Chapter 21 AN ASTOUNDING THING

Chapter 21 AN ASTOUNDING¹ THING
The five children crouched² behind the pile of crates³. Morgan pushed another crate⁴ up, so that theywere completely hidden. Dick clutched Julian.
'Julian! We've made fools of ourselves! Morgan was trying to find out the secret of Old Towershimself - with the help of the shepherd! They were about the only people in the neighbourhood whocould guess what was going on. The shepherd could see all the strange things we saw, whilewatching his sheep on the mountainside - and he told Morgan...'
Julian groaned⁵.
'Yes. No wonder he was angry when he thought we were meddling⁶ in such a serious matter. Nowonder he forbade us to do anything more! Gosh - we've been idiots! Where is Morgan now?
Can you see him?'
'No. He's hiding somewhere. Listen - here come the men!' said Dick. 'There's a crack between twocrates here - I can see the first man. He's got an iron bar or something. He looks pretty grim!'
The men came out cautiously, evidently not sure how many people they were after. They advancedacross the cave, seven of them, all with weapons of some kind. Two went to the upper 92river tunnel, two went to the one that led down to the sea, and the others began to hunt among thecrates.
They found the children first! It was Aily's fault, poor child. She gave a sudden scream of fright -and in a trice the men had pulled away the crates. Crash - one by one they fell to the ground - and theamazed men found themselves looking at five children! But not for long! With a terrifying barkTimmy flung himself on the first man!
He yelled and began to fight him off, but Timmy held on like grim death. Morgan appeared from theshadows and surprised another of the men, jumping on him and getting him on the ground, at thesame time catching⁷ hold of a second man and tossing him away. He had the strength of a giant!
'Run!' he yelled to the children, but they couldn't. Two of the men had penned them into a corner, andalthough Julian leapt at one of them, he was simply thrown back again. These men were strongminers, and though not a match for the giant like Morgan, they could certainly take everyone elseprisoner - including the gentle shepherd! He too was penned into a corner - only Morgan and Timmywere fighting now.
'Timmy will be hurt!' said George, in a trembling voice, and she tried to push one of the men away toget to him. 'Oh look, Ju - that man is trying to hit him with that bar!'
Timmy dodged⁸ the bar and sprang at the man, who turned and ran for his life. Timmy shot after himand got him on the ground. But there were too many men - and more were now coming up from thetunnel at the back of the cave, pouring in, with weapons of all kinds. All of them were amazed to seethe⁹ five children!
The men seemed mostly to be foreigners, and spoke¹⁰ a language the children couldn't understand.
But one man was not a foreigner - he was obviously the boss, and gave his orders as if he expectedthem to be obeyed. He hadn't joined in the fight at all.
The shepherd was soon overpowered, and his hands bound behind his back. Morgan fought off forsome time - but then had to surrender. He was like an angry bull, stamping here, pulling there,roaring with rage as three men tried to tie his hands.
The boss came up and faced him.
'You will be sorry for this, Morgan,' he said. 'All our lives we have been enemies - you down at thefarm - and I here at Old Towers.'
Morgan suddenly spat¹¹ at him.
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'Where is your old mother?' he shouted. 'A prisoner in her own house! Who has robbed her?
You, Llewellyn Thomas!' Then he went off into a spate¹² of Welsh, his voice rising high as hedenounced the man in front of him.
Julian admired the fearless Morgan enormously, as he stood with his hands bound, defying the manwho had been a life- long enemy. How many quarrels had these two had, living in the samecountryside, trying their strength against one another? Julian wished intensely that he had obeyedMorgan's command and left everything to him. But he had thought Morgan was on the side of theenemy! How stupid he had been!
'It's all because of us that he's caught,' thought the boy, remorsefully¹³. 'I've been a fool - and I thoughtI was doing something clever - and right! And now we're all landed in this mess - the girls too! Whatwill they do with us? I suppose the only safe thing for them to do is to keep us prisoner till they'vefinished this mining job, collected a fortune from the metal, whatever it is, and gone.'
Llewellyn Thomas was now giving some sharp orders, and the men were listening. Timmy wasgrowling, held by the collar in a stranglehold by one of the men. If he tried to squirm away, the mantwisted his hand in the collar a little more and poor Timmy was half-choked.
George was wild with despair. Julian had to keep stopping her from trying to make a dash to Timmy.
He was afraid that these rough men would strike her, though she was a girl. Aily sat in a corner,hugging her lamb and Dave, who had been far too scared even to take a little nip at any of the men!
Morgan was held by two hefty miners - but, quite suddenly, he hurled¹⁴ himself sideways at one ofthem and sent him flying - and then at the other, who staggered away and fell over a tin.
With a great roar Morgan stumbled to the pool, and waded¹⁵ to the entrance of the tunnel that led to thesea, his hands still tightly tied behind his back.
'The fool!' said Llewellyn Thomas. 'If he thinks he can get along that tunnel with his hands tied, he ismad! He will fall into that rushing river - and without his hands to help him, he will drown!
No - don't go after him. Let him go - let him drown! We shall be well rid of him!'
The shepherd struggled to his feet to go after his master, knowing quite well that Llewellyn was right- no man could get along that rough edge to the river without his hands to steady him, feeling alongthe wall at the side - and one slip would put him into the churning, hurrying river, that ran at full-peltdown to the sea far below, at the bottom of the hill.
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But Morgan did not mean to escape. He was not going to struggle along beside that treacheroustorrent! He had come all the way up beside it, with the shepherd, and knew how easy it was to slip,on the wet rocky edge. No - Morgan had another plan!
Julian watched him disappear into the tunnel, and his heart sank. He too knew that no one could walkalong there without free hands to help him. But what could anyone do?
The boss turned to the other men, who were still staring after Morgan. He was just about to saysomething to them, when a roar came to their ears.
Not the roar of the torrent¹⁶ in the underground tunnel. Not the roar of the strange rumbling¹⁷ mine.
No - the roar of a giant voice, that crashed out of the tunnel, and echoed round the cave.
It was Morgan's enormous voice. Morgan, calling the names of his seven great dogs! The childrenlistened in amazement¹⁸ at this unbelievable voice.
'DAI! BOB! TANG! COME TO ME! DOON! JOLL! RAFE! HAL!'
The names echoed round and round the cave, and it seemed as if the place was full of giant voices.
Aily, who was used to hearing the dogs called, didn't turn a hair - but the others crouched back inamazement at the sound of such a voice. Surely no one in all the world had ever shouted so loudlybefore!
'DAI! DAI! RAFE! RAFE!'
The great voice boomed again and again, seeming to be louder each time. At first Llewellyn Thomas,the boss, was taken aback - but then he laughed sneeringly¹⁹.
'Does he think he can get his dogs up from the beach?' he said. 'All that way down the tunnel.
He's mad! Let him be!'
Then again the great voice roared out the names of the seven dogs belonging to Morgan and theshepherd.
'DAI! BOB! TANG! DOON! JOLL! RAFE! HAL!'
At the last name, Morgan's voice seemed to crack. The shepherd raised his head in dismay.
Morgan had over-strained that great voice of his, and no wonder. No megaphone could possibly havebeen louder!
There was silence after that. Morgan called no more. Neither did he appear again. The children feltscared and depressed²⁰, and Aily began to whimper.
The curious shuddering²¹ vibration²² began to creep into everything again, and the boss turned sharply,giving some more orders. Two of the men ran to the tunnel at the back of the cave and 95disappeared. Then things took on a curious shimmer²³, as if a heat-haze had spread everywhere, and itbegan to feel very warm in the cave.
Suddenly something happened. At first it sounded far-off in the distance, a confused noise that madeTimmy tug²⁴ at his collar again and prick²⁵ his ears. He barked, and the man who was holding him hithim.
'What's that noise?' said Llewellyn Thomas, sharply, looking all round. There was no telling where itcame from. But it grew louder - and louder - and then suddenly Julian knew what it was!
It was the loud barking of seven angry dogs! The shepherd knew it too, and a glad smile came overhis face. He glanced at Llewellyn to see if he recognised it as well.
Yes - the boss had certainly recognised that dreadful sound now. He could hardly believe it!
Surely it was not possible that Morgan's voice, enormous as it was, had echoed all the way down thetunnel, and been heard by the sharp, pricked-up ears of the dogs who loved him?
But so it was! Dai, the oldest dog, who loved his master more than any of them, had stood tense andlistening ever since Morgan and the shepherd had left them. And, from somewhere far distant,echoing down to the end of the tunnel they were guarding, Dai had heard the faint echoes of hismaster's beloved voice!
His bark had told the other dogs the news - and, led by Dai, they had all rushed up the rocky tunnel,sure-footed on the slippery, rocky path beside the racing²⁶ river.
They came to Morgan, sitting beside the river, not far from the big cave, a little way down the tunnel.
It was a moment of joy for Morgan and his dogs!
Dai soon snuffled at his hands and bit the ropes in half. Morgan was free!
'Down now - and hush²⁷!' commanded Morgan. He began to walk steadily²⁸ back to the cave, thenmotioned the dogs before him.
'Attack!' he cried in Welsh.
And then, to the men's horror, the seven dogs raced out of the tunnel at a great speed, barking,growling, snarling²⁹ - with a triumphant³⁰ Morgan behind them, so tall that he had to bend double toleave the tunnel.
The men fled, every one of them. Llewellyn had turned to run even before the dogs appeared, andwas gone. Dai leapt at one man and got him down, and Tang leapt at another. The cave was filledwith snarls³¹ and growls³² and excited barking.
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Timmy delightedly joined in, for his captor had rushed away too. Even little Dave ran to join thiswonderful fight, while the children stood amazed and thankful to see their enemy defeated!
'Who would have thought of this?' said Dick, sending the crates crashing down. 'What an astoundingthing! Hurrah³³ for Morgan and his seven dogs!'

1 astounding   

adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)

参考例句：

• There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
• The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

3 crates   

n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱

参考例句：

• We were using crates as seats. 我们用大木箱作为座位。
• Thousands of crates compacted in a warehouse. 数以千计的板条箱堆放在仓库里。

4 crate   

vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱

参考例句：

• We broke open the crate with a blow from the chopper.我们用斧头一敲就打开了板条箱。
• The workers tightly packed the goods in the crate.工人们把货物严紧地包装在箱子里。

5 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》

6 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

7 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

8 dodged   

v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He dodged cleverly when she threw her sabot at him. 她用木底鞋砸向他时，他机敏地闪开了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He dodged the book that I threw at him. 他躲开了我扔向他的书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 seethe   

vi.拥挤，云集；发怒，激动，骚动

参考例句：

• Many Indians continue to seethe and some are calling for military action against their riotous neighbour.很多印度人都处于热血沸腾的状态，很多都呼吁针对印度这个恶邻采取军事行动。
• She seethed with indignation.她由于愤怒而不能平静。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 spat   

n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声

参考例句：

• Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。
• There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

12 spate   

n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵

参考例句：

• Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
• Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。

13 remorsefully   

adv.极为懊悔地

参考例句：

• "My poor wife!" he said, remorsefully. “我可怜的妻子！”他悔恨地说。 来自柯林斯例句

14 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 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。

16 torrent   

n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发

参考例句：

• The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
• Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。

17 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：

• The earthquake began with a deep [low] rumbling sound. 地震开始时发出低沉的隆隆声。
• The crane made rumbling sound. 吊车发出隆隆的响声。

18 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

19 sneeringly   

嘲笑地，轻蔑地

参考例句：

• Guan and Zhang had nothing more to say, But they walked away sneeringly. 关羽、张飞无话，冷笑着走了。

20 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

21 shuddering   

v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• 'I am afraid of it,'she answered, shuddering. “我害怕，”她发着抖，说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• She drew a deep shuddering breath. 她不由得打了个寒噤，深深吸了口气。 来自飘（部分）

22 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。

23 shimmer   

v./n.发微光，发闪光；微光

参考例句：

• The room was dark,but there was a shimmer of moonlight at the window.屋子里很黑，但靠近窗户的地方有点微光。
• Nor is there anything more virginal than the shimmer of young foliage.没有什么比新叶的微光更纯洁无瑕了。

24 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

25 prick   

v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛

参考例句：

• He felt a sharp prick when he stepped on an upturned nail.当他踩在一个尖朝上的钉子上时，他感到剧烈的疼痛。
• He burst the balloon with a prick of the pin.他用针一戳，气球就爆了。

26 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

27 hush   

int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静

参考例句：

• A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
• Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

28 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。

29 snarling   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• "I didn't marry you," he said, in a snarling tone. “我没有娶你，"他咆哮着说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• So he got into the shoes snarling. 于是，汤姆一边大喊大叫，一边穿上了那双鞋。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

30 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

31 snarls   

n.（动物的）龇牙低吼( snarl的名词复数 )；愤怒叫嚷（声）；咆哮（声）；疼痛叫声v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的第三人称单数 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• I don't know why my hair snarls easily. 我不知道我的头发为什么容易缠结。 来自辞典例句
• She combed the snarls out of her hair. 她把头发的乱结梳理通。 来自辞典例句

32 growls   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的第三人称单数 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• The dog growls at me. 狗向我狂吠。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The loudest growls have echoed around emerging markets and commodities. 熊嚎之声响彻新兴的市场与商品。 来自互联网

33 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。