CHAPTER XXVIII. GOOD NEWS FROM DOVER.

 The bombardment of Rheims was in full blast, and here it was that the boys witnessed a strange combination of war and peace. Unaffected by the terrific shelling of the town, refugees from Northern France and Belgium were busy in the country picking grapes for the French champagne¹ yield.

“Can you match that?”

Billy marveled at the scene presented.

Henri and Reddy were intently watching the flight of shells, some of which struck the cathedral, and a boy bugler³, between 14 and 15 years old, who came out of the heat of the fray⁴, told them that a shell had fallen on one of the high altars and had considerably⁵ damaged it.

This youngster had the grit⁶, for he was as cool as a cucumber under fire, and with his battalion⁷ had been nearly all day where bullets flew thicker than flies in Egypt.

“That was quite a shake-up,” referring to the shell explosion in the cathedral, “but,” assuming[133] the easy air of one accustomed to such things, “it wasn’t a marker to some of the whacks⁸ I’ve seen coming from those howitzers.

“I’m from Dover; name Stetson; came over with the marine⁹ brigade; from where does your ticket read?”

The youthful bugler was looking at Billy.

“From Bangor, Maine, United States of America; Barry is the family handle, and the front name is Billy.

“Mr. Stetson, I’ll have you know Mr. Henri Trouville and Mr. Joseph Mouselle, I think that is the way you pronounce it, isn’t it, Reddy?”

“Oh, call me Jimmy,” jovially¹⁰ urged the newcomer; “what’s ‘misters’ between friends?”

“Did you know Capt. Leonidas Johnson and Mr. Josiah Freeman in Dover?” asked Billy.

“Did I know them?” cried Jimmy. “Did I know the town-clock and the wharves¹¹? They’re the flying machine men, and I have hung around their hangars so much that I must have worn out my welcome. To tell the truth, though, I am on the waver between an a?roplane and a submarine. I’ve have had some training, too, in the underwater boats. Say, coming back at you, do you know Capt. Johnson, or just heard of him?”

“Rather well acquainted with him, I should imagine,” stated Billy with a smile; “Henri and I rode up here in the captain’s seaplane.”

[134]

“Gee whiz, then, you’re the Aviator¹² Boys I have heard about. I was in London when that happened, and when I came back to Dover to say farewell to mother I had no more than time to wave a hand to the captain before the ship sailed for Ostend.”

“Do you mean to say that Captain Johnson and Josh Freeman are in Dover?” was Billy’s excited query¹³.

“Just so,” stoutly¹⁴ maintained Jimmy. “I saw them with my own eyes.”

“Glory be!” Billy was happiest when he said that.

“Hear that, Henri, old boy? Capt. Johnson and Freeman are safe in Dover.”

Billy could not help repeating the glad tidings.

“Wonder how they got away?”

Henri would have been mightily¹⁵ pleased to talk it over with the old boys that very minute.

Billy had already added Jimmy to his good friend list, and these two kept up a running fire of questions aimed at one another.

A?roplanes and submarines were dissected¹⁶ and put together again many times during the lively conversation.

“How did you get so far from the water? You ought to be blowing a fog-horn instead of a bugle², Jimmy.”

“I’ll tell you, Billy,” replied Jimmy, “that it was[135] just a fluke that I got anywhere outside of prisoners’ quarters. They picked up a bunch of us at Nieuport, and one of the German officers asked me if I had run away from school. The fact that they classed me kindergarten furnished me the chance of skipping, and I starved my way to the camp of the Coldstream Guards. They were going my way or I was going theirs, and here I am.”

The boys had a reminder¹⁷ about that time that a war was going on, for chunks¹⁸ of lead began to purr over the exposed position where they were grouped.

“Blow a retreat,” suggested Henri to the bugler; but none of them waited for that signal to get to cover.

So great had grown their confidence in the new friend that Henri and Billy at mess that evening jointly¹⁹ gave him details of their adventures in the chateau²⁰ and the tunnel, and even told about the treasure they were carrying.

Jimmy was an eager listener, and as the tale unfolded, his admiration²¹ for the prowess of his new comrades reached the top degree.

“I’ve joined the band,” he insisted earnestly, “and I’m going to see you through. Count me in from date.”

“If we only had Leon with us now,” laughed Henri, “we could push over an army.”

“You bet Leon was a good one.”

[136]

Billy had more than once declared that if he ever got near to a place where they stocked Christmas ships there would be something special in the cargo²² for the little Belgian.

When the sergeant²³ roll-called the boys, as usual, that night he was requested to include Jimmy.

“If I adopt a few more of you,” he grumbled²⁴, “I’ll be fit for the presidency²⁵ of Bedlam²⁶.”

But the sergeant’s bark was far worse than his bite.

1 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

2 bugle   

n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集

参考例句：

• When he heard the bugle call, he caught up his gun and dashed out.他一听到军号声就抓起枪冲了出去。
• As the bugle sounded we ran to the sports ground and fell in.军号一响，我们就跑到运动场集合站队。

3 bugler   

喇叭手； 号兵； 吹鼓手； 司号员

参考例句：

• The general ordered the bugler to sound the retreat. 将军命令号手吹号收兵。
• There was nothing faded about the bugler under the cap. 帽子下面那个号手可一点也不是褪色的。

4 fray   

v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗

参考例句：

• Why should you get involved in their fray?你为什么要介入他们的争吵呢？
• Tempers began to fray in the hot weather.大热天脾气烦燥。

5 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

6 grit   

n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
• I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。

7 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

8 whacks   

n.重击声( whack的名词复数 )；不正常；有毛病v.重击，使劲打( whack的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Lizzie Borden took an axe, Hit her father forty whacks. 丽兹玻顿拿起斧头，砍了爸爸四十下。 来自互联网
• Grizzly bear paw whacks camera out of position and jettisons it downstream. 大灰熊的爪子把摄像机移出了固定的位置并且把它扔到了下游。 来自互联网

9 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 jovially   

adv.愉快地，高兴地

参考例句：

• "Hello, Wilson, old man,'said Tom, slapping him jovially on the shoulder. "How's business?" “哈罗，威尔逊，你这家伙，”汤姆说，一面嘻嘻哈哈地拍拍他的肩膀，“生意怎么样？” 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比
• Hall greeted him jovially enough, but Gorman and Walson scowled as they grunted curt "Good Mornings." 霍尔兴致十足地向他打招呼，戈曼和沃森却满脸不豫之色，敷衍地咕哝句“早安”。 来自辞典例句

11 wharves   

n.码头，停泊处( wharf的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They are seaworthy and can stand rough handling on the wharves? 适用于海运并能经受在码头上的粗暴装卸。 来自外贸英语口语25天快训
• Widely used in factories and mines, warehouses, wharves, and other industries. 广泛用于厂矿、仓库、码头、等各种行业。 来自互联网

12 aviator   

n.飞行家，飞行员

参考例句：

• The young aviator bragged of his exploits in the sky.那名年轻的飞行员吹嘘他在空中飞行的英勇事迹。
• Hundreds of admirers besieged the famous aviator.数百名爱慕者围困那个著名飞行员。

13 query   

n.疑问，问号，质问；vt.询问，表示怀疑

参考例句：

• I query very much whether it is wise to act so hastily.我真怀疑如此操之过急地行动是否明智。
• They raised a query on his sincerity.他们对他是否真诚提出质疑。

14 stoutly   

adv.牢固地，粗壮的

参考例句：

• He stoutly denied his guilt.他断然否认自己有罪。
• Burgess was taxed with this and stoutly denied it.伯杰斯为此受到了责难，但是他自己坚决否认有这回事。

15 mightily   

ad.强烈地；非常地

参考例句：

• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet. 他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。
• This seemed mightily to relieve him. 干完这件事后，他似乎轻松了许多。

16 dissected   

adj.切开的，分割的，（叶子）多裂的v.解剖（动物等）( dissect的过去式和过去分词 )；仔细分析或研究

参考例句：

• Her latest novel was dissected by the critics. 评论家对她最近出版的一部小说作了详细剖析。
• He dissected the plan afterward to learn why it had failed. 他事后仔细剖析那项计划以便搞清它失败的原因。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

18 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

19 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

20 chateau   

n.城堡，别墅

参考例句：

• The house was modelled on a French chateau.这房子是模仿一座法国大别墅建造的。
• The chateau was left to itself to flame and burn.那府第便径自腾起大火燃烧下去。

21 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

22 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

23 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

24 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

25 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

26 bedlam   

n.混乱，骚乱；疯人院

参考例句：

• He is causing bedlam at the hotel.他正搅得旅馆鸡犬不宁。
• When the teacher was called away the classroom was a regular bedlam.当老师被叫走的时候，教室便喧闹不堪。