Five o’clock robed down from the sun and plumped soundlessly into the sea. The golden collar widened into a glittering island; and a faint breeze that had been playing with the edges of the awning1 and swaying one of the dangling2 blue slippers3 became suddenly freighted with song. It was a chorus of men in close harmony and in perfect rhythm to an accompanying sound of oars4 dealing5 the blue writers. Ardita lifted her head and listened.
“Carrots and Peas,
Beans on their knees,
Pigs in the seas,
Lucky fellows!
Blow us a breeze,
Blow us a breeze,
Blow us a breeze,
Ardita’s brow wrinkled in astonishment7. Sitting very still she listened eagerly as the chorus took up a second verse.
“Onions and beans,
Marshalls and Deans,
Goldbergs and Greens
And Costellos.
Blow us a breeze,
Blow us a breeze,
Blow us a breeze,
With your bellows.”
With an exclamation8 she tossed her book to the desk, where it sprawled9 at a straddle, and hurried to the rail. Fifty feet away a large rowboat was approaching containing seven men, six of them rowing and one standing10 up in the stern keeping time to their song with an orchestra leader’s baton11.
“Oysters and Rocks,
Sawdust and socks,
Who could make clocks
The leader’s eyes suddenly rested on Ardita, who was leaning over the rail spellbound with curiosity. He made a quick movement with his baton and the singing instantly ceased. She saw that he was the only white man in the boat — the six rowers were negroes.
“Narcissus ahoy!” he called politely.
What’s the idea of all the discord13?” demanded Ardita cheerfully. “Is this the varsity crew from the county nut farm?”
By this time the boat was scraping the side of the yacht and a great bulking negro in the bow turned round and grasped the ladder. Thereupon the leader left his position in the stern and before Ardita had realized his intention he ran up the ladder and stood breathless before her on the deck.
“The women and children will be spared!” he said briskly. “All crying babies will be immediately drowned and all males put in double irons!” Digging her hands excitedly down into the pockets of her dress Ardita stared at him, speechless with astonishment. He was a young man with a scornful mouth and the bright blue eyes of a healthy baby set in a dark sensitive face. His hair was pitch black, damp and curly — the hair of a Grecian statue gone brunette. He was trimly built, trimly dressed, and graceful14 as an agile15 quarter-back.
“Well, I’ll be a son of a gun!” she said dazedly16.
They eyed each other coolly.
“Do you surrender the ship?”
“Is this an outburst of wit? “ demanded Ardita. “Are you an idiot — or just being initiated17 to some fraternity?”
“I asked you if you surrendered the ship.”
“I thought the country was dry,” said Ardita disdainfully. “Have you been drinking finger-nail enamel18? You better get off this yacht!”
“What?” the young man’s voice expressed incredulity.
“Get off the yacht! You heard me!”
He looked at her for a moment as if considering what she had said.
“No” said his scornful mouth slowly; “No, I won’t get off the yacht. You can get off if you wish.”
Going to the rail be gave a curt19 command and immediately the crew of the rowboat scrambled20 up the ladder and ranged themselves in line before him, a coal-black and burly darky at one end and a miniature mulatto of four feet nine at to other. They seemed to be uniformly dressed in some sort of blue costume ornamented21 with dust, mud, and tatters; over the shoulder of each was slung22 a small, heavy-looking white sack, and under their arms they carried large black cases apparently23 containing musical instruments.
“‘Ten-SHUN!” commanded the young man, snapping his own heels together crisply. “Right DRISS! Front! Step out here, Babe!”
The smallest Negro took a quick step forward and saluted24.
“Take command, go down below, catch the crew and tie ’em up — all except the engineer. Bring him up to me. Oh, and pile those bags by the rail there.”
“Yas-suh!”
Babe saluted again and wheeling about motioned for the five others to gather about him. Then after a short whispered consultation25 they all filed noiselessly down the companionway.
“Now,” said the young man cheerfully to Ardita, who had witnessed this last scene in withering26 silence, “if you will swear on your honor as a flapper — which probably isn’t worth much — that you’ll keep that spoiled little mouth of yours tight shut for forty-eight hours, you can row yourself ashore27 in our rowboat.”
“Otherwise what?”
“Otherwise you’re going to sea in a ship.”
With a little sigh as for a crisis well passed, the young man sank into the settee Ardita had lately vacated and stretched his arms lazily. The corners of his mouth relaxed appreciatively as he looked round at the rich striped awning, the polished brass28, and the luxurious29 fittings of the deck. His eye felt on the book, and then on the exhausted30 lemon.
“Hm,” he said, “Stonewall Jackson claimed that lemon-juice cleared his head. Your head feel pretty clear?”
“Because inside of five minutes you’ll have to make a clear decision whether it’s go or stay.”
He picked up the book and opened it curiously32.
“The Revolt of the Angels. Sounds pretty good. French, eh?” He stared at her with new interest “You French?”
“No.”
“What’s your name?”
“Farnam.”
“Farnam what?”
“Ardita Farnam.”
“Well Ardita, no use standing up there and chewing out the insides of your mouth. You ought to break those nervous habits while you’re young. Come over here and sit down.”
Ardita took a carved jade33 case from her pocket, extracted a cigarette and lit it with a conscious coolness, though she knew her hand was trembling a little; then she crossed over with her supple34, swinging walk, and sitting down in the other settee blew a mouthful of smoke at the awning.
“You can’t get me off this yacht,” she raid steadily35; “and you haven’t got very much sense if you think you’ll get far with it. My uncle’ll have wirelesses36 zigzagging37 all over this ocean by half past six.”
“Hm.”
She looked quickly at his face, caught anxiety stamped there plainly in the faintest depression of the mouth’s corners.
“It’s all the same to me,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “‘Tisn’t my yacht. I don’t mind going for a coupla hours’ cruise. I’ll even lend you that book so you’ll have something to read on the revenue boat that takes you up to Sing-Sing.”
He laughed scornfully.
“If that’s advice you needn’t bother. This is part of a plan arranged before I ever knew this yacht existed. If it hadn’t been this one it’d have been the next one we passed anchored along the coast.”
“Who are you?” demanded Ardita suddenly. “And what are you?”
“You’ve decided38 not to go ashore?”
“I never even faintly considered it.”
“We’re generally known,” he said “all seven of us, as Curtis Carlyle and his Six Black Buddies39 late of the Winter Garden and the Midnight Frolic.”
“You’re singers?”
“We were until to-day. At present, due to those white bags you see there we’re fugitives40 from justice and if the reward offered for our capture hasn’t by this time reached twenty thousand dollars I miss my guess.”
“What’s in the bags?” asked Ardita curiously.
“Well,” he said “for the present we’ll call it — mud — Florida mud.”
收听单词发音 |
1
awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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bellows
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| n.风箱；发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的名词复数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的第三人称单数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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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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baton
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| n.乐队用指挥杖 | |
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12
cellos
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| n.大提琴( cello的名词复数 ) | |
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discord
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| n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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dazedly
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| 头昏眼花地，眼花缭乱地，茫然地 | |
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initiated
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| n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入 | |
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enamel
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| n.珐琅，搪瓷，瓷釉；(牙齿的)珐琅质 | |
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19
curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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20
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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21
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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23
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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24
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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25
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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26
withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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27
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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28
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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29
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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30
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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31
disdained
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| 鄙视( disdain的过去式和过去分词 )； 不屑于做，不愿意做 | |
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32
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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33
jade
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| n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠 | |
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34
supple
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| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
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35
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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36
wirelesses
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| n.无线电，收音机( wireless的名词复数 )；无线电接收机或发射机 | |
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37
zigzagging
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| v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的现在分词 )；盘陀 | |
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38
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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39
buddies
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| n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人 | |
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40
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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