The Untamed by Max Brand MP3 Audiobook

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The Untamed by Max Brand
1949 Whistlin' Dan Barry was slight, but with something more of wolf than of man in him…

Product Code: 232

Digital Audiobook -- in stock

US$9.95

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All works by Max Brand

Availability: Usually ships within 48 hours. Ships from and sold by Babblebooks.com.

Running time: 7 hr 9 min

The unabridged classic on MP3 audio, narrated by Anais 9000. Three playback speeds on one disk; etext edition included. Running time: 7.2 hours (slow), 6.5 hours (medium), 6.0 hours (fast).

Chapter I Pan of the Desert

Even to a high-flying bird this was a country to be passed over quickly. It was burned and brown, littered with fragments of rock, whether vast or small, as if the refuse were tossed here after the making of the world. A passing shower drenched the bald knobs of a range of granite hills and the slant morning sun set the wet rocks aflame with light. In a short time the hills lost their halo and resumed their brown. The moisture evaporated. The sun rose higher and looked sternly across the desert as if he searched for any remaining life which still struggled for existence under his burning curse.

And he found life. Hardy cattle moved single or in small groups and browsed on the withered bunch grass. Summer scorched them, winter humped their backs with cold and arched up their bellies with famine, but they were a breed schooled through generations for this fight against nature. In this junk-shop of the world, rattlesnakes were rulers of the soil. Overhead the buzzards, ominous black specks pendant against the white-hot sky, ruled the air.

It seemed impossible that human beings could live in this rock-wilderness. If so, they must be to other men what the lean, hardy cattle of the hills are to the corn-fed stabled beeves of the States.

Over the shoulder of a hill came a whistling which might have been attributed to the wind, had not this day been deathly calm. It was fit music for such a scene, for it seemed neither of heaven nor earth, but the soul of the great god Pan come back to earth to charm those nameless rocks with his wild, sweet piping. It changed to harmonious phrases loosely connected. Such might be the exultant improvisations of a master violinist.

A great wolf, or a dog as tall and rough coated as a wolf, trotted around the hillside. He paused with one foot lifted and lolling, crimson tongue, as he scanned the distance and then turned to look back in the direction from which he had come. The weird music changed to whistled notes as liquid as a flute. The sound drew closer. A horseman rode out on the shoulder and checked his mount. One could not choose him at first glance as a type of those who fight nature in a region where the thermometer moves through a scale of a hundred and sixty degrees in the year to an accompaniment of cold-stabbing winds and sweltering suns. A thin, handsome face with large brown eyes and black hair, a body tall but rather slenderly made--he might have been a descendant of some ancient family of Norman nobility; but could such proud gentry be found riding the desert in a tall-crowned sombrero with chaps on his legs and a red bandana handkerchief knotted around his throat? That first glance made the rider seem strangely out of place in such surroundings. One might even smile at the contrast, but at the second glance the smile would fade, and at the third, it would be replaced with a stare of interest. It was impossible to tell why one respected this man, but after a time there grew a suspicion of unknown strength in this lone rider, strength like that of a machine which is stopped but only needs a spark of fire to plunge it into irresistible action. Strangely enough, the youthful figure seemed [...]

he rode swiftly into dark of willows and lack of noise told that he was picking his way carefully among bended branches

"it seems to me" said terry jordan "which i'm not suggestin' anything--but it seems to me that chief was in a considerable hurry to leave camp"

"he was" said hal purvis "an' if you seen that play in morgan's place you wouldn't be wonderin' why if i was chief i'd do same"

"me speakin' personal" remarked shorty rhinehart "i ain't layin' out to be no man-eater like chief but i ain't seen man that'd make me take to timbers that way i don't noways expect there is such a man"

"shorty" said haines calmly "we all knows that you're quite a man but you and terry are only ones of us who are surprised that silent slid away rest of us who saw this whistling dan in action aren't a bit inclined to wonder suppose you were to meet a black panther down here in willows"

"i wouldn't give a damn if i had my winchester with me"

"all right terry but suppose panther" broke in hal purvis "could sling shootin' irons as well as you could--maybe that'd make you partic'ler pleased"

"it ain't possible" said terry

"sure it ain't" grinned purvis amiably "an' this barry ain't possible either where you going lee"

haines turned from his task of saddling his mount

"private matter kilduff you take my place while i'm gone i may be back tomorrow night chief isn't apt to return so soon"

a few moments later haines galloped out of willows and headed across hills towards old joe cumberland's ranch he was remembering his promise to kate to keep dan out of danger he had failed from that promise once but that did not mean he had forgotten he looked up to yellow-bright mountain stars and they were like eyes of good women smiling down upon him he guessed that she loved barry and if he could bring her to whistling dan she might have strength enough to take latter from silent's trail lone rider knew well enough that to bring dan and kate together was to surrender his own shadowy hopes but golden eyes of sky encouraged him so he followed his impulse

haines could never walk that middle path which turns neither to right nor left neither up nor down he went through life with a free-swinging stride and as result of it he had crossed rights of others he might have lived a lawful life for all his instincts were gentle but an accident placed him in shadow of law he waited for his legal trial but when it came and false witness placed him behind bars revolt came two days after his confinement he broke away from his prison and went to wilds there he found jim silent and mountain-desert found another to add to its list of great outlaws

morning came as he drew close to house and now his reminiscences were cut short for at a turn of road he came upon kate galloping swiftly over hills he drew his horse to a halt and raised his hand she followed suit they sat staring if she had remembered his broken promise and started to reproach he could have found answer but her eyes were big with sorrow alone he put out his hand without a word she hesitated over it her eyes questioning him mutely and then with ghost of a smile she touched his fingers

"i want to explain" he said huskily

"what"

"you remember i gave you my word that no harm would come to barry"

"no man could have helped him"

"you don't hold it against me"

a gust of wind moaned around them she waved her arm towards surrounding hills and her laugh blended with sound of wind it was so faint he watched her with a curious pang she seemed among women what that morning was to coming day--fresh cool aloof it was heard to speak words which would banish sorrow from her eyes and make them brilliant with hope and shut him away from her thoughts with a barrier higher than mountains and broader than seas

"i have brought you news" he said at last reluctantly

she did not change

"about dan barry"

ay she changed swiftly enough at that he could not meet fear and question of her glance he looked away and saw red rim of sun pushing up above hills and colour poured up throat of kate cumberland up even to her forehead beneath blowing golden hair

haines jerked his sombrero lower on his head a curse tumbled up to his lips and he had to set his teeth to keep it back

"but i have heard his whistle"

her lips moved but made no sound

"five other men heard him"

she cried out as if he had hurt her but hurt was happiness he knew it and winced for she was wonderfully beautiful

"in willows of river bottom a good twenty miles south" he said at last "and i will show you way if you wish"

he watched her eyes grow large with doubt

"can you trust me" he asked "i failed you once can you trust me now"

her hand went out to him

"with all my heart" she said "let us start"

"i've given my horse a hard ride he must have some rest"

she moaned softly in her impatience and then "we'll go back to house and you can stable your horse there until you're ready to start dan will go with us"

"your father cannot go" he said shortly

"cannot"

"let's start back for ranch" he said "and i'll tell you something about it as we go"

as they turned their horses he went on "in order that you may reach whistling dan you'll have to meet first a number of men who are camping down there in willows"

he stopped it became desperately difficult for him to go on

"i am one of those men" he said "and another of them is one whom whistling dan is following"

she caught her breath and turned abruptly on him

"what are you mr lee"

very slowly he forced his eyes up to meet her gaze

"in that camp" he answered indirectly "your father wouldn't be safe"

it was out at last

"then your are----"

"your friend"

"forgive me you are my friend"

"the man whom dan is following" he went on "is leader if he gives command four practised fighters pit themselves against barry"

"it is murder"

"you can prevent it" he said "they know barry is on trail but i think they will do nothing unless he forces them into trouble and he will force them unless you stop him no other human being could take him off that trail"

"i know i know" she muttered "but i have already tried and he will not listen to me"

"but he will listen to you" insisted haines "when you tell him that he will be fighting not one man but six"

"and if he doesn't listen to me"

haines shrugged his shoulders

"can't you promise that these men will not fight with him"

"i cannot"

"but i shall plead with them myself"

he turned to her in alarm

"no you must not let them dream you know who they are" he warned "for otherwise----"

again that significant shrug of shoulders

he explained "these men are in such danger that they dare not take chances you are a woman but if they feel that you suspect them you will no longer be a woman in their eyes"

"then what must i do"

"i shall ride ahead of you when we come to willows after i have pointed out position of our camp about an hour after i have arrived for they must not know that i have brought you you will ride down towards camp when you come to it i will make sure that it is i who will bring you in you must pretend that you have simply blundered upon our fire whatever you do never ask a question while you are there--and i'll be your warrant that you will come off safely will you try"

he attempted no further persuasion and contented himself with merely meeting wistful challenge of her eyes

"i will" she said at last and then turning her glance away she repeated softly "i will"

he knew that she was already rehearsing what she must say to whistling dan

"you are not afraid"

she smiled

"do you really trust me as far as this"

with level-eyed tenderness that took his breath she answered "an absolute trust mr lee"

"my name" he said in a strange voice "is lee haines"

of one accord they stopped their horses and their hands met

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