登陆注册
5188000000184

第184章

The ship was now so low in the water that by using an oar as a lever he could slide her into the waves.

"Come," said he, "while yet there is time."She turned her great Roman eyes, wet now, upon him."Poor youth! -God forgive me! - My child!" And he launched her on the surge, and with his oar kept her from being battered against the ship.

A heavy hand fell on him; a deep sonorous voice sounded in his ear: "'Tis well.Now come with me."It was the gigantic friar.

Gerard turned, and the friar took two strides, and laid hold of the broken mast.Gerard did the same, obeying him instinctively.

Between them, after a prodigious effort, they hoisted up the remainder of the mast, and carried it off."Fling it in," said the friar, "and follow it." They flung it in; but one of the bewildered passengers had run after them, and jumped first and got on one end.Gerard seized the other, the friar the middle.

It was a terrible situation.The mast rose and plunged with each wave like a kicking horse, and the spray flogged their faces mercilessly, and blinded them: to help knock them off.

Presently was heard a long grating noise ahead.The ship had struck, and soon after, she being stationary now, they were hurled against her with tremendous force.Their companion's head struck against the upper part of the broken rudder with a horrible crack, and was smashed like a cocoa-nut by a sledge-hammer.He sunk directly, leaving no trace but a red stain on the water, and a white clot on the jagged rudder, and a death cry ringing in their ears, as they drifted clear under the lee of the black hull.The friar uttered a short Latin prayer for the safety of his soul, and took his place composedly.They rolled along; one moment they saw nothing, and seemed down in a mere basin of watery hills: the next they caught glimpses of the shore speckled bright with people, who kept throwing up their arms with wild Italian gestures to encourage them, and the black boat driving bottom upwards, and between it and them the woman rising and falling like themselves.

She had come across a paddle, and was holding her child tight with her left arm, and paddling gallantly with her right.

When they had tumbled along thus a long time, suddenly the friar said quietly -"I touched the ground."

"Impossible, father," said Gerard; "we are more than a hundred yards from shore.Prithee, prithee, leave not our faithful mast.""My son," said the friar, "you speak prudently.But know that Ihave business of Holy Church on hand, and may not waste time floating when I can walk, in her service.There I felt it with my toes again; see the benefit of wearing sandals, and not shoon.

Again; and sandy.Thy stature is less than mine: keep to the mast!

I walk." He left the mast accordingly and extending his powerful arms, rushed through the water.Gerard soon followed him.At each overpowering wave the monk stood like a tower, and closing his mouth, threw his head back to encounter it, and was entirely lost under it awhile: then emerged and ploughed lustily on.At last they came close to the shore; but the suction outward baffled all their attempts to land.Then the natives sent stout fishermen into the sea, holding by long spears in a triple chain; and so dragged them ashore.

The friar shook himself, bestowed a short paternal benediction on the natives, and went on to Rome, with eyes bent on earth according to his rule, and without pausing.He did not even cast a glance back upon that sea, which had so nearly engulfed him, but had no power to harm him, without his Master's leave.

While he stalks on alone to Rome without looking back, I who am not in the service of Holy Church, stop a moment to say that the reader and I were within six inches of this giant once before; but we escaped him that time.Now I fear we are in for him.Gerard grasped every hand upon the beach.They brought him to an enormous fire, and with a delicacy he would hardly have encountered in the north, left him to dry himself alone: on this he took out of his bosom a parchment, and a paper, and dried them carefully.When this was done to his mind, and not till then, he consented to put on a fisherman's dress and leave his own by the fire, and went down to the beach.What he saw may be briefly related.

The captain stuck by the ship, not so much from gallantry, as from a conviction that it was idle to resist Castor or Pollux, whichever it was that had come for him in a ball of fire.

Nevertheless the sea broke up the ship and swept the poop, captain and all, clear of the rest, and took him safe ashore.Gerard had a principal hand in pulling him out of the water.The disconsolate Hebrew landed on another fragment, and on touching earth, offered a reward for his bag, which excited little sympathy, but some amusement.Two more were saved on pieces of the wreck.The thirty egotists came ashore, but one at a time, and dead; one breathed still.Him the natives, with excellent intentions, took to a hot fire.So then he too retired from this shifting scene.

As Gerard stood by the sea, watching, with horror and curiosity mixed, his late companions washed ashore, a hand was laid lightly on his shoulder.He turned.It was the Roman matron, burning with womanly gratitude.She took his hand gently, and raising it slowly to her lips, kissed it; but so nobly, she seemed to be conferring an honour on one deserving hand.Then with face all beaming and moist eyes, she held her child up and made him kiss his preserver.

Gerard kissed the child more than once.He was fond of children.

But he said nothing.He was much moved; for she did not speak at all, except with her eyes, and glowing cheeks, and noble antique gesture, so large and stately.Perhaps she was right.Gratitude is not a thing of words.It was an ancient Roman matron thanking a modern from her heart of hearts.

Next day towards afternoon, Gerard - twice as old as last year, thrice as learned in human ways, a boy no more, but a man who had shed blood in self-defence, and grazed the grave by land and sea -reached the Eternal City; post tot naufragia tutus.

同类推荐
  • 一切道经音义妙门由起

    一切道经音义妙门由起

    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。
  • 紫皇炼度玄科

    紫皇炼度玄科

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Colour of Life

    The Colour of Life

    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。
  • 佛说大方广师子吼经

    佛说大方广师子吼经

    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。
  • 铁围山丛谈

    铁围山丛谈

    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
  • 幼官图

    幼官图

    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。
  • 惟有光阴不可轻.2

    惟有光阴不可轻.2

    魏光阴不知去向,叶慎寻林中遇难,留下了很大的伏笔。第二部中,魏光阴从一个病娇少年逐渐黑化,叶慎寻也强势归来,两个人为争夺程改改互相较劲,而背后几大家族的阴谋也渐渐浮出水面……
  • 一抹残阳映青山

    一抹残阳映青山

    在烽火岁月中,一个富家子弟,在国难当头之时,决定投身于抗战救国的洪流中去,无论是在青山绿水的千年羊城,还是在龙蛇混杂的十里洋场,他依靠着信念,勇气和才智闯过了一个又一个的关口,挫败了敌人一个又一个的阴谋,建立了一个又一个的功勋。
  • 关于《21世纪资本论》你所需要知道的一切

    关于《21世纪资本论》你所需要知道的一切

    法国经济学家托马斯·皮凯蒂近700页的学术著作《21世纪资本论》在2008年金融海啸之后出版,探讨资本主义究竟怎么了,不仅引发了欧美经济学家热议,并成为超级畅销书,当下经济学界的一件大事。
  • 改变历史的经济学家

    改变历史的经济学家

    本书的突出特点是科学性、知识性和趣味性俱佳,历史感和现实感兼备。作者以丰富的史料和生动的笔法,描绘了5克思政治经济学伟大先驱者们栩栩如生的画像,这些人大都是历史上杰出的学者或卓越的社会活动家,他们的著作在5克思主义的形成上起过重要作用。作者以不少篇幅评介了经济学说史上具有代表性的一批庸俗经济学家,5克思主义的形成和发展同对这些人其学说的批判是分不开的。作者还向读者评介了一些鲜为人知的历史人物,他们尽管在当时并不出名,但从经济学后来的发展来看却是值得重视的。
  • 妃常嚣张

    妃常嚣张

    她知道,和亲不是她能左右的,那日,她看向了他,颜王月隐!脸色微红,未宸皇帝大笑说知道了自己的心思,而圣旨上赐婚的名字却不是他,而是当朝的太子,她心中清楚,父皇爱江山大于她。“你也不想娶我吧!”新房中,她看着他说。他凝眉,一脸的愤怒,甩袖离开!都是他嫌弃别人的论,什么时候轮到了自己被嫌弃?“告诉你,就算我不喜欢你,但是你也是我月懿轩的王妃,不许你跟别的男人说话!”他看着她,额头青筋绷起,手紧紧握着,好像怕失去一般。她错愕却默然:“殿下,你这是在吃醋么?”
  • 残酷的公正

    残酷的公正

    《残酷的公正》是梅尔·康莉的惊悚罪案小说《公正系列》第一部。在察灵森林发现了一具无头女尸,受害者是一位富有的寡妇,而且尸体被肢解了。随后又发现了第二名受害者。珞恩·辛普金斯警督和她的搭档,警长皮特·蔡尔兹接手了这件案子。然而,在他们发现凶手以前,必须先找出两名受害者间的关联。当第三宗谋杀案发生以后,珞恩也遇到了可怕的意外。显然,一名残忍的连环杀手正在大开杀戒……而珞恩已被杀手锁定。
  • 愿你的选择配得上你的苦

    愿你的选择配得上你的苦

    愿你一生有梦可依,有树可栖。人生有时忧伤,所幸,我们升起了炉火,又烹煮了食物,还有一壶热辣的酒,最重要的,是你我心中始终有彼此。 每一个人心里都有一个不愿轻易言谈的故事,让你的情绪、你的思念、你的追悔莫及、你的遗憾一点一点淤积于心。只是,人生有时候需要放下。对于过去的抉择,无论是好是坏,今天的我们,就勇敢承担吧,好好生活,向前走,走得更稳,走得更好,有一天你回头的时候,会发现,那些苦,是值得的。
  • 梦想家园

    梦想家园

    《梦想家园》是自己对生命的体验,是心灵的记录。以真挚坦诚的心灵和清新细腻的笔触关注社会生活,关注人与自然的和谐,不断探求生命的价值与真谛之所在。
  • 夫君是只妖

    夫君是只妖

    上古武魂、紫芝血脉、上品炼药的体质,为避免杀身之祸,出生后就被母亲封印,只能女扮男装,背负起云家少主的重任。她无意间捡到一只超萌的小奶猫,好心收留,吃饭沐浴都带在身边。可……忽然有一天,小奶猫竟然变成了一个大男人!