儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Wild Ponies CHAPTER 3 What Benny Saw

“A ghost horse!” Benny said excitedly as they walked back to Gullwing Cottage. “Neat!”



“Now, Benny,” Jessie said gently. “It’s just a story. I bet Mr. Toler likes to tell stories.”



“But it could be true,” Benny insisted.



Violet silently agreed with her little brother, even though she knew ghosts didn’t exist. She could imagine the shimmery 1 horse prancing 2 in the moonlight.



Home again, the children realized they were tired after the long day. Everyone went to bed early.



In the room he shared with Henry, Benny lay in the top bunk 3 across from his brother and listened to the surf outside. Henry was already asleep.



Benny thought about climbing down the bunk bed ladder to look out the window. Maybe he’d see Magic, the ghost horse. He’d get down right now, but first he’d just close his eyes for a moment.…



Instead of moonlight, Benny woke to bright sunshine beaming in his face and the delicious aroma 4 of frying bacon.



“Hey, sleepyhead,” Henry greeted his little brother. He was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. “Jessie says breakfast is almost ready.”



Benny didn’t need to be told twice. He was dressed and sitting at the round oak table in a flash.



Jessie and Grandfather served toasted English muffins, scrambled 5 eggs, bacon, and orange juice.



“After we’ve cleaned up,” said Grandfather, “we’ll drive to that grocery store in Corolla and buy food for the week.”



Henry took the big cooler out to the car, for milk and meat that might spoil. When the dishes were done, they all got into the station wagon 7.



The road twisted north for several miles. Then Benny spotted 8 a redbrick lighthouse towering over the trees.



“Look!” he cried.



“That’s the Currituck Beach Lighthouse,” Grandfather said. “It’s the only lighthouse this far north on the Outer Banks. Because this strip of land is so narrow, storms and hurricanes often do lots of damage.”



“What about all these houses?” Violet noticed huge houses on either side of the road.



“Good question,” said Grandfather. “If they are built too close to the ocean, they could be swept out to sea in a really powerful storm.”



They drove to a shopping center with a large grocery store and, with everyone helping 9, they got everything they needed in a few minutes.



At the checkout 10 counter, Grandfather added a copy of the local newspaper. Henry loaded the heavy bags into the back of the car. As they were pulling out, he saw a sign.



“ ‘The Corolla Wild Horse Sanctuary 11,’ ” Henry exclaimed. “That must be where the wild horses are kept.”



“Can we go see them, Grandfather?” Benny asked.



“Of course. I’ve heard about these horses but have never seen them.”



The road went from pavement to gravel 12 and then they arrived at a gate that barred the way.



Violet was disappointed. “I guess we can’t go in after all.”



A uniformed young man with freckles 14 and red hair was locking the gate. When he heard their car, he turned and smiled.



“Hello,” he said in a friendly way. “You can get out of the car and watch from the gate if you like.”



“We were hoping to see the wild horses,” Grandfather said.



The officer glanced back toward the high dune 15 topped with sea grass. “I only saw a few of them myself this morning. The rest must be on the far side of the sanctuary.” He put out a hand. “I’m Officer Thomas Hyde.”



“Are you a policeman?” Benny asked in awe 16, shaking the man’s hand.



Officer Hyde grinned. “Sanctuary officer. My job is to take care of the horses. I stop traffic if the herd 17 crosses the road, and prevent people from feeding or trying to pet or ride the horses.”



“I thought the horses were penned in,” Henry said. “How can they cross the road?”



Officer Hyde pointed 13 to the fence on either side of the gate. “Horses naturally want to roam to new grazing areas. They swim around the fence on the ocean side. We can’t fence in the ocean.”



“What happens if the horses get out?” Jessie wanted to know.



“I find them,” said Officer Hyde. “I’m in radio contact with the sheriff’s office and an on-call vet 18. Mainly I protect the herd from tourists. It’s against the law to bother these animals, you know.”



Benny was hanging on the gate. “I see them!” he cried. “Here they come!”



Officer Hyde shaded his eyes from the glare of the sun. “This is your lucky day. Once in a while the horses follow me to the gate.”



Violet held her breath as she waited for the herd to come into view.



At last several horses ambled 6 over the dune. They were small, with shaggy manes and tails. Most were a reddish-brown color, though some were spotted with white. A couple were coal-black.



“How cute!” Jessie exclaimed. “They look like ponies 19!”



“Many people call them ponies,” said Officer Hyde. “But they are true descendants of Spanish mustangs. They aren’t that small, really. Most are thirteen to fourteen hands high.”



Benny frowned, holding out his palms. “Hands?”



Officer Hyde laughed. “It’s an old, easy way to measure things. A hand equals four inches. Horses are generally eighteen hands high.”



“Here, sweetie.” Violet tried to coax 20 over a chestnut-brown horse with a white face. The horse had big brown eyes fringed with long lashes 21.



“Please remember these are not friendly animals,” Officer Hyde warned her. “They look cute, but they may bite and kick.”



They watched the horses nibble 22 on grass. Officer Hyde told them there were actually two pony 23 herds 24 on the Outer Banks. The other herd was penned on Okracoke Island. When more people started coming to the Banks, the herd split and migrated to the northern and southern ends, he explained as he glanced at his watch.



Grandfather smiled. “You must have other duties. Thanks for talking to us.”



“Anytime,” said Officer Hyde, walking over to his Jeep. “Here’s a brochure about the sanctuary. You can reach me at the lighthouse if you have any more questions.”



The kids waved good-bye.



“He’s nice,” said Violet.



Benny agreed. “I want to be a pony policeman.”



“What about the Coast Guard?” Henry teased.



“That, too.” Benny planned to have lots of jobs when he grew up.



At the cottage, they unpacked 25 the groceries. Henry picked up the newspaper.



“Here’s a story about the ponies,” he said.



The others gathered around the table. Henry held up the newspaper and read the story aloud. They learned that the horses were brought to the island in 1523 by Spanish explorers and that there were only nineteen horses in the Corolla herd.



“No wonder they are special,” Violet commented. “But it’s sad so many have been hit by cars.”



“That’s why the sanctuary was started,” said Jessie. “It seems mean to pen them up, but at least they’re safer.”



Benny was looking at the pictures in the newspaper as the others talked about wild ponies. Wow, he thought, what is that? It was a picture of some kids at summer camp, but one of the boys wore a necklace with one large, sharp, triangle-shaped tooth hanging from it. Benny wondered what kind of tooth it was and where he might find one, until his stomach started grumbling 26 and his thoughts turned to food.



The kids fixed 27 a quick lunch of turkey sandwiches, apple juice, and cookies. Then they changed into bathing suits and walked over the dune to the beach.



First they splashed in the waves. Then they wet some sand above the high-tide line and built a huge castle. Next they hunted for shells.



Jessie spied a familiar figure on the dune behind them. “There’s Winifred Gorman. She’s painting.”



“Oh, let’s go see!” said Benny.



He ran off before Jessie could stop him. Jessie knew some artists didn’t like other people peering at their work. Winifred Gorman did not seem happy to see the Aldens.



“I’m not on public display,” she said grumpily. “I’m working.” She tossed her brush down with a sigh.



Violet studied the seascape. “It’s very nice, only—”



“Only what?” Winifred said sharply.



“It’s just waves and beach,” Violet said nervously 28. “Maybe you could put in some people or animals. Like the wild horses.”



Winifred considered her suggestion. “Hmmm. I forgot about those wild ponies. My real estate agent mentioned them when I bought this house.”



“You live here?” Benny wanted to know.



“No, not year-round. I live in New York City. This is my first summer here.” She became impatient again. “Where are those ponies you mentioned? I must paint them while the light is good.”



Henry pointed north. “The sanctuary is that way. You can’t miss it.”



The artist snatched her canvas off the easel, grabbed her tackle box of paints and brushes, and hurried off.



The children were stretched out on their deck when they heard Winifred Gorman’s car pull into the driveway next door.



Benny ran to the railing. “Did you see the ponies?” he called.



Her car door slammed angrily. “No, I did not,” she said stiffly. “I drove all the way up there and stood outside that stupid gate for ages. But did any of them show up? No!”



“We saw them this morning,” said Violet. “They’re really cute.”



“Well, that makes me feel better,” Winifred said sharply. “How am I going to paint a horse I can’t see?” The artist stomped 29 up the steps into her house.



“Boy, is she grouchy,” Benny commented.



“She just wants to paint a good picture,” Violet said. “Mmm! What’s that smell?”



Benny knew that smell. “Hamburgers!”



Grandfather was grilling 30 hamburgers on the deck. Jessie added potato salad, applesauce, and a coconut 31 cake from the store bakery.



Full and pleasantly tired from their day in the sun, the Aldens once again went to bed early.



Benny and Henry chatted awhile.



“What will happen to my sand castle?” Benny asked.



“The tide might wash it away,” Henry replied, yawning. “But we can build another one tomorrow.” Then he fell asleep.



Benny lay awake, thinking about his sand castle. He wondered if he could see it from the window. Was the moat filled with water?



Climbing down the ladder, he dropped softly to the floor. He didn’t want to wake Henry.



The window was open, letting in the sound of the surf. Benny leaned on the sill, straining to see in the darkness.



A silver-dollar moon had risen above the ocean, shining on the beach. Benny noticed a light still on in Winifred Gorman’s house.



Was she looking at the moon, too? he wondered.



Suddenly Benny heard a strange cry. It sounded like it came from the dune! As he turned his head, he caught a glimpse of something on the beach.



It was a horse, its shiny coat gleaming in the pale moonlight. The animal pawed the sand, nodding its proud head. Then it cantered out of sight down the beach.



Benny swallowed. “Magic,” he whispered. “The famous ghost horse.”