章节正文
for I saw his glance run over my shirt and my empty pockets.
'You have made little of your treachery,' he said. 'Fool, did
you think to escape me? I could bring you back from the ends
of the earth.'
'There was no treachery,' I replied. 'Do you blame a prisoner
for trying to escape? When shooting began I found myself free,
and I took the road for home. Ask Machudi's men and they
will tell you that I came quietly with them, when I saw that
the game was up.'
He shrugged his shoulders. 'It matters very little what you
did. You are here now. - Tie him up and put him in my kya,'
he said to the bodyguard. 'I have something to say to him
before he dies.'
As the men laid hands on me, I saw the exultant grin on
Henriques' face. It was more than I could endure.
'Stop,' I said. 'You talk of traitors, Mr Laputa. There is the
biggest and blackest at your elbow. That man sent word to
Arcoll about your crossing at Dupree's Drift. At our outspan
at noon yesterday he came to me and offered me my liberty if
I would help him. He told me he was a spy, and I flung his
offer in his face. It was he who shot the Keeper by the river
side, and would have stolen the Snake if I had not broken his
head. You call me a traitor, and you let that thing live, though
he has killed your priest and betrayed your plans. Kill me if
you like, but by God let him die first.'
I do not know how the others took the revelation, for my
eyes were only for the Portugoose. He made a step towards
me, his hands twitching by his sides.
'You lie,' he screamed in that queer broken voice which
much fever gives. 'It was this English hound that killed the
Keeper, and felled me when I tried to save him. The man who
insults my honour is dead.' And he plucked from his belt a pistol.
A good shot does not miss at two yards. I was never nearer
my end than in that fraction of time while the weapon came up
to the aim. It was scarcely a second, but it was enough for
Colin. The dog had kept my side, and had stood docilely by
me while Laputa spoke. The truth is, he must have been as
tired as I was. As the Kaffirs approached to lay hands on me
he had growled menacingly, but when I spoke again he had
stopped. Henriques' voice had convinced him of a more urgent
danger, and so soon as the trigger hand of the Portugoose rose,
the dog sprang. The bullet went wide, and the next moment
dog and man were struggling on the ground.
A dozen hands held me from going to Colin's aid, but oddly
enough no one stepped forward to help Henriques. The ruffian
kept his head, and though the dog's teeth were in his shoulder,
he managed to get his right hand free. I saw what would
happen, and yelled madly in my apprehension. The yellow
wrist curved, and the pistolbarrel was pressed below the dog's
shoulder. Thrice he fired, the grip relaxed, and Colin rolled
over limply, fragments of shirt still hanging from his jaw. The
Portugoose rose slowly with his hand to his head, and a thin
stream of blood dripping from his shoulder.
As I saw the faithful eyes glazing in death, and knew that I
had lost the best of all comrades, I went clean berserk mad.
The cluster of men round me, who had been staring open-eyed
at the fight, were swept aside like reeds. I went straight for the
Portugoose, determined that, pistol or no pistol, I would serve
him as he had served my dog.
For my years I was a well-set-up lad, long in the arms and
deep in the chest. But I had not yet come to my full strength,
and in any case I could not hope to fight the whole of Laputa's
army. I was flung back and forwards like a shuttlecock. They
played some kind of game with me, and I could hear the idiotic
Kaffir laughter. It was blind man's buff, so far as I was
concerned, for I was blind with fury. I struck out wildly left
and right, beating the air often, but sometimes getting in a
solid blow on hard black flesh. I was soundly beaten myself,
pricked with spears, and made to caper for savage sport.
Suddenly I saw Laputa before me, and hurled myself madly at
his chest. Some one gave me a clout on the head, and my
senses fled.
When I came to myself, I was lying on a heap of mealie-stalks in
a dark room. I had a desperateheadache, and a horrid nausea,
which made me fall back as soon as I tried to raise myself.
A voice came out of the darkness as I stirred - a voice
speaking English.
'Are you awake, Mr Storekeeper?'
The voice was Laputa's, but I could not see him. The room
was pitch dark, except for a long ray of sunlight on the floor.
'I'm awake,' I said. 'What do you want with me?'
Some one stepped out of the gloom and sat down near me.
A naked black foot broke the belt of light on the floor.
'For God's sake get me a drink,' I murmured.
The figure rose and fetched a pannikin of water from a pail.
I could hear the cool trickle of the drops on the metal. A hand
put the dish to my mouth, and I drank water with a strong
dash of spirits. This brought back my nausea, and I collapsed
on the mealie-stalks till the fit passed.
Again the voice spoke, this time from close at hand.
'You are paying the penalty of being a fool, Mr Storekeeper.
You are young to die, but folly is common in youth. In an
hour you will regret that you did not listen to my advice at
Umvelos'.'
I clawed at my wits and strove to realize what he was saying.
He spoke of death within an hour. If it only came sharp and
sudden, I did not mind greatly. The plan I had made had
slipped utterly out of my mind. My body was so wretched,
that I asked only for rest. I was very lighthearted and foolish at
that moment.
'Kill me if you like,' I whispered. 'Some day you will pay
dearly for it all. But for God's sake go away and leave
me alone.'
Laputa laughed. It was a horrid sound in the darkness.
'You are brave, Mr Storekeeper, but I have seen a brave
man's courage ebb very fast when he saw the death which I
have arranged for you. Would you like to hear something of it
by way of preparation?'
In a low gentle voice he began to tell me mysteries of awful
cruelty. At first I scarcely heard him, but as he went on my
brain seemed to wake from its lethargy. I listened with freezing
blood. Not in my wildest nightmares had I imagined such a
fate. Then in despite of myself a cry broke from me.
'It interests you?' Laputa asked. 'I could tell you more, but
something must be left to the fancy. Yours should be an active
one,' and his hand gripped my shaking wrist and felt my pulse.
'Henriques will see that the truth does not fall short of my
forecast,' he went on. 'For I have appointed Henriques
your executioner.'
The name brought my senses back to me.
'Kill me,' I said, 'but for God's sake kill Henriques too. If
you did justice you would let me go and roast the Portugoose
alive. But for me the Snake would be over the Lebombo by
this time in Henriques' pocket.'
'But it is not, my friend. It was stolen by a storekeeper, who
will shortly be wishing he had died in his mother's womb.'
My plan was slowly coming back to me.
'If you value Prester John's collar, you will save my life.
What will your rising be without the Snake? Would they follow
you a yard if they suspected you had lost it?'
'So you would threaten me,' Laputa said very gently. Then
in a burst of wrath he shouted, 'They will follow me to hell for
my own sake. Imbecile, do you think my power is built on a
trinket? When you are in your grave, I will be ruling a hundred
millions from the proudest throne on earth.'
He sprang to his feet, and pulled back a shutter of the
window, letting a flood of light into the hut. In that light I saw
that he had in his hands the ivory box which had contained
the collar.
'I will carry the casket through the wars,' he cried, 'and if I
choose never to open it, who will gainsay me? You besotted
fool, to think that any theft of yours could hinder my destiny!'
He was the blustering savage again, and I preferred him in
the part. All that he said might be true, but I thought I could
detect in his voice a keen regret, and in his air a touch of
disquiet. The man was a fanatic, and like all fanatics had his
superstitions.
'Yes,' I said, 'but when you mount the throne you speak of,
it would be a pity not to have the rubies on your neck after all
your talk in the cave.'
I thought he would have throttled me. He glowered down at
me with murder in his eyes. Then he dashed the casket on the
floor with such violence that it broke into fragments.
'Give me back the Ndhlondhlo,' he cried, like a petted child.
'Give me back the collar of John.'
This was the moment I had been waiting for.
'Now see here, Mr Laputa,' I said. 'I am going to talk
business. Before you started this rising, you were a civilized
man with a good education. Well, just remember that education
for a minute, and look at the matter in a sensible light.
I'm not like the Portugoose. I don't want to steal your rubies.
I swear to God that what I have told you is true. Henriques
killed the priest, and would have bagged the jewels if I had not
laid him out. I ran away because I was going to be killed to-day,
and I took the collar to keep it out of Henriques' hands. I
tell you I would never have shot the old man myself. Very
well, what happened? Your men overtook me, and I had no
choice but to surrender. Before they reached me, I hid the
collar in a place I know of. Now, I am going to make you a fair
and square business proposition. You may be able to get on
without the Snake, but I can see you want it back. I am in a
tight place and want nothing so much as my life. I offer to
trade with you. Give me my life, and I will take you to the
place and put the jewels in your hand. Otherwise you may kill
me, but you will never see the collar of John again.'
I still think that was a pretty bold speech for a man to make
in a predicament like mine. But it had its effect. Laputa ceased
to be the barbarian king, and talked like a civilized man.
'That is, as you call it, a business proposition. But supposing
I refuse it? Supposing I take measures here - in this kraal - to
make you speak, and then send for the jewels.'
'There are several objections,' I said, quite cheerfully, for I
felt that I was gaining ground. 'One is that I could not explain
to any mortal soul how to find the collar. I know where it is,
but I could not impart the knowledge. Another is that the
country between here and Machudi's is not very healthy for
your people. Arcoll's men are all over it, and you cannot have
a collection of search parties rummaging about in the glen for
long. Last and most important, if you send any one for the
jewels, you confess their loss. No, Mr Laputa, if you want
them back, you must go yourself and take me with you.'
He stood silent for a little, with his brows knit in thought.
Then he opened the door and went out. I guessed that he had
gone to discover from his scouts the state of the country
between Inanda's Kraal and Machudi's glen. Hope had come
back to me, and I sat among the mealie-stalks trying to plan
the future. If he made a bargain I believed he would keep it.
Once set free at the head of Machudi's, I should be within an
hour or two of Arcoll's posts. So far, I had done nothing for
the cause. My message had been made useless by Henriques'
treachery, and I had stolen the Snake only to restore it. But if
'You have made little of your treachery,' he said. 'Fool, did
you think to escape me? I could bring you back from the ends
of the earth.'
'There was no treachery,' I replied. 'Do you blame a prisoner
for trying to escape? When shooting began I found myself free,
and I took the road for home. Ask Machudi's men and they
will tell you that I came quietly with them, when I saw that
the game was up.'
He shrugged his shoulders. 'It matters very little what you
did. You are here now. - Tie him up and put him in my kya,'
he said to the bodyguard. 'I have something to say to him
before he dies.'
As the men laid hands on me, I saw the exultant grin on
Henriques' face. It was more than I could endure.
'Stop,' I said. 'You talk of traitors, Mr Laputa. There is the
biggest and blackest at your elbow. That man sent word to
Arcoll about your crossing at Dupree's Drift. At our outspan
at noon yesterday he came to me and offered me my liberty if
I would help him. He told me he was a spy, and I flung his
offer in his face. It was he who shot the Keeper by the river
side, and would have stolen the Snake if I had not broken his
head. You call me a traitor, and you let that thing live, though
he has killed your priest and betrayed your plans. Kill me if
you like, but by God let him die first.'
I do not know how the others took the revelation, for my
eyes were only for the Portugoose. He made a step towards
me, his hands twitching by his sides.
'You lie,' he screamed in that queer broken voice which
much fever gives. 'It was this English hound that killed the
Keeper, and felled me when I tried to save him. The man who
insults my honour is dead.' And he plucked from his belt a pistol.
A good shot does not miss at two yards. I was never nearer
my end than in that fraction of time while the weapon came up
to the aim. It was scarcely a second, but it was enough for
Colin. The dog had kept my side, and had stood docilely by
me while Laputa spoke. The truth is, he must have been as
tired as I was. As the Kaffirs approached to lay hands on me
he had growled menacingly, but when I spoke again he had
stopped. Henriques' voice had convinced him of a more urgent
danger, and so soon as the trigger hand of the Portugoose rose,
the dog sprang. The bullet went wide, and the next moment
dog and man were struggling on the ground.
A dozen hands held me from going to Colin's aid, but oddly
enough no one stepped forward to help Henriques. The ruffian
kept his head, and though the dog's teeth were in his shoulder,
he managed to get his right hand free. I saw what would
happen, and yelled madly in my apprehension. The yellow
wrist curved, and the pistolbarrel was pressed below the dog's
shoulder. Thrice he fired, the grip relaxed, and Colin rolled
over limply, fragments of shirt still hanging from his jaw. The
Portugoose rose slowly with his hand to his head, and a thin
stream of blood dripping from his shoulder.
As I saw the faithful eyes glazing in death, and knew that I
had lost the best of all comrades, I went clean berserk mad.
The cluster of men round me, who had been staring open-eyed
at the fight, were swept aside like reeds. I went straight for the
Portugoose, determined that, pistol or no pistol, I would serve
him as he had served my dog.
For my years I was a well-set-up lad, long in the arms and
deep in the chest. But I had not yet come to my full strength,
and in any case I could not hope to fight the whole of Laputa's
army. I was flung back and forwards like a shuttlecock. They
played some kind of game with me, and I could hear the idiotic
Kaffir laughter. It was blind man's buff, so far as I was
concerned, for I was blind with fury. I struck out wildly left
and right, beating the air often, but sometimes getting in a
solid blow on hard black flesh. I was soundly beaten myself,
pricked with spears, and made to caper for savage sport.
Suddenly I saw Laputa before me, and hurled myself madly at
his chest. Some one gave me a clout on the head, and my
senses fled.
When I came to myself, I was lying on a heap of mealie-stalks in
a dark room. I had a desperateheadache, and a horrid nausea,
which made me fall back as soon as I tried to raise myself.
A voice came out of the darkness as I stirred - a voice
speaking English.
'Are you awake, Mr Storekeeper?'
The voice was Laputa's, but I could not see him. The room
was pitch dark, except for a long ray of sunlight on the floor.
'I'm awake,' I said. 'What do you want with me?'
Some one stepped out of the gloom and sat down near me.
A naked black foot broke the belt of light on the floor.
'For God's sake get me a drink,' I murmured.
The figure rose and fetched a pannikin of water from a pail.
I could hear the cool trickle of the drops on the metal. A hand
put the dish to my mouth, and I drank water with a strong
dash of spirits. This brought back my nausea, and I collapsed
on the mealie-stalks till the fit passed.
Again the voice spoke, this time from close at hand.
'You are paying the penalty of being a fool, Mr Storekeeper.
You are young to die, but folly is common in youth. In an
hour you will regret that you did not listen to my advice at
Umvelos'.'
I clawed at my wits and strove to realize what he was saying.
He spoke of death within an hour. If it only came sharp and
sudden, I did not mind greatly. The plan I had made had
slipped utterly out of my mind. My body was so wretched,
that I asked only for rest. I was very lighthearted and foolish at
that moment.
'Kill me if you like,' I whispered. 'Some day you will pay
dearly for it all. But for God's sake go away and leave
me alone.'
Laputa laughed. It was a horrid sound in the darkness.
'You are brave, Mr Storekeeper, but I have seen a brave
man's courage ebb very fast when he saw the death which I
have arranged for you. Would you like to hear something of it
by way of preparation?'
In a low gentle voice he began to tell me mysteries of awful
cruelty. At first I scarcely heard him, but as he went on my
brain seemed to wake from its lethargy. I listened with freezing
blood. Not in my wildest nightmares had I imagined such a
fate. Then in despite of myself a cry broke from me.
'It interests you?' Laputa asked. 'I could tell you more, but
something must be left to the fancy. Yours should be an active
one,' and his hand gripped my shaking wrist and felt my pulse.
'Henriques will see that the truth does not fall short of my
forecast,' he went on. 'For I have appointed Henriques
your executioner.'
The name brought my senses back to me.
'Kill me,' I said, 'but for God's sake kill Henriques too. If
you did justice you would let me go and roast the Portugoose
alive. But for me the Snake would be over the Lebombo by
this time in Henriques' pocket.'
'But it is not, my friend. It was stolen by a storekeeper, who
will shortly be wishing he had died in his mother's womb.'
My plan was slowly coming back to me.
'If you value Prester John's collar, you will save my life.
What will your rising be without the Snake? Would they follow
you a yard if they suspected you had lost it?'
'So you would threaten me,' Laputa said very gently. Then
in a burst of wrath he shouted, 'They will follow me to hell for
my own sake. Imbecile, do you think my power is built on a
trinket? When you are in your grave, I will be ruling a hundred
millions from the proudest throne on earth.'
He sprang to his feet, and pulled back a shutter of the
window, letting a flood of light into the hut. In that light I saw
that he had in his hands the ivory box which had contained
the collar.
'I will carry the casket through the wars,' he cried, 'and if I
choose never to open it, who will gainsay me? You besotted
fool, to think that any theft of yours could hinder my destiny!'
He was the blustering savage again, and I preferred him in
the part. All that he said might be true, but I thought I could
detect in his voice a keen regret, and in his air a touch of
disquiet. The man was a fanatic, and like all fanatics had his
superstitions.
'Yes,' I said, 'but when you mount the throne you speak of,
it would be a pity not to have the rubies on your neck after all
your talk in the cave.'
I thought he would have throttled me. He glowered down at
me with murder in his eyes. Then he dashed the casket on the
floor with such violence that it broke into fragments.
'Give me back the Ndhlondhlo,' he cried, like a petted child.
'Give me back the collar of John.'
This was the moment I had been waiting for.
'Now see here, Mr Laputa,' I said. 'I am going to talk
business. Before you started this rising, you were a civilized
man with a good education. Well, just remember that education
for a minute, and look at the matter in a sensible light.
I'm not like the Portugoose. I don't want to steal your rubies.
I swear to God that what I have told you is true. Henriques
killed the priest, and would have bagged the jewels if I had not
laid him out. I ran away because I was going to be killed to-day,
and I took the collar to keep it out of Henriques' hands. I
tell you I would never have shot the old man myself. Very
well, what happened? Your men overtook me, and I had no
choice but to surrender. Before they reached me, I hid the
collar in a place I know of. Now, I am going to make you a fair
and square business proposition. You may be able to get on
without the Snake, but I can see you want it back. I am in a
tight place and want nothing so much as my life. I offer to
trade with you. Give me my life, and I will take you to the
place and put the jewels in your hand. Otherwise you may kill
me, but you will never see the collar of John again.'
I still think that was a pretty bold speech for a man to make
in a predicament like mine. But it had its effect. Laputa ceased
to be the barbarian king, and talked like a civilized man.
'That is, as you call it, a business proposition. But supposing
I refuse it? Supposing I take measures here - in this kraal - to
make you speak, and then send for the jewels.'
'There are several objections,' I said, quite cheerfully, for I
felt that I was gaining ground. 'One is that I could not explain
to any mortal soul how to find the collar. I know where it is,
but I could not impart the knowledge. Another is that the
country between here and Machudi's is not very healthy for
your people. Arcoll's men are all over it, and you cannot have
a collection of search parties rummaging about in the glen for
long. Last and most important, if you send any one for the
jewels, you confess their loss. No, Mr Laputa, if you want
them back, you must go yourself and take me with you.'
He stood silent for a little, with his brows knit in thought.
Then he opened the door and went out. I guessed that he had
gone to discover from his scouts the state of the country
between Inanda's Kraal and Machudi's glen. Hope had come
back to me, and I sat among the mealie-stalks trying to plan
the future. If he made a bargain I believed he would keep it.
Once set free at the head of Machudi's, I should be within an
hour or two of Arcoll's posts. So far, I had done nothing for
the cause. My message had been made useless by Henriques'
treachery, and I had stolen the Snake only to restore it. But if
- yesterday [´jestədi]
n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词) - keeper [´ki:pə] n.管理人；看守；保管人 (初中英语单词)
- stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- traitor [´treitə] n.叛徒，卖国贼 (初中英语单词)
- priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)
- weapon [´wepən] n.武器；斗争手段 (初中英语单词)
- sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)
- bullet [´bulit] n.子弹 (初中英语单词)
- pistol [´pistl] n.手枪 vt.用手枪射击 (初中英语单词)
- barrel [´bærəl] n.(琵琶)桶；圆筒 (初中英语单词)
- faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)
- cluster [´klʌstə] n.一串 v.群集；丛生 (初中英语单词)
- laughter [´lɑ:ftə] n.笑，笑声 (初中英语单词)
- beaten [´bi:tn] beat 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)
- desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)
- sunlight [´sʌnlait] n.日光 (初中英语单词)
- despite [di´spait] prep.尽管 (初中英语单词)
- shortly [´ʃɔ:tli] ad.立刻，马上；不久 (初中英语单词)
- collar [´kɔlə] n.衣领；(狗等的)项圈 (初中英语单词)
- threaten [´θretn] v.恐吓；有....的危险 (初中英语单词)
- gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)
- violence [´vaiələns] n.猛烈；暴力(行) (初中英语单词)
- waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
- sensible [´sensəbəl] a.感觉得到的 (初中英语单词)
- surrender [sə´rendə] vt.&n.交出；引渡；放弃 (初中英语单词)
- otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)
- healthy [´helθi] a.健康的 (初中英语单词)
- collection [kə´lekʃən] n.收集；征收；募捐 (初中英语单词)
- confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)
- bargain [´bɑ:gin] n.买卖合同 v.议(价) (初中英语单词)
- useless [´ju:sləs] a.无用的，无价值的 (初中英语单词)
- restore [ri´stɔ:] vt.(使)恢复；修复 (初中英语单词)
- revelation [,revə´leiʃən] n.展现；揭露(的事物) (高中英语单词)
- fraction [´frækʃən] n.小部分；一点儿 (高中英语单词)
- apprehension [,æpri´henʃən] n.理解；忧虑；逮捕 (高中英语单词)
- hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)
- headache [´hedeik] n.头痛；使人头痛的事 (高中英语单词)
- horrid [´hɔrid] a.令人讨厌的；极糟的 (高中英语单词)
- penalty [´penlti] n.刑罚；惩罚；障碍 (高中英语单词)
- strove [strəuv] strive的过去式 (高中英语单词)
- throne [θrəun] n.宝座；王位 (高中英语单词)
- shutter [´ʃʌtə] n.百叶窗；(相机)快门 (高中英语单词)
- hinder [´hində, ´haində] vt.阻止 a.后面的 (高中英语单词)
- proposition [,prɔpə´ziʃən] n.提议；主张；陈述 (高中英语单词)
- civilized [´sivilaizd] a.先进的；文明的 (高中英语单词)
- cheerfully [´tʃiəfuli] ad.高兴地，愉快地 (高中英语单词)
- mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)
- impart [im´pɑ:t] vt.传授；赋予；告知 (高中英语单词)
- trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
- thrice [θrais] ad.三倍地；三次 (英语四级单词)
- trickle [´trikəl] v.滴下 n.点滴；细流 (英语四级单词)
- casket [´kɑ:skit] n.(精美)匣子；首饰盒 (英语四级单词)
- overtook [,əuvə´tuk] overtake的过去式 (英语四级单词)
- barbarian [bɑ:´beəriən] a.&n.野蛮(人)的 (英语四级单词)
- trigger [´trigə] n.扳机 vt.触发，启动 (英语六级单词)
- beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)
- fanatic [fə´nætik] a.狂热的 n.狂热者 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
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