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The Night Horseman by Max Brand, CHAPTER XXXV. PALE ANNIE

CHAPTER XXXV. PALE ANNIE

Even in Elkhead there were fires this day. In the Gilead saloon one might have thought that the liquid heat which the men imbibed would serve in place of stoves, but the proprietor, "Pale Annie," had an eye to form, and when the sky was grey he always lighted the stove. "Pale Annie" he was called because his real name was Anderson Hawberry Sandringham. That name had been a great aid to him when he was an undertaker in Kansas City; but Anderson Hawberry Sandringham had fallen from the straight and narrow path of good undertakers some years before and he had sought refuge in the mountain-desert, where most things prosper except sheriffs and grass. He was fully six inches more than six feet in height and his face was so long and pale that even Haw-Haw Langley seemed cheerful beside the ex-undertaker. In Kansas City this had been much prized, for that single face could lend solemnity to any funeral. In Elkhead it was hardly less of an asset.

People came out of curiosity to see Pale Annie behind the bar with his tall silk hat—which he could never bring himself to lay aside—among the cobwebs of the rafters. They came out of curiosity and they remained to drink—which is a habit in the mountain-desert. A travelling drummer or a patent medicine man had offered Pale Annie a handsome stake to simply go about with him and lend the sanction of his face to the talk of the drummer, but Pale Annie had discovered a veritable philosopher's stone in Elkhead and he was literally turning whiskey into gold. This day was even more prosperous than usual for Pale Annie, for the grey weather and the chilly air made men glad of the warmth, both external and internal, which Pale Annie possessed in his barroom. His dextrous hands were never for a moment still at the bar, either setting out drinks or making change, except when he walked out and threw a fresh feed into the fire, and stirred up the ruddy depths of the stove with a tall poker. It was so long, indeed, that it might have served even Pale Annie for a cane and it was a plain untapered bar of iron which the blacksmith had given him as the price of a drink, on a day. He needed a large poker, however, for there was only the one stove in the entire big room, and it was a giant of its kind, as capacious as a hogshead. This day Pale Annie kept it red hot, so that the warmth might penetrate to the door on the one hand and to the rear of the room where the tables and chairs were, on the other.

Since Pale Annie's crowd took little exercise except for bending their elbows now and again, and since the majority of them had been in the place fully half the day, by ten in the evening sounds of hilarity began to rise from the saloon. Solemn-faced men who had remained in their places for hour after hour, industriously putting away the red-eye, now showed symptoms of life. Some of them discovered hitherto hidden talents as singers, and they would rise from their places, remove their hats, open their bearded mouths, and burst into song. An antiquarian who had washed gold in '49 and done nothing the rest of his life save grow a prodigious set of pure white whiskers, sprang from his place and did a hoe-down that ravished the beholders. Thrice he was compelled to return to the floor; and in the end his performance was only stopped by an attack of sciatica. Two strong men carried him back to his chair and wept over him, and there was another drink all around.

In this scene of universal joy there were two places of shadow. For at the rear end of the room, almost out of reach of the lantern-light, sat Haw-Haw Langley and Mac Strann. The more Haw-Haw Langley drank the more cadaverous grew his face, until in the end it was almost as solemn as that of Pale Annie himself; as for Mac Strann, he seldom drank at all.

A full hour had just elapsed since either of them spoke, yet Haw-Haw Langley said, as if in answer to a remark: "He's heard too much about you, Mac. He ain't no such fool as to come to Elkhead." "He ain't had time," answered the giant. "Ain't had time? All these days?" "Wait till the dog gets well. He'll follow the dog to Elkhead." "Why, Mac, the trail's been washed out long ago. That wind the other day would of knocked out any trail less'n a big waggon." "It won't wash out the trail for that dog," said Mac Strann calmly. "Well," snarled Haw-Haw, "I got to be gettin' back home pretty soon. I ain't rollin' in coin the way you are, Mac." The other returned no answer, but let his eyes rove vacantly over the room, and since his head was turned the other way, Haw-Haw Langley allowed a sneer to twist at his lips for a moment.

"If I had the price," he said, "we'd have another drink." "I ain't drinkin'," answered the giant monotonously. "Then I'll go up and bum one off'n Pale Annie. About time he come through with a little charity." So he unfurled his length and stalked through the crowd up to the bar. Here he leaned and confidentially whispered in the ear of Pale Annie.

"Partner, I been sprinklin' dust for a long time in here, and there ain't been any reward. I'm dry, Annie." Pale Annie regarded him with grave disapproval.

"My friend," he said solemnly, "liquor is the real root of all evil. For my part, I quench my thirst with water. They's a tub over there in the corner with a dipper handy. Don't mention it." "I didn't thank you," said Haw-Haw Langley furiously. "Damn a tight-wad, say I!" The long hand of Pale Annie curled affectionately around the neck of an empty bottle.

"I didn't quite gather what you said?" he remarked courteously, and leaned across the bar—within striking distance.

"I'll tell you later," remarked Haw-Haw sullenly, and turned his shoulder to the bar. As he did so two comparatively recent arrivals came up beside him. They were fresh from a couple of months of range-finding, and they had been quenching a concentrated thirst by concentrated effort. Haw-Haw Langley looked them over, sighed with relief, and then instantly produced Durham and the brown papers. He paused in the midst of rolling his cigarette and offered them to the nearest fellow.

"Smoke?" he asked.

Now a man of the mountain-desert knows a great many things, but he does not know how to refuse. The proffer of a gift embarrasses him, but he knows no way of avoiding it; also he never rests easy until he has made some return.

"Sure," said the man, and gathered in the tobacco and papers. "Thanks!" He covertly dropped the cigarette which he had just lighted, and stepped on it, then he rolled another from Haw-Haw's materials. The while, he kept an uneasy eye on his new companion.

"Drinkin'?" he asked at length.

"Not jest now," said Haw-Haw carelessly. "Always got room for another," protested the other, still more in earnest as he saw his chance of a return disappearing. "All right, then," said Haw-Haw. "Jest one more." And he poured a glass to the brim, waved it gracefully towards the others without spilling a drop, and downed it at a gulp.

"Ben in town long?" he asked.

"Not long enough to find any action," answered the other. The eye of Haw-Haw Langley brightened. He looked over the two carefully. The one had black hair and the other red, but they were obviously brothers, both tall, thick-shouldered, square-jawed, and pug-nosed. There was Irish blood in that twain; the fire in their eyes could have come from only one place on earth. And Haw-Haw grinned and looked down the length of the room to where Mac Strann sat, a heavy, inert mass, his fleshy forehead puckered into a half-frown of animal wistfulness.

"You ain't the only ones," he said to his companion at the bar. "They's a man in town who says they don't turn out any two men in this range that could give him action." "The hell!" grunted he of the red hair. And he looked down to his blunt-knuckled hands.

"'S matter of fact," continued Haw-Haw easily, "he's right here now!" He looked again towards Mac Strann and remembered once more the drink which Mac might so easily have purchased for him.

"It ain't Pale Annie, is it?" asked the black haired man, casting a dubious glance up and down the vast frame of the undertaker.

"Him? Not half!" grinned Haw-Haw. "It's a fet feller down to the end of the bar. I guess he's been drinkin' some. Kind of off his nut." He indicated Mac Strann.

"He looks to me," said the red-haired man, setting his jaw, "like a feller that ain't any too old to learn one more thing about the range in these parts." "He looks to me," chimed in the black haired brother, "like a feller that might be taught something right here in Pale Annie's barroom. Anyway, he's got room at his table for two more." So saying the two swallowed their drinks and rumbled casually down the length of the room until they came to the table where Mac Strann sat. Haw-Haw Langley followed at a discreet distance and came within earshot to hear the deep voice of Mac Strann rumbling: "Sorry, gents, but that chair is took." The black-haired man sank into the indicated chair.

"You're right," he announced calmly. "Anybody could see with half an eye that you ain't a fool. It's took by me!" And he grinned impudently in the face of Mac Strann. The latter, who had been sitting with slightly bent head, now raised it and looked the pair over carelessly; there was in his eye the same dumb curiosity which Haw-Haw Langley had seen many a time in the eye of a bull, leader of the herd.

The giant explained carefully: "I mean, they's a friend of mine that's been sittin' in that chair." "If I ain't your friend," answered the black-haired brother instantly, "it ain't any fault of mine. Lay it up to yourself, partner!" Mac Strann stretched out his hand on the surface of the table.

He said: "I got an idea you better get out of that chair." The other turned his head slowly on all sides and then looked Mac Strann full in the face.

"Maybe they's something wrong with my eyes," he said, "but I don't see no reason." The little dialogue had lasted long enough to focus all eyes on the table at the end of the room, and therefore there were many witnesses to what followed. The arm of Mac Strann shot out; his hand fastened in the collar of the black-haired man's shirt, and the latter was raised from his seat and propelled to one side by a convulsive jerk. He probably would have been sent crashing into the bar had not his shirt failed under the strain. It ripped in two at the shoulders, and the seeker after action, naked to the waist, went reeling back to the middle of the room, before he gained his balance. After him went Mac Strann with an agility astonishing in that squat, formless bulk. His long arms were outstretched and his fingers tensed, and in his face there was an uncanny joy; his lip had lifted in that peculiarly disheartening sneer.

He was not a pace from him of the black hair when a yell of rage behind him and the other brother leaped through the air and landed on Mac Strann's back. He doubled up, slipped his arms behind him, and the next instant, without visible reason, the red-headed man hurtled through the air and smashed against the bar with a jolt that set the glassware shivering and singing. Then he relaxed on the floor, a twisted and foolish looking mass.

As for the seeker after action, he had at first reached after his revolver, but he changed his mind at the last instant and instead picked up the great poker which leaned against the stove. It was a ponderous weapon and he had to wield it in both hands. As he swung it around his head there was a yell from men ducking out of the way, and Pale Annie curled his hand again around his favorite empty bottle. He had no good opportunity to demonstrate its efficiency, however. Mac Strann, crouching in the position from which he had catapulted the red-haired man, cast upwards a single glance at the other brother, and then he sprang in. The poker hissed through the air with the vigour of a strong man's arms behind it and it would have cracked the head of Mac Strann like an empty egg-shell if it had hit its mark. But it was heaved too high, and Mac Strann went in like a football player rushing the line, almost doubled up against the floor as he ran. His shoulders struck the other hardly higher than the knees, and they went down together, but so doing the head of Mac Strann's victim cracked against the floor, and he also was still. The exploit was greeted by a yell of applause and then someone proposed a cheer, and it was given. It died off short on the lips of the applauders, however, for it was seen that Mac Strann was not yet done with his work, and he went about it in a manner which made men sober suddenly and exchange glances.

First the stranger dragged the two brothers together, laying one of them face down on the floor. The second he placed over the first, back to back. Next he picked up the long poker from the floor and slipped it under the head and down to the neck of the first man. The bystanders watched in utter silence, with a touch of horror coming now in their eyes.

Now Mac Strann caught the ends of the iron and began to twist up on them. There was no result at first. He refreshed his hold and tried again. The sleeves of his shirt were seen to swell and then grow hard and taut with vast play of muscle beneath. His head bowed lower between his shoulders, and those shoulders trembled, and the muscles over them quivered like heat-waves rising of a spring morning. There was a creaking, now, and then the iron was seen to shiver and then bend, slowly, and once it was wrenched out of the horizontal, the motion was more and more rapid. Until, when the giant was done with his labor, the ends of the iron over-lapped around the necks of the two luckless brothers. Mac Strann stepped back and surveyed his work; the rest of the room was in silence, saving that the red-headed man was coming back to consciousness and now writhed and groaned feebly. He could not rise; that was manifest, for the thick band of iron tied his neck to the neck of his brother.

Upon this scene Mac Strann gazed with a thoughtful air and then stepped to the side of the room where stood a bucket of dirty water, recently used for mopping behind the bar. This he caught up, returned, and dashed the black, greasy water over the pair.

If it had been electricity it could not have operated more effectively. The two awoke with one mind, and with a tremendous spluttering and cursing struggled to regain their feet. It was no easy thing, however, for when one stood up the other slipped and in his fall involved the brother. In the meantime it made a jest exactly suited to the mind of Elkhead, and shrieks of hysterical laughter rewarded their struggles. Until at length they sat solemnly, back to back, easing the pressure of the iron as best they might with their hands. Assembled Elkhead reeled about the room, drunken with laughter. But Mac Strann went quietly back to his table and paid no attention to the scene.

There is an end to all good things, however, and finally the two brothers concerted action together, rose, and then side-stepped towards the door, dripping the mop-water at every step. Obviously they were bound for the blacksmith's to lose their collar; and everyone in the saloon knew that the blacksmith was not in town. The old man who had done the hoe-down hobbled to the end of the barroom and before the table of Mac Strann made a speech to the effect that Elkhead had everything it needed except laughter, that Mac Strann had come to their assistance in that respect, and that if he, the old man, had the power, he would pension such an efficient jester and keep him permanently in the town. To all of this Mac Strann paid not the slightest heed, but with his fleshy brow puckered considered the infinite distance. Even the drink which Pale Annie, grateful for the averted riot, placed on the table before him, Mac Strann allowed to stand untasted. And it was private stock!

It was at this time that Haw-Haw Langley made his way back to the table and occupied the contested seat.

"That was a bum play," he said solemnly to Mac Strann. "When Barry hears about what you done here to two men, d'you think that he'll ever hit your trail?" The other started.

"I never thought about it," he murmured, his thick lips, as always, framing speech with difficulty. "D'you s'pose I'd ought to go back to the Cumberland place for him?" A yell rose at the farther end of the room.

"A wolf! Hey! Shoot the damn wolf!" "You fool!" cried another. "He ain't skinny enough to be a wolf. Besides, whoever heard of a tame wolf comin' into a barroom?" Nevertheless many a gun was held in readiness, and the men, even the most drunken, fell back to one side and allowed a free passage for the animal. It seemed, indeed, to be a wolf, and a giant of its kind, and it slunk now with soundless step through the silence of the barroom, glancing neither to right nor to left, until it came before the table of Mac Strann. There it halted and slunk back a little, the upper lip lifted away from the long fangs, its eyes glittered upon the face of the giant, and then it swung about and slipped out of the barroom as it had come, in utter silence.

In the utter silence Mac Strann leaned across the table to Haw-Haw Langley.

"He's come alone this time," he said, "but the next time he'll bring his master with him. We'll wait!" The Adam's-apple rose and fell in the throat of Haw-Haw. "We'll wait," he nodded, and he burst into the harsh, unhuman laughter which had given him his name.

CHAPTER XXXV. PALE ANNIE CAPÍTULO XXXV. ANNIE PÁLIDA ГЛАВА XXXV. БЛЕДНАЯ АННИ

Even in Elkhead there were fires this day. Mesmo em Elkhead houve incêndios neste dia. In the Gilead saloon one might have thought that the liquid heat which the men imbibed would serve in place of stoves, but the proprietor, "Pale Annie," had an eye to form, and when the sky was grey he always lighted the stove. No salão de Gilead, poderia-se pensar que o calor líquido que os homens bebiam serviria no lugar dos fogões, mas o proprietário, "Pale Annie", tinha olho para formar, e quando o céu estava cinza ele sempre acendia o fogão. "Pale Annie" he was called because his real name was Anderson Hawberry Sandringham. "Pale Annie" ele foi chamado porque seu nome verdadeiro era Anderson Hawberry Sandringham. That name had been a great aid to him when he was an undertaker in Kansas City; but Anderson Hawberry Sandringham had fallen from the straight and narrow path of good undertakers some years before and he had sought refuge in the mountain-desert, where most things prosper except sheriffs and grass. Esse nome tinha sido de grande ajuda para ele quando era agente funerário em Kansas City; mas Anderson Hawberry Sandringham havia caído do caminho estreito e estreito dos bons agentes funerários alguns anos antes e procurara refúgio no deserto da montanha, onde a maioria das coisas prospera, exceto xerifes e grama. He was fully six inches more than six feet in height and his face was so long and pale that even Haw-Haw Langley seemed cheerful beside the ex-undertaker. Ele tinha quinze centímetros a mais de um metro e oitenta de altura e seu rosto era tão comprido e pálido que até Haw-Haw Langley parecia alegre ao lado do ex-agente. In Kansas City this had been much prized, for that single face could lend solemnity to any funeral. Em Kansas City, isso era muito valorizado, pois aquele único rosto podia dar solenidade a qualquer funeral. In Elkhead it was hardly less of an asset. Em Elkhead não era menos de um trunfo.

People came out of curiosity to see Pale Annie behind the bar with his tall silk hat—which he could never bring himself to lay aside—among the cobwebs of the rafters. As pessoas vinham por curiosidade para ver Annie Pálida atrás do bar com seu chapéu de seda alto – que ele nunca conseguia deixar de lado – entre as teias de aranha das vigas. They came out of curiosity and they remained to drink—which is a habit in the mountain-desert. A travelling drummer or a patent medicine man had offered Pale Annie a handsome stake to simply go about with him and lend the sanction of his face to the talk of the drummer, but Pale Annie had discovered a veritable philosopher's stone in Elkhead and he was literally turning whiskey into gold. Um baterista viajante ou um curandeiro de patentes ofereceu a Pale Annie uma bela estaca para simplesmente ir com ele e emprestar a sanção de seu rosto à conversa do baterista, mas Pale Annie descobriu uma verdadeira pedra filosofal em Elkhead e ele estava literalmente transformando whisky em ouro. Странствующий барабанщик или патентованный знахарь предлагал Бледной Энни солидную ставку за то, чтобы просто ходить с ним и подкреплять слова барабанщика выражением своего лица, но Бледная Энни обнаружила в Лосиной Голове настоящий философский камень, и он буквально превращал виски в золото. This day was even more prosperous than usual for Pale Annie, for the grey weather and the chilly air made men glad of the warmth, both external and internal, which Pale Annie possessed in his barroom. His dextrous hands were never for a moment still at the bar, either setting out drinks or making change, except when he walked out and threw a fresh feed into the fire, and stirred up the ruddy depths of the stove with a tall poker. Suas mãos habilidosas não paravam nem por um momento no bar, nem servindo bebidas ou fazendo troco, exceto quando ele saía e jogava uma ração fresca no fogo, e agitava as profundezas avermelhadas do fogão com um atiçador alto. It was so long, indeed, that it might have served even Pale Annie for a cane and it was a plain untapered bar of iron which the blacksmith had given him as the price of a drink, on a day. Era tão longo, na verdade, que poderia ter servido até mesmo a Pálida Annie por uma bengala e era uma barra de ferro simples e não afilada que o ferreiro lhe dera como preço de uma bebida, em um dia. Она была такой длинной, что могла бы послужить тростью даже Пейл Энни, и это был обыкновенный неотесанный железный прут, который кузнец дал ему в качестве платы за выпивку в один из дней. He needed a large poker, however, for there was only the one stove in the entire big room, and it was a giant of its kind, as capacious as a hogshead. Ele precisava de um atiçador grande, no entanto, pois havia apenas um fogão em toda a grande sala, e era um gigante de seu tipo, tão espaçoso quanto um barril. Однако ему понадобилась большая кочерга, потому что во всей большой комнате была только одна печь, и это был гигант, вместительный, как свиная голова. This day Pale Annie kept it red hot, so that the warmth might penetrate to the door on the one hand and to the rear of the room where the tables and chairs were, on the other. Nesse dia, Pale Annie o manteve em brasa, para que o calor pudesse penetrar na porta de um lado e no fundo da sala onde estavam as mesas e cadeiras, do outro.

Since Pale Annie's crowd took little exercise except for bending their elbows now and again, and since the majority of them had been in the place fully half the day, by ten in the evening sounds of hilarity began to rise from the saloon. Como a multidão de Pale Annie fazia pouco exercício, exceto dobrar os cotovelos de vez em quando, e como a maioria deles havia passado metade do dia no local, por volta das dez da noite, sons de hilaridade começaram a surgir do salão. Solemn-faced men who had remained in their places for hour after hour, industriously putting away the red-eye, now showed symptoms of life. Homens de rostos solenes que haviam permanecido em seus lugares por horas e horas, diligentemente afastando o olho vermelho, agora apresentavam sintomas de vida. Торжественные лица мужчин, которые час за часом оставались на своих местах, старательно отводя красные глаза, теперь проявляли признаки жизни. Some of them discovered hitherto hidden talents as singers, and they would rise from their places, remove their hats, open their bearded mouths, and burst into song. Alguns deles descobriram talentos até então escondidos como cantores, e eles se levantavam de seus lugares, tiravam seus chapéus, abriam suas bocas barbudas e começavam a cantar. An antiquarian who had washed gold in '49 and done nothing the rest of his life save grow a prodigious set of pure white whiskers, sprang from his place and did a hoe-down that ravished the beholders. Um antiquário que havia lavado ouro em 49 e não fez nada pelo resto de sua vida além de crescer um prodigioso conjunto de bigodes brancos puros, saltou de seu lugar e fez uma enxada que arrebatou os espectadores. Антиквар, который мыл золото в 49-м году и за всю оставшуюся жизнь не сделал ничего, кроме того, что отрастил умопомрачительные белые усы, вскочил со своего места и сделал мотыгу, восхитившую всех зрителей. Thrice he was compelled to return to the floor; and in the end his performance was only stopped by an attack of sciatica. Por três vezes foi compelido a voltar ao chão; e no final seu desempenho só foi interrompido por um ataque de ciática. Трижды он был вынужден возвращаться на паркет, и в конце концов его выступление остановил лишь приступ радикулита. Two strong men carried him back to his chair and wept over him, and there was another drink all around. Dois homens fortes o carregaram de volta para sua cadeira e choraram sobre ele, e havia outra bebida ao redor. Двое крепких мужчин отнесли его в кресло и плакали над ним, а вокруг снова пили.

In this scene of universal joy there were two places of shadow. For at the rear end of the room, almost out of reach of the lantern-light, sat Haw-Haw Langley and Mac Strann. Pois no fundo da sala, quase fora do alcance da lanterna, estavam Haw-Haw Langley e Mac Strann. The more Haw-Haw Langley drank the more cadaverous grew his face, until in the end it was almost as solemn as that of Pale Annie himself; as for Mac Strann, he seldom drank at all.

A full hour had just elapsed since either of them spoke, yet Haw-Haw Langley said, as if in answer to a remark: "He's heard too much about you, Mac. Uma hora inteira tinha se passado desde que qualquer um deles falou, mas Haw-Haw Langley disse, como se respondesse a um comentário: "Ele já ouviu falar muito sobre você, Mac. He ain't no such fool as to come to Elkhead." "He ain't had time," answered the giant. "Ele não teve tempo", respondeu o gigante. "Ain't had time? All these days?" "Wait till the dog gets well. He'll follow the dog to Elkhead." "Why, Mac, the trail's been washed out long ago. That wind the other day would of knocked out any trail less'n a big waggon." Aquele vento no outro dia teria derrubado qualquer trilha menos uma grande carroça." "It won't wash out the trail for that dog," said Mac Strann calmly. "Isso não vai apagar o rastro daquele cachorro", disse Mac Strann calmamente. "Well," snarled Haw-Haw, "I got to be gettin' back home pretty soon. "Bem", rosnou Haw-Haw, "eu tenho que voltar para casa em breve. I ain't rollin' in coin the way you are, Mac." Eu não estou jogando dinheiro do jeito que você está, Mac." Я не стану разбрасываться монетами, как ты, Мак". The other returned no answer, but let his eyes rove vacantly over the room, and since his head was turned the other way, Haw-Haw Langley allowed a sneer to twist at his lips for a moment. O outro não respondeu, mas deixou seus olhos vagarem pela sala, e como sua cabeça estava virada para o outro lado, Haw-Haw Langley permitiu um sorriso de escárnio torcer seus lábios por um momento.

"If I had the price," he said, "we'd have another drink." "Se eu tivesse o preço", disse ele, "tomaria outra bebida." "I ain't drinkin'," answered the giant monotonously. "Eu não estou bebendo", respondeu o gigante monotonamente. "Then I'll go up and bum one off'n Pale Annie. "Então eu vou subir e queimar uma em Pale Annie. Тогда я поднимусь и выкину одну штуку у Бледной Энни". About time he come through with a little charity." Já era hora de ele vir com um pouco de caridade." Пора бы ему проявить милосердие". So he unfurled his length and stalked through the crowd up to the bar. Então ele desenrolou seu comprimento e caminhou pela multidão até o bar. Here he leaned and confidentially whispered in the ear of Pale Annie. Aqui ele se inclinou e sussurrou confidencialmente no ouvido de Pale Annie.

"Partner, I been sprinklin' dust for a long time in here, and there ain't been any reward. "Parceiro, eu estou espalhando poeira há muito tempo aqui, e não houve nenhuma recompensa. I'm dry, Annie." Pale Annie regarded him with grave disapproval. A Annie Pálida o olhou com grave desaprovação.

"My friend," he said solemnly, "liquor is the real root of all evil. "Meu amigo", disse ele solenemente, "o licor é a verdadeira raiz de todo mal. For my part, I quench my thirst with water. De minha parte, sacio minha sede com água. They's a tub over there in the corner with a dipper handy. Há uma banheira ali no canto com uma concha à mão. Don't mention it." Não mencione isso." "I didn't thank you," said Haw-Haw Langley furiously. "Eu não agradeci", disse Haw-Haw Langley furiosamente. "Damn a tight-wad, say I!" "Maldito um maço apertado, digo eu!" The long hand of Pale Annie curled affectionately around the neck of an empty bottle. A longa mão de Pale Annie se enrolou afetuosamente no gargalo de uma garrafa vazia.

"I didn't quite gather what you said?" "Eu não entendi muito bem o que você disse?" he remarked courteously, and leaned across the bar—within striking distance. ele comentou cortesmente, e se inclinou sobre o bar - a uma distância impressionante.

"I'll tell you later," remarked Haw-Haw sullenly, and turned his shoulder to the bar. "Vou te contar mais tarde", comentou Haw-Haw mal-humorado, e virou o ombro para o bar. As he did so two comparatively recent arrivals came up beside him. Ao fazê-lo, dois recém-chegados surgiram ao lado dele. They were fresh from a couple of months of range-finding, and they had been quenching a concentrated thirst by concentrated effort. Eles estavam frescos depois de alguns meses de busca de distâncias e estavam saciando uma sede concentrada com esforço concentrado. Haw-Haw Langley looked them over, sighed with relief, and then instantly produced Durham and the brown papers. Haw-Haw Langley examinou-os, suspirou de alívio, e então imediatamente mostrou Durham e os papéis pardos. He paused in the midst of rolling his cigarette and offered them to the nearest fellow.

"Smoke?" he asked.

Now a man of the mountain-desert knows a great many things, but he does not know how to refuse. Agora, um homem do deserto da montanha sabe muitas coisas, mas não sabe como recusar. The proffer of a gift embarrasses him, but he knows no way of avoiding it; also he never rests easy until he has made some return. A oferta de um presente o envergonha, mas ele não sabe como evitá-lo; também ele nunca descansa tranqüilo até que tenha feito algum retorno.

"Sure," said the man, and gathered in the tobacco and papers. "Thanks!" He covertly dropped the cigarette which he had just lighted, and stepped on it, then he rolled another from Haw-Haw's materials. Deixou cair disfarçadamente o cigarro que acabara de acender e pisou nele, depois enrolou outro com os materiais de Haw-Haw. The while, he kept an uneasy eye on his new companion. Enquanto isso, ele manteve um olho inquieto em seu novo companheiro.

"Drinkin'?" he asked at length.

"Not jest now," said Haw-Haw carelessly. "Não é brincadeira agora", disse Haw-Haw descuidadamente. "Always got room for another," protested the other, still more in earnest as he saw his chance of a return disappearing. "Sempre tem espaço para outro", protestou o outro, ainda mais sério ao ver sua chance de retorno desaparecer. "All right, then," said Haw-Haw. "Jest one more." And he poured a glass to the brim, waved it gracefully towards the others without spilling a drop, and downed it at a gulp. E ele derramou um copo até a borda, acenou graciosamente para os outros sem derramar uma gota, e bebeu em um gole.

"Ben in town long?" "Ben está na cidade há muito tempo?" he asked.

"Not long enough to find any action," answered the other. "Não o suficiente para encontrar qualquer ação", respondeu o outro. The eye of Haw-Haw Langley brightened. He looked over the two carefully. Ele olhou para os dois cuidadosamente. The one had black hair and the other red, but they were obviously brothers, both tall, thick-shouldered, square-jawed, and pug-nosed. Um tinha cabelo preto e o outro ruivo, mas obviamente eram irmãos, ambos altos, de ombros largos, queixo quadrado e nariz arrebitado. There was Irish blood in that twain; the fire in their eyes could have come from only one place on earth. Havia sangue irlandês naqueles dois; o fogo em seus olhos poderia ter vindo de apenas um lugar na terra. And Haw-Haw grinned and looked down the length of the room to where Mac Strann sat, a heavy, inert mass, his fleshy forehead puckered into a half-frown of animal wistfulness. E Haw-Haw sorriu e olhou por toda a extensão da sala para onde Mac Strann estava sentado, uma massa pesada e inerte, sua testa carnuda enrugada em uma meia-ruga de melancolia animal.

"You ain't the only ones," he said to his companion at the bar. "Vocês não são os únicos", disse ele ao seu companheiro no bar. "They's a man in town who says they don't turn out any two men in this range that could give him action." "Eles são um homem na cidade que diz que não há dois homens nesta faixa que possam lhe dar ação." "В городе есть один человек, который говорит, что в этом районе нет двух мужчин, которые могли бы ему помочь". "The hell!" grunted he of the red hair. And he looked down to his blunt-knuckled hands. E baixou os olhos para as mãos de dedos rombudos.

"'S matter of fact," continued Haw-Haw easily, "he's right here now!" He looked again towards Mac Strann and remembered once more the drink which Mac might so easily have purchased for him. Ele olhou novamente para Mac Strann e lembrou-se mais uma vez da bebida que Mac poderia facilmente ter comprado para ele. Он снова посмотрел на Мак Стрэнна и снова вспомнил о напитке, который Мак мог бы так легко купить для него.

"It ain't Pale Annie, is it?" "Não é Pale Annie, é?" asked the black haired man, casting a dubious glance up and down the vast frame of the undertaker. perguntou o homem de cabelo preto, lançando um olhar duvidoso para cima e para baixo na vasta estrutura do agente funerário.

"Him? Not half!" Não metade!" grinned Haw-Haw. "It's a fet feller down to the end of the bar. "É um pé de homem até o final do bar. "Это парень в конце бара. I guess he's been drinkin' some. Kind of off his nut." Meio fora de sua porca." Он как бы не в себе". He indicated Mac Strann.

"He looks to me," said the red-haired man, setting his jaw, "like a feller that ain't any too old to learn one more thing about the range in these parts." "Ele parece para mim", disse o homem ruivo, apertando o maxilar, "como um sujeito que não é velho demais para aprender mais uma coisa sobre o campo nestas partes." "He looks to me," chimed in the black haired brother, "like a feller that might be taught something right here in Pale Annie's barroom. "Ele parece para mim", disse o irmão de cabelo preto, "como um sujeito que pode aprender algo aqui mesmo no bar da Annie Pálida. Anyway, he's got room at his table for two more." De qualquer forma, ele tem espaço em sua mesa para mais dois." So saying the two swallowed their drinks and rumbled casually down the length of the room until they came to the table where Mac Strann sat. Assim dizendo, os dois engoliram suas bebidas e vagaram casualmente pela sala até chegarem à mesa onde Mac Strann estava sentado. Haw-Haw Langley followed at a discreet distance and came within earshot to hear the deep voice of Mac Strann rumbling: "Sorry, gents, but that chair is took." Haw-Haw Langley o seguiu a uma distância discreta e chegou ao alcance da voz para ouvir a voz profunda de Mac Strann retumbando: "Desculpe, cavalheiros, mas a cadeira está ocupada." The black-haired man sank into the indicated chair.

"You're right," he announced calmly. "Anybody could see with half an eye that you ain't a fool. "Qualquer um poderia ver com meio olho que você não é um tolo. It's took by me!" Foi tomado por mim!" Я его взял!" And he grinned impudently in the face of Mac Strann. The latter, who had been sitting with slightly bent head, now raised it and looked the pair over carelessly; there was in his eye the same dumb curiosity which Haw-Haw Langley had seen many a time in the eye of a bull, leader of the herd. Este último, que estava sentado com a cabeça ligeiramente inclinada, agora a ergueu e olhou o par descuidadamente; havia em seus olhos a mesma curiosidade muda que Haw-Haw Langley vira muitas vezes no olho de um touro, líder do rebanho.

The giant explained carefully: "I mean, they's a friend of mine that's been sittin' in that chair." "If I ain't your friend," answered the black-haired brother instantly, "it ain't any fault of mine. "Se eu não sou seu amigo", respondeu o irmão de cabelos pretos instantaneamente, "não é culpa minha. Lay it up to yourself, partner!" Arrume-se, parceiro!" Положись на себя, партнер!" Mac Strann stretched out his hand on the surface of the table. Mac Strann estendeu a mão sobre a superfície da mesa.

He said: "I got an idea you better get out of that chair." The other turned his head slowly on all sides and then looked Mac Strann full in the face. O outro virou a cabeça lentamente para todos os lados e então olhou para Mac Strann de frente.

"Maybe they's something wrong with my eyes," he said, "but I don't see no reason." The little dialogue had lasted long enough to focus all eyes on the table at the end of the room, and therefore there were many witnesses to what followed. O pequeno diálogo durou o suficiente para focar todos os olhos na mesa no final da sala e, portanto, houve muitas testemunhas do que se seguiu. The arm of Mac Strann shot out; his hand fastened in the collar of the black-haired man's shirt, and the latter was raised from his seat and propelled to one side by a convulsive jerk. O braço de Mac Strann disparou; sua mão prendeu-se no colarinho da camisa do homem de cabelos pretos, e este foi levantado de seu assento e jogado para o lado por um puxão convulsivo. He probably would have been sent crashing into the bar had not his shirt failed under the strain. Ele provavelmente teria sido enviado para o bar se sua camisa não tivesse falhado sob a tensão. It ripped in two at the shoulders, and the seeker after action, naked to the waist, went reeling back to the middle of the room, before he gained his balance. Ele se rasgou em dois nos ombros, e o buscador de ação, nu até a cintura, voltou cambaleando para o meio da sala, antes de recuperar o equilíbrio. After him went Mac Strann with an agility astonishing in that squat, formless bulk. Atrás dele foi Mac Strann com uma agilidade surpreendente naquele corpo atarracado e sem forma. За ним шел Мак Странн с ловкостью, поражающей приземистую, бесформенную фигуру. His long arms were outstretched and his fingers tensed, and in his face there was an uncanny joy; his lip had lifted in that peculiarly disheartening sneer. Seus longos braços estavam estendidos e seus dedos tensos, e em seu rosto havia uma alegria estranha; seu lábio se ergueu naquele sorriso de escárnio peculiarmente desanimador.

He was not a pace from him of the black hair when a yell of rage behind him and the other brother leaped through the air and landed on Mac Strann's back. Ele não estava a um passo do cabelo preto quando um grito de raiva atrás dele e do outro irmão saltou no ar e aterrissou nas costas de Mac Strann. He doubled up, slipped his arms behind him, and the next instant, without visible reason, the red-headed man hurtled through the air and smashed against the bar with a jolt that set the glassware shivering and singing. Ele se dobrou, deslizou os braços para trás e, no instante seguinte, sem razão aparente, o homem ruivo foi arremessado no ar e se chocou contra o bar com um solavanco que fez os copos estremecerem e cantarem. Then he relaxed on the floor, a twisted and foolish looking mass. Então ele relaxou no chão, uma massa retorcida e tola. Затем он расслабился на полу, скрючившись и глупо выглядя.

As for the seeker after action, he had at first reached after his revolver, but he changed his mind at the last instant and instead picked up the great poker which leaned against the stove. Quanto ao buscador de ação, a princípio ele havia procurado seu revólver, mas mudou de ideia no último instante e pegou o grande atiçador que estava encostado no fogão. It was a ponderous weapon and he had to wield it in both hands. Era uma arma pesada e ele teve que empunhá-la com as duas mãos. As he swung it around his head there was a yell from men ducking out of the way, and Pale Annie curled his hand again around his favorite empty bottle. Quando ele a girou em torno de sua cabeça, ouviu-se um grito de homens que se abaixaram para fora do caminho, e Annie Pálida enrolou a mão novamente em torno de sua garrafa vazia favorita. He had no good opportunity to demonstrate its efficiency, however. Ele não teve uma boa oportunidade para demonstrar sua eficiência, no entanto. Mac Strann, crouching in the position from which he had catapulted the red-haired man, cast upwards a single glance at the other brother, and then he sprang in. Mac Strann, agachado na posição de onde havia catapultado o ruivo, lançou um único olhar para o outro irmão e então saltou. The poker hissed through the air with the vigour of a strong man's arms behind it and it would have cracked the head of Mac Strann like an empty egg-shell if it had hit its mark. O atiçador assobiou no ar com o vigor dos braços de um homem forte atrás dele e teria quebrado a cabeça de Mac Strann como uma casca de ovo vazia se tivesse atingido o alvo. But it was heaved too high, and Mac Strann went in like a football player rushing the line, almost doubled up against the floor as he ran. Mas foi levantado muito alto, e Mac Strann entrou como um jogador de futebol correndo para a linha, quase dobrado contra o chão enquanto corria. His shoulders struck the other hardly higher than the knees, and they went down together, but so doing the head of Mac Strann's victim cracked against the floor, and he also was still. Seus ombros bateram um no outro pouco acima dos joelhos, e eles caíram juntos, mas ao fazer isso a cabeça da vítima de Mac Strann bateu no chão, e ele também ficou imóvel. The exploit was greeted by a yell of applause and then someone proposed a cheer, and it was given. A façanha foi saudada por um grito de aplauso e então alguém propôs um aplauso, e foi dado. It died off short on the lips of the applauders, however, for it was seen that Mac Strann was not yet done with his work, and he went about it in a manner which made men sober suddenly and exchange glances. Mas acabou na boca dos aplausos, pois foi visto que Mac Strann ainda não havia terminado seu trabalho, e ele o fez de uma maneira que deixou os homens subitamente sóbrios e trocaram olhares. Однако на устах аплодирующих эта фраза померкла, так как было видно, что Мак Странн еще не закончил свою работу и принялся за нее с таким видом, что люди внезапно погрустнели и обменялись взглядами.

First the stranger dragged the two brothers together, laying one of them face down on the floor. Сначала незнакомец стащил двух братьев вместе, положив одного из них на пол лицом вниз. The second he placed over the first, back to back. Вторую он поставил поверх первой, спина к спине. Next he picked up the long poker from the floor and slipped it under the head and down to the neck of the first man. Em seguida, ele pegou o atiçador comprido do chão e o enfiou sob a cabeça e desceu até o pescoço do primeiro homem. Затем он поднял с пола длинную кочергу и просунул ее под голову и вниз, к шее первого мужчины. The bystanders watched in utter silence, with a touch of horror coming now in their eyes. Os espectadores assistiram em completo silêncio, com um toque de horror vindo agora em seus olhos.

Now Mac Strann caught the ends of the iron and began to twist up on them. Agora Mac Strann agarrou as pontas do ferro e começou a torcê-las. There was no result at first. Não houve resultado no início. He refreshed his hold and tried again. Ele refrescou seu aperto e tentou novamente. The sleeves of his shirt were seen to swell and then grow hard and taut with vast play of muscle beneath. As mangas de sua camisa foram vistas inchando e depois ficando duras e tensas com um vasto jogo de músculos por baixo. Рукава его рубашки вздулись, а затем стали твердыми и упругими, под ними заиграли мускулы. His head bowed lower between his shoulders, and those shoulders trembled, and the muscles over them quivered like heat-waves rising of a spring morning. Sua cabeça se inclinou mais para baixo entre os ombros, e aqueles ombros tremeram, e os músculos sobre eles estremeceram como ondas de calor subindo de uma manhã de primavera. There was a creaking, now, and then the iron was seen to shiver and then bend, slowly, and once it was wrenched out of the horizontal, the motion was more and more rapid. Houve um rangido, agora, e então o ferro foi visto estremecer e depois dobrar, lentamente, e uma vez que foi arrancado da horizontal, o movimento foi cada vez mais rápido. Вот раздался скрип, вот железо задрожало, потом медленно прогнулось, а когда его вырвали из горизонтального положения, движение стало все более стремительным. Until, when the giant was done with his labor, the ends of the iron over-lapped around the necks of the two luckless brothers. Até que, quando o gigante terminou seu trabalho, as pontas do ferro se sobrepuseram ao pescoço dos dois irmãos azarados. Mac Strann stepped back and surveyed his work; the rest of the room was in silence, saving that the red-headed man was coming back to consciousness and now writhed and groaned feebly. Mac Strann recuou e examinou seu trabalho; o resto da sala estava em silêncio, salvo que o homem ruivo estava voltando à consciência e agora se contorcia e gemia debilmente. He could not rise; that was manifest, for the thick band of iron tied his neck to the neck of his brother.

Upon this scene Mac Strann gazed with a thoughtful air and then stepped to the side of the room where stood a bucket of dirty water, recently used for mopping behind the bar. Para esta cena Mac Strann olhou com ar pensativo e então deu um passo para o lado da sala onde estava um balde de água suja, recentemente usado para limpar atrás do bar. This he caught up, returned, and dashed the black, greasy water over the pair. Isso ele pegou, devolveu e jogou a água preta e gordurosa sobre o par.

If it had been electricity it could not have operated more effectively. Se fosse eletricidade, não poderia ter operado de forma mais eficaz. The two awoke with one mind, and with a tremendous spluttering and cursing struggled to regain their feet. Os dois acordaram com uma mente, e com uma tremenda balbúrdia e xingamentos lutaram para ficar de pé. It was no easy thing, however, for when one stood up the other slipped and in his fall involved the brother. In the meantime it made a jest exactly suited to the mind of Elkhead, and shrieks of hysterical laughter rewarded their struggles. Nesse meio tempo, fez uma brincadeira exatamente adequada à mente de Elkhead, e gritos de risadas histéricas recompensaram suas lutas. В то же время она подшутила над Лосьеголовым, и крики истерического смеха вознаградили их за борьбу. Until at length they sat solemnly, back to back, easing the pressure of the iron as best they might with their hands. Até que finalmente se sentaram solenemente, costas com costas, aliviando a pressão do ferro o melhor que podiam com as mãos. В конце концов они торжественно уселись спина к спине, ослабляя давление железа, как могли, руками. Assembled Elkhead reeled about the room, drunken with laughter. Elkhead montado cambaleou pela sala, bêbado de tanto rir. But Mac Strann went quietly back to his table and paid no attention to the scene. Mas Mac Strann voltou silenciosamente para sua mesa e não prestou atenção à cena.

There is an end to all good things, however, and finally the two brothers concerted action together, rose, and then side-stepped towards the door, dripping the mop-water at every step. Há um fim para todas as coisas boas, no entanto, e finalmente os dois irmãos combinaram a ação juntos, levantaram-se e depois deram um passo para a porta, pingando a água do esfregão a cada passo. Однако всему хорошему есть конец, и в конце концов братья объединили свои усилия, поднялись и боком направились к двери, капая на швабру водой при каждом шаге. Obviously they were bound for the blacksmith's to lose their collar; and everyone in the saloon knew that the blacksmith was not in town. Obviamente eles estavam destinados ao ferreiro a perder a coleira; e todos no salão sabiam que o ferreiro não estava na cidade. The old man who had done the hoe-down hobbled to the end of the barroom and before the table of Mac Strann made a speech to the effect that Elkhead had everything it needed except laughter, that Mac Strann had come to their assistance in that respect, and that if he, the old man, had the power, he would pension such an efficient jester and keep him permanently in the town. O velho que tinha feito a enxada mancou até o final do bar e diante da mesa de Mac Strann fez um discurso no sentido de que Elkhead tinha tudo o que precisava, exceto o riso, que Mac Strann tinha vindo em seu auxílio a esse respeito. , e que se ele, o velho, tivesse o poder, ele aposentaria um bobo tão eficiente e o manteria permanentemente na cidade. Старик, который сделал мотыгу, дошел до конца зала и перед столом Мак Стрэнна произнес речь о том, что в Лосиной Голове есть все, что нужно, кроме смеха, что Мак Стрэнн пришел им на помощь в этом отношении и что если бы у него, старика, была власть, он бы назначил пенсию такому эффективному шуту и оставил его в городе на постоянной основе. To all of this Mac Strann paid not the slightest heed, but with his fleshy brow puckered considered the infinite distance. A tudo isso Mac Strann não prestou a menor atenção, mas com sua testa carnuda franzida considerou a distância infinita. Even the drink which Pale Annie, grateful for the averted riot, placed on the table before him, Mac Strann allowed to stand untasted. Mesmo a bebida que Pale Annie, grata pelo tumulto evitado, colocou na mesa diante dele, Mac Strann permitiu que ficasse sem provar. And it was private stock! E era estoque privado!

It was at this time that Haw-Haw Langley made his way back to the table and occupied the contested seat. Foi nesse momento que Haw-Haw Langley voltou para a mesa e ocupou o lugar disputado.

"That was a bum play," he said solemnly to Mac Strann. "Essa foi uma jogada de vagabundo", ele disse solenemente para Mac Strann. "When Barry hears about what you done here to two men, d'you think that he'll ever hit your trail?" "Когда Барри услышит о том, что вы сделали здесь с двумя мужчинами, как вы думаете, он когда-нибудь выйдет на ваш след?" The other started.

"I never thought about it," he murmured, his thick lips, as always, framing speech with difficulty. "Eu nunca pensei sobre isso", ele murmurou, seus lábios grossos, como sempre, emoldurando a fala com dificuldade. "D'you s'pose I'd ought to go back to the Cumberland place for him?" "Você acha que eu deveria voltar para a casa de Cumberland para ele?" "Как вы думаете, стоит ли мне вернуться за ним в Камберленд?" A yell rose at the farther end of the room. Um grito se ergueu do outro lado da sala.

"A wolf! Hey! Shoot the damn wolf!" "You fool!" cried another. "He ain't skinny enough to be a wolf. "Ele não é magro o suficiente para ser um lobo. Besides, whoever heard of a tame wolf comin' into a barroom?" Além disso, quem ouviu falar de um lobo manso entrando em um bar? Nevertheless many a gun was held in readiness, and the men, even the most drunken, fell back to one side and allowed a free passage for the animal. No entanto, muitas armas estavam em prontidão, e os homens, mesmo os mais bêbados, recuaram para o lado e permitiram a passagem livre do animal. It seemed, indeed, to be a wolf, and a giant of its kind, and it slunk now with soundless step through the silence of the barroom, glancing neither to right nor to left, until it came before the table of Mac Strann. Parecia, de fato, ser um lobo, e um gigante de sua espécie, e agora se esgueirou com passos silenciosos pelo silêncio do bar, sem olhar nem para a direita nem para a esquerda, até chegar diante da mesa de Mac Strann. There it halted and slunk back a little, the upper lip lifted away from the long fangs, its eyes glittered upon the face of the giant, and then it swung about and slipped out of the barroom as it had come, in utter silence. Lá ele parou e recuou um pouco, o lábio superior levantado para longe das longas presas, seus olhos brilharam no rosto do gigante, e então ele girou e saiu do bar como tinha vindo, em completo silêncio.

In the utter silence Mac Strann leaned across the table to Haw-Haw Langley.

"He's come alone this time," he said, "but the next time he'll bring his master with him. We'll wait!" The Adam's-apple rose and fell in the throat of Haw-Haw. "We'll wait," he nodded, and he burst into the harsh, unhuman laughter which had given him his name. "Vamos esperar", ele acenou com a cabeça, e explodiu na risada áspera e desumana que lhe deu seu nome.