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CHAPTER XI. ON THE REEF.
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Not one of the party but felt quite confident that they would soon stand on terra firma above the sea.

There was every indication that land was just before them.

“Bejabers, I hope its a civilized1 land we’ll foind, and divil a cannibal,” said Barney. “I’ve no taste for bein’ ate up in mishtake fer a lobster2 as soon as iver I cum out av the wather!”

“Golly, dey would neber eat yo’ fo’ dat, I’ish!” grunted3 Pomp. “I’se dead suah ob dat.”

“Shure, they’d run for their loives if iver they saw you coming out av the say.”

But there was no time for argument, so it was dropped for the time being, and all made ready.

The Dart4 was securely anchored, and then lots were drawn5 to see who should remain aboard.

As chance had it, it fell to the lot of Captain Bell.

The terrified captain turned white as a corpse6 and groaned7 aloud.

Barney saw this and said:

“Shure, sor, yez kin8 go along with the rist. I’ll sthay.”

And so the cowardly captain was relieved in a measure of his fears. But the respect of the others for him was greatly diminished.

However, Frank had arranged it so that the one left aboard the Dart should not be cut off from communication with the others.

He carried a small spool9 of thin wire and a battery.

As he would proceed, this could be paid out, and with a small ticker a message could be easily sent to the Dart.

This was a certain way of informing Barney when they should reach the land, and also the Celt could easier gain the shore by simply following up the wire.

The searchlight’s glare was thrown as far as possible up over the reefs, so that the course could easily be seen.

If the shore was successfully reached and it was not far distant, all of the valuable effects of the Dart could thus be saved.

At last all was ready, and then the party left the anchored boat.

Quickly they began to climb the reefs.

Up and up they went.

It was fearfully slow work, and they were obliged to pause many times to rest.

But at length they saw what they believed was the light of day above.

Then the reefs began to assume a smoother character.

There was a regular motion to the waves, which was a certainty that they were nearing the surface.

Frank Reade, Jr., and Pomp were in the advance.

Indeed, they would have reached the surface much quicker but for the necessity of constantly turning to look out for the two older men.

They came along more slowly.

In fact, Bell was hardly able to climb the reefs.

But after awhile the motion of the water became such that they were able plainly to realize that the surface was but a few feet above.

Frank was the first to emerge from the water. His head came above the surface suddenly. He looked about.

The scene which met his gaze was far different from what he had expected.

There was no long line of coast, no inviting10 shore with tropical foliage11 and high cliffs of stone.

Naught12 but the dreary13, boundless14, tossing waste of waters was to be seen as far as the eye could reach.

The reef cropped up just high enough so that the lightest waves combed over it. Frank crawled upon it and stood in several inches of water.

It was a solitary15 reef in the midst of the ocean.

Just this and nothing more. So far as offering an asylum16 or means of rescue to the explorers, this was out of the question.

It would not be even safe for them to remain upon the reef long.

For a stiff gale17 was threatening, and they could hardly hope to cling to the reef without harm.

Not a sail was in sight. Neither was there much likelihood that this was in the path of sailing vessels19, else it would have been marked with a buoy20.

All drew themselves out of the water and stood for a time upon the submerged reef looking blankly around.

They removed their helmets, and for the first time in many weeks took a breath of pure air.

“Well, this is not just what we expected, is it?” said Frank.

“Well, hardly,” growled21 Bell. “I tell you luck is against me.”

“Against you?” asked Von Bulow.

“Yes.”

“Why you more than the rest of us?”

“It’s harder for me.”

“Well,” said the scientist, emphatically, “I can’t agree with you. Take my advice, Bell. Think less of yourself and you will be more cheerful.”

The captain did not see fit to reply to this shot, which was a telling and deserved one.

“Golly, Marse Frank!” cried Pomp, as he looked about, “I don’t fink we cud swim dat stretch berry easy.”

“No, I think not,” agreed Frank. “It is a little too vast.”

Then the situation was discussed.

“I don’t see that we have gained anything by this discovery,” said Von Bulow. “Have we?”

“Not a thing,” agreed Frank.

“We are no better off than before.”

“But very little.”

“Do you think there is any possibility of hailing a passing vessel18?”

“There is perhaps in time. It may be a lifetime, though.”

“Then we had better return to the Dart and make another try.”

“Yes.”

“Hold on!” said Bell. “I object to that.”

“Oh, do you?”

“Yes.”

“What plan have you to propose?”

“Stay right here and look for a passing ship. Set a signal. If we go back to the bottom of the sea we’ll never find land again.”

“But we must take the chances.”

“They are against us.”

“Yet I think they are the best.”

Captain Bell demurred22, but the majority were with Frank Reade, Jr., and they ruled.

It was decided23 to return at once to the Dart.

Then they would go again in quest of land.

“I feel sure we shall succeed,” said Frank. “It is only a question of time.”

“I shall-not go!” said Bell, obdurately24. “You may if you choose!”

“What!” cried Frank, in surprise; “you mean to remain here?”

“Yes.”

All looked astonished.

“That will be suicide.”

“Then you will be responsible for my life!”

Frank looked at Von Bulow, and the latter winked25.

“Come on, friends,” he said; “we wish you luck, captain. No doubt you will succeed in hailing a ship.”

Von Bulow proceeded to adjust his helmet. The others did the same and slid under the water.

Half-way down the reef Von Bulow pressed Frank’s arm.

The young inventor looked back.

Bell was just behind.

The captain’s little game of bluff26 did not work worth a cent. Everybody was onto his ways after that.

Very soon the glare of the searchlight was seen below.

Frank had signaled Barney several times, and knew that all was well.

Very soon the party came in sight of the Dart.

Then they safely reached the vestibule and were soon in the cabin after some thrilling experiences.

Another discussion was now held as to what it was best to do.

Frank settled it by going into the pilot-house and backing the Dart off the reef.

Then he started to make a circuit of the reef.

Suddenly, as the boat was gliding27 smoothly28 along, an object loomed29 up in the gloom.

The searchlight was brought to bear upon it, and it was seen to be a sunken hulk.

No doubt it had fallen a victim to the treacherous30 reef.

“A sunken vessel!” cried Von Bulow. “Here, Bell, here’s a chance to get your treasure.”

The captain was now all eagerness.

“Hurrah!” he cried; “that is so!”

Frank brought the Dart to a stop.

“Golly, Marse Frank!” exclaimed Pomp, in surprise, “am yo’ gwine to visit dat wreck31?”

“Yes,” replied Frank.

“Wha’ fo’, sah?”

“To satisfy Captain Bell.”

“But fo’ goodness sake, sah, if dar was any treasure on bo’d, yo’ cudn’t take it away wif yo’!”

But Frank’s word was law; the Dart was anchored.

“Barney,” he said, “you and the captain may go. Look out for the captain.”

“All right, sor.”

Captain Bell was elated.

He had a queer sort of mania32 for treasure hunting, and he forgot all about the perils33 lately threatening in this desire.

Barney was not loth to go.

The Celt was inordinately34 fond of adventure, and here was a chance to distinguish himself.

So he put on his diving suit, and with Captain Bell left the Dart.

They soon reached the wreck and clambered aboard.

She was evidently some sort of a trading vessel, and had not been many months under the water.

Her rigging and spars were strewn about the deck.

There was every indication that she had gone down in a storm, and by striking on the reef.

Barney put his helmet close to Bell’s and cried:

“Shure phwat do yez think av it now, me frind?”

“I don’t know hardly,” replied Bell. “It looks to me as if she was a trader.”

“Yis, sor.”

“But there may be treasure aboard her, all the same.”

“Yez are roight!”

“We will take a good look.”

“I’m wid yez.”

“Let us go down into the cabin.”

“Lead on, sor.”

This Bell proceeded to do.

He led the way to the hatch, and then began to descend35 the stairs.

All had been dark in the cabin, but the lights on their helmets displaced the gloom.

And as they reached the bottom stair and their helmet lights illumined the place, a horrible sight was revealed.

The cabin seemed literally36 filled with dead bodies.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 civilized UwRzDg     
a.有教养的,文雅的
参考例句:
  • Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
  • rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为
2 lobster w8Yzm     
n.龙虾,龙虾肉
参考例句:
  • The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
  • I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾,但它不适宜于我的健康。
3 grunted f18a3a8ced1d857427f2252db2abbeaf     
(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
参考例句:
  • She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
  • She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
4 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。
5 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
6 corpse JYiz4     
n.尸体,死尸
参考例句:
  • What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
  • The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。
7 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》
8 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。
9 spool XvgwI     
n.(缠录音带等的)卷盘(轴);v.把…绕在卷轴上
参考例句:
  • Can you wind this film back on to its spool?你能把这胶卷卷回到卷轴上去吗?
  • Thomas squatted on the forward deck,whistling tunelessly,polishing the broze spool of the anchor winch.托马斯蹲在前甲板上擦起锚绞车的黄铜轴,边擦边胡乱吹着口哨。
10 inviting CqIzNp     
adj.诱人的,引人注目的
参考例句:
  • An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
  • The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人,使人感到亲切温馨。
11 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。
12 naught wGLxx     
n.无,零 [=nought]
参考例句:
  • He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。
  • I hope that all your efforts won't go for naught.我希望你的努力不会毫无结果。
13 dreary sk1z6     
adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的
参考例句:
  • They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
  • She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。
14 boundless kt8zZ     
adj.无限的;无边无际的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
  • His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。
15 solitary 7FUyx     
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士
参考例句:
  • I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
  • The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际,显得十分壮美。
16 asylum DobyD     
n.避难所,庇护所,避难
参考例句:
  • The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
  • Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。
17 gale Xf3zD     
n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等)
参考例句:
  • We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
  • According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报,明天有大风。
18 vessel 4L1zi     
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管
参考例句:
  • The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
  • You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。
19 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》
20 buoy gsLz5     
n.浮标;救生圈;v.支持,鼓励
参考例句:
  • The party did little to buoy up her spirits.这次聚会并没有让她振作多少。
  • The buoy floated back and forth in the shallow water.这个浮标在浅水里漂来漂去。
21 growled 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3     
v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说
参考例句:
  • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道:“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 demurred demurred     
v.表示异议,反对( demur的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • At first she demurred, but then finally agreed. 她开始表示反对,但最终还是同意了。
  • They demurred at working on Sundays. 他们反对星期日工作。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
23 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。
24 obdurately 1899580c7a66445e167258f5a3722717     
adv.顽固地,执拗地
参考例句:
  • But if he obdurately resists change, we need a plan B. 但如果他仍顽固拒绝变革,我们就需要一套备用方案。 来自互联网
25 winked af6ada503978fa80fce7e5d109333278     
v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮
参考例句:
  • He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼,她便知道他的想法和她一样。
  • He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
26 bluff ftZzB     
v.虚张声势,用假象骗人;n.虚张声势,欺骗
参考例句:
  • His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
  • John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。
27 gliding gliding     
v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的
参考例句:
  • Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
  • The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。
28 smoothly iiUzLG     
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地
参考例句:
  • The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作,所以工作进展顺利。
  • Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。
29 loomed 9423e616fe6b658c9a341ebc71833279     
v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近
参考例句:
  • A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
  • The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
30 treacherous eg7y5     
adj.不可靠的,有暗藏的危险的;adj.背叛的,背信弃义的
参考例句:
  • The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
  • The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。
31 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
32 mania 9BWxu     
n.疯狂;躁狂症,狂热,癖好
参考例句:
  • Football mania is sweeping the country.足球热正风靡全国。
  • Collecting small items can easily become a mania.收藏零星物品往往容易变成一种癖好。
33 perils 3c233786f6fe7aad593bf1198cc33cbe     
极大危险( peril的名词复数 ); 危险的事(或环境)
参考例句:
  • The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
  • With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难?
34 inordinately 272444323467c5583592cff7e97a03df     
adv.无度地,非常地
参考例句:
  • But if you are determined to accumulate wealth, it isn't inordinately difficult. 不过,如果你下决心要积累财富,事情也不是太难。 来自互联网
  • She was inordinately smart. 她非常聪明。 来自互联网
35 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。
36 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。


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