Chapter 18 A MOST EXCITING TIME!

Chapter 18 A MOST EXCITING TIME!
It was quite a job pushing the heavy chest over towards the stone wall of the castle. It took all ofthem, shoving with all their might, to do it.
'We seem to be making an awful noise with the chest scraping over the floor,' panted Dick. 'I hopewe're not heard!'
Timmy wished he could help. He kept jumping up and pressing his paws on the side of the chest, butDick stopped him. 'You're getting in the way,' he said. 'You go and sit near the door and warn us ifyou hear those men coming.'
So Timmy ran to the door and sat there, his head cocked to one side, listening, while the others wenton shoving the heavy chest along. At last it was in position. Then came the job of hoisting¹ a stoutlittle wooden table on top. Julian climbed up to the top of the chest to take the table from Dick, butjust couldn't manage it, it was so heavy and solid. So Wilfrid climbed up beside him, and between thetwo of them they pulled up the little oblong table, and set it firmly on top of the chest. Julian stood onit - and found he could easily reach the little iron door, that led into the old well.
'Good,' he said, and he gave the door a hard shove. It shook a little, but didn't budge². He gave itanother hard push. 'What's up?' said Dick, climbing up beside Julian. 'It must open - the bolt's notthere any more - it fell off into the well. I expect it's rusted³ a little again. We'll both shove it together.'
The girls watched the boys anxiously, dreading⁴ every moment to hear the two men returning.
Together the boys pushed at the iron door - and it groaned⁵ and then gave way, swinging open insidethe well-wall! To the boys' delight, there was the rope, hanging near them!
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'We've done it!' Dick called down softly to the girls. 'We'll come down and help you up to the tablehere - then we'll try our luck up the well.'
The girls were soon on the chest top. There wasn't room for everyone on the table, and the boys weredebating what to do next.
'You go up the rope, Julian,' said Dick. 'You can climb up to the top and get out and look around andmake sure there's no one about. Then Wilfrid can climb up - do you think you can, Wilfrid?'
'Of course,' said the boy. 'Then I can help Julian to wind up the girls!'
'Right!' said Dick. 'I'll stay here with the girls, and help each of them on to the rope, first Anne -and you two can wind the rope up, with her on it. Then George can go - and I'll follow last of all andshut the well-door.'
'And when the men come they won't know how in the world we got out of the treasure chamber⁶!'
said Anne, grinning. 'What a shock for them!'
'When you've all gone up safely, I'll climb in myself and shut the door,' said Dick. 'Ready, Ju? I'llshine my torch for you!'
Julian nodded. He squeezed through the old iron door, reached out for the rope, and swung on it for amoment. Then up he went, hand-over-hand, till he reached the top, a little out of breath, but delightedto be out in the open air and the bright moonlight. It seemed almost as light as day!
He called down the well. 'I'm at the top, Dick, and all's well. Moon's out, and all is quiet.'
'You next, Wilfrid,' said Dick. 'Can you get hold of the rope all right, do you think? For pity's sakedon't fall into the water. My torch will give you plenty of light.'
'Don't worry about me! It's just like being on the ropes at gym in school,' said Wilfrid, scornfully.
He swung his legs into the opening, leapt at the rope, hung on, and began to climb up just like amonkey.
Julian's voice came down the well again, echoing hollowly, sounding rather queer. 'Wilfrid's safelyup. Now send Anne - we'll wind up the rope for her, so that she doesn't need to climb, only to hangon.'
Through the opening went Anne, and sat on its ledge⁷. 'Can you swing the rope a bit, Julian?' shecalled. 'It's rather far for me to jump.'
'Good gracious! For goodness sake be careful!' called Julian, in alarm. 'Tell Dick to help you.'
But the well-wall opening was so small that Dick couldn't even look through it while Anne wassitting there. 'Don't jump till you've got firm hold of the rope, Anne,' he told his sister, anxiously.
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'Is Ju swinging it to and fro? Can you see it clearly? It's so dark in the well, and my torch isn't toogood now!'
'Yes. I can see it,' said Anne. 'It bumped against my legs then, and I just missed getting it. Here itcomes again - I've got it! I'm going to hold on to it tightly and drop off the ledge. Here I go!'
She sounded very much braver than she felt. She let herself drop off the ledge, and there she swungon the thick rope, with the black water far below! 'Wind me up, Ju!' she called, and held on as the twoboys at the top exerted all their strength. Dick saw her disappear up the well, and heaved a sigh ofrelief. Now for George.
He climbed down from the table and chest and looked for George and Timmy, shining his torcheverywhere. To his utmost surprise he couldn't see them! He called softly. 'Timmy!'
A small, stifled⁸ whine⁹ came from somewhere. Dick frowned. 'George - where are you? For goodnesssake buck¹⁰ up and come out from where you're hiding. Those men might come back at any time!
Don't play the fool.'
A dark curly head poked¹¹ out from behind a large box near the door, and George spoke¹² in a very fiercevoice. 'You know Timmy can't hang on to a rope! He'd fall and be drowned. I think you are all horridto forget that he can't climb. I'm staying here with him. You go on up the well.'
'Certainly not!' said Dick at once. 'I shall stay here with you. I suppose it's no use asking you to let mestay with Tim, while you climb up?'
'Not the slightest use. He's my dog, and I'm jolly well sticking by him,' said George. 'He'd neverdesert me, I'm sure of that.'
Dick knew George only too well when she was in one of her determined¹³ moods. Nothing, absolutelynothing, would make her change her mind!
'All right, George - I expect I'd feel the same if Timmy was mine,' said Dick. 'I'm staying here withyou, though!'
'No,' said George. 'We'll be all right, Tim and I.'
Dick ran to the chest and table that he had used to get up to the opening in the well-wall, and climbedquickly to the top. He swung himself through, sat on the edge of the opening and called up the well.
'Julian? Are you there? Listen - George won't leave Timmy because he can't climb up the rope.
So I'm staying with her!'
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No sooner had he said these words, than he heard someone unlocking the door of the room they werein! Timmy growled¹⁴ so fiercely that Dick's heart jumped in fear. Suppose Tim leapt at those men - andone of them had a gun!
George heard the noise of the key turning in the door, and quick as lightning she went behind a pileof boxes with Timmy. 'Go for them, Timmy, just as soon as you can!' she said. 'Get them downbefore they can hurt you.'
'Woof,' said Timmy, understanding every word. He stood beside George, ears cocked, showing histeeth in a snarl¹⁵. The door opened, and a man came in, carrying a lantern. 'I've brought you a light,' hebegan - and then Timmy leapt at him!
Crash! Down went the lantern and the light went out. Down went the man too, shouting in fear as thebig dog leapt on his chest, his hairy face so close that the man could feel the dog's hot breath.
The man's head struck against the edge of a chest, and he was suddenly still and silent.
'Knocked out, I do believe!' said Dick to himself, and very cautiously shone his torch round. Yes- there was the man on the floor, eyes closed, unmoving!
George was at the open door, looking out, Timmy by her side. 'Dick! I'm taking Timmy down thesecret way through the cliffs. I'll be perfectly¹⁶ safe with him.'
'I must tell Julian,' said Dick. 'He's still at the top of the well, expecting you and Timmy. You go asquickly as you can - and be careful. Timmy will look after you.'
George disappeared at top speed, her shoes making no sound. She looked anxious but not afraid.
'Good as a boy!' thought Dick, for the hundredth time. 'Every bit as good as a boy. Doesn't turn ahair! Now I'd better get back to that opening in the well, and tell Julian that George and Timmy havegone down the secret way. That man is still knocked out, thank goodness!'
He was soon on top of the chest and table, and peering through the hole. He could see the light fromJulian's torch far away at the top, the light flashing on and off as if signalling. Dick called up 'Julian!'
'Oh, so you're still there,' said Julian, sounding very relieved. 'Anything happened?'
'Yes,' said Dick. 'I'll tell you in a minute. Swing the rope a bit, Ju.'
The rope swung near Dick, and he caught it, and was just about to swing himself into the well whenhe heard a noise. He looked back into the vast room, which was now in darkness, for he had switchedoff his torch.
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Someone came in hurriedly. 'What's happened? Why didn't you...' Then he stopped as the light fromthe lantern he carried picked out the figure of the man on the floor. He gave an exclamation¹⁷ and kneltdown by him. Dick grinned to himself - what about a nice little shock for this fellow?
He reached down to the sturdy little table, gave it a shove that sent it hurtling down to the floor, andthen swung himself into the well on the rope. He was just in time to see the table fall with a crash bythe man with the lantern, and to hear him shout in fear - and then Julian and Wilfrid hauled him upthe well, still grinning to himself. 'Bit of a shock for those men!' he thought.
'George and Timmy disappeared - and the rest of us gone most mysteriously! Pull, Julian, pull!
I've a nice little story to tell you!'
And soon he was up on the well-wall, telling the others what had happened. They laughed in delight.
'Good old George! Good old Timmy!'
'George knows the way down the cliff passage all right - and if she didn't, Timmy would take hersafely,' said Julian. 'We'll go down on the rocks and meet her, I think. She should be all right becausethe moon's out now, and everything is as light as day!'
And off they all went through the wood, laughing when they thought how puzzled and mystifiedthose men must be!

1 hoisting   

起重，提升

参考例句：

• The hoisting capacity of that gin pole (girder pole, guy derrick) is sixty tons. 那个起重抱杆（格状抱杆、转盘抱杆）的起重能力为60吨。 来自口语例句
• We must use mechanical hoisting to load the goods. 我们必须用起重机来装载货物。

2 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

3 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》

4 dreading   

v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was dreading having to broach the subject of money to her father. 她正在为不得不向父亲提出钱的事犯愁。
• This was the moment he had been dreading. 这是他一直最担心的时刻。

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 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 ledge   

n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁

参考例句：

• They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
• Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。

8 stifled   

（使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵

参考例句：

• The gas stifled them. 煤气使他们窒息。
• The rebellion was stifled. 叛乱被镇压了。

9 whine   

v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣

参考例句：

• You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
• The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。

10 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。

11 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》

12 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。

13 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

14 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》

15 snarl   

v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮

参考例句：

• At the seaside we could hear the snarl of the waves.在海边我们可以听见波涛的咆哮。
• The traffic was all in a snarl near the accident.事故发生处附近交通一片混乱。

16 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

17 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。