28 Trailed by the dogs

　　28
　　Trailed by the dogs
　　Lucy-Ann shrank back against Bill and Johns when she heard the savage¹ howls and barks. Shedidn’t at all like the idea of the dogs being after them!
　　Bill and Johns exchanged glances, and Bill said something under his breath and looked stubbornand angry. They had all been so pleased at their escape – and now here they were, about to becaught again! Nobody could do anything against ten man-hunting dogs!
　　‘Bill! Get into the stream and wade² up through the water,’ said Jack³ suddenly. ‘That’s what theother man did when he wanted to break his scent⁴. Dogs can’t smell a trail through water. Let’s allwade up the stream, and try and find a good hiding-place – a big tree, like Sam went up.’
　　‘Well – it’s a poor chance,’ said Bill, ‘but we’ll try it! Blow that helicopter – behaving like thatjust when I wanted to take off to safety! We’d have been quite all right by now if it hadn’t been forthe damage to the steering⁵.’
　　They all waded⁶ into the middle of the little stream. Up it they went, the water very cold to theirfeet. Lucy-Ann was between Bill and Johns. She felt very glad indeed that there were two grown-ups with them! In the distance the dogs barked again. They were certainly on the trail!
　　The little company went up the stream as quickly as they could, so that their scent was wellbroken. But they could easily be seen, and it was essential that they should get up into a tree, orfind a cave as soon as they could.
　　And soon they found just exactly the thing! The stream disappeared into a large hole in themountain. The clear water came bubbling out from there into the sunshine, swirling⁷ round the feetof the two men and the children – and of Snowy too!
　　‘Look – it comes from that big hole,’ said Bill, pleased. ‘We’ll go in there and hope it will takeus all. We ought to be able to hide here till the dogs give up all hope of finding us.’
　　They crawled in one by one. Bill switched on his torch. There was only just room for them all,because a few yards back the hole narrowed down to a tiny tunnel, out of which the stream gushedmadly.
　　They sat down where they could, squeezed up closely against one another. Jack and Philip hadtheir feet in the stream. They sat there, listening to the distant yelping⁸ of the Alsatians.
　　Bill pulled some chocolate out of his pocket. ‘I forgot about this,’ he said, and handed it round.
　　It was very comforting to have something to nibble⁹. Johns had brought some too, so there wasplenty.
　　‘Do you think the dogs have lost the trail now?’ asked Jack, not hearing the barking coming anycloser.
　　‘Yes. Sounds like it,’ said Bill. ‘They’re at a loss, I should think. They must have come to thestream, jumped over it and found the trail was at an end. They probably won’t have the sense torealize we’ve gone upstream.’
　　‘But I should think the men with them would guess,’ said big stolid¹⁰ Johns, who was taking thisextraordinary adventure with the utmost calm, as if things like that happened to him every day. ‘Iknow I would! If I were hunting a man with dogs, and we came to a stop by a stream, I’d order thedogs up- or downstream at once.’
　　‘Oh dear!’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Would you really? Well, I’m sure Meier will, then, when he catchesup with the dogs, because he’s terribly clever. He’s got the most piercing eyes, Bill – honestly,they go right through you.’
　　‘Well, he’d better not try looking right through me,’ said Bill. ‘He’d be sorry!’
　　‘Pardon!’ said Kiki. ‘Sorry!’
　　‘You forgot your hiccup¹¹, old thing,’ said Jack, and Kiki solemnly produced one. Johns laughedsuddenly. He said he’d heard plenty of hiccups¹² without birds, and seen plenty of birds withouthiccups – but when you got the two together it was worth a lot!
　　‘The dogs are coming nearer,’ said Jack suddenly. They all listened, straining their ears. It wastrue. Their howls were distinctly louder.
　　‘Meier’s caught up with them, then,’ said Dinah. ‘And he’s guessed our trick, and they’re allcoming upstream.’
　　‘Yes. And they’re sure to smell us here,’ said Philip. Absolutely certain to. We can’t diddledogs like that!’
　　‘Hey diddle diddle,’ said Kiki, and screeched¹³.
　　‘Shut up,’ said Jack, and tapped her on her beak¹⁴. ‘Do you want the dogs to hear you?’
　　‘Pooh,’ said Kiki, and nipped Jack’s ear.
　　‘Listen! I can hear the dogs splashing in the stream!’ cried Philip. And so he could. The soundcame to everyone’s ears, and Lucy-Ann clutched Bill’s hand even more tightly. Would this horridadventure never end?
　　And then they saw the first dog, his red tongue hanging out, his breath coming in excited pants.
　　He was half leaping in the water, not wading¹⁵ – in and out he leapt, in and out, coming nearer andnearer.
　　Then came Meier’s hateful voice. ‘Go on! Get them! Find them!’
　　The leading dog came right up to the hiding-place. He could smell everyone in there, as hestood in the stream outside the hole. He did not attempt to go in. He had found what he had beentold to find – he had not been told to capture and hold.
　　He lifted his head and howled like a wolf. Kiki was very surprised. She attempted an imitationbut an Alsatian’s howl was beyond her. She only produced a curious whirring noise that made thedog cock his big head on one side and listen.
　　Then the other dogs came up, panting too, their tongues all hanging out. They stood beside andbehind their leader, sniffing¹⁶. They looked very fierce indeed!
　　‘Not a nice sight,’ murmured Bill to Johns, who was staring stolidly¹⁷ at the dogs as if he wasperfectly used to being hunted by a pack of Alsatians and didn’t mind it at all.
　　‘Keep still,’ Bill commanded everyone. As long as we don’t attempt to move or get away, thedogs won’t do anything more than stand there and stare.’
　　There came the sound of shouts and Meier and Erlick appeared, very red in the face withrunning. Meier stopped dead when he saw the pack of dogs standing¹⁸ looking in the hole where thestream poured out.
　　He pushed Erlick behind a tree quickly. It was plain that he feared Bill might have a gun. Heshouted out loudly.
　　‘Come on out! The dogs have found you. If you don’t want them to set on you, come on out –and throw any gun you’ve got down on the ground, and put your hands up. We’ve got youcovered.’
　　‘Pleasant fellow, isn’t he?’ said Johns to Bill. ‘It’ll be nice to get hold of him. Do we go out,boss, or don’t we?’
　　‘We don’t,’ said Bill shortly. ‘I doubt if he’ll dare to set the dogs on us. He knows the childrenare here.’
　　‘Meier wouldn’t stick at anything,’ said Jack. And he was right. When there was no answer, andnot even a movement from the hole in the hill, Meier began to lose his temper as usual. Heshouted out something in a foreign language, then changed to English.
　　‘You heard what I said. You have one more chance. The dogs are ready to pounce¹⁹. They’llround you up all right, and I warn you, their teeth are sharp, so don’t resist!’
　　Still nobody moved. Lucy-Ann shut her eyes. She really couldn’t look at the eager, pantingdogs any more. She could see that they were just awaiting the word to rush into the cave and dragthem all out.
　　And then Philip suddenly moved, and before anyone could stop him, he was outside the cave.
　　‘Put your hands up!’ called Meier, and Philip put them up. The dogs sniffed²⁰ at him, and underhis breath Philip talked to them.
　　‘Don’t you remember me? I’m Philip. You slept with me up on the rock. Fine dogs you are.
　　We’re friends, don’t you remember?’
　　The dogs did not understand one word, but they understood his tone of voice. They rememberedthis boy. They felt his friendliness²¹ and his attraction. The leader began to whine²² a little. He longedto have this boy pat his head. But Philip had his hands above his head, and had only his voice tocharm the dogs with.
　　He went on talking to them in a low voice, whilst the other children, and Bill and Johns,watched spellbound. They all thought the same. Philip, Philip, what is there in you that makes allcreatures your friends? What gift have you got, so rare, so irresistible²³? ‘Lucky boy!’ thought Bill.
　　‘And lucky for every one of us that you can charm these dogs!’
　　Meier called out angrily. ‘Where are the others? Tell them to come too, or I’ll give the order forthem to be dragged out!’
　　The leader dog stood up and put his paws on Philip’s shoulders. He licked the boy’s face. It wasa very wet lick, but Philip did not even turn away his face. That was the signal for all the otherdogs to come round too. Quite forgetting Meier, they milled round Philip, trying to get near him,sniffing at him, giving him a lick when they got near enough.
　　He put down his hands. Meier would not dare to take a shot at him now in case he killed a dog!
　　He ran his hands over their backs, patted their heads, rubbed their noses, and all the time he talkedto them in the special voice he kept for animals.
　　Meier snapped out an order to the dogs. ‘Fetch them out! Get them! Bring them here!’
　　The dogs turned their heads automatically at his commanding voice. They hesitated. The leaderlooked at Philip. ‘Come with me,’ said Philip. ‘Come. You will find more friends in here.’
　　And, to Meier’s everlasting²⁴ astonishment²⁵, the boy actually led all the dogs to the cave, where atleast four of them squeezed in to lick Lucy-Ann, Jack and Dinah! They sniffed doubtfully at Billand Johns, growled²⁶ at Snowy and Kiki, and then, when Philip laid a hand on Bill’s arm and thenon Johns’, they accepted them as friends too.
　　‘Philip! You’re a marvel²⁷!’ said Bill, in heartfelt admiration²⁸. ‘It’s magic you use – can’t beanything else!’
　　‘What a boy!’ said the stolid Johns, allowing his face to change its expression for once in awhile, and show great admiration.
　　‘Meier’s shortly going to have a fit, I think,’ said Jack. ‘He just can’t understand all this!’
　　‘Fetch them out, I say! I’ll shoot the lot of you dogs, if you don’t obey orders!’ stormed Meier.
　　‘What’s come over you? Fetch them out!’
　　The dogs took absolutely no notice at all. Their leader had accepted Philip as master now, andthey all followed his decision. What Philip said they would obey. They feared Meier, but theyloved Philip.
　　Meier suddenly fired his revolver in a fury. He did not fire at the dogs, but over their heads.
　　They jumped and growled, turning their heads towards him. Bill judged it was time to dosomething.
　　‘Philip! Will the dogs obey you? Will they go for Meier and Erlick? If they will – order themto! We’ll give that couple a taste of their own medicine!’

1 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

2 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

3 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。

4 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

5 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

6 waded   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
• He waded into the water to push the boat out. 他蹚进水里把船推出来。

7 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

8 yelping   

v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In the middle of the table sat a little dog, shaking its paw and yelping. 在桌子中间有一只小狗坐在那儿，抖着它的爪子，汪汪地叫。 来自辞典例句
• He saved men from drowning and you shake at a cur's yelping. 他搭救了快要溺死的人们，你呢，听到一条野狗叫唤也瑟瑟发抖。 来自互联网

9 nibble   

n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵

参考例句：

• Inflation began to nibble away at their savings.通货膨胀开始蚕食他们的存款。
• The birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork.鸟儿们紧贴在墙上，啄着砖缝。

10 stolid   

adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的

参考例句：

• Her face showed nothing but stolid indifference.她的脸上毫无表情，只有麻木的无动于衷。
• He conceals his feelings behind a rather stolid manner.他装作无动于衷的样子以掩盖自己的感情。

11 hiccup   

n.打嗝

参考例句：

• When you have to hiccup,drink a glass of cold water.当你不得不打嗝时，喝一杯冷水就好了。
• How long did he hiccup?他打嗝打了多久？

12 hiccups   

n.嗝( hiccup的名词复数 )；连续地打嗝；暂时性的小问题；短暂的停顿v.嗝( hiccup的第三人称单数 )；连续地打嗝；暂时性的小问题；短暂的停顿

参考例句：

• I cannot find a rhyme to "hiccups". 我不能找到和hiccups同韵的词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Can we rhyme 'hiccups'with 'pick-ups'? 我们能把‘hiccups’同‘pick－ups’放在一起押韵吗？ 来自辞典例句

13 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》

14 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

15 wading   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The man tucked up his trousers for wading. 那人卷起裤子，准备涉水。
• The children were wading in the sea. 孩子们在海水中走着。

16 sniffing   

n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；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：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 stolidly   

adv.迟钝地，神经麻木地

参考例句：

• Too often people sat stolidly watching the noisy little fiddler. 人们往往不动声色地坐在那里，瞧着这位瘦小的提琴手闹腾一番。 来自辞典例句
• He dropped into a chair and sat looking stolidly at the floor. 他坐在椅子上，两眼呆呆地望着地板。 来自辞典例句

18 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

19 pounce   

n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意

参考例句：

• Why do you pounce on every single thing I say?干吗我说的每句话你都要找麻烦？
• We saw the tiger about to pounce on the goat.我们看见老虎要向那只山羊扑过去。

20 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》

21 friendliness   

n.友谊，亲切，亲密

参考例句：

• Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
• His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。

22 whine   

v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣

参考例句：

• You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
• The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。

23 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

24 everlasting   

adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的

参考例句：

• These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
• He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。

25 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

26 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

28 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。