XIX
吉姆·霍金斯继续讲述：木寨里的守军
本·冈恩一看见那面旗，就停下了脚步，一把拉住我的胳膊，坐了下来。
“瞧，”他说，“那准是你的朋友们。”
“更可能是那帮叛徒。”我答道。
“那个！”他叫道，“嗨，在这种地方，除了碰运气的先生们，谁也不会靠岸，西尔弗准会挂上骷髅旗，这你不用怀疑。不，那是你的朋友们。刚才还打过仗呢，我猜你的朋友们占了上风；他们上了岸，待在老木寨里，那是弗林特好多年好多年以前修的。啊，弗林特可是个有头脑的人物！除了朗姆酒，谁也比不上他。他谁也不怕，就是不怕；只有西尔弗——西尔弗倒是够体面。”
“好吧，”我说，“也许是这么回事，那就更该如此；我更得赶紧去投奔朋友们了。”
“别急，伙计，”本回道，“你不行。你是个好孩子，要不就是我看错了；可你终归只是个孩子。本·冈恩可精明着呢。朗姆酒也休想把我引到你正要去的地方——朗姆酒不行，除非我见到你那位天生的绅士，亲耳听他拿名誉担保。你别忘了我的话：‘好大一番信任（你就这么说），好大一番信任’——然后掐他一下。”
他第三次掐我，那副机灵样儿跟前两次一模一样。
“等要用本·冈恩的时候，吉姆，你知道上哪儿找他。就你今天找到他的地方。来的人手里得拿件白东西，而且得一个人来。哦！你还得这么说：‘本·冈恩，’你就说，‘有他自己的道理。’”
“嗯，”我说，“我大概明白了。你有些提议，想见乡绅或医生，而且你待在我找到你的地方。就这些？”
“还有‘什么时候？’你就问，”他补了一句，“唔，从正午观测到大约六钟点之间。”
“好，”我说，“那我现在能走了吗？”
“你不会忘吧？”他焦急地问，“好大一番信任，还有他自己的道理，你就这么说。他自己的道理；这是顶要紧的；咱们男人之间嘛。那么，”——他还拉着我不放——“我想你可以走了，吉姆。还有，吉姆，要是你见了西尔弗，你总不会出卖本·冈恩吧？套上野马也拖不出你嘴里的字？不会，你说。要是那些海盗在岸上扎营，吉姆，明早还不全成了寡妇？”
正说着，一声巨响打断了他，一颗炮弹穿过树林，落在离我们说话处不到一百码的沙地上。紧接着，我俩各自朝不同方向撒腿就跑。
接下来足有一个钟头，岛上炮声频频，林木间不断有炮弹呼啸炸开。我从一个藏身处挪到另一个藏身处，总觉得那些吓人的弹丸在追着我。不过炮轰快结束时，虽然我还不敢往落弹最密的木寨方向去，却已多少重新鼓起了胆子，绕了一大圈向东，溜到岸边树林里趴下。
太阳刚落，海风在林间沙沙作响、翻腾起伏，也吹皱了锚地灰蒙蒙的水面；潮水退得老远，大片沙地露了出来；白天的热气散去后，凉意透夹克直往我身上钻。
“伊斯帕尼奥拉”号仍停在原锚位；但没错，桅杆尖上飘着的正是骷髅旗——海盗的黑旗。我正望着，又一道红光闪过，一声炮响震得回声四散，再一颗圆弹呼啸而过。那是炮击的最后一发。
我躺了一阵，看袭击后那片忙乱。木寨旁海滩上，有人正用斧头拆着什么——后来才知道是那可怜的快艇。远处近河口，林间一堆大火熊熊；那点和船之间，一只小艇来回穿梭，我先前见着垂头丧气的人，这会儿像孩子似的划着桨喊叫。但他们嗓音里透着朗姆酒味。
终于，我想可以回木寨了。我正位于围住东面锚地的低沙嘴很靠下的地方，退半潮时与骷髅岛相连；这会儿起身，见沙嘴再往下些、低灌木丛中冒出一块孤零零的岩石，颇高，颜色特别白。我琢磨这许是本·冈恩说的白岩，日后若要用船，我便知上哪儿找。
随后我贴着林子走，绕到木寨背后、靠海的一面，很快受到忠心伙伴们的热烈欢迎。
我很快讲完经历，开始打量四周。木屋是用没削方的松树干搭的——屋顶、墙、地板都是。地板好几处高出沙面一尺到一尺半。门口有门廊，廊下小泉涌进一个怪模怪样的石臼似的水池——不外乎一只大铁船锅，敲掉底，按船长的话说“坐进沙里”了。
屋里除骨架外没剩什么，只一角铺了块石板当炉床，摆个生锈旧铁筐盛火。
建屋时把圆丘坡上和寨里树木砍光了，看树桩便知毁了片多高多好的林子。树一移走，大多泥土被冲走或埋进浮沙；唯泉从锅边流下处，厚厚一层青苔、几丛蕨和爬地小灌木还在沙里泛绿。寨子紧挨的林子——他们说太近不好防守——仍高密繁茂，陆地侧全是冷杉，朝海处却掺了不少活栎。
我提过的冷晚风，吹透粗陋屋子的每道缝，把细沙不断洒落一地。沙在眼里、牙里、晚饭里，沙在锅底泉里跳，活像开锅的麦片粥。烟囱是屋顶一方洞；只一小股烟出去，其余在屋里打转，呛得我们咳个不停、泪眼汪汪。
外加新来的格雷脸上绑着绷带，那是脱离叛徒时砍的伤；可怜的老汤姆·雷德鲁斯还没埋，直挺挺僵在墙边，盖着联合旗。
若由着我们闲坐，准全闷出病来，可斯莫利特船长不是那种人。他把大伙叫到跟前，分了班。医生、格雷和我一班；乡绅、亨特、乔伊斯另一班。虽都累，仍派两人去砍柴；两人去挖雷德鲁斯的坟；医生当厨子；我守在门口哨位；船长自个儿走来走去，给我们打气，哪儿要帮忙就搭把手。
医生不时到门口透口气、歇歇快熏瞎的眼，每次都跟我说两句。
“斯莫利特这人，”有一次他说，“比我强。我这么说，分量可不轻，吉姆。”
另一次他来，沉默半晌，歪头看我。
“这本能·冈恩算个人吗？”他问。
“不知道，先生，”我说，“不大确定他神智清不清。”
“要是有疑问，那他就是，”医生回道，“吉姆，一个在荒岛啃了三年指甲的人，指望他像你我都清醒，那不可能。人性办不到。你说他馋的是奶酪？”
“对，先生，奶酪。”我答。
“喏，吉姆，”他说，“瞧挑食好处来了吧。你见过我的鼻烟盒，对不？你从没见我闻，因我盒里装了块帕尔马奶酪——意大利产的，很养人。那正是给本·冈恩的！”
晚饭前我们把老汤姆埋沙里，光着头在风里站了会儿。柴砍了不少，仍不合船长心意，他摇头说“明天得再麻利些弄回来”。吃过猪肉、各灌一大杯白兰地掺水，三位头儿聚角里商量前途。
看来他们也没辙，补给太少，援兵到前早饿得投降了。但最好指望是把海盗杀到降旗或开“伊斯帕尼奥拉”跑。十九人已减到十五，另俩伤，至少一枪边那个重伤或死。每次能打就打，但万分保自己命。此外还有俩能帮手——朗姆酒和气候。
头一个，虽隔半英里，夜深还听他们吼叫唱歌；第二个，医生拿假发打赌，扎那沼泽又没药，不出一周倒一半。
“所以，”他补道，“只要咱没先被扫光，他们准乐意开船溜。总归是船，又能去当海盗，我想。”
“我头回丢船。”斯莫利特船长说。
我累瘫了，如你想；折腾半天才睡，睡得死沉。
其余早起、吃完早饭、柴堆又添近半，我才被喧闹和人声吵醒。
“休战旗！”听人说；随即一声惊呼，“西尔弗亲自来！”
我一下跳起，揉眼跑到墙缝前。
XIX
Narrative Resumed by Jim Hawkins: The Garrison in the Stockade
As soon as Ben Gunn saw the colours he came to a halt, stopped me by the
arm, and sat down.
“Now,” said he, “there’s your friends, sure enough.”
“Far more likely it’s the mutineers,” I answered.
“That!” he cried. “Why, in a place like this, where nobody puts in but
gen’lemen of fortune, Silver would fly the Jolly Roger, you don’t make
no doubt of that. No, that’s your friends. There’s been blows too, and I
reckon your friends has had the best of it; and here they are ashore in
the old stockade, as was made years and years ago by Flint. Ah, he was
the man to have a headpiece, was Flint! Barring rum, his match were
never seen. He were afraid of none, not he; on’y Silver--Silver was that
genteel.”
“Well,” said I, “that may be so, and so be it; all the more reason that
I should hurry on and join my friends.”
“Nay, mate,” returned Ben, “not you. You’re a good boy, or I’m mistook;
but you’re on’y a boy, all told. Now, Ben Gunn is fly. Rum wouldn’t
bring me there, where you’re going--not rum wouldn’t, till I see your
born gen’leman and gets it on his word of honour. And you won’t forget
my words; ‘A precious sight (that’s what you’ll say), a precious sight
more confidence’--and then nips him.”
And he pinched me the third time with the same air of cleverness.
“And when Ben Gunn is wanted, you know where to find him, Jim. Just
wheer you found him today. And him that comes is to have a white thing
in his hand, and he’s to come alone. Oh! And you’ll say this: ‘Ben
Gunn,’ says you, ‘has reasons of his own.’”
“Well,” said I, “I believe I understand. You have something to propose,
and you wish to see the squire or the doctor, and you’re to be found
where I found you. Is that all?”
“And when? says you,” he added. “Why, from about noon observation to
about six bells.”
“Good,” said I, “and now may I go?”
“You won’t forget?” he inquired anxiously. “Precious sight, and reasons
of his own, says you. Reasons of his own; that’s the mainstay; as
between man and man. Well, then”--still holding me--“I reckon you can
go, Jim. And, Jim, if you was to see Silver, you wouldn’t go for to sell
Ben Gunn? Wild horses wouldn’t draw it from you? No, says you. And if
them pirates camp ashore, Jim, what would you say but there’d be widders
in the morning?”
Here he was interrupted by a loud report, and a cannonball came tearing
through the trees and pitched in the sand not a hundred yards from where
we two were talking. The next moment each of us had taken to his heels
in a different direction.
For a good hour to come frequent reports shook the island, and
balls kept crashing through the woods. I moved from hiding-place to
hiding-place, always pursued, or so it seemed to me, by these terrifying
missiles. But towards the end of the bombardment, though still I durst
not venture in the direction of the stockade, where the balls fell
oftenest, I had begun, in a manner, to pluck up my heart again, and
after a long detour to the east, crept down among the shore-side trees.
