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 [...]

not a cowpuncher within five hundred miles but would be glad of such redoubted company they went back to calder's horse

"we can start for my clearing" said dan "bart'll bring hoss fetch him in"

wolf took dangling bridle reins and led on cowpony calder observed his performance with starting eyes but he was averse to asking questions in a few moments they came out on a small open space ground was covered with a quantity of dried bunch grass which a glorious black stallion was cropping now he tossed up his head so that some of his long mane fell forward between his ears and at sight of calder his ears dropped back and his eyes blazed but when dan stepped from willows ears came forward again with a whinny of greeting calder watched beautiful animal with all enthusiasm of an expert horseman satan was untethered saddle and bridle lay in a corner of clearing evidently horse was a pet and would not leave its master he spoke gently and stepped forward to caress velvet shining neck but satan snorted and started away trembling with excitement

"how can you keep such a wild fellow as this without hobbling him" asked calder

"he ain't wild" said dan

"why he won't let me put a hand on him"

"yes he will steady satan"

stallion stood motionless with veritable fires of hell in his eyes as calder approached latter stopped

"not for me" he said "i'd rather rub moustache of lion in zoo than touch that black devil"

bart at that moment led in cowpony and calder started to remove saddle he had scarcely done so and hobbled his horse when he was startled by a tremendous snarling and snorting he turned to see stallion plunging hither an thither striking with his fore-hooves while around him darting in and out under driving feet sprang great black wolf his teeth clashing like steel on steel in another moment they might sink in throat of horse calder with an exclamation of horror whipped out his revolver but checked himself at very instant of firing master of two animals stood with arms folded actually smiling upon fight

"for god's sake" cried marshal "shoot damned wolf man or he'll have your horse by throat"

"leave 'em be" said dan without turning his head "satan an' black bart ain't got any other dogs an' hosses to run around with they's jest playin' a little by way of exercise"

calder stood agape before what seemed incarnate fury of pair then he noticed that those snapping fangs however close they came always missed flesh of stallion and driving hoofs never actually endangered leaping wolf

"stop 'em" he cried at last "it makes me nervous to watch that sort of play it isn't natural"

"all right" said dan "stop it boys"

he had not raised his voice but they ceased their wild gambols instantly stallion with head thrown high and arched tail and heaving sides while wolf with lolling red tongue strolled calmly towards his master

latter paid no further attention to them but set about kindling a small fire over which to cook supper calder joined him marshal's mind was too full for speech but now and again he turned a long glance of wonder upon stallion or black bart in same silence they sat under last light of sunset and ate their supper calder with head bent pondered over man of mystery and his two tamed animals tamed not one of three was tamed man least of all

he saw dan pause from his eating to stare with wide vacant eyes among trees wolf-dog approached looked up in his master's face whined softly and getting no response went back to his place and lay down his eyes never moving from dan still he stared among trees gloom deepened and he smiled faintly he began to whistle a low melancholy strain so soft that it blended with growing hush of night calder listened wholly overawed that weird music seemed an interpretation of vast spaces of mountains of pitiless desert of limitless silences and whistler was an understanding part of whole

he became aware of a black shadow behind musician it was satan who rested his nose on shoulder of master without ceasing his whistling dan raised a hand touched small muzzle and satan went at once to a side of clearing and lay down it was almost as if two had said good-night calder could stand it no longer

"dan i've got to talk to you" he began

whistling ceased wide brown eyes turned to him

"fire away--partner"

ay they had eaten together by same fire--they had watched coming of night--they had shaken hands in friendship--they were partners he knew deep in his heart that no human being could ever be actual comrade of man this lord of voiceless desert needed no human companionship yet as marshal glanced from black shadow of satan to gleaming eyes of bart and then to visionary face of barry he felt that he had been admitted by whistling dan into mysterious company thought stirred him deeply it was as if he had made an alliance with wandering wind why he had been accepted he could not dream but he had heard word "partner" and he knew it was meant after all stranger things than this happen in mountain-desert where man is greater and convention less a single word has been known to estrange lifelong comrades a single evening beside a camp-fire has changed foes into partners calder drew his mind back to business with a great effort

"there's one thing you don't know about jim silent a reward of ten thousand dollars lies on his head notices aren't posted yet"

whistling dan shrugged his shoulders

"i ain't after money" he answered

calder frowned he did not appreciate a bluff

"look here" he said "if we kill him because no power on earth will take him alive--we'll split money"

"if you lay a hand on him" said dan without emotion "we won't be friends no longer i figger"

calder stared

"if you don't want to get him" he said "why in god's name are you trailing him this way"

dan touched his lips "he hit me with his fist"

he paused and spoke again with a drawling voice that gave his words an uncanny effect

"my blood went down from my mouth to my chin i tasted it till i get him there ain't no way of me forgettin' him"

his eyes lighted with that ominous gleam

"that's why no other man c'n put a hand on him he's laid out all for me understand"

ring of question echoed for a moment through calder's mind

"i certainly do" he said with profound conviction "and i'll never forget it" he decided on a change of tactics "but there are other men with jim silent and those men will fight to keep you from getting to him"

"i'm sorry for 'em" said dan gently "i ain't got nothin' agin any one except big man"

calder took a long breath

"don't you see" he explained carefully "if you shoot one of these men you are simply a murderer who must be apprehended by law and punsihed"

"it makes it bad for me doesn't it" said dan "an' i hope i won't have to hurt more'n one or two of 'em you see"--he leaned forward seriously towards calder--"i'd only shoot for their arms or their legs i wouldn't spoil them altogether"

calder threw up his hands in despair black bart snarled at gesture

"i can't listen no more" said dan "i got to start explorin' willows pretty soon"

"in dark" exclaimed calder

"sure black bart'll go with me dark don't bother him"

"i'll go along"

"i'd rather be alone i might meet him"

"any way you want" said calder "but first hear my plan--it doesn't take long to tell it"

darkness thickened around them while he talked fire died out--the night swallowed up their figures

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