By that time Burgoyne realized that he had been over sanguine11 in his surmise12. He had not taken into account the almost inevitable13 hitches14 in his plans, and he had forgotten the now patent fact that none of them had had a good sleep for the last thirty hours.
"She'll lie there nicely," he decided15, as the anchor was let go and a stout16 warp17 taken ashore18 and made fast to a sturdy palm tree. "We'll spend the rest of the day making everything ship-shape, but I don't quite fancy sleeping aboard to-night."
The work of cleansing19 this maritime20 Augean stables proceeded with a will, for the schooner was indescribably filthy21 both on deck and below. Her paraffin motor was in a terribly neglected state, so that it was a source of wonder to Alwyn and Peter that the pirates ever succeeded in getting the engine to perform duty at all. Most of the running gear was good, having been renewed from cordage taken from the captured merchantmen; but the sails, though serviceable in light winds, did not appear to be capable of standing22 up to a stiff blow.
Of provisions they found a liberal quantity, although the quality left much to be desired. Aided by stores from the island, the new crew ought to be able to subsist23 comfortably for a month without having to reprovision the grub-lockers. Particularly acceptable were air-tight canisters of tea, coffee, and cocoa, boxes of sugar, and an unopened crate24 of condensed milk, as well as a variety of cooking utensils25.
"Knock off time!" declared Burgoyne, to the relief of his weary and tired companions, although they had no cause for complaint that he had shirked his fair share. "We'll turn in in the cave to-night, since most of our gear's there. Bring that grub along, Jasper; I'll see to the kettle and the tea-pot; Peter, you cart along the knives, and milk, sugar, and tea. We're going to surprise Miss Vivian when she wakes up."
Soon after they landed a fire was blazing merrily. While the kettle was boiling Mostyn made some tea-cups by cutting out a section of several coco-nut shells. Although there were enamelled tea-cups in plenty on board, the three men could not bring themselves to make use of them. They were not fastidious, but they drew the line at drinking out of cups used by pirates.
Compared with the food to which they had been accustomed during their captivity26 at the secret base and their subsequent escape, the meal promised to be a sumptuous27 one.
When all was in readiness they roused Hilda from her slumbers28. Beyond a slight stiffness she felt little the worse for her alarming experience. A refreshing29 sleep had driven away her headache, and, to quote her own words, she felt ready to go anywhere or do anything.
"Then, how about tea?" asked Burgoyne. "Real tea?"
Hilda looked a bit doubtful. She rather fancied that Burgoyne was "chipping her". Then she caught a whiff of the fragrant30 odour as Peter poured the boiling water on to the tea.
"Oh, how nice!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, and almost in the same breath she added anxiously: "but I hope you washed the tea-pot thoroughly31?"
The meal over, another surprise was forthcoming when Minalto proudly produced a tin of tobacco and some cigarette papers, which he had found in the after-cabin of the schooner. With unexpected dexterity32 Jasper's huge and clumsy-looking fingers rolled half a dozen cigarettes, and soon the three men were enjoying the long-denied luxury of smoking the fragrant weed; while Hilda, not to be left out in the cold, proceeded to make appetizing coco-nut cakes of flour, sugar, and grated nuts, which she baked on a piece of sheet iron over the fire.
Early next morning all hands were up and doing. Each had his or her allotted33 task: the men to overhaul34 and clean out the schooner, while Hilda baked biscuits and boiled ham for the voyage.
By noon the schooner was presentable. The decks had been scrubbed down with sand and water, the paintwork in both cabins washed down, and everything well aired. Mostyn tackled the motor, an American kerosene35 engine, taking down the four cylinders36, cleaning plugs and magneto, and overhauling37 the thoroughly dirty carburettor.
"I don't know what her consumption is," he observed to Burgoyne, "but assuming that it is three gallons an hour, we have only enough fuel for a twenty-four hours' run."
"Ought to be enough unless we strike bad luck in the way of calms," replied Alwyn. "We'll carry on under sail whenever possible, and only use the motor in cases of emergency. Think she'll fire?"
"We'll try her," said Mostyn hopefully. "We can declutch, but we can't go astern. Not that that matters very much. Flood the carburettor, old son, while I dope the cylinders. Yes, that's the petrol-tap. When she's warm we can change over to paraffin. Ready?"
A dozen swings of the starting-handle failed to produced the desired effect. The two men, perspiring38 profusely39, looked at one another more in sorrow than in anger.
"Try advancing the ignition," suggested Alwyn.
"She may back-fire," demurred40 Peter, "but I'll risk it. Give her more dope. Sure the carburettor's flooding?"
Again they swotted at turning the engine over, Peter at the fly-wheel and Burgoyne at the starting-handle.
"Obstinate41 as a mule," declared Mostyn. "Get Jasper to bear a hand, while I ''ot up them plugs'—you remember old Paterson's recipe for a refractory42 motor?"
They heated the sparking-plugs, primed them with petrol, and replaced them. Minalto at the starting-handle heaved until the veins43 in his forehead looked to be on the point of bursting, but not the faintest sign of an explosion on the part of the motor rewarded his efforts.
"I say," remarked Alwyn; "I suppose you've switched on the ignition?"
Mostyn pointed44 to the switch. The knob was down right enough.
"Swing her again, Jasper," said Burgoyne coaxingly45.
Placing his fingers on the magneto, Alwyn received what he described as a "beautiful shock".
"The mag's all right," he announced, rubbing his tingling46 elbow. "Now, once more, Jasper, while I try the plug terminals."
Not the suspicion of a spark was obtainable with any of the four plugs. Burgoyne scratched his head in his perplexity.
"Faulty insulation47, I believe," he hazarded.
"Perhaps the ignition-switch has to be up, not down," he said. "Sometimes they fit the wiring so that the current is 'shorted' and not broken by the switch. Now try."
The result surpassed expectations, for the engine back-fired, throwing the starting-handle violently against the roof and barking Minalto's knuckles48 into the bargain. But the motor was buzzing round with the precision of a steam-engine.
"Experientia docet!" exclaimed Peter, raising his voice above the din1 of the whirring machinery49.
"Ay, ay, sir," agreed Minalto, wiping the back of his hand with a piece of cotton waste. "Experience does it. Does she kick every time we'm starting her like? Ef so my name's Johnny Walker this trip."
At length Mostyn decided that the initial trial was satisfactory. The ignition was cut off, and the engine clanked into a state of coma50.
The midday meal over, the task of conveying the treasured relics51 of their stay on Swan Island from the cave to the schooner was begun. The provisions were shipped and the water-tanks replenished—the latter a tedious task, since it necessitated52 twenty journeys between the spring and the schooner By four o'clock in the afternoon, according to the schooner's chronometer53, all was in readiness to heave up anchor and get under way.
"We'll be well clear of the reefs before sundown," said Burgoyne. "If we keep her under easy canvas all night and crack on during daylight, we ought to make a fairly good passage."
Hilda was below, arranging to her requirements the after-cabin which had been allotted to her. The clanking of the winch, and the grinding of the cable as it came in link by link through the hawse-pipe, warned her that the last material bond with Swan Island was about to be broken. She hurried on deck to find the dinghy already hoisted54 inboard, and the cable almost hove short.
"Good enough for the present," exclaimed Burgoyne. "Start up, Peter. Well, Miss Vivian, we're saying good-bye to the island."
"I'm sorry—and glad," replied Hilda. "We—at least, I have had some good times on Swan Island. Until the pirates came I rather enjoyed it, although the thought that my father and the others were suffering hardships made me feel as if I were wasting time. Not that it could be helped."
For a few moments her gaze rested on the blackened slopes of the fire-devastated part of the island; then her eyes travelled in the direction of the still verdant55 part where the marauding pirates had not left their mark.
She remained silent for a little longer, feasting her eyes on the picturesque56 scene, then with a sigh she turned abruptly57 and looked resolutely58 seaward.
"All ready, skipper!" shouted Mostyn from below, as the deck quivered under the rapid impulses of the engine.
Going forward, Burgoyne assisted Minalto to break out and heave up the anchor. Then, leaving Jasper to secure the ponderous59 "mud-hook" in its proper place, Alwyn returned aft to the wheel.
"Easy ahead."
The schooner forged gently through the placid60 water. A few turns of the wheel steadied her on her course, and in a few minutes she was clear of the inlet and slipping quietly across the lagoon.
Keeping the schooner almost dead slow, Burgoyne nursed her through the narrow southern passage between the reef. Then, porting helm to avoid the ledges61 off Man-o'-War Island, he steered62 for the open sea.
Half an hour from the time of getting under way, the schooner was curtsying to the deep blue waters of the Pacific. Ahead as far as the eye could see—and much farther—was a vast expanse of ocean.
"Do you mind taking her for a few minutes, Miss Vivian?" asked Burgoyne, standing aside to let the girl grasp the spokes63 of the wheel. "Yes, south by west, please."
Then, stepping to the motor-room hatchway, he called to Mostyn.
"Finished with the engines, my festive64. All hands make sail."
For the next quarter of an hour the three men were busily engaged in hoisting65 the head-sails, since the wind was almost right aft, and then the fore- and mainsails. In view of the approach of night, they decided to dispense66 with the jib-headed top-sails. Not until the canvas was well peaked up, and the falls of the halliards neatly67 coiled down, did the crew relax their efforts, and by that time the highest part of Swan Island had vanished in the gathering68 darkness.
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1
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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tenacious
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| adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的 | |
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lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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broiling
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| adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙） | |
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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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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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hitches
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| 暂时的困难或问题( hitch的名词复数 )； 意外障碍； 急拉； 绳套 | |
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15
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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warp
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| vt.弄歪，使翘曲，使不正常，歪曲，使有偏见 | |
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18
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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cleansing
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| n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词 | |
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maritime
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| adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的 | |
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filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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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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subsist
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| vi.生存，存在，供养 | |
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crate
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| vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱 | |
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25
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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kerosene
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| n.(kerosine)煤油，火油 | |
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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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overhauling
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| n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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38
perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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40
demurred
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| v.表示异议，反对( demur的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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refractory
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| adj.倔强的，难驾驭的 | |
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43
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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44
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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45
coaxingly
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| adv. 以巧言诱哄，以甘言哄骗 | |
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46
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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47
insulation
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| n.隔离；绝缘；隔热 | |
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48
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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49
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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50
coma
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| n.昏迷，昏迷状态 | |
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51
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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52
necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
chronometer
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| n.精密的计时器 | |
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54
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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56
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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57
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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61
ledges
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| n.（墙壁，悬崖等）突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 )；（平窄的）壁架；横档；（尤指）窗台 | |
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62
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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63
spokes
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| n.（车轮的）辐条( spoke的名词复数 )；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 | |
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64
festive
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| adj.欢宴的，节日的 | |
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65
hoisting
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| 起重，提升 | |
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66
dispense
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| vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施 | |
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67
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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68
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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