登陆注册
19484600000018

第18章

FIRST BLOOD FOR CLEGGETT

As his feet struck the top of the rubbish heap in the hold of the vessel, Cleggett stumbled and staggered forward.But he did not let go of his revolver.

Perhaps he would not have fallen, but the Pomeranian, which had leaped into the hold after him, yelping like a terrier at a rat hunt, ran between his legs and tripped him.

"Damn the dog!" cried Cleggett, going down.

But the fall probably saved his life, for as he spoke two pistol shots rang out simultaneously from the forward part of the hold.The bullets passed over his head.Raising himself on his elbow, Cleggett fired rapidly three times, aiming at the place where a spurt of flame had come from.

A cry answered him, and he knew that at least one of his bullets had taken effect.He rose to his feet and plunged forward, firing again, and at the same instant another bullet grazed his temple.

The next few seconds were a wild confusion of yelping dog, shouts, curses, shots that roared like the explosion of big guns in that pent-up and restricted place, stinking powder, and streaks of fire that laced themselves across the darkness.But only a single pistol replied to Cleggett's now and he was confident that one of the men was out of the fight.

But the other man, blindly or with intention, was stumbling nearer as he fired.A bullet creased Cleggett's shoulder; it was fired so close to him that he felt the heat of the exploding powder; and in the sudden glow of light he got a swift and vivid glimpse of a white face framed in long black hair, and of flashing white teeth beneath a lifted lip that twitched.Theface was almost within touching distance; as it vanished Cleggett heard the sharp, whistling intake of the fellow's breath--and then a click that told him the other's last cartridge was gone.Cleggett clubbed his pistol and leaped forward, striking at the place where the gleaming teeth had been.His blow missed; he spun around with the force of it.As he steadied himself to shoot again he heard a rush behind him and knew that his men had come to his assistance.

"Collar him!" he cried."Don't shoot, or--"But he did not finish that sentence.A thousand lights danced before his eyes, Niagara roared in his ears for an instant, and he knew no more.His adversary had laid him out with the butt of a pistol.

Cleggett was not that inconsiderable sort of a man who is killed in any trivial skirmish: There was a moment at the bridge of Arcole when Napoleon, wounded and flung into a ditch, appeared to be lost.But when Nature, often so stupid, really does take stock and become aware that she has created an eagle she does not permit that eagle to be killed before its wings are fledged.Napoleon was picked out of the ditch.Cleggett was only stunned.

Both were saved for larger triumphs.The association of names is not accidental.These two men were, in some respects, not dissimilar, although Bonaparte lacked Cleggett's breeding.

When Cleggett regained consciousness he was on deck; George, Kuroki and Cap'n Abernethy stood about him in a little semicircle of anxiety; Lady Agatha was applying a cold compress to the bump upon his head.(He made nothing of his other scratches.) As for Elmer, who had not stirred from his seat on the oblong box, he moodily regarded, not Cleggett, but a slight young fellow with long black hair, who lay motionless upon the deck.

Cleggett struggled to his feet."Is he dead?" he asked, pointing to the figure of his recent assailant.Cap'n Abernethy, for the first time since Cleggett had known him, gave a direct answer to a question.

"Mighty nigh it," he said, staring down at the young man.Then headded:"Kind o' innocent lookin' young fellow, at that." "But the other one?Was he killed?" asked Cleggett.

"The other?" George inquired."But there was no other.When we got down there you and this boy--" And George described the struggle that had taken place after Cleggett had lost consciousness.The whole affair, as far as it concerned Cleggett, had been a matter of seconds rather than minutes; it was begun and over like a hundred yard dash on the cinder track.When George and Kuroki and Cap'n Abernethy had tumbled into the hold they had been afraid to shoot for fear of hitting Cleggett; they had reached him, guided by his voice, just as he went down under his assailant's pistol.They had not subdued the youth until he had suffered severely from George's dagger.Later they learned that one of Cleggett's bullets had also found him.Cleggett listened to the end, and then he said:

"But there WERE two men in the hold.And one of them, dead or wounded, must still be down there.Carry this fellow into the forecastle--we'll look at him later.Then bring some lanterns.We are going down into that hold again."With their pistols in their right hands and lanterns in their left they descended, Cleggett first.It was not impossible that the other intruder might be lying, wounded, but revived enough by now to work a pistol, behind one of the rubbish heaps.

But no shots greeted them.The hold of the Jasper B.was not divided into compartments of any sort.If it had ever had them, they had been torn away.Below deck, except for the rubbish heap and the steps for the masts, she was empty as a soup tureen.The pile of debris was the highest toward the waist of the vessel.There it formed a treacherous hill of junk; this hill sloped downward towards the bow and towards the stern; in both the fore and after parts, under the forecastle and the cabin, there were comparatively clear spaces.

The four men forced their way back towards the stern and then came slowly forward in a line that extended across the vessel, exploring withtheir lanterns every inch of the precarious footing, and overturning and looking behind, under, and into every box, cask, or jumble of planking that might possibly offer a place of concealment.They found no one.And, until they reached a clearer place, well forward, on the starboard side of the ship, they found no trace of anyone.

同类推荐
  • 摩诃止观义例科

    摩诃止观义例科

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 兰谱

    兰谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • El Verdugo

    El Verdugo

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 士昏礼

    士昏礼

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 薑斋文集

    薑斋文集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 吞噬苍穹

    吞噬苍穹

    他是一个无父无母的孤儿,少年时便受尽磨难,为改变命运他坚毅的踏上修炼之路,终力压八荒,四夷臣服,成就一代人皇!吞噬无尽的欲望,踏破苍穹,唯我独尊。等级制度:斗者炼皮、斗士炼肉、斗师炼骨、斗灵炼脉、斗狂炼髓、斗王炼五脏、斗宗炼血、斗皇炼窍、斗帝万窍归一凝练斗丹、斗仙……
  • 至尊神皇

    至尊神皇

    修真界天火级炼器宗师叶辰在晋级神火级炼器宗师时,炼制神器遭遇天劫,肉身化为劫灰,神魂重生在玄天世界同名同姓的少年身上,从此废材变天才,从一府之地到一殿之地,再到一域之地,一路高歌猛进……我叶辰,不问前尘,不求来世,只要今生快意恩仇,傲笑天下!
  • 嘎小子逛军营

    嘎小子逛军营

    你曾经在军营里生活过吗,你听过关于军营的故事吗?军营里的生活到底是怎样的呢?跟所听到的一样吗?带着这样的疑问,让我们跟着国内第一部为超酷男生打造的儿童军事小说——《嘎小子逛军营》一步一步走向军营……
  • 弃妇逆袭记

    弃妇逆袭记

    他是个被誓言捆绑的可怜人!一切再不如愿也要支撑下去,辅佐新君她是个被沦为**俘虏的可笑人!直到他的一番话才让自己觉悟,原来娶她并非是看上她什么。此刻她站在凛冽的风雪中,望着一片红梅林……她只求能得一心人,一愿持子之手,与子偕老。既然不愿意爱她,为何还派人来寻她?
  • 校园惊魂

    校园惊魂

    去年六月我参加了高考,成绩很烂。无奈之下我报考了一所一本学校的旧校区,打算碰碰运气。没想到真被录取了!我从没想过我的人生会有什么不同,只是当我踏入大学的第一步,就注定是个错误。刚进入大学,我就遇到同学自杀。如果仅仅是一时想不开还好,但所有的怪事接踵而来:神秘的柳叶眉同学、记录大学恐怖事件的笔记本……这些怪事让我的大学生活从此惊魂不断……
  • 郡斋闲坐

    郡斋闲坐

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 冥王的俏医妃

    冥王的俏医妃

    一朝穿越,得神医所真传,又奉旨嫁给冥王。一处废墟,使得三人又来到了一个新的地方,神冥大陆。神冥大陆……?她竟然是个废材?她身体里竟然有个……?她遇到了谁?最终又和谁踏上巅峰之路?
  • 吃的真相

    吃的真相

    矿泉水致癌是传说还是事实?豆浆和鸡蛋同吃导致可怕的后果吗?大家热捧的犬豆蛋白有没有传说中的保健功效? 全天然的食品添加剂能否让我们不再担心安全问题?阿胶是营养丰富的美容圣品,还是品质很差的蛋白质?对有问题的食品和企业毫不留情穷追猛打;对广泛流传的错误观念、饮食偏见以及别有用心的虚假宣传进行纠正,作者并不像很多“权威”那样提出“能吃”或“不能吃”,而是告诉大众怎样在了解食品的益害之处和未知风险的基础上理性比较和选择,怎样分辨假象与真相,怎样破除自己的偏见和误解。
  • 封神后傳

    封神后傳

    封神百年后封王转世,是否能够从新夺回江山?通天教主招感众仙下凡从立截教,是否能够成功?封神台被谁摧毁?新一轮封神又由谁来指掌?这是一个架空在平行世界的故事,也是遗漏在历史洪流中的一段轶闻,如今,由我们揭开这个未曾记录的历史……
  • 穷小子的妖孽发迹史

    穷小子的妖孽发迹史

    出生小渔村的何木大学毕业就迎来了失业,穷得蛋疼的他不得不窝到海滩救生队等机会。风水轮流转,在一次例行救生任务中,何木意外的发现了一艘明代沉船。于是,阳光、海岸、沙滩,美女如云、美腿成林、有容奶大……所有的这些就跟何木扯上了关系,穷小子终于走上了发迹之路。网罗香车美女、玩转黑白两道?发迹之路当然不会如此简单,前有千难万险,穷小子自有妖孽手段——谁想让老子回到从前,老子就让谁没有未来!反正都是烂命一条,小人物怕个鸟!新开本书读者群——《穷开心》都市群,群号373509,欢迎各路朋友进群畅谈~~