They all hurried up to the place where Jake had caught hold of Jo. There was absolutely nothing to beseen except a few broken twigs2 in the hedge there. No Jake, no Jo. There was not a sound to be heard,either. Not a scream from Jo, not a shout from Jake. It was as if both had faded into the hedge anddisappeared.
Dick squeezed through the hedge and into the field beyond. Nobody was there either, except a fewcows who looked at him in surprise, their tails whisking.
'There's a little copse at the end of the field,' called back Dick. 'I bet they're there. I'll go and see.'
He ran across the field to the copse. But there was nobody there either. Beyond the copse was a rowof huddled-up cottages. Dick looked along the untidy row, exasperated3.
'I suppose Jake's taken her to one of those,' he thought, angrily. 'Probably lives there! Well, he won'tlet her go, that's certain. He most likely guesses that she's in with us now. Poor Jo!'
54
He went back to the others and they had a low-voiced conference in the lane. 'Let's tell the policenow,' begged Anne.
'No. Let's go to Ravens4 Wood ourselves,' said Dick. 'We know where it is. We wouldn't be able to gothe way Jo would have taken us - but at least we can go by the map.'
'Yes. I think we will,' said Julian. 'Come on, then. Quick march!'
They went on up the lane, took a field path and came out eventually on to a road. A bus passed themin the opposite direction to which they were going.
'When we come to a bus stop we'll find out if one goes anywhere near Raven's Wood,' said Julian. 'Itwould save a lot of time if we caught a bus.' We'd be there long before Jake, if he thinks of going towarn Jo's father we're on the way! I bet Jo will tell him. You might as well trust a snake as thatslippery little thing.'
'I hate Jo!' said Anne, almost in tears. 'I don't trust her a bit. Do you, Dick?'
'I don't know,' said Dick. 'I can't make up my mind. She hasn't really proved whether she's trustableor not yet. Anyway, she came back to tell us all she knew last night, didn't she?'
'I don't believe she did come back for that,' said Anne obstinately5. 'I believe she was coming back topry and snoop.'
'You may be right,' said Dick. 'Look, here's a bus-stop - and a time-table!'
A bus did apparently6 go quite near Ravens Wood, and was due in five minutes' time. They sat downon the bus-stop seat and waited. The bus was punctual and came rumbling7 down the road, full ofwomen going to Ravens Market. They all seemed very plump women and had enormous baskets, soit was difficult to squeeze inside.
Everyone got out at Ravens Market. Julian asked his way to Ravens Wood. 'There it is,' said theconductor, pointing down the hill to where trees grew thickly in the valley. 'It's a big place. Don't getlost! And look out for the gipsies. There's usually hordes8 of them there!'
'Thanks,' said Julian, and the three of them set off down the hill into the valley. They came to thewood.
'It's a proper wood,' said Anne. 'Nothing but trees and trees. I should think it gets very thick in themiddle - like a forest.'
They came to a clearing where there was a little gipsy camp. Three rather dirty-looking caravansstood together, and a crowd of brown gipsy children were playing some sort of a game with a rope.
Julian took a quick look at the caravans9. All had their doors open.
55
'No George here,' he said in a low voice to the others. 'I wish I knew exactly where to go! I suppose ifwe follow this broad pathway it would be best. After all, Jo's caravan must have a fairly broad way togo on.'
'Can't we ask if anyone knows if Jo's caravan is anywhere about?' said Anne.
'We don't know her father's name,' said Julian.
'But we could say it's a caravan drawn10 by a horse called Blackie, and that a girl called Jo lives in itwith her father,' said Anne.
'Yes. I'd forgotten the horse,' said Julian. He went up to an old woman who was stirring something ina black pot over a fire of sticks. Julian thought she looked very like a witch. She peered up at himthrough tangled11 grey hair.
'Can you tell me if there's a caravan in the wood drawn by a horse called Blackie?' he asked politely.
'A girl called Jo lives in it with her father. We want to see her.'
The old woman blinked. She took an iron spoon out of the pot and waved it to the right.
'Simmy's gone down-away there,' she said. 'I never saw Jo this time - but the caravan door was shutso maybe she was inside. What you want with Jo?'
'Oh - only just to see her,' said Julian, quite unable to think up a good reason for going to visit agipsy-child on the spur of the moment. 'Is Simmy her father?'
The old woman nodded and began to stir her pot again. Julian went back to the others.
'This way,' he said, and they went down the rutted path. It was just wide enough for a caravan to godown. Anne looked up. Tree branches waved overhead.
'I should think they brush against the roof of a caravan all the time,' she said. 'What a queer life tolive - in a little caravan day in and day out, hiding yourself away in woods and fields!'
They walked on down the path, which wound about through the trees, following the clear spaces.
Sometimes the trees were so close together that it seemed impossible for a caravan to go between.
But the wheel-ruts showed that caravans did go down the path.
After a time the wood became thicker, and the sunlight could hardly pierce through the branches.
Still the path went on, but now it seemed as if only one set of wheel-ruts was marked on it. Theywere probably the wheels of Simmy's caravan.
Here and there a tree was shorn of one of its branches, and a bush uprooted12 and thrown to one side.
56
'Simmy meant to go deep into the wood last time he came,' said Julian, pointing to where a bush laydying by the side of the path. 'He's cleared the way here and there. Actually we aren't on a properpath any longer - we're only following wheel-ruts.'
It was true. The path had faded out. They were now in a thick part of the wood, with only the ruts ofthe caravan wheels to guide them.
They fell silent. The wood was very quiet. There were no birds singing, and the branches of the treeswere so thick that there was a kind of green twilight13 round them.
'I wish we had Timmy with us,' half-whispered Anne at last.
Julian nodded. He had been wishing that a long time. He was also wishing he hadn't brought Anne -but when they had started out, they had Jo with them to guide them, and warn them of any danger.
Now they hadn't.
'I think we'd better go very cautiously,' he said, in a low voice. 'We may come on the caravanunexpectedly. We don't want Simmy to hear us and lie in wait.'
'I'll go a little way in front and warn you if I hear or see anything,' said Dick. Julian nodded to himand he went on ahead, peering round the trees when he came to any curve in the wheel-rut path.
Julian began to think of what they would do when they reached the caravan. He was pretty certainthat both George and Timmy would be found locked up securely inside.
'If we can undo14 the door and let them out, Timmy will do the rest,' he thought. 'He's as good as threepolicemen! Yes - that's the best plan.'
Dick suddenly stopped and lifted up his hand in warning. He peered round the bole of a big tree, andthen turned and nodded excitedly.
'He's found the caravan!' said Anne, and her heart began its usual thump-thump-thump of excitement.
'Stay here,' said Julian to Anne, and went on quietly to join Dick. Anne crept under a bush. She didn'tlike this dark, silent wood, with the green light all round. She peered out, watching the boys.
Dick had suddenly seen the caravan. It was small, badly needed painting, and appeared quitedeserted. No fire burned outside. No Simmy was sitting anywhere about. Not even Blackie the horsewas to be seen.
The boys watched intently for a few minutes, not daring to move or speak. There was absolutely nosound or movement from the tiny clearing in which the caravan stood.
57
Windows and doors were shut. The shafts15 rested crookedly16 on the ground. The whole place seemeddeserted.
'Dick,' whispered Julian at last, 'Simmy doesn't seem to be about. This is our chance! We'll creep overto the caravan and look into the window. We'll attract George's attention, and get her out as soon aswe can. Timmy, too.'
'Funny he doesn't bark,' said Dick, also in a whisper. 'I suppose he can't have heard us. Well -shall we get over to the caravan now?'
They ran quietly to the little caravan, and Julian peered through the dirty window. It was too darkinside to see anything at all.
'George!' he whispered. 'George! Are you there?'
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
caravan
|
|
| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
twigs
|
|
| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
exasperated
|
|
| adj.恼怒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
ravens
|
|
| n.低质煤；渡鸦( raven的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
obstinately
|
|
| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
rumbling
|
|
| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
hordes
|
|
| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
caravans
|
|
| （可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
tangled
|
|
| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
uprooted
|
|
| v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
twilight
|
|
| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
undo
|
|
| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
shafts
|
|
| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
crookedly
|
|
| adv. 弯曲地，不诚实地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |