FOUR torches were flashed on to the wooden door. It was big and stout, studded with great ironnails. Julian gave a whoop3 of delight and rushed to it. He felt certain that behind it was the dungeonused for storing things.
But the door was fast shut. No amount of pushing or pulling would open it. It had a great keyhole—but no key there! The four children stared in exasperation4 at the door. Bother it! Just as they reallythought they were near the ingots, this door wouldn't open!
"We'll fetch the axe5," said Julian, suddenly. "We may be able to chop round the keyhole and smashthe lock."
"That's a good idea!" said George, delighted. "Come on back!"They left the big door, and tried to get back the way they had come. But the dungeons were so bigand so rambling6 that they lost their way. They stumbled over old broken barrels, rotting wood, emptybottles and many other things as they tried to find their way back to the big flight of rock-steps.
"This is sickening!" said Julian, at last. "I simply haven't any idea at all where the entrance is.
We keep on going into one dungeon2 after another, and one passage after another, and they all seem tobe exactly the same—dark and smelly and mysterious.""Suppose we have to stay here all the rest of our lives!" said Anne, gloomily.
"Idiot!" said Dick, taking her hand. "We shall soon find the way out. Hallo!— what's this—"65
They all stopped. They had come to what looked like a chimney shaft7 of brick, stretching down fromthe roof of the dungeon to the floor. Julian flashed his torch on to it. He was puzzled.
"I know what it is!" said George, suddenly. "It's the well, of course! You remember it was shown inthe plan of the dungeons, as well as in the plan of the ground floor. Well, that's the shaft of the wellgoing down and down. I wonder if there's any opening in it just here—so that water could be takeninto the dungeons as well as up to the ground floor."They went to see. On the other side of the well-shaft was a small opening big enough for one child ata time to put his head and shoulders through and look down. They shone their torches down and up.
The well was so deep that it was still impossible to see the bottom of it. Julian dropped a stone downagain, but there was no sound of either a thud or a splash. He looked upwards8, and could see the faintgleam of daylight that slid round the broken slab9 of stone lying a little way down the shaft— the slabon which Tim had sat, waiting to be rescued.
"Yes," he said, "this is the well all right. Isn't it queer? Well— now we've found the well we knowthat the entrance to the dungeons isn't very far off!"That cheered them all up tremendously. They took hands and hunted around in the dark, their torchesmaking bright beams of light here and there.
Anne gave a screech10 of excitement. "Here's the entrance! It must be, because I can see faint daylightcoming down!"
The children rounded a corner and sure enough, there was the steep, rocky flight of steps leadingupwards. Julian took a quick look round so that he might know the way to go when they came downagain. He didn't feel at all certain that he would find the wooden door!
They all went up into the sunshine. It was delicious to feel the warmth on their heads and shouldersafter the cold air down in the dungeons. Julian looked at his watch and gave a loud exclamation11.
"It's half-past six! Half-past six! No wonder I feel hungry. We haven't had any tea. We've beenworking, and wandering about those dungeons for hours.""Well, let's have a kind of tea-supper before we do anything else," said Dick. I don't feel as if I've hadanything to eat for about twelve months.""Well, considering you ate about twice as much as anyone else at dinner- time," began Julian,indignantly. Then he grinned. "I feel the same as you," he said. "Come on!—let's get a really 66good meal. George, what about boiling a kettle and making some cocoa, or something? I feel coldafter all that time underground."
It was fun boiling the kettle on a fire of dry sticks. It was lovely to lie about in the warmth of theevening sun and munch12 bread and cheese and enjoy cake and biscuits. They all enjoyed themselvesthoroughly. Tim had a good meal too. He hadn't very much liked being underground, and hadfollowed the others very closely indeed, his tail well down. He had been very frightened, too, of thecurious echoes here and there.
Once he had barked, and it had seemed to Tim as if the whole of the dungeons were full of otherdogs, all barking far more loudly than he could. He hadn't even dared to whine13 after that! But now hewas happy again, eating the tit-bits that the children gave him, and licking George whenever he wasnear her.
It was past eight o'clock by the time that the children had finished their meal and tidied up. Julianlooked at the others. The sun was sinking, and the day was no longer so warm.
"Well," he said, "I don't know what you feel. But I don't somehow want to go down into thosedungeons again today, not even for the sake of smashing in that door with the axe and opening it!
I'm tired, and I don't like the thought of losing my way in those dungeons at night."The others heartily14 agreed with him, especially Anne, who had secretly been dreading15 going downagain with the night coming on. The little girl was almost asleep; she was so tired out with hard workand excitement.
"Come on, Anne!" said George, pulling her to her feet. "Bed for you. We'll cuddle up together in therugs on the floor of that little room— and in the morning when we wake we'll be simply thrilled tothink of opening that big wooden door."
All four children, with Tim close behind, went off to the little stone room. They curled up on theirpiles of rugs, and Tim crept in with George and Anne. He lay down on them, and felt so heavy thatAnne had to push him off her legs.
He sat himself down on her again, and she groaned16, half-asleep. Tim wagged his tail and thumped17 ithard against her ankles. Then George pulled him on to her own legs and lay there, feeling himbreathe. She was very happy. She was spending the night on her island. They had almost found theingots, she was sure. She had Tim with her, actually sleeping on her rugs.
Perhaps everything would come right after all— somehow.
67
She fell asleep. The children felt perfectly18 safe with Tim on guard. They slept peacefully until themorning, when Tim saw a rabbit through the broken archway leading to the little room, and spedaway to chase it. He awoke George as he got up from the rugs, and she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Wake up!" she cried to the others. "Wake up, all of you! It's morning! And we're on the island!"They all awoke. It was really thrilling to sit up and remember everything. Julian thought of the bigwooden door at once. He would soon smash it in with his axe, he felt sure. And then what would theyfind?
They had breakfast, and ate just as much as ever. Then Julian picked up the axe they had brought andtook everyone to the flight of steps. Tim went too, wagging his tail, but not really feeling verypleased at the thought of going down into the queer places where other dogs seemed to bark, and yetwere not to be found. Poor Tim would never understand echoes!
They all went down underground again. And then, of course, they couldn't find the way to thewooden door! It was most tiresome19.
"We shall lose our way all over again," said George, desperately20. "These dungeons are about the mostrambling spread-out maze21 of underground caves I've ever known! We shall lose the entrance againtoo!"
Julian had a bright idea. He had a piece of white chalk in his pocket, and he took it out. He went backto the steps, and marked the wall there. Then he began to put chalk-marks along the passages as theywalked in the musty darkness. They came to the well, and Julian was pleased.
"Now," he said, "whenever we come to the well we shall at least be able to find the way back to thesteps, because we can follow my chalk-marks. Now the thing is— which is the way next?
We'll try and find it and I'll put chalk-marks along the walls here and there— but if we go the wrongway and have to come back, we'll rub out the marks, and start again from the well another way."This was really a very good idea. They did go the wrong way, and had to come back, rubbing outJulian's marks. They reached the well, and set off in the opposite direction. And this time they didfind the wooden door!
There it was, stout and sturdy, its old iron nails rusty22 and red. The children stared at it in delight.
Julian lifted his axe.
68
Crash! He drove it into the wood and round about the keyhole. But the wood was still strong, and theaxe only went in an inch or two. Julian drove it in once more. The axe hit one of the big nails andslipped a little to one side. A big splinter of wood flew out— and struck poor Dick on the cheek!
He gave a yell of pain. Julian jumped in alarm, and turned to look at him. Dick's cheek was pouringwith blood!
"Something flew out of the door and hit me," said poor Dick. "It's a splinter, or something.""Golly!" said Julian, and he shone his torch on to Dick. "Can you bear it a moment if I pull thesplinter out? It's a big one, and it's still sticking into your poor cheek."But Dick pulled it out himself. He made a face with the pain, and then turned very white.
"You'd better get up into the open air for a bit," said Julian. "And we'll have to bathe your cheek andstop it bleeding somehow. Anne's got a clean hanky. We'll bathe it and dab23 it with that. We broughtsome water with us, luckily."
"I'll go with Dick," said Anne. "You stay here with George. There's no need for us all to go."But Julian thought he would like to see Dick safely up into the open air first, and then he could leavehim with Anne while he went back to George and went on with the smashing down of the door. Hehanded the axe to George.
"You can do a bit of chopping while I'm gone," he said. "It will take some time to smash that big doorin. You get on with it— and I'll be down in a few minutes again. We can easily find the way to theentrance because we've only got to follow my chalk-marks.""Right!" said George, and she took the axe. "Poor old Dick— you do look a sight."Leaving George behind with Tim, valiantly24 attacking the big door, Julian took Dick and Anne up tothe open air. Anne dipped her hanky into the kettle of water and dabbed25 Dick's cheek gently. It wasbleeding very much, as cheeks do, but the wound was not really very bad. Dick's colour soon cameback, and he wanted to go down into the dungeons again.
"No, you'd better lie down on your back for a little," said Julian. "I know that's good for nose-bleeding— and maybe it's good for cheek-bleeding too. What about Anne and you going out on therocks over there, where you can see the wreck26, and staying there for half an hour or so?
Come on— I'll take you both there, and leave you for a bit. You'd better not get up till your cheek'sstopped bleeding, old boy."
69
Julian took the two out of the castle yard and out on to the rocks on the side of the island that facedthe open sea. The dark hulk of the old wreck was still there on the rocks. Dick lay down on his backand stared up into the sky, hoping that his cheek would soon stop bleeding. He didn't want to missany of the fun!
Anne took his hand. She was very upset at the little accident, and although she didn't want to miss thefun either, she meant to stay with Dick till he felt better. Julian sat down beside them for a minute ortwo. Then he went back to the rocky steps and disappeared down them. He followed his chalk-marks,and soon came to where George was attacking the door.
She had smashed it well round the lock— but it simply would not give way. Julian took the axe fromher and drove it hard into the wood.
After a blow or two something seemed to happen to the lock. It became loose, and hung a littlesideways. Julian put down his axe.
"I think somehow that we can open the door now," he said, in an exited voice. "Get out of the way,Tim, old fellow. Now then, push, George!"They both pushed— and the lock gave way with a grating noise. The big door opened creakingly, andthe two children went inside, flashing their torches in excitement.
The room was not much more than a cave, hollowed out of the rock— but in it was something quitedifferent from the old barrels and boxes the children had found before. At the back, in untidy piles,were curious, brick-shaped things of dull yellow-brown metal. Julian picked one up.
"George!" he cried. "The ingots! These are real gold! Oh, I know they don't look like it— but theyare, all the same. George, oh George, there's a small fortune here in this cellar— and it's yours! We'vefound it at last!"
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
dungeons
|
|
| n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
dungeon
|
|
| n.地牢，土牢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
whoop
|
|
| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
exasperation
|
|
| n.愤慨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
axe
|
|
| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
rambling
|
|
| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
shaft
|
|
| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
upwards
|
|
| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
slab
|
|
| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
screech
|
|
| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
exclamation
|
|
| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
munch
|
|
| v.用力嚼，大声咀嚼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
whine
|
|
| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
heartily
|
|
| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
dreading
|
|
| v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
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： |
|
|
|
|
17
thumped
|
|
| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
tiresome
|
|
| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
maze
|
|
| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
rusty
|
|
| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
dab
|
|
| v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
valiantly
|
|
| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
dabbed
|
|
| （用某物）轻触( dab的过去式和过去分词 )； 轻而快地擦掉（或抹掉）； 快速擦拭； （用某物）轻而快地涂上（或点上）… | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
wreck
|
|
| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |