Kidnapped 诱拐 Chapter 4(2)
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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Chapter 4 Escape through the heather
 
We had no time for conversation. "Come!" Alan said,and started running along the side of the hill, keeping low to the ground. I followed him like a sheep. We ran and ran, faster than I had ever run before, and my heart was beat ing wildly. Sometimes, to my surprise, Alan straightened his back and showed himself to the soldiers who were chasing2 us.
 
After fifteen minutes, Alan stopped, lay flat in the heather,and turned to me. "Now," he said, "this is serious. Do what I do,if ye don't want to die". And just as fast,but much more carefully and secretly, we went back almost the same way that we had come. At last we arrived back in the wood where I had found Alan.
 
We fell down in the heather, and lay without moving for a long time. My legs hurt,my head was aching,and I thought I was dead.
 
Alan was the first to speak. "Well," he said,"that was hot work, David."
 
I said nothing. I had seen murder done. I knew that Colin Campbell had been Alan's greatest enemy, and I had found Alan hiding in the wood. Although I didn't think that he had actually shot3 Campbell,I felt sure that he had planned the killing4. I coult not look at him.
 
"Are ye still tired?" he asked.
 
"No," I replied, my face turned away from him,"no, I'm not tired now. Alan,I can't stay with you,I must leave you. I liked you very much, but we're two different people,that's all."
 
"Ye must explain what ye mean by that, David," said Alan, looking very serious.
 
"Alan, why do you ask? You know very well that Colin Campbell is lying dead in the road in his own blood."
 
Alan was silent5 for a moment,"Well, Mr Balfour of Shaws," he said at last, "I promise ye that I did not plan the murder, or know anything about it."
 
"Thank God for that!" I cried, and offered him my hand.
 
He did not appear to see it. I don't know why ye're so worried about a dead Campbell," he said.
 
"I know that you hate their clan6, Alan, but taking a life in cold blood is a terrible thing to do. Do you know who did it?"
 
"I wouldn't recognize him again," said Alan, shaking his head sadly,"I'm good at forgetting, David."
 
I had to laugh at that. Then I remembered something. "But when we were running away, you showed yourself to the sol diers, to give the murderer7 a chance to escape!"
 
"Any Highlander8 would do that. The best place for the lad who shot Colin Campbell is the heather,and we must all do what we can to help him keep away from the soldiers."
 
I shook my head at this. These Highlanders were strange,wild people, to be sure. But Alan was ready to die for what he thought was right, and I liked him for that. I offered him my hand again, and this time he took it.
 
"Now, David," he said,"we must escape too. The Campbells will accuse9 us both of the murder."
 
"But we didn't do it!" I cried. "We can prove that in court!"
 
"Man, I'm surprised at ye," said Alan. "Do ye not know that if a Campbell is killed, the accused10 has to go to court in Inveraray, in the heart of Campbell country? When the Campbell lawyers have finished with ye,ye'll be dead!"
 
This frightened me a little. " All right, Alan," I said," I'll go with you."
 
"But remember," said Alan, "it'll be a hard life. Ye'll have to sleep in the open air, and ye'll often have an empty stomach. Ye can choose-either live in the heather with me, or die at the hands of the Campbells."
 
"That's easy to decide," I said, and we shook hands on it.
 
When we looked between the trees, we could just see the redcoats of the soldiers, still moving away from us across the hills. Alan smiled, and told me that we would go first to the house of his clansman, James Stewart, and then to the Low lands. The Campbells and the English soldiers would not think of looking for us there, and Alan could find a place on a ship sailing11 to France.
 
We walked for several hours, and arrived that night at a large house in a valley.
 
There were lights in all the windows,and people were running in and out of the open doors. Alan whistled12 three times, and we were met at the door by a tall,good-looking man of about fifty, who welcomed us in Gaelic.#p#分页标题#e#
 
"James Stewart, " said Alan,"I'll ask ye to speak in English, because my friend here comes from the Lowlands,and cannot speak Gaelic."
 
James spoke13 politely to me for a few moments, but soon he turned back to Alan, with a very worried look on his face "This is a terrible accident," he said. "It will bring trouble to all of us!"
 
"Well,man," said Alan, "ye should be grateful14 that Colin Campbell is dead!"
 
"Aye," replied James,"but he was killed in Appin, remem ber that, Alan, so it's the Appin Stewarts who'll be accused. And I'm a man with a family!"
 
I looked around me. Men with white, frightened faces were hurrying here and there, without any clear idea of what they ought to do first.
 
Some were hiding guns and swords16, while others were burning papers17. When James saw me looking sur prised, he explained, "The soldiers'll search my house first, ye see, and I don't want them to find anything."
 
We went inside, and met James's wife and children, who were crying in a corner. I felt very sorry for them, but we did not have much time to talk. Alan explained what we needed for our escape, and soon James's men brought us two swords,two pistols18, some food, a cooking pot and a bottle of whisky19. We needed money too, because Alan had given his gold to an other man to take to France. But James had only a little to give us.
 
"Ye must find a safe place somewhere near," he said, "and send me a message. I'll find some more money for ye, and send it to ye.
 
But, Alan," and here he stopped for a moment,biting his finger worriedly, "I'll have to accuse ye of killing that Campbell. I'll have to!If I don't, they'll accuse me! I have to think of myself and my family!Do ye see that?"
 
"Aye," said Alan slowly. "I see that."
 
"And I'll have to accuse your friend from the Lowlands too. Ye see that, Alan -- say that ye see that!"
 
Alan's face went red. "It's hard on me, James! I brought him here, and now my friends accuse him of murder!"
 
"But just think, Alan, man!" cried James. "The Campbells will be sure to accuse him. And I have children!"
 
"Well,sir," said Alan, turning to me,"what do ye say? If ye do not agree,I won't let James do it. "
"I cannot understand why we don't accuse the man who did kill Campbell," I replied sharply20,"but accuse me, Mr Stewart,if you like,accuse Alan,accuse King George!I am Alan's friend, and if I can help his friends in any way, I don't mind the danger."
 
So that night we started our long journey to the Lowlands. Sometimes we walked, and sometimes we ran. But although we travelled as fast as we could, daylight began to appear before we had found a good hiding-place. We were in the rocky21 valley of Glencoe, with high mountains on both sides,and a river running fast through the middle. Alan was clearly worried. "The soldiers will find us easily here," he said. He looked around, and saw a great rock,about seven metres high. With difficulty22 we both climbed to the top of it. Then I saw why he had chosen it. The top of the rock was shaped like a plate, and there was room for two or three men to lie there,hidden from people in the valley.
 
At last Alan smiled. "Aye," he said. "Now we have a chance. Ye can sleep for a while. I'll watch for soldiers."
 
But when I woke up, several hours later, the valley was full of redcoats, and Alan was looking worried again, "If they go up the sides of the mountains,they'll see us,"he said. "We'll just have to stay here and hope they don't, When it's dark,we'll try to get past them."
 
That was a terrible day. We lay on the rock, baking in the sun, with no water,only whisky, to drink. We could hear the English voices of the soldiers all around us, but luckily they did not look up at our rock. In the afternoon, when the soldiers seemed sleepy after their lunch, we decided23 to try to escape, and we climbed very quietly down from the rock. The soldiers did not notice us as we moved carefully from rock to rock, and soon we were safely in the next valley. That evening we washed ourselves in the river, and ate cold porridge, which is a good meal for a hungry man.
 
We continued walking eastwards24 all night, over the great dark mountains. Alan was very pleased that we had left the soldiers behind, and whistled happily as he walked.
 
Before daylight we reached a cave that Alan had used before, and here we stayed hidden for five days. Alan went down one night to the nearest village, to the housc of one of his clansmen. He sent this man to James Stewart, to tell him where we were hiding, and after three days the clansman re turned, with a purse of money for us and a message from Mrs Stewart. We discovered that James was already in prison, ac cused of murder, although people were saying that Alan Breck had actually fired the shot. And there was a price of one hun dred pounds on my head, as well as on Alan's.#p#分页标题#e#
 
I began to think that I would be safer alone. Alan was very recognizable in his fine French clothes. It was going to be dan gerous to stay with Alan, and expensive, too. Mrs Stewart had only managed to send five pounds, and Alan had to travel as far as France. But I still had two pounds, and only needed to reach Queensferry, so I would have to give some of my money to Alan. Staying with Alan meant both danger and ex pense.
 
But my honest friend did not think in this way at all. He felt sure that he was helping25 me. So what could I do, except keep quiet, and hope that everything would be all right?
 
We started travelling again, across the mountains, and by daylight came to wild, open moors26, covered with purple heather. Because anyone on the hills around us could easily see us when we stood up, we had to walk or run on our hands and feet, like animals It was another hot summer day, and my back achcd badly after a few hours. I wanted a rest and a drink of water, but when we stopped, we saw the redcoats of soldiers on one of the hills, and we had to go on.
 
We walked or ran all day and all night. People who talk of tiredness do not know what the word really means27, I did not know who I was or where I was going, and I did not care. I thought that every step would be my last, and I hoped that death would come soon. Alan drove28 me onwards29, and I felt that I hated him, but I was too afraid of him to stop and rest.
 
When daylight returned, we were stupid with tiredness,and had become careless. Suddenly, three or four wild-looking men jumped out of the heather, and took us prisoner30. I was not afraid, only happy to stop running for a moment. But Alan spoke to them in Gaelic.
 
"These are Cluny Macpherson's men," he said quietly to me. "Ye remember him, the head of the Macpherson clan?They fought well against the English in the Forty-Five. After that, he didn't go to France, like the other clan chiefs. No,he's been hiding here ever since, and the soldiers have never managed to find him. His clansmen bring him what he needs."
 
We were taken to a cave, well hidden by trees and rocks,and Cluny Macpherson himself came forward to welcome us,like a king in his palace. He seemed to live well in his cave,and he offered us an excellent meal, prepared by his cook. But I was too tired to eat, so I lay down at once and slept. In fact,although I did not know it, I was seriously ill, and could not get up for two days.
 
I woke up once,in a kind of fog, to find Cluny and Alan playing cards, and a second time, to hear Alan asking to borrow my money. I was too sick and sleepy to refuse, and gave him my purse.
 
But when I woke up again, on the third day,I felt much better, although not very strong. I noticed that Alan was looking very ashamed31, and I realized at once what had hap1 pened. "David," he said miserably,"I've lost all our money at cards, yours as well as mine."
 
"No,no,ye haven't lost it!cried Cluny. "Of course I'll give your money back. It was just a game. I wouldn't keep your money. Here!" And he pulled gold coins out of his pocket.
 
I did not know if it was right to accept the money or not,but we needed it, so I thanked Cluny and put the coins in my purse. But I was very angry with Alan, and as we left Cluny's cave and continued our journey, I refused to speak to him.
 
At first Alan tried hard to talk to me. He said that he was sorry, and that he loved me like a brother. He was worried about my health, and offered me a hand when we crossed a river or climbed a hill. But after two or three days,when he realized that I was still angry with him, he too became angry,and laughed at me when I fell, or seemed tired.
 
We travelled by night, through endless rain and strong winds, and slept in the wet heather by day. I was feeling more and more miserable32. My illness had returned, and I was beginning to think that this terrible journey would only end in my death. "Alan will be sorry when I die!" I thought. How childish33 I was!
 
Alan continued to laugh at me and call me names, and by the sixth night I had had enough. I stopped and spoke angrily to him . "Mr Stewart," I said, "why do you laugh at me?I should laugh at you! You may have a king's name, but you're a loser! You spend your life running away! You're not brave enough to fight the Campbells and the English, and win!"
 
Alan looked sharply at me. "David!" he said. "There are things that ye should never say --things that can never be for gotten!"
 
"If you don't like what I say, I'm ready to fight," I answered stupidly. I knew that I was not strong enough to hold a sword15.#p#分页标题#e#
 
"David!" he cried. "Are ye crazy? I cannot fight ye! It would be murder!" He pulled out his sword, and looked at me. "No, I can't, I can't," he said. And he dropped his sword on the ground.
 
When I saw how much he loved me, I was no longer angry,only sick, and sorry. I remembered all his kindness to me,and how he had always helped me through difficult times. Now I had lost that friend for ever! My illness seemed to get worse and worse, and I could only just stand. I wanted to say that I was sorry, but I knew it was too late for that. Suddenly I realized that a cry for help was the only way of bringing Alan back to me.
 
"Alan!" I said, my voice shaking. "If you cannot help me,I must just die here!"I did not need to pretend34.
 
He looked up quickly, surprised. "Can ye walk?"
 
"Not without help. Alan, if I die, will you forget what I said? In my heart, I've always been your friend, you know that."
 
" Quiet!" cried Alan. " Don't talk of dying35! David, man, ye know… "He could not go on, but put his arm around me. "Davie, I'm a bad friend to ye.
 
I didn't remember that ye're just a bairn, I couldn't see that ye were dying on your feet…"He was almost crying. "Hold on to me, Davie, and ye'll be grand36."
 
He helped me down into the valley to the nearest house, which luckily belonged to a clan who were friendly to the Stewarts. There I lay for several days, unable to move. Alan refused to leave me, and took the greatest care of me. Little by little I got better, with his help, and before a month had passed, we went on our way again.
 
This time we did not argue. We did not see any more soldiers, and our journey was easier now. We walked through the warm summer nights, ate our porridge, drank our whisky, and slept in the dry heather in the daytime. Now that we were in the Lowlands, we were almost safe, and we both felt happy and hopeful37. When we crossed the Forth38 River by boat from Limekilns, we were only five kilometres from Queensferry, where Mr Rankeillor lived.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 hap Ye7xE     
n.运气;v.偶然发生
参考例句:
  • Some have the hap,some stick in the gap.有的人走运, 有的人倒霉。
  • May your son be blessed by hap and happiness.愿你儿子走运幸福。
2 chasing 8fde1d7175bfd43e3953dc8f79f4dcdf     
n.雕镂术,雕刻工作;车螺丝;抛光;螺旋板
参考例句:
  • My dog likes chasing rabbits. 我的狗喜欢追捕兔子。
  • The children were having fun, chasing each other's shadows. 孩子们追逐着彼此的影子,玩得很开心。
3 shot xyiwb     
n.炮弹,射击,射手;v.射击,发出,发芽;vbl.射击,发出,发芽
参考例句:
  • He shot a wild duck.他射中一只野鸭。
  • All the children shot out their hands for the money.所有的孩子突然伸出手来要钱。
4 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
5 silent eEVz8     
adj.安静的,不吵闹的,沉默的,无言的;n.(复数)默剧
参考例句:
  • Immediately on his beginning to speak,everyone was silent.他一讲话,大家顿时安静下来。
  • The boys looked at the conjuror in silent wonder. 孩子们目瞪口呆地看着那魔术师。
6 clan Dq5zi     
n.氏族,部落,宗族,家族,宗派
参考例句:
  • She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
  • The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以,中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。
7 murderer 0Fwxb     
n.杀人犯,凶手
参考例句:
  • How long should a murderer be kept in prison?犯了谋杀罪的人应在监狱关多少年?
  • They discovered the murderer to have run away.他们发现凶手已逃之夭夭。
8 highlander 25c9bf68343db897bbd8afce9754ef3c     
n.高地的人,苏格兰高地地区的人
参考例句:
  • They call him the highlander, he is Rory McLeod! 他们叫他寻事者,他是罗瑞·麦克劳德! 来自互联网
9 accuse kJGye     
vt.指责,控告,归咎于;vi.指责,控告
参考例句:
  • I've been wrong to accuse him.我指责他是不正确的。
  • Make sure of your facts before you accuse him.在指责他以前要把材料核实一下。
10 accused accused     
n.被告v.指责(accuse的过去式和过去分词);控告adj.被控告的
参考例句:
  • The accused was found innocent. 被告被判定无罪。
  • He was accused of committing adultery . 他被控通奸。
11 sailing Qj2z4g     
n.航行,航海术,启航
参考例句:
  • Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
  • The operation was plain sailing.手术进行得顺利。
12 whistled 407fd1807c847f21dd28c8c1ed41445d     
v.吹口哨( whistle的过去式和过去分词 );鸣笛;呼啸着前进;空指望
参考例句:
  • Norma looked at the parcel and whistled softly through her teeth. 诺尔玛看着包裹,轻柔地哼起了口哨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He whistled to his dog and it came running. 他吹口哨唤狗,狗跑了过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 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。
14 grateful meZz5     
adj.感谢的,感激的,受欢迎的,表示谢意的
参考例句:
  • If you will help us, we shall be very grateful.如果你愿意帮助我们,我们会很感激你。
  • He closed his letter with expression of grateful thanks.他在那封信的结尾表达了自己的感激之情。
15 sword srQwM     
n.剑,刀剑,武力,杀戮
参考例句:
  • The soldier cut at his enemy with his sword.那位士兵用自己的剑向敌人砍去。
  • With a sweep of his sword he cut through the rope.他用剑一挥把绳子砍断了。
16 swords 3a88542601ecf370e9fff45bf60d6bd7     
n.剑,刀( sword的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The sun gleamed on naked swords. 阳光把出鞘的剑照得闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They cross verbal swords with each other. 他们彼此唇枪舌剑地交锋。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 papers qmQzJz     
n.文件,纸币,论文
参考例句:
  • I want to check with my secretary before I sign the papers.在签署这些文件前,我要与我的秘书商议。
  • The lawyer read all the papers relating to the case.律师阅读了与该案有关的全部文件。
18 pistols b69604bd56ed08e6bb7c0d8c0bfe2edf     
n.手枪( pistol的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Meantime he was loading the pistols. 而同时他在往手枪里装子弹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Two strangers menaced him with pistols and forced him to give up his money. 两个陌生人用手枪威胁他并强迫他拿出所有的钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 whisky QMaza     
n.威士忌酒
参考例句:
  • I'm sure this whisky has been watered down.我敢肯定这瓶威士忌掺过水了。
  • She poured herself a large tot of whisky.她给自己倒了一大杯威士忌。
20 sharply UiRziL     
adj.锐利地,急速;adv.严厉地,鲜明地
参考例句:
  • The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
  • Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。
21 rocky pXqx5     
adj.岩石的,像岩石的;多岩石的
参考例句:
  • She drives carefully up the rocky lane.她驾车小心地从这条很多石头的小路上驶过去。
  • There is only one port along this rocky coast.这个多岩石的海岸只有一个港口。
22 difficulty pvUxW     
n.困难,费劲;难事,难题;麻烦,困境
参考例句:
  • If there is any difficulty,please let us know promptly.倘有困难,请迅速通知我们。
  • A little difficulty like this is nothing to us.这点困难算不了什么。
23 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
24 eastwards urxxQ     
adj.向东方(的),朝东(的);n.向东的方向
参考例句:
  • The current sets strongly eastwards.急流迅猛东去。
  • The Changjiang River rolls on eastwards.长江滚滚向东流。
25 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。
26 moors 039ba260de08e875b2b8c34ec321052d     
v.停泊,系泊(船只)( moor的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • the North York moors 北约克郡的漠泽
  • They're shooting grouse up on the moors. 他们在荒野射猎松鸡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
27 means 9oXzBX     
n.方法,手段,折中点,物质财富
参考例句:
  • That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
  • We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。
28 drove brAxi     
vbl.驾驶,drive的过去式;n.畜群
参考例句:
  • He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
  • They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。
29 onwards YIgxI     
adv.前进;在前;在先;迈进
参考例句:
  • From now onwards my teacher will be stricter.从此我的老师会更加严格。
  • The crowd began to move onwards.人群开始向前移动。
30 prisoner wQ9xC     
n.俘虏,囚犯,被监禁的人
参考例句:
  • The soldier reported that a prisoner was at large.士兵报告说一名囚犯在逃。
  • The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
31 ashamed jNeyS     
adj.感到惭愧,感到害臊,因为羞耻或勉强作某事
参考例句:
  • He is ashamed to show his face at the club.他不好意思在俱乐部露脸。
  • You ought to be ashamed of your foolish behaviour.你应当为自己的愚蠢行为而感到羞耻。
32 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
参考例句:
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
33 childish rrmzR     
adj.孩子的,孩子气的,幼稚的
参考例句:
  • The little girl spoke in a high childish voice.这个小女孩用尖尖的童声讲话。
  • We eventually ran out of patience with his childish behaviour.我们终于对他幼稚的行为忍无可忍。
34 pretend 2Q4xj     
vt.假装,假托,装扮;vi.假装,装作
参考例句:
  • So you don't need to pretend,do you?所以你不必装假了,对吧?
  • Many people pretend that they understand modern art.许多人装着自己懂得现代艺术。
35 dying 1rGx0     
adj.垂死的,临终的
参考例句:
  • He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
  • She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子,那里有一个垂死的人。
36 grand 0fDx4     
adj.豪华的,宏伟的,壮丽的,主要的,重大的;n.(美俚)一千美元
参考例句:
  • The pianist played several pieces of music on a grand piano.钢琴家在一架大钢琴上弹了几首乐曲。
  • Come on,I'll give you the grand tour of the backyard.跟我来,我带你去后院来一次盛大的旅游。
37 hopeful vcax8     
adj.有希望的,怀抱希望的,保持乐观的;n.有希望之人,有前途之人
参考例句:
  • This is a hopeful news.这是个鼓舞人心的消息。
  • We are hopeful about the future.我们对未来抱乐观态度。
38 forth Hzdz2     
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。
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