10.Night adventure

　　10
　　Night adventure
　　That night Jack¹ could not sleep. The moon was full and shone in at hiswindow. The moonlight fell on his face and he lay there, staring at the bigsilvery moon, thinking of the gulls² he had seen gliding³ and circling on thewind, and the big black cormorants⁴ that stood on the rocks, their beaks⁵ wideopen as they digested the fish they had caught.
　　He remembered the Isle⁶ of Gloom, as he had seen it that morning. Itlooked mysterious and exciting – so far away, and lonely and desolate⁷. Yetpeople had lived there once. Why did no one live there now? Was it sodesolate that no one could make a living there? What was it like?
　　‘I wonder if I could possibly see it tonight, in the light of the full moon,’
　　thought Jack. He slipped off the mattress⁸ without waking Philip, and wentto the window. He stared out.
　　The sea was silvery bright in the moonlight. Where rocks cast shadows,deep black patches lay on the sea. The waters were calmer than usual, andthe wind had dropped. Only a murmur⁹ came up to Jack as he stood at thewindow.
　　Then he stared in surprise. A sailing boat was coming over the water. Itwas still a good way out, but it was making for the shore. Whose boat wasit? Jack strained his eyes but could not make it out. A sailing boat makingfor Craggy-Tops in the middle of the night! It was odd.
　　‘I’ll wake Tufty,’ he thought, and went to the mattress. ‘Tufty! Philip!
　　Wake up and come to the window.’
　　In half a minute Philip was wide awake, leaning out of the narrowwindow with Jack. He too saw the sailing boat, and gave a low whistle thatawoke Kiki and brought her to Jack’s shoulder in surprise.
　　‘Is it Joe in the boat?’ wondered Philip. ‘I can’t tell if it’s his boat or notfrom here. Anyway, let’s get down to the shore and watch it come in,Freckles. Come on. I’m surprised that he should be out at night, when he’salways telling us about “things” that wander around the cliff in the dark –but it probably isn’t him.’
　　They put on shorts and jerseys¹⁰, and their rubber shoes, and made theirway down the spiral stair. They were soon climbing down the steep cliffpath. Under the moon the sailing boat came steadily¹¹ in, the night windbehind it.
　　‘It is Joe’s boat,’ said Philip at last. ‘We can see it plainly now. Andthere’s Joe in it. He’s alone, but he’s got a cargo¹² of some sort.’
　　‘Maybe he’s been fishing,’ said Jack. ‘Let’s give him a fright, Philip.’
　　The boys crept up to where the boat was heading. Joe was furling thesail. Then he began to row to the shore, towards the little harbour where healways tied up his boat. The boys crouched¹³ down behind a rock. Joebrought the big boat safely in, and then tied the rope to the post. He turnedto pull out whatever cargo he had – and at that very moment the boysjumped out at him, giving Red Indian whoops¹⁴ and rocking the boatviolently.
　　The man was taken unawares, lost his balance and fell into the water,going overboard with a terrific splash. He came up at once, his facegleaming in the moonlight. The boys did not like the expression on it. Joeclimbed out of the water, shook himself like a dog, and came towards theboys determinedly¹⁵.
　　‘Golly – he’s going to lick us,’ said Jack to Philip. ‘Come on – we mustrun for it.’
　　But the way to the house was barred by the big powerful body of theangry man.
　　‘Now I’ll show you what happens to boys who come spying around atnight,’ he said between his teeth. Jack tried to dodge¹⁶ by, but Joe caught holdof him. He swung his big fist into the air and Jack gave a yell. At the samemoment Philip charged Joe full in the middle, and the winded man gaspedfor breath, and let go of Jack. The boys sped off over the beach at once,heading away from the steep cliff path that led to the house. Joe was afterthem immediately.
　　‘The tide’s coming in,’ gasped¹⁷ Jack, as he felt water running over hisankles. ‘We must turn back. We’ll be caught by the tide and poundedagainst the rocks.’
　　‘We can’t turn back. We shall be licked black and blue by Joe,’ pantedPhilip. ‘Jack – make for that cave. We can perhaps creep up that secretpassage. We simply must. I really don’t know what he mightn’t do if he wasin a rage. He might even kill us.’
　　Quite terrified now, the boys floundered into the cave, the waves runninground their ankles. Joe came splashing behind them. Ah – he had got thoseboys now! Wait till he had done with them! They wouldn’t leave their bedsagain at night!
　　The boys found the hole in the floor of the cave they were looking forand disappeared down it into the darkness of the secret passage. They heardJoe breathing heavily outside in the upper cave. They hoped and prayed hewould not slip down the hole too.
　　He didn’t. He stood outside by the entrance, waiting for the boys to comeout. He had no idea there was a secret passage there. He stood, pantingheavily, clenching¹⁸ his fist hard. A big wave covered his knees. Joe mutteredsomething. The tide was coming in rapidly. If those boys didn’t come outimmediately they would be trapped there for the night.
　　Another wave ran up, almost as high as the angry man’s waist. It wassuch a powerful wave that he at once left the cave entrance and tried tomake his way back across the beach. He could not risk being dashed topieces against the cliff by the incoming tide.
　　‘Those boys can spend the night in the caves, and I’ll deal with themtomorrow morning early,’ thought Joe grimly. ‘As soon as the tide goesdown in the morning I’ll be there – and they’ll be mighty¹⁹ sorry forthemselves when I’ve finished with them.’
　　But the boys were not shivering inside the cave. They were once moreclimbing up the secret passage, this time in complete darkness. The passagewas terrifying enough – but not nearly so alarming as Joe.
　　They came at last to the trap-door and pushed it open. They clamberedout on to the rocky cellar floor, and shut the trap-door.
　　‘Take my hand,’ said Jack, shivering as much with cold as with fright.
　　‘We’ll make our way towards the door as best we can. Come on. You knowthe direction, don’t you? I don’t.’
　　Philip thought he did, but he found that he didn’t. It took the boys sometime to find the cellar door. They felt all round the rocky walls of the cellar,and at long last, after falling over boxes of all kinds, they came to the door.
　　It was not locked. Thank goodness they had taken away the key. Philippushed at the door and it opened.
　　The pile of boxes on the other side fell over with a terrific crash thatechoed all round the cellar. The boys stood listening to see if anyone wouldhear and come. But nobody did. They piled up the boxes again as best theycould and crept up the cellar steps and into the moonlit kitchen.
　　They wondered where Joe was. Was he still waiting for them at theentrance to the caves?
　　He was not. He had made fast his boat, removed several things from it,and then had climbed the cliff path to the house. He had gone to hisbedroom, just off the kitchen, gloating over the thought of the two boysshivering in the caves, when a terrific noise came to his ears.
　　It was the pile of boxes overturning down in the cellar, but Joe did notknow that. He stood in his bedroom, rooted to the ground. What was thatnoise? He did not dare to go and find out. If he had, he would have seen twofigures stealing through the moonlit kitchen towards the hall. He wouldhave seen them scurrying²⁰ up the stairs as quietly as mice.
　　Soon the boys were on their mattress, glad to be there safe and sound.
　　They chuckled²¹ when they thought of Joe waiting in vain for them. And,down in his bedroom, Joe chuckled to think of how he would wait outsidethe cave the next morning, armed with a rope, and give those two boys agood hiding.
　　They all fell asleep at last.
　　Joe was up first, piling driftwood on the kitchen fire. He did his jobs, andthen tied the rope-end round his waist. It was time he went down to thebeach and caught those boys. The tide would soon be down low enough forthem to come out.
　　Then he stopped still in the greatest astonishment²² – for into the kitchen,as bold as brass²³, came all four children, chattering²⁴ away loudly.
　　‘What’s for breakfast? Golly, I’m hungry.’
　　‘Did you have a good night, boys? We did.’
　　‘Fine. We must have slept all the night through.’ These words were fromPhilip. Jack joined in, delighted to see amazement²⁵ and wonder appear onJoe’s face. ‘Yes, we slept like logs. Even if Kiki had done her imitation of arailway express, I don’t think we’d have woken up.’
　　‘What’s for breakfast, Joe?’ asked Dinah. Both the girls knew about theboys’ adventure the night before, and were entering into the fun of teasingJoe. He evidently still thought the boys were down in the caves.
　　‘You two boys been asleep in your room all night?’ asked Joe at last,hardly able to believe his eyes and ears.
　　‘Where else should we sleep?’ said Philip impudently²⁶. ‘On the Isle ofGloom?’
　　Joe turned away, puzzled and taken aback. It couldn’t have been thesetwo boys last night. It was true he had not seen their faces clearly, but hehad felt certain they were Philip and Jack. But now that was plainlyimpossible. No one could have got out of those caves at high tide – and yethere were the boys. It was disturbing and puzzling. Joe didn’t like it.
　　‘I’ll go down to those caves now and watch to see who comes out,’ hethought at last. ‘Then I’ll know who it was spying on me last night.’
　　So down he went – but though he watched for two hours, nobody camefrom the caves. Which was not very surprising, because there was nobodythere.
　　‘He just simply can’t understand it,’ said Jack, grinning, as he watchedthe tall man from the cliff path. ‘What a good thing we didn’t tell anyoneabout the secret passage! It came in mighty useful last night.’
　　‘He’ll think you and Philip were two of the “things” he’s always trying tofrighten us with,’ said Dinah. ‘Silly old Joe! He must think we are babies tobe frightened of anything he would say.’
　　‘What are we going to do today when we’ve finished our jobs?’ askedLucy-Ann, polishing the lamp she had been cleaning. ‘It’s such a fine day.
　　Can’t we go for a picnic – walk over the cliff and along the coast?’
　　‘Oh yes – and we’ll see if we can find that man I saw in a boatyesterday,’ said Jack, remembering. ‘That would be fine. Maybe he’ll let usgo in his boat. Dinah, ask your Aunt Polly if we can take our dinner withus.’
　　Aunt Polly said yes, and in about half an hour they set off, passing Joe onthe way. He was now working on his allotment, over the edge of the cliff,behind the house.
　　‘Did you have a good night, Joe?’ yelled Philip. ‘Did you sleep all nightlong, like a good boy?’
　　The man scowled²⁷ and made a threatening noise. Kiki imitated him, andhe bent²⁸ down to pick up a stone to throw at her.
　　‘Naughty boy!’ screeched Kiki, flying high in

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 gulls   

n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A flock of sea gulls are hovering over the deck. 一群海鸥在甲板上空飞翔。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The gulls which haunted the outlying rocks in a prodigious number. 数不清的海鸥在遥远的岩石上栖息。 来自辞典例句

3 gliding   

v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的

参考例句：

• Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
• The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。

4 cormorants   

鸬鹚，贪婪的人( cormorant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The birds are trained cormorants. 那些鸟是受过训练的鸬鹚。
• The cormorants swim down and catch the fish, and bring them back the raft. 鸬鹚又下去捉住鱼，再返回竹筏。

5 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网

6 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

7 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

8 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

9 murmur   

n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言

参考例句：

• They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
• There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

10 jerseys   

n.运动衫( jersey的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The maximum quantity of cotton jerseys this year is about DM25,000. 平方米的羊毛地毯超过了以往的订货。 来自口语例句
• The NBA is mulling the prospect of stitching advertising logos onto jerseys. 大意：NBA官方正在酝酿一个大煞风景的计划——把广告标志绣上球服！ 来自互联网

11 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

12 cargo   

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。

13 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

14 whoops   

int.呼喊声

参考例句：

• Whoops! Careful, you almost spilt coffee everywhere. 哎哟！小心点，你差点把咖啡洒得到处都是。
• We were awakened by the whoops of the sick baby. 生病婴儿的喘息声把我们弄醒了。

15 determinedly   

adv.决意地；坚决地，坚定地

参考例句：

• "Don't shove me,'said one of the strikers, determinedly. "I'm not doing anything." “别推我，"其中的一个罢工工人坚决地说，"我可没干什么。” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Dorothy's chin set determinedly as she looked calmly at him. 多萝西平静地看着他，下巴绷得紧紧的，看来是打定主意了。 来自名作英译部分

16 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

17 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 clenching   

v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I'll never get used to them, she thought, clenching her fists. 我永远也看不惯这些家伙，她握紧双拳，心里想。 来自飘（部分）
• Clenching her lips, she nodded. 她紧闭着嘴唇，点点头。 来自辞典例句

19 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

20 scurrying   

v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• We could hear the mice scurrying about in the walls. 我们能听见老鼠在墙里乱跑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We were scurrying about until the last minute before the party. 聚会开始前我们一直不停地忙忙碌碌。 来自辞典例句

21 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

22 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

23 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

24 chattering   

n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
• I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

25 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

26 impudently   

参考例句：

• She was his favorite and could speak to him so impudently. 她是他的宠儿，可以那样无礼他说话。 来自教父部分
• He walked into the shop and calmly (ie impudently and self-confidently) stole a pair of gloves. 他走进商店若无其事地偷了一副手套。 来自辞典例句

27 scowled   

怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
• The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。

28 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。