DICK unbolted the door at the top and bottom and flung it open. He rushed in and thumped1 Georgeand Julian happily on the back.
"Hallo!" he said. "How does it feel to be rescued?""Fine!" cried Julian, and Tim barked madly round them.
George grinned at Dick.
"Good work!" she said. "What happened?"
Dick told them in a few words all that had happened. When he related how he had climbed down theold well, George and Julian could hardly believe their ears. Julian slipped his arm through hisyounger brother's.
"You're a brick!" he said. "A real brick! Now quick—what are we going to do?""Well, if they've left us our boat I'm going to take us all back to the mainland as quickly as possible,"said George. "I'm not playing about with men who brandish2 revolvers all the time.
Come on! Up the well we go and find the boat."They ran to the well-shaft3 and squeezed through the small opening one by one. Up the rope theywent, and soon found the iron ladder. Julian made them go up one by one in case the ladder wouldn'tbear the weight of all three at once.
It really wasn't very long before they were all up in the open air once more, giving Anne hugs, andhearing her exclaim gladly, with tears in her eyes, how pleased she was to see them all again.
"Now come on!" said George after a minute. "Off to the boat. Quick! Those men may be back at anytime."
They rushed to the cove4. There was their boat, lying where they had pulled it, out of reach of thewaves. But what a shock for them!
"They've taken the oars5!" said George, in dismay. "The beasts! They know we can't row the boataway without oars. They were afraid you and Anne might row off, Dick— so instead of bothering totow the boat behind them, they just grabbed the oars. Now we're stuck. We can't possibly get away."80
It was a great disappointment. The children were almost ready to cry. After Dick's marvellous rescueof George and Julian, it had seemed as if everything was going right— and now suddenly things weregoing wrong again.
"We must think this out," said Julian, sitting down where he could see at once if any boat came insight. "The men have gone off— probably to get a ship from somewhere in which they can put theingots and sail away. They won't be back for some time, I should think, because you can't charter aship all in a hurry— unless, of course, they've got one of their own.""And in the meantime we can't get off the island to get help, because they've got our oars," saidGeorge. "We can't even signal to any passing fishing-boat because they won't be out just now.
The tide's wrong. It seems as if all we've got to do is wait here patiently till the men come back andtake my gold! And we can't stop them."
"You know— I've got a sort of plan coming into my head," said Julian, slowly. "Wait a bit—don't interrupt me. I'm thinking."
The others waited in silence while Julian sat and frowned, thinking of his plan. Then he looked at theothers with a smile.
"I believe it will work," he said. "Listen! We'll wait here in patience till the men come back.
What will they do? They'll drag away those stones at the top of the dungeon6 entrance, and go downthe steps. They'll go to the store-room, where they left us— thinking we are still there, and they willgo into the room. Well, what about one of us being hidden down there ready to bolt them into theroom? Then we can either go off in their motor-boat or our own boat if they bring back our oars—and get help."
Anne thought it was a marvellous idea. But Dick and George did not look so certain. "We'd have togo down and bolt that door again to make it seem as if we are still prisoners there," said George.
"And suppose the one who hides down there doesn't manage to bolt the men in? It might be verydifficult to do that quickly enough. They will simply catch whoever we plan to leave down there, andcome up to look for the rest of us."
"That's true," said Julian, thoughtfully. "Well— we'll suppose that Dick, or whoever goes down,doesn't manage to bolt them in and make them prisoners— and the men come up here again. All right— while they are down below we'll pile big stones over the entrance, just as they did. Then theywon't be able to get out."
"What about Dick down below?" said Anne, at once.
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"I could climb up the well again!" said Dick, eagerly. "I'll be the one to go down and hide. I'll do mybest to bolt the men into the room. And if I have to escape I'll climb up the well-shaft again.
The men don't know about that. So even if they are not prisoners in the dungeon room, they'll beprisoners underground!"
The children talked over this plan, and decided7 that it was the best they could think of. Then Georgesaid she thought it would be a good thing to have a meal. They were all half-starved and, now that theworry and excitement of being rescued was over, they were feeling very hungry!
They fetched some food from the little room and ate it in the cove, keeping a sharp look-out for thereturn of the men. After about two hours they saw a big fishing-smack appear in the distance, andheard the chug-chug-chug of a motor-boat too.
"There they are!" said Julian, in excitement, and he jumped to his feet. "That's the ship they mean toload with the ingots, and sail away in safety— and there's the motor-boat bringing the men back!
Quick, Dick, down the well you go, and hide until you hear them in the dungeons8!"Dick shot off. Julian turned to the others. "We'll have to hide," he said. "Now that the tide is out we'llhide over yonder, behind those uncovered rocks. I don't somehow think the men will do any huntingfor Dick and Anne -but they might. Come on! Quick!"They all hid themselves behind the rocks, and heard the motor-boat come chugging into the tinyharbour. They could hear men calling to one another. There sounded to be more than two men thistime. Then the men left the inlet and went up the low cliff towards the ruined castle.
Julian crept behind the rocks and peeped to see what the men were doing. He felt certain they werepulling away the slabs10 of stone that had been piled on top of the entrance to prevent Dick and Annegoing down to rescue the others.
"George! Come on!" called Julian in a low tone. "I think the men have gone down the steps into thedungeons now. We must go and try to put those big stones back. Quick!"George, Julian and Anne ran softly and swiftly to the old courtyard of the castle. They saw that thestones had been pulled away from the entrance to the dungeons. The men had disappeared.
They had plainly gone down the steps.
The three children did their best to tug11 at the heavy stones to drag them back. But their strength wasnot the same as that of the men, and they could not manage to get any very big stones across.
They put three smaller ones, and Julian hoped the men would find them too difficult to move frombelow. "If only Dick has managed to bolt them into that room!" he said to the others.
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"Gome on, back to the well now. Dick will have to come up there, because he won't be able to get outof the entrance."
They all went to the well. Dick had removed the old wooden cover, and it was lying on the ground.
The children leaned over the hole of the well and waited anxiously. What was Dick doing? Theycould hear nothing from the well and they longed to know what was happening.
There was plenty happening down below! The two men, and another, had gone down into thedungeons, expecting, of course, to find Julian, George and the dog still locked up in the storeroomwith the ingots. They passed the well-shaft not guessing that an excited small boy was hidden there,ready to slip out of the opening as soon as they had passed.
Dick heard them pass. He slipped out of the well-opening and followed behind quietly, his feetmaking no sound. He could see the beams made by the men's powerful torches, and with his heartthumping loudly he crept along the smelly old passages, between great caves, until the men turnedinto the wide passage where the storecave lay.
"Here it is," Dick heard one of the men say, as he flashed his torch on to the great door. "The gold's inthere— so are the kids!"
The man unbolted the door at top and bottom. Dick was glad that he had slipped along to bolt thedoor, for if he hadn't done that before the men had come they would have known that Julian andGeorge had escaped, and would have been on their guard.
The man opened the door and stepped inside. The second man followed him. Dick crept as close ashe dared, waiting for the third man to go in too. Then he meant to slam the door and bolt it!
The first man swung his torch round and gave a loud exclamation12. "The children are gone! Howstrange! Where are they?"
Two of the men were now in the cave— and the third stepped in at that moment. Dick darted13 forwardand slammed the door. It made a crash that went echoing round and round the caves and passages.
Dick fumbled14 with the bolts, his hand trembling. They were stiff and rusty15. The boy found it hard toshoot them home in their sockets17. And meanwhile the men were not idle!
As soon as they heard the door slam they spun18 round. The third man put his shoulder to the door atonce and heaved hard. Dick had just got one of the bolts almost into its socket16. Then all three menforced their strength against the door, and the bolt gave way!
Dick stared in horror. The door was opening! He turned and fled down the dark passage. The menflashed their torches on and saw him. They went after the boy at top speed.
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Dick fled to the well-shaft. Fortunately the opening was on the opposite side, and he could clamberinto it without being seen in the light of the torches. The boy only just had time to squeeze throughinto the shaft before the three men came running by. Not one of them guessed that the runaway19 wassqueezed into the well-shaft they passed! Indeed, the men did not even know that there was a wellthere.
Trembling from head to foot, Dick began to climb the rope he had left dangling20 from the rungs of theiron ladder. He undid21 it when he reached the ladder itself, for he thought that perhaps the men mightdiscover the old well and try to climb up later. They would not be able to do that if there was no ropedangling down.
The boy climbed up the ladder quickly, and squeezed round the stone slab9 near the top. The otherchildren were there, waiting for him.
They knew at once by the look on Dick's face that he had failed in what he had tried to do. Theypulled him out quickly. "It was no good," said Dick, panting with his climb. "I couldn't do it.
They burst the door open just as I was bolting it, and chased me. I got into the shaft just in time.""They're trying to get out of the entrance now!" cried Anne, suddenly. "Quick! What shall we do?
They'll catch us all!"
"To the boat!" shouted Julian, and he took Anne's hand to help her along. "Come along! It's our onlychance. The men will perhaps be able to move those stones."The four children fled down the courtyard. George darted into the little stone room as they passed it,and caught up an axe22. Dick wondered why she bothered to do that. Tim dashed along with them,barking madly.
They came to the cove. Their own boat lay there without oars. The motor-boat was there too.
George jumped into it and gave a yell of delight.
"Here are our oars!" she shouted. "Take them, Julian, I've got a job to do here! Get the boat down tothe water, quick!"
Julian and Dick took the oars. Then they dragged their boat down to the water, wondering whatGeorge was doing. All kinds of crashing sounds came from the motor-boat!
"George! George! Buck23 up. The men are out!" suddenly yelled Julian. He had seen the three menrunning to the cliff that led down to the cove. George leapt out of the motor-boat and joined theothers. They pushed their boat out on to the water, and George took the oars at once, pulling for allshe was worth.
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The three men ran to their motor-boat. Then they paused in the greatest dismay— for George hadcompletely ruined it! She had chopped wildly with her axe at all the machinery24 she could see, andnow the boat could not possibly be started! It was damaged beyond any repair the men could makewith the few tools they had.
"You wicked girl!" yelled Jake, shaking his fist at George. "Wait till I get you!""I'll wait!" shouted back George, her blue eyes shining dangerously. "And you can wait too! Youwon't be able to leave my island now!"
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收听单词发音
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1
thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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brandish
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| v.挥舞，挥动；n.挥动，挥舞 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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cove
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| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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dungeons
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| n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 ) | |
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9
slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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slabs
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| n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片 | |
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tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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14
fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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socket
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| n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口 | |
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sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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runaway
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| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
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dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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21
Undid
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| v. 解开, 复原 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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