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CHAPTER VII A QUEER SAIL
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 Now that the fear and worriment was over they all began to feel hungry, and, while Mark and Jack1 took charge of the conning2 tower Washington got breakfast. The professor seemed preoccupied3 during the meal, and several times, when Mark spoke4 to him, he did not reply.
 
“I wonder if he is worried about something, or is thinking of something which seems to be concealed5 in the storeroom,” the boy thought.
 
But, after a while, the professor seemed to be more like himself. He was busy over several maps and charts, and then announced the ship would try air-sailing again for a while.
 
“We can make better time above than we can on the water,” he said, “and I am anxious to get to the mysterious island and learn what is in store for us.”
 
Perhaps if the professor had been able to look ahead, and see what was soon going to happen, he would not have been so anxious for it to occur.
 
It was shortly after dinner when, the gas container having been filled, the ship rose in the air, and began sailing over the ocean, about a mile up. The day was a fine one, and, as they were moving south, it was constantly growing warmer. Down on the water, in fact, it was quite hot, but in the air it was just right.
 
Like some immense bird the Mermaid6 went flying through the air. The boys and the professor sat upon the deck in easy chairs. It was like being on the top of some tall “sky-scraper” building which, by some strange power, was being moved forward. Below them the ocean tumbled in long, lazy swells7.
 
Suddenly Mark, who was looking through a telescope at the expanse of water stretched out under them, gave a cry.
 
“There’s a ship! She’s on fire!”
 
“Where?” asked the professor, stretching out his hand for the glass.
 
“Just to the port of the forward tube. See the smoke!” exclaimed Mark.
 
Mr. Henderson looked. Through the lens he saw a column of black vapor8 rising skyward. Mingled9 with it were red flames.
 
“Lower the Mermaid!” he cried. “We must save those on board if we can!”
 
Mark ran to the conning tower, where Washington was, to give the order. The colored man, who was looking ahead, intent on guiding the ship, did not at first hear what Mark called.
 
“Lower us! Send the Mermaid down!” Mark cried again.
 
The sudden shout and the excited voice of Mark so startled Washington, that, fearing some accident had happened, he pulled the lever, controlling the gas supply, with more force than necessary.
 
There was a loud explosion, followed by a crackling sound, a flash of light, and the Mermaid came to a sudden stop.
 
“What’s the matter?” cried Mark, feeling that something was wrong.
 
“I don’t know!” Washington replied, as he dashed toward the engine room.
 
The Mermaid, her forward flight checked, hung in the air, suspended, neither rising or falling.
 
“Why don’t we go on down?” the professor asked, hurrying to the tower.
 
“There has been an explosion—an accident!” exclaimed Mark. “I guess we can’t go down!”
 
“But we must!” Mr. Henderson insisted, seizing the lever which should have produced a downward motion. The handle swung to and fro. It was disconnected from the apparatus10 it operated.
 
The ship was now stationary11 in the air, moving neither forward nor backward, neither rising nor falling. Washington had stopped the air pumps as soon as he learned something was wrong.
 
When Mr. Henderson saw the useless lever, which had controlled the outlet12 of gas from the holder13, he ran out on deck. One glance told him what had happened. One of the electric wires had become short-circuited,—that is, the insulation14 had worn off and allowed the current to escape. This had produced a spark, which had exploded the gas which was in the pipe leading from the generator15 up into the aluminum16 holder. Fortunately there was an automatic cut-off for the supply of vapor, or the whole tank would have gone up.
 
As it was, only a small quantity had blown up, but this was enough to break the machinery17 at the point where the lever in the conning tower joined the pipe. If it had not been for the automatic cut-off all the gas in the holder would have poured out in a great volume, and the ship would have fallen like a shot.
 
“Can we do nothing to save those on the burning vessel18?” asked Mark, pointing to where a cloud of smoke hung over the ocean.
 
“I fear not, now,” answered the professor. “We are in a bad plight19 ourselves.”
 
“Are we in any danger?” asked Jack.
 
“Not specially,” Mr. Henderson replied. “But we must find a means of lowering ourselves gradually.”
 
“Then it will be too late to save any of those on the ship,” observed Mark.
 
“I’m afraid so,” the scientist made reply.
 
The Mermaid rested some distance above the surface of the waters. She moved slightly to and fro with the wind, and rocked gently. The professor was examining the broken machinery.
 
“I have a plan!” suddenly cried Mark.
 
“What is it?” asked Mr. Henderson.
 
“Can’t we bore a hole in the tank, insert a small faucet20 or tap, and let the gas out that way gradually?” asked the boy. “When we get down we can rescue those in danger of fire, and, later, can repair the break.”
 
“The very thing!” exclaimed Mr. Henderson. “I never thought of that! Here, Washington! Bring me a drill, and a small stop-cock!”
 
The drill was obtained from the engine room. Working rapidly Mr. Henderson bored a hole in the lower part of the holder. As soon as the metal was penetrated21 the gas, which was under considerable pressure, rushed from the tank with a hissing22 sound. At once the Mermaid began to settle rapidly.
 
But the professor was prepared for this. He thrust the end of the stop-cock into the hole. It was screwed fast and the valve turned. This stopped the flow of gas and checked the descent of the ship. Then, by opening the tap the vapor was allowed to escape gradually, bringing the Flying Mermaid gently to the water.
 
As the adventurers approached they could see that the vessel was now a mass of flames. The wind was driving the fire toward the forecastle, and the crew had sought refuge aft. But this expedient23 could not last long, for, already the tongues of fire were licking the sides of the craft and coming nearer and nearer the seemingly doomed24 men. The vessel was a large one, and heavily laden25.
 
As those in peril26 caught sight of the Mermaid settling down into the water, apparently27 from the clouds, their fears gave place to astonishment28. So great was this that they ceased their cries of terror. Then, as they saw that the strange craft navigated29 the ocean, for the engines were started aboard the Mermaid, they began to call for help.

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1 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
2 conning b97e62086a8bfeb6de9139effa481f58     
v.诈骗,哄骗( con的现在分词 );指挥操舵( conn的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He climbed into the conning tower, his eyes haunted and sickly bright. 他爬上司令塔,两眼象见鬼似的亮得近乎病态。 来自辞典例句
  • As for Mady, she enriched her record by conning you. 对马德琳来说,这次骗了你,又可在她的光荣历史上多了一笔。 来自辞典例句
3 preoccupied TPBxZ     
adj.全神贯注的,入神的;被抢先占有的;心事重重的v.占据(某人)思想,使对…全神贯注,使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)
参考例句:
  • He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事,没注意到有什么不对。
  • The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 spoke XryyC     
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。
5 concealed 0v3zxG     
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的
参考例句:
  • The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
  • I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。
6 mermaid pCbxH     
n.美人鱼
参考例句:
  • How popular would that girl be with the only mermaid mom!和人鱼妈妈在一起,那个女孩会有多受欢迎!
  • The little mermaid wasn't happy because she didn't want to wait.小美人鱼不太高兴,因为她等不及了。
7 swells e5cc2e057ee1aff52e79fb6af45c685d     
增强( swell的第三人称单数 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情)
参考例句:
  • The waters were heaving up in great swells. 河水正在急剧上升。
  • A barrel swells in the middle. 水桶中部隆起。
8 vapor DHJy2     
n.蒸汽,雾气
参考例句:
  • The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
  • This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。
9 mingled fdf34efd22095ed7e00f43ccc823abdf     
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系]
参考例句:
  • The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
  • The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候,这一男一女就开始交往了。
10 apparatus ivTzx     
n.装置,器械;器具,设备
参考例句:
  • The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
  • They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。
11 stationary CuAwc     
adj.固定的,静止不动的
参考例句:
  • A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
  • Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。
12 outlet ZJFxG     
n.出口/路;销路;批发商店;通风口;发泄
参考例句:
  • The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
  • Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。
13 holder wc4xq     
n.持有者,占有者;(台,架等)支持物
参考例句:
  • The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
  • That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。
14 insulation Q5Jxt     
n.隔离;绝缘;隔热
参考例句:
  • Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
  • It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。
15 generator Kg4xs     
n.发电机,发生器
参考例句:
  • All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
  • This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。
16 aluminum 9xhzP     
n.(aluminium)铝
参考例句:
  • The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
  • During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段,它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。
17 machinery CAdxb     
n.(总称)机械,机器;机构
参考例句:
  • Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗?
  • Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。
18 vessel 4L1zi     
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管
参考例句:
  • The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
  • You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。
19 plight 820zI     
n.困境,境况,誓约,艰难;vt.宣誓,保证,约定
参考例句:
  • The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
  • She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。
20 faucet wzFyh     
n.水龙头
参考例句:
  • The faucet has developed a drip.那个水龙头已经开始滴水了。
  • She turned off the faucet and dried her hands.她关掉水龙头,把手擦干。
21 penetrated 61c8e5905df30b8828694a7dc4c3a3e0     
adj. 击穿的,鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。
  • They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。
22 hissing hissing     
n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。
  • His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕
23 expedient 1hYzh     
adj.有用的,有利的;n.紧急的办法,权宜之计
参考例句:
  • The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.政府发现略微放宽审查是可取的。
  • Every kind of expedient was devised by our friends.我们的朋友想出了各种各样的应急办法。
24 doomed EuuzC1     
命定的
参考例句:
  • The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
  • A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。
25 laden P2gx5     
adj.装满了的;充满了的;负了重担的;苦恼的
参考例句:
  • He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
  • Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。
26 peril l3Dz6     
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物
参考例句:
  • The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
  • The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。
27 apparently tMmyQ     
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。
28 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
29 navigated f7986e1365f5d08b7ef8f2073a90bf4e     
v.给(船舶、飞机等)引航,导航( navigate的过去式和过去分词 );(从海上、空中等)横越;横渡;飞跃
参考例句:
  • He navigated the plane through the clouds. 他驾驶飞机穿越云层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The ship was navigated by the North Star. 那只船靠北极星来导航。 来自《简明英汉词典》


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