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the faith of men(人们的信任)-第22章

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knelt before them and pleaded and implored。                  But Bill and Kink did not 

laugh。     They might have been harder hearted。 

     〃First   time   I   ever   hear   a   man   squeal   over   a   minin'   deal;〃   Bill   said。 

〃An' I make free to say 'tis too onusual for me to savvy。〃 

     〃Same   here;〃   Kink   Mitchell   remarked。         〃Minin'   deals   is   like   horse… 

tradin'。〃 

     They were honest in their wonderment。                 They could not conceive of 

themselves   raising   a   wail   over   a  business   transaction;   so   they  could   not 

understand it in another man。 

     〃The   poor;   ornery   chechaquo;〃   murmured   Hootchinoo   Bill;   as   they 

watched the sorrowing Swede disappear up the trail。 

     〃But this ain't Too Much Gold;〃 Kink Mitchell said cheerfully。 

     And ere the day was out they purchased flour and bacon at exorbitant 

prices    with   Ans    Handerson's      dust   and   crossed    over   the  divide    in  the 

direction of the creeks that lie between Klondike and Indian River。 

     Three months later they came back over the divide in the midst of a 

snow…storm   and   dropped   down   the   trail   to   24   ELDORADO。             It   merely 

chanced that the trail led them that way。              They were not looking for the 

claim。     Nor could they see   much   through the   driving   white till they  set 

foot upon the claim itself。         And then the air lightened; and they beheld a 

dump; capped by a windlass that a man was turning。                   They saw him draw 

a   bucket   of   gravel   from   the   hole   and   tilt   it   on   the   edge   of   the   dump。 

Likewise they saw another; man; strangely familiar; filling a pan with the 

fresh    gravel。    His    hands    were   large;   his  hair   wets   pale   yellow。    But 

before they reached him; he turned with the pan and fled toward a cabin。 

He   wore   no   hat;   and   the   snow   falling   down   his   neck   accounted   for   his 

haste。    Bill   and   Kink   ran   after   him;   and   came   upon   him   in   the   cabin; 

kneeling by the stove and washing the pan of gravel in a tub of water。 

     He   was   too   deeply   engaged   to   notice   more   than   that   somebody   had 

entered     the   cabin。    They     stood   at  his   shoulder    and    looked    on。   He 

imparted to the pan a deft circular motion; pausing once or twice to rake 

out the larger particles of gravel with his fingers。             The water was muddy; 



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and;   with   the   pan   buried   in   it;   they   could   see   nothing   of   its   contents。 

Suddenly he lifted the pan clear and sent the water out of it with a flirt。                   A 

mass of yellow; like butter in a churn; showed across the bottom。 

     Hootchinoo Bill swallowed。              Never in his life had he dreamed of so 

rich a test…pan。 

     〃Kind of thick; my friend;〃 he said huskily。                 〃How much might you 

reckon that…all to be?〃 

     Ans Handerson did not look up as he replied; 〃Ay tank fafty ounces。〃 

     〃You must be scrumptious rich; then; eh?〃 

     Still Ans   Handerson   kept   his   head   down;   absorbed   in   putting   in   the 

fine    touches     which    wash     out   the   last  particles    of  dross;    though     he 

answered; 〃Ay tank Ay ban wort' five hundred t'ousand dollar。〃 

     〃Gosh!〃 said Hootchinoo Bill; and he said it reverently。 

     〃Yes;   Bill;   gosh!〃   said   Kink   Mitchell;   and   they   went   out   softly   and 

closed the door。 



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        THE ONE THOUSAND DOZEN 



     David Rasmunsen was a hustler; and; like many a greater man; a man 

of the one idea。       Wherefore; when the clarion call of the North rang on 

his ear; he conceived an adventure in eggs and bent all his energy to its 

achievement。       He     figured   briefly   and   to  the  point;   and   the  adventure 

became   iridescent…hued; splendid。           That   eggs   would   sell   at   Dawson   for 

five    dollars   a  dozen    was    a  safe   working     premise。     Whence       it  was 

incontrovertible      that   one   thousand    dozen    would     bring;  in  the   Golden 

Metropolis; five thousand dollars。 

     On the other hand; expense was to be considered; and he considered it 

well; for he was a careful man; keenly practical; with a hard head and a 

heart that imagination never warmed。             At fifteen cents a dozen; the initial 

cost of his thousand dozen would be one hundred and fifty dollars; a mere 

bagatelle in face of the enormous profit。 And suppose; just suppose; to be 

wildly     extravagant     for  once;   that  transportation     for  himself    and   eggs 

should   run   up   eight   hundred   and   fifty   more;   he   would   still   have   four 

thousand clear cash and clean when the last egg was disposed of and the 

last dust had rippled into his sack 

     〃You   see; Alma;〃he   figured   it   over   with   his   wife;   the   cosy   dining… 

room submerged in a sea of maps; government surveys; guide… books; and 

Alaskan   itineraries;〃you   see;   expenses   don't   really   begin   till   you   make 

Dyeafifty dollars'll cover it with a first… class passage thrown in。                Now 

from Dyea to Lake Linderman; Indian packers take your goods over   for 

twelve cents a pound; twelve dollars a hundred; or one hundred and twenty 

dollars    a  thousand。    Say    I  have   fifteen  hundred     pounds;    it'll  cost  one 

hundred      and   eighty   dollarscall    it  two   hundred    and    be  safe。   I   am 

creditably informed by a Klondiker just come out that I can buy a boat for 

three    hundred。     But    the  same    man    says   I'm  sure   to  get  a  couple    of 

passengers for one hundred and fifty each; which will give me the boat for 



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nothing; and; further; they can help me manage it。               And 。 。 。 that's all; I 

put my eggs ashore from the boat at Dawson。               Now let me see how much 

is that?〃 

     〃Fifty dollars from San Francisco to Dyea; two hundred from Dyea to 

Linderman; passengers pay for the boattwo hundred and fifty all told;〃 

she summed up swiftly。 

     〃And     a  hundred    for  my    clothes   and   personal   outfit;〃   he  went   on 

happily; 〃that leaves a margin of five hundred for emergencies。 And what 

possible emergencies can arise?〃 

     Alma   shrugged   her   shoulders   and   elevated   her   brows。      If   that   vast 

Northland was capable of swallowing up a man and a thousand dozen eggs; 

surely there was ro
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