Tom Why’s voice accompanied by the clatter1 of tin pans awoke Jack2 next day, from a very sound sleep. The lad at first was thoroughly3 mystified, for it was rarely that good natured Tom ever objected to anything either he or Mr. Ryder did. It was evident, however, from the pitch of the Chinaman’s voice that he was slightly indignant.
“Me can no savvy4 leason to put holes in him dlish pan. Him alle samee no glood then,” continued Tom.
“Well, I want to put wires through the bottom of the pans and make searchlights out of[152] them. What if your old pans are spoiled, Tom. When the next train comes up from Mexico City I’ll have a carload for you if you want them,” said Mr. Ryder.
“Me no wantee clarload. Me wantee tlu dlishe pans, and me no wantee liars5 put thlu him bottom, too.”
“All right, Tom,” laughed the engineer; “you shall have two of the finest dishpans south of the Rio Grande if you’ll only let me have these two.”
The conversation had done more than amuse Jack. It had made him thoroughly curious, for he could not understand how Mr. Ryder could make a searchlight out of a tin dishpan. He lost no time in tumbling out of bed and dressing7, and five minutes after the engineer had left the house the youth was ready to follow him. Just as Jack entered the main room, however, Tom Why came in at the back door.
“Hello there, Tom, did Mr. Ryder confiscate8 your dishpans?” asked the boy.
[153]
“No him no dloo lat. Him just takee him dlish plans. Him get Tlom Why tlu flines likee clums to Melexeclo,” said Tom with a grin. Then he added, “Allee samee Jack want him dlinner now?”
“Dinner?” exclaimed the boy, “why, what time is it? Well, by George, if it isn’t three o’clock. I’ve slept nearly ten hours. How long has Mr. Ryder been up?”
“Him alle samee come from him room an’ slay9, ‘Tom, glet my bleckflast!’ Then him look at him clock him slay, ‘Gleat Clats, him one o’clock. Tom, glet me my dlinner!’” Tom tried to imitate the engineer as he quoted Mr. Ryder’s remarks and the result made Jack laugh heartily10.
In a surprisingly short time the Chinaman had the table spread and a steaming hot meal before the young American. But the lad hurried every mouthful (much to Tom’s displeasure), for he was eager to reach the plant and witness the operation of converting tin dishpans into searchlights. Also, he was curious to know what had transpired11 since dawn that morning.
[154]
When Jack reached the little machine shop on the north side of the power plant he found Mr. Ryder in the center of a pile of wire, pieces of iron pipe, electric light bulbs and all sorts of odds12 and ends. The engineer was busily engaged with one of Tom’s precious tin dishpans.
“Oh! there you are, I thought you were due to sleep all day,” said the engineer banteringly as Jack arrived. “You are just in time to witness an attempt to build a genuine spotlight13 out of the cook’s most cherished possession.”
“I heard all about it when you were trying to persuade Tom to be generous with his pans. What do you mean to do anyway?” said Jack.
“Why, I intend to spring a little surprise on our wire-cutting friends this evening if they should happen around, which I expect they will. I’m going to put a cluster of electric bulbs in each of these tin dishpans, and put them up on iron rods in position so that they will sweep the line of barbed-wire defense14. I’m going to keep them dark until the sentries15 see the ‘shadows’ that visited us last night, then I’m going to switch them on and have a firing[155] party ready. Oh! the wire cutters will receive an ideal reception, I’ll warrant. You see, fairly bright tin shaped in this manner will magnify the light beam from three to five times and that will throw a spotlight as far as necessary. Tin is an excellent reflector for all ordinary purposes. With the ten thirty-two candlepower lamps which I intend to use in each cluster, I will get a beam of light 1600 candlepower intensity16. Of course that amounts to very little when compared with the huge thirty-inch searchlight of ours that magnified a light several hundred times.
“These searchlights will be operated by remote control; that is, a wire will be run from the lights to the roof of the power station where Phil will be on duty as usual. The moment he gets a signal from the sentries he will throw on a switch which will connect with both wires and the line of fence will be lighted from either direction at once. The firing squad17 will be just beyond the lower trenches18 and behind the lights, so that they will not be blinded by the sudden glare. The bandits on the other hand will be surprised and made temporarily[156] blind by the sudden flash of light and before they get away the riflemen will discourage any idea of future wire cutting parties.”
“It sounds like a first-rate scheme,” said Jack appreciatively. Then suddenly remembering the prisoner of the night before he queried20: “How is our friend, the rurale? Have you seen him to-day?”
“Yes, I’ve seen him,” said the engineer as he paused in his work of fitting a group of lamp sockets21 inside the tin pan. “He’s a mighty22 meek23 individual too just now. I guess his thoughts are on the trial he’s to have to-morrow morning. The chief witnesses over-slept this morning or he would probably have faced court-martial before this. It was a lucky thing for him that we did oversleep too, for it gives him a few hours longer to live at any rate.”
“What does he have to say for himself?” asked the lad.
“Well, in the first place, he’s the man whom Se?or Yuai described. He did live in the Indian village over the mountain, and he did[157] cut his foot by stepping on a machette. His name is Alfonso Perro. I asked him why he was sneaking24 about the place last night and he said that he had made arrangements with the peon who keeps the cottage for the lineman to get some pulque for the troopers. Pulque is the Mexican drink, you know. It is made from the sap of the century plant or maquay plant and when properly prepared is a very fiery25 and highly intoxicating26 drink. Don’t ever touch it, my boy, for it has ruined the chance of more than one American who acquired a taste for it. We do not allow it to be brought into Necaxa at all, but the rurale says that every time the linemen’s peon goes to the village he smuggles27 in several jugs28 of the stuff. Some was smuggled29 in yesterday and the rurale said he was on his way to get it and bring it back to the barracks when you captured him. Of course I have had the peon arrested also. He too is in the guardhouse, but he swears that he has never smuggled pulque into Necaxa.
“I accused Perro of having tampered30 with the machinery31 in the plant from time to time[158] and also of stealing my plans, and I must say he is a very good actor, for he feigned32 surprise wonderfully well. But when I told him how we set a trap for him and discovered that he had a scar on his foot he looked even more surprised, and that surprise was genuine. I think Captain Alvarez, of the rurales, is decidedly angry over the whole affair and he is determined33 to have the prisoner face a firing squad as soon as possible.”
“Well, I can’t help feeling a little sorry for the man,” said Jack, who felt rather unhappy when he realized how much he had helped in sending the man to his end.
“I feel sorry myself,” added Mr. Ryder, “and if he would only tell the truth about the plans and give me some idea where they are I’d do my utmost to save his life. However, the best that I could do would be of little avail, I’m afraid, for Captain Alvarez takes charge of all prisoners and the man’s fate is entirely34 in his hands.”
The two searchlights were completed late that afternoon, but Mr. Ryder did not make[159] an attempt to erect35 them until after dark, for as he explained to Jack, “Those bandits may have lookouts36 stationed on the mountains, and to have them see our new lights would knock the little surprise party into a cocked hat.”
It required but a very little time to put the lamps in place, for the engineer had fastened each tin pan to a section of iron pipe and this was easily strapped37 to a tree at either end of the clearing in front of the plant. The sentries were carefully coached that night before they were sent to their post, and most of the men in the village as well as the extra soldiers and rurales, gathered in the trenches to watch for developments.
But hours of waiting under such strained conditions was far from comfortable and after a while the men grew restive38. In twos and threes they began to leave for their cottages, quite disappointed that nothing spectacular had happened. Jack, who was in the first trench19, began to grow tired of the suspense39 too. Indeed, he was just on the point of going back to the cottage himself, when suddenly[160] a rifle shot rang out at one end of the clearing. This was followed by another further up the line of fence and instantly Phil Underwood, on the roof, jammed home the switch.
The flood of light that swept along the barricade40 revealed almost a score of bandits, with machettes and big wire nippers. Some were discovered in the very act of snipping41 strands42 of wire while others, thoroughly frightened, were turning to flee, but they had scarcely moved two steps before the roar of a dozen rifles burst forth43.
Jack saw two men toss up their hands and pitch forward in the grass. Another staggered a few steps, then he too fell in a limp heap. Other shots rang out, but the rebels got beyond the range of the improvised44 searchlights and were lost in the dark before any others were brought down.
It all transpired so quickly that Jack could hardly believe his eyes. He felt as if he had been looking at a motion picture of something that had taken place in a far-off land. But he[161] realized the horror of it all when several soldiers crawled under the barbed wire fence and picked up the three lifeless forms. Indeed, he was forced to turn away, for the whole scene became very repulsive45 to him. The idea of trapping human beings like rats and slaughtering46 them, was hideous47. But the other men laughed and joked over the occurrence exactly as if they had but recently witnessed a performance at a theater.
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1
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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2
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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3
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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4
savvy
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| v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的 | |
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5
liars
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| 说谎者( liar的名词复数 ) | |
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6
appeased
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| 安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
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7
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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8
confiscate
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| v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公 | |
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9
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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10
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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transpired
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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12
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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13
spotlight
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| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
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14
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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15
sentries
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| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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18
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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21
sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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22
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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25
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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26
intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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27
smuggles
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| v.偷运( smuggle的第三人称单数 )；私运；走私；不按规章地偷带（人或物） | |
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28
jugs
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| （有柄及小口的）水壶( jug的名词复数 ) | |
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29
smuggled
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| 水货 | |
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30
tampered
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| v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
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31
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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34
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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35
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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36
lookouts
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| n.寻找（ 某人/某物）( lookout的名词复数 )；是某人（自己）的问题；警戒；瞭望台 | |
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37
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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38
restive
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| adj.不安宁的，不安静的 | |
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39
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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40
barricade
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| n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住 | |
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41
snipping
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| n.碎片v.剪( snip的现在分词 ) | |
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42
strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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43
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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44
improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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45
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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46
slaughtering
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 ) | |
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47
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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