Mr. Jones’s first act on reaching New York had been to consult an eminent4 specialist in diseases of the brain, and have himself examined for insanity5. The report was reassuring6. Whatever he might have been in the past, this worthy7 physician declared him, to be now free from any taint8 of the disorder9 he so feared.
Jones went to the theater, danced, golfed and made brief cruises in the early spring, but an invitation to a flying meet was instantly and firmly declined. He never wished to see another aeroplane in his life. In fact, he did all that a man could to banish10 from his memory that dream which he had dreamed while cast upon the barren beach of an unnamed — absolutely an unnamed — rock in the Pacific.
If in visions of the night man-eating vegetables writhed11 their flaming tentacles12, or strange yet familiar faces smiled or frowned upon him, he at least never spoke13 of the matter to any one.
So the three months had drifted by, and it was the latter end of March. One morning Jones slept later than usual — he never was an early riser — and when he sat up in bed, yawning, his window was a gray expanse against which sleet14 drove with a continual desolate15 rattling16.
“Darn!” exclaimed Mr. Jones, at the end of his stretch. “Another day of ‘indoor sports,’ I see. How I hate a sleet storm! Philip!” he called.
Instantly his English man servant, an elderly but intensely efficient individual, appeared bearing coffee, newspapers, and the mail.
“You can get my bath ready. Now, let’s see. Who’s going to be married, and who desires the extreme boredom17 of my company — hello, I wonder what this can be — ”
“This” was a small flat package, wrapped in white paper and addressed to himself in a small, perfect hand. Unlike a woman, he did not pause to contemplate18 its exterior19, but untied20 the string immediately. Within the paper was a white pasteboard box, and inside that another box of Morocco leather, unquestionably a jewel case of some sort. He pressed the catch and it snapped open. What-in-the-world — The whole room seemed to reel and sway about him dizzily. It vanished, and before him stretched a little glade21 all dark save where two white beams of light flashed and danced. Sergius — Miss Weston — the aeroplane — the flying monster! Was this some cruel joke that his friends had perpetrated against him.
For within the box, upon a bed of white velvet22, rested an exquisite23 affair of gold, encrusted with blue-white diamonds. It was a tiny aeroplane, and enmeshed with it, its wings and the plane’s interlocked, was a golden bat, with two tiny rubies24 for eyes.
Who had sent him this thing? Who had been so cruel as to taunt25 him with such a reminder26 of his time of madness? He raised box and jewel in his hand and was about to hurl27 it across the room when his eyes fell upon one of the letters scattered28 before him on the counterpane. The writing upon it was in that same small, yet distinctive29 hand that had appeared on the box-wrapping.
Dropping the leather case Jones hastily seized the letter and ripped it open. He, read:
MY DEAR FRIEND ROLAND:
“Two weeks ago I read in an old newspaper of your rescue and of your return to your native city. Until that moment I— we all — believed you to have been drowned in the sea, as was the enormous bat which carried you thither30. We found its body washed up upon the shore, and believe me, my friend, I wept over it for sorrow at your loss and for such an end to such an heroic deed as yours.
“I know, however, that you must have been far more overcome by your terrible experience than the newspaper account indicated. You will not need to explain to me that otherwise you would have taken your yacht back to Joker Island and, if necessary, risked death in the cavern31 labyrinth32 seeking to return to aid me, if I needed aid. There are some friendships which spring into being without the need of years to build them up, and though few words were spoken, I know that ours was such a one.”
“Well, the old son-of-a-gun,” murmured Jones, “and he means it, too.” The eyes he raised to Philip, coming to announce the readiness of the bath, were perceptibly wet, to that worthy Briton’s great, though unrevealed, astonishment33.
“Get out, Philip,” was Jones’s only reply. “I’ll bath after a while.”
Alone once more he eagerly resumed his reading:
“But enough of that. I am coming to New York soon — this is written from Tokio, where I have caused to be made a small remembrance which I am also mailing you — and then we can talk together.
“After you had so courageously34 and with incredible presence of mind flung yourself upon the great bat — ”
Jones grinned, remembering the actual state of his feelings in that moment.
“ — and been snatched away into the air, I managed to right the plane and we went on across the wall. I did not even know that you were gone. Miss Weston tried to tell me, but you know how great is the noise in flight. We came down upon the beach and I was overcome with dismay and self-reproach when I discovered that you were missing. I could perhaps have pursued the bat and rescued you from the sea, but then it was too late.
“Well, the yacht — the Monterey — was gone. I afterward35 learned that the traitorous36 and rascally37 Ivanovitch, believing that I had been killed or captured in the valley, and wishing to make off with the yacht which he afterward successfully sold, had deserted38 me early in the afternoon of the day you and I took flight.
“And, of course, Laroux and Martindale had to wait until the Monterey was gone before they looked up the island,” muttered Jones.
“There was nothing else to be done, so I took Miss Weston back into the valley. We arrived there a little after sunrise and found things at the cave just as we had left them. I pulled away the rocks and we applied39 my restorative to my brother and the rest. They were considerably40 annoyed at my little strategy, but Paul was, I am sorry to say, so rejoiced over the desertion of my companions that he forgave me and persuaded the rest to do so.
“After making one flight in vain, I crossed the course of a tramp steamer and succeeded in dropping upon her deck a letter wrapped about a stone. It was fortunate that I succeeded, for there was barely sufficient petrol left to take me to land. The captain of the tramp, more I fear for the reward which the letter offered than for humanity, turned his vessel41 to the island and took us all off, together with our possessions.
“I have little more to tell you, save that in the month we spent in the valley Holloway, Haskins and I (Paul never cared for hunting) killed off most of the more dangerous animals. They are a peculiar42 collection. Over on the eastern side we discovered a cavern, or grotto43, much bigger than any which Holloway had before explored. In it — it was, of course, daytime — we found scores of those enormous bats hanging, asleep.
“They are nothing but bats, although they are so big. They are fruit-eaters, subsisting44 upon the fruit of the palm-trees, something similar to a large date. I do not believe that it is their custom to attack other creatures, but, that they were simply actuated by curiosity. Still we thought it best to kill them, and their skins are really wonderful pieces of fur.
“Two of the best are for you and also the hide and head of the bear-creature you killed. We bagged two more of them, and I think they were the last of their kind.
“After we killed off the bats the death cabbages began to wither45 and decay, and now they, too, are all dead. It is evident that they lived almost entirely46 upon the bats, which they attracted by their palmlike crests47. I do not think the bats could have had any sense of smell, though, do you?
“And now, I come to my conclusion to a very long letter. Mr. Holloway was mistaken in regard to the quantity of the substance, of which I told you, to be found in Joker Island. We were able to obtain altogether only about a pound of it, enough to make perhaps a million rubles’ worth of what I told you it would make.
“This is not sufficient for the purpose of which I spoke, so, as both Paul and myself are fairly wealthy, we agreed to divide it among our companions. The largest share was received, of course, by Holloway. We gave him our portion as a wedding present. Did I tell you that Holloway and Miss Weston were married two weeks ago here in Tokio?”
For the love of Pete! Jones thought. First I thought it was Paul, and then I thought it was Sergius, only she didn’t want him to know it, and all the while it was Holloway! I’ll bet Miss Weston had Jim Haskins wondering if he wasn’t the lucky one, too. Guess I was the only one not in the running. Well — “They have, of course, my very kindest wishes for their happiness, but Paul — perhaps you knew of his hopes — he felt very badly. He has returned to Russia and is now fighting at the front, having, I fear purposely, obtained his transference to a very dangerous position. And why am I not at his side? Because, although those men with me proved traitors48, such a thing would hardly turn me against the cause. And it is upon a mission for the cause that I am now about to engage, after visiting you in New York.”
“Hurray!” ejaculated the reader. “Just wait until I introduce you to Messrs. Cocksure Martindale and Laroux! Oh, when will I forgive you two for the last three months?”
“It is a mission of some danger, perhaps, but also I think that it might interest a man of your adventurous49 disposition50. I will tell you more of it later. Until that moment, my friend, believe me ever and always your friend and comrade of the past, perhaps — who knows? — of the future.
“SERGIUS ALEXIUS PETROFSKY
It was a long letter, but Mr. Jones read it through twice. Then he laid it down carefully, picked up the little box and stared at the golden bat and aeroplane with shining eyes and exultant51 face.
The sleet still beat upon the window, but it didn’t bother Mr. Jones, for he was far away, on a little rock-walled island in the Pacific Ocean, which did have a name after all, and a most appropriate one — Joker Island!
The End
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1
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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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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taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tentacles
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| n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛 | |
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13
spoke
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| 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 | |
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14
sleet
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| n.雨雪；v.下雨雪，下冰雹 | |
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15
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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boredom
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| n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊 | |
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contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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25
taunt
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| n.辱骂，嘲弄；v.嘲弄 | |
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reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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34
courageously
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| ad.勇敢地，无畏地 | |
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35
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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traitorous
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| adj. 叛国的, 不忠的, 背信弃义的 | |
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rascally
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| adj. 无赖的，恶棍的 adv. 无赖地，卑鄙地 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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39
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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40
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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41
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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42
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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43
grotto
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| n.洞穴 | |
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44
subsisting
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| v.（靠很少的钱或食物）维持生活，生存下去( subsist的现在分词 ) | |
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45
wither
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| vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡 | |
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46
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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47
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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48
traitors
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| 卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人 | |
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49
adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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50
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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51
exultant
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| adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的 | |
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