Alongside Madden came Greer, and after them Caradoc. Like all Americans, Leonard gradually increased his energy, and forged ahead at a rate considerably4 faster than that required for long distance swimming. Once or twice Caradoc warned the swimmers to go more slowly, and at each monition Madden slowed up a trifle, but within a few minutes he would again speed up unconsciously.
The three swimmers could form little idea of the rate they were making in the lifeless sea. At the end of half an hour, when Leonard looked back at Hogan on the wall for signals, the dock still loomed5 above him, a vast glare of red in the dazzling sunshine. It seemed impossible to get away from it; the featureless red flare6 followed him as a mountain peak seems to follow a traveler.
The sun beat oppressively on his head and blistered7 his shoulders through his net undershirt. The warm water soaked the energy out of limbs and arms. He changed from breast to over-arm stroke, then he shifted to the crawl and trudgen stroke.
"Beastly hot, this sun," Leonard ducked head and shoulders under water for relief. His hat floated off and he grudged9 the slight effort to retrieve10 it.
"How far are we?"
"Dock looks as close as ever—where's Smith?"
At that moment, they heard the Englishman's voice calling, "To the right!"
The boys turned and struck out ahead once more. They regretted having to leave the straight line. As far as they could see there was no algae12 in sight, the water was one glassy blue. And the mysterious schooner13, with its lights and shadows exaggerated in the tropical glare, seemed to the tired swimmers to be as remote as ever.
As Madden pressed on and on, changing strokes after the fashion of tiring swimmers, the constant beat of the sun made his eyeballs ache; the ocean felt like a Turkish bath; the muscles in his shoulders, back and legs grew numb14, with an occasional cramping15 twinge. And what irritated him as much as anything else was the fact that he was swimming toward the right quarter of the schooner, throwing away his energy.
Just then Caradoc gave a distant call, "To the left."
With deep relief, Madden rounded back toward his goal. He had swung about some unseen cape16 of algae. He looked back toward the dock. Hogan, a very tiny figure, held his flag straight up; that meant "dead ahead."
In relief Madden turned over on his back, laid his hat across his face, then with hands resting on chest, he began sculling along with knees and feet.
He did not know how long he swam in this fashion. Queer ideas drifted through the lad's mind. He recalled standing17 on the bridge of the dock as it went out of the Thames and wondering what would happen. He had never anticipated anything like this. It seemed that he had been swimming for days and weeks. He reminded himself of those little kicking toys that never get anywhere. He felt as if he were a June bug18 buzzing helplessly at the end of a string. He kicked, kicked, kicked under the broiling19 sun, in the hot water. The sweaty smell of his hat band disgusted his nostrils20. The crown of his hat seemed to coop the heat over his face, sweat seeped21 into his closed eyelids22 and stung his eyes. He gave his head a little shake. The buoy slipped out and he bobbed under the tepid23 water head and ears.
This jerked him out of his dreamy state. He whirled over, struck to the surface, spat24 out brine, blinked his eyes. Somebody was shouting something in an urgent voice. The noise buzzed in his waterlogged ears.
"Hey, hello! What is it?" he cried, giving his head a shake and putting on his hat.
"School of sharks!" echoed Madden with a sharp thrill. "Where? Which way?"
"Must be toward the dock, sir!" panted Greer driving up.
"Where's Caradoc?"
"We must get together—yell to him, warn him!"
The two lads began a strenuous27 chorus that further used up their exhausted28 strength. Caradoc responded by a wave of his hand. Then when he understood "sharks" he gathered speed in their direction.
By this time the dock seemed as far away as the schooner, and was in reality probably farther. On the wall of the dock, they could see Hogan's microscopic29 figure apparently30 having a fit, against the coppery sky. No doubt from his height he could make out the monsters. Perhaps Hogan could see the great fish shooting along with sinister31, exertionless ease toward these clumsy adventurers—a school of trout32 striking at three awkward beetles33.
"Hey, Caradoc! Caradoc!" screamed Madden. "Straight for the schooner!" The American stared around with tense nerves for the little swishes on the surface that betray the attack of a shark.
From something near middle distance, the Englishman raised a hand toward his comrades and motioned them forward.
Indeed, there was little to be gained from waiting. Caradoc moved toward his friends with a long overhand stroke that gave him the queer appearance of some huge water bug striding along. Madden and Greer propelled themselves slowly toward the schooner, waiting for their friend to close up. They could not keep their eyes off the Englishman. Every moment they expected to see him jerked under, or they expected to see a huge shadowy form strike at themselves through the clear green water.
Once Madden looked at the dock. Hogan on the rim35 of the red flaring36 wall was flinging out all kinds of despairing gestures.
By this time Caradoc was in hailing distance.
"Did you say sharks?" he called out in a dull voice.
"Yes, sharks!"
"Where a way?"
"Don't know!"
At that moment a trickling37 thrill went through the American. A long dark motionless shadow lay in the water straight in front of him. He stopped swimming suddenly.
"Stop, Greer! Straight ahead!" he warned in a low tone, easing himself carefully up on his buoy for a better look.
By this time the swimmers were nearly together and all three stared ahead with painful intentness.
"That dark thing?" inquired Greer in an undertone,
"Yes, we ought to have a knife apiece."
"I never saw a shark lying still," panted Caradoc straining his eyes.
Then all three perceived it was merely seaweed. The shark-like illusion disappeared completely the moment someone doubted it.
"Who cried out sharks anyway?" demanded Smith of Madden.
"Greer there warned me—he yelled 'school of sharks.'"
"Where did you see them?" inquired Caradoc of Farnol.
"You shouted school of sharks to me yourself," defended Greer.
"Well, what did you say?" demanded Greer.
Caradoc thought back fretfully. "I said we were running into a cul de sac."
"A cool de sock!" repeated Greer with irritation42. "What did you want to say 'cool de sock' for?"
"I was calling to a gentleman," panted Smith with an edge of temper in his tone, "and here you've swung us clear off our bearings because you didn't know a common French phrase——"
"French! I'm no Frenchman! Why don't you talk English!"
"Look how close we are to that schooner! If somebody would raise another shark alarm, we'd land plump on her decks."
"Yes, but this Zulu here has run us straight into a loop of seaweed it'll take two hours' swimming to get out of—cul de sac, school of sharks! Why the two phrases scarcely resemble each other!"
Madden turned longing44 eyes toward the motionless schooner that was not more than three-quarters of a mile distant. "Say, it's too bad to turn around and swim away from that vessel45!" he lamented46 wearily, "and this sun is fierce!"
"I say let's try going through!" encouraged Greer.
"It'll be—difficult," warned Caradoc.
"Won't swimming clear around the earth be difficult?" demanded Greer hotly.
The boys adjusted their floats and once more began their weary labor48, all three disgruntled at the false alarm. As they worked their way forward, clumps49 of seaweed, similar to the first they had seen, thickened in their path. After a long swim in and out, they reached a point where these floating masses coalesced50 into an island, or a continent, that swung far back toward the barge51 in the segment of a great semicircle. Fortunately there were still open channels in this main field, and one of them led toward the schooner. They struck out up this estuary52, which presently became so narrow that they were forced to travel single file. Occasionally their kicking feet would strike slimy filaments53 in the water, but for a while the channel cheered the swimmers, for they could now see they were making progress toward the ship.
Ten minutes later, however, they reached the end, and an inexorable continent of slime lay between them and their goal. Madden paused in the last yard of clear water, hung to his buoy, his big biceps flattened54 on the canvas cover and slowly blistering55 in the sun.
"We'll start with them."
"We'll experiment and work through the best way we can. If it turns out too bad, we can turn back, that's one consolation59."
Just then, under Madden's astonished eyes, a queer thing happened. The long open tongue of the sea which they had just entered, silently closed up. It seemed to close very slowly, and yet it was accomplished60 in an amazingly brief time. Some dull movement in the Sargasso current had blocked the adventurers with sinister precision. Madden felt the hot slimy mass close softly around him.
It was now as easy to go forward as to return.
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1
hoop
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| n.（篮球）篮圈，篮 | |
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cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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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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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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blistered
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| adj.水疮状的，泡状的v.（使）起水泡( blister的过去式和过去分词 )；（使表皮等）涨破，爆裂 | |
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puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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grudged
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| 怀恨（grudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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buoy
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| n.浮标；救生圈；v.支持，鼓励 | |
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algae
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| n.水藻，海藻 | |
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schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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cramping
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| 图像压缩 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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bug
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| n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器 | |
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19
broiling
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| adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙） | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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21
seeped
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| v.（液体）渗( seep的过去式和过去分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出 | |
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22
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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tepid
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| adj.微温的，温热的，不太热心的 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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foamy
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| adj.全是泡沫的，泡沫的，起泡沫的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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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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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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microscopic
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| adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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beetles
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| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
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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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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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38
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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spurt
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| v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆 | |
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42
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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43
brewing
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| n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式 | |
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44
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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46
lamented
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| adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tersely
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| adv. 简捷地, 简要地 | |
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48
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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49
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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50
coalesced
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| v.联合，合并( coalesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
barge
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| n.平底载货船，驳船 | |
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52
estuary
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| n.河口，江口 | |
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53
filaments
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| n.（电灯泡的）灯丝( filament的名词复数 )；丝极；细丝；丝状物 | |
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54
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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55
blistering
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| adj.酷热的；猛烈的；使起疱的；可恶的v.起水疱；起气泡；使受暴晒n.[涂料] 起泡 | |
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56
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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57
buoys
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| n.浮标( buoy的名词复数 )；航标；救生圈；救生衣v.使浮起( buoy的第三人称单数 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神 | |
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58
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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