Now when Muckle John had heard the voice of Macaulay—or, to give him his real name, Captain Strange—approaching the tent, he had moved ever so slightly backward and loosened his dirk. The inevitable1 had happened, and he had played with fire too long. And so, when the officer hurried out to meet the new arrival, he did a number of things very quickly.
But the first was the cutting of the canvas farthest from the entrance. Then with a dive he was through, and with the tent between him and his enemies.
To the right of him, about a hundred yards distant, was a sentry2, standing3 with his back turned, looking towards the hill opposite. On his left again were a group of red-coats off duty and playing cards.
To cross the open space and reach the slope unseen would seem impossible, and yet Muckle John did it, and what is more, took two hours about it, which in a period of acute danger might seem leisurely6 travelling.
What his quick eyes fell upon first was a horse grazing thirty yards away. But that he put out of his mind as too hazardous7 a risk. About half that distance away, however, a tussock of hay was lying—a loosely bound pile about eight feet long and four broad.
When Muckle John saw that he breathed again, and taking off his hat, he hurled8 it in the direction of the hay, then waited patiently. Fortunately, no one saw it skim into the air and drop upon the ground.
By this time Strange had roused the officer's indignation and then his alarm. He did exactly what any ordinary man would have done in the circumstances. He dashed into the tent—he saw the tear and peered quickly through it. But Muckle John was round the flap and unseen. Then, realizing that his late guest had bolted, he darted9 through the door of the tent again, and bawled10 the order to arms.
At that Muckle John moved like lightning. He did not dash for the tussock of hay; he knew that such an obvious place of refuge would attract them first. He quite softly re-entered the tent through the slit11, and, crawling under the bedding on the floor, he watched the scurrying12 soldiers outside with keen and calculating eyes.
Half a dozen, headed by Campbell, charged the hay and turned it over and over. Then Strange, not satisfied with that, drove his sword into the midst of it, and poked13 and jabbed with extraordinary determination, at which Muckle John smiled and lay still. He had not to wait long, however, for the inevitable discovery of his hat sent them post-haste towards the heather and the rough country beyond, and saved a closer search nearer home, which was just what Muckle John had feared and planned to prevent.
Away went the soldiers with Strange and the little red-faced officer, and the camp, saving the sentries14, was clear.
So the first onward15 move commenced. With a spring, Muckle John was through the slit, and darting16 over the intervening space, he reached the mangled17 tussock of hay and crawled beneath it. A rope bound it loosely together. Slipping between this and the hay, and trusting to luck that his boots were hid, he began to move in inches over the ground.
By the time the first soldiers passed wearily and footsore into camp, too hot and tired for further searching, he had covered twenty yards.
After them came Strange and the officer, deep in talk. They tramped past and all was quiet again. And then, to his profound dismay, two soldiers, late-comers from the pursuit, sank down upon the hay, and prepared to rest themselves.
"That it be, Silas—but likewise uncommon soft after 'eather," and one of them yawned and loosened his jacket.
"Shoot 'im at Fort Augustus," replied the other. "Heard Captain say as 'ow we march there to-morrow. Seems cruel t'shoot a mere20 shaver, Silas."
To Muckle John the information was of interest. But for the moment he was more anxious about the future.
Fortunately, the short afternoon was closing in, and a cold spring wind came blowing off the snow-topped hills. It set the soldiers shivering and stumbling camp wards5. It also set Muckle John free and travelling slowly towards the rough land at the foot of the slope.
And then he thrust his head through the hay, like a tortoise out of its shell, and looked about him.
To his right stood a sentry, apparently dozing24, To his left, another sentry, but marching to and fro to keep warm. Very patiently Muckle John waited for several things to happen. It was inevitable that darkness would fall soon, and that meant safety. It was also very probable that the increasing cold would send both sentries tramping up and down, and in that lay a chance to escape into the heather unseen.
But against these two probabilities was the stern fact that horses need fodder25, and that every minute brought the search for the tussock of hay nearer.
Had Muckle John been the kind of man who, having exercised a maximum of caution, takes a minimum of risk through a very proper spirit, he would have made a run for it, and dodging26 the sentries' bullets, trusted to the twilight27 to cover his flight.
But Muckle John had a certain pride in these episodes. He liked to complete a piece of work like this—to leave at his own good pleasure; above all, not to give his enemies the empty satisfaction of knowing just how he had managed it. At that moment the sentry who dozed28 dropped his musket29, and, hastily picking it up, tramped heavily up and down like his companion. There was just a space of five seconds exactly when both their heads were turned away from him.
Five times Muckle John tested it, leaving half a second for accidents and the half-turns at the corners.
Then drawing himself clear of the hay, he waited, crouching30 on his hands and knees. At last with a spring, he cleared the danger-spot, and was flat with the heather when the sentries turned again.
The next five seconds saw him thirty yards away, the next another forty, and then he fell to running with bent31 back—a shadow among shadows, until he was gathered into the darkness and was seen no more.
It was on the evening of the next day that Muckle John, travelling all night and resting by day, reached Inverness, and, muffling32 up his face, trod through the silent town and knocked at the door of Miss Macpherson. Inside all was utterly33 quiet, and for a moment he feared that she had gone.
But very slowly the door opened, and a pair of keen eyes looked into his face, while a nose like an eagle's beak34 was thrust forward as though on the point of striking.
"Wha's there?" she cried.
"Mistress Macpherson," said Muckle John; "let me in, for I am spent, and this is no the place to exchange pleasantries..."
"Pleasantries indeed," she snorted. "Nothing was farther frae my mind," but she let him in for all that, and bolted the door.
Then, raising the rush-light, she stared into his face.
"Oh!" she cried, "and I thought so. Good evening, Mr. Muckle John, though no sae muckle in spirit as when last we met."
"No, madam—ye say true," he replied frowning at the fire-light.
Muckle John shifted his eyes.
"Maybe he's no been as fortunate as we could have wished," he said, slowly shaking his head.
"Dinna clash words wi' me!" she screamed. "Oot with it, ye Hieland cateran—what o' Rob—where is he—is he in prison?"
"No, no," cried Muckle John, "though maybe no so far off, either."
"What did ye come here for?" she cried. "What has kept your feet hammering the road for hours past? Was it just for the pleasure o' a crack wi' me? Oh, no, my man, there's a bonny tale behind your face," and she sat herself down, her chin resting on her hand.
With a shrug39 Muckle John told of the flight from Culloden (saying nothing of his part that day), and of the meeting on the shore of Arkaig, and the taking of Rob.
"He is meddling40 in business that I canna control," he said finally, "and so he's bound for Fort Augustus, and out of it he must come or my name's no Muckle John."
He gloomed at her a moment without speaking.
"Mistress Macpherson," he said at last, "listen to me. When Rob is brought up in Fort Augustus, your friend Ephraim Macaulay, whose real name is Captain Strange and a notorious spy, will seek to prove that he was in arms at Culloden. They must prove that, to put the fear of death on him for reasons best left unsaid. Who will know Rob better than yersel', and who will come to the mind of Strange mair clearly? Should he be asked to travel south, be prepared in advance, for it rests wi' you whether Rob goes free or not."
"I always suspected yon Macaulay," remarked Miss Macpherson, "and his Scots was no what I call sound Edinburgh."
"He has muckle strings42 to his bow, and who can say what arrow may bring doon Rob? But when the message comes, Mistress Macpherson, dinna deny that ye ken43 Rob, for that will prove his guilt44 at once, for ithers can be found who will jump at the chance o' pleasing Strange. Mak' a lot of him, and when ye say good-bye to him in his cell, hand the man on guard a piece of siller, and shut the door. There is one I ken in the fort will be glad to do me a favour, and he will put Rob in one of the rooms overlooking the outer court."
"Go on, my man," said she; "I'm no slow in the uptak."
With a reddened face, Muckle John unloosened his jacket.
"Here," said he, "are one or two things that may serve our purpose," and he showed her a coil of slender rope, a file, a pistol, and a skian-dhu.
"Mistress Macpherson," said Muckle John, growing still redder in the face, "if ye could see your way to coiling this rope about your waist and concealing46 the other things, I think Rob is as good as safe."
For long she sat silent.
"Sir," she said, "I believe you are an honest man, though I was positive ye were a rogue47 until this very minute."
The face of Muckle John was, for once, a medley48 of expressions, with that of irritation49 uppermost.
"I hope so," he replied shortly, "but I'm no perfect, ye ken."
"What matter," he cried irritably52. "Should I save his neck, is not that enough? Maybe I have an affection for the boy. Maybe it is because we are fellow-sufferers in the Cause."
"And maybe," broke in Miss Macpherson, "it is none of these good reasons at all."
To which he answered nothing, but seemed on the point of bursting into a violent rage, and then he fell back on silence, as though he were bitterly offended.
"Mistress Macpherson," he said stiffly, "one thing I can swear to, and that is that I mean Rob no ill; and this I promise you: that if you do as I ask, I will answer for his ultimate escape and safety," and, whipping out his bared dirk, he prepared to take the oath.
"Whisht," said Miss Macpherson, "dinna behave like a play-actor; I'll do what you want, and gladly, for his mither's sake, puir woman. But ye said there is an outer courtyard. How will Rob manage to get over that?"
"He will not need to do so," said Muckle John, and rose to his feet.
Footsteps suddenly sounded on the street without. A loud knock came at the door—then another, and the noise of a horse's impatient hoofs53 thumped54 and clattered55 on the cobbles.
Like a vast shadow, Muckle John passed silently inside the other room, while Miss Macpherson drew back the bolts.
In the street was a trooper, holding a package in his hand.
"For Mistress Macpherson," said he, "from Captain Strange, now stationed at Fort Augustus," and, mounting again, he walked slowly up the street.
Inside, she tore open the paper. It requested her to travel to Fort Augustus at dawn.
Muckle John read what it was at a glance.
Then, gathering56 up his coat, he bowed, and, meeting her eyes for a moment, passed into the darkness of the street and was gone.
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收听单词发音
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1
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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wards
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| 区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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7
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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8
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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9
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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10
bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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11
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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12
scurrying
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 ) | |
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13
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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14
sentries
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| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
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15
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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17
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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18
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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19
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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24
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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fodder
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| n.草料；炮灰 | |
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26
dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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27
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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dozed
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| v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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30
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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32
muffling
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| v.压抑，捂住( muffle的现在分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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dour
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| adj.冷酷的，严厉的；（岩石）嶙峋的；顽强不屈 | |
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hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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38
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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39
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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40
meddling
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| v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 ) | |
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41
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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42
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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43
ken
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| n.视野，知识领域 | |
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44
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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45
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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46
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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47
rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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48
medley
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| n.混合 | |
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49
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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50
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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51
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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52
irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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53
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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54
thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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56
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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