It was the hope of those aboard the submarine that they would be able to overhaul3 and pass the schooner4, North Star, which, presumably, was rushing on ahead of them to interfere5 in some manner with the work cut out for the Grampus.
The schooner had about three hours’ start of the submarine, but the latter craft was keeping to the surface and traveling at such a speed that it was thought she would surely overtake the other boat before the mouth of the Izaral was reached.
However, in this Bob and Jordan were disappointed. They passed one steamer, creeping up the coast, but not another craft did they see.
“The North Star won’t be able to ascend6 the Izaral, anyhow,” commented Jordan. “If Fingal communicates with the revolutionists, he will have to send a small boat—and perhaps we can overhaul that boat before it reaches the headquarters of the insurgent7 force.”
There was a certain amount of sleep for everybody aboard the Grampus, that night, but Bob Steele. Dick and Carl slept the first half of the night, and, after that, relieved Gaines and Clackett; Speake caught cat naps off and on; Jordan stretched himself out on top of the locker8 in the periscope9 room and took his forty winks10 with nothing to bother him; and Tirzal, when45 the submarine was in a fairly clear stretch of her course, was relieved by Bob and sent down to curl up on the floor and snore to his heart’s content.
The tireless motor hummed the song familiar in Bob’s ears, and the excitement of the work in prospect11 kept him keyed to highest pitch in spite of his loss of rest.
In the gray of early morning, an hour after Bob had turned off the electric projector, he sighted the mouth of a river with high, bluffy banks on each side. On one of the banks, peeping out from a covert13 of royal palms, was a small village. Directly across the stream from the village, commanding both the river and the small harbor in front of the town, was a rude fort.
Bob called Tirzal.
“She’s de ruvver, all right, you bet,” declared Tirzal, after taking a look at the periscope. “Stop um boat, boss,” he added. “We no want de people in de town to see um.”
Bob halted the submarine with the touch of a push button.
“We’d better submerge, Bob,” called Jordan. “That’s the way we’ve got to get up the river, and it’s our proper course for dodging14 around the town. Can you see anything of the schooner?”
“There are only a few small native boats in the harbor,” answered Bob. “The schooner isn’t in sight.”
“Beats the deuce what’s become of the boat,” growled15 the consul16. “If she sent a launch up the river, the schooner ought to be somewhere around, waiting for the launch to get back.”
“She may have pulled off down the coast just to keep clear of us. How’s the water in the river?”
“Him planty deep to where we go, boss,” spoke17 up Tirzal. “Some time him t’irty feet, mos’ly fifty feet. Eberyt’ing go fine if we keep in de channel.”
46
“We’ll be on the safe side,” went on Bob, “and just swing along with the water over our decks and the top of the conning tower. Ten-foot submergence, Clackett,” he added through a speaking tube connecting with the tank room.
“Aye, aye, sir,” came back the voice of Clackett.
The hiss18 of escaping air as the water came into the tanks was heard, and Bob secured the hatch and came down the ladder.
“We’re ten feet down, Bob,” reported Clackett through the tube.
“Take the wheel, Tirzal!” said Bob.
With head under the periscope hood21 and one hand on the wheel, Tirzal rang for slow speed ahead. Bob and Jordan likewise gave their attention to the periscope mirror and watched, with curious wonder, while the tropical river unfolded beneath their eyes like a moving picture.
The Izaral was bank-full. As the Grampus rounded the northern bluff12 and swerved22 into the river channel, the high, steep banks, covered with dense23 foliage24, resembled a narrow lane with a blank wall at its farther end. When the boat pushed into the stream, however, and fought the current for three or four hundred yards, the seemingly blank wall gave place to an abrupt25 turn.
The submarine took the turn and entered upon another stretch of the lane.
This part of the river was as perfect a solitude26 as though removed thousands of miles from human habitations. At a distance of perhaps two miles from the coast the high banks dwindled27 to low rises, and on each side was an unbroken forest; the banks were overflowed28; the trees seemed to grow out of the water, their branches spreading across so as almost to shut out the47 light of the sun and were reflected in the water as in a mirror.
Birds of gaudy29 plumage fluttered among the trees, and here and there, in a bayou, alligators30 could be seen stretching their torpid31 bodies in the black ooze32.
Tirzal kept his eyes glued to the periscope. The channel was crooked33 and dangerous, and a moment’s neglect might hurl34 the submarine into a muddy bank, causing trouble and delay, if not actual peril35.
For two or three miles farther, Tirzal kept the river channel. Finally they came close to a spot where a deep, narrow stream entered the Izaral on the right. Tirzal turned into this branch and, after ascending36 it for some fifty yards, had the propeller37 slowed until it just counteracted38 the current and held the Grampus stationary39.
“We got to de place, boss,” said Tirzal, lifting himself erect40 with a deep breath of relief. “Now we come to de top an’ tie de boat to a couple ob trees on de sho’.”
“Where are the revolutionists?” asked Bob.
“Dey a good way off, boss. We hab to take to de bank an’ go find um. I know de way. Here’s where de boats come. You see dat pitpan close by de bank? Him rebels’ boat.”
“Do you suppose,” queried41 Bob, turning to the consul, “that the schooner sent word to the rebels by means of the pitpan?”
Jordan shook his head perplexedly.
“They wouldn’t do that. The pitpan is no more than a mahogany log, hollowed out, and would be a poor sort of craft to row against the current of the Izaral while it’s at the flood. I can’t understand why we don’t see or hear something connected with the schooner. Perhaps”—the consul’s face brightened—“Fingal and Cassidy are on the wrong track, after all.”
48
“You go to de top, boss,” put in Tirzal, “an’ me swim asho’ wid rope; den20 we warp42 um boat close to de bank.”
Bob gave the order to empty the ballast tanks by compressed air, and the Grampus rose to the surface to the tune44 of water splashing from the tanks.
“A party will have to land for the purpose of reconnoitering the position of the rebels,” said Jordan. “I would suggest, Bob, that the landing party consist of myself, Tirzal, of course, and some other person who you think can be easily spared. A strong force will have to remain with the Grampus, for our situation is encompassed45 with dangers. Before we can plan our dash successfully, we shall have to know something of the lay of the land and the disposition46 of the force that is guarding Coleman.”
“You are right,” returned Bob. “I ought to remain with the submarine——”
“And get a little sleep,” cut in the consul. “You’ve been on duty all night and must rest so as to be ready for the sharp work when it comes.”
“I’ll have Speake go with you and Tirzal,” said Bob. “How long will you be gone, Jordan?”
“Not more than two or three hours at the outside.”
By then the Grampus was at the surface, and Bob climbed the ladder and threw back the hatch. Gaining the dripping iron deck, he looked and listened. The thick forest lay on every side, and the silence was broken only by the flapping of wings, and the lazy splash of alligators in a near-by bayou.
Tirzal, a rope around his waist, scrambled47 clear of the conning tower and slipped from the deck into the water. He swam swiftly and silently to the bank,49 pulled himself up, untied48 the end of the rope from about his waist, and passed it around a tree.
Dick gained the deck, made the boat end of the rope fast to an iron ring in the bow, and watched while Tirzal lay back on the cable with all his strength and hauled the bow shoreward, a foot at a time.
“The bank is steep,” announced Dick, “and we can, run the nose of the old craft right into solid ground.”
“That will make it easier for Jordan and Speake to land,” said Bob.
A few minutes of pulling on Tirzal’s part brought the point of the submarine’s bow against the bank. Speake had come up on deck with one of the rifles. A moment later Jordan followed him, with Carl trailing along in his wake.
Jordan carried two rifles, one for himself and one for Tirzal, and also Tirzal’s bundle of clothes.
“We’re taking all the rifles, Bob,” said Jordan, “but I have left my cartridge49 belt and six-shooters in the periscope room. If you should be attacked—which I hardly expect—your best defense50 will be to sink to the bottom of the river. We’ll be back in three hours. If we’re not, you’ll know something has gone wrong with us. But don’t fret51 about that. Tirzal knows the country, and he’ll steer52 us clear of trouble.”
Speake and Jordan made their way to the point of the bow and sprang ashore53. As soon as Tirzal had slipped into his clothes and grasped the rifle, the three comprising the landing party waved their hands to those on the deck of the boat and vanished into the forest.
“I don’t think anybody is going to have a monopoly of ‘fun,’ as you call it, Carl,” said Bob grimly. “You and Dick stay on deck and keep a sharp watch for50 rebels. I’m going to the periscope room to take a nap. In order to be on the safe side, Dick, you’d better let the Grampus slide back toward the middle of the stream. Leave the cable on the tree and pay it off from the bow of the boat.”
“All right, Bob.”
“Call me if anything happens,” said Bob, climbing into the conning tower.
On reaching the periscope room, he signaled Gaines to stop the motor, and told him and Clackett that the submarine was moored56, and that they could either sleep or go on deck, as they preferred. Then, thoroughly57 tired out by his long night vigil, he stretched himself on the locker and was soon sound asleep.
How long he slept he did not know, but he was suddenly aroused by a pounding of feet on the steel deck, startled cries, and a tremendous splashing of water.
Thinking that Dick and Carl, who had comprised the anchor watch, had been caught napping, and that the revolutionists were making an attack on the boat, he leaped up, caught the first weapon he could lay hold of, and darted58 for the iron ladder.
The weapon happened to be an old harpoon59 belonging to Speake, who had once had a berth60 aboard a whaling ship.
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收听单词发音
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1
projector
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| n.投影机，放映机，幻灯机 | |
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conning
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| v.诈骗，哄骗( con的现在分词 )；指挥操舵( conn的现在分词 ) | |
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3
overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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6
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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7
insurgent
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| adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子 | |
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8
locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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periscope
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| n. 潜望镜 | |
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10
winks
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| v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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11
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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12
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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13
covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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14
dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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15
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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16
consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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17
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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18
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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21
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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dwindled
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| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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alligators
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| n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 ) | |
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torpid
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| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
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ooze
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| n.软泥，渗出物；vi.渗出，泄漏；vt.慢慢渗出，流露 | |
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crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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propeller
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| n.螺旋桨，推进器 | |
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38
counteracted
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| 对抗，抵消( counteract的过去式 ) | |
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39
stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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41
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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warp
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| vt.弄歪，使翘曲，使不正常，歪曲，使有偏见 | |
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43
divest
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| v.脱去，剥除 | |
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44
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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45
encompassed
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| v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 )；包围；包含；包括 | |
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46
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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47
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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48
untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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49
cartridge
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| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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50
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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51
fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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52
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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53
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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54
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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55
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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56
moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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57
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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58
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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harpoon
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| n.鱼叉；vt.用鱼叉叉，用鱼叉捕获 | |
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berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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