Chapter 10 Gold Beetle-1

golden beetle look!look!This guy is jumping poorly! He was bitten by a poisonous spider. —— Many years ago, I became acquainted with a gentleman named William Legrand. He came from a Huguenot family. Far away from the city of New Orleans, where my ancestors lived, I settled down on Sullivan Island, near Charleston, South Carolina. This island is different, almost entirely made of sea sand, about three miles long and wide No more than two or three hundred steps. There is a small bay that is too small to see clearly. It traverses between the island and the mainland, and slowly passes through a large swampy muddy pond. Water chickens love to nest in that area. It is not difficult. Imagine that there are very few vegetation on the island, and even if there are, they are all short. The towering trees are simply invisible. There is a Mautrek Fort at the west end, and there are a few simple wooden houses. In midsummer, some people stay away from Charles. Due to the hustle and bustle and heat in the city, I rented a wooden house to live in. Near the two ends, you can see clusters of palms, but except for this corner, and a hard snow-white sandy beach by the sea, the whole island is densely covered with fragrant peach gold. Mother. British horticulturalists value this kind of shrub very much. It often grows to a height of fifteen to twenty feet in the local area. It is so dense that it is impossible to insert a foot. , near the eastern extremity of the island, on the more remote end, Legrand built a small shack. He lived there when I met him by chance. We were admiring, so we soon became friends. I saw that he was well-bred and intelligent, but he was infected with cynicism, and his heart was alternately enthusiastic and moody. Few, but it is rare to read. The main pastime is fishing and hunting, otherwise, along the beach, through the myrtle bushes, strolling all the way, or picking up shells, or collecting insect specimens——Insect specimens collected by him, Lian Shifengmaitaimu His ilk can't help being jealous. Every time he goes out for a walk, he always takes an old black man named Cupid with him. Before Legrand's family fell, Cupid was liberated, but he thought he should be the servant who never left, "Way "My son, my master", despite the threats and lures, I sent him away. Presumably Legrand's relatives thought that this tramp was a little crazy, so they figured out a way to let Cupid gradually develop this kind of temper, so that he could supervise him and protect him. He. At the latitude of Sullivan's Island, the winter is rarely so cold that there is no need to light a fire in the autumn. But then again, in the middle of October, 18XX, there was a day that was surprisingly cold. The sun was going down, I walked up and down through the evergreen bushes and walked towards my friend's shack. I lived in Charleston at the time, nine miles from Sullivans Island, and the transportation was not as convenient as it was before. , so I haven't visited him for several weeks. When I got to the shack, I knocked on the door as usual, but no one answered. I knew where the key was hidden, and I found it when I looked for it. I opened the door and went in. I saw a fire blazing in the fireplace. It was a rarity, and it was exactly what I wanted. I took off my coat, sat down in an armchair, near the crackling logs, and waited patiently for the return of my hosts.They came back shortly after dark, and treated me with great affection. Cupid couldn't close his mouth with a smile, and ran about the house, killing turkeys for dinner. Legrand was just guilty of a passion-or Call it a disease, so what is it called?He found an unknown new species of bivalve mollusk. In addition, he tracked it down and with the help of Cupid, he also caught a beetle. From his point of view, it was a new discovery, but he hoped to hear my opinion tomorrow." Why not just tonight?" I asked, warming my hands over the fire, wishing I could go to hell with all those beetles. "I wish I had known you were coming!" said Legrand, "but It’s been a long time since I saw you. How could I have expected that you would come to see me tonight? Just now on my way home, I ran into Lieutenant Ge XX from Fort Mautrek. I was so confused that I lent him the worm, so You won't see until tomorrow morning. Spend the night here, and I'll send Yau to fetch it as soon as the sun rises tomorrow. It's wonderful!"

"What?—sunrise?" "Nonsense! No! - it's a bug. It's golden all over - about the size of a large walnut - near one end of the back, there are two black spots, dark, and there is another one at the other end, slightly longer. Tentacles yes……" "He didn't have tin on him, Mr. Will, I still say the same," Cupid interrupted at this time, "it's a gold bug, pure gold, from head to tail, inside and out is mostly gold. Wings aren't—I've never had a bug this heavy in my life." "Well, yes, Yau," replied Legrand, who didn't have to take it so seriously, in my opinion, "can you let the water chicken burn? That color..." At this moment he turned his head. Talked to me—"To be honest, you will really agree with Cupid's idea after reading it. There is a layer of shiny golden light on the carapace, you have never seen it when you have eyes—tomorrow, you can see for yourself. For the time being I can tell you the general situation." Then he sat down at a small table with pens and ink on it, but no paper. He searched in the drawer, but couldn't find any. "Forget it," At the end, he said, "That's all right." He took out a small piece of something from his waistcoat bag, which I thought was dirty writing paper. He took a pen and drew a sketch on it. He drew his, I was still feeling cold, so I sat by the fire as usual. After he finished painting, he handed the painting to me without turning around. As soon as I received it, there was a burst of barking, followed by the sound of scratching at the door. Cupid opened the door, and Legrand's big Newfoundland dog rushed in, threw himself on my shoulder, and made love to me in every way, because I used to be a guest, and I always took great care of him. Just looking at the paper, to be honest, what my friend drew is really confusing. "Uh!" I looked at it silently for a while, "I have to tell the truth, this is a strange scarab , It’s really fresh, I’ve never seen this kind of thing at all—or it’s a skull, or a skull, in my eyes, there’s nothing more like a skull.”

"Skull!" Legrand repeated. "Well—yes—needless to say, it must be somewhat similar on paper. The two black dots on top are like eyes, eh? The long dot at the bottom is like a mouth—and the whole shape is oval-shaped. .” "Perhaps," said I, "but then again, Legrand, I'm afraid you won't be able to draw it. I'll have to see it myself to know what the beetle looks like." "Just say what you want," he said, feeling a little angry in his heart, "I can draw fairly well—or at least I should—I have learned from many famous teachers, and I am confident that I am not a fool."

"Well, man, you're kidding," I said, "that's really a skull--I'd say it's a top-notch skull, the way people think of physiological specimens like that--your scarab If it looks like a skull, it must be a rare monster in the world. Hey, based on this point of view, it can make a horrible superstition. I think you might as well name it, call it the scarab, or something like that-- There are plenty of similar names in natural history. And then, where are the tentacles you speak of?" "Tentacles!" said Legrand, who, seeing his appearance, blushed inexplicably at hearing this. "I dare say you must have seen it. The drawing is as clear as before. I think the drawing is clear enough."

"Well, well, well," said I, "perhaps you've drawn it clearly enough--but I still don't see it." Not wanting to annoy him, I handed him the paper without saying anything; It was so embarrassing, I never expected it; why he was not happy, I can't figure it out-as far as the beetle picture is concerned, there are no tentacles drawn on it, and the overall shape is exactly the same as an ordinary skull. He He picked up the paper in a rage, and was about to crumple it into a ball. He was clearly planning to throw it into the fire, but he accidentally glanced at the pattern, as if he was suddenly concentrating on it. His face turned red and then white. He sat on the chair and looked at it carefully. After a long time, I stood up, took a candle from the table, walked to the far corner of the room, sat down in a large box of casserole, and looked at the paper with an itchy heart, turning it over and over again, but He didn't say a word. His behavior really surprised people; but it seems that it is better to be careful not to say anything, so as not to add fuel to the flames. Soon, he took out his wallet from his pocket, carefully clamped the paper, Then he put it into the writing desk and locked it. Only then did he calm down, but the original enthusiasm was gone. Looking at his appearance, it would be better to say he was at a loss if he looked sad. The night was getting darker. The thicker it is, the more he is in a trance, and he can't think of it. No matter what witty words I say, he can't get him excited. I used to spend the night at his house, and I planned to stay here this time, but seeing the master In such a mood, I thought it would be better to leave. He didn't insist on staying, but before I left, he shook my hand with extra affection. This farewell, after a month, I haven't seen Legrand, But Cupid, his servant, came to Charleston to see me. It was the first time I'd ever seen a good old nigger look so downcast, and I couldn't help worrying about what happened to my friend. "Well, Chew," I said, "what What's the matter?—how is the young master?"

"Well, to be honest, young master, he may not be very good." "No! I feel sorry for him. What's wrong with him?" "Oh! Yes!--he's never unhappy--but he's very ill." "Very ill, Cupid!—why didn't you say so sooner? Is he sick in bed?" "No, nothing like that!--nowhere's down--that's the worst part--I'm dying for poor Master Will." "Cupid, what are you talking about? You said that the young master is sick. Didn't he say what's wrong?" "Hey, young master, it's okay to get angry because of this—Master Will didn't say he was uncomfortable at all—but why would he lower his head, shrug his shoulders, and walk around like this with a pale face? ? That’s not counting, I’m old enough to understand bees—”

"What do you mean, Cupid?" "Solve the bees with numbers on the slate--such a strange number, but I have never seen it at all. To tell the truth, I was terrified. I had to pay attention to his tricks. That day, before the sun came out, he Sneaked away, and been out all day. I hacked a big stick, and was going to beat him up when he came back—but I was such a fool, I couldn't bear to do it—he looked so bad.” "Eh?—what?—get it, get it!—a thousand words, I reckon you'd better take it easy on the poor fellow—don't beat him, Cupid—he can't take it—but you Don't you know why he got this disease, or why he became like this? I broke up with you, did I encounter any unpleasant things? "

"No, sir, nothing unpleasant has happened since that time—it was before that, I'm afraid—on the day you went." "What? What do you mean?" "Well, sir, I mean the worm—you see." "Then what?" "That bug—I guarantee that Master Will got a bite somewhere on the forehead from the golden beetle." "How do you think that, Cupid?" "It's full of claws and a mouth. I've never seen such a ghost bug before I was born-he kicks and bites anything that comes close. Master Will caught him at first, but then he had to let him go He ran away, really--he must have been bitten then. I myself don't like the way the worm's mouth looks, so I never pinch him with my fingers, but catch him with a piece of paper I found. Wrapped in paper, and a piece of paper stuffed in his mouth—that's all."

"So, according to your opinion, the young master was really bitten by a beetle? This bite made him sick?" "I don't need to look—I know that. If he hadn't been bitten by a beetle, why would he be thinking about gold? I've heard of beetles like that before." "But how do you know he wants gold?" "How do I know? Why, because he's dreaming about—I'll count." "Okay, Qiu, maybe you're right, but why am I so honored today, what brought you here?" "What's the matter, grandpa?" "Has M. Legrand entrusted you with any message?"

"No, young master, I brought a heavenly book." Then he handed me a note, the content is as follows: Brother XX: Why haven't you been here for a long time?I hope you don't get mad because I offended you. No, you won't be like this. After breaking up last time, of course I miss you a lot. I have something to tell you, but I just don't know how to say it. I don't know if we want to talk about it. A few days ago, I was not feeling very well. Poor old Qiu cared for me with kindness and kindness, but it pissed me off and almost didn't send it out. Do you believe it? ——One day, I sneaked away while he was unaware, and spent a day alone in the mountains on the mainland. He even prepared a big stick and planned to teach me a lesson. No new specimens have been added to the herbarium since we parted. Anyway, please come with Cupid if you can. Please come, hope to see you tonight, it's important .It is indeed a very important event.

Sincerely, brother William Legrand There is something in the tone of this note that makes me uneasy. The style of the letter is very different from that of Legrand. What is he dreaming of?Is there any new and strange idea in the thought of the sea and the sky?What "very important business" does he have to do?The situation that Cupid mentioned is obviously not a good omen. I was afraid that this friend would suffer from frequent accidents and eventually become insane, so I prepared to accompany the black man on the spot. A scythe and three shovels, all new. "What are these for, Yaw?" I asked. "Here's the sickle and shovel, my lord." "Exactly, but what are you doing here?" "This is the scythe and shovel that Master Will forced me to buy for him in the city. It cost me a lot of money to get them." "But what will Master Will use the sickle and shovel for?" "I can't figure it out, and I don't believe he can make it clear, but it's all because of that bug." It seemed that Cupid had only "the worm" in his mind; and as he couldn't get a satisfactory answer from his mouth, I boarded the ship and set sail. Riding a strong wind, I soon sailed into the back of Fort Mautrek. I got off the boat and walked two miles. At about three o'clock in the afternoon, I arrived in front of the shack. Legrand had already been impatient. He held my hand nervously and enthusiastically, and I couldn't help but startled. Suspicions suddenly arose in my heart. His face was as white as death, and his deep-set eyes gleamed brilliantly. I asked him if he was in good health, and at the moment I didn't know what to say, so I asked him casually if he had taken back the beetles from Lieutenant Ge XX. "It's coming back," he answered, flushing suddenly. "It was brought back the next morning. There's no way I'll let that beetle go again. You know, Cupid was right about it." "Which way?" I asked, feeling ominous. "Didn't he think it was a bug of real gold?" "He continued with a happy face, "the family business is about to be revived. So, is it any wonder that I value it? The God of Wealth thinks it should be sent to me, so I can only use it for a good use. It is a treasury key, and the gold will fall into my hand. Cupid, bring me the scarab!" "What? Insects, my lord? I'd better not bother with them; you should get them yourself." Legrand stood up proudly, and brought me the beetle from the glass box. So beautiful. At the time, naturalists didn't know about this beetle - from a scientific point of view, it was certainly a great achievement. Near the end of the back, there are two round black spots, and the other end has a long A little. The carapace is very hard, smooth and smooth, and looks like polished gold. It is strangely heavy. I pondered all this, and I can't blame Cupid for having that opinion; but Legrand has such an idea. , I can't tell. "I invite you to come," I looked at the beetle carefully, and he said boldly, "I invite you to come and give me an idea, and help me understand the mystery of fate and the bug." ..." "My dear Legrand," I interrupted him, exclaimed, "you must be ill, and it is better to take precautions. You should lie down, and I will stay with you for a few days until you are well. You have a fever again." again……" "Take your pulse," he said. I pressed it, and to be honest, I didn't have any symptoms of fever. "Probably you are sick, but you don't have a fever. This time, please do as I tell you. Go to lie down first, and then..." "You're mistaken," he interposed. "I'm in such a state of excitement that I can't get any better. If you really want me to be well, you'll get me out of this excitement." "How can I help?" "It's very convenient. Cupid and I are going to explore the mountains on the other side of the mainland. This expedition requires the help of reliable people. Only you can trust it. Regardless of success or failure, the excitement you see in me now, of course It will melt away." "I would be glad to oblige," I replied, "but do you mean that the poisonous bug has something to do with your expeditions into the mountains?" "'Yes" "Then, Legrand, I will not engage in such absurdities." "What a pity—what a pity—we'll have to try it ourselves." "Try it yourselves! The fellow is sure to be crazy!--well, wait!--how long are you going to go?" "Probably a whole night. I'm leaving right away, and I have to come back before dawn anyway." "Then please promise me that as soon as your whimsical thoughts pass and the matter of the bugs (God!) is resolved, you will go home immediately. I will be your doctor, and you will do whatever I say. .” I walked away with him sullenly.Me, Legrand, Cupid, and the dog—we set off at four o'clock.Cupid was carrying the sickle and shovel, and he insisted on taking all of them. In my opinion, it was not because he was overly fawning and working hard, but because he was afraid that the young master would touch them at will.His attitude was so stubborn that he mumbled the words "ghost bug" all the way.I carried two bull's-eye lamps; Legrand proudly held the beetle, hanging from the end of a whip rope; walking and turning all the way, like a juggler.Seeing the obvious insanity in this behavior, I could hardly hold back my tears.But I thought it was best to make do with what he said, at least for now, and before I came up with a more sure countermeasure, I had to accommodate him.I tried to inquire with him about the purpose of my expedition, but it was always in vain.Since he coaxed me to come here, he didn't want to talk about any minor topics, and asked anything casually, and just answered "Look back", and that's it. We crossed the small bay at the end of Sullivan's Island in a canoe, reached the shore of the mainland, climbed up to the plateau, and went straight to the northwest, through the deserted wasteland, all the way.Legrand drove on without looking back; he stopped and checked the marks, which seemed to be all done by himself last time. We walked in this way for about two hours, until the sun went down, and we arrived at an unprecedentedly desolate wasteland.This is a plateau area, close to the top of a mountain that is almost impossible to climb. From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, densely covered with trees, there are large peak rocks everywhere, as if floating on the soil, most of them rely on the trees to prevent them from rolling down the ravine.Going down the deep valley to add a gloomy and quiet atmosphere to the scenery. We climbed onto this natural flat, overgrown with thorns, and soon saw that it was impossible to get in without cutting it with a sickle; Cupid, as the young master ordered, made a way, and came to the foot of a lily tree half a sky high. .This tree rose with eight or nine oaks, with green leaves and beautiful posture, and spreading branches, and stately shape, the eight or nine oaks were far inferior, and I never saw such a beautiful tree.We just arrived in front of the lily tree.Legrand turned around and asked Cupid if he could climb up.When the old man heard this, he seemed a little hesitant, and always responded.It took a long time before I walked to the huge tree, walked around slowly, and looked at it intently.Take a good look, just say: "Okay, young master, Qiu can climb all the trees he has seen in his life." "Then climb up quickly, it will be so dark that you can't see your fingers." "How high must I climb, sir?" Cupid asked. "Climb up the village trunk first, and I'll tell you where to climb later—hey—slowly! Take this beetle away." "That worm, Master Will!—gold beetle!" cried the black person, backing away in panic. "Why take a worm up a tree?—I'll die!" "Qiu, you are such a big black man, you don't dare to hold a small dead bug that can't hurt anyone, just take this rope and go up - but if you don't try to bring it up, I have to use this shovel to smash your body." head." "What's the matter, sir?" Yau said, and it was obvious at a glance that he was so ashamed that he had to do it. "Always yelling at the old nigger. It's just a joke. We saw the bug scared! What's the bug?" As he spoke, he carefully held one end of the rope, tried to hold the insects as far away from his body as possible, and was ready to climb the tree.The Lily-tree, or Liriodendron TuliPiferum, is the most magnificent of the trees of the American forests, and when young it has a remarkably smooth body, which often grows tall, without a single twig; There are bumps, bumps and bumps, and there are many short branches on the trunk, so it looks difficult to climb now, but it is actually not difficult.Cupid hooked his arms and knees on the huge tree as tightly as possible, clung to the bumps with both hands, and climbed up on the bumps with his bare toes. He looks like everything is fine.In fact, although the climber is sixty or seventy feet above the ground, there is no danger at present. "Where must we go now, Master Will?" he asked. "Climb up the largest branch—the one this way," said Legrand.The negro obeyed at once, and climbed up apparently without trouble;In a second came his voice, which sounded like a shout. "How high do we have to climb?" "How high?" asked Legrand. "It can't go any higher," replied the Negro, "you can see the sky from the top of the tree." "Don't care about the sky, just do as I say. Look down at the trunk of the tree and count the branches here. How many branches have you climbed?" "One, two, three, four, five—I've climbed five big twigs here, sir." "Then climb one more." After a while, his voice came again, saying that he had climbed to the seventh branch. "Hey, Cho," cried Legrand, with a palpable excitement in his heart, "I want you to climb up that branch as far as you can. When you see anything rare, let me know." I." At first I was only a little suspicious that this man was insane, but now that I see it clearly, I have no choice but to go crazy, and I am eager to force him to go home.I was secretly thinking about what method to use, when suddenly Cupid's voice came again. "I was so frightened that I didn't dare to climb far—this twig is all dead." "A dead branch, you say, Cupid?" exclaimed Legrand, trembling. "That's right, my lord, I can't even breathe a breath.—It's really dying—I'm going to heaven." "What should we do?" Legacy asked, looking at the situation in great distress. "What to do!" I said, congratulating myself that I could break in at last. "Go home and go to bed. Go low!—That's good, it's getting late, and besides, you always remember your promise." "Cupid," he called, ignoring me, "do you hear that?" "I hear you, my lord, I can't hear you any more clearly." "Then try the wood with a knife to see if it's rotten." "It's rotten, sir, that's all right," replied the black man after a while, "It's rotten, but it's not rotten. I'm the only one who dares to go a little further, honestly. .” "Just you!—what does that mean?" "Well, I mean the worm. The worm's heavy. If you drop him first, the twig will hold the weight of a black person." "You wretched wretch!" cried Legrand, evidently dropping the stone in his heart. "What are you going to do with such nonsense with me? If you throw away the beetle, I'll see if I won't make your head move." Lah, Cupid, do you hear me?" "Listen, young master, why don't you yell with the poor black people?" "Okay! Listen!——If you still dare to crawl forward, don't go over when you see danger, and don't throw the beetle away in your hand, I will give you a silver dollar when you come down." "I'm crawling, Master Will--don't you," replied the Negro immediately, "and I'm almost at the top now." "At the top!" Legrand literally screamed at that moment, "on the top of the twig, you mean?" " "It's about to reach the top, sir—ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah! My God! What's that on the tree here?" "Ah!" exclaimed Legrand, in a state of ecstasy, "what is it?" "Why, it's just a skull—someone left his head in a tree, and the crows ate it all up." "Skull, you say!--very well!--how is it nailed to the twig?--and what is it fastened to?" "That's right, my lord; gotta see it. Why, really, it's queerest—there's a big nail in the skull, and it's stuck in a tree." "Well, Cupid, you do what I say—you hear me?" "Listen, my lord." "Listen carefully then—find the left eye on the skull." "Huh! Ha ha! Wonderful! There are no eyes at all." "How stupid! Can you tell which is the left hand and which is the right hand?" "It's right, it's right—it's right—it's just the left hand, and I chop wood with my left hand." "No! You're left-handed; your left eye is on the left hand side. I think you can find the left eye in the skull, the hole where the left eye used to be. Have you found it?" After a long time, the black man asked: "The left eye on the skull, is it also on the left hand side of the skull?—because there's no hand on the skull at all—forget it! Found it—that's the left eye! What am I supposed to do with it? " "Hit the beetle through the left eye and let the rope go down as far as you can—be careful not to let go of the rope." "That's right, Master Will; it's so easy to get worms out of that hole—look down there!" While talking, Cupid was nowhere to be seen; this morning and evening, the setting sun was still dimly shining on our highland, and the beetle he had finally let down was clearly visible, hanging on the end of the rope, shining in the afterglow, like Polished gold ball. The scarabs hang in the air, and if they are released, they will fall at our feet.Legrand took the scythe in his hand, and just under the insect, he cut a circle three or four yards in diameter, and when he had made it, he bade Cupid let go of the rope, and climb down the tree. At this time, my friend drove a wooden stake exactly where the beetle fell, took out a belt measure from his pocket, nailed one end to the tree near the stake, pulled the belt measure, and went to Mula. , and then pulled forward fifty feet along the straight line formed by the lily tree and the stake, and Cupid took a long-handled sickle to cut down the thorns in this area.Legrand drove another stake there, and with this as the center, he drew a roughly circle about four feet in diameter.So I took a shovel and gave it to Cupid and me, asking us to dig the soil quickly. To be honest, I don’t usually like this kind of entertainment, especially at this moment, I really want to refuse; one is that it’s getting dark, and the other is that I’m really tired after walking so much; but I just can’t think of a way to slip away Let's go, and I'm afraid that if I refuse, that man will be in trouble.If I could rely on Cupid for help, I would have tried to force this lunatic to go home; but the old black man has long been familiar with his temper, no matter what the situation is, it is hopeless to rely on him to fight with the young master.I am convinced that Legrand was poisoned by the tales of buried treasure in the South; he found the beetle and took his fantasies for granted, perhaps because Cupid insisted it was "a Bugs of real gold", he believed it to be true. The insane are so quick to believe such nonsense, and are especially gullible if it happens to coincide with the set of ideas in their minds, that it occurred to me that the poor chap had said that the beetle was "the key to his coffers."All in all, I was confused and confused, I didn't know what to do, and finally decided that since I can't do it, I should just pull it down—seriously dig the soil, so that I can produce hard evidence as soon as possible to convince this daydreamer that he is whimsical. The two bull's-eye lamps were all lit, and we started working together, working hard. In fact, this energy should be used for business.Look at the lights shining on us,.Reflected on the tools, I couldn't help but think to myself, our group looks like the people in the painting. People come in by accident, and they are guaranteed to think how strange and suspicious the work we do is. We dug non-stop for two hours.No one said much, but the dog, who was very interested in what we were doing, kept barking, which made us very uneasy.Afterwards the commotion became so serious that we were afraid of disturbing the passers-by by this shouting, or rather, Legrand was so worried; I would have liked someone to come in and take the opportunity to drive the vagabond home.Cupid climbed out of the pit tenaciously and calmly, and tied the animal's mouth with a garter. The screams were finally silenced, and he gave a majestic smile and resumed his work. After two hours we had dug to a depth of five feet, but there was no trace of the gold or silver.Everyone stopped at once, and I really wish this farce would end.Legrand was obviously in a panic, wiped his forehead thoughtfully, and then dug again.The four-foot-diameter circle had already been dug, and now it was slightly larger, and two feet deeper.But still nothing was dug. The gold digger was finally disappointed, crawled out of the pit in extreme pain, and slowly put on the coat that he had taken off before working.I remained silent and deeply sympathized with him.As soon as Cupid saw the young master's gesture, he put away his tools.Packed up, took off the garter on the dog's mouth, and we went back home in silence. We walked back about ten steps, Legrand suddenly cursed, stepped up to Cupid, and grabbed him by the collar.The black man was startled, his eyes and mouth were wide open, he let go, dropped the shovel, and fell to his knees. "You scoundrel!" Legrand said, gritting his teeth, "you rascal!—Really, tell me!—Answer me at once, and don't hesitate!—Wh—— —Which one is your left eye?" "Oh, Master Will! Isn't this my left eye?" Cupid was so frightened that he yelled, stretched out his hand to his right eye, squeezed it tightly, and pressed it tightly, as if he was afraid that the young master would goug out his eye. "I expected it!—I knew it! Ha ha!" cried Legrand, and letting go of the negro, he went up and down, twirled, and made a fuss, which frightened his footman. Dumbfounded, he got up and looked at me and the young master in silence. "Hey! We must go back," said Legrand, "the show is not over yet." And he led the way to the lily tree.We went to the foot of the tree, and he said, "Come here, Cupid! Is the skull nailed to the branch with the face out, or toward the branch?" "Face outwards, my lord, so that the crow has no trouble eating its eyes." "Well, then, which eye did you put the beetle in, this one, or that one?" said Legrand, touching Cupid's eyes. "This one, sir—the left eye—that's what you told me to do." But it was the right eye that the Negro meant. "Okay—we've got to try one more time." Only then did I realize that this friend looked crazy, but he was actually quite logical, or I just thought I figured it out.He took up the stake that marked the spot where the beetle had landed, and moved it about three inches to the west; then, taking the tape measure from the nearest point of the tree, he pulled straight forward another fifty feet to the stake, away from where he had just been. Dig the pit size road and circle a place. At this time, we drew a circle around the new location, somewhat larger than the one just now, and we started digging again.I was terribly tired, but something changed in me. Instead of just wanting to get rid of the heavy work on my shoulders, I felt indescribably interested--and excited.Perhaps there was something in Legrand's dissolute behavior that struck me--either an air of prudence, or a deliberate demeanor.我来不及的挖着，一边挖，一边还想到原来自己巴不得找到虚无飘渺的金银财宝，我那不幸的伙伴就是梦想发财才发了神经。 我们挖了一个半钟头光景，我满脑袋全是这种想入非非的念头，狗忽然又大叫特叫，打扰了我们。刚才分明只是因为乱起哄，瞎胡闹，才不安，可这回声调却又尖厉又正经。丘比特又想绑住它嘴，它就拼命抗拒，跳进坑里，疯也似的扒开烂泥。不到片刻，扒出了一堆尸骨，恰好是两具四肢俱全的骷髅，还夹着几个铜扣，以及烂成灰的呢绒般东西。铲掉一二铲土，便挖出一把西班牙大刀，再往下挖，又见三四个金很硬币散在各处。 眼见这一切，丘比特那分高兴简直接捺不住；他少爷脸上反而是大失所望，可还是催我们使劲挖下去，话还没说完，我靴尖突然勾住一个半埋在浮土里的大铁环，绊了一交。 我们眼下干得可认真，这么兴奋的十分钟，倒从没碰到过。在那片刻工夫中，我们顺利的挖出了一只长方形木箱。看这水箱丝毫无损，异常坚固，显然经过什么矿物质处理——大概是升汞处理。这只箱子长三英尺半，宽三英尺，高二英尺半。四周牢牢包着熟铁皮，钉着铆钉，整只箱子给拦成一格格的格子。左右两头，靠近箱盖，各有三个铁环，总共六个，可以给六个人当把手抓着。尽管我们一齐使出吃奶力气，箱子也只是略动几分。 我们顿时看出这么笨重的东西没法搬动。幸好箱盖上只扣着两个活动扣。我们拉开这两个扣子——焦急得一边发抖，一边喘气。一眨眼工夫，整箱价值连城的金银珠宝就在面前闪闪发光了。灯光泻进坑里，乱糟糟一堆黄金珠宝反射出灿烂光芒，照得我们眼花缭乱。 我瞪着眼盯着那工夫的种种心情，不想细谈了。首先自然是惊奇。看上去勒格朗兴奋得没一丝力气，话也少说了。一时间，丘比特脸色死白，当然这是说，一般黑人的黑脸上能显得多自，他就有多白。看模样他呆若水鸡，吓做一团。不久他在坑里双膝跪下，两条光胳膊插进金子，直埋到胳膊肘，就这样插着不伸出来，好似乐滋滋的在洗澡一般。 临了，才深深吁了口气，仿佛自言自语，大声喊叫：“这全亏金甲虫！好看的金甲虫！可怜的小金甲虫，我用那种粗话咒骂的东西！道你不害臊，黑奴？——回答我呀！” 后来我少不得提醒他们主仆二人，暂且想法把宝贝搬走再说。天愈来愈晚了，得趁天亮前尽力将宝贝搬到家里。大家心里全都象团乱麻，该怎么办才好，真难说，左思右想的考虑了老半天，才把箱子里的财宝搬出三分之二，分量轻了，费上一番手脚，箱子总算起出了坑。搬出来的宝贝就藏在荆棘里，留下狗守着，丘比特还严厉的叮嘱一番，我们要没回来，无论什么缘故，都不准离开，也不准张嘴乱叫。我们这才扛着木箱，匆匆回家了；大大辛苦了一场，到半夜一点，才算平平安安到达窝棚，我们真累坏了，再要马上动手工作，可不合人情。休息到两点钟，吃了晚饭；屋里倒凑巧有三只结实的口袋，就随身带走，赶紧回到山里去了。将近四点，才走到坑边，将剩下的金银财宝尽量均分成三分，坑也不填，就动身回到窝棚里，再次将肩头的金银担子藏在屋内，这时东方树梢上刚露出几道蒙蒙曙光。 这早晚，我们累垮了；可当时兴奋过度，反而睡不好。辗转不安的睡了三四个钟头，大家象事先商定似的，一齐起身，检点金银财宝了。 那笔财宝竟有满满一箱，我们花了整整一天，又干了大半个晚上，才检查完毕。一箱财宝放得不整不齐，也不分门别类，全都乱糟糟堆着。我们仔细的分了类，才晓得手边的财富，比开头想象的还要多。硬币方面，按照当时兑换的牌价，尽可能准确的估计了一下，其价值总共值四十五万多块钱。没一块是银币。统统全是金币，五花八门的，法国、西班牙、德国的都有，还有几个英国见尼①，(①英国一六六三年至一八一三年发行的金币名。一七一七年。其价值定为二十一先令。)此外还有一些压根没见过的膺币。有几个重甸甸的大硬币，差不多磨光了，花纹根本看不清。美国货币却一块也没有。珠宝的价值更难估计。其中有钻石——有些大得很，亮极了——总共一百一十颗，没一颗不大；十八块灿烂夺目的红宝石；三百一十块翡翠，全很美；还有二十一块蓝宝石，外加一颗猫儿眼。镶嵌托子全拆掉了，宝石都乱七八糟的扔在箱子里。一我们在其他金器中检出那些托子，看来个个都给锤子砸扁，好象是免得给人认出。此外还有无数纯金首饰：将近两百只又厚又重的指环和耳环；昂贵的金链——我要没记错的话，总共有三十根；八十三个又大又沉的十字架；五只价值连城的金香炉；五只偌大的金质五味酒钵，精工雕着葡萄叶和酒仙像；还有两把细工镂刻的剑柄，以及好些小物件，我可记不起来了。这种种贵重物品共重三百五十多常衡磅①。我可没把一百九十七只上等金表算在这里头；其中三只，每只足足值五百块钱；好多都是老古董，算做时计，可不值一个子儿；零件多少有点锈坏了，但都镶满珠宝，配着高价的金壳。