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CHAPTER VIII. THE EARTHQUAKE.
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This consisted of heaps of rich jewels and precious stones.

There was a mighty1 fortune in these alone. They were eagerly examined by the explorers.

The pirates’ treasure was certainly a magnificent one.

The find far exceeded the most sanguine2 expectations of any who were in the party, particularly Prof. Von Bulow.

“It is beyond belief,” declared the scientist. “I cannot believe but that I am dreaming.”

“No,” declared Captain Bell; “it is a reality. If you don’t believe me, professor, allow me to punch you.”

“I will accept the fact and forego that test,” declared Prof. Von Bulow. “But what shall we do with it?”

“What?”

“The treasure.”

“Take it aboard the submarine boat, of course; then we can return home as princes and roll in wealth all the rest of our lives.”

Captain Bell’s eyes shone like stars.

It was evident that he set more by the treasure than the others. Frank was wealthy, anyway, and Von Bulow was well-to-do.

Captain Bell, on the other hand, was poor, which explained all.

But before engaging in the transportation of the treasure to the Dart5, it was decided6 to carry the examination of the ship further.

This was done, and from one end to the other it was ransacked7.

But nothing more of value was found.

At least nothing which could be transported. In the lower hold were discovered many casks of rich wine. But it could not, of course, even be removed.

So the party finally returned to the treasure chamber8.

They took as much of the coin with them as they could carry, and started to return to the Dart.

It was their intention to return later and make regular trips, until it had been all transported aboard the Dart.

Leaving the sunken pirate they had soon reached the Dart.

Going aboard, they were met by Barney and Pomp.

The two jokers were wildly enthusiastic over the find.

“Begorra, it’ll make the whole av us millionaires,” cried Barney. “Shure, I’ll wear a diamond in me shirt now as big as a cart wheel!”

“I done fink dis chile git married!” declared Pomp.

“Married!” declared Barney. “Shure, is it a Mormon yez are? Phwat’s the matther wid yer prisint woife?”

“She jes’ don’ agree to agree wif me!” declared Pomp, succinctly9. “And the only point we’s sartain sure agreed on is not to agree fo’ to lib togedder any more.”

“Oh, yez have a divorce, eh?”

Pomp looked scornful.

“Wha’ fo’ I want a divorce?” he retorted. “Don’ yo’ fink cullud people am mo’ ’spectable dan dat?”

“But, begorra, the law wud make yez support her!”

“Golly, I don’ beliebe it. Dis chile hab got all he kin10 do to support hisse’f. No, sah! I jist go down to Kyarline an’ I find jes’ de most likely cullud gal11 I kin find dar. Den4 I say: Chloe, yo’ jes’ hitch12 hosses wif dis chile an’ I make yo’ wear diamonds. See! Lor’ sakes, chile! Money catch de best ob dem!”

“Begorra, it’s a bigamist ye’d be!” declared Barney, contemptuously. “If yez do that, naygur, I’ll cut yez acquaintance.”

“Suit yo’sef, sah,” declared Pomp; “but atween yo’ an’ me, I don’ beliebe eider one ob us will leabe Marse Frank right away.”

“Yez are roight there,” cried Barney. “Shure, we’ll sthick to Misther Frank, for all av the foine gold.”

Plans were at once made to transport the treasure to the Dart.

But an incident now transpired13 to put a stop to the entire project. This happening was a most startling and unlooked for one.

Suddenly the Dart received a shock which seemed to fairly hoist14 it a dozen feet from the bottom of the sea.

Everybody on board were thrown from their feet.

Then followed a distant rumble15 and a vibrating motion which lasted for full a minute.

In some way the shock had disconnected the lever, and the electric lights were extinguished.

All was darkness aboard the submarine boat.

For a few moments a literal panic reigned16.

Frank Reade, Jr., was the first to recover.

He ran into the pilot-house and quickly produced light. By this time the others had recovered.

“For the love of Heaven! what has happened?” gasped17 Von Bulow.

“We have been run into by a whale!” averred18 Captain Bell.

But Frank shook his head.

“No,” he said; “it is worse than that!”

The young inventor knew well enough what the trouble was.

“Well, what was it?” asked Von Bulow, rubbing his bruised19 shins.

“An earthquake,” replied Frank, calmly.

“An earthquake?”

“Yes.”

“Mercy on us! Is it possible?”

“You shall see.”

Frank quickly repaired the slight damage to the electric light apparatus20. Then he turned on the searchlight.

The region about was plainly illuminated21, and it was seen that a great change had taken place in the bed of the ocean.

In places it had been upheaved by the mighty forces of Nature, and vast ravines were created.

All gazed in the direction of the treasure ship, and gave a start of surprise and dismay.

“My goodness! What has become of it?” asked Von Bulow.

Captain Bell looked aghast.

“It has gone!”

“Disappeared!”

“Not a trace remains22.”

This was true.

The Vestal Virgin23 had vanished as completely as if transported bodily to another sphere. Only a mound24 of sand remained where it had been.

“Great Jericho!” exclaimed Captain Bell, in horror. “What has become of it?”

“Golly, I done fink dat it hab been blowed to pieces!” declared Pomp.

“Bejabers, maybe it’s buried!” said Barney, at a venture.

“Yes,” replied Frank. “It has been buried by the earthquake. No doubt the great revulsion of Nature’s forces has covered it many feet deep with sand.”

“And the treasure ——” began Von Bulow.

“Is gone!” groaned25 Bell.

For a time there was a painful silence.

All stood looking at each other with dismay depicted26 upon their faces. Bell was now completely disgusted.

“It’s only a sample of my dad-gasted luck,” he declared. “Every time I get a fortune within my grasp it is whisked away.”

“Hard luck,” said Frank.

“Perhaps we can dig down to the wreck,” ventured Von Bulow.

But Frank shook his head.

“I’m afraid the pirates’ gold will never do any human being any good,” he declared. “It’s buried forever.”

Captain Bell was completely overwhelmed.

He was so confident from the first of reclaiming27 the treasure, that it was a terrible disappointment.

But Frank said, cheerily:

“Don’t get downcast, captain. Perhaps we may find another treasure ship somewhere in the Atlantic Valley.”

Bell’s face brightened.

“Do you think so?” he asked.

“It is not at all impossible.”

But the captain shook his head.

“If we do,” he said, “I would have no just claim upon it. It would be yours.”

“You shall have your share,” replied Frank; “so cheer up, man.”

The captain became a little more cheerful. Von Bulow, on the whole, did not care greatly.

But Frank yielded to Bell’s desire to first inspect the spot where the pirate ship was buried.

There was a lingering hope in the captain’s mind that the treasure might yet be reached.

So Frank and Bell put on diving suits and went out to examine the locality.

The work accomplished28 by the earthquake was marvelous.

It seemed as if the whole bed of the ocean had undergone a transformation29.

Great hills and ridges30 were raised, deep valleys created, and countless31 forms of fish and marine3 life lay dead upon the white sands.

Truly, it had been a terrible action of Nature’s forces. The Vestal Virgin had seemed to literally32 sink into the shifting sands which now were high over her.

It was a wonder that the Dart had not been buried also.

But she had rested upon a more rocky and solid foundation.

Bell was wholly satisfied that the treasure could never be recovered.

“I give it up,” he declared. “Let us go back.”

They were soon aboard the Dart again. Frank took his bearings as well as he could. He was not exactly sure whether he was half way through the valley or not.

It was, however, decided to go on and explore the valley thoroughly33. Then they would make for the English Channel and pay a visit to London and the Thames.

The spirits of all revived greatly.

The Dart once more shot forward on her way. A good outlook was kept for sunken vessels34.

“We will search every one of them we find,” declared Frank. “There certainly are vast treasures under the sea, and we are not brilliant if we do not find them.”

This revived Bell’s hopes greatly, and he was once more glib35 and gay.

For miles, however, the Dart now sailed on over unknown depths into which it was not safe to descend36.

These were the lowermost depths of the great deep where the pressure would be so great that a huge ship sunken there would be crushed into a shapeless mass.

But it was not likely that many interesting things would be found down there even if the Dart was able to go.

So none were much disappointed.

The sea soon began to change again.

The water seemed a peculiar37 olive tint38, and Frank, who had studied the phenomena39, said:

“We are coming to a submarine forest. You shall see.”

His prediction proved correct.

Soon the tops of trees were seen far below. At least they looked like trees, with branches, foliage40 and all, but Frank said:

“It is a queer coral formation. A very common mistake is made by divers41 who consider them petrified42.”

Von Bulow was deeply interested in the submarine forest.

But soon a new scene spread before their view.

It was such a scene as none of them had ever seen before.

One and all gave expression to startled cries of interest and wonderment, and Frank slackened speed.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 sanguine dCOzF     
adj.充满希望的,乐观的,血红色的
参考例句:
  • He has a sanguine attitude to life.他对于人生有乐观的看法。
  • He is not very sanguine about our chances of success.他对我们成功的机会不太乐观。
3 marine 77Izo     
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵
参考例句:
  • Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
4 den 5w9xk     
n.兽穴;秘密地方;安静的小房间,私室
参考例句:
  • There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
  • The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。
5 dart oydxK     
v.猛冲,投掷;n.飞镖,猛冲
参考例句:
  • The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。
  • Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。
6 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。
7 ransacked 09515d69399c972e2c9f59770cedff4e     
v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 );抢劫,掠夺
参考例句:
  • The house had been ransacked by burglars. 这房子遭到了盗贼的洗劫。
  • The house had been ransacked of all that was worth anything. 屋子里所有值钱的东西都被抢去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
8 chamber wnky9     
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
参考例句:
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
9 succinctly f66431c87ffb688abc727f5e0b3fd74c     
adv.简洁地;简洁地,简便地
参考例句:
  • He writes simply and succinctly, rarely adding too much adornment. 他的写作风格朴实简练,很少添加饰词。 来自互联网
  • No matter what question you are asked, answer it honestly and succinctly. 总之,不管你在面试中被问到什么问题,回答都要诚实而简明。 来自互联网
10 kin 22Zxv     
n.家族,亲属,血缘关系;adj.亲属关系的,同类的
参考例句:
  • He comes of good kin.他出身好。
  • She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。
11 gal 56Zy9     
n.姑娘,少女
参考例句:
  • We decided to go with the gal from Merrill.我们决定和那个从梅里尔来的女孩合作。
  • What's the name of the gal? 这个妞叫什么?
12 hitch UcGxu     
v.免费搭(车旅行);系住;急提;n.故障;急拉
参考例句:
  • They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程,最后决定搭便车。
  • All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。
13 transpired eb74de9fe1bf6f220d412ce7c111e413     
(事实,秘密等)被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 ); 泄露; 显露; 发生
参考例句:
  • It transpired that the gang had had a contact inside the bank. 据报这伙歹徒在银行里有内应。
  • It later transpired that he hadn't been telling the truth. 他当时没说真话,这在后来显露出来了。
14 hoist rdizD     
n.升高,起重机,推动;v.升起,升高,举起
参考例句:
  • By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。
  • Hoist the Chinese flag on the flagpole,please!请在旗杆上升起中国国旗!
15 rumble PCXzd     
n.隆隆声;吵嚷;v.隆隆响;低沉地说
参考例句:
  • I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.我听到远处雷声隆隆。
  • We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming.我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定,天要下雨了。
16 reigned d99f19ecce82a94e1b24a320d3629de5     
vi.当政,统治(reign的过去式形式)
参考例句:
  • Silence reigned in the hall. 全场肃静。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Night was deep and dead silence reigned everywhere. 夜深人静,一片死寂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
17 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
18 averred 4a3546c562d3f5b618f0024b711ffe27     
v.断言( aver的过去式和过去分词 );证实;证明…属实;作为事实提出
参考例句:
  • She averred that she had never seen the man before. 她斩钉截铁地说以前从未见过这个男人。
  • The prosecutor averred that the prisoner killed Lois. 检察官称被拘犯杀害洛伊丝属实。 来自互联网
19 bruised 5xKz2P     
[医]青肿的,瘀紫的
参考例句:
  • his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
  • She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤,摔得鼻青脸肿。
20 apparatus ivTzx     
n.装置,器械;器具,设备
参考例句:
  • The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
  • They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。
21 illuminated 98b351e9bc282af85e83e767e5ec76b8     
adj.被照明的;受启迪的
参考例句:
  • Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
  • the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市
22 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
23 virgin phPwj     
n.处女,未婚女子;adj.未经使用的;未经开发的
参考例句:
  • Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗?
  • There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。
24 mound unCzhy     
n.土墩,堤,小山;v.筑堤,用土堆防卫
参考例句:
  • The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
  • The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。
25 groaned 1a076da0ddbd778a674301b2b29dff71     
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦
参考例句:
  • He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
  • The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
26 depicted f657dbe7a96d326c889c083bf5fcaf24     
描绘,描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 ); 描述
参考例句:
  • Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
  • They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。
27 reclaiming 4b89b3418ec2ab3c547e204ac2c4a68e     
v.开拓( reclaim的现在分词 );要求收回;从废料中回收(有用的材料);挽救
参考例句:
  • People here are reclaiming land from the sea. 这儿的人们正在填海拓地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • How could such a man need reclaiming? 这么一个了不起的人怎么还需要别人拯救呢? 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
28 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
29 transformation SnFwO     
n.变化;改造;转变
参考例句:
  • Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
  • He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。
30 ridges 9198b24606843d31204907681f48436b     
n.脊( ridge的名词复数 );山脊;脊状突起;大气层的)高压脊
参考例句:
  • The path winds along mountain ridges. 峰回路转。
  • Perhaps that was the deepest truth in Ridges's nature. 在里奇斯的思想上,这大概可以算是天经地义第一条了。
31 countless 7vqz9L     
adj.无数的,多得不计其数的
参考例句:
  • In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
  • I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。
32 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实
参考例句:
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候,她不走到真正要昏厥了,决不肯坐下来。
33 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地
参考例句:
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
34 vessels fc9307c2593b522954eadb3ee6c57480     
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人
参考例句:
  • The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
35 glib DeNzs     
adj.圆滑的,油嘴滑舌的
参考例句:
  • His glib talk sounds as sweet as a song.他说的比唱的还好听。
  • The fellow has a very glib tongue.这家伙嘴油得很。
36 descend descend     
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降
参考例句:
  • I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
  • We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。
37 peculiar cinyo     
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
参考例句:
  • He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
  • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
38 tint ZJSzu     
n.淡色,浅色;染发剂;vt.着以淡淡的颜色
参考例句:
  • You can't get up that naturalness and artless rosy tint in after days.你今后不再会有这种自然和朴实无华的红润脸色。
  • She gave me instructions on how to apply the tint.她告诉我如何使用染发剂。
39 phenomena 8N9xp     
n.现象
参考例句:
  • Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
  • The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系,如果存在着任何联系的话。
40 foliage QgnzK     
n.叶子,树叶,簇叶
参考例句:
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage.小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
  • Dark foliage clothes the hills.浓密的树叶覆盖着群山。
41 divers hu9z23     
adj.不同的;种种的
参考例句:
  • He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人,要他们和他作伴。
  • Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作,同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。
42 petrified 2e51222789ae4ecee6134eb89ed9998d     
adj.惊呆的;目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆,使惊呆;变僵硬;使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • I'm petrified of snakes. 我特别怕蛇。
  • The poor child was petrified with fear. 这可怜的孩子被吓呆了。 来自《简明英汉词典》


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