第5章 LITTLE ROBERT, THE TRAPPER 矿井风门开关管理员小罗伯特

One morning while the pitmen were at work in a coal mine, they heard a noise louder than thunder. In a moment every lamp was out, and men and boys threw down their tools and ran.

It is Tuesday morning. The men reach the bottom of the shaft, and count their number. Five are missing, four men and one little trapper, Robert Lester. People above hear the noise, and rush to the pit's mouth. The workmen are taken up. The business of the trappers was to sit at the trap-doors which led out of the passages of the mine, and to open and shut them as required. Often little boys were employed at this. It was not hard, but was very dismal and tiresome work the agony of the wives and mothers of those who are left behind!

Brave men go back to their rescue. They light their lamps and reach the crush. There is nothing but a heap of ruins. They shout, but there is no answer. Up go pick-axes and shovels, to clear the way. It is great labour, and it involves great risk. Men flock from all quarters to offer their services How they work!

Towards night they hear something.It is not a voice,but a tapping.It can just be heard.Clink,clink,clink, clink,clink!five times,and then it stopped.Clink,clink,five times again,and then it stopped. Five more, and then a stop.

What does it mean? One man guessed. There were five missing, and the five clinks showed that all the five were alive, waiting for deliverance. A shout of joy went up in and above the pit.

How does it fare with the poor prisoners? They were frightened like the rest by that sudden and awful noise. Little Robert left his door and ran to the men, who well knew what it meant. Waiting till everything was quiet, they went forward to examine the passage-way Robert had left. It was blocked up. They tried another;that also was blocked up.Oh,fearful thought—they were buried alive!

The men went back to the boy. “I want to go home; please, do let me go home,” said little Robert. “Yes. yes, as soon as we find a way out, my little man,”said Truman, in a kind yet husky voice.

The air grew close and suffocating, and they took their oil-cans and food-bags to one of the galleries where it was better.

Truman and Logan, two of the buried hewers, were religious men. “Well, James, what shall we do next?” asked Truman. “There is but one thing we can do,” said Logan. “God says, ‘Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee.’

“They all knelt down. Poor little Robert cried bitterly. But as the pitmen prayed, —first the one and then the other, —their hearts grew lighter, and even the little trapper dried his tears.

They then got their pick-axes; but what a hopeless task it seemed, to cut through that terrible mass of earth and stones to daylight! Their hearts beat with hope and joy when they first heard the sound of their friends working on the other side. It was then that they made the clink, clink with their pickaxes, which was heard by their deliverers, and so much encouraged them in their work.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday passed, and no rescue. What dark and dreadful days! Worse than all, the sounds beyond did not appear to draw nearer. At last Saturday came. Five days had passed; and the men outside knew that there was not an instant to lose. They were too anxious even to speak. It was only work, work, work, for dear life. For hours they had heard no signals. Were their poor comrades dead?

Suddenly the wall was pierced; a hole was made through it; feeble voices were heard.

“Truman,are you there?”“Yes,all here.”

“All living!” “Yes, thank God, all living.”

“All living!all living!”shouted the men;and the shout went up to the mouth of the pit. When Robert's father heard that his son was alive, the good news was too much for him, and he fell down senseless.

One hour more and the rescuers reached their comrades. Who can describe the meeting; or the joy and gratitude of wives, mothers, and friends, as one and another were brought up to the light? Here comes Mr. Lester with Robert in his arms! What a huzza rent the air as they came in sight, “Safe! safe! God be praised!”

Questions

What noise was heard in the coal mine? What did every one in the pit do when it was heard? How many were ascertained to be missing? What did the men who had escaped do? What noise did they hear towards night? What did it mean? What did the prisoners do when they found that the passages were all blocked up? What did Truman and Logan do? When were they rescued? How long had been shut in? How was Robert's appearance greeted?

Pronunciation

Tues'-day pris'-on-ers re-lig'-ious in'-stant

ag'-o-ny fright'-ened ter'-ri-ble com'-rades

de-liv'-er-ance ex-am'-ine en-cour'-aged de-scribe'

res'-cu-ers suf'-fo-cat-ing dread'-ful grat'-i-tude

Dictation

An explosion in a coal mine blocked up the passages with earth and stones. Four men and a boy were shut in.

Their comrades began at once to dear a way for them. On the fifth day, they were all taken out alive.

一天早上，矿工们在一口煤矿井里干活，他们听到比雷鸣声还刺耳的响声。转瞬间，所有的矿灯都灭了，矿工们不论年龄大小，纷纷扔下工具落荒而逃。

这是周二的早上。营救人员来到井的底部，清点矿工的人数。有五个人失踪，包括四名矿工和矿井风门开关管理员小罗伯特。上面的人听到响声，火速跑到井口。工人们被抬了上来。矿井风门开关管理员的工作内容就是坐在通往出矿井通道的门口，根据需要，开关矿井的大门。雇主往往雇一些小男孩做这份工作。工作比较简单，却索然无味。那些遇难矿工的妻子和母亲悲痛欲绝！

胆子大的人回去参与营救。他们手里拿着灯，来到出事地点。这里除了一堆废墟什么也没有。他们大声喊叫，但是没有任何回应。他们打算用斧头和铲子打通一条路。这项任务工作量非常大，并且存在极大的风险。从四面八方涌来的矿工纷纷伸出援助之手。

夜幕临近，他们听到了声响。这不是人发出的声音，而是敲击声。人可以听到的敲击声！这种声音响了五次，然后就停止了。紧接着又是五次，然后又停止了。随后又是五次，又停止了。

敲击声意味着什么？一位矿工猜测着。总共有五人失踪，五次敲击证明五名矿工全都活着，他们正在等待救援。矿井里随即响起了兴高采烈的欢呼声。

可怜的被困矿工遭遇了什么？如同其他矿工一样，他们也被那突如其来的可怕响声吓得不轻。小罗伯特离开大门，朝人群跑去，那些人知道这意味着什么。等到一切归于平静，他们纷纷上前查看罗伯特离开的通道。通道被堵住了。他们又尝试走另一个通道，也被堵住了。天啊，他们心里害怕极了！

矿工们回到小罗伯特身边。“我想回家，请让我回家。”小罗伯特说。“好的，好的，小朋友，只要我们一找到出去的路就让你回家，”涂曼用亲切而沙哑的声音告诉小罗伯特。

空气开始变得稀薄，矿工就要窒息了，他们带着油罐和干粮袋子来到氧气略微充足的通道。

受困矿工中的涂曼和劳根是虔诚的信徒。“詹姆斯，我们接下来该怎么办？”涂曼问。“我们还有一件事情可以做，”劳根说，“上帝说，在患难之日求我，我必搭救你。”

他们全都跪了下来。可怜的小罗伯特大哭起来。矿工们一个接一个跪下祈祷，他们的心开始逐渐放松下来，甚至连小罗伯特都把眼泪擦干了。

他们拿起自己的斧头，企图击穿土堆和石头开辟通往光亮的道路，但是这似乎遥遥无期。当他们听到营救人员在另一边搜救他们时，内心充满了希望与喜悦。于是他们用斧头敲击，想把这种敲击声传递给营救者，并且给他们带来鼓舞人心的力量。

周三、周四、周五过去了，营救工作毫无进展。这可真是既黑暗又痛苦的日子啊！更糟糕的是，敲击声并没有离营救者们更近。最后周六来临了。五天过去了，外面的人都明白营救工作迫在眉睫。他们急得说不出话来。他们能做的只有不停地搜救。已经有好几个小时没有听到呼救的信号了。他们可怜的同伴现在怎么样了？

忽然墙被穿透了；营救人员从外面凿出了一个洞，人们听到了非常微弱的声音。

“涂曼，你在吗？”“是的，所有人都在。”

“所有人都活着！”“感谢上天，他们全都活着。”

“他们全都活着！他们全都活着！”营救者喊道。人们的欢呼声传到井口。当罗伯特的父亲听到他儿子还活着，因为激动过度，昏倒在地。

又一个小时过去了，营救者们找到了他们的同伴。目击者描述了他们相逢的场景。在妻子、母亲以及朋友的欢呼与感激中，一个又一个被困者重见天日。李斯特先生将罗伯特紧紧地抱在怀里！正如大家所看到的，大家高呼万岁：“安全了，安全了，感谢上帝！”