Somehow, as Jack4 afterwards said, it reminded him forcibly of a pack of dogs hanging around and watching one of their number skirmish for a bone; no sooner had he pawed up the ground and made an important discovery than the entire pack scrambled6 for its possession.
Unfortunately the smoke cloud drifted in front of the two boys so as to shut out their view, for which they were sorry. But there could not be the least doubt that the terrible volley must have utterly7 annihilated8 the members of the luckless battery, as well as smashed their guns.
At least no further shot came from that particular
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quarter as long as the little destroyer remained within range.
“They got what they invited, I guess,” Amos exclaimed, looking relieved when no further shots came from the brush in front of the gully where the battery had been lying hidden for days perhaps, awaiting a chance to do something.
Jack had his binoculars9 leveled at the spot.
“I can’t see the least movement there,” he declared. “All the ground is torn up in a frightful10 way, and I think I can pick out the end of a gun that is covered with rocks. Yes, and there is another lying part-way in the water, too.”
The boys looked at each other almost in awe5 at the frightful result of that volley from the fleet. Then Jack handed the glasses over so that his chum could see for himself the gruesome sight.
The destroyer had not stopped because of this one incident. Encouraged by their initial success in disclosing the hiding-place of the enemy, the daring crew meant to keep right along, venturing
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several miles up the straits, and trying to invite another battery to take a chance.
Shells were exploding all around the boat, for distant gunners took up the challenge, and endeavored to hit the fleet craft. Her speed was all that saved her on several occasions, for the boys could see the water churned up in her rear as flying missiles struck too late, through a miscalculation as to her swiftness.
For the time being pretty much all the firing had ceased on the part of the invading war vessels. It seemed as though everyone were interested in the fate of the venturesome destroyer. Doubtless, had another battery fired from the shore it must have been instantly overwhelmed in the hail of explosives that would speed that way, since every Allied11 gunner seemed wild to have a share in the fun.
“They don’t seem to hit her with any kind of success,” called out Amos, for the enemy guns were still booming from the forts further up the straits toward the Narrows; and here and there came a distant report from the Anatolian
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shore far back from the edge of the water.
“No, it looks as if she bore a charmed life,” admitted Jack, as he saw another geyser spout12 up far behind the mocking boat that kept tempting13 the Turkish and German gunners.
“Still, it would take only one hit to finish her,” Amos went on to say, with renewed apprehension14. Somehow he seemed to take a personal interest in the fortunes of those gallant15 men who were showing the kind of mettle16 they were made of, in thus risking death in order to push their cause forward.
He had hardly spoken than they saw a shell burst apparently17 directly alongside the destroyer, which was wreathed in smoke, as though her own guns had also been fired shoreward at the same instant.
Jack clapped the glasses to his eyes while Amos stood there holding his breath, for he feared that the worst must have happened, and the little destroyer met the fate she had tempted18.
Then both boys gave a shout, and from a thousand throats the same sound welled forth19 until
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it rang over the agitated20 waters of the Dardanelles; for the saucy21 little destroyer had suddenly appeared, emerging from the smoke cloud, and speeding merrily onward22 as though scorning the efforts of the enemy to bring about her destruction.
And though the boat continued further along for several miles, all the while fired on from the distant forts, she seemed to be able to defy all their best efforts, for when finally the signal was given for her to return she had escaped the rain of shot and shell.
And it might be noticed that the lesson of that smashed battery had not been lost upon the observing enemy, for although there may have been others hidden amidst the gullies and rocks along the shore they fired no shot to betray their whereabouts. After that one lesson they “tumbled to the game,” as Amos afterwards said, and lay low.
When it was seen that the mission of the destroyer had come to an end temporarily the bombardment of the forts was resumed with greater
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violence than before. Once again the great guns boomed, and the smoke drifted with the wind across the straits. It proved to be one of the most furious attacks thus far attempted, and doubtless considerable damage was done, not only to the forts themselves, but in destroying the guns with which they were mounted.
During all this time the mine sweepers had been getting in their work. They accomplished23 it in a modest manner, and there was no halo of romance about what they were doing so that they never received the salvo of cheers that greeted the successful return of the destroyer. At the same time they took desperate chances, since nearly all of the time they were under fire, from both big guns and smaller pieces.
More than one of the sweepers were struck and sunk. Those of the crew able to do so immediately attempted to swim to one of the other small vessels, to be taken aboard. Not all of them were so fortunate, and when the roll-call came later many were not present to answer,
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having either fallen into the hands of the enemy, or else sunk to a watery24 grave.
From the distance over which these small boats made their way it was evident that they had succeeded in clearing some miles of the straits of the fixed25 mines, which was one of the objects of the day’s work.
At that time in the earlier period of the fight for the Dardanelles it was positively26 believed by the Allies that weight of metal would assuredly carry the battleships through the straits, and the sea wall of Constantinople.
Although several casualties had already been recorded from those dangerous floating mines that were set adrift in shoals above the Narrows, the commanders of the fleet were unable to bring themselves to believe anything could prevent them from accomplishing their purpose as first laid out.
We know that later on a radical27 change was made in the program. The passage of the Dardanelles, promised for the first of May, had not been accomplished by the first of September,
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when there was trench28 warfare29 ashore30, with tens of thousands killed and wounded on both sides, and the end still unknown.
At the time Jack and Amos found themselves with the battle fleet a spirit of optimism pervaded31 the various units composing the immense flotilla. Possibly the knowledge that they had already shattered a number of the forts at the lower end of the passageway had much to do with this confidence. They could not yet seem to grasp the fact that the swift current that set through the Narrows, coming from the Sea of Marmora day and night, was fated to be their eventual32 undoing33, and render all their efforts vain, for it bore countless34 floating mines capable of sinking even a super-dreadnaught upon contact.
The boys had become heartily35 tired of it all by this time. Their heads rang from the dreadful concussion36, and Amos even declared he had a splitting headache.
“I shall go crazy if they don’t drop out soon, stop these terrible broadsides of living, fiery37 metal, and get away!” he told his cousin, who was
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just then observing some of the aeroplanes that still sailed back and forth in the clear skies above.
“Watch that fellow away over yonder,” he told Amos, clapping the binoculars in his hand.
“Oh! do you think he can be Frank?” cried the other, trembling as he started to adjust the glasses to his sight.
“That’s more than I’d like to say,” replied Jack, “though it might be possible, for right now he’s taking desperate chances to carry out a little scheme he’s set up, hoping to do some damage to the Turks, in all this excitement, where the shells of the fleet can’t reach them.”
“He is swooping38 low, as sure as anything,” admitted Amos, eagerly. “It seems to me he must be throwing something down at a fort below him. There, I could see a little cloud of gray smoke burst close by the aeroplane, so they must be sending shrapnel up at him from those anti-airship guns.”
“That’s just what he is doing, Amos, throwing bombs down at a magazine he has discovered. Turn the glasses lower, and watch to see if there
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is any sort of an explosion on the ground. That would give it away if he succeeds.”
Ten seconds later and Amos uttered a shout.
“He did it, Jack, sure he did! You can see the cloud of dense39 smoke that is rising right now! He must have exploded a magazine, and created no end of trouble for the Turks. Bully40 for the man in the aeroplane, whether he’s my brother Frank or another of his stripe!”
Jack saw good reason to believe that what his comrade cried out was true. There had suddenly arisen a great cloud of smoke many times larger than would have followed the discharge of a single gun. They could not hear the thunder that may have accompanied the rending41 of the magazine walls, on account of the heavy cannonading that was going on intermittently42 around them.
As though satisfied, after having accomplished the errand with which he had been entrusted43, the bold airman now commenced to bore upward in spirals, meaning to baffle all the attempts of the Turkish gunners to strike his machine.
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“See, they are trying their level best to fetch him down, just in a spirit of revenge, I reckon!” cried Amos, as he kept the glasses glued to his eyes; for somehow he seemed to feel that he was looking at his long-missing brother Frank, because this venturesome feat44 tallied45 exactly with others which the American aviator46 had successfully carried through in the past.
A few minutes later and he seemed satisfied the aviator had risen beyond range of the shrapnel, for he handed the binoculars back to Jack. His face was beaming with happiness and pride, for Amos certainly felt that a new honor had come to the Turner family.
“This time I really believe the Thunderer is going to get out of the straits for good!” Jack observed. Although the battleship had swung around the circle a number of times, so as to always keep moving, and present a difficult target to the enemy, up to then they had invariably come back again for a few more shots at distant Kilid Bahr and Chanak forts, the one on the left and the other on the right of the Narrows.
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Amos was delighted to hear it. His head rang with the terrible noise, despite his precautions with regard to stuffing his ears with cotton. Never in all his life had he heard one-tenth the racket that for two hours or more had assailed47 him even in the most terrible thunder storm of his experience.
Yes, the warships48 were actually leaving the straits, satisfied with the execution they had done. Thousands of tons of metal had been hurled49 upon the batteries and forts of the enemy, and great destruction must have followed. Still, this severe business could not be kept up indefinitely; it was too fierce a strain on both men and guns.
So by degrees the firing died down. A few vessels lingered as though their commanders were loth to abandon the practice; but when another half hour had passed the quivering air had a chance to quiet down. The battle had come to a close.
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1
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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2
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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3
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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4
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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5
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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6
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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7
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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8
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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9
binoculars
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| n.双筒望远镜 | |
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10
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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11
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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12
spout
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| v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱 | |
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13
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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14
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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15
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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16
mettle
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| n.勇气，精神 | |
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17
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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18
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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19
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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20
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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21
saucy
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| adj.无礼的；俊俏的；活泼的 | |
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22
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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23
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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24
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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25
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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26
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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27
radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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28
trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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29
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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30
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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31
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
eventual
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| adj.最后的，结局的，最终的 | |
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33
undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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34
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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35
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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36
concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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37
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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38
swooping
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的现在分词 ) | |
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39
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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40
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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41
rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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42
intermittently
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| adv.间歇地；断断续续 | |
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43
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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45
tallied
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| v.计算，清点( tally的过去式和过去分词 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合 | |
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46
aviator
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| n.飞行家，飞行员 | |
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47
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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48
warships
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| 军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只 | |
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49
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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