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10 - Kidnapped - Robert Louis Stevenson · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter ten, the siege of the round House. But now
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: our time of truce was come to an end. Those
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: on deck had waited for my coming till they grew
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  Speaker 1: impatient and scarce. Had Allan spoken when the captain showed
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  Speaker 1: face in the open door, stand cried Alan and pointed
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  Speaker 1: his sword at him. The captain stood indeed, but he
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  Speaker 1: neither winced nor drew back a foot. A naked sword,
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  Speaker 1: said he. This is a strange return for hospitality. D
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  Speaker 1: Ye see me, said Allan. I am come of kings.
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  Speaker 1: I bear a king's name. My badge is the oak.
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  Speaker 1: Do you see my sword? It has slashed the heads
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  Speaker 1: off Mr Wigamores than you have toes upon your feet,
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  Speaker 1: call up your vermin to your back, sir, and fall
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  Speaker 1: on the sooner the clash begins, A sooner you'll taste
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  Speaker 1: this steel through your vitals. The captain said nothing to Allan,
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  Speaker 1: but he looked over at me with an ugly look.
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  Speaker 1: David said he I'll mind this, and the sound of
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  Speaker 1: his voice went through me with a jar. Next moment
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  Speaker 1: he was gone, and now said Alan, Let your hand
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  Speaker 1: keep your head, for the grip is coming. Alan drew
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  Speaker 1: a dirk, which he held in his left hand, in
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  Speaker 1: case they should run in under his sword. I, on
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  Speaker 1: my part, clambered up into the berth with an armful
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  Speaker 1: of pistols and something of a heavy heart, and set
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  Speaker 1: open the window where I was to watch. It was
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  Speaker 1: a small part of the deck that I could overlook,
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  Speaker 1: but enough for our purpose. The sea had gone down,
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  Speaker 1: and the wind was steady and kept the sails quiet,
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  Speaker 1: so that there was a great stillness in the ship,
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  Speaker 1: in which I made sure. I heard the sound of
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  Speaker 1: muttering voices a little after, and there came a clash
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  Speaker 1: of steel upon the deck, by which I knew they
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  Speaker 1: were dealing out the cutlasses, and one had been let fall.
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  Speaker 1: After that silence again, I do not know if I
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  Speaker 1: was what you call afraid, but my heart beat like
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  Speaker 1: a bird's, both quick and little, and there was a
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  Speaker 1: dimness come before my eyes, which I continually rubbed away,
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  Speaker 1: and which continually returned. As for hope, I had none,
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  Speaker 1: but only a darkness of despair, and a sort of
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  Speaker 1: anger against all the world that may be long to
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  Speaker 1: sell my life. As dear as I was able, I
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  Speaker 1: tried to pray, I remember, but that same hurry of
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  Speaker 1: my mind, like a man running, would not suffer me
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  Speaker 1: to think upon the words, and my chief wish was
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  Speaker 1: to have the thing begin and be done with it.
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  Speaker 1: It came all of a sudden when it did, with
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  Speaker 1: a rush of feet and a roar, and then a
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  Speaker 1: shout from Alan, and a sound of blows, and someone
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  Speaker 1: crying out as if hurt. I looked back over my
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  Speaker 1: shoulder and saw mister Chuan in the doorway, crossing blades
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  Speaker 1: with Alan. That's him that killed the boy, I cried,
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  Speaker 1: Look to your window, said Alan, and as I turned
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  Speaker 1: back to my place, I saw him pass his sword
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  Speaker 1: through the mate's body. It was none too soon for
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  Speaker 1: me to look to my own part, for my head
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  Speaker 1: was scarce back at the window before five men carrying
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  Speaker 1: a spare yard for a battering ram, ran past me
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  Speaker 1: and took post to drive the door in. I had
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  Speaker 1: never fired with a pistol in my life, and not
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  Speaker 1: often with a gun, far less against the fellow creature.
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  Speaker 1: But it was now or never, and just as they
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  Speaker 1: swang the yard, I cried out, take that, and shot
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  Speaker 1: into their midst. I must have hit one of them,
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  Speaker 1: for he sang out and gave back a step, and
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: the rest stopped as if a little disconcerted. Before they
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  Speaker 1: had time to recover, I sent another ball over their heads,
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  Speaker 1: and at my third shot, which went as wide as
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  Speaker 1: the second, the whole party threw down the yard and
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  Speaker 1: ran for it. Then I looked round again into the
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  Speaker 1: deck house. The whole place was full of the smoke
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  Speaker 1: of my own firing, just as my ears seemed to
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  Speaker 1: be burst with the noise of the shots. But there
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  Speaker 1: was Alan standing as before, only now his sword was
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  Speaker 1: running blood to the hilt, and himself so swelled with
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  Speaker 1: triumph and fallen into so fine an attitude that he
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  Speaker 1: looked to be invincible. Right before him, on the floor
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  Speaker 1: was mister Chuan, on his hands and knees. The blood
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  Speaker 1: was pouring from his mouth, and he was sinking slowly
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  Speaker 1: lower with a terrible white face. And just as I looked,
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  Speaker 1: some of those from behind caught hold of him by
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  Speaker 1: the heels and dragged him bodily out of the round house.
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  Speaker 1: I believe he died as they were doing it. There's
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  Speaker 1: one of your wigs for you, cried Alan, and then
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  Speaker 1: turning to me, he asked if I had done much execution.
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  Speaker 1: I told him I had winged one and thought it
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  Speaker 1: was the captain, and I have settled too, says he. No,
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  Speaker 1: there's not enough blood. Let then'll be back again. Do
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  Speaker 1: you watch, David. This was but a dram before meat.
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  Speaker 1: I settled back to my place, recharging the three pistols
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  Speaker 1: I had fired, and keeping watch with with both eye
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  Speaker 1: and ear. Our enemies were disputing, not far off upon
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  Speaker 1: the deck, and that so loudly that I could hear
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  Speaker 1: a word or two above the washing of the seas.
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  Speaker 1: It was shoe unbackled, I heard one say, and another
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  Speaker 1: one answered him with a hushed man, he's paid the piper.
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  Speaker 1: And after that the voices fell again into the same
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  Speaker 1: muttering as before, only now one person spoke most of
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  Speaker 1: the time, as though laying down a plan. At first
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  Speaker 1: one and then another answered him briefly, like men taking orders.
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  Speaker 1: By this, I made sure they were coming on again
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  Speaker 1: and told Alan, it's what we have to pray for,
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  Speaker 1: said he, unless we can give them a good distaste
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  Speaker 1: of us and done with it. They've been asleep for
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  Speaker 1: either you or me, But this time, mind, they'll be
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  Speaker 1: in earnest. By this my pistols were ready, and there
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  Speaker 1: was nothing to do but listen and wait while the
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  Speaker 1: brush lasted. I had not the time to think if
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  Speaker 1: I was frighted. But now, when all was still again,
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  Speaker 1: my mind ran upon nothing else. The thought of the
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  Speaker 1: sharp swords and the cold steel was strong in me.
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  Speaker 1: And presently, when I began to hear stealthy steps and
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  Speaker 1: a brushing of men's clothes against the round house wall,
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  Speaker 1: and knew they were taking their places in the dark,
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  Speaker 1: I could have found it in my mind to cry
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  Speaker 1: out aloud. All this was upon Allan's side, and I
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  Speaker 1: had begun to think my share of the fight was
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  Speaker 1: at an end when I heard someone drop softly on
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  Speaker 1: the roof above me. Then there came a single call
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  Speaker 1: on the sea pipe, and that was the signal. A
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  Speaker 1: knot of them made one rush of it, cutlass in
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  Speaker 1: hand against the door, and at the same moment the
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  Speaker 1: glass of the skylight was dashed in a thousand pieces,
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  Speaker 1: and a man leaped through and landed on the floor.
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  Speaker 1: Before he got his feet, I had clapped the pistol
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  Speaker 1: to his back, and I might have shot him too,
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  Speaker 1: Only at the touch of him and him alive, my
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  Speaker 1: whole flesh miss gave me, and I could no more
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  Speaker 1: pull the trigger than I could have flown. He had
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  Speaker 1: dropped his cutlass as he jumped, and when he felt
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  Speaker 1: the pistol, whipped straight around and laid hold of me,
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  Speaker 1: roaring out an oath. And at that either my courage
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  Speaker 1: came again, or I grew so much afraid as came
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  Speaker 1: to the same thing. For I gave a shriek and
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  Speaker 1: shot him in the midst of the body. He gave
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  Speaker 1: the most horrible, ugly groan and fell to the floor.
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  Speaker 1: The foot of a second fellow, whose legs were dangling
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  Speaker 1: through the skylight, struck me at the same time upon
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  Speaker 1: the head. And at that I snatched another pistol and
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  Speaker 1: shot this one through the thigh, so that he slipped
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  Speaker 1: through and tumbled in a lump on his companion's body.
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  Speaker 1: There was no talk of missing any more than there
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  Speaker 1: was time to aim. I clapped the muzzle to the
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  Speaker 1: very place and fired. I might have stood and stared
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  Speaker 1: at them for long, but I heard Alan shout as
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  Speaker 1: if for help. That brought me to my senses. He
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  Speaker 1: had kept the door so long, but one of the seamen,
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  Speaker 1: while he was engaged with others, had run in under
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  Speaker 1: his guard and caught him about the body. Alan was
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  Speaker 1: dirking him with his left hand, but the fellow clung
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  Speaker 1: like a leech. Another had broken in and had his
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  Speaker 1: cutlass raised. The door was thronged with their faces. I
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  Speaker 1: thought we were lost, and catching up my cutlass fell
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  Speaker 1: on them in flank, but I had not time to
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  Speaker 1: be of help. The wrestler dropped at last, and Alan,
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  Speaker 1: leaping back to get his distance, ran upon the others
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  Speaker 1: like a bull, roaring as he went. They broke before
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  Speaker 1: him like water, turning and running and falling one against
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  Speaker 1: another in their haste. The sword in his hands flashed
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  Speaker 1: like quicksilver into the huddle of our fleeing enemies, and
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  Speaker 1: in every flash there came the scream of a man hurt.
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  Speaker 1: I was still thinking we were lost, when lo, they
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  Speaker 1: were all gone, and Alan was driving them along the
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  Speaker 1: deck as a sheep dog chases sheep. Yet he was
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  Speaker 1: no sooner out than he was back again, being as
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  Speaker 1: cautious as he was brave. And meanwhile the seaman continued
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  Speaker 1: running and crying out as if he was still behind them,
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  Speaker 1: And we heard them tumble one upon another into the forecastle,
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  Speaker 1: and clapped to the hatch upon the top. The round
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  Speaker 1: house was like a shamble's. Three were dead inside, another
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  Speaker 1: lay in his death agony across the threshold, and there
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  Speaker 1: were Alan and I victorious and unhurt. He came up
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  Speaker 1: to me with open arms. Come to my arms. He cried,
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  Speaker 1: and embraced and kissed me hard upon both cheeks. David said,
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  Speaker 1: he I love you like a brother, And oh man,
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  Speaker 1: he cried, in a kind of ecstasy, Am I no
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  Speaker 1: a bony fighter? Thereupon he turned to the four enemies,
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  Speaker 1: passed his sword clean through each of them, and tumbled
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  Speaker 1: them out of doors, one after the other. As he
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  Speaker 1: did so, he kept humming and singing and whistling to himself,
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  Speaker 1: like a man trying to recall an air. Only what
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  Speaker 1: he was trying was to make one. All the while,
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  Speaker 1: the flush was in his face, and his eyes were
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  Speaker 1: as bright as of five year old child's with a
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  Speaker 1: new toy. And presently he sat down upon the table,
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  Speaker 1: sword in hand. The air that he was making all
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  Speaker 1: the time began to run a little clearer, and then
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  Speaker 1: clearer still, and then out he burst, with a great
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  Speaker 1: voice into a gallic song. I have translated it here,
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  Speaker 1: not in verse, of which I have no skill, but
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  Speaker 1: at least in the King's English. He sang it often afterwards,
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  Speaker 1: and the thing became popular, so that I have heard
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  Speaker 1: it and had explained to me many's the time. This
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  Speaker 1: is the song of the sword of Alan. The smith
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  Speaker 1: made it, the fire set it. Now it shines in
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  Speaker 1: the hand of Alan Breck. Their eyes were many and
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  Speaker 1: bright swift were they to behold many the hands they guided.
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  Speaker 1: The sword was alone. The dun deer troop over the hill.
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  Speaker 1: They are many. The hill is one. The dun deer
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  Speaker 1: vanish the hill remains. Come to me from the hills
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  Speaker 1: of heather. Come from the isles of the sea. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: far beholding eagles. Here is your meat. Now this song,
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  Speaker 1: which he made both words and music, in the hour
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  Speaker 1: of our victory, is something less than just to me,
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  Speaker 1: who stood beside him in the tussle, mister Schuan, and
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  Speaker 1: five more were either killed outright or thoroughly disabled. But
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  Speaker 1: of these two fell by my hand, the two that
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  Speaker 1: came by the skylight. Four more were hurt. And of
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  Speaker 1: that number, one, and he not the least important, got
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  Speaker 1: his hurt from me, So that altogether I did my
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  Speaker 1: fair share both of the killing and the wounding, and
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: might have claimed a place in Allan's verses. But poets
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  Speaker 1: have to think upon their rhymes and in good prose talk.
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  Speaker 1: Alan always did me more than justice. In the meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: I was innocent of any wrong being done me, for
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: not only I knew no word of the Gaelic, but
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: what with the long suspense of the waiting and the
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  Speaker 1: scurry and strain of our two spurts of fighting, had
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  Speaker 1: more than all the horror I had of some of
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  Speaker 1: my own share in it. The thing was no sooner
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  Speaker 1: over than I was glad to stagger to a seat.
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  Speaker 1: There was that tightness on my chest that I could
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  Speaker 1: hardly breathe. The thought of the two men I had
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  Speaker 1: shot sat upon me like a nightmare, and all upon
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  Speaker 1: a sudden and before I had a guess of what
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  Speaker 1: was coming, I began to sob and cry like any child.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: Alan clapped my shoulder and said I was a brave
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  Speaker 1: lad and wanted nothing but a sleep. I'll take the
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  Speaker 1: first watch, said he. You've done well by me, David,
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  Speaker 1: first and last, and they wouldn't lose you for all
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  Speaker 1: appen no nor for Bridlebane. So I made up my
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: bed on the floor, and he took the first spell,
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: pistol in hand and sword on three hours by the
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: captain's watch. Upon the wall. Then he roused me up,
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  Speaker 1: and I took my turn of three hours before the
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: end of which it was broad day, that very quiet morning,
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  Speaker 1: with a smooth, rolling sea that tossed the ship and
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  Speaker 1: made the blood run to and fro on the round
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  Speaker 1: house floor, and a heavy rain that drummed upon the roof.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: All my watch there was nothing stirring, and by the
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: banging of the helm I knew they had even no
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: one at the tiller. Indeed, as I learned afterwards, there
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: were so many of them hurt or dead, and the
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: rest in so ill a temper that mister Riach and
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: the captain had to take turn and turn like Alan
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: and me, or the brig might have gone ashore, and
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: nobody the wiser. It was a mercy the night had
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: fallen so still, for the wind had gone down as
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: soon as the rain began. Even as it was, I
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: judged by the wailing of a great number of gulls
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: that went crying and fishing round the ship, that she
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: must have dripped to pretty near the coast or one
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: of the islands of the Hebrides. And at last, looking
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: out of the door of the round house, I saw
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: the great Stone Hills of sky on the right hand,
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  Speaker 1: and a little more astern the strange isle of room
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  Speaker 1: and chapter