登陆注册
5150400000189

第189章

The blade gleamed in the air, once, twice, and fell: not on the chain, but on the wrist which it fettered.There was a shriek--a crimson flash--and the chain and its prisoner were parted indeed.

One moment more, and Amyas's arrow would have been through the throat of the murderer, who paused, regarding his workmanship with a satisfied smile; but vengeance was not to come from him.

Quick and fierce as a tiger-cat, the girl sprang on the ruffian, and with the intense strength of passion, clasped him in her arms, and leaped with him from the narrow ledge into the abyss below.

There was a rush, a shout; all faces were bent over the precipice.

The girl hung by her chained wrist: the officer was gone.There was a moment's awful silence; and then Amyas heard his body crashing through the tree-tops far below.

"Haul her up! Hew her in pieces! Burn the witch!" and the driver, seizing the chain, pulled at it with all his might, while all springing from their chairs, stooped over the brink.

Now was the time for Amyas! Heaven had delivered them into his hands.Swift and sure, at ten yards off, his arrow rushed through the body of the driver, and then, with a roar as of the leaping lion, he sprang like an avenging angel into the midst of the astonished ruffians.

His first thought was for the girl.In a moment, by sheer strength, he had jerked her safely up into the road; while the Spaniards recoiled right and left, fancying him for the moment some mountain giant or supernatural foe.His hurrah undeceived them in an instant, and a cry of "English! Lutheran dogs!" arose, but arose too late.The men of Devon had followed their captain's lead: a storm of arrows left five Spaniards dead, and a dozen more wounded, and down leapt Salvation Yeo, his white hair streaming behind him, with twenty good swords more, and the work of death began.

The Spaniards fought like lions; but they had no time to fix their arquebuses on the crutches; no room, in that narrow path, to use their pikes.The English had the wall of them; and to have the wall there, was to have the foe's life at their mercy.Five desperate minutes, and not a living Spaniard stood upon those steps; and certainly no living one lay in the green abyss below.

Two only, who were behind the rest, happening to be in full armor, escaped without mortal wound, and fled down the hill again.

"After them! Michael Evans and Simon Heard; and catch them, if they run a league."The two long and lean Clovelly men, active as deer from forest training, ran two feet for the Spaniard's one; and in ten minutes returned, having done their work; while Amyas and his men hurried past the Indians, to help Cary and the party forward, where shouts and musket shots announced a sharp affray.

Their arrival settled the matter.All the Spaniards fell but three or four, who scrambled down the crannies of the cliff.

"Let not one of them escape! Slay them as Israel slew Amalek!"cried Yeo, as he bent over; and ere the wretches could reach a place of shelter, an arrow was quivering in each body, as it rolled lifeless down the rocks.

"Now then! Loose the Indians!"

They found armorers tools on one of the dead bodies, and it was done.

"We are your friends," said Amyas."All we ask is, that you shall help us to carry this gold down to the Magdalena, and then you are free."Some few of the younger grovelled at his knees, and kissed his feet, hailing him as the child of the Sun: but the most part kept a stolid indifference, and when freed from their fetters, sat quietly down where they stood, staring into vacancy.The iron had entered too deeply into their soul.They seemed past hope, enjoyment, even understanding.

But the young girl, who was last of all in the line, as soon as she was loosed, sprang to her father's body, speaking no word, lifted it in her thin arms, laid it across her knees, kissed the fallen lips, stroked the furrowed cheeks, murmured inarticulate sounds like the cooing of a woodland dove, of which none knew the meaning but she, and he who heard not, for his soul had long since fled.

Suddenly the truth flashed on her; silent as ever, she drew one long heaving breath, and rose erect, the body in her arms.

Another moment, and she had leaped into the abyss.

They watched her dark and slender limbs, twined closely round the old man's corpse, turn over, and over, and over, till a crash among the leaves, and a scream among the birds, told that she had reached the trees; and the green roof hid her from their view.

"Brave lass!" shouted a sailor.

"The Lord forgive her!" said Yeo."But, your worship, we must have these rascals' ordnance.""And their clothes too, Yeo, if we wish to get down the Magdalena unchallenged.Now listen, my masters all! We have won, by God's good grace, gold enough to serve us the rest of our lives, and that without losing a single man; and may yet win more, if we be wise, and He thinks good.But oh, my friends, remember Mr.Oxenham and his crew; and do not make God's gift our ruin, by faithlessness, or greediness, or any mutinous haste.""You shall find none in us!" cried several men."We know your worship.We can trust our general.""Thank God!" said Amyas."Now then, it will be no shame or sin to make the Indians carry it, saving the women, whom God forbid we should burden.But we must pass through the very heart of the Spanish settlements, and by the town of Saint Martha itself.So the clothes and weapons of these Spaniards we must have, let it cost us what labor it may.How many lie in the road?""Thirteen here, and about ten up above," said Cary.

"Then there are near twenty missing.Who will volunteer to go down over cliff, and bring up the spoil of them?""I, and I, and I;" and a dozen stepped out, as they did always when Amyas wanted anything done; for the simple reason, that they knew that he meant to help at the doing of it himself.

"Very well, then, follow me.Sir John, take the Indian lad for your interpreter, and try and comfort the souls of these poor heathens.Tell them that they shall all be free.""Why, who is that comes up the road?"

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 乱世争霸之不灭战帝

    乱世争霸之不灭战帝

    特种兵之王携华夏两大上古奇书穿越到征战不断的大陆,成了一个随时会被赶下君王宝座的小国国君。传说,只要统一大陆让天下不再纷争,上天会降下祥瑞之气,会有一系列奇妙的事情发生!姬承宇有点傲气,“我统一大陆,并不是为了祥瑞之气,而是享受一把醒掌天下权醉卧美人膝!”他也想诅咒老天,“草,老子穿越了居然没有召唤功能?我的吕布张飞白起呢?我的孙膑诸葛亮司马懿呢?”王朝争霸,烽烟四起,谁主沉浮...欢迎加企鹅群:936414556
  • 相和歌辞·婕妤怨

    相和歌辞·婕妤怨

    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。
  • 绝色倾城:佣兵倾覆天下

    绝色倾城:佣兵倾覆天下

    她残忍嗜血,冰冷无情,在世人眼里她便是魔,他淡漠无情,如常年冰封的雪山,世人在他眼里不过尘粒。他对她说:“你在,天下无恙,你不在,我便血洗天下,为你陪葬。”她笑:“世人生死与我何干,我只愿与你相望江湖。”那缠绕的发丝,似理不清的结。他与他站在雪山之巅,笑看,乱世繁华。【沂羽谷原创社团出品】(情节虚构,切勿模仿)
  • 俄苏现代作家作品浅析

    俄苏现代作家作品浅析

    本书内容全面具体,具有很强的文学性、可读性和知识性,是我们广大读者了解世界文学作品、增长文学素质的良好读物,也是各级图书馆珍藏的最佳版本。书中主要介绍了俄苏现代作家及其作品讲析。包括:普希金、屠格涅夫、高尔基、法捷耶夫、马雅可夫斯基等著名作家。
  • 父子双雄班超班勇(西域烽燧系列小说)

    父子双雄班超班勇(西域烽燧系列小说)

    班超以武功绝技闯过索命的三关,赢得出征西域的征荣。以大智大勇的谋略歼灭了北匈奴百万大军,统一了西域。继承父业的班勇又以惊世奇计尽杀了反攻而来的北匈奴强敌,控制了西域局势。小说充满了九死一生的险情和智胜邪恶的悲壮情调。
  • 人生的成功定律(走向成功丛书)

    人生的成功定律(走向成功丛书)

    怎样走向成功?成功的要素有哪些?有理想的青少年朋友都会思考这样的问题。为此,我们组织编译了世界著名的成功学大师们的代表作,希望用大师们自己的成功灾例和经验,帮助青少年朋友塑造自己,一步步走向成功之路,成为人生的赢家。
  • 苏青文集:散文卷(下)

    苏青文集:散文卷(下)

    “苏青文集”(6卷本)收录了现代知名中国女作家,小说家、散文家苏青具有代表性的作品。本卷收录了苏青的《发刊词》《读》《再版自序》《后记》等对自己各个文集的序与后记、对编辑杂志的体会与认识等,有助于读者深入了解苏青的为文之心。
  • 综艺娱乐之王

    综艺娱乐之王

    平行世界没有杨安熟悉的综艺节目,《极限挑战》,《爸爸去哪儿》,《欢乐喜剧人》,《我是歌手》,《我们都爱笑》,《奔跑吧兄弟》……统统都没有!杨安笑了:“我要做综艺娱乐之王!我要当大明星!”……致力于搞笑及正能量传播,国民男神担当,推广传统文化,做一个血性男子汉!
  • 印沙佛文

    印沙佛文

    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。
  • 落跑萌妃:腹黑王爷很傲娇

    落跑萌妃:腹黑王爷很傲娇

    她,是来自二十一世纪的大龄肥胖女职员,异世重生,她改头换面,变身倾世女娇娃唐果果。奈何造化弄人,相同的遭遇再一次降临,看似穷途末路,但又见柳暗花明,绝地逢生。原本一生只为夺位复仇的腹黑王爷苏卿墨,却沉沦在她的古灵精怪的异世情怀之中,相似的遭遇令二人的心更加紧密的联系在一起。夺位之路,注定不再孤单,而后宫生活,也注定不会枯燥……本文轻微玛丽苏,虐中带甜,喜欢本文的小伙伴可以加群10834331,一起沟通。微博求互关,兮兮微博是:唐子兮cici