Carl, as usual, happened to be in the way of trouble. He had flung through the periscope5 room and chased after Bob up the ladder. Bob avoided the spear by dropping to his knees. It passed over his head, snapped Carl’s cap off his shock of tow-colored hair, and carried it on for a dozen feet, dropping out of sight with it beneath the water.
“Vat a vay iss dot!” bellowed6 Carl. “Tick, handt me oop a gun, or a gannon, or somet’ing. Bob, look oudt a leedle!”
Carl forgot the loss of his cap, forgot even that he had asked Dick for a weapon, and scrambled7 to get out of the tower and go to his chum’s aid.
The savage who had been climbing up the rounded deck had made a spring for Glennie’s back. Bob Steele leaped about the same time, grabbing the native before he could do the ensign any harm.
Bob, and the man he was holding, fell to the deck, rolled over the rounded plates, and splashed into the water.
“A rope!” howled Carl, jumping up and down on284 the deck to attract Dick’s attention; “a rope! Bob is in der vater mit a Inchun, und he vill be trowned!”
Dick came hurrying up the ladder with a coil of line.
“Here!” he cried, tossing the coil to Carl. “Get busy, mate. I’ll lay the Grampus closer, and mind Bob gets hold of the rope.”
Bob and the native were still struggling. The fact that they were in fifteen or twenty fathoms8 of water did not seem to impress either of them with the necessity of swimming to keep afloat.
When they first tumbled into the water, there was a great splash, and they disappeared; when they came up, they were puffing9 like porpoises10, but Bob had his hands around his antagonist11’s throat, and the savage was hanging to Bob’s hair.
Carl, standing14 ready to heave the rope, was mixed up in the ensign’s battle by an unexpected trend of it which nearly knocked him overboard. The two, still twisting and striving for possession of the spear, struggled toward the conning tower and collided with the Dutch boy. The matter of self-defense suddenly presented itself to Carl, and he dropped the rope and went for the savage like a tiger.
It was not the spear Carl wanted, but the savage himself. The ensign was eliminated, and Carl and the native went down on the deck, rolling and pummeling.
“Jujutsu!” exclaimed the ensign, astounded15 at the science the untutored savage was showing. “Look! He’s using jujutsu and trying to break Pretzel’s arm!”
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“Save the arm, then!” snorted Dick. “Run that spear through the swab.”
Glennie did not impale16 the savage on the point of the spear, but he used the handle, and gave the arm that was bending Carl’s a stout17 thump18. A gasp19 escaped the savage’s lips, and his arm dropped away as though paralyzed. Carl rolled over on top and got his fingers about his antagonist’s throat.
“Gif me der rope!” he cried. “Misder Glennie, schust put a leedle piece oof der rope aboudt der feller’s handts!”
Dick Ferral was not paying much attention to the fight Carl and Glennie were having. They were two to one, and there could not be much doubt as to the result of the contest. Dick’s worry was reserved for Bob, for it seemed as though the savage in the water was bending every effort to drag Bob under and drown both of them.
The other savage in the dugout was paddling like mad in an effort to get alongside the combatants. It had taken some time and space for the submarine to turn about on her course, and Dick was now driving her straight for the two in the water.
So far as Dick could see, both Bob and the savage were almost at the last gasp. How they ever kept afloat at all was a mystery.
As the boat shot in between the dugout and the pair in the water, the third savage could have thrown his spear to good effect—if he had had it. But he did not have it, and all he could do was to paddle off and furtively21 await the issue.
The submarine glided22 alongside Bob and the Indian, and Dick immediately made a discovery that took his breath.
The savage was yellow in spots—half yellow and half mahogany color.
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“Here, Bob!” cried the voice of Glennie as he knelt on the deck while the submarine slowed in answer to Dick’s signal. “drop that fellow and catch this rope!”
“I can’t drop him!” gurgled Bob.
Glennie reached over with the spear and tapped the savage on the head. Instantly the fellow, with a fierce snarl23, let go of Bob and vanished under the hull24 of the Grampus.
Bob, thus left with his hands free, caught the rope and was dragged aboard. Glennie snaked him to the top of the deck, and, for a space, the young motorist lay there.
“Did you capture the other fellow?” asked Bob, as soon as he had rested a minute.
“He’s tied to the other end of the rope that I used for pulling you in,” replied Glennie.
“You bet!” cried Dick. “I saw that! Was it war paint he had on?”
“No war paint about it, Dick,” declared Bob. “There was a yellow skin under that brown paint.”
“And dis feller is der same vay!” called Carl. “Look ad here, vonce!”
All eyes turned in the direction of the Dutch boy. He was sitting on his enemy’s chest, holding him down, and there were dabs26 of brown pigment27 all over Carl’s face. His hands were fairly coated with it.
“These savages have a yellow skin, Bob,” said Glennie, “and it must be that they paint themselves a brown color when they go on the warpath.”
“If what I have read is true,” returned Bob, “there are no savage tribes at the mouth of the Amazon. All the Indians in these parts are at least half civilized28.”
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“They came from that island where we cleared the propeller,” said Bob.
“These are members of that gang?”
“Don’t you recognize them, Glennie?”
“They all look alike to me. Of course, I suspected they were from the same tribe, but I didn’t know they were the same men. There were five of them on the island.”
“You wounded one of the others. Probably one of the fellows stayed behind to look after the wounded man’s injury.”
“But how could they get here in that dugout, and lay us aboard, as they did? We’re a good way from that island.”
“No doubt, Dick,” said Bob, “they surmized that we would take the South Channel on our way to Para. While we were meandering30 around in that blind passage they were paddling for this place, and getting ready to attack us.”
“I like their nerve!” muttered Dick; “three of ’em tryin’ to capture the Grampus!”
“You don’t think they live on that island, do you?” asked Glennie.
“They live on an island, all right,” returned Bob, “but it’s a good many thousand miles from here.”
“If you fellows had your eyes,” replied Bob, “there wouldn’t be any joshing.”
“Some of that dope is still fogging your brain, I guess,” observed Dick. “But what’s the use of talking? You’ve got your prisoner, Mr. Glennie. Better bring him downstairs. First thing you know he’ll be in the water, and take Carl along with him.”
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“Nod me!” piped Carl. “Dere is a rope aroundt his handts, und I’m holting him on der top of der deck. But I guess ve might schust as vell dake him by der periscope room.”
“Look at him first,” suggested Bob. “Glennie, you give him a close observation. I’m surprised at you fellows.”
Glennie, Dick, and Carl were at a loss to know what Bob was driving at. Walking over to the prisoner, the ensign bent31 down and stared at him.
“Now you’ve struck it,” laughed Bob. “Those supposed savages were merely a detachment of our old friends, the Japs. I discovered that as I dropped into the water. That’s why I called out as I did. Here’s our resourceful acquaintance, Tolo. First he’s a Jap, next he’s a Chinaman, and now he’s a native of the Amazon. There’s no telling what he’ll be next time if we allow him to get away from us. Take him below, and let’s have a talk with him.”
Glennie and Carl, between them, succeeded in getting Tolo down the tower hatch. Before Bob went below he took a look behind. The dugout was far in the distance, with two men at the paddles.
From this evidence it was plain that Bob’s antagonist had gained the canoe and was now, with his companion, paddling swiftly away to rejoin the rest of their friends.
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1
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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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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whoop
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| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
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periscope
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| n. 潜望镜 | |
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bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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7
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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fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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porpoises
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| n.鼠海豚( porpoise的名词复数 ) | |
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antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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sputtered
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| v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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13
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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14
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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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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impale
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| v.用尖物刺某人、某物 | |
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thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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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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snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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24
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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dabs
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| 少许( dab的名词复数 )； 是…能手； 做某事很在行； 在某方面技术熟练 | |
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pigment
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| n.天然色素，干粉颜料 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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meandering
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| 蜿蜒的河流，漫步，聊天 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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