The Africans hurled4 their naked bodies upon our weapons, regardless of cuts and thrusts that went home every time, and they struck at us savagely5 with the bars and staves they had collected.
Mr. Gull6 received a blow that stretched him senseless, and it was only after a desperate stand that we managed to haul him out from under the struggling men who pitched upon him. Curtis, being badly wounded, could not keep with us, and he was pulled back into the crowd and never seen again. Ernest, who bore himself so bravely, fell at the 289companion, and it was Hawkson who tore his way into a mass of mad blacks and hauled him over the ladder.
There were only a few of us left. Hawkson, Hicks, Henry, Howard, and myself could do duty, but we were all badly wounded.
The light from the cabin below shone in our faces, and we set our backs to the opening. I saw Howard’s eyes shining from his mask-like face like two bright, black beads7. Blood poured down Hawkson’s cheeks from a cut on the forehead, and made him a grisly sight. Hicks was white as a sheet, but cool and steady. He had received a thrust in the breast that made him wheeze8 at each breath.
We made one desperate rally at the companion, and I looked below over my shoulder. As I did so, I saw a form staggering in from forward, and heard the clank of the heavy door in the bulkhead. I looked again, and saw Big Jones coming, with a pair of broken irons on each wrist, and a pistol in his left hand, while in his right he carried a shining cutlass.
“Stand clear, I’m a-comin’,” he said, and we made way for him as he mounted the steps.
The light on the top of the companion, where Gull had placed it, still burned. The slaves swarmed10 everywhere, except on the glass skylight.
By the dim flare11, I could see what was taking 290place. Shannon had been carried along the port rail to the after end of the poop, and Martin had thrust with all his remaining strength, hobbling along, aided by Anderson. Over the heads of the black crowd, I could make out Shannon’s tall form, as he cut and slashed12 right and left, making a lane through the men, and leaving a pile of bodies to mark his course and ease the pressure upon him.
“Coom on, ye black divils!” cried Martin, faintly. “Coom on, an’ take the sailormen.”
A huge black towered above him, wielding13 a hand-spike, and several more pressed Anderson back.
The Scotchman rose to his full height, and, seizing his cutlass in both hands, smote14 the African a blow that sank the blade down to his nose. Before he could wrench15 it clear, the fellow went headlong to the deck, carrying the blade with him, snapping it free from the hilt, and leaving Martin helpless. The mob surged upon him and he disappeared. We saw him no more.
Anderson had a similar fate. A dozen giants in ebony grasped his cutlass in their hands, regardless of the blade. It was wrenched16 from him, and he went down, followed by a dago named Guinea and a couple of the blacks from the slave-pen. Gus, Gilbert, and the rest of the mutineers had disappeared already, leaving only one black and Shannon of the entire crowd.
291The African, fighting against his fellows, lasted but a few moments. He was crowded to the rail. Throwing his cutlass into the mob, he sprang clear of the side and was gone in the darkness, and Shannon was left alone at the taffrail, where he made his last stand.
A great black fellow made his way aft, calling out in a clear, deep bass17 voice. He was apparently18 entirely19 naked, and his skin shone and glistened20 in the lantern’s light. He carried a cutlass in his hand, and thrust his followers21 aside, as he made his way to the long skipper, who fought gamely on.
“Ho! Benga Sam, I wanter know,” cried the sailor. And the black giant called out something in his clear tones.
It was evident that there was a score to settle, for the black man hurled his kind right and left to get in. Some of the nearest drew back at the sound of his deep voice, and pressed back the heavy weight of the mob behind, clearing a small space in front of Shannon. Into this the black giant forced his way.
All this happened in an incredibly short time, but the solid bank of human flesh before us was pressing closer, in spite of Hawkson’s desperate efforts.
Big Jones reached us, and, placing his pistol at the breast of the nearest African, fired. Then he 292whirled his blade into the thick of them, and all together we forced a space clear about the companion. Howard was nearly spent. I was desperately22 wounded, and leaned against the companion, panting for breath, while Hicks grasped the coaming to keep from falling.
In the breathing spell, while Jones held the way, I saw what was taking place a few feet distant.
In the open space cleared around the long skipper, the big black fellow stood and called upon the white man to pay the penalty of some past crime. Shannon had been on the coast before, and he certainly recognized the black. He had doubtless done him some wrong. He met him with a spirit worthy23 of a white man, and, in spite of his sins, he made a gallant24 stand to the end.
The black set upon him with terrific force, his blade rising and falling so fast that the eye could hardly follow it. Shannon, drawing himself to his full height, parried and returned stroke for stroke, his amazing vigour25 unimpaired by the action of the past half-hour. There was no retreating for either. The black wall of human bodies held them on all sides to the taffrail, and the nearest living men strained their utmost to keep clear of the whirling blades, while those behind pressed in and forced them closer.
Both men were desperately wounded in a few 293moments. Then Shannon, seeming to feel that his life was ebbing26, rose to one mighty27 effort.
He slashed with great vigour for some moments, and then, without warning, sprang furiously forward, and, taking the black’s blade through the body, he drove his own into his black chest until I saw the glint of the metal in the rear. They swayed for a few seconds, and then went down, while the mob surged over them and flowed around to where we were holding the stairs.
“Get below and shut the doors,” said Jones. “I ken9 hold them fer a few minutes, that’s all.”
Hawkson looked at him, and I saw a ghost of an old smile flitting over his hard-lined face.
“You’ll do for a big one, Jones,” said he, and his teeth gleamed in the night.
“You stand on either side,” said Howard. “I’ll take the front.”
Hawkson was about to remonstrate28, but the old pirate shut him off harshly.
“Who’s the captain here, me or you?” he cried.
“You, but you won’t be within five minutes,” said Hawkson.
“Get below, Hicks and Heywood; maybe you can bring Gull and Ernest back for short stand. There’s liquor in the pantry.”
We were too badly hurt to stand much longer, 294and were worthless in a rush, so we went down the companion and tried to tie up our hurts.
Miss Allen had already brought Gull around, and had partly revived Ernest. She smiled faintly at me, as I came down the companionway, limping and clutching the rail at the side. Hicks was behind me, and looked sadly at the girl as the noise of the rush sounded behind us.
She came to us and tied us up the best she could, stopping the bleeding, and, as she handed me a glass of spirits, spoke29.
“Hicks,” said I, “you better take Miss Allen below into the lazarette and bar the door. They may overlook you there. It will only be a matter of a few minutes’ more fighting. The barque is doomed30. Go while you can, for there is no other to take her. Gull and I must make our last stand on deck.”
“And a precious short one at that,” said the second mate, who was barely able to keep his feet.
The liquor was burning within me now like oil poured upon a dying flame, and under its influence I grasped my cutlass and placed my foot on the stair, to mount again and join the panting, struggling men, whose backs showed against the opening now and then, as they cut and lunged at the press before them. They could not last long, and I could already 295hear the high, rasping breathing of the old captain, who was making his last fight.
“You will come also,” said Miss Allen to me. “You must know of some way to hide in a ship.”
Her eyes held a mute appeal that was hard to resist. She was filled with horror, and the terror in her look made me hesitate. Yet, when I thought, I knew Hicks could find a place easier than I, and one would be less apt to be missed than two. Besides, the men on deck were fighting, and my place was there as long as I could stand. Sir John Hicks looked at me, but said nothing.
“I’ll come later,” I answered. “Some one must hold the stair. Hurry while there’s time.”
Then I mounted the companion, followed by Gull, and came out into the last fight on the quarter-deck.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
torrent
|
|
| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
crest
|
|
| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
hoarse
|
|
| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
hurled
|
|
| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
savagely
|
|
| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
gull
|
|
| n.鸥；受骗的人；v.欺诈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
beads
|
|
| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
wheeze
|
|
| n.喘息声，气喘声；v.喘息着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
ken
|
|
| n.视野，知识领域 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
swarmed
|
|
| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
flare
|
|
| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
slashed
|
|
| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
wielding
|
|
| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
smote
|
|
| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
wrench
|
|
| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
wrenched
|
|
| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
bass
|
|
| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
glistened
|
|
| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
followers
|
|
| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
worthy
|
|
| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
gallant
|
|
| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
vigour
|
|
| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
ebbing
|
|
| （指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
remonstrate
|
|
| v.抗议，规劝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
spoke
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
doomed
|
|
| 命定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |