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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Chapter Fifteen SEVERAL THINGS HAPPEN
Julian was suddenly very scared. He wondered if he had better slide off the roof and run. He wouldn't have much chance if the caravan1 went hurtling down the hill! But he didn't move. He clung to the chimney with both hands, whilst the men shoved hard against the caravan.
It ran a few feet to the rocky ledge2, and then stopped. Julian felt his forehead getting very damp, and he saw that his hands were trembling. He felt ashamed of being so scared, but he couldn't help it.
'Hey! Don't send it down the hill!' said Lou in alarm, and Julian's heart felt lighter3. So they didn't mean to destroy the caravan in that way! They had just moved it to get at something underneath4.
But what could it be? Julian racked his brains to try and think what the floor of the hollow had been like when Dobby and Trotter pulled their caravans5 into it. As far as he could remember it was just an ordinary heathery hollow.
The men were now scrabbling away again by the back steps of the caravan. Julian was absolutely eaten up with curiosity, but he did not dare even to move. He could find out the secret when the men had gone. Meantime he really must be patient or he would spoil everything.
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There was some muttered talking, but Julian couldn't catch a word. Then, quite suddenly, there was complete and utter silence. Not a word. Not a bump against the caravan. Not a pant or even a grunt6. Nothing at all.
Julian lay still. Maybe the men were still there. He wasn't going to give himself away. He lay for quite a long time, waiting and wondering. But he heard nothing.
Then he saw a robin7 fly to a nearby bramble spray. It flicked9 its wings and looked about for crumbs10. It was a robin that came around when the children were having a meal - but it was not as tame as most robins11, and would not fly down until the children had, left the hollow.
Then a rabbit popped out of a hole on the hillside and capered12 about, running suddenly up to the hollow.
'Well,' thought Julian, 'it's plain the men aren't here now, or the birds and animals wouldn't be about like this. There's another rabbit. Those men have gone somewhere - though goodness knows where. I can peep over now and have a look, quite safely, I should think.'
He slid himself round and peered over the roof at the back end of the caravan. He looked down at the ground. There was absolutely nothing to be seen to tell him what the men had been doing, or where they had gone! The heather grew luxuriantly there as it did everywhere else. There was nothing to show what the men had been making such a disturbance13 about.
'This is really very queer,' thought Julian, beginning to wonder if he had been dreaming. 'The men are certainly gone - vanished into thin air, apparently14! Dare I get down and explore a bit?
No, I daren't. The men may appear at any moment, and it's quite on the cards they'll lose their temper if they find me here, and chuck both me and the caravans down the hill! It's pretty steep just here, too.'
He lay there, thinking. He suddenly felt very hungry and thirsty. Thank goodness he had been sensible enough to take food up to the roof! He could at least have a meal while he was waiting for the men to come back - if they ever did!
He began to eat his sandwiches. They tasted very good indeed. He finished them all and began on the cake. That was good, too. He had brought a few plums up as well, and was very glad of them because he was thirsty. He flicked the plum stones from the roof before he thought what he was doing.
'Dash! Why did I do that? If the men notice them they may remember they weren't there before.
Still, they've most of them gone into the heather!'
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The sun came out a little and Julian felt hot. He wished the men would come again and go down the hill. He was tired of lying flat on the hard roof. Also he was terribly sleepy. He yawned silently and shut his eyes.
How long he slept he had no idea - but he was suddenly awakened15 by feeling the caravan being moved again! He clutched the chimney in alarm, listening to the low voices of the two men.
They were pulling the caravan back into place again. Soon it was in the same position as before.
Then Julian heard a match struck and smelt16 smoke again.
The men went and sat on the rocky ledge and took out food they had brought, Julian did not dare to peep at them, though he felt sure they had their backs to him. The men ate, and talked in low voices, and then, to Julian's dismay, they lay down and went to sleep! He knew that they were asleep because he could hear them snoring.
'Am I going to stay on this awful roof all day long?' he thought. 'I'm getting so cramped17, lying flat like this. I want to sit up!'
'R-r-r-r-r-r!' snored Lou and Dan. Julian felt that surely it would be all right to sit up now that the men were obviously asleep. So he sat up cautiously, stretching himself with pleasure.
He looked down on the two men, who were lying on their backs with their mouths open. Beside them were two neat sacks, strong and thick. Julian wondered what was inside them. They certainly had not had them when they came up the track.
The boy gazed down the hillside, frowning, trying to probe the mystery of where the men had been, and what they were doing up here - and suddenly he jumped violently. He stared as if he could not believe his eyes.
A squat18 and ugly face was peering out from a bramble bush there. There was almost no nose, and an enormous mouth. Who could it be? Was it someone spying on Lou and Dan? But what a face!
It didn't seem human.
A hand came up to rub the face - and Julian saw that it was hairy. With a start he knew who the face belonged to - Pongo the chimpanzee! No wonder he had thought it such an ugly, unhuman face. It was all right on a chimp19, of course - quite a nice face - but not on a man.
Pongo stared at Julian solemnly, and Julian stared back, his mind in a whirl. What was Pongo doing there? Was Nobby with him? If so, Nobby was in danger, for at any moment the men might wake up. He couldn't think what to do. If he called out to warn Nobby, he would wake the men.
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Pongo was pleased to see Julian, and did not seem to think the roof of a caravan a curious place to be in at all. After all, he often went up on the roofs of caravans. He nodded and blinked at the boy, and then scratched his head for a long time.
Then beside him appeared Nobby's face - a tear-stained face, bruised20 and swollen21. He suddenly saw Julian looking over the roof of the caravan, and his mouth fell open in surprise. He seemed about to call out, and Julian shook his head frantically to stop him, pointing downwards to try and warn Nobby that somebody was there.
But Nobby didn't understand. He grinned and, to Julian's horror, began to climb up the hillside to the rocky ledge! The men were sleeping there, and Julian saw with dismay that Nobby would probably heave himself up right on top of them
'Look out!' he said, in a low, urgent voice. 'Look out, you fathead!'
But it was too late. Nobby heaved himself up on to the ledge, and, to his utmost horror, found himself sprawling22 on top of Tiger Dan! He gave a yell and tried to slide away - but Dan, rousing suddenly, shot out a hand and gripped him.
Lou woke up, too. The men glared at poor Nobby, and the boy began to tremble, and to beg for mercy.
'I didn't know you were here, I swear it! Let me go, let me go! I only came up to look for my knife that I lost yesterday!'
Dan shook him savagely23. 'How long have you been here? You been spying?'
'No, no! I've only just come! I've been at the camp all morning - you ask Larry and Rossy. I been helping24 them!'
'You been spying on us, that's what you've been doing!' said Lou, in a cold, hard voice that filled the listening Julian with dread25. 'You've had plenty of beatings this week, but seemingly they ain't enough. Well, up here, there's nobody to hear your yells, see? So we'll show you what a real beating is! And if you can walk down to the camp after it, I'll be surprised.'
Nobby was terrified. He begged for mercy, he promised to do anything the men asked him, and tried to jerk his poor swollen face away from Dan's hard hands.
Julian couldn't bear it. He didn't want to give away the fact that it was he who had been spying, nor did he want to fight the men at all, for he was pretty certain he would get the worst of it. But nobody could lie in silence, watching two men treat a young boy in such a way. He made up his mind to leap off the roof right on to the men, and to rescue poor Nobby if he could.
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Nobby gave an anguished26 yell as Lou gave him a flick8 with his leather belt - but before Julian could jump down to help him, somebody else bounded up! Somebody who bared his teeth and made ugly animal noises of rage, somebody whose arms were far stronger than either Lou's or Dan's - somebody who loved poor Nobby, and wasn't going to let him be beaten any more!
It was Pongo. The chimpanzee had been watching the scene with his sharp little eyes. He had still hidden himself in the bush, for he was afraid of Lou and Dan - but now, hearing Nobby's cries, he leapt out of the brambles and flung himself on the astonished men.
He bit Lou's arm hard. Then he bit Dan's leg. The men yelled loudly, much more loudly than poor Nobby had. Lou lashed27 out with his leather belt, and it caught Pongo on the shoulder. The chimpanzee made a shrill chattering noise, and leapt on Lou with his arms open, clasping the man to him, trying to bite his throat.
Tiger Dan rushed down the hill at top speed, terrified of the angry chimpanzee. Lou yelled to Nobby.
'Call him off! He'll kill me!'
'Pongo!' shouted Nobby. 'Stop it! Pongo! Come here.'
Pongo gave Nobby a look of the greatest surprise. 'What!' he seemed to say, 'you won't let me punish this bad man who beat you? Well, well - whatever you say must be right!'
And the chimpanzee, giving Lou one last vicious nip, let the man go. Lou followed Dan down the hill at top speed, and Julian heard him crashing through the bushes as if a hundred chimpanzees were after him.
Nobby sat down, trembling. Pongo, not quite sure if his beloved friend was angry with him or not, crept up to him putting a paw on the boy's knee. Nobby put his arm round the anxious animal, and Pongo chattered28 with joy.
Julian slid down from the roof of the caravan and went to Nobby. He, too, sat down beside him. He put his arm round the trembling boy and gave him a hug.
'I was just coming to give you a hand, when Pongo shot up the hill,' he said.
'Were you really?' said Nobby, his face lighting up. 'You're a real friend, you are. Good as Pongo, here.'
And Julian felt quite proud to be ranked in bravery with the chimpanzee!
收听单词发音 |
1
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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3
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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4
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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5
caravans
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| （可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队） | |
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6
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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7
robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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flick
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| n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动 | |
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9
flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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10
crumbs
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| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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11
robins
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| n.知更鸟，鸫( robin的名词复数 )；（签名者不分先后，以避免受责的）圆形签名抗议书（或请愿书） | |
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12
capered
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| v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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14
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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15
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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chimp
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| n.黑猩猩 | |
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bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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22
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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24
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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25
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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anguished
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| adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式) | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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28
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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