Stores sufficient to last two years were aboard the boat. She was in apple-pie order, her dynamos being ready to start at an instant’s notice.
She rocked lightly in the tank, and as Hartley and Clifford went aboard of her they were enthused.
“By the great whale!” cried the captain, “she’s the neatest sea craft I have ever seen.”
“A floating palace!” declared Clifford. “Mr. Reade, this is no ordinary invention.”
“Well,” admitted Frank, “she quite excels anything I have yet manufactured, I admit. Yet I think I can excel her merits.”
11Hartley looked incredulous.
“It does not seem possible,” he said. “And yet I cannot dispute you, Mr. Reade. I think anything is quite possible for you.”
Frank bowed modestly at this profuse2 compliment. Then they all repaired to the office again.
A day was agreed upon for the start, and all hands were to be ready at that time.
It was believed that the Donna Veneta could be found even without the important diagram left by Don Cristobal.
As she was a submarine boat, this seemed plausible3 enough.
“At any rate,” declared Clifford, “if we can do no better, we can go into the interior of Honduras and look up the record in the ruin again.”
“But if Parker abstracted the diagram, what was his purpose?” asked Frank.
The trio exchanged glances.
“Perhaps he thinks of getting in ahead of us with the Aurelian,” ventured Hartley: “it is just like the old hypocrite.”
“Indeed, that is so,” agreed Clifford.
But Frank Reade, Jr., frowned.
“It will bother him some to locate the Donna Veneta before we do,” he said. “It is possible that he can do it, but I don’t believe it.”
So the matter was dropped.
The spirits of the fortune hunters were high.
They could not restrain their exuberance4. That night Hartley and Clifford went back to New York to complete their preparations.
In three days the Dolphin was to begin its submarine voyage for the Gulf5. On the afternoon of the second day Hartley picked up a daily paper, and as is always a sea captain’s wont6, glanced over the shipping7 news.
He gave a sudden wild start.
“Great whales!” he gasped9; “just look at this.”
He placed his finger on an item. Clifford read it:
“S’ld: Thursday, June 5th, the ship Aurelian, Captain Jed Moore, for the West Indies and Central American ports.”
The two men looked stupefied. Then Hartley raised his finger significantly.
“Just as true as you live, Cecil Clifford, that old scoundrel is going to try and recover the Donna Veneta’s treasure.”
“But he has no right to it!”
12“What does he care?”
“It would be the act of a thief.”
“That is just what he is.”
Hartley was thoughtful for some while. He knew that the Aurelian would have a day’s start of the Dolphin. But could she beat her to Honduras?
If Parker really had the diagram he certainly had an advantage, for he could at once locate the treasure.
“Well, there is one thing about it,” said Cecil resolutely10, “if we run against him in those waters there will be likely to be trouble.”
“You are right.”
“I don’t believe Frank Reade, Jr., will take any of their impudence11.”
“Nor I.”
“Perhaps we had better let him know about this at once. Shall we wire him?”
“Better see him in person. Can we not be all ready to start for Readestown to-day?”
“I see no reason against it.”
“By all means let us go.”
It did not require much time for the two excited men to get all in readiness for an early start.
Frank Reade, Jr., was not a little surprised when he heard the report of Parker’s conduct.
“There is no doubt but that he has gone to Honduras to recover the treasure,” he said, “but we will beat him at that game.”
“Good!” cried Hartley and Clifford in chorus. “We knew what your sentiments would be, Mr. Reade.”
“Well, that is just what they are,” said the young inventor resolutely. “We will make trouble for Mr. Parker. He is entitled to no part of the Veneta’s treasure nor shall he have it.”
The Dolphin was in apple-pie order and ready for the start. A few hours later all were aboard.
We will not dwell upon the leave-taking of Readestown. A large crowd wished the submarine navigators God-speed.
The Dolphin a few days later sailed the waters of the Gulf, and was rapidly on her way to Honduras.
Thus far she had sailed most of the distance on the surface. Now, however, Frank decided12 to proceed the rest of the way under the water.
So he pressed the valve which filled the reservoir, and the boat at once began to sink.
Down she settled gracefully13 beneath the waves.
In spite of themselves the voyagers could not help but feel a curious thrill as they went below the surface, and knew that they were going to the bottom of the sea.
13There was a brief instant of darkness.
Then Frank touched the electric lever and—presto! the interior of the boat was ablaze14 with light.
And outside the radiance shed far and wide into the sea depths. Myriads15 of fish came trooping down through the translucent16 mass.
They were of thousands of shapes, colors and varieties. Some of them were so large as to threaten the safety of the boat.
But fortunately these large ones were great cowards, and kept at a safe distance from the boat.
Frank turned on the searchlight and sent its rays shooting down into the depths.
As yet the bottom could not be seen.
“Are we getting down to the center of the earth?” cried Hartley; “it must be an immense depth here!”
“I see nothing of the bottom yet!” cried Clifford. “Can the little boat stand the strain, Frank?”
The young inventor knit his brows.
“Why, I think so,” he said, but yet looked anxious, for the Dolphin was creaking and groaning17 somewhat; “the bottom must be near. Ah, there, I can see it!”
And a wonderful sight it was which burst upon the view of all at that moment.
The bottom of the sea.
They were sure at that moment that they were the only human beings who had ever beheld18 it at that depth.
It was like a view into another and strange world.
To adequately describe it would be quite impossible.
There were forests of marine1 plants, some of them gigantic in size, cavernous recesses19, the lurking20 place of strange sea monsters, and coral reefs deeply submerged in sand.
The Dolphin sailed over this wonderful scene, while the voyagers took it all in spellbound.
“If the Veneta is sunk in such a sea as this,” declared Clifford, “it will be difficult enough to get at her on account of the marine growth.”
“You are right,” agreed Hartley. “What do you think of it, Frank?”
“Well,” said the young inventor, after some thought, “I hardly believe that the sea which the Veneta is buried in is of the same sort as this. While the Gulf of Honduras is undoubtedly21 rich in marine growth, yet I believe that there are greater tracts22 of sandy plain and coral reef. Let us hope to find the Veneta in such.”
“Amen!” cried Clifford. “We will accept no other belief anyway!”
The Dolphin kept on for miles sailing over the forest of marine growth.
14Had the voyagers felt the inclination23 there would have been no open space for a safe descent.
For to risk a descent among the tangled24 fibers25 and branches of the marine plants would be worse than folly26. Powerful as the Dolphin was, she might not be able to extricate27 herself.
For hours the submarine boat kept on in this way.
Barney was at the helm, while Frank and Hartley and Clifford sat in the cabin and discussed the subject of locating the Veneta.
Barney kept his hand on the Dolphin’s wheel and a sharp lookout29 out of the window at the same time.
Pomp had been at work in the galley30.
He had finished his cooking and for a moment stood looking out of his window at the curious sights which seemed to pass in review before him.
Suddenly he heard Barney in the pilot-house above calling him.
“Shure, naygur, an’ phwere is the heart av yez? Can yez bear to see me stharve, yez ill-mannered coon yez?”
“Huh!” grunted31 Pomp. “Why didn’t yo’ say yo’ was hungry?”
“Bejabers, yez have only to luk at me to see that.”
“Yo’ am right dar, I’sh; wha’ yo’ loike fo’ to eat?”
“Shure I’ll take it in liquid form if yez don’t moind.”
“Yo’ want some consomme, den8?”
“Divil a bit! Yez know phat’s best to warrum the cockles av me heart.”
Pomp chuckled32.
“I done fink I undahstan’ yo’,” he said. “I brung yo’ up some dreckly.”
Pomp reached down behind the flour bin28 and brought forth33 from the darkness a black bottle.
The label on it read:
Good Bourbon Whisky.
Now everybody knows the Irishman’s weakness; the Englishman imbibes34 ale, the German drinks beer, the Frenchman sips35 wine, the American brandy, but the true bred Celt despises all of these, and turns to whisky.
Pomp poured a good dose of the pure article into a small flask36; then he did something else.
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1
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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profuse
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| adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的 | |
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plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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exuberance
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| n.丰富；繁荣 | |
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5
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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6
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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7
shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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8
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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9
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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10
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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ablaze
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| adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的 | |
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myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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16
translucent
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| adj.半透明的；透明的 | |
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17
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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18
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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19
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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20
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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22
tracts
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| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
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23
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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24
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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25
fibers
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| 光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质 | |
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26
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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extricate
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| v.拯救，救出；解脱 | |
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28
bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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29
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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30
galley
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| n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇； | |
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31
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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32
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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34
imbibes
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| v.吸收( imbibe的第三人称单数 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
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35
sips
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| n.小口喝，一小口的量( sip的名词复数 )v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的第三人称单数 ) | |
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36
flask
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| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
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