NIGHT, and storm, and darkness! There, in their giddy perch in the mizzen-top, stood that despairing little band. Gradually all the scene was lost to view in thick darkness. But beneath, the ship tossed and pitched wildly, groaning6 and creaking as before, and the big waves beat in fury on her bows, or fell in thunder on her quarter-deck. Looking down, they saw the phosphorescent gleam of the boiling waters, which made all the extent of the ship luminous8 with a baleful lustre9, and wide over the seas extended the same glow. Well it was for them that they had sought this place of retreat, or rather that this place of retreat had been left open to them, for clinging to the rigging would have exhausted10 their strength, and through those long hours more than one might have fallen into the sea. But as it was they could have something like rest, and, by changing their positions, find relief for their wearied frames.
Yet this place had its own terrors, which were fully11 equal to any others. The wind howled fearfully through the rigging, and as the ship pitched and tossed, the mast strained and quivered in unison12. Often and often it seemed to them that the strained mast would suddenly snap and go over the side, or, if not, that in its violent jerks it might hurl13 them all over to destruction. More than once they thought of guarding against this last danger by following Pat’s example, and binding14 themselves to the rigging; but they were deterred15 from this by the fear of the mast falling, in which case they, too, would be helpless. Fortunate it was for them that there were no sails. These had long since been rent away; but had they been here now, or had the wind taken any stronger hold of the masts, they must have gone by the board.
Often and often, as some larger wave than usual struck the ship, the feeling came that all was over, and that now, at last, her break-up was beginning; often and often, as she sank far down, and the waters rolled over her quarter, and held her there, the fear came to them that at last her hour had come—that she was sinking; and with this fear they looked down, expecting to see the waters rise to where they were standing16. And then, in every one of these moments of deadly fear, they raised, as before, their cries to Him who is able to save.
So passed away hour after hour, until the duration of time seemed endless, and it was to all of them as though they had spent days in their place of peril17, instead of hours only.
At length they became sensible of a diminution18 in the power of the wind. At first they hardly dared to believe it, but after a time it became fully evident that such was the case. The cessation of the wind at once relieved the ship very materially, though the sea was still high, and the waters below relaxed but little from their rage. But the cessation of the wind filled them all with hope, and they now awaited, with something like firmness, the subsidence of the waves.
That subsidence did come, and was gradually evident. It was slow, yet it was perceptible. They first became aware that those giant waves no longer fell in thunder upon the quarter-deck, and that the ship no longer seemed to be dragged down into those deep, watery19 abysses into which they had formerly20 seemed to be descending22.
“There’s no mistake about it, boys,” said Bruce at length, in tones that were tremulous with fervent23 joy; “the storm is going down.”
This was the first word that had been spoken for hours, and the sound of these spoken words itself brought joy to all hearts. The spell was broken. The horror vanished utterly24 from their souls.
“Yes,” cried Bart, in tones as tremulous as those of Bruce, and from the same cause,—“yes, the worst is over!”
“I don’t mind this pitching,” said Tom; “it seems familiar. I think to-night has been equal to my night in the Bay of Fundy—only it hasn’t been so long, and it’s seemed better to have you fellows with me than being alone.”
“I had a hard time in the woods,” said Phil, “but this has been quite equal to it.”
“Pat,” said Arthur, “you’ve been doing the mummy long enough. You’d better untie25 now, and lie down.”
“Sure an it’s meself that’ll be the proud lad to do that same,” said Pat, “for it’s fairly achin I am all over, so it is.”
With these words Pat tried to unbind himself. But this was not so easy. He had been leaning his whole weight against the ropes, and his hands were quite numb26. The other boys had to help him. This was a work of some difficulty, but it was accomplished27 at last, and poor Pat sank down groaning, and he never ceased to sigh and groan7 till morning.
Several hours now passed. The sea subsided28 steadily29, until at length its motion was comparatively trifling30, not more than enough to cause a perpendicular31 pitch to the ship of a few feet, and to send a few waves occasionally over the deck. Wearied and worn out, the boys determined32 to descend21 to the quarter-deck, so as to lie down. Pat was unable to make the descent; so Bart remained with him, and curled himself up alongside of him on the mizzen-top. The other boys went down, and Solomon also.
Everything there was wet, but as the boys also were saturated33, it made but little difference. They flung themselves down anywhere, and soon were fast asleep.
But in the main-top Pat was groaning in his pain. The blood was rushing back into his benumbed limbs, and causing exquisite34 suffering. Bart tried to soothe35 him, and rubbed and chafed36 his arms and hands and feet and legs for hours.
At last Pat grew easier, though still suffering somewhat from pricking37 sensations in his arms and legs, and Bart was allowed to rest from his labors38.
And now, as Bart leaned back, he became aware of a very peculiar39 sound, which excited all his attention.
It was a droning sound, with a deep, swelling40 cadence41, and not long in duration; but it rose, and pealed42 forth43, and died away, to be followed by other sounds precisely44 similar—regular, recurrent, and sounding all abroad. It was nothing like the roar of the waves, nor the singing of the wind through the rigging; it was something different from these, yet in this darkness, and to this listener, not less terrible.
Bart knew it. The sound was familiar to his ears. There was only one sound in Nature of that character, nor could it be imitated by any other. It was the long sound of the surf falling upon the shore.
The surf!
What did that mean?
It meant that land was near. And what land?
There was only one land that this could tell of—it was that land which they had been approaching for days; the land which they had watched so closely all the previous day, and to which at evening they had been drawn45 so near. The name of the land he could not know, but he had seen it, and he remembered its drear and desolate46 aspect, its iron-bound shores, its desert forests. It was upon this shore that the surf was beating which now he heard, and the loudness of that sound told him how near it must be.
It seemed to him that it could not be more than half a mile away at the farthest.
And the ship was drifting on!
This first discovery was a renewal47 of his despair. He could only find comfort in the thought that the sea had subsided so greatly. What ought he now to do?
Ought he to awake the boys and tell them? He hesitated.
Pat had by this time fallen asleep, worn out with weariness and pain. Bart had not the heart to wake him just yet.
Suddenly there was an opening in the sky overhead, and through a rift in the clouds the moon beamed forth. Bart started up and looked all around. The morn disclosed the scene.
The sea had grown much calmer, and the waves that now tossed about their spray over its surface were as nothing compared to those which had beat upon the ship during the night. This was probably due, as Bart thought, to the shelter of some headland which acted as a breakwater. For as he looked he saw the land now full before him. He had conjectured48 rightly from the sound of the surf, and he now saw that this land could not be much more than a half mile away.
This confirmation49 of his worst fears overcame him. He started to his feet, and stood clinging to the rigging, and looking at the land.
How near! how fearfully near! And every moment was drawing the ship nearer. And what sort of a shore was that? Was it all rocky, or was it smooth sand? The waves were high enough there to create a tremendous surf. Did that surf fall on breakers, or did it fall on some gentle beach? This he could not tell. In vain he strained his eyes. He could see the white line of foaming50 surf, and beyond this the dark hills, or cliffs, but more than this he could make out nothing definite. But the shore was so near that their fate could not be very long delayed, and he determined to wake the boys at once, leaving Pat to sleep a little longer.
With this intention he prepared to descend. But scarce had he put one foot over, when he saw a shadowy figure close by.
“Mas’r Bart,” said a voice.
It was Solomon.
“I see you a movin about, an I jes thought I’d come up to see how you was a gittin along,” said Solomon.
“Did you see the land?” asked Bart, in agitated51 tones.
“De lan! Sartin sure—seen it dese four hours. Ben a watchin it ebber so long.”
“What! Why didn’t you wake us before?”
“Wake you? Not me. What de use ob dat ar? I ben kine o’ watchin, an kine o’ canterin round all de time, seein dat de tings are all straight; an I got de galley52 stove in prime order, an if youns don’t get de bes breakfas you ebber eat, den2 I’m a useless ole nigga. Sho, now; go away. Leab tings to me, I tell you.”
“Breakfast!” cried Bart, in amazement53. “Why, we’ll drift ashore54 in a few minutes. Don’t you see how near we are? What shall we do? Is the boat gone?”
Solomon put his head back for a few minutes, and chuckled55 to himself in a kind of ecstasy56.
“De boat? O, yes, de boat’s all right. Held on tight as a drum—de boat an de galley stove.”
“O, then,” said Bart, “come, let’s wake the boys, and get her out at once. It isn’t too rough for her here. We must get some pieces of wood for paddles.”
“O, dere’s lashins ob time; neber you mind,” said Solomon. “You jes lie down an finish your nap, an leab de res to me.”
“But we’re drifting ashore. In a quarter of an hour we’ll be among the breakers.”
“O, no, Mas’r Bart; not in a good many quarter ob an hours.”
“But the shore’s only half a mile away.”
“I know it,” said Solomon; “an it’s ben jes dat, ar distums off for de las four hour an more.”
“What!”
“Dat’s so. I ben a watchin. Hadn’t I tole you dat ar?”
“But the ship’s afloat. She isn’t aground. She must be drifting in.”
“Dat ar conclusium don’t foller as a nessary suc-cumstance,” said Solomon, with dignity.
“Why, what prevents her from drifting?” asked Bart, in a puzzle..
“De simplest ting in de world,” said Solomon—“her anchor.”
“Her anchor! O,” cried Bart, as a flood of light burst in upon his mind, and dispelled57 all the darkness of his despair; “her anchor! O, I begin to understand.”
“Tell you what,” said Solomon; “when I fust heard dat ar surf I was in a quandary58, mind I tell you. Gib all up. Was jes about to rouse youns. But fust an foremost I went to see about de boat. Found dat all right an tight. Den I got a belayum pin an tored off some strips ob wood for paddles. Den I waited to see how we was a goin. Well, arter waitin for ebber so long, de surf didn’t get any nearer. Tell you what; dat ar succumstance puzzled dis old nigga’s head considdable. Sudden a idee popped into me. I ran forad, an sure enough I found de ship’s head off from de sho, an felt de anchor chain standin out stiff. Den I knew de anchor had caught, and had fetched her up all right in dis yer identicull place an po—sitium; an so, Mas’r Bart, here we air, anchored hard an fast, de boat all right an tight, de paddles ready, de galley stove ready too, an de prospek afore all ob us ob a fus’-rate breakfas to ward59 us for all de per’ls an clamties ob de night.”
Some further inquiries60 followed from Bart, which served to assure him still more of Solomon’s vigilance; and the result was, that after a time he resumed his place beside Pat in the mizzen-top, and, curling himself up, was soon sound asleep. It was not a very luxurious61 sleeping-place, but it was at least as soft as the deck below, where the boys had flung themselves, and it was also a trifle dryer62.
When Bart awoke it was broad day. Pat was gone. He had awaked, and, finding himself all right again, and seeing the land close by, he had descended63 to the deck to talk to Solomon. For his first thought had been a very natural one, namely, that the ship was going ashore; and seeing Solomon placidly64 moving about below, he had gone down to find out what it all meant. Of course his fears were soon dispelled.
The rest of the boys waked at about the same time that Bart did, and he soon rejoined them below. The smell of broiled65 ham was wafted66 over the ship. Great was the wonder of Bruce, Arthur, Tom, and Phil at their present situation, and even greater was their wonder at seeing the repast which Solomon had already spread out upon the quarter-deck.
For Solomon had been working like a beaver67.
He had forced open the cabin door, and let out all the water. He had then obtained some coal, which, though wet, burned merrily in the galley stove, and had found the cooking utensils68, which he had fortunately conveyed to the cabin when he had first been driven from the galley.
The biscuit were, of course, soaked and saturated with salt water; but Solomon declared that they were made to be soaked before cooking, and that the salt water was “jes as good as fresh—ebry mite69.” So he fried these in butter, and sprinkled over them some pepper, which was in the sea-chest, and which, with all the other contents of the chest, had not been injured. Ham, and toasted cheese, and potted meats, and tea and coffee, together with other articles too numerous to mention, formed the breakfast; and it is scarce necessary to say that the boys did full justice to it.
After breakfast they began to consider what next they should do. The land was close by, about half a mile away. The line of coast extended far away towards the left, but on the right it ended in a headland. The sea was very quiet, but on the shore before them there was a heavy surf, the result of the past storm. They saw farther away to the left a smooth beach, where a landing might be easily effected, and another place towards the right where there was very little surf. This last seemed the best place for attempting a landing.
The shore was not very attractive. In some places rocky cliffs arose, crowned at the summit with spruce and birch; in other places there were slopes covered with the same sort of trees. There was no sign whatever of any house, or of any cultivation70, or of any pasture land, or of any clearing. The forest seemed unbroken.
The boys were now as ignorant of the country as they had been when they first saw it. Each still held the same opinion which he had announced before.
Phil thought that it was Newfoundland.
Tom, that it was Prince Edward’s Island.
Bart, that it was some part of Nova Scotia, or Cape71 Breton.
Pat, that it was the Magdalen Islands.
Bruce, that it was the coast of New Brunswick, somewhere near the Miramichi.
And Arthur, that it was Gasp茅, not far from the Bay de Chaleur.
Thus, although this particular spot seemed desolate enough, no one gave any thought to that, for they all supposed that inhabitants could be found within no very great distance. .
After some deliberation, it was at length concluded to go ashore. The strips of wood which Solomon had already, with wise forethought, procured72, were easily shaped into very respectable paddles by means of a hatchet73 and a knife.
They then determined to secure themselves from want while ashore, and this they did by putting into the boat one of the barrels of biscuit and the chest of provisions.
Then they all embarked74 and pulled away. They paddled along without difficulty towards the beach on the right, where the surf seemed less. On approaching this, they found a cove formed by a gully among the hills, and at one end there were grassy75 banks, near which a stream of fresh water flowed into the sea.
Here they landed.
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收听单词发音
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1
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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2
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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3
rift
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| n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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cove
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| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
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6
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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7
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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8
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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9
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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10
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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11
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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12
unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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13
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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14
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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15
deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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17
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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18
diminution
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| n.减少；变小 | |
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19
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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20
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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21
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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23
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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untie
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| vt.解开，松开；解放 | |
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26
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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28
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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29
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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32
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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36
chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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pricking
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| 刺，刺痕，刺痛感 | |
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38
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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40
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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41
cadence
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| n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫 | |
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42
pealed
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| v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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45
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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46
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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47
renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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48
conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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50
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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51
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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52
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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53
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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54
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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55
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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57
dispelled
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
quandary
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| n.困惑，进迟两难之境 | |
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59
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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60
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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61
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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62
dryer
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| n.干衣机，干燥剂 | |
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63
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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64
placidly
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| adv.平稳地，平静地 | |
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65
broiled
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| a.烤过的 | |
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wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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68
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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mite
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| n.极小的东西；小铜币 | |
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cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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74
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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