The nautical1 proverb saith that “A stern chase is a long one;” but that proverb, to make it perfect and universally applicable, should have been prefaced by the words “All things being equal.”
In the present case all things were not equal. The gun-boat was a fast steamer; the chase was a slow row-boat, insufficiently2 manned by tired and wounded men. But many of them were desperate men. Their leader was an arch-fiend of resolution and ferocity. He knew that escape, in the circumstances, was impossible. He was well aware of the fate that awaited him if taken. He therefore made up his mind to give his enemies as much trouble as possible, to delay their triumph and cause it to cost them dear, and, in every practicable way that might occur, to thwart3 and worry them to the end.
Animated4 by such a spirit, he managed to encourage his men, and to terrify and lash5 his slaves to almost superhuman exertions6, so that before being overtaken they approached considerably7 nearer to the shore than would otherwise have been the case. This, as it afterwards turned out, resulted in a benefit to some of those in the gun-boat, which they did not think of at the time. As they overtook the prow8, Pungarin ordered the starboard rowers to cease. Those on the port side continued to pull, and in a few seconds the prow’s broadside was brought to bear on the approaching enemy. Not till they were within a hundred yards did the pirate leader again speak. Then his powerful voice resounded10 through his vessel11:—
“Fire!”
At the word every piece on board the prow, great and small, belched12 forth13 a volume of smoke, flame, and metal, but the result was trifling14. In his anxiety to do deadly execution, the pirate had overdone15 his work. He had allowed his foe16 to come too close, and most of the discharge from the heavy guns passed over her, while the men with small arms, rendered nervous by prolonged delay, fired hastily, and, therefore, badly. A few wounds were suffered, and many narrow escapes were made, but in other respects the discharge passed by harmlessly. The captain, in his exposed and elevated position on the bridge, felt, indeed, as if a thunder-shower of iron hail had passed, not only round, but through him! He paid no regard to it, however, but held straight on. Next moment there was a dire17 collision; the prow went under water, and the surface of the sea was covered with shouting and struggling men.
The boats were quickly lowered, as on the previous occasion, and most of the people were rescued, though, of course, some who could not swim were drowned.
The scene that now ensued was very exciting, and in some respects very terrible, for, besides the gurgling cries of the perishing, there were the defiant18 yells of the pirates, who, more fiercely than those in the other prows19, resisted being taken alive, and used their creases20 and knives with deadly effect.
This naturally filled the conquerors21 with such indignation that in many cases they killed the pirates who showed fight, instead of disarming22 and capturing them.
At last every one in the water was either saved, killed, drowned, or captured, with the exception of one man, whose red jacket clearly pointed23 him out as the pirate-chief. Being greatly superior to his fellows in mental and physical powers, it was natural that he should excel them in his efforts to escape. Even after the whole affair was over, this man, who might have been a hero in other circumstances, continued to baffle his pursuers.
In the boat which finally captured him was the Singapore man already mentioned. This man, for reasons best known to himself, had a bitter hatred24 of Pungarin, and was the chief cause of the boat in which he pulled an oar9 being kept in close pursuit of the pirate-chief.
“Dis way,” he cried, when the general mêlée was drawing to a close. “Yonder is de red-coat. He make for de shore.”
The steersman at once turned in the direction indicated, which brought them close to the gun-boat.
Pungarin’s keen eye quickly observed that they were making towards him, although the water around him swarmed25 with other men. He at once dived and came up close to the side of the vessel, under its quarter, and in dangerous proximity26 to its screw. The boldness of the course might have diverted attention from him for a time, but his one touch of vanity—the red jacket—betrayed him. He was soon observed. A cry was given. His sharp-eyed enemy the Singapore man saw him, and the boat was once more pulled towards its mark. But Pungarin dived like an otter—not only under the boat, but under the steamer also; coming up on the other side, and resting while they sought for him. Again they discovered him. Again he passed under the ship’s bottom, and this time continued his dive onwards towards the shore. When his power of remaining under water failed, he came gently to the surface, turning on his back, so that only his mouth and nose appeared.
One full breath sufficed, and he dived again without having been observed. If Pungarin had adopted this plan while the boats were busy capturing his comrades, it is possible that he might have escaped, for his swimming powers and endurance were very great; but it was now too late. When he rose the second time to the surface, the affair was over, and men’s minds were free to fix entirely27 on himself. Just then, too, he thought it advisable to put his head fully28 out of the water in order to see that he had kept in the right direction.
He was instantly observed by his Singapore enemy, and the chase was resumed.
It is almost unnecessary to say that it terminated unfavourably for the pirate-chief. For several minutes he continued to dive under the boat while they tried to seize him, and wounded some of the men nearest to him; but his Herculean powers began at last to fail, and he finally floated on the surface as if helpless.
Even this was a ruse29, for no sooner was the boat near enough, and the Singapore man within reach of his arm, than he raised himself, and made a cut at that individual with such good will that he split his skull30 across down nearly to the ears.
Next moment he was hauled into the boat and bound hand and foot.
The scene on board the gun-boat now was a very terrible one. Every man there was more or less begrimed with powder and smoke, or bespattered with blood and soaked with water, while all round the decks the wounded were sitting or lying awaiting their turn of being attended to, and groaning31 more or less with pain.
On calling the roll after the action was over, it was found that the loss suffered by the gun-boat crew was two men killed and eighteen wounded—a very small number considering the time during which the affair had lasted, and the vigour32 with which the pirates had fought.
And now was beautifully exemplified the advantage of a man possessing a “little knowledge”—falsely styled “a dangerous thing”—over a man who possesses no knowledge. Now, also, was exhibited the power and courage that are latent in true womanhood.
There was no surgeon on board of that gun-boat, and, with the exception of Edgar Berrington, there was not a man possessed33 of a single scrap34 of surgical35 knowledge deeper than that required for the binding37 up of a cut finger.
As we have already shown, our hero had an inquiring mind. While at college he had become intimately acquainted with, and interested in, one or two medical students, with whom he conversed38 so much and so frequently about their studies, that he became quite familiar with these, and with their medical and surgical phraseology, so that people frequently mistook him for a student of medicine. Being gifted with a mechanical turn of mind, he talked with special interest on surgery; discussed difficulties, propounded39 theories, and visited the hospitals, the dissecting-rooms, and the operating-theatres frequently. Thus he came, unintentionally, to possess a considerable amount of surgical knowledge, and when, at last, he was thrown providentially into a position where no trained man could be found, and urgent need for one existed, he came forward and did his best like a man.
Aileen Hazlit also, on being told that there was need of a woman’s tender hand in such work, at once overcame her natural repugnance40 to scenes of blood; she proceeded on deck, and, with a beating heart but steady hand, went to work like a trained disciple41 of Florence Nightingale.
To the credit of the timid, and for the encouragement of the weak, we have to add that Miss Pritty likewise became a true heroine!
No average individual, male or female, can by any effort of imagination attain42 to the faintest idea of poor Miss Pritty’s horror at the sight of “blood!”—“human gore43!” particularly. Nevertheless Miss Pritty, encouraged by her friend’s example, rose to the occasion. With a face and lips so deadly pale that one might have been justified44 in believing that all the blood on the decks had flowed therefrom, she went about among the wounded, assisting Aileen in every possible way with her eyes shut. She did indeed open them when it was absolutely necessary to do so, but shut them again instantly on the necessity for vision passing away. She cut short bandages when directed so to do; she held threads or tapes; she tore up shirts, and slips, and other linen45 garments, with the most reckless disregard of propriety46; she wiped away blood from wounds (under direction), and moistened many dry lips with a sponge, and brushed beads47 of perspiration48 from pale brows—like a heroine.
Meanwhile Edgar went about actively49, rejoicing in his new-found capacity to alleviate50 human suffering. What the Faculty51 would have thought of him we know not. All on board the gun-boat venerated52 him as a most perfect surgeon. His natural neatness of hand stood him in good stead, for men were bleeding to death all round him, and in order to save some it was necessary that he should use despatch53 with others. Of course he attended to the most critical cases first, except in the case of those who were so hopelessly injured as to be obviously beyond the reach of benefit from man. From these he turned sadly away, after whispering to them an earnest word or two about the Saviour54 of mankind—to those of them at least who understood English. To waste time with these he felt would be to rob hopeful cases of a chance. All simple and easy cases of bandaging he left to the captain and his chief officer. Joe Baldwin, being a cool steady man, was appointed to act as his own assistant.
From one to another he passed unweariedly, cutting off portions of torn flesh, extracting bullets, setting broken bones, taking up and tying severed55 arteries56, sewing together the edges of gaping57 wounds, and completing the amputation58 of limbs, in regard to which the operation had been begun—sometimes nearly finished—by cannon59 shot.
“How terribly some of the poor wretches60 have been starved!” muttered Edgar as he bent61 over one of the captives, attempting to draw together the edges of a sword-cut in his arm; “why, there is not enough of flesh on him to cover his wound.”
“There an’t much, sir,” assented62 Joe Baldwin, in a sympathetic tone, as he stood close by holding the needle and thread in readiness. “There’s one man for’ard, sir, that I saw in passing to the chest for this thread, that has scarcely as much flesh on him as would bait a rat-trap. But he seems quite contented63, poor fellow, at bein’ freed from slavery, and don’t seem to mind much the want o’ flesh and blood. Perhaps he counts on gettin’ these back again.”
“Hm! These are not so easily regained64 when lost as you seem to imagine, my friend,” exclaimed a pompous65 but rather weak voice. Joe looked up. It was Mr Hazlit, whose bloodless countenance66 and shrunken condition had become more apparent than ever after he had been enabled to reclothe himself in the garments of civilisation67.
“Why, sir,” said Joe, gently, “you seem to have bin36 badly shaken. Not bin wounded, I hope, sir?”
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1
nautical
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| adj.海上的，航海的，船员的 | |
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insufficiently
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| adv.不够地，不能胜任地 | |
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thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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belched
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| v.打嗝( belch的过去式和过去分词 )；喷出，吐出；打（嗝）；嗳（气） | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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overdone
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| v.做得过分( overdo的过去分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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prows
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| n.船首( prow的名词复数 ) | |
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creases
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| （使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的第三人称单数 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹 | |
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conquerors
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| 征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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disarming
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| adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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surgical
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| adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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propounded
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| v.提出（问题、计划等）供考虑[讨论]，提议( propound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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repugnance
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| n.嫌恶 | |
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disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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gore
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| n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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alleviate
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| v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等) | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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venerated
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| 敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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saviour
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| n.拯救者，救星 | |
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severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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arteries
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| n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道 | |
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gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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amputation
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| n.截肢 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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civilisation
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| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
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