One sunny afternoon Mrs Maggot found herself in the happy position of having so thoroughly2 completed her round of household work that she felt at leisure to sit down and sew, while little Grace sat beside her, near the open door, rocking the cradle.
Baby, in blissful unconsciousness of its own existence, lay sound asleep with a thumb in its mouth; the resolute3 sucking of that thumb having been its most recent act of disobedience.
Little Grace was flushed, and rather dishevelled, for it had cost her half an hour’s hard wrestling to get baby placed in recumbent somnolence4. She now sought to soothe5 her feelings by tickling6 the chin of the black kitten—a process to which that active creature submitted with purring satisfaction.
“Faither’s long of coming hum, mother,” said little Grace, looking up.
“Iss,” replied Mrs Maggot.
“D’ee knaw where he is?” inquired Grace.
“No, I doan’t,” replied her mother.
It was evident that Mrs Maggot was not in the humour for conversation, so Grace relapsed into silence, and devoted7 herself to the kitten.
“Is that faither?” said Grace, after a few minutes, pointing to the figure of a man who was seen coming over the distant moor8 or waste land which at that period surrounded the town of St. Just, though the greater part of it is now cultivated fields.
“It isn’ like un,” said Mrs Maggot, shading her eyes with her hand; “sure, it do look like a boatsman.”
(The men of the coastguard were called “boatsmen” at that time.)
“Iss, I do see his cutlash,” said little Grace; “and there’s another man comin’ down road to meet un.”
“Haste ’ee, Grace,” cried Mrs Maggot, leaping up and plucking her last-born out of the cradle, “take the cheeld in to Mrs Penrose, an’ bide9 theer till I send for ’ee—dost a hear?”
Plucked thus unceremoniously from gentle slumber10 to be plunged11 headlong and without preparation into fierce infantine war, was too much for baby Maggot; he uttered one yell of rage and defiance13, which was succeeded by a lull—a sort of pause for the recovery of breath—so prolonged that the obedient Grace had time to fling down the horror-struck Chet, catch baby in her arms, and bear him into the neighbouring cottage before the next roar came forth15. The youthful Maggot was at once received into the bosom16 of the Penrose family, and succeeding yells were smothered17 by eight out of the sixteen Penroses who chanced to be at home at the time.
That Mrs Maggot had a guilty conscience might have been inferred from her future proceedings18, which, to one unacquainted with the habits of her husband, would have appeared strange, if not quite unaccountable. When baby was borne off, as related, she seized a small keg, which stood in a corner near the door and smelt19 strongly of brandy, and, placing it with great care in the vacant cradle, covered it over with blankets. She next rolled a pair of stockings into a ball and tied on it a little frilled night-cap, which she disposed on the pillow, with the face pretty well down, and the back of the head pretty well up, and so judiciously20 and cleverly covered it with bedclothes that even Maggot himself might have failed to miss his son, or to recognise the outlines of a keg. A bottle half full of brandy, with the cork21 out, was next placed on the table to account for the odour in the room, and then Mrs Maggot sat down to her sewing, and rocked the cradle gently with her foot, singing a sweet lullaby the while. Ten minutes later, two stout22 men of the coastguard, armed with cutlasses and pistols, entered the cottage. Mrs Maggot observed that they were also armed with a pick and shovel23.
“Good-hevenin’, missus; how dost do?” said the man who walked foremost, in a hearty24 voice.
“Good-hevenin’, Eben Trezise; how are you?” said Mrs Maggot.
“Braave, thank ’ee,” said Trezise; “we’ve come for a drop o’ brandy, missus, havin’ heard that you’ve got some here, an’ sure us can smell it—eh?”
“Why, iss, we’ve got wan25 small drop,” said Mrs Maggot, gently arranging the clothes on the cradle, “that the doctor have order for the cheeld. You’re welcome to a taste of it, but plaise don’t make so much noise, for the poor cheeld’s slaipin’.”
“He’ll be smothered, I do think, if you don’t turn his head up a bit, missus,” said the man; “hows’ever you’ve no objection to let Jim and me have a look round the place, I dessay?”
Mrs Maggot said they were welcome to do as they pleased, if they would only do it quietly for the sake of the “cheeld;” so without more ado they commenced a thorough investigation26 of the premises27, outside and in. Then they went to the smithy, where Mrs Maggot knew her husband had concealed28 two large kegs of smuggled29 liquor on the hearth30 under a heap of ashes and iron débris, but these had been so cleverly, yet carelessly, hidden that the men sat down on the heap under which they lay, to rest and wipe their heated brows after their fruitless search.
“Hast ’ee found the brandy?” inquired Mrs Maggot, with a look of innocence31, when the two men returned.
“Not yet,” replied Eben Trezise; “but we’ve not done. There’s a certain shaft32 near by that has got a bad name for drinkin’, missus; p’raps you may have heard on it? Its breath do smell dreadful bad sometimes.”
Both men laughed at this, and winked33 to each other, while Mrs Maggot smiled, and, with a look of surprise, vowed34 that she had not heard of the disreputable shaft referred to.
Despite her unconcerned look, however, Mrs Maggot felt anxious, for she was aware that her husband had recently obtained an unusually large quantity of French brandy and tobacco from the Scilly Islands, between which and the coasts of Cornwall smuggling35 was carried on in a most daring and extensive manner at the time of our story, and she knew that the whole of the smuggled goods lay concealed in one of those numerous disused shafts36 of old mines which lie scattered37 thickly over that part of the country. Maggot’s absence rendered her position still more perplexing, but she was a woman of ready wit and self-reliance, and she comforted herself with the knowledge that the brandy lay buried far down in the shaft, and that it would take the boatsmen some time to dig to it—that possibly they might give up in despair before reaching it.
While the men went off to search for the shaft, and while Mrs Maggot was calmly nursing her spirited little baby, Maggot himself, in company with his bosom friend John Cock, was sauntering slowly homeward along the cliffs near Kenidjack Castle, the ruins of which occupy a bold promontory39 a little to the north of Cape40 Cornwall. They had just come in sight of the tin-mine and works which cover Nancharrow valley from the shore to a considerable distance inland, where stand the tall chimneys and engine-houses, the whims41 and varied42 machinery43 of the extensive and prolific44 old tin-mine named Wheal Owles.
The cliffs on which the two men stood are very precipitous and rugged—rising in some places to a height of about 300 feet above the rocks where the waters of the Atlantic roll dark and deep, fringing the coast with a milky45 foam46 that is carried away by the tide in long streaks47, to be defiled48 by the red waters which flow from Nancharrow valley into Porth Ledden Cove14.
This cove is a small one, with a narrow strip of sand on its shore. At its northern extremity49 is a deep narrow gorge50, into which the waves rush, even in calm weather, with a peculiar51 sound. In reference to this it is said that the waves “buzz-and-go-in,” hence the place has been named Zawn Buzzangein. The sides of the Zawn are about sixty feet high, and quite precipitous. In one part, especially, they overhang their base. It was here that Maggot and his friend stopped on their way home, and turned to look out upon the sea.
“No sign o’ pilchers yet,” observed Maggot, referring to the immense shoals of pilchards which visit the Cornish coasts in the autumn of each year, and form a large portion of the wealth of the county.
“Too soon,” replied John Cock.
“By the way, Jack,” said Maggot, “wasn’t it hereabouts that the schooner52 went ashore53 last winter?”
“Iss, ’twor down theer, close by Pullandeese,” replied the other, pointing to a deep pool in the rocks round which the swell54 of the Atlantic broke in white foam. “I was theere myself. I had come down ’bout daylight—before others were stirring, an’ sure ’nuff there she lay, on the rocks, bottom up, an’ all the crew lost. We seed wan o’ them knackin’ on the rocks to the north, so we got ropes an’ let a man down to fetch un up, but of coorse it was gone dead.”
“That minds me, Jack,” said Maggot, “that I seed a daw’s nest here the last time I come along, so lev us go an’ stroob that daw’s nest.”
“Thee cusn’t do it,” said John Cock.
Maggot laughed, and said he not only could but would, so he ran down to the neighbouring works and returned with a stout rope, which he fixed55 firmly to a rock at the edge of the overhanging cliff.
We have already said that Maggot was a noted56 madcap, who stuck at nothing, and appeared to derive57 positive pleasure from the mere58 act of putting his life in danger. No human foot could, by climbing, have reached the spot where the nest of the daw, or Cornish chough, was fixed—for the precipice59, besides being perpendicular60 and nearly flat, projected a little near the top, where the nest lay in a crevice61 overhanging the surf that boiled and raged in Zawn Buzzangein. Indeed, the nest was not visible from the spot where the two men stood, and it could only be seen by going round to the cliffs on the opposite side of the gorge.
Without a moment’s hesitation62 Maggot swung himself over the edge of the precipice, merely cautioning his comrade, as he did so, to hold on to the rope and prevent it from slipping.
He slid down about two yards, and then found that the rock overhung so much that he was at least six feet off from the crevice in which the young daws nestled comfortably together, and no stretch that he could make with his legs, long though they were, was sufficient to enable him to get on the narrow ledge38 just below the nest. Several times he tried to gain a footing, and at each effort the juvenile63 daws—as yet ignorant of the desperate nature of man—opened their little eyes to the utmost in undisguised amazement64. For full five minutes Maggot wriggled65 and the daws gazed, and the anxious comrade above watched the vibrations66 and jerks of the part of the rope that was visible to him while he listened intently. The bubbles on Zawn Buzzangein, like millions of watery67 eyes, danced and twinkled sixty feet below, as if in wonder at the object which swung wildly to and fro in mid-air.
At last Maggot managed to touch the rock with the extreme point of his toe. A slight push gave him swing sufficient to enable him to give one or two vigorous shoves, by which means he swung close to the side of the cliff. Watching his opportunity, he planted both feet on the narrow ledge before referred to, stretched out his hands, pressed himself flat against the rock, let go the rope, and remained fast, like a fly sticking to a wall.
This state of comparative safety he announced to his anxious friend above by exclaiming,—“All right, John—I’ve got the daws.”
This statement was, however, not literally68 true, for it cost him several minutes of slow and careful struggling to enable him so to fix his person as to admit of his hands being used for “stroobing” purposes. At length he gained the object of his ambition, and transferred the horrified69 daws from their native home to his own warm but unnatural70 bosom, in which he buttoned them up tight. A qualm now shot through Maggot’s heart, for he discovered that in his anxiety to secure the daws he had let go the rope, which hung at a distance of full six feet from him, and, of course, far beyond his reach.
“Hullo! John,” he cried.
“Hullo!” shouted John in reply.
“I’ve got the daws,” said Maggot, “but I’ve lost the rope!”
“Aw! my dear,” gasped71 John; “have ’ee lost th’ rope?”
It need scarcely be said that poor John Cock was dreadfully alarmed at this, and that he eagerly tendered much useless advice—stretching his neck the while as far as was safe over the cliff.
“I say, John,” shouted Maggot again.
“Hullo!” answered John.
“I tell ’ee what: I’m goin’ to jump for th’ rope. If I do miss th’ rope, run thee round to Porth Ledden Cove, an’ tak’ my shoes weth ’ee; I’ll be theere before ’ee.”
Having made this somewhat bold prediction, Maggot collected all his energies, and sprang from his narrow perch72 into the air, with arms and hands wildly extended. His effort was well and bravely made, but his position had been too constrained73, and his foothold too insecure, to admit of a good jump. He missed the rope, and, with a loud cry, shot like an arrow into the boiling flood below.
John Cock heard the cry and the plunge12, and stood for nearly a minute gazing in horror into Zawn Buzzangein. Presently he drew a deep sigh of relief, for Maggot made his appearance, manfully buffeting74 the waves. John watched him with anxiety while he swam out towards the sea, escaped the perpendicular sides of the Zawn, towards which the breakers more than once swept him, doubled the point, and turned in towards the cove. The opposite cliffs of the gorge now shut the swimmer out from John’s view, so he drew another deep sigh, and picking up his comrade’s shoes, ran round with all his might to Porth Ledden Cove, where, true to his word, having been helped both by wind and tide, Maggot had arrived before him.
“Are ’ee safe, my dear man?” was John’s first question.
“Iss,” replied Maggot, shaking himself, “safe enough, an’ the daws too, but semmen to me they’ve gone dead.”
This was too true. The poor birds had perished in their captor’s bosom.
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1
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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2
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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3
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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4
somnolence
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| n.想睡，梦幻；欲寐；嗜睡；嗜眠 | |
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5
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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6
tickling
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| 反馈，回授，自旋挠痒法 | |
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7
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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8
moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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9
bide
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| v.忍耐；等候；住 | |
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10
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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11
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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12
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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13
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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14
cove
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| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
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15
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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16
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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17
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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18
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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19
smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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20
judiciously
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| adv.明断地，明智而审慎地 | |
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21
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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23
shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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24
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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25
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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26
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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27
premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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28
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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29
smuggled
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| 水货 | |
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30
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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31
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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32
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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33
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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34
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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smuggling
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| n.走私 | |
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36
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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37
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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38
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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39
promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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40
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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41
WHIMS
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| 虚妄，禅病 | |
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42
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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43
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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44
prolific
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| adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的 | |
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45
milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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46
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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47
streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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48
defiled
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| v.玷污( defile的过去式和过去分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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49
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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50
gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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51
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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52
schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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53
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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54
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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55
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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56
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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57
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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58
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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59
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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60
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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61
crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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62
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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63
juvenile
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| n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的 | |
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64
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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65
wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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66
vibrations
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| n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动 | |
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67
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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68
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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69
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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70
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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71
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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72
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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73
constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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74
buffeting
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| 振动 | |
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