“Never mind, Bouncer. I’ve another card up my sleeve!” He patted and hugged the old dog till his tail waved once more gracefully3 over his back. “Here! Try this. Sic ’em!” Billy thrust the scraps4 of red silk under his nose; and in an instant Bouncer was off after the new scent5.
“I knew it!” Billy panted feverishly6. “The Ha’nt!” Heedless of the dog running with his nose close to the ground, Billy rushed on. His shirt was torn, his trousers hanging by one suspender, his shoes cut and one tap turned back. Ashes whitened his hair; though at the back a dark mat was still damp from oozing7 blood,—the handkerchief that had bound it had been torn off by a twitching8 twig9. His smarting eyes watered so that he could hardly see his way. Yet of all this he was unconscious. Weariness, pain, his cracked and bleeding lips,—he knew nothing of them, felt nothing.
It was as if some tremendous force had taken possession of his tired, stricken body, and carried it on with no volition11 of his own. Afterward12 he remembered, understood; knew it was his own will that rose and ruled every bodily faculty13; knew, and was glad, for that day he stepped into a realm of power he should never lose as long as he lived.
In front of the stone steps that led up to the barred door he hesitated; but the dog raced round to the rear. Instantly Billy followed.
What if the Italians should be there? Impossible. Surely they would be on the mountain fighting fire. What if the door should be locked? The thought made him tremble, yet he hurried on and softly tried the handle. It would not open!
Baffled, yet knowing he had expected it, he ran this way and that, peering round each corner, scanning the bare, high walls to see if by chance some window had been left unbarred. Not one less than a dozen feet from the ground! He ran back to the door, was almost tempted14 to shake it, yet knew that would be a foolish trick; some one might be within guarding May Nell; might at the first noise still more securely hide her,—they said there were fearfully deep and dark cellars under that house! She might come to—to some dreadful harm!
In desperation he stood still, gazing at the windows above; reprimanding the dog sharply when he whined, though his fingers unconsciously patted away the sting of the rebuke15.
The solid rock of the mountain had been cut away from the rear of the house to form a natural, paved court. At the top was a small chicken coop, its wall flush with the wall of rock; and near it grew an oak sapling not larger than Billy’s arm.
It quickly occurred to him to run around and climb up there by the coop. Perhaps he could see into the windows—perhaps see— He didn’t wait to finish his thought, but scrambled16 frantically18 up the steep and came around to the top of the wall. The window opposite and level with him was bare but not as dirty as the others; and against it he saw a bed-post. Anyway that room was used by some one besides ghosts, he thought; and wondered what to do next. Just then Bouncer sprang up and gave a single short bark, his bark of greeting.
“She’s there, old dog!” Billy caught Bouncer’s nose tight in his hand to prevent a repetition; and at that instant May Nell herself appeared at the window!
It took two hands to hold the dog’s mouth shut now; and for a minute that Billy thought much longer, it seemed as if he never would be able to make him keep quiet. But he succeeded at last, and turned again to see May Nell standing19 in full view with her finger on her lips.
“Are you hurt?” Billy spelled with the hand alphabet every boy and girl knows.
“No; well,” came the answer.
“Alone?”
“Not in the house; in this room, yes.”
“Who?”
“One of the brothers, hurt.”
“Any one else?”
“I don’t know.”
“Open window.”
“I can’t. Nailed.”
“Break it,—not now; when I tell you.”
“No, no! They’ll kill us!”
From where he stood Billy could see the distress20 in her face. He must think of a way to get her, and he must, must hurry!
He ran back a few steps and found a loose board he had climbed over when coming up. This he carried to the edge of the wall. “When I call,” he spelled out, “break window, use chair, come across on board.”
She shook her head.
Just then he saw a wagon21 in the distance rounding the curve of the mountain. This was his minute. He must get her before that team passed. Then if any one attempted to prevent him he would have help. He turned back to May Nell.
“You must do it,” he spelled. His stiffened22 fingers must have carried authority, for she nodded; and he saw her get a chair and stand with it, ready to do his bidding.
He lifted the board, trying its weight. Could he ever get it safely placed? Higher he lifted it, and began to let it drop; but he saw that if the other end missed the window sill, it would pull him down to the court below. Frantic17, he stared about for help, for inspiration. He dared not wait till the passers came in hearing; the sound of his voice calling might too soon rouse men inside, make them shoot perhaps. As it was he expected every minute to see a swarthy face appear, a hand with a knife or pistol. It was not for himself he feared, but for May Nell, the little girl who for some strange reason was worth something to these desperadoes, and whose life would be on his soul if he did not save her.
His boyish knowledge and imagination, equal to many pictures of danger for the girl, did not extend to her captors. He never stopped to consider, nor would he have understood if he had, the plight23 of the criminals. He knew that two had been captured, one of whom before that had carried off May Nell; but his small newspaper reading of “gangs” of counterfeiters had given him visions of dozens of desperate criminals, terrorizing communities, and equal to any bold crime. Now in his mind’s eye he could see men skulking24 in the brush, listening in rooms below, only waiting to pounce25 on May Nell the moment she smashed the window. Oh, yes, he must hurry—hurry!
In his distress his wandering eye discovered a bunch of vine ties, short pieces of soft hemp26 rope for fastening vines to their supporting stakes. They were hanging against the rear of the coop, and a gust27 of wind had blown them into view. Like a flash he sprang and caught them; tied several together in quick, strong knots, and lashed28 himself to the little tree. Then he took up the board again, poised29 it at a perpendicular30, calculated the angle, and slowly dropped it. Would the end reach the sill? No, it was too short!
He tried to hold it from falling, but could not. It seemed as if his arms would be pulled out of their sockets31. It would fall short—he must hold on to it, not let it strike below, for the noise would betray them too soon; and—the men in the wagon were passing!
With a supreme32 effort he straightened his arms just as the board reached the level of the sill, pushed it forward with all his might; and—it caught! Caught by an inch or less!
“Stop!” his upheld warning hand said to May Nell. He found his knife, cut his lashings, and beckoned33 to her vehemently34. He waited only for the crash of glass and sash, when he threw himself outstretched on the ground, and pushed the board hard against the lower edge of the window frame.
“It’s up to you now, my girl,” he panted under his breath. “The board will bend—you mustn’t be frightened. Fix your eyes on the tree—come fast.”
Gee35! It was a scaly36 trick for a little girl, he thought; and felt sick. Would the plank37 bend too much? Slip? She was such a little thing—if only she could be a truly fairy for a minute!
“Oh, God, walk with her!” he prayed silently when he felt her weight first touch the board; prayed as he never had before. It seemed as if something strange and strong was going out of him right to May Nell.
Yet almost before the prayer was breathed the child with incredible swiftness scudded38 across the bending board and stood safe by his side!
He sprang up, caught her hand, and raced with her down the rocky steep, calling wildly to the men in the wagon as he ran. Bouncer, no longer watched, vented39 his pent-up excitement in noisy yelps40; and above the din10 Billy heard loud angry words in a foreign tongue that he knew were execrations, commands to return.
It seemed to him that his voice made no sound; that May Nell never ran so slowly; that the travellers would surely not hear him, not stop. How could they hear in all the noise?
Yet they had already stopped, turned, and driven quickly to the house, hurried by the frenzy41 in the boy’s tones.
“Take her in,” Billy gasped42. “They stole her; they’re after—save her—hurry—” He could say no more, but suddenly collapsed43 and sank to the ground; and the last sight he remembered was the dark Italian at the house corner, talking fast, with one hand in a sling44, the other waving a knife threateningly.
Yes, Billy had fainted for the first time in his[239] life. The two men, heedless of the Italian, took the boy up gently. One sat in the bed of the wagon and held Billy as easily as possible, while the other lifted May Nell to the seat, mounted beside her, and drove rapidly back to town.
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1
caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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2
whined
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| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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3
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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6
feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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7
oozing
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的现在分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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8
twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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10
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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11
volition
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| n.意志；决意 | |
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12
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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14
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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15
rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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16
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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17
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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18
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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19
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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20
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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21
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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22
stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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24
skulking
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 ) | |
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25
pounce
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| n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意 | |
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hemp
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| n.大麻；纤维 | |
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27
gust
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| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
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28
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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29
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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30
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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31
sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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32
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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33
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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35
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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36
scaly
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| adj.鱼鳞状的；干燥粗糙的 | |
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37
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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38
scudded
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| v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
yelps
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| n.（因痛苦、气愤、兴奋等的）短而尖的叫声( yelp的名词复数 )v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的第三人称单数 ) | |
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41
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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42
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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43
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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44
sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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