Chapter 6 A GRAND DAY

Chapter 6 A GRAND DAY
　　'I think it's got a jolly good name, Mystery Moor¹,' said Dick, as the four of them went along.
　　'Look at it stretching for miles, all blazing with gorse.'
　　'I don't think it looks at all mysterious,' said Henry, surprised.
　　'Well, it's got a sort of quietness and broodiness,' said Anne. 'As if something big happened long agoin the past and it's waiting for something to happen again.'
　　'Quiet and broody? It sounds like one of the farmyard hens sitting on her eggs!' said Henry with alaugh. 'I think it might be a bit frightening and mysterious at night, but it's just an ordinary stretch ofcountry in the day-time, fine for riding over. I can't think why it's called Mystery Moor.'
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　　'We'll have to look it up in some book that tells about this part of the country,' said Dick. 'I expect itwas called that because of some queer happenings or other, hundreds of years ago, when peoplebelieved in witches and things like that.'
　　They followed no road or path, but rode where they pleased. There were great stretches of wiry grass,masses of heather springing up afresh, and, blazing its gold everywhere on this lovely April day, wasthe gorse.
　　Anne sniffed² continually as they rode past the gorse bushes. Dick looked at her.
　　'You sound like Sniffer!' he said. 'Have you got a cold?'
　　Anne laughed. 'No, of course not. But I do so love the smell of the gorse. What does it smell of?
　　Vanilla? Hot coconut³? It's a lovely warm smell!'
　　'Look! What's that moving over there?' said Julian, suddenly reining⁴ in his horse. They all strainedtheir eyes to see.
　　'Why, it's caravans⁵!' said Julian, at last. 'Of course! They were setting out today, weren't they?
　　Well, they must find it very rough going, that's all I can say. There's no real road anywhere, as far as Ican see.'
　　'Where can they be going?' wondered Anne. 'What's over in that direction?'
　　'They'll come to the coast if they keep on the way they are going,' said Julian, considering. 'Let's rideover and have a look at them, shall we?'
　　'Yes. Good idea!' said Dick. So they turned their horses' heads to the right, and rode towards thefaraway caravans. These made quite a splash of colour as they went along. There were four of them -two red ones, a blue one and a yellow one. They went very slowly indeed, each pulled by a small,wiry horse.
　　'They all look like skewbalds, brown and white,' said Dick. 'It's funny that so many gypsies haveskewbald horses. I wonder why it is?'
　　They heard shouting as they came near the caravans, and saw one man pointing them out to another.
　　It was Sniffer's father!
　　'Look, that's the fellow who woke us up in the stable last night,' said Julian to Dick. 'Sniffer's father!
　　What a nasty bit of work he is! Why doesn't he get a haircut?'
　　'Good morning!' called Dick, as they rode up to the caravans on their horses. 'Nice day!'
　　There was no answer. The gypsies driving their caravans and those walking alongside, looked sourlyat the four riders.
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　　'Where are you going?' asked Henry. 'To the coast?'
　　'It's naught⁶ to do with you,' said one of the gypsies, an old man with curly grey hair.
　　'Surly folk, aren't they?' said Dick to Julian. 'I suppose they think we're spying on them, or something.
　　I wonder how they manage about food on this moor, no shops or anything. I suppose they take it allwith them.'
　　'I'll ask them,' said Henry, not at all put off by the surly looks. She rode right up to Sniffer's father.
　　'How do you manage about food, and water?' she asked.
　　'We got food there,' said Snifler's father, jerking his head back towards one of the caravans. 'As forwater, we know where the springs are.'
　　'Are you camping on the moor for a long time?' asked Henry, thinking that a gypsy's life might be afine one, for a time! Fancy living out here on this lovely moor with gorse blazing gold all around, andprimroses by the thousand in the sheltered corners!
　　'That's naught to do with you!' shouted the old man with curly grey hair. 'You clear off and let usalone!'
　　'Come on, Henry,' said Julian, swinging round to go off. 'They don't like us asking them questions.
　　They think it's prying⁷, not interest. May be they have lots of things to hide, and don't want us pokingaround - one or two chickens from a farm, a duck or so from some pond. They live from hand tomouth, these folk.'
　　Some dark-eyed children peered from the vans as they went by. One or two were running outside, butthey sheered off like frightened rabbits when Henry cantered towards them.
　　'Oh well, they simply don't want to be friendly,' she said, and went to join the other three. 'What astrange life they lead, in their houses on wheels! Never staying anywhere for long, always on themove. Get up, there, Sultan. Go after the others!'
　　Her horse obediently followed the other three, taking care not to step into any rabbit-holes! What funit was to be out here in the sunshine, jogging up and down on a horse's back, without a care in theworld! Henry was very happy.
　　The other three were enjoying their day, but they were not quite so happy. They kept wonderingabout George. They missed Timmy too. He should be trotting⁸ beside them, enjoying the day as well!
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　　They lost sight of the caravans after a time. Julian kept track of the way they went, half-afraid ofbeing lost. He had a compass with him, and checked their direction continually. 'It would never do tohave to spend a night out here!' he said. 'Nobody would ever find us!'
　　They had a magnificent lunch about half-past twelve. Really, Mrs. Johnson had surpassed herself!
　　Egg and sardine⁹ sandwiches, tomato and lettuce¹⁰, ham - there seemed no end to them!
　　Great slices of cherry cake were added too, and a large, juicy pear each.
　　'I like this kind of cherry cake,' said Dick, looking at his enormous slice. 'The cherries have all goneto the bottom. They make a very nice last mouthful!'
　　'Any drinks?' said Henry, and was handed a bottle of ginger-beer. She drank it thirstily.
　　'Why does ginger-beer taste so nice on a picnic?' she said. 'Much nicer than drinking it sitting downin a shop, even if it's got ice in it!'
　　'There's a spring or something nearby,' said Julian. 'I can hear it bubbling.'
　　They all listened. Yes, there was a little bubbling, tinkling¹¹ noise. Anne got up to trace it. She found itin a few minutes and called the others. There was a round pool, cool and blue, lying two or three feetdown, and into it, from one side, fell a crystal clear spring of water, tinkling as it fell.
　　'One of the springs that the gypsies use, when they travel this deserted¹² moor, I expect,' said Julian. Hecupped his hands under the falling water and got his palms full. He carried the water to his mouth andsipped it.
　　'Delicious! Cool as an ice-box,' he said. 'Taste it, Anne.'
　　They rode a little farther, but the moor seemed the same everywhere, heather, wiry grass, gorse, aclear spring falling into a pool or tiny stream here and there, and a few trees, mostly silver birch.
　　Larks sang all the time, soaring high in the air, almost too far up to see.
　　'Their song falls down like raindrops,' said Anne, holding out her hands as if to catch them.
　　Henry laughed. She liked this family, and was very glad they had asked her to come out with them.
　　She thought George was silly to have stayed at the stables.
　　'I think we ought to go home,' said Julian at last, looking at his watch. 'We're a good way away.
　　Let me see now. We want to make more or less for the setting sun. Come on!'
　　He led the way, his horse picking its own path over the heather. The others followed. Dick stoppedafter a while.
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　　'Are you sure we're quite right, Ju? I don't somehow feel that we are. The moor is different here,rather sandy and not so much gorse.'
　　Julian stopped his horse and looked round and about. 'Yes, it does look a bit different,' he said.
　　'But yet we seem to be going in the right direction. Let's go a bit more to the west. If only there wassomething on the horizon to guide us. But this moor hasn't a thing that stands out anywhere!'
　　They went on again, and then Henry gave an exclamation¹³. 'I say! What's this? Do come here.'
　　The two boys and Anne swerved¹⁴ over to Henry. She was now off her horse, and was bending over,scraping away at the heather.
　　'Look, it seems like rails, or something,' said Henry. 'Very old and rusty¹⁵. But they can't be, surely?'
　　Everyone was now down on their knees, scraping sand and heather away. Julian sat back andconsidered.
　　'Yes, it's rails. Old ones, as you say. But what in the world were rails laid down here for?'
　　'I can't think,' said Henry. 'I only caught sight of them by chance, they're so overgrown. I couldn'tbelieve my eyes!'
　　'They must lead from somewhere to somewhere!' said Dick. 'Perhaps there was a quarry¹⁶, orsomething on the moor and they ran little engines with trucks there, to fetch the sand, and take it backto town to sell.'
　　'That's about it,' said Julian. 'It's very sandy here, as we noticed. Good, fine sand. May be there is aquarry on the moor. Well, that way, behind us goes right out on the moor, so this way must lead backto some town or village, probably Milling Green or somewhere like that.'
　　'Yes. You're right,' said Dick. 'In which case, if we follow the lines along, we'll get back tocivilization sooner or later!'
　　'Well, seeing that we seem to be more or less lost, that would be quite a good idea!' said Henry.
　　She mounted her horse again and rode along the lines.
　　'They're fairly easy to see!' she called. 'If you ride between them, that is, because they go so straight.'
　　The lines ran steadily¹⁷ over the moor, sometimes very overgrown, and in about half an hour's timeHenry gave a cry and pointed¹⁸ forward. 'Houses! I thought we'd soon come to some place!'
　　'It is Milling Green!' said Julian, as the rails came to a sudden end, and they rode out into a small cart-road.
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　　'Well, we haven't far to go now, to get to the stables,' said Henry, pleased. 'I say, wouldn't it be fun tofollow those lines all across the moor and see where they really lead to?'
　　'Yes. We might do that one day,' said Julian. 'Gosh, it's getting late. I wonder how old George hasbeen getting on today!'
　　They walked quickly along to the stables, thinking of George. Would she have retired¹⁹ to bed?
　　Would she still be cross, or worse still, hurt and grieved? It was anybody's guess!

1 moor   

n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊

参考例句：

• I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
• There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。

2 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》

3 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

4 reining   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的现在分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• "That's a fine bevy, Ma'm,'said Gerald gallantly, reining his horse alongside the carriage. "太太！好一窝漂亮的云雀呀！" 杰拉尔德殷勤地说，一面让自己的马告近塔尔顿的马车。
• I was a temperamental genius in need of reining in by stabler personalities. 我是个需要由更稳重的人降服住的神经质的天才。

5 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：

• Old-fashioned gypsy caravans are painted wooden vehicles that are pulled by horses. 旧式的吉卜赛大篷车是由马拉的涂了颜色的木质车辆。
• Old-fashioned gypsy caravans are painted wooden vehicles. 旧时的吉普赛大篷车是涂了颜色的木质车辆。

6 naught   

n.无，零 [=nought]

参考例句：

• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。
• I hope that all your efforts won't go for naught.我希望你的努力不会毫无结果。

7 prying   

adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开

参考例句：

• I'm sick of you prying into my personal life! 我讨厌你刺探我的私生活！
• She is always prying into other people's affairs. 她总是打听别人的私事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 trotting   

小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。
• Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳，小马开始慢跑起来。

9 sardine   

n.[C]沙丁鱼

参考例句：

• Every bus arrives and leaves packed as fully as a sardine tin.每辆开来和开走的公共汽车都塞得像沙丁鱼罐头一样拥挤。
• As we chatted,a brightly painted sardine boat dropped anchor.我们正在聊着，只见一条颜色鲜艳的捕捞沙丁鱼的船抛了锚。

10 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

11 tinkling   

n.丁当作响声

参考例句：

• I could hear bells tinkling in the distance. 我能听到远处叮当铃响。
• To talk to him was like listening to the tinkling of a worn-out musical-box. 跟他说话，犹如听一架老掉牙的八音盒子丁冬响。 来自英汉文学

12 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

13 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。

14 swerved   

v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She swerved sharply to avoid a cyclist. 她猛地急转弯，以躲开一个骑自行车的人。
• The driver has swerved on a sudden to avoid a file of geese. 为了躲避一队鹅，司机突然来个急转弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

16 quarry   

n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找

参考例句：

• Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
• This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。

17 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。

18 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。

19 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。