He turned his stern gaze upon one after the other, and gave a growl2 of satisfaction as he noted3 no craven amongst us.
“You shall draw cuts, gentlemen, to decide the order in which you must expiate4 your crime. I will show no partiality. See, here are the slips, a number written upon each. Julio shall place them in his hat and allow you to draw.”
He handed the bits of paper to one of his men and strode to the door of Lesba’s room.
“Open!” he commanded, giving it a rap with his knuckles5.
There was no reply.
“Open!” said he, again, and placed his ear to the panel.
Then, with a sudden gesture, he swung the door inward.
263A moment the officer stood motionless, gazing into the chamber6. Then he turned to us a face convulsed with anger.
“Who permitted the woman to escape?” he demanded.
The guards, startled and amazed, peered over his shoulders into the vacant room; but none dared to answer.
“What now, Captain, has your bird flown?” came Valcour’s soft voice, and the spy entered the room and threw himself carelessly into a chair.
De Souza looked upon his colleague with evident suspicion, and twisted the ends of his moustache in sullen7 fury. Perhaps he dared not accuse Valcour openly, as the latter was the Emperor’s authorized8 representative. And it may be the captain was not sincerely sorry that Lesba had escaped, and so saved him from the necessity of executing her, for, after a period of indecision, the wrath9 of the officer seemed to cool, and he slowly regained10 his composure. Valcour, who was watching him, appeared to notice this, and said:
“You forgot the window, my Captain. 264It was not difficult for the senhorita to steal across the roadway unobserved and take refuge in the forest. For my part, I am glad she is gone. Our royal master has little credit in condemning11 a woman to such a death.”
“Have a care, senhor! Your words are treasonable.”
“The Emperor will be the first to applaud them, when he has time to think. Indeed, de Souza, were I in your place, I should ignore the order to execute these people. His Majesty12 acted under a severe nervous strain, and he will not thank you, believe me, for carrying out his instructions so literally13.”
“A soldier’s duty is to obey,” returned the officer, stiffly. Then, turning to the tall Uruguayan who held the hat, he added:
“Let the prisoners draw, Julio!”
Another soldier now unfastened our bonds, and Paola, who was the first to be approached by Julio, took a slip of paper from the hat and thrust it into his pocket without examination.
Sanchez Bastro drew next, and smiled as he read his number. Then came my 265turn, and I own that I could not repress a slight trembling of my fingers as I drew forth14 the fatal slip. It was number four.
“Good!” murmured de Pintra, reading the slip over my shoulder. “I shall not be alive to witness your death, Robert.” And then he took the last paper from the hat and added: “I am number two.”
“I am first,” said Bastro, with cheerfulness. “It is an honor, Dom Miguel,” and he bowed respectfully to the chief.
Paola wore again the old, inane15 smile that always lent his face an indescribable leer of idiocy16. I knew, by this time, that the expression was indeed a mask to cover his real feelings, and idly wondered if he would choose to die with that detestable simper upon his lips.
“Come, gentlemen; we are ready.”
It was the captain who spoke17, and we rose obediently and filed through the doorway18, closely guarded by the Uruguayans.
In the vacant space that served as a yard for Bastro’s house stood a solitary19 date-palm with a straight, slender trunk. Before this we halted, and Bastro was led to the tree 266and a rope passed around his body securing him to the trunk. They offered to blindfold20 him, but he waved the men aside.
“It will please me best to look into the muzzles21 of your guns,” said the patriot22, in a quiet voice. “I am not afraid, Senhor Captain.”
De Souza glanced at the sun. It was slowly sinking, a ball of vivid red, into the bosom23 of the far-away plateau.
At a gesture from the officer six of the guardsmen stepped forward and leveled their carbines upon Bastro, who stood upright against the tree, with a proud smile upon his manly24 face.
I turned away my head, feeling sick and dizzy; and the rattle25 of carbines set me trembling with nervous horror. Nor did I look toward the tree again, although, after an interval26 of silence, I heard the tramp of soldiers bearing Bastro’s body to the deserted27 house.
“Number two!” cried de Souza, harshly.
It was no time to turn craven. My own death was but a question of moments, and I realized that I had little time to bid farewell 267to my kind friend and strive to cheer him upon his way. Going to his side I seized Dom Miguel’s hand and pressed it to my lips; but he was not content with that, and caught me in a warm and affectionate embrace.
Then he was led to the tree. I turned my back, covering my face with my hands.
“For the Cause!” I heard his gentle voice say. The carbines rang out again, and a convulsive sob28 burst from my throat in spite of my strong efforts to control my emotion.
Again I listened to the solemn tread of the soldiers, while from far away the sound of a shout was borne to us upon the still evening air.
Somehow, that distant shout thrilled me with a new-born hope, and I gazed eagerly along the line of roadway that skirted the forest.
De Souza was gazing there, too, with a disturbed look upon his face; but the light was growing dim, and we could see nothing.
“Number three!”
It was Paola’s turn, and he walked unassisted 268to the tree and set his back to it, while the soldiers passed the rope under his arms and then retired29. But they left Valcour confronting the prisoner, and I saw the simper fade from Paola’s lips and an eager gleam light his pale features.
For a few moments they stood thus, separated from all the rest, and exchanging earnest whispers, while the captain stamped his foot with savage30 impatience31.
“Come, come, Valcour!” he called, at last. “You are interfering32 with my duty. Leave the prisoner, I command you!”
The spy turned around, and his face was positively33 startling in its expression of intense agony.
“If you are in a hurry, my dear Captain, fire upon us both!” said he, bitterly.
With a muttered oath de Souza strode forward, and seizing Valcour by the arm, dragged him back of the firing-line.
But at that instant a startling sound reached our ears—the sound of a cheer—and with it came the rapid patter of horses’ feet.
The soldiers, who had already leveled 269their guns at Paola, swung suddenly around upon their heels; de Souza uttered an exclamation34 of dismay, and the rest of us stood as motionless as if turned to stone.
For sweeping35 around the curve of the forest came a troop of horsemen, led by a girl whose fluttering white skirts trailed behind her like a banner borne on the breeze. God! how they rode—the horses plunging36 madly forward at every bound, their red eyes and distended37 nostrils38 bearing evidence of the wild run that had well-nigh exhausted39 their strength.
And the riders, as they sighted us, screamed curses and encouragement in the same breath, bearing down upon our silent group with the speed of a whirlwind.
There was little time for the Uruguayans to recover from their surprise, for at close range the horsemen let fly a volley from rifle and revolver that did deadly havoc40. A few saddles were emptied in return, but almost instantly the soldiers and patriots41 were engaged in a desperate hand-to-hand conflict, with no quarter given or expected.
De Souza fell wounded at the first volley, 270and I saw Valcour, with a glad cry, start forward and run toward Paola, who was still bound to his tree. But the captain, half raising himself from the ground, aimed his revolver at the prisoner, as if determined42 upon his death in spite of the promised rescue.
“Look out!” I shouted, observing the action.
Paola was, of course, helpless to evade43 the bullet; but Valcour, who had nearly reached him, turned suddenly at my cry and threw himself in front of Paola just as the shot rang out.
An instant the spy stood motionless. Then, tossing his arms above his head, he fell backward and lay still.
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收听单词发音
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1
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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2
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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3
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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expiate
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| v.抵补，赎罪 | |
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5
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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6
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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7
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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8
authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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10
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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11
condemning
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| v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地 | |
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12
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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14
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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15
inane
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| adj.空虚的，愚蠢的，空洞的 | |
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16
idiocy
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| n.愚蠢 | |
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17
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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18
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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19
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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20
blindfold
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| vt.蒙住…的眼睛；adj.盲目的；adv.盲目地；n.蒙眼的绷带[布等]； 障眼物，蒙蔽人的事物 | |
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21
muzzles
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| 枪口( muzzle的名词复数 )； （防止动物咬人的）口套； （四足动物的）鼻口部； （狗）等凸出的鼻子和口 | |
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22
patriot
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| n.爱国者，爱国主义者 | |
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23
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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24
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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25
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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26
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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27
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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28
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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29
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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30
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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31
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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32
interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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33
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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34
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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35
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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36
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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37
distended
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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39
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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40
havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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41
patriots
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| 爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 ) | |
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42
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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43
evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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