Chapter 9 OFF TO WHISPERING ISLAND

Chapter 9 OFF TO WHISPERING ISLAND
The two boys, and Anne and George, slept soundly in the sun until just past three o'clock. Then alarge fly buzzed around Anne's head, and awoke her. She sat up and looked at her watch.
'Gracious! It's ten past three!' she said, in surprise. 'Wake up, Julian! Dick, stir yourself! Don't youwant to go and bathe?'
Yawning loudly the two boys sat up, and looked all round. George was still asleep. Wilfrid hadn't yetcome back.
'Still hunting for his precious pipe, I suppose,' said Anne. 'Get up, you two boys. Dick, you're not tolie down, you'll only go to sleep again. Where are your bathing-things? I'll get them. And doesanyone know where our bathing towels are? We'll probably have to dress and undress with themround us!'
'They're up in our room, chucked into a corner,' said Dick, sleepily. 'Gosh, I was sound asleep. Ireally thought I was in my bed, when I awoke!'
Anne went to fetch the bath-towels and the bathing things. She called back to the boys. 'I've goteverything. Buck¹ up, Julian, don't go to sleep again!'
'Right!' said Julian, sitting up and stretching himself. 'Oh this sun - it's GLORIOUS!'
He poked² Dick with his toe. 'Get up! We'll leave you behind if you snore again. George, goodbye -we're going!'
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George sat up, yawning, and Timmy stood over her and licked her cheek. She patted him. 'All right,Timmy, I'm ready. It's so warm that I'm LONGING³ for a dip - and you'll love it too, Tim!'
Carrying their bathing-things they made their way down the hill, and across a stretch of moorland tothe edge of the sea, Timmy running joyously⁴ behind them. Beyond lay Whispering Island, a greattree-clad mass, and all around and about little boats plied⁵, and yachts sailed in the wind, enjoyingthemselves in the great harbour which stretched far beyond the island to a big seaside town on theopposite coast.
The four went behind some rocks, and stripped off their clothes, emerging three minutes later in theirscanty bathing things. Anne raced to the edge of the water, and let it lap over her toes.
'Lovely!' she said. 'It's not a bit cold! I shall enjoy my swim!'
'Woof!' said Timmy and plunged⁶ into the water. He loved the sea too, and was a fine swimmer!
He waited for George to come in and then swam to her. She put her arms round his neck and let himdrag her along with him. Dear Timmy! How strong he was, thought George.
They had a wonderful time in the water. Further out the waves were big, and curled over likeminiature waterfalls, sweeping⁷ the children along with them. They yelled in joy, and choked whenthe water splashed into their mouths. It was an ideal day for bathing.
When they came out, they lay on the sand in the sun, Timmy beside George, keeping guard as usual.
It was really warm. George sat up and looked longingly⁸ out to sea, where the wind was whipping upthe waves tremendously.
'Wish we had a boat!' she said. 'If we were back home, I could get out my own boat, and we could goout in the cool breeze and get dry.'
Julian pointed⁹ lazily to a big notice not far off. It said 'BOATS FOR HIRE. INQUIRE AT HUT.'
'Oh good!' said George. 'I'll go and inquire. I'd love a good row!'
She slipped on her sandals, and went to the hut to which the sign pointed. A boy of about fifteen satthere, staring out to sea. He looked round as George came along.
'Want a boat?' he said.
'Yes, please. How much?' asked George. 'For four of us - and a dog.'
'Fifty pence an hour,' said the boy. 'Or a pound a day. Or three pounds a week. Better to take it by theweek if you're staying here. It works out very cheap then.'
George went back to the boys and Anne. 'Shall we take the boat by the week?' she said. 'It'll costthree pounds. We could do lots of rowing about, and it would be fun.'
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'Right,' said Dick. 'Anyone got any money?'
'There's some in my pocket, but not enough, I'm afraid,' said Julian. 'I'll go and fix up the boat for usto have tomorrow - we'll take it for a whole week. I can easily bring the money with me in themorning.'
The boat-boy was very obliging. 'You can have the boat today and onwards, if you like, you needn'twait till tomorrow,' he said. 'I know you'll bring me the money all right! So, if you'd like to have itthis afternoon, it's up to you. Choose which boat you like. They're all the same. If you want to take itout at night too, and do some fishing, you can - but tie it up safe, won't you?'
'Of course,' said Julian, going to look at the boats. He beckoned¹⁰ to the others, and they all came over.
'Any boat we like, day or night!' said Julian. 'Which do you fancy? Starfish - Splasho -Adventure - Sea-gull - Rock-a-bye? They all look good, sound little boats to me!'
'I'd like 'Adventure', I think,' said George, thinking that that particular little boat looked sturdy, dearieand sound. 'Nice name - and nice little boat!'
So Adventure it was! 'And a jolly good name for any boat of ours!' said Dick, pushing it down to thesea with Julian. 'Whooooosh! There she goes! Steady my beauty - we want to get in! Chuck in all ourclothes, George! We can dress when we feel cold.'
Soon they were all in the boat, bobbing about on the waves. Julian took the oars¹¹ and pulled out to sea.
Now they were in the full breeze - and a spanking¹³ one it was too! 'I'm certainly not hot any more!'
said George, pulling her bathing-towel round her shoulders.
The tide was running out, and pulled the boat strongly out to sea. Whispering Island suddenly seemedvery much nearer! 'Better look out!' said George, suddenly. 'We don't know if a keeper's on guardsomewhere on the shore of the island. We're getting pretty near.'
But the out-going tide swept the boat on and on towards the island, so that very soon they could see asandy shore. Dick then took one oar¹², and Julian the other, and they tried to row against the tide andtake the boat back into calmer water.
It was no good. The tide was far too strong. Very soon the boat was quite near the shore of the islandand then an enormous wave flung them right up the sand, and left the boat grounded as it went backagain. It slid over to one side, and they all promptly¹⁴ fell out!
'Whew!' said Julian. 'What a tide! I'd no idea it ran so strongly, or I'd never have brought the boat outso far.'
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'What shall we do!' said Anne, rather scared. She kept looking all round for a keeper with a gun.
Suppose they got into real trouble through coming right on to the island?
'I think we'll have to stay on the island till the tide turns, and we can row back on it,' said Julian.
'I can't think why that boat-boy didn't warn us about the tide. I suppose he thought we knew.'
They pulled the boat a little further up on the firm sand, took out their bundle of clothes, and hid themunder a bush. They walked up the beach towards a wood, thick with great trees. As they neared them,they heard a strange, mysterious sound.
'Whispering!' said George, stopping. 'The trees are really whispering. Listen! It's just as if they weretalking to one another under their breath! No wonder it's called Whispering Island!'
'I don't like it much,' said Anne. 'It almost sounds as if they're saying nasty things about us!'
'Shooey, shooey, shooey, shooey!' said the trees, nodding towards one another as the wind shookthem. 'Shooey, shooey!'
'Just the noise of whispering!' said George. 'Well - what do we do now? We'll have to wait an hour ortwo till the tide turns again!'
'Shall we explore?' said Dick. 'After all, we've got Timmy with us. No one is likely to attack us ifthey see him!'
'They can shoot him, can't they, if they have guns?' said George. 'If he growled¹⁶ one of his terrifyinggrowls, and ran at them, showing his teeth, they'd be scared to bits, and fire at him.'
'I think you're right,' said Julian, angry with himself for landing them all into what might be serioustrouble. 'Keep your hand on Timmy's collar, George.'
'You know what I think?' said Dick suddenly. 'I think we ought to try and find the guards, and tellthem the tide swept us on to the island quite by accident - we couldn't stop the boat surging on! We'renot grown-ups, come to snoop around, so they're sure to believe us - and we'd be safe from anychasing or shooting then.'
They all looked at Julian. He nodded. 'Yes - good idea. Give ourselves up, and ask for help!
After all, we hadn't any real intention of actually landing - the tide simply threw the boat into thatsandy cove¹⁷!'
So they walked up to the back of the cove and into the wood, whose whispering was very loudindeed, once they were actually among the trees. No one was to be seen. The wood was so thick thatit was in parts quite difficult to clamber through. After about ten minutes very hard walking andclambering, Julian came to a stop. He had seen something through the trees.
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The others pressed behind him. Julian pointed in front, and the others saw what looked like a greatgrey wall, made of stone.
'The old castle, I imagine!' Julian whispered, and at once the trees themselves seemed to whispereven more loudly! They all made their way to the wall, and walked alongside it. It was a very highwall indeed, and they could hardly see the top! They came to a corner and peeped round. A greatcourtyard lay there - quite empty.
'Better shout, I think,' said Dick, beginning to feel rather creepy, but before they could do that twoenormous men suddenly came down a flight of great stone steps. They looked so fierce, that Timmycouldn't help giving a blood- curdling¹⁸ growl¹⁵. They stopped short at once, and looked all round,startled.
'The noise came from over there,' said one of the men, pointing to his left - and, to the children's greatrelief, both swung off in the wrong direction!
'We'd better get back to the cove,' whispered Julian. 'I don't at all like the look of those men -they look proper thugs. Quiet as you can, now. George, don't let Timmy bark.'
They made their way back beside the stone wall, through the whispering trees, and there they were, atthe cove.
'We'd better row back as quickly as we can,' said Julian. 'I think something's wrong here. Those menlooked like foreigners. They certainly weren't game-keepers. I wish we hadn't come.'
'Ju - where's our boat?' said Dick, in a shocked voice. 'It's gone. This can't be the right cove!'
The others stared round. Certainly there was no boat! They must have come to the wrong cove.
'It looks the same cove to me,' said George. 'Except that the sea has come in a bit more. Do you thinkit took our boat away - gosh, look at that big wave sweeping right in - and sucking back!'
'My word, yes! Our boat could easily have been dragged out on a wave like that!' said Julian, veryworried. 'Look out - here comes another!'
'It is the same cove!' said Anne, looking under a bush at the back. 'Here are our clothes, look! We hidthem here!'
'Take them out quickly!' called Julian, as another big wave swept right in. 'What an idiot I am!
We should have pulled our boat as far up as we could.'
'I'm cold now,' said Anne. 'I'm going to dress. It will be easier to carry a bathing-suit than a heap ofclothes!'
'Good idea!' said Dick, and they all promptly dressed, feeling warmer at once.
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'We might as well leave our bathing-things under the bush where we left our clothes,' said George.
'At least we'll know it's the same cove, if we find them there!'
'The thing is - what are we going to do now?' said Julian, worried. 'No boat to get back in - and whyon earth did we choose one called Adventure! We might have known something would happen!'

1 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。

2 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

4 joyously   

ad.快乐地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She opened the door for me and threw herself in my arms, screaming joyously and demanding that we decorate the tree immediately. 她打开门，直扑我的怀抱，欣喜地喊叫着要马上装饰圣诞树。
• They came running, crying out joyously in trilling girlish voices. 她们边跑边喊，那少女的颤音好不欢快。 来自名作英译部分

5 plied   

v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意

参考例句：

• They plied me with questions about my visit to England. 他们不断地询问我的英国之行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They plied us with tea and cakes. 他们一个劲儿地让我们喝茶、吃糕饼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

7 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

8 longingly   

adv. 渴望地 热望地

参考例句：

• He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。
• Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情，一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。

9 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。

10 beckoned   

v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。
• The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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》

12 oar   

n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行

参考例句：

• The sailors oar slowly across the river.水手们慢慢地划过河去。
• The blade of the oar was bitten off by a shark.浆叶被一条鲨鱼咬掉了。

13 spanking   

adj.强烈的，疾行的；n.打屁股

参考例句：

• The boat is spanking along on the river.船在小河疾驶。
• He heard a horse approaching at a spanking trot.他听到一匹马正在疾步驰近。

14 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

15 growl   

v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣

参考例句：

• The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫，尾巴也跟着摇摆。
• The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。

16 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》

17 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。

18 curdling   

n.凝化v.（使）凝结( curdle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Curdling occurs when milk turns sour and forms solid2 chunks. 凝结时牛奶变酸并且结成2大块固体。 来自互联网
• The sluggish cream wound curdling spirals through her tea. 黏糊糊的奶油在她的红茶里弯弯曲曲地凝结成螺旋形。 来自互联网