I felt a curious sensation of weakness and emptiness in my head—as if it were hollow, and a strange disinclination, almost inability, to speak or think. Suddenly this passed away, and the events which I have related in the previous chapters rushed back upon my memory with vivid power.
“It must have been a dream,” I thought, “or I must have been ill and delirious4, and these things have passed through my fevered brain.”
At that moment the thought of Jack’s amputated leg came into my head. “That will prove it,” thought I, and turned quickly to look at my friend. One glance was sufficient—a wooden stump5 occupied the place of his right leg. I groaned6 aloud and burst into tears.
“Come, Bob,” said Jack in a soft, kind tone, laying down his book and bending over me. “Come, my poor fellow, keep quiet. It’s about time you had your dinner. Lie still and I’ll fetch it to you.”
I laid my hand on his arm and detained him. “Then it’s all true,” said I in a tone of the deepest despondency.
“Is what all true?”
“This—this horrible—your leg; your leg—”
Jack suddenly stooped and gazed earnestly into my face. “Do you know me, Bob?” He trembled as he spoke7.
“Know you, Jack! why should I not know you? When did I ever forget you?”
“Thank God!” he exclaimed fervently8, taking my hand and pressing it to his breast. “You’re all right again. Oh, how I have longed and prayed for this.”
“All right, Jack. Have I been wrong, then?”
“That you have just,” said Jack, smiling sadly. “You’ve just been as mad as a March hare, that’s all!”
I fell flat down and gazed at him. In a minute more I raised myself on one elbow, and, looking at him earnestly, said, “How long, Jack?”
“Just three weeks to-day.”
I fell flat down again, in which position Jack left me to go and fetch me some dinner. He returned quickly with a plate of soup. Before commencing to eat it I pressed my hand on my forehead, and said—
“Jack, I am surrounded by mysteries. How got you so soon well? Where got you that wooden leg? How are we here alone? Where are we going? Clear up my faculties9, Jack, while I eat this soup—do, like a good fellow.”
“I can easily do that, Bob. First, I got well because you took care of me.”
“What! I?”
“Yes, you! At the commencement of your madness you tended me and cared for me as if you had been my mother. When you got to lose all ‘method in your madness’ I was well enough to take care of myself and you too. Secondly10, I found this wooden leg in the carpenter’s berth11, and gladly availed myself of its services, though it is three inches too short, and causes me to hobble in a most undignified manner. Thirdly, we are here alone because there is no one else with us. You took good care of that by cutting the ropes before any of our crew could get aboard—so you told me just before you went mad.”
“Fourthly, as to where we are going, I don’t know. Our compass was smashed to pieces in the fight, and I’ve been running for the last three weeks right before the wind. So now you know all, and as you’ve finished your soup I’ll go and get you a lump of boiled junk.”
“Don’t,” said I, rising and shaking myself. “I’ve dined. I feel quite strong. I don’t feel a bit as if I had been ill. Hallo! what land is that?”
Jack started and gazed at it with surprise. He had evidently not known that we were in the neighbourhood of land. A dense13 fog-bank had concealed14 it from us. Now that it cleared away it revealed to our gaze a stretch of yellow sand, backed by the lofty blue hills of the interior, and from the palm-trees that I could make out distinctly I judged that we must have been making for the tropical regions during the last three weeks.
Yet here again mystery surrounded me. How was it possible that we should have reached the tropics in so short a time? While I was puzzling over this question, the greatest mystery of all occurred to us. If I were not conscientiously15 relating events exactly as they occurred, I should expect my readers to doubt my veracity16 here.
As we were sailing smoothly17 along, our ship, without any apparent cause, began to sink. She went down gradually, but quickly—inch by inch—until the water was on a level with the decks. We struck no rock! we did not cease to advance towards the shore! I fancied that we must certainly have sprung a leak; but there had been no sound of a plank18 starting, and there was no noise of water rushing into the hold. I could not imagine what had occurred, but I had not much time for thought. We could do nothing to avert19 the catastrophe20. It occurred so suddenly that we were both rendered mute and helpless. We stood gazing at the water as it crept over the deck without making the slightest effort to save ourselves.
At length the water reached the hatchway and poured in a roaring cataract21 into the hold. The vessel filled, gave a heavy lurch22 to port, a species of tremor23 passed through her frame as if she was a living thing and knew that her hour had come, then she went down in a whirlpool, leaving Jack and me struggling in the sea.
We were both good swimmers, so that we did not experience much alarm, especially when we felt that the sea was comparatively warm; we struck out for the shore, and, being the better swimmer of the two, I took the lead.
But now to our horror we found that we were followed by sharks!
No sooner did we observe this than we struck out with all the energy of terror. We never swam as we did on that occasion. It seemed to me quite miraculous24. The water burst from our breasts in foam25, and we left long white tracks behind us as we clove26 our way through the water like two boats. It was awful. I shall never forget my feelings on that occasion: they were indescribable—inconceivable!
We were about a quarter of a mile from a point of rocks when our ship sank. In an incredibly short space of time we were close on the rocks. Being several yards ahead of Jack, I was the first to clamber up, my heart fluttering with fear, yet filled with deep gratitude27 for my deliverance. I turned to help Jack. He was yet six yards from shore, when a dreadful shark made a rush at him.
“Oh! quick! quick!” I screamed.
He was panting and straining like a lion. Another moment and his hand would have been in mine, but at that moment I beheld28 the double rows of horrid29 teeth close upon him. He uttered a piercing shriek30, and there was an indescribably horrible scrunch31 as he went down. In a moment after, he re-appeared, and making a last frightful32 effort to gain the rocks, caught my hand. I dragged him out of danger instantly, and then I found, to my unutterable joy, that the shark had only bitten off the half of his wooden leg!
Embracing each other fervently, we sat down in the rocks to rest and collect our thoughts.
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1
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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2
propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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3
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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4
delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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6
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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7
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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8
fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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9
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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10
secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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11
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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12
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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13
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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14
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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15
conscientiously
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| adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实 | |
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16
veracity
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| n.诚实 | |
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17
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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18
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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21
cataract
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| n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障 | |
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22
lurch
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| n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行 | |
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23
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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24
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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25
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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26
clove
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| n.丁香味 | |
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27
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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28
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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29
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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30
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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31
scrunch
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| v.压，挤压；扭曲（面部） | |
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32
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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