Зов предков
For the Love of a Man
Buck,becauseofhisrecord,wasthetargetforthesemen,andThorntonwasdrivenstoutlytodefendhim. Attheendofhalfanhouronemanstatedthathisdogcouldstartasledwithfivehundredpoundsandwalkoffwithit; asecondbraggedsixhundredforhisdog;andathird,sevenhundred.
"Pooh!pooh!"saidJohnThornton;"Buckcanstartathousandpounds."
"Andbreakitout?andwalkoffwithitforahundredyards?"demandedMatthewson,aBonanzaKing,heofthesevenhundredvaunt.
"Andbreakitout,andwalkoffwithitforahundredyards,"JohnThorntonsaidcoolly.
"Well,"Matthewsonsaid,slowlyanddeliberately,sothatallcouldhear, "I’vegotathousanddollarsthatsayshecan’t. Andthereitis." Sosaying,heslammedasackofgolddustofthesizeofabolognasausagedownuponthebar.
Nobodyspoke. Thornton’sbluff,ifbluffitwas,hadbeencalled. Hecouldfeelaflushofwarmbloodcreepinguphisface. Histonguehadtrickedhim. HedidnotknowwhetherBuckcouldstartathousandpounds. Halfaton! Theenormousnessofitappalledhim. HehadgreatfaithinBuck’sstrengthandhadoftenthoughthimcapableofstartingsuchaload; butnever,asnow,hadhefacedthepossibilityofit,theeyesofadozenmenfixeduponhim,silentandwaiting. Further,hehadnothousanddollars;norhadHansorPete.
