04-02-05-金银岛 [3]
－tap－tapping away along the road.
The captain opened his hand and looked into it.‘Ten o’clock!’he cried ,and jumped up. He put his hand round his neck, made a strange sound, and fell face down on to the floor.
I ran to him, calling to my mother .But the captain was dead.
■ 3 黑券
那天晚些时候，我送了一杯清凉饮料到老船长屋里去。
“吉姆，”他说，“这里我只看得起你一个人。你给我拿一杯朗姆酒来好不好？”
“大夫说——”我开始说。
他立即咒骂起大夫来。“听着，吉姆，我只要一杯朗姆酒，我可以付钱。”
“我想要的，”我说，“只是你欠我父亲的钱。我可以给你一杯朗姆酒，不能再多了。”
他非常感激我，然后把酒一饮而尽。“大夫说我要在床上躺多久？”他问。
“一个星期，”我告诉他。
“一个星期！”他嚷道，“那可不行，他们会送黑券来的，他们会来找我的。”
“谁，黑狗吗？”我问。
“对，还有比他更坏的呢。他们想要我的水手箱，我会给他们看的。吉姆，如果我搞到那张黑券，你就去找那个大夫，叫他召集一群警官来，包括治安推事，叫他们都到客店来。这样就可以把弗林特一帮全抓起来——所有余下的人。我以前是弗林特船上的大副，只有我一个人知道那个地方。他临死前告诉我所有的事。他们给我送黑券之前，你先别去报官，除非你看见一条腿的水手——那个独脚水手是最坏的。”
“黑券是什么东西，老船长？”我问。
“那是一条讯息，孩子。他们送来后我会告诉你的。你要留心守望，吉姆，我以后什么都会和你平分的。”他又说了几句话就沉沉地睡去，于是我就走开了。
那天晚上我父亲死了。我只好把别的事情放在一边，也没有时间想到老船长了。
第二天早上，老船长下楼来。他没吃多少东西，但比平时喝了更多的朗姆酒。他自斟自饮，我们也无暇阻止他。很多邻居和朋友过来探望，我父亲的葬礼也需要安排。
我父亲葬礼的第二天，天很冷，雾很浓。大约下午三点钟时，我正站在客店门口，刚好看见一个瞎子沿着大路走来，他用一根棍子在前面探路。
“哪位好心的人能告诉我这儿是什么地方？”他问。
“我的朋友，你在布莱克希尔湾的本葆将军客店，”我说。
“我听见一个少年的声音，”他说。“好心的孩子，你能不能把手伸给我，带我到店里去？”
我伸出一只手，立刻被那个说话温和的瞎子紧紧钳住，他把我粗暴地拉到他身边。
“现在，孩子，”他说，“领我到老船长那儿，否则我就弄断你的胳膊。”我还从来没听见过这么冷酷、狠毒的声音。
我怕得要死，只好立刻从命，带他到生病的老船长住的房间去。老船长看见了瞎子，脸上充满了恐惧。
“比尔，呆在那儿别动，”瞎子说。“我看不见，但我知道你的手在动，伸出你的右手。”
我看见瞎子把一样东西放在老船长手里。“现在事情了结了，”瞎子说，然后迅速走出客店。大路上留下了木棍探路的嗒嗒声。
老船长收回手，仔细看自己手心。“10点钟！”他喊道，然后跳起来。他一只手卡住自己的脖子，怪叫一声，扑倒在地。
我一边跑过去，一边喊我的母亲。但老船长已经死了。
■ 4 The sea-chest
On the floor close to the captain's hand was a little round piece of paper, blackened on one side. I had no doubt that this was the black spot .On the other side was some writ－ ing: You have till ten o’clock tonight. Our old clock reminded me it was now six.
Quickly, I told my mother everything, and we decided to run to the village to hide, before the blind man and his friends re-turned.
‘But first,’my mother said bravely, ‘we have to get the key to the sea-chest. Why shouldn't we take the money the captain owes us
His friends certainly won’ t give it to us!’
The key was around his neck on a piece of string. I cut the string, and we hurried up to his room where the chest had stood since the day he came. There was a letter ‘B’ painted on the top of it. Inside were two very fine pistols, some silver, pipe-tobacco ,and an old clock. Underneath these things were some papers tied up inside a cloth, and a bag of gold coins.
‘I'll show these scoundrels I'm an honest woman,’said my mother.‘I'll take what I'm owed and no more.’She began counting the money .There were all kinds of gold coins in the bag-big French gold coins, Spanish doubloons and pieces of eight. It was slow work to find the English gold guineas that we needed.
We were half-way through when I heard a sound that filled my heart with fear ;the tap-tapping of the blind man's stick on the frozen road. Then it knocked against the inn door and we did not breathe .But then the tapping started again and slowly died away.
‘Mother,’I said,‘take it all, and let's go before the blind man comes back with his friends.’
But my mother went on counting until we heard a low shout coming from the hill outside.‘I'll take what I have,’ she said, jumping to her feet.
‘And I'll take this for what I'm owed, ’I said, and picked up the cloth of papers.
We ran from the inn and along the road to the village. It was dark but there was a full moon .We heard running feet coming towards us.
‘Take the money and run on,’ my mother said breathlessly. But I refused to leave her. Quickly, I pulled her off the road and down under a small bridge .There we hid ,trembling.
Not a moment too soon .Seven or eight men were running past us. Three men ran in front, and I saw that the one in the middle was the blind man. Silently, I climbed back up to the road and lay in the long grass to watch what happened.
‘Down with the door!’the blind man shouted.
Four or five of them broke down the door of the Admiral Benbow and ran inside. There was a shout:‘ Bill's dead!’
The blind man swore at them.‘Look upstairs and find the chest!
The captain opened his hand and looked into it.‘Ten o’clock!’he cried ,and jumped up. He put his hand round his neck, made a strange sound, and fell face down on to the floor.
I ran to him, calling to my mother .But the captain was dead.
■ 3 黑券
那天晚些时候，我送了一杯清凉饮料到老船长屋里去。
“吉姆，”他说，“这里我只看得起你一个人。你给我拿一杯朗姆酒来好不好？”
“大夫说——”我开始说。
他立即咒骂起大夫来。“听着，吉姆，我只要一杯朗姆酒，我可以付钱。”
“我想要的，”我说，“只是你欠我父亲的钱。我可以给你一杯朗姆酒，不能再多了。”
他非常感激我，然后把酒一饮而尽。“大夫说我要在床上躺多久？”他问。
“一个星期，”我告诉他。
“一个星期！”他嚷道，“那可不行，他们会送黑券来的，他们会来找我的。”
“谁，黑狗吗？”我问。
“对，还有比他更坏的呢。他们想要我的水手箱，我会给他们看的。吉姆，如果我搞到那张黑券，你就去找那个大夫，叫他召集一群警官来，包括治安推事，叫他们都到客店来。这样就可以把弗林特一帮全抓起来——所有余下的人。我以前是弗林特船上的大副，只有我一个人知道那个地方。他临死前告诉我所有的事。他们给我送黑券之前，你先别去报官，除非你看见一条腿的水手——那个独脚水手是最坏的。”
“黑券是什么东西，老船长？”我问。
“那是一条讯息，孩子。他们送来后我会告诉你的。你要留心守望，吉姆，我以后什么都会和你平分的。”他又说了几句话就沉沉地睡去，于是我就走开了。
那天晚上我父亲死了。我只好把别的事情放在一边，也没有时间想到老船长了。
第二天早上，老船长下楼来。他没吃多少东西，但比平时喝了更多的朗姆酒。他自斟自饮，我们也无暇阻止他。很多邻居和朋友过来探望，我父亲的葬礼也需要安排。
我父亲葬礼的第二天，天很冷，雾很浓。大约下午三点钟时，我正站在客店门口，刚好看见一个瞎子沿着大路走来，他用一根棍子在前面探路。
“哪位好心的人能告诉我这儿是什么地方？”他问。
“我的朋友，你在布莱克希尔湾的本葆将军客店，”我说。
“我听见一个少年的声音，”他说。“好心的孩子，你能不能把手伸给我，带我到店里去？”
我伸出一只手，立刻被那个说话温和的瞎子紧紧钳住，他把我粗暴地拉到他身边。
“现在，孩子，”他说，“领我到老船长那儿，否则我就弄断你的胳膊。”我还从来没听见过这么冷酷、狠毒的声音。
我怕得要死，只好立刻从命，带他到生病的老船长住的房间去。老船长看见了瞎子，脸上充满了恐惧。
“比尔，呆在那儿别动，”瞎子说。“我看不见，但我知道你的手在动，伸出你的右手。”
我看见瞎子把一样东西放在老船长手里。“现在事情了结了，”瞎子说，然后迅速走出客店。大路上留下了木棍探路的嗒嗒声。
老船长收回手，仔细看自己手心。“10点钟！”他喊道，然后跳起来。他一只手卡住自己的脖子，怪叫一声，扑倒在地。
我一边跑过去，一边喊我的母亲。但老船长已经死了。
■ 4 The sea-chest
On the floor close to the captain's hand was a little round piece of paper, blackened on one side. I had no doubt that this was the black spot .On the other side was some writ－ ing: You have till ten o’clock tonight. Our old clock reminded me it was now six.
Quickly, I told my mother everything, and we decided to run to the village to hide, before the blind man and his friends re-turned.
‘But first,’my mother said bravely, ‘we have to get the key to the sea-chest. Why shouldn't we take the money the captain owes us
His friends certainly won’ t give it to us!’
The key was around his neck on a piece of string. I cut the string, and we hurried up to his room where the chest had stood since the day he came. There was a letter ‘B’ painted on the top of it. Inside were two very fine pistols, some silver, pipe-tobacco ,and an old clock. Underneath these things were some papers tied up inside a cloth, and a bag of gold coins.
‘I'll show these scoundrels I'm an honest woman,’said my mother.‘I'll take what I'm owed and no more.’She began counting the money .There were all kinds of gold coins in the bag-big French gold coins, Spanish doubloons and pieces of eight. It was slow work to find the English gold guineas that we needed.
We were half-way through when I heard a sound that filled my heart with fear ;the tap-tapping of the blind man's stick on the frozen road. Then it knocked against the inn door and we did not breathe .But then the tapping started again and slowly died away.
‘Mother,’I said,‘take it all, and let's go before the blind man comes back with his friends.’
But my mother went on counting until we heard a low shout coming from the hill outside.‘I'll take what I have,’ she said, jumping to her feet.
‘And I'll take this for what I'm owed, ’I said, and picked up the cloth of papers.
We ran from the inn and along the road to the village. It was dark but there was a full moon .We heard running feet coming towards us.
‘Take the money and run on,’ my mother said breathlessly. But I refused to leave her. Quickly, I pulled her off the road and down under a small bridge .There we hid ,trembling.
Not a moment too soon .Seven or eight men were running past us. Three men ran in front, and I saw that the one in the middle was the blind man. Silently, I climbed back up to the road and lay in the long grass to watch what happened.
‘Down with the door!’the blind man shouted.
Four or five of them broke down the door of the Admiral Benbow and ran inside. There was a shout:‘ Bill's dead!’
The blind man swore at them.‘Look upstairs and find the chest!