“There’s not much up with your pal5, Jack,” said one of the spectres aforesaid; “give him some more whisky; he’s hit his head and got knocked silly, that’s all.”
What was this? A surge of blood coursed through 58me. I made a supreme6 effort and opened both eyes fully7. The light was poor, but it was enough. The face of the man nearest me was the face of Burnett, by him stood a rough-looking artisan, and, by all that is marvellous, Michael Schwartz!
“Here, take this,” said Burnett, as the rough-looking man handed him the glass, “you’ll be all right in a minute.” I drank it off mechanically and, imbued8 with new strength, sat bolt upright on the bench. Burnett watched me satirically as I tried to cope with the situation. By the light of a small lamp hanging in a niche9 over my head I saw that I was in a low small room about twelve feet square, with bare greyish-looking walls and a few slit-like openings near the ceiling which did duty, no doubt, for windows. A few chests, several chairs, and a table of the same greyish colour constituted its furniture. Almost directly opposite me was a low door through which blew gusts10 of chilly11 mist, but as to what lay beyond it I could not of course form a conjecture12. Having made this rapid survey I turned in astonishment13 to my three stolid14 companions, mutely entreating15 some sort of clue to the mystery.
Schwartz then made an attempt to rouse me by asking how I had enjoyed my nocturnal run in the park. But I was still too surprised to answer. I was 59thinking how Burnett could have carried me safe away, where he could possibly have brought me, what had become of our pursuers, where the mysterious Hartmann was, who had fired the shots? These and a multitude of like riddles17 rendered me speechless with bewilderment. When I had more or less fully regained18 voice and strength I turned to Burnett, and ignoring the impish Schwartz, said curtly—
“Where on earth am I?”
“You aren’t on earth at all,” was the answer, and the three burst into a hearty19 laugh. “Nor in heaven,” added the speaker; “for if so neither Schwartz nor Thomas would be near you.”
“Come, a truce20 to humbug21! Am I in London, on the river, in an anarchist22’s haunt, or where?”
“I am quite serious. But if you want something more explicit23, well, you are not in London but above it.”
I looked at the three wonderingly. A faint light was beginning to break on my mind. But no, the thing was impossible!
“Are you able to walk now?” said Burnett. “Come, Schwartz, you take one arm and I’ll take another. Between us we’ll give Mr. Constitutionalist a lesson. Stanley, my boy, in all your days you never saw a sight such as I am going to show you now.”
60“But it is nothing to what we shall see, comrade, when the captain gives the word,” added Schwartz.
“Thank you,” I replied, “I will lean on you, Burnett. I can do without Herr Schwartz’s assistance.”
We moved across the room.
“Hist!” whispered Burnett, “don’t be nasty to the German. He’s the captain’s right hand. It was he, too, who knocked over your man just now and so saved you from trouble. Take my advice and be discreet25.”
I nodded.
“But who——”
“Wait a moment and look around you.”
We had crossed the doorway26 and were standing27 in a sort of open bulwarked passage which evidently ran on for some length on either side. I stepped to the bulwarks28.
“Look below,” said Burnett.
I looked long and earnestly, while Schwartz and Thomas stood silently in the background. It was a strange sight, and it was some time ere I seized its meaning. It was very dark outside, the only light being that coming through the doorway of the chamber29 I had just quitted. But far below, as it seemed, glittered innumerable specks30 like stars, a curious contrast to the inkiness of the cloudy pall31 above us. As I gazed down into the depths I became 61conscious of a dull murmur32 like that of whirling machinery33, and forthwith detected a constant vibration34 of the ledge35 on which my elbow rested. Then, and then only, the truth rushed upon me.
I WAS BEING CARRIED OVER LONDON IN THE CRAFT OF HARTMANN THE ANARCHIST
63I was being carried over London in the craft of Hartmann the Anarchist.
Horrified with my thoughts—for the potentialities of this fell vessel36 dazed me—I clung fiercely to Burnett’s arm.
“I am, then, on the——,” I gasped37.
“Deck of the Attila,” put in Burnett. “Behold the craft that shall wreck38 civilization and hurl39 tyrannies into nothingness!”
But my gaze was fixed40 on those lights far below, and my thought was not of the tyrannies I had left, but of the tyranny this accursed deck might minister to. And Hartmann, they said, was remorseless.
“Yes,” growled41 Thomas hoarsely42, “I live for the roar of the dynamite43.”
Schwartz, stirred to enthusiasm, shouted a brutal44 parody45 of Tennyson.
“The dynamite falls on castle walls
And splendid buildings old in story.
The column shakes, the tyrant46 quakes,
And the wild wreckage47 leaps in glory.
Throw, comrade, throw: set the wild echoes flying;
Throw, comrade; answer, wretches48, dying, dying, dying.”
64If the remainder of the crew resembled this sample, I was caged in a veritable inferno49. As yet, of course, I knew nothing of their numbers or feelings, but my expectations were far from being roseate.
“But, man!” I cried, turning to Burnett, “would you massacre50 helpless multitudes? you, who prate51 of tyranny, would you, also, play the r?le of tyrants52?”
Before the gathering53 horror all my wonder at the Attila had vanished. I felt only the helpless abject54 dismay with which one confronts an appalling55 but inevitable56 calamity57. At that moment some disaster to the a?ronef would have been welcome. The masterful vice24 of the fanatics58 maddened me. Rebel, however, as I might, I was of no account. The snake that snapped at the file had more in his favour.
“We don’t argue here,” said Burnett, “we act. If you want arguments, you must wait till you see the captain. Disputes with us are useless.”
So even he was becoming surly. It was natural enough, however, as a moment’s reflection showed. The alligator59 on land is ordinarily mild enough, in his element he is invariably a terrible monster. The “suspect” anarchist of Stepney was courteous60 and argumentative, but the free and independent anarchist of the Attila dogmatic and brutal. It was obviously best policy to humour him, for he alone, perhaps, 65might stand by me at a pinch. I endeavoured to throw oil on the troubled waters.
“You used not to mind criticism,” I urged.
“Oh no! but those days are past. Don’t take what I say unkindly, for we all mean you well. The captain will always talk, but we here are tired of it. We only exist now to act—when the word is passed. So you will consult our convenience and your own much more effectually if you drop all such homilies for the future.”
“Yes,” put in Thomas, “I had enough of it in London. Fifteen years of revolutionary socialist61 talking and nothing ever done! But wait a few weeks and I warrant it will be said that we here have atoned62 wonderfully well for arrears63. Come, a glass to our captain—the destined64 destroyer of civilization!” The gallant65 three, acting66 on this hint, left me to digest their advice and retired67 within. How long I remained thinking I know not. Some one brought me a chair, but I was too abstracted to thank him. For fully an hour I must have looked down on those twinkling lights with a terror beyond the power of words to express. All was as Burnett had said. The dream of Hartmann was realized. The exile and outcast, lately sheltered from the law in the shadow of Continental68 cities, now enjoyed power such as a hundred 66Czars could not hope for. The desperadoes with him, hated by and hating society, were probably one and all devoured69 by lust70 of blood and revenge. The three I knew were all proscribed71 men, loathing72 not only the landlord and capitalist but the workers, who would most of them have rejoiced over their capture. They attacked not only the abuses and the defects but the very foundations of society. Their long-cherished thought had been to shatter the trophies73 of centuries. And the long-contemplated opportunity had come at last!
One resource remained. What they meant to do with me was uncertain. But my relations with Burnett and the friendship of Hartmann’s mother were sufficient to avert74 any apprehension75 of violence. My endeavour then henceforward must be to work on the mind of Hartmann, to divert this engine of mischief76 into as fair a course as possible, to achieve by its aid a durable77 and relatively78 bloodless social revolution, and to reap by an authority so secure from overthrow79 a harvest of beneficial results. Buoyed80 up by these brighter thoughts, I now began to find time for a more immediate81 interest. What of this wonderful vessel or a?ronef itself? What was it built of? how was it propelled, supported, steered82, manned, constructed? Rising from my chair, I felt my way 67along the railing forward, but found the way barred by some door or partition. As I made my way back I met Burnett, who emerged from the low door already mentioned.
“What, exploring already?” he said. “It’s no good at this hour, as you have doubtless discovered. Come inside and I’ll see you are made cosy83 for the night. You must want sleep, surely.”
I followed him in without a word. Passing into the chamber he pressed a spring in the wall, and a concealed84 door flew back revealing a dark recess85. He struck a light, and there became visible a comfortable berth86 with the usual appurtenances of a homely87 cabin such as one would occupy in the second-class saloon of an ordinary ocean-going steamer.
“By the way,” I said, “you have not told me what happened in the park; I am dying to know.”
“It is easily told. When you fell, the two detectives were up in a moment. I turned round meaning to shoot, but before I emptied a barrel, crack, crack, crack, came a series of reports from aloft, and both men were settled, one spinning right across you—see, your coat is covered with blood. The explanation is that thirty feet up between the alleys88 of the trees floated the Attila, and Hartmann and Schwartz were indulging in a little sport. I very soon climbed up 68the ladder which was swinging close by the tree we were to have come to, and you were shortly afterwards hauled up in a carefully tied sheet. Why did we take you on board? I am surprised at your asking. We could not stop, and the idea of leaving you stunned89, and in the compromising company of dead men, was not arguable. Would you have relished90 the idea of a trial as murderer and anarchist? You meant well, you see, by me, and the captain was strong in your favour. Some of the men know of you, and no one had a bad word to say—save that your theories were rather Utopian. But you may change.”
For awhile I was silent. I thought of my Utopian project. Then I said, “So far as my theories go, I will confine myself now to one remark. An air-ship may be used as well as abused.”
Burnett laughed. “That’s better! Don’t forget, however, to define your view of us to the captain. Hallo! I must be off on watch!” An electric bell tinkled91 sharply in the outer chamber. “Good-night.”
“Good-night.”
Just before turning in I looked closely at the basin of my wash-hand stand. It was of the same silvery grey colour which I had noted92 on the walls of the cabin, and which, indeed, seemed ubiquitous. A sudden thought struck me. I emptied out the water 69and lifted it up. Its weight seemed so absurdly small that I could hardly believe my senses. But one thing was clear. The mystery of the thin silvery grey plate was explained. It was out of such materials that the body of the Attila was fashioned. The riddle16 of Schwartz previously93 half brushed aside was at last solved completely.
As I was dropping off to sleep a novel reflection assailed94 me. What would Lena think of my absence to-morrow? Of this terrible night in the park she would not, of course, dream. Still——, but sleep speedily quenched95 my thinking.
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1
expiate
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| v.抵补，赎罪 | |
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horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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4
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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6
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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12
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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13
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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14
stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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15
entreating
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
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16
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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17
riddles
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| n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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19
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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21
humbug
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| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
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anarchist
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| n.无政府主义者 | |
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explicit
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| adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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26
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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27
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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28
bulwarks
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| n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙 | |
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29
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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31
pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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32
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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36
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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41
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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43
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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parody
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| n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文 | |
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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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wreckage
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| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
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wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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49
inferno
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| n.火海；地狱般的场所 | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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prate
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| v.瞎扯，胡说 | |
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52
tyrants
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| 专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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54
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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55
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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56
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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fanatics
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| 狂热者，入迷者( fanatic的名词复数 ) | |
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alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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socialist
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| n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的 | |
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atoned
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| v.补偿，赎（罪）( atone的过去式和过去分词 )；补偿，弥补，赎回 | |
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63
arrears
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| n.到期未付之债，拖欠的款项；待做的工作 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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71
proscribed
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| v.正式宣布（某事物）有危险或被禁止( proscribe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
loathing
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| n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢 | |
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73
trophies
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| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
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74
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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75
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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76
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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durable
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| adj.持久的，耐久的 | |
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relatively
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| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
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overthrow
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| v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆 | |
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buoyed
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| v.使浮起( buoy的过去式和过去分词 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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85
recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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86
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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alleys
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| 胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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relished
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| v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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tinkled
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| （使）发出丁当声，（使）发铃铃声( tinkle的过去式和过去分词 )； 叮当响着发出，铃铃响着报出 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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quenched
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| 解（渴）( quench的过去式和过去分词 )； 终止（某事物）； （用水）扑灭（火焰等）； 将（热物体）放入水中急速冷却 | |
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