Chapter 12 A GREAT SURPRISE - AND A SHOCK FOR GEORGE

Chapter 12 A GREAT SURPRISE - AND A SHOCK FOR GEORGE
As soon as Dick shouted 'STOP' Julian and George hung on to the rope to stop it going down anyfurther. Dick was swinging just opposite the strange door. He began to feel round it, and to jiggle it.
It had no lock, apparently¹, but there was a bolt on his side. He tried to push back the bolt - andsuddenly it came away from the door, and dropped down into the well. It had rusted² so much that itcould not even hold to the door, once it was handled!
The door felt loose, now the bolt was gone. Dick ran his hands round it, trying to loosen it further,and banged it with his fist. Rust³ fell off it, and Dick's hands were soon brown with the old old rust.
He saw a little knob at the top of the door and gave it a tug⁴. Ah - the door felt looser now. He ran hisknife all round the edges, scraping away all the rust he could find. Then he managed to get hisstrongest knife-blade in between the door-edge and the well-wall, and used it as a lever to force thedoor open.
It opened slowly and painfully, with creaks and groans⁵. It was about eighteen inches high and notquite so much wide. Dick pulled it back with difficulty and then peered through the hole.
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He could see nothing at all but black darkness - how very disappointing! He fumbled⁶ in his pocket tosee if he had a torch. Yes - good! He shone it through the little door, his hand trembling withexcitement. What would he see?
His torch was small and not very powerful. The light fell first of all on a face with gleaming eyes, andDick had such a shock that he almost fell down the well. The eyes seemed to glare up at him in a verythreatening manner! He switched his torch to the right - and yet another face gleamed up at him. 'Aqueer face,' thought Dick. 'Yellow as can be! YELLOW! YELLOW! I believe that face is made ofgold!'
His hand was trembling even more, he shone his torch here and there through the opening, catchingfirst one yellow face in its light, and then another. The faces had yellow bodies too, and their eyesglinted very queerly.
'I believe - yes, I really do believe - that I've found the hiding-place of the golden statues!'
thought Dick. 'And those gleaming eyes must be precious jewels. My word, I did have a shock whenI saw them all looking at me! Whatever is this place they're in?'
'DICK! What can you see? Do tell us!' yelled Julian, and poor Dick almost fell off the rope when theshouts echoed round him. 'Pull me up!' he shouted. 'It's too extraordinary for words. Pull me up andI'll tell you!'
And before a minute had passed, he was standing⁷ by the others, his eyes gleaming almost as brightlyas the eyes of the golden statues, his words tumbling over one another.
'That door leads into the place where all the treasures are hidden. The first thing I saw was a goldenstatue staring at me - brilliant eyes in a yellow face - a golden face, real gold! There are dozens ofthem. I don't think they liked me much - they glared so! Thank goodness they didn't say a word -though I half expected them to. My word, what a hiding-place - right down under the earth!'
'There must be another entrance to it,' said Julian, thrilled to hear such extraordinary news. 'The welldoor must be a secret one. Statues couldn't be pushed through it. My word, what a find, Dick.'
'Let's all go down in turn and look through the door!' said George. 'I can't believe it. I think I must bedreaming it. Quick, let me go down!'
One by one they all went down on the rope and looked through the door. Anne came back ratherscared. She had felt very queer when she had seen the silent statues looking at her. 'I know 52they're not really looking, it's only that their eyes gleam,' she said. 'But I kept expecting one or otherto take a step forward and speak to me!'
'Well - the next thing to do is to climb down through the door, and see exactly where the statues are,underground,' said Julian. 'And find out the opening they were brought in by. There must be a door atthe other end of the room, through which they were brought. What a hiding-place, though! Nowonder the police could find nothing in the way of statues or other treasures.'
'We might find the golden sword there, with the jewelled handle!' said Anne. 'And the golden bed.'
She had hardly finished speaking when there came a loud noise from behind them. Timmy wasbarking his head off! Whatever was the matter?
'Sh!' said George, fiercely. 'You'll bring the guards here, you idiot! Stop it!'
Timmy stopped barking and whined⁸ instead. Then he ran off towards the wood, his tail wavinghappily. 'Who in the world is he going to meet?' said George, amazed. 'Someone he knows, by thelook of his tail!'
The others all followed Timmy, who raced along towards the cove⁹ where they had landed - and lost -their boat. And there, in the cove, was another boat! A small one, to be sure, but still, a boat- and by it, fondling Timmy, was Wilfrid! Wilfrid! What an amazing thing!
'WILFRID! How did you get here - did you hire that boat? Did you come all by yourself? Did you...'
Wilfrid grinned round in delight, thrilled at the surprise he was giving everyone. Timmy licked himwithout stopping, and George didn't even seem to notice!
'Well,' he said, 'you didn't come back, so I guessed something was wrong - and when the boat boytold me you'd taken one of his boats, and it had been reported tossing about, empty on the water nearthe island, I guessed what had happened - I said, 'Aha! they didn't make the boat fast when they got tothe island - and now they're marooned¹⁰ there! You were pretty mean to go without me - but I guessedyou'd be pleased to see me, if I borrowed a boat and came over!'
Anne was so pleased that she gave the boy a hug. 'Now we can go back whenever we want to,'
she said.
'But we don't want to, at the moment,' said Dick. 'We've made some startling discoveries, Wilfrid- and I'm jolly pleased you'll be able to share in them! Er - what have you got in your pocket?
Something keeps poking¹¹ its head out at me.'
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'Oh, that's only a baby hedgehog,' said Wilfrid, taking it out gently. 'It got trodden on - by a horse Ithink - so I'm just caring for it for a day or two.' He put it back into his pocket. 'But I say - go on - tellme what you've found. Not the lost treasures, surely?'
'Yes!' said Anne. 'We saw them when we went down a well near the castle.'
'Gracious - did somebody throw them into the water there?' said Wilfrid, amazed.
'No,' said Dick, and told him about the curious door in the side of the well-wall. Wilfrid's eyes nearlyfell out of his head.
'I am glad I came!' he said. 'I nearly didn't. I thought you wouldn't really want me - and I knewGeorge wouldn't be pleased, because of Timmy. I can't help him coming round me - and anyway he'dfeel hurt if I pushed him off.'
Timmy came nosing round him at that moment, with his ball. He wanted Wilfrid to throw it for him.
But Wilfrid didn't notice the ball. He just patted the soft head, and went on talking.
'The boat boy wasn't very pleased when he heard that the boat you hired was loose on the sea. Hesaid you'd hired it for a week, and there it was, back the same day, wet and empty! His cousinbrought it in. No damage done.'
'I'll make it up to him when I see him,' said Julian. 'I haven't paid him for the hire of it either, but heknows I will, when I get back. I had no idea that the sea would throw up waves here whose backwashwould drag out an unmoored boat.'
'You ought to have taken me with you,' said Wilfrid, grinning. Timmy, tired of trying to make himthrow his ball, went off to George, who was only too pleased to. She threw it into the air, and Timmyleapt up and caught it.
Then very suddenly he made a horrible noise and rolled over, kicking as if he were in great pain.
'What's the matter, Timmy?' cried George, and rushed to him. Wilfrid ran too. The dog was choking,and his eyes were almost starting out of his head.
'That ball's stuck in his throat!' cried Wilfrid. 'I knew it was dangerous! I told you it was! Cough it up,Timmy, cough it up. Oh, you poor, choking thing! Oh Timmy, Timmy!'
The boy was beside himself with fear that the dog would choke, as he had once seen another dog do,and as for George, she was wild with terror. Poor Timmy's eyes looked terrible as he choked andchoked, trying to get the ball out of his throat.
'He'll choke to death,' cried Wilfrid. 'Julian, force his mouth open, and hold it. I must try to get out theball. Quick!'
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Timmy was growing weaker, and it was not too difficult to force his mouth wide open. Wilfrid couldsee the ball down the dog's throat - the ball with the hole in the middle. He put his small hand into thedog's big mouth, and forced his fore-finger into the hole in the ball. His finger-joint stuck there -Wilfrid gently drew back his hand - and the ball came too, on his finger! There it was, with his fingerstill stuck in the hole! Timmy began to breathe again, great panting breaths, while George stroked hishead and cried for joy that he was all right.
'I shouldn't have given you that ball, I shouldn't!' she said. 'It was too small for a big dog like you- and you will throw them up into the air and catch them. Oh Timmy, Timmy, I'm very very sorry.
Timmy, are you all right?'
Wilfrid had gone off but now came back with some water from the pail. He dipped his hand in it andlet drops of water drip into the dog's mouth. Timmy swallowed it gratefully. His throat was sore, butthe water was cool and soothing¹². George let Wilfrid do this without a word. She looked rather whiteand shaken. Why - Timmy might be dead by now if Wilfrid hadn't put his finger into that hole in theball, and drawn¹³ it out!
'Thank you, Wilfrid,' she said, in a low voice. 'You were very clever.'
'Thank goodness the ball had a hole through it,' said Wilfrid, and he put his arms round Timmy'sneck. The dog licked him gratefully. Then he turned and licked George too.
'He says he belongs to both of us now,' said George. 'I'll share him with you. You saved his life.'
'Thanks,' said Wilfrid. 'I'd love to have just a bit of him - he's the nicest dog I know!'

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 rusted   

v.（使）生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I can't get these screws out; they've rusted in. 我无法取出这些螺丝，它们都锈住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My bike has rusted and needs oil. 我的自行车生锈了，需要上油。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

4 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。

5 groans   

n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• There were loud groans when he started to sing. 他刚开始歌唱时有人发出了很大的嘘声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was a weird old house, full of creaks and groans. 这是所神秘而可怕的旧宅，到处嘎吱嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fumbled   

（笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下

参考例句：

• She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
• He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他（瞎）摸着衣兜找票。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 whined   

v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨

参考例句：

• The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 marooned   

adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的

参考例句：

• During the storm we were marooned in a cabin miles from town. 在风暴中我们被围困在离城数英里的小屋内。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks. 埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。 来自辞典例句

11 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

12 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

13 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。