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CHAPTER XXI DEATH IS NEAR
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“Frank, are you there?”

“Yes, Andy. Give me your hand.”

The two brothers spoke1 softly. It was in the darkness of the cave, for they had both released the pressure on the springs of their portable lights to make the little dry batteries last as long as possible. It was several minutes after the first awful discovery of the incoming tide, and they had maintained a silence until the younger lad, unable to longer endure the strain, had called out.

Silently they clasped hands in the blackness.

“Frank, do you—do you think there’s any way out?”

“Why, of course there is, Andy. All we’ve got to do is to wait a while, and someone will surely come to our rescue. Father and mother know we started for this island, and if we don’t get home soon they’ll start a searching party after us.”

“Yes, but the rising tide, Frank. We—we may drown.”

“Nonsense. The water can’t get very high in here. We’ll simply go to the highest part of the passage, and wait until the tide goes out. That won’t be so very long. What makes me mad, though, is to think how that man fooled us. That was his object all along. He wanted to get us in here so he could drop that rock across the opening and have us caged.”

“Can’t we try to get out?” asked Andy. All his usually joyous2 spirits had departed. He was very much subdued3 now, and in the momentary4 flash of his light, which he permitted himself, Frank saw that his brother was very pale.

“Of course we’ll try!” exclaimed the elder lad, with all the assurance he could put into his voice. “Perhaps we can manage it, too. Let’s have a try. It’s of no use to do it here. We must go back to where he pushed down the rock. Perhaps it isn’t in as tight as we thought at first. Come on. But don’t use your light. Mine is enough, and we must save them as long as we can.”

By the gleam of the single electric torch they made their way back. Soon they were at the rock which made them prisoners. It loomed5 grim and black in the semi-darkness.

“The water’s higher,” said Andy, in a low voice. Frank had noticed that, for it now reached to his ankles as he splashed his way back along the passage. But he had said nothing, hoping Andy had not observed it.

“Yes,” said the older boy cheerfully, “it’s bound to rise until the tide is at flood, and then—why, it will go down again—that’s all.”

“But suppose it fills this cave?”

“Nonsense! It can’t. I’m not going to suppose anything of the sort. Now come on. Let’s see if we can move this rock.”

Together they pressed on the stone with all their strength. They might as well have tried to budge6 the side of a mountain. The rock was firmly wedged in place.

“It’s no use,” spoke Andy, in a dull, hopeless tone.

“Oh, don’t give up so easily,” urged his brother. “If we can’t do it one way, we may another. See, it has slid down in a sort of groove7. Only a little ridge8 of rock on either side holds it in place. Now if we can break away those upright ridges9, which are like the pieces on a window sash up and down which the window slides, we may be able to push the rock out. Let’s try. Use your knife and take a rock for a hammer.”

Frank placed his torch on a ledge10 of rock, tying the spring down by a piece of cord so that the light would focus on the big bowlder. Then, with their pocket-knives as chisels11, and stones as mallets, they began their futile12 attempts to cut away the holding ridges of rock.

That it was a futile attempt was soon made evident, for their knives slipped off the flint-like stone, and several times when the blades unexpectedly shut, the lads received severe cuts on their hands.

Suddenly Andy uttered an exclamation13:

“The water! It’s getting deeper!” he cried.

It was up to their knees now.

“Of course it getting deeper,” said Frank, with a cheerfulness that he was far from feeling. “The tide isn’t half in yet.”

Andy shuddered14.

“What will we do when it’s high water?” he asked.

Frank did not answer, but kept on chipping away at the rock. He managed to break off several pieces, but it was easy to see that it would take much more work to loosen the retaining ridges so that the bowlder that imprisoned16 them would fall outward.

“There it goes!” suddenly exclaimed the older brother in despair. “I’ve broken my knife blade! You’ll have to do all the work, Andy.”

“Oh, what’s the use?” sighed the younger lad. “The water is coming in faster. See, it’s up to our waists now, and the tide is nowhere at full! We’re doomed17, Frank!”

“Not a bit of it. See that ledge of rock up there? We’ll climb up on it and wait until the water goes down. Then maybe someone will come for us, or we can get out. Climb up, Andy. We won’t try to break off any more rock.”

Frank helped his brother to take a position on the narrow ledge. It was barely wide enough for two, but, somehow, they managed to cling to it. The surface was wet, and there were little puddles18 of water here and there. Seeing them in the gleam of his light, Frank could not repress a shudder15.

“The tide must come up even to here,” he thought. “If it comes up to the roof—well, that’s the end of us.” But he said nothing to Andy.

Slowly the water rose. They boys watched it, sitting on the narrow ledge with their feet and legs dangling19 off. From time to time Frank would flash his light on the little lapping waves.

“It will soon stop,” he said, as cheerfully as he could. But he did not believe himself. He held Andy’s hand in a firm grip.

Higher and higher rose the tide. It was at the knees of the boys now, and still mounting.

“Let’s stand up,” proposed Frank at length.

“I’m tired of sitting.”

They took an upright position on the ledge of rock. Their heads just touched the rocky roof of the cave. In fact Frank, who was a trifle taller than his brother, had to stoop.

“Now we’ll be all right, Andy,” he said. “We can stand here until the water goes down.”

“If—if it doesn’t touch the roof,” was the solemn answer.

Frank said nothing.

Standing20 on the ledge, high above the floor of the cave, the water now lapped their ankles once more. Frank could feel it creeping higher—ever higher. In spite of himself, a horrible fear took possession of him. Death was very near, he thought—a terrible death by drowning in the cave where they were caged like rats in a trap.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 joyous d3sxB     
adj.充满快乐的;令人高兴的
参考例句:
  • The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
  • They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。
3 subdued 76419335ce506a486af8913f13b8981d     
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
  • I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候,我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。
4 momentary hj3ya     
adj.片刻的,瞬息的;短暂的
参考例句:
  • We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
  • I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。
5 loomed 9423e616fe6b658c9a341ebc71833279     
v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近
参考例句:
  • A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
  • The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 budge eSRy5     
v.移动一点儿;改变立场
参考例句:
  • We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来,但它连动都没动一下。
  • She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。
7 groove JeqzD     
n.沟,槽;凹线,(刻出的)线条,习惯
参考例句:
  • They're happy to stay in the same old groove.他们乐于墨守成规。
  • The cupboard door slides open along the groove.食橱门沿槽移开。
8 ridge KDvyh     
n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭
参考例句:
  • We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
  • The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。
9 ridges 9198b24606843d31204907681f48436b     
n.脊( ridge的名词复数 );山脊;脊状突起;大气层的)高压脊
参考例句:
  • The path winds along mountain ridges. 峰回路转。
  • Perhaps that was the deepest truth in Ridges's nature. 在里奇斯的思想上,这大概可以算是天经地义第一条了。
10 ledge o1Mxk     
n.壁架,架状突出物;岩架,岩礁
参考例句:
  • They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
  • Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上,摔倒了。
11 chisels 7e9f2c7de1c1759448991244cf7d7610     
n.凿子,錾子( chisel的名词复数 );口凿
参考例句:
  • Chisels, brushes, paints-all are the products of technology. 凿子、刷子、颜料―这些都是工艺技术的产物。 来自辞典例句
  • He selected the right chisels from a pile laid out beside him. 他从摊在身边的一堆凿子中挑出适用的几把。 来自互联网
12 futile vfTz2     
adj.无效的,无用的,无希望的
参考例句:
  • They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败,他们全部被杀,无一幸免。
  • Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。
13 exclamation onBxZ     
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词
参考例句:
  • He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
  • The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号,以引起读者的注意。
14 shuddered 70137c95ff493fbfede89987ee46ab86     
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动
参考例句:
  • He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车,车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 shudder JEqy8     
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动
参考例句:
  • The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
  • We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。
16 imprisoned bc7d0bcdd0951055b819cfd008ef0d8d     
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁,合并执行。
  • They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。
17 doomed EuuzC1     
命定的
参考例句:
  • The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
  • A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。
18 puddles 38bcfd2b26c90ae36551f1fa3e14c14c     
n.水坑, (尤指道路上的)雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The puddles had coalesced into a small stream. 地面上水洼子里的水汇流成了一条小溪。
  • The road was filled with puddles from the rain. 雨后路面到处是一坑坑的积水。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 dangling 4930128e58930768b1c1c75026ebc649     
悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口
参考例句:
  • The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果,那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
  • The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上,摇晃着他们的双腿。
20 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。


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