兒童英語讀物《神奇樹屋》 第二冊 Knight At Dawn 07

7秘密通道

秘密通道安妮和杰克跑上彎彎曲曲的樓梯，穿過長長的走廊。

他們沒跑多遠，就聽見后面的大喊大叫聲。

遠處的狗汪汪汪地叫了起來。

“他們追來了!”安妮喊道。

“在這里!”杰克說。他猛地推開走廊的一扇門，把安妮拉進一個黑暗的房間里杰克把門關上。接著安妮用手電筒把房間照了一遍。房間里堆著一排排麻袋，擺著一排排的木桶。

“我最好先看看書。”杰克說，“把手電筒遞給我!”

安妮把手電筒和背包都交給他。他拿出書，開始匆匆地翻書。

“噓!”安妮說，“有人來啦。”

杰克和安妮剛跳到門后面，門就吱呀吱呀地開了。

杰克屏住氣。火炬的光亮在麻袋和桶上晃來晃去。

亮光消失了。門砰地關上了。

“天哪。”杰克咕噥著，“我們得抓緊點，他們可能再回來。”

當他翻動那本城堡書時，他雙手一直在發(fā)抖。

“這兒有一幅城堡的地圖。”他說，“看，這肯定是我們現在呆的房間，這是貯藏室。”杰克研究著書中的那個房間。“有一袋袋面粉和一桶桶酒。”

“管它呢!我們得離開!”安妮說，“在他們回來之前!”

“不，看。”杰克說。他指著那幅地圖。“這兒有一扇暗門。”

他大聲讀道：

這扇門從貯藏室經過一條秘密通道，可達護城河上的一堵絕壁。

“絕壁是什么?”安妮說。

“我不知道，我們會弄明白的。”杰克說，“但是我們首先得找到這扇暗門。”

杰克仔仔細細地看了又看這幅圖。接著他用手電筒把房間四周照了又照。

房間的地板是用石頭鋪成的。圖上的暗門離通向走廊的大門五塊石頭遠。

杰克用燈光照著地板，數著石頭。“一、二、三、四、五。”

他在第五塊石頭上跺了跺腳。石頭是松動的!

他把手電筒放在地板上。他使勁兒地用手指摳在薄石板的下邊，想把石頭搬起來。

“快來幫忙。”杰克說。

安妮跑過來，幫他抬起了這塊四四方方的石頭。下面是一扇小小的木門。

杰克和安妮猛拉門的繩把手，門轟然翻落在地，打開了。

杰克拾起手電筒，往洞里照了照。

“有一張小梯子。”他說，“我們走吧。”

他別好手電筒，摸索著順著小梯子往下爬。安妮緊跟其后。

當他們下到小梯子底部時，杰克用手電筒照了照他們的四周。

有一條通道!

他們彎下腰，開始沿著潮濕的、令人不寒而栗的通道移動。這時，手電筒只照得亮石墻了。

他搖了搖手電筒。電池快用光了?

“我想我們的手電筒快沒電了!”他對安妮說。

“快快快!”她在后面喊道。

杰克走得更快了。他的背因彎腰而疼起來。

電筒光越來越暗，越來越弱。

在電池完全用光之前，他得拼命地跑出城堡才行。

不久，他們到達另一扇小木門。門在通道的盡頭。

杰克拔掉門閂，推開了它。

他把頭伸向外面。

外面霧蒙蒙的，漆黑一團，他什么也看不清。

空氣感覺不錯。涼爽、清新。他深深地吸了一口氣。

“我們在什么地方?”安妮在他后面低聲說，“你看見了什么?”

“什么也看不見。但是我想我們到了城堡的外面。”杰克說，“我會弄明白的。”

杰克把手電筒放進背包里，把背包背在背上。他把手伸出門外。他摸不著地面。

只有空氣。

“我打算先用腳試試。”他說。

杰克在小通道里翻過身，趴在地上。他把一只腳伸出門外，接著又伸出另一只腳。

杰克一點一點地往下溜，一點一點地。直到他懸在門外，緊緊地抓住邊沿。

“這肯定是那堵絕壁。”他對安妮大叫著，“把我拉上去!”

安妮摸到杰克的雙手。“我拉不動你!”她說。

杰克感到他的手指滑脫了。接著他掉了下去。

他掉進黑暗中。

撲通!

7 A Secret Passage

Annie and Jack raced back up the winding stairs and down the long hall way.

They hadn’　t gone far when they heard shouting behind them.

Dogs barked in the distance.

“They’re coming!” Annie cried.

“In here!” said Jack. He shoved open a door off the hallway and pulled Annie into a dark room.

Jack pushed the door shut.　Then Annie shined her flashlight around the room. There were rows of sacks and wooden barrels.

“I’　d better look in the book，” said Jack. “Give it to me!”

Annie gave him the flashlight and his backpack. He pulled out the book and started tearing through it.

“Shhh!” said Annie. “Someone’s coming.”

Jack and Annie jumped behind the door as it creaked open.

Jack held his breath. A light from a torch danced wildly over the sacks and barrels.

The light disappeared. The door slammed shut.

“Oh， man，” whispered Jack. “We have to hurry. They might come back.”

His hands were trembling as he flipped through the pages of the castle book.

“Here’s a map of the castle，” he said. “Look， this must be the room we’re in. It’s a storeroom.” Jack studied the room in the book.

“These are sacks of flour and barrels of wine.”

“Who cares? We have to go!” said Annie. “Before they come back!”

“No. Look，” said Jack. He pointed at the map. “Here’s a trapdoor.”

He read aloud：

This door leads from the storeroom through a secret passage to a precipice over the moat.

“What’s a precipice?” said Annie.

“I don’t know. We’ll find out，” said Jack. “But first we have to find the door.”

Jack looked at the picture carefully. Then he shined the flashlight around the room.

The floor of the room was made up of stones. The trapdoor in the picture was five stones away from the door to the hall.

Jack shined the light on the floor and counted the stones. “One， two， three， four， five.”

He stamped on the fifth stone. It was loose!

He put the flashlight on the floor. He worked his fingers under the thin sheet of stone and tried to lift it.

“Help，” Jack said.

Annie came over and helped him lift the stone square out of its place.

Underneath was a small wooden door.

Jack and Annie tugged on the rope handle of the door. The door fell open with a thunk.

Jack picked up the flashlight and shined it on the hole.

“There’ s a little ladder，” hs said. “Let’s go!”

He clipped on the flashlight and felt his way down the small ladder. Annie followed.

When they both reached the bottom of the ladder， Jack shined the light around them.

There was a tunnel!

He crouched down and began moving through the damp， creepy tunnel. The flashlight barely lit the stone walls.

He shook the light. Were the batteries running down?

“I think our light’s dying!” he said to Annie.

“Hurry!” she called from behind.

Jack went faster. His back hurt from crouching.

The light got dimmer and dimmer.

He was desperate to get out of the castle before the batteries died completely.

Soon he reached another small wooden door. The door at the end of the tunnel!

Jack unlatched the door and pushed it open.

He poked his head outside.

He couldn’t see anything in the misty darkness.

The air felt good. Cool and fresh. He took a deep breath.

“Where are we?” whispered Annie behind him. “What do you see?”

“Nothing. But I think we’ve come to the outside of the castle，” said Jack. “I’ll find out.”

Jack put the flashlight in his pack. He put the pack on his back. He stuck his hand out the door. He couldn’t feel the ground. Just air.

“I’m going to have to go feet first，” he said.

Jack turned around in the small tunnel. He lay down on his stomach. He stuck one leg out the door. Then the other.

Jack inched down， bit by bit. Until he was hanging out the door， clinging to the ledge.“This must be the precipice!” he called to Annie. “Pull me up!”

Annie reached for Jack’s hands. “I can’t hold you!” she said.

Jack felt his fingers slipping. Then down he fell.

Down through the darkness.

SPLASH!