Chapter 19 WHAT AN ADVENTURE!

　　Chapter 19 WHAT AN ADVENTURE!
　　And now, what had happened to Anne? She had stumbled on and on for a long time, shouting toMr. Luffy. And outside his tent Mr. Luffy sat, reading peacefully. But, as the evening came, andthen darkness, he became very worried indeed about the five children.
　　He wondered what to do. It was hopeless for one man to search the moors². Half a dozen or morewere needed for that! He decided³ to get his car and go over to Olly's Farm to get the men fromthere. So off he went.
　　But when he got there he found no one at home except Mrs. Andrews and the little maid. Mrs.
　　Andrews looked bewildered and worried.
　　'What is the matter?' said Mr. Luffy gently, as she came running out to the car, looking troubled.
　　'Oh, it's you, Mr. Luffy,' she said, when he told her who he was. 'I didn't know who you were.
　　Mr. Luffy, something strange is happening. All the men have gone - and all the lorries, too. Myhusband has taken the car and nobody will tell me anything. I'm so worried.'
　　Mr. Luffy decided not to add to her worries by telling her the children were missing. He justpretended he had come to collect some milk. 'Don't worry,' he said comfortingly to Mrs.
　　Andrews. 'You'll find things are all right in the morning, I expect. I'll come and see you then.
　　Now I must be off on an urgent matter.'
　　He went bumping along the road in his car, puzzled. He had known there was something funnyabout Olly's Farm, and he had puzzled his brains a good deal over Olly's Yard and the spook-trains. He hoped the children hadn't got mixed up in anything dangerous.
　　'I'd better go down and report to the police that they're missing,' he thought. 'After all, I'm moreor less responsible for them. It's very worrying indeed.'
　　He told what he knew at the police station, and the sergeant⁴, an intelligent man, at once musteredsix men and a police car.
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　　'Have to find those kids,' he said. 'And we'll have to look into this Olly's Farm business, sir, andthese here spook-trains, whatever they may be. We've known there was something funny goingon, but we couldn't put our finger on it. But we'll find the children first.'
　　They went quickly up to the moors and the six men began to fan out to search, with Mr. Luffy atthe head. And the first thing they found was Anne!
　　She was still stumbling along, crying for Mr. Luffy, but in a very small, weak voice now. Whenshe heard his voice calling her in the darkness she wept for joy.
　　'Oh, Mr Luffy! You must save the boys,' she begged him. 'They're in that tunnel - and they'vebeen caught by Mr Andrews and his men, I'm sure. They didn't come out and I waited andwaited! Do come!'
　　'I've got some friends here who will certainly come and help,' said Mr. Luffy gently. He calledthe men, and in a few words told them what Anne had said.
　　'In the tunnel?' said one of them. 'Where the spook-trains run? Well, come on, men, we'll godown there.'
　　'You stay behind, Anne,' said Mr. Luffy. But she wouldn't. So he carried her as he followed themen who were making their way through the heather, down to Olly's Yard. They did not botherwith Wooden-Leg Sam. They went straight to the tunnel and walked up it quietly. Mr. Luffy wasa good way behind with Anne. She refused to stay with him in the yard.
　　'No,' she said, 'I'm not a coward. Really I'm not. I want to help to rescue the boys. I wish Georgewas here. Where's George?'
　　Mr. Luffy had no idea. Anne clung to his hand, scared but eager to prove that she was not acoward. Mr. Luffy thought she was grand!
　　Meanwhile, Julian and the others had been in the vent¹ for a good while, tired and uncomfortable.
　　The men had searched in vain for them and were now looking closely into every niche⁵ at thesides of the tunnel.
　　And, of course, they found the vent! One of the men shone his light up it. It shone on to poorJulian's feet! The man gave a loud shout that almost made Julian fall off the rung he wasstanding on.
　　'Here they are! Up this vent. Who'd have thought it? Come on down or it'll be the worse for you!'
　　Julian didn't move. George pushed desperately⁶ at the iron bars above her head, but she could notmove them. One of the men climbed up the vent and caught hold of Julian's foot.
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　　He dragged so hard at it that the boy's foot was forced off the rung. Then the man dragged off theother foot, and Julian found himself hanging by his arms with the man tugging⁷ hard at his feet.
　　He could hang on no longer. His tired arms gave way and he fell heavily down, landing half onthe man and half on the pile of soot⁸. Another man pounced⁹ on Julian at once, while the firstclimbed up the vent to find the next boy.
　　Soon Dick felt his feet being tugged¹⁰ at, too.
　　'All right, all right. I'll come down!' he yelled, and climbed down. Then Jock climbed down, too.
　　The men looked at them angrily.
　　'Giving us a chase like this! Who undid¹¹ your ropes?' said Mr Andrews, roughly. One of the menput a hand on his arm and nodded up towards the vent. 'Someone else is coming down,' he said.
　　'We only tied up three boys, didn't we? Who's this, then?'
　　It was George, of course. She wasn't going to desert the three boys. Down she came, as black asnight with soot.
　　'Another boy!' said the men. 'Where did he come from?'
　　'Any more up there?' asked Mr Andrews.
　　'Look and see,' said Julian, and got a box on the ears for his answer.
　　'Treat them rough now,' ordered Peters. 'Teach them a lesson, the little pests. Take them away.'
　　The children's hearts sank. The men caught hold of them roughly. Blow! Now they would bemade prisoners again.
　　Suddenly a cry came from down the tunnel: 'Police! Run for it!'
　　The men dropped the children's arms at once and stood undecided. A man came tearing up thetunnel. 'I tell you the police are coming!' he gasped¹². 'Are you stone deaf? There's a whole crowdof them. Run for it! Somebody's split on us.'
　　'Get along to Kilty's Yard!' shouted Peters. 'We can get cars there. Run for it!'
　　To the children's dismay, the men tore down the tunnel to Kilty's Yard. They would escape!
　　They heard the sound of the men's feet as they ran along the line.
　　George found her voice. 'Timmy! Where are you? After them, Timmy! Stop them!'
　　A black shadow came streaking¹³ by out of the hole in the wall, where Timmy had been hiding andwatching for a chance to come to George. He had heard her voice and obeyed. He raced after themen like a greyhound, his tongue hanging out, panting as he went.
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　　These were the men who had ill-treated George and the others, were they? Aha, Timmy knewhow to deal with people like that!
　　The policemen came running up, and Mr. Luffy and Anne came up behind them.
　　'They've gone down there, with Timmy after them,' shouted George. The men looked at her andgasped. She was black all over. The others were filthy¹⁴ dirty too, with sooty-black faces in thelight of the lamp that still shone down from the wall of the tunnel.
　　'George!' shrieked¹⁵ Anne in delight. 'Julian! Oh, are you all safe? I went back to tell Mr. Luffyabout you and I got lost. I'm so ashamed!'
　　'You've nothing to be ashamed of, Anne,' said Mr. Luffy. 'You're a grand girl! Brave as a lion!'
　　From down the tunnel came shouts and yells and loud barks. Timmy was at work! He had caughtup with the men and launched himself on them one after another, bringing each one heavily tothe ground. They were terrified to find a big animal growling¹⁶ and snapping all around them.
　　Timmy held them at bay in the tunnel, not allowing them to go one step further, snapping at anyman who dared to go near.
　　The police ran up. Timmy growled¹⁷ extra fiercely just to let the men know that it was quiteimpossible to get by him. In a trice each of the men was imprisoned¹⁸ by a pair of strong arms andthey were being told to come quietly.
　　They didn't go quietly. For one thing Mr. Andrews lost his nerve and howled dismally¹⁹. Jock feltvery ashamed of him.
　　'Shut up,' said a burly policeman. 'We know you're only the miserable²⁰ little cat's-paw - takingmoney from the big men to hold your tongue and obey orders.'
　　Timmy barked as if to say, 'Yes, don't you dare call him a dog's paw! That would be too good aname for him!'
　　'Well, I don't think I ever in my life saw dirtier children,' said Mr. Luffy. 'I vote we all go back tomy car and I drive the lot of you over to Olly's Farm for a meal and a bath!'
　　So back they all went, tired, dirty, and also feeling very thrilled.
　　What a night! They told Anne all that had happened, and she told them her story, too. She almostfell asleep in the car as she talked, she was so tired.
　　Mrs. Andrews was sensible and kind, though upset to hear that her husband had been taken offby the police. She got hot water for baths, and laid a meal for the hungry children.
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　　'I wouldn't worry over much, Mrs. Andrews,' said kindly²¹ Mr. Luffy. 'That husband of yoursneeds a lesson, you know. This will probably keep him going straight in future. The farm isyours, and you can now hire proper farm-workers who will do what you want them to do. And Ithink Jock will be happier without a stepfather for the present.'
　　'You're right, Mr. Luffy,' said Mrs. Andrews, wiping her eyes quickly. 'Quite right. I'll let Jockhelp me with the farm, and get it going beautifully. To think that Mr. Andrews was in with allthose black marketeers! It's that friend of his, you know, who makes him do all this. He's soweak. He knew Jock was snooping about in that tunnel, and that's why he wanted him to goaway - and kept making him have a boy here or go out with him. I knew there was somethingfunny going on.'
　　'No wonder he was worried when Jock took it into his head to go and camp with our little lot,'
　　said Mr. Luffy.
　　'To think of that old yard and tunnel being used again!' said Mrs. Andrews. 'And all those talesabout spook-trains - and the way they hid that train, and hid all the stuff, too. Why, it's like afairy tale isn't it!'
　　She ran to see if the water was hot for the baths. It was, and she went to call the children, whowere in the big bedroom next door. She opened it and looked in. Then she called Mr. Luffyupstairs.
　　He looked in at the door, too. The five, and Timmy, were lying on the floor in a heap, waiting forthe bathwater. They hadn't liked to sit on chairs or beds, they were so dirty. And they had fallenasleep where they sat, their faces as black as a sweep's.
　　'Talk about black marketeers!' whispered Mrs. Andrews. 'Anyone would think we'd got thewhole lot of them here in the bedroom!'
　　They all woke up and went to have a bath one by one, and a good meal after that. Then back tocamp with Mr. Luffy, Jock with them, too.
　　It was glorious to snuggle down into the sleeping-bags. George called out to the three boys.
　　'Now don't you dare to go off without me tonight, see?'
　　'The adventure is over,' called back Dick. 'How did you like it, Jock?'
　　'Like it?' said Jock, with a happy sigh. 'It was simply - smashing!'
　　THE END

1 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

2 moors   

v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• the North York moors 北约克郡的漠泽
• They're shooting grouse up on the moors. 他们在荒野射猎松鸡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

5 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

6 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

7 tugging   

n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉，样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他，一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句

8 soot   

n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟

参考例句：

• Soot is the product of the imperfect combustion of fuel.煤烟是燃料不完全燃烧的产物。
• The chimney was choked with soot.烟囱被煤灰堵塞了。

9 pounced   

v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击）

参考例句：

• As soon as I opened my mouth, the teacher pounced on me. 我一张嘴就被老师抓住呵斥了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The police pounced upon the thief. 警察向小偷扑了过去。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 tugged   

v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
• A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 Undid   

v. 解开, 复原

参考例句：

• The officer undid the flap of his holster and drew his gun. 军官打开枪套盖拔出了手枪。
• He did wrong, and in the end his wrongs undid him. 行恶者终以其恶毁其身。

12 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 streaking   

n.裸奔（指在公共场所裸体飞跑）v.快速移动( streak的现在分词 )；使布满条纹

参考例句：

• Their only thought was of the fiery harbingers of death streaking through the sky above them. 那个不断地在空中飞翔的死的恐怖把一切别的感觉都赶走了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Streaking is one of the oldest tricks in the book. 裸奔是有书面记载的最古老的玩笑之一。 来自互联网

14 filthy   

adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
• You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

15 shrieked   

v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
• Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫，陆子潇尖声叫：“告诉什么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城

16 growling   

n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼

参考例句：

• We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
• The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡，聚集在一起发牢骚。

17 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》

18 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

19 dismally   

adv.阴暗地，沉闷地

参考例句：

• Fei Little Beard assented dismally. 费小胡子哭丧着脸回答。 来自子夜部分
• He began to howl dismally. 它就凄凉地吠叫起来。 来自辞典例句

20 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

21 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。