'This would make Jim stamp his foot in vexation and exclaim with an exasperated4 little laugh, "What can you do with such silly beggars? They will sit up half the night talking bally rot, and the greater the lie the more they seem to like it." You could trace the subtle influence of his surroundings in this irritation6. lt was part of his captivity7. The earnestness of his denials was amusing, and at last I said, "My dear fellow, you don't suppose I believe this." He looked at me quite startled. "Well, no! I suppose not," he said, and burst into a Homeric peal8 of laughter. "Well, anyhow the guns were there, and went off all together at sunrise. Jove! You should have seen the splinters fly," he cried. By his side Dain Waris, listening with a quiet smile, dropped his eyelids9 and shuffled10 his feet a little. It appears that the success in mounting the guns had given Jim's people such a feeling of confidence that he ventured to leave the battery under charge of two elderly Bugis who had seen some fighting in their day, and went to join Dain Waris and the storming party who were concealed11 in the ravine. In the small hours they began creeping up, and when two-thirds of the way up, lay in the wet grass waiting for the appearance of the sun, which was the agreed signal. He told me with what impatient anguishing13 emotion he watched the swift coming of the dawn; how, heated with the work and the climbing, he felt the cold dew chilling his very bones; how afraid he was he would begin to shiver and shake like a leaf before the time came for the advance. "It was the slowest half-hour in my life," he declared. Gradually the silent stockade14 came out on the sky above him. Men scattered15 all down the slope were crouching16 amongst the dark stones and dripping bushes. Dain Waris was lying flattened17 by his side. "We looked at each other," Jim said, resting a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. "He smiled ar me as cheery as you please, and I dared not stir my lips for fear I would break out into a shivering fit. 'Pon my word, it's tru
e! I had been streaming with perspiration18 when we took cover -- so you may imagine . . ." He declared, and I believe him, that he had no fears as to the result. He was only anxious as to his ability to repress these shivers. He didn't bother about the result. He was bound to get to the top of that hill and stay there, whatever might happen. There could be no going back for him. Those people had trusted him implicitly19. Him alone! His bare word....
'I remember how, at this point, he paused with his eyes fixed20 upon me. "As far as he knew, they never had an occasion to regret it yet," he said. "Never. He hoped to God they never would. Meantime -- worse luck! -- they had got into the habit of taking his word for anything and everything. I could have no idea! Why, only the other day an old fool he had never seen in his life came from some village miles away to find out if he should divorce his wife. Fact. Solemn word. That's the sort of thing. . . He wouldn't have believed it. Would I? Squatted21 on the verandah chewing betel-nut, sighing and spitting all over the place for more than an hour, and as glum22 as an undertaker before he came out with that dashed conundrum23. That's the kind of thing that isn't so funny as it looks. What was a fellow to say? -- Good wife? -- Yes. Good wife -- old though. Started a confounded long story about some brass24 pots. Been living together for fifteen years -- twenty years -- could not tell. A long, long time. Good wife. Beat her a little -- not much -- just a little, when she was young. Had to -- for the sake of his honour. Suddenly in her old age she goes and lends three brass pots to her sister's son's wife, and begins to abuse him every day in a loud voice. His enemies jeered25 at him; his face was utterly26 blackened. Pots totally lost. Awfully27 cut up about it. Impossible to fathom28 a story like that; told him to go home, and promised to come along myself and settle it all. It's all very well to grin, but it was the dashedest nuisance! A day's journey through the forest, another day lost in coaxing29 a lot of silly villagers to get at the rights of the affair. There was the making of a sanguinary shindy in the thing. Every bally idiot took sides with one family or the other, and one half of the village was ready to go for the other half with anything that came handy . Honour bright! No joke! . . . Instead of attending to their bally crops. Got him the infernal pots back of course -an d pacified30 all hands. No trouble to settle it. O
f course not. Could settle the deadliest quarrel in the country by crooking31 his little finger. The trouble was to get at the truth of anything. Was not sure to this day whether he had been fair to all parties. It worried him. And the talk! Jove! There didn't seem to be any head or tail to it. Rather storm a twenty-foot-high old stockade any day. Much! Child's play to that other job. Wouldn't take so long either. Well, yes; a funny set out, upon the whole -- the fool looked old enough to be his grandfather. But from another point of view it was no joke. His word decided32 everything -- ever since the smashing of Sherif Ali. An awful responsibility," he repeated. "No, really -joking apart, had it been three lives instead of three rotten brass pots it would have been the same...."
'Thus he illustrated33 the moral effect of his victory in war. It was in truth immense. It had led him from strife34 to peace, and through death into the innermost life of the people; but the gloom of the land spread out under the sunshine preserved its appearance of inscrutable, of secular35 repose36. The sound of his fresh young voice -it's extraordinary how very few signs of wear he showed -- floated lightly, and passed away over the unchanged face of the forests like the sound of the big guns on that cold dewy morning when he had no other concern on earth but the proper control of the chills in his body. With the first slant37 of sun-rays along these immovable treetops the summit of one hill wreathed itself, with heavy reports, in white clouds of smoke, and the other burst into an amazing noise of yells, war-cries, shouts of anger, of surprise, of dismay. Jim and Dain Waris were the first to lay their hands on the stakes. The popular story has it that Jim with a touch of one finger had thrown down the gate. He was, of course, anxious to disclaim38 this achievement. The whole stockade -- he would insist on explaining to you -was a poor affair (Sherif Ali wsted mainly to the inaccessible39 position); and, anyway, the thing had been already knocked to pieces and only hung together by a miracle. He put his shoulder to it like a little fool and went in head over heels. Jove! If it hadn't been for Dain Waris, a pock-marked tattooed40 vagabond would have pinned him with his spear to a baulk of timber like one of Stein's beetles41. The third man in, it seems, had been Tamb' Itam, Jim's own servant. This was a Malay from the north, a stranger who had wandered into Patusan, and had been forcibly detained by Rajah Allang as paddler of one of the state boats. He had made a bolt of it at the first opportunity, and finding a precarious42 refuge (but very little to eat) amongst the Bugis settlers, had attached himself to Jim's person. His complexion43 was very dark, his face flat, his eyes prom inent and injected with bile. There was somethin
g excessive, almost fanatical, in his devotion to his "white lord." He was inseparable from Jim like a morose44 shadow. On state occasions he would tread on his master's heels, one hand on the haft of his kriss, keeping the common people at a distance by his truculent45 brooding glances. Jim had made him the headman of his establishment, and all Patusan respected and courted him as a person of much influence. At the taking of the stockade he had distinguished46 himself greatly by the methodical ferocity of his fighting. The storming party had come on so quick -- Jim said -- that notwithstanding the panic of the garrison47, there was a "hot five minutes hand-to-hand inside that stockade, till some bally ass12 set fire to the shelters of boughs48 and dry grass, and we all had to clear out for dear life."
'The rout49, it seems, had been complete. Doramin, waiting immovably in his chair on the hillside, with the smoke of the guns spreading slowly above his big head, received the news with a deep grunt50. When informed that his son was safe and leading the pursuit, he, without another sound, made a mighty51 effort to rise; his attendants hurried to his help, and, held up reverently52, he shuffled with great dignity into a bit of shade, where he laid himself down to sleep, covered entirely53 with a piece of white sheeting. In Patusan the excitement was intense. Jim told me that from the hill, turning his back on the stockade with its embers, black ashes, and halfconsumed corpses54, he could see time after time the open spaces between the houses on both sides of the stream fill suddenly with a seething55 rush of people and get empty in a moment. His ears caught feebly from below the tremendous din5 of gongs and drums; the wild shouts of the crowd reached him in bursts of faint roaring. A lot of streamers made a flutter as of little white, red, yellow birds amongst the brown ridges56 of roofs. "You must have enjoyed it," I murmured, feeling the stir of sympathetic emotion.
' "It was . . . it was immense! Immense!" he cried aloud, flinging his arms open. The sudden movement startled me as though I had seen him bare the secrets of his breast to the sunshine, to the brooding forests, to the steely sea. Below us the town reposed57 in easy curves upon the banks of a stream whose current seemed to sleep. "Immense!" he repeated for a third time, speaking in a whisper, for himself alone.
'Immense! No doubt it was immense; the seal of success upon his words, the conquered ground for the soles of his feet, the blind trust of men, the belief in himself snatched from the fire, the solitude58 of his achievement. All this, as I've warned you, gets dwarfed59 in the telling. I can't with mere60 words convey to you the impression of his total and utter isolation61. I know, of course, he was in every sense alone of his kind there, but the unsuspected qualities of his nature had brought him in such close touch with his surroundings that this isolation seemed only the effect of his power. His loneliness added to his stature62. There was nothing within sight to compare him with, as though he had been one of those exceptional men who can be only measured by the greatness of their fame; and his fame, remember, was the greatest thing around for many a day's journey. You would have to paddle, pole, or track a long weary way through the jungle before you passed beyond the reach of its voice. Its voice was not the trumpeting63 of the disreputable goddess we all know -not blatant64 -- not brazen65. It took its tone from the stillness and gloom of the land without a past, where his word was the one truth of every passing day. It shared something of the nature of that silence through which it accompanied you into unexplored depths, heard continuously by your side, penetrating66, far-reaching -- tinged67 with wonder and mystery on the lips of whispering men.'
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1
rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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subduing
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| 征服( subdue的现在分词 )； 克制； 制服； 色变暗 | |
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arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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8
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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9
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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10
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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13
anguishing
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| v.（尤指心理上的）极度的痛苦( anguish的现在分词 ) | |
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stockade
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| n.栅栏，围栏；v.用栅栏防护 | |
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15
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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20
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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21
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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glum
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| adj.闷闷不乐的，阴郁的 | |
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conundrum
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| n.谜语；难题 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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coaxing
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应 | |
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pacified
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| 使（某人）安静( pacify的过去式和过去分词 )； 息怒； 抚慰； 在（有战争的地区、国家等）实现和平 | |
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31
crooking
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| n.弯曲（木材等的缺陷）v.弯成钩形( crook的现在分词 ) | |
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32
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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secular
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| n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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slant
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| v.倾斜，倾向性地编写或报道；n.斜面，倾向 | |
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disclaim
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| v.放弃权利，拒绝承认 | |
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inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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tattooed
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| v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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41
beetles
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| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
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42
precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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43
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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44
morose
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| adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的 | |
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45
truculent
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| adj.野蛮的，粗野的 | |
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46
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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47
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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48
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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49
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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50
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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51
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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52
reverently
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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53
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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54
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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55
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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56
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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57
reposed
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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dwarfed
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| vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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63
trumpeting
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| 大声说出或宣告（trumpet的现在分词形式） | |
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64
blatant
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| adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的 | |
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brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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66
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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