“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.
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1
spoke
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| 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 | |
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2
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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3
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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4
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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5
loomed
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| 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 | |
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6
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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7
groove
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| n.沟，槽；凹线，（刻出的）线条，习惯 | |
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8
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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10
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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11
chisels
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| n.凿子，錾子( chisel的名词复数 )；口凿 | |
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12
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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13
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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14
shuddered
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| 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 | |
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15
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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16
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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18
puddles
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| n.水坑， （尤指道路上的）雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 ) | |
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19
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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20
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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