There were loud cries of alarm. At the same time sounds like thunder rocked the warship.
The captain and his lieutenant2 rushed to the companionway3 , but they could not get down to the gun deck because all the gunners were rushing up the steps to the top deck.
Something terrible had just happened.
One of the cannons, a twenty-four pounder4 , had just broken loose from its moorings5 at a gun port.
This is the most dangerous accident that can possibly take place on shipboard. Nothing more terrible can happen to a ship under full sail on the open sea.
A cannon that is mounted on wheels so that it can be moved back and forth for loading and firing can suddenly become a thing of evil if it breaks loose. It moves like a ball, rolling with the pitching6 of the ship. Weighing ten thousand pounds, it's a monster of madness killing everything in its path.
And what is to be done? How is one to put an end to it7 ? How can it be captured? It is moved by the ship, which is moved by the sea, which is moved by the wind. This thing is a terrible toy. At any moment it could smash8 a hole in the ship and sink it.
In an instant the whole crew was on foot9. Every man was running for his life. It was the fault of the gun captain, who had failed to secure the cannon properly.
At that moment when the cannon broke loose, the gunners were on the gun deck. Some worked together in groups according to their duties. The cannon ploughed through10 a group of men, killing four instantly. A fifth man was cut in two11 and the gunners fled the deck.
Then the giant gun was left alone, allowed to continue its destruction. It was its own master and master of the ship. It could do what it pleased.
The captain and lieutenant watched in horror not knowing what to do.
Someone ran past the captain and started down the stairs. It was the admiral12 , an older man, wise in the ways of the sea. Half way down the steps, he stopped and looked.
The cannon had already broken several holes along the gun rail and the water poured in, almost swamping13 the ship. The masts14 had been broken and damaged. Ten cannons out of thirty were damaged by the loose cannon. They would be useless in case of an enemy attack.
The captain quickly gained control of himself. He ordered everything that might stop or slow the cannon's mad rush to be thrown onto the gun deck—mattresses15 , bedding, spare sails, cable, and sea bags.
But what could these rags16 do? Nobody dared to go below to lay them in place properly. In a few minutes most of the things were smashed into pieces.
The old admiral stood like a statue for a few moments. He did not move. He knew that the ship would soon be wrecked17 and that many lives would be lost. He heard voices on the deck above him.
“Do you believe in God, lieutenant?” the captain asked.
“Yes, sometimes.”
“During a storm at sea, lieutenant?”
“Yes—most certainly in moments like this.”
“God alone can save us,” the captain replied.
Suddenly, in the middle of the deck, a man appeared with an iron bar in his hand. He was the gun captain, the man whose carelessness had caused all the trouble. Having caused the mischief18 , he was now trying to repair it. He held an iron bar in one hand, a rope in the other, and had jumped down onto the gun deck.
The gunner stood in a corner and waited for the gun to pass him as the ship began to roll between the waves.
He knew his gun. He had lived with it. How many times had he put his hand into its mouth19 ! It was his monster. He began to speak to it as if it were a dog.
“Come!” he said. “Come here!” Everybody watched. Nobody believed what they saw. If the monster charged, the man would surely die.
The old admiral stood quietly.
Under them the sea controlled the contest between man and metal.
For a moment the sea was quiet and the cannon stood still.“Come, now!” the gunner said.
The cannon seemed to listen. Suddenly it rushed toward him. The man moved aside. The battle had begun.
It was now almost dark. He needed light.
The man dared the monster to attack20.
“Come now! Try it again!” the gunner shouted, holding the iron bar at ready.
Again the gun raced across the deck towards its master. Jumping quickly, the gunner took safety at the foot of the steps not far from the admiral who was looking on.
Then the admiral stepped down to the deck. With quick movements he grabbed a sea bag21 and threw it between the wheels of the cannon.
The sea bag caught and it slowed the cannon for a moment. The gunner, taking advantage of this opportunity, stuck his iron bar between the spokes22 of one of the back wheels. The cannon stopped and fell on its side. Rushing in the gunner slipped the noose23 of the rope around the cannon and quickly tied it to the ships railing.
The battle was ended. The mariners24 and sailors clapped25 their hands and cheered. Then the whole crew rushed forward with chains and cables, and in an instant the cannon was tied down.
The gunner saluted the old man and said, “ Sir, you have saved my life.”
The admiral made no reply. He climbed the companionway and returned to his cabin.
The man had won the battle against the gun, but five men lay dead—their bodies ground to formless masses of flesh and bone. The side of the ship had been smashed in several places. The ship was leaking and a storm was coming.
While the crew was repairing the damage to the gun deck, the admiral had come on deck again. Soon after the marines were assembled.
The captain approached the admiral. Behind the captain the gunner walked, tired but looking pleased with his victory over the cannon.
The captain saluted the admiral and said, “Sir, considering what happened something should be done to this man.”
“I think so,” the admiral said.
“Please give your orders,”the captain replied.
“It is for you to give them; you are the captain,” the admiral said.
“But you are the admiral,” the captain said.
The admiral looked at the gunner. “Come forward,” he commanded.
The admiral turned toward the captain, took off the cross of Saint Louis26 from the captain's jacket and pinned it to the gunner's jacket.
“Hurrah27! Hurrah!” the sailors shouted.
And the admiral, pointing to the surprised gunner, said, “Now have this man shot.”
Moments later the admiral raised his voice and said: “This man's carelessness has almost destroyed this ship. At any moment the ship may sink and there are enemy ships hunting us in the darkness. We shall all surely pay for this man's carelessness with our lives. He should be rewarded for his bravery, but now he must pay the cost of his neglect. Let it be done!”
The captain nodded his head and gave an order.
A sergeant28 of marines gave another order. Twelve marines stepped out of line and stood in two files, six by six. The gunner, without saying a word, placed himself between the two files.
“March!” the sergeant said. The marines marched to the front of the ship.
The sergeant gave another order. Instantly twelve guns fired in a flash of light and in a single sound.
Then there was the sound of a body falling into the sea.
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1. Victor Hugo 维克多·雨果（1802-1885）是十九世纪法国浪漫主义文学的杰出代表。
2. lieutenant n. 海军上尉
3. companionway n. 船舰甲板上的升降口
4. a twenty-four pounder 发射24磅炮弹的火炮
5. mooring n. 系泊处，停船处
6. pitching n. 船只的前后摇动，颠簸
7. put an end to it 结束它，终止这种局面
8. smash v. 打碎，粉碎
9. be on foot 在行动中
10. plough through 费力通过，奋力前进
11. cut...in two 把…截为两半
12. admiral n. 海军上将
13. swamp v. 淹没，浸没
14. mast n. 船桅，桅杆
15. mattress n. 褥垫，床垫
16. rag n. 碎片，残片
17. wreck [rek] v. 破坏，毁坏
18. mischief n. 祸害，危害
19. How many times had he put his hand into its mouth 这句感叹句用倒装语序加强句首状语的语气。意思是：曾经有多少回他把手放进过它的嘴里！
20. The man dared the monster to attack 这个人敢于面对这妖物的进攻。
21. sea bag 水手袋
22. spoke n. 轮辐
23. noose n. 套索
24. mariner n. 海员，水手
25. clap v. 拍（手），鼓（掌）
26. the cross of Saint Louis 圣路易十字勋章
27. hurrah n. 欢呼声
28. sergeant n. 海军军士