Chapter 9 Chapter VII The Mysterious Captain Scarfield

I don't recall ever reading a detailed account of the life of Captain Jack Scarfield in any of the histories of famous pirates.No doubt the author may have gathered these data concerning his death and the destruction of the schooner from Captain Mainwaring's reports, which are now available to us in the Admiralty archives.Of course, if the author has not read the pamphlet history book published by Isaiah Thomas in Newburyport in 1821 and 1822, it is impossible to find other reference materials based on these monotonous and boring narratives.The booklet in question is The Chronicle of Captain Jack Scarfield.My purpose in writing this story is to fill the gap that a man so famous in the piracy industry has little detailed history in reality.In order to make it easier for readers who are willing to read the whole article to enjoy this story more smoothly, I think it may be more appropriate to tell it in the form of a novel.Here's the story.

one Eleazar Cooper was a prominent member of the Friends Society, better known in Philadelphia as "Captain Cooper."He was the director of the Friends Society and was a frequent speaker at various special occasions.Every time he returned from a voyage, he would always attend the Quaker meetings on Sundays and Thursdays.In the eyes of his fellow villagers, he is a good businessman who is honest and upright in business, and abides by his reputation, and a model man who is responsible and conscientious in his family. What I'm going to say next doesn't play an important role in the development of the story, but we still have to mention it: Captain Cooper mainly does offshore trade. The so-called offshore trade means that the captain always uses his own ship to carry his own cargo. Pilot a ship and barter on deck.He had a fast and convenient schooner called the 'Eliza Cooper' of Philadelphia, named after his wife.The captain sailed mainly in the West Indies, and his cargo was mainly wheat flour and corn meal from "Brandy's" mill in Wilmington, Delaware.

This business is known to have earned him handsome profits during the War of 1812, when France, Spain, Holland and the island of Denmark were all under the British blockade and were all but cut off from the rest of the world, so the price of local wheat flour and cornmeal very high. In wartime, smuggling across the blockade to do business is the most dangerous act, but Captain Cooper has been going back and forth between the two coasts, and his cargo has earned him amazing profits. When the war ended, he became the richest man in the area. one of the merchants. There was a time when his balance at the Mechanical Bank exceeded the balance of any independent depositor's account, and it is said that he once deposited with the bank a chest of foreign silver coins which, if converted into dollars, would be worth Up to 42,000 US dollars, which was a very amazing wealth at the time.

From the outside, Cooper is tall, with a thin face and sharp edges; in terms of personality, he has been unsmiling all year round, like wearing a mask, and looks very stern; Not surprised.Judging from the way of behavior, he is simple in style, taciturn, and acts and lives strictly in accordance with the dogma of religious beliefs, without any deviation. He lived in an old-fashioned house on Front Street on the lower Spruce River, and it looked so comfortable that any captain of an offshore trade would love to return to it.Behind the house there is a steep lawn that slopes down to the river.To the south of the house are the docks and warehouses, and to the north are orchards and vegetable gardens, full of fresh fruits and vegetables.There are two large chestnut trees in the yard, which provide deep shade, covering part of the porch and lawn.Sitting in the shade and looking down, you can see two rows of box bushes on either side of the meadow, across the shimmering water, and the meadow stretches down to the banks of the Jersey River.

The story we're going to tell is about 1820, when the land value of this property was high, but because it was Cooper's old house and he was very rich, he didn't think about selling it at all.Therefore, although many people wanted to buy this piece of land at a price five or six times higher than before, they were all rejected by him. This kind of rejection seemed calm, but it was indisputable, and there was no room for maneuver. , he chose to live in the same house where his father and grandfather used to live. As has been said, this is a pleasant and comfortable house, and as soon as you enter, you are immediately impressed with its cleanliness: the brass door handles are shiny and unstained; The sturdy leather furniture was spotless, and the brass-headed nails shone like stars in the sky; the corridors were dusty and clean, and the wooden door handles had been scrubbed countless times from handle to nail. The whole house is filled with the slight fragrance of soap and warm water.

Eleazar Cooper and his wife had no children, but they lived with another person who brought life to this spacious, quiet and bleak home. She was Captain Cooper's niece Lucinda Fair Banks, the daughter of Captain Cooper's own sister, was a lively and lovely figure of about twenty, and a very popular figure in the social circles of the Friends Society of the city. Now there is only one last character left, but perhaps the most pivotal in the whole story, and that is Captain James Mainwaring.He was a broad-shouldered, rosy-cheeked, well-built man of about twenty-six or seventeen.Mainwaring was a darling in the social circle, and he had participated in the decisive battle between the "Gendarmerie" and the "Warrior".While serving on the Gendarmerie, it was Mainwaring himself who lit the fuse for the first shot of this great battle.

Mainwaring's mother was good friends with Eliza Cooper, so he often visited Captain Cooper's house.Every week, because of some small things arranged by the ladies, he will visit at least six or seven times. If Captain Cooper is at home, he will smoke a pipe and drink wine with Captain Cooper, such as the famous old Jamaican rum , or play a game of checkers in the evening.Of course the two old men knew the real reason for Mainwaring's visit, but they seldom doubted what kind of feelings would arise between the two young men. In fact, Mainwaring and young Miss Lucinda Fairbanks were passionately in love.Eleazar Cooper was so disgusted with that war, and had issued stern proclamations against it, that no man in such an official position as Mainwaring could expect the old man to allow his niece to marry him; and , if Lucinda married a non-Quaker, she would lose her birthright of Quaker membership.Therefore, the two had to keep their relationship strictly confidential.In fact, she didn't care whether she had this qualification, but she was in awe of her uncle, and she didn't dare to give up her responsibility in this regard.Therefore, she had a secret tryst with Mainwaring, and had a very sweet time.At her lover's request, Lucinda had Lady Gregory draw a miniature of herself, which she smuggled into a gold medal.With all the tenderness of a lover, Mainwaring kept the medal around his neck and hid it under the hem of his shirt near his heart.

In April 1820, Mainwaring was suddenly ordered to report to Washington.It turned out that in the autumn of last year, pirates in the West Indian River area, especially the famous Captain Jack Scarfield, were active. coastal trade merchant ships.The government finally determined to take the initiative to suppress these vermin of the West Indian River area and severely punish these robbers. Mainwaring received an order to lead the "USS America" ​​to patrol the Bahamas Islands. This is a fast, shallow draft, and bulky armed two-masted warship.His mission is to arrest all the pirates they find and destroy the pirate ships.

The USS America is awaiting orders in New York.On his way from Washington to New York, Mainwaring stopped by Philadelphia to say goodbye to his friends in the city.He visited old Cooper's again.It was a Sunday afternoon, and the weather was warm and comfortable. Although it was early spring, it felt like summer.The apple trees are full of flowers, very luxuriant, and the air is filled with the fragrance of apple blossoms.The bees were buzzing everywhere collecting honey, and the warm sun made people drowsy. At the time, Eleazar had just returned home from a trip in Antigua.When Mainwaring came to his house, the family were sitting under a chestnut tree which had not yet grown its leaves.Captain Cooper, smoking a long clay pipe, lazily read a State Gazette, then listened to Mainwaring describe his new mission.What is strange is that this time, instead of his rigid and silent style in the past, he was not only very interested in Mainwaring's story, but also eloquently told some stories about pirates he knew, especially He told the story of Captain Scarfield with great interest.

To Mainwaring's great surprise, the old fraternity member took the position of defending the pirates, claiming that the crimes of the defendants were greatly exaggerated, and that he knew some pirates very well. In his opinion, Pirates are at best a bunch of poor, misguided wretches.Tempted by the government, during the last war, they embarked on the road of patrolling with private boats, and then gradually degenerated, step by step into the abyss of crime.He admitted that Captain Scarfield had done many cruel and evil deeds, but he asserted that the pirate had also done many good things.However, people turned a blind eye to his good deeds and only condemned his crimes.He admitted that Captain Scarfield had indeed done some wrong things, such as allowing the crew to draw lots to decide who the wife and daughter of the captain of the "Northern Rose" would belong to, but no one ever mentioned how he and his crew were. risked their lives to save the entire crew of the schooner "Halifax" from being adrift with yellow fever; and no one ever told anyone , How they steered the ship full of patients into the rescue area of ​​Kingston Harbour.Eleazar said he could not deny that Scarfield had stripped the captain of the "Baltimore Belle" naked, tied him to the brig's fore-mast, and had his men throw wine bottles at the helpless captive, with the result that As a result, the captain died of serious injuries that night, but his subordinates were all drunk at the time, so it is understandable.Scarfield is undoubtedly to blame in this matter, but after the 1818 hurricane, he once risked his life in front of the government to transport a full ship of the necessities he bought in Tampa Bay to Bella Bay. Vista Island, who praised him for this matter?In this famous adventure, he even almost lost his life.The British frigate Ceres pursued him for two days, and when the captain took a prisoner and wanted to hang him immediately from the girders, they completely forgot the fact that the poor fellow was in Do good to accumulate virtue, not tormenting living beings.

While saying these words, Eleazar always had an expression of defending the accused.The more he talked, the more energetic he became, and the more talkative he became.The fire in the pipe had gone out without him noticing.A blush came over his thin, sunken cheeks from the excitement of the talk.Mainwaring listened in amazement to this strange defense of a deeply peaceful Quaker preacher for a notorious, bloody and brutal pirate, Jack Scarfield.The surrounding environment is warm and clean, the old brick house is quiet and peaceful, the apple trees are full of fragrance, and the bees are buzzing to collect honey. How different everything around is from the old captain's incredible defense for the villain Harmony!The old fraternity man went on and on and on and on until the warm sun went down and night fell. After drinking tea in the evening, Mainwaring was ready to leave, and it was dusk when he said goodbye to Lucinda Fairbanks.At this time, the bright moon hangs in the milky white sky, and the silvery white moonlight shines on the old house, the blossoming apple trees, the grass on the slope and the sparkling river, everything is like a dream, It looks so hazy and ethereal.He asked Lucinda to allow him to tell her uncle and aunt their feelings, and asked the two old people to allow them to associate, but Lucinda firmly refused to allow him to do so.Lucinda felt that the two of them felt very happy being together now, but once they told their uncle, and the uncle objected to their being together, what should they do in the future?Can't he just wait a little longer?Maybe after a while, everything will be fine.When they broke up, she burst into tears and was reluctant to part, which made Mainwaring unable to insist on her own ideas, so she had to say that she would wait until the right time to mention this matter.At this moment, he realized that he had to leave, maybe this time would last for two full years, and in the next two years, he would not have the right to call her "my person", this kind of thought made him feel very desperate . When saying goodbye to the old people, he felt even more sad, almost out of breath.He seemed to be able to feel her cheek against his shoulder, her soft, smooth lips kissing him.But what is this secret love compared with the right to call her "my son" a thousand miles away at sea?At this point, he felt like a coward shirking responsibility. But he loves too much.In the early morning of the next day, the weather was gloomy, and it was raining lightly, which was completely different from yesterday's windy and sunny day.Mainwaring sat on the carriage, feeling as if he was wrapped in a solitude as tough as damp leather. He pulled out the small oval photo from under the hem of his shirt, stared at it blankly for a long time, and stared at it affectionately. Looking at the pure face, the blue eyes, and the tender and beautiful red lips painted on the silky ivory surface, my heart is full of love and foolish joy. two Mainwaring spent most of the next five months patrolling Bahamian waters, spotting and repelling many pirates, destroying no fewer than 15 pirate ships of various sizes, including whalers as small as half-decks ships and barques up to 300 tons.Soon, the reputation of the "USA" spread far and wide, making all the pirates in the West Indies frightened, and almost all the pirates who had recently appeared in the waters of the Bahamas were wiped out. But the pirate Mainwaring had been looking for—Jack Scarfield—avoided him like a shadow, and escaped him every time as if possessed of some kind of magic.On two occasions, he almost came across the famous pirate, but each time he arrived at the scene of the incident, the pirate captain left him only a terrible wreck.For the first time, he found a wrecked ship drifting in the water in the Grand Bahama Channel.The ship was Salem's "Sea Witch".Later, people discovered part of its crew in Maria Bay, and only then did they know its tragic experience. At this time, two weeks have passed since the ship wrecked.This story sounds very scary. The victims said that they were all crew members of the "Sea Witch". The purpose of the pirates letting them go was to let them take a message to the Yankee commander. The commander took them in, and Captain Scarfield would greet him for it and prepare him a hot meal. Three weeks later, Mainwaring spotted the Baltimore Belle and rescued the survivors on board.At that time, the ship was already in dilapidated condition, and the ship was covered with blood.The eight crew members headed by the captain were tied hands and feet and thrown into the sea.This time, Scarfield left another message to the commander of the USS America: Mainwaring can adjust the food he found to his liking. Mainwaring was full of blood and jealous of evil. Hearing all this, he swore a poisonous oath: "John Scarfield and I are at odds with each other. Either he dies or I die!" However, what he didn't expect at all was that his angry vow would soon become a reality. At that time, pirates often gathered on a small island in San Jose, the southernmost part of the Bahamas. Before the arrival of the USS America, they would often roll the ship over here on the beach to clear the hull, while resupplying supplies, ammunition and rum, preparing for the next attack on merchant ships passing around the archipelago or crossing the Bahama Channel. Mainwaring had been to this pirate lair several times.Here, where he had two good harvests, and made himself famous, he considered it his blessed land, and hoped to catch Captain Scarfield here. Below, we briefly introduce this notorious pirate gathering place.The place was a small colony, full of houses of the kind common in the West Indies, of woven cane frames and then plastered.There are only three houses here that are made of wood, and they look more beautiful than the others.One was a warehouse, the other a rum shop, and in the third lived a mulatto woman who was said to be Captain Scarfield's secret wife.The people in this village are almost all black and brown.There is also a Caucasian population on the island, mainly consisting of one or two Jewish people who feel dishonest and half a dozen American businessmen.In addition, there are some blacks, mulattos, Spanish Eurasians, and some yellow women and children.The colony curves along the beach, forming a small harbor which provides a good mooring for small boats as long as the wind is not blowing from the southeast.Coconut trees and banana trees are everywhere in the village, and there is a long white sandy beach outside the village, stretching in a crooked manner, surrounding half a pool of green water like a silver-white necklace.No matter how powerful the clutches of the Atlantic waves are, they can only touch the outer beaches and never pose any threat to this beautiful white sand beach. This is the famous pirate colony of San Jose. It is a paradise of nature, but it is also a hell on earth, full of depravity and evil.Mainwaring set foot on the land again just days after rescuing the crew from the sinking Baltimore Belle. When the little bay fringed with palm trees and crowded with rattan huts came into view, Mainwaring saw a strange ship moored in the harbor.It was a huge schooner, well equipped, of about 250 or 300 tons. The "USA" chose a suitable position to drop anchor at the stern of the ship. The purpose of this is that in case of an emergency, this position can allow the side guns to exert their greatest power.Mainwaring looked at the name of the other ship's stern through the binoculars, and when the white letters "Philadelphia 'Eliza Cooper'" appeared in the circle of the binoculars, he could hardly describe his surprise in words. He could hardly believe his eyes and judgment. He never thought that the "Eliza Cooper" would appear beside this sinful distribution center, the devil's lair. Mainwaring ordered his men to lower the speedboat, and rowed under the schooner himself.Whatever guesses he might have had about the identity of the ship, all doubts were swept away when he saw Captain Cooper himself standing on the gangway to greet him.The friend's expression was indifferent, and there was no surprise or confusion that should have been caused by this unexpected encounter. But when Mainwaring boarded the Eliza Cooper and looked around, he could hardly believe what he saw.On the main deck were eight 12-pounder cannons, covered with tarpaulins.At the bow was a long-range cannon, also covered with a tarpaulin, with the covered muzzle facing the sea beyond the bowsprit. Seeing this unexpected situation, Mainwaring couldn't hide his surprise at all. No matter whether he was overthinking it or not, at least in his opinion, although Eleazar Cooper remained motionless and seemed calm on the surface, in fact The mood is also very confused. Captain Cooper led the way, entered the cabin, and sat with the young man to smoke a pipe and drink a bottle of good old Jamaican rum.Mainwaring did not suppress his doubts, but directly asked the old man why he modified the ship into such a strange appearance. "I am a man of peace, James Mainwaring," replied Eleazar, "but these seas are full of bloodthirsty and greedy men, and if you If I look like a peaceful businessman, I can protect myself and avoid being hurt by evil people. If I show the image of a peaceful businessman, how can I not be attacked in this kind of place?" Mainwaring thought: It would be extreme enough if those powerful weapons were only used for defense.He smoked in silence for a while, and suddenly asked bluntly: "If you were to fight an enemy like Captain Scarfield, how would he fight?" The Fellowship fell silent.From Mainwaring's point of view, the old man's expression seemed to be contemplating how far he should confess. "My friend, James," he began at last, "I must admit that my crew are worldly men, and may, in fact, think differently than I do. I prefer to think so, if Having disputes with unreasonable people, although I personally call for peace, is not enough to stop my crew from fighting violence with violence. As for myself, you know my personality, and you should know that I am in this kind of thing consistent position on Although the Friendsman's oblique manner seemed suspicious, Mainwaring went on to ask a second question without comment: "I would like to ask," he said, "what are you doing here? Why do you find it necessary to come to such a wicked and dangerous place?" "Actually, I know you're going to ask me that question," said his friend, "and I'll tell you frankly that these bloodthirsty, greedy people are people too, and they need food. There are 250 people on board now. Barrel flour which fetches a higher price here than in the rest of the West Indies. To be honest, I wish I could get a good price for most of my wares, but your presence drives away my best customer." Mainwaring was silent for a while, puffing on and on.These words of the other party explained many problems that he could not understand before.It explains why, in these peaceful times, Captain Cooper can still make almost as much profit on his flour and corn as he did in war.It explained why he had defended Captain Scarfield and the other pirates so vehemently that afternoon in the garden.So, what should you do?Captain Cooper has confessed that he is doing business with the pirates.Now, what was he, Mainwaring, responsible for in this matter?Is Eleazar Cooper's goods transaction an illegal transaction?Should it be confiscated?There is another question that has been circling in my mind: Who are the customers I drove away? As if seeing his question, the other party began to talk about it directly. "I know," said he, "that you will soon ask me who the customer I have just mentioned is. I will not withhold his name from you, but he is Captain Jack, or Captain Jack Scarfield." Mainwaring jumped up from his seat immediately. "You mean the devil!" he cried. "How long has he been away?" The Quakers unhurriedly filled their empty pipes with tobacco.He said: "Since the letter was sent saying that you were coming soon, the villain disappeared immediately. I think he has been away from here for about four or five hours." Captain Cooper put the pipe pot on the candle, and lit it. Fire, pumped up. "Please understand, James Mainwaring," he went on, "that I am not a friend of this villain. His safety is not my concern. We are only a business. I can swear to you that any I will tell you all about this demon. I would say that in one day you will probably get news about him. But if there is a war and you have to fight alone, I will not help you , because I like neither war nor blood, and I will not help either side." This passage was somewhat vague, and it seemed to have a deeper meaning, which left a deep impression on Mainwaring.As soon as he returned to the USS America, he told his deputy, Captain Underwood, all the questions he thought he could find out.When night fell, he placed double checkpoints, ready to meet any enemy who tried to attack them. three In the tropics, night comes especially quickly.In a blink of an eye, the world was plunged into twilight, and after a while, darkness swallowed everything up.On the night when the story happened, the weather was gloomy and the rainy season was coming. The warm tropical rain clouds added a hazy color to the dark sky, so the night came faster than usual, and the night was particularly intense.Now and then a few stars in the sky peeped through the clouds, but there was silence all around, and the darkness was like a huge velvet blanket covering the endless sea. As the sky gradually darkened, Mainwaring ordered the crew to light up the lanterns and hang them on the side stays and main stays. The dim yellow light shone on this small battleship. At this time, there were scattered lights everywhere. The brass ornaments danced, and the rows of cannons looked especially huge against these lights. For some unknown reason, Mainwaring had been feeling restless.He lingered on the deck for a long time, still not knowing why he felt anxious, so he went into the cabin and continued to write the day's logbook.He untied the scimitar and put it on the table, and put the lantern on the side of the paper. He was about to take off his coat when he heard a message that the captain of the merchant ship was beside the warship and wanted to talk to him about some personal matters. . Mainwaring immediately guessed that the merchant's visit might be related to Captain Scarfield's news, and maybe something was finally coming to the surface, so he immediately felt calm, and the uneasy feeling just now disappeared in an instant.He ordered the crew to lead Captain Cooper into the cabin at once, and in a few moments the tall, angular Quaker entered the narrow, lighted cabin. Mainwaring noticed at once that his guest was acting very agitated and disturbed.He took off his hat, sweat beaded his forehead.Mainwaring greeted him, but he didn't answer, maybe he didn't hear at all.Captain Cooper walked directly to the table, resting one hand on the logbook the captain had just begun to write.Mainwaring sat down at the other end of the table, and Captain Cooper bent over him. "James Mainwaring," he said, "I swore to you that I would bring you news of pirates. Are you ready to hear from me now?" Mainwaring felt at once that there was something very strange in his agitation, which seemed to disturb him, and this feeling also affected Mainwaring, who seemed to have a similar feeling. "I don't know what you mean, sir!" he cried. "Ask me if I want to hear news from you. The news I want most in the world right now is news about this scoundrel!" "Are you willing? Are you willing?!" The other party became more excited and said loudly, "You are so anxious to see him? Very good, very good, how about if I can let you face to face with him? Hi, hi, and He's face to face, James Mainwaring!" Mainwaring realized at once that the pirate had returned to the island, and was perhaps within his reach now. "I don't understand you, sir," he exclaimed, "do you mean you know where this villain is? If so, please tell me at once, because if there is another minute's delay, the villain may come back again." escape." "Without this danger, he won't go away!" The other party announced excitedly, "There is no such danger! I will tell you where he is, and I will bring him to you immediately!" The fist smashed on the open logbook, and there was a "boom".He seemed to be getting more and more excited and frantic, his eyes seemed to be shining green under the light; the sweat on his forehead had flowed down his cheeks like a stream, and there was a drop of sweat like A crystal clear jewel hung from his aquiline nose.Captain Cooper took a step forward, leaning over to Mainwaring, his manner strange, looking menacing, and the captain instinctively took a step back. "Captain Scarfield sent you some things," Eleazar said in an almost hoarse voice, "you will be surprised when you see these things." The plural "you", this change made Mainwaring feel very strange. As Eleazar said, he fumbled in the pocket of his long-tailed brown coat, and he took out something, which was shining in the light. Then Mainwaring saw the black muzzle of the pistol pointed at his face. Suddenly, there was silence all around, and no sound could be heard. "I'm the man you're looking for!" said Eleazar Cooper suddenly, his voice so tense that it sounded like he was holding his breath. The whole thing happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly, that Mainwaring froze there like a stone.Even if a bolt from the blue hit him at his feet, he would not be as shocked as he is now.He seemed to be caught in a nightmare, and through an unimaginable fog, he saw that face known for its calmness completely changed into that of a demon.At this time, a ferocious smile like a devil appeared on that face as pale as dead ashes.His teeth gleamed in the light, his brows were drawn tightly together, and his eyes had a vicious green gleam like those of a cornered beast.He held his breath again and said, "I am Jack Scarfield! If you want to see a pirate, look at me!" Then there was another silence.In the silence, Mainwaring could hear the ticking of the watch on the bulkhead.The other went on: "You want to drive me out of the West Indies, don't you? You! What about you now? You've fallen into a trap that you've made, and you can get out of it by shouting for help at will. But Listen, if you dare to say a word, dare to move a finger, I will immediately spray your brains on the wall behind! If you do not obey my orders, you will become a dead man in an instant. Order quickly, Let my assistants and brothers come to this cabin and order immediately, my finger is still on the trigger, as long as I pull the trigger, your mouth will be closed forever!" At first, Mainwaring was terrified, but he immediately recovered his composure. Later, recalling this incident, he was shocked by the change in his mentality at that time.When the other party was talking, he found that his thoughts had become very clear.He rearranged his thoughts with an incredible calmness and alertness that he had never experienced before.He knew that if he tried to run away, or utter any cry, he would be instantly dead, for the barrel of the pistol was held firmly against his forehead.If he could divert the opponent's attention, even for a moment, he might still have a chance of survival.Thought, inspiration, action, all in one thought.He had to divert the sharp gaze of the other party, and he had an idea, and immediately shouted: "Do it! Brothers! Do it! Quick!" When he shouted, the voice was so loud that even his own ears were almost deafened. up. Startled, the pirate thought another enemy was standing behind him, so he turned his gun and aimed it at the blank wall behind him.At this moment, he realized that he had been caught in a trap, and immediately turned around.Although his two turns only took a moment, but because Mainwaring had already prepared himself, this short moment undoubtedly saved his life.The moment the opponent turned around, Mainwaring rushed forward.The pistol spewed blue flames, and then there was an explosion so deafening that it almost knocked his head off.顿时，梅恩瓦宁感觉到一阵晕眩，他以为自己被射中了，然而很快他就发现原来自己躲过了这一枪。梅恩瓦宁迅速将敌人扭转过来，狠命地将对手抵向桌子一角。海盗喊了一下，接着两人同时倒向地面，手枪随之“当啷”一声掉在了地板上。跌倒的时候，梅恩瓦宁趴在上面，他马上咆哮着发出命令：“所有人都行动起来，击退进攻者！”紧接着又喊了一次：“所有人都行动起来，击退进攻者！” 可能是被桌子角撞伤了，倒在地上的海盗像被魔鬼附身了一样拼命地挣扎，一两秒钟之后，海盗不知从身上哪个地方抽出了一把锋利的刀子，梅恩瓦宁看到这把长刀正泛着青光，立刻去抓他的手腕。但是对方的肌肉好像是用钢铁铸成的一样，坚硬无比。他们就这样在绝望的沉默中厮打着，一个人竭尽全力要完成刚才被挫败的计划，杀掉对方；另一个人则竭尽全力地要保住自己的性命。梅恩瓦宁感到刀子一次又一次地刺进自己的身体，刺进了胳膊，刺进了肩膀，还刺进了脖子。他感觉到滚烫的鲜血如泉涌一般流出了自己的身体，顿时传来一股钻心的痛，他绝望地向四周张望，突然，他发现那把手枪就躺在不远处的地板上。他一边用力抓住对方的手腕，一边拼命地抢到了那把手枪，狠狠地朝下面光秃秃的窄脑门上砸去。当砸到第三下的时候，身下的人紧绷的肌肉激烈地抽动着，随后逐渐松弛了下来，最后软软地变成了一摊烂泥，梅恩瓦宁最终赢得了这场战斗。 在刚才的打斗过程中，他听到外面一直都有嘈杂的叫喊声、凌乱的脚步声和震耳欲聋的枪声，即使在最危急的关头，他也能意识到“美国号”被海盗袭击了。当感到身下那个不断挣扎的敌人的肌肉变得松弛，人也安静下来之后，他立刻从地上跳了起来，抓起桌旁的弯刀，冲上了甲板。 幸亏为了防御海盗袭击，他提前安排了双倍岗哨，否则“美国号”定会全盘失守。尽管如此，他还是对眼前的一切感到非常震惊：刚才藏在大型捕鲸艇里的海盗们，登上“美国号”之后，不但能够在甲板上占据优势，而且看样子他们好像还要把这艘双桅帆船上的人杀个精光。 但是当浑身是血的梅恩瓦宁冲到甲板上的时候，海盗们立即明白自己的船长已经被制服了，这些亡命之徒立刻失去了斗志。有一两个海盗跳进了海里；有一个看样子像是大副的海盗被一枪打死了，顷刻间，海盗们四处逃散，在昏暗的灯光下，一群海盗纷纷跳下海去，寂静的海面上到处都是扑通扑通的跳水声。 “美国号”上的船员们朝着银光闪闪的水波继续开枪，想要彻底消灭那些跳进大海逃命的海盗。当然，很难说这样的射击还有没有作用。 Four 然而，海盗船长并没有立即死掉，又坚持了三四天，有时神志不清，有时半梦半醒，大部分时间里他都不省人事。当他在床上垂死挣扎的时候，他在这个双重世界里的那位黑白混血的妻子一直照顾着他，但是岛上能够提供的物资是很贫乏的。当他意识不清醒的时候，那种双重的人格一直困扰着他。有时，他会变成在和平社会里，被家中的朋友们所了解的那个 冷静、镇定、自律、循规蹈矩的人；有时，天性中被压抑的那一面又会像一只狂暴的野兽一样龇牙咧嘴地冲出来。有时他会清楚明白地谈论和平社会里的事情；有时他却又在激烈地咒骂、疯狂地叫嚣。 虽然身上的伤口依然不停地折磨着梅恩瓦宁，但他还是会坐在这位垂死的老人身边，和他一起熬过一个个漫漫长夜。每当看到这张消瘦的脸，听到那些漫无目的的胡言乱语，他总是在想这些话语到底是什么意思。这可能是一种疯狂吧——在这种疯狂中，善与恶的交替来袭，竟然能够如此完美清晰地存在于同一个人体内。他认为事情就是这样。谁没有感受过心中存在一个声音在反抗道德和礼仪的严酷枷锁呢？这个声音与库珀一样狂野、凶残。这个老人心中的野兽已经撕碎了枷锁吧？而自己是不能够让心中那个横冲直撞的野兽冲出来，任由它撕碎、毁灭一切的吧？梅恩瓦宁就这样问着自己。这一切怎么会出现？这位受人尊敬的公谊会教徒是如何从故乡的正常生活中，一步步地堕入罪恶的深渊的？梅恩瓦宁不停地在想这些问题，当看到这位海盗船长慢慢地挣脱折磨着他的人世间的负担的时候，他就一直在思考这些问题。最后那个可怜的人终于死了，一个受尽折磨的人终于解脱了。 后来，梅恩瓦宁在岛上展开了全面地搜索，目的是要找到海盗们，但是却一无所获。也许他们藏在了岛上的某些隐秘的藏身之处（这个可能性不大），也许他们已经乘着藏在热带树林里的船逃走了。不管怎么说，他们都已经消失了。 就像没有搜到那些离散的海盗一样，梅恩瓦宁也没能在岛上找到任何财宝的踪影。海盗死后，他们对混血女人进行了严密地审讯，这个女人哭哭啼啼的，最后终于崩溃了，用弊脚的英语供认：斯卡菲尔德船长曾经把大量银币带到了船上。但是他们仍然没有找到这笔财宝，也许是这个女人搞错了，也许海盗船长后来又把财宝带走了，藏到了其他地方。 如果不是机缘巧合，估计就发现不了这笔财宝了。后来，梅恩瓦宁下令烧毁“伊莱扎·库珀号”，安排一批人手去执行这项任务。这时，“美国号”上的厨师请求上尉留下一些威明顿“白兰地酒”牌面粉给他，明天可以用它来做葡萄干布丁，梅恩瓦宁同意了他的请求，让一个船员给厨师拿来足够的面粉。 几个船员被派去执行这个命令，并要求他们取完面粉后，立即烧毁海盗船。没想到，船员们刚走了不到一刻钟的时间，就传回消息说：发现了海盗的藏宝！ 梅恩瓦宁匆忙赶到了“伊莱扎·库珀号”，在打开的面粉桶中，他看到大量的银币被埋在雪白的小麦粉中。于是，船员们开始对全船进行搜索，把面粉桶一个接一个地举起来，摔到甲板上，然后进行搜查。如果桶里只有面粉，就把面粉扫到船下去。阵阵海风吹过，周围几英里的海面都漂浮着面粉，连空气中都弥漫着面粉颗粒。 在小麦粉和玉米粉里面，人们发现了总价值高达15万美元的钱币。现在人们终于明白这个海盗船长为什么这么成功了，因为他能够在得到消息后，立即把自己从一个海盗变成一个向西印度群岛遭受饥荒的城镇和殖民地销售面粉的维护和平的公谊会商人，然后再把沾满血腥的财宝安全地运回北方老家。 故事马上就要结束了，在这里，我们还要讲一下人们在“伊莱扎·库珀号”货舱里发现的一块被涂成黑色的宽帆布，上面涂着巨大的白字“猎犬”。毫无疑问，这块布是用来遮盖这艘商用纵帆船的真正名字的，就像它的船长一样，用一张道德和荣誉的薄布遮住了真实的血腥残忍的人性。 这就是关于杰克·斯卡菲尔德船长的真实故事。 前面提到过的在纽伯里波特出版的小册子里只讲述了这个海盗如何在海上把自己伪装成一个公谊会教徒商人的故事，而没有讲别的故事。 让所有的人都能辨认出以利亚撒·库珀就是那个海盗是不可能的事情，即便是“美国号”上的船员们，也只有梅恩瓦宁知道斯卡菲尔德船长的真实身份。别的人知道的是以利亚撒·库珀在一场和海盗的战斗中被杀害了。 在接下来的一年时间之内，梅恩瓦宁就和露辛达·费尔班克斯结婚了。最终，以利亚撒·库珀的财产通过露辛达·费尔班克斯成为了梅恩瓦宁的财产。上尉考虑过很多次这个问题：这些财产到底是怎么挣来的。在这些财产之中，他可以断定至少有一部分是从海上抢劫来的，但却不能确定其中到底有多少是通过合法贸易赚来的。 曾经有一段时间，梅恩瓦宁觉得他应该放弃这些财产，但是马上他就意识到，现在放弃它们是不可行的，那样的举动显得太过疯狂。最后他逐渐打消了自己的疑虑，安心地享受着通过婚姻得到的巨额财产。 后来，梅恩瓦宁移居到了纽约，之后，他又把海盗斯卡菲尔德遗留给他的财产中的一部分投在了梅恩瓦宁·比戈特运输商行，该商行旗下著名的大西洋际定期邮船在当时负有盛名，享誉全世界。