CHAPTER IV. — A TIMELY RESCUE.

 On the last evening spent in Melbourne the boys decided¹ to take a farewell walk about the city, not knowing when it would again be their fortune to see it. Neither Fletcher nor their new Yankee acquaintance was at hand, and they started by themselves. They did not confine themselves to the more frequented streets, but followed wherever fancy led.

 

They had no thought of an adventure, but one awaited them.

 

As they were turning the corner of a narrow street, their attention was suddenly excited by a sharp cry of blended surprise and fright.

 

"What is it, Jack²?" asked Harry³, grasping his companion by the arm.

 

He did not need to await a reply, for by the indistinct light he saw two men struggling a few rods further on. One appeared to be an old man, with white hair, the other was a man of middle age. Clearly it was a case of attempted robbery.

 

"Run, Jack, run!" said Harry, in excitement. "Let us help the old man!"

 

"I'm with you," answered the young sailor briefly⁴.

 

Harry had in his hand a heavy cane—his only weapon—but he did not stop to consider the personal risk he was running. As he drew near, the old man, whose feeble strength was quite unequal to a conflict with a man so much younger, swayed and fell backward. His assailant bent⁵ over him, and despite his feeble resistance began to search his pockets, at the same time indulging in savage⁶ threats. The old man gave himself up for lost, but help was nearer than he anticipated.

 

So occupied was the villain⁷ with his disgraceful work that he did not hear the approaching footsteps.

 

His first intimation of them came in a sounding blow over his shoulders, given by Harry's stick, which was laid on with a good will.

 

He jumped to his feet with an oath, and darted⁸ a rapid glance at his two assailants. Then, much to the surprise of Harry, he turned and ran rapidly away. It was a piece of great good luck, Harry thought, for he was not at all sure that he and Jack combined would have been a match for the highwayman.

 

"Are you hurt, sir?" asked Harry, bending over the old man.

 

"Not seriously," was the reply. "Will you kindly⁹ help me up?"

 

With Jack's help Harry got the old man on his feet. He was a tall man, of splendid aspect, over sixty years of age. He looked like a gentleman of wealth and position.

 

"You have had a narrow escape, sir," said our hero.

 

"Yes, indeed," answered the old man, "thanks to your brave interference. It surprises me that my brutal¹⁰ assailant should have run away from two boys."

 

"I am surprised also, sir. I feared we should have a hard fight. I suppose his object was robbery."

 

"Yes, he must have heard in some way that I had a large sum of money about me. Thanks to you, it is safe."

 

"I am very glad, sir."

 

"Do you mind accompanying me to my house? This attack has made me timid."

 

"With pleasure, sir."

 

The old gentleman lived perhaps a quarter of a mile distant in a handsome house. He pressed the boys to enter, and they did so. He questioned them as to their plans, and then selecting two bank-notes of large denomination¹¹, urged the boys to accept them as a recognition of the help they had given him at a critical moment. The boys, however, declined positively¹² to accept any compensation, but expressed their satisfaction at having been of service.

 

"At least," said the old gentleman, "you must promise to call on me when you return from the mines. There is my card."

 

"That we will do with pleasure, sir," answered Harry.

 

He looked at the card, and read the name of Henry A. Woolson.

 

"Harry," said Jack, as they resumed their walk, "do you know that robber had a look like Fletcher?"

 

"So I thought, Jack, but I had only a glimpse, and could not be sure. I wish he were not to be in our party."

 

"We must be on our guard; I don't fancy him much."

 

When the boys saw Fletcher in the morning he appeared as usual, and they were disposed to think they were mistaken. Yet the lurking¹³ suspicion occurred to them from time to time, and made them feel uneasy.

 

The next day they set out on their journey, accompanied by Dick Fletcher and Obed Stackpole.

 

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

5 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。

6 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

7 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

8 darted   

v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

10 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

11 denomination   

n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位

参考例句：

• The firm is still operating under another denomination.这家公司改用了名称仍在继续营业。
• Litre is a metric denomination.升是公制单位。

12 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

13 lurking   

潜在

参考例句：

• Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的，想干什么？
• There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》