CHAPTER XII. THE PROFESSOR’S ADVENTURE.

Then Frank Reade, Jr.’s premise¹ proved correct. However, no open attack was made upon the Dart².

But it happened in as bad a way, in fact, much worse. Professor Gaston was out upon an exploring tour.

The professor was enriching his collection of rare fossils, and was about a quarter of a mile from the airship when attacked.

Suddenly and without warning he found himself surrounded by the Esquimaux. He blew his whistle.

The professor’s Winchester was under his arm. He could have shot a couple of them, but he knew that it would mean his instant death.

“White man gib gun to Eskimo!” said the leader. “Come along! Be prisoner. Mebbe so he live, mebbe not so, he die!”

“Hold on!” said the shrewd scientist. “Just wait until I return and I will bring you some more guns.”

“No! White man stay. Mebbe no come back. Stay here!”

Gaston saw that he was in for it. Yet he did not believe for a moment that his life was as yet in special danger.

He ransacked³ his brain in vain for a subterfuge⁴ by which to foil the Esquimaux. But each time he was disappointed.

Finally he was led away into the fir forest. A few moments more of delay and he would have been rescued by his friends.

Frank was in the engine-room when he heard the whistle of alarm.

“Quick, then!” cried Frank. “Pomp, you stay with the airship.”

Barney and Spencer grabbed their rifles and followed Frank. Soon they had reached the spot where the professor had been seized by the Esquimaux.

Their tracks were seen and understood at once by Frank.

All search was of no avail. It was known that the professor was in the hands of the Esquimaux and that was all.

Back to the airship the three men went and to work.

Meanwhile the professor was having some thrilling experiences.

As the party tramped on the professor could not help wondering what his fate was to be.

He was not left long in doubt.

Suddenly the party came out of the fir forest and were in sight of a long, level plain extending down to the sea.

And near the water’s edge were a number of huts made of brush and bark. This was the manner of habitation used by the Esquimaux of this region in lieu of ice.

Perhaps there were a hundred or more of these huts.

A vast throng⁵ of Esquimaux came out to meet them.

The prisoner was surrounded by a howling mob. Some of them seemed disposed to do him harm.

But the leader of the band kept them back in his persuasive⁶ way, by swinging his battle-club about him.

The prisoner was led down into the Esquimau settlement. His arms and legs were bound with thongs⁷, and he was unceremoniously tumbled upon the ground.

As he lay in the midst of his foes⁸ thus, the professor fell to wondering if his whistle of alarm had been heard at the airship.

If it had there was good reason to believe that he might expect help and perhaps rescue.

But as time passed and his friends did not appear he began to give up hope.

His position was becoming unendurable, when suddenly the Esquimau chief appeared and gave some orders to his men.

The prisoner was lifted and the thongs which bound his feet being severed⁹ he was commanded to stand up.

Then the Esquimau chief said, in broken English:

“White man mebbe live. He gib Eskimo man more gun and more fire dust. See?”

The professor grasped the situation.

“All right,” he said; “let me go and I’ll get the guns for you.”

But the chief smiled in a leering way.

“Eskimo no fool! White man go, mebbe stay. No come back, Eskimo be big fool.”

“Well, then, how am I to get the guns for you?” argued the professor.

“Mebbe see.”

The chief beckoned¹⁰ to one of the tribe, a muscular fellow, who came forward.

“He go tell you people he want gun, see! You tell him.”

Gaston was not disposed to be reckless.

He saw at once that if he could not gain all the pie at least a piece would be better than nothing at all.

He realized that if his friends were thus notified of his predicament they would adopt some speedy plan for his rescue.

So he said:

“Very well, chief. Send your man to my friends. They will give you guns, and then you shall set me free.”

The Esquimaux now all seemed to be waiting for the return of their courier.

Frank had just finished his job of repairing the machinery¹¹ when the Esquimaux’ messenger arrived.

“Well, you greasy¹² rascal¹³, what do you want?” he asked.

“Heap gun!” was the reply. “Mebbe you give me, mebbe no kill you man. See?”

“Ah!” said Frank, with comprehension. “You have got one of our men in your clutches, eh?”

“Yep!” replied the Esquimau.

“Come aboard this airship and I’ll go with you.”

But this did not strike the wretch¹⁴’s fancy.

“No, mebbe not,” he said, shaking his head violently. “Mebbe gib me guns!”

“Mebbe I won’t,” said Frank, sternly. “Come over, or die!”

He aimed a revolver at the villain¹⁵. The Esquimau knew what that meant and began to beg.

“Mebbe no kill me. Sabe white man. He live, no kill me!”

“You diabolical¹⁶ shark, you!” cried Frank, grabbing the miscreant’s collar. “Come aboard here, and no fooling!”

And Frank pulled him over the rail where he lay cowering¹⁷ upon the deck.

“Now, Barney,” he cried, “send her up!”

Barney needed no second command.

The airship sprang into the air. She was as steady once more as a humming top.

Over the fir forest she sped. It was hardly ten minutes before the Esquimau village was in sight.

The natives at sight of the airship seemed imbued¹⁸ with terror.

They retreated with dismay into their bough¹⁹ huts.

Frank allowed the airship to descend²⁰ right on the verge²¹ of the settlement. Then he picked up the shivering wretch on the deck and hurled²² him over the rail.

“Go tell your chief I want to see him,” he said.

In a few moments the Esquimau chief sullenly²³ appeared.

As he stood with folded arms by his bough hut Frank addressed him:

“You greasy scoundrel! You thought to make a treaty with me and force me to give you firearms, did you? Why, I’ve a mind to annihilate²⁴ the whole tribe of you!”

The Esquimau flashed a leering, contemptuous glance at Frank and replied:

“White man mebbe fly in air; but Eskimo man no ’fraid ob him.”

1 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。

2 dart   

v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲

参考例句：

• The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。
• Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。

3 ransacked   

v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺

参考例句：

• The house had been ransacked by burglars. 这房子遭到了盗贼的洗劫。
• The house had been ransacked of all that was worth anything. 屋子里所有值钱的东西都被抢去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 subterfuge   

n.诡计；藉口

参考例句：

• European carping over the phraseology represented a mixture of hypocrisy and subterfuge.欧洲在措词上找岔子的做法既虚伪又狡诈。
• The Independents tried hard to swallow the wretched subterfuge.独立党的党员们硬着头皮想把这一拙劣的托词信以为真。

5 throng   

n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集

参考例句：

• A patient throng was waiting in silence.一大群耐心的人在静静地等着。
• The crowds thronged into the mall.人群涌进大厅。

6 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

7 thongs   

的东西

参考例句：

• Things ain't what they used to be. 现在情况不比从前了。
• Things have been going badly . 事情进展得不顺利。

8 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

9 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 beckoned   

v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。
• The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

12 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

13 rascal   

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。

14 wretch   

n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人

参考例句：

• You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他，还埋怨他，真不知好歹。
• The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

15 villain   

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。

16 diabolical   

adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的

参考例句：

• This maneuver of his is a diabolical conspiracy.他这一手是一个居心叵测的大阴谋。
• One speaker today called the plan diabolical and sinister.今天一名发言人称该计划阴险恶毒。

17 cowering   

v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He turned his baleful glare on the cowering suspect. 他恶毒地盯着那个蜷缩成一团的嫌疑犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He stood over the cowering Herb with fists of fury. 他紧握着两个拳头怒气冲天地站在惊魂未定的赫伯面前。 来自辞典例句

18 imbued   

v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等）

参考例句：

• Her voice was imbued with an unusual seriousness. 她的声音里充满着一种不寻常的严肃语气。
• These cultivated individuals have been imbued with a sense of social purpose. 这些有教养的人满怀着社会责任感。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 bough   

n.大树枝，主枝

参考例句：

• I rested my fishing rod against a pine bough.我把钓鱼竿靠在一棵松树的大树枝上。
• Every bough was swinging in the wind.每条树枝都在风里摇摆。

20 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

21 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

22 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 sullenly   

不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地

参考例句：

• 'so what?" Tom said sullenly. “那又怎么样呢？”汤姆绷着脸说。
• Emptiness after the paper, I sIt'sullenly in front of the stove. 报看完，想不出能找点什么事做，只好一人坐在火炉旁生气。

24 annihilate   

v.使无效；毁灭；取消

参考例句：

• Archer crumpled up the yellow sheet as if the gesture could annihilate the news it contained.阿切尔把这张黄纸揉皱，好象用这个动作就会抹掉里面的消息似的。
• We should bear in mind that we have to annihilate the enemy.我们要把歼敌的重任时刻记在心上。