"Do you know we have slept ever since morning?"
"It can't be possible!" exclaimed Elwood.
"I should say we had slept a waak be the token of the hunger I feels," said Tim, with a most woeful countenance4.
"I don't see any likelihood of our getting anything to digest in these parts," replied Howard.
"And where else shall we look for the same?"
"Nowhere that I know of."
"Suppose some ship has stopped here while we have been asleep!" suddenly interrupted Elwood.
"Wouldn't they have looked for us? But then they couldn't have known where we were," said Howard, asking and answering his own question in the same breath.
"We are in a pretty fix then," was the comment of Elwood, laughing at the doleful countenances5 he saw.
"Boys," said Tim, hitching6 up his pantaloons and scratching his head, "shall I tell yees something to your advantage, as the papers say?"
"Of course," answered Howard, "nothing could suit us better."
"Well, then, while we've been slaaping, our friends along shore have been carried away, and we're lift to make ourselves comfortable, as the peddler said when he hung himself up by his foot."
"Let us see!" exclaimed Elwood, "perhaps we are not too late yet."
The three rushed ever the rocks pell-mell, the dog being at their side, and giving vent7 now and then to short, sharp barks, as if he enjoyed the ramble8.
Elwood was at the head, and had run but a short distance when he sprung upon a bowlder higher than the others, and shading his eyes for a moment as he looked off toward the sea, he called back:
"Yes, yonder they are! We are not left alone."
"But it's good to have company!" laughed Tim, "it won't be long before some vessel9 will step in and lift us aboard."
"How odd they look!" remarked Elwood, as his friends clambered up beside him. "They don't seem dressed in their usual fashion."
The Irishman, upon rising to his feet on top of the rock, uttered an expression of surprise, looked intently toward the sea, and then quickly sprung back again.
"Off of there quick!" he commanded in a hoarse10 whisper, at the same time catching11 the shoulder of the up-climbing Howard and forcing him back again.
"Why, what's the matter?" asked Elwood, a vague alarm taking possession of him, as he rather hurriedly obeyed him.
"May the good Lord presarve us! them are Injuns!"
"'May the good Lord preserve us! them are Injuns,' said Tim."
"I thought they looked odd," said Elwood, "but I did not think of that. Are they friendly?"
"Friendly!" repeated Tim, with an expression of intense disgust. "Do you know what they are walking up and down the sand fur in that sassy shtyle?"
"Plunder12, I suppose."
"Yis; they are in hopes the saa may wash up some poor fellow that they may have the pleasure of hacking13 him to pieces."
"Are they such terrible creatures. Perhaps they have slain14 those who escaped from the steamer."
"Niver a fear; there was too many of 'em, as me brother used to say when his wife tuk her broomstick at him."
"But they had no weapons to use."
Tim shook his head. He evidently had a small opinion of the courage of the California aborigines.
"Had they massacred the survivors15, we could see their bodies along shore," remarked Howard. "The sun throws such a glare upon the sand that we can detect a very small object."
This settled the matter in the mind of Elwood, who had been heartsick at the great fear of such a fate having befallen his friends.
"Then the burning of the steamer has attracted the notice of a great many vessels16, and I think Mr. Yard was right when he was sure of being taken off by some one."
"What a mistake we made in wandering away and going to sleep where no one could find us!"
"We did, indeed, Elwood; we voluntarily banished17 ourselves."
"But Mr. Yard certainly knows we are here, and will he not get a company of men to come after us?"
"Perhaps so; but, if he doesn't, your father and mine will certainly do so, so soon as they find where we are."
"Yes, but what is to become of us between to-night and that time? I am half-starved to death, and must get something to eat pretty soon."
"Providence18, that has preserved us so kindly19 thus far, will still watch over us."
"There's one bad thing," remarked Tim, "them Injins will hang around the shore, and it won't do for us to show ourselves niver a bit."
The faces of the two boys now blanched20 with fear, for they understood the danger that threatened them. It was truly a fear-inspiring sight, as they gazed out from their hiding-place in the direction of the sea. The sun was partially21 down the horizon, and appeared unnaturally22 large, while the gaunt Indians, in their fantastic costume, assumed the form of giants striding along apparently23 on the gleaming surface of the ocean itself. They were outlined with that sharp, black distinctness which is seen when at night a fireman runs along the outer walls of a burning building.
"Just to think!" said Elwood "we haven't a gun or a pistol with us."
"And I'm a little hungry, as the man said after fasting three waaks."
"Suppose they saw you?" said Howard.
"I ain't sure but what they did. They are looking in this direction, and appear to be disputing about some matter."
There were grounds for this alarming view of the case. The Indians numbered about a dozen, and half of these could be seen in a knot, gesticulating in their extravagant24 manner, while the others were running up and down the shore as if they had detected something interesting in the surf.
"Are they looking at us?"
"There is such a glare, from the sun that I cannot tell whether their faces or backs are toward us. Tim, what do you say?"
The Irishman gazed long and carefully over the face of the rock, and finally said:
"They've seen something this way that has tuk their eye."
"They are moving, too."
"Maybe they've seen the dog, and are coming to look for us."
"Heaven save us!" exclaimed Tim, in some excitement, "there's no maybe about it; they're coming, sure!"
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收听单词发音
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1
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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2
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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3
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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4
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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5
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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6
hitching
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| 搭乘； （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的现在分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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7
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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8
ramble
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| v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延 | |
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9
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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10
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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11
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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12
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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13
hacking
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| n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动 | |
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14
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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15
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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16
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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17
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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19
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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20
blanched
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| v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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21
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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22
unnaturally
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| adv.违反习俗地；不自然地；勉强地；不近人情地 | |
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23
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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24
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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