‘We’re coming to something — what’s that?’ said Puddock, as a long row of black stakes presented themselves at some distance ahead, in the dusky moonlight, slanting1 across the stream.
‘’Tis the salmon2-weir!’ roared Cluffe with an oath that subsided3 into something like a sickening prayer.
It was only a fortnight before that a tipsy fellow had been found drowned in the net. Cluffe had lost his head much more than Puddock, though Cluffe had fought duels4. But then, he really could not swim a bit, and he was so confoundedly buckled5 up.
‘Sit to the right. Trim the boat, Sir!’ said little Puddock.
‘Trim the devil!’ bawled6 Cluffe, to whom this order of Puddock’s, it must be owned a useless piece of marinetism in their situation, was especially disgusting; and he added, looking furiously ahead —’‘Tisn’t the boat I’d trim, I promise you: you — you ridiculous murderer!’
Just then Puddock’s end of the boat touched a stone, or a post, or something in the current, and that in which Cluffe sat came wheeling swiftly round across the stream, and brought the gallant7 captain so near the bank that, with a sudden jerk, he caught the end of a branch that stretched far over the water, and, spite of the confounded tightness of his toilet, with the energy of sheer terror, climbed a good way; but, reaching a point where the branch forked, he could get no further, though he tugged8 like a brick. But what was a fat fellow of fifty, laced, and buckled, and buttoned up, like poor Cluffe — with his legs higher up among the foliage9 than his head and body — to do, and with his right calf10 caught in the fork of a branch, so as to arrest all progress, and especially as the captain was plainly too much for the branch, which was drooping11 toward the water, and emitting sounds premonitory of a smash.
With a long, screaking crash the branch stooped down to the water, and, so soon as the old element made itself acquainted with those parts that reached it first, the gallant captain, with a sort of sob12, redoubled his efforts, and down came the faithless bough13, more and more perpendicularly14, until his nicely got-up cue and bag, then his powdered head, and finally Captain Cluffe’s handsome features, went under the surface. When this occurred, he instantaneously disengaged his legs with a vague feeling that his last struggle above water was over.
His feet immediately touched the bottom; he stood erect15, little above his middle, and quite out of the main current, within half-a-dozen steps of the bank, and he found himself — he scarcely knew how — on terra firma, impounded in a little flower-garden, with lilacs and laburnums, and sweet-briars, and, through a window close at hand, whom should he see but Dangerfield, who was drying his hands in a towel; and, as Cluffe stood for a moment, letting the water pour down through his sleeves, he further saw him make some queer little arrangements, and eventually pour out and swallow a glass of brandy, and was tempted16 to invoke17 his aid on the spot; but some small incivilities which he had bestowed18 upon Dangerfield, when he thought he cherished designs upon Aunt Rebecca, forbade; and at that moment he spied the little wicket that opened upon the road, and Dangerfield stept close up to the window, and cried sternly, ‘Who’s there?’ with his grim spectacles close to the window.
The boyish instinct of ‘hide and seek’ took possession of Cluffe, and he glided19 forth20 from the precincts of the Brass21 Castle upon the high road, just as the little hall-door was pushed open, and he heard the harsh tones of Dangerfield challenging the gooseberry bushes and hollyhocks, and thrashing the evergreens22 with his cane23.
Cluffe hied straight to his lodgings24, and ordered a sack posset. Worthy25 Mrs. Mason eyed him in silent consternation26, drenched27 and dishevelled, wild, and discharging water from every part of his clothing and decorations, as he presented himself without a hat, before her dim dipt candle in the hall.
‘I’ll take that — that vessel28, if you please, Sir, that’s hanging about your neck,’ said the mild and affrighted lady, meaning Puddock’s guitar, through the circular orifice of which, under the chords, the water with which it was filled occasionally splashed.
‘Oh — eh?— the instrument?— confound it!’ and rather sheepishly he got the gray red and gold ribbon over his dripping head, and placing it in her hand without explanation, he said —‘A warming-pan as quickly as may be, I beg, Mrs. Mason — and the posset, I do earnestly request. You see — I— I’ve been nearly drowned — and — and I can’t answer for consequences if there be one minute’s delay.
And up he went streaming, with Mrs. Mason’s candle, to his bed-room, and dragged off his clinging garments, and dried his fat body, like a man coming out of a bath, and roared for hot water for his feet, and bellowed29 for the posset and warming-pan, and rolled into his bed, and kept the whole house in motion.
And so soon as he had swallowed his cordial, and toasted his sheets, and with the aid of his man rolled himself in a great blanket, and clapped his feet in a tub of hot water, and tumbled back again into his bed, he bethought him of Puddock, and ordered his man to take his compliments to Captain Burgh and Lieutenant30 Lillyman, the tenants31 of the nearest lodging-house, and to request either to come to him forthwith on a matter of life or death.
Lillyman was at home, and came.
‘Puddock’s drowned, my dear Lillyman, and I’m little better. The ferry boat broke away with us. Do go down to the adjutant — they ought to raise the salmon nets — I’m very ill myself — very ill, indeed — else I’d have assisted; but you know me, Lillyman. Poor Puddock —’tis a sad business — but lose no time.’
‘And can’t he swim?’ asked Lillyman, aghast.
‘Swim?— ay, like a stone, poor fellow! If he had only thrown himself out, and held by me, hang it, I’d have brought him to shore; but poor Puddock, he lost his head. And I— you see me here — don’t forget to tell them the condition you found me in, and — and — now don’t lose a moment.’
So off went Lillyman to give the alarm at the barrack.
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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duels
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| n.两男子的决斗( duel的名词复数 )；竞争，斗争 | |
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buckled
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| a. 有带扣的 | |
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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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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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calf
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| n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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perpendicularly
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| adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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invoke
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| v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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evergreens
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| n.常青树，常绿植物，万年青( evergreen的名词复数 ) | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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