The dark man who kicked Mackeller downstairs into the hold, and who afterwards interviewed him alone by lantern light, had impressed Mackeller as being a capable leader of men, and he would probably drill his following into some sort of shape during the long voyage to the south. That the captain, officers, and crew, or any of the hundred and fifty knew the piratical nature of the expedition, Mackeller very strongly doubted, but the prompt manner in which the leader, with his energetic foot, broke the law, and very nearly broke Mackeller’s neck, convinced the engineer that the dark man was well aware of the criminal nature of his proceeding16, and undoubtedly17, when once the force was landed, he would be very much on the alert, expecting that as soon as the flight of the steamer became known, instant arrangements would be made for pursuit. He would doubtless send out scouts18, and endeavor roughly to understand the lay of the land on which he found himself. It was morally certain, thought Mackeller, that one or other of those scouts would ultimately come upon the yacht, no matter how securely they hid her, and so soon as her presence came to the knowledge of the strenuous19 leader of the filibusters20, an attack on the yacht was certain, and her capture or destruction most probable, unless they could escape quickly to the open sea. So, as Mackeller knew there were no gun shops along the Paramakaboo River, he took precaution to make provision beforehand without saying anything to his peace-loving master. A man whose daily walk is Piccadilly is scarcely in a position to predict what may happen on the Paramakaboo.
At 9.50 that night Mackeller was in occupation of his most comfortable little room in the sleeping car of the Penzance express, and an excellent night’s rest followed his busy day. Seven o’clock next morning found him at breakfast in Redruth, and so resolutely22 did he go about his business that in two days he formed complete the organization which was to operate the old copper23 mine. Then he took train for Plymouth, and was rowed out in the evening to the white yacht at anchor in the harbor, resting beautiful as a swan on the placid24 waters. Mackeller was astonished to find her so great a boat. She was almost as large as the Rajah, but of much more dainty shape, her fine lines giving promise of great speed. Thin cables, extending from slanting25 mast to slanting mast, he recognized as the outside paraphernalia26 for wireless27 telegraphy, and although he saw from this that Lord Stranleigh treated himself to the latest scientific inventions, he was quite unprepared for the quiet luxury that everywhere met his eye once he was aboard of the yacht.
He found Lord Stranleigh aft, seated in a cane28 chair, his feet resting on another. He had been reading the latest evening paper brought aboard, and he laid this on his knee as he looked lazily up at his mining engineer.
“Finished with copper, Mackeller?” he asked. “Yes, my lord.”
“I did not expect you before to-morrow night. I imagine, you gave your disconcerting energy full play down in Cornwall.”
“I have been reasonably busy, my lord.”
“Would you mind pressing that electrical button? It is just out of my reach.”
Mackeller did so, and a cabin boy immediately put in an appearance.
“Go forward, and ask Captain Wilkie if he will be good enough to allow me a word with him.” Captain Wilkie proved to be a grizzled old sea-dog of unmistakably Scotch29 extraction. He rolled aft, and saluted30 his owner.
“Everything ready, captain?”
“Everything ready, sir.”
“Very well; up anchor and away.”
The captain went forward and mounted the bridge.
“Draw up your chair, Peter, and let me have your verbal report, and as you drop into the chair, drop also that appellation31 ‘my lord.’ If you want to be extra respectful at any time, say ‘sir’ as the captain does, and I’ll do the same by you, if you require it.”
Mackeller gave him a full account of his occupation during the last three days, but whether Stranleigh was asleep or not throughout the recital32, he could not be sure. At any rate he did not interrupt, but lay back in his chair with closed eyes. Then, without opening them, he remarked:
“You have done very well, Mackeller, and as a reward I will give you the choice of a spot in the Bay of Biscay or the Atlantic Ocean where you may wish your case of rifles and ammunition heaved overboard.”
“Oh, have you been examining my dunnage, sir?” asked Mackeller.
“Dear me, no,” replied Stranleigh languidly. “Your fool of a gunsmith did not understand your instructions, and not knowing where to find you, and supposing you were acting33 for me, he telegraphed asking which of two rifles named should be sent. Learning that twelve had been ordered, I thought of telegraphing in the old phrase, ‘Six of one and half a dozen of the other,’ but I finally took on a score altogether, ten of each kind with ammunition to match.”
“Why purchase more guns than I did, if you’re going to drop them in the Bay of Biscay.”
“Oh, they’ll make the bigger plump when they go down.”
“What harm will they do aboard, sir? If we don’t need them, we won’t use them. If we do need them, then you’ll be sorry they’re in the Bay of Biscay.”
“So you’re going to choose the Bay of Biscay, are you? I thought perhaps you might toss them over farther along than that. I hope you understand, Mackeller, I am on a mission of peace, and if, for any reason, the yacht should be searched, your rifles and ammunition would be rather a giveaway, wouldn’t they?”
“I don’t see that. You’ve got more than a score of men aboard here, and the repeaters can be used for sporting purposes.”
“All right, Mackeller, don’t be alarmed. The boxes are stowed safely away in the forrard hold, and we’ll not drop them overboard anywhere. After all, you know the locality for which we are bound better than I do, and so your rifles and ammunition may prove friends in need. I see the boy hovering34 about in the offing, and I am sure he wishes to conduct you to your cabin. By the time you’ve washed the railway dust from your sylphlike form, the dinner gong will be filling the air with a welcome melody. I’ve got my own favorite chef with me, and I understand we shall not need to live on porridge and tinned milk. And, by the way, Mackeller, did you happen to pack such wearing apparel as dinner togs in your dunnage, as you call it?”
“Dinner togs?” echoed Mackeller, aghast. “Why, hang it all, I’m a mining engineer. I haven’t even a starched35 shirt with me, let alone a dress suit. I didn’t know I was coming to an evening party?”
“No, you paid attention to the trivialities of life, such as rifles and ammunition, and quite neglected the more important affair of costume.”
“I’ll eat forward with the men,” said Mackeller gruffly.
“Oh, there’s no need for that. As you tried to bolt through the door from my breakfast room the other day, when Ponderby was on guard, I saw him measure your proportions critically with his eye, in case it should be necessary for him to use that force which I deplore37, so I told Ponderby to make a guess at what would fit you, and to go to the extent of three evening suits of varying sizes made to order. You will find them all laid out in your room, and the able Ponderby will give you critical advice regarding which fits you best.”
“Well, sir, if you expect me to look pretty every night——”
“Oh, no,” interrupted his lordship, “I never expect the impossible, but, you see, Captain Wilkie is rather a stickler38 on etiquette39. He will occupy one end of the table, brave in a uniform of gold lace made by the premier40 naval41 tailor of London, so we must play up to him, my boy, and do the best we can. Then there will be our chief engineer, also in uniform, and the wireless telegraphy operator, who is rather a la-de-da young man, and lastly there’s the doctor, an Oxford42 graduate, and so we must do honor to the university. You and I are in the minority, and we’ll just need to make the best of it.”
Mackeller departed dejectedly to his room, which he found so spacious43 and so luxuriously44 fitted up that he stood on its threshold for a few moments, dumfounded, regarding it with dismay. He emerged when the gong rang, and entered the long broad saloon which extended from side to side of the ship. Lord Stranleigh occupied the head of the table, and he introduced Mackeller to Dr. Holden, and to Mr. Spencer, electrician and telegrapher. Neither the captain nor the engineer put in an appearance during dinner, the one waiting to see his ship in more open waters, and the other standing45 by to watch the behavior of the machinery46 at the beginning of a long run.
“You have a fine boat here, Stranleigh,” said the doctor.
“It isn’t half bad,” admitted his lordship. “Still, there’s always a fly in the ointment47. I call her The Woman in White, after the title of Wilkie Collins’s famous novel. You know the book, Mac-keller, I suppose?”
“I never heard of it. I don’t read novels.”
“Oh, well, we must convert you before the voyage is ended. You’ll find plenty of fiction on board this boat. There’s a copy of “The Woman in White” in every room, large and small, each copy in a style of binding48 that suits the decoration of the room, so I beg of you, Mackeller, to begin reading the story in your own apartment, and if, getting interested in it, you wish to continue in the saloon, or on deck, I hope you will take the saloon or deck copy, so that the color of the binding will not clash with your surroundings. I ought really to have the copies chained in their places, as was the case with the ancient books in our churches, for it is a terribly distressing49 sight to see a man reading a mauve book in a white-and-gold saloon, or a scarlet50 copy up on deck.”
“Yes, I should think that would be appalling,” sneered51 Mackeller.
“Now, don’t be sarcastic52, Peter, and thus lacerate my tenderest artistic53 tastes. You may come to know, some day, when you are starving in a wilderness54 on the West Coast, that these are really the serious things of life.”
“I dare say,” replied Peter gruffly.
“Then the fly in the ointment,” said the doctor, “is the fact that your passengers persist in taking away the volumes from the rooms where they belong?”
“Oh, no; a man who calls his yacht Woman in White, should have a captain named Wilkie Collins. I searched England and Scotland for one of that name, and couldn’t find him, so I was compelled to compromise, a thing I always dislike doing. My captain’s name is Wilkie, and my chief engineer’s name is Collins, and thus I divide the burden of congruity55 upon the shoulders of two different men, whereas one would have sufficed if his parents had only exhibited some common sense at his christening. I’d pay any salary in reason for a captain named Wilkie Collins.”
“I think I’ll write a book myself, some day,” said the doctor, “and call it ‘The Grievous Worries of a Millionaire.’ Would you object if I took you as my model for my Croesus?”
“On the contrary, I should be flattered, and as you progress with the work I may be able to supply you with incidents to weave into your narrative56.”
Mackeller sat silent while this frivolous57 conversation went on, and this silence he maintained during the greater part of the voyage. Mackeller’s mind was troubled. He was a serious young man, whose opinions were strongly grounded on common sense, and there were many elements in the situation that gave him just cause for anxiety. When it came down to finalities, he possessed58 a strong belief in the efficiency of force. So far as his knowledge went, the Lord was always on the side of the biggest battalion59. He represented the American confidence in the big stick, the British faith in keeping your powder dry, the German reliance on the mailed fist.
And now here he was treading the deck of a confection in naval construction; a dainty flower of marine60 architecture, which slipped through the water as gracefully61 as if she were a living white swan. Her well-molded, snowy sides were of the finest quality of pressed steel, almost paper thin, and he was convinced that even a single shot from a small cannon62 would send her shivering to the bottom, shattering her metal covering as a pane63 of glass is shattered by a well-thrown stone, and for this delusion64 he was scarcely to be blamed, because his education had been concentrated on mining engineering, and the mechanism65 of air-tight and water-tight compartments66 did not form part of his curriculum. He knew that on the open sea The Woman in White could not be overtaken by any craft afloat except one or other of the most recent torpedo-boat destroyers, which were not likely to be encountered along the west coast of Africa, but he knew the locality to which The Woman in White was bound, and he pictured her from twelve to twenty-four miles away from the coast, where, if discovered, she would need to make her way down a narrow river, flanked on each side, after she left the shelter of the hills, by a flat country. In this position it would be impossible, owing to windings67 of the stream, to take advantage of her full speed, and being under the misapprehension that a single well-aimed shot would disable, if not sink, her, he pictured the beautiful yacht and her crew helplessly trapped somewhere between the hills and the lagoon69, at the mercy of well-armed, desperate men, in a region where no law, save that of might, ran: men who would not feel the slightest scruple70 in removing from the earth, all trace of the vessel71 and those aboard of her.
If Mackeller had been told that the little craft might have been riddled72 like a sieve73, and still keep afloat, and that so long as a stray shot did not destroy her motive74 power, she could, within a few minutes, get out of range of any land force, so long as there was a sufficient depth of water in the river, he would not have believed it. He strongly suspected that the Rajah was well provided not only with cannon and ammunition, but also with floating mines to seal up the river, rendering75 exit impossible. Into this fatal impasse76 Lord Stranleigh, with a levity77 that saddened Mackeller, was running his unprotected cruiser, armed only with luxury. Officers and crew would be of little use in a fight, and the extra men, whatever might be the shooting qualities of the gamekeepers and foresters whom Stranleigh had requisitioned from his estates, were quite undisciplined, and although most of them were doubtless expert enough with a shotgun, their efficiency with magazined arms of precision such as he had sent on board, was more than doubtful.
Once or twice during the early portion of the voyage, Mackeller had endeavored to imbue78 Lord Stranleigh with some of his own apprehension68, but the young nobleman was usually in company with the doctor, or with the telegrapher, or one or other of the officers, and he invariably turned aside Mackeller’s attempts with a joke, refusing to discuss anything seriously. By the time they had arrived at that portion of the waters where they should have passed the Rajah, according to Mackeller’s calculation, they were sailing through an empty sea. Day after day Mackeller, from the front of the vessel, swept the bald horizon with the most powerful of binoculars79, but he saw nothing of the tramp steamer. The voyage had been monotonous80 with its good weather. Nothing had happened, either in the way of a breakdown81 of machinery, or the encountering of even a moderate storm.
Lord Stranleigh recognized his anxious search with an amused smile, but said nothing. At last Mackeller gave up scrutiny82 of sea and sky. It was no longer possible that the Rajah could have covered the distance The Woman in White had already traversed. Still, his earnest meditations83 had at last evolved a plan, and the adoption84 of that plan he must now urge upon his chief, so seeing that Stranleigh, for once, was alone, he strode aft to the spot where the head of the expedition lolled in a reclining cane chair, with his slippered85 feet extended on the adjustable86 rest. Like the woman for whom his ship was named, he was clad entirely87 in white, for the weather was warm, although the yacht slipped so speedily through the oily water that a comforting breeze greeted every one on deck. The young man placed the book he had been reading face downward on the little table at his elbow, and looked up at the on-comer with an expression of amusement on his face.
“Well, Mackeller,” he cried, “have you found her?”
“Found whom, sir?”
“Why, the Rajah, of course.”
“How did you know I was looking for her?”
“You’ve been looking for something these few days past, so I took the liberty of surmising88 it was the Rajah.”
“You are quite right.’”
“I always am, Mackeller. Haven’t you discovered that yet? Always be right and then you’ll be happy, although you’ll also be extremely disliked by everybody else. Still, I never aimed at popularity, not wishing to write a book, or stand for Parliament, so a lack of popularity does not matter.”
“I never pretend to be always right, sir.”
“Well, that’s a good thing. I dislike pretense89 myself; nevertheless, it is so easy to be right that I sometimes wonder you don’t practice the art. All that is necessary is knowledge and brains.”
“I do not lack knowledge in my own line of business, and no one ever hinted before that I was lacking in brain power.”
“I do not hint that at all, Mackeller. I bear willing testimony90 to your brain power, but I sometimes think you don’t exercise it enough. For instance, you think things out in somber91 silence, when sometimes a question might throw a good deal of light on your problem. Take my own actions, for instance. Do you suppose I wish the whereabouts of my yacht reported in the marine columns of the English newspapers day by day, thus running the risk that certain people will begin to wonder what I am doing so far south?”
“Of course not.”
“Very well. Why have we met none of the South African liners, or overtaken any of the tramps threshing their way to Cape21 Town?”
“I’m sure I don’t know.”
“Oh, yes, you do, if you’ll only think. The reason is this: that having ample time at my command, the course of my yacht was deflected93 from south to southwest when we reached north latitude94 40. We spun95 along merrily in that direction till daylight did appear, and then resumed our progress south. We passed outside of the islands, and out of the track of any steamer that might report us. Now turn your brain power upon that amiable96 gentleman who kicked you downstairs. He must at least strongly suspect that he’s engaged on an illegal expedition. Would he deflect92, do you think, and waste valuable time on the face of the ocean?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Of course you don’t. He’d make for your what-do-you-call-it river on a bee-line. The course we have taken puts us two hundred miles, more or less, from his path, and as they tell me you cannot see more than thirty miles on the water, you may now conjecture97 how fruitless has been your scanning of the ocean. I had no desire to see the Rajah, but in any case I did not wish the Rajah to see me. We will steam as we are going until we are directly opposite your gold mine; then round at right angles and straight eastward98 is our course. You should do as I do, Mackeller, and read that incomparable sea writer, W. Clark Russell, then you’d begin to understand what you are about. He’d put you up to all the tricks of the trade. It’s one of his books I’m perusing99 now, which accounts for my trickiness100 at sea. Have you ever read any of his novels?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Very well, then, begin with the ‘Wreck101 of the Grosvenor.’ We’ve got all his works on board, and pretty soon you’ll know what to do with a mutiny, how to conduct yourself when marooned102, the proper etiquette to adopt if tackled by a cyclone103, what to say when you and a nice girl are left alone on a wreck. Of course I admit that W. W. Jacobs is excellent, and that he puts forth104 most admirable text-books on navigation, but he is only good below-bridge, as you might put it; for rivers and other inland waters, and perhaps a bit of the coast. When you take to deep-sea navigation you must study Clark Russell, my boy. Take the advice of a tarry old salt like myself, and study Clark Russell. Do not be deluded105 by my white apparel; I am tar36 to the finger ends, and full of salt junk, because I’m three quarter way through his latest book.”
“I suppose it would be useless for me to say, sir, that I believe you are running into a trap?”
“Oh, quite. Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof. You refer, of course, to our being bottled up in that unpronounceable river, and ordinarily I should give some attention to the matter, but I cannot now, as I am in the middle of the most exciting chapter in this most exciting book. Once we are inside the trap, Mackeller, we’ll study its construction, and find a way out. There seems to me little practical use in studying an imaginary trap which may not be there when we arrive. That leads to disappointment. Let us first get into the trap if we can; then if there’s no way out, we will console ourselves by the knowledge that there are plenty of provisions and books to read on board. If the worst comes to the worst, we will get our wireless telegraphy at work until we pick up a liner similarly equipped, and thus get into communication with Clark Russell, relate our position, and ask him what to do. I’ll bet you a fiver he’ll send a solution of the problem.”
Mackeller compressed his lips, and turned on his heel without a word.
“Oh, very well,” laughed Stranleigh, “have it your own way. Try Jacobs if you like, but I bank on Russell,” and with that parting remark his lordship resumed his reading.
Mackeller grimly resolved to make no further attempt to instill common sense into an empty head, neither did he take to the reading of freshwater or salt-water authors. He devoted106 what time remained to him in poring over certain scientific works he had discovered in the library.
One night he woke up suddenly. The boat was strangely still. Light as had been the unceasing purr of the turbines, its cessation had instantly aroused him. He made his way to the deck. The steamer swayed gently in the heave of the sea. From the east came the low murmur107 of breakers on the shore, sounding like a distant waterfall. The dim outline of dark hills against a less dark sky could be distinguished108, and that was all. Mackeller paced the deck until daylight, when the steamer got under weigh again, and cautiously approached the shore. One of the ship’s boats was swung into the water, and under Mackeller’s guidance sounded with a lead the depths of the channel, the yacht crawling after them, until at last it entered the river. By nine o’clock it was moored109 alongside the gold fields. A few minutes later Lord Stranleigh appeared on deck, well-groomed, clear-eyed, and fresh as a youth whose night’s rest has been undisturbed. He expressed no surprise on seeing the position of his steamer, but merely remarked to his captain:
“That was rather a good shot, old man, considering the size of the target and the distance. When did you sight the coast?”
“At four bells, sir.”
“Did you need to cruise up and down to find the spot?”
“No, sir.”
“Look at that, now, and yet Maekeller thinks we’re going to be trapped.”
After breakfast Lord Stranleigh gave orders that the steamer should proceed upstream to the head of navigation, wherever that was, so they cast off, and began to explore. They discovered that the stream they were navigating110 was merely a branch, and not the main river, as Mackeller had supposed. About a mile above the mines the land began to rise, and both banks were clothed with splendid forests. Arriving at the head of the delta111 they found that the river itself proceeded due north, while a branch similar to that which passed the gold fields struck off through the forest to the southwest. The southwest branch was the smallest of the three streams, so they did not trouble with it, but went down the main river until they reached a defile112 with hills to the west of them facing the continuous range to the east.
“This will be our camping spot, I imagine,” said Stranleigh. “We will return to it, but first I wish to investigate the channel at the mouth of the river.”
They discovered, to Mackeller’s surprise, that the stream flowed so far to the north that when at last it turned west the steamer could reach the ocean without any possibility of being seen from the gold region. Stranleigh laughed when this fact was made plain, and smote113 Mackeller on the shoulders.
“Where’s your trap now, my boy?” he cried. “You would have saved yourself some worry if you had known that the lay of the land was like this.”
“Nevertheless,” said Mackeller, “if they discover this channel, they may fill it with floating mines:”
“So they may the mouth of the Thames, but they won’t. An engineer should stick to probabilities, Peter. Now we will return, and seek our secluded114 glen, mooring115 against the eastern bank, so that if we are discovered by our opponents, as the song says, they will have one more river to cross.”
They reached the ravine in the evening, and Lord Stranleigh complained of a hard day’s work virtuously116 accomplished117, with the prospective118 dinner well earned, although his exertions119 had consisted mainly of sitting in an armchair at the prow120, with his feet on the rail.
Next morning he crossed the river with Mackeller and a party of foresters, some of whom carried axes, one a huge telescope with its stand, and another a small tent. At the top the foresters cleared away intervening underbrush so that a view might be had of the distant gold fields. The telescope stand was placed upon the rock, and the tent erected121 over it. Stranleigh, adjusting the focus, gazed at the gold fields, then rubbed his hands with satisfaction.
“Why,” he said, “we can see their inmost thoughts with this.”
When they descended122, Stranleigh sent another party to the top, one laden123 with wireless telegraphy apparatus124, which the operator was requested to get into working order.
“If successful it will save us a telephone wire,” said his lordship.
The rest were laden with provisions.
“Mackeller,” he said, “I appoint you to the outlook, and your companion will be our second telegraph operator. One never knows what may happen in this locality, so if our steamer is compelled to cut and run, you people up on top, with everything so well concealed125, can lie low, yet keep in touch with us so long as we are within the four-mile radius127, or whatever is the limit of the wireless. I noticed a little spring about halfway128 up in the forest, and that will supply you with drink nearer than the river, and I counsel you it is better for you than champagne, although I have sent up a ease of that. And now, to show you how economical I am, and thus make an appeal to your Scottish heart, I am going to send my woodmen into the forest alongside, and while here we will burn nothing but hard wood, and save coal. Indeed, I have consulted with my chief engineer, and with his consent I am going to fill our bunkers with the most combustible129 timber I can find. I take no further interest in your mountain top until the Rajah is sighted, but while the woodmen, with their axes and saws, are filling the bunkers, I shall attend to the larder130 with fishing tackle and gun, and here’s where my gamekeepers will earn their wages.”
Game proved to be plentiful131, and many wondrous132 fishes were captured.
“Oh!” cried Stranleigh, one night after an exceptionally good fish and game dinner. “Piccadilly is a fool of a place to this. If the postal133 arrangements were only a little better, we would be all right. I must send a letter to the Times about the negligence134 of our Government, and score the postmaster-general, as all right-minded correspondents do. I have almost forgotten what a postman looks like, but I expect when we get our wireless at work we’ll be able to give Signor Marconi some hints when we return.”
The Rajah was three days late, according to Mackeller’s calculations, but one morning Mac-keller recognized her slowly stemming the current of the Paramakaboo River, and at once the information was telegraphed to Stranleigh, who did not receive the message, as he was out shooting. The young man had taken his lunch with him, so the operator on the steamer informed those up aloft, and no one knew when he would be back.
Mackeller, his eye glued to the telescope, watched the landing of the army that the Rajah carried, and saw the two steam cranes, one fore12 and one aft, begin at once to swing ashore135 the cargo136 from the hold. He momentarily expected the arrival of his chief, but the dinner hour came, bringing no visitor to the hilltop. Mackeller and the operator descended, and there, to his amazement137, on the after-deck he saw Stranleigh seated, calmly reading a novel, and awaiting the sound of the gong.
“Didn’t you get our message?” demanded Mackeller.
“Oh, yes, a couple of hours ago. The Rajah has come in, you say? That’s very interesting. You’ll be glad to know, Mackeller, that I have had a most successful day’s shooting.”
“Yes, that, as you remark, is very interesting,” replied Mackeller dryly. “I thought, if you got my message in time, you would have come up to the outlook.”
“I am sorry to have disappointed you, Peter, but when I place an excellent man on the spot I never interfere138 with him. I should be quite superfluous139 on the hilltop, and it’s so much more comfortable down here.”
“You might have been surprised to know how many men they landed from the Rajah. Enough, I estimate, to clean us up in short order if they find us.”
“Well, let us hope they won’t find us, Peter.”
“They’ve got a number of tents erected already, and they began blasting operations at one o’clock.”
“They are not losing any time, are they?”
“No, they are not. I see they have arranged electric searchlights on the two masts, apparently140 to cover the field of operations, so I suppose they will be working day and night shifts.”
“I do love an energetic body of men,” said his lordship with admiration141. “If there was a funicular to the top of your hill, I’d take up an armchair merely for the pleasure of sitting and watching them. Ah, there’s the dinner gong, thank goodness. Peter, I shot some birds to-day that I think you’ll enjoy.”
“Thank you, but all I wish is a sandwich. I’m going back to the outlook. We haven’t broken into the boxes of provisions yet. I must learn if these people are actually going to work all night.”
“Take my advice, Peter, and don’t. Enjoy a good rest in your comfortable bed. Those who sleep well live long.”
“I am going back,” said Peter.
“Ah, I see what you’re trying to do. You’ll force me to give you both a day and a night salary, or perhaps you are yearning142 to imitate the energy of those johnnies on the gold rock. Now do be persuaded, for my sake, to consume a good dinner when it is all ready for you. Place the sandwiches in your pocket, if you like, to munch143 during the watches of the night, if you will persist in climbing that distressingly144 steep hill.”
Mackeller shook his head.
“I implore145 you to be persuaded, Peter, because if you will not succumb146 to gentle measures, I shall command you, and then if you refuse, I’ll put you in irons. I’m not going to tramp all day over Africa on your behalf, and then have my bag ignored when I return. One concession147 I will make: don’t trouble to-night about your evening clothes. Be not abashed148 by the splendor149 of your table companions, but devote your attention to the dinner, which I hope you will pronounce good, and I will order the steward150 to make you up a parcel of delicious sandwiches.”
So Mackeller, being a hired minion151, was forced to comply. At the head of the table that evening, Lord Stranleigh held forth eloquently152 on the wickedness of work.
“I don’t agree with my friend, President Roosevelt,” he said, “regarding the strenuous life. The President quite overlooks the fact that work was placed upon this earth as a curse, and now many unthinking people pretend to look upon it as a blessing153. Roosevelt reminds me something of Mackeller here, except that he is more genial154, and possesses a greater sense of humor. Mackeller, actuated by the promptings of duty, and assisted by porridge-fed muscle, is actually going to climb that steeple of a hill tonight, while we will be playing bridge. This will give him a feeling of superiority over us which to-morrow he will be unable to conceal126. I always sympathize with those people who eliminated Aristides called the Just.”
Mackeller remained silent through all this badinage155, but nevertheless enjoyed his dinner, although the moment coffee was served and the card table set out, he rowed himself across the river, tied up his boat securely, and ascended156 through the darkness of the forest to see the electric lights blazing over the gold mine when he reached the top.
In spite of his apparent indifference157, Lord Stranleigh appeared on the summit shortly after breakfast. He found Mackeller stretched on the rock, sound asleep, and did not disturb him, but turned his attention instead to the telescope, through which he saw enough of industry going on to satisfy the most indolent. He turned the telescope this way and that, and at last fixed158 it at a point covering the river lower down than the mine. There he gazed quietly for a long time, until interrupted by Mackeller sitting up, and giving utterance159 to an exclamation160 when he saw his chief seated on the stump161 that did duty for a chair.
“Good morning, Peter. Watchman, what of the night?”
“They worked all night, sir, both at the blasting of the ore, and the unloading of the ship.”
“Then that means we shall soon need to be getting under weigh again. If they load the Rajah as quickly as they have unloaded her, she will be out in the ocean before we know where we are.”
“That’s why I came up last night, sir. I thought you didn’t quite appreciate how speedily our visit here is drawing to a close.”
“And yet,” drawled Stranleigh, “what they are doing now seems to point to a lengthened162 stay on the part of the Rajah.”
“What are they doing now?” demanded Mackeller.
“About half a mile below the gold fields they are planting floating mines in the river. They have just finished one row that goes clear across the stream, and are engaged upon the second series a quarter of a mile, as I estimate the distance, nearer the ocean. They have two ordinary ship’s boats at work, and one steam launch. The river is sealed up, and there is a practical declaration of war, my boy, with Mackeller sound asleep.”
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1
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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2
persiflage
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| n.戏弄；挖苦 | |
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3
sketchily
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| adv.写生风格地，大略地 | |
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regaining
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| 复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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barefaced
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| adj.厚颜无耻的，公然的 | |
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6
lawfulness
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| 法制，合法 | |
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7
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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8
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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9
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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10
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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11
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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12
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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13
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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14
stanch
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| v.止住（血等）；adj.坚固的；坚定的 | |
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15
rabble
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| n.乌合之众，暴民；下等人 | |
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16
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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17
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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18
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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19
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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20
filibusters
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| n.掠夺兵( filibuster的名词复数 )；暴兵；（用冗长的发言）阻挠议事的议员；会议妨碍行为v.阻碍或延宕国会或其他立法机构通过提案( filibuster的第三人称单数 )；掠夺 | |
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21
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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22
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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23
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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24
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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25
slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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26
paraphernalia
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| n.装备；随身用品 | |
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27
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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28
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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29
scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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30
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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31
appellation
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| n.名称，称呼 | |
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32
recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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33
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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34
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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35
starched
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| adj.浆硬的，硬挺的，拘泥刻板的v.把（衣服、床单等）浆一浆( starch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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37
deplore
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| vt.哀叹，对...深感遗憾 | |
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38
stickler
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| n.坚持细节之人 | |
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39
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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40
premier
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| adj.首要的；n.总理，首相 | |
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41
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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42
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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43
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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44
luxuriously
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| adv.奢侈地，豪华地 | |
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45
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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46
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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47
ointment
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| n.药膏，油膏，软膏 | |
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48
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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49
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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50
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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51
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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53
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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54
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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55
congruity
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| n.全等，一致 | |
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56
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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57
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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58
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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59
battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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60
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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61
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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62
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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63
pane
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| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
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64
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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65
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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66
compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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67
windings
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| （道路、河流等）蜿蜒的，弯曲的( winding的名词复数 )； 缠绕( wind的现在分词 )； 卷绕； 转动（把手） | |
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68
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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69
lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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70
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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71
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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72
riddled
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| adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式) | |
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73
sieve
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| n.筛，滤器，漏勺 | |
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74
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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75
rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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76
impasse
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| n.僵局；死路 | |
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77
levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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78
imbue
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| v.灌输(某种强烈的情感或意见)，感染 | |
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79
binoculars
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| n.双筒望远镜 | |
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80
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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81
breakdown
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| n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌 | |
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82
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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83
meditations
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| 默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想 | |
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84
adoption
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| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
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85
slippered
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| 穿拖鞋的 | |
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86
adjustable
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| adj.可调整的，可校准的 | |
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87
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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88
surmising
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的现在分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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89
pretense
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| n.矫饰，做作，借口 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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91
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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92
deflect
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| v.(使)偏斜，(使)偏离，(使)转向 | |
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deflected
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| 偏离的 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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98
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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99
perusing
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| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的现在分词 )；（尤指）细阅；审阅；匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览（某篇文字） | |
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100
trickiness
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| n.欺骗；狡猾；棘手；微妙 | |
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101
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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102
marooned
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| adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的 | |
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103
cyclone
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| n.旋风，龙卷风 | |
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104
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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107
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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108
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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109
moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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110
navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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111
delta
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| n.（流的）角洲 | |
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defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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113
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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114
secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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115
mooring
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| n.停泊处；系泊用具，系船具；下锚v.停泊，系泊（船只）(moor的现在分词) | |
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116
virtuously
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| 合乎道德地，善良地 | |
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117
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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118
prospective
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| adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的 | |
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119
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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120
prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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121
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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122
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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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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124
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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125
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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126
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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127
radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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128
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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129
combustible
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| a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物 | |
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130
larder
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| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
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131
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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132
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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133
postal
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| adj.邮政的，邮局的 | |
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134
negligence
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| n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意 | |
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135
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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136
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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137
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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138
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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139
superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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140
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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141
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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142
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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143
munch
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| v.用力嚼，大声咀嚼 | |
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144
distressingly
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| adv. 令人苦恼地；悲惨地 | |
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145
implore
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| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
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146
succumb
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| v.屈服，屈从；死 | |
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147
concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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148
abashed
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| adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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149
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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150
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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151
minion
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| n.宠仆；宠爱之人 | |
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152
eloquently
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| adv. 雄辩地(有口才地, 富于表情地) | |
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153
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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154
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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155
badinage
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| n.开玩笑，打趣 | |
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156
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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157
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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158
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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159
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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160
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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161
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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162
lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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