“I don’t think so,” said I. “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.”
A diminished row of stolid2 Frisians still ruminated3 over the Dulcibella. Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle. We went on board in silence.
“First of all, where exactly is Memmert?” I said.
Davies pulled down the chart, said “There,” and flung himself at full length on a sofa.
The reader can see Memmert for himself. South of Juist, [See Map B] abutting4 on the Ems delta5, lies an extensive sandbank called Nordland, whose extreme western rim1 remains6 uncovered at the highest tides; the effect being to leave a C-shaped island, a mere7 paring of sand like a boomerang, nearly two miles long, but only 150 yards or so broad, of curiously8 symmetrical outline, except at one spot, where it bulges10 to the width of a quarter of a mile. On the English chart its nakedness was absolute, save for a beacon11 at the south; but the German chart marked a building at the point where the bulge9 occurs. This was evidently the depôt. “Fancy living there!” I thought, for the very name struck cold. No wonder Grimm was grim; and no wonder he was used to seek change of air. But the advantages of the site were obvious. It was remarkably12 isolated13, even in a region where isolation14 is the rule; yet it was conveniently near the wreck15, which, as we had heard, lay two miles out on the Juister Reef. Lastly, it was clearly accessible at any state of the tide, for the six-fathom channel of the Ems estuary16 runs hard up to it on the south, and thence sends off an eastward17 branch which closely borders the southern horn, thus offering an anchorage at once handy, deep, and sheltered from seaward gales18.
Such was Memmert, as I saw it on the chart, taking in its features mechanically, for while Davies lay there heedless and taciturn, a pretence19 of interest was useless. I knew perfectly20 well what was between us, but I did not see why I should make the first move; for I had a grievance21 too, an old one. So I sat back on my sofa and jotted22 down in my notebook the heads of our conversation at the inn while it was fresh in my memory, and strove to draw conclusions. But the silence continuing and becoming absurd, I threw my pride to the winds, and my notebook on the table.
“I say, Davies,” I said, “I’m awfully23 sorry I chaffed you about Fräulein Dollmann.” (No answer.) “Didn’t you see I couldn’t help it?”
“I wish to Heaven we had never come in here,” he said, in a hard voice; “it comes of landing ever.” (I couldn’t help smiling at this, but he wasn’t looking at me.) “Here we are, given away, moved on, taken in charge, arranged for like Cook’s tourists. I couldn’t follow your game—too infernally deep for me, but——” That stung me.
“We could have got out of that. Why did you harp on everything idiotic—your letter, the Foreign Office, the Kormoran, the wreck, the——?”
“You’re utterly27 unreasonable28. Didn’t you see what traps there were? I was driven the way I went. We started unprepared, and we’re jolly well out of it.”
Davies drove on blindly. “It was bad enough telling all about the channels and exploring——”
“Why, you agreed to that yourself!”
“I gave in to you. We can’t explore any more now.”
“There’s the wreck, though.”
“Oh, hang the wreck! It’s all a blind, or he wouldn’t have made so much of it. There are all these channels to be——”
“Oh, hang the channels! I know we wanted a free hand, but we’ve got to go to Norderney some time, and if Dollmann’s away——”
“Why did you harp on Miss Dollmann?” said Davies.
We had worked round, through idle recrimination, to the real point of departure. I knew Davies was not himself, and would not return to himself till the heart of the matter was reached.
“Look here,” I said, “you brought me out here to help you, because, as you say, I was clever, talked German, and—liked yachting (I couldn’t resist adding this). But directly you really want me you turn round and go for me.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean all that, really,” said Davies; “I’m sorry—I was worried.”
“I know; but it’s your own fault. You haven’t been fair with me. There’s a complication in this business that you’ve never talked about. I’ve never pressed you because I thought you would confide29 in me. You——”
“I know I haven’t,” said Davies.
“Well, you see the result. Our hand was forced. To have said nothing about Dollmann was folly30—to have said he tried to wreck you was equal folly. The story we agreed on was the best and safest, and you told it splendidly. But for two reasons I had to harp on the daughter—one because your manner when they were mentioned was so confused as to imperil our whole position. Two, because your story, though the safest, was, at the best, suspicious. Even on your own showing Dollmann treated you badly—discourteously, say: though you pretended not to have seen it. You want a motive31 to neutralise that, and induce you to revisit him in a friendly way. I supplied it, or rather I only encouraged von Brüning to supply it.”
“Why revisit him, after all?” said Davies.
“Oh, come——”
I did see, and I felt a cad myself, as his full distress33 came home to me. But I felt, too, that, whosesoever the fault, we had drifted into a ridiculous situation, and were like characters in one of those tiresome34 plays where misunderstandings are manufactured and so carefully sustained that the audience are too bored to wait for the dénouement. You can do that on the stage; but we wanted our dénouement.
“I’m very sorry,” I said, “but I wish you had told me all about it. Won’t you now? Just the bare, matter-of-fact truth. I hate sentiment, and so do you.”
“I find it very difficult to tell people things,” said Davies, “things like this.” I waited. “I did like her—very much.” Our eyes met for a second, in which all was said that need be said, as between two of our phlegmatic35 race. “And she’s—separate from him. That was the reason of all my indecisions.” he hurried on. “I only told you half at Schlei. I know I ought to have been open, and asked your advice. But I let it slide. I’ve been hoping all along that we might find what we want and win the game without coming to close quarters again.”
I no longer wondered at his devotion to the channel theory, since, built on conviction, it was thus doubly fortified36.
“Yet you always knew what might happen,” I said. “At Schlei you spoke37 of ‘settling with’ Dollmann.”
“I know. When I thought of him I was mad. I made myself forget the other part.”
“Yes.”
“Davies, we must have no more secrets. I’m going to speak out. Are you sure you’ve not misunderstood her? You say—and I’m willing to assume it—that Dollmann’s a traitor39 and a murderer.”
“Oh, hang the murder part!” said Davies, impatiently. “What does that matter?”
“Well, traitor. Very good; but in that case I suspect his daughter. No! let me go on. She was useful, to say the least. She encouraged you—you’ve told me that—to make that passage with them.”
“Stop, Carruthers,” said Davies, firmly. “I know you mean kindly40; but it’s no use. I believe in her.”
I thought for a moment.
“In that case,” I said, “I’ve something to propose. When we get out of this place let’s sail straight away to England.” “(There, Commander von Brüning,” I thought, “you never can say I neglected your advice.”)
“No!” exclaimed Davies, starting up and facing me. “I’m hanged if we will. Think what’s at stake. Think of that traitor—plotting with Germans. My God!”
“Very good,” I said. “I’m with you for going on. But let’s face facts. We must scotch41 Dollmann. We can’t do so without hurting her.”
“Can’t we possibly?”
“Of course not; be sensible, man. Face that. Next point; it’s absurd to hope that we need not revisit them—it’s ten to one that we must, if we’re to succeed. His attempt on you is the whole foundation of our suspicions. And we don’t even know for certain who he is yet. We’re committed, I know, to going straight to Norderney now; but even if we weren’t, should we do any good by exploring and prying42? It’s very doubtful. We know we’re watched, if not suspected, and that disposes of nine-tenths of our power. The channels? Yes, but is it likely they’ll let us learn them by heart, if they’re of such vital importance, even if we are thought to be bona fide yachtsmen? And, seriously, apart from their value in war, which I don’t deny, are they at the root of this business? But we’ll talk about that in a moment. The point now is, what shall we do if we meet the Dollmanns?”
Beads43 of sweat stood on Davies’s brow. I felt like a torturer, but it could not be helped. “Tax him with having wrecked44 you? Our quest would be at an end! We must be friendly. You must tell the story you told to-day, and chance his believing it. If he does, so much the better; if he doesn’t, he won’t dare say so, and we still have chances. We gain time, and have a tremendous hold on him—if we’re friendly.” Davies winced45. I gave another turn to the screw. “Friendly with them both, of course. You were before, you know; you liked her very much—you must seem to still.”
“Shall we chuck it and go to England?” I asked again, as an inquisitor might say, “Have you had enough?” No answer. I went on: “To make it easier, you do like her still.” I had roused my victim at last.
“What the devil do you mean, Carruthers? That I’m to trade on my liking47 for her—on her innocence48, to—good God! what do you mean?”
“No, no, not that. I’m not such a cad, or such a fool, or so ignorant of you. If she knows nothing of her father’s character and likes you—and you like her—and you are what you are—oh Heavens! man, face it, realise it! But what I mean is this: is she, can she be, what you think? Imagine his position if we’re right about him; the vilest49 creature on God’s earth—a disgraceful past to have been driven to this—in the pay of Germany. I want to spare you misery50.” I was going to add: “And if you’re on your guard, to increase our chances.” But the utter futility51 of such suggestions silenced me. What a plan I had foreshadowed! An enticing52 plan and a fair one, too, as against such adversaries53; turning this baffling cross-current to advantage as many a time we had worked eddies54 of an adverse55 tide in these difficult seas. But Davies was Davies, and there was an end of it; his faith and simplicity56 shamed me. And the pity of it, the cruelty of it, was that his very qualities were his last torture, raising to the acutest pitch the conflict between love and patriotism57. Remember that the latter was his dominant58 life-motive, and that here and now was his chance—if you would gauge59 the bitterness of that conflict.
It was in its last throes now. His elbows were on the table, and his twitching60 hands pressed on his forehead. He took them away.
“Of course we must go on. It can’t be helped, that’s all.”
“And you believe in her?”
“I’ll remember what you’ve said. There may be some way out. And—I’d rather not talk about that any more. What about the wreck?”
Further argument was futile61. Davies by an effort seemed to sweep the subject from his thoughts, and I did my best to do the same. At any rate the air was cleared—we were friends; and it only remained to grapple with the main problem in the light of the morning’s interview.
Every word that I could recollect62 of that critical conversation I reviewed with Davies, who had imperfectly understood what he had not been directly concerned in; and, as I did so, I began to see with what cleverness each succeeding sentence of von Brüning’s was designed to suit both of two contingencies63. If we were innocent travellers, he was the genial64 host, communicative and helpful. If we were spies, his tactics had been equally applicable. He had outdone us in apparent candour, hiding nothing which he knew we would discover for ourselves, and contriving65 at the same time both to gain knowledge and control of our movements, and to convey us warnings, which would only be understood if we were guilty, that we were playing an idle and perilous66 game, and had better desist. But in one respect we had had the advantage, and that was in the version Davies had given of his stranding67 on the Hohenhörn. Inscrutable as our questioner was, he let it appear not only that the incident was new to him, but that he conjectured68 at its sinister69 significance. A little cross-examination on detail would have been fatal to Davies’s version; but that was where our strength lay; he dared not cross-examine for fear of suggesting to Davies suspicions which he might never have felt. Indeed, I thought I detected that fear underlying70 his whole attitude towards us, and it strengthened a conviction which had been growing in me since Grimm’s furtive71 midnight visit, that the secret of this coast was of so important and delicate a nature that rather than attract attention to it at all, overt72 action against intruders would be taken only in the last resort, and on irrefragable proofs of guilty intention.
Now for our clues. I had come away with two, each the germ of a distinct theory, and both obscured by the prevailing73 ambiguity74. Now, however, as we thumbed the chart and I gave full rein75 to my fancy, one of them, the idea of Memmert, gained precision and vigour76 every moment. True, such information as we had about the French wreck and his own connection with it was placed most readily at our disposal by von Brüning; but I took it to be information calculated only to forestall77 suspicion, since he was aware that we already associated him with Dollmann, possibly also with Grimm, and it was only likely that in the ordinary course we should learn that the trio were jointly78 concerned in Memmert. So much for the facts; as for the construction he wished us to put on them, I felt sure it was absolutely false. He wished to give us the impression that the buried treasure itself was at the root of any mystery we might have scented79. I do not know if the reader fully24 appreciated that astute80 suggestion—the hint that secrecy81 as to results was necessary owing both to the great sum at stake and the flaw in the title, which he had been careful to inform us had passed through British hands. What he meant to imply was, “Don’t be surprised if you have midnight visitors; Englishmen prowling along this coast are suspected of being Lloyd’s agents.” An ingenious insinuation, which, at the time it was made, had caused me to contemplate82 a new and much more commonplace solution of our enigma83 than had ever occurred to us; but it was only a passing doubt, and I dismissed it altogether now.
The fact was, it either explained everything or nothing. As long as we held to our fundamental assumption—that Davies had been decoyed into a death-trap in September—it explained nothing. It was too fantastic to suppose that the exigencies84 of a commercial speculation85 would lead to such extremities86 as that. We were not in the South Sea Islands; nor were we the puppets of a romance. We were in Europe, dealing87 not only with a Dollmann, but with an officer of the German Imperial Navy, who would scarcely be connected with a commercial enterprise which could conceivably be reduced to forwarding its objects in such a fashion. It was shocking enough to find him in relations with such a scoundrel at all, but it was explicable if the motive were imperial—not so if it were financial. No; to accept the suggestion we must declare the whole quest a mare’s nest from beginning to end; the attempt on Davies a delusion88 of his own fancy, the whole structure we had built on it, baseless.
“Well,” I can hear the reader saying, “why not? You, at any rate, were always a little sceptical.”
Granted; yet I can truthfully say I scarcely faltered89 for a moment. Much had happened since Schlei Fiord. I had seen the mechanism90 of the death-trap; I had lived with Davies for a stormy fortnight, every hour of which had increased my reliance on his seamanship, and also, therefore, on his account of an event which depended largely for its correct interpretation91 on a balanced nautical92 judgement. Finally, I had been unconsciously realising, and knew from his mouth to-day, that he had exercised and acted on that judgement in the teeth of personal considerations, which his loyal nature made overwhelming in their force.
What, then, was the meaning of Memmert? At the outset it riveted93 my attention on the Ems estuary, whose mouth it adjoins. We had always rather neglected the Ems in our calculations; with some excuse, too, for at first sight its importance bears no proportion to that of the three greater estuaries94. The latter bear vessels95 of the largest tonnage and deepest draught97 to the very quays98 of Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and the naval100 dockyard of Wilhelmshaven; while two of them, the Elbe and the Weser, are commerce carriers on the vastest scale for the whole empire. The Ems, on the other hand, only serves towns of the second class. A glance at the chart explains this. You see a most imposing101 estuary on a grander scale than any of the other three taken singly, with a length of thirty miles and a frontage on the North Sea of ten miles, or one-seventieth, roughly, of the whole seaboard; encumbered102 by outlying shoals, and blocked in the centre by the island of Borkum, but presenting two fine deep-water channels to the incoming vessel96. These roll superbly through enormous sheets of sand, unite and approach the mainland in one stately stream three miles in breadth. But then comes a sad falling off. The navigable fairway shoals and shrinks, middle grounds obstruct103 it, and shelving foreshores persistently104 deny it that easy access to the land that alone can create great seaboard cities. All the ports of the Ems are tidal; the harbour of Delfzyl, on the Dutch side, dries at low water, and Emden, the principal German port, can only be reached by a lock and a mile of canal.
But this depreciation105 is only relative. Judged on its merits, and not by the standard of the Elbe, it is a very important river. Emden is a flourishing and growing port. For shallow craft the stream is navigable far into the interior, where, aided by tributaries106 and allied107 canals (notably the connection with the Rhine at Dortmund, then approaching completion), it taps the resources of a great area. Strategically there was still less reason for underrating it. It is one of the great maritime108 gates of Germany; and it is the westernmost gate, the nearest to Great Britain and France, contiguous to Holland. Its great forked delta presents two yawning breaches110 in that singular rampart of islets and shoals which masks the German seaboard—a seaboard itself so short in proportion to the empire’s bulk, that, as Davies used to say, “every inch of it must be important.” Warships111 could force these breaches, and so threaten the mainland at one of its few vulnerable points. Quay99 accommodation is no object to such visitors; intricate navigation no deterrent112. Even the heaviest battleships could approach within striking distance of the land, while cruisers and military transports could penetrate113 to the level of Emden itself. Emden, as Davies had often pointed114 out, is connected by canal with Wilhelmshaven on the Jade115, a strategic canal, designed to carry gunboats as well as merchandise.
Now Memmert was part of the outer rampart; its tapering116 sickle117 of sand directly commanded the eastern breach109; it must be connected with the defence of this breach. No more admirable base could be imagined; self-contained and isolated, yet sheltered, accessible—better than Juist and Borkum. And supposing it were desired to shroud118 the nature of the work in absolute secrecy, what a pretext119 lay to hand in the wreck and its buried bullion120, which lay in the offing opposite the fairway!
On Memmert was the depôt for the salvage121 operations. Salvage work, with its dredging and diving, offered precisely122 the disguise that was needed. It was submarine, and so are some of the most important defences of ports, mines, and dirigible torpedoes123. All the details of the story were suggestive: the “small local company”; the “engineer from Bremen” (who, I wondered, was he?); the few shares held by von Brüning, enough to explain his visits; the stores and gear coming from Wilhelmshaven, a naval dockyard.
Try as I would I could not stir Davies’s imagination as mine was stirred. He was bent124 on only seeing the objections, which, of course, were numerous enough. Could secrecy be ensured under pretext of salving a wreck? It must be a secret shared by many—divers, crews of tugs125, employees of all sorts. I answered that trade secrets are often preserved under no less difficult conditions, and why not imperial secrets?
“Why the Ems and not the Elbe?” he asked.
“Perhaps,” I replied, “the Elbe, too, holds similar mysteries.” Neuerk Island might, for all we knew, be another Memmert; when cruising in that region we had had no eyes for such things, absorbed in a preconceived theory of our own. Besides, we must not take ourselves too seriously. We were amateurs, not experts in coast defence, and on such vague grounds to fastidiously reject a clue which went so far as this one was to quarrel with our luck. There was a disheartening corollary to this latter argument that in my new-born zeal126 I shut my eyes to. As amateurs, were we capable of using our clue and gaining exact knowledge of the defences in question? Davies, I knew, felt this strongly, and I think it accounted for his lukewarm view of Memmert more than he was aware. He clung more obstinately127 than ever to his “channel theory”, conscious that it offered the one sort of opportunity of which with his peculiar128 gifts he was able to take advantage. He admitted, however, that it was under a cloud at present, for if knowledge of the coastwise navigation were a crime in itself we should scarcely be sitting here now. “It’s something to do with it, anyhow!” he persisted.
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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ruminated
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| v.沉思( ruminate的过去式和过去分词 )；反复考虑；反刍；倒嚼 | |
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abutting
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| adj.邻接的v.（与…）邻接( abut的现在分词 )；（与…）毗连；接触；倚靠 | |
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delta
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| n.（流的）角洲 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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bulge
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| n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀 | |
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bulges
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| 膨胀( bulge的名词复数 )； 鼓起； （身体的）肥胖部位； 暂时的激增 | |
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beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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estuary
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eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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gales
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| 龙猫 | |
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pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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perfectly
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grievance
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jotted
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| v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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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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muddled
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| adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子 | |
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harp
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utterly
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unreasonable
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confide
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folly
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motive
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hideous
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distress
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tiresome
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phlegmatic
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fortified
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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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recurred
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| 再发生，复发( recur的过去式和过去分词 )； 治愈 | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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prying
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| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
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43
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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44
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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45
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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47
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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48
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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49
vilest
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| adj.卑鄙的( vile的最高级 )；可耻的；极坏的；非常讨厌的 | |
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50
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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51
futility
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| n.无用 | |
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52
enticing
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| adj.迷人的；诱人的 | |
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53
adversaries
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| n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 ) | |
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54
eddies
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| （水、烟等的）漩涡，涡流( eddy的名词复数 ) | |
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55
adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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56
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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57
patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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58
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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59
gauge
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| v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器 | |
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60
twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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61
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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62
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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63
contingencies
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| n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一 | |
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64
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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contriving
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的现在分词 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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66
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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67
stranding
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| n.（船只）搁浅v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的现在分词 ) | |
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68
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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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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underlying
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| adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的 | |
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71
furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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72
overt
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| adj.公开的，明显的，公然的 | |
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73
prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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74
ambiguity
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| n.模棱两可；意义不明确 | |
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75
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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76
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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77
forestall
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| vt.抢在…之前采取行动；预先阻止 | |
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78
jointly
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| ad.联合地，共同地 | |
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79
scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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80
astute
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| adj.机敏的，精明的 | |
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81
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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82
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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83
enigma
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| n.谜，谜一样的人或事 | |
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84
exigencies
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| n.急切需要 | |
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85
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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86
extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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87
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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88
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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89
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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90
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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91
interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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92
nautical
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| adj.海上的，航海的，船员的 | |
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93
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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94
estuaries
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| （江河入海的）河口，河口湾( estuary的名词复数 ) | |
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95
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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96
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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97
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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98
quays
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| 码头( quay的名词复数 ) | |
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99
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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100
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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101
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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102
encumbered
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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103
obstruct
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| v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物 | |
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104
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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105
depreciation
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| n.价值低落，贬值，蔑视，贬低 | |
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106
tributaries
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| n. 支流 | |
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107
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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108
maritime
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| adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的 | |
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109
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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110
breaches
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| 破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背 | |
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111
warships
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| 军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只 | |
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112
deterrent
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| n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的 | |
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113
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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114
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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115
jade
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| n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠 | |
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116
tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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117
sickle
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| n.镰刀 | |
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118
shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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119
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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120
bullion
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| n.金条，银条 | |
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121
salvage
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| v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救 | |
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122
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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123
torpedoes
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| 鱼雷( torpedo的名词复数 )； 油井爆破筒； 刺客； 掼炮 | |
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124
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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125
tugs
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| n.猛拉( tug的名词复数 )；猛拖；拖船v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的第三人称单数 ) | |
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126
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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127
obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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128
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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