Chapter 24 A GRAND SURPRISE

　　Chapter 24 A GRAND SURPRISE
　　The thought that the men might soon return even angrier than they had been before was mostunpleasant.
　　'As soon as Markhoff tries the key in the door of the tower room he'll find it won't unlock it, and he'llknow that Jo has tricked him!' said George.
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　　'And then he'll be in such a fury that he'll tear down here again, and goodness knows what willhappen to us!' groaned¹ Julian. 'What shall we do? Hide again?'
　　'No,' said Dick. 'Let's get out of here and climb down the cliff to the sea. I'd feel safer there than uphere in this cave. We might be able to find a better hiding-place down on the rocks in that little cove².'
　　'It's a pity my boat's smashed,' said George, with a sigh for her lovely boat. 'And, I say - how are wegoing to get old Timmy down?'
　　There was a conference about this. Timmy couldn't climb down, that was certain. Jo remembered therope still hanging down the side of the cliff to the ledges³ below - the one she had tied there to helpJulian and Dick climb up the steep sides of the cliff.
　　'I know,' she said, her quick mind working hard again. 'You go down first, Julian, then Dick.
　　Then George can go - each of you holding on to the rope as you climb down, in case you fall.
　　'Then I'll haul up the rope and tie old Timmy to it, round his waist - and I'll lower him down to you.
　　He's so sleepy still, he won't struggle. He won't even know what's happening!'
　　'But what about you?' said Dick. 'You'll be last of all. Will you mind? You'll be all alone up on thisledge, with the men coming behind you at any minute.'
　　'No, I don't mind,' said Jo. 'But let's be quick.'
　　Julian went down first, glad of the rope to hold to as his feet and hands searched for crevices⁵ andcracks. Then came Dick, almost slipping in his anxiety to get down.
　　Then George climbed down, slowly and anxiously, not at all liking⁶ the steep cliff. Once she glanceddown to the sea below, and felt sick. She shut her eyes for a moment and clung with one hand to therope.
　　It was a dreadful business getting Timmy down. George stood below, anxiously waiting. Jo found itvery difficult to tie Timmy safely. He was big and heavy, and didn't like being tied up at all, thoughhe really seemed hardly to know what was going on. At last Jo had got the knots well and securelytied, and called out to the others.
　　'Here he comes. Watch out that the rope doesn't break. Oh, dear - I wish he wouldn't struggle -now he's bumped himself against the cliff!'
　　It was not at all a nice experience for poor Timmy. He swung to and fro on the rope as he was slowlylet down, and was amazed to find that he was suspended in mid⁷ air. Above him Jo panted and puffed⁸.
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　　'Oh, he's so awfully⁹ heavy! I hope I shan't have to let go. Look out for him!' she screamed.
　　The weight was too much for her just at the last, and the rope was let out with rather a rush.
　　Fortunately Timmy was only about six feet up then, and Julian and George managed to catch him ashe suddenly descended¹⁰.
　　'I'm coming now,' called Jo, and without even holding the rope, or looking at it, she climbed downlike a monkey, seeming to find handholds and footholds by magic. The others watched heradmiringly. Soon she was standing¹¹ beside them. George was untying¹² Timmy.
　　'Thanks awfully, Jo,' said George, looking up gratefully at Jo. 'You're a wonder. Tim must have beenfrightfully heavy.'
　　'He was,' said Jo, giving him a pat. 'I nearly dropped him. Well - what's the next move?'
　　'We'll hunt round this queer little cove a bit and see if there's any place we can hide,' said Julian.
　　'You go that way, George, and we'll go this.'
　　They parted, and began to hunt for a hiding-place. As far as Julian and Dick could see there was noneat all, at least on the side they were exploring. The sea swept into the cove, swelling¹³ and subsiding¹⁴ -and just outside the great waves battered¹⁵ on to the rocks. There was certainly no chance of swimmingout.
　　There was suddenly an excited shriek¹⁶ from George. 'Ju! Come here. Look what I've found!'
　　They all rushed round to where George was standing, behind a big ledge⁴ of rock. She pointed¹⁷ to agreat mass of something draped with seaweed.
　　'A boat! It's covered with seaweed - but it's a boat!'
　　'It's your boat!' yelled Dick, suddenly, and began to pull the fronds¹⁸ of seaweed madly off the hiddenboat. 'Markhoff didn't smash it! It's here, perfectly¹⁹ all right. He couldn't find it - it was hidden so wellwith seaweed - so he just came back to Red and told him a lie.'
　　'He didn't smash it!' shouted Jo, and she, too, began to pull away the seaweed. 'It's quite all right -there's nothing wrong with it. He didn't smash it!'
　　The four children were so tremendously surprised and joyful²⁰ that they thumped²¹ each otherridiculously on the back, and leapt about like mad things. They had their boat after all - George'sgood, sound boat. They could escape, hip²² hip hurrah²³!
　　A roar from above made them fall silent.
　　They gazed up, startled. Markhoff and the other two men were on the ledge far above, shouting andshaking their fists.
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　　'You wait till we get you!' yelled Markhoff.
　　'Quick, quick!' said Julian, urgently, pulling at the boat. 'We've got just a chance. Pull her down to thewater, pull hard!'
　　Markhoff was now coming down the cliff, and Jo wished she had untied²⁴ the rope before she herselfhad climbed down, for Markhoff was finding it very useful. She tugged²⁵ at the boat with the others,wishing it wasn't so heavy.
　　The boat was almost down to the water when something happened. Timmy, who had been gazing ateverything in a most bewildered manner, suddenly slid off the ledge he was on and fell straight intothe sea. George gave a scream.
　　'Oh, Timmy! He's in the water, quick, quick - he's too doped to swim! He'll drown!'
　　Julian and Dick didn't dare to stop heaving at the boat, because they could see that Markhoff wouldsoon be down beside them. George rushed to Timmy, who was splashing around in the waves, stilllooking surprised and bemused.
　　But the water had an amazing effect on him. It was cold and it seemed to bring him to his senses quitesuddenly. He became much more lively and swam strongly to the rock off which he had slipped. Heclambered out with George's help, barking loudly.
　　The boat slid into the water, and Julian grabbed at George. 'Come on. In you get. Buck²⁶ up!'
　　Jo was in the boat and so was Dick. George, trying to clutch at Timmy, was hauled in, too. Juliantook a despairing look at Markhoff, who was almost at the end of the rope, about to jump down.
　　They just wouldn't get off in time!
　　Timmy suddenly slipped out of George's grasp and tore madly over to the cliff barking warningly. Heseemed to be perfectly all right. The sudden coldness of the sea had washed away all his dopeynessand sleepiness. Timmy was himself again!
　　Markhoff was about five feet above the ledge when he heard Timmy barking. He looked down inhorror and saw the big dog trying to jump up at him. He tried to climb up quickly, out of Timmy'sreach.
　　'Woof!' barked Timmy. 'Woof, woof, woof! Grrrrrrr!'
　　'Look out - he'll have your foot off!' yelled one of the men above on the ledge.
　　'He's mad - angry - he's savage²⁷. Look out Mark!'
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　　Markhoff was looking out! He was terrified. He clambered up another few feet, and then found thatTimmy was making runs at the cliff to try and get up after him. He went up a bit further and clung tothe rope with one hand, afraid of falling and being pounced²⁸ on by the furious Timmy.
　　'Come on, Timmy!' suddenly cried George. 'Come on!'
　　The four of them had now got the boat on the waves, and if only they had Timmy they could set offand row round the rocks at the cave entrance before Markhoff could possibly reach them.
　　'Timmy! Timmy!'
　　Timmy heard, cast a last regretful look at Markhoff's legs, and bounded across to the boat. He leaptright in and stood there, still barking madly.
　　Markhoff dropped down the rope to the ledge - but he was too late. The boat shot out to the entranceof the cove and rounded it. In half a minute it had disappeared round the rocky corner and was out atsea.
　　Julian and Dick rowed steadily²⁹. George put her arms round Timmy and buried her face in his fur.
　　Jo did the same.
　　'He's all right again, quite all right,' said George, happily.
　　'Yes, falling into the cold water did it,' agreed Jo, ruffling³⁰ up his fur. 'Good old Timmy!'
　　Timmy was now snuffling about in the bottom of the boat joyfully³¹. He had smelt³² a lovely smell.
　　Jo wondered what he had found. Then she knew.
　　'It's the packet of sandwiches we brought with us in the boat and never ate!' she cried. 'Good oldTimmy - he's wolfing the lot!'
　　'Let him!' said Julian, pulling hard at the oars³³. 'He deserves them all! My word, it's nice to hear hisbark again and see his tail wagging.'
　　And wag it certainly did. It never stopped. The world had come right again for Timmy, he could seeand hear properly again, he could bark and caper³⁴ and jump - and he had his beloved George with himonce more.
　　'Now for home,' said Julian. 'Anne will be pleased to see us. Gosh, what a time we've had!'

1 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》

2 cove   

n.小海湾，小峡谷

参考例句：

• The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁，嫩绿一片，好一个山外的小海湾。
• I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。

3 ledges   

n.（墙壁，悬崖等）突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 )；（平窄的）壁架；横档；（尤指）窗台

参考例句：

• seabirds nesting on rocky ledges 海鸟在岩架上筑巢
• A rusty ironrod projected mournfully from one of the window ledges. 一个窗架上突出一根生锈的铁棒，真是满目凄凉。 来自辞典例句

4 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。

5 crevices   

n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It has bedded into the deepest crevices of the store. 它已钻进了店里最隐避的隙缝。 来自辞典例句
• The wind whistled through the crevices in the rock. 风呼啸着吹过岩石的缝隙。 来自辞典例句

6 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

7 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

8 puffed   

adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟，狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了，便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

10 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 untying   

untie的现在分词

参考例句：

• The tying of bow ties is an art; the untying is easy. 打领带是一种艺术，解领带则很容易。
• As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 33他们解驴驹的时候，主人问他们说，解驴驹作什么？

13 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

14 subsiding   

v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的现在分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上

参考例句：

• The flooded river was subsiding rapidly. 泛滥的河水正在迅速退落。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gradually the tension was subsiding, gradually the governor was relenting. 风潮渐渐地平息了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

15 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

16 shriek   

v./n.尖叫，叫喊

参考例句：

• Suddenly he began to shriek loudly.突然他开始大声尖叫起来。
• People sometimes shriek because of terror,anger,or pain.人们有时会因为恐惧，气愤或疼痛而尖叫。

17 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

18 fronds   

n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You can pleat palm fronds to make huts, umbrellas and baskets. 人们可以把棕榈叶折叠起来盖棚屋，制伞，编篮子。 来自百科语句
• When these breezes reached the platform the palm-fronds would whisper. 微风吹到平台时，棕榈叶片发出簌簌的低吟。 来自辞典例句

19 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

20 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

21 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：

• Dave thumped the table in frustration . 戴夫懊恼得捶打桌子。
• He thumped the table angrily. 他愤怒地用拳捶击桌子。

22 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

23 hurrah   

int.好哇，万岁，乌拉

参考例句：

• We hurrah when we see the soldiers go by.我们看到士兵经过时向他们欢呼。
• The assistants raised a formidable hurrah.助手们发出了一片震天的欢呼声。

24 untied   

松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决

参考例句：

• Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来，我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
• He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。

25 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》

26 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

27 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

28 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》

29 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

30 ruffling   

弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱

参考例句：

• A cool breeze brushed his face, ruffling his hair. 一阵凉风迎面拂来，吹乱了他的头发。
• "Indeed, they do not,'said Pitty, ruffling. "说真的，那倒不一定。" 皮蒂皱皱眉头，表示异议。

31 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。

32 smelt   

v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼

参考例句：

• Tin is a comparatively easy metal to smelt.锡是比较容易熔化的金属。
• Darby was looking for a way to improve iron when he hit upon the idea of smelting it with coke instead of charcoal.达比一直在寻找改善铁质的方法，他猛然想到可以不用木炭熔炼，而改用焦炭。

33 oars   

n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
• The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 caper   

v.雀跃，欢蹦；n.雀跃，跳跃；续随子，刺山柑花蕾；嬉戏

参考例句：

• The children cut a caper in the yard.孩子们在院子里兴高采烈地乱蹦乱跳。
• The girl's caper cost her a twisted ankle.小姑娘又蹦又跳，结果扭伤了脚踝。