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smoke bellew(史沫克·贝罗)-第39章

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surface     of  a  snow…covered;       niggerhead     flat。  All    about    Smoke     men 

tripped and fell; and several times he pitched forward himself; jarringly; on 

hands and knees。        Once; Big Olaf fell so immediately in front of him as 

to bring him down on top。 

     The upper centre…stake was driven by the edge of the bank; and down 

the bank the racers plunged; across the frozen creek…bed; and up the other 

side。    Here;   as   Smoke   clambered;   a   hand   gripped   his   ankle   and   jerked 

him back。      In the flickering light of a distant fire; it was impossible to see 

who     had   played    the  trick。   But    Arizona    Bill;  who    had   been    treated 

similarly;    rose   to  his  feet  and   drove    his  fist  with   a  crunch    into  the 

offender's face。      Smoke saw and heard as he was scrambling to his feet; 

but before he could make another lunge for the bank a fist dropped him 

half…stunned      into  the  snow。    He    staggered     up;  located   the   man;   half… 



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                                         Smoke Bellew 



swung      a   hook    for   his  jaw;    then   remembered        Shorty's    warning     and 

refrained。     The next moment; struck below the knees by a hurtling body; 

he went down again。 

     It was a foretaste of what would happen when the men reached their 

sleds。    Men   were   pouring   over   the   other   bank   and   piling   into   the   jam。 

They swarmed up the bank in bunches; and in bunches were dragged back 

by their impatient fellows。          More blows were struck; curses rose from the 

panting chests of those who still had wind to spare; and Smoke; curiously 

visioning   the   face   of   Joy   Gastell;   hoped   that   the   mallets   would   not   be 

brought   into   play。    Overthrown;  trod   upon;  groping   in   the   snow   for   his 

lost stakes; he at last crawled out of the crush and attacked the bank farther 

along。     Others were doing this; and it was his luck to have many men in 

advance of him in the race for the northwestern corner。 

     Down      to   the   fourth   corner;    he   tripped   midway      and    in  the   long 

sprawling fall lost his remaining stake。            For five minutes he groped in the 

darkness   before   he   found   it;   and   all   the   time   the   panting   runners   were 

passing him。       From the last corner to the creek he began overtaking men 

for   whom  the   mile…run   had   been   too   much。       In   the   creek   itself   Bedlam 

had   broken   loose。       A   dozen   sleds   were   piled   up   and   overturned;   and 

nearly a hundred dogs were locked in combat。 Among them men struggled; 

tearing   the   tangled   animals   apart;   or   beating   them   apart   with   clubs。    In 

the fleeting glimpse he caught of it; Smoke wondered if he had ever seen a 

Dore grotesquery to compare。 

     Leaping   down   the   bank   beyond   the   glutted   passage;   he   gained   the 

hard…footing      of   the  sled…trail   and   made     better  time。    Here;     in  packed 

harbours   beside   the   narrow   trail;   sleds   and   men   waited   for   runners   that 

were still behind。        From the rear came the whine and rush of dogs; and 

Smoke had barely time to leap aside into the deep snow。                   A sled tore past; 

and he made out the man; kneeling and shouting madly。                      Scarcely was it 

by    when     it  stopped    with   a  crash    of  battle。    The    excited    dogs    of  a 

harboured   sled;   resenting   the   passing   animals;   had   got   out   of   hand   and 

sprung upon them。 

     Smoke plunged around and by。              He could see the green lantern of Von 

Schroeder;   and;   just   below   it;   the   red   flare   that   marked   his   own   team。 



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Two   men   were   guarding   Schroeder's   dogs;   with   short   clubs   interposed 

between them and the trail。 

     〃Come on; you Smoke!             Come on; you Smoke!〃 he could hear Shorty 

calling anxiously。 

     〃Coming!〃 he gasped。 

     By the red flare he could see the snow torn up and trampled; and from 

the    way   his   partner   breathed     he  knew     a  battle   had   been   fought。    He 

staggered to the sled; and; in a moment he was falling on it; Shorty's whip 

snapped as he yelled:         〃Mush! you devils!         Mush!〃 

     The   dogs   sprang   into   the   breast…bands;   and   the   sled   jerked   abruptly 

ahead。      They  were   big   animalsHanson's   prize   team  of   Hudson   Bays 

and Smoke had   selected them for   the first stage;  which included the ten 

miles of Mono; the heavy…going of the cut…off across the flat at the mouth; 

and the first ten miles of the Yukon stretch。 

     〃How many are ahead?〃 he asked。 

     〃You shut up an' save your wind;〃 Shorty answered。                  〃Hi! you brutes! 

Hit her up!      Hit her up!〃 

     He   was   running   behind   the   sled;   towing   on   a   short   rope。     Smoke 

could not see him; nor could he see the sled on which he lay at full length。 

The fires had been left in the rear; and they were tearing through a wall of 

blackness   as   fast   as   the  dogs   could   spring   into   it。 This   blackness   was 

almost sticky; so nearly did it take on the seeming of substance。 

     Smoke felt the sled heel up on one runner as it rounded an invisible 

curve;   and   from   ahead   came   the   snarls   of   beasts   and   the   oaths   of   men。 

This was known afterward as the Barnes…Slocum Jam。                       It was the teams 

of   these   two   men   which   first   collided;   and   into   it;   at   full   career;   piled 

Smoke's      seven    big   fighters。    Scarcely     more     than   semi…   domesticated 

wolves; the excitement of that night on Mono Creek had sent every dog 

fighting…mad。        The     Klondike      dogs;   driven    without     reins;   cannot    be 

stopped except by voice; so that there was no stopping this glut of struggle 

that   heaped   itself   between   the   narrow   rims   of   the   creek。  From   behind; 

sled after sled hurled into the turmoil。            Men who had their teams nearly 

extricated   were   overwhelmed   by   fresh   avalanches   of   dogseach   animal 

well…fed; well…rested; and ripe for battle。 



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                                       Smoke Bellew 



     〃It's knock down an' drag out an' plow through!〃 Shorty yelled in his 

partner's ear。     〃An' watch out for your knuckles!           You drag out an' let me 

do the punchin'!〃 

     What      happened     in   the   next   half   hour    Smoke      never    distinctly 

remembered。        At the end he eme
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