30 Ahoy there! Show yourselves!

　　30
　　Ahoy there! Show yourselves!
　　There was a sudden flash of sunlight on the lenses of a pair of field-glasses. They were beinglevelled at the island, on whose rocks the children’s boat had been grounded. The glasses sweptthe rocks and the island, and then came back to the rocks again.
　　The boat was there, draped end to end with seaweed. The glasses rested on it for a fewmoments. Then they swept the sea, but among the bobbing birds it was impossible to pick out thefive wet heads.
　　The children kept as close to swimming birds as possible. Philip was all right because Huffinand Puffin perched on his head, and hid him beautifully. Lucy-Ann was near a big cormorant¹, whoeyed her with interest but did not swim away from her. Dinah and Jack² were among a crowd ofbobbing, diving puffins, and Bill, fearful of his big, somewhat bald head being spotted³, keptbobbing under the water, and holding his breath there as long as he could.
　　After what seemed an age the enemy’s motor-boat swung round and went away, going rightround the island – or so Bill thought. They heard the sound of its engine growing fainter andfainter.
　　Not until it had completely died away did Bill let the children get back into the boat. Then,when he thought it was quite safe, they all clambered back, wet and hungry, but no longer sleepy.
　　‘How slippery the boat is, with all this seaweed!’ said Jack. ‘Dinah, your idea worked well. Idon’t think the enemy even guessed there was anyone here – and there were five people and a boatwithin easy sight of their glasses.’
　　‘Yes, a very fine idea, Dinah,’ said Bill. ‘Now – what about breakfast? I’m starving!’
　　They sat down and opened a few tins. Kiki screeched⁴ with delight when she saw the chunks⁵ ofpineapple in one of them. She tried to raise her crest⁶, but as she had only one or two feathers left init, it was not a very successful effort.
　　Jack suddenly thought of something. ‘Bill! Do I remember something – something about youand Horace’s radio – or did I dream it? Yes, perhaps I dreamt it.’
　　You certainly didn’t, said Bill. ‘I found Horace’s radio – most unexpectedly, I must say – anddiscovered to my joy that it was a transmitter as well as a receiver – so that I ought to be able tosend messages as well as receive them.’
　　‘Oh, Bill! So you’ve radioed for help – and we shall be saved!’ said Lucy-Ann joyfully⁷.
　　‘Unfortunately there’s something wrong with the thing,’ said Bill. ‘Couldn’t get a chirp⁸ out of it– and whether or not my messages have gone through I can’t tell. But probably not. It’s not a verygood set, this one of Horace’s.’
　　‘Oh – so it’s not very likely it was of much use,’ said Dinah, disappointed.
　　‘Not very,’ said Bill. ‘By the way, did anyone feel a slight upward lift then? I have an idea theboat is coming off the rocks.’
　　He was right. It was soon afloat, and Bill took the oars⁹. He rowed for some distance away fromthe island, and then a thought struck him.
　　‘Look here – Horace couldn’t possibly have come all the way up here – and hoped to get backagain – without a store of petrol. Have you examined this boat thoroughly¹⁰?’
　　‘No, not really thoroughly,’ said Jack. ‘It isn’t much of a boat.’
　　‘I grant you that – but there really should be some petrol somewhere,’ said Bill. ‘Philip, pull upthose piles of rope and stuff. There would be room under the board there for tins of petrol.’
　　Philip and Jack did as they were told. They hauled up three loose boards – and there, neatlyarranged below, was Horace’s store of petrol!
　　‘Gosh!’ said Jack. ‘What a find! Now we’ll be all right. We’ll be on the mainland in no time.
　　Good old Horace!’
　　They handed Bill a tin. He emptied it into the petrol tank of the engine and then took anothertin. That was emptied in too. Hurrah¹¹! Now they could really make headway.
　　Soon the engine was purring happily away and the little boat was speeding over the waves. Nomore rowing! Bill set his course for the south-east.
　　‘Hark! There’s an aeroplane about somewhere!’ said Lucy-Ann suddenly. ‘I can hear it.’
　　They all looked up into the sky. Soon they saw the plane, coming from the north-east. It wasflying low.
　　‘Looks as if it’s trying to spot us,’ said Bill uneasily.
　　‘It belongs to the enemy then!’ said Jack. They all looked intently at the approaching plane. Itseemed suddenly to see them, and veered¹² in their direction. It flew down very low, circled roundthem, and then made off.
　　‘Blow!’ said Bill. ‘Now we’re for it! They’ll send out their most powerful motor-boat – ormaybe one of the seaplanes they seem to use – and that’ll be that!’
　　‘Well, we’ve got plenty of petrol,’ said Jack, ‘so we can keep on quickly for miles. We’ll bewell away from here before long.’
　　The boat sped on, Bill giving her her top speed. When he reckoned that her petrol would soonbe running out he called to Jack, ‘Get out the other tins, Jack. I’ll put some more in before she’sempty.’
　　But what a shock for the boys! All the other tins were empty! Bill stared in dismay.
　　‘Gosh! Somebody has swindled Horace properly! He probably gave orders for all the tins to befilled – and somebody took the money for the lot, and only filled half. What a dirty trick!’
　　‘But just the sort that would be played on poor silly Horace!’ said Philip. ‘Oh, Bill – we’re outon the open sea now, miles away from any island. What will we do if the petrol gives out beforewe’ve reached anywhere?’
　　Bill wiped his forehead. ‘I don’t like this,’ he said. ‘There’s not much left in the tank now. Oncewe run out, we can’t get far with oars, and we shall be at the mercy of any fast motor-boat sent outto catch us. I think perhaps one of the bullets must have glanced off the petrol tank and made itleak a bit.’
　　Nobody said anything. ‘Oh dear,’ thought Lucy-Ann, ‘just as we think things are all right, theyturn out all wrong again.’
　　After a while the engine stopped with a series of coughs and splutters. ‘No more petrol,’ saidJack gloomily.
　　‘Send for the doctor,’ said Kiki.
　　‘Wish we could,’ said Philip.
　　‘Arrrrr!’ said Huffin from the deck- rail. Both Huffin and Puffin were still with the littlecompany. Lucy- Ann had begun to hope that they would travel right home with them. Whatexcitement they would cause!
　　‘This is really disgusting,’ said Bill. ‘So near and yet so far!’
　　There was a dead silence, and only the plish-plash of the sea against the sides of the boat couldbe heard. Philip’s rats, surprised at the quiet, ran out of the various hiding-places in his clothes,and sniffed¹³ the air. Bill hadn’t seen them since he had been captured from Puffin Island, and hestared in surprise.
　　‘My word – how they’ve grown! Well, well, who knows, we may have to eat them in the end!’
　　He meant this as a joke, but both Lucy-Ann and Dinah squealed¹⁴ in horror.
　　‘Ugh! Bill! How could you say such a horrible thing! Eat a rat! I’d rather die!’
　　‘Shall we row, just for something to do?’ said Jack. ‘Or have a meal? Or what?’
　　‘Oh, have a meal,’ said Philip. Then a thought struck him. ‘I say, Bill – I suppose we oughtn’tto start rationing¹⁵ ourselves, ought we? I mean – do you think we may be marooned¹⁶ out here onthis lonely sea for days on end?’
　　‘No,’ said Bill, who privately¹⁷ thought that before the day was up they would all be back on theisland in the hands of the enemy, now that their plane had spotted them. ‘No. We really don’t needto think of things like that at the moment. All the same – I wouldn’t have headed out for the opensea as we have done, if I’d thought the petrol was going to give out – I’d have kept near theislands.’
　　It was a boring and anxious day. The four children were still very tired, but refused to try andsleep. No motor-boat appeared in chase of them. The sun began to sink in the west, and it lookedas if the little company was going to spend a night out on the open sea.
　　‘Well, thank goodness it isn’t cold, anyway,’ said Dinah. ‘Even the wind is warm tonight. Don’twe seem a long long way from home – and from school – and from all the ordinary things weknow?’
　　Lucy-Ann gazed round her at the vast open sea, green near the boat, but a deep blue beyond.
　　‘Yes,’ she said, ‘we’re far away from everywhere – lost on the Sea of Adventure.’
　　The sun slid down further still. Then, on the evening air, came a familiar sound – the throb-throb-throb of a powerful engine.
　　Everyone sat up straight at once. Motor-boat? Aeroplane? Seaplane? What was it?
　　‘There it is!’ cried Jack, making everyone jump. ‘Look, over there! Golly, what a big one! It’s aseaplane.’
　　‘It must be the one we saw on the lagoon¹⁸ the other day,’ said Dinah. ‘They’ve sent it after us.
　　Oh, Bill – what can we do?’
　　‘All lie down flat,’ said Bill at once. ‘You’ve got to remember that if it’s the enemy they don’tknow I’ve got children with me – they probably think there are three or four men in the boat – andthey may shoot, as they did before. So lie down flat and don’t move. Don’t show your heads atall.’
　　Lucy-Ann’s knees began their familiar wobbly feeling. She lay down flat at once, glad that Billhad not suggested that the boys should squash on top of them again. Bill put his arm over her.
　　‘Don’t you worry, Lucy-Ann,’ he said. ‘You’ll be all right. They won’t hurt children.’
　　But Lucy-Ann didn’t want ‘them’ to hurt Bill either, and she was very much afraid they would.
　　With her pale face pressed into the rugs, she lay as still as a mouse.
　　The roar of the seaplane came much nearer. It circled just overhead. Then its engine cut out andit landed not far off. Waves from it rippled¹⁹ under the boat and sent it up and down.
　　Nobody dared to look overboard and see the great seaplane. Bill was afraid of a bullet if he did.
　　Then a colossal²⁰ voice came booming over the sea, the voice of a giant: AHOY THERE! SHOWYOURSELVES!’
　　‘Don’t move,’ said Bill urgently. ‘Don’t move. Don’t be frightened, Lucy-Ann. They’re using amegaphone, that’s why the voice sounds so loud.’
　　The giant voice came again: ‘WE’VE GOT OUR GUNS ON YOU. ANY FUNNY BUSINESSAND YOU’LL BE BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS. SHOW YOURSELVES!’

1 cormorant   

n.鸬鹚，贪婪的人

参考例句：

• The cormorant is a large,long-necked,dark-colored bird which lives near sea coasts and eats fish.鸬鹚是一种长脖子黑颜色的大鸟，生活在海滨而且以吃鱼为生。
• The exciting cormorant fishing performance is over there.那边有令人刺激的鱼鹰捕鱼表演。

2 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。

3 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

4 screeched   

v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫

参考例句：

• She screeched her disapproval. 她尖叫着不同意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The car screeched to a stop. 汽车嚓的一声停住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

6 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

7 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。

8 chirp   

v.(尤指鸟)唧唧喳喳的叫

参考例句：

• The birds chirp merrily at the top of tree.鸟儿在枝头欢快地啾啾鸣唱。
• The sparrows chirp outside the window every morning.麻雀每天清晨在窗外嘁嘁喳喳地叫。

9 oars   

n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
• The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

11 hurrah   

int.好哇，万岁，乌拉

参考例句：

• We hurrah when we see the soldiers go by.我们看到士兵经过时向他们欢呼。
• The assistants raised a formidable hurrah.助手们发出了一片震天的欢呼声。

12 veered   

v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• The bus veered onto the wrong side of the road. 公共汽车突然驶入了逆行道。
• The truck veered off the road and crashed into a tree. 卡车突然驶离公路撞上了一棵树。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 squealed   

v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He squealed the words out. 他吼叫着说出那些话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The brakes of the car squealed. 汽车的刹车发出吱吱声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 rationing   

n.定量供应

参考例句：

• Wartime austerities included food rationing and shortage of fuel. 战时的艰苦包括食物配给和燃料短缺。
• Food rationing was abolished in that country long ago. 那个国家早就取消了粮食配给制。

16 marooned   

adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的

参考例句：

• During the storm we were marooned in a cabin miles from town. 在风暴中我们被围困在离城数英里的小屋内。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks. 埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。 来自辞典例句

17 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

18 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。

19 rippled   

使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The lake rippled gently. 湖面轻轻地泛起涟漪。
• The wind rippled the surface of the cornfield. 微风吹过麦田，泛起一片麦浪。

20 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。