Jaques leaned his head on his hand, with his elbow resting on the table; Mrs. Jaques sat opposite him, her eyes fixed4 intently on Bethune, who was the spokesman for the party. Jimmy, with a gloomy expression, gazed toward the one window, where a frozen pine bough6 occasionally scraped against the pane7 with a rasping sound that was heard above the rattle1 of the sashes. Moran, with a downcast face, sat where the lamplight fell full upon him.
There was silence for a few moments, broken only by the cheery crackle of the stove. Then Jaques spoke5.
“We might as well thrash the thing out from the beginning,” he said. “The first matter to be decided8 is what had better be done with your boat.”
“That raises another point,” asserted Bethune. “What we do with her now depends on our plans for the future, and they’re not made yet.”
“Then suppose we consider that you’re going back to try again in the spring?”
Jimmy looked at Mrs. Jaques, and fancied that her expression was encouraging.
“You’re taking it for granted that we can get out of debt. If such a thing were possible, we’d haul her up and strip her for the winter with the first big tides.”
“Not here,” Jaques said pointedly9. “For one thing, she’d be spotted10, and you’ll see why you had better avoid that if you’ll listen.”
“I see one good reason now,” Bethune answered with a rueful grin. “You’re not our only creditor11, and the other fellow isn’t likely to show us much consideration.”
“Let that go for the present. Do you know any lonely creek12 some distance off where she’d lie safe and out of sight?”
“I dare say we could find one,” Jimmy replied.
“Then I’m going to talk. Some time after you left, a man from Victoria called on me. Said he was an accountant and specialized13 on the development of small businesses. He’d undertake to collect doubtful accounts, show his clients how to keep their books, and buy on the best terms, or sell out their business, if they wanted; in fact, he said that some of his city friends thought of trying to make a merger14 arrangement with the grocery stores in the small Island ports.”
“No doubt it seemed an opportunity for getting a good price for your store,” Bethune suggested.
“I wasn’t keen. Things had improved since you were here, and trade was looking up. However, I showed the man my books, and I saw that he was especially interested when he came to your account. Asked me did I know that you were a remittance15 man who had forfeited16 his allowance and that your partner was a steamboat mate who’d been fired out of his ship. I told him that I was aware of it; and he said the chances were steep against your making good. Then he gave me some useful hints and went away.”
“That’s interesting,” Bethune commented. “Did you hear anything more from him?”
“I did; not long ago he sent me an offer for my business as it stands, with all unsettled claims and liabilities. When I got a Vancouver drummer I know to make inquiries17, he said that it ought to be a safe proposition—the money was good.”
“Ah! It looks as if somebody thought us worth powder and shot. Did you take his offer?”
“No, sir! I stood off, for two reasons. I knew that the buyers either foresaw a boom in the Island trade, in which case it would pay me to hold on, or they’d some pretty strong grounds for wanting to get hold of you. On thinking it over, I didn’t see my way to help them.”
“Thanks. I wonder whether Mrs. Jaques had any say in the matter?”
“She certainly had,” Jaques admitted fondly. “She thought it wouldn’t be the square thing to give you away, and that to see you through might be the best in the end.”
“We’re grateful; but I’m not sure that she was wise. It’s obvious that there was something crooked18 about the wreck19, and what you have told us implies that some men with money are anxious to cover up their tracks. I suspect they’ve grown richer since the bogus gold was shipped, and might be willing to spend a good sum to keep the matter dark. The fellow who called on you probably knew nothing of this; he’d be merely acting20 for them on commission.”
None of the others spoke for the next minute. The situation demanded thought, for they were people of no consequence, and they did not doubt that men with means were plotting against them.
“You seem to have got hold of a dangerous secret,” Mrs. Jaques said, breaking the silence.
“An important one, at least,” Bethune agreed. “It might, perhaps, get us into trouble; but our position’s pretty strong. I’ll admit, though, that I can’t see what use we had better make of it.”
Mrs. Jaques watched him closely.
“I suppose it has struck you that you might make a bargain with the people who insured the gold? They’d probably pay you well if you put the screw on them.”
Jimmy started and frowned, but Bethune motioned to him to be silent.
“I wonder whether you really thought we’d take that course, ma’am?” he asked.
“No,” she smiled; “I did not. But what’s the alternative?”
“We might go to the underwriters and see what we could get from them. I suppose that’s what we ought to do; but I’d rather wait. If we can clean out the strong-room, we’ll have the whole thing in our hands.”
“In your hands, you mean.”
“No; I meant what I said. My suggestion is that your husband should relinquish21 his claim on us, and take a small share in the venture. If he’d do so, we could go back next spring. It’s a proposition I wouldn’t make before, but things have changed, and we want another man.”
“Well,” said Jaques, “I half expected this, and I’ve been doing some figuring. The mills are booked full of orders for dressed lumber22, there’s a pulp23 factory going up, and I’m doing better now that trade’s coming to the town. Still, I see a risk.”
“So do I,” Bethune replied. “We’re three irresponsible adventurers without a dollar to our credit, and we have men of weight and business talent up against us. It’s possible that they may break us; but I think we have a fighting chance.” He turned to Mrs. Jaques. “What’s your opinion?”
“Oh, I love adventure! And somehow I have confidence that you’ll make good.”
“Thank you! It’s evident that the opposition24 can do nothing at the wreck when we’re on the spot, and the ice will keep the field for us while we’re down here; but we must get back before they can send a steamer in the spring. In the meanwhile, we have the bags of gold to dispose of.”
“That’s a difficulty,” said Jaques. “They certainly ought to be handed to the underwriters.”
“Just so; but as soon as we part with them we give our secret away. We must stick to them and say nothing until we finish the job.”
“Wouldn’t it be dangerous? You have cut one bag and broken into the box. If the fellows who are working against you found that out, they’d claim you had stolen the gold. Then you’d be in a tight place.”
“The experience wouldn’t be unusual,” Bethune answered with a laugh. “We must take our chances, and we’ll put the stuff in your safe. What most encourages me to go on is that there were several different consignments25 of gold sent by the steamer and insured, and I can’t take it for granted that all the shippers were in the conspiracy26. There’s no reason to suspect the contents of the remaining cases.”
“You hadn’t made out the marks when I last asked you about them,” Jimmy broke in.
“No; they’re hardly distinguishable; but I now think I have a clue. I’m inclined to believe the case was shipped by a man named Osborne. His name’s in the vessel’s manifest, and he has been associated with her owner for a long time. I found that out when I was considering the salvage27 scheme.”
Jimmy started.
“Henry. I understand he has a house on the shore of Puget Sound. You look as if you knew him!”
Jimmy said nothing for a few moments, though he saw that the others were watching him curiously29. Bethune’s suggestion had given him a shock, because it seemed impossible that the pleasant, cultured gentleman he had met on board the Empress should be guilty of common fraud. Besides, it was preposterous30 to suppose that Ruth Osborne could be the daughter of a rogue31.
“I do know him; that is, I met him on our last voyage. But you’re mistaken,” he said firmly.
“It’s possible,” Bethune admitted. “Time will show. I’ve only a suspicion to act on.”
“How do you mean to act on it? What do you propose to do?”
Bethune gave him a searching glance.
“Nothing, until we have emptied the strong-room and we’ll have to consider what’s most advisable then. In the meanwhile, I expect the opposition will let us feel their hand; there may be developments during the winter.” He turned to Jaques. “We’ll lay the sloop32 up out of sight with the next big tides and then go south and look for work. In the spring we’ll ask you to grubstake us, and get back to the wreck as soon as the weather permits. I think that’s our best plan.”
The others agreed, and soon afterward33 the party broke up. As they went back to the boat Bethune turned to Jimmy.
“Do you feel inclined to tell me what you know about Osborne?” he asked.
“I only know that you’re on the wrong track. He isn’t the man to join in a conspiracy of the kind you’re hinting at.”
Bethune did not reply, and they went on in silence down the snowy street. Jimmy found it hard to believe that Osborne had had any share in the fraud, but a doubt was beginning to creep into his mind. For a few minutes he felt tempted34 to abandon the search for the gold; but he reflected that he was bound to his comrades and could not persuade them to let the matter drop. Besides, if by any chance Bethune’s suspicion proved correct, he might be of some service to Miss Osborne. No matter what discovery might be made, she should not suffer; Jimmy was resolved on that.
Leaving port the next day, they found a safe berth35 for the sloop; and when they had hauled her up on the beach they walked to a Siwash rancherie, where they engaged one of the Indians to take them back in a canoe. Reaching Vancouver by steamboat, they had some trouble in finding work, because the approach of winter had driven down general laborers36 and railroad construction gangs from the high, inland ranges to the sheltered coast. There was, however, no frost in the seaboard valleys, and at last Jimmy and his friends succeeded in hiring themselves to a contractor37 who was clearing land.
It was not an occupation they would have taken up from choice, but as their pockets were empty they could not be particular. The firs the choppers felled were great in girth, and as Moran was the only member of the party who could use the ax, the others were set to work sawing up the massive logs with a big crosscut. Dragging the double-handled saw backward and forward through the gummy wood all day was tiring work, while, to make things worse, it rained most of the time and the clearing was churned into a slough38 by the gangs of toiling39 men. When they left it to haul out a log that had fallen beyond its edge they were forced to plunge40 waist-deep into dripping brush and withered41 fern.
For all that, Bethune and Jimmy found the use of the crosscut easy by comparison with their next task, for they were presently sent with one or two others to build up the logs into piles for burning. The masses of timber were ponderous42, and the men, floundering up to the knees in trampled43 mire44, laboriously45 rolled them into place along lines of skids46. Then they must be raised into a pyramid three or four tiers high, and getting on the last row was a herculean task carried out at the risk of being crushed to death by the logs overpowering them and running back.
Jimmy and Bethune stuck to it because they had no other recourse, toiling, wet through, in the slough all day and dragging themselves back, dripping, dejected, and worn out, to the sleeping shack47 at night. The building was rudely put together, and by no means watertight. Its earth floor was slimy, the stove scarcely kept it warm, while it was filled with a rank smell of cooking, stale tobacco, and saturated48 clothes. The bunks49, ranged like a shelf along the walls, were damp and smeared50 with wet soil from the garments the men seldom took off; and Jimmy was now and then wakened by the drips from the leaky roof falling on his face. He felt that once he was able to lay them down he would never wish to see a cant-pole or a crosscut-saw again.
But the deliverance he longed for came in a way he did not anticipate.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
rattle
|
|
| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
rattled
|
|
| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
luxuriously
|
|
| adv.奢侈地，豪华地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
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： |
|
|
|
|
6
bough
|
|
| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
pane
|
|
| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
pointedly
|
|
| adv.尖地，明显地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
spotted
|
|
| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
creditor
|
|
| n.债仅人，债主，贷方 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
creek
|
|
| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
specialized
|
|
| adj.专门的，专业化的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
merger
|
|
| n.企业合并，并吞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
remittance
|
|
| n.汇款，寄款，汇兑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
forfeited
|
|
| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
inquiries
|
|
| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
crooked
|
|
| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
wreck
|
|
| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
acting
|
|
| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
relinquish
|
|
| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
lumber
|
|
| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
pulp
|
|
| n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
opposition
|
|
| n.反对，敌对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
consignments
|
|
| n.托付货物( consignment的名词复数 )；托卖货物；寄售；托运 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
conspiracy
|
|
| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
salvage
|
|
| v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
Christian
|
|
| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
preposterous
|
|
| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
rogue
|
|
| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
sloop
|
|
| n.单桅帆船 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
tempted
|
|
| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
berth
|
|
| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
laborers
|
|
| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
contractor
|
|
| n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
slough
|
|
| v.蜕皮，脱落，抛弃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
toiling
|
|
| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
plunge
|
|
| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
withered
|
|
| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
ponderous
|
|
| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
trampled
|
|
| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
mire
|
|
| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
laboriously
|
|
| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
skids
|
|
| n.滑向一侧( skid的名词复数 )；滑道；滚道；制轮器v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的第三人称单数 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
shack
|
|
| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
saturated
|
|
| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
bunks
|
|
| n.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的名词复数 )；空话，废话v.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的第三人称单数 )；空话，废话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
smeared
|
|
| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |