My curiosity, in a sense, was stronger than my fear; for I could not remain where I was, but crept back to the bank again, whence, sheltering my head behind a bush of broom, I might command the road before our door. I was scarcely in position ere my enemies began to arrive, seven or eight of them, running hard, their feet beating out of time along the road, and the man with the lantern some paces in front. Three men ran together, hand in hand; and I made out, even through the mist, that the middle man of this trio was the blind beggar. The next moment his voice showed me that I was right.
`Down with the door!' he cried.

`Ay, ay, sir!' answered two or three; and a rush was made upon the `Admiral Benbow,' the lantern-bearer following; and then I could see them pause, and hear speeches passed in a lower key, as if they were surprised to find the door open. But the pause was brief, for the blind man again issued his commands. His voice sounded louder and higher, as if he were afire with eagerness and rage.

`In, in, in!' he shouted, and cursed them for their delay. Four or five of them obeyed at once, two remaining on the road with the formidable beggar. There was a pause, then a cry of surprise, and then a voice shouting from the house:--

`Bill's dead!'

But the blind man swore at them again for their delay.

`Search him, some of you shirking lubbers, and the rest of you aloft and get the chest,' he cried.

I could hear their feet rattling¹ up our old stairs, so that the house must have shook with it. Promptly² afterwards, fresh sounds of astonishment³ arose; the window of the captain's room was thrown open with a slam and a jingle⁴ of broken glass; and a man leaned out into the moonlight, head and shoulders, and addressed the blind beggar on the road below him.

`Pew,' he cried, `they've been before us. Someone's turned the chest out alow and aloft.'

`Is it there?' roared Pew.

`The money's there.'

The blind man cursed the money.

`Flint's fist, I mean,' he cried.

`We don't see it here nohow,' returned the man.

`Here, you below there, is it on Bill?' cried the blind man again.

At that, another fellow, probably him who had remained below to search the captain's body, came to the door of the inn. `Bill's been overhauled

点击收听单词发音  

1 rattling
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
参考例句：
This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。 At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

2 promptly
adv.及时地，敏捷地
参考例句：
He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。 She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

3 astonishment
n.惊奇，惊异
参考例句：
They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。 I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

4 jingle
n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵
参考例句：
The key fell on the ground with a jingle.钥匙叮当落地。 The knives and forks set up their regular jingle.刀叉发出常有的叮当声。

5 overhauled
v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越
参考例句：
Within a year the party had drastically overhauled its structure. 一年内这个政党已大刀阔斧地整顿了结构。 来自《简明英汉词典》 A mechanic overhauled the car's motor with some new parts. 一个修理工对那辆汽车的发动机进行了彻底的检修，换了一些新部件。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 scatter
vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散
参考例句：
You pile everything up and scatter things around.你把东西乱堆乱放。 Small villages scatter at the foot of the mountain.村庄零零落落地散布在山脚下。

7 rout
n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮
参考例句：
The enemy was put to rout all along the line.敌人已全线崩溃。 The people's army put all to rout wherever they went.人民军队所向披靡。

8 reiterated
反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
"Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹 Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

9 trumpet
n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘
参考例句：
He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。 The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

10 budge
v.移动一点儿；改变立场
参考例句：
We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。 She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

11 skulk
v.藏匿；潜行
参考例句：
It's a hard thing to skulk and starve in the heather.躲在树林里的挨饿不是一件好受的事。 Harry skulked off.哈里偷偷地溜走了。

12 lumber
n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动
参考例句：
The truck was sent to carry lumber.卡车被派出去运木材。 They slapped together a cabin out of old lumber.他们利用旧木料草草地盖起了一间小屋。

13 irresolute
adj.无决断的，优柔寡断的，踌躇不定的
参考例句：
Irresolute persons make poor victors.优柔寡断的人不会成为胜利者。 His opponents were too irresolute to call his bluff.他的对手太优柔寡断,不敢接受挑战。

14 skulking
v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 )
参考例句：
There was someone skulking behind the bushes. 有人藏在灌木后面。 There were half a dozen foxes skulking in the undergrowth. 在林下灌丛中潜伏着五六只狐狸。 来自辞典例句

15 grumbled
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声
参考例句：
He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。 The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

16 miscreant
n.恶棍
参考例句：
Local people demanded that the District Magistrate apprehend the miscreants.当地人要求地方法官逮捕那些歹徒。 The days of a judge telling a miscreant to join the army or go to jail are over.由法官判一名无赖不去当兵就得坐牢的日子过去了。

17 horrid
adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的
参考例句：
I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。 The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

18 wrest
n.扭，拧，猛夺；v.夺取，猛扭，歪曲
参考例句：
The officer managed to wrest the gun from his grasp.警官最终把枪从他手中夺走了。 You wrest my words out of their real meaning.你曲解了我话里的真正含义。

19 gallop
v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展
参考例句：
They are coming at a gallop towards us.他们正朝着我们飞跑过来。 The horse slowed to a walk after its long gallop.那匹马跑了一大阵后慢下来缓步而行。

20 galloping
adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式
参考例句：
The horse started galloping the moment I gave it a good dig. 我猛戳了马一下，它就奔驰起来了。 Japan is galloping ahead in the race to develop new technology. 日本在发展新技术的竞争中进展迅速，日新月异。

21 cove
n.小海湾，小峡谷
参考例句：
The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁，嫩绿一片，好一个山外的小海湾。 I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。

22 slant
v.倾斜，倾向性地编写或报道；n.斜面，倾向
参考例句：
The lines are drawn on a slant.这些线条被画成斜线。 The editorial had an antiunion slant.这篇社论有一种反工会的倾向。

23 deserted
adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的
参考例句：
The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。 The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

24 frenzy
n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动
参考例句：
He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。 They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

25 utterly
adv.完全地，绝对地
参考例句：
Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。 I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

26 hoofs
n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
The stamp of the horse's hoofs on the wooden floor was loud. 马蹄踏在木头地板上的声音很响。 来自辞典例句 The noise of hoofs called him back to the other window. 马蹄声把他又唤回那扇窗子口。 来自辞典例句

27 trampled
踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯
参考例句：
He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊，怕他让暴民踩着。 People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。

28 spurned
v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Eve spurned Mark's invitation. 伊夫一口回绝了马克的邀请。 With Mrs. Reed, I remember my best was always spurned with scorn. 对里德太太呢，我记得我的最大努力总是遭到唾弃。 来自辞典例句

29 collapsed
adj.倒塌的
参考例句：
Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。 The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

30 horrified
a.(表现出)恐惧的
参考例句：
The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。 We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

31 supervisor
n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师
参考例句：
Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。 He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

32 forth
adv.向前；向外，往外
参考例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。 He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

33 preservation
n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持
参考例句：
The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。 The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

34 deplore
vt.哀叹，对...深感遗憾
参考例句：
I deplore what has happened.我为所发生的事深感愤慨。 There are many of us who deplore this lack of responsibility.我们中有许多人谴责这种不负责任的做法。

35 ambushes
n.埋伏( ambush的名词复数 )；伏击；埋伏着的人；设埋伏点v.埋伏( ambush的第三人称单数 )；埋伏着
参考例句：
He was a specialist in ambushes, he said, and explained his tactics. 他说自己是埋伏战斗方面的专家，并讲述了他的战术。 来自互联网 It makes ambushes rather fun. 它使得埋伏战术非常有趣。 来自互联网

36 despatch
n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道
参考例句：
The despatch of the task force is purely a contingency measure.派出特遣部队纯粹是应急之举。 He rushed the despatch through to headquarters.他把急件赶送到总部。

37 magistrate
n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官
参考例句：
The magistrate committed him to prison for a month.法官判处他一个月监禁。 John was fined 1000 dollars by the magistrate.约翰被地方法官罚款1000美元。

38 squire
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅
参考例句：
I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。 The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

39 heartily
adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很
参考例句：
He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。 The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

40 trot
n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧
参考例句：
They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。 The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。