登陆注册
26303400000026

第26章 CHAPTER XIII MY SHORE ADVENTURE HOW MY SHORE ADVEN

THE appearance of the island when I came on deck next morning was altogether changed. Although the breeze ha now utterly ceased, we had made a great deal of way during the night, and were now lying becalmed about half a mile to the south-east of the low eastern coast. Grey-coloured woods covered a large part of the surface. This even tint was indeed broken up by streaks of yellow sandbreak in the lower lands, and by many tall trees of the pine family, out-topping the others - some singly, some in clumps; but the general colouring was uniform and sad. The hills ran up clear above the vegetation in spires of naked rock. All were strangely shaped, and the Spy-glass, which was by three or four hundred feet the tallest on the island, was likewise the strange in configuration, running up sheer from almost every side then suddenly cut off at the top like a pedestal to put statue on.

The Hispaniola was rolling scuppers under in the ocean swell.

The booms were tearing at the blocks, the rudder we banging to and fro, and the whole ship creaking, groaning and jumping like a manufactory. I had to cling tight to the backstay, and the world turned giddily before my eyes; for though I was a good enough sailor when there was way or this standing still and being rolled about like a bottle was thing I never learned to stand without a qualm or so, above all in the morning, on an empty stomach.

Perhaps it was this - perhaps it was the look of the island with its grey, melancholy woods, and wild stone spires, an the surf that we could both see and hear foaming an thundering on the steep beach - at least, although the sun shone bright and hot, and the shore birds were fishing and crying all around us, and you would have thought anyone would have been glad to get to land after being so long at sea, my heart sank, as the saying is, into my boots; and from that first look onward, I hated the very thought of Treasure Island.

We had a dreary morning's work before us, for there was no sign of any wind, and the boats had to be got out and manned, and the ship warped three or four miles round the corner of the island, and up the narrow passage to the haven behind Skeleton Island. I volunteered for one of the boats, where I had, of course, no business. The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. Anderson was in command of my boat, and instead of keeping the crew in order, he grumbled as loud as the worst.

`Well,' he said, with an oath, `it's not for ever.'

I thought this was a very bad sign; for, up to that day, the men had gone briskly and willingly about their business; but the very sight of the island had relaxed the cords of discipline.

All the way in, Long John stood by the steersman and conned the ship.

He knew the passage like the palm of his hand; and though the man in the chains got everywhere more water than was down in the chart, John never hesitated once.

`There's a strong scour with the ebb,' he said, `and this here passage has been dug out, in a manner of speaking, with a spade.'

We brought up just where the anchor was in the chart, about a third of a mile from each shore, the mainland on one side, and Skeleton Island on the other. The bottom was clean sand. The plunge of our anchor sent up clouds of birds wheeling and crying over the woods; but in less than a minute they were down again, and all was once more silent.

The place was entirely land-locked, buried in woods, the trees coming right down to high-water mark, the shores mostly flat, and the hill-tops standing round at a distance in a sort of amphitheatre, one here, one there.

Two little rivers, or, rather, two swamps, emptied out into this pond, as you might call it; and the foliage round that part of the shore had a kind of poisonous brightness. From the ship, we could see nothing of the house or stockade, for they were quite buried among trees; and if it had not been for the chart on the companion we might have been the first that had ever anchored there sin the island arose out of the seas.

There was not a breath of air moving, nor a sound but the of the surf booming half a mile away along the beaches a against the rocks outside.

A peculiar stagnant smell hung over the anchorage - a smell of sodden leaves and rotting tree trunks. I observed the doctor sniffing and sniffing, like someone tasting a bad egg.

`I don't know about treasure,' he said, `but I'll stake my wig there's fever here.'

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 冰山王爷PK红娘王妃

    冰山王爷PK红娘王妃

    没想到睡觉也能穿越,这对淘宝店主小菲来说真的是一件很无语的事情,不过姐要淡定,因为姐是谁,姐可是工作狂菲姐啊,杯具啊,穿越到古代当红娘,没想到啊,我第一南赵国媒婆也有吃瘪的时候,将军家女儿成亲前夕悔婚,额的神哦,“被备受打打击的冰山王爷居然动脑筋动到她身上了”,而且强词夺理的说这都是她的责任,,有没有搞错啊,都是他丫的责任,没事干嘛顶着一张冷冰冰的死人脸,那个将军家女儿也不会悔婚啊,悔婚就悔婚了,那个冰山王爷居然让他充数,说自己的面子都丢光了,让她做自己的新娘——冒牌王妃!
  • 淡定王爷傲娇妃

    淡定王爷傲娇妃

    一个反复纠缠着她的梦;一段刻骨铭心的爱恋;前世:他为了心爱的女人而死;她许下千年也要找到他再续前缘的宏愿;今生:他一次一次的在梦里深情的呼唤;而她转世为人,却忘记了这段欠下的情债;一场车祸,她穿越到了一个被架空的年代,变成了大将军的女儿,更是未来的八王妃。而她的夫君竟是她梦中的男子!!!话说,许下的承诺,欠下的债,他们能否再续千年情缘?且看俏皮王妃如何降服冷酷王爷。【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 你就是一朵百合花

    你就是一朵百合花

    《原创阅读文库:你就是一朵百合花》朴实无华、语言洗练、视角独特,展示了校同生活的种种现状,具有鲜明的校园原生态的特点。作者比较注重描写、对比等艺术手法的运用和细节的刻画与渲染,精心塑造了一个个血肉鲜活、个性鲜明、感人至深的人物形象。不少篇什所提出的问题发人深思,具有一定的思想深度和内涵。
  • 不可饶恕

    不可饶恕

    单纯没有心机的年轻快递员邂逅美丽、善良的女大学生,美艳动人的富家女情迷英俊的警界干探。两段美好的爱情却得不到祝福,隐藏在背后的杀机若隐若现。
  • 恋爱48小时

    恋爱48小时

    这是穿越小说,市委秘书长死而复生,他在阳间差48小时没有做好要做的事,因此向阎罗王请假48小时回来办好最后的事,可是在他办事过程中发生了什么事……原来,这是一个梦,因为他犯了神经病被送到仙台山疗养,结果发生了这种各式各样离奇的事……他为什么犯了神经病,他到底有病吗?小说前半部写鬼魂,后半部写现实,给人无限思索……这个故事说明不论什么时候,有多大本事也不可能完全符合个人意愿,还是有办不成的事,有未了心愿。
  • 贵族校草:恶魔少女的花美男

    贵族校草:恶魔少女的花美男

    远在美国的少女在父母多次威胁下不得不回国,同时一场复仇计划正式拉开帷幕。六年未见的叔叔带着儿子来少女家做客,表面是来看许久未见的少女,实际上主要原因是为了联姻。一般大企业靠联姻来获取更高的利益,但也有少数因为其他原因。原本以为两家能联姻,纯属因为父母之间的友谊外加一点双方利益,毕竟他们算不上强强联手。可最让少女没想到的是,是他和某些人早已设计好的阴谋。一次突如其来的意外,让少女产生怀疑。事情的真相逐渐浮出水面,面对种问题少女如何去解决?难道她真的只是暮雪集团千金这么简单的身份吗?神秘的紫发少女到底是何许人也?是敌还是友?
  • 魔法使的守护

    魔法使的守护

    在超级月亮来临之前,罗小夜只是个普通的女孩。安安稳稳地上学,安安稳稳地在家里的画廊帮忙,安安稳稳地欣赏着爷爷留下来的画。然而平凡的生活,却因为不慎滴落的一滴鲜血而完全改变了。罗小夜从来不知道,她的爷爷其实是个大魔法师。他留下的那些栩栩如生的画作,其实关着被他封印的精灵。而她从小到大深深仰慕着的画中人“黑之少年”是地狱中的恶魔。更令她惊诧的是,前来帮助她的天使穆特,竟然是天天在她门外晃悠的丑陋少年。自此,罗小夜的人生发生了彻底的变化,开始和奇幻的世界频繁交流,并因为机缘巧合再度放出恶魔。不过此时恶魔已经不再伤害她,反而做出让人不解的行动。而天使穆特,似乎也另有秘密……
  • 产后体形恢复有妙招

    产后体形恢复有妙招

    《产后体形恢复有妙招》向广大产妇提供了产后体形恢复的最新科学方法,包括有关体形恢复操、生理调节及面容调整等方面的内容,同时也对饮食营养及健康生活方式进行了科学指导。我们向广大产妇极力推荐《产后体形恢复有妙招》,因为《产后体形恢复有妙招》具有内容全面、系统、专业,贴近实际、贴近生活,实用性、可操作性强,用语精练、图文双解、版式活泼、形式多样、静动组合便于理解等显著的特点。只要产妇仔细阅读《产后体形恢复有妙招》,按照《产后体形恢复有妙招》的有关要求去安排日常生活,并能坚持下去,便可恢复当初的亮丽体形,做一个漂亮的妈妈。
  • 捡到个不乖儿子

    捡到个不乖儿子

    她明明只想要份工作却被小鬼认定她是妈咪?喂!人家那么年轻貌美、沉鱼落雁……你这臭小子居然叫我妈咪!?好啦,看你可怜,就勉为其难收做儿子吧!可是小鬼,拜托别再三番五次向我推销你老爸!虽然他很帅很多金,但他冷得让人牙齿都打颤啊!
  • 尾异

    尾异

    上官琦萱从小就有一个与众不同的尾巴,她不敢出门,甚至都不敢见人,怕别人笑话她。在她13岁时,她的父母离奇去世,而这个案件却证明了不只是她一个人有尾巴......