章节正文
"That's a good idea," declared Trot, and Cap'n Bill
thought so, too. So the Ork started off ahead, quite in
the dark, and hand in band the two followed him.
When they had walked in this way for a good long time
the Ork halted and demanded food. Cap'n Bill had not
mentioned food because there was so little left -- only
three biscuits and a lump of cheese about as big as his
two fingers -- but he gave the Ork half of a biscuit,
sighing as he did so. The creature didn't care for the
cheese, so the sailor divided it between himself and
Trot. They lighted a candle and sat down in the tunnel
while they ate.
"My feet hurt me," grumbled the Ork. "I'm not used
to walking and this rocky passage is so uneven and
lumpy that it hurts me to walk upon it."
"Can't you fly along?" asked Trot.
"No; the roof is too low," said the Ork.
After the meal they resumed their journey, which Trot
began to fear would never end. When Cap'n Bill noticed
how tired the little girl was, he paused and lighted a
match and looked at his big silver watch.
"Why, it's night!" he exclaimed. "We've tramped all
day, an' still we're in this awful passage, which mebbe
goes straight through the middle of the world, an'
mebbe is a circle -- in which case we can keep walkin'
till doomsday. Not knowin' what's before us so well as
we know what's behind us, I propose we make a stop,
now, an' try to sleep till mornin'."
"That will suit me," asserted the Ork, with a groan.
"My feet are hurting me dreadfully and for the last few
miles I've been limping with pain."
"My foot hurts, too," said the sailor, looking for a
smooth place on the rocky floor to sit down.
"Your foot!" cried the Ork. "why, you've only one to
hurt you, while I have four. So I suffer four times as
much as you possibly can. Here; hold the candle while I
look at the bottoms of my claws. I declare," he said,
examining them by the flickering light, "there are
bunches of pain all over them!"
"P'r'aps," said Trot, who was very glad to sit down
beside her companions, "you've got corns."
"Corns? Nonsense! Orks never have corns," protested
the creature, rubbing its sore feet tenderly.
"Then mebbe they're - they're - What do you call 'em,
Cap'n Bill? Something 'bout the Pilgrim's Progress, you
know."
"Bunions," said Cap'n Bill.
"Oh, yes; mebbe you've got bunions."
"It is possible," moaned the Ork. "But whatever they
are, another day of such walking on them would drive me
crazy."
"I'm sure they'll feel better by mornin'," said Cap'n
Bill, encouragingly. "Go to sleep an' try to forget
your sore feet."
The Ork cast a reproachful look at the sailor-man,
who didn't see it. Then the creature asked plaintively:
"Do we eat now, or do we starve?"
"There's only half a biscuit left for you," answered
Cap'n Bill. "No one knows how long we'll have to stay
in this dark tunnel, where there's nothing whatever to
eat; so I advise you to save that morsel o' food till
later."
"Give it me now!" demanded the Ork. "If I'm going to
starve, I'll do it all at once -- not by degrees."
Cap'n Bill produced the biscuit and the creature ate
it in a trice. Trot was rather hungry and whispered to
Cap'n Bill that she'd take part of her share; but the
old man secretly broke his own half-biscuit in two,
saving Trot's share for a time of greater need.
He was beginning to be worried over the little girl's
plight and long after she was asleep and the Ork was
snoring in a rather disagreeable manner, Cap'n Bill sat
with his back to a rock and smoked his pipe and tried
to think of some way to escape from this seemingly
endless tunnel. But after a time he also slept, for
hobbling on a wooden leg all day was tiresome, and
there in the dark slumbered the three adventurers for
many hours, until the Ork roused itself and kicked the
old sailor with one foot.
"It must be another day," said he.
Chapter Four
Daylight at Last
Cap'n Bill rubbed his eyes, lit a match and consulted
his watch.
"Nine o'clock. Yes, I guess it's another day, sure
enough. Shall we go on?" he asked.
"Of course," replied the Ork. "Unless this tunnel
is different from everything else in the world, and
has no end, we'll find a way out of it sooner or later."
The sailor gently wakened Trot. She felt much rested
by her long sleep and sprang to her feet eagerly.
"Let's start, Cap'n," was all she said.
They resumed the journey and had only taken a
few steps when the Ork cried "Wow!" and made a
great fluttering of its wings and whirling of its tail.
The others, who were following a short distance
behind, stopped abruptly.
"What's the matter?" asked Cap'n Bill.
"Give us a light," was the reply. "I think we've come
to the end of the tunnel." Then, while Cap'n Bill
lighted a candle, the creature added: "If that is true,
we needn't have wakened so soon, for we were almost at
the end of this place when we went to sleep."
The sailor-man and Trot came forward with a light. A
wall of rock really faced the tunnel, but now they saw
that the opening made a sharp turn to the left. So they
followed on, by a narrower passage, and then made
another sharp turn this time to the right.
"Blow out the light, Cap'n," said the Ork, in a
pleased voice. "We've struck daylight."
Daylight at last! A shaft of mellow light fell almost
at their feet as Trot and the sailor turned the corner
of the passage, but it came from above, and raising
their eyes they found they were at the bottom of a
deep, rocky well, with the top far, far above their
heads. And here the passage ended.
For a while they gazed in silence, at least two of
them being filled with dismay at the sight. But the Ork
merely whistled softly and said cheerfully:
"That was the toughest journey I ever had the
misfortune to undertake, and I'm glad it's over. Yet,
unless I can manage to fly to the top of this pit, we
are entombed here forever."
"Do you think there is room enough for you to fly
in?" asked the little girl anxiously; and Cap'n Bill
added:
"It's a straight-up shaft, so I don't see how you'll
ever manage it."
"Were I an ordinary bird -- one of those horrid
feathered things -- I wouldn't even make the attempt to
fly out," said the Ork. "But my mechanical propeller
tail can accomplish wonders, and whenever you're ready
I'll show you a trick that is worth while."
"Oh!" exclaimed Trot; "do you intend to take us up,
too?"
"Why not?"
"I thought," said Cap'n Bill, "as you'd go first, an'
then send somebody to help us by lettin' down a rope."
"Ropes are dangerous," replied the Ork, "and I might
not be able to find one to reach all this distance.
Besides, it stands to reason that if I can get out
myself I can also carry you two with me."
"Well, I'm not afraid," said Trot, who longed to be
on the earth's surface again.
"S'pose we fall?" suggested Cap'n Bill, doubtfully.
"Why, in that case we would all fall together,"
returned the Ork. "Get aboard, little girl; sit across
my shoulders and put both your arms around my neck."
Trot obeyed and when she was seated on the Ork,
Cap'n Bill inquired:
"How 'bout me, Mr. Ork?"
"Why, I think you'd best grab hold of my rear
legs and let me carry you up in that manner," was
the reply.
Cap'n Bill looked way up at the top of the well, and
then he looked at the Ork's slender, skinny legs and
heaved a deep sigh.
"It's goin' to be some dangle, I guess; but if you
don't waste too much time on the way up, I may be able
to hang on," said he.
"All ready, then!" cried the Ork, and at once his
whirling tail began to revolve. Trot felt herself
rising into the air; when the creature's legs left the
ground Cap'n Bill grasped two of them firmly and held
on for dear life. The Ork's body was tipped straight
upward, and Trot had to embrace the neck very tightly
to keep from sliding off. Even in this position the Ork
had trouble in escaping the rough sides of the well.
Several times it exclaimed "Wow!" as it bumped its
back, or a wing hit against some jagged projection; but
the tail kept whirling with remarkableswiftness and
the daylight grew brighter and brighter. It was,
indeed, a long journey from the bottom to the top, yet
almost before Trot realized they had come so far, they
popped out of the hole into the clear air and sunshine
and a moment later the Ork alighted gently upon the
ground.
The release was so sudden that even with the
creature's care for its passengers Cap'n Bill struck
the earth with a shock that sent him rolling heel over
head; but by the time Trot had slid down from her seat
the old sailor-man was sitting up and looking around
him with much satisfaction.
"It's sort o' pretty here," said he.
"Earth is a beautiful place!" cried Trot.
"I wonder where on earth we are?" pondered the Ork,
turning first one bright eye and then the other to this
side and that. Trees there were, in plenty, and shrubs
and flowers and green turf. But there were no houses;
there were no paths; there was no sign of civilization
whatever.
"Just before I settled down on the ground I thought I
caught a view of the ocean," said the Ork. "Let's see
if I was right." Then he flew to a little hill, near
by, and Trot and Cap'n Bill followed him more slowly.
When they stood on the top of the hill they could see
the blue waves of the ocean in front of them, to the
right of them, and at the left of them. Behind the
hill was a forest that shut out the view.
"I hope it ain't an island, Trot," said Cap'n Bill
gravely.
thought so, too. So the Ork started off ahead, quite in
the dark, and hand in band the two followed him.
When they had walked in this way for a good long time
the Ork halted and demanded food. Cap'n Bill had not
mentioned food because there was so little left -- only
three biscuits and a lump of cheese about as big as his
two fingers -- but he gave the Ork half of a biscuit,
sighing as he did so. The creature didn't care for the
cheese, so the sailor divided it between himself and
Trot. They lighted a candle and sat down in the tunnel
while they ate.
"My feet hurt me," grumbled the Ork. "I'm not used
to walking and this rocky passage is so uneven and
lumpy that it hurts me to walk upon it."
"Can't you fly along?" asked Trot.
"No; the roof is too low," said the Ork.
After the meal they resumed their journey, which Trot
began to fear would never end. When Cap'n Bill noticed
how tired the little girl was, he paused and lighted a
match and looked at his big silver watch.
"Why, it's night!" he exclaimed. "We've tramped all
day, an' still we're in this awful passage, which mebbe
goes straight through the middle of the world, an'
mebbe is a circle -- in which case we can keep walkin'
till doomsday. Not knowin' what's before us so well as
we know what's behind us, I propose we make a stop,
now, an' try to sleep till mornin'."
"That will suit me," asserted the Ork, with a groan.
"My feet are hurting me dreadfully and for the last few
miles I've been limping with pain."
"My foot hurts, too," said the sailor, looking for a
smooth place on the rocky floor to sit down.
"Your foot!" cried the Ork. "why, you've only one to
hurt you, while I have four. So I suffer four times as
much as you possibly can. Here; hold the candle while I
look at the bottoms of my claws. I declare," he said,
examining them by the flickering light, "there are
bunches of pain all over them!"
"P'r'aps," said Trot, who was very glad to sit down
beside her companions, "you've got corns."
"Corns? Nonsense! Orks never have corns," protested
the creature, rubbing its sore feet tenderly.
"Then mebbe they're - they're - What do you call 'em,
Cap'n Bill? Something 'bout the Pilgrim's Progress, you
know."
"Bunions," said Cap'n Bill.
"Oh, yes; mebbe you've got bunions."
"It is possible," moaned the Ork. "But whatever they
are, another day of such walking on them would drive me
crazy."
"I'm sure they'll feel better by mornin'," said Cap'n
Bill, encouragingly. "Go to sleep an' try to forget
your sore feet."
The Ork cast a reproachful look at the sailor-man,
who didn't see it. Then the creature asked plaintively:
"Do we eat now, or do we starve?"
"There's only half a biscuit left for you," answered
Cap'n Bill. "No one knows how long we'll have to stay
in this dark tunnel, where there's nothing whatever to
eat; so I advise you to save that morsel o' food till
later."
"Give it me now!" demanded the Ork. "If I'm going to
starve, I'll do it all at once -- not by degrees."
Cap'n Bill produced the biscuit and the creature ate
it in a trice. Trot was rather hungry and whispered to
Cap'n Bill that she'd take part of her share; but the
old man secretly broke his own half-biscuit in two,
saving Trot's share for a time of greater need.
He was beginning to be worried over the little girl's
plight and long after she was asleep and the Ork was
snoring in a rather disagreeable manner, Cap'n Bill sat
with his back to a rock and smoked his pipe and tried
to think of some way to escape from this seemingly
endless tunnel. But after a time he also slept, for
hobbling on a wooden leg all day was tiresome, and
there in the dark slumbered the three adventurers for
many hours, until the Ork roused itself and kicked the
old sailor with one foot.
"It must be another day," said he.
Chapter Four
Daylight at Last
Cap'n Bill rubbed his eyes, lit a match and consulted
his watch.
"Nine o'clock. Yes, I guess it's another day, sure
enough. Shall we go on?" he asked.
"Of course," replied the Ork. "Unless this tunnel
is different from everything else in the world, and
has no end, we'll find a way out of it sooner or later."
The sailor gently wakened Trot. She felt much rested
by her long sleep and sprang to her feet eagerly.
"Let's start, Cap'n," was all she said.
They resumed the journey and had only taken a
few steps when the Ork cried "Wow!" and made a
great fluttering of its wings and whirling of its tail.
The others, who were following a short distance
behind, stopped abruptly.
"What's the matter?" asked Cap'n Bill.
"Give us a light," was the reply. "I think we've come
to the end of the tunnel." Then, while Cap'n Bill
lighted a candle, the creature added: "If that is true,
we needn't have wakened so soon, for we were almost at
the end of this place when we went to sleep."
The sailor-man and Trot came forward with a light. A
wall of rock really faced the tunnel, but now they saw
that the opening made a sharp turn to the left. So they
followed on, by a narrower passage, and then made
another sharp turn this time to the right.
"Blow out the light, Cap'n," said the Ork, in a
pleased voice. "We've struck daylight."
Daylight at last! A shaft of mellow light fell almost
at their feet as Trot and the sailor turned the corner
of the passage, but it came from above, and raising
their eyes they found they were at the bottom of a
deep, rocky well, with the top far, far above their
heads. And here the passage ended.
For a while they gazed in silence, at least two of
them being filled with dismay at the sight. But the Ork
merely whistled softly and said cheerfully:
"That was the toughest journey I ever had the
misfortune to undertake, and I'm glad it's over. Yet,
unless I can manage to fly to the top of this pit, we
are entombed here forever."
"Do you think there is room enough for you to fly
in?" asked the little girl anxiously; and Cap'n Bill
added:
"It's a straight-up shaft, so I don't see how you'll
ever manage it."
"Were I an ordinary bird -- one of those horrid
feathered things -- I wouldn't even make the attempt to
fly out," said the Ork. "But my mechanical propeller
tail can accomplish wonders, and whenever you're ready
I'll show you a trick that is worth while."
"Oh!" exclaimed Trot; "do you intend to take us up,
too?"
"Why not?"
"I thought," said Cap'n Bill, "as you'd go first, an'
then send somebody to help us by lettin' down a rope."
"Ropes are dangerous," replied the Ork, "and I might
not be able to find one to reach all this distance.
Besides, it stands to reason that if I can get out
myself I can also carry you two with me."
"Well, I'm not afraid," said Trot, who longed to be
on the earth's surface again.
"S'pose we fall?" suggested Cap'n Bill, doubtfully.
"Why, in that case we would all fall together,"
returned the Ork. "Get aboard, little girl; sit across
my shoulders and put both your arms around my neck."
Trot obeyed and when she was seated on the Ork,
Cap'n Bill inquired:
"How 'bout me, Mr. Ork?"
"Why, I think you'd best grab hold of my rear
legs and let me carry you up in that manner," was
the reply.
Cap'n Bill looked way up at the top of the well, and
then he looked at the Ork's slender, skinny legs and
heaved a deep sigh.
"It's goin' to be some dangle, I guess; but if you
don't waste too much time on the way up, I may be able
to hang on," said he.
"All ready, then!" cried the Ork, and at once his
whirling tail began to revolve. Trot felt herself
rising into the air; when the creature's legs left the
ground Cap'n Bill grasped two of them firmly and held
on for dear life. The Ork's body was tipped straight
upward, and Trot had to embrace the neck very tightly
to keep from sliding off. Even in this position the Ork
had trouble in escaping the rough sides of the well.
Several times it exclaimed "Wow!" as it bumped its
back, or a wing hit against some jagged projection; but
the tail kept whirling with remarkableswiftness and
the daylight grew brighter and brighter. It was,
indeed, a long journey from the bottom to the top, yet
almost before Trot realized they had come so far, they
popped out of the hole into the clear air and sunshine
and a moment later the Ork alighted gently upon the
ground.
The release was so sudden that even with the
creature's care for its passengers Cap'n Bill struck
the earth with a shock that sent him rolling heel over
head; but by the time Trot had slid down from her seat
the old sailor-man was sitting up and looking around
him with much satisfaction.
"It's sort o' pretty here," said he.
"Earth is a beautiful place!" cried Trot.
"I wonder where on earth we are?" pondered the Ork,
turning first one bright eye and then the other to this
side and that. Trees there were, in plenty, and shrubs
and flowers and green turf. But there were no houses;
there were no paths; there was no sign of civilization
whatever.
"Just before I settled down on the ground I thought I
caught a view of the ocean," said the Ork. "Let's see
if I was right." Then he flew to a little hill, near
by, and Trot and Cap'n Bill followed him more slowly.
When they stood on the top of the hill they could see
the blue waves of the ocean in front of them, to the
right of them, and at the left of them. Behind the
hill was a forest that shut out the view.
"I hope it ain't an island, Trot," said Cap'n Bill
gravely.
- cheese [tʃi:z]
n.干酪，乳酪 (初中英语单词) - circle [´sə:kəl] n.圆圈 v.环绕；盘旋 (初中英语单词)
- dreadfully [dredfuli] ad.可怕地；糟透地 (初中英语单词)
- whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)
- tunnel [´tʌnl] n.隧道 v.挖隧道 (初中英语单词)
- advise [əd´vaiz] vt.忠告；建议；通知 (初中英语单词)
- beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)
- wooden [´wudn] a.木制的；呆板的 (初中英语单词)
- gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)
- sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)
- opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)
- dismay [dis´mei] n.惊慌 vt.使惊慌 (初中英语单词)
- softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)
- undertake [,ʌndə´teik] vt.从事；承担；担保 (初中英语单词)
- mechanical [mi´kænikəl] a.机械的；力学的 (初中英语单词)
- whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)
- aboard [ə´bɔ:d] ad.&prep.在...上 (初中英语单词)
- slender [´slendə] a.细长的；微薄的 (初中英语单词)
- firmly [´fə:mli] ad.坚固地，稳定地 (初中英语单词)
- embrace [im´breis] vt.&n.拥抱；采纳；信奉 (初中英语单词)
- remarkable [ri´mɑ:kəbl] a.值得注意的；显著的 (初中英语单词)
- daylight [´deilait] n.日光；黎明 (初中英语单词)
- release [ri´li:s] vt&n.释放；放松；赦免 (初中英语单词)
- biscuit [´biskit] n.饼干 (高中英语单词)
- secretly [´si:kritli] ad.秘密地；隐蔽地 (高中英语单词)
- disagreeable [,disə´gri:əbl] a.令人不悦的 (高中英语单词)
- mellow [´meləu] a.芳醇的 v.(使)成熟 (高中英语单词)
- anxiously [´æŋkʃəsli] ad.挂念地；渴望地 (高中英语单词)
- uneven [ʌn´i:vən] a.崎岖的；不匀的 (英语四级单词)
- morsel [´mɔ:səl] n.佳肴 vt.少量地分配 (英语四级单词)
- tiresome [´taiəsəm] a.令人厌倦的；讨厌的 (英语四级单词)
- dangle [´dæŋgəl] v.摇摆；悬吊；追求 (英语四级单词)
- revolve [ri´vɔlv] v.(使)旋转；循环 (英语四级单词)
- projection [prə´dʒekʃən] n.设计；发射；放映 (英语六级单词)
- swiftness [´swiftnis] n.迅速，敏捷 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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