Chapter 8 A SPOT OF TROUBLE

Chapter 8 A SPOT OF TROUBLE
'What do you mean by saying that the notice doesn't mean a thing?' said Julian. 'Why put it up, then?'
'Oh, there are notices like that all round the airfield¹,' said Toby airily. 'Telling you to KEEP31
OUT, there's DANGER. But there isn't. Only aeroplanes are here, no guns, no bombs, nothing.
It's a jolly lonely place, too, tucked away at the foot of this hill.'
'Why don't you ask your cousin why they put up the notices?' asekd Dick. 'There must be somereason!'
'I tell you those notices have been up for ages,' said Toby, sounding cross. 'Ages! They might havebeen some use at some time or other, but not now. We can bathe here and do what we like.'
'All right - but I hope you know what you're talking about,' said Julian. 'I must say I can't see anysense myself in putting notices here - there's no wire or fencing to keep anyone out.'
'Let's get into our bathing things, then,' said Dick.
'You girls can have that bush over there and we'll have this one. Buck² up!'
They were soon changed into their swim-suits, and dived into the pool, which was surprisingly deep.
It was also deliciously cool, and silky to the touch, just as the spring water had been. The two dogsleapt in gladly and swam vigorously round and round. The children splashed them, and Timmy beganto bark excitedly.
'Shut up, Timmy!' said Toby at once.
'Why should he?' demanded George, swimming up.
'Well - someone at the airfield might hear him,' said Toby.
'You said it didn't matter us being here!' said George. 'Look out for yourself!' She dived underwaterand got hold of Toby's legs, pulling him down. He yelled and kicked and spluttered, but George wasstrong and she gave him a very, very good ducking! He came up purple in the face.
'I said I'd pay you out for the spider!' yelled George, and swam strongly away. Toby swam after her,and she led him a fine dance round the pool, for she was a splendid swimmer. The others laughed atthe contest.
'I back old George,' said Dick. 'She'd out-swim most boys. Well, she's put Toby in his place all right.
He won't be so free with spiders and silly jokes for a while!'
Timmy began to bark again when he saw Toby chasing George, and Binky joined in.
'Shut up, Binky!' shouted Toby. 'I tell you STOP BARKING!'
Before Toby had obeyed, something happened. A stentorian⁴ voice came across the pool.
'What's all this! You're trespassing⁵ on Crown property. Didn't you see the notice?'
The dogs stopped barking and the five children looked round to see who was shouting. Their 32heads bobbed on the surface of the water as they gazed about to find the shouter.
It was a man in Air Force uniform, a big man, burly and red-faced.
'What's the matter?' called Julian, swimming towards him. 'We're only bathing. We're not doing anyharm.'
'Didn't you see the notice?' shouted the man, pointing over to it.
'Yes. But we couldn't see much danger here,' called back Julian, wishing now that he hadn't believedToby.
'You come on out!' roared the man. 'All of you, Come on.'
They all waded⁶ out of the cool pond, Anne feeling scared. The dogs splashed out, too, and stoodeyeing the man grimly. He calmed down a little when he saw them.
'Those your dogs I heard barking? Well, now, I see you're all kids - though one of you's big enough toknow better!' and he pointed⁷ to Julian. 'I thought may be you were trippers - thinking you could comewandering on the airfield and not get into trouble!'
'Trippers don't come here,' said Toby, squeezing the water out of his hair.
'Nor do sensible children,' retorted the man. 'I've had trouble from you before, haven't I? Yes.
Didn't you come walking round the hangars bold as brass⁸ one day? And that dog with you, too?'
'I only went to see my cousin, Flight-Lieutenant Thomas,' said Toby. 'I wasn't doing any harm - Iwasn't spying. I tell you I only went to see my cousin!'
'Well, I shall report you to him,' said the man, 'and tell him to give you a proper ticking off.
We've strict instructions to warn off anyone - there're notices everywhere.'
'Is something hush-hush going on, then?' said Toby with a sudden grin.
'As if I'd tell you if there was!' said the man in disgust. 'Far as I can see, there's nothing much doinghere - dull as ditch-water this place - and as far as I'm concerned I'd welcome a horde⁹ of trippers - itwould liven up the place no end. But orders are orders, as you very well know.'
Julian thought it was about time that he should join in. The man was only doing his duty, and Tobywas an ass³ to have said that the notices meant nothing.
'Well, we apologize for trespassing,' he said in his clear, pleasant voice. 'We shan't bathe here again, Ipromise you. Sorry to have made you come all this way to warn us off.'
The RAF guard looked at Julian with respect. There was something about the boy that reassuredpeople, and the man now felt quite sure that it was all Toby's fault. He smiled and gave a sketchysalute.
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'That's all right,' he said. 'Sorry to cut your bathe short this hot day. And - er - if that rogue¹⁰ of a boyhere' - he pointed to Toby - 'if he cares to ask Flight-Lieutenant Thomas for permission to bathe inthis pool at certain hours, it's okay by me. I shan't come running then when I hear dogs barking and alot of shouting if I know you're allowed here at certain hours.'
'Thanks,' said Julian. 'But anyway we're only here for a few days.'
'So long,' said the man, who saluted¹¹ them all and walked off smartly.
'Well,' said Toby, quite unashamed, 'what did he want to come messing about here for, spoiling ourbathe? He said there wasn't anything secret going on, so why...'
'Oh, shut up!' said Dick. 'You heard what he said about orders being orders? He's not a sillyschoolboy trying to be clever and getting out of doing his work - yes, like you do at school, Toby,and a good many of the others! He's a man in uniform. You'd better grow up a bit, young Toby.'
'I agree,' said Julian. 'So don't let's hear any more about it. You slipped up, Toby, and that's all there isto it. Now let's dry ourselves and go to the farm and ask your nice kind mother if she'll let us havesome more food to take back to our camp with us. I'm as hungry as a hunter after our bathe.'
Toby was rather subdued¹² after all this. He glanced at George to see if she was gloating over histicking off, but George was never one to exult¹³ over anyone's downfall, and Toby felt relieved.
'Shall I ask my cousin if he'll get permission for us to bathe in the pool?' he said as they went awayfrom the water, dry and dressed again.
'I think not,' said Julian. 'But I'd like to meet your cousin some time all the same.'
'He might take us up in a plane,' said Toby hopefully, his spirits rising at the thought. 'Oh, look there -here's that little wretch¹⁴ Benny again - and the pigling!'
Benny panted up, carrying the little pig. 'You look like Tom, Tom the Piper's Son,' said Julian,ruffling the yellow curls. 'He stole a pig and ran away, carrying it under his arm.'
'But this is my own pig,' said Benny, surprised. 'I didn't steal him. I came to find you, because mymother says come to tea.'
'You have got a nice mother!' said Anne, taking the small boy's hand. 'Why don't you put the pigdown? He must be so heavy.'
'He runned away again,' said Benny severely¹⁵. 'So I carried him.'
'Put a collar on his neck, with a lead,' suggested Dick.
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'He hasn't got a neck,' said Benny, and indeed the pigling was so plump that his head joined his bodywithout any neck at all.
The little procession made its way to the farm, and the pigling at once ran in front, squealing¹⁶. Itseemed surprised and delighted to find it was home again. Timmy pricked¹⁷ up his ears when itsquealed. He thought that it must be in pain, and he was worried! He ran beside the little creature,trying to nuzzle it.
Mrs. Thomas saw them through the window. 'Come along in!' she said. 'I thought you might like tohave tea here again today, because I've a visitor you'd like to meet!'
'Who is it?' cried Toby, running indoors. 'Oh! It's you, Cousin Jeff. Hey, Julian, Dick - look, it's myCousin Jeff from the airfield - Flight-Lieutenant Thomas! The one I told you about! Cousin Jeff, meetmy friends - Julian, Dick, Anne, Georgina - er, I mean George - and Timmy!'
A tall, good-looking young man stood up, smiling. The Five gazed at him, liking¹⁸ him very muchindeed. What a fine young fellow - how strong - what keen straight eyes he had - what a cousin topossess! They all envied Toby at that moment. No wonder he had boasted about him so much!
'Hallo to you!' said Cousin Jeff. 'Glad to see you all. Hey - look at this dog!'
And well might everyone look, for Timmy had marched straight up to him and then held up a paw.
'Wuff!' he said, which, of course, meant 'Shake'!
'How do you do?' said Cousin Jeff solemnly, and shook paws with Timmy at once.
'Timmy's never done that before!' said George, astonished. 'Well - what a surprising thing! He mustlike you very much!'

1 airfield   

n.飞机场

参考例句：

• The foreign guests were motored from the airfield to the hotel.用车把外宾从机场送到旅馆。
• The airfield was seized by enemy troops.机场被敌军占领。

2 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。

3 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

4 stentorian   

adj.大声的，响亮的

参考例句：

• Now all joined in solemn stentorian accord.现在，在这庄严的响彻云霄的和声中大家都联合在一起了。
• The stentorian tones of auctioneer,calling out to clear,now announced that the sale to commence.拍卖人用洪亮的声音招呼大家闪开一点，然后宣布拍卖即将开始。

5 trespassing   

[法]非法入侵

参考例句：

• He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。
• Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。

6 waded   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
• He waded into the water to push the boat out. 他蹚进水里把船推出来。

7 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。

8 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

9 horde   

n.群众，一大群

参考例句：

• A horde of children ran over the office building.一大群孩子在办公大楼里到处奔跑。
• Two women were quarrelling on the street,surrounded by horde of people.有两个妇人在街上争吵，被一大群人围住了。

10 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

11 saluted   

v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• The sergeant stood to attention and saluted. 中士立正敬礼。
• He saluted his friends with a wave of the hand. 他挥手向他的朋友致意。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

13 exult   

v.狂喜，欢腾；欢欣鼓舞

参考例句：

• Few people would not exult at the abolition of slavery.奴隶制被废除了，人们无不为之欢乐鼓舞。
• Let's exult with the children at the drawing near of Children's Day.六一儿童节到了，让我们陪着小朋友们一起欢腾。

14 wretch   

n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人

参考例句：

• You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他，还埋怨他，真不知好歹。
• The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

15 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

16 squealing   

v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Pigs were grunting and squealing in the yard. 猪在院子里哼哼地叫个不停。
• The pigs were squealing. 猪尖叫着。

17 pricked   

刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。

18 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。