The children were astonished to see so many gleaming statues, standing1 in the darkness of the wood.
They wandered round them, and then came to a large shed. They peeped inside.
'Look here!' said Dick, excited. 'Long, deep boxes, strong as iron! And see what's in these two!'
They all came to look. In the first, packed in what looked like sawdust, was a beautifully carvedstatue of a boy. The next box seemed to be entirely2 full of sawdust, and Anne had to scrape quite a lotaway to see if anything was packed there too.
'It's a little stone angel!' she said, scraping sawdust from a quaint3 little face, a small crown and thetips of small wings. 'Lovely! Why are these statues being packed away like this?'
'Use your brain!' said Dick. 'It's obvious that they're works of art - and are probably very old.
They're being packed to send away in some boat or ship - to be transported somewhere where they'llfetch a lot of money - America, probably!'
'Did they come from the old castle, do you think?' asked George. 'It's quite near. I expect this shedbelongs to it. But how was it that the police didn't find them in the castle when they searched? Theymust have gone there, and looked into every corner! And what about the statues in the wood outside -why haven't they been packed away?'
'Too big, probably,' said Julian. 'And too heavy. A small boat wouldn't be strong enough to take greatthings like that. But those little statues are quite perfect for transporting - they don't weigh as much asthe big ones - and they aren't marked by the weather, through standing in rain, sun and snow! Not amark on them!'
'You're right,' said Anne. 'I noticed that those big ones outside were green here and there, and somehad bits knocked off them. I wish we could get inside the castle and see the things there!'
'The man at the golf-club, the one we took those lost balls to - he said something about statues aswhite as snow, standing in this wood - do you remember?' said Dick.
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'Yes. They must have stood there for some time,' said Julian. 'I don't feel they can be very valuable,else they would be put carefully indoors, under cover. But these little beauties - I guess they're wortha lot of money!'
'Who do you suppose packed them in here?' said Anne.
'Maybe those big men we saw,' said Julian. 'Even small statues like these need someone very strongindeed to carry them here to this shed, and pack them like this. Then, of course, they would have tobe carried to some boat - or ship - probably to a boat first, and then rowed out to a waiting ship. But Idon't think those guards are the men behind all this - someone with great knowledge of old thingsmust be the ringleader. He probably heard the old legend of the island, came to have a look round,and made quite a lot of interesting discoveries!'
'Where?' asked George. 'In the castle?'
'Probably - though carefully hidden away!' said Julian. 'For all we know there may be scores of reallyvaluable old treasures hidden there still. That sword with a jewelled handle, for instance!
And the bed made of gold, and...'
'To think they might all be quite near us somewhere on Whispering Island!' said Anne. 'Wouldn't Ilove to be able to say I'd slept on a bed of pure gold!'
'Well, I think you'd find it jolly hard,' said Dick.
Timmy suddenly gave a small whine4, and licked George's hand. 'What is it?' she said. 'What do youwant, Timmy?'
'Perhaps he's hungry,' said Anne.
'Thirsty, more likely!' said Julian. 'Look at his tongue hanging out!'
'Oh, poor Tim - you haven't had a drink for hours!' said George. 'Well - where on earth can we getyou one? We'll have to look for a puddle5, I'm afraid. Come on!'
They left the shed where the beautiful little statues were lying in their sawdust, and went out into thesunshine. Everywhere was dry. Julian felt worried.
'We shall all be thirsty soon!' he said. 'I wonder where we can get some water?'
'Would it be too dangerous to go near the castle and see if there's a tap anywhere?' asked George,ready to face almost anything to get her dog a drink!
'Yes, it would,' said Julian, in a very decided6 voice. 'We're not going near any of those men withguns. They might have been told to shoot on sight, and that wouldn't be very pleasant. We'd bepeppered all over with shot!'
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'Look - what's that round thing over there - like a little circular wall?' said Dick, pointing tosomething behind the shed where the statues lay in their boxes.
They all went over to it - and Anne guessed what it was at once! 'A well! An old well!' she said.
'Look, it has an old wooden beam over the top, with a pulley to wind and unwind a bucket. Is there abucket - let's hope so! We can let it down to the water and fill it for Timmy then.'
Timmy put his paws on the rim7 of the wall and sniffed8. Water! That was what he wanted more thananything. He began to whine.
'All right, Timmy - we'll send the bucket down,' said George. 'It's still on the hook! Julian, thishandle's awfully9 stiff - can you turn it to let down the bucket?'
Julian tried with all his strength - and quite suddenly the rope loosened, and the bucket gave a suddenjerk and jump. Alas10 - it jerked right off the hook, and with a weird11, echoing jangling sound, fell fromthe top to the bottom of the well - landing in the water with a terrific splash!
'Blow, blow, blow!' said Julian, and Timmy gave an anguished12 howl. He peered down at the lostbucket, now on its side in the water at the bottom of the well, gradually filling itself.
'It'll probably sink below the water now,' said Julian, with a groan13. 'Is there a ladder down the well? -if so I could shin down and get the bucket.'
But there wasn't, though it looked as if there had been at some time, for here and there were staples14 inthe brick side of the well-wall.
'What can we do?' asked Anne. 'Can we possibly pull up the bucket?'
'No - I'm afraid we can't,' said Dick. 'But wait a minute - I could shin down the rope, couldn't I, andpick the bucket out of the water. And easily get up again, because George and Julian could turn thewell-handle, and pull me up that way!'
'Righto. Down you go then,' said Julian. 'The rope's good and strong, not frayed15 or rotten. We'll windyou and the bucket up all right!'
The boy sat on the side of the well-wall, and reached out for the rope. He swung himself on to it, andswayed there a moment or two, looking down the long, dark hole below him, with the water at thebottom. Then down he went, hand-over-hand, just as he so often did at school in the gym.
He came to the bottom, reached down, took hold of the bucket-handle, and filled the bucket full.
The water felt as cold as ice to his hand. 'All right. Pull me up!' he shouted, his voice sounding veryhollow and strange as it rose up through the well-walls.
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Dick was heavy to pull up. Julian and George turned the handle valiantly16, but it was slow work.
Gradually Dick came up nearer and nearer to the top. When he was half-way they heard him give anexclamation, and call out something, but they couldn't make out what it was and went on winding17 thegroaning rope, slowly but surely.
They reached down and took the bucket from Dick as soon as his head appeared at the top.
Timmy fell on it with excited barks, and began to lap vigorously.
'Didn't you hear me yelling to you to stop when I was halfway18 up?' demanded Dick, still swinging onthe rope. 'Don't let go that handle. Hang on to it for a minute.'
'What's the excitement?' asked Julian, in surprise. 'Why did you yell to us? We couldn't make outwhat you said.'
Dick swung himself to one side, caught hold of the well-top, and hauled himself up, so that he couldsit on the well-wall. 'I shouted because I suddenly saw something jolly peculiar19 as I came up thewell,' he said. 'And I wanted to stop and see what it was!'
'Well - what was it?' asked Julian.
'I don't quite know. It looked awfully like a little door! An iron door,' said Dick. 'I say, don't letTimmy drink all that water - he'll be ill. We'll let the pail down again in a minute and get some morefor ourselves.'
'Go on about what you saw,' said George. 'How could there be a door in the side of a well going deepdown into the earth?'
'Well, I tell you, there was one,' said Dick. 'Look, Timmy's gone and upset the pail now! Let's send itdown on the pulley to be filled again, and I'll go down on the rope again too. But when I come up andyou hear me shout 'Stop!' just STOP winding, see?'
'Here's the bucket for the hook,' said Julian. 'I'll be careful not to jerk it off this time. Ready?'
Down went Dick and the bucket again - splash went the bucket and filled with water once more.
Then up came Dick again, wound up by Julian and George as before. As soon as they heard himshout 'STOP' they stopped their winding and peered down.
They saw Dick peering hard at the side of the well-wall, and pulling at it with his fingers. Then heshouted again. 'All right. UP WE go!'
They hauled him up to the top, and he clambered off the rope, swung himself on to the well-wall andsat there.
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'Yes. It is some kind of opening in the well-wall - it is a door - and it has a bolt this side to undo20, butit was too stiff for my fingers. I'd have to go down and jiggle it about with my knife before I couldloosen it.'
'A door in a well! But where on earth would it lead to?' said Julian, astonished.
'That's what we're going to find out!' grinned Dick, rather pleased with himself. 'Who would everthink of putting a door in the side of a well? Somebody did - but WHY? Very cunning - andmysterious - and unguessable. I rather think I'll go straight down again and see if I can't open thatdoor - and discover what it leads to!'
'Oh DO, Dick, do!' said George. 'If you don't, I will!'
'Hang on to the rope. Down I go again!' said Dick. And down he went, much to Timmy's surprise.
The others looked down anxiously. Could Dick open the well-door? What would he find behind it?
Quick, Dick, quick - everybody's waiting for you!
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收听单词发音
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1
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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puddle
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| n.(雨)水坑，泥潭 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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8
sniffed
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| 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 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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anguished
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| adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式) | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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14
staples
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| n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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15
frayed
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| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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undo
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| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
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