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The Night Horseman by Max Brand, CHAPTER II. WORDS AND BULLETS

CHAPTER II. WORDS AND BULLETS

"Here's a gent that calls himself a doc," said Hank Dwight by way of an introduction. "If you can use him, Miss Cumberland, fly to it!" And he left them alone.

Now the sun lay directly behind Kate Cumberland and in order to look at her closely the doctor had to shade his weak eyes and pucker his brows; for from beneath her wide sombrero there rolled a cloud of golden hair as bright as the sunshine itself—a sad strain upon the visual nerve of Doctor Randall Byrne. He repeated her name, bowed, and when he straightened, blinked again. As if she appreciated that strain upon his eyes she stepped closer, and entered the shadow.

"Doctor Hardin is not in town," she said, "and I have to bring a physician out to the ranch at once; my father is critically ill." Randall Byrne rubbed his lean chin.

"I am not practicing at present," he said reluctantly. Then he saw that she was watching him closely, weighing him with her eyes, and it came to the mind of Randall Byrne that he was not a large man and might not incline the scale far from the horizontal.

"I am hardly equipped—" began Byrne. "You will not need equipment," she interrupted. "His trouble lies in his nerves and the state of his mind." A slight gleam lighted the eyes of the doctor.

"Ah," he murmured. "The mind?" "Yes." He rubbed his bloodless hands slowly together, and when he spoke his voice was sharp and quick and wholly impersonal. "Tell me the symptoms!" "Can't we talk those over on the way to the ranch? Even if we start now it will be dark before we arrive." "But," protested the doctor, "I have not yet decided—this precipitancy—" "Oh," she said, and flushed. He perceived that she was on the verge of turning away, but something withheld her. "There is no other physician within reach; my father is very ill. I only ask that you come as a diagnostician, doctor!" "But a ride to your ranch," he said miserably. "I presume you refer to riding a horse?" "Naturally." "I am unfamiliar with that means of locomotion," said the doctor with serious eyes, "and in fact have not carried my acquaintance with the equine species beyond a purely experimental stage. Anatomically I have a superficial knowledge, but on the one occasion on which I sat in a saddle I observed that the docility of the horse is probably a poetic fallacy." He rubbed his left shoulder thoughtfully and saw a slight tremor at the corners of the girl's mouth. It caused his vision to clear and concentrate; he found that the lips were, in fact, in the very act of smiling. The face of the doctor brightened.

"You shall ride my own horse," said the girl. "She is perfectly gentle and has a very easy gait. I'm sure you'll have not the slightest trouble with her." "And you?" "I'll find something about town; it doesn't matter what." "This," said the doctor, "is most remarkable. You choose your mounts at random?" "But you will go?" she insisted.

"Ah, yes, the trip to the ranch!" groaned the doctor. "Let me see: the physical obstacles to such a trip while many are not altogether insuperable, I may say; in the meantime the moral urge which compels me towards the ranch seems to be of the first order." He sighed. "Is it not strange, Miss Cumberland, that man, though distinguished from the lower orders by mind, so often is controlled in his actions by ethical impulses which override the considerations of reason? An observation which leads us towards the conclusion that the passion for goodness is a principle hardly secondary to the passion for truth. Understand that I build the hypothesis only tentatively, with many reservations, among which—" He broke off short. The smile was growing upon her lips.

"I will put together a few of my things," said the doctor, "and come down to you at once." "Good!" said the girl, "I'll be waiting for you with two horses before you are ready." He turned away, but had taken hardly a step before he turned, saying: "But why are you so sure that you will be ready before I—" but she was already down the steps from the veranda and stepping briskly down the street. "There is an element of the unexplainable in woman," said the doctor, and resumed his way to his room. Once there, something prompted him to act with the greatest possible speed. He tossed his toilet articles and a few changes of linen into a small, flexible valise and ran down the stairs. He reached the veranda again, panting, and the girl was not in sight; a smile of triumph appeared on the grave, colourless lips of the doctor. "Feminine instinct, however, is not infallible," he observed to himself, and to one of the cowboys, lounging loosely in a chair nearby, he continued his train of thoughts aloud: "Though the verity of the feminine intuition has already been thrown in a shade of doubt by many thinkers, as you will undoubtedly agree." The man thus addressed allowed his lower jaw to drop but after a moment he ejaculated: "Now what in hell d'you mean by that?" The doctor already turned away, intent upon his thoughts, but he now paused and again faced the cowboy. He said, frowning: "There is unnecessary violence in your remark, sir." "Duck your glasses," said the worthy in question. "You ain't talkin' to a book, you're talking to a man." "And in your attitude," went on the doctor, "there is an element of offense which if carried farther might be corrected by physical violence." "I don't foller your words," said the cattleman, "but from the drift of your tune I gather you're a bit peeved; and if you are—" His voice had risen to a ringing note as he proceeded and he now slipped from his chair and faced Randall Byrne, a big man, brown, hard-handed. The doctor crimsoned.

"Well?" he echoed, but in place of a deep ring his words were pitched in a high squeak of defiance.

He saw a large hand contract to a fist, but almost instantly the big man grinned, and his eyes went past Byrne.

"Oh, hell!" he grunted, and turned his back with a chuckle.

For an instant there was a mad impulse in the doctor to spring at this fellow but a wave of impotence overwhelmed him. He knew that he was white around the mouth, and there was a dryness in his throat.

"The excitement of imminent physical contest and personal danger," he diagnosed swiftly, "causing acceleration of the pulse and attendant weakness of the body—a state unworthy of the balanced intellect." Having brought back his poise by this quick interposition of reason, he went his way down the long veranda. Against a pillar leaned another tall cattleman, also brown and lean and hard.

"May I inquire," he said, "if you have any information direct or casual concerning a family named Cumberland which possesses ranch property in this vicinity?" "You may," said the cowpuncher, and continued to roll his cigarette. "Well," said the doctor, "do you know anything about them?" "Sure," said the other, and having finished his cigarette he introduced it between his lips. It seemed to occur to him instantly, however, that he was committing an inhospitable breach, for he produced his Durham and brown papers with a start and extended them towards the doctor.

"Smoke?" he asked.

"I use tobacco in no form," said the doctor. The cowboy stared with such fixity that the match burned down to his fingertips and singed them before he had lighted his cigarette.

"'S that a fact?" he queried when his astonishment found utterance. "What d'you do to kill time? Well, I been thinking about knocking off the stuff for a while. Mame gets sore at me for having my fingers all stained up with nicotine like this." He extended his hand, the first and second fingers of which were painted a bright yellow.

"Soap won't take it off," he remarked. "A popular but inexcusable error," said the doctor. "It is the tarry by-products of tobacco which cause that stain. Nicotine itself, of course, is a volatile alkaloid base of which there is only the merest trace in tobacco. It is one of the deadliest of nerve poisons and is quite colourless. There is enough of that stain upon your fingers—if it were nicotine—to kill a dozen men." "The hell you say!" "Nevertheless, it is an indubitable fact. A lump of nicotine the size of the head of a pin placed on the tongue of a horse will kill the beast instantly." The cowpuncher pushed back his hat and scratched his head.

"This is worth knowin'," he said, "but I'm some glad that Mame ain't heard it." "Concerning the Cumberlands," said the doctor, "I—" "Concerning the Cumberlands," repeated the cattleman, "it's best to leave 'em to their own concerns." And he started to turn away, but the thirst for knowledge was dry in the throat of the doctor.

"Do I understand," he insisted, "that there is some mystery connected with them?" "From me," replied the other, "you understand nothin'." And he lumbered down the steps and away.

Be it understood that there was nothing of the gossip in Randall Byrne, but now he was pardonably excited and perceiving the tall form of Hank Dwight in the doorway he approached his host.

"Mr. Dwight," he said, "I am about to go to the Cumberland ranch. I gather that there is something of an unusual nature concerning them." "There is," admitted Hank Dwight. "Can you tell me what it is?" "I can." "Good!" said the doctor, and he almost smiled. "It is always well to know the background of a case which has to do with mental states. Now, just what do you know?" "I know—" began the proprietor, and then paused and eyed his guest dubiously. "I know," he continued, "a story." "Yes?" "Yes, about a man and a hoss and a dog." "The approach seems not quite obvious, but I shall be glad to hear it." There was a pause.

"Words," said the host, at length, "is worse'n bullets. You never know what they'll hit." "But the story?" persisted Randall Byrne.

"That story," said Hank Dwight, "I may tell to my son before I die." "This sounds quite promising." "But I'll tell nobody else." "Really!" "It's about a man and a hoss and a dog. The man ain't possible, the hoss ain't possible, the dog is a wolf." He paused again and glowered on the doctor. He seemed to be drawn two ways, by his eagerness to tell a yarn and his dread of consequences.

"I know," he muttered, "because I've seen 'em all. I've seen"—he looked far, as though striking a silent bargain with himself concerning the sum of the story which might safely be told—"I've seen a hoss that understood a man's talk like you and me does—or better. I've heard a man whistle like a singing bird. Yep, that ain't no lie. You jest imagine a bald eagle that could lick anything between the earth and the sky and was able to sing—that's what that whistlin' was like. It made you glad to hear it, and it made you look to see if your gun was in good workin' shape. It wasn't very loud, but it travelled pretty far, like it was comin' from up above you." "That's the way this strange man of the story whistles?" asked Byrne, leaning closer.

"Man of the story?" echoed the proprietor, with some warmth. "Friend, if he ain't real, then I'm a ghost. And they's them in Elkhead that's got the scars of his comin' and goin'." "Ah, an outlaw? A gunfighter?" queried the doctor.

"Listen to me, son," observed the host, and to make his point he tapped the hollow chest of Byrne with a rigid forefinger, "around these parts you know jest as much as you see, and lots of times you don't even know that much. What you see is sometimes your business, but mostly it ain't." He concluded impressively: "Words is worse'n bullets!" "Well," mused Byrne, "I can ask the girl these questions. It will be medically necessary." "Ask the girl? Ask her?" echoed the host with a sort of horror. But he ended with a forced restraint: "That's your business."

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CHAPTER II. WORDS AND BULLETS ||||BULLETS KAPITEL II. WÖRTER UND KUGELN CAPÍTULO II. PALABRAS Y BALAS CAPITOLO II. PAROLE E PROIETTILI ROZDZIAŁ II. SŁOWA I POCISKI CAPÍTULO II. PALAVRAS E BOLETOS ГЛАВА II. СЛОВА И ПУЛИ 第二章。文字和项目符号

"Here's a gent that calls himself a doc," said Hank Dwight by way of an introduction. ||gentleman|||||doctor|||||||| "Oto dżentelmen, który nazywa siebie doktorem" - powiedział Hank Dwight w ramach wprowadzenia. "Aqui está um cavalheiro que se diz doutor", disse Hank Dwight como uma introdução. "If you can use him, Miss Cumberland, fly to it!" |||||||quickly|| "Jeśli możesz go wykorzystać, panno Cumberland, leć do niego!". "Se você pode usá-lo, senhorita Cumberland, voe para ele!" And he left them alone. E ele os deixou sozinhos.

Now the sun lay directly behind Kate Cumberland and in order to look at her closely the doctor had to shade his weak eyes and pucker his brows; for from beneath her wide sombrero there rolled a cloud of golden hair as bright as the sunshine itself—a sad strain upon the visual nerve of Doctor Randall Byrne. ||||||||||||||||||||block light|||||furrow||||||||hat|||||||||||||||||||||||| Teraz słońce znajdowało się bezpośrednio za Kate Cumberland i aby przyjrzeć się jej z bliska, doktor musiał zasłonić swoje słabe oczy i zacisnąć brwi, ponieważ spod jej szerokiego sombrero unosiła się chmura złotych włosów, tak jasnych jak samo słońce - smutne nadwyrężenie nerwu wzrokowego doktora Randalla Byrne'a. Agora o sol estava bem atrás de Kate Cumberland e, para olhá-la de perto, o médico teve que proteger os olhos fracos e franzir as sobrancelhas; pois debaixo de seu largo sombreiro rolou uma nuvem de cabelos dourados tão brilhantes quanto a própria luz do sol — uma triste tensão sobre o nervo visual do Dr. Randall Byrne. He repeated her name, bowed, and when he straightened, blinked again. Powtórzył jej imię, ukłonił się, a kiedy się wyprostował, ponownie zamrugał. Ele repetiu o nome dela, curvou-se e, quando se endireitou, piscou novamente. As if she appreciated that strain upon his eyes she stepped closer, and entered the shadow. Jakby doceniała to napięcie w jego oczach, podeszła bliżej i weszła w cień. Como se ela apreciasse aquela tensão em seus olhos, ela se aproximou e entrou na sombra.

"Doctor Hardin is not in town," she said, "and I have to bring a physician out to the ranch at once; my father is critically ill." "Doktora Hardina nie ma w mieście" - powiedziała - "i muszę natychmiast sprowadzić lekarza na ranczo; mój ojciec jest w stanie krytycznym". "Doutor Hardin não está na cidade", disse ela, "e eu tenho que trazer um médico para o rancho imediatamente; meu pai está gravemente doente." Randall Byrne rubbed his lean chin. Randall Byrne potarł chudy podbródek. Randall Byrne esfregou o queixo magro.

"I am not practicing at present," he said reluctantly. "Eu não estou praticando no momento", disse ele com relutância. Then he saw that she was watching him closely, weighing him with her eyes, and it came to the mind of Randall Byrne that he was not a large man and might not incline the scale far from the horizontal. Wtedy zobaczył, że przygląda mu się uważnie, ważąc go wzrokiem, a Randallowi Byrne'owi przyszło do głowy, że nie jest dużym mężczyzną i może nie przechylić szali daleko od poziomu. Então ele viu que ela o observava de perto, pesando-o com os olhos, e Randall Byrne pensou que ele não era um homem grande e poderia não inclinar a balança para longe da horizontal.

"I am hardly equipped—" began Byrne. "Nie jestem na to przygotowany - zaczął Byrne. "Estou mal equipado..." começou Byrne. "You will not need equipment," she interrupted. "His trouble lies in his nerves and the state of his mind." "Jego problem tkwi w nerwach i stanie umysłu". "Seu problema está em seus nervos e no estado de sua mente." A slight gleam lighted the eyes of the doctor. Lekki błysk rozświetlił oczy doktora. Um leve brilho iluminou os olhos do médico.

"Ah," he murmured. "Ah," ele murmurou. "The mind?" "Yes." He rubbed his bloodless hands slowly together, and when he spoke his voice was sharp and quick and wholly impersonal. Pocierał powoli swoje bezkrwawe dłonie, a kiedy się odezwał, jego głos był ostry, szybki i całkowicie bezosobowy. Esfregou lentamente as mãos exangues e, quando falou, sua voz era aguda, rápida e totalmente impessoal. "Tell me the symptoms!" "Can't we talk those over on the way to the ranch? Even if we start now it will be dark before we arrive." "But," protested the doctor, "I have not yet decided—this precipitancy—" "Mas", protestou o médico, "ainda não decidi... essa precipitação..." "Oh," she said, and flushed. "Oh," ela disse, e corou. He perceived that she was on the verge of turning away, but something withheld her. Ele percebeu que ela estava prestes a se virar, mas algo a deteve. "There is no other physician within reach; my father is very ill. I only ask that you come as a diagnostician, doctor!" Só peço que venha como diagnosticador, doutor!" "But a ride to your ranch," he said miserably. "Mas uma carona para o seu rancho", disse ele miseravelmente. "I presume you refer to riding a horse?" "Eu presumo que você se refere a andar a cavalo?" "Naturally." "I am unfamiliar with that means of locomotion," said the doctor with serious eyes, "and in fact have not carried my acquaintance with the equine species beyond a purely experimental stage. "Nie znam się na tym środku lokomocji" - powiedział lekarz z poważnym spojrzeniem - "i w rzeczywistości nie wyszedłem poza czysto eksperymentalny etap mojej znajomości z gatunkiem koniowatych. "Não estou familiarizado com esse meio de locomoção", disse o médico com olhos sérios, "e de fato não levei meu conhecimento da espécie equina além de um estágio puramente experimental. Anatomically I have a superficial knowledge, but on the one occasion on which I sat in a saddle I observed that the docility of the horse is probably a poetic fallacy." Anatomicznie mam powierzchowną wiedzę, ale przy jedynej okazji, kiedy siedziałem w siodle, zauważyłem, że potulność konia jest prawdopodobnie poetyckim fałszem". Anatomicamente tenho um conhecimento superficial, mas numa ocasião em que me sentei em uma sela observei que a docilidade do cavalo é provavelmente uma falácia poética." He rubbed his left shoulder thoughtfully and saw a slight tremor at the corners of the girl's mouth. Ele esfregou o ombro esquerdo pensativamente e viu um leve tremor nos cantos da boca da garota. It caused his vision to clear and concentrate; he found that the lips were, in fact, in the very act of smiling. Isso fez com que sua visão clareasse e se concentrasse; ele descobriu que os lábios estavam, de fato, no próprio ato de sorrir. The face of the doctor brightened. O rosto do médico se iluminou.

"You shall ride my own horse," said the girl. "Você vai montar meu próprio cavalo", disse a garota. "She is perfectly gentle and has a very easy gait. "Ela é perfeitamente gentil e tem uma marcha muito fácil. I'm sure you'll have not the slightest trouble with her." "And you?" "I'll find something about town; it doesn't matter what." "This," said the doctor, "is most remarkable. "Isso", disse o médico, "é muito notável. You choose your mounts at random?" Você escolhe suas montarias aleatoriamente?" "But you will go?" she insisted.

"Ah, yes, the trip to the ranch!" groaned the doctor. gemeu o médico. "Let me see: the physical obstacles to such a trip while many are not altogether insuperable, I may say; in the meantime the moral urge which compels me towards the ranch seems to be of the first order." "Deixe-me ver: os obstáculos físicos para tal viagem, embora muitos não sejam totalmente insuperáveis, posso dizer; entretanto, o impulso moral que me compele à fazenda parece ser de primeira ordem." He sighed. Ele suspirou. "Is it not strange, Miss Cumberland, that man, though distinguished from the lower orders by mind, so often is controlled in his actions by ethical impulses which override the considerations of reason? "Não é estranho, Miss Cumberland, que o homem, embora distinto das classes inferiores pela mente, seja tão freqüentemente controlado em suas ações por impulsos éticos que se sobrepõem às considerações da razão? An observation which leads us towards the conclusion that the passion for goodness is a principle hardly secondary to the passion for truth. Uma observação que nos leva a concluir que a paixão pelo bem é um princípio dificilmente secundário à paixão pela verdade. Understand that I build the hypothesis only tentatively, with many reservations, among which—" Entenda que eu construo a hipótese apenas provisoriamente, com muitas reservas, entre as quais... He broke off short. Ele se interrompeu. The smile was growing upon her lips. O sorriso estava crescendo em seus lábios.

"I will put together a few of my things," said the doctor, "and come down to you at once." "Vou juntar algumas das minhas coisas", disse o médico, "e vou até você imediatamente." "Good!" said the girl, "I'll be waiting for you with two horses before you are ready." He turned away, but had taken hardly a step before he turned, saying: "But why are you so sure that you will be ready before I—" but she was already down the steps from the veranda and stepping briskly down the street. Ele se virou, mas mal deu um passo antes de se virar, dizendo: "Mas por que você tem tanta certeza de que estará pronto antes de eu...", mas ela já estava descendo os degraus da varanda e andando rapidamente pela rua. "There is an element of the unexplainable in woman," said the doctor, and resumed his way to his room. "Há um elemento de inexplicável na mulher", disse o médico, e retomou seu caminho para seu quarto. Once there, something prompted him to act with the greatest possible speed. Uma vez lá, algo o levou a agir com a maior velocidade possível. He tossed his toilet articles and a few changes of linen into a small, flexible valise and ran down the stairs. Ele jogou seus artigos de toalete e algumas mudas de roupa de cama em uma valise pequena e flexível e desceu as escadas correndo. He reached the veranda again, panting, and the girl was not in sight; a smile of triumph appeared on the grave, colourless lips of the doctor. Chegou novamente à varanda, ofegante, e a moça não estava à vista; um sorriso de triunfo apareceu nos lábios graves e sem cor do médico. "Feminine instinct, however, is not infallible," he observed to himself, and to one of the cowboys, lounging loosely in a chair nearby, he continued his train of thoughts aloud: "Though the verity of the feminine intuition has already been thrown in a shade of doubt by many thinkers, as you will undoubtedly agree." "O instinto feminino, no entanto, não é infalível", observou ele para si mesmo, e para um dos vaqueiros, descansando frouxamente em uma cadeira próxima, ele continuou sua linha de pensamentos em voz alta: "Embora a veracidade da intuição feminina já tenha sido lançada em uma sombra de dúvida por muitos pensadores, como você sem dúvida concordará." The man thus addressed allowed his lower jaw to drop but after a moment he ejaculated: "Now what in hell d'you mean by that?" O homem assim abordado deixou cair o maxilar inferior, mas depois de um momento ele ejaculou: "Agora, o que diabos você quer dizer com isso?" The doctor already turned away, intent upon his thoughts, but he now paused and again faced the cowboy. Lekarz odwrócił się już, pogrążony w myślach, ale teraz zatrzymał się i ponownie stanął twarzą w twarz z kowbojem. O médico já se virou, concentrado em seus pensamentos, mas agora parou e voltou a encarar o vaqueiro. He said, frowning: "There is unnecessary violence in your remark, sir." Powiedział, marszcząc brwi: "Pańska uwaga jest niepotrzebnie brutalna". Ele disse, franzindo a testa: "Há violência desnecessária em sua observação, senhor." "Duck your glasses," said the worthy in question. "Schowaj okulary" - powiedział ten, o którym mowa. "Abaixe seus óculos", disse o digno em questão. "You ain't talkin' to a book, you're talking to a man." "Nie rozmawiasz z książką, tylko z człowiekiem". "Você não está falando com um livro, você está falando com um homem." "And in your attitude," went on the doctor, "there is an element of offense which if carried farther might be corrected by physical violence." "A w twojej postawie - kontynuował lekarz - jest element obrazy, który, jeśli posunąć się dalej, może zostać skorygowany przemocą fizyczną". "E em sua atitude", continuou o médico, "há um elemento de ofensa que, se levado adiante, pode ser corrigido pela violência física." "I don't foller your words," said the cattleman, "but from the drift of your tune I gather you're a bit peeved; and if you are—" "Nie rozumiem twoich słów", powiedział bydlak, "ale z tonu twojej melodii wnioskuję, że jesteś trochę wkurzony; a jeśli tak, to...". "Eu não sigo suas palavras", disse o vaqueiro, "mas pelo rumo de sua música, deduzo que você está um pouco irritado; e se você está..." His voice had risen to a ringing note as he proceeded and he now slipped from his chair and faced Randall Byrne, a big man, brown, hard-handed. Jego głos wzrósł do dzwoniącej nuty, gdy kontynuował, a teraz zsunął się z krzesła i stanął przed Randallem Byrne'em, dużym mężczyzną o brązowych, twardych dłoniach. Sua voz tinha subido para uma nota retumbante enquanto ele prosseguia e agora ele deslizou da cadeira e encarou Randall Byrne, um homem grande, moreno, de mão dura. The doctor crimsoned. O médico ruborizou.

"Well?" he echoed, but in place of a deep ring his words were pitched in a high squeak of defiance. ele ecoou, mas no lugar de um som profundo suas palavras foram lançadas em um alto guincho de desafio.

He saw a large hand contract to a fist, but almost instantly the big man grinned, and his eyes went past Byrne. Zobaczył, jak wielka dłoń zaciska się w pięść, ale niemal natychmiast mężczyzna uśmiechnął się, a jego oczy powędrowały obok Byrne'a. Ele viu uma grande mão se fechar em punho, mas quase instantaneamente o grande homem sorriu e seus olhos passaram por Byrne.

"Oh, hell!" "Oh inferno!" he grunted, and turned his back with a chuckle. ele resmungou, e virou as costas com uma risada.

For an instant there was a mad impulse in the doctor to spring at this fellow but a wave of impotence overwhelmed him. Przez chwilę doktor miał szalony impuls, by rzucić się na tego człowieka, ale ogarnęła go fala bezsilności. Por um instante, o médico sentiu um impulso louco de saltar sobre aquele sujeito, mas uma onda de impotência o dominou. He knew that he was white around the mouth, and there was a dryness in his throat. Ele sabia que estava branco ao redor da boca, e havia uma secura na garganta.

"The excitement of imminent physical contest and personal danger," he diagnosed swiftly, "causing acceleration of the pulse and attendant weakness of the body—a state unworthy of the balanced intellect." "Podekscytowanie zbliżającą się fizyczną rywalizacją i osobistym niebezpieczeństwem", zdiagnozował szybko, "powodując przyspieszenie pulsu i towarzyszące mu osłabienie ciała - stan niegodny zrównoważonego intelektu". "A excitação da disputa física iminente e do perigo pessoal", diagnosticou rapidamente, "causando aceleração do pulso e consequente fraqueza do corpo — um estado indigno do intelecto equilibrado." Having brought back his poise by this quick interposition of reason, he went his way down the long veranda. Odzyskawszy spokój dzięki tej szybkiej interwencji rozumu, ruszył w dół długiej werandy. Recuperando o equilíbrio com essa rápida interposição da razão, desceu a longa varanda. Against a pillar leaned another tall cattleman, also brown and lean and hard. O filar opierał się inny wysoki bydlak, również brązowy, chudy i twardy. Contra um pilar estava encostado outro vaqueiro alto, também moreno, magro e duro.

"May I inquire," he said, "if you have any information direct or casual concerning a family named Cumberland which possesses ranch property in this vicinity?" "Czy mogę zapytać - powiedział - czy ma pan jakieś bezpośrednie lub przypadkowe informacje na temat rodziny o nazwisku Cumberland, która posiada ranczo w tej okolicy?". "Posso perguntar", disse ele, "se você tem alguma informação direta ou casual sobre uma família chamada Cumberland que possui propriedades rurais nesta vizinhança?" "You may," said the cowpuncher, and continued to roll his cigarette. "Możesz" - powiedział cowpuncher i kontynuował skręcanie papierosa. "Você pode", disse o vaqueiro, e continuou a enrolar o cigarro. "Well," said the doctor, "do you know anything about them?" "Sure," said the other, and having finished his cigarette he introduced it between his lips. It seemed to occur to him instantly, however, that he was committing an inhospitable breach, for he produced his Durham and brown papers with a start and extended them towards the doctor. Natychmiast jednak dotarło do niego, że popełnia niegościnne wykroczenie, gdyż z impetem wyciągnął w stronę doktora brązowe papiery i Durhama. No entanto, pareceu ocorrer-lhe instantaneamente que estava cometendo uma violação inóspita, pois pegou seus papéis de Durham e pardos com um sobressalto e os estendeu para o médico.

"Smoke?" he asked.

"I use tobacco in no form," said the doctor. "Não uso tabaco de forma alguma", disse o médico. The cowboy stared with such fixity that the match burned down to his fingertips and singed them before he had lighted his cigarette. Kowboj wpatrywał się w niego z takim skupieniem, że zapałka spaliła mu opuszki palców, zanim zdążył zapalić papierosa. O vaqueiro olhava com tal fixidez que o fósforo queimou até as pontas dos dedos e as queimou antes que ele acendesse o cigarro.

"'S that a fact?" "Isso é um fato?" he queried when his astonishment found utterance. ele perguntou quando seu espanto encontrou expressão. "What d'you do to kill time? "Co robisz dla zabicia czasu? "O que você faz para matar o tempo? Well, I been thinking about knocking off the stuff for a while. Cóż, myślałem o odstawieniu tego towaru przez jakiś czas. Bem, eu estive pensando em derrubar as coisas por um tempo. Mame gets sore at me for having my fingers all stained up with nicotine like this." Mame denerwuje się na mnie, że mam palce całe poplamione nikotyną". Mame fica magoada comigo por ter meus dedos manchados com nicotina assim." He extended his hand, the first and second fingers of which were painted a bright yellow. Ele estendeu a mão, o primeiro e o segundo dedos pintados de amarelo brilhante.

"Soap won't take it off," he remarked. "Mydło go nie zdejmie" - zauważył. "Sabão não vai tirá-lo", observou ele. "A popular but inexcusable error," said the doctor. "Popularny, ale niewybaczalny błąd" - powiedział lekarz. "Um erro popular, mas imperdoável", disse o médico. "It is the tarry by-products of tobacco which cause that stain. "To smoliste produkty uboczne tytoniu powodują tę plamę. "São os subprodutos alcatrão do tabaco que causam essa mancha. Nicotine itself, of course, is a volatile alkaloid base of which there is only the merest trace in tobacco. Sama nikotyna jest oczywiście lotnym alkaloidem, którego w tytoniu jest zaledwie śladowa ilość. A nicotina em si, é claro, é uma base alcalóide volátil da qual há apenas um mero traço no tabaco. It is one of the deadliest of nerve poisons and is quite colourless. Jest to jedna z najbardziej śmiercionośnych trucizn nerwowych i jest całkiem bezbarwna. É um dos venenos nervosos mais mortais e é bastante incolor. There is enough of that stain upon your fingers—if it were nicotine—to kill a dozen men." Na twoich palcach jest wystarczająco dużo tej plamy - gdyby to była nikotyna - by zabić tuzin ludzi". Há o suficiente dessa mancha em seus dedos - se fosse nicotina - para matar uma dúzia de homens." "The hell you say!" "O inferno que você diz!" "Nevertheless, it is an indubitable fact. "Niemniej jednak jest to niezaprzeczalny fakt. "No entanto, é um fato indubitável. A lump of nicotine the size of the head of a pin placed on the tongue of a horse will kill the beast instantly." Kawałek nikotyny wielkości główki szpilki umieszczony na języku konia natychmiast zabije zwierzę". Um pedaço de nicotina do tamanho da cabeça de um alfinete colocado na língua de um cavalo matará a fera instantaneamente." The cowpuncher pushed back his hat and scratched his head. Kowboj odsunął kapelusz i podrapał się po głowie. O vaqueiro empurrou o chapéu para trás e coçou a cabeça.

"This is worth knowin'," he said, "but I'm some glad that Mame ain't heard it." "Warto o tym wiedzieć", powiedział, "ale cieszę się, że Mame tego nie słyszała". "Vale a pena saber disso", disse ele, "mas estou um pouco feliz por Mame não ter ouvido." "Concerning the Cumberlands," said the doctor, "I—" "Jeśli chodzi o Cumberlandów," powiedział doktor, "ja-". "Em relação aos Cumberlands", disse o médico, "eu..." "Concerning the Cumberlands," repeated the cattleman, "it's best to leave 'em to their own concerns." "Jeśli chodzi o Cumberlandów" - powtórzył hodowca bydła - "najlepiej zostawić ich własnym sprawom". "Quanto aos Cumberlands", repetiu o pecuarista, "é melhor deixá-los por conta própria." And he started to turn away, but the thirst for knowledge was dry in the throat of the doctor. E ele começou a se virar, mas a sede de conhecimento estava seca na garganta do médico.

"Do I understand," he insisted, "that there is some mystery connected with them?" "Eu entendo", ele insistiu, "que há algum mistério relacionado a eles?" "From me," replied the other, "you understand nothin'." "De mim", respondeu o outro, "você não entende nada." And he lumbered down the steps and away. E ele desceu os degraus e foi embora.

Be it understood that there was nothing of the gossip in Randall Byrne, but now he was pardonably excited and perceiving the tall form of Hank Dwight in the doorway he approached his host. Seja entendido que não havia nada de fofoca em Randall Byrne, mas agora ele estava perdoavelmente excitado e percebendo a forma alta de Hank Dwight na porta, ele se aproximou de seu anfitrião.

"Mr. Dwight," he said, "I am about to go to the Cumberland ranch. I gather that there is something of an unusual nature concerning them." Eu entendo que há algo de natureza incomum em relação a eles." "There is," admitted Hank Dwight. "Can you tell me what it is?" "I can." "Good!" said the doctor, and he almost smiled. "It is always well to know the background of a case which has to do with mental states. "É sempre bom conhecer os antecedentes de um caso que tem a ver com estados mentais. Now, just what do you know?" Agora, o que você sabe?" "I know—" began the proprietor, and then paused and eyed his guest dubiously. "Eu sei..." começou o proprietário, e então fez uma pausa e olhou seu convidado com dúvida. "I know," he continued, "a story." "Yes?" "Yes, about a man and a hoss and a dog." "Sim, sobre um homem e um hoss e um cachorro." "The approach seems not quite obvious, but I shall be glad to hear it." "A abordagem não parece muito óbvia, mas ficarei feliz em ouvi-la." There was a pause. Houve uma pausa.

"Words," said the host, at length, "is worse'n bullets. "Palavras", disse o apresentador, por fim, "é pior do que balas. You never know what they'll hit." Você nunca sabe o que eles vão acertar." "But the story?" "Mas a história?" persisted Randall Byrne.

"That story," said Hank Dwight, "I may tell to my son before I die." "Essa história", disse Hank Dwight, "eu posso contar ao meu filho antes de morrer." "This sounds quite promising." "Isso soa bastante promissor." "But I'll tell nobody else." "Mas não direi a mais ninguém." "Really!" "It's about a man and a hoss and a dog. The man ain't possible, the hoss ain't possible, the dog is a wolf." O homem não é possível, o hoss não é possível, o cachorro é um lobo." He paused again and glowered on the doctor. Ele pausou novamente e encarou o médico. He seemed to be drawn two ways, by his eagerness to tell a yarn and his dread of consequences. Ele parecia ser atraído de duas maneiras, por sua ânsia de contar uma história e seu pavor das consequências.

"I know," he muttered, "because I've seen 'em all. "Eu sei", ele murmurou, "porque eu vi todos eles. I've seen"—he looked far, as though striking a silent bargain with himself concerning the sum of the story which might safely be told—"I've seen a hoss that understood a man's talk like you and me does—or better. Eu vi" - ele olhou para longe, como se estivesse fazendo uma barganha silenciosa consigo mesmo sobre a soma da história que poderia ser contada com segurança - "vi um hoss que entendia a conversa de um homem como você e eu entendemos - ou melhor . I've heard a man whistle like a singing bird. Já ouvi um homem assobiar como um pássaro cantando. Yep, that ain't no lie. Sim, isso não é mentira. You jest imagine a bald eagle that could lick anything between the earth and the sky and was able to sing—that's what that whistlin' was like. Você está imaginando uma águia careca que poderia lamber qualquer coisa entre a terra e o céu e era capaz de cantar – era assim que era aquele assobio. It made you glad to hear it, and it made you look to see if your gun was in good workin' shape. Você ficou feliz em ouvir isso, e fez você olhar para ver se sua arma estava em boas condições. It wasn't very loud, but it travelled pretty far, like it was comin' from up above you." Não era muito barulhento, mas viajou muito longe, como se estivesse vindo de cima de você." "That's the way this strange man of the story whistles?" "É assim que esse homem estranho da história assobia?" asked Byrne, leaning closer. perguntou Byrne, aproximando-se.

"Man of the story?" echoed the proprietor, with some warmth. ecoou o proprietário, com algum calor. "Friend, if he ain't real, then I'm a ghost. "Amigo, se ele não é real, então eu sou um fantasma. And they's them in Elkhead that's got the scars of his comin' and goin'." E são eles em Elkhead que têm as cicatrizes de suas idas e vindas." "Ah, an outlaw? "Ah, um fora-da-lei? A gunfighter?" Um pistoleiro?" queried the doctor. perguntou o médico.

"Listen to me, son," observed the host, and to make his point he tapped the hollow chest of Byrne with a rigid forefinger, "around these parts you know jest as much as you see, and lots of times you don't even know that much. "Ouça-me, filho", observou o apresentador, e, para demonstrar seu ponto de vista, bateu no peito oco de Byrne com o dedo indicador rígido, "por essas partes você sabe brincar tanto quanto vê, e muitas vezes não sabe mesmo saber tanto. What you see is sometimes your business, but mostly it ain't." O que você vê às vezes é da sua conta, mas na maioria das vezes não é." He concluded impressively: "Words is worse'n bullets!" "Well," mused Byrne, "I can ask the girl these questions. "Bem", refletiu Byrne, "eu posso fazer essas perguntas à garota. It will be medically necessary." "Ask the girl? Ask her?" echoed the host with a sort of horror. ecoou o anfitrião com uma espécie de horror. But he ended with a forced restraint: "That's your business." Mas terminou com uma contenção forçada: "Isso é problema seu".