Ortho looked around him. There was nothing to be seen but a toss of waters, breakers rushing foam-lipped before, beside him, roaring in his wake. The boat might have been a hind3 racing4 among a pack of wild hounds intent on overwhelming her and dragging her under. There was nothing in sight. He had missed the Scillies altogether, as he had long suspected.
After passing the Runnelstone he had kept his eyes skinned for the coal-fire beacon5 on St. Agnes (the sole light on the Islands), but not a flicker6 of it had he seen. He must have passed the wrong side of the Wolf and have missed the mark by miles and miles. As far as he could get his direction by dawn, the wind had gone back and he was running due south now. South—whither? He did not know and cared little.
Anson was dead, sitting up, wedged in the angle of the bows. He had died about an hour before dawn, Ortho thought, after a dreadful paroxysm of choking. Ortho had cried out to him, but got no answer beyond a long-drawn sigh, a sigh of relief, the sigh of a man whose troubles are over. Anson was dead, leaving a widow and three young children. His old friend was dead, had died in agony, shot through the lungs, and left to choke his life out in an open boat in mid-winter. Hatred7 surged through Ortho, hatred for the Preventive. If he ever got ashore8 again he’d search out the man that fired that shot and serve him likewise, and while he was choking he’d sit beside him and tell him about Anson in the open boat. As a matter of fact, the man who fired the shot was a recruit who let off his piece through sheer nerves and congratulated himself on having hit nobody—but Ortho did not know that.
All they had been trying to do was to make a little money—and then to come shooting and murdering people . . . ! Smuggling10 was against the law, granted—but there should have been some sort of warning. For two winters they had been running cargoes12 and not a soul seemed to care a fig13; then, all of a sudden, crash! The crash had come so suddenly that Ortho wondered for a fuddled moment if it had come, if this were not some ghastly nightmare and presently he would wake up and find himself in bed at Bosula and all well. A cold dollop of spray hit him in the middle of the back, drenching14 him, and there was Anson sitting up in the bows, the whole front of his smock deluged15 in blood; blood mingled16 with sea water washed about on the bottom of the boat. It was no dream. He didn’t care where he was going or what happened. He was soaked to the skin, famished17, numb18, body and soul, and utterly19 without hope—but mechanically he kept the boat scudding.
The clouds were down very low and heavy bellied20. One or two snow squalls swept over. Towards noon a few pale shafts21 of sunshine penetrated22 the cloud-wrack, casting patches of silver on the dreary23 waters. They brought no warmth, but the very sight of them put a little heart into the castaway. He fumbled24 in the locker25 under his seat and found a few scraps26 of stinking27 fish, intended for bait. These he ate, bones and all, and afterwards baled the boat out, hauled his sheet a trifle and put his helm to starboard with a hazy28 idea of hitting off the French coast somewhere about Brest, but the gig promptly29 shipped a sea, so he had to let her away and bale again.
Anson was getting on his nerves. The dead man’s jaw30 lolled in an idiotic31 grin and his eyes were turned up so that they were fixed32 directly on Ortho. Every time he looked up there were the eyes on him. It was more than he could stand. He left the tiller with the intention of turning Anson over on his face, but the gig showed a tendency to jibe33 and he had to spring back again. When he looked up the grin seemed more pronounced than ever.
“Grizzling because you’re out of it and I ain’t, eh?” he shouted, and was immediately ashamed of himself. He tried not to look at Anson, but there was a horrid34 magnetism35 about those eyes.
“I shall go light-headed soon,” he said to himself, and rummaged36 afresh in the locker, found a couple of decayed sand-eels and ate them.
The afternoon wore on. It would be sunset soon and then night again. He wondered where next morning would see him, if it would see him at all. He thought not.
“Can’t go on forever,” he muttered; “must sleep soon—then I’ll be drowned or froze.” He didn’t care. His sodden37 clothes would take him straight down and he was too tired to fight. It would be all over in a minute, finished and done with. At home, at the Owls38’ House now, Wany would be bringing the cows in. Bohenna would be coming down the hill from work, driving the plow39 oxen before him. There would be a grand fire on the hearth40 and the black pot bubbling. He could see Martha fussing about like an old hen, getting supper ready, bent41 double with rheumatism—and Eli, Eli . . . He wondered if the owls would hoot9 for him as they had for his father.
He didn’t know why he’d kept the boat going; it was only prolonging the misery42. Might as well let her broach43 and have done with it. Over with her—now! But his hand remained steadfast44 and the boat raced on.
The west was barred with a yellow strip—sunset. Presently it would be night, and under cover of night Fate was waiting for him crouched45 like a footpad.
He did not see the vessel46’s approach till she was upon him. She must have been in sight for some time, but he had been keeping his eyes ahead and did not look round till she hailed.
She was right on him, coming up hand over fist. Ortho was so surprised he nearly jumped out of his clothes. He stood up in the stern sheets, goggling47 at her foolishly. Was it a mirage48? Had he gone light-headed already? He heard the creak of her yards and blocks as she yawed to starboard, the hiss49 of her cut-water shearing50 into a sea, and then a guttural voice shouting unintelligibly51. She was real enough and she was yawing to pick him up! A flood of joy went through him; he was going to live after all! Not for nothing had he kept the Gamecock running. She was on top of him. The short bowsprit and gilded52 beak53 stabbed past; then came shouts, the roar of sundered54 water, a rope hurtling out of reach; a thump55 and over went the Gamecock, run down. Ortho gripped the gunnel, vaulted56 onto the boat side as it rolled under, and jumped.
The vessel was wallowing deep in a trough at the time. He caught the fore2-mast chains with both hands and hung trailing up to the knees in bubbling brine. Something bumped his knee. It was Anson; his leer seemed more pronounced than ever; then he went out of sight. Men in the channels gripped Ortho’s wrists and hoisted57 him clear. He lay where they threw him, panting and shivering, water dribbling58 from his clothes to the deck.
Aft on the poop a couple of men, officers evidently, were staring at the Gamecock drifting astern, bottom up. They did not consider her worth the trouble of going after. A negro gave Ortho a kick with his bare foot, handed him a bowl of hot gruel59 and a crust of bread. Ortho gulped60 these and then dragged himself to his feet, leaned against the main-jeers and took stock of his surroundings.
It was quite a small vessel, rigged in a bastard61 fashion he had never seen before, square on the main mast, exaggerated lugs62 on the fore and mizzen. She had low sharp entry, but was built up aft with quarter-deck and poop; she was armed like a frigate63 and swarming64 with men.
Ortho could not think where she housed them all—and such men, brown, yellow, white and black, with and without beards. Some wore pointed65 red caps, some wisps of dirty linen66 wound about their scalps, and others were bare-headed and shorn to the skin but for a lock of oily hair. They wore loose garments of many colors, chocolate, saffron, salmon67 and blue, but the majority were of a soiled white. They drew these close about their lean bodies and squatted68, bare toes protruding69, under the break of the quarter-deck, in the lee of scuttle70 butts71, boats, masts—anywhere out of the wind. They paid no attention to him whatever, but chatted and spat72 and laughed, their teeth gleaming white in their dark faces, for all the world like a tribe of squatting73 baboons74. One of them produced a crude two-stringed guitar and sang a melancholy75 dirge76 to the accompaniment of creaking blocks and hissing77 bow-wave. The sunset was but a chink of yellow light between leaden cloud and leaden sea.
There was a flash away in the dusk to port followed by the slam of a gun.
A gigantic old man came to the quarter-deck rail and bellowed78 across the decks. Ortho thought he looked like the pictures of Biblical patriarchs—Moses, for instance—with his long white beard and mantle79 blowing in the wind.
At his first roar every black and brown ape on deck pulled his hood80 up and went down on his forehead, jabbering81 incoherently. They seemed to be making some sort of prayer towards the east. The old man’s declamation82 finished off in a long-drawn wail83; he returned whence he had come, and the apes sat up again. The guitar player picked up his instrument and sang on.
A boy, twirling a naming piece of tow, ran up the ladders and lit the two poop lanterns.
Away to port other points of light twinkled, appearing and disappearing.
The negro who had given him the broth84 touched him on the shoulder, signed to him to follow, and led the way below. It was dark on the main deck—all the light there was came from a single lantern swinging from a beam—but Ortho could see that it was also packed with men. They lay on mats beside the hatch coamings, between the lashed85 carriage-guns, everywhere; it was difficult to walk without treading on them. Some of them appeared to be wounded.
The negro unhooked the lantern, let fall a rope ladder into the hold and pushed Ortho towards it. He descended86 a few feet and found himself standing87 on the cargo11, bales of mixed merchandise apparently88. In the darkness around him he could hear voices conversing89, calling out. The negro dropped after him and he saw that the hold was full of people—Europeans from what he could see—lying on top of the cargo. They shouted to him, but he was too dazed to answer. His guide propelled him towards the after bulkhead and suddenly tripped him. He fell on his back on a bale and lay still while the negro shackled90 his feet together, picked up the lantern and was gone.
“Englishman?” said a voice beside him.
“Aye.”
“Where did you drop from?”
“Picked up—I was blown off-shore.”
“Alone?”
“Yes, all but my mate, and he’s dead. What craft is this?”
“The Ghezala, xebec of Sallee.”
“Where are we bound for?”
“Sallee, on the coasts of Barbary, of course; to be sold as a slave among the heathen infidels. Where did you think you was bound for? Fortunate Isles91 with rings on your fingers to splice92 a golden queen—eh?”
“Barbary—infidels—slave,” Ortho repeated stupidly. No wonder Anson had leered as he went down!
He turned, sighing, over on his face. “Slaves—infidels—Barb . . .” and was asleep.
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1
scudding
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| n.刮面v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的现在分词 ) | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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hoot
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| n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭 | |
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smuggling
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| n.走私 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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fig
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| n.无花果(树) | |
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14
drenching
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| n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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15
deluged
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| v.使淹没( deluge的过去式和过去分词 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付 | |
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16
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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17
famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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19
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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bellied
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| adj.有腹的，大肚子的 | |
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21
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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22
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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23
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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24
fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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26
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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27
stinking
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| adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透 | |
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28
hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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32
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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jibe
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| v.嘲笑，与...一致，使转向；n.嘲笑，嘲弄 | |
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34
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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magnetism
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| n.磁性，吸引力，磁学 | |
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36
rummaged
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| 翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查 | |
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37
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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38
owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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39
plow
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| n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough | |
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40
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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41
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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42
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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43
broach
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| v.开瓶，提出(题目) | |
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44
steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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45
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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47
goggling
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| v.睁大眼睛瞪视， （惊讶的）转动眼珠( goggle的现在分词 ) | |
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48
mirage
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景 | |
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49
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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50
shearing
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| n.剪羊毛，剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 )；切断；剪切 | |
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51
unintelligibly
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| 难以理解地 | |
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52
gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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53
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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54
sundered
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| v.隔开，分开( sunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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56
vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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57
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
dribbling
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| n.（燃料或油从系统内）漏泄v.流口水( dribble的现在分词 )；（使液体）滴下或作细流；运球，带球 | |
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59
gruel
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| n.稀饭，粥 | |
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60
gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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61
bastard
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| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
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62
lugs
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| 钎柄 | |
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63
frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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64
swarming
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| 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 | |
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65
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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66
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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67
salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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68
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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69
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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70
scuttle
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| v.急赶，疾走，逃避；n.天窗；舷窗 | |
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71
butts
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| 笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂 | |
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72
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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73
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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74
baboons
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| n.狒狒( baboon的名词复数 ) | |
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75
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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76
dirge
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| n.哀乐，挽歌，庄重悲哀的乐曲 | |
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77
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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78
bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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79
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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80
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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81
jabbering
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| v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴 | |
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82
declamation
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| n. 雄辩，高调 | |
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83
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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84
broth
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| n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等) | |
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85
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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86
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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87
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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88
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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89
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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90
shackled
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| 给（某人）带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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91
isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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92
splice
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| v.接合，衔接；n.胶接处，粘接处 | |
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