CHAPTER XXXI

On the surface only was the Great Deed a failure. Not a single pike hadbeen thrust into a white man's breast by his slave. Not a single torchhad been applied¹ to a Southern home. His chosen Captains never passedthe sentinel peak into Fauquier county. The Black Bees had not swarmed².
But the keen ear of the old man had heard the rumble³ of the swarming⁴ oftwenty million white hornets in the North.
The moment he had lifted his head a prisoner in the hands of hiscourteous captor, he foresaw the power which the role of martyrdom wouldgive to his cause. Instantly he assumed the part and played it withgenius to the last breath of his indomitable body.
He had stained the soil of Virginia with the blood of innocent andunoffending citizens. He had raised the Blood Feud⁶ at the right moment,a few months before a Presidential campaign. He had raised it at theright spot in a mountain gorge⁷ that looked southward to the Capitol atWashington and northward⁸ to the beating hearts of the millions, who hadbeen prepared for this event by the long years of the Abolition⁹ Crusadewhich had culminated¹⁰ in _Uncle Tom's Cabin_.
A wave of horror for a moment swept the nation, North and South.
Frederick Douglas fled to Europe. Sanborn, the treasurer¹¹ and manager ofthe conspiracy¹², hurried across the border into Canada. Howe and Stearnshid. Theodore Parker was already in Europe.
Poor, old, gentle, generous Gerrit Smith collapsed¹³ and was led to theinsane asylum¹⁴ at Ithaca, New York.
Two men alone of the conspirators¹⁶ realized the tremendous thing thathad been done--John Brown in jail at Charlestown, and Thomas WentworthHigginson, the militant¹⁷ preacher of Massachusetts.
To Brown, life had been an unbroken horror. His tragic¹⁸ Puritan soul hadever faced it with scorn--scorn for himself and the world. He was usedto failure and disaster. They had been his meat and drink. Bankruptcy,imprisonment, flight from justice and the death of half his children hadbeen mere¹⁹ incidents of life.
He had cast scarcely a glance at his dying sons in the Engine House. Hehad not tried to minister to them. His hand was tightly gripped on hiscarbine.
His grim soul now rose to its first long flight of religious ecstasy²⁰.
He saw that the Southerner's reverence²¹ for Law and Order would make hisexecution inevitable²². His dark spirit shouted for joy. His own blood, ifhe could succeed in playing the role of martyr⁵, would raise the BloodFeud to its highest power. No statesman, no leader, no poet, no seercould calm the spirit of the archaic²³ beast in man, which this martyrdomwould raise if skillfully played. He was sure he could play the rolewith success.
The one man in the North who saw with clear vision the thing whichBrown's failure had done was the Worcester clergyman.
Higginson was a preacher by accident. He was a born soldier. From thefirst meeting with Brown his fighting spirit had answered his cry forblood with a shout of approval. Higginson not only refused to run, butalso groaned²⁴ with shame at the fears of his fellow conspirators. Hisfirst utterance²⁵ was characteristic of his spirit.
"I am overwhelmed with remorse²⁶ that the men who gave him money and armscould not have been by his side when he fell."He stood his ground in Worcester and dared arrest. He did not proclaimhis guilt²⁷ from the housetop. But his friends and neighbors knew and hewalked the streets with head erect²⁸.
He did more. He joined with John W. LeBarnes and immediately organized aplot to liberate²⁹ Brown by force. He raised the money and engaged GeorgeH. Hoyt to go to Harper's Ferry, ostensibly to appear as his attorney atthe trial, in reality to act as a spy, discover the strength of thejail and find whether it could be stormed and taken by a company ofdetermined men.
At his first interview with Brown the spy revealed his purpose.
"I have come from Boston to rescue you," he whispered.
The old man's face was convulsed with anger. He spoke³¹ in the tones offinal command which had always closed argument with friend or foe³².
"Never will I consent to such a scheme.""But listen--""You listen to me, young man. The bare mention of this thing again and Ishall refuse to see or speak to you. Do you accept my decision, sir?"Hoyt agreed at once. Only in this way could he keep in touch with theman whom he had come to save.
"The last thing on this earth I would ask," Brown continued sternly, "isto be taken from this jail except by the State of Virginia when I shallascend the scaffold."Hoyt looked longingly³³ at the old-fashioned fireplace in his prison room.
Two men could have crawled up its flue at the same time.
His refusal did not stop Higginson's efforts. He appealed to the forlornwife at North Elba, New York, to go to Harper's Ferry, ask to see herhusband and whisper her plan into his ear. He sent the money and gotMrs. Brown as far as Baltimore on her journey when Brown heard of it andstopped her with a peremptory³⁴ command.
The determined³⁰ conspirator¹⁵ then worked up the proposition to buy a steamtug which could make 18 knots an hour, steam up the James River toRichmond, kidnap the Governor of the Commonwealth³⁵, Henry Wise, and holdhim for ransom³⁶ until Brown was released. The scheme only failed for thelack of money.
Higginson had seen one thing. Brown saw a bigger thing.
Higginson's refusal to flee was based on sound psychology³⁷. He knew thatfrom the day John Brown struck his brutal³⁸ blow at the heart of the Southand blood had begun to flow, the Blood Feud would be the biggest livingfact in the Nation's history.
He knew that he could remain in Worcester with impunity³⁹. The strength ofa revolution lies in the fact that its first bloodletting releases theinstincts of the animal in man hitherto restrained by law. He knew thatBrown's cry of Liberty for the slave would become for millions the cloakto hide the archaic impulse to kill. He knew that while the purpose ofcivilization is to restrain and control these instincts of the beast inman--it was too late for the forces of Law and Order to rally in theNorth. The first outbursts of indignation against Brown would quicklypass. They would be futile⁴⁰.
He read them with a smile. The _New York Herald_ said: "He has met witha fate which he courted, but his death and the punishment of all hiscriminal associates will be as a feather in the balance against themischievous consequences which will probably follow from the rekindlingof the slavery excitement in the South."The _Tribune_ took the lead in dismissing the act as the deed of amadman. The Hartford _Evening News_ declared:
"Brown is a poor, demented, old man. The calamity⁴¹ would never haveoccurred had there been no lawless and criminal invasion of Kansas."But the most significant utterance in the North came from the Pacifistleader of Abolition, William Lloyd Garrison⁴², himself. Higginson read itwith a cry of joy.
_The Liberator's_ words of comment were brief but significant of thecoming mob mind:
"The particulars of a misguided, wild, and apparently⁴³ insane, throughdisinterested and well-intended effort by insurrection, to emancipatethe slaves in Virginia, under the leadership of Captain John, alias'Osawatomie' Brown, may be found on our third page. Our views of warand bloodshed even in the best of causes, are too well known to need,repeating here; _but let no one who glories in the revolutionarystruggle of 1776, deny the right of slaves to imitate the example of ourfathers._"Even the leader of the movement for Abolition by peaceful means hadsuccumbed to the poison of the smell of human blood.
Higginson knew that the process of a revolution was always in the orderof Ideas, Leaders, The Mob, The Tread of Armies. For thirty yearsGarrison and the Abolition Crusaders had spread the Ideas. The InspiredLeader had at last appeared. His right arm had struck the first blow. Hecould hear the roar of the coming mob whose impulse to murder had beenroused. It would call their ancestral soul. The answer was a certainty.
He could see no necessity for Brown's blood to be spilled in martyrdom.
The old man, walking with burning eyes toward his trial, knew better.
His vision was clear. God had revealed His full purpose at last. Hewould climb a Virginia gallows⁴⁴ and drag millions down, from thatscaffold into the grave with him.

1 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

2 swarmed   

密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。
• When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

3 rumble   

n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说

参考例句：

• I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.我听到远处雷声隆隆。
• We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming.我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定，天要下雨了。

4 swarming   

密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。
• The beach is swarming with bathers. 海滩满是海水浴的人。

5 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

6 feud   

n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇

参考例句：

• How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？
• The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

7 gorge   

n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃

参考例句：

• East of the gorge leveled out.峡谷东面地势变得平坦起来。
• It made my gorge rise to hear the news.这消息令我作呕。

8 northward   

adv.向北；n.北方的地区

参考例句：

• He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。
• I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。

9 abolition   

n.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They declared for the abolition of slavery.他们声明赞成废除奴隶制度。
• The abolition of the monarchy was part of their price.废除君主制是他们的其中一部分条件。

10 culminated   

v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• a gun battle which culminated in the death of two police officers 一场造成两名警察死亡的枪战
• The gala culminated in a firework display. 晚会以大放烟火告终。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 treasurer   

n.司库，财务主管

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith was succeeded by Mrs.Jones as treasurer.琼斯夫人继史密斯先生任会计。
• The treasurer was arrested for trying to manipulate the company's financial records.财务主管由于试图窜改公司财政帐目而被拘留。

12 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

13 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

14 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

15 conspirator   

n.阴谋者，谋叛者

参考例句：

• We started abusing him,one conspirator after another adding his bitter words.我们这几个预谋者一个接一个地咒骂他，恶狠狠地骂个不停。
• A conspirator is not of the stuff to bear surprises.谋反者是经不起惊吓的。

16 conspirators   

n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The conspirators took no part in the fighting which ensued. 密谋者没有参加随后发生的战斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The French conspirators were forced to escape very hurriedly. 法国同谋者被迫匆促逃亡。 来自辞典例句

17 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

18 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

19 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

20 ecstasy   

n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷

参考例句：

• He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
• Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具，高兴得说不出话来。

21 reverence   

n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。

22 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

23 archaic   

adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的，已不通用的

参考例句：

• The company does some things in archaic ways,such as not using computers for bookkeeping.这个公司有些做法陈旧，如记账不使用电脑。
• Shaanxi is one of the Chinese archaic civilized origins which has a long history.陕西省是中国古代文明发祥之一，有悠久的历史。

24 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 utterance   

n.用言语表达，话语，言语

参考例句：

• This utterance of his was greeted with bursts of uproarious laughter.他的讲话引起阵阵哄然大笑。
• My voice cleaves to my throat,and sob chokes my utterance.我的噪子哽咽，泣不成声。

26 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

27 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

28 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

29 liberate   

v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由

参考例句：

• They did their best to liberate slaves.他们尽最大能力去解放奴隶。
• This will liberate him from economic worry.这将消除他经济上的忧虑。

30 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

31 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

32 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

33 longingly   

adv. 渴望地 热望地

参考例句：

• He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。
• Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情，一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。

34 peremptory   

adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的

参考例句：

• The officer issued peremptory commands.军官发出了不容许辩驳的命令。
• There was a peremptory note in his voice.他说话的声音里有一种不容置辩的口气。

35 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

36 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

37 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

38 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

39 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

40 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

41 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

42 garrison   

n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防

参考例句：

• The troops came to the relief of the besieged garrison.军队来援救被围的守备军。
• The German was moving to stiffen up the garrison in Sicily.德军正在加强西西里守军之力量。

43 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

44 gallows   

n.绞刑架，绞台

参考例句：

• The murderer was sent to the gallows for his crimes.谋杀犯由于罪大恶极被处以绞刑。
• Now I was to expiate all my offences at the gallows.现在我将在绞刑架上赎我一切的罪过。