In the first place, it must be said that there was not a sign of the two boats to be seen. For anything that appeared of them, they might never have existed. Indeed, on that calm, serene3 dawn the fantastic events of the wild night that lay behind them did seem very much like the distorted experiences of a nightmare. But their haggard, anxious faces, and the pitiable condition of the Valkyrie, bore eloquent4 testimony5 to the fact that all that had passed was only too true.
As a matter of fact, the night’s incidents proved to be only minor7 matters for consideration in view of one greater fact that now confronted them. The Valkyrie lay with her bow well up amidst a tangled8 mass of low-growing jungle. Her stern, from just forward of midships, was almost under water. Even a casual inspection9 showed that if the sea should rise again it was not all unlikely that she might slide off into deep water and sink.
But the most astonishing thing about this land which they had struck was that they could see across it and to either of its limitations. It was, in fact, an island, stranded10 there out of sight of all other land. In shape it might have been likened to a splash of gravy11 on a plate, so irregular in form was it. As to dimensions, it was probably a quarter of a mile across, and perhaps twice that in length.
“This explains something that has been puzzling me,” exclaimed Mr. Chadwick, as they made this discovery. “It’s plain enough now that the crew knew there was no land to be expected in this part of the ocean, and when we struck they at once assumed that we had encountered some uncharted rock and so took to the boats.”
This explanation threw some light on the desertion of the yacht by means of the boats, for it had occurred to all of them that if the yacht had struck on the coast of the mainland there would not have been such a precipitate12 rush to leave her.
“My idea is to look in the pilot house and overhaul13 the charts,” said Captain Sprowl, after some discussion had ensued as to the best course to follow. “Our course must be marked till noon yesterday, anyhow, and we can find out about where we are.”
Whatever may have been Medway’s other faults, he could not have been called a slovenly14 navigator. The course of the yacht was plainly marked up till eight bells of the day preceding, and showed that they were then off the coast of Brazil. Captain Sprowl “overhauled” the pilot house some more, and at noon made an observation with a sextant he had unearthed15. After making some calculations, the results of which were awaited with an eagerness that may be imagined, he announced that the position of the yacht was about one hundred and fifty miles from shore, and a little to the south of the mouth of the Amazon River.
“Himmel,” cried Professor Von Dinkelspeil, his frog-like eyes gleaming through a huge pair of horn-rimmed spectacles, “dey vos bringing us rightd vere I vanted to go!”
“Yes,” said Mr. Chadwick, “the professor’s destination was the Amazon River, but I must await his leave before telling you what his exact object was in coming to this part of the world.”
“Treasure, wasn’t it?” hazarded Dick Donovan.
“I’m afraid you have a reporter’s love of the picturesque,” smiled Mr. Chadwick. “Yet I suppose it was treasure of a kind; but not of the sort that the misguided crew imagined.”
“It’s this pesky island that puzzles me,” grunted17 Captain Sprowl, bending over the chart and knitting his brows. “There isn’t anything like it marked here, and this chart is based on the very latest survey made by the British cruiser, Charybdis.”
“Maybe it was too small to mark down,” suggested Jack18.
“That shows all you know about navigation, my boy,” rejoined the blunt old sailor. “An island like this, stuck right bang out in the track of ships, wouldn’t be left uncharted.”
“And yet it was solid enough to knock a hole in us,” said Tom. “It must have been here right along.”
Captain Sprowl’s rejoinder was an astonishing one.
“Now d’ye know, I ain’t so all-fired sure of that,” said he.
“You think it is of volcanic19 origin?” asked Mr. Chadwick.
“No sir-ee, not by a jugful20. You see, we are somewhere’s off the mouth of the Amazon River. A bit to the south maybe, but the drift sets south. Did you ever hear of the floating islands of the Amazon?”
“Yes,” rejoined Mr. Chadwick, while the others said nothing, “but I always thought that they were more or less of a myth.”
“Not so’s you could notice it,” was the reply. “I’ve heard tell of bigger ones than this. They get detached from the upper reaches of the river during floods and are carried out to sea. They’ve been met with much further out than this, and a dern sight bigger, too. They’re perfectly21 good islands, they say, except for one thing.”
“What’s that?” asked Jack, for the captain had paused as if he expected someone to put a question.
“Why, they’ve got a mighty22 oncomfortable habit of sinking. You see, they ain’t much more than a sort of big door mat held together by twisted roots and so forth23, and when they get good and soaked through—down they go.”
“Blitzen! Den6 you dink dot dis island may go py der bottom?” gasped24 the little professor.
“Wa-al, it wouldn’t surprise me,” rejoined the captain, producing a pipe and filling it leisurely25. When it was lit and drawing, he supplemented this remark:
“We’ve got to get ashore26, gents.”
“That’s plain enough,” said Mr. Chadwick, “but unless some ship picks us up, how are we going to do it?”
“Why, as I onderstand, these boys here have a sort of fly-with-me-swim-with-me boat, ain’t they?” asked the captain. “What’s the matter with our using that?”
It was odd, and goes to show how confused the average human mind may become in a big emergency, but up to that moment not one of them had thought of the Wondership. Her awkward bulk was still secured on the top of the midship cabin house, and as far as could be seen she was undamaged.
“But the rent in the gas bag?” objected Mr. Chadwick.
“I guess we can fix that,” volunteered Jack. “Some canvas and pitch will make a patch that will hold.”
“Plenty of those aboard,” said the captain. “Now, I tell you what we’ll do. We didn’t have much of a breakfast, and we’re all as empty as a whale that ain’t struck no fish. Hungry folks can’t do good work. Give me a crew with full stomachs and I’ll take a lumber27 raft across the ocean. I’ll turn to with Dick here, and cook up a good meal. The boys kin16 overhaul their Johnny-jump-up, yonder, and the professor and Mr. Chadwick can get to work selecting supplies and so on to stock the thing with. For we may land, if we land at all, in some place where they ain’t got no hotels to welcome shipwrecked strangers.”
The captain’s suggestions met with unanimous approval, and while Jack and Tom clambered up to inspect the Wondership, the others scattered28 on their various tasks. As they worked, Jack and Tom from time to time took a look at the island on which the yacht rested. It might have been that their imaginations were quickened by what the captain had said, but it appeared to them that the bushes at the water’s edge were gradually subsiding29 into the sea.
If this actually were the case, there was need for quick work, for the floating island was all that was keeping the Valkyrie above water. If, as the captain feared, the island subsided30, the yacht would go with it to the bottom beyond the shadow of a doubt.
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1
reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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gravy
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| n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快 | |
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12
precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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13
overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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slovenly
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| adj.懒散的，不整齐的，邋遢的 | |
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unearthed
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| 出土的（考古） | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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18
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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19
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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jugful
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| 一壶的份量 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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subsiding
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的现在分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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