CHAPTER XVII ON THE MOUNTAIN

From the lofty roof hung stalactites which flashed and sparkled in the light, while the walls were formed of smooth rock of astonishing whiteness.

 

Dick lighted another match, and pushed forward over the hard floor.

 

"By Jove, isn't this great, Chubby¹?" he exclaimed. "Hello, as I live, another chamber²."

 

His voice reverberated³ in a series of roars and he wondered if the stout⁴ boy understood. But Dave was soon at his side, and the others followed.

 

As a flood of light illuminated⁵ the interior brightly, a murmur⁶ of admiration⁷ arose. From almost every nook and corner, the rays were flashed back in dazzling gleams, while fantastic groups of stalactites sparkled with a delicate, silvery whiteness.

 

"Swell⁸, eh?" said Havens⁹.

 

"I should say so," cried Dick. "Like some enchanted¹⁰ region. Let's go in the other chamber." Around a huge pillar of rock, a cavern¹¹ somewhat larger was entered.

 

Presently, Bob Somers grasped Dave by the arm. "Listen! Don't I hear the sound of running water?" asked Bob. "That's where the sound comes from. Look out, fellows!" he pointed¹² his torch toward a yawning pit which extended across the floor.

 

The quartet cautiously approached.

 

The steady swash of running water reached their ears, but the torches, held low, revealed nothing but the rocky sides of the pit. Its lower portion was wrapped in inky blackness.

 

Despite the strangeness of their surroundings, the boys slept as soundly as they ever did in their lives.

 

"Gee¹³ whitaker!"

 

Bob Somers raised himself on his elbow, and looked at his watch. "Eight o'clock! Wake up, fellows!" he cried.

 

The reverberations promptly¹⁴ aroused Havens and Dick, but the "poet laureate" lay still.

 

"Get up, Chub!" yelled Dick. "Whoop¹⁵ la!"

 

"Lemme be—I've just turned in," protested Dave. "Lemme be! If you don't, I'll hurt somebody."

 

But in spite of this awful threat, he was promptly dragged to his feet.

 

"Fellows," he said, after breakfast, "let's leave the bearskin here. It ought to be perfectly¹⁶ safe, eh, Havens?"

 

"Sure thing. We can blaze a trail, and find the cave again easy enough."

 

After concealing¹⁷ the entrance as well as possible, the hunters began their toilsome climb.

 

Great masses of whitish clouds flecked the blue sky, and the snow-capped summit was often hidden. They saw plenty of small game and several times heard the cry of wolves. Jim Havens blazed a trail through the deep pine and oak forests.

 

About noon they came to a small clearing and a halt was made.

 

"Weather's beginning to look threatening, fellows," observed Jim Havens. "Shouldn't wonder if a storm was coming up."

 

"Neither would I," said Bob. "We haven't had a drop of rain since starting."

 

"But managed to get wet, just the same," grinned Havens.

 

Lunch over, the climb was resumed.

 

"Wish we'd run across some big horns or goats," grumbled¹⁸ Dick, wiping his forehead.

 

"Too early for that, Dick. They don't often come down below the timber line," said Havens.

 

"Sort of high-livers, eh?" laughed Dave.

 

"Yes, and look down on most of the other critters, though painters often get after 'em."

 

At each open space, the quartet looked anxiously aloft, but there was always another ridge¹⁹ ahead and the summit seemed as far away as ever.

 

"Don't believe we can get any nearer," grumbled Dave. "This mountain's growing. Bet we're further away than when we started."

 

"There! Another cloud has bumped into the old thing," broke in Dick.

 

"Crickets, seems funny to have clouds coming to meet us," remarked Dick. "Gee! The wind is getting a bit too strong for comfort."

 

A harsh scream suddenly startled the boys, and, as they looked overhead, a bird with great, spreading wings soared above the tree tops.

 

"A bald eagle," said Havens. "We might have plugged the old robber."

 

"Why do you call him a robber?" asked Dick.

 

"Because he doesn't mind stealing. The old codger will watch a hawk²⁰ catch a fish, bird or small animal, then sweep down, and the meal changes hands."

 

"Or changes claws," smiled Dave.

 

"That's it. He's a sneaking²¹ rascal²². Always watching his chance to let other birds work for him. There he is now!"

 

Ahead, the forest opened out. Into this the eagle was sweeping²³, in a long, graceful²⁴ curve, his wings scarcely seeming to move. The four instantly detected his object. A frightened rabbit was scampering²⁵ for dear life through the grass, headed for a thicket²⁶.

 

But the woodland drama was soon over.

 

"He's got it," cried Dick.

 

With lightning speed, the bird overtook the fleeing animal; then the struggling bunny was borne aloft in the eagle's claws, and almost before the boys realized it, bird and prey²⁷ were but a speck²⁸ in the sky.

 

"Gee whitaker, that happened quickly," said Bob.

 

"Makes me feel glad that there are no rocs around," laughed Dave.

 

"Don't think one could have carried you off," said Dick, facetiously²⁹. "Their limit was a horse or elephant."

 

The timber line was left behind. There was nothing now but stunted³⁰ vegetation, barren rocks, and, above them, perpetual snow.

 

"And this," observed Havens, waving his hand, "is the home of the big horn and mountain goat. Is it getting too steep for you?" He dislodged a rock, which rattled³¹ noisily down the incline.

 

"It's dangerous; besides, we can't see," grumbled the "poet." "In a few minutes, it will be like trying to climb up the side of a cathedral."

 

"Seems out of the world," declared Dick; "and say, that cold is getting worse—whew!"

 

He pulled up his collar, and the others followed suit.

 

"Hello! Rain at last."

 

The four shadowy forms came to a halt. A few big drops sprinkled around them, then increased to a steady patter. A flock of screaming birds darted³² swiftly by.

 

"H'm, flying before the storm," murmured Dave. "Sounds kind of ominous³³. Let's grope around a bit for a more sheltered place. Out here we're a regular target."

 

But before they had gone far, a torrent³⁴ was beating in their faces. Clinging to whatever support they could find, the four huddled³⁵ together and awaited the outcome.

 

1 chubby   

adj.丰满的，圆胖的

参考例句：

• He is stocky though not chubby.他长得敦实，可并不发胖。
• The short and chubby gentleman over there is our new director.那个既矮又胖的绅士是我们的新主任。

2 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

3 reverberated   

回响，回荡( reverberate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射

参考例句：

• Her voice reverberated around the hall. 她的声音在大厅里回荡。
• The roar of guns reverberated in the valley. 炮声响彻山谷。

4   

参考例句：

5 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

6 murmur   

n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言

参考例句：

• They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
• There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

7 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

8 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

9 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

10 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

11 cavern   

n.洞穴，大山洞

参考例句：

• The cavern walls echoed his cries.大山洞的四壁回响着他的喊声。
• It suddenly began to shower,and we took refuge in the cavern.天突然下起雨来，我们在一个山洞里避雨。

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

13 gee   

n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转

参考例句：

• Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
• Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇！我们会赚好多钱啦！

14 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

15 whoop   

n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息

参考例句：

• He gave a whoop of joy when he saw his new bicycle.他看到自己的新自行车时，高兴得叫了起来。
• Everybody is planning to whoop it up this weekend.大家都打算在这个周末好好欢闹一番。

16 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

17 concealing   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产

18 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

19 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

20 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

21 sneaking   

a.秘密的，不公开的

参考例句：

• She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
• She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走，躲开采访者。

22 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

23 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

24 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

25 scampering   

v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A cat miaowed, then was heard scampering away. 马上起了猫叫，接着又听见猫逃走的声音。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• A grey squirrel is scampering from limb to limb. 一只灰色的松鼠在树枝间跳来跳去。 来自辞典例句

26 thicket   

n.灌木丛，树林

参考例句：

• A thicket makes good cover for animals to hide in.丛林是动物的良好隐蔽处。
• We were now at the margin of the thicket.我们现在已经来到了丛林的边缘。

27 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

28 speck   

n.微粒，小污点，小斑点

参考例句：

• I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
• The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗，一星星云彩也没有。

29 facetiously   

adv.爱开玩笑地；滑稽地，爱开玩笑地

参考例句：

• The house had been facetiously named by some waggish officer. 这房子是由某个机智幽默的军官命名的。 来自辞典例句
• I sometimes facetiously place the cause of it all to Charley Furuseth's credit. 我有时候也曾将起因全部可笑地推在却利？福罗萨的身上。 来自辞典例句

30 stunted   

adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的

参考例句：

• the stunted lives of children deprived of education 未受教育的孩子所过的局限生活
• But the landed oligarchy had stunted the country's democratic development for generations. 但是好几代以来土地寡头的统治阻碍了这个国家民主的发展。

31 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

32 darted   

v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

34 torrent   

n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发

参考例句：

• The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
• Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。

35 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。