登陆注册
19471600000002

第2章

"If you don't believe me, go and see, or stay here and grow all over blue mould.I tell you, as I am a gentleman, I saw it with these eyes, and so did Salvation Yeo there, through a window in the lower room; and we measured the heap, as I am a christened man, seventy foot long, ten foot broad, and twelve foot high, of silver bars, and each bar between a thirty and forty pound weight.And says Captain Drake: 'There, my lads of Devon, I've brought you to the mouth of the world's treasure-house, and it's your own fault now if you don't sweep it out as empty as a stock-fish.'""Why didn't you bring some of they home, then, Mr.Oxenham?""Why weren't you there to help to carry them? We would have brought 'em away, safe enough, and young Drake and I had broke the door abroad already, but Captain Drake goes off in a dead faint;and when we came to look, he had a wound in his leg you might have laid three fingers in, and his boots were full of blood, and had been for an hour or more; but the heart of him was that, that he never knew it till he dropped, and then his brother and I got him away to the boats, he kicking and struggling, and bidding us let him go on with the fight, though every step he took in the sand was in a pool of blood; and so we got off.And tell me, ye sons of shotten herrings, wasn't it worth more to save him than the dirty silver? for silver we can get again, brave boys: there's more fish in the sea than ever came out of it, and more silver in Nombre de Dios than would pave all the streets in the west country: but of such captains as Franky Drake, Heaven never makes but one at a time; and if we lose him, good-bye to England's luck, say I, and who don't agree, let him choose his weapons, and I'm his man."He who delivered this harangue was a tall and sturdy personage, with a florid black-bearded face, and bold restless dark eyes, who leaned, with crossed legs and arms akimbo, against the wall of the house; and seemed in the eyes of the schoolboy a very magnifico, some prince or duke at least.He was dressed (contrary to all sumptuary laws of the time) in a suit of crimson velvet, a little the worse, perhaps, for wear; by his side were a long Spanish rapier and a brace of daggers, gaudy enough about the hilts; his fingers sparkled with rings; he had two or three gold chains about his neck, and large earrings in his ears, behind one of which a red rose was stuck jauntily enough among the glossy black curls; on his head was a broad velvet Spanish hat, in which instead of a feather was fastened with a great gold clasp a whole Quezal bird, whose gorgeous plumage of fretted golden green shone like one entire precious stone.As he finished his speech, he took off the said hat, and looking at the bird in it--"Look ye, my lads, did you ever see such a fowl as that before?

That's the bird which the old Indian kings of Mexico let no one wear but their own selves; and therefore I wear it,--I, John Oxenham of South Tawton, for a sign to all brave lads of Devon, that as the Spaniards are the masters of the Indians, we're the masters of the Spaniards:" and he replaced his hat.

A murmur of applause followed: but one hinted that he "doubted the Spaniards were too many for them.""Too many? How many men did we take Nombre de Dios with? Seventy-three were we, and no more when we sailed out of Plymouth Sound;and before we saw the Spanish Main, half were gastados, used up, as the Dons say, with the scurvy; and in Port Pheasant Captain Rawse of Cowes fell in with us, and that gave us some thirty hands more;and with that handful, my lads, only fifty-three in all, we picked the lock of the new world! And whom did we lose but our trumpeter, who stood braying like an ass in the middle of the square, instead of taking care of his neck like a Christian? I tell you, those Spaniards are rank cowards, as all bullies are.They pray to a woman, the idolatrous rascals! and no wonder they fight like women.""You'm right, captain," sang out a tall gaunt fellow who stood close to him; "one westcountry-man can fight two easterlings, and an easterling can beat three Dons any day.Eh! my lads of Devon?

"For O! it's the herrings and the good brown beef, And the cider and the cream so white;O! they are the making of the jolly Devon lads, For to play, and eke to fight.""Come," said Oxenham, "come along! Who lists? who lists? who'll make his fortune?

"Oh, who will join, jolly mariners all?

And who will join, says he, O!

To fill his pockets with the good red goold, By sailing on the sea, O!""Who'll list?" cried the gaunt man again; "now's your time! We've got forty men to Plymouth now, ready to sail the minute we get back, and we want a dozen out of you Bideford men, and just a boy or two, and then we'm off and away, and make our fortunes, or go to heaven.

"Our bodies in the sea so deep, Our souls in heaven to rest!

Where valiant seamen, one and all, Hereafter shall be blest!""Now," said Oxenham, "you won't let the Plymouth men say that the Bideford men daren't follow them? North Devon against South, it is.Who'll join? who'll join? It is but a step of a way, after all, and sailing as smooth as a duck-pond as soon as you're past Cape Finisterre.I'll run a Clovelly herring-boat there and back for a wager of twenty pound, and never ship a bucketful all the way.Who'll join? Don't think you're buying a pig in a poke.Iknow the road, and Salvation Yeo, here, too, who was the gunner's mate, as well as I do the narrow seas, and better.You ask him to show you the chart of it, now, and see if he don't tell you over the ruttier as well as Drake himself."On which the gaunt man pulled from under his arm a great white buffalo horn covered with rough etchings of land and sea, and held it up to the admiring ring.

同类推荐
  • A Discourse on Method

    A Discourse on Method

    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。
  • 州县事宜

    州县事宜

    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。
  • 慧林宗本禅师别录

    慧林宗本禅师别录

    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。
  • 四部正讹

    四部正讹

    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。
  • Quality and Others

    Quality and Others

    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。
热门推荐
  • 我和我的皇后老婆

    我和我的皇后老婆

    黄埔军校独立团团长龙飞,在中缅边境遭遇突发事件穿越到古代,成了大明亡国之君崇祯帝。皇兄新丧,留下四大美后张皇嫂;魏忠贤称九千岁,把执朝政……名将还未长成,奴蛮已寇边,看我手掌皇座,一手挽青天,正我汉家衣冠,继我炎黄文化,再开中华盛世!黄埔魂,此世犹烈……
  • 前尘故梦

    前尘故梦

    催眠术,向来都是那么的神秘,一个著名的心理医生,帮助主角开启了一段奇妙的旅程。女主和男主是否真的今生无缘,只能等待来生再续,又或者能在梦中圆梦呢?道不尽的千古人物,跨越不同年代齐上战场,然而事件真相竟是这样!亦真亦幻,似梦非梦,世间万物,不过如此。
  • 脉症治方

    脉症治方

    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。
  • 无上魔威

    无上魔威

    陈峰重生在另一个世界,竟然是十万年难得一遇的至尊魔体。为了生存、为了强大,他的目光看向了终极强者的巅峰。看他魔动六国,凑齐化神三宝。威震海外、收伏上古神魔。笑傲星空,尽显无上魔威。
  • 海南登陆战

    海南登陆战

    广东解放后,退守海南岛的国民党10万残军在海南防卫总司令薛岳的指挥下,企图凭借天险,把海南岛当作反攻大陆的跳板。为歼灭该敌,解放海南岛,中央军委决定以第15兵团首长指挥第40、第43军,在岛上琼崖纵队的配合下,发起海南岛战役。根据渡海作战的特点,第15兵团按照“积极偷渡、分批小渡与最后登陆相结合”的战役方针,于1950年3月组织了两批4次约1个师的兵力偷渡海南岛成功。增强了岛上人民解放军的力量。4月16日人民解放军主力实施强渡。经彻夜强渡,在岛上部队的接应下,胜利登岛,并迅速向纵深发展。
  • 大巧若拙(从关键词读经典)

    大巧若拙(从关键词读经典)

    中国历来有向学的传统,把读书看得很神圣。古人为我们树立了读书的榜样:苏秦头悬梁、锥刺骨,匡衡凿壁偷光,董仲舒三年不窥园……这样的典故还有很多。这些"书痴"不仅书读得好,人生也很成功,对后世产生了很大的影响。人们崇尚读书,尊重读书人,乃至习惯于对读书人高看一筹,这是烙在中国人灵魂中深深的印记,永远都抹不掉。今人读经典,正是这种传统的延续。
  • exo之爱从未离开

    exo之爱从未离开

    千百凝:“我喜欢薰衣草她可以等到她的爱情,我等不到我的爱,我喜欢桔梗花她可以得到真诚不变的爱,我却得不到,我喜欢狗尾巴草她可以暗恋自己喜欢的人,我连资格都没有,我喜欢栀子花她可以一生守候她的爱,我连守护自己的爱本事都没有,我喜欢百合花她纯洁,高贵,我却是已经沾满鲜血的人,我喜欢蝴蝶兰因为她代表我爱你们。”EXO:“凝,我们对你的爱从未改变,也没有对你有任何不信任的,也没有对你的身份有任何生气和嫌弃。”真的想他们说的那样吗?
  • 尸魂令

    尸魂令

    这个世界上有一条通往冥界的通道。通道的入口就在薛家的陵园里,这是薛家守护了前上百年的秘密,她一生下来面前就能看到鬼,从小到大被鬼怪追来赶去戏耍玩弄。“生在薛家的孩子就是会这么命苦”,薛妈经常跟她这么唠叨她问妈咪,那你为什么还要嫁给薛卿啊!薛灵妈:“因为他是高富帅啊!”薛灵:“…”薛妈的内心:“反正命苦的薛家孩子又不是妻子。”于是,薛灵就无比无辜的成为了薛家第三十七代守陵人。别人家的孩子刚出生会嗷嗷大哭,可她确哈哈大笑故被认为是妖孽,别人家孩子还在玩和尿泥。她已经把世界上各种鬼怪给认了个遍。还蹲在路边和狗尾巴草‘说话’,别人家的孩子开始上幼儿园,她确有个土豪老爸,一堆名人讲师,围着她讲世界文化。
  • 我是手扶拖拉机驾驶与维修能手

    我是手扶拖拉机驾驶与维修能手

    是“金阳光”新农村丛书之一,《我是手扶拖拉机驾驶与维修能手》是以广大农村干部群众为主要读者对象,以让读者看得懂、用得上、买得起、买得到为基本宗旨,简明扼要地讲解了手扶拖拉机驾驶与维修技术。
  • 春秋左传

    春秋左传

    《中华国学经典读本:春秋左传(套装共2册)》介绍了春秋时期是中国历史上的大变革时期。在这一时期,周王室的势力逐渐衰弱。大权旁落,而诸侯国之间互相征伐,战争频繁。小的诸侯国纷纷被吞并,强大的诸侯国在局部地区实现了统一。实力最强的诸侯国先后称霸,出现了齐桓公、晋文公、楚庄王、臭王阖闾、越王勾践等霸主。而在文化方面,儒家思想应运而生,对当时以及之后的社会产生了深远的影响。