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“The Indians got me,” he said.
“印第安人抓住了我，”他說。
It was the rider who earlier in the afternoon had passed them.
下午早些時候，正是騎手從他們身邊經過。
He had spied the Indians first, and had ridden around them without being seen.
他首先發現了印第安人，并在他們周圍騎著，沒有被發現。
A few miles out he had met the Express rider from the West.
在幾英里外，他遇到了從西部來的快馬騎手。
They had exchanged pouches, and he had turned back.
他們交換了小袋，他就掉頭往回返。
“I figured on getting a fresh horse from you,” he said to Bartigan.
“我想從你那里得到一匹新馬，”他對巴提干說。
“Then I ran into the redskins again, and they would have caught me if I’d had any further to go.
“然后我又遇到了印第安人，如果我再往前走，他們就會抓住我。”
My pony was done for, and I was wounded.
我的小馬疲倦不堪，我也受了傷。
Give me some coffee and a bite to eat. Then give me a horse and—”
給我來點咖啡，吃點東西。“然后給我一匹馬——”
His words died away to a murmur; he dropped back.
他的話音漸漸消失，變成了喃喃低語；他昏過去了。
“The man is in bad shape,” said Bartigan, rising from a hasty examination of his wound,
“他傷得很重，” 巴提干匆匆檢查了一下傷口說道，
“and he’ll not be able to ride on.
“他不能再騎馬了。
We’ll do the best we can by him, and take him with us when we go in the morning.”
我們會盡力照顧他，早上我們走的時候帶上他一起。”
William Saunders thrust himself forward.
威廉·桑德斯站出來。
“But the pouch, Mr. Bartigan,” he cried.
“但是郵袋，巴提干先生，”他帶著哭腔說。
“The mail for the East. That ought to be on the way now.”
“往東方的郵件。現在本應該已經在路上了。”
The big plainsman shrugged his shoulders.
那個相貌平平的大個子聳了聳肩。
“I can’t spare any of the riders or any of the scouts to turn back with the pouch.”
“我不能讓任何騎手或偵察兵帶著這個袋子回去。”
“The mail must go through,” declared the boy.
“郵件一定送達，”威廉說。
“We’ll take the pouch with us and turn it over if we meet an Express rider,” replied Bartigan.
“我們會帶著這個郵袋，以防遇到快馬騎手，”巴提干回復說。
“If not, we’ll leave it at the next relay station.”
“如果沒有，我們就把它留在下一個中繼站。”
He turned his back upon the boy and went about his duties.
他轉身背對著那男孩，開始做他的工作。
For a moment William stood thinking, his eyes upon the saddlebags that held the mail pouch, where they lay upon the ground beside the fire.
威廉站在那里想了一會兒，他的眼睛盯著那個裝著郵袋的馬鞍袋。
Then he bent over, picked them up, slipped out of the circle of wagons, and made his way to the corral near by.
然后他彎下腰，把它們撿起來，從一圈貨車里溜出來，向附近的畜欄走去。
William’s horse was tethered near the gate.
威廉的馬拴在大門附近。
“What are you up to, son?” asked the sentinel as the boy led out his pony and began to saddle it.
“你在干什么，孩子？” 哨兵問，這時男孩牽著他的小馬開始給它套鞍。
“Tell Mr. Bartigan someone else will have to check the supplies, for I have gone to take the mail through,”
“告訴巴提干先生，必須有人來檢查物品，因為我已經去把郵件送過去了。”
was the reply, and William rode off into the darkness.
威廉答復道，然后騎著馬消失在黑暗中。
