“I think, Hawkins,” said Frank, “that it’s pretty clear now that Lenning wasn’t one of the robbers.”
“What makes it clear?” demanded the deputy sheriff.
Mr. Bradlaugh and Burke were opening the bag and examining the bars of bullion2. Frank’s statement and Hawkins’ question claimed their attention, and they straightened up and looked around.
“Clancy and Ballard,” Merriwell replied, “recognized the voice of Shoup. The other fellow didn’t speak, so they were not able to recognize him by his voice. Now, Lenning and Shoup are enemies. It would have been impossible for them to work together.”
“Shucks!” grunted3 the deputy. “They only pretended to be enemies, sos’t Lenning could fool you into helping4 him get a job here.”
This was a most astounding5 theory. Furthermore, it was so wildly improbable that Merry and his chums had to laugh.
“You don’t understand what happened between Lenning and Shoup out at the camp in the gulch6, Hawkins,” said Frank. “Shoup struck Lenning over the head with a paddle, knocked him out of a canoe, and came within one of drowning him. I guess they weren’t pretending they had a row—not to that extent.”
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Merriwell suddenly paused. He was talking in a loud voice—a voice that echoed in tremendous volume through the big room. He wondered what was the cause; and then, in a moment, he realized that the roar of the stamps had ceased. Twenty batteries, of five stamps each, had gone abruptly7 out of commission in the gold mill. The silence that hovered8 over the mining camp was most profound. Merry had been talking against the roar of the stamps, and when the roar ceased his voice was still lifted.
“What’s the matter with the mill?” he inquired.
“The stamps have been ‘hung up’ for an hour,” answered Burke, “so the amalgamators can dress down the plates.”
“It happens twice in every twenty-four hours,” put in Mr. Bradlaugh, “once on the night shift and once while the day men are on duty. We——”
Sim, who had started back to his work in the mill, returned and thrust his head in at the door just at that moment.
“Something queer goin’ on among the tanks, Burke,” he reported.
“Something queer, Sim?” echoed the super. “What do you mean by that?”
“Step outside once an’ use your ears.”
Not only Burke, but all the others, stepped from the laboratory building and stood at attention, facing the grim, black tanks. Thump10, thump thump! came a hollow, reverberating11 note. There was nothing else, merely that thump, thump, thump! It came sometimes at regular intervals12 and sometimes a bit wildly and uncertainly.
“What is it?” inquired Mr. Bradlaugh.
“Blest if I can sabe it,” said Sim.
“How long has it been going on?”
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“Don’t know that, either. Mebby it’s been goin’ on for quite a spell, an’ that the roar of the stamps sort of smothered13 it. Now, when the stamps is all hung up, the thumpin’ can be heard plain.”
“It comes from the tanks,” put in Hawkins; “maybe it’s a leaky valve poundin’.”
“There’s nothing in the pipes,” said Burke. “The cyanide plant is out of commission until to-morrow. Sounds as though some one was striking a club against the side of a tank. We ought to be able to run it down and find out what causes it.”
Burke started off, mounting a plank14 incline that led to the lower row of tanks, and then moving slowly along a plank gangway that spanned the tanks’ tops. Merry, Clancy, and Ballard followed him.
It was difficult to decide just where the thumping15 sound came from. The hollow, resonant16 note was very deceiving. A little search, however, proved conclusive17 that it did not emanate18 from the lower tier of vats19, so Burke and Merry and his chums mounted to the next tier.
While they were hunting over the gangway that crossed the second tier, they were suddenly startled by a yell from Hawkins. Looking upward, they saw the deputy sheriff standing21 on a ladder, visible from his waist up over the top of the big solution tank. His form was silhouetted22 against a background of starry23 sky, and he was making grotesque24 and excited gestures with his arms.
“I’ve found what you’re lookin’ for,” he called. “Bring a lantern and come here. It’s in the solution tank.”
“That’s as it should be,” laughed Burke; “the solution tank is the proper one to offer a solution of the mystery.”
A lantern was secured, and Burke and the three lads hastened to climb to the huge tank that topped all the
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others. Those below, including Mr. Bradlaugh, went around the edge of the massed tanks and gained the reservoir from the other side.
Merry and his chums climbed to the rim9 of the tank and hung over it, looking downward into its black, cavernous depths. Thump, thump, thump! came the mysterious racket from below, now wilder, louder, more insistent25.
Hawkins climbed to the rim of the tank, and pulled up the ladder and lowered it down on the inside. Then he took the lantern that Burke handed to him and began descending26 into the gloom. A little pool of light went with him, and brought the interior of the tank slowly into view.
As the deputy reached the foot of the ladder and flashed the lantern about him, a cry of wonder burst from his bearded lips. The cry was echoed by all those who were hanging to the rim of the wooden reservoir and peering downward.
Jode Lenning was found!
Bound hand and foot, and with a cloth tied tightly over his lips, he was lying on the bottom of the vat20, close up against its rounded side. His head was turned so that his eyes, glimmering27 weirdly28, looked upward into the faces overhead. As he lay there, he brought his bound heels against the wooden staves, beating out a sort of tempo29 which the mill hand, Sim, had been first to hear.
“By thunder,” gasped30 Clancy, “it’s Lenning!”
“Sure as you’re a foot high!” echoed Burke.
“Those two thieves must have tied him and dropped him into the tank,” said Ballard. “Gee, but that was rough on him!”
“It would have been rougher still,” went on the super,
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with a black frown, “if he had stayed there until morning, when the solution in the sump tank was to be pumped back into the reservoir. It’s a deadly poison.”
A shudder31 ran through Merriwell.
“I thought Lenning had been the victim of foul32 play,” was all he said.
Hawkins, putting down the lantern beside him, began releasing Lenning. First he removed the cloth from his lips.
“The safe has been broken open,” were Lenning’s first, halting words; “Shoup was one of the thieves—I don’t know who the—the other man was. Follow them! You’ll have to hurry or——”
“Never mind, Jode,” interrupted Hawkins, in a kindly33 voice. “Shoup and the other fellow got away, but the bullion was recovered.”
“The bullion—was re-recovered, you say?” faltered34 Jode.
“Yes.”
A sob35 of relief rushed through Lenning’s lips.
“I—I was afraid it would be laid to me,” he cried. “I didn’t want that to happen after Merriwell had got me the place, and had become responsible for what I did.”
“Everything’s all right, Lenning,” Merriwell called down, “so don’t fret36.”
Hawkins got the cords off Lenning’s feet and hands, and then helped him up the ladder and down to the hard ground outside the tank. Mr. Bradlaugh was there to catch him by the hand.
“Did—did you think I—I took the bullion?” Lenning asked weakly.
Mr. Bradlaugh had nothing to say.
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收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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2
bullion
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| n.金条，银条 | |
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3
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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4
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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5
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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6
gulch
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| n.深谷，峡谷 | |
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7
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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8
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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9
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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10
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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11
reverberating
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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12
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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13
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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14
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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15
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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16
resonant
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| adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的 | |
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17
conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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18
emanate
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| v.发自，来自，出自 | |
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vats
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| varieties 变化，多样性，种类 | |
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20
vat
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| n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶 | |
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21
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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22
silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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23
starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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24
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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25
insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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26
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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27
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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28
weirdly
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| 古怪地 | |
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29
tempo
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| n.(音乐的)速度；节奏，行进速度 | |
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30
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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31
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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32
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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33
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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34
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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35
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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36
fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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