CONTENTS：

THENIGHT—BORN

THEMADNESSOFJOHNHARNED

WHENTHEWORLDWASYOUNG

THEBENEFITOFTHEDOUBT

WINGEDBLACKMAIL

BUNCHESOFKNUCKLES

WAR

UNDERTHEDECKAWNINGS

TOKILLAMAN

THEMEXICAN

THENIGHT—BORN

ItwasintheoldAlta—InyoClub——awarmnightforSanFrancisco——andthroughtheopenwindows，hushedandfar，camethebrawlofthestreets。ThetalkhadledonfromtheGraftProsecutionandthelatestsignsthatthetownwastoberunwideopen，downthroughallthegrotesquesordidnessandrottennessofmanhateandman—meanness，untilthenameofO’Brienwasmentioned——O’Brien，thepromisingyoungpugilistwhohadbeenkilledintheprize—ringthenightbefore。Atoncetheairhadseemedtofreshen。O’Brienhadbeenaclean—livingyoungmanwithideals。Heneitherdrank，smoked，norswore，andhishadbeenthebodyofabeautifulyounggod。Hehadevencarriedhisprayer—booktotheringside。Theyfounditinhiscoatpocketinthedressing—room……afterward。

HerewasYouth，cleanandwholesome，unsullied——thethingofgloryandwonderformentoconjurewith……afterithasbeenlosttothemandtheyhaveturnedmiddle—aged。Andsowelldidweconjure，thatRomancecameandforanhourledusfarfromtheman—cityanditssnarlingroar。Bardwell，inaway，starteditbyquotingfromThoreau;butitwasoldTrefethan，bald—headedanddewlapped，whotookupthequotationandforthehourtocomewasromanceincarnate。AtfirstwewonderedhowmanyScotcheshehadconsumedsincedinner，butverysoonallthatwasforgotten。

"Itwasin1898——Iwasthirty—fivethen，"hesaid。"Yes，Iknowyouareaddingitup。You’reright。I’mforty—sevennow;looktenyearsmore;andthedoctorssay——damnthedoctorsanyway！"

Heliftedthelongglasstohislipsandsippeditslowlytosootheawayhisirritation。

"ButIwasyoung……once。Iwasyoungtwelveyearsago，andI

hadhairontopofmyhead，andmystomachwasleanasarunner’s，andthelongestdaywasnonetoolongforme。Iwasahuskybacktherein’98。Yourememberme，Milner。Youknewmethen。Wasn’tIaprettygoodbitofallright？"

Milnernoddedandagreed。LikeTrefethan，hewasanotherminingengineerwhohadcleanedupafortuneintheKlondike。

"Youcertainlywere，oldman，"Milnersaid。"I’llneverforgetwhenyoucleanedoutthoselumberjacksintheM。&M。thatnightthatlittlenewspapermanstartedtherow。Slavinwasinthecountryatthetime，"——thistous——"andhismanagerwantedtogetupamatchwithTrefethan。"

"Well，lookatmenow，"Trefethancommandedangrily。"That’swhattheGoldsteaddidtome——Godknowshowmanymillions，butnothingleftinmysoul……norinmyveins。Thegoodredbloodisgone。Iamajellyfish，ahuge，grossmassofoscillatingprotoplasm，a——a……"

Butlanguagefailedhim，andhedrewsolacefromthelongglass。

"Womenlookedatmethen;andturnedtheirheadstolookasecondtime。StrangethatInevermarried。Butthegirl。That’swhatIstartedtotellyouabout。Imetherathousandmilesfromanywhere，andthensome。AndshequotedtomethoseverywordsofThoreauthatBardwellquotedamomentago——theonesabouttheday—borngodsandthenight—born。"

"ItwasafterIhadmademylocationsonGoldstead——anddidn’tknowwhatatreasure—potthatthattripcreekwasgoingtoprove——thatImadethattripeastovertheRockies，anglingacrosstotheGreatUpNorththeretheRockiesaresomethingmorethanaback—bone。Theyareaboundary，adividingline，awallimpregnableandunscalable。Thereisnointercourseacrossthem，though，onoccasion，fromtheearlydays，wanderingtrappershavecrossedthem，thoughmorewerelostbythewaythanevercamethrough。AndthatwaspreciselywhyItackledthejob。Itwasatraverseanymanwouldbeproudtomake。IamprouderofitrightnowthananythingelseIhaveeverdone。

"Itisanunknownland。Greatstretchesofithaveneverbeenexplored。Therearebigvalleystherewherethewhitemanhasneversetfoot，andIndiantribesasprimitiveastenthousandyears……almost，fortheyhavehadsomecontactwiththewhites。Partiesofthemcomeoutonceinawhiletotrade，andthatisall。EventheHudsonBayCompanyfailedtofindthemandfarmthem。

"Andnowthegirl。Iwascomingupastream——you’dcallitariverinCalifornia——uncharted——andunnamed。Itwasanoblevalley，nowshutinbyhighcanyonwalls，andagainopeningoutintobeautifulstretches，wideandlong，withpastureshoulder—highinthebottoms，meadowsdottedwithflowers，andwithclumpsoftimberspruce——virginandmagnificent。Thedogswerepackingontheirbacks，andweresore—footedandplayedout;whileIwaslookingforanybunchofIndianstogetsledsanddriversfromandgoonwiththefirstsnow。Itwaslatefall，butthewaythoseflowerspersistedsurprisedme。Iwassupposedtobeinsub—arcticAmerica，andhighupamongthebuttressesoftheRockies，andyettherewasthateverlastingspreadofflowers。Somedaythewhitesettlerswillbeinthereandgrowingwheatdownallthatvalley。

"AndthenIliftedasmoke，andheardthebarkingofthedogs——Indiandogs——andcameintocamp。Theremusthavebeenfivehundredofthem，properIndiansatthat，andIcouldseebythejerking—framesthatthefallhuntinghadbeengood。AndthenImether——Lucy。Thatwashername。Signlanguage——thatwasallwecouldtalkwith，tilltheyledmetoabigfly——youknow，halfatent，openontheonesidewhereacampfireburned。Itwasallofmoose—skins，thisfly——moose—skins，smoke—cured，hand—rubbed，andgolden—brown。UnderiteverythingwasneatandorderlyasnoIndiancampeverwas。Thebedwaslaidonfreshspruceboughs。Therewerefursgalore，andontopofallwasarobeofswanskins——whiteswan—skins——Ihaveneverseenanythinglikethatrobe。Andontopofit，sittingcross—legged，wasLucy。Shewasnut—brown。Ihavecalledheragirl。Butshewasnot。Shewasawoman，anut—brownwoman，anAmazon，afull—blooded，full—bodiedwoman，androyalripe。Andhereyeswereblue。

"That’swhattookmeoffmyfeet——hereyes——blue，notChinablue，butdeepblue，liketheseaandskyallmeltedintoone，andverywise。Morethanthat，theyhadlaughterinthem——warmlaughter，sun—warmandhuman，veryhuman，and……shallIsayfeminine？Theywere。Theywereawoman’seyes，aproperwoman’seyes。Youknowwhatthatmeans。CanIsaymore？Also，inthoseblueeyeswere，atthesametime，awildunrest，awistfulyearning，andarepose，anabsoluterepose，asortofall—wiseandphilosophicalcalm。"

Trefethanbrokeoffabruptly。

"YoufellowsthinkIamscrewed。I’mnot。Thisisonlymyfifthsincedinner。Iamdeadsober。Iamsolemn。Isitherenowsidebysidewithmysacredyouth。ItisnotI——’old’

Trefethan——thattalks;itismyyouth，anditismyyouththatsaysthosewerethemostwonderfuleyesIhaveeverseen——soverycalm，soveryrestless;soverywise，soverycurious;soveryold，soveryyoung;sosatisfiedandyetyearningsowistfully。Boys，Ican’tdescribethem。WhenIhavetoldyouabouther，youmayknowbetterforyourselves。"

"Shedidnotstandup。Butsheputoutherhand。"

"’Stranger，’shesaid，’I’mrealgladtoseeyou。’

"Ileaveittoyou——thatsharp，frontier，Westerntangofspeech。Picturemysensations。Itwasawoman，awhitewoman，butthattang！Itwasamazingthatitshouldbeawhitewoman，here，beyondthelastboundaryoftheworld——butthetang。I

tellyou，ithurt。Itwaslikethestabofaflattednote。Andyet，letmetellyou，thatwomanwasapoet。Youshallsee。"

"ShedismissedtheIndians。And，byJove，theywent。Theytookherordersandfollowedherblind。Shewashi—yuskookamchief。

Shetoldthebuckstomakeacampformeandtotakecareofmydogs。Andtheydid，too。Andtheyknewenoughnottogetawaywithasmuchasamoccasin—laceofmyoutfit。ShewasaregularShe—Who—Must—Be—Obeyed，andIwanttotellyouitchilledmetothemarrow，sentthoselittlethrillsMarathoningupanddownmyspinalcolumn，meetingawhitewomanoutthereattheheadofatribeofsavagesathousandmilestheothersideofNoMan’sLand。

"’Stranger，"shesaid，’Ireckonyou’resurethefirstwhitethateversetfootinthisvalley。Setdownan’talkaspell，andthenwe’llhaveabitetoeat。Whichwaymightyoubecomin’？’

"Thereitwas，thattangagain。ButfromnowtotheendoftheyarnIwantyoutoforgetit。ItellyouIforgotit，sittingthereontheedgeofthatswan—skinrobeandlisteningandlookingatthemostwonderfulwomanthateversteppedoutofthepagesofThoreauorofanyotherman’sbook。

"Istayedonthereaweek。Itwasonherinvitation。ShepromisedtofitmeoutwithdogsandsledsandwithIndiansthatwouldputmeacrossthebestpassoftheRockiesinfivehundredmiles。Herflywaspitchedapartfromtheothers，onthehighbankbytheriver，andacoupleofIndiangirlsdidhercookingforherandthecampwork。Andsowetalkedandtalked，whilethefirstsnowfellandcontinuedtofallandmakeasurfaceformysleds。Andthiswasherstory。

"Shewasfrontier—born，ofpoorsettlers，andyouknowwhatthatmeans——work，work，alwayswork，workinplentyandwithoutend。

"’Ineverseenthegloryoftheworld，’shesaid。’Ihadnotime。Iknewitwasrightoutthere，anywhere，allaroundthecabin，buttherewasalwaysthebreadtoset，thescrubbin’andthewashin’andtheworkthatwasneverdone。Iusedtobeplumbsickattimes，jes’togetoutintoitall，especiallyinthespringwhenthesongsofthebirdsdrovememostcleancrazy。Iwantedtorunoutthroughthelongpasturegrass，wettingmylegswiththedewofit，andtoclimbtherailfence，andkeeponthroughthetimberandupandupoverthedividesoastogetalookaround。Oh，Ihadallkindsofhankerings——tofollowupthecanyonbedsandslosharoundfrompooltopool，makingfriendswiththewater—dogsandthespecklytrout;topeepontheslyandwatchthesquirrelsandrabbitsandsmallfurrythingsandseewhattheywasdoingandlearnthesecretsoftheirways。Seemedtome，ifIhadtime，I

couldcrawlamongtheflowers，and，ifIwasgoodandquiet，catchthemwhisperingwiththemselves，tellingallkindsofwisethingsthatmerehumansneverknow。’"

Trefethanpausedtoseethathisglasshadbeenrefilled。

"Anothertimeshesaid：’Iwantedtorunnightslikeawildthing，justtorunthroughthemoonshineandunderthestars，torunwhiteandnakedinthedarknessthatIknewmustfeellikecoolvelvet，andtorunandrunandkeeponrunning。Oneevening，plumbtuckeredout——ithadbeenadreadfulhardhotday，andthebreadwouldn’traiseandthechurninghadgonewrong，andIwasallirritatedandjerky——well，thateveningI

madementiontodadofthiswantingtorunofmine。Helookedatmecurious—someandabitscared。Andthenhegavemetwopillstotake。SaidtogotobedandgetagoodsleepandI’dbeallhunky—doryinthemorning。SoInevermentionedmyhankeringstohim，oranyoneanymore。’

"Themountainhomebrokeup——starvedout，Iimagine——andthefamilycametoSeattletolive。Theresheworkedinafactory——longhours，youknow，andalltherest，deadlywork。

Andafterayearofthatshebecamewaitressinacheaprestaurant——hash—slinger，shecalledit。"Shesaidtomeonce，’RomanceIguesswaswhatIwanted。Buttherewan’tnoromancefloatingaroundindishpansandwashtubs，orinfactoriesandhash—joints。’

"Whenshewaseighteenshemarried——amanwhowasgoinguptoJuneautostartarestaurant。Hehadafewdollarssaved，andappearedprosperous。Shedidn’tlovehim——shewasemphaticaboutthat，butshewasalltiredout，andshewantedtogetawayfromtheunendingdrudgery。Besides，JuneauwasinAlaska，andheryearningtooktheformofadesiretoseethatwonderland。Butlittleshesawofit。Hestartedtherestaurant，alittlecheapone，andshequicklylearnedwhathehadmarriedherfor……tosavepayingwages。Shecameprettyclosetorunningthejointanddoingalltheworkfromwaitingtodishwashing。Shecookedmostofthetimeaswell。Andshehadfouryearsofit。

"Can’tyoupictureher，thiswildwoodscreature，quickwitheveryoldprimitiveinstinct，yearningforthefreeopen，andmowedupinavilelittlehash—jointandtoilingandmoilingforfourmortalyears？

"’Therewasnomeaninginanything，’shesaid。’Whatwasitallabout！WhywasIborn！Wasthatallthemeaningoflife——justtoworkandworkandbealwaystired！——togotobedtiredandtowakeuptired，witheverydaylikeeveryotherdayunlessitwasharder？’Shehadheardtalkofimmortallifefromthegospelsharps，shesaid，butshecouldnotreckonthatwhatshewasdoin’wasalikelypreparationforherimmortality。

"Butshestillhadherdreams，thoughmorerarely。Shehadreadafewbooks——what，itisprettyhardtoimagine，SeasideLibrarynovelsmostlikely;yettheyhadbeenfoodforfancy。

’Sometimes，’shesaid，’whenIwasthatdizzyfromtheheatofthecookingthatifIdidn’ttakeabreathoffreshairI’dfaint，I’dstickmyheadoutofthekitchenwindow，andclosemyeyesandseemostwonderfulthings。AllofasuddenI’dbetravelingdownacountryroad，andeverythingcleanandquiet，nodust，nodirt;juststreamsripplin’downsweetmeadows，andlambsplaying，breezesblowingthebreathofflowers，andsoftsunshineovereverything;andlovelycowslazyingknee—deepinquietpools，andyounggirlsbathinginacurveofstreamallwhiteandslimandnatural——andI’dknowIwasinArcady。I’dreadaboutthatcountryonce，inabook。Andmaybeknights，allflashinginthesun，wouldcomeridingaroundabendintheroad，oraladyonamilk—whitemare，andinthedistanceI

couldseethetowersofacastlerising，orIjustknew，onthenextturn，thatI’dcomeuponsomepalace，allwhiteandairyandfairy—like，withfountainsplaying，andflowersallovereverything，andpeacocksonthelawn……andthenI’dopenmyeyes，andtheheatofthecookingrangewouldstrikeonme，andI’dhearJakesayin’——hewasmyhusband——I’dhearJakesayin’，"Whyain’tyouservedthembeans？ThinkIcanwaithereallday！"Romance！——IreckonthenearestIevercometoitwaswhenadrunkenArmeniancookgotthesnakesandtriedtocutmythroatwithapotatoknifeandIgotmyarmburnedonthestovebeforeIcouldlayhimoutwiththepotatostomper。

"’Iwantedeasyways，andlovelythings，andRomanceandallthat;butitjustseemedIhadnolucknohowandwasonlyandexpresslybornforcookinganddishwashing。TherewasawildcrowdinJuneauthemdays，butIlookedattheotherwomen，andtheirwayoflifedidn’texciteme。IreckonIwantedtobeclean。Idon’tknowwhy;Ijustwantedto，Iguess;andI

reckonedImightaswelldiedishwashingasdietheirway。"

Trefethanhaltedinhistaleforamoment，completingtohimselfsomethreadofthought。

"AndthisisthewomanImetupthereintheArctic，runningatribeofwildIndiansandafewthousandsquaremilesofhuntingterritory。Andithappened，simplyenough，though，forthatmatter，shemighthavelivedanddiedamongthepotsandpans。But’Camethewhisper，camethevision。’Thatwasallsheneeded，andshegotit。

"’Iwokeuponeday，’shesaid。’Justhappenedonitinascrapofnewspaper。Iremembereverywordofit，andIcangiveittoyou。’AndthenshequotedThoreau’sCryoftheHuman：

"’Theyoungpinesspringingup，inthecornfieldfromyeartoyeararetomearefreshingfact。WetalkofcivilizingtheIndian，butthatisnotthenameforhisimprovement。Bythewaryindependenceandaloofnessofhisdimforestlifehepreserveshisintercoursewithhisnativegodsandisadmittedfromtimetotimetoarareandpeculiarsocietywithnature。

Hehasglancesofstarryrecognition，towhichoursaloonsarestrangers。Thesteadyilluminationofhisqenius，dimonlybecausedistant，islikethefaintbutsatisfyinglightofthestarscomparedwiththedazzlingbutineffectualandshort—livedblazeofcandles。TheSocietyIslandershadtheirday—borngods，buttheywerenotsupposedtobeofequalantiquitywiththe……night—borngods。’

"That’swhatshedid，repeateditwordforword，andIforgotthetang，foritwassolemn，adeclarationofreligion——pagan，ifyouwill;andclothedinthelivinggarmentureofherself。

"’Andtherestofitwastornaway，’sheadded，agreatemptinessinhervoice。’Itwasonlyascrapofnewspaper。ButthatThoreauwasawiseman。IwishIknewmoreabouthim。’Shestoppedamoment，andIswearherfacewasineffablyholyasshesaid，’Icouldhavemadehimagoodwife。’

"Andthenshewenton。’Iknewrightaway，assoonasIreadthat，whatwasthematterwithme。Iwasanight—born。I，whohadlivedallmylifewiththeday—born，wasanight—born。ThatwaswhyIhadneverbeensatisfiedwithcookinganddishwashing;thatwaswhyIhadhankeredtorunnakedinthemoonlight。AndIknewthatthisdirtylittleJuneauhash—jointwasnoplaceforme。AndrightthereandthenIsaid，"Iquit。"

Ipackedupmyfewragsofclothes，andstarted。Jakesawmeandtriedtostopme。

"’Whatyoudoing？"hesays。

"’Divorcin’youandme，’Isays。’I’mheadin’fortalltimberandwhereIbelong。’"

"’Noyoudon’t，"hesays，reachingformetostopme。"Thecookinghasgotonyourhead。Youlistentometalkbeforeyouupanddoanythingbrash。’"

"’ButIpulledagun—alittleColt’sforty—four——andsays，"Thisdoesmytalkin’forme。’"

"’AndIleft。’"

Trefethanemptiedhisglassandcalledforanother。

"Boys，doyouknowwhatthatgirldid？Shewastwenty—two。Shehadspentherlifeoverthedish—panandsheknewnomoreabouttheworldthanIdoofthefourthdimension，orthefifth。Allroadsledtoherdesire。No;shedidn’theadforthedance—halls。OntheAlaskanPan—handleitispreferabletotravelbywater。Shewentdowntothebeach。AnIndiancanoewasstartingforDyea——youknowthekind，carvedoutofasingletree，narrowanddeepandsixtyfeetlong。Shegavethemacoupleofdollarsandgotonboard。

"’Romance？’shetoldme。’ItwasRomancefromthejump。Therewerethreefamiliesaltogetherinthatcanoe，andthatcrowdedtherewasn’troomtoturnaround，withdogsandIndianbabiessprawlingovereverything，andeverybodydippingapaddleandmakingthatcanoego。’Andallaroundthegreatsolemnmountains，andtangleddriftsofcloudsandsunshine。Andoh，thesilence！thegreatwonderfulsilence！And，once，thesmokeofahunter’scamp，awayoffinthedistance，trailingamongthetrees。Itwaslikeapicnic，agrandpicnic，andIcouldseemydreamscomingtrue，andIwasreadyforsomethingtohappen’mostanytime。Anditdid。

"’Andthatfirstcamp，ontheisland！Andtheboysspearingfishinthemouthofthecreek，andthebigdeeroneofthebucksshotjustaroundthepoint。Andtherewereflowerseverywhere，andinbackfromthebeachthegrasswasthickandlushandneck—high。Andsomeofthegirlswentthroughthiswithme，andweclimbedthehillsidebehindandpickedberriesandrootsthattastedsourandweregoodtoeat。Andwecameuponabigbearintheberriesmakinghissupper，andhesaid"Oof！"andranawayasscaredaswewere。Andthenthecamp，andthecampsmoke，andthesmelloffreshvenisoncooking。Itwasbeautiful。Iwaswiththenight—bornatlast，andIknewthatwaswhereIbelonged。Andforthefirsttimeinmylife，itseemedtome，Iwenttobedhappythatnight，lookingoutunderacornerofthecanvasatthestarscutoffblackbyabigshoulderofmountain，andlisteningtothenight—noises，andknowingthatthesamethingwouldgoonnextdayandforeverandever，forIwasn’tgoingback。AndIneverdidgoback。’

"’Romance！Igotitnextday。Wehadtocrossabigarmoftheocean——twelveorfifteenmiles，atleast;anditcameontoblowwhenwewereinthemiddle。ThatnightIwasalongonshore，withonewolf—dog，andIwastheonlyoneleftalive。’

"Pictureityourself，"Trefethanbrokeofftosay。"Thecanoewaswreckedandlost，andeverybodypoundedtodeathontherocksexcepther。Shewentashorehangingontoadog’stail，escapingtherocksandwashinguponatinybeach，theonlyoneinmiles。

"’Luckyformeitwasthemainland，’shesaid。’SoIheadedrightawayback，throughthewoodsandoverthemountainsandstraightonanywhere。SeemedIwaslookingforsomethingandknewI’dfindit。Iwasn’tafraid。Iwasnight—born，andthebigtimbercouldn’tkillme。AndontheseconddayIfoundit。

Icameuponasmallclearingandatumbledowncabin。Nobodyhadbeenthereforyearsandyears。Theroofhadfallenin。Rottedblanketslayinthebunks，andpotsandpanswereonthestove。

Butthatwasnotthemostcuriousthing。Outside，alongtheedgeofthetrees，youcan’tguesswhatIfound。Theskeletonsofeighthorses，eachtiedtoatree。Theyhadstarvedtodeath，Ireckon，andleftonlylittlepilesofbonesscatteredsomehereandthere。Andeachhorsehadhadaloadonitsback。

Theretheloadslay，inamongthebones——paintedcanvassacks，andinsidemoosehidesacks，andinsidethemoosehidesacks——whatdoyouthink？’"

Shestopped，reachedunderacomerofthebedamongthespruceboughs，andpulledoutaleathersack。SheuntiedthemouthandranoutintomyhandasprettyastreamofgoldasIhaveeverseen——coarsegold，placergold，somelargedust，butmostlynuggets，anditwassofreshandroughthatitscarcelyshowedsignsofwater—wash。

"’Yousayyou’reaminingengineer，’shesaid，’andyouknowthiscountry。Canyounameapay—creekthathasthecolorofthatgold！’

"Icouldn’t！Therewasn’tatraceofsilver。Itwasalmostpure，andItoldherso。

"’Youbet，’shesaid。’Isellthatfornineteendollarsanounce。Youcan’tgetoverseventeenforEldoradogold，andMinookgolddon’tfetchquiteeighteen。Well，thatwaswhatI

foundamongthebones——eighthorse—loadsofit，onehundredandfiftypoundstotheload。’

"’Aquarterofamilliondollars！’Icriedout。

"’That’swhatIreckoneditroughly，’sheanswered。’TalkaboutRomance！AndmeaslavingthewayIhadalltheyears，whenassoonasIventuredout，insidethreedays，thiswaswhathappened。Andwhatbecameofthementhatminedallthatgold？

OftenandoftenIwonderaboutit。Theylefttheirhorses，loadedandtied，andjustdisappearedoffthefaceoftheearth，leavingneitherhidenorhairbehindthem。Ineverheardtellofthem。Nobodyknowsanythingaboutthem。Well，beingthenight—born，IreckonIwastheirrightfulheir。’

Trefethanstoppedtolightacigar。

"Doyouknowwhatthatgirldid？Shecachedthegold，savingoutthirtypounds，whichshecarriedbacktothecoast。Thenshesignaledapassingcanoe，madeherwaytoPatHealy’stradingpostatDyea，outfitted，andwentoverChilcootPass。

Thatwasin’88——eightyearsbeforetheKlondikestrike，andtheYukonwasahowlingwilderness。Shewasafraidofthebucks，butshetooktwoyoungsquawswithher，crossedthelakes，andwentdowntheriverandtoalltheearlycampsontheLowerYukon。ShewanderedseveralyearsoverthatcountryandthenonintowhereImether。Likedthelooksofit，shesaid，seeing，inherownwords，’abigbullcaribouknee—deepinpurpleirisonthevalley—bottom。’ShehookedupwiththeIndians，doctoredthem，gainedtheirconfidence，andgraduallytookthemincharge。Shehadonlyleftthatcountryonce，andthen，withabunchoftheyoungbucks，shewentoverChilcoot，cleaneduphergold—cache，andbroughtitbackwithher。

"’AndhereIbe，stranger，’sheconcludedheryarn，’andhere’sthemostpreciousthingIown。’

"Shepulledoutalittlepouchofbuckskin，wornonhernecklikealocket，andopenedit。Andinside，wrappedinoiledsilk，yellowedwithageandwornandthumbed，wastheoriginalscrapofnewspapercontainingthequotationfromThoreau。

"’Andareyouhappy……satisfied？’Iaskedher。’Withaquarterofamillionyouwouldn’thavetoworkdownintheStates。Youmustmissalot。’

"’Notmuch，’sheanswered。’Iwouldn’tswopplaceswithanywomandownintheStates。Thesearemypeople;thisiswhereI

belong。Buttherearetimes——andinhereyessmolderedupthathungryyearningI’vementioned——’therearetimeswhenIwishmostawfulbadforthatThoreaumantohappenalong。’

"’Why？’Iasked。

"’SoasIcouldmarryhim。Idogetmightylonesomeatspells。

I’mjustawoman——arealwoman。I’veheardtelloftheotherkindofwomenthatgallivantedofflikemeanddidqueerthings——thesortthatbecomesoldiersinarmies，andsailorsonships。Butthosewomenarequeerthemselves。They’remorelikementhanwomen;theylooklikemenandtheydon’thaveordinarywomen’sneeds。Theydon’twantlove，norlittlechildrenintheirarmsandaroundtheirknees。I’mnotthatsort。Ileaveittoyou，stranger。DoIlooklikeaman？’

"Shedidn’t。Shewasawoman，abeautiful，nut—brownwoman，withasturdy，health—roundedwoman’sbodyandwithwonderfuldeep—bluewoman’seyes。

"’Ain’tIwoman？’shedemanded。’Iam。I’m’mostallwoman，andthensome。Andthefunnythingis，thoughI’mnight—bornineverythingelse，I’mnotwhenitcomestomating。Ireckonthatkindlikesitsownkindbest。That’sthewayitiswithme，anyway，andhasbeenalltheseyears。’

"’Youmeantotellme——’Ibegan。

"’Never，’shesaid，andhereyeslookedintominewiththestraightnessoftruth。’Ihadonehusband，only——himIcalltheOx;andIreckonhe’sstilldowninJuneaurunningthehash—joint。Lookhimup，ifyouevergetback，andyou’llfindhe’srightlynamed。’

"AndlookhimupIdid，twoyearsafterward。Hewasallshesaid——solidandstolid，theOx——shufflingaroundandwaitingonthetables。

"’Youneedawifetohelpyou，’Isaid。

"’Ihadoneonce，’washisanswer。

"’Widower？’

"’Yep。Shewentloco。Shealwayssaidtheheatofthecookingwouldgether，anditdid。PulledagunonmeonedayandranawaywithsomeSiwashesinacanoe。Caughtablowupthecoastandallhandsdrowned。’"

Trefethandevotedhimselftohisglassandremainedsilent。

"Butthegirl？"Milnerremindedhim。

"Youleftyourstoryjustasitwasgettinginteresting，tender。Didit？"

"Itdid，"Trefethanreplied。"Asshesaidherself，shewassavageineverythingexceptmating，andthenshewantedherownkind。Shewasveryniceaboutit，butshewasstraighttothepoint。Shewantedtomarryme。

"’Stranger，’shesaid，’Iwantyoubad。Youlikethissortoflifeoryouwouldn’tbeheretryingtocrosstheRockiesinfallweather。It’salikelyspot。You’llfindfewlikelier。Whynotsettledown！I’llmakeyouagoodwife。’

"Andthenitwasuptome。Andshewaited。Idon’tmindconfessingthatIwassorelytempted。Iwashalfinlovewithherasitwas。YouknowIhavenevermarried。AndIdon’tmindadding，lookingbackovermylife，thatsheistheonlywomanthateveraffectedmethatway。Butitwastoopreposterous，thewholething，andIliedlikeagentleman。ItoldherIwasalreadymarried。

"’Isyourwifewaitingforyou？’sheasked。

"Isaidyes。

"’Andshelovesyou？’

"Isaidyes。

"Andthatwasall。Sheneverpressedherpoint……exceptonce，andthensheshowedabitoffire。

"’AllI’vegottodo，’shesaid，’istogivetheword，andyoudon’tgetawayfromhere。IfIgivetheword，youstayon……

ButIain’tgoingtogiveit。Iwouldn’twantyouifyoudidn’twanttobewanted……andifyoudidn’twantme。’

"Shewentaheadandoutfittedmeandstartedmeonmyway。

"’It’sadarnedshame，stranger，"shesaid，atparting。’Ilikeyourlooks，andIlikeyou。Ifyoueverchangeyourmind，comeback。’

"NowtherewasonethingIwantedtodo，andthatwastokisshergood—bye，butIdidn’tknowhowtogoaboutitnorhowshewouldtakeit。——ItellyouIwashalfinlovewithher。Butshesettleditherself。

"’Kissme，’shesaid。’Justsomethingtogoonandremember。’

"Andwekissed，thereinthesnow，inthatvalleybytheRockies，andIleftherstandingbythetrailandwentonaftermydogs。IwassixweeksincrossingoverthepassandcomingdowntothefirstpostonGreatSlaveLake。"

Thebrawlofthestreetscameuptouslikeadistantsurf。A

steward，movingnoiselessly，broughtfreshsiphons。AndinthesilenceTrefethan’svoicefelllikeafuneralbell：

"ItwouldhavebeenbetterhadIstayed。Lookatme。"

Wesawhisgrizzledmustache，thebaldspotonhishead，thepuff—sacksunderhiseyes，thesaggingcheeks，theheavydewlap，thegeneraltirednessandstalenessandfatness，allthecollapseandruinofamanwhohadoncebeenstrongbutwhohadlivedtooeasilyandtoowell。

"It’snottoolate，oldman，"Bardwellsaid，almostinawhisper。

"ByGod！IwishIweren’tacoward！"wasTrefethan’sansweringcry。"Icouldgobacktoher。She’sthere，now。Icouldshapeupandlivemanyalongyear……withher……upthere。Toremainhereistocommitsuicide。ButIamanoldman——forty—seven——lookatme。Thetroubleis，"heliftedhisglassandglancedatit，"thetroubleisthatsuicideofthissortissoeasy。Iamsoftandtender。Thethoughtofthelongday’stravelwiththedogsappallsme;thethoughtofthekeenfrostinthemorningandofthefrozensled—lashingsfrightensme——"

Automaticallytheglasswascreepingtowardhislips。Withaswiftsurgeofangerhemadeasiftocrashitdownuponthefloor。Nextcamehesitancyandsecondthought。Theglassmovedupwardtohislipsandpaused。Helaughedharshlyandbitterly，buthiswordsweresolemn：

"Well，here’stotheNight—Born。SheWASawonder。"

THEMADNESSOFJOHNHARNED

ITELLthisforafact。Ithappenedinthebull—ringatQuito。

IsatintheboxwithJohnHarned，andwithMariaValenzuela，andwithLuisCervallos。Isawithappen。Isawitallfromfirsttolast。IwasonthesteamerEcuadorefromPanamatoGuayaquil。MariaValenzuelaismycousin。Ihaveknownheralways。Sheisverybeautiful。IamaSpaniard——anEcuadoriano，true，butIamdescendedfromPedroPatino，whowasoneofPizarro’scaptains。Theywerebravemen。Theywereheroes。DidnotPizarroleadthreehundredandfiftySpanishcavaliersandfourthousandIndiansintothefarCordillerasinsearchoftreasure？AnddidnotallthefourthousandIndiansandthreehundredofthebravecavaliersdieonthatvainquest？ButPedroPatinodidnotdie。HeitwasthatlivedtofoundthefamilyofthePatino。IamEcuadoriano，true，butIamSpanish。

IamManueldeJesusPatino。Iownmanyhaciendas，andtenthousandIndiansaremyslaves，thoughthelawsaystheyarefreemenwhoworkbyfreedomofcontract。Thelawisafunnything。WeEcuadorianoslaughatit。Itisourlaw。Wemakeitforourselves。IamManueldeJesusPatino。Rememberthatname。

Itwillbewrittensomedayinhistory。TherearerevolutionsinEcuador。Wecallthemelections。Itisagoodjokeisitnot？——whatyoucallapun？

JohnHarnedwasanAmerican。ImethimfirstattheTivolihotelinPanama。Hehadmuchmoney——thisIhaveheard。HewasgoingtoLima，buthemetMariaValenzuelaintheTivolihotel。

MariaValenzuelaismycousin，andsheisbeautiful。Itistrue，sheisthemostbeautifulwomaninEcuador。Butalsoisshemostbeautifulineverycountry——inParis，inMadrid，inNewYork，inVienna。Alwaysdoallmenlookather，andJohnHarnedlookedlongatheratPanama。Helovedher，thatIknowforafact。ShewasEcuadoriano，true——butshewasofallcountries;shewasofalltheworld。Shespokemanylanguages。

Shesang——ah！likeanartiste。Hersmile——wonderful，divine。

Hereyes——ah！haveInotseenmenlookinhereyes？TheywerewhatyouEnglishcallamazing。Theywerepromisesofparadise。

Mendrownedthemselvesinhereyes。

MariaValenzuelawasrich——richerthanI，whoamaccountedveryrichinEcuador。ButJohnHarneddidnotcareforhermoney。Hehadaheart——afunnyheart。Hewasafool。HedidnotgotoLima。HeleftthesteameratGuayaquilandfollowedhertoQuito。ShewascominghomefromEuropeandotherplaces。Idonotseewhatshefoundinhim，butshelikedhim。ThisIknowforafact，elsehewouldnothavefollowedhertoQuito。Sheaskedhimtocome。WelldoIremembertheoccasion。Shesaid：

"CometoQuitoandIwillshowyouthebullfight——brave，clever，magnificent！"

Buthesaid："IgotoLima，notQuito。Suchismypassageengagedonthesteamer。"

"Youtravelforpleasure——no？"saidMariaValenzuela;andshelookedathimasonlyMariaValenzuelacouldlook，hereyeswarmwiththepromise。

Andhecame。No;hedidnotcomeforthebull—fight。Hecamebecauseofwhathehadseeninhereyes。WomenlikeMariaValenzuelaarebornonceinahundredyears。Theyareofnocountryandnotime。Theyarewhatyoucallgoddesses。Menfalldownattheirfeet。Theyplaywithmenandrunthemthroughtheirprettyfingerslikesand。Cleopatrawassuchawomantheysay;andsowasCirce。Sheturnedmenintoswine。Ha！ha！Itistrue——no？

ItallcameaboutbecauseMariaValenzuelasaid：

"YouEnglishpeopleare——whatshallIsay？——savage——no？Youprize—fight。Twomeneachhittheotherwiththeirfiststilltheireyesareblindedandtheirnosesarebroken。Hideous！Andtheothermenwholookoncryoutloudlyandaremadeglad。Itisbarbarous——no？"

"Buttheyaremen，"saidJohnHarned;"andtheyprize—fightoutofdesire。Noonemakesthemprize—fight。Theydoitbecausetheydesireitmorethananythingelseintheworld。"

MariaValenzuela——therewasscorninhersmileasshesaid：

"Theykilleachotheroften——isitnotso？Ihavereaditinthepapers。"

"Butthebull，"saidJohnHarned。

"Thebulliskilledmanytimesinthebull—fight，andthebulldoesnotcomeintothetheringoutofdesire。Itisnotfairtothebull。Heiscompelledtofight。Butthemanintheprize—fight——no;heisnotcompelled。"

"Heisthemorebrutetherefore，"saidMariaValenzuela。

"Heissavage。Heisprimitive。Heisanimal。Hestrikeswithhispawslikeabearfromacave，andheisferocious。Butthebull—fight——ah！Youhavenotseenthebullfight——no？Thetoreadorisclever。Hemusthaveskill。Heismodern。Heisromantic。Heisonlyaman，softandtender，andhefacesthewildbullinconflict。Andhekillswithasword，aslendersword，withonethrust，so，totheheartofthegreatbeast。Itisdelicious。Itmakestheheartbeattobehold——thesmallman，thegreatbeast，thewidelevelsand，thethousandsthatlookonwithoutbreath;thegreatbeastrushestotheattack，thesmallmanstandslikeastatue;hedoesnotmove，heisunafraid，andinhishandistheslenderswordflashinglikesilverinthesun;nearerandnearerrushesthegreatbeastwithitssharphorns，themandoesnotmove，andthen——so——theswordflashes，thethrustismade，totheheart，tothehilt，thebullfallstothesandandisdead，andthemanisunhurt。

Itisbrave。Itismagnificent！Ah！——Icouldlovethetoreador。

Butthemanoftheprize—fight——heisthebrute，thehumanbeast，thesavageprimitive，themaniacthatreceivesmanyblowsinhisstupidfaceandrejoices。CometoQuitoandIwillshowyouthebravesportofmen，thetoreadorandthebull。"

ButJohnHarneddidnotgotoQuitoforthebull—fight。HewentbecauseofMariaValenzuela。Hewasalargeman，morebroadofshoulderthanweEcuadorianos，moretall，moreheavyoflimbandbone。True，hewaslargerofhisownrace。Hiseyeswereblue，thoughIhaveseenthemgray，and，sometimes，likecoldsteel。Hisfeatureswerelarge，too——notdelicatelikeours，andhisjawwasverystrongtolookat。Also，hisfacewassmooth—shavenlikeapriest’s。Whyshouldamanfeelshameforthehaironhisface？DidnotGodputitthere？Yes，IbelieveinGod——IamnotapaganlikemanyofyouEnglish。Godisgood。

HemademeanEcuadorianowithtenthousandslaves。AndwhenI

dieIshallgotoGod。Yes，thepriestsareright。

ButJohnHarned。Hewasaquietman。Hetalkedalwaysinalowvoice，andhenevermovedhishandswhenhetalked。Onewouldhavethoughthisheartwasapieceofice;yetdidhehaveastreakofwarminhisblood，forhefollowedMariaValenzuelatoQuito。Also，andforallthathetalkedlowwithoutmovinghishands，hewasananimal，asyoushallsee——thebeastprimitive，thestupid，ferocioussavageofthelongagothatdressedinwildskinsandlivedinthecavesalongwiththebearsandwolves。

LuisCervallosismyfriend，thebestofEcuadorianos。HeownsthreecacaoplantationsatNaranjitoandChobo。AtMilagroishisbigsugarplantation。HehaslargehaciendasatAmbatoandLatacunga，anddownthecoastisheinterestedinoil—wells。

AlsohashespentmuchmoneyinplantingrubberalongtheGuayas。Heismodern，liketheYankee;and，liketheYankee，fullofbusiness。Hehasmuchmoney，butitisinmanyventures，andeverheneedsmoremoneyfornewventuresandfortheoldones。Hehasbeeneverywhereandseeneverything。WhenhewasaveryyoungmanhewasintheYankeemilitaryacademywhatyoucallWestPoint。Therewastrouble。Hewasmadetoresign。HedoesnotlikeAmericans。ButhedidlikeMariaValenzuela，whowasofhisowncountry。Also，heneededhermoneyforhisventuresandforhisgoldmineinEasternEcuadorwherethepaintedIndianslive。Iwashisfriend。ItwasmydesirethatheshouldmarryMariaValenzuela。Further，muchofmymoneyhadIinvestedinhisventures，moresoinhisgoldminewhichwasveryrichbutwhichfirstrequiredtheexpenseofmuchmoneybeforeitwouldyieldforthitsriches。IfLuisCervallosmarriedMariaValenzuelaIshouldhavemoremoneyveryimmediately。

ButJohnHarnedfollowedMariaValenzuelatoQuito，anditwasquicklycleartous——toLuisCervallosandmethatshelookeduponJohnHarnedwithgreatkindness。Itissaidthatawomanwillhaveherwill，butthisisacasenotinpoint，forMariaValenzueladidnothaveherwill——atleastnotwithJohnHarned。Perhapsitwouldallhavehappenedasitdid，evenifLuisCervallosandIhadnotsatintheboxthatdayatthebull—ringinQuito。ButthisIknow：weDIDsitintheboxthatday。AndIshalltellyouwhathappened。

Thefourofuswereintheonebox，guestsofLuisCervallos。I

wasnexttothePresidente’sbox。OntheothersidewastheboxofGeneralJoseEliceoSalazar。WithhimwereJoaquiinEndaraandUrcisinoCastillo，bothgenerals，andColonelJacintoFierroandCaptainBaltazardeEcheverria。OnlyLuisCervalloshadthepositionandtheinfluencetogetthatboxnexttothePresidente。IknowforafactthatthePresidentehimselfexpressedthedesiretothemanagementthatLuisCervallosshouldhavethatbox。

ThebandfinishedplayingthenationalhymnofEcuador。Theprocessionofthetoreadorswasover。ThePresidentenoddedtobegin。Thebuglesblew，andthebulldashedin——youknowtheway，excited，bewildered，thedartsinitsshoulderburninglikefire，itselfseekingmadlywhateverenemytodestroy。Thetoreadorshidbehindtheirsheltersandwaited。Suddenlytheyappearedforth，thecapadores，fiveofthem，fromeveryside，theircoloredcapesflingingwide。Thebullpausedatsightofsuchagenerosityofenemies，unableinhisownmindtoknowwhichtoattack。Thenadvancedoneofthecapadorsalonetomeetthebull。Thebullwasveryangry。Withitsfore—legsitpawedthesandofthearenatillthedustroseallaboutit。

Thenitcharged，withloweredhead，straightforthelonecapador。

Itisalwaysofinterest，thefirstchargeofthefirstbull。

Afteratimeitisnaturalthatoneshouldgrowtired，trifle，thatthekeennessshouldloseitsedge。Butthatfirstchargeofthefirstbull！JohnHarnedwasseeingitforthefirsttime，andhecouldnotescapetheexcitement——thesightoftheman，armedonlywithapieceofcloth，andofthebullrushinguponhimacrossthesandwithsharphorns，widespreading。

"See！"criedMariaValenzuela。"Isitnotsuperb？"

JohnHarnednodded，butdidnotlookather。Hiseyesweresparkling，andtheywereonlyforthebull—ring。Thecapadorsteppedtotheside，withatwirlofthecapeeludingthebullandspreadingthecapeonhisownshoulders。

"Whatdoyouthink？"askedMariaVenzuela。"Isitnota——what—you—call——sportingproposition——no？"

"Itiscertainly，"saidJohnHarned。"Itisveryclever。"

Sheclappedherhandswithdelight。Theywerelittlehands。Theaudienceapplauded。Thebullturnedandcameback。Againthecapadoreeludedhim，throwingthecapeonhisshoulders，andagaintheaudienceapplauded。Threetimesdidthishappen。Thecapadorewasveryexcellent。Thenheretired，andtheothercapadoreplayedwiththebull。Afterthattheyplacedthebanderillosinthebull，intheshoulders，oneachsideoftheback—bone，twoatatime。ThensteppedforwardOrdonez，thechiefmatador，withthelongswordandthescarletcape。Thebuglesblewforthedeath。HeisnotsogoodasMatestini。

Stillheisgood，andwithonethrusthedrovetheswordtotheheart，andthebulldoubledhislegsunderhimandlaydownanddied。Itwasaprettythrust，cleanandsure;andtherewasmuchapplause，andmanyofthecommonpeoplethrewtheirhatsintothering。MariaValenzuelaclappedherhandswiththerest，andJohnHarned，whosecoldheartwasnottouchedbytheevent，lookedatherwithcuriosity。

"Youlikeit？"heasked。

"Always，"shesaid，stillclappingherhands。

"Fromalittlegirl，"saidLuisCervallos。"Irememberherfirstfight。Shewasfouryearsold。Shesatwithhermother，andjustlikenowsheclappedherhands。SheisaproperSpanishwoman。

"Youhaveseenit，"saidMariaValenzuelatoJohnHarned，astheyfastenedthemulestothedeadbullanddraggeditout。

"Youhaveseenthebull—fightandyoulikeit——no？Whatdoyouthink？

"Ithinkthebullhadnochance，"hesaid。"Thebullwasdoomedfromthefirst。Theissuewasnotindoubt。Everyoneknew，beforethebullenteredthering，thatitwastodie。Tobeasportingproposition，theissuemustbeindoubt。Itwasonestupidbullwhohadneverfoughtamanagainstfivewisemenwhohadfoughtmanybulls。Itwouldbepossiblyalittlebitfairifitwereonemanagainstonebull。"

"Oronemanagainstfivebulls，"saidMariaValenzuela;andwealllaughed，andLuisCeryalloslaughedloudest。

"Yes，"saidJohnHarned，"againstfivebulls，andtheman，likethebulls，neverinthebullringbefore——amanlikeyourself，SenorCrevallos。"

"YetweSpanishlikethebull—fight，"saidLuisCervallos;andIswearthedevilwaswhisperingtheninhisear，tellinghimtodothatwhichIshallrelate。

"Thenmustitbeacultivatedtaste，"JohnHarnedmadeanswer。

"WekillbullsbythethousandeverydayinChicago，yetnoonecarestopayadmittancetosee。"

"Thatisbutchery，"saidI;"butthis——ah，thisisanart。Itisdelicate。Itisfine。Itisrare。"

"Notalways，"saidLuisCervallos。"Ihaveseenclumsymatadors，andItellyouitisnotnice。"

Heshuddered，andhisfacebetrayedsuchwhat—you—calldisgust，thatIknew，then，thatthedevilwaswhisperingandthathewasbeginningtoplayapart。

"SenorHarnedmayberight，"saidLuisCervallos。"Itmaynotbefairtothebull。Forisitnotknowntoallofusthatfortwenty—fourhoursthebullisgivennowater，andthatimmediatelybeforethefightheispermittedtodrinkhisfill？"

"Andhecomesintotheringheavywithwater？"saidJohnHarnedquickly;andIsawthathiseyeswereverygrayandverysharpandverycold。

"Itisnecessaryforthesport，"saidLuisCervallos。"Wouldyouhavethebullsostrongthathewouldkillthetoreadors？"

"Iwouldthathehadafightingchance，"saidJohnHarned，facingtheringtoseethesecondbullcomein。

Itwasnotagoodbull。Itwasfrightened。Itranaroundtheringinsearchofawaytogetout。Thecapadorssteppedforthandflaredtheircapes，butherefusedtochargeuponthem。

"Itisastupidbull，"saidMariaValenzuela。

"Ibegpardon，"saidJohnHarned;"butitwouldseemtomeawisebull。Heknowshemustnotfightman。See！Hesmellsdeaththereinthering。"

True。Thebull，pausingwherethelastonehaddied，wassmellingthewetsandandsnorting。Againheranaroundthering，withraisedhead，lookingatthefacesofthethousandsthathissedhim，thatthreworange—peelathimandcalledhimnames。Butthesmellofblooddecidedhim，andhechargedacapador，sowithoutwarningthatthemanjustescaped。Hedroppedhiscapeanddodgedintotheshelter。Thebullstruckthewalloftheringwithacrash。AndJohnHarnedsaid，inaquietvoice，asthoughhetalkedtohimself：

"Iwillgiveonethousandsucrestothelazar—houseofQuitoifabullkillsamanthisday。"

"Youlikebulls？"saidMariaValenzuelawithasmile。

"Ilikesuchmenless，"saidJohnHarned。"Atoreadorisnotabraveman。Hesurelycannotbeabraveman。See，thebull’stongueisalreadyout。Heistiredandhehasnotyetbegun。"

"Itisthewater，"saidLuisCervallos。

"Yes，itisthewater，"saidJohnHarned。"Woulditnotbesafertohamstringthebullbeforehecomeson？"

MariaValenzuelawasmadeangrybythissneerinJohnHarned’swords。ButLuisCervallossmiledsothatonlyIcouldseehim，andthenitbrokeuponmymindsurelythegamehewasplaying。

HeandIweretobebanderilleros。ThebigAmericanbullwasthereintheboxwithus。Weweretostickthedartsinhimtillhebecameangry，andthentheremightbenomarriagewithMariaValenzuela。Itwasagoodsport。Andthespiritofbull—fighterswasinourblood。

Thebullwasnowangryandexcited。Thecapadorshadgreatgamewithhim。Hewasveryquick，andsometimesheturnedwithsuchsharpnessthathishindlegslosttheirfootingandheplowedthesandwithhisquarter。Buthechargedalwaystheflungcapesandcommittednoharm。

"Hehasnochance，"saidJohnHarned。"Heisfightingwind。"

"Hethinksthecapeishisenemy，"explainedMariaValenzuela。

"Seehowcleverlythecapadordeceiveshim。"

"Itishisnaturetobedeceived，"saidJohnHarned。"Whereforeheisdoomedtofightwind。Thetoreadorsknowit，youknowit，Iknowit——weallknowfromthefirstthathewillfightwind。

Heonlydoesnotknowit。Itishisstupidbeast—nature。Hehasnochance。"

"Itisverysimple，"saidLuisCervallos。"Thebullshutshiseyeswhenhecharges。Therefore——"

"Themansteps，outofthewayandthebullrushesby，"Harnedinterrupted。

"Yes，"saidLuisCervallos;"thatisit。Thebullshutshiseyes，andthemanknowsit。"

"Butcowsdonotshuttheireyes，"saidJohnHarned。"IknowacowathomethatisaJerseyandgivesmilk，thatwouldwhipthewholegangofthem。"

"Butthetoreadorsdonotfightcows，"saidI。

’Theyareafraidtofightcows，"saidJohnHarned。

"Yes，"saidLuisCervallos，"theyareafraidtofightcows。

Therewouldbenosportinkillingtoreadors。"

"Therewouldbesomesport，"saidJohnHarned，"ifatoreadorwerekilledonceinawhile。WhenIbecomeanoldman，andmayhapacripple，andshouldIneedtomakealivingandbeunabletodohardwork，thenwouldIbecomeabull—fighter。Itisalightvocationforelderlygentlemenandpensioners。"

"Butsee！"saidMariaValenzuela，asthebullchargedbravelyandthecapadoreludeditwithaflingofhiscape。"Itrequiresskillsotoavoidthebeast。"

"True，"saidJohnHarned。"Butbelieveme，itrequiresathousandtimesmoreskilltoavoidthemanyandquickpunchesofaprize—fighterwhokeepshiseyesopenandstrikeswithintelligence。Furthermore，thisbulldoesnotwanttofight。

Behold，herunsaway。"

Itwasnotagoodbull，foragainitranaroundthering，seekingtofindawayout。

"Yetthesebullsaresometimesthemostdangerous，"saidLuisCervallos。"Itcanneverbeknownwhattheywilldonext。Theyarewise。Theyarehalfcow。Thebull—fightersneverlikethem。——See！Hehasturned！"

Onceagain，baffledandmadeangrybythewallsoftheringthatwouldnotlethimout，thebullwasattackinghisenemiesvaliantly。

"Histongueishangingout，"saidJohnHarned。"First，theyfillhimwithwater。Thentheytirehimout，onemanandthenanother，persuadinghimtoexhausthimselfbyfightingwind。

Whilesometirehim，othersrest。Butthebulltheyneverletrest。Afterward，whenheisquitetiredandnolongerquick，thematadorstickstheswordintohim。"

Thetimehadnowcomeforthebanderillos。Threetimesoneofthefightersendeavoredtoplacethedarts，andthreetimesdidhefail。Hebutstungthebullandmaddenedit。Thebanderillosmustgoin，youknow，twoatatime，intotheshoulders，oneachsidethebackboneandclosetoit。Ifbutonebeplaced，itisafailure。ThecrowdhissedandcalledforOrdonez。AndthenOrdonezdidagreatthing。Fourtimeshestoodforth，andfourtimes，atthefirstattempt，hestuckinthebanderillos，sothateightofthem，wellplaced，stoodoutofthebackofthebullatonetime。Thecrowdwentmad，andarainofhatsandmoneyfellonthesandoftheringAndjustthenthebullchargedunexpectedlyoneofthecapadors。Themanslippedandlosthishead。Thebullcaughthim——fortunately，betweenhiswidehorns。Andwhiletheaudiencewatched，breathlessandsilent，JohnHarnedstoodupandyelledwithgladness。Alone，inthathushofallofus，JohnHarnedyelled。Andheyelledforthebull。Asyouseeyourself，JohnHarnedwantedthemankilled。Hiswasabrutalheart。ThisbadconductmadethoseangrythatsatintheboxofGeneralSalazar，andtheycriedoutagainstJohnHarned。AndUrcisinoCastillotoldhimtohisfacethathewasadogofaGringoandotherthings。OnlyitwasinSpanish，andJohnHarneddidnotunderstand。Hestoodandyelled，perhapsforthetimeoftenseconds，whenthebullwasenticedintochargingtheothercapadorsandthemanaroseunhurt。

"Thebullhasnochance，"JohnHarnedsaidwithsadnessashesatdown。"Themanwasuninjured。Theyfooledthebullawayfromhim。"ThenheturnedtoMariaValenzuelaandsaid："Ibegyourpardon。Iwasexcited。"

Shesmiledandinreprooftappedhisarmwithherfan。

"Itisyourfirstbull—fight，"shesaid。"Afteryouhaveseenmoreyouwillnotcryforthedeathoftheman。YouAmericans，yousee，aremorebrutalthanwe。Itisbecauseofyourprize—fighting。Wecomeonlytoseethebullkilled。"

"ButIwouldthebullhadsomechance，"heanswered。

"Doubtless，intime，Ishallceasetobeannoyedbythemenwhotakeadvantageofthebull。"

Thebuglesblewforthedeathofthebull。Ordonezstoodforthwiththeswordandthescarletcloth。Butthebullhadchangedagain，anddidnotwanttofight。Ordonezstampedhisfootinthesand，andcriedout，andwavedthescarletcloth。Thenthebullcharged，butwithoutheart。Therewasnoweighttothecharge。Itwasapoorthrust。Theswordstruckaboneandbent。

Ordoneztookafreshsword。Thebull，againstungtofight，chargedoncemore。FivetimesOrdonezessayedthethrust，andeachtimetheswordwentbutpartwayinorstruckbone。Thesixthtime，theswordwentintothehilt。Butitwasabadthrust。Theswordmissedtheheartandstuckouthalfayardthroughtheribsontheoppositeside。Theaudiencehissedthematador。IglancedatJohnHarned。Hesatsilent，withoutmovement;butIcouldseehisteethwereset，andhishandswereclenchedtightontherailingofthebox。

Allfightwasnowoutofthebull，and，thoughitwasnovitalthrust，hetrottedlamelywhatoftheswordthatstuckthroughhim，inonesideandouttheother。Heranawayfromthematadorandthecapadors，andcircledtheedgeofthering，lookingupatthemanyfaces。

"Heissaying：’ForGod’ssakeletmeoutofthis;Idon’twanttofight，’"saidJohnHarned。

Thatwasall。Hesaidnomore，butsatandwatched，thoughsometimeshelookedsidewaysatMariaValenzuelatoseehowshetookit。Shewasangrywiththematador。Hewasawkward，andshehaddesiredacleverexhibition。

Thebullwasnowverytired，andweakfromlossofblood，thoughfarfromdying。Hewalkedslowlyaroundthewallofthering，seekingawayout。Hewouldnotcharge。Hehadhadenough。Buthemustbekilled。Thereisaplace，intheneckofabullbehindthehorns，wherethecordofthespineisunprotectedandwhereashortstabwillimmediatelykill。

Ordonezsteppedinfrontofthebullandloweredhisscarletclothtotheground。Thebullwouldnotcharge。Hestoodstillandsmelledthecloth，loweringhisheadtodoso。Ordonezstabbedbetweenthehornsatthespotintheneck。Thebulljerkedhisheadup。Thestabhadmissed。Thenthebullwatchedthesword。WhenOrdonezmovedtheclothontheground，thebullforgottheswordandloweredhisheadtosmellthecloth。AgainOrdonezstabbed，andagainhefailed。Hetriedmanytimes。Itwasstupid。AndJohnHarnedsaidnothing。Atlastastabwenthome，andthebullfelltothesand，deadimmediately，andthemulesweremadefastandhewasdraggedout。

"TheGringossayitisacruelsport——no？"saidLuisCervallos。

"Thatitisnothumane。Thatitisbadforthebull。No？"

"No，"saidJohnHarned。"Thebulldoesnotcountformuch。Itisbadforthosethatlookon。Itisdegradingtothosethatlookon。Itteachesthemtodelightinanimalsuffering。Itiscowardlyforfivementofightonestupidbull。Thereforethosethatlookonlearntobecowards。Thebulldies，butthosethatlookonliveandthelessonislearned。Thebraveryofmenisnotnourishedbyscenesofcowardice。"

MariaValenzuelasaidnothing。Neitherdidshelookathim。Butsheheardeverywordandhercheekswerewhitewithanger。Shelookedoutacrosstheringandfannedherself，butIsawthatherhandtrembled。NordidJohnHarnedlookather。Hewentonasthoughshewerenotthere。He，too，wasangry，coldlyangry。

"Itisthecowardlysportofacowardlypeople，"hesaid。

"Ah，"saidLuisCervallossoftly，"youthinkyouunderstandus。"

"IunderstandnowtheSpanishInquisition，"saidJohnHarned。

"Itmusthavebeenmoredelightfulthanbull—fighting。"

LuisCervallossmiledbutsaidnothing。HeglancedatMariaValenzuela，andknewthatthebull—fightintheboxwaswon。

NeverwouldshehavefurthertodowiththeGringowhospokesuchwords。ButneitherLuisCervallosnorIwaspreparedfortheoutcomeoftheday。IfearwedonotunderstandtheGringos。HowwerewetoknowthatJohnHarned，whowassocoldlyangry，shouldgosuddenlymad！Butmadhedidgo，asyoushallsee。Thebulldidnotcountformuch——hesaidsohimself。

Thenwhyshouldthehorsecountforsomuch？ThatIcannotunderstand。ThemindofJohnHarnedlackedlogic。Thatistheonlyexplanation。

"Itisnotusualtohavehorsesinthebull—ringatQuito，"

saidLuisCervallos，lookingupfromtheprogram。"InSpaintheyalwayshavethem。Butto—day，byspecialpermissionweshallhavethem。Whenthenextbullcomesontherewillbehorsesandpicadors—youknow，themenwhocarrylancesandridethehorses。"

"Thebullisdoomedfromthefirst，"saidJohnHarned。"Arethehorsesthenlikewisedoomed！"

"Theyareblindfoldedsothattheymaynotseethebull，"saidLuisCervallos。"Ihaveseenmanyhorseskilled。Itisabravesight。"

"Ihaveseenthebullslaughtered，"saidJohnHarned"Iwillnowseethehorseslaughtered，sothatImayunderstandmorefullythefinepointsofthisnoblesport。"

"Theyareoldhorses，"saidLuisCervallos，"thatarenotgoodforanythingelse。"

"Isee，"saidJohnHarned。

Thethirdbullcameon，andsoonagainstitwerebothcapadorsandpicadors。Onepicadortookhisstanddirectlybelowus。I

agree，itwasathinandagedhorseherode，abagofbonescoveredwithmangyhide。

"Itisamarvelthatthepoorbrutecanholduptheweightoftherider，"saidJohnHarned。"Andnowthatthehorsefightsthebull，whatweaponshasit？"

"Thehorsedoesnotfightthebull，"saidLuisCervallos。

"Oh，"saidJohnHarned，"thenisthehorsetheretobegored？

Thatmustbewhyitisblindfolded，sothatitshallnotseethebullcomingtogoreit。"

"Notquiteso，"saidI。"Thelanceofthepicadoristokeepthebullfromgoringthehorse。"

"Thenarehorsesrarelygored？"askedJohnHarned。

"No，"saidLuisCervallos。"Ihaveseen，atSeville，eighteenhorseskilledinoneday，andthepeopleclamoredformorehorses。"

"Weretheyblindfoldedlikethishorse？"askedJohnHarned。

"Yes，"saidLuisCervallos。

Afterthatwetalkednomore，butwatchedthefight。AndJohnHarnedwasgoingmadallthetime，andwedidnotknow。Thebullrefusedtochargethehorse。Andthehorsestoodstill，andbecauseitcouldnotseeitdidnotknowthatthecapadorsweretryingtomakethebullchargeuponit。Thecapadorsteasedthebulltheircapes，andwhenitchargedthemtheyrantowardthehorseandintotheirshelters。Atlastthebullwasangry，anditsawthehorsebeforeit。

"Thehorsedoesnotknow，thehorsedoesnotknow，"JohnHarnedwhisperedtohimself，unawarethathevoicedhisthoughtaloud。

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