“They’re evidently not afraid of being followed,” whispered Ned, as they waited the midshipman’s word to start up their craft.
At last the command came. The young officer had hesitated to give it sooner, as he wanted to make sure of being out of earshot of the leading motor-boat before he started. Loaded down as she was, the revolutionaries’ craft was making but slow time. It was evident, though, from the rapid beat of her exhaust that her engine was being pressed to the uttermost.
“All right, go ahead!”
Like a ferret in pursuit of its prey5, the naval6 party’s launch glided out of its obscurity and set off on what was to prove an eventful chase.
“They’re heading north, sir,” whispered Ned.
“Just as I thought,” came Midshipman Stark7’s voice in the darkness.
Luckily the wind was out of that quarter, and while the sound of the other craft’s exhaust was clearly borne back to them, of their own progress it would have been manifestly impossible to hear a sound on the leading launch.
“Speed her up a bit,” ordered the middy. “We don’t want them cutting in shore on us before we’ve a chance to intercept8 them.”
The launch leaped forward in obedience9 to his command. She was making a good ten knots now, while her adversary10 could not at the highest estimate have achieved more than seven. The hearts of all on board beat exultingly11. Gradually they could make out a phosphorescent gleam on the water ahead and catch the fleeting12 glimpse of a dim lantern, which marked the whereabouts of the quarry13.
“Good, we’ll be up with her in half an hour now,” muttered Stanley, his eyes burning in his head as he riveted14 them greedily on the chase. The man-of-war’s man was on the work he loved best. The hot blood raced through his veins15 in the excitement of the chase, as was the case, in fact, with all the party, with one exception. Who that was we shall presently see.
For an hour the steady pursuit was kept up, the naval party keeping as close as they dared to the stern of the other craft. Evidently their plan was working to perfection. It was clear that those on the leading boat had no idea that they were being pursued. Once or twice a snatch of song floated back to those behind her.
“Sing away while you’ve got the chance,” muttered Stanley grimly. “You’ll sing a different tune16 before long.”
Suddenly out of the blackness ahead something flashed from a low point of land.
“A red light!” exclaimed Ned.
“Red light ahead, sir!” warned Stanley hoarsely17.
“Ay, ay, I see it,” breathed the middy. “We’re on the old fox’s hole now.”
All at once the speed of the launch, which had been as steady as an automobile18, suddenly checked. She began to drop behind.
“Consarn it! what’s the trouble now?” growled19 Stanley, while the middy skipped aft.
“What’s the matter, my man?” he asked of the solitary20 figure bending over the engine.
“Don’t know, sir. The motor’s slowing down.”
“Well, fix her, and fix her quick. We can’t afford to lose time now.”
“Sorry, sir,” muttered the engineer, “but it may take some time to locate the trouble.”
He bent21 over the engine and appeared to be deep in efforts to adjust it. But Ned’s quick ear had caught a sound which sent him leaping back along the length of the launch’s cockpit. Hastily he bent over the engine and felt a bearing. It was hot to the touch, and he withdrew his hand sharply, but some substance clung to it. In the light of the single lamp illumining the motor he extended his palm for the officer’s inspection22.
“Sand, sir!”
“You scoundrel, were you trying to cripple the motor?” shot out the middy, his eyes flashing.
The engineer turned up a white, scared face. As the light of the lantern illumined it Ned could not suppress a cry of surprise and recognition. The man was the same who had dived overboard for the letter from the fishing boat, and who had aroused the boy’s suspicion on other occasions.
“Why, no, sir!” exclaimed the man in an injured tone. “You see, we keep sand to extinguish a fire in case one starts from the gasoline. I guess some of it got sprinkled on the bearing.”
“And I think you’re lying,” muttered Ned, as he rapidly cleansed23 the bearing and the launch once more shot ahead.
Now the red light was swinging to and fro on the point as if it were a signal.
“I guess the revolutionists are camped there as thick as flies round molasses,” hazarded Stanley. “What are we to do, sir—keep on?”
“Yes, keep on!” ordered the middy in a tense voice. Though he strove to keep them calm, his[126] accents were vibrant24 with suppressed excitement.
“Cut in there, Stanley, cut in!” he exclaimed suddenly, as the launch in the lead began to turn her nose toward the shore. By this time the naval launch had forged up into an inside position, and lay between the revolutionaries’ craft and the point. If there was shoal water there should be no difficulty in cutting the gun-runner off.
“Full speed ahead, and no monkeying with those engines,” grated out the middy, with so fierce a look that the engineer instantly obeyed.
Up and up they crept, without apparently25 being perceived, till they were within a boat’s length. Then a man was seen to leap upward on the stern of the other launch and gaze back. He gave a shout of surprise as he saw the other boat creeping up to intercept them. Already the naval launch had cut the revolutionary agents off from their expected landing place.
“Pray Heaven we don’t hit a rock, and we’ve got them,” breathed Stanley.
Bang!
There was a flash of fire from the leading[127] launch, and a bullet whistled past the heads of the pursuers.
“Now, then, wade26 in!” cried the midshipman excitedly.
Hardly five feet separated the launches now and the gap was rapidly closing. There was a grating sound, as the consul’s launch ran alongside the other. Before any one could stop him Stanley, with a wrench27 in his hand, jumped on board the gun-runner.
Crash!
He brought the wrench down with all his force on the spark plug of the other boat’s motor. With a groan28 and a sputter29, she lay helpless as the explosions of her motor ceased.
“By Jove, we’re in for it now!” he heard Midshipman Stark exclaim, as two more bullets ploughed under the awning30 of their craft.
But totally taken by surprise, the figure which had fired the first shot from the leading launch took to the water with a splash. A second later another disturbance31 of the water announced that his companion had followed his example. This[128] left only three frightened natives on board, who began crying out at the top of their voices for mercy.
“Shut up, or we’ll blow your heads off,” roared Stark, in a fierce voice, and, although they did not understand a word he said, the nature of his tones was quite sufficient to warn the peons that silence would be golden. They therefore subsided32 in the stern of the boat.
Stanley came leaping back on board the naval launch.
“We’ll have to tow her, sir,” he announced.
“And quickly, too,” rejoined the other in a low voice. “Those fellows ashore33 will wake up to what’s happened in a moment.”
“Thank goodness all those boxes are on board,” grinned Stanley, as he resumed the wheel and the launch, with her cumbersome34 tow alongside, started up.
“I guess that’s spiked35 the revolutionaries’ guns for a while!” exultingly exclaimed Stark. “Those guns would be worth a few hundred rifles to them if they had them.”
There had been no time to rig a hawser36, and the disabled launch floated alongside the consul’s craft by a hastily fastened line, made fast about her forward samson-post.
“Come on, Stanley, head around!” exclaimed the middy. “We don’t want to be recognized in this thing.”
But Stanley at the wheel turned a white face toward his officer.
“This tide’s pulling us right down on the point, sir.”
“Great Scott! and it’s alive with troops, too, I’ll bet the admiral’s Sunday hat. Do your best, man.”
Stanley gritted37 his teeth and set the wheel hard over, but the launch still drifted.
“Look here, sir!” exclaimed Ned suddenly, “the tiller line’s broken!”
He held up a broken end of line.
“More treachery, or looks that way. Fix it up quick, Strong.”
Suddenly the dark trees along the shore burst into crackling flame. A deadly rifle fire poured[130] from them. There was no doubt now as to the revolutionaries’ whereabouts.
“They’ve waked up at last!” exclaimed Ned, as having adjusted the broken line he leaped lightly forward once more.
At the same instant Stanley gave a slight groan, and jerked his hand from the wheel as if it had been red hot.
“Winged!” he exclaimed briefly38, holding up a limp wrist.
Ned shoved him aside and seized the spokes39. Already the wheel had dropped over, allowing the launch to drift nearer to the deadly point. Bullets fell about them like rain now. The air was full of their screaming sounds. They could hear the patter-patter as the leaden hail ricochetted over the water. The launch was struck in half a dozen places, but luckily not below the water line.
“Can you make it, Strong?”
It was Stark’s voice, as he leaned over the boy.
“I think so, sir. You’d better lie down. It’s getting pretty hot here.”
As he spoke40 a bullet whistled so close to Ned’s ear that he ducked.
“Hooray! a miss is as good as a mile,” yelled the boy, the excitement of battle coming over him. All his life Ned had dreamed and hoped of being in one of the naval engagements he had read about, and now, without the slightest warning, here he was in the thick of it. He would have given his chance of promotion41 almost to have been able to seize up his revolver and fire back at the revolutionists.
“There must be a hundred of them in there,” grunted42 Stanley, tearing off his shirt and allowing Herc to bind43 up his wrist.
“All of that,” rejoined Herc. “Wow, I hear the bees hum!”
The red-headed youth clapped his hand to his amber44 thatch45 as if to check the bullet that had just whistled past him. Ned, his heart beating tumultuously, stuck to his post. In another moment they would be past the promontory and out of danger.
Suddenly the engineer rose from beside his[132] engines and climbed out on the little stern deck. He raised his hands above his head as if to dive and swim ashore.
“He’s gone mad from fright!” shouted Stanley.
“Look out for sharks!” warned Stark. “The water’s alive with them.”
But without heeding46 the warning cries, the panic-stricken wretch47 prepared to make a wild leap. There was a fresh volley from the point and a rattle48 of sharp reports. The engineer threw his hands above his head and collapsed49 in a moaning heap.
“A hit!” exclaimed Stanley grimly.
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收听单词发音
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1
insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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8
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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9
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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10
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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exultingly
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| 兴高采烈地，得意地 | |
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fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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13
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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14
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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15
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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16
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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17
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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19
growled
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| 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 | |
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20
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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21
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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22
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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23
cleansed
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| 弄干净，清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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25
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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26
wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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wrench
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| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
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28
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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29
sputter
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| n.喷溅声；v.喷溅 | |
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30
awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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31
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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32
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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33
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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34
cumbersome
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| adj.笨重的，不便携带的 | |
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35
spiked
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| adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的 | |
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36
hawser
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| n.大缆；大索 | |
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37
gritted
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| v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的过去式和过去分词 )；咬紧牙关 | |
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38
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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39
spokes
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| n.（车轮的）辐条( spoke的名词复数 )；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 | |
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40
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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41
promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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42
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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43
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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44
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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45
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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46
heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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47
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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48
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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49
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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