Springing to his feet, the officer made a grasp for the dangling3 rope. Before he could reach it, a long wave swept along the rolling hull4 and caught the whaleboat upon its crest5.
There was a surge and a violent wrench6, and over went the luckless officer headlong into the sea. The frail7 craft was swept under the sloping stem, dashed once against the hull, and then it capsized, throwing the whole crew into the water.
Captain Brookes took personal charge of affairs, and under his able direction two boats, the cutter and sailing launch, were lowered and manned.
As yet the full extent of the tragedy was not known. Clif had been seen to climb over the railing, but the unearthly cry and the appeal for help had not reached the practice ship. Then came the capsizing of the whaleboat, and the instant necessity of action.
Lieutenant Watson took command of the cutter, which was the faster of the two. He was an able man, and he soon had the crew bending to their oars10.
The gale11 was now a thing of the past; and the sea was rapidly subsiding12. Clear skies overhead, and a brightly shining sun robbed the scene of much of its former grewsomeness.
In the sailing launch Trolley and Joy were laboring13 with might and main, as indeed all were. But the two young plebes had an added interest in reaching the strange derelict from the fact that Clif Faraday, their friend and chum, was on board the craft whence those horrible cries had come.
It was not long before the cutter reached the capsized whaleboat. Clinging to the keel were five of the crew. They were instantly dragged on board and a start made for the stern of the derelict.
The lieutenant and the rest of the crew were either swimming in that vicinity or holding on to the rudder.
The rather clumsy launch dashed up in time to rescue the officer, who had managed to keep himself afloat by strenuous14 efforts. As he was lifted over the side by willing hands, he gasped15, hurriedly:
Trolley exclaimed something in Japanese, and sprang to his feet. Nimbly stepping forward, he made a flying leap from the launch’s bow, and caught the rope dangling from the derelict’s stern.
“Stop!” sternly cried the officer in charge. “Wait until you are ordered to leave the boat.”
But the young Japanese paid no heed18 to the words. The impetus19 caused by the leap sent him swinging and scraping along the slimy side of the strange craft, but he drew himself up inch by inch, and finally gained the rail.
“Stand by to catch a rope,” called out the lieutenant, making the best of the situation. “Make it fast to—— What’s the matter?”
Splash!
It was Trolley. The Japanese youth had suddenly turned, and, with a shriek20 of fear, had plunged21 headlong into the sea.
The crews of the cutter, launch and whaleboat exchanged glances of undeniable terror. Several seamen22 began shoving the boats away from the derelict with their oars.
“Belay that!” shouted Lieutenant Watson, in a rage. “Aboard the launch! pick up that cadet, and stand by to board. Here, Brown, steady this rope. I’ll see what’s up on this confounded craft.”
The last words were addressed to the coxswain, who instantly grasped the lower bight of the line and held it while the fearless officer ascended23. Halfway24 to the top he held himself with one hand, and loosened his sword in its scabbard with the other. Then he began again to draw himself upward.
His progress was watched with breathless interest below. Suddenly the officer in charge of the sailing launch gave a muttered order. The crew fell to the oars and the launch dashed ahead toward the bow.
In the meantime, Trolley, dripping wet and evidently badly frightened, had been dragged from the water. His teeth were chattering25, and his face had assumed a grayish pallor.
“For Heaven’s sake, what’s the matter up there?” queried26 Joy, in a frenzy27 of excitement. “Speak! where is Clif?”
The Japanese youth crouched28 in the bottom of the boat and muttered and shook his head like one demented.
Suddenly all eyes were drawn29 to the railing above by the horrible, unearthly cry first heard during the gale. It rang out with such blood-curdling intensity30 that the faces of the listeners blanched31.
“We haven’t any business fooling here!” hoarsely32 muttered one of the oarsmen. “This consarned Flying Dutchman is ha’nted. I move we git as fast as we can.”
“And leave Faraday and Lieutenant Watson behind?” fiercely demanded Joy. “That’s a fine suggestion.”
Just then the sailing launch reached the bow. A quick scrutiny33 revealed several broken bolts and beam ends where the bowsprit and stays had been torn away. A fragment of chain was hanging down and swinging with a harsh, grating sound against the side.
“Climb up there, one of you,” called out the officer in charge.
Joy, who was nearest started to obey, but before he could leave the boat a prodigious34 hubbub35 came from aft.
Looking in that direction he saw Lieutenant Watson striking fiercely with his sword at something behind the rails.
An indescribable pandemonium36 came from the deck. Harsh cries and groans37, wild shrieks38, moans and a queer grunting39 sound which seemed more unearthly than all the rest.
One of the cutter’s crew was climbing the rope as fast as his arms could lift him, and another was preparing to follow.
Almost frantic40 with excitement, Joy fairly scaled the bow of the derelict. As his hand touched the broken rail, he heard the heavy breathing beneath him. A familiar voice gasped:
“Hurry, hurry, Joy! Me want to come, too. Hurry! I no afraid any more, even if I see plenty devil. Quick!”
The next moment Joy threw one leg over the bulwark41 and dropped to the deck. Then, with eyes bulging42 and face whitened to the color of chalk, he turned to spring back over the side.
Trolley grasped him by the arms and held him against the rail. A sailor appeared above the level of the deck, took one glance, then vanished. A sullen43 splash proclaimed his destination.
Joy’s fright faded by degrees. Finally he again looked down the deck over the little house-like structure amidships. What he saw was this:
Up on the high after, or cabin deck, were four horribly grotesque44 figures. One was a giant negro, coal black in color, and almost devoid45 of clothing.
Tied around his middle was a simple strip of some animal’s skin. His hair was long and matted. His mouth savage46 in its brutal47 gaping48. His narrow eyes fierce and bloodshot. He was bleeding from a great wound, evidently just given him by Lieutenant Watson, who had retreated to the extreme after rail.
With the maniac49, for such he seemed to be, were three monster apes, almost as large as a man. They were leaping about with appalling50 nimbleness, and uttering strange, blood-curdling, half-human cries.
Lying huddled51 in the port scupper was Clif, apparently[Pg 95] dead. His uniform had been rent in tatters, and a little rivulet52 of blood trickled53 back and forth54 upon the deck near him as the derelict pitched and rolled.
This much Joy and Trolley saw, then one of the apes caught sight of them.
The monster uttered a cry of rage, and, snatching up a fragment of spar from the deck, advanced upon them. It leaped with great agility55, from the high after deck to the midship house, and then, still uttering its horrible screams, sprang upon the forecastle.
But by that time the two plebes had received reinforcements. The lieutenant in charge of the launch appeared over the railing, and, after the first gasp16 of surprise, ordered his men on board.
When the latter caught sight of the giant, gorilla-like ape advancing, there was a panic, but a stern word from the officer held the seamen and cadets to their duty.
Joy let fly with a belaying pin he had picked up, and it caught the monster squarely in the face, staggering him. The advantage was followed by the lieutenant without loss of time.
Springing forward with drawn sword, he lunged out, sending the point of the sharp blade into the ape’s breast.
There was a horrible scream of agony as the animal fell to the deck, a snap of the sword as it broke, then, after a few convulsive shudders56, there was one foe57 the less.
In the meantime a prodigious hubbub from aft indicated action in that direction.
When the victorious58 crew of the launch started aft they saw that Lieutenant Watson had also received reinforcements. But it was plain that still others were needed.
The giant negro was fighting with maniacal59 fury. And the two apes were following his example so fiercely that the executive officer and his six companions were hard pressed to keep their ground.
The appearance of the launch’s crew changed affairs at once, however. Armed with cutlasses, belaying pins and cudgels, they fell upon the negro and his animal companions and, after a brief but desperate combat, forced them to retreat.
The maniac fought his way forward. As he was being pursued he sprang upon the port bulwark and, with a wild, chattering cry, leaped overboard.
A rush was made to the side, but all that remained to reveal the fate of the negro were a few bubbles and a widening circle of ripples60. He had gone to his death.
The two apes were writhing61 upon the deck in their last agony. As the men turned back, they expired.
Trolley and Joy quickly kneeled at the side of Clif. Their faces showed their grief and anxiety. A hasty examination brought a whoop62 of joy from the Jap.
“He live,” he shouted. “Hurray! he no dead. Get water. Clif no die yet. Whoop!”
Lieutenant Watson, bleeding and exhausted63, bent64 over the unconscious lad, and, with the aid of a flask65 of whiskey, from the launch’s medicine chest, soon brought a sigh from Clif’s lips.
He came to with a start and a gasp of terror. The latter emotion was so real that it required considerable effort to soothe66 him. When he at last realized the true state of affairs, his relief was manifest.
“Trolley,” he said, tremulously, “I—I thought it was the other world, and I had taken the toboggan slide by mistake.”
“You all right,” grinned the Japanese youth. “Hurray! It take plenty kill you.”
Clif managed to stand erect67 after his wound, a lacerated incision68 in the shoulder given by one of the apes, had been attended to.
Lieutenant Watson and the other officers made an inspection69 of the strange craft, and found evidences to prove that she had originally done duty as a primitive70 lightship in some southern Mediterranean71 port, presumably in Algeria.
“I am more inclined to think so from the fact that we found that African negro and the apes on board,” said the executive officer, as they returned from below. “I think I understand matters now. This negro was evidently an attendant on board, and the apes were pets.”
“Yes. Well, the lightship evidently got adrift during a storm and was blown to sea, through the Gut73 of Gibraltar.”
“And afterward74 became a derelict in the Sargasso Sea. I noticed certain marine75 fungi76 and seaweed on the hull which are only found in the Sargasso.”
“True. This ship probably drifted back and forth for months. All the crew died except the negro, and he was made insane by his surroundings. It’s a strange story.”
“Only another mystery of the sea,” said the lieutenant in charge of the launch, looking about decks. “Now the question is, what will we do with her?”
“Have a little target practice and send her down to where all derelicts belong—the bottom,” replied Lieutenant Watson, grimly.
“I may add one thing,” he continued. “I hope never to have such a terrible experience again.”
“Amen!” muttered Clif, tenderly feeling his wounds.
Three hours later a well-aimed shot from one of the Monongahela’s guns sent the shattered hull of the mysterious derelict down to its last resting place.
The practice ship stood away on her course, and her crew of naval77 cadets speedily forgot the episode in the excitement of other experiences.
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收听单词发音
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1
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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wrench
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| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
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7
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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trolley
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| n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车 | |
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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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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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12
subsiding
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的现在分词 )；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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13
laboring
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| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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14
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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15
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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gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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17
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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19
impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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21
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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22
seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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23
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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25
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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26
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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28
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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30
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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31
blanched
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| v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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32
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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33
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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34
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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35
hubbub
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| n.嘈杂；骚乱 | |
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36
pandemonium
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| n.喧嚣，大混乱 | |
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37
groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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38
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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39
grunting
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| 咕哝的，呼噜的 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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41
bulwark
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| n.堡垒，保障，防御 | |
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42
bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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43
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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47
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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48
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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49
maniac
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| n.精神癫狂的人；疯子 | |
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50
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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51
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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52
rivulet
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| n.小溪，小河 | |
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53
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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54
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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55
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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56
shudders
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| n.颤动，打颤，战栗( shudder的名词复数 )v.战栗( shudder的第三人称单数 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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57
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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58
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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maniacal
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| adj.发疯的 | |
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60
ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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61
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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62
whoop
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| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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flask
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| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
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66
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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incision
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| n．切口，切开 | |
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69
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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72
spoke
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| 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 | |
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73
gut
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| n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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75
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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fungi
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| n.真菌，霉菌 | |
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naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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