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Chapter VI THE RAIDER
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 Half a mile or so ahead of Bill’s plane, the great sea monster, the Flying Fish, leveled off at an altitude of twenty-five hundred feet, and headed out on a northeasterly course.
 
Bill continued to climb his amphibian1 until they too reached that height, then he spoke2 to Charlie again.
 
“Now that we’re high enough, I’ve got to make a right turn in order to follow that ship. So I push my stick slowly forward, drop the nose to level like this, and maintain it there throughout the turn. Next I give her right aileron and increase right rudder considerably3 at the same time.”
 
“And we’ve gone into a bank. I see.” Charlie unconsciously leant toward the raised wing.
 
85
“That’s it. And now that I’ve tilted4 her far enough, I check the wing with the ailerons, and at the same time ease the pressure on the rudder. I maintain a constant bank, you see, and a constant pressure on the rudder bar throughout the turn.
 
“Now we are round to where we want to go, so I resume level flight by applying left aileron and left rudder. The wings are level once more, so I neutralize5 the ailerons and give her a normal amount of right rudder. And we’re pointed6 in a direct line for the Flying Fish!”
 
“Gosh, but there’s an awful lot to it,” muttered Charlie into his transmitter. “Looks so simple and easy when you’re on the ground, watching a plane flying. How do you ever remember it all?”
 
86
“Oh, at first it’s a bit confusing, until you get the hang of the thing—but it soon becomes second nature to do the right trick. When you come to fly you’ll find that there isn’t time for slow thinking in the air. In fact, as my instructor7 used to say, a flyer must develop instinctive8 coordination9 between the sensory10 organs and the muscles.”
 
“You can’t prove it by me!”
 
“Well, it simply means that when flying a pilot must act quicker than he can think.”
 
“Humph! Like Dad does when he gets mad and gives me a walloping.”
 
Bill laughed heartily11. “Hair brush or slipper12?”
 
“Oh, I always get the hair brush. He can get a better grip on it. But I get a choice at that—back or bristles13.”
 
“I should think that bristles might be the less unpleasant.”
 
“So did I. Just once. Never again, though. I had to carry a pillow around with me for a week after that session.”
 
“If I,” remarked Bill, “had your imagination, Charlie, I’d be worth more than John D. Rockefeller!”
 
“Raspberries!”
 
87
For a time they kept silence, unbroken save for the humming drone of the engine.
 
“I wonder where that hideaway is we were talking about?” Charlie said after a while.
 
“Well, it isn’t located on our coast, if we’re bound there now. This plane is pointing straight for Northern Europe.”
 
Gee14! Do you really think we’re going across—making a trans-Atlantic flight?”
 
“Not a chance, kid, with the gas we’ve got aboard this crate15. If you ask me, the Flying Fish is heading for a mother ship of some sort. This gang will have to operate from a steamer if they have no land base. Slap on those sea glasses you were using and take a squint16 dead ahead beyond the Fish—Smoke on the horizon, isn’t there?”
 
“Sure is. Yes, I can make it out plainly now. Say, you don’t realize how fast we’re traveling until you get a bead17 on something in the distance. The ship is still hull18 down, but the smoke seems to be getting denser—”
 
88
“I can see it now,” said Bill, giving the amphibian more altitude in order to gain a better view. “That’s no single-stacker, or I’m a landsman.”
 
“You’re right—she isn’t! I can see—one—two—three—four funnels19! Jingoes! She must be a whopper!”
 
“I wonder,” muttered Bill, half to himself.
 
“What? But I can see—”
 
“Oh, I’m not doubting your word, Charles.”
 
“What are you wondering about then?”
 
“Remember the Amtonia?”
 
“Amtonia? Why, she’s the big British liner that was held up at sea a couple of months ago!”
 
“Yes. A freighter SOS’d and when the Amtonia went to offer help, the crew of the tramp forced the liner’s crew and passengers to swap20 steamers. Then they made off with the big ship.”
 
89
“Sure, I remember all about that. Harry21 Davis’ dad was on the Amtonia, coming home from England, when it happened. It was in the papers but I got the inside dope from Harry. His old man told him all about it.”
 
“Dollars to a dead stick, you’ll be able to tell Harry Davis more about the Amtonia than he ever dreamed of, one of these days.”
 
“You mean—that ship over there is the Amtonia?”
 
“Exactly. See—she’s hove to now—and the Flying Fish is nosing over for a landing!”
 
The two in the speeding amphibian saw the Flying Fish descend22 in a long glide23 to the surface of the ocean and taxi toward the great steamer.
 
“She’s the Amtonia, all right, all right!” said Bill.
 
“Gosh, she’s big. What’s her tonnage?”
 
“Twenty-five thousand tons, I think.”
 
“Whew!—Say, listen, do you suppose Mother and Dad are on board her now?”
 
“I shouldn’t be surprised if your Mother and Father and some other boys’ papas and mammas, along with them.”
 
90
“That is, unless business in the ransom24 line is bad.”
 
“Which,” said Bill, “considering the number of passengers watching us and the Flying Fish from her decks—it isn’t. Shut up now, kid,” he added, cutting his gun and pushing forward the stick. “We’re going down and it sure would look rotten to nose into the drink with that gallery’s eyes on us.”
 
“Humph! And what about us in that case?”
 
“Boston papers,” said Bill, “please copy!”
 
Down they soared, straight into the wind to land with hardly a splash, went skimming over the water for fifty or sixty yards and came to rest just behind the Flying Fish. Charlie, at Bill’s bidding, flung out the sea anchor.
 
To port lay the Amtonia, now Baron25 von Hiemskirk’s traffic raider, and neither lad was surprised to see that she was blatantly26 flying the flag of piracy27, a skull28 and crossed bones of white on a black field.
 
91
Bill had no difficulty in recognizing the Amtonia. She was one of the largest passenger ships afloat, and consequently hard to disguise. Her camouflaged29 hull and stacks, painted in broad wavy30 stripes of grey-green and black made it still harder to judge her length on the waterline. He knew, however, that she must be quite as long as two city blocks, and her many decks rose above the amphibian to the height of a ten-story building. Her four gigantic funnels—so huge that the greatest locomotive could have passed through one of them lengthwise without scraping—and her tall masts, made her easily recognizable to the young midshipman.
 
“Hello!” exclaimed Charlie, “there’s a gob on the Flying Fish signalling the liner. Gee, I wish I understood wigwag.”
 
“If you did,” said Bill, standing31 up on the pilot’s seat and flapping his arms like a semaphore, “you’d know he was signalling us and not the Amtonia. For heaven’s sake, kid, button that lip of yours. I want to get this message.”
 
92
Bill then snatched up the helmet he had just doffed32 and clapped it on again, buckling33 the flaps over his ears. Charlie watched proceedings34 with interest that for once was wordless. Presently the sailor aboard the Flying Fish stopped waving his two red flags. Bill answered him with his arms, and the man rolled up his flags and went below.
 
Bill Bolton unbuckled the chin-strap of his helmet and turned toward the rear cockpit.
 
“Snap on that safety belt and put on your helmet again,” he ordered, “and don’t take it off this time until I tell you to. We are going aboard.”
 
“Aboard what?”
 
“The Amtonia, of course.”
 
“But how can I go aboard that liner if I’m tied to this seat?”
 
“Wait and see—I’m too busy to talk now—even if you’re not!”
 
Bill got down, started the engine idling and commenced to haul in their sea anchor.
 
93
Charlie stood up in the rear cockpit and called to him.
 
“Hey, Bill!”
 
“Well, what is it now?”
 
“How are we going aboard if I’m to be tied up in this belt?”
 
“Great jumping snakes!” exploded Bill, with a furious glance over his shoulder. “Have you still got that safety-belt on the brain?”
 
“No—around the middle!”
 
“For a counterfeit35 two-cent piece with a hole in it, I’d throw you into the Atlantic and let you swim aboard!”
 
“Aw, please tell me, Bill!”
 
“Well, if you must know each detail, we’re going aboard by way of the electric crane—”
 
“Aw, quit yer kidding—there ain’t any electric trains out here!”
 
“Not train, bozo—c-r-a-n-e—hoist36!”
 
“Oh! an electric crane! Are they going to hoist us up?”
 
94
“That,” said Bill, as he stowed away their mooring37, “is the usual procedure when cranes are used. Sometimes up—sometimes down—and—chew on this one thoughtfully, for this is the point of the story: Sometimes when the tackle slips on a haul, there is a tendency to slip sideways. And then, little chatterbox, since it is this amphibian which is to be hauled upward, and you who will be sitting in said amphibian—the aforementioned safety belt is likely to prove mighty39 useful. Now do you savez?”
 
“Yup. But my teacher usta tell me that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.”
 
“And when,” replied Bill with a grin, “you want to make a home run, it is absolutely necessary to touch all three bases and the plate!”
 
“Oh, yeah? Well, I think it’s pretty tough when a feller can’t open his mouth without bein’ told to pipe down every other minute!”
 
95
“Cheer up, Charles. It’s a long worm—you know. And you’ve got this one on his back with your chatter38. The Baron said that this was war, and I, for one, believe he’s right!”
 
“And,” Charlie chortled, “Sherman said that war was—”
 
“All that and more. Nothing slow about you when it comes to pickup40. Well, there’s the crane showing topside. Reckon I’d better feed the old girl a little more gas and mosey over there.”

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1 amphibian mwHzx     
n.两栖动物;水陆两用飞机和车辆
参考例句:
  • The frog is an amphibian,which means it can live on land and in water.青蛙属于两栖动物,也就是说它既能生活在陆地上也能生活在水里。
  • Amphibian is an important specie in ecosystem and has profound meaning in the ecotoxicology evaluation.两栖类是生态系统中的重要物种,并且对环境毒理评价有着深远意义。
2 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
3 considerably 0YWyQ     
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上
参考例句:
  • The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
  • The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。
4 tilted 3gtzE5     
v. 倾斜的
参考例句:
  • Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
  • She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。
5 neutralize g5hzm     
v.使失效、抵消,使中和
参考例句:
  • Nothing could neutralize its good effects.没有什么能抵消它所产生的好影响。
  • Acids neutralize alkalis and vice versa.酸能使碱中和碱,亦能使酸中和。
6 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。
7 instructor D6GxY     
n.指导者,教员,教练
参考例句:
  • The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
  • The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。
8 instinctive c6jxT     
adj.(出于)本能的;直觉的;(出于)天性的
参考例句:
  • He tried to conceal his instinctive revulsion at the idea.他试图饰盖自己对这一想法本能的厌恶。
  • Animals have an instinctive fear of fire.动物本能地怕火。
9 coordination Ho8zt     
n.协调,协作
参考例句:
  • Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
  • The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好,使演出更具魅力。
10 sensory Azlwe     
adj.知觉的,感觉的,知觉器官的
参考例句:
  • Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
  • The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。
11 heartily Ld3xp     
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很
参考例句:
  • He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿,就出去找他的马。
  • The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手,热情地和我握手。
12 slipper px9w0     
n.拖鞋
参考例句:
  • I rescued the remains of my slipper from the dog.我从那狗的口中夺回了我拖鞋的残留部分。
  • The puppy chewed a hole in the slipper.小狗在拖鞋上啃了一个洞。
13 bristles d40df625d0ab9008a3936dbd866fa2ec     
短而硬的毛发,刷子毛( bristle的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • the bristles on his chin 他下巴上的胡楂子
  • This job bristles with difficulties. 这项工作困难重重。
14 gee ZsfzIu     
n.马;int.向右!前进!,惊讶时所发声音;v.向右转
参考例句:
  • Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
  • Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇!我们会赚好多钱啦!
15 crate 6o1zH     
vt.(up)把…装入箱中;n.板条箱,装货箱
参考例句:
  • We broke open the crate with a blow from the chopper.我们用斧头一敲就打开了板条箱。
  • The workers tightly packed the goods in the crate.工人们把货物严紧地包装在箱子里。
16 squint oUFzz     
v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的
参考例句:
  • A squint can sometimes be corrected by an eyepatch. 斜视有时候可以通过戴眼罩来纠正。
  • The sun was shinning straight in her eyes which made her squint. 太阳直射着她的眼睛,使她眯起了眼睛。
17 bead hdbyl     
n.念珠;(pl.)珠子项链;水珠
参考例句:
  • She accidentally swallowed a glass bead.她不小心吞下了一颗玻璃珠。
  • She has a beautiful glass bead and a bracelet in the box.盒子里有一颗美丽的玻璃珠和手镯。
18 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。
19 funnels 7dc92ff8e9a712d0661ad9816111921d     
漏斗( funnel的名词复数 ); (轮船,火车等的)烟囱
参考例句:
  • Conventional equipment such as mixing funnels, pumps, solids eductors and the like can be employed. 常用的设备,例如混合漏斗、泵、固体引射器等,都可使用。
  • A jet of smoke sprang out of the funnels. 喷射的烟雾从烟囱里冒了出来。
20 swap crnwE     
n.交换;vt.交换,用...作交易
参考例句:
  • I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
  • This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。
21 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
22 descend 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。
23 glide 2gExT     
n./v.溜,滑行;(时间)消逝
参考例句:
  • We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着,眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
  • So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞,宛如滑翔。
24 ransom tTYx9     
n.赎金,赎身;v.赎回,解救
参考例句:
  • We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
  • The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。
25 baron XdSyp     
n.男爵;(商业界等)巨头,大王
参考例句:
  • Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
  • The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。
26 blatantly rxkztU     
ad.公开地
参考例句:
  • Safety guidelines had been blatantly ignored. 安全规章被公然置之不顾。
  • They walked grandly through the lobby, blatantly arm in arm, pretending they were not defeated. 他们大大方方地穿过门厅,故意炫耀地挎着胳膊,假装他们没有被打败。
27 piracy 9N3xO     
n.海盗行为,剽窃,著作权侵害
参考例句:
  • The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
  • They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。
28 skull CETyO     
n.头骨;颅骨
参考例句:
  • The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
  • He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去,跌裂了颅骨。
29 camouflaged c0a09f504e272653daa09fa6ec13da2f     
v.隐蔽( camouflage的过去式和过去分词 );掩盖;伪装,掩饰
参考例句:
  • We camouflaged in the bushes and no one saw us. 我们隐藏在灌木丛中没有被人发现。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • They camouflaged in bushes. 他们隐蔽在灌木丛中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
30 wavy 7gFyX     
adj.有波浪的,多浪的,波浪状的,波动的,不稳定的
参考例句:
  • She drew a wavy line under the word.她在这个词的下面画了一条波纹线。
  • His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow.他的波浪式头发太长了,正好垂在他的眉毛下。
31 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
32 doffed ffa13647926d286847d70509f86d0f85     
v.脱去,(尤指)脱帽( doff的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He doffed his hat. 他脱掉帽子。 来自互联网
  • The teacher is forced to help her pull next pulling again mouth, unlock button, doffed jacket. 老师只好再帮她拉下拉口,解开扣子,将外套脱了下来。 来自互联网
33 buckling buckling     
扣住
参考例句:
  • A door slammed in the house and a man came out buckling his belt. 房子里的一扇门砰地关上,一个男子边扣腰带边走了出来。
  • The periodic buckling leaves the fibre in a waved conformation. 周期性的弯折在纤维中造成波形构成。
34 proceedings Wk2zvX     
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报
参考例句:
  • He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
  • to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
35 counterfeit 1oEz8     
vt.伪造,仿造;adj.伪造的,假冒的
参考例句:
  • It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
  • The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远,实际是最近的一幅赝品。
36 hoist rdizD     
n.升高,起重机,推动;v.升起,升高,举起
参考例句:
  • By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。
  • Hoist the Chinese flag on the flagpole,please!请在旗杆上升起中国国旗!
37 mooring 39b0ff389b80305f56aa2a4b7d7b4fb3     
n.停泊处;系泊用具,系船具;下锚v.停泊,系泊(船只)(moor的现在分词)
参考例句:
  • However, all the best mooring were occupied by local fishing boats. 凡是可以泊船的地方早已被当地渔船占去了。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
  • Her mind was shaken loose from the little mooring of logic that it had. 就像小船失去了锚,她的思绪毫无逻辑地四处漂浮,一会为这个想法难受,一会为那个念头生气。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
38 chatter BUfyN     
vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战
参考例句:
  • Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
  • I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。
39 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
40 pickup ANkxA     
n.拾起,获得
参考例句:
  • I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。


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