Saki was sitting on the stern seat. Ned, with a gleam of satisfaction, saw that the Jap looked frightened. Indeed the weather promised to be bad enough to alarm even an experienced sailor, which Saki surely was not.
Under the dark clouds the sky was shot with an angry, lurid3, copper4 color. The sea had turned leaden and began to heave suddenly. Still Kenworth, driven by his hatred5 of Ned, kept on.
It appeared that he hardly cared what became[Pg 152] of himself or his companion, so that he could have his revenge upon Ned. As a matter of fact, Kenworth by no means liked the looks of the weather himself. But it would have been unsafe to remain ashore6 with Ned, as neither the midshipman nor Saki knew with whom he had been conversing7 during his brief liberty. For all they could tell, although it did not appear probable, an ambush8 might have been laid for them. Therefore, they had decided9 to cruise about till it grew dark.
Ned, for his part, determined10 to say nothing more. He sat on a midship seat, the handcuffs on his wrists, watching the coming storm.
The wind began to moan in an eerie11 sort of way. It sounded like the actual voice of the coming tempest. The sea began to whip up into white caps. Suddenly the black storm curtain was ripped and rent from top to bottom by a jagged streak12 of livid lightning.
Saki turned a sort of pasty green. His knees[Pg 153] almost knocked together. The motor boat was a narrow-waisted, wasp-like craft, and did not appear to be suited for heavy weather.
"Maybe so we better go back," suggested the Jap in a shaky voice. He glanced apprehensively13 at the mighty14 canopy15 of the storm overhead.
Kenworth turned on him almost savagely16.
"We'll go back when I get good and ready," he said. "I want to see how much this white-livered braggart17 can stand. Yes, I mean you, Strong."
There was a sweeping18 blast of wind. It was followed by a blinding flash and then a roar like the rumble19 of a million celestial20 chariot wheels. The Jap hid his face while the lightning seared and streaked21 the sky as if an egg had been spattered to smithereens on a blackboard. The very air smelled sulphurous.
"I—I guess we'll go back," said Kenworth.
Just then a wave struck the side of the bow and reared its white crest22 high above the tossing[Pg 154] craft. Saki sprang to his feet as the salt water came dousing23 down in a regular cloudburst. It drenched24 Kenworth to the skin and tore from the Jap a frightened shout.
"Hope you like it," grinned Ned, the only collected person on the boat. The dark frenzy25 of Kenworth's mad passion had passed and now he saw with panic-stricken eyes the danger they were in. The wind was howling furiously and the waves were piling up on every side. It seemed impossible that the lightly built craft could live much longer in the tumult26 of waters.
Saki was in a panic of fear. Crouched27 on the bottom of the boat, his yellow face looked, in the glare of the almost incessant28 lightning, like some hideous29 war-mask of the old Samurai.
Ned gazed about him. The outlook was bad, very bad. And then there were those handcuffs. If only he could get them off. He addressed the terrified Saki.
"You drop that wheel, and we'll all go to Davy Jones!" shouted Ned.—Page 155
[Pg 155]
"Here, you, take these handcuffs off. At once, do you hear me?"
He felt no fear of the groveling wretch30 at his feet. He even emphasized his remarks by a threatening gesture of his foot.
"Oh! Oh! Honorable Saki much frightened!" wailed31 the Jap.
"You contemptible32 yellow cur," snapped Ned, "brace33 up! Do you hear me? Come now, quick, the key."
The Jap actually managed to struggle to his feet and produce the key. Kenworth saw what he was doing.
"Stop that!" he yelled, and began to let go of the wheel. A shout from Ned brought him to his senses.
"You drop that wheel, and we'll all go to Davy Jones!" shouted Ned.
Kenworth gripped the spokes34 again. If ever fear was written on a face, it was on his. The thought of the death that was so near paralyzed[Pg 156] him. Perhaps he thought of that other storm off the Cuban coast when Ned had brought them safely aboard through a wilder sea than this.
The Jap's teeth chattered35 as he unfastened the handcuffs and Ned jerked his hands free.
"Now hand over that gun. Quick, now," snapped out Ned.
The Jap was so terrified that he would have done anything he was told. With hands that shook, he handed over the pistol. Ned took possession of it with grim satisfaction.
The chance that he had hoped against hope might come had arrived. He was on even terms with his foes36. But would that fact do him any good? The storm was raging so furiously that Ned, with all his optimism, could not hope that the motor craft would live through it.
The only thing to be done, as he saw it, was to run for the lee of a point of land some distance off. If they could reach this in safety, they might have a chance. If not, and the storm[Pg 157] continued to increase in violence, there was hardly one chance in a thousand for them.
The angry lightning hissed37 and crackled and the thunder boomed with ear-splitting clamor as Ned made his way forward to Kenworth's side. When he arrived there, he seized the other by the shoulder and shouted in his ear.
"Steer38 for that point yonder! It's the only chance we've got."
Kenworth, in his fear forgetting everything but the instinct of self-preservation, obediently headed the storm-stressed craft around.
It was at that moment that another sea broke upon the little vessel39.
There was a sputter40 and a series of coughs from the engine, and simultaneously41 the motor, upon which all depended, went dead.
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收听单词发音
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1
brewing
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| n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式 | |
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2
overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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3
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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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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5
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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6
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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7
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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8
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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9
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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10
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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11
eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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12
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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13
apprehensively
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| adv.担心地 | |
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14
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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15
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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16
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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17
braggart
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| n.吹牛者；adj.吹牛的，自夸的 | |
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18
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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19
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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20
celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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21
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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22
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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23
dousing
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| v.浇水在…上( douse的现在分词 )；熄灯[火] | |
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24
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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25
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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26
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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27
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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29
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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30
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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31
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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33
brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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34
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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35
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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36
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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37
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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38
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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39
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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40
sputter
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| n.喷溅声；v.喷溅 | |
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41
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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