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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
“One more day,” Grandfather announced at breakfast the next morning. “Gerald and I have only one more day of work, then his cabin will be finished. We’ll spend tomorrow relaxing, and then we’ll head back home Saturday.”
Henry and Jessie looked at each other. One more day. That’s all they had to find Jake.
A beep outside indicated Gerald was there to pick up Grandfather. He left in the battered1 orange Jeep.
The restaurant wasn’t very busy this morning. Mr. Tobias was never at breakfast, and the Clarks, sitting at their regular table, seemed unusually quiet. Jessie noticed that Mrs. Clark wasn’t wearing any of her flashy jewelry2. Mr. Clark looked as if he hadn’t slept.
Even more odd, Tom didn’t come in to greet the guests.
“He’d better be fixing the pool filter,” Janine said, when Henry asked about Tom. “I’ve been after him over a week.”
Luis breezed in. “Has Jake been in yet?” he asked anxiously.
Violet shook her head. “We haven’t seen him.”
Jessie told Luis that they were only staying until Saturday.
“We want to look for Jake,” Henry added. “We’re afraid something has happened to him, especially since he got that threatening note.”
Luis agreed. “It’s still pretty early. I’m sure our horses will be available.”
They split up to pack food and water for the expedition.
At Mountain Shadows Stables, Rex seemed glad to see them.
“Benny,” he said, “Ginger has been pining away for you. Now she’ll perk3 up.”
In no time he had the horses saddled and ready to go.
“Here, Ginger,” Benny crooned to the pony4. “I brought you some sugar.” He felt in his pocket for the sugar cube he saved from breakfast. His fingers missed the warm, familiar shape of his lucky rock.
Violet sensed her brother’s sadness. “Maybe you’ll find another rock like the one you lost,” she said.
“Maybe.” Benny knew they wouldn’t have much time to search for lucky rocks, not if they had to look for Jake.
They followed the Peralta Canyon5 Trail. When the trail ended, they left their horses securely tied and watered them.
“Let’s try another way to Weaver’s Needle,” Luis said, referring to Violet’s map drawings. “Maybe this time we’ll find Jake’s camp.”
It was a long, hot climb. The Aldens and Luis stopped often to gulp6 from their canteens.
Benny scampered7 ahead of the others. He had a strong feeling there was something important just beyond that next group of boulders8.
Suddenly Benny shrieked9. “Hey, I found it!”
Jessie looked back at Violet. “Do you think he’s found the mine?”
“Knowing Benny,” said Violet, “a lost mine wouldn’t stay lost for long.”
But they were wrong.
Just beyond an outcropping of rock, a campsite was nestled in a small canyon. A sleeping bag lay unrolled in the dirt. Pans and a tin coffeepot were scattered10 about.
Luis hopped11 down from the rock and looked around.
“I bet this is Jake’s camp,” he said. “This is a good location—not too far from Weaver’s Needle, yet hidden.”
“I’m surprised Jake would leave such a mess,” Violet said.
“He didn’t.” Henry plucked a scrap12 of fabric13 from the edge of a rock. “See this? It matches the sleeping bag. I bet Jake tucks his bedroll behind this rock.”
Luis nodded. “To protect it from the weather. You’re right, Henry. And this flat rock could be where he stores his supplies.”
“There,” Benny pointed14 to the ground. Nearly hidden by a rock was Jake’s old felt hat.
“Either Jake left in a big hurry,” Jessie mused15, “or somebody wrecked16 his camp. On purpose.”
Henry felt the ashes of an old fire. “Cold,” he said. “If it’s Jake’s camp, he hasn’t built a fire in a while.” He pointed to the ground. “See these footprints? They were made by a man a lot bigger than Jake.”
Violet examined the dust-filled outlines. “They look like they were made by someone with new boots. See how sharp the lines are? Jake’s boots were old and worn. I’ll bet these prints were made by the person who ruined Jake’s camp.”
“Maybe that person is here right now,” Benny said in a hushed tone. “Hiding from us.”
The thought of the boot-heeled stranger watching them made Jessie nervous. “Do you suppose this person did something to Jake?”
“I think we should go back to the campground and call the authorities,” Henry said decisively. “Jake could be seriously hurt.”
They all agreed this was the right thing to do. After hiking back to their horses, they rode to the stables.
“Come back real soon,” Rex said as they left Mountain Shadows.
When they got back to the trailer park, a strong wind began to gust17, kicking up swirls18 of dust.
“Ow!” cried Benny, shielding his bare legs with his hands. “That sand stings!”
They headed for the restaurant. Janine Crawford rushed out, her dark brows drawn19 together in fury.
“Skipped out!” she exclaimed. “Skipped out without paying their bill!”
“Who?” asked Henry.
“The Clarks, that’s who!” Janine gestured in the direction of Block D. Sure enough, the fancy RV was missing. “Owed four weeks of hookup plus a huge bill for food!”
“Did they go up into the mountains?” Violet asked. Maybe the fresh bootprint belonged to Mr. Clark.
“How should I know?” Janine said. “And do you think Tom was around to warn me they were skipping out?”
“Tom’s missing, too?” Jessie wondered if Tom left with the Clarks.
Janine went back into the restaurant, still ranting20.
Luis stared at the Aldens. “This is weird21. The Clarks, Tom, and Jake are all missing. And nobody knows anything!”
Henry gazed at the silver Airstream. “Maybe somebody does. Let’s go ask Mr. Tobias if he saw the Clarks leave.”
But when he knocked on the trailer door, there was no reply.
“Mr. Tobias?” Benny called. “Are you in there?”
Still no response.
“He must be in there,” Luis said. “He never goes anywhere. And his car is still attached to the trailer.”
“I guess he’s asleep,” Violet suggested. She turned her head as the wind whipped dust into her face. “Look!”
A shiny black car pulled up to the main office. A man in a white shirt and striped tie got out and strode to the door. When he saw the office was empty, he walked over to the restaurant.
The Aldens went inside the restaurant, where the man was questioning Janine.
“I told you, I don’t know where they are,” Janine insisted, furiously wiping the counter with a rag. “If I did, I’d have the law on them. They could be anywhere.”
“Well, you won’t mind if I look around the campground,” the man told her.
“Suit yourself.”
Outside, the man stalked around the campground, peering into trailer windows.
“He’s sure suspicious,” Benny said. “Does he think the Clarks are hiding in another trailer?”
“I wonder why he wants Mr. and Mrs. Clark,” Jessie said.
“Let’s look for Tom,” Henry said. “Maybe he knows what’s going on around this camp.”
Luis pointed to a low building behind the recreation center. “That’s the bunkhouse. Maybe he’s in his room.”
The wind storm grew worse as they crossed the parking lot. The door to the bunkhouse banged open and shut like a broken shutter22.
“I guess Tom forgot to lock the door this morning,” Henry said. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled, “Tom! Are you in there?”
The wind was so strong, his words could barely be heard. Tumbleweeds rolled across the parking lot.
Litter and food wrappers flew out of the bunkhouse door. Inside, they could see socks, boots, and newspapers scattered on the floor.
“Guess Tom isn’t very neat,” Benny observed.
“That looks like a Spanish—English dictionary,” Luis said, pointing to a small book lying near the doorway23.
The wind kicked up another strong gust. Benny stooped to pull off a sheet of paper that had plastered itself to his leg. He stared at the paper, his mouth in an “o.”
“What is it?” Henry said.
Benny held up the paper so they could all see the holes slashed24 in it. The sheet was an advertisement, with letters roughly cut out.
Violet gasped25. “This must be where Jake’s threatening note came from!”
“And he used the dictionary to translate his message into Spanish,” Jessie added. “Why would Tom Parker send old Jake a warning note?”
Other papers fluttered from the open doorway. Before the wind snatched it away, Jessie planted her foot on a photograph.
“Luis! Isn’t this one of your maps?”
Luis grabbed two more escaping sheets. “So are these! What were my map pictures doing in Tom’s room?”
Violet trapped a piece of wind-blown paper against the wall. She flattened26 the sheet with the palm of her hand, then studied the paper.
“I think this will answer a lot of questions,” she said.
收听单词发音 |
1
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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jewelry
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| n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝 | |
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perk
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| n.额外津贴；赏钱；小费； | |
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pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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canyon
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| n.峡谷，溪谷 | |
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gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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gust
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| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
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swirls
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| n.旋转( swirl的名词复数 )；卷状物；漩涡；尘旋v.旋转，打旋( swirl的第三人称单数 ) | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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ranting
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| v.夸夸其谈( rant的现在分词 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨 | |
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21
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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shutter
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| n.百叶窗；(照相机)快门；关闭装置 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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25
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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26
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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