第 112 节
作者:想聊      更新:2022-08-26 22:13      字数:9322
  e even to herself。  Clinging to the mast which penetrated the little cuddy; she fixed her eyes upon the door behind which she imagined North was; and whispered a last prayer for succour。  The door opened; and from out the cabin came a figure clad in black。  She looked up; and the light of the expiring lamp showed her a face that was not that of the man she hoped to see。  Then a pair of dark eyes beaming ineffable love and pity were bent upon her; and a pair of dripping arms held her above the brine as she had once been held in the misty mysterious days that were gone。
  In the terror of that moment the cloud which had so long oppressed her brain passed from it。  The action of the strange man before her completed and explained the action of the convict chained to the Port Arthur coal…wagons; of the convict kneeling in the Norfolk Island torture…chamber。  She remembered the terrible experience of Macquarie Harbour。  She recalled the evening of the boat…building; when; swung into the air by stalwart arms; she had promised the rescuing prisoner to plead for him with her kindred。 Regaining her memory thus; all the agony and shame of the man's long life of misery became at once apparent to her。  She understood how her husband had deceived her; and with what base injustice and falsehood he had bought her young love。  No question as to how this doubly…condemned prisoner had escaped from the hideous isle of punishment she had quitted occurred to her。  She asked noteven in her thoughtshow it had been given to him to supplant the chaplain in his place on board the vessel。 She only considered; in her sudden awakening; the story of his wrongs; remembered only his marvellous fortitude and love; knew only; in this last instant of her pure; ill…fated life; that as he had saved her once from starvation and death; so had he come again to save her from sin and from despair。  Whoever has known a deadly peril will remember how swiftly thought then travelled back through scenes clean forgotten; and will understand how Sylvia's retrospective vision merged the past into the actual before her; how the shock of recovered memory subsided in the grateful utterance of other days〃Good Mr。 Dawes!〃
  The eyes of the man and woman met in one long; wild gaze。  Sylvia stretched out her white hands and smiled; and Richard  Devine understood in his turn the story of the young girl's joyless life; and knew how she had been sacrificed。
  In the great crisis of our life; when; brought face to face with annihilation; we are suspended gasping over the great emptiness of death; we become conscious that the Self which we think we knew so well has strange and unthought…of capacities。  To describe a tempest of the elements is not easy; but to describe a tempest of the soul is impossible。  Amid the fury of such a tempest; a thousand memories; each bearing in its breast the corpse of some dead deed whose influence haunts us yet; are driven like feathers before the blast; as unsubstantial and as unregarded。  The mists which shroud our selfknowledge become transparent; and we are smitten with sudden lightning…like comprehension of our own misused power over our fate。
  This much we feel and know; but who can coldly describe the hurricane which thus o'erwhelms him?  As well ask the drowned mariner to tell of the marvels of mid…sea when the great deeps swallowed him and the darkness of death encompassed him round about。  These two human beings felt that they had done with life。  Together thus; alone in the very midst and presence of death; the distinctions of the world they were about to leave disappeared。  Then vision grew clear。  They felt as beings whose bodies had already perished; and as they clasped hands their freed souls; recognizing each the loveliness of the other; rushed tremblingly together。
  Borne before the returning whirlwind; an immense wave; which glimmered in the darkness; spouted up and towered above the wreck。  The wretches who yet clung to the deck looked shuddering up into the bellying greenness; and knew that the end was come。
  END OF BOOK THE FOURTH
  EPILOGUE。
  At day…dawn the morning after the storm; the rays of the rising sun fell upon an object which floated on the surface of the water not far from where the schooner had foundered。
  This object was a portion of the mainmast head of the Lady Franklin; and entangled in the rigging were two corpsesa man and a woman。  The arms of the man were clasped round the body of the woman; and her head lay on his breast。 The Prison Island appeared but as a long low line on the distant horizon。 The tempest was over。  As the sun rose higher the air grew balmy; the ocean placid; and; golden in the rays of the new risen morning; the wreck and its burden drifted out to sea。
  APPENDIX。
  BOOK ONE:
  CHAPTERS I;IV;V;VII。
  Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the state of the colony of New South Wales。  Printed by order of the House of Commons; 1822。
  〃Two Voyages to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land〃; by Thomas Reid 'Surgeon on board the Neptune and Morley transport ships'; Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in London; and Surgeon in the Royal Navy。  London: Longman and Co。; 1822。
  〃Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies〃; by James Backhouse。 London: Hamilton; Adams and Co。; 1843。
  Report of a Select Committee on Transportation。  Printed by order of the House of Commons; 1838。  'Evidence of Colonel Henry Breton。Q。2;431…2;436。'
  BOOK TWO:
  CHAPTERS I;II;III。
  Report of a Select Committee 'ut supra'; 1838。  Evidence of John Barnes; Esq。; pp。37…49。  Also Appendix to above Report; I。; No。56;B。
  〃Tasmanian Journal of Natural Science〃; etc。; vol。  ii。 Account of Macquarie Harbour; by T。 G。 Lempriere; Esq。; A。D。C。G。; pp。17; 107; 200。  Tasmania: Henry Dowling。  London:John Murray; 1846。
  〃Van Diemen's Land Anniversary and Hobart Town Almanac; 1831。〃  Account of Macquarie Harbour; by James Ross; p。262。  Hobart Town: James Ross; 1832。
  〃Meliora〃; April; 1861〃Our Convict System〃: case of Charles Anderson; chained to a rock for two years in irons。  See also 〃Our Convicts〃; p。233; vol。i。; Mary Carpenter。  Longmans; 1864。
  〃Backhouse's Narrative〃 'ut supra' chapters iii。; iv。
  Files of Hobart Town Courier; 1827…8; more especially October 23 and December 7; 1827; and February 2; 1828。
  CHAPTERS IV。 and VIII。
  Report of a Select Committee 'ut supra'; 1838; pp。  353; 354; 355。
  CHAPTERS IX。; XV。; XVII。
  〃Tasmanian Journal〃 'ut supra'; vol。i。: Account of Macquarie Harbour; by T。 G。 Lempriere; Esq。  'ut supra'。  The seizure of the Cypress (sic。); pp。366…7。  Escape of Morgan and Popjoy; p。369。  The seizure of the Frederick; pp。371…375。
  〃Van Diemen's Land Annual〃; 1838: Narrative of the Sufferings and Adventures of certain of Ten Convicts; etc。; pp。1…11。  Hobart Town: James Ross; 1838。
  〃Old Tales of a Young Country〃; by Marcus Clarke: The Last of Macquarie Harbour; pp。  141…146。  The Seizure of the Cyprus; pp。133…140。  Melbourne: George Robertson; 1871。
  BOOK THREE:
  CHAPTER II。
  Transportation: Copy of a communication upon the subject of Transportation addressed to Earl Grey by the Lord Bishop of Tasmania。 Reprinted for private distribution to the heads of families only。 Launceston: Henry Dowling; 1848。
  Report of a Select Committee 'ut supra'; 1837。 Evidence of Ernest Augustus Slade; Esq。Q。870。  Ibidem; 1838: Evidence of James Mudie; Esq。Q。804…813。
  CHAPTER IX。
  Backhouse's Narrative 'ut supra': Appendix; lxxvi。
  CHAPTER X。
  〃Van Diemen 's Land Annual〃; 1838 'ut supra'; pp。12…33。  Old Tales; etc; 'ut supra'; The Last of Macquarie Harbour; pp。147… 156。
  CHAPTER XV。
  Report of a Select Committee 'ut supra'; 1838: Evidence of E。 A。 Slade; Esq。…Q。1;882…1;892。 Ibidem: Appendix No。ii。; E。
  CHAPTER XX。
  Report of a Select Committee 'ut supra'; 1837: Evidence of John Russell; Esq。; Assist。…Surgeon 63rd Regiment。Q。426…615。 Ibidem: Evidence of Colonel Geo。 ArthurQ。4;510…4;548。
  CHAPTERS XXIII。; XXIV。; XXVI。
  〃The Adventures of Martin Cash; the Bushranger。〃 Hobart Town: J。L。Burke; 1870。 pp。64…70。
  〃Van Dieman's Land Annual〃 'ut supra'; 1829: Visit to Port Arthur。 Account of the Devil's Blow…Hole。
  CHAPTER XXVII。
  Report of a Select Committee 'ut supra'; 1832; Appendix I。; No。56 C。 and D。 Deposition of Alexander Pierce and official statements of trial and execution of Pierce and Cox for murder and cannibalism。
  〃The Bushrangers;〃; by James Bonwick; Esq。  Article…〃Port Arthur〃
  BOOK IV。
  CHAPTERS III。; IV。
  Sessional Papers printed by order of the House of Lords; 1847。 Enclosure to No。 XI。  Extract of a paper by the Rev。 T。B。Naylor。 Enclosure 3 in No。XIV。  Copy of Report 'dated Hobart Town; 20th June; 1846' from Robert Pringle Stewart; Esq。: 'officer appointed by the Lieut。…Governor of Van Dieman's Land; to inspect the penal settlement of Norfolk Island' to the Comptroller…General。
  House of Lords Report of a Commission on the execution of Criminal Law; 1847; Evidence of the Lord Bishop of TasmaniaQ。4;7954;904 and 5;0855;130。
  Despatch of His Excellency Sir William Denison to Secretary of State; 10th July; 1847。
  Report of a Select Committee 'ut supra'; 1838: Evidence of the Very Rev