Chapter XXXII. Will of a Man

 My grandfather asking, “What hour is it?” stretched out his hand to a press beside him and drew forth¹ a pistol, and set this by him on the arm of his chair.

 

“Midnight!” I answered, glancing at the clock.

 

“Bradbury should have returned,” he said.  “Go to the door, lad, and ask who knocks.”

 

I hurried to the door, and to my question “Who’s there?” my Uncle Charles replied, “I, to be sure, nephew.  Pray open the door!”

 

“Let him come in,” my grandfather said.  “I bade him keep away.  Yet let him in.”

 

I drew the bar and opened the door, and instantly was thrust aside.  There entered, indeed, my uncle; there entered with him Blunt, Thrale, Mistress Barwise and her man and sons; and at their heels there came a surging crew, striving so one to precede the other that they blocked the doorway² momentarily; cursing, struggling, contending, they came on,—all the old rogues³ of Rogues’ Haven⁴, and with them seamen⁵ p. 252of Blunt’s crew.  Fired with drink, disorderly they came, with clatter⁶ of shoes, roar of voices, sounding above the very wind; all so intent upon their purpose—all so covetous⁷ for plunder⁸, that though they flung me back against the wall, they passed me by.  I realised that Oliver was by me; that his hands gripped my arms, and pulled me back, when I would have struggled to reach my grandfather; he was growling⁹ thickly, “Get away!  Now’s your chance!  Get away!  They’re mad with drink.  God knows what they’ll do.”

 

“I’ll stay here,” cried I.  “Don’t hold me, Oliver!  What of Miss Milne?”

 

“Locked in her room or fled the house.  I’ve not heard or seen her.  They’ve been looting.  Get away!”

 

I shook my head; his strong hands held me back against the wall; I must stand and watch, nor bear a hand to aid my grandfather.  He needed none, for though they burst in with a rush after my uncle, they paused, and fell to silence, seeing the old man sitting grimly in his chair.  Charles, slipping from them, held himself behind his father’s chair; the rogues crowding about the hearth¹⁰ approached no nearer.

 

My grandfather roared out in so full and strong a tone that for the shock of it they fell back from p. 253him, “What in the devil’s name is this?  Have ye gone mad?  Why d’ye come bursting into my room in the dead of night?  Speak, some of ye!  Charles, what is this?”

 

“I do assure you,” said my uncle clearly, “I have no part in this.”

 

“No part,” the woman Barwise jeered¹¹.  “Ay, then, no share in what we’ve come for, and what we’ll surely have.”  She thrust herself forward, her face enflamed; she pointed¹² her skinny hand at my grandfather and cried:

 

“D’ye hear me?  What we’re going to have!  What we’ve waited for too long.  What you took when you was pirate, and sunk English ships, and murdered—what you stole!”

 

He broke out with a bellow¹³ of anger, “Mutiny, hey?  Mutiny!  Thinking me dead or dying.  Thinking now you’ll take what you never had the courage to take—ay, and you’ve all grown old waiting for.  Mutiny!  Hey, you dogs?  Mark me, you dogs—am I broken?  Am I broken yet?”

 

And then it seemed that the will of the man triumphed over the wreck¹⁴ of his body.  Watching him from the wall, I saw him rise up from his chair, his hand gripping his pistol; I saw his eyes blaze and his face take colour; I saw the old rogues cower¹⁵ and break before him,—only the Barwise sons and the men who had never sailed p. 254with him yet held their ground; and Blunt watched unfaltering.  He laughed upon them trembling before him; he pointed his pistol at Thrale, and the fellow quivered like a leaf, and seemed the palsied dotard, while the master was yet strong.

 

“Hey, Thrale,” my grandfather mocked him, “you were bold with drink when you came in; but you never had the heart of a man.  You’d slit¹⁶ a throat in the dark; you’d no stomach for a red deck, and you’d vomit¹⁷ at the smoke of powder—rogue!  Hey, Barwise,—hey, your woman took you, for you’d not the heart to refuse her.  Ay, you’re drunk now, and you thought you were brave, but you sweat for terror.  Mistress, you were a bold wench once, and you did many things in your thieves’ kitchen at Shadwell a man would shudder¹⁸ for the very thought of.  Hey, you rogues, mutiny is it?  Mutiny?  You’d rob me—murder me—thinking me sick and weak?  D’ye mind a night off Malabar?  Roger Quirk¹⁹ it was—he’d a mind to be master of my ship.  And he came sneaking²⁰ into my cabin in the night, thinking to find me sleeping, and some of you were shuddering²¹ in the dark at his back, and ready to call him captain, and sail under him, if so be he murdered me.  But Roger Quirk died; at midnight he died, and p. 255it’s midnight now.  Hey, Roger Quirk led you then; who leads you now?”

 

They answered nothing; Charles leaned indolently against his father’s chair.  My grandfather grinned at the cowering²² rogues; he pointed at Mistress Barwise, “Is it old Bess Barwise?  D’ye shelter behind her skirts?  Blunt—you, why the devil do you break into my house in the night?  Answer me!”

 

But Mr. Blunt met him boldly, “I’m no servant of yours, Craike,” he said.  “I’ve no cause to fear you.  Nor have I ever feared.”

 

“Ay, you were cabin-boy on my last cruise, and profited by it.”

 

“And kept my eyes and ears open.  And know what you put away.  More, I’ve a right to come into the house when I will, and I’ve come.  You’ve profited by me.  Your son’s profited.  Your cellars are stocked with my cargoes²³.  I’ll not go out of this house to-night till I have what I’ve come for.  Where’s the loot?  That’s what you’ll hand over to us before we go to-night”—and suddenly swung round, and called to his seamen, “Where’s the boy?”

 

The seamen were upon me instantly; Oliver was thrust aside, cursing most foully²⁴.  Two fellows gripped me and dragged me forward, ranging me a prisoner before my grandfather and p. 256Blunt.  Said Blunt coolly, “Here’s one who’ll make you speak.  Hark’ee, Craike, you tell us where the loot is, or the lad’ll suffer for it.  Have you told him, Craike, where it’s hid?  Have you?  Then, by the Lord, he’ll tell us!”

 

“Loose the boy!” my grandfather said, quietly, “Hands off the boy!”

 

“Not till you say where the stuff’s hid.  He’ll go down to my ship to-night, except you speak.  D’ye hear me, Craike?”

 

My grandfather’s right hand shot up suddenly from the fold of his gown.  His pistol blazed; I heard Blunt scream; I saw him fall and writhe²⁵, and struggle on the floor.  My grandfather was roaring, “Loose the boy!  Loose him!”—and as the seamen recoiled²⁶ before him, his hand had dragged me from them, and pulled me in beside him.  And a great cry arose among them all; and silence fell as suddenly—silence save for the crying of the winds about the house.  I snatched my pistol from my tail-pocket and thrust it into his hand; he advanced slowly, and they fell back from him; he towered above them—a man above wolves.  I could picture him so upon the deck of his own ship in battle or in storm, or mutineers so cowering before him; peril²⁷ could be of no account to such a man—no, though he knew himself upon the shores of the eternal p. 257sea; though all the night seemed burthened with his sins; though his enemies were all about him, menacing in the house, or risen from the sea, he blenched²⁸ in no way.  The huge figure, the face suffused²⁹, the eyes aflame, the head thrown proudly back, the mocking laughter on his lips.

 

He cried to them, “Would you threaten me, rogues?  Would you come like carrion³⁰ crows about a dying beast?  Think you that I am dying—think you?  Hey, but I’ve whipped you many’s the time, when you’ve thought to put me from command of my ship, and set another in my place!  Hey, and men have died, and backs have run red—hey, and I’ve won; always I’ve won!  Blunt would have robbed me!  Take your man!  You!  You!”—pointing to two fellows of Blunt’s crew.  “Pick him up and take him out of here.  D’ye hear me?”—the pistol quivering in his grasp.

 

The seamen cowered³¹; bent³² low, took up Blunt’s body, and so bore him forth—their shipmates slouching after.  I heard the muttering of their voices and the clatter of their shoes sound away down the corridor.  Mistress Barwise and the old rogues would have scuttled³³ after, but my grandfather roared out, “Stay!  I’ve words for your ears—for you who have robbed me.  Stay!”

 

p. 258Shuddering, pale-faced, the rogues stood eyeing him,—the old brown men peering like so many ghosts from the dark by the door, the dying candles casting only a dim light, the leaping flame reflected in the puddle³⁴ of blood where Blunt had lain.  My grandfather faced them still, laughing upon them.  The wind came rolling up, and struck the house; the crying of the wind was as the crying of many voices; the rushing of the wind as the onrush of the sea.  He ceased to laugh; staring at him, while my uncle, white to the lips and wide-eyed, watched him from the hearth, I saw him stagger.  The pistols dropped from his hands.  He fell with a crash across the hearth.

1 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

3 rogues   

n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽

参考例句：

• 'I'll show these rogues that I'm an honest woman,'said my mother. “我要让那些恶棍知道，我是个诚实的女人。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The rogues looked at each other, but swallowed the home-thrust in silence. 那些恶棍面面相觑，但只好默默咽下这正中要害的话。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛

4 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

5 seamen   

n.海员

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather. 有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• In the storm, many seamen wished they were on shore. 在暴风雨中，许多海员想，要是他们在陆地上就好了。

6 clatter   

v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声

参考例句：

• The dishes and bowls slid together with a clatter.碟子碗碰得丁丁当当的。
• Don't clatter your knives and forks.别把刀叉碰得咔哒响。

7 covetous   

adj.贪婪的，贪心的

参考例句：

• She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。
• He raised his head,with a look of unrestrained greed in his covetous eyes.他抬起头来，贪婪的眼光露出馋涎欲滴的神情。

8 plunder   

vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠

参考例句：

• The thieves hid their plunder in the cave.贼把赃物藏在山洞里。
• Trade should not serve as a means of economic plunder.贸易不应当成为经济掠夺的手段。

9 growling   

n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼

参考例句：

• We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
• The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡，聚集在一起发牢骚。

10 hearth   

n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面

参考例句：

• She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
• She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

11 jeered   

v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The police were jeered at by the waiting crowd. 警察受到在等待的人群的嘲弄。
• The crowd jeered when the boxer was knocked down. 当那个拳击手被打倒时，人们开始嘲笑他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

13 bellow   

v.吼叫，怒吼；大声发出，大声喝道

参考例句：

• The music is so loud that we have to bellow at each other to be heard.音乐的声音实在太大，我们只有彼此大声喊叫才能把话听清。
• After a while,the bull began to bellow in pain.过了一会儿公牛开始痛苦地吼叫。

14 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

15 cower   

v.畏缩，退缩，抖缩

参考例句：

• I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.我决不会在任何一位大师面前发抖，也不会为任何恐吓所屈服。
• Will the Chinese cower before difficulties when they are not afraid even of death?中国人死都不怕，还怕困难吗？

16 slit   

n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂

参考例句：

• The coat has been slit in two places.这件外衣有两处裂开了。
• He began to slit open each envelope.他开始裁开每个信封。

17 vomit   

v.呕吐，作呕；n.呕吐物，吐出物

参考例句：

• They gave her salty water to make her vomit.他们给她喝盐水好让她吐出来。
• She was stricken by pain and began to vomit.她感到一阵疼痛，开始呕吐起来。

18 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

19 quirk   

n.奇事，巧合；古怪的举动

参考例句：

• He had a strange quirk of addressing his wife as Mrs Smith.他很怪，把自己的妻子称作史密斯夫人。
• The most annoying quirk of his is wearing a cap all the time.他最令人感到厌恶的怪癖就是无论何时都戴著帽子。

20 sneaking   

a.秘密的，不公开的

参考例句：

• She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
• She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走，躲开采访者。

21 shuddering   

v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• 'I am afraid of it,'she answered, shuddering. “我害怕，”她发着抖，说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• She drew a deep shuddering breath. 她不由得打了个寒噤，深深吸了口气。 来自飘（部分）

22 cowering   

v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He turned his baleful glare on the cowering suspect. 他恶毒地盯着那个蜷缩成一团的嫌疑犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He stood over the cowering Herb with fists of fury. 他紧握着两个拳头怒气冲天地站在惊魂未定的赫伯面前。 来自辞典例句

23 cargoes   

n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负

参考例句：

• This ship embarked cargoes. 这艘船装载货物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The crew lashed cargoes of timber down. 全体船员将木材绑牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 foully   

ad.卑鄙地

参考例句：

• This internationally known writer was foully condemned by the Muslim fundamentalists. 这位国际知名的作家受到了穆斯林信徒的无礼谴责。
• Two policemen were foully murdered. 两个警察被残忍地杀害了。

25 writhe   

vt.挣扎，痛苦地扭曲；vi.扭曲，翻腾，受苦；n.翻腾，苦恼

参考例句：

• They surely writhe under this pressure.他们肯定对这种压力感到苦恼。
• Her words made him writhe with shame.她的话使他惭愧地感到浑身不自在。

26 recoiled   

v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回

参考例句：

• She recoiled from his touch. 她躲开他的触摸。
• Howard recoiled a little at the sharpness in my voice. 听到我的尖声，霍华德往后缩了一下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

28 blenched   

v.（因惊吓而）退缩，惊悸( blench的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）变白，（使）变苍白

参考例句：

• She blenched before her accuser. 她在指控者面前畏缩了。 来自互联网

29 suffused   

v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her face was suffused with colour. 她满脸通红。
• Her eyes were suffused with warm, excited tears. 她激动地热泪盈眶。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

30 carrion   

n.腐肉

参考例句：

• A crow of bloodthirsty ants is attracted by the carrion.一群嗜血的蚂蚁被腐肉所吸引。
• Vultures usually feed on carrion or roadkill.兀鹫通常以腐肉和公路上的死伤动物为食。

31 cowered   

v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的过去式 )

参考例句：

• A gun went off and people cowered behind walls and under tables. 一声枪响，人们缩到墙后或桌子底下躲起来。
• He cowered in the corner, gibbering with terror. 他蜷缩在角落里，吓得语无伦次。

32 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

33 scuttled   

v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走

参考例句：

• She scuttled off when she heard the sound of his voice. 听到他的说话声，她赶紧跑开了。
• The thief scuttled off when he saw the policeman. 小偷看见警察来了便急忙跑掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 puddle   

n.(雨)水坑，泥潭

参考例句：

• The boy hopped the mud puddle and ran down the walk.这个男孩跳过泥坑，沿着人行道跑了。
• She tripped over and landed in a puddle.她绊了一下，跌在水坑里。