He sat up, dazed and bewildered, and was some moments in picking up the chain of events where it had been dropped.
By degrees he lived over the events that immediately preceded his lapse1 into unconsciousness, and thoughts of the treacherous2 Ah Sin brought him staggering to his feet.
The Grampus was yawing and tumbling about in the waves, completely at the mercy of wind and currents. Seizing the wheel, Bob brought the submarine to her course and lashed3 the wheel with his twisted handkerchief.
What had become of the Chinaman he asked himself. Had he, confident that the boat would be blown up, gained the deck and thrown himself into the sea? Bob had heard of fanatics5 of that sort—carrying out orders given by a higher power and then immolating6 themselves on the altar of what they supposed to be their duty.
The Japs were noted7 for self-sacrifices of that kind, and Ah Sin was not a Chinaman, but a little yellow man from the land of the mikado.
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How long Bob had remained unconscious he had no means of knowing.
Resolved to discover what had become of the supposed Chinaman at all hazards, Bob climbed laboriously8 up the ladder. The cool, salt air, pouring down the hatch, served still further to revive him and bring back his strength.
At last, when he braced9 himself in the opening and was able to cast a sweeping10 glance over the waves, the sight unrolled before him brought a startled exclamation11 to his lips.
A cable’s length from the submarine was a dory manned by smartly uniformed yellow sailors. Hove to, half a dozen fathoms12 beyond the dory, was the steamer with the black funnel13 and the red band, her port rail lined with figures that were evidently watching the Grampus. Between the dory and the submarine was a swimming figure, which Bob had little difficulty in recognizing as being that of Tolo, otherwise Ah Sin.
Tolo was swimming and looking behind, and the eyes of those in the dory were on the Grampus, the men at the oars14 turning their heads to look over their shoulders.
It seemed plain that they were expecting an explosion, and that they were hurrying to get Tolo out of the way of it.
Bob’s blood ran cold as he thought of the heinous15 plot that had so nearly been carried out by the disguised Japanese. Policy was back of the murderous plan, but was it a policy dictated16 by a powerful nation, or merely by a set of misguided men, acting17 on their own accord?
The young motorist had no time to debate this point. A shout of consternation18 greeted his appearance at the conning-tower hatch. The officer in the dory spoke253 to his men, and all turned their faces the other way and bent20 their backs to the oars.
It flashed over Bob, in a twinkling, that the crew from the steamer were still of the opinion that they could destroy the submarine, and that they were hastening to get aboard the craft in order to carry out their nefarious21 designs.
Without losing a moment, Bob drew back into the tower and closed and barred the hatch. Lurching down the ladder he called desperately22 to his companions. Speake and Dick were sitting up, staring blankly at each other. When Bob appeared they fixed23 their bewildered eyes on him.
“Wake up!” cried Bob, springing to Dick and shaking him vigorously. “Get your wits together, Dick, and be quick about it.”
“That’s right,” seconded Speake, rubbing a hand across his forehead.
“Never mind that now,” went on Bob hurriedly. “Enemies are upon us! That steamer you saw in the periscope25, Speake, is hove to a little way from us, and our motor is slowed until we have scarcely steerageway. A boat is coming toward the Grampus, and we shall be boarded before you can say Jack26 Robinson. We’ve got to make a dive for safety. Rouse yourselves, both of you! To the motor, Dick! Speake, attend to the tanks—fill them for a twenty-foot submersion. You——”
Something struck against the side of the submarine, and a jar followed as of some one springing to the deck. “There they are!” shouted Bob. “Below with you—quick!”
Speake and Dick got unsteadily to their feet. Bob’s ominous27 words alarmed them, and did more than anything else to clear the fog from their minds. Making254 their way stumblingly through the door, they lowered themselves down the hatch.
Several more ringing thumps28 on the deck proved to Bob that others had come aboard. Presently there was a banging on the hatch cover.
“Who are you?” roared Bob, his voice sounding like thunder in the confined space.
“Young Samurai, patriots31 of Nippon, Sons of the Rising Sun, Independent Protectors of the Kingdom. Open!”
Already, however, water was entering the ballast tanks, and the Grampus was beginning to settle.
“Our flag is the Stars and Stripes,” yelled Bob, shaking his fist at the eyes on the other side of the thick glass, “and you dare not lay a hand on us! If your mikado knew what you were about——”
“Our mikado knows nothing,” interrupted a voice. “We——”
The fact that the submarine was diving came suddenly home to those on the deck. Already the waves were creaming over the curved plates, drawn33 into a flurry by the suction as the boat went down.
The eyes disappeared from the lunettes, and the Japanese scrambled34 for their boat. Another moment and the conning tower was submerged and Bob could hear the waters gurgling over the hatch cover.
Sliding down to the periscope room he looked into the periscope. Some of the sailors were in the water, and others, in the boat, were desperately busy getting them aboard. For a moment only Bob was able to use the periscope, and then the waters closed about the ball, the valves protecting the ball from the inrush of255 water closed, and the Grampus was more than fifteen feet down.
“Twenty feet, mate!” came the voice of Dick.
“That will do, Speake,” called Bob.
The tanks were closed.
“Drive her ahead, Dick!” cried Bob.
The motor was speeded up and the Grampus hustled35 onward36 below the surface. While Bob unlashed the wheel and brought the boat more directly into her course, a loud boom and a splash were heard.
“What’s that?” demanded Speake.
“The steamer is firing at us,” answered Bob.
“Let ’em shoot,” laughed Dick. “A heap of good it will do them to drop shot into the sea.”
“How’s Gaines, Dick?”
“Coming along full and by, forty knots. He’s sitting up and beginning to take notice.”
“How about Clackett, Speake?”
“He jest asked me to tell him where he was,” replied Speake, “so I guess he’ll soon be able to take hold.”
“Good! We’re coming out of this a whole lot better than I had dared to hope.”
“How do you feel, old chap?” asked Bob.
“I peen lying dere on my back trying to guess id oudt,” Carl answered.
“That’s about the way with me, Mr. Steele,” said Glennie, turning over on his side so he could face Bob. “Where are we?”
“Didn’t you lose consciousness, like the rest of us?”
“Yes; but I wasn’t out of my head so long. I was the last to go and the first to come to.”
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“How do you account for that?”
“I didn’t drink so much of that bitter coffee as the rest of you did,” replied Bob.
“That’s right,” muttered Glennie; “I was forgetting about the coffee. It was drugged—it must have been.”
“Yah, so helup me!” growled40 Carl. “Der Chinaman vas oop to some funny bizness, und he has peen efer since he come apoardt der boat. Ve ought to haf droon him oferpoard on cheneral brinciples.”
“The last I saw of him,” said Bob, “he was in the water swimming toward a small boat.”
“In the water?” he echoed. “Do you mean to say you allowed the scoundrel to get away, Mr. Steele? And all the time you knew just how much his presence meant to me!”
“Your head must still be troubled with that dope the supposed Chinaman put in the coffee,” said he calmly. “It was lucky that I was able to do what I did, and, as for the Chinaman getting away, I could no more help that than any of the rest of you. But it was a lucky thing for us that he did get away, I can tell you that.”
“Vat bizness you got finding some fault mit Bob Steele?” snapped Carl, making a truculent44 move in Glennie’s direction. “You vas a bassencher—don’d forged dot—und Bob vas der skipper. Ve ought to call him gaptain, only he von’t allow id; but, all der same, he iss der gaptain oof der boat, und you vill keep schtill oder I vill pat you on der back mit mein fist. Yah, so, Misder Glennie!”
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“That will do, Carl,” said Bob. “Draw back into your shell now, and keep still yourself. I can handle my own end with Mr. Glennie.”
Carl flung off to the other side of the room, tramping heavily to show his impatience45 and disgust.
“I presume,” said the ensign reflectively, “that you did the best you could, Mr. Steele, so I have no fault to find with you. But you understand that Ah Sin was my only hope for locating those important papers in Para.”
Bob stared, wondering if Glennie had forgotten the discovery he had made just before he had lapsed46 into unconsciousness.
“I had a mighty47 queer dream about that Chinaman,” pursued Glennie. “I thought you had a fight with him, Bob, and that, during the scuffle, his old slouch hat came off, and the queue along with it. And I was under the impression that Ah Sin wasn’t a Chinaman at all, but Tolo, that rascally48 Jap.”
“Is that a fact?” cried the ensign.
“Look ad here vonce!” called Carl.
He had picked up the slouch hat and the attached queue and placed them on his head.
“Great C?sar!” muttered Glennie, reeling back against the wall. “How I’ve been fooled! And I never recognized the scoundrel in his chink make-up! Well, I guess I deserve all the bad luck that’s coming my way. I’ve been a dunderhead ever since the Seminole dropped me in La Guayra.”
“Whoosh!” exclaimed Carl disgustedly, pulling off the hat and pigtail and throwing them into the locker. “I don’d like der shmell oof der t’ings.” He dropped the locker lid and turned away. “Vat’s dis, hey?” he inquired, picking up the bomb.
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收听单词发音
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1
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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3
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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4
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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5
fanatics
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| 狂热者，入迷者( fanatic的名词复数 ) | |
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immolating
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| v.宰杀…作祭品( immolate的现在分词 ) | |
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7
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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9
braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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10
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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11
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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12
fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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13
funnel
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| n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集 | |
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14
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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15
heinous
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| adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的 | |
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16
dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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17
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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18
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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19
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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20
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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nefarious
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| adj.恶毒的，极坏的 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
periscope
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| n. 潜望镜 | |
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26
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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thumps
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| n.猪肺病；砰的重击声( thump的名词复数 )v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的第三人称单数 ) | |
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29
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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30
intonation
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| n.语调，声调；发声 | |
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31
patriots
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| 爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 ) | |
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32
slant
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| v.倾斜，倾向性地编写或报道；n.斜面，倾向 | |
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33
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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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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35
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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36
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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38
delta
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| n.（流的）角洲 | |
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39
locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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40
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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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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42
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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43
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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44
truculent
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| adj.野蛮的，粗野的 | |
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45
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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46
lapsed
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| adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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47
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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48
rascally
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| adj. 无赖的，恶棍的 adv. 无赖地，卑鄙地 | |
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49
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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