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One THE ACCIDENT
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WHY DIDN’T THEY ASK EVANS
Published previously1 as “The Boomerang Clue”
To Christopher Mallock
in memory of Hinds2
One THE ACCIDENT
Bobby Jones teed up his ball, gave a short preliminary waggle, took theclub back slowly, then brought it down and through with the rapidity oflightning.
Did the ball fly down the fairway straight and true, rising as it went andsoaring over the bunker to land within an easy mashie shot of the four-teenth green?
No, it did not. Badly topped, it scudded3 along the ground and embeddeditself firmly in the bunker!
There were no eager crowds to groan4 with dismay. The solitary5 witnessof the shot manifested no surprise. And that is easily explained—for it wasnot the American-born master of the game who had played the shot, butmerely the fourth son of the Vicar of Marchbolt—a small seaside town onthe coast of Wales.
Bobby uttered a decidedly profane6 ejaculation.
He was an amiable-looking young man of about eight and twenty. Hisbest friend could not have said that he was handsome, but his face was aneminently likeable one, and his eyes had the honest brown friendliness7 ofa dog’s.
“I get worse every day,” he muttered dejectedly.
“You press,” said his companion.
Dr. Thomas was a middle-aged8 man with grey hair and a red cheerfulface. He himself never took a full swing. He played short straight shotsdown the middle, and usually beat more brilliant but more erratic9 players.
Bobby attacked his ball fiercely with a niblick. The third time was suc-cessful. The ball lay a short distance from the green which Dr. Thomas hadreached with two creditable iron shots.
“Your hole,” said Bobby.
They proceeded to the next tee.
The doctor drove first—a nice straight shot, but with no great distanceabout it.
Bobby sighed, teed his ball, reteed it, waggled his club a long time, tookback stiffly, shut his eyes, raised his head, depressed10 his right shoulder,did everything he ought not to have done—and hit a screamer down themiddle of the course.
He drew a deep breath of satisfaction. The well-known golfer’s gloompassed from his eloquent11 face to be succeeded by the equally well-knowngolfer’s exultation12.
“I know now what I’ve been doing,” said Bobby—quite untruthfully.
A perfect iron shot, a little chip with a mashie and Bobby lay dead. Heachieved a birdie four and Dr. Thomas was reduced to one up.
Full of confidence, Bobby stepped on to the sixteenth tee. He again dideverything he should not have done, and this time no miracle occurred. Aterrific, a magnificent, an almost superhuman slice happened! The ballwent round at right angles.
“If that had been straight—whew!” said Dr. Thomas.
“If,” said Bobby bitterly. “Hullo, I thought I heard a shout! Hope the balldidn’t hit anyone.”
He peered out to the right. It was a difficult light. The sun was on thepoint of setting, and, looking straight into it, it was hard to see anythingdistinctly. Also there was a slight mist rising from the sea. The edge of thecliff was a few hundred yards away.
“The footpath13 runs along there,” said Bobby. “But the ball can’t possiblyhave travelled as far as that. All the same, I did think I heard a cry. Didyou?”
But the doctor had heard nothing.
Bobby went after his ball. He had some difficulty in finding it, but ran itto earth at last. It was practically unplayable—embedded in a furze bush.
He had a couple of hacks14 at it, then picked it up and called out to his com-panion that he gave up the hole.
The doctor came over towards him since the next tee was right on theedge of the cliff.
The seventeenth was Bobby’s particular bugbear. At it you had to driveover a chasm15. The distance was not actually so great, but the attraction ofthe depths below was overpowering.
They had crossed the footpath which now ran inland to their left, skirt-ing the very edge of the cliff.
The doctor took an iron and just landed on the other side.
Bobby took a deep breath and drove. The ball scudded forward and dis-appeared over the lip of the abyss.
“Every single dashed time,” said Bobby bitterly. “I do the same dashedidiotic thing.”
He skirted the chasm, peering over. Far below the sea sparkled, but notevery ball was lost in its depths. The drop was sheer at the top, but belowit shelved gradually.
Bobby walked slowly along. There was, he knew, one place where onecould scramble16 down fairly easily. Caddies did so, hurling17 themselves overthe edge and reappearing triumphant18 and panting with the missing ball.
Suddenly Bobby stiffened19 and called to his companion.
“I say, doctor, come here. What do you make of that?”
Some forty feet below was a dark heap of something that looked like oldclothes.
The doctor caught his breath.
“By Jove,” he said. “Somebody’s fallen over the cliff. We must get downto him.”
Side by side the two men scrambled20 down the rock, the more athleticBobby helping21 the other. At last they reached the ominous22 dark bundle. Itwas a man of about forty, and he was still breathing, though unconscious.
The doctor examined him, touching23 his limbs, feeling his pulse, drawingdown the lids of his eyes. He knelt down beside him and completed his ex-amination. Then he looked up at Bobby, who was standing24 there feelingrather sick, and slowly shook his head.
“Nothing to be done,” he said. “His number’s up, poor fellow. His back’sbroken. Well, well. I suppose he wasn’t familiar with the path, and whenthe mist came up he walked over the edge. I’ve told the council more thanonce there ought to be a railing just here.”
He stood up again.
“I’ll go off and get help,” he said. “Make arrangements to have the bodygot up. It’ll be dark before we know where we are. Will you stay here?”
Bobby nodded.
“There’s nothing to be done for him, I suppose?” he asked.
The doctor shook his head.
“Nothing. It won’t be long—the pulse is weakening fast. He’ll last an-other twenty minutes at most. Just possible he may recover consciousnessbefore the end; but very likely he won’t. Still—”
“Rather,” said Bobby quickly. “I’ll stay. You get along. If he does come to,there’s no drug or anything—” he hesitated.
The doctor shook his head.
“There’ll be no pain,” he said. “No pain at all.”
Turning away, he began rapidly to climb up the cliff again. Bobbywatched him till he disappeared over the top with a wave of his hand.
Bobby moved a step or two along the narrow ledge25, sat down on a pro-jection in the rock and lit a cigarette. The business had shaken him. Up tonow he had never come in contact with illness or death.
What rotten luck there was in the world! A swirl26 of mist on a fine even-ing, a false step—and life came to an end. Fine healthy-looking fellow too—probably never known a day’s illness in his life. The pallor of approach-ing death couldn’t disguise the deep tan of the skin. A man who had livedan out-of-door life—abroad, perhaps. Bobby studied him more closely—the crisp curling chestnut27 hair just touched with grey at the temples, thebig nose, the strong jaw28, the white teeth just showing through the partedlips. Then the broad shoulders and the fine sinewy29 hands. The legs weretwisted at a curious angle. Bobby shuddered31 and brought his eyes upagain to the face. An attractive face, humorous, determined32, resourceful.
The eyes, he thought, were probably blue—
And just as he reached that point in his thoughts, the eyes suddenlyopened.
They were blue—a clear deep blue. They looked straight at Bobby. Therewas nothing uncertain or hazy33 about them. They seemed completely con-scious. They were watchful34 and at the same time they seemed to be askinga question.
Bobby got up quickly and came towards the man. Before he got there,the other spoke35. His voice was not weak—it came out clear and resonant36.
“Why didn’t they ask Evans?” he said.
And then a queer little shudder30 passed over him, the eyelids37 dropped,the jaw fell .?.?.
The man was dead.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
2 hinds 9c83b8ed7e4ac4f6e3da5b043ec94aa4     
n.(常指动物腿)后面的( hind的名词复数 );在后的;(通常与can或could连用)唠叨不停;滔滔不绝
参考例句:
  • He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. 诗18:33他使我的脚快如母鹿的蹄、使我在高处安稳。 来自互联网
  • He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. 33他使我的脚快如母鹿的蹄,又使我在高处安稳。 来自互联网
3 scudded c462f8ea5bb84e37045ac6f3ce9c5bfc     
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 )
参考例句:
  • White clouds scudded across the sky. 白云在天空疾驰而过。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Clouds scudded across the sky driven by high winds. 劲风吹着飞云掠过天空。 来自辞典例句
4 groan LfXxU     
vi./n.呻吟,抱怨;(发出)呻吟般的声音
参考例句:
  • The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
  • The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。
5 solitary 7FUyx     
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士
参考例句:
  • I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
  • The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际,显得十分壮美。
6 profane l1NzQ     
adj.亵神的,亵渎的;vt.亵渎,玷污
参考例句:
  • He doesn't dare to profane the name of God.他不敢亵渎上帝之名。
  • His profane language annoyed us.他亵渎的言语激怒了我们。
7 friendliness nsHz8c     
n.友谊,亲切,亲密
参考例句:
  • Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面,我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
  • His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。
8 middle-aged UopzSS     
adj.中年的
参考例句:
  • I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
  • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
9 erratic ainzj     
adj.古怪的,反复无常的,不稳定的
参考例句:
  • The old man had always been cranky and erratic.那老头儿性情古怪,反复无常。
  • The erratic fluctuation of market prices is in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。
10 depressed xu8zp9     
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的
参考例句:
  • When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
  • His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
11 eloquent ymLyN     
adj.雄辩的,口才流利的;明白显示出的
参考例句:
  • He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩,胜过最好的演说家。
  • These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。
12 exultation wzeyn     
n.狂喜,得意
参考例句:
  • It made him catch his breath, it lit his face with exultation. 听了这个名字,他屏住呼吸,乐得脸上放光。
  • He could get up no exultation that was really worthy the name. 他一点都激动不起来。
13 footpath 9gzzO     
n.小路,人行道
参考例句:
  • Owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath will be fined.主人若放任狗弄脏人行道将受处罚。
  • They rambled on the footpath in the woods.他俩漫步在林间蹊径上。
14 hacks 7524d17c38ed0b02a3dc699263d3ce94     
黑客
参考例句:
  • But there are hacks who take advantage of people like Teddy. 但有些无赖会占类似泰迪的人的便宜。 来自电影对白
  • I want those two hacks back here, right now. 我要那两个雇工回到这儿,现在就回。 来自互联网
15 chasm or2zL     
n.深坑,断层,裂口,大分岐,利害冲突
参考例句:
  • There's a chasm between rich and poor in that society.那社会中存在着贫富差距。
  • A huge chasm gaped before them.他们面前有个巨大的裂痕。
16 scramble JDwzg     
v.爬行,攀爬,杂乱蔓延,碎片,片段,废料
参考例句:
  • He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
  • It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。
17 hurling bd3cda2040d4df0d320fd392f72b7dc3     
n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的现在分词 );大声叫骂
参考例句:
  • The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动,把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了,真是个傻姑娘! 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 triumphant JpQys     
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的
参考例句:
  • The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
  • There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。
19 stiffened de9de455736b69d3f33bb134bba74f63     
加强的
参考例句:
  • He leaned towards her and she stiffened at this invasion of her personal space. 他向她俯过身去,这种侵犯她个人空间的举动让她绷紧了身子。
  • She stiffened with fear. 她吓呆了。
20 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
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
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
22 ominous Xv6y5     
adj.不祥的,不吉的,预兆的,预示的
参考例句:
  • Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
  • There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。
23 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
24 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
25 ledge o1Mxk     
n.壁架,架状突出物;岩架,岩礁
参考例句:
  • They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
  • Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上,摔倒了。
26 swirl cgcyu     
v.(使)打漩,(使)涡卷;n.漩涡,螺旋形
参考例句:
  • The car raced roughly along in a swirl of pink dust.汽车在一股粉红色尘土的漩涡中颠簸着快速前进。
  • You could lie up there,watching the flakes swirl past.你可以躺在那儿,看着雪花飘飘。
27 chestnut XnJy8     
n.栗树,栗子
参考例句:
  • We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
  • In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。
28 jaw 5xgy9     
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训
参考例句:
  • He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
  • A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
29 sinewy oyIwZ     
adj.多腱的,强壮有力的
参考例句:
  • When muscles are exercised often and properly,they keep the arms firm and sinewy.如果能经常正确地锻炼肌肉的话,双臂就会一直结实而强健。
  • His hard hands and sinewy sunburned limbs told of labor and endurance.他粗糙的双手,被太阳哂得发黑的健壮四肢,均表明他十分辛勤,非常耐劳。
30 shudder JEqy8     
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动
参考例句:
  • The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
  • We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。
31 shuddered 70137c95ff493fbfede89987ee46ab86     
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动
参考例句:
  • He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车,车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
32 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
33 hazy h53ya     
adj.有薄雾的,朦胧的;不肯定的,模糊的
参考例句:
  • We couldn't see far because it was so hazy.雾气蒙蒙妨碍了我们的视线。
  • I have a hazy memory of those early years.对那些早先的岁月我有着朦胧的记忆。
34 watchful tH9yX     
adj.注意的,警惕的
参考例句:
  • The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
  • It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。
35 spoke XryyC     
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
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
36 resonant TBCzC     
adj.(声音)洪亮的,共鸣的
参考例句:
  • She has a resonant voice.她的嗓子真亮。
  • He responded with a resonant laugh.他报以洪亮的笑声。
37 eyelids 86ece0ca18a95664f58bda5de252f4e7     
n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 );眼睛也不眨一下;不露声色;面不改色
参考例句:
  • She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了,眼睑开始往下垂。
  • Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》


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