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CHAPTER VII. A PARLEY.
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For the rest of the night the quest was kept up. It was morning before anything worthy1 of note was discovered.

Then Frank in the pilot-house flashing the light into the far depths gave a sudden start.

The object which met his gaze was certainly one well worthy of attention and interest.

He saw several forms groping about at the base of a small reef. He knew at once from their shape that they were not marine2 animals.

“On my word!” he cried, “here’s a go!”

In a moment Clifford and Hartley were by his side.

“What is it?” cried the latter.

“Look!”

Frank pointed3 to the distant objects. A startled exclamation4 burst from the lips of both men.

“Well I’m beat!” gasped5 Clifford; “they are human beings.”

Divers6!” exclaimed Hartley.

“Nothing more nor less,” said Frank. “It is quite likely that the Aurelian is just overhead.”

“That is the whole story!” cried Clifford. “They are looking for the Donna Veneta.”

Frank put on more speed.

“Well,” he said shortly, “let us run down and interview them!”

“Correct,” said Clifford. “We will ask a bit of an explanation.”

The divers were apparently7 astonished at the sudden radiance of the searchlight. They stood in a group waiting for developments.

As the submarine boat came rushing down they seemed 28alarmed, but Frank showed himself at the pilot-house windows, and made conciliatory gestures.

The submarine boat came to a halt not ten yards from the divers. No sign of the Donna Veneta’s wreck8 was visible anywhere.

“Get on a diving suit, Barney!” cried Frank. “Go out and ask them what they are doing here.”

“All roight, sor!”

Barney hastened to obey orders. But before he could leave the boat, the divers gave the signal and were pulled up rapidly to the surface.

Frank instantly reversed the tank lever. The Dolphin began to rise.

“Where are you going, Frank?” asked Clifford in surprise.

“To the surface!”

“What for?”

“I want to see whether these men are from the Aurelian or not.”

“Good!”

The Dolphin sprung up out of the deep sea. All was daylight and the sun was well up toward the meridian9.

A vessel10 lay to not one hundred yards distant. There were a group of men leaning over her rail and apparently hauling up something on lines.

These, of course, were the divers. A moment later they were pulled safely over the rail.

Frank instantly sailed nearer the Aurelian, for she it was, and made signals.

In response a man appeared in the shrouds11. He was at once recognized. It was Gilbert Parker.

“There is the old chap himself!” cried Cecil.

“Let us see what he has to say,” said Frank, as he stepped out on the deck.

It was but a moment’s work to answer the hail of Parker. The latter’s words were pitched in a snarling12 key.

“What do you want?”

“We want to have a talk with you!” cried Frank. “Come over in a small boat. You will be safe.”

“I have no business that I wish to transact13 with you.”

“Ah, but it may be to your interest to talk with us,” returned Frank. “You had better grant us an interview.”

A snarling, unintelligible14 reply came back. Then a boat put out from the Aurelian’s side and was rowed swiftly alongside the Dolphin.

Gilbert Parker and a dark-browed man stood in the bow. They stepped out on the Dolphin’s deck.

“Captain Warren,” said Parker, with a peculiar15 smile, 29as he exchanged salutes16 and introduced his companion, “he is the present sailing master of the Aurelian.”

Then he turned abruptly17 to Frank and said:

“What are you doing here?”

Frank gazed keenly at the old rascal18 for a moment, and then replied with deliberation:

“We are in search of the sunken galleon19 Donna Veneta. What are you here for?”

Parker’s gaze shifted, but he managed to make reply:

“We are here for the same purpose.”

“Do you think your course has been an honorable one?” asked Frank cuttingly.

“To the victor belongs the spoils!” was the evasive but bold reply.

“How did you know where to look for the galleon?”

“Did I not see the diagram?”

“Did you not steal it?”

“Do you mean to insult me?” snapped Parker, angrily.

“I mean to speak plainly and truthfully to you,” said Frank firmly; “the diagram disappeared that very night that it was shown to you!”

“Very substantial evidence of my guilt,” sneered20 Parker; “did any one see me take it?”

“It matters not whether any one saw you take it or not,” declared Frank, “the fact remains21 that you knew where to look for the sunken galleon, and you could not have done so without some means of guidance.”

Parker grinned impudently22.

“Well,” he said, “have I not as good a right to the gold as you?”

“No,” replied Frank, “the gold belongs rightfully to Mr. Clifford, who discovered the records of its existence. You prove yourself a thief by your underhand methods in trying to get it.”

“You dare to call me a thief?” cried Parker hotly.

“You are worse than a thief! You are capable of any crime!”

Something in Frank’s steely eye held the villain23 at bay. He glared at him madly for some moments, and then said:

“I do not intend that anybody else shall recover that treasure. I have come down into these waters for it and I intend to find it. If you interfere24 with me I shall blow you into atoms. You may take the warning!”

“Really,” said Frank, with a smile. “You are quite a bully25, Mr. Parker. Be sure of your strength before you venture to make threats. As for the Donna Veneta’s gold it is not a certainty that it can ever be found or recovered by either of us. However, if it is found we shall claim it by 30right of Mr. Clifford’s just claim, and you will not dare to deny it. Let this terminate the interview. Good-day!”

Frank turned on his heel and went into the cabin.

Parker stood a moment the personification of rage and hatred26. Then he shook his fist at Frank’s retreating form, and hissed27:

“We shall see! Gilbert Parker never fails. Beware!”

With which he turned and stepped into his own boat. He was rowed back to the Aurelian.

Frank, in the pilot-house, closed the doors, and then pressed the lever which caused the Dolphin to sink.

Down she settled rapidly until finally she rested upon the sandy bottom of the sea.

“Now,” he said, “we will proceed to search for the Donna Veneta.”

“If it is our good fortune to find the galleon’s gold, is there not danger that we may have trouble with Parker?” asked Clifford.

“I don’t see how he can trouble us!” said Frank. “We are out of his way and can keep so. If I were so inclined I could sink his ship now.”

“It would be a mercy!” declared Hartley. “I have no grudge28 against the ship. It is only the owner!”

“Wait!” said Frank decidedly. “You will see that his fate will yet overtake him. I have never seen it fail. Rascality29 is bound to meet its just reward!”

Preparations were made for renewing the search for the galleon.

As full two hundred years had elapsed since she had gone to the bottom, it was likely that she was buried somewhat in the sand.

This drifting for two centuries over her hull30 might indeed have completely covered her up.

The only way, therefore, to make sure of her discovery was to search for some part of her rigging or hull, which might yet project itself above the sand, or at least the finding of some object which might guide them as to her exact location.

To be sure this seemed somewhat like looking for a needle in a haystack, but yet the search was carried on.

Barney and Clifford were selected to accompany Frank. Pomp and Hartley were to manipulate the searchlight aboard the Dolphin.

And thus the quest, began.

Donning their diving suits, the three searchers left the Dolphin. They made their way over the sandy floor armed with spades.

It was a close and careful search which they proceeded to

31And after wandering some distance from the Dolphin, Frank made the first important discovery.

He saw an object wedged in a projecting spur of coral. He extricated31 and examined it.

It was the rusted32 hilt of a sword. But little was left of the ivory grip, but the steel and gold frame was intact.

In an instant Barney and Clifford were by his side.

They placed their helmets together and Clifford shouted:

“You have made a discovery of value, Frank.”

“Yes, I think I have,” replied the young inventor.

“Perhaps the ship is right under us at this moment?”

“I think it would be well to dig down a bit and see what is beneath us,” said Frank.

“Whurro! Here goes thin!” cried Barney, thrusting his spade into the sand. He turned up a spadeful.

Then his spade struck something solid. An object was brought to view. It was stationary33.

“What is it?” asked Clifford.

Frank bent34 down and examined it. Then he arose and said:

“It is the stump35 of a ship’s mast. On my word, friends, I believe the galleon lies buried beneath us.”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
2 marine 77Izo     
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵
参考例句:
  • Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
3 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
4 exclamation onBxZ     
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词
参考例句:
  • He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
  • The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号,以引起读者的注意。
5 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
6 divers hu9z23     
adj.不同的;种种的
参考例句:
  • He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人,要他们和他作伴。
  • Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作,同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。
7 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
8 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
9 meridian f2xyT     
adj.子午线的;全盛期的
参考例句:
  • All places on the same meridian have the same longitude.在同一子午线上的地方都有相同的经度。
  • He is now at the meridian of his intellectual power.他现在正值智力全盛期。
10 vessel 4L1zi     
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管
参考例句:
  • The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
  • You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。
11 shrouds d78bcaac146002037edd94626a00d060     
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
参考例句:
  • 'For instance,' returned Madame Defarge, composedly,'shrouds.' “比如说,”德伐日太太平静地回答,“裹尸布。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
  • Figure 3-10 illustrates the result of a study or conical shrouds. 图3-10表明了对锥形外壳的研究结果。 来自辞典例句
12 snarling 1ea03906cb8fd0b67677727f3cfd3ca5     
v.(指狗)吠,嗥叫, (人)咆哮( snarl的现在分词 );咆哮着说,厉声地说
参考例句:
  • "I didn't marry you," he said, in a snarling tone. “我没有娶你,"他咆哮着说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • So he got into the shoes snarling. 于是,汤姆一边大喊大叫,一边穿上了那双鞋。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
13 transact hn8wE     
v.处理;做交易;谈判
参考例句:
  • I will transact my business by letter.我会写信去洽谈业务。
  • I have been obliged to see him;there was business to transact.我不得不见他,有些事物要处理。
14 unintelligible sfuz2V     
adj.无法了解的,难解的,莫明其妙的
参考例句:
  • If a computer is given unintelligible data, it returns unintelligible results.如果计算机得到的是难以理解的数据,它给出的也将是难以理解的结果。
  • The terms were unintelligible to ordinary folk.这些术语一般人是不懂的。
15 peculiar cinyo     
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
参考例句:
  • He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
  • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
16 salutes 3b734a649021fe369aa469a3134454e3     
n.致敬,欢迎,敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎,致敬( salute的第三人称单数 );赞扬,赞颂
参考例句:
  • Poulengey salutes, and stands at the door awaiting orders. 波仑日行礼,站在门口听侯命令。 来自辞典例句
  • A giant of the world salutes you. 一位世界的伟人向你敬礼呢。 来自辞典例句
17 abruptly iINyJ     
adv.突然地,出其不意地
参考例句:
  • He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
  • I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
18 rascal mAIzd     
n.流氓;不诚实的人
参考例句:
  • If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做,我就认为他是个恶棍。
  • The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。
19 galleon GhdxC     
n.大帆船
参考例句:
  • The story of a galleon that sank at the start of her maiden voyage in 1628 must be one of the strangest tales of the sea.在1628年,有一艘大帆船在处女航开始时就沉没了,这个沉船故事一定是最神奇的海上轶事之一。
  • In 1620 the English galleon Mayfolwer set out from the port of Southampton with 102 pilgrims on board.1620年,英国的“五月花”号西班牙式大帆船载着102名
20 sneered 0e3b5b35e54fb2ad006040792a867d9f     
讥笑,冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
  • It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。
21 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
22 impudently 98a9b79b8348326c8a99a7e4043464ca     
参考例句:
  • She was his favorite and could speak to him so impudently. 她是他的宠儿,可以那样无礼他说话。 来自教父部分
  • He walked into the shop and calmly (ie impudently and self-confidently) stole a pair of gloves. 他走进商店若无其事地偷了一副手套。 来自辞典例句
23 villain ZL1zA     
n.反派演员,反面人物;恶棍;问题的起因
参考例句:
  • He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
  • The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。
24 interfere b5lx0     
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰
参考例句:
  • If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
  • When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。
25 bully bully     
n.恃强欺弱者,小流氓;vt.威胁,欺侮
参考例句:
  • A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
  • The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
26 hatred T5Gyg     
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨
参考例句:
  • He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
  • The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。
27 hissed 2299e1729bbc7f56fc2559e409d6e8a7     
发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 ); 发嘘声表示反对
参考例句:
  • Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过?
  • The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。
28 grudge hedzG     
n.不满,怨恨,妒嫉;vt.勉强给,不情愿做
参考例句:
  • I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
  • I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。
29 rascality d42e2a118789a8817fa597e13ed4f92d     
流氓性,流氓集团
参考例句:
30 hull 8c8xO     
n.船身;(果、实等的)外壳;vt.去(谷物等)壳
参考例句:
  • The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
  • The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。
31 extricated d30ec9a9d3fda5a34e0beb1558582549     
v.使摆脱困难,脱身( extricate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The meeting seemed to be endless, but I extricated myself by saying I had to catch a plane. 会议好象没完没了,不过我说我得赶飞机,才得以脱身。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She extricated herself from her mingled impulse to deny and guestion. 她约束了自己想否认并追问的不可明状的冲动。 来自辞典例句
32 rusted 79e453270dbdbb2c5fc11d284e95ff6e     
v.(使)生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I can't get these screws out; they've rusted in. 我无法取出这些螺丝,它们都锈住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • My bike has rusted and needs oil. 我的自行车生锈了,需要上油。 来自《简明英汉词典》
33 stationary CuAwc     
adj.固定的,静止不动的
参考例句:
  • A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
  • Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。
34 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
35 stump hGbzY     
n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走
参考例句:
  • He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
  • He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。


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