In the present situation all his coolness was needed.
When the sudden and entirely2 unexpected crash came, Clif and the other members of the crew were bending all their energies forward, forcing the launch back to the practice ship.
With head bent3 low and arms tugging4 at the oar5 he worked away, knowing full well that their very lives depended upon their reaching the Monongahela before the sudden gale6 increased.
Clif heard Joy and Trolley7 talking, then came the lieutenant’s fierce interruption, and then chaos8 seemed to come, and overwhelm boat and crew in one mighty9 crash.
The lieutenant’s warning cry came too late for preparation. Clif felt himself thrown headlong from his seat upon the man in front. There was a wild scramble10, then the waters of the ocean rolled up and engulfed11 all.
When Clif regained12 the surface he at once instinctively13 struck out. In no general direction, but with a natural desire to keep afloat.
He heard cries about him, and a splashing and floundering as if a score of men were making a desperate fight for their lives. And mixed in with the hubbub14 was the keen whistling of the growing gale.
Suddenly the lad came in contact with some yielding body. He heard a gasp15 and a gurgle, then two arms were thrown about his neck and down went his head beneath the surface.
It is not in the duty of man to drown without making an effort for life. Neither should one go down at the frantic16 assault of another until all means of aiding both have been exhausted17.
Clif instantly realized that he was in the clutches of one whom peril18 had rendered frantic. He also knew that he must release himself right speedily if he expected to save himself.
Calling all his power into play, he threw off the strangling arms, at the same time gasping19 hoarsely20:
“Strike out, man. Do something for yourself.”
He received no answer. The fellow faded away in the blackness, leaving Clif to swim unencumbered. Luckily, the lad was at home in the water, else he would have found sore trouble in keeping above the buffeting22 waves.
He struggled on, striving his best to see aught of hope in the prospect23. The wind swept the crests24 of the seas into a thousand stinging lances. The roar of the increasing storm sounded like a mocking chorus of demons25. Occasional cries for help echoed above the brawling26 of the elements.
Suddenly the lights on the practice ship, which Clif had kept before his eyes as well as he could, began to grow dim.
“Surely they will not leave us to perish miserably,” groaned27 the lad. “They will stand by until some of the boats report.”
The sudden shock sent him under the surface once more. When he emerged gasping and half stunned29, he heard the sound of a familiar voice nearby in the darkness.
“Come up higher, Trolley, the boat can stand it. That’s it; give me your hand. Steady, steady, ah-h!”
“It’s Joy, and he has found help,” hopefully muttered Clif.
He swam in the direction whence the words had come, and speedily reached what proved to be the launch, floating capsized at the mercy of the waves.
Upon the upturned bottom were two dark smudges just visible against the black background of the night.
“Who is that?” called out Joy.
“It’s what is left of me,” replied Clif.
“Hurray, it’s Faraday!” shouted the Japanese youth. “Hurray, Clif, me glad you saved. Shake!”
“This is a dreadful business,” exclaimed Faraday, as he wrung32 the proffered33 hand. “Seen anything of the other fellows?”
“Not a sign,” replied Joy. “We have heard lots of cries, but we are the only ones who have reached this launch.”
“What was the trouble? A collision?”
“Yes. I think we ran into one of the cutters. Whew! how this blamed thing does roll.”
It required all the efforts of the three to retain their position upon the tossing launch. The sweep of the waves sent a perfect deluge34 of water over them at times, and they were compelled to cling with tooth and nail.
The force of the wind continued unabated, but it was evident from the suddenness of its coming and its very fierceness that it would not last.
The lights of the Monongahela were no longer visible. Immediately after gaining the comparative safety of the capsized launch, Clif eagerly scanned the horizon.
“I am afraid she has been driven off before the gale, fellows,” he said, anxiously.
“It certainly looks that way,” agreed Joy. “I guess we can say good-by to the old Monongahela.”
“It say good-by to us,” chimed in Trolley. “It go away; we no want to.”
He spoke35 lightly, but he fully30 understood the extreme gravity of the situation. All three realized that their lives were in deadly peril.
With only the frail36 planks of an overturned boat between them and the depths of the angry sea, it was plainly evident that little hope remained.
And what of the others who had left the practice ship?
Clif shuddered37 and his eyes moistened as he recalled the names of his shipmates. Some there were who had not been friendly to him. Many had sworn undying vengeance38 because he had led the plebes on more than one successful resistance to the hazing39 of the upper classes. In that very launch Judson Greene had pulled an oar.
All animosity was forgotten now, however; in the presence of such an awful tragedy only heartfelt sympathy and regret could live.
“Haven’t you seen anything of the others?” he asked again.
“Nary sign,” replied Joy, gloomily.
“I guess they gone down,” muttered Trolley. “Poor boys! Me very sorry.”
A realization40 of their own situation was suddenly brought home to them. A curling wave, higher than the rest, abruptly41 broke over the launch with such force that all three lads were hurled42 bodily from the keel.
Clif was thrown a dozen feet away from the boat, and[Pg 154] when he regained the surface after the violent plunge43 he found himself buffeted44 about in a smother45 of foam46.
He struck out blindly, and at the same time called lustily for his companions. An answering cry came at once.
“Clif! Clif! where are you?”
Guided by the voice, he reached the boat once more, but only after a most desperate struggle.
He felt himself clutched by the collar and dragged against the gunwale. Then he saw to his infinite surprise that the sailing launch had righted.
“All present and accounted for, and better off than before.”
These cheery words came from Clif as he scrambled47 into the boat and saw that both Joy and Trolley were there.
Trolley felt about under the submerged seats and brought up a bailer49 which had been wedged in one corner. With this he set industriously50 to work.
Clif and Joy did what they could to help, and before long the water in the launch was materially decreased.The boys labored51 with lighter53 hearts. Hope was not so far distant after all.
In this world many things are measured by circumstances. To the drowning man a straw is worth clutching for.
After ten minutes of incessant54 labor52 Clif straightened up and announced what was patent to his companions.
“Only a foot of water left, fellows. We can stand that for a time.”
“If we only had oars21 or something to keep the blessed craft before the wind we’d stand a show of living until morning,” said Joy.
“We look for things,” announced the Japanese youth, suiting the action to the words.
Clif continued bailing55 as a heavy wave had thrown more water over the side. Joy and Trolley started to search the boat forward.
There were speedy results. An eager cry came from Joy, and he called back:
“Here’s a find, Clif. The boat’s mast and sails are still fastened to the seats where they were before she capsized. Hurrah56! We can do something now.”
Clif ceased bailing in a jiffy and scrambled forward. He found his companions tugging away at a long, shapeless mass, which resolved itself into a mast and a damp, soggy leg-o’-mutton sail.
“This is great,” he exclaimed, exultantly57. “It means that we can manage to keep afloat and make a little headway, anyway. It can’t be far to the coast of Portugal, and if the old Monongahela don’t turn up we’ll take a cruise of our own.”
“We’ve got to have rudder,” said the ever practical Trolley. “Sail no good without rudder.”
“Sure thing,” replied Joy. “Don’t worry, we’ll get one all right. There’s a spare oar wrapped up with this sail.”
He had made the welcome discovery while unfolding the canvas.
The three castaways set to work without delay, and after half an hour’s hard labor, during which they were compelled to stop and bail a dozen times, they finally had the mast stepped, and a closereefed sail spread.
By degrees the launch worked around until it at last fell off before the wind. It was a change from the constant, dangerous rolling in the trough of the sea, but the pitching caused by the enormous waves was anything but pleasant.
The three lads took turns at steering58. The solitary59 oar found with the sail answered the purpose well enough.
The night dragged slowly. As time passed, however, it became apparent that the gale was abating60. The sea still ran high, but the wind lessened61, until at last, just before dawn, it died down to an ordinary breeze.
And how the miserable62, water-soaked, poor castaways waited for the first gray streaks63 of the coming day!
Light would mean much for them. It would reveal either the welcome outlines of the practice ship, or a dreary64 expanse of desolate65 ocean. It would tell at once whether they were destined66 to find hope or be condemned67 to an uncertain fate.
Small wonder then, that Clif and Joy and Trolley stood up and watched and watched as the first faint rays of the sun drew the expanse of ocean from its pall68 of darkness.
Trolley was the first to make a discovery. Grasping the swaying mast with one hand, he leaned far out and pointed69 a shaking finger to an almost shapeless object just visible on the port beam.
A cry in a strange tongue—his own language—came from his lips, then he added, excitedly:
“Look! It ship or something. Look there, quick!”
“It is not a ship,” replied Clif, slowly. “It seems to be a capsized hull70 or something. Perhaps it is a dead whale.”
There was bitter disappointment in his voice.
“It no whale,” insisted the Jap. “It too big. I think it as you say, a turned over ship. Maybe——”
“I say, there’s something floating over there,” hastily interrupted Joy.
He indicated a spot some distance off the port quarter. It was merely a speck71 tossing about at the mercy of the waves.
Clif watched it long and earnestly, then he said, with more excitement than he had yet shown:
“Let’s investigate. Perhaps the person may be still alive, if it is a person.”
Clif sprang to the stem and grasped the steering oar, which had been abandoned with the coming of daylight. Joy and Trolley handled the sail, and the launch was soon lumbering73 along on the opposite tack74.
The sea was subsiding75 with each passing moment. The breeze was just strong enough to allow of the free handling of the boat. In the east the sun was climbing into a sky almost cloudless. It promised to be a perfect day.
Under other circumstances the cadets would have felt light-hearted and happy. But the memory of the recent night and its tragedy, and of their present desperate situation attuned76 no merry song for them.
As they approached the object floating at the mercy of the waves, they became more and more excited. Finally Trolley sprang up with a shout.
“It two bodies, and they tied to spar,” he cried. “They no dead. I see one move.”
As if to prove the truth of his words, one of the objects feebly waved an arm.
A faint shout came across the water.
“Help! Help!”
“That voice is familiar,” he exclaimed. “Can it be——”
“It is Judson Greene,” hastily interrupted the lanky78 lad. “He was in the launch with us last night.”
“I am heartily79 glad he is saved,” said Clif, sincerely. “Poor fellow, what a terrible time he must have had last night.”
“No worse than us,” muttered Trolley. “He no good anyway. Why he saved instead of good man?”
“Trolley never forgives an enemy,” said Joy. “He has it in for Judson Greene. And I don’t blame him, either. The fellow is a cad of the first water, and very dirty water at that.”
“We can’t bear animosity under present circumstances,” replied Clif. “I don’t like the fellow any more than you do. He’s tried to injure me in a thousand ways, but I am willing to forget it.”
The Jap and Joy exchanged glances, and the latter said, softly:
“That’s Clif all over. He’s as generous as he is brave and good, bless his old heart!”
The launch crept nearer and nearer to the strange bit of flotsam. The body of the other castaway was presently brought into view; then, as the sailboat swept alongside, a simultaneous cry of joy came from the trio:
“It’s Nanny!”
The other boy had fallen back, evidently from sheer exhaustion80. He half rose again, and cried wildly:
“Help me into the boat, Faraday. Please hurry; I’m nearly dead. Quick!”
“The same old Judson,” muttered Joy. “Always thinking of himself. From the looks of things, he’s not half as bad as Nanny. The poor youngster is wounded. There’s blood all over his face and head.”
“Keep up your spirits,” cheerily called out Clif. “We’ll have you with us in a jiffy. Stand by, fellows. Steady! that’s it. Now, Judson, give us a hand with Nanny.”
But Greene cast off the rope binding81 him to the spar—evidently a fragment of some wrecked82 mast—and unceremoniously scrambled over the launch’s gunwale.
“Still the same old Judson,” muttered Joy again, assisting Clif and Trolley to transfer Nanny’s insensible form to the launch.
When it was finally accomplished84, the little cadet lay like one dead.
Clif, by a hasty examination, found that his heart was still beating, however. He applied85 water to the poor bruised86 face, and tried every means in his power to revive the lad. He worked with infinite tenderness, as he had great sympathy and affection for little Nanny.
At last the boy gasped and opened his eyes. He was still dazed, and he stared at those about him in a strangely terrified manner.
There was fear in his eyes and his actions—a deadly and unexplainable fear. Placing his arms before his face as if warding87 off a blow, he moaned:
“Please don’t throw me off, Judson. I’ll only hold to the edge. Don’t—don’t! Have mercy! I—I—don’t want to die. Mercy! mercy!”
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收听单词发音
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1
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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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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tugging
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| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
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oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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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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trolley
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| n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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engulfed
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| v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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hubbub
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| n.嘈杂；骚乱 | |
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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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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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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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buffeting
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| 振动 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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brawling
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| n.争吵，喧嚷 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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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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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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hazing
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| n.受辱，被欺侮v.（使）笼罩在薄雾中( haze的现在分词 )；戏弄，欺凌（新生等，有时作为加入美国大学生联谊会的条件） | |
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realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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buffeted
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| 反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去 | |
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smother
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| vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息 | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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48
bail
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| v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人 | |
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bailer
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| 汲出积水的人，水斗； 水瓢； 水勺 | |
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industriously
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51
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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53
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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bailing
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| （凿井时用吊桶）排水 | |
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hurrah
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| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
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exultantly
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| adv.狂欢地，欢欣鼓舞地 | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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abating
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| 减少( abate的现在分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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65
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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66
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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67
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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69
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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70
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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71
speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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72
wreckage
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| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
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73
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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74
tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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75
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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76
attuned
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| v.使协调( attune的过去式和过去分词 )；调音 | |
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77
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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78
lanky
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| adj.瘦长的 | |
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79
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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80
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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81
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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82
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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83
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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84
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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85
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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86
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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87
warding
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| 监护，守护（ward的现在分词形式） | |
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