CHAPTER XI. TALKING IT OVER.

 “I play plenty times in my country. I was bully¹ boy with eyeglass. Hurray! all Japan girls think I good thing.”

 

“Did they push you along?”

 

“He! he! you try be funny, Clif. Yes, they push me along. They say I good actor and know how to make laugh. Say, Clif, we no do one thing to other cadets when we have show. Hurray! they die with what you call—a——”

 

“Chills and fever?” suggested a lean, solemn-faced lad.

 

“No. It——”

 

“Measles?”

 

“You quit fooling, Joy, or I fracture your face. I mean the cadets die with envy.”

 

The group of plebes gathered about the speaker, laughed.

 

When quarters were over on this morning in question, the exciting news circulated throughout the ship that Clif Faraday, the cheekiest plebe of the lot, had boldly asked Captain Brookes for permission to give a minstrel show.

 

And the captain had actually consented.

 

Deep was the wrath² on board, and many the dire³ threats made that the entertainment would come to an untimely end.

 

Clif was no fool. He knew that trouble would ensue. But he was looking for trouble.

 

The show was simply one link in a chain of reprisals⁴ against the common enemy—the first and third classes.

 

After drill the six chief conspirators⁵ gathered in their usual meeting place, the port side of the forecastle.

 

Trolley⁶’s remarks were laughed at, then after a period of bantering⁷, Clif proceeded to more serious work.

 

“We are not going to give an entertainment with the ease of an eastern and peaceful city,” he said, glancing aft at Ferguson, who was in the center of an animated⁸ group of third class men. “We will find our lines laid out in troublous places, let me tell you. I prophecy that an earthquake will strike this ship around Saturday night.”

 

“Hurray!” exclaimed the irrepressible Jap. “Me like earthquakes. That is the way we settle our coffee in Japan every morning. He! he!”

 

“Trolley,” said Joy, eying him sadly, “it is time for you to go home. When a foreigner begins to crack bad jokes he should be given his passports. As we haven’t any such papers on board, I’ll try my best to teach you the error of your ways.”

 

While speaking he had edged slyly toward the Japanese youth. With the last word he made a spring for him, but Trolley slipped under his arm and dashed across the forecastle.

 

Standing⁹ near the railing were Judson Greene and Chris Spendly.

 

Into the former ran Trolley, the shock sending him reeling against the rail. As Judson grasped at the empty air to steady himself, his cap fell overboard and was carried astern.

 

Greene was not a very pleasant-looking youth, despite his rather handsome face, and now he seemed positively¹⁰ ferocious¹¹ with rage.

 

“What do you mean, you yellow nigger?” he howled, making a pass at Trolley. “How dare you ran into me like that? I’ll give you a lesson you won’t forget in a hurry.”

 

But he didn’t. The blow he aimed at the Japanese youth inflicted¹² no damage. Trolley caught the extended arm by the wrist, and with apparently¹³ little effort, held it in midair.

 

“I sorry I knock your cap into water,” he said, quietly. “I get you one for it. But I no let you hit me.”

 

Judson struggled wildly but he was simply a child in the Jap’s grasp. Chris Spendly stepped forward to interfere¹⁴, but Joy confronted him with such a menacing gesture that he discreetly¹⁵ withdrew.

 

Clif and the others hurried across the deck, as did a cadet officer who had espied¹⁶ the conflict from afar.

 

“What’s up?” asked Clif, endeavoring to separate the two combatants.

 

“He knocked my——” began Greene, then he added, sullenly¹⁷: “None of your confounded business, Clif Faraday! What right have you to interfere?”

 

Clif laughed.

 

“Still as sweet as ever, I see, Greene,” he replied, coolly. “Got the same angelic temper.”

 

“Here, what’s this row?” demanded the cadet officer, arriving breathlessly on the scene. “Fighting, eh? That means the mast to-morrow morning.”

 

He produced a book from his blouse and read aloud as he noted¹⁸:

 

“On board U. S. S. Monongahela, at sea, June 22d. Fourth class cadets, Judson Greene and Motohiki Asaki, fighting on forecastle. Cadet Greene without cap and evidently the aggressor.”

 

“I was not the aggressor!” indignantly cried Judson. “That chump ran——”

 

“Cadet Greene proved insolent¹⁹, and used slang,” continued the cadet officer, calmly making the entry in his book.

 

“Guess we’d better get out of this or we’ll be marked for breathing,” muttered Joy.

 

“If you will permit me to explain,” spoke²⁰ up Clif, respectfully. “I saw the whole affair. It was an accident, and——”

 

“Cadet Faraday of the fourth class interfered²¹ with me in the performance of my duties, and failed to use ‘sir’ when addressing me,” monotonously²² added the officer, writing away.

 

The plebes exchanged glances and then beat a hasty retreat to the other side of the forecastle. The senior cadet grinned to himself, and, restoring his book to its place, swaggered aft.

 

“Well, that’s certainly one way of keeping even,” exclaimed Clif, with a whistle. “Did you ever see anything worse than that?”

 

“Humph!” grunted²³ Joy. “It won’t be a circumstance to what we’ll do to those fellows next Saturday night. Just let them wait and see.”

 

“And I do no thing to Judson Greene some days,” said Trolley, doubling his fist. “I knock him eye into last Sunday. Hurray!”

1 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。

2 wrath   

n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒

参考例句：

• His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
• The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。

3 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

4 reprisals   

n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They did not want to give evidence for fear of reprisals. 他们因为害怕报复而不想作证。
• They took bloody reprisals against the leaders. 他们对领导进行了血腥的报复。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 conspirators   

n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The conspirators took no part in the fighting which ensued. 密谋者没有参加随后发生的战斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The French conspirators were forced to escape very hurriedly. 法国同谋者被迫匆促逃亡。 来自辞典例句

6 trolley   

n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车

参考例句：

• The waiter had brought the sweet trolley.侍者已经推来了甜食推车。
• In a library,books are moved on a trolley.在图书馆，书籍是放在台车上搬动的。

7 bantering   

adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄

参考例句：

• There was a friendly, bantering tone in his voice. 他的声音里流露着友好诙谐的语调。
• The students enjoyed their teacher's bantering them about their mistakes. 同学们对老师用风趣的方式讲解他们的错误很感兴趣。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

9 standing   

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。

10 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

11 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

12 inflicted   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。

13 apparently   

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。

14 interfere   

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。

15 discreetly   

ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地

参考例句：

• He had only known the perennial widow, the discreetly expensive Frenchwoman. 他只知道她是个永远那么年轻的寡妇，一个很会讲排场的法国女人。
• Sensing that Lilian wanted to be alone with Celia, Andrew discreetly disappeared. 安德鲁觉得莉莲想同西莉亚单独谈些什么，有意避开了。

16 espied   

v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• One day a youth espied her as he was hunting.She saw him and recognized him as her own son, mow grown a young man. 一日，她被一个正在行猎的小伙子看见了，她认出来这个猎手原来是自己的儿子，现在已长成为一个翩翩的少年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In a little while he espied the two giants. 一会儿就看见了那两个巨人。 来自辞典例句

17 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。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 insolent   

adj.傲慢的，无理的

参考例句：

• His insolent manner really got my blood up.他那傲慢的态度把我的肺都气炸了。
• It was insolent of them to demand special treatment.他们要求给予特殊待遇，脸皮真厚。

20 spoke   

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。

21 interfered   

v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉

参考例句：

• Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 monotonously   

adv.单调地，无变化地

参考例句：

• The lecturer phrased monotonously. 这位讲师用词单调。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The maid, still in tears, sniffed monotonously. 侍女还在哭，发出单调的抽泣声。 来自辞典例句

23 grunted   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说

参考例句：

• She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。
• She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。