The Foundling's engines ceased their thumping5 for a time. She glided6 quietly forward until a bell chimed faintly in the engine-room. Then she paused with a flourish of phosphorescent waters.
"Give the signal," said the captain. Three times a flash of light went from the bow. There was a moment of waiting. Then an eye like the one on the coast of Florida opened and closed, opened and closed, opened and closed. The Cubans, grouped in a great shadow on deck, burst into a low chatter7 of delight. A hiss8 from their leader silenced them.
"Well?" said the captain.
"All right," said the leader.
At the giving of the word it was not apparent that any one on board of the Foundling had ever been sea-sick. The boats were lowered swiftly—too swiftly. Boxes of cartridges9 were dragged from the hold and passed over the side with a rapidity that made men in the boats exclaim against it. They were being bombarded. When a boat headed for shore its rowers pulled like madmen. The captain paced slowly to and fro on the bridge. In the engine-room the engineers stood at their station, and in the stoke-hold the firemen fidgeted silently around the furnace doors.
On the bridge Flanagan reflected. "Oh, I don't know!" he observed. "This filibustering10 business isn't so bad. Pretty soon it'll be off to sea again with nothing to do but some big lying when I get into port."
In one of the boats returning from shore came twelve Cuban officers, the greater number of them convalescing11 from wounds, while two or three of them had been ordered to America on commissions from the insurgents12. The captain welcomed them, and assured them of a speedy and safe voyage.
Presently he went again to the bridge and scanned the horizon. The sea was lonely like the spaces amid the suns. The captain grinned and softly smote13 his chest. "It's dead easy," he said.
It was near the end of the cargo14, and the men were breathing like spent horses, although their elation15 grew with each moment, when suddenly a voice spoke from the sky. It was not a loud voice, but the quality of it brought every man on deck to full stop and motionless, as if they had all been changed to wax. "Captain," said the man at the masthead, "there's a light to the west'ard, sir. Think it's a steamer, sir."
There was a still moment until the captain called, "Well, keep your eye on it now." Speaking to the deck, he said, "Go ahead with your unloading."
The second engineer went to the galley16 to borrow a tin cup. "Hear the news, second?" asked the cook. "Steamer coming up from the west'ard."
"Gee17!" said the second engineer. In the engine-room he said to the chief, "Steamer coming up from the west'ard, sir." The chief engineer began to test various little machines with which his domain18 was decorated. Finally he addressed the stoke-room. "Boys, I want you to look sharp now. There's a steamer coming up to the west'ard."
"All right, sir," said the stoke-room.
From time to time the captain hailed the masthead. "How is she now?"
"Seems to be coming down on us pretty fast, sir."
The Cuban leader came anxiously to the captain. "Do you think we can save all the cargo? It is rather delicate business. No?"
"Go ahead," said Flanagan. "Fire away! I'll wait."
There continued the hurried shuffling19 of feet on deck, and the low cries of the men unloading the cargo. In the engine-room the chief and his assistant were staring at the gong. In the stoke-room the firemen breathed through their teeth. A shovel20 slipped from where it leaned against the side and banged on the floor. The stokers started and looked around quickly.
Climbing to the rail and holding on to a stay, the captain gazed westward21. A light had raised out of the deep. After watching this light for a time he called to the Cuban leader. "Well, as soon as you're ready now, we might as well be skipping out."
Finally, the Cuban leader told him, "Well, this is the last load. As soon as the boats come back you can be off."
"Shan't wait for all the boats," said the captain. "That fellow is too close." As the second boat came aboard, the Foundling turned, and like a black shadow stole seaward to cross the bows of the oncoming steamer. "Waited about ten minutes too long," said the captain to himself.
Suddenly the light in the west vanished. "Hum!" said Flanagan, "he's up to some meanness." Every one outside of the engine-rooms was set on watch. The Foundling, going at full speed into the north-east, slashed22 a wonderful trail of blue silver on the dark bosom23 of the sea.
A man on deck cried out hurriedly, "There she is, sir." Many eyes searched the western gloom, and one after another the glances of the men found a tiny shadow on the deep with a line of white beneath it. "He couldn't be heading better if he had a line to us," said Flanagan.
There was a thin flash of red in the darkness. It was long and keen like a crimson24 rapier. A short, sharp report sounded, and then a shot whined25 swiftly in the air and blipped into the sea. The captain had been about to take a bite of plug tobacco at the beginning of this incident, and his arm was raised. He remained like a frozen figure while the shot whined, and then, as it blipped into the sea, his hand went to his mouth and he bit the plug. He looked wide-eyed at the shadow with its line of white.
The senior Cuban officer came hurriedly to the bridge. "It is no good to surrender," he cried. "They would only shoot or hang all of us."
There was another thin red flash and a report. A loud whirring noise passed over the ship.
"I'm not going to surrender," said the captain, hanging with both hands to the rail. He appeared like a man whose traditions of peace are clinched26 in his heart. He was as astonished as if his hat had turned into a dog. Presently he wheeled quickly and said—"What kind of a gun is that?"
"It is a one-pounder," cried the Cuban officer. "The boat is one of those little gunboats made from a yacht. You see?"
"Well, if it's only a yawl, he'll sink us in five more minutes," said Flanagan. For a moment he looked helplessly off at the horizon. His under-jaw hung low. But a moment later, something touched him, like a stiletto point of inspiration. He leaped to the pilothouse and roared at the man at the wheel. The Foundling sheered suddenly to starboard, made a clumsy turn, and Flanagan was bellowing27 through the tube to the engine-room before everybody discovered that the old basket was heading straight for the Spanish gun-boat. The ship lunged forward like a draught-horse on the gallop28.
This strange manoeuvre29 by the Foundling first dealt consternation30 on board of the Foundling. Men instinctively31 crouched32 on the instant, and then swore their supreme33 oath, which was unheard by their own ears.
Later the manoeuvre of the Foundling dealt consternation on board of the gunboat. She had been going victoriously34 forward dim-eyed from the fury of her pursuit. Then this tall threatening shape had suddenly loomed35 over her like a giant apparition36.
The people on board the Foundling heard panic shouts, hoarse37 orders. The little gunboat was paralyzed with astonishment38.
Suddenly Flanagan yelled with rage and sprang for the wheel. The helmsman had turned his eyes away. As the captain whirled the wheel far to starboard he heard a crunch39 as the Foundling, lifted on a wave, smashed her shoulder against the gunboat, and he saw shooting past a little launch sort of a thing with men on her that ran this way and that way. The Cuban officers, joined by the cook and a seaman40, emptied their revolvers into the surprised terror of the seas.
There was naturally no pursuit. Under comfortable speed the Foundling stood to the northwards.
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1
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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2
shimmer
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| v./n.发微光，发闪光；微光 | |
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3
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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8
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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9
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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10
filibustering
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| v.阻碍或延宕国会或其他立法机构通过提案( filibuster的现在分词 )；掠夺 | |
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convalescing
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| v.康复( convalesce的现在分词 ) | |
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12
insurgents
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| n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 ) | |
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13
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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elation
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| n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意 | |
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galley
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| n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇； | |
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17
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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21
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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22
slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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23
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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24
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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25
whined
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| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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26
clinched
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| v.（尤指两人）互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的过去式和过去分词 )；解决（争端、交易），达成（协议） | |
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27
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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28
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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29
manoeuvre
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| n.策略，调动；v.用策略，调动 | |
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30
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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31
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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32
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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34
victoriously
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| adv.获胜地，胜利地 | |
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35
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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36
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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37
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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38
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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39
crunch
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| n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声 | |
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40
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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41
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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42
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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