28 The day after the storm

　　28 The day after the storm
　　As soon as he had shot the bolts safely home, Jack¹ collapsed². His tussle³ with Pepi, his long runthrough the wind and the rain, and the terrific excitement of making the men prisoners had beentoo much for him. He sank down on the steps outside the bolted door, and lay there quite still.
　　It was dark there. The old couple felt about for Jack in alarm. What was happening to the poorboy?
　　They found his torch in his pocket and took it out. They switched it on and looked anxiously atJacks pale face and closed eyes. They tried to drag him up the steps.
　　‘His clothes are wet,’ said the old woman, feeling Jacks⁴ soaked jersey⁵ and shorts. ‘He will get achill, a terrible chill. Maybe he will die of it. What shall we do, old man?’
　　The old man answered her in her own language. ‘We will drag him up these steps. We willmake him comfortable in the cave of stars. You shall wrap him in your shawl and he shall have mycoat.’
　　Together the old couple managed to drag Jack up the steps. How they panted and groaned⁶. Theycould not get him any further than the top. The old man stripped off Jack’s wet things and put hiscoat round him. The old woman wrapped him all round in her thick shawl. They squeezed out hiswet things and hung them on the rocky wall to dry.
　　They were frightened. What were they going to do now? Those men were bolted in the caveswith what was left of their precious treasure. How angry they would be when they discoveredwhat had happened!
　　Jack soon came to himself again. He sat up, wondering where he was. He had been in a kind ofhalf faint, half asleep. He clutched at his clothes. What on earth had he got on? A shawl? Gracious,was he dressed up as a statue again?
　　The old people heard him moving and switched on the torch again. They looked anxiously athim and were relieved to see that he was no longer so white.
　　‘You are better now?’ asked the old man gently.
　　‘Yes, thanks. I’m all right,’ said Jack, pulling at the shawl. ‘Whatever’s this?’
　　‘Your clothes were so wet,’ said the old man. ‘We had to take them off to dry them or youwould have got a terrible chill. You have my coat and my wife’s shawl.’
　　‘Oh – well, thank you,’ said Jack, feeling rather foolish in the coat and shawl. ‘Sorry I gave youa fright. But I just conked out – that run up the mountainside, I suppose. I say – wasn’t it a goodidea bolting those men in?’
　　‘Ah – but what will they do to us when they know?’ said the old man sadly.
　　‘Nothing! How can they?’ said Jack. ‘They are on the wrong side of the bolted door, aren’tthey? Don’t you worry, we’re all right!’
　　He got up. His legs were not very steady, but he could walk all right. ‘I’m just going to theentrance of the caves to see if by any chance that awful wind storm has died down,’ he said. ‘If ithas, I’ll make my way to the fern cave, where the two girls are. They’ll be scared by themselves.’
　　Somehow he stumbled along to the entrance. The clouds were so low and black that it was likenight outside. Rain still swept over the hillside in great torrents⁷. It was quite impossible to go out.
　　‘I should get completely lost,’ thought Jack. ‘Golly, the girls will be so worried about me! Ihope they won’t be frightened all by themselves. Well, it’s no use – I’ll have to spend the nighthere with the old people – but it won’t be very comfortable.’
　　It wasn’t comfortable. They found a place in the cave of stars, a rounded, hollowed-out basin ofrock, with only a few sharp edges. For the sake of warmth they all huddled⁸ together. Jack tried tomake the old people take back their coat and shawl, saying that his clothes were almost dry.
　　But the old woman grew very angry when he suggested this, and scolded her husband hard inwords that Jack could not understand, but whose meaning he could guess.
　　‘My old one says that you are a bad bad boy to talk of putting on wet clothes,’ said the oldfellow. ‘We will press close together. It is not cold in this cave.’
　　It wasn’t very cold, it was true. Jack lay between the old man and his wife, looking up at theroof of the strange cave. He watched the curious greenish-blue stars shine and fade, flicker⁹ andglow. There were hundreds of them, most enchanting¹⁰ to watch. Jack wondered about them for along time and then fell asleep.
　　In the morning the old people awoke first and felt stiff and uncomfortable. But they did notmove for fear of disturbing Jack. He awoke at last and sat up. He saw the glowing stars above andaround, and knew where he was at once.
　　‘I wonder what the time is,’ he said, looking at his watch. ‘Half past seven! Gracious, I wonderwhat those men are doing! Are my clothes dry?’
　　Luckily they were. Jack put them on quickly, and gave back the coat and shawl with warmthanks. ‘Now, you stay here a bit,’ he said to the old couple. ‘I’m just going to the bolted door tosee if I can hear anything.’
　　He went off, feeling quite himself again now. As soon as he came to the top of the curvingstairway that led down to the oaken door, he heard bangs and crashes. Ah – the men haddiscovered that they were bolted in!
　　Crash! Bang! Thud! Smash!
　　They were hammering at the stout door for all they were worth. How they shouted and yelled,how they kicked at that door and tried to smash it down!
　　Jack stood at the top of the steps and grinned in delight. Serve them right! They were getting ataste of their own medicine. They had locked the children in – and now they themselves wereprisoners.
　　Suddenly there was a loud bang that made Jack jump. It was a revolver shot. The men wereshooting at the door, hoping to smash the bolts.
　　Bang! Bang! Bang!
　　Jack went back a little way, afraid that a bullet might glance off somehow and hit him, thoughthis was impossible. BANG ! BANG !
　　The bolts could not be smashed. The men gave the door a few more blows with something thenstopped. Jack ran back to tell the old couple all about it.
　　But they were frightened, so it wasn’t much fun telling them. ‘I think I’ll take you to the ferncave, where the girls are,’ he told the old man. ‘We have food and rugs in that cave. Come withme.’
　　The old couple wouldn’t stir out of the place they knew so well. They were terrified of the openair, of the hillside and the outer world. They shrank back and nothing that Jack could say wouldmake them change their minds.
　　‘Well, I shall just have to go to the girls myself then,’ said Jack at last. ‘I’ll bring them backhere with food and rugs. We might as well all be together. Those men are no longer a danger to us.
　　They can’t possibly get out. Even if they find the hole behind that picture, I’m sure they won’t getany further than the cave of echoes.’
　　He said good-bye to the frightened old people and went out into the sunshine. It was warm onhis head and back – delicious. The sky was blue again, and the wind had gone.
　　He made his way to the waterfall, arriving there without any mistake, for he could follow the‘signposts’ easily now. He was hailed by the girls as soon as they saw him. They were peeping outthrough the fern fronds¹¹.
　　‘Jack! You didn’t come back last night! Oh, Jack, I hardly slept at all, wondering what hadhappened to you,’ cried Lucy-Ann.
　　‘What happened?’ asked Dinah, who was looking rather pale. She too had been very anxious,especially when the storm had come.
　　‘Heaps!’ said Jack. ‘Marvellous news! Best in the world!’
　　‘Gracious! Is Philip back then? – and Bill here?’ cried Lucy-Ann at once.
　　‘No – that’s not my news,’ said Jack. ‘Do you know what I’ve done? Bolted those men into thecaves. What do you think of that?’
　　‘What a wonderful idea!’ said the girls together. ‘But what about the old people?’ asked Dinah.
　　‘Oh, I got them out first,’ said Jack. ‘And I found Pepi back by the cowshed place, and tied himup properly. He’s bound to that big tree where we once hid.’
　　‘ JACK ! How marvellous you are!’ cried Lucy-Ann. ‘Did you fight him?’
　　‘Well – not exactly,’ said Jack. ‘He caught me, and I kicked him hard. And just then the windblew hard and a couple of our suitcases fell out of the tree and knocked him out. It was as much ofa surprise to me as to him.’
　　‘Oh – of course – we left our suitcases up there!’ said Dinah. ‘Oh, Jack – what a good thing wedid!’
　　‘Pepi must have had a most uncomfortable night,’ said Jack. ‘The rain and wind were his onlycompanions.’
　　He told them how he had left the old couple in the cave of stars, and related the tale of the angrymen trying to smash down the door.
　　‘I can’t get the old people to leave the caves,’ he said. ‘So we’d better take rugs and food and goback there to keep them company. They lent me their coat and shawl last night when my thingswere soaked. We can’t leave them alone there without food or bedding.’
　　‘Oh dear – I do like this cave so much better than anywhere else,’ sighed Lucy-Ann. ‘Still –those old people have been very good to us. Is Martha there too, Jack?’
　　‘Golly! – no, I’d forgotten all about her,’ said Jack, remembering. ‘I hope those men don’t killand eat her.’
　　This was a dreadful thought, and made poor Lucy-Ann quite dumb for a minute or two. PoorMartha. Surely the men would leave her alone?
　　Kiki, of course, was as delighted to see Jack as the girls had been. She nestled on his shoulder,making crooning noises all the time he was talking, pulling at his ear and ruffling¹² up his hair. Jackscratched her poll, delighted to have her again.
　　The girls collected a few tins, and Jack piled rugs over his shoulder. Then, with Kiki flyingahead, they set off to follow the familiar ‘signposts’ to the treasure caves. The sun beat downhotly. It was a really lovely day.
　　‘I wish I could draw a plan of how that hole behind the picture leads to our fern cave,’ saidDinah. ‘The mountain is riddled¹³ with holes and caves. I say, isn’t the waterfall loud this morning?
　　– and it seems bigger than ever. I suppose it’s all the rain last night.’
　　They arrived at the entrance to the caves at last and went in. They made their way to the cave ofstars and the old couple greeted them warmly and joyfully¹⁴. The old woman was full of delight tosee Lucy-Ann again, and greeted her lovingly.
　　‘I’m hungry,’ said Lucy-Ann, trying to wriggle¹⁵ out of Elsa’s arms. ‘Very hungry.’
　　They all were. It was a strange place to have a meal in – the cave of stars. The children watchedthe flickering¹⁶, shining lights, quite entranced by them. If only Lucy-Ann could take some home forher bedroom ceiling! She wished this once again as she watched the shining stars.
　　‘Well, now, all we’ve got to do is to wait,’ said Jack, arranging the pile of rugs for everyone tosit on as comfortably as possible. ‘Everything rests with Philip now. Those men evidently don’tknow he hid in a plane or they would have said something. He must have escaped all right. Whatis he doing, I wonder?’

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 tussle   

n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩

参考例句：

• They began to tussle with each other for the handgun.他们互相扭打起来，抢夺那支手枪。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

4 jacks   

n.抓子游戏；千斤顶( jack的名词复数 )；（电）插孔；[电子学]插座；放弃

参考例句：

• Hydraulic jacks under the machine produce the movement. 是机器下面的液压千斤顶造成的移动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The front end is equipped with hydraulic jacks used for grade adjustment. 前瑞安装有液压千斤顶用来调整坡度。 来自辞典例句

5 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

6 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 torrents   

n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断

参考例句：

• The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Sudden rainstorms would bring the mountain torrents rushing down. 突然的暴雨会使山洪暴发。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 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。

9 flicker   

vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现

参考例句：

• There was a flicker of lights coming from the abandoned house.这所废弃的房屋中有灯光闪烁。
• At first,the flame may be a small flicker,barely shining.开始时，光辉可能是微弱地忽隐忽现，几乎并不灿烂。

10 enchanting   

a.讨人喜欢的

参考例句：

• His smile, at once enchanting and melancholy, is just his father's. 他那种既迷人又有些忧郁的微笑，活脱儿象他父亲。
• Its interior was an enchanting place that both lured and frightened me. 它的里头是个吸引人的地方，我又向往又害怕。

11 fronds   

n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You can pleat palm fronds to make huts, umbrellas and baskets. 人们可以把棕榈叶折叠起来盖棚屋，制伞，编篮子。 来自百科语句
• When these breezes reached the platform the palm-fronds would whisper. 微风吹到平台时，棕榈叶片发出簌簌的低吟。 来自辞典例句

12 ruffling   

弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱

参考例句：

• A cool breeze brushed his face, ruffling his hair. 一阵凉风迎面拂来，吹乱了他的头发。
• "Indeed, they do not,'said Pitty, ruffling. "说真的，那倒不一定。" 皮蒂皱皱眉头，表示异议。

13 riddled   

adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式)

参考例句：

• The beams are riddled with woodworm. 这些木梁被蛀虫蛀得都是洞。
• The bodies of the hostages were found riddled with bullets. 在人质的尸体上发现了很多弹孔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 joyfully   

adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着，脚底下轻飘飘的。
• During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里，她干得很高兴。

15 wriggle   

v./n.蠕动，扭动；蜿蜒

参考例句：

• I've got an appointment I can't wriggle out of.我有个推脱不掉的约会。
• Children wriggle themselves when they are bored.小孩子感到厌烦时就会扭动他们的身体。

16 flickering   

adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的

参考例句：

• The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。
• The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。