《夏洛特·多爾的真實自白》（節(jié)選）

“Dont be afraid of her，” Captain Jaggery cried. “Look at her. Shes nothing but an unnatural girl， a girl trying to act like a man， trying to be a man. She can only harm you by living. Let her have her punishment.”

I started up the forecastle steps. The men began to back away. Horrified， I paused. I sought out Barlow， Ewing， Grimes， Fisk. Each in turn seemed to shrink from my look. I turned back.

Captain Jaggery fingered the pistol in his hand. “Take her！” he commanded.

But that far they would not go. And the captain who saw this as soon as I now began to advance toward me himself.

I backed away from him until I was atop the forecastle deck. The line of crew had split， some to either side. “Help me！” I appealed to them again. But though they were deaf to Captain Jaggery they were equally deaf to me.

The captain， in careful pursuit， now slowly mounted the steps to the forecastle. I retreated into the bow， past the capstan， on a line with the cathead. He kept coming. Against the moon， he seemed to be a faceless shadow， a shadow broken only by the daggerlike glitter of the pistol that caught the light of the moon. My heart hammered so I could hardly breathe. I looked for a way to escape but found none.

The bow seemed to dance under my feet. Frantically I looked behind me； there was little space now between me and the sea.

Still the captain closed in. I scrambled back high into the forepeak. He stopped， braced his legs wide， extended his arm and pistol. I could see his hand tighten.

The bow plunged. The deck bucked. He fired all the same. The shot went wide and in a rage he flung the pistol at me.

I stumbled backward， tripped. He made a lunge at me， but I， reacting with more panic than reason， scrambled down onto the bowsprit itself， grabbing at the back rope to keep from falling.

Clinging desperately to the rope—for the ship plunged madly again—I kept edging further out on the bowsprit， all the while looking back at Captain Jaggery. In the next moment he scrambled after me.

I pushed past the trembling sails. Below， the sea rose and fell.

Vaguely， I sensed that the crew had rushed forward to watch what was happening.

There was no more back rop to hold to. And the captain continued to inch forward， intent on pushing me off. There were only a few feet between us. With a snarl he lunged at me with both hands.

Even as he did the Seahawk plunged. In that instant Captain Jaggery lost his footing. His arms flew wide. But he was teetering off balance and began to fall. One hand reached desperately out to me. With an instinctive gesture I jumped toward him. For a brief moment our fingers linked and held. Then the ship plunged again and he tumbled into the waves. The ship seemed to rear up. For one brief interval Captain Jaggery rose from the sea， his arm gripped in the foaming beak of the figurehead. Then， as if tossing him off， the Seahawk leaped， and Captain Jaggery dropped into the roaring foam and passed beneath the ship， not to be seen again.

Weak， trembling， soaking wet， I made my way back along the bowsprit until I could climb into the forepeak.

The crew parted before me， no one saying a word. I stopped and turned， “Give me a knife，” I said.

Grimes took one from his pocket.

I hurried across the deck to where Zachariah still stood. Keetch had fled his side. I cut the rope that bound Zachariah and then embraced him as he did me. Finally he walked to the quarterdeck rail. As if summoned， the crew gathered below.

“Shipmates，” Zachariah cried. “Its needful that we have a captain. Not Keetch， for he was an informer and should be in the brig. But Miss Doyle here has done what we could not do. Let her be captain now.”

“別怕她！”謝克利船長大喊，“看看她，不過就是個不正常的姑娘，一心想學(xué)男人的舉止，想成為一個男人。留她活命只會傷害你們，讓她領(lǐng)受應(yīng)得的懲罰吧。”

我登上了通往前甲板的階梯。他們開始往后退。我滿心恐懼，停了下來。我看向巴洛、尤因、格蘭姆斯、費思克，但他們似乎挨個回避我的眼神。我轉(zhuǎn)過身去。

謝克利船長擺弄手里的槍，命令道：“抓住她！”

不過，他們也不會做得那么絕。謝克利船長和我一樣迅速發(fā)現(xiàn)了這一點，于是他現(xiàn)在開始自己一步步向我逼近。

我不停地后退躲避，一直退到了前甲板上。排成一列的水手們讓開一條道，分列兩邊。“幫幫我！”我再次向他們求助。雖然他們之前對謝克利船長的命令裝聾作啞，但現(xiàn)在他們對我的乞求同樣置若罔聞。

謝克利船長小心翼翼地向我展開追捕，慢慢地登上通往前甲板的臺階。我一直退到船頭，退過了起錨機，停在了錨架邊上。他還在不停地逼近。他背對著月光，看起來像是一個沒有面孔的暗影，打碎它的只有手槍在月光下閃出的匕首般的光澤。我的心怦怦狂跳，幾乎不能呼吸。我搜尋逃跑的路，但一條也找不著。

船頭似乎在我的腳下舞動一般。我發(fā)狂似的看向身后，只見大海此時已近在咫尺。

謝克利船長還在逼近。我往回爬到船首高處。他停了下來，雙腿分開站定，伸出拿著槍的那只手。我能看到他的手慢慢收緊。

就在這時，船頭突然猛地一沉，甲板劇烈地晃動了一下，他的槍也響了。那一槍打偏了，他一氣之下抬手就把槍扔向了我。

我踉蹌著向后一躲，絆倒在地。他向我猛撲過來，我驚慌失措，手腳并用地下到了船首的斜桁上，雙手緊抓著反支索以防自己掉下去。

我拼命緊抓著反支索，因為船身又猛地一沉。我不斷地向斜桁的末端挪動，不時還回頭看謝克利船長的動靜。下一刻，他也尾隨我爬了過來。

我爬過鼓動著的船帆，腳下海水洶涌起伏。

隱隱約約地，我感覺到船員們都趕忙跑過來，一探究竟。

我身后已經(jīng)沒有反支索可抓了。而謝克利船長還在一點點地靠近，想要把我推下去。現(xiàn)在他離我只有幾英尺遠了。他咆哮一聲，張開雙手向我撲來。

就在這時，“海鷹號”又是一沉，謝克利船長腳下失去了平衡。他的手臂狂舞，身體搖晃著，眼看著就要掉入海里。他的一只手絕望地伸向了我，我本能地向他的方向一撲。有那么一瞬間，我的手指碰到了他的，我甚至抓住了他的手。可接著船再次一沉，他掉進了海浪里，船頭似乎要一揚。有很短的一瞬間，謝克利船長被海浪高高托起，手臂還緊扒著船首雕像上沾著泡沫的鷹喙。然后，就像是要把他甩掉一樣，“海鷹號”一個起伏，謝克利船長就掉進了呼嘯著的泡沫里，消失在了船下，再也沒有出現(xiàn)。

這時的我已經(jīng)渾身濕透、虛脫無力、顫抖不已。我艱難地沿著斜桁往回爬，直到我能爬進船首的尖艙。

船員們在我面前散開站定，誰也沒有說話。我停下來，轉(zhuǎn)過身說：“給我把刀。”

格蘭姆斯從口袋里拿出一把刀來。

我急忙穿過甲板來到老查所在的地方。基奇（編注：背叛了夏洛特和老查的一名水手）已經(jīng)逃走了。我割斷了綁著老查的繩子，和他擁抱在一起。然后老查走到船尾甲板的欄桿處。船員們像是受到召喚一般，自動在下方集合起來。

“伙計們！”老查大聲說，“我們需要一個船長。但不是基奇，因為他告密。我們應(yīng)該把他關(guān)到禁閉室里去。但是這位多爾小姐做到了我們做不到的事情。現(xiàn)在就讓她做我們的船長吧。”

艾非·沃提斯（Avi Wortis），1937年12月23日出生于美國紐約，著名兒童文學(xué)作家。

一歲時，艾非·沃提斯的雙胞胎姐姐替他取了“艾非”這個名字。后來，他便一直用這個名字發(fā)表作品。

艾非的創(chuàng)作生涯從劇作開始，直到自己的孩子降生，他才動筆為孩子們寫故事。迄今為止，艾非為孩子們創(chuàng)作的作品已經(jīng)超過了二十本，其中有冒險故事、歷史小說、靈異傳奇、動物故事等。《夏洛特·多爾的真實自白》是艾非·沃提斯的代表作，該書榮獲了1991年紐伯瑞兒童文學(xué)獎銀獎。