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CHAPTER XII. A FEARFUL SITUATION.
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These were bloated and swelled1 to a horrible extent by the water.

They had in many cases become decomposed2, but many of them floated and, attracted by the current caused by the entrance of the divers3, came straight toward them.

Then Barney made a dash for the next cabin.

Bell followed him.

And then the bodies, attracted again by the current, came piling after them.

Bell shrieked4 and flung the cabin door shut behind him.

This shut off pursuit.

The two terrified divers were in the second cabin.

Barney drew close to Bell and shouted:

“Begorra, if they’d been aloive I’d not have been afraid av thim!”

“Nor I,” agreed Bell; “but I am mighty5 afraid of a dead man under the water. It is horrible!”

“Begorra, ye’re roight. Shure, we’d niver make soldiers.”

“I don’t care if we don’t, if we only find the treasure.”

“Do you believe there’s any aboord av this ship?”

“Of course I do.”

“Phwere the divil will we foind it, thin, I’d loike to know?”

“Probably in the captain’s cabin.”

“An’ that’s jest forward av this?”

“Yes.”

“Begorra, let’s go there!”

“We will.”

With which Bell opened the door leading into the captain’s cabin. As he did so he gave a great start of horror.

Grasping the knob of the door upon the other side was the corpse6 of a man.

The captain gave a yell and bolted to the other end of the cabin.

But he finally recovered himself sufficiently7 to see that the corpse had not followed him.

He also saw that it had not the power to do so. The grip of its fingers upon idle knob held it.

The dead man undoubtedly8 was the captain of the brig. Bell made a motion to Barney, who came near.

“We are fools,” he said. “These dead people can’t hurt us!”

“Arrah, but it’s the looks av thim!” declared Barney.

“Hang the looks! They can’t kill. Let us go into the cabin.”

“I’m agreeable, sor.”

“There is no doubt but that he is the captain of the ship.”

“Yis, sor.”

“Then, if there is any treasure aboard, it is in his cabin.”

“I believe yez.”

With this Bell hesitated no longer. He boldly arose and approached the door.

The corpse swung toward him, and he hesitated a moment.

But he quickly recovered and summoned up enough courage to push it aside. Then he entered the compartment9.

The captain’s cabin was richly furnished, and in one corner was a huge steel safe.

As luck had it, this appeared to be open. Bell advanced and peered in.

And as he did so, he gave a gasping10 cry which brought Barney to the spot.

“Look!” he cried. “It is gold!”

There were a number of small white bags piled upon the floor of the safe. Upon each of these was a figure of value.

Bell took up one of these and opened it. A heap of shining coin rolled out upon the floor.

They were American eagles. Upon the bag was the mark, five hundred dollars.

“What a find!” gasped11 Bell. “There are fully12 two hundred of these bags; at least one hundred thousand dollars in gold. That is not equal to the treasure of the Vestal Virgin13, but it will do.”

“Begorra, I should say so,” agreed the Celt.

“It will make me rich after a fair division,” declared Bell. “We must get it aboard the Dart14 at once.”

It was a trying ordeal15 to pass through the next cabin with its complement16 of grinning corpses17.

But the two treasure hunters did so, and they reached the deck in safety.

The glare of the searchlight was full upon them, and those on board the Dart were waiting for them to appear.

When they did come in sight, they were seen to be bearing the bags of gold.

“Hurrah!” cried Von Bulow. “Bell has got his treasure!”

“You’re right,” agreed Frank.

“But what good will it do him?”

“No good, unless he can get it ashore18, which is not likely.”

Barney and Bell now came hastily toward the Dart.

A moment later they were in the vestibule.

The water was expelled, and then they staggered into the cabin.

They dropped their precious load upon the floor of the cabin, and then removed their helmets quickly.

“Well,” cried Frank; “you made a rich find?”

“You’re right we did!” cried Bell, with great jubilance. “There is more left there—fully a hundred thousand dollars, and we want to rig up some way to get it.”

“That will be easy,” said Frank.

“What!” exclaimed Von Bulow, disappointedly. “Shall we waste the time?”

“It is a large treasure,” he said. “I am going to get it and take it ashore.”

“I hope you will,” said Von Bulow, dubiously19.

Frank and Pomp now put on diving suits and went with Barney and Bell aboard the brig.

They soon succeeded in conveying the one hundred bags aboard the Dart.

Then the gold was all poured out in a heap and counted.

There was fully one hundred thousand dollars. It was a rich find.

Bell occupied himself in counting the gold and replacing it in the bags.

Then the Dart once more went on its way.

The reef was left far behind. Days passed and the Dart still kept on her swift course.

Still there was no sign of land.

The situation had become a hundred-fold more serious. Every moment matters were becoming more complicated.

In the first place the water supply had given out.

Then the chemical generators20 began to show signs of failing.

The appalling21 truth was presented to the submarine travelers that every moment was drawing them rapidly nearer to the end.

Their lives would be cut short very speedily unless land was reached at no very distant time.

Bell was in a fearful state of mind.

He had earned and well merited the euphonious22 name of “kicker,” and in many ways excited the ire of the others.

“There’s one thing about it, Bell,” said Von Bulow, severely23, “nothing is to be gained by your chronic24 fault-finding. We shall get out of the woods no sooner.”

“I suppose I lack your sublime25 philosophy which enables you to meet fate with supreme26 indifference,” sneered27 Bell.

“I’m not a kicker, anyway!” averred28 Von Bulow.

Frank meanwhile was busily trying to find some way out of the dilemma29.

The young inventor studied plan after plan, but without hitting upon anything at all favorable.

At length he came in from the chemical room one day with a white face.

“Shure, what is it, sor?” asked Barney, with alarm.

“We have but a few more hours to live,” said Frank, with a ghastly smile.

The fearless Irishman scratched his head coolly and said:

“Faith, an’ I don’t think we’d betther tell the others.”

“Ah, but that would not be right.”

“Shure, if that Captain Bell knows av it he’ll have a fit.”

A short while later all were congregated30 in the cabin and Frank told them the exact truth.

Contrary to the general expectation, Captain Bell was singularly silent.

After awhile he came to Frank and said:

“Do you give up all hope?”

“I fear so,” said Frank.

“I don’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think we are very near land at this moment.”

“I see no indication of it,” said Frank.

“Then you are blind. I have seen many. How long will our diving generators last?”

“Well charged, twenty-four hours.”

“Let us get them ready, and when the Dart’s generators fail us let us leave her and strike out.”

It was the most forlorn hope that Frank had ever heard of, but he at once saw that it was the only one.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 swelled bd4016b2ddc016008c1fc5827f252c73     
增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情)
参考例句:
  • The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染,他的手肿了起来。
  • After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后,河水猛涨。
2 decomposed d6dafa7f02e02b23fd957d01ced03499     
已分解的,已腐烂的
参考例句:
  • A liquid is decomposed when an electric current passes through it. 当电流通过时,液体就分解。
  • Water can be resolved [decomposed] into hydrogen and oxygen. 水可分解为氢和氧。
3 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。
4 shrieked dc12d0d25b0f5d980f524cd70c1de8fe     
v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
  • Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫,陆子潇尖声叫:“告诉什么? 来自汉英文学 - 围城
5 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。
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 sufficiently 0htzMB     
adv.足够地,充分地
参考例句:
  • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
  • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
8 undoubtedly Mfjz6l     
adv.确实地,无疑地
参考例句:
  • It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
  • He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
9 compartment dOFz6     
n.卧车包房,隔间;分隔的空间
参考例句:
  • We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴,整个客车隔间由我们独享。
  • The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。
10 gasping gasping     
adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词
参考例句:
  • He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
  • "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗?”“我巴不得能喝点!”
11 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》
12 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
13 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。
14 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。
15 ordeal B4Pzs     
n.苦难经历,(尤指对品格、耐力的)严峻考验
参考例句:
  • She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
  • Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。
16 complement ZbTyZ     
n.补足物,船上的定员;补语;vt.补充,补足
参考例句:
  • The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
  • They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。
17 corpses 2e7a6f2b001045a825912208632941b2     
n.死尸,尸体( corpse的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The living soldiers put corpses together and burned them. 活着的战士把尸体放在一起烧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云,同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
18 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。
19 dubiously dubiously     
adv.可疑地,怀疑地
参考例句:
  • "What does he have to do?" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事?”琴向觉民问道,她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
  • He walked out fast, leaving the head waiter staring dubiously at the flimsy blue paper. 他很快地走出去,撇下侍者头儿半信半疑地瞪着这张薄薄的蓝纸。 来自辞典例句
20 generators 49511c3cf5edacaa03c4198875f15e4e     
n.发电机,发生器( generator的名词复数 );电力公司
参考例句:
  • The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
  • Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 appalling iNwz9     
adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的
参考例句:
  • The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
  • Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。
22 euphonious 8iwzF     
adj.好听的,悦耳的,和谐的
参考例句:
  • He was enchanted with the euphonious music.他陶醉在那悦耳的音乐中。
  • The euphonious sound of Carrie's cello playing always puts me at ease.嘉莉悦耳的大提琴演奏总让我心旷神怡。
23 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
24 chronic BO9zl     
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的,慢性的;极坏的
参考例句:
  • Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
  • Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。
25 sublime xhVyW     
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的
参考例句:
  • We should take some time to enjoy the sublime beauty of nature.我们应该花些时间去欣赏大自然的壮丽景象。
  • Olympic games play as an important arena to exhibit the sublime idea.奥运会,就是展示此崇高理念的重要舞台。
26 supreme PHqzc     
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的
参考例句:
  • It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
  • He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
27 sneered 0e3b5b35e54fb2ad006040792a867d9f     
讥笑,冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
  • It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。
28 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
29 dilemma Vlzzf     
n.困境,进退两难的局面
参考例句:
  • I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
  • He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。
30 congregated d4fe572aea8da4a2cdce0106da9d4b69     
(使)集合,聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The crowds congregated in the town square to hear the mayor speak. 人群聚集到市镇广场上来听市长讲话。
  • People quickly congregated round the speaker. 人们迅速围拢在演说者的周围。


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