Philip was so deeply engaged in directing the movements of those at the cannon2 that he paid no attention to what was taking place outside his own sphere of action. Knowing perfectly3 well the manners of the apes, he understood that if the volleys of grape should cease even for a few moments Goliah’s forces would charge in overwhelming numbers, believing the colonists4 were growing weaker. Therefore, as rapidly as four men could clean and load each piece, it was discharged point-blank at that portion of the thicket6 in which the enemy appeared to be concealed7 in greatest force.
The range was too short to permit of the grape-shot doing as much execution as it would have done at five or six times the distance, and after seven or[274] eight rounds had been fired Philip discarded the iron balls entirely8, loading the cannon heavily with pebbles9 and fragments of rock, which, flying in every direction, would spread over a much larger space than round shot.
It was while he was most active in this work, and when the two cottages immediately adjoining the central dwelling10 had caught fire, that Captain Seaworth approached the chief of artillery11 looking troubled and pale.
“That a body of men should be routed by apes seems ridiculous,” he said; “but at this moment I confess I see no chance of success in this unequal battle. What is your opinion?”
Philip delayed answering only long enough to discharge one cannon at the thicket of mimosas south of the burning village, and then, after directing the gunners to clean and reload the piece in the shortest possible time, he replied, gravely:
“I am ready to obey your orders, captain, whatever they may be, and however much they vary from my own ideas; but I am convinced that a continuation of this fight will result in the disablement of all your forces. Already the natives are growing alarmed in the presence of an unseen enemy who, without fire-arms, can do so much execution, and if they should become panic-stricken the white members of the party will be left to the mercy of the apes.”
“Then you propose——”
“I propose nothing, captain. I have simply given[275] my opinion because you asked it, and not with any desire to influence your movement.”
Then Philip rushed forward to another cannon which had been loaded, and after discharging it returned to Captain Seaworth, who said:
“I am convinced you are correct. With the limited amount of water at our command it will be impossible to stay the progress of the flames, and we must leave the village to its destruction. Withdraw your guns one by one after I have sent the wounded to the ship. It will be necessary for you to cover the retreat with the cannon, because we have so many in the hospital that nearly the entire working-force are required to transport them.”
“Then it is to be a retreat?”
“If we were fighting against men I should feel warranted in a complete surrender to prevent further slaughter13; but since that is impossible it must be as you say—a retreat. I will send those who are fighting the flames to assist you in the more rapid discharge of the cannon while we are carrying the wounded to the ship. Messengers must be dispatched to Mr. Clark, with instructions for him to forward all aboard the Reynard to aid us on the way.”
Philip wasted no time in reply. He realized fully14 how important it was that a more vigorous defense15 should be made just at this moment, and he urged the men to renewed exertions16, if indeed that was possible when every one battled for life itself.
[276]
Then began what has probably never had an equal in warfare—the retreat of a large body of armed men before a party of apes.
As Captain Seaworth had said, it required the greater portion of his force to convey the wounded, and so few remained to work the heavy guns, drawing them back a few paces toward the sea-coast after each discharge, that the commander himself was forced to assist Philip.
It was fully a quarter of an hour before the last wounded man left the building which had been converted into a temporary hospital, and then, foot by foot, the little party of artillerists literally17 fought their way backward, while the rapid discharge of fire-arms from those in advance told that the apes had already circled around the retreating army. As a cannon was discharged it would be drawn18 twenty or thirty paces to the rear, the men reloading even while it was moving, and the showers of stones came thicker and more frequent.
Before half the necessary distance was traversed Philip’s left shoulder had been so severely19 cut with a fragment of rock as to render the arm useless, while blood streamed down the captain’s face from many minor20 wounds. Hardly a man among those who were protecting the rear was uninjured, and just when Philip began to fear that what had commenced as an orderly march would end in a complete rout12, reinforcements from the ships arrived.
This party of thirty fresh men, each with a plentiful21 supply of ammunition22, checked the closely-pursuing[277] apes, and it became possible to move the cannon forty or fifty yards after each discharge.
Finally, to the intense relief of all, the beach was gained, and here it was necessary to form in regular line of battle while the wounded were being conveyed to the ships in small boats.
It seemed as if the apes understood that this was their last opportunity, for they immediately redoubled their efforts. But now, however, being so near a place of safety, the men fought even more courageously23 than before, and huge sheets of flame burst from the weapons as the missiles went hurtling through the branches, causing great slaughter, as could be told by the shrieks24 of the wounded and dying animals.
Then the cannon were abandoned on the sea-shore when the boats from both vessels25 were drawn up ready to receive the defenders26 at the same moment, and, still discharging their muskets27 rapidly, the men were at last conveyed to a place of comparative safety.
The deck of the Reynard looked not unlike that of a line-of-battle ship after a terrific naval28 engagement. Hammocks were slung29 in every direction; improvised30 cots were placed fore5 and aft; and the surgeon, with all the women, was fully occupied in dressing31 the wounds until the sun once more sent down his pitiless glare over the island and the sea.
Looking shoreward, along the road Philip had caused to be made while he was king of the apes, nothing could be seen of the picturesque32 little village[278] save a heap of blackened, smoking ruins. The flames had done their work thoroughly33, and not a single building remained standing34. That the scheme of colonizing35 the island must be abandoned for the time being, at least, Philip understood, since even if Goliah and his forces could have been exterminated36 immediately a return to the United States was necessary in order to replenish37 the stores, as well as to provide new buildings for the laborers38.
When the wounded had been made as comfortable as was possible under the circumstances, Philip thought for the first time of the two chimpanzees, and not seeing them anywhere around, he feared, through some mischance, they had gone ashore39 in one of the boats, in which case their doom40 was certainly sealed.
In this, however, he was mistaken. Half an hour later, while assisting the crew to rig up temporary berths41 in the hold, he found the two animals cowering42 in the forward portion of the ship, behind some spare cables, and it was many moments before he could induce either to come on deck.
Toward noon, when the intense heat rendered it almost impossible for the crew to continue the work of converting the ship into a temporary hospital, Captain Seaworth held another consultation43, and this time it had no reference to how the apes might be exterminated, but was simply a question of when it would be possible to set sail.
There were yet a sufficient number of men to work the ships as far as Batavia, unless they were[279] attacked by the pirates; and after deciding that it would be better to run the chances of a fight at sea than be caught at anchor by the Malays, Captain Seaworth reported the fact of Philip’s having found a vast amount of treasure in the subterranean44 chambers45.
Never yet did blood outweigh46 gold, and every member of the council was eager to become possessed47 of the precious metal, even at the risk of another encounter with the animals. There was but little discussion necessary in order to arrive at the opinion of the majority, which was that they should defer48 sailing until at least one journey could be made to the grotto49, and a certain amount of the wealth be brought away.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
illuminated
|
|
| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
cannon
|
|
| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
colonists
|
|
| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
fore
|
|
| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
thicket
|
|
| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
pebbles
|
|
| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
dwelling
|
|
| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
artillery
|
|
| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
rout
|
|
| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
slaughter
|
|
| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
defense
|
|
| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
exertions
|
|
| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
literally
|
|
| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
severely
|
|
| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
minor
|
|
| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
plentiful
|
|
| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
ammunition
|
|
| n.军火，弹药 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
courageously
|
|
| ad.勇敢地，无畏地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
shrieks
|
|
| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
vessels
|
|
| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
defenders
|
|
| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
muskets
|
|
| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
naval
|
|
| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
slung
|
|
| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
improvised
|
|
| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
dressing
|
|
| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
picturesque
|
|
| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
thoroughly
|
|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
colonizing
|
|
| v.开拓殖民地，移民于殖民地( colonize的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
exterminated
|
|
| v.消灭，根绝( exterminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
replenish
|
|
| vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
laborers
|
|
| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
ashore
|
|
| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
doom
|
|
| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
berths
|
|
| n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
cowering
|
|
| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
consultation
|
|
| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
subterranean
|
|
| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
chambers
|
|
| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
outweigh
|
|
| vt.比...更重，...更重要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
defer
|
|
| vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
grotto
|
|
| n.洞穴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |