驼背男人14

“It was in this way, sir. You see me now with my back like a camel and by ribs¹ all awry², but there was a time when Corporal Henry Wood was the smartest man in the 117th foot. We were in India then, in cantonments, at a place we'll call Bhurtee. Barclay, who died the other day, was sergeant³ in the same company as myself, and the belle⁴ of the regiment⁵, ay, and the finest girl that ever had the breath of life between her lips, was Nancy Devoy, the daughter of the color-sergeant. There were two men that loved her, and one that she loved, and you'll smile when you look at this poor thing huddled⁶ before the fire, and hear me say that it was for my good looks that she loved me.

“Well, though I had her heart, her father was set upon her marrying Barclay. I was a harum-scarum, reckless lad, and he had had an education, and was already marked for the sword-belt. But the girl held true to me, and it seemed that I would have had her when the Mutiny broke out, and all hell was loose in the country.

“We were shut up in Bhurtee, the regiment of us with half a battery of artillery⁷, a company of Sikhs, and a lot of civilians⁸ and women-folk. There were ten thousand rebels round us, and they were as keen as a set of terriers round a rat-cage. About the second week of it our water gave out, and it was a question whether we could communicate with General Neill's column, which was moving up country. It was our only chance, for we could not hope to fight our way out with all the women and children, so I volunteered to go out and to warn General Neill of our danger. My offer was accepted, and I talked it over with Sergeant Barclay, who was supposed to know the ground better than any other man, and who drew up a route by which I might get through the rebel lines. At ten o'clock the same night I started off upon my journey. There were a thousand lives to save, but it was of only one that I was thinking when I dropped over the wall that night.

“My way ran down a dried-up watercourse, which we hoped would screen me from the enemy's sentries⁹; but as I crept round the corner of it I walked right into six of them, who were crouching¹⁰ down in the dark waiting for me. In an instant I was stunned¹¹ with a blow and bound hand and foot. But the real blow was to my heart and not to my head, for as I came to and listened to as much as I could understand of their talk, I heard enough to tell me that my comrade, the very man who had arranged the way that I was to take, had betrayed me by means of a native servant into the hands of the enemy.

“事情是这样的，先生。你看我现在后背象骆驼，肋骨也歪歪扭扭，但在当年，下士亨利-伍德在一一七步兵一团一是一个最漂亮的人。那时我们驻扎在印度的一个兵营里，我们把那地方叫做布尔蒂。几天前死去的巴克利和我一样，是同一个连的军士，而那时一团一里有一个美一女，是陆战队上士的女儿南希-德沃伊。那时有两个人一爱一她，而她只一爱一其中的一个，你们看到蜷缩在火炉前的这个可怜的东西，再听到我说那时正因为我长得英俊她才一爱一我时，你们一定会忍俊不禁。

“啊，虽然我赢得了她的一爱一情，可是她父亲却把她许给了巴克利。我那时是个冒失鬼，不顾一切的少年，巴克利是一个受过教育的人，已经要提升军官了。可是那姑一娘一仍然对我很忠诚，那时如果不是发生了印度叛乱，全国都一騷一乱起来，我似乎可以把她娶到手。

“我们都被困在布尔蒂，我们那个一团一，半个炮兵连，一个锡克教连，还有许多平民和妇女。这时有一万叛军包围了我们，他们竟象一群凶猛的猎狗围在一只鼠笼周围。被围困的第二个星期，我们的饮水用光了。那时尼尔将军的纵队正往内地移动，所以产生了一个问题：我们是否能和他们取得联系，而这是我们的唯一出路，因为我们不能指望携带所有的妇女和儿童冲杀出去。于是我便自告奋勇突围去向尼尔将军求援。我的请求被批准了，我就和巴克利中士商量。他比其他任何人都熟悉地形，便画了一张路线图给我，以便我按图穿过叛军防线。这天夜里十点钟，我便开始走上征一途。这时有一千条生命在等待救援，可是我在那天夜晚从城墙上爬下去的时候，心里只挂念着一个人。

“我要经过一条干涸的河道，我们本指望它可以掩护我避过敌军的岗哨，可是当我刚匍匐行进到河道拐角处，正好闯进了六个敌军的埋伏之中，他们正蹲在黑暗中等候我。顷刻之间我被打晕过去，手足都被缚住。可是我真正的创伤是在心里，而不是在头上，因为当我醒来时听到他们的谈话，虽然我只懂一点他们的语言，我也足以明白，原来我的伙伴，也就是给我安排了路线的那个人，通过一个土著的仆人，把我出卖给敌人了。

1 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

2 awry   

adj.扭曲的，错的

参考例句：

• She was in a fury over a plan that had gone awry. 计划出了问题，她很愤怒。
• Something has gone awry in our plans.我们的计划出差错了。

3 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

4 belle   

n.靓女

参考例句：

• She was the belle of her Sunday School class.在主日学校她是她们班的班花。
• She was the belle of the ball.她是那个舞会中的美女。

5 regiment   

n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制

参考例句：

• As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活，所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。
• They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。

6 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

7 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

8 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

9 sentries   

哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We posted sentries at the gates of the camp. 我们在军营的大门口布置哨兵。
• We were guarded by sentries against surprise attack. 我们由哨兵守卫，以免遭受突袭。

10 crouching   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• a hulking figure crouching in the darkness 黑暗中蹲伏着的一个庞大身影
• A young man was crouching by the table, busily searching for something. 一个年轻人正蹲在桌边翻看什么。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

11 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。