George couldn't help singing loudly as she rowed back to the shore in her boat. Timmy joined in witha bark now and again. He was glad that George was so happy. He stood in the prow1 of the boat,wishing it was not night-time, so that he could see clearly where he was going. The moon cloudedover, and the sea looked endless in the dark. Very few lights showed on the mainland at that time ofnight - just one or two from houses where people were still up.
Wait, though - what was that bright light suddenly shining out from the mainland? Was it someonetrying to pick out their boat? Timmy barked at the light, and George, who, of course, was rowingwith her back to the shore, shipped her oars2 for a moment and looked round.
'It's someone on the quay,' she said. 'Maybe a late fisherman. Good! He'll be able to help me drag myboat up out of the way of the tide!'
But it wasn't a fisherman. It was Julian and Dick. They had arrived about five minutes ago, and hadlooked at once for George's boat, and hadn't found it.
'Blow! We're too late to stop her, then. She's gone over to the island!' said Julian and began toexamine all the other tied-up boats to see if he could find one that he could borrow, belonging to afriend. Somehow they must get over to Kirrin Island, and rescue George. He felt sure she would be indanger of some kind.
Then suddenly the two boys heard the sounds of oars splashing not far out to sea. Well, if that was afisherman coming home, maybe Julian could ask him to lend him his boat to go to Kirrin Island in.
He could tell him that he was afraid his cousin might be in need of help.
Timmy, in George's boat, suddenly recognised the two boys when the moon swam out from a cloud,and gave a delighted volley of barks. George, wondering if it was Julian and Dick, rowed as quicklyas she could. She came into shore, jumped out and began to drag in her boat. The boys were besideher at once, and the boat was soon in its usual place, carefully made safe in case the tide was a highone.
'George!' said Julian, so overjoyed to see his cousin safe and sound that he couldn't help giving her abear-hug. 'You wicked girl! You went to the island - just what I said you weren't to do. You mighthave found the thieves on the island, and then you would have been in trouble!'
81
'I did find them - but it's they who are in trouble, not me!' said George. 'I saw a light over there, tookmy boat and went over to the island - and there they were - Mr. Wooh the Magician and another man- ON MY ISLAND! Did you ever hear such cheek? They asked me for the papers at once!'
'Oh, George - did you give them to the men?' asked Dick.
'Of course not! I'd already hidden them where those men couldn't possibly find them. I wasn't idioticenough to take them over to hide on the island when I saw somebody was there - probably waitingfor me - and for the papers!' said George.
'But, George - if you knew somebody was there, why on earth did you risk going over to KirrinIsland then?' asked Julian, puzzled. 'It was a very dangerous thing to do.'
'I wanted to turn off whoever it was, of course,' said George. 'As if I'd allow just anyone on myisland! It's mine, my very own, and I only allow people on it that I like. You know that.'
'I just NEVER know what you'll do next, George,' said Julian, patting Timmy on the head. 'How didyou dare to go and tackle those men? Oh, I know Timmy was with you, but even so... and why in theworld didn't the men row after you, and ram5 your boat?'
'Well, you see, they couldn't,' said George. 'I found their boat, untied6 it, and set it adrift on the tide.
It's probably half a mile away by now!'
The boys were so astonished that they couldn't even laugh at first. But then, when they thought of thetwo men marooned7 on Kirrin Island, their boat gone goodness knows where, they laughed till tearscame into their eyes!
'George, I don't know how you can think of doing such things!' said Julian. 'Weren't the men furious?'
'I don't know,' said George. 'I didn't tell them about their boat. I pretended that I'd take them to whereI'd hidden the papers - and then when we got on to a nice high ridge8 overlooking the sea, they lookedover it to see if their boat was all right, and I gave Mr. Wooh a jolly good push, and Timmy leapt atthe man with him - and in they went - SPLASH! SPLASH!'
Julian really had to sit down and have another bout3 of laughing till the stitch in his side grew so badthat he was forced to get up and walk about. George suddenly saw the funny side of it all too, and shebegan to laugh as heartily9 as Julian. Dick joined in as well, and Timmy barked madly, enjoying thefun.
82
'Oh dear!' said Julian, feeling weak with laughter, 'And then I suppose you said a polite farewell andleft them to their fate?'
'Well, actually I yelled out to tell them I'd send the police to rescue them in the morning,' saidGeorge. 'I'm afraid they'll both spend a very uncomfortable night - they were soaking wet, you see!'
'George - I'm beginning to think it was a good thing you went with the papers to the island, and notme, after all,' said Julian. 'I should never have thought of doing all the things you did -pushing the men into the sea - really, how could you and Timmy dare to do such things? And settingtheir boat loose! What on earth will the police say when we tell them?'
'I don't think we'd better tell them, had we?' said George. 'I mean - they might think I'd gone too far.
Anyway, why not let the two men kick their heels on the island all night, and we'll decide what to doabout the police in the morning. It's funny - I suddenly feel awfully10 tired.'
'I bet you do!' said Dick. 'Come on, let's get our bikes. Oh, and those precious papers - where arethey?'
'Under the tarpaulin11 in Fisherman Connell's boat,' said George, and suddenly gave the most enormousyawn. 'I hid them there.'
'I'll get them,' said Julian. 'Then off we go back to Big Hollow House. The others will be gettingawfully worried by now!'
He found the papers in the fishing-boat and then the three of them rode off quickly along the roadfrom Kirrin to Big Hollow, Timmy running behind them, Julian kept laughing to himself.
George should have been a boy not a girl - the things she did! Fancy tackling those two fellows likethat - pushing them into the water, and setting their boat adrift. Julian was sure he would never havethought of doing such daring things himself!
At last they were back at the tents, and the others crowded round them to hear what had happened.
Anne looked very white. Jenny was with her, comforting her - she had just made up her mind totelephone the police, and was most relieved to see George again.
'We'll tell you all the details in the morning,' said Julian. 'But all I'll say now is that the papers aresafe all right, here in my pocket - the thieves were probably Mr. Wooh and another man. They wereon the island tonight, waiting for George. They had overheard what she said in the tent!
However, George and Timmy pushed them both into the water and set their boat adrift, so things aresettling down nicely! They will have to spend the night on the island, cold and wet through!'
83
'George did all that!' said Jenny, amazed. 'Well! I never knew she was so dangerous! Good gracious!
I feel right down scared of her! Settle down to sleep in your tent, dear - you look tired out!'
George was glad to flop12 down on her rugs. Now that the excitement was all over, she felt too sleepyfor words! She fell asleep at once - but Julian and Dick didn't. They lay awake for some time,chuckling over George's deeds of daring. What a cousin to have!
When they were up at the house at breakfast next morning, Jeremy came up the garden and put hishead in at the dining-room window. 'I say!' he said.
'Mr. Wooh's not in his tent this morning! He's disappeared! And poor old Charlie the Chimp13 is toomiserable for words.'
'Ah - we can tell you exactly where Mr. Wooh is,' said Julian. 'But - wait a bit, Tinker, where are yougoing? You haven't finished your...'
But Tinker had gone off with Jeremy at top speed! He was very fond of Charlie. Oh dear, would thechimpanzee weep for his master and refuse to take his food? Tinker called Mischief15 and they both randown to the fence with Jeremy and climbed over it. Tinker went straight to Charlie's cage. Thechimpanzee sat with his head in his hands, rocking himself to and fro, making sad, crying noises.
'Let's get into the cage with him,' said Tinker. 'He'll like to be comforted. He must be missing Mr.
Wooh very, very much.'
They crawled into the cage and sat down in the straw, each putting an arm round the sad chimpanzee.
Old Grandad was very surprised to see them both there.
'Don't know what's happened to Mr. Wooh,' he said. 'Didn't come home last night! Here, Jeremy, youcome on out. I can't spare you to cry over Charlie all morning. He'll soon perk16 up. You can stay withhim, Tinker, if you like.'
Jeremy crawled out of the cage and went off crossly. Tinker sat with his arm round Charlie, wishinghe didn't look so terribly sad. As he sat there, he heard a funny little noise going on all the time. Tick- tick - tick - ticka - ticka - tick - tick - tick - tick - ticka - ticka - tick. 'Sounds like a watch orsomething,' said Tinker, and scrabbled about in the straw. Perhaps Mr. Wooh's big gold watch hadfallen into Charlie's cage?
His hand felt something small and round and smooth at the bottom of the cage. He rifled away thethick straw, and drew out the object underneath17 it. He stared and stared at it in the utmost 84surprise. Charlie saw him looking at it, snatched it away and hid it in the straw again. He made a fewgrowly noises as if he were angry.
'Charlie, where did you get that little clock?' said Tinker. 'Oh, CHARLIE! Well, as you're so sad thismorning, I'll give it to you for your very own. Just to cheer you up. But oh, Charlie, I am surprised atyou!'
He slid out of the cage and went back over the fence and into his own garden. Up the path he ran andburst into the dining-room, where the others were still finishing their breakfast.
'What's up?' said Dick.
'Listen! I know who the thief was who climbed in at the tower window... I KNOW WHO HEWAS!' cried Tinker, almost shouting in his excitement.
'WHO?' said everyone, in amazement18.
'It was CHARLIE the CHIMP!' said Tinker. 'Why didn't we think of him before? He can climbanything! It would be quite easy for him to swing himself up that rough-stoned tower wall, hangingon to the bits of creeper here and there - and to the uneven19 stones - and climb through the windowinto the tower room, collect all the papers he could hold - and climb down again -slither down again, probably...'
'THAT must have been the slithering sound I heard!' said Jenny. 'I told you I heard a queer slitheringnoise!'
'And the whispering you heard must have been Mr. Wooh trying to make him go up the tower walland into the window!' said Julian. 'Gosh - I bet poor old Charlie's been taught to get into all sorts ofwindows and take whatever he sees. Mr. Wooh must have known Tinker's father worked out all hisideas up in the tower.'
'Wooh could easily teach him to take papers,' said Julian. 'But there were, of course, too many for oldCharlie in the tower room. He wouldn't be able to carry them all in his front paws, for he needed allhis paws to climb down that steep wall - so he must have crammed20 as many as he could into hismouth - and dropped the rest under the table! CHARLIE the CHIMP - well! Who would havethought he could be the thief!'
'Wait a bit - how on earth do you know it was Charlie?' said Dick. 'Nobody saw him. It was at night.'
'Well, I do know it was Charlie,' said Tinker. 'You remember that dear little clock on the tower roommantelpiece? Well, it disappeared on the night when those papers were stolen - and I found 85it hidden in the straw in Charlie's cage this morning! He snatched it away from me, and almost cried -so I let him keep it! It was ticking loudly just like it always did. It was the loud ticking that told me itwas there in the cage!'
'Who wound it up at nights, to keep it going?' said Julian, at once, most astonished.
'Charlie, I suppose,' said Tinker. 'He's very clever with his paws! The clock was quite safe, hidden inhis cage. Nobody would be likely to get into the chimp's cage and sit there with him -but I did this morning, and that's how I found it. I heard it ticking, you see. I bet old Charlie wasclever enough to pop his precious clock into his mouth when he saw any of the men coming to cleanout his cage!'
'Well, I'm blessed!' said Jenny. 'How was it that Mr. Wooh never saw him bringing it along with thepapers that night, when he stole them?'
'Well, as Tinker told you - my guess is that old Charlie must have put the little clock in his mouththen, along with the papers,' said Dick. 'He needed all his four paws, climbing - or rather slitheringdown that wall - and he's got a jolly big mouth! You should see what a lot of food he can stuff into it!'
'Yes. And Mr. Wooh would take the papers, of course - Charlie would just take them from his mouthand hand them to him - but he'd be artful enough to keep his precious new toy hidden in his mouth!
Poor old Charlie! Can't you see him listening to the clock, and cuddling it - like a child with a newtoy!' said George.
'He sounded exactly as if he were crying this morning,' said Tinker. 'I couldn't bear it. Poor oldCharlie! He couldn't understand why Mr. Wooh didn't go and see him today. He was so miserable14!'
'I think we'll have to get the police along now,' said Julian. 'Not only to catch Mr. Wooh and hisfriend, left so conveniently marooned by George on her island - but also because Mr. Wooh shouldbe charged with stealing your father's irreplaceable charts and diagrams, Tinker.
Goodness knows what else he has taught poor old Charlie to steal. I bet he's sent the chimp into a lotof houses, and up many walls, and into many windows.'
'Yes. There's probably been a trail of robberies wherever the circus went,' said Jenny. 'And manyinnocent people must have been suspected.'
'What a shame!' said Anne. 'But oh dear - if Mr. Wooh goes to prison, whatever will become of poorold Charlie the Chimp?'
86
'I bet Jeremy will take him,' said Tinker. 'He loves him, and old Charlie adores Jeremy! He'll be allright with Jeremy and old Grandad!'
'Well, Tinker, I think you'd better go and tell your father all this,' said Jenny. 'I know he's busy -he always is - but this is a thing he ought to deal with and nobody else. If you'd like to fetch him,George could tell him the whole story - and then I rather guess he'll ring up the police - and Mr.
Wooh will find himself in a whole lot of trouble.'
So there goes Tinker, with Mischief on his shoulder, to find his father, down the hall - up the stairs -along the landing - into his father's bedroom... r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r! Tinker, you sound like a motor-scooter going up a steep hill! PARP - PARP! Don't hoot21 like that, you'll make your father so angrythat he won't listen to a word you say!
But the Professor did listen - and soon Jenny heard him telephoning the police. They're comingstraight away, and that means that Mr. Wooh the Magician is in for a most unpleasant time, and hismagic won't help him at all! He'll have to give back the papers that he made Charlie steal -and plenty of other things, too! There he is, marooned on the island, quite unable to escape, waitingfearfully with his companion, for the police!
'Another adventure over!' said George, with a regretful sigh. 'And a jolly exciting one too! I'm gladyou solved the mystery, Tinker - it was clever of you to find the little tower room clock. I bet Mr.
Wooh wouldn't have let Charlie keep it, if he'd known he'd taken it from the tower room!
Poor old Charlie the Chimp!'
'I'm just wondering if Dad would let me keep Charlie here, while Mr. Wooh is in prison,' beganTinker, and stopped as Jenny gave a horrified22 shriek23.
'Tinker! If you so much as mention that idea to your father, I'll walk straight out of this house andNEVER COME BACK!' said Jenny. 'That chimp would be in my kitchen all day long - oh yes, hewould - and things would be disappearing out of my larder24, and my cupboards, and my drawers, andhe'd dance up and down and scream at me if I so much as said a word, and...'
'All right, dear, dear Jenny, I won't ask for Charlie, honest I won't,' said Tinker. 'I do love you a bitmore than I'd love a chimp - but think what a companion he would be for Mischief!'
'I'm not thinking anything of the sort!' said Jenny. 'And what about you taking a bit of notice of thatmonkey of yours - bless us all if he hasn't helped himself to half that jar of jam - just look at hissticky face! Oh, what a week this has been, what with chimps25 and monkeys and children androbberies, and George disappearing, and all!'
87
'Dear old Jenny,' said George, laughing as she went off into the kitchen. 'What an exciting time we'vehad! I really did enjoy every minute of it!'
So did we, George. Hurry up and fall into another adventure. We are longing4 to hear what you andthe others will be up to next. How we wish we could join you! Good-bye for now - and take care ofyourselves, Five. Good luck!
THE END
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
prow
|
|
| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
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： |
|
|
|
|
3
bout
|
|
| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
longing
|
|
| n.（for）渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
ram
|
|
| (random access memory)随机存取存储器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
untied
|
|
| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
marooned
|
|
| adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
ridge
|
|
| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
heartily
|
|
| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
awfully
|
|
| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
tarpaulin
|
|
| n.涂油防水布，防水衣，防水帽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
flop
|
|
| n.失败(者)，扑通一声；vi.笨重地行动，沉重地落下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
chimp
|
|
| n.黑猩猩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
mischief
|
|
| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
perk
|
|
| n.额外津贴；赏钱；小费； | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
underneath
|
|
| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
uneven
|
|
| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
crammed
|
|
| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
hoot
|
|
| n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
horrified
|
|
| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
shriek
|
|
| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
larder
|
|
| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
chimps
|
|
| （非洲）黑猩猩( chimp的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |