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 [...]

"all right haines" said silent "you c'n start now any time an' rest of us'll follow on way i said i'm leavin' last i got a little job to finish up with kid"

but haines was staring fixedly down road

"i'm not leaving yet" said haines "look"

he turned to one of cowpunchers

"who's girl riding up road pardner"

"that calico she's kate cumberland--old joe's gal"

"i like name" said haines "she sits saddle like a man"

her pony darted off from some imaginary object in middle of road and she swayed gracefully following sudden motion her mount came to sudden halt of cattle pony and she slipped to ground before morgan could run out to help even lee haines who was far quicker could not reach her in time

"sorry i'm late" said haines "shall i tie your horse"

fast ride had blown colour to her face and good spirits into her eyes she smiled up to him and as she shook her head in refusal here eyes lingered a pardonable moment on his handsome face with stray lock of tawny hair fallen low across his forehead she was used to frank admiration but this unembarrassed courtesy was a new world to her she was still smiling when she turned to morgan

"you told my father boys wouldn't wear guns today"

he was somewhat confused

"they seem to be wearin' them" he said weakly and his eyes wandered about armed circle pausing on ominous forms of hal purvis bill kilduff and especially jim silent a head taller than rest he stood somewhat in background but slight sneer with which he watched whistling dan dominated entire picture

"as a matter of fact" went on morgan "it would be a ten man job to take guns away from this crew you can see for yourself"

she glanced around throng and started she had seen dan

"how did he come here"

"oh dan" said morgan "he's all right he just pulled one of prettiest shootin' stunts i ever seen"

"but he promised my father--" began kate and then stopped flushing

if her father was right in diagnosing dan's character this was most critical day in his life for there he stood surrounded by armed men if there were anything wild in his nature it would be brought out that day she was almost glad time of trial had come

she said "how about guns mr morgan"

"if you want them collected and put away for a while" offered lee haines "i'll do what i can to help you"

her smile of thanks set his blood tingling his glance lingered a little too long a little too gladly and she coloured slightly

"miss cumberland" said haines "may i introduce myself my name is lee"

she hesitated manners she had learned in eastern school forbade it but her western instinct was truer and stronger her hand went out to him

"i'm very glad to know you mr lee"

"all right stranger" said morgan who in meantime had been shifting from one foot to other and estimating large chances of failure in this attempt to collect guns "if you're going to help me corral shootin' irons let's start roundup"

girl went with them they had no trouble in getting weapons cold blue eye of lee haines was a quick and effective persuasion

when they reached jim silent he stared fixedly upon haines then he drew his guns slowly and presented them to his comrade while his eyes shifted to kate and said coldly "lady i hope i ain't last one to congratulate you"

she did not understand but haines scowled and coloured dan in meantime was swept into saloon by an influx of cowpunchers that left only lee haines outside with kate she had detained him with a gesture