6. Tōa-phàu í-keng chham-ka chiàn-kio̍k
Farquhar chhàng ji̍p chúi tiong -- chīn-liōng chhàng chhim-chhim. Khe-chúi tī i ê hīⁿ-khang piⁿ ná-chhiūⁿ Niagara chúi-chhiâng kōng-kōng kiò, m̄-koh i thiaⁿ tio̍h tâng-chê siā-kek ná khà-lûi ê chhèng siaⁿ, i boeh koh phû khì chúi-bīn, tú tio̍h siam-sih ê kim-sio̍k iù-phìⁿ, píⁿ-píⁿ, bān-bān iô-tāng ǹg ē-bīn khì. Ū-ê kha̍p tio̍h i ê bīn kap chhiú, tō lak khui, kè-sio̍k lak ǹg ē-bīn. Ū chi̍t-tè khā tī i ê ām-niá kap ām-kún tiong-kan; sio kah hō͘ lâng bē sóng-khoài, i tō kā sa hiat-tiāu.
Tán phû chhut chúi-bīn, tōa-la̍t chhoán-khùi ê sî, i hoat-hiān i í-keng tī chúi nih chin kú ah; chin bêng-hián, i í-keng lâi-kàu khah ē-lâu, khah óa an-choân ê só͘-chāi ah. Sū-peng chha-put-to í-keng koh ji̍p hó chhèng-chí; kim-sio̍k ê tōng-tiâu ùi chhèng-kóng thiu chhut-lâi ê sî, tâng-chê tī ji̍t-kng-ē sih chi̍t-ē, tī khong-tiong se̍h chi̍t-ē, koh chhah ji̍p chhèng-thò nih. Hit nn̄g-ê sàu-peng koh phah chhèng, kò-pia̍t phah, mā bô hāu-lu̍t.
Pī tui-pó͘ ê lâng oa̍t-thâu ùi keng-kah-thâu khòaⁿ tio̍h só͘-ū chiah-ê; taⁿ i tòe chúi-lâu piàⁿ-miā siû. i ê thâu-náu kap kha-chhiú pêⁿ ū oa̍h-le̍k; i su-khó ê sok-tō͘ bē-su sih-nah.
"Hit-ê kun-koaⁿ," i thui-lūn, "eng-tong bē koh hoān giâm-keh iau-kiû ê chhò-gō͘ ah. Siám kui-pâi ê chhèng-chí kap siám chi̍t-lia̍p pêⁿ kán-tan. I khó-lêng í-keng hā-lēng kiò in sûi-ì khui-chhèng. Thiⁿ-kong-peh ah, góa bô khó-lêng lóng siám ē-kòe!"
Lī i nn̄g-bí ê só͘-chāi giâ chi̍t-ê kiaⁿ-lâng ê chúi-hoe, sòa chi̍t-ê tōa koh hiáng ê siaⁿ, piàn sè, koh ká-ná thàng kòe khong-khì tńg kàu iâⁿ-khu, tī chhim-chhim kiáu tāng khe-chúi ê po̍k-chah tiong, he siaⁿ chiah tiām-khì.
Chi̍t-phìⁿ khiā khí ê chúi-bō͘ khàm kàu i ê téng-koân, lâm tī i ê sin-khu, hō͘ i ba̍k-chiu khòaⁿ bô, koh chhoán bô khùi! Tōa-phàu í-keng chham-ka chiàn-kio̍k ah. Kā thâu ùi siū chhiong-kek ê chúi nih hàiⁿ chhut-lâi ê sî, i thiaⁿ tio̍h siā oai-khì ê phàu-tôaⁿ tī i thâu-chêng ê khong-tiong hiⁿ-hiⁿ kiò, chi̍t-ē-á tō kā chhiū-nâ nih ê chhiū-oe phah kah li-li lak-lak.
"In bē koh án-ne chò ah," i siūⁿ; "koh lâi in ē kō͘ pô-tô-tōaⁿ (grape). Góa tio̍h chù-ì khòaⁿ phàu-kóng; ian ē pò góa chai -- phòng siaⁿ siuⁿ bān kàu; siaⁿ-im pí phàu-tôaⁿ khah bān. Hit-mn̂g phàu bē bái."
Hut-jiân-kan, i kám-kak ka-tī lin-long-se̍h -- ná-chhiūⁿ kan-lo̍k án-ne se̍h. Khe-chúi, khe-hōaⁿ, chhiū-nâ, taⁿ í-keng hn̄g-hn̄g ê kiô, iâⁿ-khu kap lâng -- só͘-ū ê lóng lām chò-hóe, khòaⁿ bē-chheng. Mi̍h-kiāⁿ kan-ta chhun sek -- khoân-hêng ê chúi-pêng sòaⁿ-tiâu ê sek -- i khòaⁿ ē-tio̍h ê tō sī án-ne. I lak tī chi̍t-ê kńg-lê-á sim, í chi̍t-chióng ná chìn ná gô ê sok-tō͘ teh se̍h, hō͘ i kám-kak hîn koh boeh-thò͘. Kòe chi̍t-ē-á, i khì hō͘ hàiⁿ kàu tò-pêng khe-hōaⁿ piⁿ ê chhùi-chio̍h-á téng -- lâm-bīn hōaⁿ -- tī chi̍t-ê tu̍t-chhut tiám ê āu-bīn, tī chia te̍k-jîn khòaⁿ bē-tio̍h i. Tōng-chok hut-jiân thêng-chí, chi̍t-ki chhiú chhè tio̍h chio̍h-thâu-á, án-ne hō͘ i khoe-ho̍k kòe-lâi, hō͘ i hoaⁿ-hí kah lâu ba̍k-sái. I kā chhiú chhah ji̍p soa-á, chi̍t-me chi̍t-me kā iā tī ka-tī sin-khu, koh chhut siaⁿ chiok-hok. He khòaⁿ tio̍h ná soān-chio̍h, ná âng-pó-chio̍h, ná le̍k-pó-chio̍h; i siūⁿ bē-chhut he kap siáⁿ-mih súi mi̍h-kiāⁿ bô chhin-chhiūⁿ. Hōaⁿ-piⁿ ê chhiū-á sī hoe-hn̂g ê tōa-châng chhiū; i chù-ì tio̍h, in ê an-pâi ū bêng-khak ê sūn-sī, i phīⁿ tio̍h in ê hoe ê phang-bī. Chi̍t-chióng kî-koài, mûi-kùi-sek ê kng chhiō tī chhiū-châng ê phāng, hong tī chhiū-ki chàu chhut olian khiā-khîm ê im-ga̍k. I bô ì-goān oân-sêng i ê tô-thoat -- boán-chiok lâu tī hit-ê bê-lâng ê só͘-chāi, it-ti̍t kàu koh hông lia̍h tio̍h.
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6. 大砲已經參加戰局
Farquhar 藏入水中 -- 盡量藏深深. 溪水 tī 伊 ê 耳空邊 ná 像 Niagara 水沖 kōng-kōng 叫, m̄-koh 伊聽著同齊射擊 ná 敲雷 ê 銃聲, 伊欲 koh 浮去水面, 拄著閃爍 ê 金屬幼片, 扁扁, 慢慢搖動 ǹg 下面去. 有 ê 磕著伊 ê 面 kap 手, tō lak 開, 繼續 lak ǹg 下面. 有一塊 khā tī 伊 ê 頷領 kap 頷頸中間; 燒 kah 予人袂爽快, 伊 tō kā 捎㧒掉.
等浮出水面, 大力喘氣 ê 時, 伊發現伊已經 tī 水 nih 真久 ah; 真明顯, 伊已經來到較 ē-lâu, 較倚安全 ê 所在 ah. 士兵差不多已經 koh 入好銃子; 金屬 ê tōng 條 ùi 銃管抽出來 ê 時, 同齊 tī 日光下 sih 一下, tī 空中踅一下, koh 插入銃套 nih. 彼兩个哨兵 koh 拍銃, 個別拍, mā 無效率.
被追捕 ê 人越頭 ùi 肩胛頭看著所有 chiah-ê; 今伊綴水流拚命泅. 伊 ê 頭腦 kap 跤手平有活力; 伊思考 ê 速度袂輸 sih-nah.
"彼个軍官," 伊推論, "應當袂 koh 犯嚴格要求 ê 錯誤 ah. 閃規排 ê 銃子 kap 閃一粒平簡單. 伊可能已經下令叫 in 隨意開銃. 天公伯 ah, 我無可能 lóng 閃會過!"
離伊兩米 ê 所在夯一个驚人 ê 水花, 紲一个大 koh 響 ê 聲, 變細, koh ká-ná 迵過空氣轉到營區, tī 深深攪動溪水 ê 爆炸中, he 聲才恬去.
一片徛起 ê 水幕崁到伊 ê 頂懸, 淋 tī 伊 ê 身軀, 予伊目睭看無, koh 喘無氣! 大砲已經參加戰局 ah. Kā 頭 ùi 受衝擊 ê 水 nih 幌出來 ê 時, 伊聽著射歪去 ê 炮彈 tī 伊頭前 ê 空中 hiⁿ-hiⁿ 叫, 一下仔 tō kā 樹林 nih ê 樹椏拍 kah li-li lak-lak.
"In 袂 koh án-ne 做 ah," 伊想; "koh 來 in 會 kō͘ pô-tô 彈 (grape). 我著注意看砲管; 煙會報我知 -- phòng 聲 siuⁿ 慢到; 聲音比炮彈較慢. 彼門砲袂䆀."
忽然間, 伊感覺 ka-tī lin-long 踅 -- ná 像 kan-lo̍k án-ne 踅. 溪水, 溪岸, 樹林, 今已經遠遠 ê 橋, 營區 kap 人 -- 所有 ê lóng 濫做伙, 看袂清. 物件干焦賰色 -- 環形 ê 水平線條 ê 色 -- 伊看會著 ê tō 是 án-ne. 伊 lak tī 一个卷螺仔心, 以一種 ná 進 ná gô ê 速度 teh 踅, 予伊感覺眩 koh 欲吐. 過一下仔, 伊去予幌到倒爿溪岸邊 ê 碎石仔頂 -- 南面岸 -- tī 一个突出點 ê 後面, tī chia 敵人看袂著伊. 動作忽然停止, 一支手 chhè 著石頭仔, án-ne 予伊恢復過來, 予伊歡喜 kah 流目屎. 伊 kā 手插入沙仔, 一 me 一 me kā 掖 tī ka-tī 身軀, koh 出聲祝福. 彼看著 ná 璇石, ná 紅寶石, ná 綠寶石; 伊想袂出 he kap 啥 mih 媠物件無親像. 岸邊 ê 樹仔是花園 ê 大叢樹; 伊注意著, in ê 安排有明確 ê 順序, 伊鼻著 in ê 花 ê 芳味. 一種奇怪, 玫瑰色 ê 光炤 tī 樹叢 ê 縫, 風 tī 樹枝奏出 olian 徛琴 ê 音樂. 伊無意願完成伊 ê 逃脫 -- 滿足留 tī 彼个迷人 ê 所在, 一直到 koh hông 掠著.
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6.
Farquhar dived--dived as deeply as he could. The water roared in his ears like the voice of Niagara, yet he heard the dulled thunder of the volley and, rising again toward the surface, met shining bits of metal, singularly flattened, oscillating slowly downward. Some of them touched him on the face and hands, then fell away, continuing their descent. One lodged between his collar and neck; it was uncomfortably warm and he snatched it out.
As he rose to the surface, gasping for breath, he saw that he had been a long time under water; he was perceptibly farther down stream nearer to safety. The soldiers had almost finished reloading; the metal ramrods flashed all at once in the sunshine as they were drawn from the barrels, turned in the air, and thrust into their sockets. The two sentinels fired again, independently and ineffectually.
The hunted man saw all this over his shoulder; he was now swimming vigorously with the current. His brain was as energetic as his arms and legs; he thought with the rapidity of lightning.
"The officer," he reasoned, "will not make that martinet's error a second time. It is as easy to dodge a volley as a single shot. He has probably already given the command to fire at will. God help me, I cannot dodge them all!"
An appalling splash within two yards of him was followed by a loud, rushing sound, diminuendo, which seemed to travel back through the air to the fort and died in an explosion which stirred the very river to its deeps!
A rising sheet of water curved over him, fell down upon him, blinded him, strangled him! The cannon had taken a hand in the game. As he shook his head free from the commotion of the smitten water he heard the deflected shot humming through the air ahead, and in an instant it was cracking and smashing the branches in the forest beyond.
"They will not do that again," he thought; "the next time they will use a charge of grape. I must keep my eye upon the gun; the smoke will apprise me--the report arrives too late; it lags behind the missile. That is a good gun."
Suddenly he felt himself whirled round and round--spinning like a top. The water, the banks, the forests, the now distant bridge, fort and men--all were commingled and blurred. Objects were represented by their colors only; circular horizontal streaks of color--that was all he saw. He had been caught in a vortex and was being whirled on with a velocity of advance and gyration that made him giddy and sick. In a few moments he was flung upon the gravel at the foot of the left bank of the stream--the southern bank--and behind a projecting point which concealed him from his enemies. The sudden arrest of his motion, the abrasion of one of his hands on the gravel, restored him, and he wept with delight. He dug his fingers into the sand, threw it over himself in handfuls and audibly blessed it. It looked like diamonds, rubies, emeralds; he could think of nothing beautiful which it did not resemble. The trees upon the bank were giant garden plants; he noted a definite order in their arrangement, inhaled the fragrance of their blooms. A strange, roseate light shone through the spaces among their trunks and the wind made in their branches the music of olian harps. He had no wish to perfect his escape--was content to remain in that enchanting spot until retaken.
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