Chapter 23 MARKHOFF GOES HUNTING

　　Chapter 23 MARKHOFF GOES HUNTING
　　George took the big key and looked at it with awe¹. 'Jo! Is this really the key - and you've locked themall in? Honestly, I think you're a marvel².'
　　'She is,' said Dick, and to Jo's enormous delight he gave her a sudden quick hug. 'I never knew such agirl in my life. Never. She's got the pluck of twenty!'
　　'It was easy, really,' said Jo, her eyes shining joyfully³ in the light of the torch. 'You trust me now,Dick, don't you? You won't be mean to me any more, any of you, will you?'
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　　'Of course not,' said Julian. 'You're our friend for ever!'
　　'Not George's,' said Jo at once.
　　'Oh yes you are,' said George. 'I take back every single mean thing I said about you. You're as goodas a boy.'
　　This was the very highest compliment that George could ever pay any girl. Jo beamed and gaveGeorge a light punch.
　　'I did it all for Dick, really,' she said. 'But next time I'll do it for you!'
　　'Goodness, I hope there won't be a next time,' said George, with a shiver. 'I can't say I enjoyed onesingle minute of the last few days.'
　　Timmy suddenly put his head on Jo's knee. She stroked him. 'Look at that!' she said. 'He remembersme. He's better, isn't he, George?'
　　George carefully removed Timmy's head from Jo's knee to her own. She felt decidedly friendlytowards Jo now, but not to the extent of having Timmy put his head on Jo's knee. She patted him.
　　'Yes, he's better,' she said. 'He ate half the sausage roll I gave him, though he sniffed⁴ at it likeanything first. I think he knows something has been put into his food and now he's suspicious of it.
　　Good old Timmy.'
　　They all felt much more lively and cheerful now that they were no longer so dreadfully empty.
　　Julian looked at his watch. 'It's getting on towards evening now,' he said. 'I wonder what all thosefellows are doing.'
　　Three of them were still locked up! No matter how Markhoff had tried to batter⁵ in the door, it held. Itwas old and immensely strong, and the lock held without showing any sign of giving way even aneighth of an inch. Two other men had been called in from the garage to help, but except that the doorlooked decidedly worse for wear, it stood there just the same, sturdy and unbreakable.
　　Simmy and Jake watched Red as he walked up and down the tower room like a caged lion. Theywere glad they were two against one. He seemed like a madman to them as he raged and paced upand down.
　　Markhoff, outside with the other two men he had brought up to help, was getting very worried.
　　No police had arrived as yet (and wouldn't either, because Joan hadn't been able to tell them anythingexcept that she knew Julian and Dick had gone to see a man called Red - but where he lived she hadno idea!).
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　　But Red and Markhoff didn't know this - they felt sure that a police ambush⁶ was somewhere nearby.
　　If only they could get away in the helicopter before anything else happened!
　　'Markhoff! Take Carl and Tom and go down into those underground caves,' ordered Red at last.
　　'Those children are sure to be there - it's the only place for them to hide. They can't get out of herebecause the front gate is locked and bolted, and the wall's too high to climb. Get hold of the kids andsearch them for the key.'
　　So Markhoff and two burly fellows went downstairs and out of the door. They crossed the yard to thedoor that led to the caves.
　　They got down the steep steps and were soon stumbling along the narrow, slanting⁷ passage, theirnailed boots making a great noise as they went. They hung on to the hand-rail when they came to thedifficult stretch of tunnel, and finally came out into the cave that had the hole in the floor.
　　There was nobody there. The children had heard the noise of the coming men, and had hurriedlyswung themselves down through the hole into the cave below.
　　They ran through into another cave, the sour smelling one where bats lived and slept. Then round therocky corner into the first cave, the curious oval- shaped one that led out to the ledge⁸ of rockoverlooking the steep cliff.
　　'There's nowhere to hide,' groaned⁹ Julian. He looked back into the cave. At least it was better in therethan out on this ledge, outlined by the daylight. He pulled the others back into the cave, and shone historch up and down the walls to find some corner that they could squeeze behind.
　　Half-way up the wall was a shelf of rock. He hoisted¹⁰ George up there, and she dragged Timmy uptoo. Poor Timmy - he wasn't much use to them; he was still so bemused and so very sleepy.
　　He had growled¹¹ at the noise made by the coming men, but had dropped his head again almostimmediately.
　　Dick got up beside George. Julian found a jutting¹²-out rock and tried to hide behind it, while Jo laydown in a hole beside one wall and covered herself cleverly with sand. Julian couldn't help thinkinghow sharp Jo was. She always seemed to know the best thing to do.
　　But as it happened, Jo was the only one to be discovered! It was quite by accident - Markhoff trod onher. He and the other two men had let themselves down through the hole into the cave below, hadthen gone into the cave of bats, seen no sign of anyone there, and were now in the cave that led to thecliff.
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　　'Those kids aren't here,' said one of the men. 'They've gone to hide somewhere else. What a horribleplace this is - let's go back.'
　　Markhoff was flashing his torch up and down the walls to see if any of the children were crouchingbehind a jutting rock - and he trod heavily on Jo's hand. She gave an agonized¹³ yell, and Markhoffalmost dropped his torch!
　　In a trice he had pulled the girl out of her bed of sand and was shaking her like a rat. 'This is the onewe want!' he said to the others. 'She's got the key. Where is it, you little rat? Give it to me or I'll throwyou down the cliff!'
　　Julian was horrified¹⁴. He felt quite certain that Markhoff really would throw Jo down the cliff, and hewas just about to jump down to help her, when he heard her speak.
　　'All right. Let me go, you brute¹⁵. Here's the key! You go and let my Dad out before the police come! Idon't want him caught!'
　　Markhoff gave an exclamation¹⁶ of triumph, and snatched a shining key out of Jo's hand. He gave her aresounding box on the ear.
　　'You little toad¹⁷! You can just stay down here with the others, and it'll be a very, very long stay!
　　Do you know what we're going to do? We're going to roll a big rock over the hole in that other cave'sroof - and you'll be prisoners!
　　'You can't escape upwards¹⁸ - and you won't be able to escape downwards¹⁹. You'll be dashed on therocks by the sea if you try to swim away. That'll teach you to interfere²⁰!'
　　The other two men guffawed²¹. 'Good idea Mark,' said one. 'They'll all be nicely boxed up here andnobody will know where they are! Come on - we've no time to lose. If Red isn't unlocked soon he'llgo mad!'
　　They made their way into the heart of the cliff again, and the listening children heard their footstepsgetting fainter. Finally they ceased altogether, as one by one the men levered themselves up throughthe hole in the roof of the last cave, and disappeared up the narrow, low-roofed tunnel that led to thecourtyard.
　　Julian came out from his hiding-place, looking grim and rather scared. 'That's done it!' he said. 'Ifthose fellows really do block up that hole - and I bet they have already - it looks as if we're here forkeeps! As he said, we can't get up, and we can't escape down - the sea's too rough for us to attemptany swimming, and the cliff's unclimbable above the ledge!'
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　　'I'll go and have a look and see if they have blocked up that hole,' said Dick. 'They may be bluffing²².'
　　But it hadn't been bluff²³. When Julian and Dick shone their torches on to the hole in the roof, they sawthat a great rock was now blocking it up.
　　They could not get through the hole again. It was impossible to move the rock from below. Theywent soberly back to the front cave and sat out on the ledge in the light of the sinking sun.
　　'It's a pity poor Jo was found,' said George. 'And an even greater pity she had to give up the key!
　　Now Red and the others will go free.'
　　'They won't,' said Jo, surprisingly. 'I didn't give them the key of the tower room. I'd another key withme - the key of the kitchen larder²⁴! And I gave them that.'
　　'Well, I'm blessed!' said Julian, astounded²⁵. 'The things you do, Jo! But how on earth did you happento have the key of the larder?'
　　Jo told them how she had taken it out and locked herself in when she was having a meal there.
　　'I had to unlock the door to get out again, of course,' 'she said. 'And I thought I'd take that key, too,because, who knows? - I might have wanted to get into that larder again and lock myself in with thefood!'
　　'No one will ever get the better of you, Jo,' said Dick with the utmost conviction. 'Never. You're ascute as a bagful of monkeys. So you've still got the right key with you?'
　　'Yes,' said Jo. 'And Red and my Dad and Jake are still locked up in the tower room!'
　　'But suddenly a most disagreeable thought struck Dick. 'Wait a bit!' he said. 'What's going to happenwhen they find they've got the wrong key? They'll be down here again, and my word, what'll happento us all then!'

1 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 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。

3 joyfully   

adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着，脚底下轻飘飘的。
• During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里，她干得很高兴。

4 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》

5 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

6 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

7 slanting   

倾斜的，歪斜的

参考例句：

• The rain is driving [slanting] in from the south. 南边潲雨。
• The line is slanting to the left. 这根线向左斜了。

8 ledge   

n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁

参考例句：

• They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
• Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。

9 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：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 hoisted   

把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He hoisted himself onto a high stool. 他抬身坐上了一张高凳子。
• The sailors hoisted the cargo onto the deck. 水手们把货物吊到甲板上。

11 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》

12 jutting   

v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出

参考例句：

• The climbers rested on a sheltered ledge jutting out from the cliff. 登山者在悬崖的岩棚上休息。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldier saw a gun jutting out of some bushes. 那士兵看见丛林中有一枝枪伸出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 agonized   

v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦

参考例句：

• All the time they agonized and prayed. 他们一直在忍受痛苦并且祈祷。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She agonized herself with the thought of her loss. 她念念不忘自己的损失，深深陷入痛苦之中。 来自辞典例句

14 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

15 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

16 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

17 toad   

n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆

参考例句：

• Both the toad and frog are amphibian.蟾蜍和青蛙都是两栖动物。
• Many kinds of toad hibernate in winter.许多种蟾蜍在冬天都会冬眠。

18 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

19 downwards   

adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地）

参考例句：

• He lay face downwards on his bed.他脸向下伏在床上。
• As the river flows downwards,it widens.这条河愈到下游愈宽。

20 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

21 guffawed   

v.大笑，狂笑( guffaw的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They all guffawed at his jokes. 他们听了他的笑话都一阵狂笑。
• Hung-chien guffawed and said, "I deserve a scolding for that! 鸿渐哈哈大笑道：“我是该骂！ 来自汉英文学 - 围城

22 bluffing   

n. 威吓，唬人 动词bluff的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• I don't think he'll shoot—I think he's just bluffing. 我认为他不会开枪—我想他不过是在吓唬人。
• He says he'll win the race, but he's only bluffing. 他说他会赢得这场比赛，事实上只是在吹牛。

23 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

24 larder   

n.食物贮藏室，食品橱

参考例句：

• Please put the food into the larder.请将您地食物放进食物柜内。
• They promised never to raid the larder again.他们答应不再随便开食橱拿东西吃了。

25 astounded   

v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶

参考例句：

• His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。
• How can you say that? I'm absolutely astounded. 你怎么能说出那种话？我感到大为震惊。