CHAPTER XXVII. A MINER'S CABIN.

 Kit¹'s principal captor was known as Dick Hayden. He was an Englishman, and a leader in every kind of mischief². If there was any disturbance³ between the miners and their employers, he was generally found to be at the bottom of it. A naturally quarrelsome disposition⁴ was intensified⁵ by intemperance⁶. In the attack upon the circus tents he found himself in his element. His ignominious⁷ defeat made him ugly and revengeful.

 

His wife was dead, but he had one child, Janet, a girl of thirteen, who cooked for him and took care of his cabin. The poor girl had a hard time of it, but she endeavored so far as possible to avoid trouble with her brutal⁸ parent.

 

It was near ten o'clock when Hayden came home after locking Kit in the deserted⁹ cabin. He had gone away without supper, but late as it was, Janet had something hot ready for him on the stove.[Pg 134]

 

"Well, Janet, child, have you my supper ready?" he said, not unpleasantly, for his victory over Kit and the meditated¹⁰ revenge of the next day had put him in good humor.

 

"Yes, father; it's on the stove and ready to dish up."

 

"Lay the table, then, for I'm main tired and hungry."

 

The little girl quickly spread the cloth, and Dick Hayden ate like a voracious¹¹ animal.

 

When supper was over he sat back in his chair and lit a pipe. A comfortable supper made him loquacious¹².

 

"Well, Janet, you don't ask where I've been."

 

"Was it to the circus, father?"

 

"Yes."

 

"How did you like the show?"

 

"I didn't see it," he growled¹³, a frown gathering¹⁴ upon his brow.

 

"And why not, father?"

 

"Because we had a fight to get in free, and got the worst of it."

 

"They must be main strong, then, those circus men."

 

"Strong!" repeated Hayden, scornfully. "Well, mayhap they are, but we'd have bested them but for the giant."

 

"The giant! Is it the big man I saw in the parade?"

 

"Yes; he's as strong as three men. He flung me down as easily as I'd throw a boy."

 

"Then he must have been strong, for you're a powerful man, father."

 

"There isn't a man as works in the mine'll compare with me, lass," said Hayden, proudly; "but all the same I'm no match for a monster."[Pg 135]

 

"Tell me about it, father," said Janet, with natural curiosity.

 

Dick Hayden went on to describe the fight around the ticket stand, and how he had slipped away, intending to cut the ropes of the tent and let it down on the heads of the spectators gathered inside.

 

"I'd have done it, too," he added, "but for a kid."

 

"I thought just now you said it was the giant."

 

"And I stick to it, lass; but this boy saw what I was doing, and brought the giant to the spot. I could do nothing after that. He threw me down, so that for a few minutes I was stunned¹⁵."

 

"And how did the fight come out at the ticket stand, father?"

 

"Our men had almost overpowered the circus men, when the giant rushed into the midst, and, seizing a club from Bob Stubbs, laid about him, till half a dozen of our strongest men lay on the ground with broken heads."

 

What puzzled Janet was, that her father should have come home in such good humor after so disastrous¹⁶ a defeat. It was contrary to her experience of him. She would naturally have expected that he would be surly and quarrelsome. The mystery was soon made clear.

 

"But we've got even with them!" chuckled¹⁷ Hayden directly after.

 

"How is that, father?"

 

"We caught the kid."

 

"You have?"

 

"Yes; he was goin' to the circus cars to turn in when Stubbs and I caught him."

 

"You—you didn't kill him, father?" asked Janet in alarm.

 

"No, not yet."[Pg 136]

 

"Where is he?"

 

"Do you mind the deserted cabin on Knob Hill?"

 

"Yes, father."

 

"He's locked up in that, tied hand and foot."

 

"How long do you mean to keep him there?" asked Janet, anxiously.

 

"Till to-morrow, and then——" Dick paused ominously¹⁸.

 

"Well, and then?"

 

"He'll be lucky if he gets off with a whole skin," growled her father. "But for him I'd have brought down the tent about the ears of the people that sat inside, and we'd have had a fine revenge on the showmen."

 

"You don't mean to kill the boy, do you, father?"

 

"What is it to you, lass? You'd best mind your own business. You've got nothing to do with it."

 

"How does the boy look? Was it the one that drove the first chariot, father?"

 

"Like enough, lass! Did you see him?"

 

"Yes; I saw the parade. Everybody was out in the streets then."

 

"And you took partic'lar notice of the boy? That's like a lass," chuckled Hayden.

 

"But it was his duty, father, to stand by the show, seein' he belongs to it."

 

"I don't trouble myself about that. He brought that monster on me, and I'm sore yet with the fall he gave me. I'll take it out of the kid."

 

"But it seems to me, father, it would be better to lay for the giant."

 

"What folly¹⁹ is that, lass? I'd be main glad to give the giant a dose of what he gave me, but he'll leave town to-night, and I ain't big enough to tackle him, even if I had the chance. So I'll revenge my[Pg 137]self on his friend, the boy. The kid may be his son, for aught I know."

 

"And what will you do for him, father?" asked Janet, pertinaciously²⁰. "You won't kill him?"

 

"Well, I won't go so far as that, for I've no mind to put my neck in a noose²¹, but I'll flog him within an inch of his life. I'll teach him to mind his own business for the future."

 

Janet knew her father's strength and brutality²², and she shuddered²³ at the idea of the boy being exposed to it. She knew very well it would be of no use to make a protest. She would only get herself into trouble. Yet she couldn't reconcile herself to the thought of poor Kit being cruelly punished. She asked herself what she could do to prevent it.

 

There was one thing in favor of a rescue. She knew where Kit was confined. If it were not so late she would steal out, and going to the cabin relieve him from captivity²⁴. But it was too late, and too dark for that. Besides, she could not leave her father's cabin without observation.

 

"I will wait till to-morrow morning," she said to herself.

 

It so chanced that on account of some slight repairs the mine in which her father was employed was shut down for a few days. This was favorable, for he would lie in bed till eight o'clock at least, and there would be a chance to get out without observation.

 

The next morning, about five o'clock, Janet rose from her bed, hastily dressed herself, and crept to the door of her father's chamber²⁵. He was sound asleep, and breathing heavily. There was small chance of his awakening²⁶ before seven o'clock.

 

Janet took a little meat and bread in a tin pail, for[Pg 138] she thought the captive might be in need of breakfast, and then, putting a sharp knife in her pocket to cut the ropes that bound him, she left the house and took her way over the hill to the deserted cabin which served as Kit's prison.

1 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

2 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

3 disturbance   

n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调

参考例句：

• He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
• You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。

4 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

5 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 intemperance   

n.放纵

参考例句：

• Health does not consist with intemperance. 健康与纵欲［无节制］不能相容。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She accepted his frequent intemperance as part of the climate. 对于他酗酒的恶习，她安之若素。 来自辞典例句

7 ignominious   

adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的

参考例句：

• The marriage was considered especially ignominious since she was of royal descent.由于她出身王族，这门婚事被认为是奇耻大辱。
• Many thought that he was doomed to ignominious failure.许多人认为他注定会极不光彩地失败。

8 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。

9 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

10 meditated   

深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑

参考例句：

• He meditated for two days before giving his answer. 他在作出答复之前考虑了两天。
• She meditated for 2 days before giving her answer. 她考虑了两天才答复。

11 voracious   

adj.狼吞虎咽的，贪婪的

参考例句：

• She's a voracious reader of all kinds of love stories.什么样的爱情故事她都百看不厌。
• Joseph Smith was a voracious book collector.约瑟夫·史密斯是个如饥似渴的藏书家。

12 loquacious   

adj.多嘴的，饶舌的

参考例句：

• The normally loquacious Mr O'Reilly has said little.平常话多的奥赖利先生几乎没说什么。
• Kennedy had become almost as loquacious as Joe.肯尼迪变得和乔一样唠叨了。

13 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

15 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

16 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

17 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

18 ominously   

adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地

参考例句：

• The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块，在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mammy shook her head ominously. 嬷嬷不祥地摇着头。 来自飘（部分）

19 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

20 pertinaciously   

adv.坚持地；固执地；坚决地；执拗地

参考例句：

• He struggled pertinaciously for the new resolution. 他为了这项新决议而不懈努力。 来自互联网

21 noose   

n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑

参考例句：

• They tied a noose round her neck.他们在她脖子上系了一个活扣。
• A hangman's noose had already been placed around his neck.一个绞刑的绳圈已经套在他的脖子上。

22 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

23 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

25 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

26 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。