二十
西尔弗的使团
果然，栅栏外头正好有两个人，其中一个挥着块白布，另一个不是别人，正是西尔弗本人，正安然自得地站在一旁。
那时天色还早，要论我出过门的最冷早晨，这大概算一个——寒气直透骨髓。头顶天空清亮无云，树梢在阳光下泛着玫瑰色的光。可西尔弗和他那副手站着的地方，全都还罩在阴影里，两人正齐膝蹚着夜里从沼泽爬出来的低低白雾。寒气和雾气加在一处，叫这岛显得颇不妙。这显然是个潮湿、易生热病、有害健康的地方。
“待在屋里，弟兄们，”船长说，“十有八九是个诡计。”
随即他向那群海盗喊话。
“什么人？站住，不然我们开枪了。”
“白旗，”西尔弗喊道。
船长在门廊里，小心避着可能暗藏的冷枪。他转过身对我们说：“医生那班人警戒。李甫西医生请你守北面；吉姆，东面；格雷，西面。休班的人全都装填火枪。利索点，弟兄们，也仔细点。”
然后他又转向那些叛变者。
“你举着白旗想干什么？”他喊道。
这回是另一个人答话。
“西尔弗船长，先生，要上船来讲条件，”他高声喊。
“西尔弗船长！不认得。他是谁？”船长叫道。我们听得他还自言自语补了一句：“船长，嘿？我的天，这可是升官了！”
高个儿约翰自己答话了。“是我，先生。你弃船之后，这些可怜的小子推我做了船长，先生”——他特别把“弃船”两个字咬得重重的——“只要谈得拢，我们愿意归顺，绝无虚言。我只求你一句话，斯摩列特船长，放我平平安安走出这栅栏，并且在开枪前给我一分钟退出射程。”
“老兄，”斯摩列特船长说，“我一点都不想跟你谈。你要谈，尽管自己过来，就这么简单。若有什么诡诈，也在你那一边，愿上天保佑你。”
“够了，船长，”高个儿约翰快活地喊，“你一句话就够。我认得绅士，这点你尽可放心。”
我们看见那举白旗的想拉住西尔弗。这也难怪，船长答得那样傲慢。可西尔弗大声笑他，还拍他后背，仿佛惊慌这念头荒唐至极。接着他走向栅栏，扔过拐杖，一条腿跨上去，凭着力气巧劲，居然翻过木栅，安稳落到了另一边。
我得承认，我当时全神贯注看那边动静，根本不配当什么哨兵；其实我早已丢下东面的枪眼，蹭到船长背后。船长这会儿坐在门槛上，双肘支膝，双手捧头，眼睛盯着沙地里那只旧铁壶冒出的水泡。他正吹着“来吧，姑娘小伙们”。
西尔弗爬上小丘可费了大劲。坡陡，树桩密，沙又软，他和拐杖像逆风中的船一样寸步难行。可他闷声不响，硬撑着，终于到了船长面前，极潇洒地行了个礼。他穿上了最好的行头：一件巨大的蓝外套，密缀铜扣，长及膝盖；头往后仰，戴一顶镶花边的漂亮帽子。
“你来了，老兄，”船长抬头说，“你最好坐下。”
“你不让俺进里头，船长？”高个儿约翰抱怨，“这早上可真冷，先生，坐在外头沙地上受不了。”
“怎么，西尔弗，”船长说，“你要是乐意当个老实人，这会儿正坐在你伙房里。是你自个儿闹的。你要么是我船上的厨子——那你对得起你——要么就是西尔弗船长，个普通叛贼海盗，那你就去上吊！”
“好啦好啦，船长，”那海厨子应着，依言坐到沙地上，“你回头总得再拉我一把。你这地方可真够俏的。啊，吉姆也在！早啊，吉姆。医生，向您效劳。嚯，你们全在一块儿，跟个和睦人家似的，说得上是。”
“有话要说，老兄，就快说，”船长说。
“您说得对，斯摩列特船长，”西尔弗回道，“本分终归是本分。喏，您瞧，昨儿夜里你们那手玩得漂亮。我不否认，玩得漂亮。你们里手有几个使起短棍头来蛮利索。我也得认，我手下有人慌了——许是都慌了；许是我自个儿也慌了；许是就为这，我才来谈条件。可您记着，船长，这招儿下回不灵了，雷劈的！我们得加派哨，酒也得省着点。您当咱们全醉得东倒西歪？我告诉您，我清醒着；我只是累瘫了；我要再早醒一秒，准逮你们个正着。我摸到他跟前，他还没死呢，才不。”
“嗯？”斯摩列特船长极冷淡地说。
西尔弗说的他一句也摸不着头脑，可从语气里你绝看不出。至于我，倒有点明白了。本·甘恩最后那几句话回到我脑中。我猜是他趁那伙海盗围火醉倒时去探望了他们，便乐滋滋一算，咱们要对付的敌人只剩十四个。
“嗯，话在这儿，”西尔弗说，“我们要那笔财宝，也非要不可——这是我们的底！我猜你们也巴不得保命；那是你们的底。你们有张图，对吧？”
“那可说不准，”船长答。
“哦，得，你们有，我知道，”高个儿约翰回，“您跟人说话犯不着这么硬邦邦；一点用没有，您放心。我是说，我们要您的图。俺自个儿可没存心害过您。”
“少来这套，老兄，”船长打断，“你打的什么主意我们清楚得很，这会儿我们不在乎，因为你瞧，你办不到了。”
船长平静看他，动手填起烟斗。
“要是亚伯·格雷——”西尔弗冒出一句。
“住口！”斯摩列特先生喝道，“格雷什么也没告诉我，我也没问；再说，我宁可眼见你、他、这整座岛被炸飞进水里烧成灰，也先问这个。这便是我的意思，老兄，你听好。”
这阵小脾气似乎把西尔弗浇凉了。他先前渐生恼意，这会儿却稳住了神。
“也是，”他说，“绅士们觉得合礼不合礼，俺不多嘴。瞧您要抽烟，船长，那俺也叨个光。”
他填了烟斗点着；两人默然对抽了好一阵，时而相视，时而磕烟，时而俯身吐痰。看着真跟演戏一般。
“现在，”西尔弗接着说，“话在这儿。你给我们图去挖宝，别再射杀可怜水手、趁人睡时砸人脑袋。你依了，我们给你挑。要么等宝装上船，你跟我们上船，我凭荣誉向你担保，送你到个安全岸上。要么你嫌这个，我手下有些粗人，为从前挨鞭子记着仇，那你也成，留这儿。我们按人分你补给；我照前样担保，见着头艘船就喊来接你。这您得认，够交情。再俏不过了，您说是不是。我盼着”——他提高嗓门——“这木屋里个个都听清我的话，对一人说便是对全体说。”
斯摩列特船长起身，在左掌心磕净烟灰。
“就这些？”他问。
“一字不漏，雷劈的！”约翰答，“拒了，你除子弹外再见不着我。”
“很好，”船长说，“现在听我的。若你们一个个徒手上来，我担保把你们全铐了，带回英国公平审讯。若不，我名唤亚历山大·斯摩列特，已升起吾王旗号，定送你们全下海底。你们寻不着宝。你们开不动船——你们没一个够格开船。你们打不过我们——那边的格雷，从你们五个里脱了身。你船已锁住，西尔弗先生；你在下风岸，你自会明白。我站这儿明告你；这也是我最后的好话，因我以天之名，下次见你定在你背后送颗子弹。滚吧，小子。麻溜滚蛋，手脚并用，加倍快。”
西尔弗那张脸真叫精彩；眼珠子气得几乎迸出。他抖落烟斗里的火。
“拉我一把！”他喊。
“不，”船长回。
“谁拉老子一把？”他吼。
我们没一个动。他骂着最脏的毒誓，沿沙地爬去，够着门廊才借力撑上拐杖。随即他往泉里吐了口。
“呸！”他叫，“这就是老子看你们的。不出一个时辰，老子把你们这破木屋像酒桶般砸穿。笑啊，雷劈的，笑！不出一个时辰，你们笑到另一面去。死的那几个倒是走运。”
他狠狠咒了一句，踉跄离去，犁下沙坡，在举白旗那人帮衬下，试了四五回才翻过栅栏，转眼没入林中。
XX
Silver’s Embassy
Sure enough, there were two men just outside the stockade, one of them
waving a white cloth, the other, no less a person than Silver himself,
standing placidly by.
It was still quite early, and the coldest morning that I think I ever
was abroad in--a chill that pierced into the marrow. The sky was bright
and cloudless overhead, and the tops of the trees shone rosily in
the sun. But where Silver stood with his lieutenant, all was still in
shadow, and they waded knee-deep in a low white vapour that had crawled
during the night out of the morass. The chill and the vapour taken
together told a poor tale of the island. It was plainly a damp,
feverish, unhealthy spot.
“Keep indoors, men,” said the captain. “Ten to one this is a trick.”
Then he hailed the buccaneer.
“Who goes? Stand, or we fire.”
“Flag of truce,” cried Silver.
The captain was in the porch, keeping himself carefully out of the way
of a treacherous shot, should any be intended. He turned and spoke to
us, “Doctor’s watch on the lookout. Dr. Livesey take the north side,
if you please; Jim, the east; Gray, west. The watch below, all hands to
load muskets. Lively, men, and careful.”
And then he turned again to the mutineers.
“And what do you want with your flag of truce?” he cried.
This time it was the other man who replied.
“Cap’n Silver, sir, to come on board and make terms,” he shouted.
“Cap’n Silver! Don’t know him. Who’s he?” cried the captain. And we
could hear him adding to himself, “Cap’n, is it? My heart, and here’s
promotion!”
Long John answered for himself. “Me, sir. These poor lads have chosen me
cap’n, after your desertion, sir”--laying a particular emphasis upon the
word “desertion.” “We’re willing to submit, if we can come to terms,
and no bones about it. All I ask is your word, Cap’n Smollett, to let me
safe and sound out of this here stockade, and one minute to get out o’
shot before a gun is fired.”
“My man,” said Captain Smollett, “I have not the slightest desire to
talk to you. If you wish to talk to me, you can come, that’s all. If
there’s any treachery, it’ll be on your side, and the Lord help you.”
“That’s enough, Cap’n,” shouted Long John cheerily. “A word from you’s
enough. I know a gentleman, and you may lay to that.”
We could see the man who carried the flag of truce attempting to hold
Silver back. Nor was that wonderful, seeing how cavalier had been the
captain’s answer. But Silver laughed at him aloud and slapped him on the
back as if the idea of alarm had been absurd. Then he advanced to the
stockade, threw over his crutch, got a leg up, and with great vigour
and skill succeeded in surmounting the fence and dropping safely to the
other side.
I will confess that I was far too much taken up with what was going on
to be of the slightest use as sentry; indeed, I had already deserted
my eastern loophole and crept up behind the captain, who had now seated
himself on the threshold, with his elbows on his knees, his head in his
hands, and his eyes fixed on the water as it bubbled out of the old iron
kettle in the sand. He was whistling “Come, Lasses and Lads.”
