In accordance with his resolution, my father went over to Pridmouth and obtained the metal box with its precious contents, together with the clothes my uncle was wearing at the time of the shipwreck6. Curiously7 enough, his watch, which had been in the water for nearly an hour, was practically uninjured, only a faint trace of rust8 showing near the hinge, while, on being rewound, it ticked as merrily as ever.
We had arranged to defer9 the opening of the box till the afternoon, when all three of us would be present; but I firmly believe my father could not resist the temptation of glancing inside to make sure the parchment was still there.
He arrived home in high good humour, for on the return journey, he had picked up a horseshoe and had crossed the ferry in company with a hunchback, both of which incidents are regarded, even in these matter-of-fact days, as being conducive10 to a run of "good luck"; and preparations were immediately made for the examination of the mysterious relic11 of old Humphrey Trevena's seafaring days.
I handled the box with a feeling almost of reverence12. It was about the size of a cigar-case, and made of a dull, heavy metal resembling bronze, although tarnished13 with the effects of time and exposure to the salt water. It was embellished14 on the front of the outside by quaint15 figures representing Boreal urging a seventeenth-century frigate16 on its course, with Neptune17 and Britannia holding a friendly conference in the background, and, on the back, by a monogram18 of letters "H.T." and the date 1719.
"Open it, Reggie," said my father; and, after I had fumbled19 about with the spring for a few moments, the lid flew open, and I saw for the first time the puzzling piece of parchment which was fated to lead us through great perils20 by land and by water ere we accomplished21 our quest.
With trembling hands I unfolded the paper, my father and uncle looking eagerly over my shoulder. As Uncle Herbert had already informed us, there was nothing but a big square subdivided22 into a host of smaller ones, and a few unintelligible23 words and the symbols of degrees, minutes, and seconds of latitude24 and longitude25, with no figures given, save a solitary26 figure 1.
Here, in fact, is a copy of it—
"Well?" asked my uncle, elevating his eyebrows27. "What do you make of it, Howard?"
"Give me time. What does he mean by 'steer29 nor.'-east,' I wonder?"
"That's what has been puzzling me, for in his log Humphrey states definitely that he followed the 'San Philipo' in a nor'-westerly direction, consequently the directions appear to be misleading."
"Possibly they were intended to be so," replied my father dryly. "But these marks of latitude and longitude—do they convey anything?"
"Nothing, except that certain numbers are evidently intended to fill in the squares so indicated, and the puzzle is, what are these numbers?"
"Ah, what?"
"I tell you what; I can see it all now. Amongst the other papers that were stolen was the key to the cipher30. Don't you remember my saying that one sheet contained a host of figures? Howard, old man, I am a careless idiot and deserve to be kicked for my negligence31."
"It can't be helped," replied my father philosophically32. "What is done cannot be undone33, so the less said about it the better. We must rack our brains to find a solution to the cipher without the aid of the key. Don't look so glum34, Herbert. Better luck next time."
Long after I had gone to bed my parent and his brother pored over the stubborn cipher, either with the aid of frequent references to the log of the "Anne" or the chart of the Pacific, which had been ordered from Potter's some time ago. They must have sat up half the night, for they were both late at breakfast next morning and were horribly short-tempered in consequence.
I went to school that morning as usual, but the excitement of the previous day proved too much for my attention, and, in consequence, I was sent to detention35 for an hour. If there is anything I loathe36, detention holds an easy first, for the monotony of an hour's imprisonment37 at the end of the day, is particularly galling38 to a boy fond of outdoor pursuits. I am sure the junior masters do not appreciate the task of looking after the delinquents39 either, and Newman, the Second Form master, was no exception. So in less than a quarter of an hour he cleared out, leaving us to our own devices.
The fellow at the desk next to mine, a boarder named Ward28, of the Upper Fifth, who was ever in hot water, was busily engaged in covering sheets of paper with roughly drawn40 lines, and as he appeared to derive41 a considerable amount of satisfaction from the task, I remarked:
"What are you up to, Ward; noughts42 and crosses?"
"Noughts and crosses, my grandmother!"
"What, then?"
"Trying my hand at a magic square."
"A magic what?"
"Square, you ass43! look and see for yourself."
On closer examination I found that he had drawn a rough square and had subdivided it into nine smaller ones, by means of two horizontal and two vertical44 parallel lines, and the spaces thus formed he was busily filling in with the numbers 1 to 9.
"What happens when you finish it? Where does the magic part of the show come in?" I asked. "It seems a very tame sort of amusement."
"Not when you get thoroughly45 interested in it," replied Ward. "You see, the idea is to arrange the figures so that each of the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal rows make a total of fifteen. It takes a bit of juggling46, I assure you, and I am told that even larger magic squares can be formed. Ah! That's done it."
With a slightly growing interest I watched Ward manipulate the figures until he arrived at the solution, which, for some unexplained reason, I copied down—
"There are other arrangements of the numbers," he remarked; "for instance, you can get another magic square by exchanging the top and bottom lines or the outside vertical columns; but I have not managed a larger square yet. Hello! Here comes Newman, so it must be close on half-past five."
The miserable47 hour over, I made my way homewards, revolving48 in my mind the problem of Humphrey Trevena's cipher, till by some unaccountable impulse, as I was sitting in the ferry-boat that plies49 between Fowey and Polruan, I formed some hazy50 connection between Ward's magic square and the exaggerated chessboard design that was so sorely puzzling my father and uncle.
Rapidly the connection grew, till by the time the boat ran alongside Polruan quay-steps I firmly assured myself that Old Humphrey's cipher was based on the principle of a magic square; and, arguing that the solution of the "fifteen" square must be governed by some fixed51 rule, I determined52 to try to solve the working of Ward's puzzle, and to apply the principle, if possible, to the more complicated cipher.
With this object in view, I began my task. My father and uncle had gone out to the Yacht Club, so that I knew I should be free from interruption.
My first step was to make a copy of the magic square and indicate the order of the numbers by straight lines from one to the other. When completed, the diagram looked positively53 bewildering, and the only information I could gather was that the numbers 4, 5, 6 formed one of the diagonals, and ran obliquely54 from the bottom left-hand corner to the upper right-hand one, and that the centre number was the 5, or, the numeral next to half the highest number of the squares.
Next I tried a "twenty-five" square, the diagonal reading 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. The position of the 1 I had already fixed by that in the smaller square, which, by a sudden inspiration, I remembered occupied the same relative position in Humphrey Trevena's cipher. As in the "nine" square the 7 came immediately below the 6; I adapted the principle by placing the 16 in the square below the 15.
All this took time, but I felt satisfied that I was on the right track, till I came to the rest of the numbers, and, try how I would, I could not apply the principle any farther.
At length, with bewildered brain and aching head, I gave up the task for the time being, and, putting on my cap and calling my dog, I set out for a ramble55 to try and cool my heated brow.
I intended to walk in the direction of Lanteglos, and make a circuit through Hall Walk, Bodinneck Ferry, and Fowey, but, on reaching the little hamlet of Pont, I sat down on the handrail of the little wooden bridge, and amused myself by sending the dog into the water. At length I desisted, and, ignoring the antics of my faithful companion, I fell into a brown study—a thing under ordinary circumstances I rarely do.
Twilight56 was drawing in, and against the vivid red hue57 in the western sky the placid58 waters of the tree-fringed creek59 made an entrancing picture, that harmonized with my dreams of adventure in the future, like a presage60 of good fortune.
Unconsciously I found myself toying with a pocket compass I invariably carried, and as my eyes lingered for a moment on the delicately balanced needle, I saw in my mind's eye, not the compass card, but the outlines of a magic square, with the needle forming the puzzling diagonal. In the haphazard61 position I held the compass the needle pointed62 to N.E. on the card, and, like a flash, occurred the directions scrawled63 upon the mysterious cipher, "Steer nor'-east."
"I have it!" I exclaimed aloud in my excitement. "'Steer nor.'-east' must be old Humphrey's way of expressing the sequence of the numbers on his cipher; and that is the direction of the diagonal."
Without a moment's delay, I hastened home to make a fresh onslaught upon the puzzle, and, to make a long story short, I solved the "twenty-five" square by constructing two similar squares on its north and south sides—i.e. the top right-hand sides—and starting with the figure 1 and working in a N.E. direction, so that directly a number fell within one of the divisions of the adjacent squares, I transferred it to the corresponding division of the original design. But when by this means I came to a space already occupied by a number, I found, by consulting the already completed nine-divisioned square, that the next number was placed in the vacant space that invariably occurred below.
The completed square, which I regarded with considerable satisfaction, appeared as under—
Total of each vertical, horizontal, and diagonal line = 65.
Now came the crucial test of constructing a square with the same number of subdivisions as there were on Humphrey's cipher, and an intelligent application of the figures to the symbols of latitude and longitude; but here I was nonplussed64, for I had no copy of the cipher, neither could I remember the actual numbers of subdivisions.
Just then, however, my father and uncle returned, and while at supper they did not fail to notice my excitement.
"Whatever is the matter with you, Reggie?" asked Uncle Herbert. "You look like a cat on hot bricks."
I was burning with impatience65 to let them know of my evening's work and its results, but, fearing that after all there might be some flaw in my theory, and having another motive66 in view, I managed to restrain myself.
Little more was said during the meal, but on its completion preparations were made to continue the investigations67 of the mystery.
"I say, pater," I exclaimed. "Don't you think it would be better to make a copy of the cipher: it would save the original, you know."
"Just so, Reggie, I will; but I think it's about time you went to bed."
"Another hour won't make much difference," I replied. "You see, to-morrow's a holiday."
My father assented68, and gleefully I set about the task of making a duplicate of the cipher, of which I was now firmly convinced I held the key.
It was not a long business, and when completed, I stealthily removed a second copy which I had obtained by means of a carbon paper, and announced my intention of "turning in."
It was, however, far from my thoughts to go to bed, and directly I reached the solitude69 of my room I set to work to fill up the blank spaces of the cipher, which, thanks to my previous trials with the smaller squares, was a comparatively rapid and easy task.
In less than an hour I had completed the solution, checking the totals, which in every case amounted to the sum of 1,695; and, applying the marks of latitude and longitude, I found that the position was 7° 24' 41" N. and 151° 45' 11" W., which, in spite of the absence of an atlas70, I knew would be somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
Cautiously I made my way downstairs, holding the completed cipher rolled tightly in my hand. The dining-room door was slightly ajar, and through the opening I could see my father and uncle leaning over the table, which was littered with charts, papers, and writing materials.
"I am afraid we are checkmated," I heard my father remark despondently71. "The treasure of the 'San Philipo,' will never come within our grasp."
As I entered the room they both looked up in amazement72.
"Reggie!" exclaimed my father deprecatingly.
"All right, pater," I replied, with the boldness acquired by my success. "I want to make a bargain with you."
"A bargain? I don't understand."
"What I mean to say is this: If you make a search for the 'San Philipo' treasure, promise me that I can go too."
"Bless the boy!" ejaculated Uncle Herbert. "What does he mean?"
"The possibility of a search is very remote," said my father, "as we have absolutely no definite information to work upon, and no likelihood of gaining any; but I really don't understand what you mean by the word 'bargain.'"
"I mean," I replied stoutly73, "that if I find a key to the cipher, do I take part in the search?"
"I see no reason why you shouldn't if——"
"Then you promise?"
"Yes."
"Thanks," I replied, flourishing the paper I held in my hand.
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收听单词发音
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1
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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2
survivor
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| n.生存者，残存者，幸存者 | |
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3
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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4
waned
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| v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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5
rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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6
shipwreck
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| n.船舶失事，海难 | |
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7
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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8
rust
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| n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退 | |
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9
defer
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| vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从 | |
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10
conducive
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| adj.有益的，有助的 | |
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relic
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| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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12
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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13
tarnished
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| （通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏 | |
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14
embellished
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| v.美化( embellish的过去式和过去分词 )；装饰；修饰；润色 | |
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15
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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17
Neptune
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| n.海王星 | |
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18
monogram
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| n.字母组合 | |
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19
fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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20
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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21
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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22
subdivided
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| 再分，细分( subdivide的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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24
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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25
longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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26
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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27
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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28
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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29
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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30
cipher
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| n.零；无影响力的人；密码 | |
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31
negligence
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| n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意 | |
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32
philosophically
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| adv.哲学上；富有哲理性地；贤明地；冷静地 | |
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33
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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34
glum
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| adj.闷闷不乐的，阴郁的 | |
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35
detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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36
loathe
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| v.厌恶，嫌恶 | |
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37
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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38
galling
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| adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的 | |
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delinquents
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| n.（尤指青少年）有过失的人，违法的人( delinquent的名词复数 ) | |
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40
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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41
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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42
noughts
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| 零，无，没有( nought的名词复数 ) | |
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43
ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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44
vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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45
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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46
juggling
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| n. 欺骗, 杂耍(=jugglery) adj. 欺骗的, 欺诈的 动词juggle的现在分词 | |
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47
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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48
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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49
plies
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的第三人称单数 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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50
hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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51
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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52
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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53
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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54
obliquely
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| adv.斜； 倾斜； 间接； 不光明正大 | |
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55
ramble
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| v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延 | |
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56
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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57
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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58
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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59
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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60
presage
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| n.预感，不祥感；v.预示 | |
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61
haphazard
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| adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的 | |
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62
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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63
scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
nonplussed
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| adj.不知所措的，陷于窘境的v.使迷惑( nonplus的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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66
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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67
investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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68
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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70
atlas
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| n.地图册，图表集 | |
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71
despondently
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| adv.沮丧地，意志消沉地 | |
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72
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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73
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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