Gates was a man of courage, and he answered coolly:
“Your answer is brief, and to the point.”
“I meant it to be,” said the highwayman.
“Suppose we object to complying with your polite request, what then?”
“I hold the answer in my hand.”
“Your pistol, I suppose.”
The Dutchman, who had been staring open-mouthed, began to understand the condition of affairs, and was panic-stricken.
“Give him de money,” he said, trembling. “Take his money, good gentleman, and spare my life. I want to go home to meine Katrine.”
Serious as the case was, Gates could not help laughing at the naiveté of his Teutonic traveling companion.
“Mr. Highwayman,” he said, “I assure you it isn’t worth your while to rob me. My Dutch friend here is a great capitalist—a banker, I believe. Be content with what he will give you.”
Herr Schmidt was exasperated3.
“That is one beeg lie,” he said. “I am only a poor saloon-keeper, with a few dollars which I made by selling lager. Let me go, and I will go home to meine Katrine.”
“Gentlemen,” said the highwayman, “I make no exceptions. You must all empty your pockets.”
“Stop a minute!” said Gates, and he suddenly drew a revolver from his pocket and pointed4 it at the robber.
The latter did not appear disconcerted.
“That won’t avail you,” he said.
“Why not?” asked Gates. “We are four to two.”
“We shall see.”
“You see,” said the first speaker, “we are stronger than you thought. Fire at me, and all your lives are sacrificed. Your triumph will be short.”
“Don’t shoot, Herr Gates,” said the Dutchman in an agony of apprehension7. “I don’t want to die. What would become of Katrine and the Kinder?”
Gates was a sensible man. He saw that to fire would only be to throw away his own life and that of his companions. This he felt that he had no moral right to do.
“What shall I do?” he asked, turning to Morton.
“And what do you say, Tom?”
“Since these gentlemen are so very pressing, we shall be obliged to yield.”
“I believe you are right.”
Then turning to the former speaker, who appeared to be the chief of the robbers, he said:
“Will you let us go if we surrender our money?”
“Not to-day. You must follow us.”
“Where?”
“Where we shall lead you.”
“What is that for?”
“It is unnecessary to ask.”
“That is adding insult to injury. I don’t like that.”
“Perhaps,” suggested Tom, “these gentlemen mean to give us some supper and a night’s lodging9. If so, I go for accepting the invitation. There isn’t any hotel about here that I know of. I take their invitation as very kind.”
“They mean to make us pay dearly for their accommodation.”
“We may as well get something for our money,” said Tom.
“That’s so. Well, gentlemen, for reasons which it is unnecessary to particularize, we accept your invitation.”
“Very good,” said the chief. “Put up your revolver, then, first of all, or rather give it to me.”
“I would like to keep it.”
“Impossible. Give it up.”
Gates handed over the weapon unwillingly10.
“Now give me yours,” said the chief to Morton.
The latter with trembling hand surrendered it. He was deficient11 in courage, and had sat silent, pale with terror, while the conference had gone on.
“Now, my young bantam,” said the robber, turning to Tom, “have you any?”
“Yes, but I should like to keep it.”
“Hand it over.”
“It doesn’t belong to me.”
“We’ll take care of it for the owner.”
“Here it is. Be careful how you handle it, for it’s loaded. It might hit my fat friend there.”
The Dutchman began to kick at this suggestion.
“Take care, Mr. Robber,” he exclaimed. “It might go off all at once, and that would be an end of Johann Schmidt.”
“Oh, never mind, mein herr,” said Tom. “There are plenty of John Schmidts in the world. One more or less wouldn’t make much difference.”
“It would make much difference to me,” said Johann sensibly, “and mein Katrine and the kinder.”
“Well, what next?” asked Gates. “Can we go on?”
“What is that for?”
“Ask no questions, but obey,” said the highwayman sternly.
“Very good. I suppose, under the circumstances, we must obey orders.”
“Get down, Herr Schmidt,” said Tom to the Teuton.
“What for? What will he do?” asked the terrified Dutchman.
“I don’t know,” said Tom gravely; “but I’ll tell you what they do sometimes.”
“Was?”
“They stand travelers up in a line and shoot them.”
“Will they be so wicked?” groaned13 the poor Dutchman, turning as pale as his florid complexion14 would admit. “They would not dare!”
“They dare anything, but the only thing we can do is to follow directions.”
Tom assisted the poor man from the wagon. Gates and Morton were already out.
“Now,” said the chief of the highwaymen, turning to the driver, “you can go. But take heed,” he added sternly, “that you say nothing of this adventure. If you do, you are a marked man, and your life will not be worth an hour’s purchase.”
“I understand,” said the man.
Gates turned toward the driver with sudden suspicion.
“I believe you are in league with these men,” he said sternly. “You have led us into a trap.”
“That is not so,” said the driver earnestly. “I swear it.”
“The man speaks truth,” said the captain. “We have never had anything to do with him.”
“Then why don’t you keep him as you do us?”
“I am a poor laboring man,” said Herr Schmidt eagerly. “Let me go, too, good Mr. Robber. I am not rich like these gentlemen.”
The chief laughed.
“We can tell better by and by,” he said. “Now, gentlemen, I must trouble you to follow us.”
Escorted by the eight highwaymen, our four travelers walked on into the depths of the forest.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
briefly
|
|
| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
exasperated
|
|
| adj.恼怒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
covert
|
|
| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
apprehension
|
|
| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
nervously
|
|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
lodging
|
|
| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
unwillingly
|
|
| adv.不情愿地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
deficient
|
|
| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
wagon
|
|
| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
groaned
|
|
| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
complexion
|
|
| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
laboring
|
|
| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |