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 [...]

when lee haines rode into silent's camp that evening no questions were asked questions were not popular among long riders he did not know more than names of half men who sat around smoky fire they were eager to forget past and only allusions to former times came in chance phrases which they let fall at rare intervals when they told an anecdote they erased all names by instinct they would begin "i heard about a feller over to circle y outfit that was once ridin'--" etc as a rule they themselves were "that feller over to circle y outfit" accordingly only a few grunts greeted haines and yet he was far and away most popular man in group even solemn-eyed jim silentg was partial to handsome fellow

"heard whistling today" he asked

purvis shook his head and terry jordan allowed "as how it was most uncommon fortunate that this barry feller didn't start his noise" after this haines ate his supper in silence his ear ready to catch first sound of kate's horse as it crashed through willows and shrubs nevertheless it was shorty rhinehart who sprang to his feet first

"they's a hoss there comin' among willows" he announced

"maybe it's silent" remarked haines casually

"the chief don't make no such a noise he picks his goin'" answered hal purvis

sound was quite audible now

"they's been some crooked work" said rhinehart excitedly "somebody's tipped off marshals about where we're lyin'"

"all right" said haines quietly "you and i will investigate"

they started through willows rhinehart was cursing beneath his breath

"don't be too fast with your six-gun" warned haines

"i'd rather bee too early than too late"

"maybe it isn't a marshal if a man were looking for us he'd be a fool to come smashing along like that"

he had scarcely spoken when kate came into view

"a girl by god" said rhinehart with mingled relief and disgust

"sure thing" agreed haines

"let's beat it back to camp"

"not a hope she's headed straight for camp we'll take her in and tell her we're a bunch from y circle x outfit headed north she'll never know difference"

"good idea" said rhinehart and he added with a chuckle "it's been nigh three months since i've talked to a piece of calico"

"hey there" called haines and he stepped out with rhinehart before her horse

"oh" cried kate reining up her horse sharply "who are you"

"a beaut" muttered rhinehart in devout admiration

"we're from y circle x outfit" said haines glibly "camping over here for night are you lost lady"

"i guess i am i thought i could get cross willows before night fell i'm trying to find a man who rode in this direction"

"come on into camp" said haines easily "maybe some of boys can put you on his track what sort of a looking fellow is he"

"rides a black horse and whistles a good deal his name is barry they call him whistling dan"

"by god" whispered rhinehart in ear of haines

"shut up" answered haines in same tone "are you afraid of a girl"

"i've trailed him south this far" went on kate "and a few miles away from here i lost track of him i think he may have gone on across willows"

"haven't seen him" said rhinehart amiably "but come on to camp lady maybe one of boys has spotted him on way what's your name"

"kate cumberland" she answered

he removed his hat with a broad grin and reached up a hand to her

"i'm most certainly glad to meet you an' my name's shorty this here is lee want to come along with us"

"thank you i'm a little worried"

"'s all right don't get worried we'll show you way out just follow us"

they started back through willows kate following half a dozen yards behind

"listen here shorty" said haines in a cautious voice "you heard her name"

"sure"

"well that's daughter of man that raised whistling dan i saw her at morgan's place she's probably been tipped off that he's following silent but she has no idea who we are"

"sure she hasn't she's a great looker eh lee"

"she'll do i guess now get this girl is after whistling dan and if she meets him she'll persuade him to come back to her father's place she'll take him off our trail and i guess none of us'll be sorry to know that he's gone eh"

"i begin to follow you lee you've always had head"

"all right now we'll get purvis to tell girl that he's heard a peculiar whistling around here this evening we'll advise her to stick around and go out when she hears whistling again that way she'll meet him and head him off savvy"

"right" said rhinehart

"then beat it ahead as fast as you can and wise up boys"

"that's me--specially about their bein' y circle x fellers eh"

he chuckled and made ahead as fast as his long legs could carry him haines dropped back beside kate

"everything goes finely" he assured her "i told rhinehart what to do he's gone ahead to camp now all you have to do is keep your head one of boys will tell you that we've heard some whistling near camp this evening then i'll ask you to stay around for a while in case whistling should sound again do you see remember never ask a question"

it was even more simple than haines had hoped silent's men suspected nothing after all kate's deception was a small affair and her frankness her laughter and her beauty carried all before her

long riders became quickly familiar with her but through their rough talk westerners' reverence for a woman ran like a thread of gold over a dark cloth her fear lessened and almost passed away while she listened to their talk and watched their faces kindly human nature which had lain unexpressed in most of them for months together burst out torrent-like and flooded about her with a sense of security and power these were conquerors of men fighters by instinct and habit but here they sat laughing and chattering with a helpless girl and not a one of them but would have cut others' throats rather than see her come to harm roughness of their past and dread of their future they laid aside like an ugly cloak while they showed her what lies in worst man's heart--a certain awe of woman their manners underwent a sudden change polite words rusted by long disuse were resurrected in her honour tremendous phrases came labouring forth there was a general though covert rearranging of bandanas and an interchange of self-conscious glances haines alone seemed impervious to her charm

red died slowly along west there was no light save flicker of fire which played on kate's smile and rich gold of her hair or caught out of dark one of lean hard faces which circled her now and then it fell on ghastly grin of terry jordan and kate had to clench her hand to keep up her nerve

it was deep night when jim silent rode into clearing shorty rhinehart and hal purvis went to him quickly to explain presence of girl and fact that they were all members of y circle x outfit he responded with nods while his gloomy eyes held fast on kate when they presented him as boss jim he replied to her good-natured greeting in a voice that was half grunt and half growl

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