The whole country around us seemed to be swarming8 with savages, crowds of whom, we now perceived, had come over from the islands to the southward on flat rafts, doubtless with a view of lending their aid in the capture and plunder9 of the Jane. The vessel10 still lay calmly at anchor in the bay, those on board being apparently11 quite unconscious of any danger awaiting them. How we longed at that moment to be with them! either to aid in effecting their escape, or to perish with them in attempting a defence. We saw no chance even of warning them of their danger without bringing immediate12 destruction upon our own heads, with but a remote hope of benefit to them. A pistol fired might suffice to apprise13 them that something wrong had occurred; but the report could not possibly inform them that their only prospect of safety lay in getting out of the harbour forthwith — nor tell them no principles of honour now bound them to remain, that their companions were no longer among the living. Upon hearing the discharge they could not be more thoroughly14 prepared to meet the foe15, who were now getting ready to attack, than they already were, and always had been. No good, therefore, and infinite harm, would result from our firing, and after mature deliberation, we forbore.
Our next thought was to attempt to rush toward the vessel, to seize one of the four canoes which lay at the head of the bay, and endeavour to force a passage on board. But the utter impossibility of succeeding in this desperate task soon became evident. The country, as I said before, was literally16 swarming with the natives, skulking17 among the bushes and recesses18 of the hills, so as not to be observed from the schooner19. In our immediate vicinity especially, and blockading the sole path by which we could hope to attain20 the shore at the proper point were stationed the whole party of the black skin warriors21, with Too-wit at their head, and apparently only waiting for some re-enforcement to commence his onset22 upon the Jane. The canoes, too, which lay at the head of the bay, were manned with savages, unarmed, it is true, but who undoubtedly23 had arms within reach. We were forced, therefore, however unwillingly24, to remain in our place of concealment25, mere26 spectators of the conflict which presently ensued.
In about half an hour we saw some sixty or seventy rafts, or flatboats, with outriggers, filled with savages, and coming round the southern bight of the harbor. They appeared to have no arms except short clubs, and stones which lay in the bottom of the rafts. Immediately afterward27 another detachment, still larger, appeared in an opposite direction, and with similar weapons. The four canoes, too, were now quickly filled with natives, starting up from the bushes at the head of the bay, and put off swiftly to join the other parties. Thus, in less time than I have taken to tell it, and as if by magic, the Jane saw herself surrounded by an immense multitude of desperadoes evidently bent28 upon capturing her at all hazards.
That they would succeed in so doing could not be doubted for an instant. The six men left in the vessel, however resolutely29 they might engage in her defence, were altogether unequal to the proper management of the guns, or in any manner to sustain a contest at such odds30. I could hardly imagine that they would make resistance at all, but in this was deceived; for presently I saw them get springs upon the cable, and bring the vessel’s starboard broadside to bear upon the canoes, which by this time were within pistol range, the rafts being nearly a quarter of a mile to windward. Owing to some cause unknown, but most probably to the agitation31 of our poor friends at seeing themselves in so hopeless a situation, the discharge was an entire failure. Not a canoe was hit or a single savage3 injured, the shots striking short and ricocheting over their heads. The only effect produced upon them was astonishment32 at the unexpected report and smoke, which was so excessive that for some moments I almost thought they would abandon their design entirely33, and return to the shore. And this they would most likely have done had our men followed up their broadside by a discharge of small arms, in which, as the canoes were now so near at hand, they could not have failed in doing some execution, sufficient, at least, to deter34 this party from a farther advance, until they could have given the rafts also a broadside. But, in place of this, they left the canoe party to recover from their panic, and, by looking about them, to see that no injury had been sustained, while they flew to the larboard to get ready for the rafts.
The discharge to larboard produced the most terrible effect. The star and double-headed shot of the large guns cut seven or eight of the rafts completely asunder35, and killed, perhaps, thirty or forty of the savages outright36, while a hundred of them, at least, were thrown into the water, the most of them dreadfully wounded. The remainder, frightened out of their senses, commenced at once a precipitate37 retreat, not even waiting to pick up their maimed companions, who were swimming about in every direction, screaming and yelling for aid. This great success, however, came too late for the salvation38 of our devoted39 people. The canoe party were already on board the schooner to the number of more than a hundred and fifty, the most of them having succeeded in scrambling40 up the chains and over the boarding-netting even before the matches had been applied41 to the larboard guns. Nothing now could withstand their brute42 rage. Our men were borne down at once, overwhelmed, trodden under foot, and absolutely torn to pieces in an instant.
Seeing this, the savages on the rafts got the better of their fears, and came up in shoals to the plunder. In five minutes the Jane was a pitiable scene indeed of havoc43 and tumultuous outrage45. The decks were split open and ripped up; the cordage, sails, and everything movable on deck demolished46 as if by magic, while, by dint47 of pushing at the stern, towing with the canoes, and hauling at the sides, as they swam in thousands around the vessel, the wretches48 finally forced her on shore (the cable having been slipped), and delivered her over to the good offices of Too-wit, who, during the whole of the engagement, had maintained, like a skilful49 general, his post of security and reconnaissance among the hills, but, now that the victory was completed to his satisfaction, condescended50 to scamper51 down with his warriors of the black skin, and become a partaker in the spoils.
Too-wit’s descent left us at liberty to quit our hiding place and reconnoitre the hill in the vicinity of the chasm. At about fifty yards from the mouth of it we saw a small spring of water, at which we slaked52 the burning thirst that now consumed us. Not far from the spring we discovered several of the filbert-bushes which I mentioned before. Upon tasting the nuts we found them palatable53, and very nearly resembling in flavour the common English filbert. We collected our hats full immediately, deposited them within the ravine, and returned for more. While we were busily employed in gathering54 these, a rustling55 in the bushes alarmed us, and we were upon the point of stealing back to our covert56, when a large black bird of the bittern species strugglingly and slowly arose above the shrubs57. I was so much startled that I could do nothing, but Peters had sufficient presence of mind to run up to it before it could make its escape, and seize it by the neck. Its struggles and screams were tremendous, and we had thoughts of letting it go, lest the noise should alarm some of the savages who might be still lurking58 in the neighbourhood. A stab with a bowie knife, however, at length brought it to the ground, and we dragged it into the ravine, congratulating ourselves that, at all events, we had thus obtained a supply of food enough to last us for a week.
We now went out again to look about us, and ventured a considerable distance down the southern declivity59 of the hill, but met with nothing else which could serve us for food. We therefore collected a quantity of dry wood and returned, seeing one or two large parties of the natives on their way to the village, laden60 with the plunder of the vessel, and who, we were apprehensive61, might discover us in passing beneath the hill.
Our next care was to render our place of concealment as secure as possible, and with this object, we arranged some brushwood over the aperture62 which I have before spoken of as the one through which we saw the patch of blue sky, on reaching the platform from the interior of the chasm. We left only a very small opening just wide enough to admit of our seeing the, bay, without the risk of being discovered from below. Having done this, we congratulated ourselves upon the security of the position; for we were now completely excluded from observation, as long as we chose to remain within the ravine itself, and not venture out upon the hill, We could perceive no traces of the savages having ever been within this hollow; but, indeed, when we came to reflect upon the probability that the fissure63 through which we attained64 it had been only just now created by the fall of the cliff opposite, and that no other way of attaining65 it could be perceived, we were not so much rejoiced at the thought of being secure from molestation66 as fearful lest there should be absolutely no means left us for descent. We resolved to explore the summit of the hill thoroughly, when a good opportunity should offer. In the meantime we watched the motions of the savages through our loophole.
They had already made a complete wreck67 of the vessel, and were now preparing to set her on fire. In a little while we saw the smoke ascending68 in huge volumes from her main hatchway, and, shortly afterward, a dense69 mass of flame burst up from the forecastle. The rigging, masts and what remained of the sails caught immediately, and the fire spread rapidly along the decks. Still a great many of the savages retained their stations about her, hammering with large stones, axes, and cannon70 balls at the bolts and other iron and copper71 work. On the beach, and in canoes and rafts, there were not less, altogether, in the immediate vicinity of the schooner, than ten thousand natives, besides the shoals of them who, laden with booty, were making their way inland and over to the neighbouring islands. We now anticipated a catastrophe72, and were not disappointed. First of all there came a smart shock (which we felt as distinctly where we were as if we had been slightly galvanized), but unattended with any visible signs of an explosion. The savages were evidently startled, and paused for an instant from their labours and yellings. They were upon the point of recommencing, when suddenly a mass of smoke puffed73 up from the decks, resembling a black and heavy thundercloud — then, as if from its bowels74, arose a tall stream of vivid fire to the height, apparently, of a quarter of a mile — then there came a sudden circular expansion of the flame — then the whole atmosphere was magically crowded, in a single instant, with a wild chaos75 of wood, and metal, and human limbs-and, lastly, came the concussion76 in its fullest fury, which hurled77 us impetuously from our feet, while the hills echoed and re-echoed the tumult44, and a dense shower of the minutest fragments of the ruins tumbled headlong in every direction around us.
The havoc among the savages far exceeded our utmost expectation, and they had now, indeed, reaped the full and perfect fruits of their treachery. Perhaps a thousand perished by the explosion, while at least an equal number were desperately78 mangled79. The whole surface of the bay was literally strewn with the struggling and drowning wretches, and on shore matters were even worse. They seemed utterly80 appalled81 by the suddenness and completeness of their discomfiture82, and made no efforts at assisting one another. At length we observed a total change in their demeanour. From absolute stupor83, they appeared to be, all at once, aroused to the highest pitch of excitement, and rushed wildly about, going to and from a certain point on the beach, with the strangest expressions of mingled84 horror, rage, and intense curiosity depicted85 on their countenances86, and shouting, at the top of their voices, “Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!”
Presently we saw a large body go off into the hills, whence they returned in a short time, carrying stakes of wood. These they brought to the station where the crowd was the thickest, which now separated so as to afford us a view of the object of all this excitement. We perceived something white lying upon the ground, but could not immediately make out what it was. At length we saw that it was the carcass of the strange animal with the scarlet87 teeth and claws which the schooner had picked up at sea on the eighteenth of January. Captain Guy had had the body preserved for the purpose of stuffing the skin and taking it to England. I remember he had given some directions about it just before our making the island, and it had been brought into the cabin and stowed away in one of the lockers88. It had now been thrown on shore by the explosion; but why it had occasioned so much concern among the savages was more than we could comprehend. Although they crowded around the carcass at a little distance, none of them seemed willing to approach it closely. By-and-by the men with the stakes drove them in a circle around it, and no sooner was this arrangement completed, than the whole of the vast assemblage rushed into the interior of the island, with loud screams of “Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!”
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1
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 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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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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10
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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12
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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apprise
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| vt.通知，告知 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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17
skulking
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 ) | |
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18
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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22
onset
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| n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始 | |
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23
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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26
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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27
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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28
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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30
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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31
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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33
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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deter
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| vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住 | |
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asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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38
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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40
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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41
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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42
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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43
havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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44
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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45
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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46
demolished
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| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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47
dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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48
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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49
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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50
condescended
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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51
scamper
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| v.奔跑，快跑 | |
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52
slaked
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| v.满足( slake的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
palatable
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| adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的 | |
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54
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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55
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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56
covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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57
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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58
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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59
declivity
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| n.下坡，倾斜面 | |
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60
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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fissure
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| n.裂缝；裂伤 | |
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64
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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65
attaining
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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molestation
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| n.骚扰，干扰，调戏；折磨 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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69
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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70
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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71
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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76
concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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77
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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79
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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80
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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82
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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83
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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84
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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85
depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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86
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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87
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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lockers
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| n.寄物柜( locker的名词复数 ) | |
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