The Forcing of the TrapThe position wherein I stood does not appear very favourable1 tothought; yet for the next moment or two I thought profoundly. I had, I toldmyself, scored one point. Be Rupert Hentzau's errand what it might, andthe villainy he was engaged on what it would, I had scored one point. Hewas on the other side of the moat from the King, and it would be by nofault of mine if ever he set foot on the same side again. I had three left todeal with: two on guard and De Gautet in his bed. Ah, if I had the keys! Iwould have risked everything and attacked Detchard and Bersonin beforetheir friends could join them. But I was powerless. I must wait till thecoming of my friends enticed2 someone to cross the bridge--someone withthe keys. And I waited, as it seemed, for half an hour, really for about fiveminutes, before the next act in the rapid drama began.
All was still on the other side. The duke's room remained inscrutablebehind its shutters3. The light burnt steadily4 in Madame de Mauban'swindow. Then I heard the faintest, faintest sound: it came from behind thedoor which led to the drawbridge on the other side of the moat. It but justreached my ear, yet I could not be mistaken as to what it was. It was madeby a key being turned very carefully and slowly. Who was turning it? Andof what room was it the key? There leapt before my eyes the picture ofyoung Rupert, with the key in one hand, his sword in the other, and an evilsmile on his face. But I did not know what door it was, nor on which of hisfavourite pursuits young Rupert was spending the hours of that night.
I was soon to be enlightened, for the next moment--before my friendscould be near the chateau5 door--before Johann the keeper would havethought to nerve himself for his task-- there was a sudden crash from theroom with the lighted window. It sounded as though someone had flungdown a lamp; and the window went dark and black. At the same instant acry rang out, shrill6 in the night: "Help, help! Michael, help!" and wasfollowed by a shriek7 of utter terror.
I was tingling8 in every nerve. I stood on the topmost step, clinging to the threshold of the gate with my right hand and holding my sword in myleft. Suddenly I perceived that the gateway9 was broader than the bridge;there was a dark corner on the opposite side where a man could stand. Idarted across and stood there. Thus placed, I commanded the path, and noman could pass between the chateau and the old Castle till he had triedconclusions with me.
There was another shriek. Then a door was flung open and clangedagainst the wall, and I heard the handle of a door savagely11 twisted.
"Open the door! In God's name, what's the matter?" cried a voice--thevoice of Black Michael himself.
He was answered by the very words I had written in my letter.
"Help, Michael--Hentzau!"A fierce oath rang out from the duke, and with a loud thud he threwhimself against the door. At the same moment I heard a window above myhead open, and a voice cried: "What's the matter?" and I heard a man'shasty footsteps. I grasped my sword. If De Gautet came my way, the Sixwould be less by one more.
Then I heard the clash of crossed swords and a tramp of feet and --Icannot tell the thing so quickly as it happened, for all seemed to come atonce. There was an angry cry from madame's room, the cry of a woundedman; the window was flung open; young Rupert stood there sword in hand.
He turned his back, and I saw his body go forward to the lunge.
"Ah, Johann, there's one for you! Come on, Michael!"Johann was there, then--come to the rescue of the duke! How would heopen the door for me? For I feared that Rupert had slain13 him.
"Help!" cried the duke's voice, faint and husky.
I heard a step on the stairs above me; and I heard a stir down to my left,in the direction of the King's cell. But, before anything happened on myside of the moat, I saw five or six men round young Rupert in theembrasure of madame's window. Three or four times he lunged withincomparable dash and dexterity14. For an instant they fell back, leaving aring round him. He leapt on the parapet of the window, laughing as heleapt, and waving his sword in his hand. He was drunk with blood, and helaughed again wildly as he flung himself headlong into the moat.
What became of him then? I did not see: for as he leapt, De Gautet'slean face looked out through the door by me, and, without a second'shesitation, I struck at him with all the strength God had given me, and hefell dead in the doorway15 without a word or a groan16. I dropped on my kneesby him. Where were the keys? I found myself muttering: "The keys, man,the keys?" as though he had been yet alive and could listen; and when Icould not find them, I--God forgive me!-- I believe I struck a dead man'sface.
At last I had them. There were but three. Seizing the largest, I felt thelock of the door that led to the cell. I fitted in the key. It was right. Thelock turned. I drew the door close behind me and locked it as noiselesslyas I could, putting the key in my pocket.
I found myself at the top of a flight of steep stone stairs. An oil lampburnt dimly in the bracket. I took it down and held it in my hand; and Istood and listened.
"What in the devil can it be?" I heard a voice say.
It came from behind a door that faced me at the bottom of the stairs.
And another answered:
"Shall we kill him?"I strained to hear the answer, and could have sobbed17 with relief whenDetchard's voice came grating and cold:
"Wait a bit. There'll be trouble if we strike too soon."There was a moment's silence. Then I heard the bolt of the doorcautiously drawn18 back. Instantly I put out the light I held, replacing thelamp in the bracket.
"It's dark--the lamp's out. Have you a light?" said the other voice-Bersonin's.
No doubt they had a light, but they should not use it. It was come tothe crisis now, and I rushed down the steps and flung myself against thedoor. Bersonin had unbolted it and it gave way before me. The Belgianstood there sword in hand, and Detchard was sitting on a couch at the sideof the room. In astonishment19 at seeing me, Bersonin recoiled20; Detchardjumped to his sword. I rushed madly at the Belgian: he gave way beforeme, and I drove him up against the wall. He was no swordsman, though he fought bravely, and in a moment he lay on the floor before me. I turned--Detchard was not there. Faithful to his orders, he had not risked a fightwith me, but had rushed straight to the door of the King's room, opened itand slammed it behind him. Even now he was at his work inside.
And surely he would have killed the King, and perhaps me also, had itnot been for one devoted21 man who gave his life for the King. For when Iforced the door, the sight I saw was this: the King stood in the corner ofthe room: broken by his sickness, he could do nothing; his fettered22 handsmoved uselessly up and down, and he was laughing horribly in half-maddelirium. Detchard and the doctor were together in the middle of the room;and the doctor had flung himself on the murderer, pinning his hands to hissides for an instant. Then Detchard wrenched23 himself free from the feeblegrip, and, as I entered, drove his sword through the hapless man. Then heturned on me, crying:
"At last!"We were sword to sword. By blessed chance, neither he nor Bersoninhad been wearing their revolvers. I found them afterwards, ready loaded,on the mantelpiece of the outer room: it was hard by the door, ready totheir hands, but my sudden rush in had cut off access to them. Yes, wewere man to man: and we began to fight, silently, sternly, and hard. Yet Iremember little of it, save that the man was my match with the sword--nay,and more, for he knew more tricks than I; and that he forced me backagainst the bars that guarded the entrance to "Jacob's Ladder." And I saw asmile on his face, and he wounded me in the left arm.
No glory do I take for that contest. I believe that the man would havemastered me and slain me, and then done his butcher's work, for he wasthe most skilful24 swordsman I have ever met; but even as he pressed mehard, the half-mad, wasted, wan25 creature in the corner leapt high in lunaticmirth, shrieking26:
"It's cousin Rudolf! Cousin Rudolf! I'll help you, cousin Rudolf!" andcatching up a chair in his hands (he could but just lift it from the groundand hold it uselessly before him) he came towards us. Hope came to me.
"Come on!" I cried. "Come on! Drive it against his legs."Detchard replied with a savage12 thrust. He all but had me.
"Come on! Come on, man!" I cried. "Come and share the fun!"And the King laughed gleefully, and came on, pushing his chair beforehim.
With an oath Detchard skipped back, and, before I knew what he wasdoing, had turned his sword against the King. He made one fierce cut atthe King, and the King, with a piteous cry, dropped where he stood. Thestout ruffian turned to face me again. But his own hand had prepared hisdestruction: for in turning he trod in the pool of blood that flowed from thedead physician. He slipped; he fell. Like a dart10 I was upon him. I caughthim by the throat, and before he could recover himself I drove my pointthrough his neck, and with a stifled27 curse he fell across the body of hisvictim.
Was the King dead? It was my first thought. I rushed to where he lay.
Ay, it seemed as if he were dead, for he had a great gash28 across hisforehead, and he lay still in a huddled29 heap on the floor. I dropped on myknees beside him, and leant my ear down to hear if he breathed. But beforeI could there was a loud rattle30 from the outside. I knew the sound: thedrawbridge was being pushed out. A moment later it rang home against thewall on my side of the moat. I should be caught in a trap and the King withme, if he yet lived. He must take his chance, to live or die. I took mysword, and passed into the outer room. Who were pushing the drawbridgeout--my men? If so, all was well. My eye fell on the revolvers, and Iseized one; and paused to listen in the doorway of the outer room. Tolisten, say I? Yes, and to get my breath: and I tore my shirt and twisted astrip of it round my bleeding arm; and stood listening again. I would havegiven the world to hear Sapt's voice. For I was faint, spent, and weary. Andthat wild-cat Rupert Hentzau was yet at large in the Castle. Yet, because Icould better defend the narrow door at the top of the stairs than the widerentrance to the room, I dragged myself up the steps, and stood behind itlistening.
What was the sound? Again a strange one for the place and time. Aneasy, scornful, merry laugh--the laugh of young Rupert Hentzau! I couldscarcely believe that a sane31 man would laugh. Yet the laugh told me thatmy men had not come; for they must have shot Rupert ere now, if they had come. And the clock struck half-past two! My God! The door had not beenopened! They had gone to the bank! They had not found me! They hadgone by now back to Tarlenheim, with the news of the King's death--andmine. Well, it would be true before they got there. Was not Rupertlaughing in triumph?
For a moment, I sank, unnerved, against the door. Then I started upalert again, for Rupert cried scornfully:
"Well, the bridge is there! Come over it! And in God's name, let's seeBlack Michael. Keep back, you curs! Michael, come and fight for her!"If it were a three-cornered fight, I might yet bear my part. I turned thekey in the door and looked out.
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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enticed
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| 诱惑，怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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3
shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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8
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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9
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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13
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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fettered
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| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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gash
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| v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝 | |
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29
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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