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CHAPTER XXII STAR OF THE MIST
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For an hour, with the brown natives bending their stout1 backs to send the canoes shooting forward, they glided2 along through the mist. It was not raining hard—only a fine spray coming down. They were soaked to the skin, but no one minded that for the air was warm.

Jack3 really enjoyed it. For a time at least they were free from danger. The war seemed unreal and far away. It was as if they had left it behind forever, and he almost wished he had!

He thought of the folks at home, of his father working harder than ever because there was a war, of his mother doing her own work, helping4 the Red Cross and selling bonds in a booth on Saturdays. It was all very strange how a war started by a few very stupid men could change the lives of more than half the people in the world—strange and terrible.

“Look!” Mary exclaimed suddenly. “A star!”
184

“Where?” Jack looked up.

“Not up. Over there!” she pointed6.

“You wouldn’t see a star through the mist in the daytime. You must be dreaming,” Jack protested.

“But look! Look closely! It’s rather faint, but quite real. A white star!” She was leaning forward, straining her eyes as if looking for a vision.

“Yes,” he agreed at last. “I see it.”

“Star of hope,” she murmured. “If you’d lived on that island for two years as I have, you’d know what that means.”

“Two years! You haven’t been there that long! It’s impossible!” He stared at her in unbelief.

“Is it?” She laughed. “In this war anything is possible. Listen!” Her face tensed with memories. “I was on Corregidor when we surrendered to those terrible Japs.”

“Corregidor?” Jack gasped7. “Corregidor in the Philippines? Say!” His voice dropped. “That’s where the Black Bee, our carrier, is headed for next.”

“Corregidor!” It was her turn to stare.

“Well, not Corregidor just yet, but the Philippines—Mindanao, to be exact.”

“Oh! Take me with you!” she exclaimed softly.
185

“We’re not on board ship yet,” he smiled. “We’re just hoping. But say!” he exclaimed. “How’d you ever get way over here? Tell me about it, will you?”

“Yes, sure I will.” She leaned forward. “I was a nurse, and just before the surrender I was told by a native that one of my best friends lay in a boathouse somewhere along the shore. He was a flier and had been badly wounded.

“I slipped away to find him.” She drew in a deep breath. “I found him and did what I could. He lived six hours.” She paused to gaze away at the sea.

“And in the meantime the fortress8 was surrendered?” Jack suggested.

“Yes.” She went on. “That same native came all the way to tell me. They were wonderful, those Filipinos!” She paused again, to stare away at the white star that every moment grew closer.

“And then?” Jack prompted.

“The native told me that my friend’s seaplane, all gassed and ready, lay hidden in a tiny bay among the mango trees. I went there. I could fly, not too well, but enough to keep going. I climbed in, started the motor, then flew away from all that terror.” She shuddered9.

“I headed for America. Of course,” she laughed, a sort of choking laugh, “I knew I couldn’t make it, not all the way, but I did want to be nearer home if I had to die. You know—”
186

“Yes,” Jack whispered. He knew. Every homesick American boy in all this vast Pacific knew.

“I kept going,” she continued. “I don’t know how many hours I flew. Then my gas ran low. The sun was bright. I dropped down low to discover a dark speck10 on a broad sea. It was a large native canoe. I landed close to them. It was my only chance.”

“They took me in and brought me here. There had been missionaries11 on the island, but they were gone. They liked me, those natives, because I could roast a pig just right and make fine cakes,” she laughed.

“Because the Japs might come at any time, the natives painted me up, dyed my hair, and made me the daughter of the chief. And now,” she drew in a long breath, “here I am.”

“Yes, and look!” Jack pointed. “There’s your lucky star. It’s on the side of Ted5’s plane. It’s going to bring luck to you after all.”

He had spoken the truth. The star that had shone through the fog was the white star on a blue circle that identifies American planes.

Their boatmen gave a few more lusty strokes, and they were alongside.

And there, sitting on the fuselage grinning at them, was Ted.
187

“I start out to rescue you.” He laughed. “And now look! You come to rescue me and my plane!”

“Is your plane badly damaged?” Jack asked anxiously.

“Not so far as I can see.” Ted slid down into the canoe. “She’s got a few slugs in her. Her tail needs a bit of trimming. Three or four hours’ work should put her in shape.”

“Then why didn’t you taxi in?” Jack asked.

“Taxi? Move? Make a noise? Say!” Ted laughed hoarsely13. “If you’d been attacked by a flying freak as I was, you wouldn’t even dare to breathe!”

“The jet plane got you,” Stew14 put in. “That’s what I thought.”

“The what plane?” Ted stared.

“The jet plane,” Jack grinned. “It’s pushed about by a jet of hot kerosene15 blown up into gas and mixed with air. We know all about it.”

“Have you been flying it?” Ted questioned. “Perhaps that was you flying it today! Well, if it was, I think I got your pal16.”

“You’re not serious?” said Jack.

“Sure, I am. At least about that fellow falling out of the thing,” Ted grinned. “I got in a burst of fire back there in a cloud. Then when they came down to shoot me on the water, this Jerry tumbled out. I sort of figured he’d been hit and had gone crazy, or something.”
188

“That’s good news!” Stew exclaimed. “There were two Germans and three Japs. Now there’s only one German. We should be able to handle them. They—”

“Jap—Jappie!” a grizzled giant among the boatmen broke in excitedly. “You think Jappie on our island?”

“Sure, there are!” Stew insisted. “Three Japs.”

“What you think, Mary Brown?” The old man turned to the girl. “Jappie on our island? Maybe this boy he lie. What you think?”

“He isn’t lying,” Mary said in a steady voice. “Three Japs came on that plane last time.”

“Why you not tell me? I go kill them!” There was an angry and puzzled look on the aged12 native’s face.

“That’s just it.” Mary smiled soothingly17 at the old man. “You would have tried to kill them. They would have killed you. They have machine guns. You must not die, for you are my father.”

“By-um-by I kill ’em.” The old man settled back in his place. “They not kill me. You see.”

By this time Ted was looking from one speaker to another and then back at Jack.

“What’s all this?” he asked in a low tone.
189

“Well, first of all,” Jack put a hand on Mary’s shoulder, “let me introduce Nurse Mary Brown. She’s a native of the South Sea Islands from Ohio.”

“Kentucky,” the girl corrected.

That called for a lot of explaining. Jack was only half through when Mary exclaimed:

“Those beasts must have winged you!” She pointed to a splotch of blood on Ted’s sleeve.

“Only a flesh wound, really nothing.” He tried to toss it off. “I didn’t even feel it at the time. I’ve sort of got it fixed18 up.”

“That may be,” said Mary, moving toward him. “But where I come from wounds don’t stay ‘sort of fixed up.’ That’s too dangerous.”

Producing a small first-aid kit19 from beneath her native dress, she went to work.

“I’m going to get this war paint off as soon as I can,” she confided20 to Ted as she worked. From the tone of her voice Jack guessed that Ted had made a hit.

“You look swell21 just as you are,” Ted joked. “I doubt if I could stand seeing you all whitened up and dressed in a nurse’s uniform.”

“You’ll see me that way all right,” was her reply. “I’ve got my uniform safely hidden away beneath a palm.”

“Huh!” Jack thought. “One more perfectly22 good mystery all shot to pieces!”
190

For all this, he realized that life at the battle front had not lost its interest. Mystery and adventure still lay before him.

Many questions remained to be answered. How had it happened that two men who seemed to be British left the island in the jet plane, and five—two Germans and three Japs—came back? Were those first two men Germans posing as Britishers? Could they be renegade Britishers, traitors23 to their country? Or were they loyal to their country, and had the jet plane been stolen from them?

One more thing Jack wanted to know. Who had manufactured that plane? In the scrapbook there had been articles in four languages, so it could easily have come from any of these lands. Of one thing he was certain. Give him a chance at it and he would fly that plane, first thing. And did he want to try it? Oh man! Did he!

“Suppose it’s a German plane of a design unknown to the Allies, what a scoop24 it would be if I could drop it down on the deck of the old Black Bee,” he thought. “Even if it were an American-built plane, I would be performing a great service if I snatched it from the enemy before they had used it as a model.” Yes, he must have that plane!

But first, he thought with a start, we’ve got to get Ted and his plane ashore25 before this mist clears and that jet plane fellow is out after us.
191

“How about getting this plane over to the island?” he demanded.

“All right. We got canoes. We pull ’em. No fly ’em,” said the Chief. “You fly ’em pretty soon.”

“He got the idea,” Ted agreed. “Let’s go.”

Lines were attached to the plane; then with a low chant the natives were paddling in perfect rhythm and drawing the plane silently toward the island.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

2 glided dc24e51e27cfc17f7f45752acf858ed1     
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔
参考例句:
  • The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
  • They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
4 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
5 ted 9gazhs     
vt.翻晒,撒,撒开
参考例句:
  • The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
  • She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。
6 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
7 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》
8 fortress Mf2zz     
n.堡垒,防御工事
参考例句:
  • They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
  • The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。
9 shuddered 70137c95ff493fbfede89987ee46ab86     
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动
参考例句:
  • He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车,车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 speck sFqzM     
n.微粒,小污点,小斑点
参考例句:
  • I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
  • The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗,一星星云彩也没有。
11 missionaries 478afcff2b692239c9647b106f4631ba     
n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时,从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
12 aged 6zWzdI     
adj.年老的,陈年的
参考例句:
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
13 hoarsely hoarsely     
adv.嘶哑地
参考例句:
  • "Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。
  • Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
14 stew 0GTz5     
n.炖汤,焖,烦恼;v.炖汤,焖,忧虑
参考例句:
  • The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
  • There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。
15 kerosene G3uxW     
n.(kerosine)煤油,火油
参考例句:
  • It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
  • Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电,有煤油灯。
16 pal j4Fz4     
n.朋友,伙伴,同志;vi.结为友
参考例句:
  • He is a pal of mine.他是我的一个朋友。
  • Listen,pal,I don't want you talking to my sister any more.听着,小子,我不让你再和我妹妹说话了。
17 soothingly soothingly     
adv.抚慰地,安慰地;镇痛地
参考例句:
  • The mother talked soothingly to her child. 母亲对自己的孩子安慰地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He continued to talk quietly and soothingly to the girl until her frightened grip on his arm was relaxed. 他继续柔声安慰那姑娘,她那因恐惧而紧抓住他的手终于放松了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
19 kit D2Rxp     
n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物
参考例句:
  • The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
  • The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。
20 confided 724f3f12e93e38bec4dda1e47c06c3b1     
v.吐露(秘密,心事等)( confide的过去式和过去分词 );(向某人)吐露(隐私、秘密等)
参考例句:
  • She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。
  • He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露,他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 swell IHnzB     
vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强
参考例句:
  • The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
  • His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。
22 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
23 traitors 123f90461d74091a96637955d14a1401     
卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 ); 叛徒; 背叛者; 背信弃义的人
参考例句:
  • Traitors are held in infamy. 叛徒为人所不齿。
  • Traitors have always been treated with contempt. 叛徒永被人们唾弃。
24 scoop QD1zn     
n.铲子,舀取,独家新闻;v.汲取,舀取,抢先登出
参考例句:
  • In the morning he must get his boy to scoop it out.早上一定得叫佣人把它剜出来。
  • Uh,one scoop of coffee and one scoop of chocolate for me.我要一勺咖啡的和一勺巧克力的。
25 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。


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