estão vindo pelo corredor!" But far, far away he heard the whistling of Dan Barry dying among the hills. Mas muito, muito longe ele ouviu o assobio de Dan Barry morrendo entre as colinas.

"You let the lamp go out," said Joe Cumberland, "and now I can't see nothing. "Você deixou a lâmpada se apagar", disse Joe Cumberland, "e agora não consigo ver nada. Are they in the room?" Eles estão na sala?" "They're here," said Buck Daniels, "comin' towards you now." "Eles estão aqui", disse Buck Daniels, "vindo em sua direção agora." "Dan!" cried the old man, shading his eyes and peering anxiously—"no, I can't see a thing. exclamou o velho, protegendo os olhos e espiando ansiosamente - "não, não consigo ver nada. Can you find me, lad?" And Buck Daniels, softening his voice as much as he could, answered. E Buck Daniels, suavizando a voz ao máximo, respondeu. "I can find you." "Then gimme your hand." Buck Daniels slipped his own large hand into the cold fingers of the dying cattleman. An expression of surpassing joy lay on the face of Joe Cumberland.

"Whistlin' Dan, my Dan," he murmured faintly, "I'm kind of sleepy, but before I go to sleep, to-night, I got to tell you that I forgive you for your joke—pretendin' to take Kate away." "They's nothin' but sleep worth while—and goin' to sleep, holdin' your hand, lad—" "Eles não são nada além de dormir valendo a pena - e indo dormir, segurando sua mão, rapaz..." Buck Daniels dropped upon his knees and stared into the wide, dead eyes. Buck Daniels caiu de joelhos e fitou os olhos arregalados e mortos. Through the open window a sound of whistling blew to him. Pela janela aberta um som de assobio soprou para ele. It was a sweet, faint music, and being so light it seemed like a chorus of singing voices among the mountains, for it was as pure and as sharp as the starlight. Era uma música doce e fraca, e sendo tão leve que parecia um coro de vozes cantando entre as montanhas, pois era tão pura e afiada quanto a luz das estrelas.

Buck Daniels lifted his head to listen, but the sound faded, and the murmur of the night-wind came between.

THE END