Upon the afternoon of the day we caught sight of them in our boat, they had sighted a cluster of low islands, which put them in no small panic, because of their resemblance to those where the massacre8 had taken place. Whereas, they must have been full five hundred leagues from that fearful vicinity. However, they altered their course to avoid it; and a little before sunset, dropping the islands astern, resumed their previous track. But very soon after, they espied10 our little sea-goat, bounding over the billows from afar.
And when at last they perceived that the strange object was a boat, their fears, instead of being allayed12, only so much the more increased. For their wild superstitions13 led them to conclude, that a white man's craft coming upon them so suddenly, upon the open sea, and by night, could be naught14 but a phantom15. Furthermore, marking two of us in the Chamois, they fancied us the ghosts of the Cholos. A conceit16 which effectually damped Samoa's courage, like my Viking's, only proof against things tangible17. So seeing us bent18 upon boarding the brigantine; after a hurried over-turning of their chattels19, with a view of carrying the most valuable aloft for safe keeping, they secreted20 what they could; and together made for the fore9-top; the man with a musket21, the woman with a bag of beads22. Their endeavoring to secure these treasures against ghostly appropriation23 originated in no real fear, that otherwise they would be stolen: it was simply incidental to the vacant panic into which they were thrown. No reproach this, to Belisarius' heart of game; for the most intrepid24 Feegee warrior25, he who has slain26 his hecatombs, will not go ten yards in the dark alone, for fear of ghosts.
Their purpose was to remain in the top until daylight; by which time, they counted upon the withdrawal27 of their visitants; who, sure enough, at last sprang on board, thus verifying their worst apprehensions28.
They watched us long and earnestly. But curious to tell, in that very strait of theirs, perched together in that airy top, their domestic differences again broke forth30; most probably, from their being suddenly forced into such very close contact.
However that might be, taking advantage of our descent into the cabin, Samoa, in desperation fled from his wife, and one-armed as he was, sailor-like, shifted himself over by the fore and aft-stays to the main-top, his musket being slung31 to his back. And thus divided, though but a few yards intervened, the pair were as much asunder32 as if at the opposite Poles.
During the live-long night they were both in great perplexity as to the extraordinary goblins on board. Such inquisitive33, meddlesome34 spirits, had never before been encountered. So cool and systematic35; sagaciously stopping the vessel36's headway the better to rummage;—the very plan they themselves had adopted. But what most surprised them, was our striking a light, a thing of which no true ghost would be guilty. Then, our eating and drinking on the quarter- deck including the deliberate investment of Vienna; and many other actions equally strange, almost led Samoa to fancy that we were no shades, after all, but a couple of men from the moon.
Yet they had dimly caught sight of the frocks and trowsers we wore, similar to those which the captain of the Parki had bestowed37 upon the two Cholos, and in which those villains38 had been killed. This, with the presence of the whale boat, united to chase away the conceit of our lunar origin. But these considerations renewed their first superstitious39 impressions of our being the ghosts of the murderous half-breeds.
Nevertheless, while during the latter part of the night we were reclining beneath him, munching40 our biscuit, Samoa eyeing us intently, was half a mind to open fire upon us by way of testing our corporeality41. But most luckily, he concluded to defer42 so doing till sunlight; if by that time we should not have evaporated.
For dame43 Annatoo, almost from our first boarding the brigantine, something in our manner had bred in her a lurking44 doubt as to the genuineness of our atmospheric45 organization; and abandoned to her speculations46 when Samoa fled from her side, her incredulity waxed stronger and stronger. Whence we came she knew not; enough, that we seemed bent upon pillaging47 her own precious purloinings. Alas48! thought she, my buttons, my nails, my tappa, my dollars, my beads, and my boxes!
Wrought49 up to desperation by these dismal50 forebodings, she at length shook the ropes leading from her own perch29 to Samoa's; adopting this method of arousing his attention to the heinousness51 of what was in all probability going on in the cabin, a prelude52 most probably to the invasion of her own end of the vessel. Had she dared raise her voice, no doubt she would have suggested the expediency53 of shooting us so soon as we emerged from the cabin. But failing to shake Samoa into an understanding of her views on the subject, her malice54 proved futile55.
When her worst fears were confirmed, however, and we actually descended56 into the forecastle; there ensued such a reckless shaking of the ropes, that Samoa was fain to hold on hard, for fear of being tossed out of the rigging. And it was this violent rocking that caused the loud creaking of the yards, so often heard by us while below in Annatoo's apartment.
And the fore-top being just over the open forecastle scuttle57, the dame could look right down upon us; hence our proceedings58 were plainly revealed by the lights that we carried. Upon our breaking open her strong-box, her indignation almost completely overmastered her fears. Unhooking a top-block, down it came into the forecastle, charitably commissioned with the demolition59 of Jarl's cocoa-nut, then more exposed to the view of an aerial observer than my own. But of it turned out, no harm was done to our porcelain60.
At last, morning dawned; when ensued Jarl's discovery as the occupant of the main-top; which event, with what followed, has been duly recounted.
And such, in substance, was the first, second, third and fourth acts of the Parki drama. The fifth and last, including several scenes, now follows.
点击收听单词发音
1 steer | |
vt.驾驶,为…操舵;引导;vi.驾驶 | |
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2 steering | |
n.操舵装置 | |
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3 treacherous | |
adj.不可靠的,有暗藏的危险的;adj.背叛的,背信弃义的 | |
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4 watery | |
adj.有水的,水汪汪的;湿的,湿润的 | |
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6 inevitably | |
adv.不可避免地;必然发生地 | |
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7 glided | |
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
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8 massacre | |
n.残杀,大屠杀;v.残杀,集体屠杀 | |
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9 fore | |
adv.在前面;adj.先前的;在前部的;n.前部 | |
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10 espied | |
v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11 Augmented | |
adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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12 allayed | |
v.减轻,缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13 superstitions | |
迷信,迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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14 naught | |
n.无,零 [=nought] | |
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15 phantom | |
n.幻影,虚位,幽灵;adj.错觉的,幻影的,幽灵的 | |
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16 conceit | |
n.自负,自高自大 | |
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17 tangible | |
adj.有形的,可触摸的,确凿的,实际的 | |
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18 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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19 chattels | |
n.动产,奴隶( chattel的名词复数 ) | |
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20 secreted | |
v.(尤指动物或植物器官)分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 );隐匿,隐藏 | |
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21 musket | |
n.滑膛枪 | |
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22 beads | |
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链 | |
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23 appropriation | |
n.拨款,批准支出 | |
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24 intrepid | |
adj.无畏的,刚毅的 | |
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25 warrior | |
n.勇士,武士,斗士 | |
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26 slain | |
杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的过去分词 ); (slay的过去分词) | |
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27 withdrawal | |
n.取回,提款;撤退,撤军;收回,撤销 | |
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28 apprehensions | |
疑惧 | |
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29 perch | |
n.栖木,高位,杆;v.栖息,就位,位于 | |
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30 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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31 slung | |
抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 ); 吊挂; 遣送; 押往 | |
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32 asunder | |
adj.分离的,化为碎片 | |
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33 inquisitive | |
adj.求知欲强的,好奇的,好寻根究底的 | |
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34 meddlesome | |
adj.爱管闲事的 | |
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35 systematic | |
adj.有系统的,有计划的,有方法的 | |
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36 vessel | |
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
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37 bestowed | |
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38 villains | |
n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 );罪犯;(小说、戏剧等中的)反面人物;淘气鬼 | |
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39 superstitious | |
adj.迷信的 | |
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40 munching | |
v.用力咀嚼(某物),大嚼( munch的现在分词 ) | |
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41 corporeality | |
n.肉体的存在,形体的存在 | |
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42 defer | |
vt.推迟,拖延;vi.(to)遵从,听从,服从 | |
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43 dame | |
n.女士 | |
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44 lurking | |
潜在 | |
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45 atmospheric | |
adj.大气的,空气的;大气层的;大气所引起的 | |
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46 speculations | |
n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 );思考;投机活动;推断 | |
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47 pillaging | |
v.抢劫,掠夺( pillage的现在分词 ) | |
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48 alas | |
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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49 wrought | |
v.引起;以…原料制作;运转;adj.制造的 | |
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50 dismal | |
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的 | |
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51 heinousness | |
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52 prelude | |
n.序言,前兆,序曲 | |
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53 expediency | |
n.适宜;方便;合算;利己 | |
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54 malice | |
n.恶意,怨恨,蓄意;[律]预谋 | |
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55 futile | |
adj.无效的,无用的,无希望的 | |
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56 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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57 scuttle | |
v.急赶,疾走,逃避;n.天窗;舷窗 | |
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58 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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59 demolition | |
n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹 | |
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60 porcelain | |
n.瓷;adj.瓷的,瓷制的 | |
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