“Herc Taylor, I’ve a notion that you meant to do that.”
“I did not. What an idea!”
“Wasn’t that the store owned by the man you said had cheated you on some post cards?”
“I reckon so,” rejoined Herc indifferently, trying to get the sticky confection with which he had been deluged3 out of his hair and off his uniform.
“Well, it’s up to you to do something. Look what disaster you have caused! Why, an eight-inch[259] shell couldn’t have provoked worse damage.”
“Oh, what do I care! I’d like to see a few shells coming into this bazaar4 and cleaning out some of the thieves that infest5 it.”
“That is no way to talk. See, here comes the owner of the place now. He looks mad. Maybe he’ll have you arrested.”
This possibility appeared to sober Herc down considerably6.
“What do you want me to do?” he inquired, rubbing his bruises7. “I’ve a good mind to sue him for having his shop in the way of my donkey.”
The woe-begone store-keeper began muttering and wailing8 in Egyptian. Ned turned to the other sailors.
“Fellows, shall we pass the hat?”
A shout of assent9 went up. The blue-jackets’ pockets were bulging11 with pay and many of them had good-sized deposits in the ships’ savings12 banks on board.
[260]
“I’ll put in a dollar,” said one young fellow.
“Good for you, Meadows.”
Ned snatched off his cap and received Meadows’ contribution. Then he shoved the cap under Herc’s nose. The red-headed youth looked at it as he might have looked at some strange animal.
“I won’t give him a cent,” he growled13, the thought of his mad dash into the brass14 ware15 shop rankling16 in him. A dangerous gleam shone in Ned’s eyes, which Herc duly observed.
“Herc Taylor, you put in your contribution, or——”
Herc hastened to relieve himself of a one dollar bill from a roll that was of generous girth. Quickly the other sailors gave their mites17, and before long a good sum was turned over to the bazaarman, who was profuse18 in his expressions of thanks. But the sight of so much money had made the eyes of the bazaar beggars glitter greedily. They crowded hungrily about the sailors.
[261]
“You’ll get a black stick if you don’t get out of here in jig20 time,” roared Herc, who was aching to avenge21 his wrongs on somebody.
But the insolent22 fellows only pressed closer. They thrust filthy23 hands up under the blue-jackets’ very noses. One even began plucking at Ned’s pockets. This was too much.
“Charge them, boys!” cried Ned.
He flung himself upon his donkey. The others, even including Herc, who had acquired a stray animal, followed suit. With a shout that re-echoed through the streets the Jackies charged pell-mell down on the mendicants, who scattered24 in every direction. The Nubian police made no effort to interfere25 but appeared rather to enjoy the spectacle.
“Come on, boys; supper and then a show of some kind, and then we’ll pipe down hammocks,” said Ned, when the mob had been dispersed26. “We’ve got to be up early to-morrow to go aboard the great Pyramids.”
[262]
“Hurray for the Pyramids!” shouted a sailor, and the cheers were given with a vim27. The lads were in a mood to cheer any and everything. Jack10 ashore28 is surely the quintessence of exuberant29 spirits. That night, at one of the best hotels in the city, the boys enjoyed the, to them, novel experience of sleeping in a bed. But their slumbers30 were not peaceful. They missed the roll and heave of the ship and they longed for their hammocks. None of them was sorry when it was time to get up and breakfast and then hurry to the station, from which a wheezy train was to convey them out into the desert toward the tombs of the Pharaohs.
They found the station full of bright-eyed young salts all eager for whatever the day might bring forth31. The train was ready, and after a number of false starts and more excitement among the native officials than attends the sailing of a giant liner, it began to puff32 its way out over the glaring sands. At the Gizeh station, some[263] ten miles out of Cairo, they were told that the train went no farther.
“Well, I want to see him about that,” expostulated Herc.
“See who, Red Head?”
“Why, the old Geezer. Isn’t this his town?”
“Herc, if you do anything like that again, you’ll be left behind,” spoke33 Ned, and the blue-jackets roared their endorsement34 of this dictum.
“What do we do now? Walk or take donkeys?” asked a number of voices.
“Neither. We are going to board cruisers.”
“Cruisers?”
“Yes, desert cruisers,” laughed Ned; “in other words, camels.”
“Hurray for the camels!” cried a voice.
“Come ahead, then,” cried Ned, and led by the Dreadnought Boys the happy party set out from the station. A short distance outside they saw the “desert cruisers.” They lay with their legs folded under them and their upper lips sneeringly[264] curled. About them flitted the burnoosed owners of the beasts, fierce-looking Bedouins, although the only robbery they commit in these days is the fleecing of tourists.
“How are we going to board those craft?”
“Where are the accommodation ladders?”
“Watch,” advised Ned. “All ready, Mr. Boss Camel Man.”
A tall Bedouin, who appeared to be in charge, came forward grinning.
“How many camel you want?”
“All you have.”
“Only got twenty. Party take the others. Some of you can go on by special train, if you like.”
A great number of the blue-jackets preferred to go by train and only fifteen wished for camels. Among these latter were Ned and Herc.
[265]
“All ready,” said Ned, and then in obedience38 to sharp-barked commands from their owners, the ships of the desert folded their legs and sank majestically39 down on the sands.
“All aboard,” cried Ned; “one at a time. Take it easy. That’s it. Herc, you——”
But Herc had already mounted. He grabbed from the camel driver his short goad40 and jabbed it into his camel. The creature shot up as if it had been on springs and raced off across the desert at its top speed.
“Look at Red-Head, he’s off on a cruise!” shouted the sailors.
“Look at Red-head, he’s off on a cruise!” shouted the sailors.—Page 265.
“Wow! Help! Ned! I’m sliding off!” Herc’s voice was carried back to them.
The red-headed boy was seen to careen over in his seat and make a frantic41 effort to grasp the camel’s rear hump.
But Herc, after a futile42 effort to retain his seat, slid gracefully43 to the desert, alighting in a[266] cloud of dust. The camel trotted44 back to the herd45, leaving Herc to plod46 back over the hot sands amid a running fire of raillery from his ship-mates. But he took it all in good part, and soon they were off in earnest on their way to the Pyramids.
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1
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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2
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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3
deluged
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| v.使淹没( deluge的过去式和过去分词 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付 | |
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4
bazaar
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| n.集市，商店集中区 | |
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5
infest
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| v.大批出没于；侵扰；寄生于 | |
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6
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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7
bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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8
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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9
assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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10
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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11
bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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12
savings
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| n.存款，储蓄 | |
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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
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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15
ware
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| n.(常用复数)商品，货物 | |
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16
rankling
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| v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的现在分词 ) | |
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17
mites
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| n.（尤指令人怜悯的）小孩( mite的名词复数 )；一点点；一文钱；螨 | |
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18
profuse
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| adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的 | |
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19
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
jig
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| n.快步舞（曲）；v.上下晃动；用夹具辅助加工；蹦蹦跳跳 | |
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21
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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22
insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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23
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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24
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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25
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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26
dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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27
vim
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| n.精力，活力 | |
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28
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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29
exuberant
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| adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的 | |
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30
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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31
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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32
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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33
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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34
endorsement
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| n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注 | |
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35
turret
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| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
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36
turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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37
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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38
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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39
majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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40
goad
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| n.刺棒，刺痛物；激励；vt.激励，刺激 | |
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41
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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42
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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43
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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44
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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45
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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46
plod
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| v.沉重缓慢地走，孜孜地工作 | |
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