Chapter 9 dead hunter

"Look, there it is. It's a big island. It's so strange!" Whiteney shouted, pointing forward. "Quickly look up the nautical chart and see what island that is?" Redd said. Whiteney looked it up on the nautical chart for a while, and said: "The name is marked on the nautical chart, it seems... called 'Lost Ship Island'." "Lost Ship Island?" Reved said thoughtfully, "could this be the island in the legend? Do you know that there is a rumor among sailors that Lost Ship Island is an extremely strange and terrifying place, But what is on the island, no one knows."

Lei Fude hurriedly set up a high-powered telescope, trying to see the mysterious island clearly, "It's strange, why can't I see it?" He said in surprise. "Oh? Can't you see it? I remember your eyesight is very good!" Whiteney said with a smile, "On the grassland, you can see the antelope 400 feet away clearly. Here, how do you Can't even see anything four yards away?" "Haha, man, don't be joking. It's so dark, how can I see it? You see, the sky looks like a big black cauldron, it would be strange if I could see it!" Raffles said solemnly .

"It will be dawn when we get to Rio." Whiteney said confidently. "We should get all our hunting equipment ready as soon as possible, especially the kind of shotgun that is specially designed to deal with jaguars. When we arrived in Emerton Afterwards, we will have a very enjoyable hunt, I love hunting so much!" "Yeah, I also think it's the best sport in the world." When it comes to hunting, Lei Fude is also full of energy. "No, that's just for the hunter," Whiteney added. "For the prey, hunting is their tragedy." "You are a hunter, not a philosopher, and you don't have to take into account the feelings of your prey."

"Maybe the prey have feelings of their own?" Whiteney argued. "Fool, they don't think, they don't feel anything," insisted Redford. "Even so, I think they at least know fear. They are afraid of disaster, pain, and death just like humans, aren't they?" Seeing Whitney's stubbornness, Raffles smiled helplessly and said, "It's so hot that I don't want to do anything. Come on, man, the world is made up of two classes, the hunter and the prey. Fortunately, You and I are both reincarnated as hunters. Oh, by the way, have we passed that 'Island of Lost Ships'?"

"I can't see clearly because it's too dark, but hopefully we can get through this area," Whitney said. "It is said that this island is very evil. Do you think there will be savages on the island?" Lei Fude asked with a puzzled face. "No, I think there are more terrifying things on this island than savages." Whiteney said nervously, "But maybe these are just the rumors of the sailors. By the way, have you noticed that today the entire ship Does the group seem tense?" "Yeah, I don't know what happened to them today, they are all a little nervous, even the experienced old captain Nelson..."

"I can also see that the old captain is also very abnormal today. He seems to be extremely afraid of the name 'Lost Ship Island'. When I asked him curiously about the origin of the name 'Lost Ship Island', he just told I said that 'Isle of Lost Ships' was an ominous place for seafaring sailors, and then I fell silent." "I'm afraid that the superstitions and fears of one individual will infect the whole ship!" said Redd. "Don't take them at their word." "Yes! You are right. However, sailors have been sailing the seas for many years, and they often have a special intuition before danger comes." Whiteney said, "And, I think evil can be felt, Like sound and light, they can transmit information through wavelengths... But anyway, we are almost out of this strange sea, Reved, I should go back to sleep."

"I'm not too sleepy," said Redd. "I'll go out on the quarterdeck and smoke for a while, and then I'll go to bed." "But don't sleep too late, see you tomorrow!" Whiteney said. "Good night, Whitney." It was late at night, and Lei Fude was sitting alone on a folding chair on the back deck, smoking a pipe leisurely, while the sound of the yacht's engine and the splashing of sea water against the side of the ship could be heard in his ears. Gradually, waves of drowsiness came over Leifud, he thought dazedly: "It's such a dark night, I can sleep with my eyes open, I can't see anything anyway..." After thinking about it, he drowsy Smoked a pipe and fell asleep.

He didn't know how long he had been asleep, but suddenly a gunshot woke him up. He listened carefully to identify the sound, and concluded that the sound came from the right side of the yacht.Just as he was thinking about what was going on, another gunshot sounded suddenly, from the same direction, and then another shot rang out.There was no doubt that somewhere in the depths of the darkness someone had fired three shots in succession. The muscles of Reved's whole body tensed up, and his drowsiness was completely dispelled.He turned over and jumped off the chair, opened his eyes wide, and tried his best to look in the direction of the gunshots, but in this dark night where he couldn't see his fingers, it was wishful thinking for him to see clearly.But Lei Fude was not reconciled, he stood on tiptoe again, and leaned most of his body out of the railing of the ship's side, trying to see further.Just at this moment, the pipe in his mouth touched a cable on the ship, and the pipe was knocked off. This pipe was Redford's favorite thing. In a hurry, he stretched out his hand to grab it, and his body fell He lost his balance and climbed over the railing, only to hear a "bang", he suddenly felt that the sea water of the Caribbean Sea was gradually swallowing him, leaving only a scream piercing the night sky.

No one noticed that Reved fell into the water, and the yacht continued to move forward at full speed.Refud, who fell into the sea, struggled to surface and tried to call for help, but the waves splashed by the yacht's propeller hit him hard in the face, and the bitter and astringent sea water rushed into his mouth crazily .Looking at the yacht that was fading away, Lei Fude was not completely desperate, he saw the direction in which the yacht was leaving, and desperately swung his arms, trying to catch up with the yacht that was going away.But is the speed of the yacht beyond the reach of manpower?After a while, the yacht pulled tens of meters away from him.Just when he was about to lose confidence, his mind gradually calmed down and he thought to himself: "In my years of traveling around the world, this is not the first time that I have fallen into the water. If I shouted for help at this time, the people on the boat might be able to hear it. ” Thinking of this, Lei Fude quickly took off his coat in order to reduce the weight, and then he shouted with all his strength.But the yacht seemed to be deliberately against him, driving faster and faster, and at last even the lights of the yacht disappeared into the vast sea and were never seen again.

After struggling to swim another fifty feet, Redd stopped helplessly. His little hope just now was completely shattered. At this moment, all his thoughts were lost—in this extremely dangerous deep sea, the only thing waiting for him was death. what else? At this time, a sea wave hit him violently on the head, which immediately woke him up: "The gunshot, the gunshot I heard just now! There must be someone nearby, maybe there is another boat!" At this moment, Lei Fude seemed to see a glimmer of hope again.He remembered that the shots were coming from the right, and he turned and swam vigorously in that direction.Due to the struggle and calling for help just now, Lei Fude's physical strength was almost exhausted, so he swam very slowly, trying to save some physical strength.

In this endless darkness, everything seemed to be frozen, even time seemed to stop, and Reved could only hear the sound of his own arms hitting the water.In order to dispel the lingering horror thoughts in his mind, and to give himself courage, he began to count the number of times he swiped his arms: one, two, three... Suddenly, an incomparably shrill voice came into Leifud's ears, like the helpless roar of an animal on the verge of death, faintly coming from the depths of darkness.Although the sound gave Redd a creepy feeling, it also gave him great hope. "The sound is not far ahead! That's right, it's right in front!" Leifud suddenly felt full of strength all over his body, and he swam towards the direction of the sound.There were some intermittent noises in front of him again, "It must be gunshots." Redford thought to himself, but his arms and legs still did not dare to neglect, and he continued to swim forward vigorously. After swimming for about ten minutes, another familiar sound came to Lei Fude's ears, it was the sound of waves hitting the rocks on the shore!Although this is the most common sound in nature, it is comparable to the most beautiful music in the world to Redford.Lei Fude couldn't help being refreshed, and he worked hard again. Finally, his hand touched a hard thing—a rock by the sea. "Oh my god! I'm finally saved!" Leifed was extremely excited. It was a miracle that he was able to escape from the clutches of death in the vast ocean, alone and helpless!Exhausted, he staggered up to the shore, then fell to the ground and lost consciousness. Lei Fude slept for a whole day, and when he opened his eyes, it was already dusk, and the setting sun was shining warmly on his body.The whole day's sleep restored some energy to Lei Fude. He slowly got up from the ground, and suddenly felt his stomach growling, and a strong sense of hunger hit him—after all, he had already Haven't eaten all day. "Where there are gunshots, there must be people. If there are people, you won't have to worry about finding food." Lei Fude thought to himself.But he looked around and was a little disappointed, "There is neither a pier nor a boat here. Is there really anyone on this lonely island?" Full of doubts, Reved walked along the coastline with difficulty.The ground is overgrown with thorns and dense forests, and there is no trace of the road at all.When he walked to a place not far from yesterday's landing, he suddenly found that the situation in front of him was a bit abnormal. He saw that the surrounding dense grass was trampled to a mess, and the branches of several nearby bushes were also broken to the ground. "Maybe something is injured here, could it be a huge beast?" Reved thought to himself. He walked along the grass that had been trampled down, and found a path leading to the depths of the dense forest.At this time, his eyes were suddenly attracted by a shiny object on the ground. He bent down to pick it up and saw that it was a bullet casing.Lei Fude continued to walk forward, and found some bullet casings one after another. After a rough count, there were actually twenty-two bullet casings. "My boy, this beast is not small! There must have been a fierce battle here last night." Leifed thought, "The three shots I heard on the boat must be the hunters who just spotted the beast." The beast was wounded and fled away, so the hunter chased it all the way, and finally killed it here..." "So, there should be hunter's footprints around here!" Lei Fude carefully checked the ground again, and finally, he found a few vague human footprints on the ground—and those footprints were the ones that led him to land. direction.Lei Fude was extremely excited. Although the ground was full of rotten leaves and gravel, he didn't care about so much. He ran forward with deep feet and shallow feet. Find the hunter's residence before coming down. When it was completely dark, some faint lights in the distance finally appeared in Leifud's field of vision, and he couldn't help but almost cheered with joy.Behind him, the endless darkness engulfed the sea and the jungle, and almost engulfed him alive, but in front of him, God gave him a light of hope!Lei Fude couldn't wait to run towards the direction of the light.Just after turning a corner, many lights appeared in front of his eyes. He thought it was a village, but when he took a closer look, he found that it was a magnificent and imposing castle! Lei Fude approached this ancient castle and looked it over carefully. He saw that it was built on the mountain, with cliffs on three sides. Under the illumination of the castle lights, the stormy waves at the bottom of the cliff were clearly visible.Seeing this, Lei Fude couldn't help but feel moved. He felt that the castle in front of him didn't seem like a shelter, but more like an abyss of evil. Lei Fude came to the gate of the ancient castle anxiously, he stretched out his hand to pull the door knocker, only to hear the door knocker make a "squeak" sound, it seems that it has not been used for a long time.He knocked hard on the door knocker again, making dull noises. In a trance, he seemed to hear footsteps coming from the door, but the door remained motionless.When he pulled up the knocker and was about to knock again, the door opened with a "squeak", and a golden light shot out from the door, blinding him so much that he couldn't open his eyes. When he slowly opened his eyes, he was horrified to find that a burly man with a height of nearly two meters and an extremely strong figure was standing in front of him holding a long-barreled pistol.That big man seemed to be a savage in the primeval forest, with thick bones, strong muscles, and a long beard that reached to his neck. Two fierce eyes were shooting from his small eyes. Lei Fude hastily raised his hands high, and forced a smile: "Friend, don't be nervous, my name is Sange Lei Fude, I come from New York, I accidentally fell into the water from the yacht last night, and then I swam to this island superior." As if that guy didn't understand what Redford said, he was still pointing his gun at Redford like a stone sculpture.Refed noticed that he was wearing a black uniform with silver-gray trim. "I'm from New York. My name is Sango Redford." Redford repeated cautiously. "I fell overboard from the yacht. Could you give me something to eat?" This time, the barbarian reacted. He first put away the pistol, then turned his body sideways, stood at attention with both feet, and performed a standard military salute.Lei Fude found that it turned out that the person who walked down the steps of the old castle was a tall and thin man. "It turns out that you are the famous and outstanding hunter, Mr. Sango Redford, welcome to the humble house!" The man said in a polite tone. Redd shook his hand too. "Maybe you don't know who I am yet? I've read your masterpiece—the book about hunting snow leopards in Tibet, China." The man explained, "Let me introduce myself, I'm Yaraf General." General Yalav's first impression of Leifud was that he was handsome and mighty.He is tall and straight, although he seems to be over middle-aged and his hair is a little gray, but there is a majestic aura in his bushy eyebrows and beard, and there is an elusive look in his eyes .General Yalav turned and gestured to the savage, who took a few steps back to let the door open. "Oh, he is Ivan, a guy with incredible strength." The general said, "It's a pity that he was born deaf and dumb. I'm afraid he can only be a slave in this life." "Is he Russian?" "No, a Cossack," said the general, smiling, "I am a Cossack, just like me." "Come in, please," the general said. "Let's go into the house and talk. I will have clothes, food, and a safe and comfortable place to rest for you. In short, I have everything you want here!" The general turned around, moved his lips, and had a silent conversation with Ivan. "Mr. Redford, if you don't mind, please go with Ivan to change your clothes," said the general. "I have had a suit prepared for you that fits you perfectly. Dinner will be ready soon, and we will have dinner together later." dinner!" Ivan led Refud to a very spacious bedroom.The bedroom was brightly lit, and the queen-sized bed was big enough to sleep six people.Ivan opened the closet expressionlessly, took out a pajamas and handed it to Reved.This pajamas is of fine fabric and elegant style, and has a curlicue letter "K" embroidered on the corner--Rayford recognized this mark, it was made by a famous London tailor, he specially made it to nobles above the earl Tailor your clothes. After Lei Fude changed his clothes, Ivan led him to a restaurant again.The dining room is full of grandeur and elegance, making Radford feel like being in a medieval palace-oak checkered floor, resplendent roof, and a large long dining table that can accommodate twenty people.The most amazing thing is that on the four walls of the restaurant, there are many animal head specimens, including lions, tigers, elephants, deer, bears, and many others that even Radford can't name.Under the blinding light, he saw General Yalav sitting at the top of the dining table. "Mr. Redford, do you have a cocktail?" the general asked with a smile. "Oh, of course, after a day of hunger, it would be great to have a sip of cocktail." Reved expressed his gratitude to General Yalav for his hospitality. In the following dinners, Refed saw richer and more colorful dishes.After drinking for three rounds, General Yalav said: "Let's try our best to maintain this peaceful atmosphere. If there is any poor hospitality, I hope you will forgive me a lot. Oh, how about these champagnes that have traveled across the ocean?" "It's really good wine!" Reved praised sincerely.Redford was very touched by the general's hospitality.However, the only thing that made Leifud feel uncomfortable was that every time he looked up after eating, he would find the general staring at him intently, as if he was appraising an unearthed cultural relic, or examining a prisoner. "Mr. Redford, I know you very well. Do you know why?" "Appreciate further details." "Because you and I have a common hobby, which is hunting." The general said, "I have read various editions of hunting books, including those published in England, France, and Russia, and your book is The most classic of them all!" "You've been rewarded, General Yalaf!" said Redd. "No wonder there are so many wonderful trophies here, and that big buffalo over there is the biggest I've ever seen!" "You mean that? That guy is really big!" The general pointed to the stuffed head of the bison and said very proudly, "It took me a lot of work to deal with it, and finally it knocked down under a big tree Me, and hurt my head, but I killed it!" "You are amazing! The crazy big buffalo is definitely the most difficult prey in the world!" Lei Fude praised. A mysterious smile appeared on General Yalav's face, and he said in a drawn out tone: "Sir, I don't think so, the big buffalo is not the most difficult thing in the world." He took a sip of his wine slowly and said, "On this island, there is a more dangerous and exciting hunting activity." Leifd asked in great surprise, "You still have hunting activities on your island?" The general nodded meaningfully and said, "This is the real most dangerous hunting activity!" "real?" "Oh, of course, those prey were not originally on the island, but I introduced them from outside the island!" "Mr. General, what exactly did you introduce?" Lei Fude asked tentatively, "Is it a tiger?" The general waved his hand and said with a smile: "No, I have no interest in hunting tigers as early as many years ago. Hunting tigers is not dangerous or exciting at all. I am only interested in dangerous things. .” As the general said, he took out a gold cigar box from his pocket, and he took out a cigar and handed it to Leifud. It was a long black cigar with a silver border, it was smoked with spices, and gave off bursts of fragrance . "It's a coincidence that you came here. I happen to be going on a large-scale hunting activity on the island in the past two days. This time we will have the opportunity to cooperate." The general said. "But what kind of hunt is that?" asked Redd. "Don't worry, you'll know sooner or later." The general said, "You will definitely like this kind of hunting activity very much. It's definitely a brand new feeling, full of danger, and also very exciting and challenging-this That's the real charm of the hunt! Oh, Mr. Redford, your glass is empty, may I pour you another?" "Thank you very much, General Yalav." The general poured wine for himself and Raeford, and then said: "God can determine the fate of a man. God makes some people poets, some people become kings, and some people become beggars. But God makes I became a hunter, my father said I was a born hunter. By the way, I forgot to tell you, I was born into a wealthy businessman's family. My father owns 250,000 acres of land in Kashmir. He has an extreme passion for sports. When I was five years old, my father gave me a small gun, which he specially ordered for me in Moscow, to shoot short arrows. I remember once, I accidentally shot a piece of his gold Medals, instead of punishing me, he praised me, saying I was manly." The general continued: "When I was ten years old, I hunted a bear in the Caucasus. That was the beginning of my hunting career. Later, the greatest glory of a nobleman's son came to me-I joined the army. Not long after joining the army, the Cossack cavalry split, but it had nothing to do with me, because the only thing I was really interested in was hunting! I have been to almost every corner of the world and dealt with all kinds of There are countless animals that I have hunted and killed." The general exhaled a smoke ring, and fell into memory again. "About a year later, the Great Revolution broke out in Russia, and many Russian nobles who used to be extremely wealthy became penniless overnight. Some went to Cairo, Egypt to run tea shops to make a living, while others fled to Paris to drive taxis for a living. I was quite lucky. Before the outbreak of the Great Revolution, I had a huge investment in the United States, which was enough for me to build a magnificent castle on this remote island, and I could also continue my hunting hobby. Over the years I've hunted grizzly bears in The Rocks, crocodiles in the Congo, rhinos and bison in East Africa. By the way, it was the bison hunt that left me wounded and lying in the hospital After nearly half a year. After being discharged from the hospital, I went to hunt jaguars in the tropical jungles of South America, because I had heard that they were difficult to deal with, but after I went there, I realized that it was nothing more than that." The legendary Cossack general continued: "In the end, I almost lost interest in hunting, you know? How frustrated a good hunter must be if he can't find the game that matches his match! Until one day, I A wonderful idea came to my mind, and I found the joy of hunting again. You know, hunting is my life! Just like American businessmen will gradually break down when they leave the business field, because business is their life.” "That's right, you're right!" Redford nodded, "Then how did this idea come about?" The general said with a smile: "At that time, I repeatedly asked myself, why is hunting not attractive to me?...Mr. Leiford, although you are younger than me, and although your hunting career is not as long as mine, you may have already guessed That's the answer, right?" "Is it because hunting is too easy for you?" "That's right! Whether it's hunting tigers or bison, it's easy for me, so naturally I have no interest at all..." The general lit a new cigar. "To tell you the truth, no matter what kind of prey, there is no possibility of escape in front of me. I am not boasting, because beasts are beasts after all, they can only rely on their limbs and instincts to avoid the hunter's pursuit, but in the face of experienced Hunters, they will never be able to hide!" Refed leaned back in his chair, fascinated. "So I thought, what should I do? Suddenly, that inspiration came up!" the general said triumphantly. "What was the inspiration?" The general smiled and said, "I must find a new game to satisfy me." "Brand new prey? Are you kidding me?" "I'm not joking," said the general. "After I made up my mind, I bought this small island and spent a lot of money to build this ancient castle on it. This small island is simply perfect as a hunting ground." , the island has jungles, mountains, swamps, and maze-like trails..." "But what animal are you hitting?" Redford interrupted the general. "The prey I hunt are different from ordinary animals. They are courageous, intelligent, and very cunning. In short, they are animals with thoughts!" "Impossible! Animals don't have thoughts." Lei Fude showed doubts on his face. "My dear friend," said the General in a very secretive tone, "there is an animal that can..." "Could it be... Did you mean...?" Redd was so surprised that he almost jumped up from his chair. "Why not?" "God, General Yalav, I think we're talking about more than hunting. Everything you're talking about is murder!" "Haha! Don't cling to your old thoughts! I believe you must have experienced war, right?" The general looked at Redford proudly. Lei Fude couldn't hide the anger in his heart, he almost shouted: "I will not forgive those cruel executioners!" "Hahaha..." The general laughed wildly again, "How stubborn you are! Oh, you are a Puritan, right? But I believe that when we hunt together, you will feel that this is the most exciting and most exciting thing in the world. Fun hunting." "Thank you for your kindness, General Yalav, but I cannot cooperate with you. I am a hunter, not a murderer." "Mr. Redford, don't say it so badly, okay?" The general showed displeasure, "I don't agree with your opinion, I think you are wrong." "Oh? Do you really think so?" "Don't you understand the principle that the weak prey on the strong? Life is prepared for the strong, and the strong have the right to survive and reproduce; as for the weak, it is a gift from God to the strong, to create joy for the strong. This is The law of survival, we should obey, not violate! Since I am strong, then I have the right to slaughter and enslave the weak! What I hunted are sailors on yachts, lowly niggers, Chinese and Mongols , they are not even as good as a well-fed hunting horse or a hunting dog, they are nothing but the scum of society like walking corpses!" "No! They are human beings just like us!" Redd shouted excitedly. "That's why," said the general calmly, "I'm going to use them. They can think like us, so they're more dangerous than normal beasts, but that's exciting enough, isn't it?" "But how did you get them on the island?" The general raised his eyebrows triumphantly, and said mysteriously: "Do you know the name of this island? It's called 'Lost Ship Island'. Sometimes, the angry sea god will bring these prey to my door, but sometimes , Sea God is not that generous, then I will rely on myself... Come, come to the window." Lei Fude followed the general to the window and looked out. "Look over there," the general pointed to the darkness outside the window, but Raffles saw nothing.At this time, the general pressed another button, and a beam of light suddenly appeared on the distant sea, he said: "Ordinary sailors will regard that beam of light as the light of a lighthouse, and they will happily sail towards the beam of light. But in fact, there is an incomparably dangerous reef, like a hungry and ferocious sea beast, which easily smashes the ship into pieces." After speaking, the general sneered, crushed a peanut, and threw it on the ground He stomped a few more times. "It turns out that you attacked those ships through such despicable means!" A gleam of imperceptible irritation flashed across the general's face, but it was fleeting, and he said, still in an affectionate tone, "My dear, you are too honest, and I assure you I never Deliberately attack them. On the contrary, I treat them like VIPs, I take good care of them, I provide them with enough food, and good training conditions. They are all very strong. If you don't believe it, then go hunting tomorrow Then you'll understand." "I don't understand what the hell you're talking about?" "Let me show you my training camp." The general said with a smile. "A few days ago, a Spanish ship sank on the rocks. The twelve survivors on board were taken in by me in a cellar. These poor guys, They are only used to life on deck, but not in the jungle, and I am pessimistic about their prospects." Refed was trying to stay calm at this moment.General Yalav made a gesture, and Ivan immediately brought a pot of mellow and fragrant coffee. The general said grimly: "Don't be nervous, my friend, you just have to think of it as a game. The rules of the game are this: pick a man as prey, and I will match him with plenty of food and a sharp knife." hunting knife; then I gave him three hours to escape; after that I pursued him with only a gun of the smallest caliber. If within three days I found him, it would be his misfortune; If he manages to hide from me for three days, he wins the game." "What if he doesn't want to play this game with you?" "Oh?" said the general, "I will not force him to participate in this game, I will give him a choice, either participate in my hunting game, or have another game with Ivan. You have also seen Ivan's toughness To some extent, but without exception, my guests chose to play hunting games with me in the end, my dear Mr. Redford." "But what if you lose in the end?" The general said proudly: "So far, I haven't lost a single game!" At this time, he seemed to suddenly think of something, and hurriedly added: "I'm not bragging to you, most of them are not so clever, and the simple questions they asked can't cause me any obstacles at all. But some One time was an exception, I ran into an experienced guy and he almost beat me, and I ended up having to beat him with the help of the Hound." "hound?" "Here, I'll show you." When Lei Fude came to the window, he saw a dozen huge black shadows swimming back and forth in the eerie shadows of the backyard outside the window. "They are very loyal guys!" the general admired. "I don't release them until after seven o'clock every night. If anyone wants to enter my room or escape from here, nine out of ten will be theirs." dinner." "Recently, I still have a lot of new gains, do you want to come and see?" the general asked. "Oh, no, no," Redd said. "I'm sorry, General Yalav, but I'm not feeling well." "Really? Maybe you are too tired? You have been swimming in the sea for so long, and you really need a quiet night and a sweet sleep. Well, after you have recovered your energy, we will go hunting together tomorrow! Good night, Mister Raffles." Lei Fude hurriedly said good night, and ran back to his bedroom as if fleeing.He was wearing soft and comfortable pajamas, lying on the spacious big bed, but he had no sleepiness at all, his whole body was in pain, his heart was in a mess like hemp, and the intermittent footsteps from the corridor outside the room made his heart ache even more. Terrified, he jumped up, intending to open the door to see what was going on outside, but the door was locked from the outside, so he had to turn around and go to the window, looked out, and found that his room was in the ancient on the spire of the fort.The surroundings of the castle were strangely quiet, only a waning moon shone dimly behind the dark clouds.He looked down through the window, and saw more than a dozen hounds looking up greedily, with faint green lights shining in their eyes, like a group of deadly devils! Refud had no choice but to go back to bed and lie down.He closed his eyes tightly and forced himself to fall asleep, but he couldn't calm down in his heart.When it was daylight, he was half asleep and half awake, and vaguely heard a vague gunshot in the jungle far away... It wasn't until lunch time that General Yalaf appeared in front of Reved wearing a tweed suit with a tired look on his face.He didn't seem to care about his own state, but showed great concern for Redd's health. "Mr. Raffles, I'm not in a good condition, and my old problem happened again last night." The general yawned as he spoke.He saw that Redford didn't seem to understand what he meant, so he sat down and explained: "Last night's hunting was so boring, he just ran away along the trail, but didn't know how to go into the jungle, so he lost his life for nothing! Mr. Redford, Would you mind having another drink?" "Mr. General, I hope to leave this place immediately!" Lei Fude said every word. The general's face darkened immediately, and he said displeasedly: "Dear friend, you have only come here not long ago, and our game hasn't started yet?" "I'd rather go now!" Redford said decisively, when his firm eyes met the general's elusive eyes, the general's expression changed. "So, tonight, let's play this game—just you and me." As he spoke, he picked up a wine bottle that had been dusty for a long time, and poured another full glass for Redd. “不，将军，我不会参加你的游戏！”雷夫德坚决地摇着头说。 将军耸了耸肩，若无其事地夹了一块热火腿放在嘴里，轻松地说：“你当然可以拒绝我的游戏，我说过了，我不会强迫任何人，但我有义务提醒你，伊万的游戏可不太好玩……”他朝着站在墙角的伊万示意了一下，那家伙立刻凶神恶煞般地走了过来，将粗壮的双臂交叉放在胸前，一副要动手的样子。 “你想怎么样？”雷夫德惊叫着。 “我亲爱的朋友，如果我没记错的话，我已经给你讲过我的游戏规则了。这可真是个天才的创造，我终于能和一个势均力敌的对手在狩猎之前喝杯酒了。来，干杯！”将军举起了酒杯向雷夫德示意，但雷夫德却像雕塑一般坐在椅子上，一动也不动，两眼喷射出愤怒的火光。 “雷夫德先生，你会发现这不是普通的狩猎游戏，”将军兴奋地说，“用你的头脑来对付我的头脑，用你的猎刀来对付我的猎刀，用你的力量来对付我的力量，这不是很公平吗？来吧，朋友，别再犹豫了！” “如果我赢了，会怎么样呢？”雷夫德有点动心了。 “如果在第三天午夜我还没有找到你，我会很大度地宣布我输了。”亚拉夫将军说，“我会派船把你送到附近的一个小镇上。” 将军见雷夫德似乎还心存怀疑，便急忙补充说：“我以一个绅士和运动家的身份来向你保证。但有一点你必须答应，你必须对这'迷船岛'上的一切守口如瓶。” “别做梦了，我不会答应的！”雷夫德不假思索地予以拒绝。 “现在就讨论这个问题还为时过早吧？等三天之后我们再探讨吧，除非……”将军阴森森地笑了，似乎雷夫德注定会失败一样。 这时，将军好像又想起了什么，他对雷夫德说：“伊万将会给你准备好一切的，包括猎装、猎刀，还有食物。为了少留下足迹，我建议你最好穿上鹿皮鞋。另外，我友情提示一下，在这个岛东南角是一片沼泽地，那里被称为'死亡沼泽'。一个倒霉的家伙不听我的忠告，结果深陷其中，被'乞丐'追上去活活咬死。'乞丐'是我最优秀的一条猎狗，我很喜欢它的。雷夫德先生，时间不早了，我的意思是说，你该准备动身了，而我要去午睡一会儿，到了傍晚，我再去追赶你。我一向喜欢夜间狩猎，那可比白天有趣多了。雷夫德先生，祝你好运！”亚拉夫将军礼貌地一鞠躬，然后就转身上楼去了。 这时，伊万拿着一套猎装、一袋食物和一把长刃猎刀从另一个门走了进来，他将这些东西递给了雷夫德，便送他走出古堡。 两个小时过去了，雷夫德仍在杂草丛生的林木中拼命地向前奔逃，他想：“我必须振作精神，我要活着离开！” 他一刻不停地向前奔跑着，头脑中一片空白，根本不知道自己要跑到何处，倒是迎面吹来的一阵阵冷风，让他混乱的头脑开始清醒过来。他冷静地思考和分析了自己的处境：“如果这样一直跑下去，最多只能跑到海边，而这个岛是个孤岛，四面环水，最后也难免束手就擒。看来，唯一的办法就是在岛上就地藏匿了。”于是他开始检查装备，并查看四周的自然环境。 “我必须扰乱他的追踪方向！”雷夫德暗想。他用树枝把小路上自己的脚印弄乱，然后转身跑进了路边浓密杂乱的草丛中。 雷夫德蹲在草丛里，绞尽脑汁地回忆当年猎捕狐狸时用过的各种方法，以及狐狸在逃跑时留下的种种伪装，还好，他把那些细节一一都回忆起来了。于是，他根据这些细节设计了一系列伪装，为的是拖延亚夫拉将军追击的脚步。天色渐渐暗了下来，雷夫德已经疲惫不堪了，手和脸上也被树枝划出道道血口子。他意识到，在黑暗中继续前行是不明智的，需要找个安全的地方休息一下了。 “刚才我扮演了一只狡猾的狐狸，现在我该扮演一只灵巧的狸猫了。”想到这里，雷夫德来到一棵树干粗壮、枝繁叶茂的大树下，他先把树下自己留下的脚印清除干净，然后才小心翼翼地爬上树，躲在一个枝叶重叠、纵横交错的枝杈上。 There was silence all around.雷夫德休息了片刻之后，感觉舒服多了。他安慰着自己：“别紧张，即便是像亚拉夫将军这样经验丰富的猎手也不会追踪到这儿的，或许，在茫茫夜色中只有魔鬼才能追到这儿来。”他突然打了个冷战，亚拉夫将军不就是一个彻头彻尾的魔鬼吗？ 夜晚，阴森而恐怖，尽管丛林中已暗如地狱，但雷夫德却根本不敢合眼。时间一分一秒地过去了，当太阳的第一缕曙光照亮这座小岛时，一群鸟雀忽然从附近的树林里飞起，好像有什么东西正慢慢地向这个方向靠近。雷夫德心里一紧，急忙探着身子，从层层枝叶间的缝隙望过去——那是个模糊的人影。 “天哪！是亚拉夫将军！”他正沿着雷夫德走来的小路，一路搜索。将军那双犀利的眼睛正仔细地观察着沿途的各种蛛丝马迹，当他走到雷夫德藏身的大树下时，突然停下了，弯着腰仔细检查着地面，然后又抬起头苦苦地思索。 “我何不趁此机会飞身而下，杀死这个罪恶的家伙？”雷夫德想到这里，捏紧了手中的猎刀，就要纵身跃下。这时，他突然看见亚拉夫将军的右手里还有一把小型自动手枪，顿时打消了这个念头。 亚拉夫将军在树下耽搁了好久，他不时地摇着头，显出一副非常迷惑的样子。最后，他靠在树干上，掏出烟盒取出一支黑色的雪茄，抽了起来。不一会儿，雪茄的浓烟袅袅上升，穿过茂密的枝叶，拼命往雷夫德的鼻孔里钻。雷夫德赶紧用手捂住口鼻，生怕发出咳嗽的声音。这时，将军的目光已经离开了地面，渐渐地沿着树干向上搜寻。雷夫德紧张极了，大颗大颗的汗珠从额头上滴落，可他连擦一下都不敢，心中只是默默地祈祷上帝能保佑他不要被发现。这时，亚拉夫将军的目光停留在雷夫德藏身的那片树杈上，他似乎看出了什么破绽，一丝诡异的笑容浮现在将军的脸上。雷夫德心中暗叫不好，把猎刀抓得更紧了，随时准备与将军拼个鱼死网破。可将军却一反常态，并没有揭穿雷夫德的障眼法，而是故意朝空中吐了个烟圈，便转身离去了。听见将军的猎靴踩在草丛上的吱吱声越来越远，雷夫德也如虚脱一般，几乎瘫倒在树杈上。这一刻，雷夫德才明白亚拉夫将军是一个多么可怕的猎手！面对自己布置的重重迷阵，他竟然丝毫没有被误导，而是一步步追寻过来，甚至已经识破了自己的障眼法。可是，亚拉夫将军为什么不下手，而是转身离去了呢？“啊！对了，这个可恶的家伙！他是在玩弄我！就好像猫在戏耍老鼠一样！好让我多活一阵继续陪着他玩恐怖游戏！”雷夫德终于明白了亚拉夫将军的险恶用心。 “我决不让你得逞！决不！” 雷夫德灵活地爬下树，迅速跑进丛林之中，他一边跑一边观察着周围的环境，跑了大约三百米远，他突然注意到前面有一棵枯死的大树正斜靠在旁边的一棵小树上。雷夫德看到这幅景象，突然心生一计，他急忙将食物袋扔在一边，掏出长刃猎刀，使劲儿地在枯树旁边挖了起来……两个小时过去了，雷夫德终于完成了他的“杰作”。他把附近的足迹清除掉，便跑到一百多米以外的一棵古树后面躲了起来。不一会儿，那个恶魔般的哥萨克人又循着踪迹找来了，这次，亚拉夫将军不是孤身一人，他还带着一条棕色的猎犬。 亚拉夫将军的目光如此犀利，他仔细地检查草丛是否有被压弯的痕迹，观察苔藓是否有被触碰的迹象……他生怕遗漏一丝一毫的异常情况。忽然，他的脚被地上的一根树枝绊了一下，几乎在同时，亚拉夫将军意识到事情不妙，他敏捷地向后跳去。说时迟那时快，那棵斜靠在小树上的枯树轰然倒下，朝亚拉夫将军重重地砸来，他灵巧地一闪身，枯树擦着他的肩膀砸下，将他的肩膀划破了一点皮。这已经很幸运了，要不是他警觉，此时恐怕他已经是树下之鬼了！亚拉夫将军迅速掏出手枪，十分警惕地观察着四周的动静。躲在百米之外的雷夫德看见亚拉夫将军从自己的死亡陷阱下死里逃生，心中不禁暗暗感到可惜。 这时，哥萨克人那恶魔般的笑声在丛林里回荡：“雷夫德，我知道你就躲在附近，你很聪明，居然设计陷阱来暗算我！但这次幸运女神站在我这边。看来这场游戏越来越有趣了，现在我要先回去包扎伤口，很快我就会回来找你的，哈哈哈……” 望着走远的亚拉夫将军，雷夫德几乎绝望了，但他还是继续没命地向前奔逃。夜色降临了，雷夫德深一脚浅一脚地在丛林中奔跑，渐渐地，他也分辨不出方向了，只是觉得脚下变得很松软。慢慢地，他觉得越跑越困难，最后居然迈不动步了。他低头一看，这才倒抽了一口冷气，原来自己不知何时已经跑到恐怖的沼泽之中了，“天哪！莫非这就是亚拉夫将军提到的那个'死亡沼泽'吗？”他用尽全力往外拔腿，但刚拔起左脚，右脚又陷了下去。最后，雷夫德让身体平卧在泥浆里，增大身体的浮力，然后一点一点地挪动，这才挪回了岸边。 他望着无尽的沼泽，突然想到一个绝好的主意。他迅速后退了大约十二米左右，像一只海狸一样，在地上疯狂地挖了起来。 尽管雷夫德已经累得精疲力竭，但他丝毫不敢放慢速度，因为每耽搁一秒钟都意味着死神逼近一步。在法国狩猎时，他就曾挖过这种陷阱，但和现在相比，那时的活儿只能是小孩子在玩过家家。 很快，雷夫德的大坑就挖了一人深，他觉得深度合适了，便从坑里爬了出来，跑到附近的树上折下几根坚硬的树枝，用猎刀把它们削成尖利的木刺，然后倒插在坑底，接着，他又麻利地用树枝和野草编成一个草垫子，盖在大坑的口上，最后他又小心地伪装了一下陷阱四周，这才拖着疲惫的身子躲在不远处的一个大树桩后面。 没过多久，一阵雪茄烟的香味远远地飘来，雷夫德明白，那个穷追不舍的哥萨克猎手又来了。他很奇怪，为何那家伙这么快就能找到自己？不过没关系，有致命的陷阱正等待着他的到来，雷夫德满怀期待地等着陷阱发挥作用。忽然，只听“咔嚓”一声，是树枝折断的声音。“太好了！陷阱起作用了！”雷夫德激动得差点儿叫出声来，紧接着他又听到陷阱的位置传来了几声痛苦的惨嚎声。雷夫德迫不及待地探出头想看个究竟，但他立刻又缩了回来，因为他发现亚拉夫将军并没有死，而是拿着一个手电筒，站在离陷阱几步远的地方。 “雷夫德先生，你干得太棒了！”将军大吼道，“你的陷阱非常危险，可惜，杀死的只不过是我的猎狗，下次我将带一群来，看你怎么对付！好了，现在我要回去搬救兵了，这一回合算你赢了，哈哈哈！” 亚拉夫将军暂时离去了。雷夫德再也支撑不住了，他倒在沼泽附近，迷迷糊糊地睡着了。不知过了多久，他忽然听到一阵喧闹声由远及近而来，他一骨碌爬了起来，这时，他才意识到更大的危险正在逼近——哥萨克猎手带着一群猎狗来了。 雷夫德清楚自己眼下只有两条路：要么是待在这儿坐以待毙；要么是迅速离开这里，但谈何容易！他努力地想着逃命的办法，突然眼前一亮，想到了一个主意。于是，他再一次打起精神，飞快地沿着沼泽地的边缘向前奔去。 猎狗的狂吠声越来越近。雷夫德跑到一棵树下，迅速爬了上去，他顺着小溪望去，远远地看见那个该死的哥萨克人正打着手电照路，在他前面还有一个大块头——那一定是伊万，他正牵着那群凶恶的猎犬在前面开路。 雷夫德爬下树，紧张地在树的附近寻找着，终于，他找到了一棵非常有弹性的小树。他把猎刀牢牢地绑在了树梢上，然后将那棵小树拉成弧形，用野葡萄藤的一头系在小树的树梢，另一头则埋设在草丛中。布置完后，他又在这棵小树周围踩上一圈杂乱的脚印，然后便继续向前逃。这种猎刀陷阱是雷夫德在乌干达狩猎时曾用过的一招，是否成功，就在此一举了！ 犬吠声越来越近，它们一定跑到猎刀陷阱附近了，雷夫德停下来侧耳细听，突然，陷阱处传来了一声人类的惨叫。他大喜过望，迅速爬上一棵树，朝着陷阱的方向张望。可令他沮丧的是，举着手电的亚拉夫将军仍然毫发无损，只是大块头伊万不见了，狡猾的将军又躲过了一劫。 见伊万死于雷夫德的猎刀陷阱，亚拉夫将军狂怒不已，他放开群狗，让它们自行跟踪雷夫德的踪迹。雷夫德继续向前奔跑，并不时鼓励自己一定要振作起来。他跑着跑着，忽然看到前面有一条深渊，足有二十多米深，下面是狂啸奔涌的海水。借着朦胧的月色，他发现深渊的对面竟然是亚拉夫将军的古堡，原来不知不觉间，他在岛上兜了个圈子，又回到了原地！这时，犬吠声更近了，他把心一横，闭上眼睛纵身跳入脚下汹涌的波涛中。 当将军带着猎狗赶到海边的这个石崖时，雷夫德已经消失在深渊下那汹涌的海水中了，他注视着那幽暗翻涌的海平面好久，惋惜地叹了一口气…… 将军回到古堡，他先是吃了一顿美味可口的晚餐，又喝了整整一瓶保罗酒，还饮了几大杯香槟。他觉得这次游戏很刺激，但却有两点遗憾：第一，他最忠诚的奴仆伊万死于非命；第二，他没能亲手杀死他的猎物。当然，那个猎物跳进海里也必死无疑。一想到这里，他才稍稍感到些许安慰。 将军酒足饭饱后，他来到了自己的卧室。现在他疲惫极了，准备美美地睡上一觉，并习惯性地把门反锁上。今晚的月色还不错，朦胧的月光透过窗户洒在幽暗的卧室里，他走到窗户边，向后院望去，只见那群凶恶的猎狗正守护在他的后院。 “祝你们晚安！”将军对猎狗嚷着，然后顺手打开了卧室的灯。在灯光闪亮的一瞬间，他突然发现，屋里居然站着一个男人，手里还拿着一把小手枪！ “怎么？雷夫德，你没死？”亚拉夫将军惊叫着，“天哪，你是怎么过来的？” “游泳，这比穿过丛林到这儿来要快得多。”雷夫德非常平静地说。 亚拉夫将军深吸了一口气，勉强挤出一丝笑容，沮丧地说：“这场狩猎游戏结束了，雷夫德先生，你赢了！” “不，还没有结束！”雷夫德用枪指着亚拉夫将军的胸口，面无表情地说。 “没有结束？”将军惊恐地说，“你想怎么样？” “替所有死去的猎物讨还公道！” “等等……我救过你，你不能……不……”将军一边后退，一边摆手。 "boom--" 枪声在这座充满罪恶的“迷船岛”上空回荡。