CHAPTER XXVI. IN NICK’S CAVERN.

 Mainwaring glanced back when he heard these sounds, and he saw the last man of the party, who 

 

rode just to the rear of where the leader sat in his saddle, reel and fall from his horse.

 

At the same moment he saw Bill Harkness, the bandit chief, spur on into the narrow pass, bringing 

 

up the rear. As he did so he managed, by some contrivance which Mainwaring did not understand, to 

 

detach a huge mass of rock. This completely blocked up the road, so that pursuit was made 

 

impossible until it was cleared out of the way.

 

Not being able to stop even had he desired to do so, Mainwaring had to keep on with the others a 

 

little farther, and then he found himself in the place he had already heard so much about—the 

 

far-famed “Nick’s Cavern¹,” the principal stronghold of the Death Riders, or of what now 

 

remained of that villainous band.

 

It was an immense cleft², or yawning mouth, beneath the mountainside, which seemed to have been 

 

hollowed out by a river of fire, so lavalike were its curious and fantastic walls.

 

The main cave was large enough for a regiment³ to have maneuvered⁴ in handsomely, while away off 

 

into the mountain ran dark halls and avenues. How far these went only a few of the outlaws⁵, who 

 

had explored their secret recesses⁶, knew.

 

Mainwaring had no time to see more than that there was quite a large party of men there already, 

 

and that fires were burning, which not only served to partially⁷ light up the vast place, but gave 

 

several men and a few women the opportunity to do some cooking.

 

A cheer greeted the arrival of the leader of the band, who seemed to be popular with most of his 

 

men. They greeted him as “Gallant Bill Harkness,” “Brave Bill,” and by other complimentary 

 

terms.

 

The only answer which he made was a shrill⁸ whistle call, which brought all the men from the 

 

interior of the cavern to the spot where he had seated himself when he dismounted from his horse.

 

As soon as they were all gathered around him he raised his hand to command silence and said:

 

“Men! We have been followed closely by scouts⁹, some Indians—Pawnees, I think—and a troop of 

 

cavalrymen from the fort. I’ve dropped the cliff rock in their path, but if they’re as spunky 

 

and clever as I think they are they’ll try to get us out of here.

 

“I’ve left a dozen men at the pass. The next thing to do is to fill the range above with our 

 

best shots and try to clean them out.

 

“So get up there—about thirty of you—and take care of things there so that you’ll make our 

 

visitors feel too sick to stay. As soon as I and my crowd have had a bite to eat I’ll go up 

 

there and look after things myself.”

 

The only reply to this speech was a general cheer, and Mainwaring saw the men—all armed—

 

scattering¹⁰ away to obey orders.

 

“Who have you got there, Bill?” asked one man, who seemed as rough as Harkness himself, 

 

approaching the spot where Mainwaring, the two girls, and Norfolk Ben were standing¹¹.

 

“Prisoners—to be well treated for the present, unless they try to get away. Then the men are to 

 

be shot and—well, we’ll make the girls stay somehow!”

 

 

“Yes,” said the man, with a sardonic¹² laugh. “They’re too pretty to be let go easily.”

 

Mainwaring could have choked the leering wretch¹³ with a good will, but, unarmed as he was, and at 

 

the mercy of armed ruffians, what could he do?

 

He made up his mind, however, to remain near the girls all the time, and if an unkind hand was 

 

laid upon them, or any open violence offered, he would die in their defense¹⁴.

 

With every new glance that he directed at May he felt his love for her grow stronger, until it 

 

filled his whole heart and mind, to the utter exclusion¹⁵ of all thoughts of his own safety.

 

He had now a chance to say a few words of comfort to her and to her sister. The ruffian Harkness, 

 

however, did not seem to like this. He looked at them suspiciously, and then calling a stout, 

 

red-faced woman to him he said:

 

“Here, Lize! You take them two girls to your corner of the cave over there, and keep them under 

 

your own eye. Feed ’em well and treat ’em well, but don’t let any man talk to ’em or bother 

 

’em. Mind, now, and do as I say! Hold on! That black man there has been their servant and cook. 

 

He can wait on them and help you.”

 

“Thank you, Marse White Man. De ole lady’ll jest find me handy.”

 

“Who do you call old, you black idjit?” cried Lize angrily.

 

Norfolk Ben quailed¹⁶ before the fury of the termagant.

 

“Beg pardon, missis! I hadn’t looked at you afore. I ’clar’ to goodness, you is younger an’ 

 

han’somer dan any lady I done see eber since I left ole Virginny!”

 

“That’ll do!” said Lize, completely mollified.[188] “There’s dishes to wash. You ’tend to 

 

that, an’ then get something to eat for the young ladies.”

 

Ben, only too glad to be near May and Gertrude, went right to work, while Bill Harkness beckoned 

 

Mainwaring over to him.

 

“Stranger,” said he, “make yourself comfortable here nigh by this fire. After I’ve attended 

 

to them cusses that have followed us I’ll see to that ransom¹⁷ business.

 

“It’ll take some time, I suppose, for some one of us will have to go for the money; but we’ll 

 

make you comfortable as long as you keep quiet and take things easy. We’ll have something to eat 

 

and drink soon, an’ then I’ll have to be going.

 

“If those friends of yours push on for a fight they’ll get it—an’ a great deal more than they

 

’re looking for, too!”

 

“They’re fighting now, aren’t they?” asked Mainwaring. “I hear guns firing.”

 

“Maybe they’re wasting some powder. They couldn’t do anything with us here, not if they tried 

 

for six months. We’re walled in from the east, for I had it all fixed¹⁸ to tumble forty tons of 

 

rock down right on the trail. I meant to wait a little longer, so that the rock would fall on 

 

some of them, but the trap worked too easy.

 

“West from here there’s no opening that isn’t guarded, and only an eagle could get up the 

 

cliffs on that side. So you can make your mind easy about those friends of yours. You needn’t 

 

worry yourself with any hopes that they are going to save you.”

 

But Mainwaring could not make his mind easy. He loved Buffalo¹⁹ Bill as well as a brother, and he 

 

had been a good comrade with the rest of the border king’s party. And he feared now, seeing how 

 

strong the place[189] was, that the knight²⁰ of the plains and his fellow scouts would lose their 

 

lives in trying to rescue him.

 

Supper was now set out on a rough slab²¹ of stone for Mainwaring and Harkness, and a very good meal 

 

it was, too, considering the situation.

 

Mainwaring saw that there was a great deal of dried meat and some fresh game hanging up in the 

 

place, and he also noticed that there was forage²² for the horses stacked in the upper end of the 

 

cave, where they were tied, to the number of about two hundred.

 

There was no lack of water. It dripped in springs on every side, finding its way off in little 

 

trickling²³ streams as bright as silver.

 

The bandit chief noticed how observantly Mainwaring took in the general features of the place, 

 

and he said sarcastically²⁴:

 

“Study things out as much as you like, stranger. You’ll never have a chance to tell outsiders 

 

how we look or live.”

 

“What do you mean?” said Mainwaring, in surprise. “You are going to release me if the ransom 

 

is paid, aren’t you? That was our bargain.”

 

“Yes—but we shan’t let you go till the money is paid over. And even then, before we let you 

 

leave, you’ll have to swear by an oath that you dare not break never to expose what you have 

 

seen here. We’ve got snug²⁵ quarters here, and we intend to keep them.”

 

“If I gave you my promise to keep anything secret it would be as good as any oath,” replied 

 

Mainwaring, looking the chief straight in the eye.

 

“Yes, you look honest,” muttered Harkness. “Too honest for this crowd, I reckon. But for all 

 

that you’ll have to take the oath. I would be willing to let you go without it, but the men 

 

wouldn’t. They wouldn’t trust you or anybody on his bare word.”

 

Mainwaring had now finished eating, and he asked if there was any objection to his smoking.

 

“None at all. Eat, drink, and smoke when you feel like it. If you are sleepy, there are blankets 

 

for you. But mark me—you must not do any cruising about! If you go over where the horses are, 

 

you’ll get a dose of lead through your carcass!

 

“You can go one hundred yards up this avenue here, but no farther than that. If you go to where 

 

a light burns beyond that point you’ll be dropped dead in your tracks. We’ve got rules for our 

 

prisoners, and they have to be obeyed.”

 

“I shall not break them,” said Mainwaring. “It would be foolish. I’m not going to throw away 

 

my life while I feel responsible for looking after those girls. You need not be afraid.”

 

“I’m not, stranger.”

 

“It seems to me they’re firing pretty often outside,” remarked the young man.

 

“Yes. I must go and see. Your friends are only wasting powder.”

 

As Bill Harkness left the place Mainwaring saw a man brought into the cave, evidently badly 

 

wounded.

 

“That doesn’t look like wasting powder,” he muttered to himself, taking care not to be 

 

overheard.

1 cavern   

n.洞穴，大山洞

参考例句：

• The cavern walls echoed his cries.大山洞的四壁回响着他的喊声。
• It suddenly began to shower,and we took refuge in the cavern.天突然下起雨来，我们在一个山洞里避雨。

2 cleft   

n.裂缝；adj.裂开的

参考例句：

• I hid the message in a cleft in the rock.我把情报藏在石块的裂缝里。
• He was cleft from his brother during the war.在战争期间，他与他的哥哥分离。

3 regiment   

n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制

参考例句：

• As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活，所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。
• They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。

4 maneuvered   

v.移动，用策略( maneuver的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵

参考例句：

• I maneuvered my way among the tables to the back corner of the place. 我在那些桌子间穿行，来到那地方后面的角落。 来自辞典例句
• The admiral maneuvered his ships in the battle plan. 舰队司令按作战计划进行舰队演习。 来自辞典例句

5 outlaws   

歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯

参考例句：

• During his year in the forest, Robin met many other outlaws. 在森林里的一年，罗宾遇见其他许多绿林大盗。
• I didn't have to leave the country or fight outlaws. 我不必离开自己的国家，也不必与不法分子斗争。

6 recesses   

n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭

参考例句：

• I could see the inmost recesses. 我能看见最深处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I had continually pushed my doubts to the darker recesses of my mind. 我一直把怀疑深深地隐藏在心中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

8 shrill   

adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫

参考例句：

• Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
• The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

9 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

10 scattering   

n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散

参考例句：

• The child felle into a rage and began scattering its toys about. 这孩子突发狂怒，把玩具扔得满地都是。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The farmers are scattering seed. 农夫们在播种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 sardonic   

adj.嘲笑的，冷笑的，讥讽的

参考例句：

• She gave him a sardonic smile.她朝他讥讽地笑了一笑。
• There was a sardonic expression on her face.她脸上有一种嘲讽的表情。

13 wretch   

n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人

参考例句：

• You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他，还埋怨他，真不知好歹。
• The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

14 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

15 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。

16 quailed   

害怕，发抖，畏缩( quail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I quailed at the danger. 我一遇到危险，心里就发毛。
• His heart quailed before the enormous pyramidal shape. 面对这金字塔般的庞然大物，他的心不由得一阵畏缩。 来自英汉文学

17 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

18 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

19 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

20 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

21 slab   

n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上

参考例句：

• This heavy slab of oak now stood between the bomb and Hitler.这时笨重的橡木厚板就横在炸弹和希特勒之间了。
• The monument consists of two vertical pillars supporting a horizontal slab.这座纪念碑由两根垂直的柱体构成，它们共同支撑着一块平板。

22 forage   

n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻

参考例句：

• They were forced to forage for clothing and fuel.他们不得不去寻找衣服和燃料。
• Now the nutritive value of the forage is reduced.此时牧草的营养价值也下降了。

23 trickling   

n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Tears were trickling down her cheeks. 眼泪顺着她的面颊流了下来。
• The engine was trickling oil. 发动机在滴油。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 sarcastically   

adv.挖苦地，讽刺地

参考例句：

• 'What a surprise!' Caroline murmured sarcastically.“太神奇了!”卡罗琳轻声挖苦道。
• Pierce mocked her and bowed sarcastically. 皮尔斯嘲笑她，讽刺地鞠了一躬。

25 snug   

adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房

参考例句：

• He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。
• She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。