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CHAPTER VII. THE BOYS FIND NEW JOBS.
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Wonderment was the feeling uppermost in the minds of both Jack1 and Tom as, clutching at hand-holds and rails, they followed their conductor. He led the way up the companionway and to the deck, with a gruff caution to “hang on” when they came into the open.

The warning was necessary. A wind that seemed to force their breath back down their throats was sweeping2 across the sea, which, running mountain high, looked grim and pitiless, under the pallid3 gray dawn. No land was in sight, nothing but giant combers amidst which the yacht seemed no more than a helpless chip. Looking at the sea the boys found themselves wondering how the craft had kept above water as long as she had. But almost immediately when they emerged on deck their attention was distracted from the sea and from every other impression but one.

Lashed4 firmly to the boat deck on top of the main cabin house, was an object that made their hearts give a glad bound.

The Wondership, securely lashed, had been hoisted5 there and, so far as they could make out, no damage had been done her.

Jack gripped Tom’s arm.

“She’s all right, after all,” he exclaimed hoarsely6, as if that was the only thing that really mattered.

Tom decided7 to venture on a question.

“You hoisted her on board?” he half shouted above the screeching8 wind to Medway.

“Yep,” was the brief reply. “Thought we might use her someway, so we made a tackle fast under her and hauled her aboard by the main cargo9 derrick.”

“That was mighty10 decent of you,” cried Jack warmly.

“Don’t fuss yourself,” was the rough rejoinder, “it warn’t done to please you.”

As Medway spoke11, he turned into a doorway12 in the after part of the cabin house. From the hot smell of grease and oily machinery13 that arose from it, the boys knew that it led to the engine-room. They climbed down a steel-runged ladder and soon found themselves amidst a maze14 of polished rods, cams and levers. But the triple expansion engine was idle.

Hardly had they had time to notice this, when they saw that on a leather-covered bench set against the steel wall a man was reclining. His face was white and covered with sweat. His hand was bandaged and one of his legs was doubled up. From his expression of mute agony it was plain that he had been painfully injured.

“Judkins, the engineer,” explained Medway, with a sidewise jerk of his head. “Condenser15 went out of business a while ago. He got busted16 tryin’ to fix it. Think you boys can run this engine?”

Jack looked dubious17. Tom said nothing.

“I can give ‘em a hand,” said Judkins in a weak voice.

“That’s enough then,” said Medway briskly, as if it was all settled. “Understand,” he said, turning to the boys, “it’s a case of life or death. The sea is increasing. If we don’t get going pretty soon, it’s down to Davy Jones for all of us.”

“But we don’t know anything about steam engines; very little, that is,” protested Jack, although both boys had, in addition to their other studies gone in for a course of steam engineering at the “Tech.” But that course, a sketchy18 one at best, had only comprised stationary19 engines.

“Well, Judkins can tell you what you want to know. The first thing to do, I guess, is to get that condenser going.”

“I had her going when I slipped and fell under the crank shaft,” said Judkins weakly. “All she needs is a union on that copper20 piping and she’ll be all right.”

He indicated the condenser and the place where the union would have to be attached.

“There’s a tool kit21 and fittings yonder,” he said, pointing to a bench affixed22 to the bulkhead that divided the engine-room from the stoke hold. A glance at the gauges23 affixed to this showed Jack that, at any rate, they had a good head of steam. The high-pressure boilers24 of the Valkyrie were carrying one hundred and seventy-five pounds.

Medway saw his glance.

“Lots of steam,” he vouchsafed25; “only thing to do is to get her going. Remember, it’s that or the bottom of the deep blue sea.”

For reasons that the boys did not learn till later, the Valkyrie did not carry an assistant engineer. When the old crew had been set ashore26 at Madeira there was no chance to secure such an officer, and so she had proceeded to sea with Judkins as the only skilled man in her engine-room. No doubt it was the severe strain he had been under that had caused him to become careless and receive the injury which had disabled him.

Jack’s natural quickness at mechanics enabled him to see what was required on the condenser after a few words of explanation. This done he and Tom ascended27 to the starting bridge and applied28 steam to the engines. It was no easy task to carry out these operations on the rolling, wallowing yacht. But at last, as Jack turned on the steam and Tom applied the starting power, they were rewarded by the sight of the cranks slowly revolving29.

Suddenly a loud clang close by his head startled Jack.

“All right, come ahead!” hailed Judkins, “Easy now!”

Medway in the pilot house had felt the quiver of the started engines and had given the signal. Jack allowed the engine to pick up revolutions gradually until, at half speed, they were heading into the big seas with the screw turning regularly and powerfully. When this was done Judkins closed his eyes, lay back, and slipped off into unconsciousness. Tom, alarmed, ran through the bulkhead door into the fire-room. Here he found the stokers at work. There were three of them and he sent one on deck after Medway. It was plain that something would have to be done for Judkins at once. Medway soon appeared. It seemed that the man, in a rough way, was a bit of a surgeon. At any rate he declared that he could care for the injured man and had him carried above by two of the crew.

Not long after, the same two men appeared with food for the boys. They did full justice to the meal, unembarrassed by their queer situation. After it had been despatched, Jack noticed Tom’s sleepy looks. In fact the younger of the two lads could hardly keep his eyes open.

“You lie down on that bench and take a nap,” ordered Jack, “I’ll stand watch.”

“But what about you?” inquired Tom drowsily30.

“Oh, I’ll be all right. Just you lie down now and I’ll wake you in a couple of hours. I guess we’ll have to hold down this job for some time and we might as well go at it scientifically,” was Jack’s rejoinder.

Five minutes later Tom’s snoring was keeping time with the rhythmic31 pulsing of the engine as the Valkyrie battled with the storm.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
2 sweeping ihCzZ4     
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的
参考例句:
  • The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
  • Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
3 pallid qSFzw     
adj.苍白的,呆板的
参考例句:
  • The moon drifted from behind the clouds and exposed the pallid face.月亮从云朵后面钻出来,照着尸体那张苍白的脸。
  • His dry pallid face often looked gaunt.他那张干瘪苍白的脸常常显得憔悴。
4 lashed 4385e23a53a7428fb973b929eed1bce6     
adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 );煽动;紧系;怒斥
参考例句:
  • The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
  • The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 hoisted d1dcc88c76ae7d9811db29181a2303df     
把…吊起,升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He hoisted himself onto a high stool. 他抬身坐上了一张高凳子。
  • The sailors hoisted the cargo onto the deck. 水手们把货物吊到甲板上。
6 hoarsely hoarsely     
adv.嘶哑地
参考例句:
  • "Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。
  • Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
7 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
8 screeching 8bf34b298a2d512e9b6787a29dc6c5f0     
v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 );发出粗而刺耳的声音;高叫
参考例句:
  • Monkeys were screeching in the trees. 猴子在树上吱吱地叫着。
  • the unedifying sight of the two party leaders screeching at each other 两党党魁狺狺对吠的讨厌情景
9 cargo 6TcyG     
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物
参考例句:
  • The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
  • A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。
10 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
11 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
12 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
参考例句:
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
13 machinery CAdxb     
n.(总称)机械,机器;机构
参考例句:
  • Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗?
  • Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。
14 maze F76ze     
n.迷宫,八阵图,混乱,迷惑
参考例句:
  • He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
  • She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时,她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。
15 condenser JYXyp     
n.冷凝器;电容器
参考例句:
  • Their common principle is to use the variable capacity in a condenser.它们的普遍原理是利用电容器的可变电容。
  • Steam is condensed in the condenser.蒸汽在冷凝器中凝结。
16 busted busted     
adj. 破产了的,失败了的,被降级的,被逮捕的,被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了!
  • It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。
17 dubious Akqz1     
adj.怀疑的,无把握的;有问题的,靠不住的
参考例句:
  • What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
  • He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。
18 sketchy ZxJwl     
adj.写生的,写生风格的,概略的
参考例句:
  • The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
  • Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。
19 stationary CuAwc     
adj.固定的,静止不动的
参考例句:
  • A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
  • Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。
20 copper HZXyU     
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的
参考例句:
  • The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
  • Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。
21 kit D2Rxp     
n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物
参考例句:
  • The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
  • The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。
22 affixed 0732dcfdc852b2620b9edaa452082857     
adj.[医]附着的,附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 );粘贴;加以;盖(印章)
参考例句:
  • The label should be firmly affixed to the package. 这张标签应该牢牢地贴在包裹上。
  • He affixed the sign to the wall. 他将标记贴到墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 gauges 29872e70c0d2a7366fc47f04800f1362     
n.规格( gauge的名词复数 );厚度;宽度;标准尺寸v.(用仪器)测量( gauge的第三人称单数 );估计;计量;划分
参考例句:
  • A thermometer gauges the temperature. 温度计可测量温度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The fuel gauges dropped swiftly. 燃料表指针迅速下降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
24 boilers e1c9396ee45d737fc4e1d3ae82a0ae1f     
锅炉,烧水器,水壶( boiler的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Even then the boilers often burst or came apart at the seams. 甚至那时的锅炉也经常从焊接处爆炸或裂开。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
  • The clean coal is sent to a crusher and the boilers. 干净的煤送入破碎机和锅炉。
25 vouchsafed 07385734e61b0ea8035f27cf697b117a     
v.给予,赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 );允诺
参考例句:
  • He vouchsafed to me certain family secrets. 他让我知道了某些家庭秘密。
  • The significance of the event does, indeed, seem vouchsafed. 这个事件看起来确实具有重大意义。 来自辞典例句
26 ashore tNQyT     
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸
参考例句:
  • The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前,孩子们就上岸了。
  • He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。
27 ascended ea3eb8c332a31fe6393293199b82c425     
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
29 revolving 3jbzvd     
adj.旋转的,轮转式的;循环的v.(使)旋转( revolve的现在分词 );细想
参考例句:
  • The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
  • The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。
30 drowsily bcb5712d84853637a9778f81fc50d847     
adv.睡地,懒洋洋地,昏昏欲睡地
参考例句:
  • She turned drowsily on her side, a slow creeping blackness enveloping her mind. 她半睡半醒地翻了个身,一片缓缓蠕动的黑暗渐渐将她的心包围起来。 来自飘(部分)
  • I felt asleep drowsily before I knew it. 不知过了多久,我曚扙地睡着了。 来自互联网
31 rhythmic rXexv     
adj.有节奏的,有韵律的
参考例句:
  • Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
  • Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。


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