Latest / Thrilling Adventures - Daily / 11 - Kidnapped - Robert Louis Stevenson

Transcript

11 - Kidnapped - Robert Louis Stevenson · Thrilling Adventures - Daily

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter eleven. The captain knuckles under Alan and I sat
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: down to breakfast about six of the clock. The floor
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: was covered with broken glass and in a horrid mess
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: of blood, which took away my hunger. In all other ways,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: we were in a situation not only agreeable but merry,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: having ousted the officers from their own cabin, and having
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: at command all the drink in the ship, both wine
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: and spirits, and all the dainty part of what was eatable,
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: such as the pickles and the fine sort of bread.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: This of itself was enough to set us in good humor.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: But the richest part of it was this that the
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: two thirstiest men that ever came out of Scotland, mister
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Chuan being dead, were now shut in the fore part
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: of the ship and condemned to what they hated, most
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: cold water, and depend upon it. Alan said, we shall
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: hear more of them ere long. You may keep a
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: man from the fighting, but never from his bottle. We
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: made good company for each other. Alan indeed expressed himself
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: most lovingly, and taking a knife from the table, cut
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: me off one of the silver buttons from his coat.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: I had them, says he from my father Duncan Stewart,
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: and now I'll give you one of them to be
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: a keepsake for last night's work. And wherever you go
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: and show that button, the friends of alan Breck will
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: come around you. He said this as if he had
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: been Charlemagne and commanded armies. And indeed, much as I
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: admired his courage, I was always in danger of smiling
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: at his vanity. In danger, I say, for had I
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: not kept my countenance, I would be afraid to think
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: what a quarrel might have followed. As soon as we
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: were through with our meal, he rummaged in the captain's
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: locker till he found a clothes brush, and then, taking
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: off his coat, began to visit his suit and brush
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: away the stains with such care and labor as I
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: supposed to have been only usual with women. To be sure,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: he had no other. And besides, as he said, it
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: belonged to a king, and so behooved to be royally
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: looked after. For all that, when I saw what care
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: he took to pluck out the threads where the button
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: had been cut away, I put a higher value on
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: his gift. He was still so engaged when we were
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: hailed by mister Riach from the deck, asking for a parley,
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: and I, climbing through the skylight and sitting on the
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: edge of it, pistol in hand, and with a bold front,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: though inwardly in fear of broken glass, hailed him back
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: again and bade him speak out. He came to the
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: edge of the round house and stood on a coil
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: of rope, so that his chin was on a level
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: with a roof. And we looked at each other a
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: while in silence, mister Riach, as I do not think
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: he had been very forward in the battle, so he
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: had got off with nothing worse than a blow upon
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: the cheek. But he looked out of heart and very weary,
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: having been all night afoot, either standing watch or doctoring
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: the wounded. This is a bad job, said he at last,
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: shaking his head. It was none of our choosing, said I, Eh,
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: Captain says he would like to speak with your friend.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: They might speak at the window. And how do we
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: know what treachery he means? Cried I, he means none,
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: David returned mister Riach, And if he did, I'll tell
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: you the honest truth. We couldn't get the men to follow.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: Is that so? Said I? I'll tell you more than that,
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: said he. It's not only the men, it's me. I'm
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: fritchened davy, and he smiled across at me. No, he continued,
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: what we want is to be shut of him. Thereupon
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: I consulted with Alan, and the parley was agreed to,
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: and parole given upon either side. But this was not
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: the whole of mister Riach's business, and he now begged
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: me for a dram with such instancy and such reminders
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: of his former kindness, that at last I handed him
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: a paniquin with about half a gill of brandy. He
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: drank apart, and then carried the rest down upon the
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: deck to share it, I suppose, with his superior. A
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: little after the captain came as was agreed to one
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: of the windows, and stood there in the rain, with
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: his arm in a sling, and looking stern and pale
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: and so old that my heart smote me for having
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: fired upon him. Alan at once held a pistol in
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: his face. Put that thing up, said the captain. Have
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: I not passed my words, sir? Or do you seek
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: to affront me? Captain? Says Allan, I doubt your word
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: is a breakable last night you haggled and argo bargled
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: like an apple wife, and then pessed me your word
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: and gave me your hand to back it. And you
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: can very well what was the upshot? Be damned to
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: your word, says he. Well well, sir, said the captain.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: You'll get little good by swearing, And truly that was
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: a fault of which the captain was quite free. But
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: we have other things to speak, he continued bitterly. You've
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: made a sore hash of my brig. I haven't hands
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: enough left to work her, and my first officer, whom
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: I could ill spare, has got your swords throughout his
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: vitals and passed without speech. There is nothing left me, sir,
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: but to put back into the port of Glasgow after hands,
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: and there by your leave. You shall find them that
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: are better able to talk to you, I said Alan,
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: and faith I'll have a talk with them myself. Unless
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: there's nobody speaks English in that town. I have a
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: bunny take for them. Fifteen Tari sailors upon the one side,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: and a man and a halfling boy upon the other.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: Oh man, it's pitiful hose season flushed red. No, continued Alan,
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: that'll no do. You'll just have to set me ashore
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: as we agreed, aye, said hose season. But my first
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: officer is dead, ye ken best how there's none of
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: the rest of us acquainted with this coast, sir, and
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: it's one very dangerous to ships. I give ye yer choice,
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: says Alan. Set me on dry ground in Appen or Ardgour,
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: or in Morvin or Erseg or Morar, or in brief
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: where you please, within thirty miles of my own country,
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: except in a country of the Campbell's. That's a broad target.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: If you miss that, you must be as feckless at
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: the sailoring as I have found ye at the fighting.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: Why my poor country people in their bit cobbles passed
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: from island Toland in all weathers I am by night too.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: For the matter of that, a cobble's not a ship, sir,
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: said the captain. It is no draft of water. Well,
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: then to Glasgow, if you list, says Allan, we'll have
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: the laugh of y at the least. My mind runs
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: little upon laughing, said the captain. But all this will
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: cost money, sir. Well, sir, says Allan, I am no
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: weather cock thirty guineas if you'll lad me on the
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: sea side, and sixty if you put me into lineylock.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: But see, sir, where we lie. We are but a
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: few hours sail from Arden. American says, O, season, give
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: me sixty and I'll set you there, and I'm to
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: wear my brogues and run jeopardy of the redcoats to
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: please you, cries Allan. No, sir, if you want sixty guineas,
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: earn them and set me in my own country. It's
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: to risk the brig, sir, said the captain, and your
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: own lives along with her. Take it or want it,
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: says Allan. Could ye pilot us at all? Asked the captain,
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: who was frowning to himself. Well, it's doubtful, said Allan.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: I'm more of a fighting man, as ye've seen for yourself,
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: than a sailor man. But I have been often enough
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: picked up and set down upon this coast, and should
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: ken somethin o the lie of it? The captain shook
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: his head, still frowning. If I had lost less money
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: on this unchancy cruise, says he, I would see you
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: in a rope's end before I risked my brig, sir.
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: But be it as you will, as soon as I
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: get a slant, O wind, an't there some coming, or
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: I'm the more mistaken. I'll put it in hand. But
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: there's one thing more. We may meet in with the
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: King's ship, and she may lay us aboard, Sir, with
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: no blame of mine. They keep the cruisers thick upon
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: this coast, Ye ken who four? Now, Sir, if that
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: was to befall, ye might leave the money, Captain says Allan.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: If ye see a pennant, it shall be your part
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: to run away. And now, as I hear you are
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: little short of brandy in the forepart, I'll offer ye
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: a change a bottle of brandy against two buckets of water.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: That was the last clause of the treaty, and was
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: duly executed on both sides, so that Alan and I
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: could at last wash out the round house and be
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: quit of the memorials of those whom we had slain,
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: and the Captain and mister Rioch could be happy again
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: in their own way, the name of which was drink.
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: End of chapter