"She's a big one, ain't she?" said one young seaman2, glancing over a gun through a port-hole forward; "but we ain't afraid of her, mates. We 'll just dance up and slap her in the face with this, and then turn around and slap her with t' other side," laying his hand at the time on one of the long eighteens which constituted the main battery of the frigate3.
"Yes, and then what will she do to us? Blow us into splinters with a broadside, youngster! Not as I particularly care, so we have a chance to get a few good licks at her with these old barkers," said an older man, pointing, like the first, to a gun.
"That's the talk, men," said Seymour, who was making a tour of inspection4 through the ship in person, and who had stopped before the gun and heard the conversation. "Before she sinks us we will give it to her hard. I can depend upon you, I know."
"Yes, yes, your honor."
"Ay, ay, sir—"
"We 's all right, sir—"
"We 's with you, your honor—" came in a quick, strong chorus from the rough-and-ready men, and then some one called for three cheers for Captain Seymour, and they were given with such a will that the oak decks echoed and re-echoed again and again.
"Pass the word to serve out a tot of grog to each man; let them splice5 the main-brace once more before they die," said Seymour, grimly, amid a chorus of approving murmurs6 from the sailors, as he walked slowly along the lines, greeting men here and there with plain, bluff7 words of cheer, which brought smiles of pleasure to their stern, weather-beaten faces.
"Now, ain't he a beauty?" whispered the captain of number two gun to his second. "Blow me if 't ain't a pleasure to serve under sich a officer, and to die for him, too! Here is to a speedy fight and lots of damage to the Britisher," he cried loudly, lifting his pannikin of rum and water to his lips, amid a further chorus of approval.
Old Bentley was standing8 on the forecastle forward, looking earnestly at the approaching ship, when Seymour came up to him. The rest of the men, mindful of the peculiar9 relationship between the two, instinctively10 drew back a little, leaving them alone.
"Well, Bentley, our work is cut out for us there."
"Ay, Captain Seymour. I 'm thinking that this cruise will end right here for this ship—unless you strike, sir."
"Strike! Do you advise me to do so, then?"
"God forbid! Except it be with shot and these," said the old man, lifting an enormous cutlass, ground to a razor edge, which he had specially11 made for his own personal use in battle. "No, no; we 've got to fight him till he 's so damaged that he can't get at the rest. Do you see, sir, how the brig lags behind them?" he went on, pointing out toward the slowly escaping squadron. "The boy's got her luffed up so she makes no headway at all!"
"I know it. I have signalled to him twice to close with the rest—he can sail two feet to their one; but it is no use,—he pays no attention. He should n't have been given so responsible a command until he learned to obey orders," said Seymour, frowning.
"Let the boy alone, Master John; he 'll do all right," said Bentley; "he's the makings of a good sailorman and a fine officer in him. I 've watched him."
"Ha! there goes a shot from the liner," cried Seymour, as a puff12 of smoke broke out from the lee side followed by the dull boom of a cannon13 over the water, and then the flags rippled14 bravely out from the mastheads. "Well, we did not need that sort of an introduction. Aft there!" cried the captain, with his powerful voice.
"Sir."
"Show a British flag at the gaff. That will puzzle him for a while longer. Well, old friend, I must go aft. It's likely we won't both of us come out of this little affair alive, so good-by, and God bless you. You 've been a good friend to me, Bentley, ever since I was a child, and I doubt I 've requited15 you ill enough," he said, reaching forth16 his hand. The old sailor shifted his cutlass into his left hand, took off his hat, and grasped Seymour's hand with his own mighty17 palm.
"Ay, ever since you were a boy; and a properer sailor and a better officer don't walk the deck, if I do say it myself, as I 've had a hand in the making of you. But what you say is true, sir: we 'll probably most all of us go to Davy Jones' locker18 this trip; but we could n't go in a better way, and we won't go alone. God Almighty19 bless you, sir! I—" said the old seaman, breaking off suddenly and looking wistfully at the young man he loved, who, understanding it all, returned his gaze, wrung20 his hand, and then turned and sprang aft without another word.
The ships were rapidly closing, when Seymour's keen eye detected a dash of color and a bit of fluttering drapery on the poop of the line-of-battle ship. Wondering, he examined it through his glass.
"Why! 't is a woman," he exclaimed. Something familiar in the appearance made his heart give a sudden throb21, but he put away the idea which came to him as preposterous22; and then stepping forward to the break of the poop, he called out,—
"My lads, there is a woman on yon ship, on the poop, way aft. We don't fight with women; have a care, therefore, that none of you take deliberate aim at her, and spare that part of the deck where she stands in the fight, if you can. Pass the word along."
"Well, I 'm blessed," said one old gun captain, sotto voce, "be they come out against us with wimmen!"
The Randolph had the weather-gage of the Yarmouth by this time; and Seymour shifted his helm slightly, rounded in his braces23 a little, and ran down with the wind a little free and on a line parallel to the course of his enemy, but going in a different direction. He lifted the glass again to his eye, and looked long and earnestly at the woman's figure half hidden by the rail on the ship. Was it—could it be—indeed she? Was fate bringing them into opposition24 again? It was not possible. Trembling violently, he lifted the glass for a further investigation25, when an officer, trumpet26 in hand, sprang upon the rail of the Yarmouth forward and hailed.
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收听单词发音
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1
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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2
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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3
frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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5
splice
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| v.接合，衔接；n.胶接处，粘接处 | |
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6
murmurs
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| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
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7
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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8
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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9
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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10
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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11
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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12
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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13
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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14
rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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15
requited
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| v.报答( requite的过去式和过去分词 )；酬谢；回报；报复 | |
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16
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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18
locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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19
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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20
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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21
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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22
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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23
braces
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| n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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24
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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25
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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26
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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