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.
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收听单词发音
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1
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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2
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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3
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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4
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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5
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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6
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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7
ransacked
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| v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
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8
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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9
succinctly
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| adv.简洁地；简洁地，简便地 | |
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10
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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11
gal
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| n.姑娘，少女 | |
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12
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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13
transpired
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| （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 | |
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14
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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15
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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16
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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17
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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18
averred
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| 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 | |
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19
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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20
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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21
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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22
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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23
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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24
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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25
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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26
depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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27
reclaiming
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| 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 | |
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28
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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29
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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30
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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31
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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32
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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33
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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34
vessels
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| 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 | |
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35
glib
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| adj.圆滑的，油嘴滑舌的 | |
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36
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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37
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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38
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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39
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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40
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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41
divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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42
petrified
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| 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) | |
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