Chapter 27 The Ripton Match

Mike got an answer from his father on the morning of the Ripton match.

　　A letter from Wyatt also lay on his plate when he came down tobreakfast.

　　Mr. Jackson's letter was short, but to the point. He said he would goand see Wyatt early in the next week. He added that being expelledfrom a public school was not the only qualification for success as asheep-farmer, but that, if Mike's friend added to this a generalintelligence and amiability¹, and a skill for picking off cats with anair-pistol and bull's-eyes with a Lee-Enfield, there was no reason whysomething should not be done for him. In any case he would buy him alunch, so that Wyatt would extract at least some profit from hisvisit. He said that he hoped something could be managed. It was a pitythat a boy accustomed to shoot cats should be condemned² for the restof his life to shoot nothing more exciting than his cuffs³.

　　Wyatt's letter was longer. It might have been published under thetitle "My First Day in a Bank, by a Beginner." His advent⁴ hadapparently caused little sensation. He had first had a briefconversation with the manager, which had run as follows:

　　"Mr. Wyatt?""Yes, sir.""H'm ... Sportsman?""Yes, sir.""Cricketer?""Yes, sir.""Play football?""Yes, sir.""H'm ... Racquets?""Yes, sir.""Everything?""Yes, sir.""H'm ... Well, you won't get any more of it now."After which a Mr. Blenkinsop had led him up to a vast ledger⁵, in whichhe was to inscribe⁶ the addresses of all out-going letters. Theseletters he would then stamp, and subsequently take in bundles to thepost office. Once a week he would be required to buy stamps. "If Iwere one of those Napoleons of Finance," wrote Wyatt, "I should cookthe accounts, I suppose, and embezzle⁷ stamps to an incredible amount.

　　But it doesn't seem in my line. I'm afraid I wasn't cut out for abusiness career. Still, I have stamped this letter at the expenseof the office, and entered it up under the heading 'Sundries,' whichis a sort of start. Look out for an article in the _Wrykynian_,'Hints for Young Criminals, by J. Wyatt, champion catch-as-catch-canstamp-stealer of the British Isles⁸.' So long. I suppose you areplaying against Ripton, now that the world of commerce has found thatit can't get on without me. Mind you make a century, and then perhapsBurgess'll give you your first after all. There were twelve coloursgiven three years ago, because one chap left at half-term and the manwho played instead of him came off against Ripton."* * * * *This had occurred to Mike independently. The Ripton match was aspecial event, and the man who performed any outstanding feat⁹ againstthat school was treated as a sort of Horatius. Honours were heapedupon him. If he could only make a century! or even fifty. Even twenty,if it got the school out of a tight place. He was as nervous on theSaturday morning as he had been on the morning of the M.C.C. match. Itwas Victory or Westminster Abbey now. To do only averagely well, to beamong the ruck, would be as useless as not playing at all, as far ashis chance of his first was concerned.

　　It was evident to those who woke early on the Saturday morning thatthis Ripton match was not likely to end in a draw. During the Fridayrain had fallen almost incessantly¹⁰ in a steady drizzle¹¹. It had stoppedlate at night; and at six in the morning there was every prospect¹² ofanother hot day. There was that feeling in the air which shows thatthe sun is trying to get through the clouds. The sky was a dull greyat breakfast time, except where a flush of deeper colour gave a hintof the sun. It was a day on which to win the toss, and go in first. Ateleven-thirty, when the match was timed to begin, the wicket would betoo wet to be difficult. Runs would come easily till the sun came outand began to dry the ground. When that happened there would be troublefor the side that was batting.

　　Burgess, inspecting the wicket with Mr. Spence during the quarter toeleven interval¹³, was not slow to recognise this fact.

　　"I should win the toss to-day, if I were you, Burgess," said Mr.

　　Spence.

　　"Just what I was thinking, sir.""That wicket's going to get nasty after lunch, if the sun comes out. Aregular Rhodes wicket it's going to be.""I wish we _had_ Rhodes," said Burgess. "Or even Wyatt. It wouldjust suit him, this."Mr. Spence, as a member of the staff, was not going to be drawn¹⁴ intodiscussing Wyatt and his premature¹⁵ departure, so he diverted theconversation on to the subject of the general aspect of the school'sattack.

　　"Who will go on first with you, Burgess?""Who do you think, sir? Ellerby? It might be his wicket."Ellerby bowled medium inclining to slow. On a pitch that suited him hewas apt to turn from leg and get people out caught at the wicket orshort slip.

　　"Certainly, Ellerby. This end, I think. The other's yours, though I'mafraid you'll have a poor time bowling¹⁶ fast to-day. Even with plentyof sawdust I doubt if it will be possible to get a decent footholdtill after lunch.""I must win the toss," said Burgess. "It's a nuisance too, about ourbatting. Marsh¹⁷ will probably be dead out of form after being in theInfirmary so long. If he'd had a chance of getting a bit of practiceyesterday, it might have been all right.""That rain will have a lot to answer for if we lose. On a dry, hardwicket I'm certain we should beat them four times out of six. I wastalking to a man who played against them for the Nomads¹⁸. He said thaton a true wicket there was not a great deal of sting in their bowling,but that they've got a slow leg-break man who might be dangerous on aday like this. A boy called de Freece. I don't know of him. He wasn'tin the team last year.""I know the chap. He played wing three for them at footer against usthis year on their ground. He was crocked when they came here. He's apretty useful chap all round, I believe. Plays racquets for them too.""Well, my friend said he had one very dangerous ball, of the Bosanquettype. Looks as if it were going away, and comes in instead.""I don't think a lot of that," said Burgess ruefully. "One consolationis, though, that that sort of ball is easier to watch on a slowwicket. I must tell the fellows to look out for it.""I should. And, above all, win the toss."* * * * *Burgess and Maclaine, the Ripton captain, were old acquaintances. Theyhad been at the same private school, and they had played against oneanother at football and cricket for two years now.

　　"We'll go in first, Mac," said Burgess, as they met on the pavilionsteps after they had changed.

　　"It's awfully¹⁹ good of you to suggest it," said Maclaine. "but I thinkwe'll toss. It's a hobby of mine. You call.""Heads.""Tails it is. I ought to have warned you that you hadn't a chance.

　　I've lost the toss five times running, so I was bound to win to-day.""You'll put us in, I suppose?""Yes--after us.""Oh, well, we sha'n't have long to wait for our knock, that's acomfort. Buck²⁰ up and send some one in, and let's get at you."And Burgess went off to tell the ground-man to have plenty of sawdustready, as he would want the field paved with it.

　　* * * * *The policy of the Ripton team was obvious from the first over. Theymeant to force the game. Already the sun was beginning to peep throughthe haze²¹. For about an hour run-getting ought to be a tolerably simpleprocess; but after that hour singles would be as valuable as threesand boundaries an almost unheard-of luxury.

　　So Ripton went in to hit.

　　The policy proved successful for a time, as it generally does.

　　Burgess, who relied on a run that was a series of tiger-like leapsculminating in a spring that suggested that he meant to lower the longjump record, found himself badly handicapped by the state of theground. In spite of frequent libations of sawdust, he was compelled totread cautiously, and this robbed his bowling of much of its pace. Thescore mounted rapidly. Twenty came in ten minutes. At thirty-five thefirst wicket fell, run out.

　　At sixty Ellerby, who had found the pitch too soft for him and hadbeen expensive, gave place to Grant. Grant bowled what were supposedto be slow leg-breaks, but which did not always break. The changeworked.

　　Maclaine, after hitting the first two balls to the boundary, skied thethird to Bob Jackson in the deep, and Bob, for whom constant practicehad robbed this sort of catch of its terrors, held it.

　　A yorker from Burgess disposed of the next man before he could settledown; but the score, seventy-four for three wickets, was large enoughin view of the fact that the pitch was already becoming moredifficult, and was certain to get worse, to make Ripton feel that theadvantage was with them. Another hour of play remained before lunch.

　　The deterioration²² of the wicket would be slow during that period. Thesun, which was now shining brightly, would put in its deadliest workfrom two o'clock onwards. Maclaine's instructions to his men were togo on hitting.

　　A too liberal interpretation²³ of the meaning of the verb "to hit" ledto the departure of two more Riptonians in the course of the next twoovers. There is a certain type of school batsman who considers that toforce the game means to swipe blindly at every ball on the chance oftaking it half-volley. This policy sometimes leads to a boundary ortwo, as it did on this occasion, but it means that wickets will fall,as also happened now. Seventy-four for three became eighty-six forfive. Burgess began to look happier.

　　His contentment increased when he got the next man leg-before-wicketwith the total unaltered. At this rate Ripton would be out beforelunch for under a hundred.

　　But the rot stopped with the fall of that wicket. Dashing tactics werelaid aside. The pitch had begun to play tricks, and the pair now insettled down to watch the ball. They plodded²⁴ on, scoring slowly andjerkily till the hands of the clock stood at half-past one. ThenEllerby, who had gone on again instead of Grant, beat the less steadyof the pair with a ball that pitched on the middle stump²⁵ and shot intothe base of the off. A hundred and twenty had gone up on the board atthe beginning of the over.

　　That period which is always so dangerous, when the wicket is bad, theten minutes before lunch, proved fatal to two more of the enemy. Thelast man had just gone to the wickets, with the score at a hundred andthirty-one, when a quarter to two arrived, and with it the luncheoninterval.

　　So far it was anybody's game.

1 amiability   

n.和蔼可亲的，亲切的，友善的

参考例句：

• His amiability condemns him to being a constant advisor to other people's troubles. 他那和蔼可亲的性格使他成为经常为他人排忧解难的开导者。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• I watched my master's face pass from amiability to sternness. 我瞧着老师的脸上从和蔼变成严峻。 来自辞典例句

2 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

3 cuffs   

n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• a collar and cuffs of white lace 带白色蕾丝花边的衣领和袖口
• The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。

4 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

5 ledger   

n.总帐，分类帐；帐簿

参考例句：

• The young man bowed his head and bent over his ledger again.那个年轻人点头应诺，然后又埋头写起分类帐。
• She is a real accountant who even keeps a detailed household ledger.她不愧是搞财务的，家庭分类账记得清楚详细。

6 inscribe   

v.刻；雕；题写；牢记

参考例句：

• Will you inscribe your name in the book?能否请你在这本书上签名？
• I told the jeweler to inscribe the ring with my name.我叫珠宝商把我的名字刻在那只戒指上。

7 embezzle   

vt.贪污，盗用；挪用(公款；公物等)

参考例句：

• I suppose they embezzle a lot.我想他们贪污了不少。
• The cashier embezzled $50,000 from the bank and ran away.银行的出纳盗用了五万美元，并且逃跑了。

8 isles   

岛( isle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the geology of the British Isles 不列颠群岛的地质
• The boat left for the isles. 小船驶向那些小岛。

9 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

10 incessantly   

ad.不停地

参考例句：

• The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight. 机器在白天隆隆地响个不停。
• It rained incessantly for the whole two weeks. 雨不间断地下了整整两个星期。

11 drizzle   

v.下毛毛雨；n.毛毛雨，蒙蒙细雨

参考例句：

• The shower tailed off into a drizzle.阵雨越来越小，最后变成了毛毛雨。
• Yesterday the radio forecast drizzle,and today it is indeed raining.昨天预报有小雨，今天果然下起来了。

12 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

13 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

14 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

15 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

16 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

17 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

18 nomads   

n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活

参考例句：

• For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
• Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

20 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

21 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

22 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

23 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

24 plodded   

v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作）

参考例句：

• Our horses plodded down the muddy track. 我们的马沿着泥泞小路蹒跚而行。
• He plodded away all night at his project to get it finished. 他通宵埋头苦干以便做完专题研究。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。