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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Benny sat up in bed. He listened carefully for the familiar sounds of the humming refrigerator and air conditioner. He heard only Grandfather’s faint snoring.
A darting1 shape outside the window caught his attention. A tall, dark figure flitted between the Garcias’ RV and Mr. Tobias’s trailer.
“Henry!” Benny reached across and shook his brother.
Henry was awake in an instant. “What?”
“The air conditioner’s not running,” Benny said. “And I just saw somebody outside. Maybe it’s the prowler Jessie saw the other night.”
The air inside the RV was getting stuffy2. Henry climbed out of his bunk3 and flicked4 on the light switch. The lights didn’t turn on, either.
“The power’s off,” Henry reported. He climbed up to Grandfather’s bed. “Grandfather, wake up. Something’s happened to the power.”
James Alden was up quickly. He began pulling his clothes on. The boys dressed hurriedly in the dark. By now the girls were awake, too.
“What is it?” Jessie called from the other end of the trailer. “How come the lights won’t come on?”
“Something’s wrong with the power,” Grandfather said, grabbing his flashlight. “Henry and I will check it out.”
“Me, too!” Benny scrambled5 after them.
Outside, all the RVs in the D Block were shrouded6 in darkness. Only small, overhead street lamps cast weak pools of light.
The door to the Garcias’ trailer opened. Mr. Garcia and Luis stumbled down the steps. Mrs. Garcia followed them.
“Our power is out,” said Mr. Garcia to Grandfather.
“Ours, too. Maybe a fuse in the main building blew,” guessed James Alden.
“I’ll go check with the management.” Mr. Garcia headed toward the office. Mrs. Garcia went with him.
Luis came over to the Aldens’ trailer. “I wonder what’s wrong?” he asked.
Henry shone his flashlight around the hookup area. “Here’s the problem,” he said. “The cable’s been disconnected.” He held up the loose end of the plug.
Grandfather reconnected the cable. “That’s strange.”
Luis ran over to his RVs hookup. “Our plug has also been pulled! Yet the sewer7 and water pipes are still connected.”
Inside the Aldens’ RV, Violet tugged8 at Jessie’s sleeve. “Look,” she said. “There are two people hanging around Mr. Tobias’s trailer. Do you think we should warn him?”
“It’s Mr. and Mrs. Clark,” Jessie said, as the couple approached. She and Violet went outside. It was creepy inside the dark RV.
“Our electricity has been disconnected!” Mrs. Clark complained to Grandfather. “Yours, too? And the Garcias’?”
Mr. Clark was angry. “If this is somebody’s idea of a prank9, it’s not funny. These trailers can get very hot.”
“Fortunately, it’s nighttime,” said Grandfather. “The desert always cools down after dark.”
Benny shivered and wondered if the prowler was watching them.
Henry and Luis refastened the cables to the Garciases’ RV. Then they helped Mr. Clark fix his hookup.
Violet pointed10 to Mr. Tobias’s RV. “What about Mr. Tobias? Should we check his hookup, too?”
Benny ran over. “It’s okay,” he called.
“That’s funny,” Jessie mused11. “Everyone’s electricity was disconnected, except Mr. Tobias’s.”
“And he never even came out to see what was wrong.” Henry stared at the metallic-colored trailer.
“Unless,” Benny added, “he was the guy I saw running between the trailers.”
This time Jessie shivered. “I sure hope we catch this prowler.”
“Excitement’s over,” Grandfather said, herding12 them toward the RV. “Back to bed. We’ll solve the mystery in the morning.”
And if they didn’t, thought Jessie, what would happen next?
Early the next morning, Gerald McCrae came by to pick up Grandfather. The Alden children rose early, too.
Jessie and Henry packed breakfast and lunch while Violet and Benny tidied the RV.
Luis knocked on the door.
“We’re almost ready,” Jessie told him. “Henry’s filling the canteens now.”
Luis looked pale in the faint morning light. “Someone got into our RV last night. The photographs of the stone maps were stolen!”
Henry turned from the sink. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I knew we’d need them today. But when I opened the drawer, the folder13 was gone.”
“Maybe your mother put it someplace else,” Violet suggested.
Luis shook his head. “No. I’m certain the photographs were in the drawer last night.”
“It must have happened when we were all outside!” Benny exclaimed.
“Benny could be right,” said Henry. “The prowler could have sneaked14 into your trailer while everyone was fixing their electrical cables.”
“We were all there,” said Jessie. “Everyone except Mr. Tobias.”
“What would Mr. Tobias do with my photographs?” Luis asked. “He hardly ever comes out of his trailer. We need those maps to find the exact location of Weaver’s Needle.”
“Wait!” Violet flipped15 open her drawing tablet. “I made some drawings of the stone maps. They aren’t perfect, but I have a pretty good memory.”
Luis inspected her sketches16. “Not bad. These seem fairly accurate. Nice work, Violet.”
Pleased, Violet stashed17 her drawings into the backpack containing their food.
Henry strapped18 on the backpack and passed out the canteens. “If we hurry, we’ll be at the stables by six.”
Rex was waiting for them. Their horses had been saddled and fed. Each horse carried extra water rations19.
“Have a good ride,” Rex said, waving them off.
After a while they passed a sign that said “Peralta Canyon20 Trail.”
“We’re on the right track,” Luis commented.
Once more they rode single file with Luis in the lead and Henry at the rear. They stopped once to eat their breakfast and again to drink and check their bearings.
“Are we almost there?” asked Benny.
Violet got out her maps. “I see Weaver’s Needle,” she said, pointing to the heart-shaped formation in the distance.
Luis nodded. “Soon we’ll have to leave our horses and hike in.”
After a while the trail ended, narrowing to a path that vanished in the brush. They tied the horses to the trees, and began climbing on foot.
“I keep thinking about old Jake out here. He must be really tough,” Henry said.
“I hope he’s all right,” said Jessie.
Benny slowed his pace. “I don’t see Weaver’s Needle anymore,” he said to Luis.
“That’s because we’re getting closer,” Luis said.
Violet couldn’t believe how quiet it was up here. Earlier the mountains echoed with birdcalls. Now the hills were completely silent.
Luis explained, “It’s the heat. Animals and birds go under cover during the day. They come out to feed after sundown or in the early morning.”
“I wish I could find some cover.” Benny slumped21 down on a stone. His cheeks were pink.
“Watch out!” Luis cried. He checked the boulder22 Benny sat on. “Always look before you sit down. A rattler could be sunning itself.”
Benny jumped. “I sure don’t want to sit on a snake!”
Henry had climbed over the next rise. “Hey, look what I found!”
The others hurried over the hill at the urgency in Henry’s voice.
Henry stood in the middle of a small campsite. Charred23 sticks smoked from a recent fire. Paper cups and trash littered the area.
Violet picked up a coffee cup. “Is this Jake’s camp? The fire is still warm. He’s probably nearby.”
Luis kicked at the smoldering24 ashes. “Jake is too smart to leave a mess like this. Anyone with wilderness25 experience would smother26 the fire with sand. And Jake would never leave trash.”
“Then whose camp is it?” Benny asked.
“Somebody who obviously doesn’t care.” Henry was disgusted by all the trash lying around.
Jessie felt eyes boring into her. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of a tall figure in the rocks high above.
“Maybe it’s his camp!”
Luis cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey, up there!”
“Halloo!” Henry yelled. His voice bounced around the canyon.
But the figure disappeared into the rocks.
“Whoever it was,” Benny said, “he didn’t want to be found.”
“We might as well eat,” Jessie said. Henry shrugged27 off the backpack and Jessie began taking out rolls and cheese.
No one was very hungry. They were all disappointed they hadn’t found Jake or his camp.
Violet couldn’t stop thinking about the figure on the rocks. “That person we saw wasn’t Jake,” she said firmly.
“How do you know?” Henry asked, chewing a cookie.
“Because Jake isn’t tall. And that person was tall.”
“Like Tom,” Jessie said thoughtfully.
“Or Mr. Clark,” Luis added.
“Or,” Henry said, “Mr. Tobias.”
“Why would Mr. Tobias be out in these hills?” asked Violet. “He’s always in his trailer.”
Henry began picking up trash to stuff in his backpack. “Maybe he’s not always in his trailer. Maybe he just wants us to think he is.”
A pebble28 rolled down the rock wall. Henry froze. “He’s still up there.”
“What is he doing?” Jessie asked fearfully. “Why won’t he answer us?”
“He’s trying to scare us,” Benny said.
“Well, it’s working.” Violet put her camera back in its case. She didn’t feel like taking pictures.
“Violet’s right,” said Luis. “I think we should head back to camp.”
“But we didn’t find the mine,” Benny cried.
“Or Jake,” Violet said sadly.
收听单词发音 |
1
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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stuffy
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| adj.不透气的，闷热的 | |
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bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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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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scrambled
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| 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 | |
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shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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sewer
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| n.排水沟，下水道 | |
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tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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prank
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| n.开玩笑，恶作剧；v.装饰；打扮；炫耀自己 | |
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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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herding
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| 中畜群 | |
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folder
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| n.纸夹，文件夹 | |
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sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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15
flipped
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| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
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sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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stashed
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| v.贮藏( stash的过去式和过去分词 )；隐藏；藏匿；藏起 | |
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strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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canyon
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| n.峡谷，溪谷 | |
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slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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22
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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23
charred
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| v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦 | |
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24
smoldering
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 ) | |
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25
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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smother
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| vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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pebble
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| n.卵石，小圆石 | |
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