Great had been their surprise, when, some four days before we encountered them on the train for Miller's Haven, their commander, Captain Dunham, of the Dreadnought Manhattan, had sent for them. Both lads, as readers of other volumes of this series know, had already gained high non-commissioned ratings.
Captain Dunham's unexpected summons had come on the eve of the long-looked-for "siege" of New York harbor. The Red fleet to which the[Pg 15] Manhattan had been commissioned as flagship, was to have the task of attacking the harbor at the gates of Long Island Sound. The Blue squadron was to have the defense3 of the port. Final arrangements for the biggest naval4 war game of its kind ever attempted had been made, with an attention to detail and probable actual conditions of a sea attack on the harbor which was little short of marvelous.
With wireless5, big guns, Argand signals, torpedoes7 and submarines every effort was to be made to duplicate as perfectly8 as possible conditions of a real attack. The newspapers had been carrying columns of copy concerning the big war game, and public interest was wrought9 to its highest pitch.
But it was in the navy itself that enthusiasm ran the highest. Strategists from all over the world were to be present, and elaborate precautions had been taken to insure Uncle Sam's carefully guarded naval secrets from leaking out.[Pg 16] In this connection, what practically amounted to a Secret Service had been established, both on board the great sea-fighters of the two squadrons and also at the twin forts, Totten and Schuyler, which guard the Sound entrance to the East River and the port of New York.
Such, as has been said, was the interesting eve of "hostilities10" which prevailed, when to Ned and Herc came the orders to report aft in the commander's quarters at once.
The Manhattan lay in the Brooklyn navy yard being groomed11, like a thoroughbred on the eve of a great race, for the important part she was to play as the flagship of the Red fleet. Jackies, every one of them with an alert and keen pride in his work, were dismantling13 and fitting the big craft till everything about her grim, slate-colored hull14 was attuned15 to the condition in which she would be placed were she actually answering a summons to defend the Empire City from the invasion of a foreign foe16.
[Pg 17]
Captain Dunham sat in his cabin in the midst of a great pile of documents of all kinds. The pictures and other objects usually to be found adorning17 the commander's comfortable quarters were missing. The cabin had been stripped and everything breakable packed away, just as would have been the case had the Manhattan been going to steam out and engage an actual foe. This had been done so that the earthquake-like shock and tremble of the mighty18 broadsides,—the grim fangs19 of this sea bulldog,—might not work havoc20 with breakable things.
The two young non-commissioned officers were passed by the orderly and then stood smartly at attention, trim heels together, bright eyes looking straight in front of them till the commander looked up from some departmental papers he was perusing21.
During this interval22 they had time to notice that a tall, slender, alertly-built man, with threads of gray in his dark hair, was seated near the[Pg 18] commander. He eyed the boys interestedly with the critical air of a man who is in the habit of making swift appraisal23 of those with whom he comes in contact.
His keen gray eyes swept the two well-built, clean-cut and reliable-looking young sailors with a look that appeared to spell approval. As a matter of fact, the assistant secretary of the navy, for such was the office of Commander Dunham's companion, was deeply interested in his inspection24 of the two lads of whom he had heard much.
It will be recalled that not long after they entered the service of Uncle Sam and deeded their lives to the flag, Ned and Herc had had an opportunity to distinguish themselves.
How they foiled a desperate plot against the navy, then assembled in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, at the naval base established there, and also their conspicuous25 bravery in the panic that followed a disastrous26 "flare-back" in a thirteen-inch[Pg 19] turret27, were told, with many other of their adventures, in the first volume of this series, "The Dreadnought Boys on Battle Practice."
In the next book, devoted28 to describing the lives of the spruce young jack12-tars of to-day on board the big, drab sea-fighters, we followed the lads through a long siege of mystery and intrigue29, intermingled with plenty of stern fighting. This book was called "The Dreadnought Boys Aboard a Destroyer."
Grim as the name of "destroyer" that she bore was the Beale; and when she was despatched to South America with the duty of straightening out a peculiar30 international tangle31 confronting her commander, the boys were detailed32 to duty on board her. In the midst of a revolution, involving the lives and property of American citizens, they played their parts right well, and by a display of clever strategy turned a defeat, which had seemed imminent34 to the interests amicable35 to the Americans, into a brilliant victory.[Pg 20] Readers of that volume will not soon forget the defense of the hill, with the battery of machine guns breathing flame and destruction from their iron throats.
"The Dreadnought Boys on a Submarine" showed an intimate picture of naval life on a diving torpedo6 boat. In realistic detail all that befell the lads on the surface and in the depths of old ocean was related, and their many adventures were faithfully set forth36. As in previous chapters of their lives, the boys were not found wanting when perils37 and dangers called for quick, decisive action and cool, alert minds. In the submarine service they added new laurels38 to their already growing fame, and moved up more steps on the long ladder of promotion39.
When the navy department began its experiments with aeroplanes as important auxiliaries40 to modern battleships, Ned and Herc were among the first in the fleet to volunteer, although such service involved the signing of a grim paper[Pg 21] which absolved41 the government of all responsibility for the naval aviator's life. As might be expected, the lads found things by no means tame in the aero squad2. Ned's great feat33 of landing on a battleship,—a common enough maneuver42 now,—was long talked of in the fleet after the boy had successfully made the first attempt in the history of the world to accomplish such a thing.
Naturally, too, the boys who had worked so ambitiously for name and fame had made enemies among small-minded and envious43 men. These foes44 made things exciting for the lads for a time; but in the end both Ned and Herc righted themselves and were vindicated45 from a severe charge which had resulted from the machinations of those who disliked them. This book, which was called "The Dreadnought Boys on Aero Service," teemed46 with incident and shifting scenes. Much attention was paid to the manipulation and flying of modern aeroplanes, and the[Pg 22] book was instructive as well as interesting.
The famous "Round the World Cruise of the American Navy," a voyage that will go down in history as one of the most effective demonstrations47 of sea power ever made, formed the theme of the succeeding volume, which was "The Dreadnought Boys' World Cruise." As petty officers of the first rank, Ned and Herc found many opportunities to distinguish themselves. Jack ashore48 is sometimes a difficult proposition to handle, and Ned, as a non-commissioned officer, had much responsibility to shoulder. In carrying out his duties he incurred49 the enmity of some of those he had been obliged to discipline, and a thrilling adventure in the pyramids of Egypt was the result.
Then, too, Ned and Herc met with many other experiences in the various countries the fleet visited, including a laughable predicament on the Rock of Gibraltar, when, through the stupidity of an over-officious British army sergeant,[Pg 23] they were compelled to spend some hours in a dungeon50 excavated51 in the rock. Herc solved the problem of escape and unlocked the dungeon doors by means of wig-wagged signals to the fleet, lying at anchor below the rock.
And now you are better acquainted with Ned Strong and Herc Taylor, and can understand, by perusal52 of the preceding long but necessary digression, just why it was that they were admired and loved by their shipmates and respected by their officers; and why, too, Captain Dunham should have singled them out for the duty to which he was about to assign them.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
haven
|
|
| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
squad
|
|
| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
defense
|
|
| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
naval
|
|
| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
wireless
|
|
| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
torpedo
|
|
| n.水雷，地雷；v.用鱼雷破坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
torpedoes
|
|
| 鱼雷( torpedo的名词复数 )； 油井爆破筒； 刺客； 掼炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
wrought
|
|
| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
hostilities
|
|
| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
groomed
|
|
| v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的过去式和过去分词 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
jack
|
|
| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
dismantling
|
|
| （枪支）分解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
hull
|
|
| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
attuned
|
|
| v.使协调( attune的过去式和过去分词 )；调音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
foe
|
|
| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
adorning
|
|
| 修饰，装饰物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
fangs
|
|
| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
havoc
|
|
| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
perusing
|
|
| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的现在分词 )；（尤指）细阅；审阅；匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览（某篇文字） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
interval
|
|
| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
appraisal
|
|
| n.对…作出的评价；评价，鉴定，评估 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
inspection
|
|
| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
conspicuous
|
|
| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
disastrous
|
|
| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
turret
|
|
| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
devoted
|
|
| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
intrigue
|
|
| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
peculiar
|
|
| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
tangle
|
|
| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
detailed
|
|
| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
feat
|
|
| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
imminent
|
|
| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
amicable
|
|
| adj.和平的，友好的；友善的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
perils
|
|
| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
laurels
|
|
| n.桂冠，荣誉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
promotion
|
|
| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
auxiliaries
|
|
| n.助动词 ( auxiliary的名词复数 )；辅助工，辅助人员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
absolved
|
|
| 宣告…无罪，赦免…的罪行，宽恕…的罪行( absolve的过去式和过去分词 )； 不受责难，免除责任 [义务] ,开脱（罪责） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
maneuver
|
|
| n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
envious
|
|
| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
foes
|
|
| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
vindicated
|
|
| v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
teemed
|
|
| v.充满( teem的过去式和过去分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
demonstrations
|
|
| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
ashore
|
|
| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
incurred
|
|
| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
dungeon
|
|
| n.地牢，土牢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
excavated
|
|
| v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
perusal
|
|
| n.细读，熟读；目测 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |