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儿童英语读物 The Panther Mystery CHAPTER 5 A Clue in the Muck

时间:2017-09-12 08:03来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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Irene Osceola was waiting for the Aldens when they pulled into the Miccosukee Village the next morning.

“The canoe ramp1 is this way,” she said. Today she wore jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and sneakers.

“It’s good you all wore pants and long sleeves,” she said as they approached the landing. “It’s very buggy in the Glades2.”

“We’re practically coated with insect spray,” Jessie said. “Plus we brought along extra, just in case.” She held up a pack that contained water, sunscreen, insect repellent, and other supplies.

Three lightweight fiberglass canoes bobbed in the water at the dock. The canoes looked odd, Henry thought. These were nearly flat-bottomed and wider than canoes he had paddled on lakes.

“Our people used to make dugout cypress3 canoes,” Irene explained, “but we have to conserve4 the cypress trees.” She grinned. “Also, these are easier to handle.”

Grandfather assigned the canoes. “I’ll take one with Benny. Irene, you go with Jessie. And Henry will take the third one with Violet.”

Henry was looking around. “Where are the oars5?”

Irene giggled6. “No oars. We don’t sit down and paddle these canoes. The sawgrass and lily pads are too thick. We stand up and pole the canoes through the water.”

“Well, I’m game,” said Grandfather, stepping into a canoe. He helped Benny in, then took the pack Jessie handed him.

The others climbed into their canoes and found poles in the bottoms. Irene untied7 the ropes and hopped8 into her canoe.

“Stand at each end,” she instructed them, poling her and Jessie’s canoe away from the dock first. “These boats won’t tip over easily, but it’ll take you a while to get used to poling instead of paddling.”

“We aren’t going anywhere!” Benny called back to Grandfather.

“That’s because we’re not poling in the same direction,” Grandfather said, laughing. “I’m trying to push the canoe forward and you’re making it go backward!”

Irene came alongside their canoe and gave them a push. “Now you’ve got it, Benny! You guys are doing great.”

As the three canoes moved slowly downriver, Irene explained that they were heading west into the “river of grass.”

“Why are we going this way?” Henry asked Irene.

“This is where I see Ranger9 Beldon a lot,” Irene answered. “He has his own canoe.”

“Apparently he hasn’t been to work in the last several days,” Grandfather said. He and Benny were finally catching10 up to the others. “Do you think he might have come into the Everglades alone and is lost?”

“It’s possible,” Irene said. “Ranger Beldon knows the Glades pretty well. But there are still places no one has ever seen, so even someone who knows the hidden places can get lost.”

Jessie remembered what Melanie Harper had said. “Do you know anything about an ‘obsession’ Andrew has?”

Irene wrinkled her brow under her baseball cap. “I’m not sure. Maybe the Florida panther,” Irene said.

“Panthers!” Benny said with awe11. “Those big wildcats?”

“Yes,” said Irene. “Not too many people know about our wildcats.”

“We read about panthers in our nature book,” said Violet. “They only live in the Everglades, right?”

“Which are shrinking every day,” Irene said, shaking her head sadly. “Hear the cars? We aren’t very far from the highway. That highway and the canals men dug to drain the swamp have made the Glades smaller. Houses and stores and farms steal land from the Everglades.”

“And less land means fewer homes for animals and birds,” Grandfather put in. “That’s why the Everglades National Park is here, to protect and preserve what’s left.”

Henry wanted to get back to the missing ranger. “You say Andrew Beldon is interested in the Florida panthers?”

“Ranger Beldon worries about the panthers. He’s afraid they will disappear altogether. It’s happened before — other animals have become extinct,” said Irene. “Crocodiles are also very endangered.”

Benny glanced excitedly around the still water. “There are crocodiles in here?”

“Very, very few,” Irene informed him. “It’s rare to see a crocodile and even rarer to see a panther. My family is of the Panther Clan12. The Miccosukee belong to different family clans13, like the Bird, Wind, or Otter14 Clans. We members of the Panther Clan understand the beauty of the panther. Ranger Beldon does, too.”

Just then they came upon a small island. White herons stood in the shallow water near the island, stalking small fish and frogs.

The trees that grew on the island were the strangest Benny had ever seen. One tree seemed to stand up on two legs out of the water.

“Those trees look like people!” he exclaimed.

“My ancestors thought so, too,” Irene told him with a smile. “They are mangrove15 trees. My people called them ‘the walking trees.’ The roots are like legs.”

Then she explained that the island wasn’t really an island, but a “hammock.” A tree would take root. Seeds drifting downstream would cling to the mangrove’s roots. Over the years, dirt gathered and more plants and trees grew until a humped mound16 rose out of the water.

They poled close to the mangrove hammock. Violet stopped to take pictures of wild orchids17 growing right on the sides of the trees.

“Oh, look!” Jessie declared. She pointed18 to a colorful snail19 on a tree. The conical shell swirled20 in shades of gray, blue, beige, and lavender.

Bullfrogs leaped among the lily pads. Bottle-green dragonflies skimmed over the surface. A harmless water snake swam between Henry’s and Irene’s canoes. Benny could hardly keep still. He didn’t want to miss anything.

Grandfather took his hat off to swat at the mosquitoes. “You’re never alone here, are you?” he joked.

“Not for a second,” Irene agreed. “Though sometimes your companion is too small to see!”

As long as they kept moving, the insects weren’t too bad. Irene had told them to expect bugs21, but Jessie couldn’t believe the dense22 clouds of mosquitoes and tiny no-see-ums.

“Is this a place Andrew might stop?” Henry asked Irene.

She nodded. “Since he came this way, he probably stopped here often. Ranger Beldon was always looking for any sign of a panther.”

“Have you ever seen one?” Benny asked, awed23 that wildcats could be lurking24 in the tangle25 of undergrowth.

Irene shook her head. “People look for years and never see a panther. My father saw one once, when he was a little boy about your age, Benny. But only that one time.”

“Let’s tie up our canoes and walk around,” Grandfather suggested. “Maybe we’ll see some sign that Andrew has been here.”

Irene directed them to a mangrove tree with extra-long roots. They tied up their canoes and waded26 in the shallow water to the hammock.

“The water is so warm,” Violet remarked. “I could take a bath in it!”

“That’s because it’s summer,” said Irene. “In the winter and during the rainy season in the spring, the water is cooler.”

Benny scrambled27 up the side of the hammock, using a vine like a rope. “This place is neat!”

It took the others longer to make their way through the Caribbean pines, saw palmettos, and live oaks. Henry was amazed at the variety of ferns growing right in the bark on the trees. The Everglades was a truly magical place.

“What is this?” he asked Irene, pointing to a plant with yellow and orange flowers.

“We call that coontie,” Irene replied. “We grate the root and make flour after it’s dry. Then we add water and make a kind of cereal, sofkee. It’s really good.”

Jessie looked up at the sky and watched a huge bird lazily circle overhead. The bird could see a lot better than they could. Where is Andrew Beldon? she asked the bird silently.

Then she thought of something.

“Irene,” she began, “do you know a ranger named Melanie Harper?”

Irene frowned slightly. “A little. She’s blond and pretty, isn’t she? I think she and Andrew were dating.”

“That’s what I thought,” Jessie said. “But whenever we talk to Melanie, she acts as if she doesn’t care about Andrew at all.”

“They are not really friends anymore,” Irene said. “Andrew came to the village one day with my books. He looked sad and I asked him what was wrong. He told me about what had happened with Melanie Harper.”

Not paying attention to where she was going, Violet tripped over a mangrove root. She caught herself before she fell. Then she saw it.

“Hey guys!” she cried. “Look at this!”

In the soft, squishy mud was part of a shoe print.

Grandfather leaned over. “Good work, Violet. That’s the heel of somebody’s boot.”

Benny poked28 his finger into the spongy mud. “What is this stuff?”

“It’s called muck,” Irene said. “Sometimes the muck can be dangerous if you fall into it. It’s hard to climb out.”

“This might be a clue,” Henry stated. “Jessie, did you bring our casting kit29?”

“Right in the pack,” she replied, digging out the small sack of plaster of paris, a tin dish, a jar of petroleum30 jelly, and a metal ring.

Benny got water to mix the plaster in the tin dish while Violet greased the inside of the metal ring with the petroleum jelly.

Irene watched in fascination31. “You are like real detectives,” she said as Jessie carefully placed the ring around the print.

“We’ve done this before,” Jessie said. “On another mystery case.”

Henry stirred the plaster until it was thick. Then he poured it over the ring, covering the heel print. “This stuff dries pretty fast,” he said.

They waited until the plaster had set, then Violet lifted the ring with a perfect cast of the print inside.

She stared at it. “That’s odd,” she said. “There’s a mark like a V on the sole.”

“A clue,” Benny declared. “Maybe this is Andrew’s shoe print. We might be on his trail!”

Violet gazed into the wild, noisy Everglades. She hoped Benny was right.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 ramp QTgxf     
n.暴怒,斜坡,坡道;vi.作恐吓姿势,暴怒,加速;vt.加速
参考例句:
  • That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
  • The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。
2 glades 7d2e2c7f386182f71c8d4c993b22846c     
n.林中空地( glade的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Maggie and Philip had been meeting secretly in the glades near the mill. 玛吉和菲利曾经常在磨坊附近的林中空地幽会。 来自辞典例句
  • Still the outlaw band throve in Sherwood, and hunted the deer in its glades. 当他在沉思中变老了,世界还是照样走它的路,亡命之徒仍然在修武德日渐壮大,在空地里猎鹿。 来自互联网
3 cypress uyDx3     
n.柏树
参考例句:
  • The towering pine and cypress trees defy frost and snow.松柏参天傲霜雪。
  • The pine and the cypress remain green all the year round.苍松翠柏,常绿不凋。
4 conserve vYRyP     
vt.保存,保护,节约,节省,守恒,不灭
参考例句:
  • He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
  • Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力,你会用得着的!
5 oars c589a112a1b341db7277ea65b5ec7bf7     
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:
  • He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
  • The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 giggled 72ecd6e6dbf913b285d28ec3ba1edb12     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
  • The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 untied d4a1dd1a28503840144e8098dbf9e40f     
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:
  • Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来,我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
  • He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。
8 hopped 91b136feb9c3ae690a1c2672986faa1c     
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
参考例句:
  • He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
  • He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车,向市区开去。
9 ranger RTvxb     
n.国家公园管理员,护林员;骑兵巡逻队员
参考例句:
  • He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
  • He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。
10 catching cwVztY     
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
参考例句:
  • There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
  • Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
11 awe WNqzC     
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧
参考例句:
  • The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
12 clan Dq5zi     
n.氏族,部落,宗族,家族,宗派
参考例句:
  • She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
  • The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以,中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。
13 clans 107c1b7606090bbd951aa9bdcf1d209e     
宗族( clan的名词复数 ); 氏族; 庞大的家族; 宗派
参考例句:
  • There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
  • The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里,乃至一般在任何地方,都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
14 otter 7vgyH     
n.水獭
参考例句:
  • The economists say the competition otter to the brink of extinction.经济学家们说,竞争把海獭推到了灭绝的边缘。
  • She collared my black wool coat with otter pelts.她把我的黑呢上衣镶上了水獭领。
15 mangrove 4oFzc2     
n.(植物)红树,红树林
参考例句:
  • It is the world's largest tidal mangrove forest.它是世界上最大的红树林沼泽地。
  • Many consider this the most beautiful mangrove forest in all Thailand.许多人认为这里是全泰国最美丽的红树林了。
16 mound unCzhy     
n.土墩,堤,小山;v.筑堤,用土堆防卫
参考例句:
  • The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
  • The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。
17 orchids 8f804ec07c1f943ef9230929314bd063     
n.兰花( orchid的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Wild flowers such as orchids and primroses are becoming rare. 兰花和报春花这类野花越来越稀少了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She breeds orchids in her greenhouse. 她在温室里培育兰花。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
19 snail 8xcwS     
n.蜗牛
参考例句:
  • Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
  • Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。
20 swirled eb40fca2632f9acaecc78417fd6adc53     
v.旋转,打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。
  • The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。
21 bugs e3255bae220613022d67e26d2e4fa689     
adj.疯狂的,发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 );病菌;虫子;[计算机](制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的)错误
参考例句:
  • All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞,都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 dense aONzX     
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的
参考例句:
  • The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
23 awed a0ab9008d911a954b6ce264ddc63f5c8     
adj.充满敬畏的,表示敬畏的v.使敬畏,使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The audience was awed into silence by her stunning performance. 观众席上鸦雀无声,人们对他出色的表演感到惊叹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I was awed by the huge gorilla. 那只大猩猩使我惊惧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
24 lurking 332fb85b4d0f64d0e0d1ef0d34ebcbe7     
潜在
参考例句:
  • Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的,想干什么?
  • There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
25 tangle yIQzn     
n.纠缠;缠结;混乱;v.(使)缠绕;变乱
参考例句:
  • I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
  • If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你,我就不跟他们争吵。
26 waded e8d8bc55cdc9612ad0bc65820a4ceac6     
(从水、泥等)蹚,走过,跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
  • He waded into the water to push the boat out. 他蹚进水里把船推出来。
27 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 poked 87f534f05a838d18eb50660766da4122     
v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 );戳出;拨弄;与(某人)性交
参考例句:
  • She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
  • His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
29 kit D2Rxp     
n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物
参考例句:
  • The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
  • The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。
30 petroleum WiUyi     
n.原油,石油
参考例句:
  • The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
  • The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。
31 fascination FlHxO     
n.令人着迷的事物,魅力,迷恋
参考例句:
  • He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
  • His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。
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