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CHAPTER VII A LIVELY CARGO
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“Hold on there, Chet!” cried Andy, as he saw Bob about to suffer for the trick he himself had played. The dude had hauled back his fist to strike the captain’s son, who put himself in a position of defense1.

“You can’t stop me!” yelled Chet, making rapid motions with his fists. Bob Trent shrank back.

“Stop, I say!” shouted Andy again, making a rush to get between the prospective2 combatants.

“Now you see what your fooling did,” spoke3 Frank, in a low voice to his brother. “Why can’t you cut it out?”

“Can’t seem to,” answered the fun-loving lad. “But I won’t let ’em fight. I’ll own up to Chet, and he can take it out of me if he likes.”

“There!” suddenly cried Chet, as he landed a light blow on Bob’s chest “That’ll teach you to dirty up my shoes, fill my pants full of sand and trip me up. There’s another for you!”

He tried to strike the captain’s son again, but Bob, though he was not a fighting lad, was a manly4 chap, who would stand up for his rights. Suddenly his fist shot forward and landed with no little force on the nose of the dude.

Once more Chet went down, not so gently as before, measuring his length in the sand. When he arose his face was red with anger, and his former immaculate attire5 was sadly ruffled6.

“I—I—I’ll have you all arrested for this!” he yelled. “I’ll make a complaint against you, Bob Trent, and sue you for damages.”

Chet made another rush for the driver of the clam7 wagon8 as soon as he could arise, but this time Andy had stepped in between them and blocked the impending9 blows.

“That’ll do now!” exclaimed the younger Racer lad with more sternness and determination than he usually employed. “It was all my fault. I filled your pants with sand, Chet. I really couldn’t help it, the bottoms were so wide open. But I didn’t push you when you fell the first time. You tripped in that hollow. Now come on, and I’ll buy you two chocolate sodas11 to square it up. I’ll treat the crowd. Come along, Bob.”

“No, I can’t,” answered Bob. “Got to get along with these clams12. I’m late now. But I want to say that I’m sorry I knocked Chet down. I wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t struck me first.”

“That’s right,” put in Frank. “I’m sorry it happened.”

“So am I,” added Andy contritely13. But it is doubtful if he would remain sorry long. Already a smile was playing over his face.

“Well, who’s coming and have sodas with me?” asked the younger Racer brother, after an awkward pause, during which Bob mounted the seat of his wagon and drove off. “Come on, Chet I’ll have your cane14 fixed15, too. And if you don’t like a chocolate soda10 you can have vanilla16.”

“I wouldn’t drink a soda with you if I never had one!” burst out the dude, as he wiped the sand off his shoes and brushed his light suit. “I’ll get square with you for this, too; see if I don’t.”

“Oh, very well, if you feel that way about it I can’t help it,” said Andy. “I said I was sorry, and all that sort of thing, but I’m not going to get down on my knees to you. Come along, Frank. Let’s go for a sail.”

The clam wagon was heading for the street that led up from the beach. Chet had turned away with an injured air, and Andy linked his arm in that of his brother.

“You see what your fooling led to,” said Frank in a low voice, as the two strolled off. “Why can’t you let up playing jokes when you know they’re going to make trouble?”

“How’d I know it was going to make trouble, just to put sand in Chet’s pants?” demanded Andy, with some truth in his contention17. “If I had known it I wouldn’t have done it. But it was great to see him tumble, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, I suppose so,” and in spite of his rather grave manner Frank had to smile. “But you must look ahead a bit, Andy, when you’re planning a joke.”

“Look ahead! The joke would lose half its fun then. It’s not knowing how a thing is going to turn out that makes it worth while.”

“Oh, you’re hopeless!” said Frank, laughing in spite of himself.

“And you’re too sober!” declared his brother. “Wake up! Here, I’ll beat you to the dock this time!” And with that Andy turned a handspring, and darted18 toward the pier19, near which their sailboat was moored20. Frank started off on the run, but Andy had too much of a start, and when the elder lad arrived at the goal Andy was there waiting for him.

“Now the sodas are on you!” he announced.

“How’s that?”

“Why, we didn’t finish the rowing race on account of the whale, but this contest will do as well. I’ll have orange for mine.”

“Oh, all right, come on,” and Frank good-naturedly led the way toward the only drug store in Harbor View. “But I thought you were going for a sail, and see if we could get a trace of the mysterious wrecked22 motor boat,” he added.

“So I am,” admitted Andy. “But first I want a drink. Then I’m going to see how Jim Bailey is coming on with repairing the skiff that the whale tried to eat. After that we’ll go sailing.”

“And we’ll see what we can do on our own account,” announced Frank, as a little later he assisted his brother to hoist23 the sail on the Gull24. Soon they were standing25 out of the harbor under a brisk wind which heeled their craft well over. They knew it was practically useless to expect a sight of the mysterious wreck21 until they were well out, and so they gave themselves up to the enjoyment26 of the trip, talking at intervals27 of many things, but principally of the strange lad still quartered at their house.

“Poor Paul Gale28!” said Frank. “It must be hard to lose your memory that way.”

“Sure,” agreed Andy. “Not to know who your father or mother is, or whether you have any, or whether you are rich or poor—it sure is tough.”

“I think he must be well off, as I’ve said before,” declared Frank. “But that’s as far as I can get. If there was only some way of getting on the track of that strange man who seemed to know Paul, we could do something.”

“But he’s disappeared completely,” said Andy.

“He sure did make a quick getaway the day we met him on the sands.”

Frank, who was steering29, changed the course of the Gull. As he did so Andy suddenly stood up, pointed30 off across the slowly rolling waves, and cried out:

“Look there!”

“What is it, the motor boat or the whale?” asked Frank.

“It’s a boat, but look who’s in it. The mysterious man!”

A short distance away was a dory, containing one person, and it needed but a single glance from the eyes of the Racer boys to tell them it was indeed the tall, dark stranger who had acted so oddly after questioning them about Paul Gale. The man was rowing slowly and awkwardly, as if unused to the exertion31, but as the sea was fairly calm he was not having a hard time, especially as the dory was built for safety.

“Think he sees us?” asked Andy.

“No, but he’ll hear us if you don’t talk lower,” objected Frank. “Sounds carry very far over water.”

“All right,” whispered the younger lad. “Let’s see if we can’t creep up on him. If we get near enough we can tell him Paul is much better, and he may be so surprised that he’ll let out some information before he knows it.”

“I haven’t much hope of that,” replied Frank, “but we’ll try it.” He changed the course of the sailboat once more until it was headed right for the dory. The man rowing seemed to pay no attention to our heroes.

They were rapidly drawing close to him, and Andy took pains to conceal32 himself so that the stranger could not see him until the last moment. Frank was well screened by the sail.

Suddenly, off to the left, the boys heard a cry:

“Help! Help! They’re getting loose! I can’t catch ’em! Help! Help!”

“What’s that?” demanded Andy in some alarm. “Someone is drowning.”

“No, the call came from that lighter33 over there,” declared Frank, pointing toward one of the clumsy harbor craft used to transport or “lighter” cargoes35 from one ship to another, or from dock to dock. The next moment this was made plain, for the call sounded a second time:

“Help! Help! Sailboat ahoy! Come to the rescue! I’ll be bitten to death! Help!” At the same time the boys saw a man quickly climb up the stumpy mast of the lighter and cling there with one hand while he waved his cap at them with the other.

“We’ve got to go help him!” exclaimed Andy.

“If we do, this strange man will get away,” warned his brother.

“That’s so. What shall we do?”

They paused, undecided. Following up the man might mean the solution of the mystery surrounding Paul Gale. On the other hand they could hardly ignore the call for aid. They could not go to both places, as the lighter was in one direction and the dory being rowed in another. Once more came the cry:

“Help! Help! They’re all getting out of the cages!”

“What in the world can he be talking about?” demanded the puzzled Frank, trying to catch a glimpse of the deck of the lighter. But the rail was too high.

“Shall we go to him?” asked Andy.

“Yes,” spoke Frank reluctantly. “We can’t let him die, and he seems to be in trouble. Maybe we can find that mysterious man again,” and he swung the tiller over. The Gull headed about and moved toward the lighter.

The man on the mast was frantically37 waving his cap and pointing at something down on the deck. Andy gave one look in the direction of the dory. The man was rowing more rapidly now. Perhaps he wanted to get out of the zone of so much excitement.

“There’s something lively going on aboard that lighter,” declared Frank, as they drew nearer.

“I should say so!” agreed Andy. “Hear those yells! They must be killing38 one another! I’ll bet it’s a mutiny!”

“Mutiny aboard a lighter, with one man as captain and crew?” demanded Frank. “Hardly. But we’ll soon find out what it is.

“Aboard the lighter!” he yelled. “What’s the trouble?”

“Everything,” was the quick answer. “Hurry up if you want to save me. They’re all over the deck.”

“What is?” demanded Andy.

“Snakes and monkeys. They broke out of their cages and they’re raising hob! Come on! Come on! Never again will I lighter a cargo34 of livestock39 of this kind! Hurry, boys! Hurry!”

“Snakes and monkeys!” murmured Andy. “I should say it was a lively cargo! How in blazes are we going to save him? I don’t want fifteen feet of anaconda or boa constrictor aboard us!”

“We’ve got to do something for him,” decided36 Frank with a grim tightening40 of his lips. “Stand by, I’m going to head up in to the wind. Then we’ll lower the small boat and see what we can do.”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 defense AxbxB     
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
参考例句:
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
2 prospective oR7xB     
adj.预期的,未来的,前瞻性的
参考例句:
  • The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
  • They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。
3 spoke XryyC     
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
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
4 manly fBexr     
adj.有男子气概的;adv.男子般地,果断地
参考例句:
  • The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
  • He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务,并希望别人效之。
5 attire AN0zA     
v.穿衣,装扮[同]array;n.衣着;盛装
参考例句:
  • He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
  • Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。
6 ruffled e4a3deb720feef0786be7d86b0004e86     
adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • She ruffled his hair affectionately. 她情意绵绵地拨弄着他的头发。
  • All this talk of a strike has clearly ruffled the management's feathers. 所有这些关于罢工的闲言碎语显然让管理层很不高兴。
7 clam Fq3zk     
n.蛤,蛤肉
参考例句:
  • Yup!I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers.对呀!我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
  • The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders.藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。
8 wagon XhUwP     
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
参考例句:
  • We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
  • The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
9 impending 3qHzdb     
a.imminent, about to come or happen
参考例句:
  • Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时,严重的战乱爆发了。
  • The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。
10 soda cr3ye     
n.苏打水;汽水
参考例句:
  • She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
  • I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。
11 sodas c10ddd4eedc33e2ce63fa8dfafd61880     
n.苏打( soda的名词复数 );碱;苏打水;汽水
参考例句:
  • There are plenty of sodas in the refrigerator. 冰箱里有很多碳酸饮料。 来自辞典例句
  • Two whisky and sodas, please. 请来两杯威士忌苏打。 来自辞典例句
12 clams 0940cacadaf01e94ba47fd333a69de59     
n.蛤;蚌,蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.(在沙滩上)挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The restaurant's specialities are fried clams. 这个餐厅的特色菜是炸蚌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • We dug clams in the flats et low tide. 退潮时我们在浅滩挖蛤蜊。 来自辞典例句
13 contritely 3ab449eb7416f0b47d0891f1aca396c2     
参考例句:
14 cane RsNzT     
n.手杖,细长的茎,藤条;v.以杖击,以藤编制的
参考例句:
  • This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
  • English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。
15 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
16 vanilla EKNzT     
n.香子兰,香草
参考例句:
  • He used to love milk flavoured with vanilla.他过去常爱喝带香草味的牛奶。
  • I added a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to the pie.我在馅饼里加了一块香草冰激凌。
17 contention oZ5yd     
n.争论,争辩,论战;论点,主张
参考例句:
  • The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
  • The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道,争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。
18 darted d83f9716cd75da6af48046d29f4dd248     
v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔
参考例句:
  • The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了,瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 pier U22zk     
n.码头;桥墩,桥柱;[建]窗间壁,支柱
参考例句:
  • The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害,专家担心它已不能负重。
  • The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。
20 moored 7d8a41f50d4b6386c7ace4489bce8b89     
adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London. 该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。
  • We shipped (the) oars and moored alongside the bank. 我们收起桨,把船泊在岸边。
21 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
22 wrecked ze0zKI     
adj.失事的,遇难的
参考例句:
  • the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
  • the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞
23 hoist rdizD     
n.升高,起重机,推动;v.升起,升高,举起
参考例句:
  • By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。
  • Hoist the Chinese flag on the flagpole,please!请在旗杆上升起中国国旗!
24 gull meKzM     
n.鸥;受骗的人;v.欺诈
参考例句:
  • The ivory gull often follows polar bears to feed on the remains of seal kills.象牙海鸥经常跟在北极熊的后面吃剩下的海豹尸体。
  • You are not supposed to gull your friends.你不应该欺骗你的朋友。
25 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
26 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
27 intervals f46c9d8b430e8c86dea610ec56b7cbef     
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
参考例句:
  • The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴,有阵雨。
  • Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。
28 gale Xf3zD     
n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等)
参考例句:
  • We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
  • According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报,明天有大风。
29 steering 3hRzbi     
n.操舵装置
参考例句:
  • He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
  • Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵,口吻也马上变得温和了。
30 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
31 exertion F7Fyi     
n.尽力,努力
参考例句:
  • We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力,累得大汗淋漓。
  • She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡,她浑身发热。
32 conceal DpYzt     
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽
参考例句:
  • He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方,他只好隐瞒身份。
  • He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
33 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级
参考例句:
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
34 cargo 6TcyG     
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。
35 cargoes 49e446283c0d32352a986fd82a7e13c4     
n.(船或飞机装载的)货物( cargo的名词复数 );大量,重负
参考例句:
  • This ship embarked cargoes. 这艘船装载货物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The crew lashed cargoes of timber down. 全体船员将木材绑牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》
36 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
37 frantically ui9xL     
ad.发狂地, 发疯地
参考例句:
  • He dashed frantically across the road. 他疯狂地跑过马路。
  • She bid frantically for the old chair. 她发狂地喊出高价要买那把古老的椅子。
38 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
39 livestock c0Wx1     
n.家畜,牲畜
参考例句:
  • Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
  • The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。
40 tightening 19aa014b47fbdfbc013e5abf18b64642     
上紧,固定,紧密
参考例句:
  • Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前,检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
  • It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。


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