He didn't pause for an instant but immediately streaked2 across the first fifty yards of open sand in a fast crawl, his face just above the sand. The long webbed feet would almost have doubled his normal speed if he had not been hampered3 by the weight he was carrying and by the light harpoon4 gun in his left hand, but he travelled fast and in under a minute he came to rest in the shadow of a mass of sprawling5 coral.
He paused and examined his sensations.
He was warm in the rubber suit, warmer than he would have been swimming in the sunshine. He found his movements very easy and breathing perfectly6 simple so long as his breath was even and relaxed. He watched the tell-tale bubbles streaming up against the coral in a fountain of silver pearls and prayed that the small waves were hiding them.
In the open he had been able to see perfectly. The light was soft and milky7 but not strong enough to melt the mackerel shadows of the surface waves that chequered the sand. Now, up against the reef, there was no reflection from the bottom, and the shadows under the rocks were black and impenetrable.
He risked a quick glance with his pencil torch and immediately the underbelly of the mass of brown tree-coral came alive. Anemones9 with crimson10 centres waved their velvet11 tentacles12 at him, a colony of black sea-eggs moved their toledo-steel spines14 in sudden alarm and a hairy sea-centipede halted in its hundred strides and questioned with its eyeless head. In the sand at the base of the tree a toad-fish softly drew its hideous15 warty16 head back into its funnel17 and a number of flower-like sea-worms whisked out of sight down their gelatinous tubes. A covey of bejewelled butterfly and angel fish flirted18 into the light and he marked the flat spiral of a Long-spined19 Star Shell.
Bond tucked the light back in his belt.
Above him the surface of the sea was a canopy20 of quicksilver. It crackled softly like fat frying in a saucepan. Ahead the moonlight glinted down into the deep crooked21 valley that sloped down and away on the route he had to follow. He left his sheltering tree of coral and walked softly forward. Now it was not so easy. The light was tricky22 and bad and the petrified23 forest of the coral reef was full of culs-de-sac and tempting24 but misleading avenues.
Sometimes he had to climb almost to the surface to get over a tangled25 scrub of tree- and antler-coral and when this happened he profited by it to check his position with the moon that glowed like a huge pale rocket-burst through the broken water. Sometimes the hourglass waist of a niggerhead gave him shelter and he rested for a few moments knowing that the small froth of his air-bubbles would be hidden by the jagged knob protruding26 above the surface. Then he would focus his eyes on the phosphorescent scribbles27 of the minute underwater night-life and perceive whole colonies and populations about their microscopic28 business.
There were no big fish about, but many lobsters29 were out of their holes looking huge and prehistoric30 in the magnifying lens of the water. Their stalk-like eyes glared redly at him and their foot-long spined antennae31 asked him for the password. Occasionally they scuttled32 nervously33 backwards34 into their shelters, their powerful tails kicking up the sand, and crouched35 on the tips of their eight hairy feet, waiting for the danger to pass. Once the great streamers of a portuguese36 man-of-war floated slowly by. They almost reached his head from the surface, fifteen feet away, and he remembered the whiplash of a sting from the contact of one of their tendrils that had burned for three of his days at Manatee37 Bay. If they caught a man across the heart they could kill him. He saw several green and speckled moray eels38, the latter moving like big yellow and black snakes along patches of sand, the green ones baring their teeth from some hole in the rock, and several West Indian blowfish, like brown owls39 with huge soft green eyes. He poked40 at one with the end of his gun and it swelled41 out to the size of a football and became a mass of dangerous white spines. Wide sea fans swayed and beckoned42 in the eddies43, and in the grey valleys they caught the light of the moon and waved spectrally44, like fragments of the shrouds45 of men buried at sea. Often in the shadows there were unexplained, heavy movements and swirls46 in the water and the sudden glare of large eyes at once extinguished. Then Bond would whirl round, thumbing up the safety-catch on his harpoon gun, and stare back into the darkness. But he shot at nothing and nothing attacked him as he scrambled47 and slithered through the reef.
The hundred yards of coral took him a quarter of an hour. When he got through and rested on a round lump of brain-coral under the shelter of a last niggerhead, he was glad that nothing but a hundred yards of grey-white water lay in front of him. He still felt perfectly fresh and the elation49 and clarity of mind produced by the benzedrine were still with him, but the gauntlet of hazards through the reef had been a constant fret50, with the risk of tearing his rubber skin always on his mind. Now the forest of razor-blade coral was behind, to be exchanged for shark and barracuda or perhaps a sudden stick of dynamite51 dropped into the centre of the little flower of his bubbles on the surface.
It was while he was measuring the dangers ahead that the octopus52 got him. Round both ankles.
He had been sitting with his feet on the sand and suddenly they were manacled to the base of the round toadstool of coral on which he was resting. Even as he realized what had happened a tentacle13 began to snake up his leg and another one, purple in the dim light, wandered down his webbed left foot.
He gave a start of fear and disgust and at once he was on his feet, shuffling53 and straining to get away. But there was no inch of yield and his movements only gave the octopus an opportunity to pull his heels tighter under the overhang of the round rock. The strength of the brute54 was prodigious55 and Bond could feel his balance going fast. In a moment he would be pulled down flat on his face and then, hampered by the mine on his chest and the cylinders on his back, it might be almost impossible to get at the beast.
Bond snatched his dagger56 out of his belt and jabbed down between his legs. But the overhang of the rock impeded57 him and he was terrified of cutting his rubber skin. Suddenly he was toppled over, lying on the sand. At once his feet began to be drawn58 into a wide lateral59 cleft60 under the rock. He scrabbled at the sand and tried to curl round to get within range with the dagger. But the thick hump of the mine protruding from his chest prevented him. On the edge of panic, he remembered the harpoon gun. Before, he had dismissed it as being a hopeless weapon at that short range, but now it was the only chance. It lay on the sand where he had left it. He reached for it and put up the safety-catch. The mine prevented him from aiming. He slid the barrel along his legs and probed each of his feet with the tip of the harpoon to find the gap between them. At once a tentacle seized the steel tip and began tugging61. The gun slipped between his manacled feet and he pulled the trigger blindly.
Immediately a great cloud of viscous62, stringy ink rolled out of the cleft towards his face. But one leg was free and then the other and he whipped them round and under him and seized the haft of the three-foot harpoon where it disappeared under the rock. He pulled and strained until, with a rending63 of flesh, it came away from the black fog that hung over the hole. Panting, he got up and stood away from the rock, the sweat pouring down his face under the mask. Above him, the tell-tale stream of silver bubbles rose straight to the surface and he cursed the wounded 'pus-feller' in its lair64.
But there was no time to worry further with it and he re-loaded his gun and struck out with the moon over his right shoulder.
Now he made good going through the misty65 grey water and he concentrated only on keeping his face a few inches above the sand and his head well down to streamline66 his body. Once, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a stingray as big as a ping-pong table shuffle67 out of his path, the tip of its great speckled wings beating like a bird's, its long horned tail streaming out behind it. But he paid it no attention, remembering that Quarrel had said that rays never attack except in self-defence. He reflected that it had probably come in over the outer reef to lay its eggs, or 'Mermaids68' Purses' as the fishermen call them, because they are shaped like a pillow with a stiff black string at each corner, on the sheltered sandy bottom.
Many shadows of big fish lazed across the moonlit sand, some as long as himself. When one followed beside him for at least a minute he looked up to see the white belly8 of a shark ten feet above him like a glaucous tapering69 airship. Its blunt nose was buried inquisitively70 in his stream of air-bubbles. The wide sickle71 slit48 of its mouth looked like a puckered72 scar. It leant sideways and glanced down at him out of one hard pink naked eye, then it wobbled its great scythe-shaped tail and moved slowly into the wall of grey mist.
He frightened a family of squids, ranging from about six pounds down to an infant of six ounces, frail73 and luminous74 in the half-light, hanging almost vertical75 in a diminishing chorus-line. They righted themselves and shot off with streamlined jet propulsion.
Bond rested for a moment about half way and then went on. Now there were barracuda about, big ones of up to twenty pounds. They looked just as deadly as he had remembered them. They glided76 above him like silver submarines, looking down out of then: angry tigers' eyes. They were curious about him and about his bubbles and they followed him, around and above him, like a pack of silent wolves. By the time Bond met the first bit of coral that meant he was coming up with the island there must have been twenty of them moving quietly, watchfully77 in and out of the opaque78 wall that enclosed him.
Bond's skin cringed under the black rubber but he could do nothing about them and he concentrated on his objective.
Suddenly there was a long metallic79 shape hanging in the water above him. Behind it there was a jumble80 of broken rock leading steeply upwards81.
It was the keel of the Secatur and Bond's heart thumped82 in his chest.
He looked at the Rolex watch on his wrist. It was three minutes past eleven o'clock. He selected the seven-hour fuse from the handful he extracted from a zipped side-pocket and inserted it in the fuse pocket of the mine and pushed it home. The rest of the fuses he buried in the sand so that if he was captured the mine would not be betrayed.
As he swam up, carrying the mine between his hands, bottom upwards, he was aware of a commotion83 in the water behind him. A barracuda flashed by, its jaws84 half open, almost hitting him, its eyes fixed85 on something at his back. But Bond was intent only on the centre of the ship's keel and on a point about three feet above it.
The mine almost dragged him the last few feet, its huge magnets straining for the metallic kiss with the hull86.
Bond had to pull hard against it to prevent the clang of contact. Then it was silently in place and with its weight removed Bond had to swim strongly to counter his new buoyancy and get down again and away from the surface.
It was as he turned to swim towards the twin propellers87 on his way to the shelter of the rocks that he suddenly saw the terrible things that had been going on behind him.
The great pack of barracudas seemed to have gone mad. They were whirling and snapping in the water like hysterical88 dogs. Three sharks that had joined them were charging through the water with a clumsier frenzy89. The water was boiling with the dreadful fish and Bond was slammed in the face and buffeted90 again and again within a few yards. At any moment he knew his rubber skin would be torn with the flesh below it and then the pack would be on him.
'Extreme mob behaviour conditions.' The Navy Department's phrase flashed into his mind. This was just when he might have saved himself with the shark-repellent stuff. Without it he might only have a few more minutes to live.
In desperation he threshed through the water along the ship's keel, the safety-catch up on the harpoon gun that was now only a toy in the face of this drove of maddened cannibal fish.
He reached the two big copper91 screws and clung to one of them, panting, his lips drawn back from his teeth in a snarl92 of fear, his eyes distended93 as he faced the frenzy of the boiling sea around him.
He at once saw that the mouths of the hurtling, darting94 fish were half open and that they were plunging95 in and out of a brownish cloud, spreading downwards96 from the surface. Close to him a barracuda hung for an instant, something brown and glittering in its jaws. It gave a great swallow and then swirled97 back into the melee98.
At the same time he noticed that it was getting darker. He looked up and saw with dawning comprehension that the quicksilver surface of the sea had turned red, a horrible glinting crimson.
Threads of the stuff drifted within his reach. He hooked some towards him with the end of his gun. Held the end close up against his glass mask.
There was no doubt about it.
Up above, someone was spraying the surface of the sea with blood and offal.
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收听单词发音
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1
cylinders
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| n.圆筒( cylinder的名词复数 )；圆柱；汽缸；（尤指用作容器的）圆筒状物 | |
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2
streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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harpoon
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| n.鱼叉；vt.用鱼叉叉，用鱼叉捕获 | |
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sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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anemones
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| n.银莲花( anemone的名词复数 )；海葵 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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12
tentacles
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| n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛 | |
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13
tentacle
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| n.触角，触须，触手 | |
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14
spines
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| n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊 | |
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15
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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warty
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| adj.有疣的，似疣的；瘤状 | |
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funnel
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| n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集 | |
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flirted
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| v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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spined
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| adj.有背骨的，有刺的，有脊柱的 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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21
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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22
tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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23
petrified
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| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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24
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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25
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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26
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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27
scribbles
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| n.潦草的书写( scribble的名词复数 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下v.潦草的书写( scribble的第三人称单数 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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28
microscopic
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| adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的 | |
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29
lobsters
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| 龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉 | |
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30
prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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antennae
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| n.天线；触角 | |
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32
scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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manatee
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| n.海牛 | |
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38
eels
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| abbr. 电子发射器定位系统（=electronic emitter location system） | |
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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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40
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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41
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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42
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
eddies
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| （水、烟等的）漩涡，涡流( eddy的名词复数 ) | |
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44
spectrally
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| adv.幽灵似地，可怕地 | |
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45
shrouds
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| n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 )；寿衣；遮蔽物；覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 )；保密 | |
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46
swirls
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| n.旋转( swirl的名词复数 )；卷状物；漩涡；尘旋v.旋转，打旋( swirl的第三人称单数 ) | |
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47
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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48
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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49
elation
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| n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意 | |
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50
fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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51
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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52
octopus
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| n.章鱼 | |
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53
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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54
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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55
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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56
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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57
impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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lateral
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| adj.侧面的，旁边的 | |
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60
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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61
tugging
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| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
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62
viscous
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| adj.粘滞的，粘性的 | |
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63
rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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64
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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65
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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66
streamline
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| vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化 | |
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67
shuffle
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| n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走 | |
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68
mermaids
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| n.（传说中的）美人鱼( mermaid的名词复数 ) | |
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69
tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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70
inquisitively
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| 过分好奇地； 好问地 | |
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71
sickle
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| n.镰刀 | |
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72
puckered
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| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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74
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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watchfully
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| 警惕地，留心地 | |
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opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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jumble
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| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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propellers
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| n.螺旋桨，推进器( propeller的名词复数 ) | |
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hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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buffeted
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| 反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去 | |
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copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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distended
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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melee
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| n.混战；混战的人群 | |
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