登陆注册
15319800000007

第7章 THE GREAT INTERROGATION(1)

To say the least, Mrs.Sayther's career in Dawson was meteoric.

She arrived in the spring, with dog sleds and French-Canadian voyageurs, blazed gloriously for a brief month, and departed up the river as soon as it was free of ice.Now womanless Dawson never quite understood this hurried departure, and the local Four Hundred felt aggrieved and lonely till the Nome strike was made and old sensations gave way to new.For it had delighted in Mrs.

Sayther, and received her wide-armed.She was pretty, charming, and, moreover, a widow.And because of this she at once had at heel any number of Eldorado Kings, officials, and adventuring younger sons, whose ears were yearning for the frou-frou of a woman's skirts.

The mining engineers revered the memory of her husband, the late Colonel Sayther, while the syndicate and promoter representatives spoke awesomely of his deals and manipulations; for he was known down in the States as a great mining man, and as even a greater one in London.Why his widow, of all women, should have come into the country, was the great interrogation.But they were a practical breed, the men of the Northland, with a wholesome disregard for theories and a firm grip on facts.And to not a few of them Karen Sayther was a most essential fact.That she did not regard the matter in this light, is evidenced by the neatness and celerity with which refusal and proposal tallied off during her four weeks' stay.And with her vanished the fact, and only the interrogation remained.

To the solution, Chance vouchsafed one clew.Her last victim, Jack Coughran, having fruitlessly laid at her feet both his heart and a five-hundred-foot creek claim on Bonanza, celebrated the misfortune by walking all of a night with the gods.In the midwatch of this night he happened to rub shoulders with Pierre Fontaine, none other than head man of Karen Sayther's voyageurs.

This rubbing of shoulders led to recognition and drinks, and ultimately involved both men in a common muddle of inebriety.

"Heh?" Pierre Fontaine later on gurgled thickly."Vot for Madame Sayther mak visitation to thees country? More better you spik wit her.I know no t'ing 'tall, only all de tam her ask one man's name.'Pierre,' her spik wit me; 'Pierre, you moos' find thees mans, and I gif you mooch--one thousand dollar you find thees mans.' Thees mans? Ah, oui.Thees man's name--vot you call--Daveed Payne.Oui, m'sieu, Daveed Payne.All de tam her spik das name.And all de tam I look rount vaire mooch, work lak hell, but no can find das dam mans, and no get one thousand dollar 'tall.

By dam!

"Heh? Ah, oui.One tam dose mens vot come from Circle City, dose mens know thees mans.Him Birch Creek, dey spik.And madame?

Her say 'Bon!' and look happy lak anyt'ing.And her spik wit me.

'Pierre,' her spik, 'harness de dogs.We go queek.We find thees mans I gif you one thousand dollar more.' And I say, 'Oui, queek!

Allons, madame!'

"For sure, I t'ink, das two thousand dollar mine.Bully boy! Den more mens come from Circle City, and dey say no, das thees mans, Daveed Payne, come Dawson leel tam back.So madame and I go not 'tall.

"Oui, m'sieu.Thees day madame spik.'Pierre,' her spik, and gif me five hundred dollar, 'go buy poling-boat.To-morrow we go up de river.' Ah, oui, to-morrow, up de river, and das dam Sitka Charley mak me pay for de poling-boat five hundred dollar.Dam!"Thus it was, when Jack Coughran unburdened himself next day, that Dawson fell to wondering who was this David Payne, and in what way his existence bore upon Karen Sayther's.But that very day, as Pierre Fontaine had said, Mrs.Sayther and her barbaric crew of voyageurs towed up the east bank to Klondike City, shot across to the west bank to escape the bluffs, and disappeared amid the maze of islands to the south.

"Oui, madame, thees is de place.One, two, t'ree island below Stuart River.Thees is t'ree island."As he spoke, Pierre Fontaine drove his pole against the bank and held the stern of the boat against the current.This thrust the bow in, till a nimble breed climbed ashore with the painter and made fast.

"One leel tam, madame, I go look see."

A chorus of dogs marked his disappearance over the edge of the bank, but a minute later he was back again.

"Oui, madame, thees is de cabin.I mak investigation.No can find mans at home.But him no go vaire far, vaire long, or him no leave dogs.Him come queek, you bet!""Help me out, Pierre.I'm tired all over from the boat.You might have made it softer, you know."From a nest of furs amidships, Karen Sayther rose to her full height of slender fairness.But if she looked lily-frail in her elemental environment, she was belied by the grip she put upon Pierre's hand, by the knotting of her woman's biceps as it took the weight of her body, by the splendid effort of her limbs as they held her out from the perpendicular bank while she made the ascent.Though shapely flesh clothed delicate frame, her body was a seat of strength.

Still, for all the careless ease with which she had made the landing, there was a warmer color than usual to her face, and a perceptibly extra beat to her heart.But then, also, it was with a certain reverent curiousness that she approached the cabin, while the Hush on her cheek showed a yet riper mellowness.

"Look, see!" Pierre pointed to the scattered chips by the woodpile."Him fresh--two, t'ree day, no more."Mrs.Sayther nodded.She tried to peer through the small window, but it was made of greased parchment which admitted light while it blocked vision.Failing this, she went round to the door, half lifted the rude latch to enter, but changed her mind and let it fall back into place.Then she suddenly dropped on one knee and kissed the rough-hewn threshold.If Pierre Fontaine saw, he gave no sign, and the memory in the time to come was never shared.But the next instant, one of the boatmen, placidly lighting his pipe, was startled by an unwonted harshness in his captain's voice.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 塔子溝紀略

    塔子溝紀略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 男神9块9:娱记萌妻大爆料

    男神9块9:娱记萌妻大爆料

    作为一名职业的狗仔,上的厅堂,下的厨房,还得拼命挖掘八卦!什么?没有八卦?没有关系!“老婆,影后请我去给她颁奖。”“颁奖怎么够!一定要深情款款,难舍难分。”头条就写“已婚总裁看上当红影后,或离婚?!”“老婆,有人让我去酒吧放松放松。”“去去去,不要光放松,一条龙服务不能停!”头条又来了“家庭事业或不顺,钻石总裁竟堕落至夜店?”男神卒。某女做着杂志卖脱销的美梦时。“老公,肥水不流外人田,有料你得告诉我啊!”某女目光贼亮。“难道昨晚你还没有感受到我有没有料?既然老婆觉得滋润不够,那我再来浇灌下“田”。”男神邪魅一笑。扑倒,啃尽,咂巴咋吧嘴。某女,爽……卒。粉丝群476123639
  • 鲜妻勾勾手:首席老公,乖乖走!

    鲜妻勾勾手:首席老公,乖乖走!

    【爆笑狂宠】自从结婚后,顾仙仙每天必喊的一句话是------老公,我们离婚吧?只是喊了一年了,还是没把婚离掉。没离掉就算了,这肚子却慢慢的鼓起来了,骗子,不是说好假结婚的吗?为什么假着假着,就变成了真的呢?(简单的来说,就是女汉子和腹黑男的婚后生活!男女双洁)
  • EXO之占有欲

    EXO之占有欲

    首次写甜虐文,不怎么会写,组织语言的能力也有所欠缺,本文有甜有虐,感兴趣的可以看看,哪里有不足也欢迎各位读者提出来,不喜勿喷谢谢。
  • 非典型泰键

    非典型泰键

    出师未捷身先死,长使英雄泪满襟。泰键111111111111111111111111111111111111111
  • 妖神邪刀

    妖神邪刀

    千年前我得妖神传承,柳家因我而覆灭。千年后我强势归来,欲与天比之高低,无意中扯出惊天迷局,昊天老祖我回来了!
  • 曼珠沙华:彼岸花开三世为君倾

    曼珠沙华:彼岸花开三世为君倾

    龙神、穿越、王妃?!这是什么鬼?!世界玄幻了吗?!
  • 无尽丧尸世界

    无尽丧尸世界

    懒惰宅男,被无尽的丧尸世界步步紧逼,造成地球末日的罪魁祸首,是人类自己,还是……另有其“人”?
  • 学为人师的教育家(1)

    学为人师的教育家(1)

    本书精选荟萃了古今中外各行各业具有代表性的有关名人,其中有政治家、外交家、军事家、谋略家、思想家、文学家、艺术家、教育家、科学家、发明家、探险家、经济学家、企业家等,阅读这些名人的成长故事,能够领略他们的人生追求与思想力量,使我们受到启迪和教益,使我们能够很好地把握人生的关健时点,指导我们走好人生道路,取得事业发展。
  • 火澜

    火澜

    当一个现代杀手之王穿越到这个世界。是隐匿,还是崛起。一场血雨腥风的传奇被她改写。一条无上的强者之路被她踏破。修斗气,炼元丹,收兽宠,化神器,大闹皇宫,炸毁学院,打死院长,秒杀狗男女,震惊大陆。无止尽的契约能力,上古神兽,千年魔兽,纷纷前来抱大腿,惊傻世人。她说:在我眼里没有好坏之分,只有强弱之分,只要你能打败我,这世间所有都是你的,打不败我,就从这世间永远消失。她狂,她傲,她的目标只有一个,就是凌驾这世间一切之上。三国皇帝,魔界妖王,冥界之主,仙界至尊。到底谁才是陪着她走到最后的那个?他说:上天入地,我会陪着你,你活着,有我,你死,也一定有我。本文一对一,男强女强,强强联手,不喜勿入。