CHAPTER X. THE ASTONISHED OUTLAW.

 The pedestrian's next move was a bold one.

 

"I am tired," he said. "Give me a ride."

 

"Will thee excuse us?" said the Quaker meekly¹.

 

"Oh, shut up!" cried the assumed pedestrian. "Quakers should be seen and not heard."

 

Then, to the farmer, "I am tired. Let me into your carriage."

 

"There is no room," said the farmer nervously².

 

"Then tell the Quaker to get out, and I will take his place."

 

Ezekiel Mason was by no means a brave man, and he did not know what to say to this impudent³ proposal.

 

He looked appealingly at Luke.

 

"I will accommodate the gentleman," said the latter meekly. With the words he rose from his seat and jumped to the ground.

 

"Shall I assist thee?" he asked the stranger in a mild voice.

 

"No; I am quite capable of getting into the carriage without help from a meddlesome⁴ Quaker."

 

"Indeed, thee does me injustice⁵."

 

The stranger did not immediately get into the buggy.

 

"I don't care to ride, after all," he said coolly. "Just hand me your money, you old clodhopper."

 

The worst had come. The new arrival was evidently one of the Fox brothers, after all.

 

"Indeed, I have no money," said the terrified farmer.

 

This was true, for he had put the wallet, containing the five hundred dollars, into the hands of Luke.

 

"You lie! You have just come from the Emmonsville bank, where you drew a large amount."

 

At this proof of knowledge on the part of the outlaw⁶ the farmer was almost paralyzed.

 

It appeared to him that the robber must be supernaturally gifted.

 

"I haven't got it now," he said.

 

"You lie!" cried the outlaw sternly. "Come down here and give up the money, or I'll shoot you."

 

"You can search me," said Mason desperately⁷.

 

"Come down, then."

 

"Thee is very unkind," observed Luke.

 

"Shut up, you meddlesome Quaker! It none of your business."

 

"Thee had better come down and let the man search thee," said Luke to the farmer.

 

Ezekiel Mason had been waiting for a hint from Luke, in whom he recognized a master spirit. His only hope was in his companion.

 

"Art thee Mr. Fox?" asked Luke in a tone of mild inquiry⁸.

 

"I'll let you know who I am," was the swaggering reply.

 

Though he was but one man opposed to two, he had no fears. The farmer was evidently cowed and terrified, while the Quaker seemed, though large, to be peaceable and harmless.

 

But in his judgment⁹ of Luke the outlaw was very much at fault. When threatening the farmer he had covered him with his revolver, but as he was preparing to leave the buggy he carelessly lowered it. Luke, who was aching to attack him, noticed this.

 

While Fox, for it was one of the notorious brothers, was standing¹⁰ in careless security the Quaker sprang upon him like a panther upon his prey¹¹. He knocked the revolver from his hand with one powerful blow, felled him to the ground, and placed his foot upon his prostrate¹² form.

 

Never, perhaps, in a career crowded with exciting adventures had the outlaw been so thoroughly¹³ surprised.

 

"What the mischief¹⁴ does this mean?" he ejaculated, struggling to rise.

 

"It means that thee has mistaken thy man," answered Luke coolly.

 

"Let me go or I'll kill you!" shrieked¹⁵ the outlaw fiercely.

 

"If you try to get up I'll put a bullet through your head," replied Luke, pointing at him with his own revolver.

 

In his excitement he had dropped his Quaker speech, and this the outlaw noted¹⁶.

 

"Are you a Quaker? he asked abruptly¹⁷.

 

"No more than you are," answered Luke. "Farmer, bring out the rope."

 

Ezekiel Mason, from the bottom of the buggy, produced a long and stout¹⁸ piece of clothes-line.

 

"What do you mean to do?" inquired the outlaw uneasily.

 

"You will see soon enough. No, don't try to get up, as you value your life. Now tie him, Mason, while I keep him covered with the revolver."

 

 "Now tie him, Mason, while I keep him covered with the revolver."

"Now tie him, Mason, while I keep him covered with the revolver."

 

"We've had enough of this," said the outlaw sullenly¹⁹. "Let me go, and I'll do you no harm."

 

"I don't mean that you shall, my honest friend."

 

"But if you persist in this outrage²⁰, I swear that you will be a dead man within thirty days."

 

"Be careful how you talk, or you may be a dead man within thirty minutes," answered Luke.

 

While the outlaw was covered by Luke's revolver, farmer Mason, though his tremulous hands showed that he was nervous, managed to tie him securely. Fox began to under stand the sort of man with whom he was dealing²¹ and remained silent, but his brain was busy trying to devise some method of escape.

 

At length the dangerous prisoner was securely tied.

 

"What shall we do with him?" asked Ezekiel.

 

"Where's the nearest prison?

 

"At Crampton."

 

"How far away?"

 

"Twelve miles."

 

"In what direction?"

 

"It is four miles beyond Claremont," answered the farmer.

 

"Where you live?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Then we will go there first."

 

"But how shall we carry this gentleman?" asked the farmer, who could not get over a feeling of deference²² for the celebrated²³ outlaw.

 

[Illustration: "NOW TIE HIM, MASON, WHILE I KEEP HIM COVERED WITH THE REVOLVER."]

 

"We'll put him into the back part of the buggy."

 

By the united efforts of both, the outlaw, like a trussed fowl²⁴, was deposited bodily in the rear of the carriage, where he lay in a most uncomfortable position, jolted²⁵ and shaken whenever the road was rough or uneven²⁶. It was a humiliating position, and he felt it.

 

"You'll repent²⁷ this outrage," he said fiercely.

 

"Doesn't thee like it?" asked Luke, relapsing into his Quaker dialect.

 

"Curse you and your Quaker lingo²⁸!" retorted Fox, his black eyes sparkling vindictively²⁹.

 

"It wouldn't do thee any harm to turn Quaker thyself," suggested Luke.

 

"I'll be bruised³⁰ to death before the ride is over," growled³¹ the outlaw.

 

"There is one way of saving you the discomfort³² of the ride."

 

"What is that?"

 

"I might shoot you through the head. As the reward is the same whether I deliver you alive or dead, I have almost determined³³ to do it."

 

The outlaw was made still more uncomfortable by these words. He had wholly misunderstood Luke at first, and the revelation of his real character had impressed him not only with respect, but with fear. He did not know of what this pseudo Quaker might be capable. He longed in some way to get out of his power. Force was impracticable, and he resolved to resort to finesse³⁴.

 

"Look here, my friend," he began.

 

"So you regard me as a friend? Thank you, brother Fox; I won't forget it."

 

"Oh, bother your nonsense! I suppose you are after the thousand dollars offered for my apprehension³⁵."

 

"You have guessed right the first time. I am not a rich man, and I don't mind telling you that a thousand dollars will be particularly acceptable just about now."

 

"So I supposed. You don't feel particularly unfriendly to me?"

 

"Oh, no. I might under different circumstances come to love you like a brother."

 

"Or join my band?"

 

"Well, no; I draw the line there. As a Quaker I could not consistently join a band of robbers."

 

"Who are you?" asked Fox abruptly. "You weren't raised around here."

 

"No."

 

"Where, then?"

 

"I come from Iowa."

 

"What is your name?"

 

"My friend, I haven't any visiting cards with me. You can think of me as the Quaker detective."

 

"Then I will come to business. You want a thousand dollars?"

 

"You are correct there."

 

"Then I will show you a way to get it."

 

"I know one way already."

 

"You mean by delivering me up?"

 

"Yes."

 

"That would not suit me. Let me go, and I will give you a thousand dollars."

 

"Have you got it with you?"

 

"No, but I can arrange to give it to you within a week. You see," added the outlaw dryly, "I have been prosperous in my business, and can snare³⁶ that sum in return for the favor you are going to do me in giving me my liberty."

 

"I am afraid, friend Fox, that my chance of securing the money in that way would be very slender."

 

"I am a man of my word. What I promise, that I will do."

 

"If you have so much money, why did you want to take the five hundred dollars of my friend here?"

 

"It was all in the way of business. Well, what do you say?"

 

"That I won't trust you. If I should take your thousand dollars for releasing you I should be as bad as you are."

 

"Very well; drive on, then," said the outlaw sullenly.

 

In less than an hour Ezekiel Mason's home was reached. When they drove into the yard it made quite a sensation. Mrs. Mason and the hired man stood staring at them with mouths agape.

 

"Who have you got there, Ezekiel?" asked his wife.

 

"One of the Fox brothers!" answered the farmer in an important tone. "Me and my friend here took him."

 

Luke smiled, and so did the prisoner, uncomfortable though he was.

 

"It would have taken a dozen like that fool to have captured me," he said in a low voice, but only Luke heard him.

1 meekly   

adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地

参考例句：

• He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时，他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

3 impudent   

adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的

参考例句：

• She's tolerant toward those impudent colleagues.她对那些无礼的同事采取容忍的态度。
• The teacher threatened to kick the impudent pupil out of the room.老师威胁着要把这无礼的小学生撵出教室。

4 meddlesome   

adj.爱管闲事的

参考例句：

• By this means the meddlesome woman cast in a bone between the wife and the husband.这爱管闲事的女人就用这种手段挑起他们夫妻这间的不和。
• Get rid of that meddlesome fool!让那个爱管闲事的家伙走开！

5 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

6 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

7 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

8 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

9 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

11 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

12 prostrate   

v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的

参考例句：

• She was prostrate on the floor.她俯卧在地板上。
• The Yankees had the South prostrate and they intended to keep It'so.北方佬已经使南方屈服了,他们还打算继续下去。

13 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

14 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。

15 shrieked   

v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
• Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫，陆子潇尖声叫：“告诉什么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城

16 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

17 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

19 sullenly   

不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地

参考例句：

• 'so what?" Tom said sullenly. “那又怎么样呢？”汤姆绷着脸说。
• Emptiness after the paper, I sIt'sullenly in front of the stove. 报看完，想不出能找点什么事做，只好一人坐在火炉旁生气。

20 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

21 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

22 deference   

n.尊重，顺从；敬意

参考例句：

• Do you treat your parents and teachers with deference?你对父母师长尊敬吗？
• The major defect of their work was deference to authority.他们的主要缺陷是趋从权威。

23 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

24 fowl   

n.家禽，鸡，禽肉

参考例句：

• Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
• Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。

25 jolted   

（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• She was jolted out of her reverie as the door opened. 门一开就把她从幻想中惊醒。

26 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

27 repent   

v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔

参考例句：

• He has nothing to repent of.他没有什么要懊悔的。
• Remission of sins is promised to those who repent.悔罪者可得到赦免。

28 lingo   

n.语言不知所云，外国话，隐语

参考例句：

• If you live abroad it helps to know the local lingo.住在国外，学一点当地的语言自有好处。
• Don't use all that technical lingo try and explain in plain English.别尽用那种专门术语，用普通的词语解释吧。

29 vindictively   

adv.恶毒地；报复地

参考例句：

• He plotted vindictively against his former superiors. 他策划着要对他原来的上司进行报复。 来自互联网
• His eyes snapped vindictively, while his ears joyed in the sniffles she emitted. 眼睛一闪一闪放出惩罚的光，他听见地抽泣，心里更高兴。 来自互联网

30 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

31 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》

32 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

33 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

34 finesse   

n.精密技巧，灵巧，手腕

参考例句：

• It was a disappointing performance which lacked finesse.那场演出缺乏技巧，令人失望。
• Lillian Hellman's plays are marked by insight and finesse.莉莲.赫尔曼的巨作以富有洞察力和写作技巧著称。

35 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。

36 snare   

n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑

参考例句：

• I used to snare small birds such as sparrows.我曾常用罗网捕捉麻雀等小鸟。
• Most of the people realized that their scheme was simply a snare and a delusion.大多数人都认识到他们的诡计不过是一个骗人的圈套。