Latest / Prisoner of Morro / 25 - Prisoner of Morro by Upton Sinclair

Transcript

25 - Prisoner of Morro by Upton Sinclair · Prisoner of Morro

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Tom Weiss, chapter twenty five. In the name of humanity
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: and the sailors of the main. They must have followed
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: the courier in spite of his cleverness, exclaimed Cliff. And
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: if they have tracked him, they know where we are.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: The question is shall we meet them here or take
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: to the boat and run the risk of being shot
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: down without a chance to defend ourselves. The danger is
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: yours as well as mine. What do you say? But
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: before the men could reply, a rousing cheer from the
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Spanish soldiers rang out upon the air. The little band
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: of Americans expected to see the forms of their enemies
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: appear among the trees at every second in an impetuous
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: charge upon them. They had no doubt that the cheers
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: were the signal for the attack, But to their amazement,
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: the sounds of approaching steps died out. Cliff's practiced ear
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: told him that the enemy had halted, But at the
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: same time he recognized marks of enthusiasm among the Spanish forces.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: What could it mean They think they can scare us
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: off by yelling at us, exclaimed Cliff contemptuously. They don't
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: know us if they think so, That's all The group
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: of Americans listened intently. There was no doubt of it.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: The Spaniards has halted. After their vociferous cheers, Cliff decided
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: to find out what it meant. If the Spaniards were
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: preparing a surprise for him, he intended finding it out. Cautiously.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: He climbed upon the little rampart of earth and looked
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: away beyond the trees where he had first seen the
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: approach of the enemy. In the moonlight, he could plainly
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: distinguish the forms of the soldiers. There were not as
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: many as he had first supposed. They numbered not more
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: than fifty. In the midst of them, he recognized the
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: figure that explained the cause of their mysterious conduct, and
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: at the same time aroused his fighting instinct. He quickly
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: rejoined his companions, his eyes ablaze with the fire of combat.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: They have captured the courier, he explained to his waiting companions.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: That was why they cheered so lustily. A lot of
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: jubilation over the capture of one man. They don't have
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: such good luck very often, exclaimed one of the men.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: They fired enough shots to repulse a whole regiment of insurgents,
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: exclaimed Cliff, But it was all for the benefit of
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: this one. MAMBIZI. I don't believe they saw me at all,
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: but that bullet through my cap was one of their
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: stray shots. But they must know we are here, exclaimed
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: the men. I doubt it, replied Cliff. Else, why do
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: they halt so near and not charge on us? Shall
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: we force the fight and go to the rescue of
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: our Cuban friend. How many are there of them, asked
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: one of the men. Only about fifty, and there are
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: eleven of us here. We can set them on the run.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Let's do it. We have done almost as much on
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: other occasions, said Cliff. But now we are armed with
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: only our revolvers. They are five to one. We have
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: plenty of ammunitions, spoke up the men eagerly. You know
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: we took an extra supply. But there is another thing
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: we must mind, said Cliff, who had been doing some
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: quick thinking. I'd like nothing better than to give them
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: a lively tussle. But here are these important dispatches. They
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: must not fall into Spanish hands. The New York will
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: soon be due. If we delay, we might miss her.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: That's so, exclaimed the men. But we can fire one
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: volley at them anyhow, One volley would do no good.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: It would simply betray our presence. Either we must fight
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: to the end, or else sneak off to our boat
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: before they discover us. The idea of having a lot
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: of the enemy so near at hand and not offering
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: them battle went against the grain of all of them.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: They were not deterred by the superior numbers of the Staniards,
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: but Cliff's words about the importance of seeing the dispatches
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: safely in the rear Admiral's hand had some restraining effect
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: upon their ardor. Cliff, with all his bravery, was naturally prudent,
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: but was strongly tempted to make one effort to release
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: the captive Cuban. He was there and an ally, and
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: in his heart, Cliff felt that if the captive were
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: one of his own men, there would be no thought
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: of hesitancy or delay. One minute, he said, after weighing
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: both sides of the equation, I'll take a look and
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: see what they are doing. He sprang upon the embankment
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: and peered off toward the enemy. The main body of
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: the troops were resting on their arms, apparently satisfied with
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: the capture of the solitary Cuban. Cliff, however, could see
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: that several of the soldiers were moving about from side
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: to side, close to the ground, as though hunting for
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: some object among the grass. Cliff was puzzled to think
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: what they could be seeing, but he felt convinced that
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: the Spaniards had no idea of the near proximity of
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: the Americans. Everything seemed to prove that, and Cliff was
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: not slow to make up his mind. There was time
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: yet for some quick action. They don't know we are
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: here men, he exclaimed, when he rejoined the others. The
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: Cuban will not betray us. We can surprise them, and
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: if we can and sweep down on them with a
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: rush and create noisy enough about it, we can make
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: them think the whole ship's crew is after them, We'll
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: do it. Chorused the men eagerly then forward to the rescue,
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: cried Cliff, leading the way but quietly through these trees
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: until we reached the other side. It would seem a
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: foolhardy thing to do to invite battle with such an
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: overwhelming force, when they might quietly reach their boat and
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: make away without detection. But their blood was up, and
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: there was a friend and ally in peril of a
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Spanish dungeon or death. Without a moment's hesitation or further thought,
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: they advanced silently through the sparse woods, revolvers in hand.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: They were few in numbers, but determination was written on
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: every face. They reached the further edge of the clump
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: of trees without giving a sound that would betray their
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: presence to the enemy. Here they formed in line under
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Cliff's leadership, shouldered to shoulder, ready for the charge. The
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: moon had gone behind a cloud, but here and there
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: they could detect the glistening of a hostile bayonet and
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: the sound of Spanish voices. They did not pause to
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: contemplate the scene. The time for action had come. The
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: stars are fighting with us, exclaimed Cliff. The Spaniards will
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: never know how few we are in this darkness. Now
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: all together a rousing cheer, and at them. At the signal,
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: a shout as of a hundred voices startled the unsuspecting Spaniards.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: Fire cried Cliff, and a volley from their revolvers carried
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: consternation into the Spanish ranks. The shots had told, groans
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: of the wounded mingled with the hoarse startled commands of
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: the officers. A moment later, a return bolley rang out
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: upon the ear, but the bullets flew harmlessly among the trees.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: The Spaniards, in their fright, were firing wildly. The Americans
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: returned the fire and kept it up as rapidly as possible,
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: yelling for all they were worth. This noisy charge had
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: the effect Cliff had reckoned upon. The Spaniards were thoroughly frightened,
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: and Cliff's sharp ear told him that some of the
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: soldiers were already on the run, and that the officers
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: had difficulty in keeping them all from retreating. Cliff knew
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: very well that if the enemy had any idea of
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: how meager were his forces, they would be bolder, and,
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: instead of trying to get away, would sweep down upon
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: him with overwhelming force. He, however, was too shrewd to
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: give them a chance of finding that out. A bold
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: dash would keep up his bluff, and now was the
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: time to put it into execution. Drawing his sword, he
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: started toward them, shouting at the top of his voice,
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: up and at him boys, he roared charge. Then facing
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: about for an instant, he added, in a lower tone,
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: yelled like sixty with a wild shout the little man
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: rushed forward, firing their revolvers as they advanced in compact line.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: This old dash had the desired effect. The enemy could
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: be heard retreating in disorder before them. With redoubled clamor,
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: the Americans pressed forward, spurred on by the ear excitement
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: of the chase. The moon at this point emerged from
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: its retirement and showed them the demoralized ranks of the
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: fleeing Spaniards. But unfortunately it also showed to such of
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: the enemy as looked back at their pursuers, what a
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: handful of men had caused such terror and habot. Cliff
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: felt that his bluff would now be called. But the
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: beams of the moon also showed another scene that aroused
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: all the Americans indignation and fairly made their blood boil
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: with rage. In spite of the panic, the Spaniards had
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: retained hold of their prisoner. But the first sight that
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: Cliff saw as the moon shone out clear once more,
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: was one of the Spanish soldiers deliberately placing his revolver
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: against the unfortunate cuban's head and sent a bullet crashing
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: into his brain. Treachery base treachery, cried Cliff, beside himself
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: with indignation and horror at the scene assassination of a
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: prisoner of war boys? Shall we allow such a vile
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: deeds go unavenged? The others had also seen, and there
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: was no need to ask the question, but the answer
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: King prompt and without a descending voice, No, by thunder
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: never then add them to the death, cried Cliff, leading
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: them on in the name of humanity and the sailors
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: of the main. The blood curdling atrocity had made demons
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: of them all, and with a horse shout they sprang
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: to the charge. End of chapter twenty five. Recording by
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: Tom Weiss Tom's audiobooks dot Com.