The Call Of The Canyon, Zane Grey [good non fiction books to read txt] 📗

Cut-Over Land Ended In A Forest Of Straggling Pines,  Through

Which The Road Wound Southward,  And Eventually Down Into A Wide Shallow

Canyon. Through The Trees Carley Saw A Stream Of Water,  Open Fields Of

Green,  Log Fences And Cabins,  And Blue Smoke. She Heard The Chug Of A

Gasoline Engine And The Baa-Baa Of Sheep. Glenn Waited For Her To Catch Up

With Him,  And He Said: "Carley,  This Is One Of Hutter's Sheep Camps. It's

Not A--A Very Pleasant Place. You Won't Care To See The Sheep-Dip. So I'm

Suggesting You Wait Here--"

 

Chapter 5 Pg 81

"Nothing Doing,  Glenn," She Interrupted. "I'm Going To See What There Is To

See."

 

"But,  Dear--The Men--The Way They Handle Sheep--They'll--Really It's No

Sight For You," He Floundered.

 

"Why Not?" She Inquired,  Eying Him.

 

"Because,  Carley--You Know How You Hate The--The Seamy Side Of Things. And

The Stench--Why,  It'll Make You Sick!"

 

"Glenn,  Be On The Level," She Said. "Suppose It Does. Wouldn't You Think

More Of Me If I Could Stand It?"

 

"Why,  Yes," He Replied,  Reluctantly,  Smiling At Her,  "I Would. But I Wanted

To Spare You. This Trip Has Been Hard. I'm Sure Proud Of You. And,  Carley--

You Can Overdo It. Spunk Is Not Everything. You Simply Couldn't Stand

This."

 

"Glenn,  How Little You Know A Woman!" She Exclaimed. "Come Along And Show

Me Your Old Sheep-Dip."

 

They Rode Out Of The Woods Into An Open Valley That Might Have Been

Picturesque If It Had Not Been Despoiled By The Work Of Man. A Log Fence

Ran Along The Edge Of Open Ground And A Mud Dam Held Back A Pool Of

Stagnant Water,  Slimy And Green. As Carley Rode On The Baa-Baa Of Sheep

Became So Loud That She Could Scarcely Hear Glenn Talking.

 

Several Log Cabins,  Rough Hewn And Gray With Age,  Stood Down Inside The

Inclosure; And Beyond There Were Large Corrals. From The Other Side Of

These Corrals Came Sounds Of Rough Voices Of Men,  A Trampling Of Hoofs,

Heavy Splashes,  The Beat Of An Engine,  And The Incessant Baaing Of The

Sheep.

 

At This Point The Members Of Hutter's Party Dismounted And Tied Their

Horses To The Top Log Of The Fence. When Carley Essayed To Get Off Glenn

Tried To Stop Her,  Saying She Could See Well Enough From There. But Carley

Got Down And Followed Flo. She Heard Hutter Call To Glenn: "Say,  Ryan Is

Short Of Men. We'll Lend A Hand For A Couple Of Hours."

 

Presently Carley Reached Flo's Side And The First Corral That Contained

Sheep. They Formed A Compact Woolly Mass,  Rather White In Color,  With A

Tinge Of Pink. When Flo Climbed Up On The Fence The Flock Plunged As One

Animal And With A Trampling Roar Ran To The Far Side Of The Corral. Several

Old Rams With Wide Curling Horns Faced Around; And Some Of The Ewes Climbed

Up On The Densely Packed Mass. Carley Rather Enjoyed Watching Them. She

Chapter 5 Pg 82

Surely Could Not See Anything Amiss In This Sight.

 

The Next Corral Held A Like Number Of Sheep,  And Also Several Mexicans Who

Were Evidently Driving Them Into A Narrow Lane That Led Farther Down.

Carley Saw The Heads Of Men Above Other Corral Fences,  And There Was Also A

Thick Yellowish Smoke Rising From Somewhere.

 

"Carley,  Are You Game To See The Dip?" Asked Flo,  With Good Nature That Yet

Had A Touch Of Taunt In It.

 

"That's My Middle Name," Retorted Carley,  Flippantly.

 

Both Glenn And This Girl Seemed To Be Bent Upon Bringing Out Carley's Worst

Side,  And They Were Succeeding. Flo Laughed. The Ready Slang Pleased Her.

 

She Led Carley Along That Log Fence,  Through A Huge Open Gate,  And Across A

Wide Pen To Another Fence,  Which She Scaled. Carley Followed Her,  Not

Particularly Overanxious To Look Ahead. Some Thick Odor Had Begun To Reach

Carley's Delicate Nostrils. Flo Led Down A Short Lane And Climbed Another

Fence,  And Sat Astride The Top Log. Carley Hurried Along To Clamber Up To

Her Side,  But Stood Erect With Her Feet On The Second Log Of The Fence.

 

Then A Horrible Stench Struck Carley Almost Like A Blow In The Face,  And

Before Her Confused Sight There Appeared To Be Drifting Smoke And Active

Men And Running Sheep,  All Against A Background Of Mud. But At First It Was

The Odor That Caused Carley To Close Her Eyes And Press Her Knees Hard

Against The Upper Log To Keep From Reeling. Never In Her Life Had Such A

Sickening Nausea Assailed Her. It Appeared To Attack Her Whole Body. The

Forerunning Qualm Of Seasickness Was As Nothing To This. Carley Gave A

Gasp,  Pinched Her Nose Between Her Fingers So She Could Not Smell,  And

Opened Her Eyes.

 

Directly Beneath Her Was A Small Pen Open At One End Into Which Sheep Were

Being Driven From The Larger Corral. The Drivers Were Yelling. The Sheep In

The Rear Plunged Into Those Ahead Of Them,  Forcing Them On. Two Men Worked

In This Small Pen. One Was A Brawny Giant In Undershirt And Overalls That

Appeared Filthy. He Held A Cloth In His Hand And Strode Toward The Nearest

Sheep. Folding The Cloth Round The Neck Of The Sheep,  He Dragged It

Forward,  With An Ease Which Showed Great Strength,  And Threw It Into A Pit

Chapter 5 Pg 83

That Yawned At The Side. Souse Went The Sheep Into A Murky,  Muddy Pool And

Disappeared. But Suddenly Its Head Came Up And Then Its Shoulders. And It

Began Half To Walk And Half Swim Down What Appeared To Be A Narrow Boxlike

Ditch That Contained Other Floundering Sheep. Then Carley Saw Men On Each

Side Of This Ditch Bending Over With Poles That Had Crooks At The End,  And

Their Work Was To Press And Pull The Sheep Along To The End Of The Ditch,

And Drive Them Up A Boarded Incline Into Another Corral Where Many Other

Sheep Huddled,  Now A Dirty Muddy Color Like The Liquid Into Which They Had

Been Emersed. Souse! Splash! In Went Sheep After Sheep. Occasionally One

Did Not Go Under. And Then A Man Would Press It Under With The Crook And

Quickly Lift Its Head. The Work Went On With Precision And Speed,  In Spite

Of The Yells And Trampling And Baa-Baas,  And The Incessant Action That Gave

An Effect Of Confusion.

 

Carley Saw A Pipe Leading From A Huge Boiler To The Ditch. The Dark Fluid

Was Running Out Of It. From A Rusty Old Engine With Big Smokestack Poured

The Strangling Smoke. A Man Broke Open A Sack Of Yellow Powder And Dumped

It Into The Ditch. Then He Poured An Acid-Like Liquid After It.

 

"Sulphur And Nicotine," Yelled Flo Up At Carley. "The Dip's Poison. If A

Sheep Opens His Mouth He's Usually A Goner. But Sometimes They Save One."

 

Carley Wanted To Tear Herself Away From This Disgusting Spectacle. But It

Held Her By Some Fascination. She Saw Glenn And Hutter Fall In Line With

The Other Men,  And Work Like Beavers. These Two Pacemakers In The Small Pen

Kept The Sheep Coming So Fast That Every Worker Below Had A Task Cut Out

For Him. Suddenly Flo Squealed And Pointed.

 

"There! That Sheep Didn't Come Up," She Cried. "Shore He Opened His Mouth."

 

Then Carley Saw Glenn Energetically Plunge His Hooked Pole In And Out And

Around Until He Had Located The Submerged Sheep. He Lifted Its Head Above

The Dip. The Sheep Showed No Sign Of Life. Down On His Knees Dropped Glenn,

To Reach The Sheep With Strong Brown Hands,  And To Haul It Up On The

Ground,  Where It Flopped Inert. Glenn Pummeled It And Pressed It,  And

Worked On It Much As Carley Had Seen A Life-Guard Work Over A Half-Drowned

Man. But The Sheep Did Not Respond To Glenn's Active Administrations.

 

"No Use,  Glenn," Yelled Hutter,  Hoarsely. "That One's A Goner."

 

Carley Did Not Fail To Note The State Of Glenn's Hands And Arms And

Overalls When He Returned To The Ditch Work. Then Back And Forth Carley's

Gaze Went From One End To The Other Of That Scene. And Suddenly It Was

Arrested And Held By The Huge Fellow Who Handled The Sheep So Brutally.

Chapter 5 Pg 84

Carley Was Impelled To Look At His Face,  And She Was Amazed To Meet The

Rawest And Boldest Stare From Evil Eyes That Had Ever Been Her Misfortune

To Incite. She Felt Herself Stiffen With A Shock That Was Unfamiliar. This

Man Was Scarcely Many Years Older Than Glenn,  Yet He Had Grizzled Hair,  A

Seamed And Scarred Visage,  Coarse,  Thick Lips,  And Beetling Brows,  From

Under Which Peered Gleaming Light Eyes. At Every Turn He Flashed Them Upon

Carley's Face,  Her Neck,  The Swell Of Her Bosom. It Was Instinct That

Caused Her Hastily To Close Her Riding Coat. She Felt As If Her Flesh Had

Been Burned. Like A Snake He Fascinated Her. The Intelligence In His Bold

Gaze Made The Beastliness Of It All The Harder To Endure,  All The Stronger

To Arouse.

 

"Come,  Carley,  Let's Rustle Out Of This Stinkin' Mess," Cried Flo.

 

Indeed,  Carley Needed Flo's Assistance In Clambering Down Out Of The

Choking Smoke And Horrid Odor.

 

"Adios,  Pretty Eyes," Called The Big Man From The Pen.

 

"Well," Ejaculated Flo,  When They Got Out,  "I'll Bet I Call Glenn Good And

Hard For Letting You Go Down There."

 

"It Was--My--Fault," Panted Carley. "I Said I'd Stand It."

 

"Oh,  You're Game,  All Right. I Didn't Mean The Dip. . . . That

Sheep-Slinger Is Haze Ruff,  The Toughest Hombre On This Range. Shore,  Now,

Wouldn't I Like To Take A Shot At Him? . . . I'm Going To Tell