章节正文
they saw what it was. He had but one leg, set just
below the middle of his round, fat body; but it
was a stout leg and had a broad, flat foot at the
bottom of it, on which the man seemed to stand
very well. He had never had but this one leg,
which looked something like a pedestal, and when
Toto ran up and made a grab at the man's ankle he
hopped first one way and then another in a very
active manner, looking so frightened that Scraps
laughed aloud.
Toto was usually a well behaved dog, but this
time he was angry and snapped at the man's leg
again and again. This filled the poor fellow with
fear, and in hopping out of Toto's reach he
suddenly lost his balance and tumbled heel over
head upon the floor. When he sat up he kicked Toto
on the nose and made the dog howl angrily, but
Dorothy now ran forward and caught Toto's collar,
holding him back.
"Do you surrender?" she asked the man.
"Who? Me?" asked the Hopper.
"Yes; you," said the little girl.
"Am I captured?" he inquired.
"Of course. My dog has captured you," she said.
"Well," replied the man, "if I'm captured I must
surrender, for it's the proper thing to do. I like
to do everything proper, for it saves one a lot of
trouble."
"It does, indeed," said Dorothy. "Please tell us
who you are.
"I'm Hip Hopper--Hip Hopper, the Champion."
"Champion what?" she asked in surprise.
"Champion wrestler. I'm a very strong man,
and that ferocious animal which you are so
kindly holding is the first living thing that has
ever conquered me."
"And you are a Hopper?" she continued.
"Yes. My people live in a great city not far
from here. Would you like to visit it?"
"I'm not sure," she said with hesitation. "Have
you any dark wells in your city?"
"I think not. We have wells, you know, hut
they're all well lighted, and a well lighted well
cannot well be a dark well. But there may be
such a thing as a very dark well in the Horner
Country, which is a black spot on the face of
the earth."
"Where is the Horner Country?" Ojo inquired.
"The other side of the mountain. There's a
fence between the Hopper Country and the
Horner Country, and a gate in the fence; but
you can't pass through just now, because we
are at war with the Horners."
"That's too bad," said the Scarecrow. "What
seems to be the trouble?"
"Why, one of them made a very insulting remark
about my people. He said we were lacking in
understanding, because we had only one leg to a
person. I can't see that legs have anything to do
with understanding things. The Homers each have
two legs, just as you have. That's one leg too
many, it seems to me."
"No," declared Dorothy, "it's just the right
number."
"You don't need them," argued the Hopper,
obstinately. "You've only one head, and one
body, and one nose and mouth. Two legs are
quite unnecessary, and they spoil one's shape."
"But how can you walk, with only one leg?" asked
Ojo.
"Walk! Who wants to walk?" exclaimed the man.
"Walking is a terriblyawkward way to travel. I
hop, and so do all my people. It's so much more
graceful and agreeable than walking."
"I don't agree with you," said the Scarecrow.
"But tell me, is there any way to get to the
Horner Country without going through the city of
the Hoppers?"
"Yes; there is another path from the rocky
lowlands, outside the mountain, that leads
straight to the entrance of the Horner Country.
But it's a long way around, so you'd better come
with me. Perhaps they will allow you to go
through the gate; but we expect to conquer
them this afternoon, if we get time, and then
you may go and come as you please."
They thought it best to take the Hopper's
advice, and asked him to lead the way. This he
did in a series of hops, and he moved so swiftly
in this strange manner that those with two legs
had to run to keep up with him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Joking Horners
It was not long before they left the passage and
came to a great cave, so high that it must have
reached nearly to the top of the mountain within
which it lay. It was a magnificent cave, illumined
by the soft, invisible light, so that everything
in it could be plainly seen. The walls were of
polished marble, white with veins of delicate
colors running through it, and the roof was arched
and fantastic and beautiful.
Built beneath this vast dome was a pretty
village--not very large, for there seemed not more
than fifty houses altogether--and the dwellings
were of marble and artistically designed. No grass
nor flowers nor trees grew in this cave, so the
yards surrounding the houses carved in designs
both were smooth and bare and had low walls around
them to mark their boundaries.
In the streets and the yards of the houses
were many people all having one leg growing
below their bodies and all hopping here and
there whenever they moved. Even the children
stood firmly upon their single legs and never
lost their balance.
"All hail, Champion!" cried a man in the first
group of Hoppers they met; "whom have you
captured?"
"No one," replied the Champion in a gloomy
voice; "these strangers have captured me."
"Then," said another, "we will rescue you, and
capture them, for we are greater in number."
"No," answered the Champion, "I can't allow it.
I've surrendered, and it isn't polite to capture
those you've surrendered to."
"Never mind that," said Dorothy. "We will give
you your liberty and set you free."
"Really?" asked the Champion in joyous tones.
"Yes," said the little girl; "your people may
need you to help conquer the Horners."
At this all the Hoppers looked downcast and sad.
Several more had joined the group by this time and
quite a crowd of curious men, women and children
surrounded the strangers.
"This war with our neighbors is a terrible
thing," remarked one of the women. "Some one is
almost sure to get hurt."
"Why do you say that, madam?" inquired the
Scarecrow.
"Because the horns of our enemies are sharp,
and in battle they will try to stick those horns
into our warriors," she replied.
"How many horns do the Horners have?" asked
Dorothy.
"Each has one horn in the center of his fore
head," was the answer.
"Oh, then they're unicorns," declared the
Scarecrow.
"No; they're Horners. We never go to war with
them if we can help it, on account of their
dangerous horns; but this insult was so great and
so unprovoked that our brave men decided to fight,
in order to be revenged," said the woman.
"What weapons do you fight with?" the Scarecrow
asked.
"We have no weapons," explained the Champion.
"Whenever we fight the Horners, our plan is to
push them back, for our arms are longer than
theirs."
"Then you are better armed," said Scraps.
"Yes; but they have those terrible horns, and
unless we are careful they prick us with the
points," returned the Champion with a shudder.
"That makes a war with them dangerous, and a
dangerous war cannot be a pleasant one."
"I see very clearly," remarked the Scarecrow,
"that you are going to have trouble in conquering
those Horners--unless we help you."
"Oh!" cried the Hoppers in a chorus; "can
you help us? Please do! We will be greatly
obliged! It would please us very much!" and by
these exclamations the Scarecrow knew that his
speech had met with favor.
"How far is it to the Horner Country?" he asked.
"Why, it's just the other side of the fence,"
they answered, and the Champion added:
"Come with me, please, and I'll show you the
Horners."
So they followed the Champion and several
others through the streets and just beyond the
village came to a very high picket fence, built
all of marble, which seemed to divide the great
cave into two equal parts.
But the part inhabited by the Horners was in no
way as grand in appearance as that of the Hoppers.
Instead of being marble, the walls and roof were
of dull gray rock and the square houses were
plainly made of the same material. But in extent
the city was much larger than that of the Hoppers
and the streets were thronged with numerous people
who busied themselves in various ways.
Looking through the open pickets of the fence
our friends watched the Horners, who did not know
they were being watched by strangers, and found
them very unusual in appearance. They were little
folks in size and had bodies round as balls and
short legs and arms. Their heads were round, too,
and they had long, pointed ears and a horn set in
the center of the forehead. The horns did not seem
very terrible, for they were not more than six
below the middle of his round, fat body; but it
was a stout leg and had a broad, flat foot at the
bottom of it, on which the man seemed to stand
very well. He had never had but this one leg,
which looked something like a pedestal, and when
Toto ran up and made a grab at the man's ankle he
hopped first one way and then another in a very
active manner, looking so frightened that Scraps
laughed aloud.
Toto was usually a well behaved dog, but this
time he was angry and snapped at the man's leg
again and again. This filled the poor fellow with
fear, and in hopping out of Toto's reach he
suddenly lost his balance and tumbled heel over
head upon the floor. When he sat up he kicked Toto
on the nose and made the dog howl angrily, but
Dorothy now ran forward and caught Toto's collar,
holding him back.
"Do you surrender?" she asked the man.
"Who? Me?" asked the Hopper.
"Yes; you," said the little girl.
"Am I captured?" he inquired.
"Of course. My dog has captured you," she said.
"Well," replied the man, "if I'm captured I must
surrender, for it's the proper thing to do. I like
to do everything proper, for it saves one a lot of
trouble."
"It does, indeed," said Dorothy. "Please tell us
who you are.
"I'm Hip Hopper--Hip Hopper, the Champion."
"Champion what?" she asked in surprise.
"Champion wrestler. I'm a very strong man,
and that ferocious animal which you are so
kindly holding is the first living thing that has
ever conquered me."
"And you are a Hopper?" she continued.
"Yes. My people live in a great city not far
from here. Would you like to visit it?"
"I'm not sure," she said with hesitation. "Have
you any dark wells in your city?"
"I think not. We have wells, you know, hut
they're all well lighted, and a well lighted well
cannot well be a dark well. But there may be
such a thing as a very dark well in the Horner
Country, which is a black spot on the face of
the earth."
"Where is the Horner Country?" Ojo inquired.
"The other side of the mountain. There's a
fence between the Hopper Country and the
Horner Country, and a gate in the fence; but
you can't pass through just now, because we
are at war with the Horners."
"That's too bad," said the Scarecrow. "What
seems to be the trouble?"
"Why, one of them made a very insulting remark
about my people. He said we were lacking in
understanding, because we had only one leg to a
person. I can't see that legs have anything to do
with understanding things. The Homers each have
two legs, just as you have. That's one leg too
many, it seems to me."
"No," declared Dorothy, "it's just the right
number."
"You don't need them," argued the Hopper,
obstinately. "You've only one head, and one
body, and one nose and mouth. Two legs are
quite unnecessary, and they spoil one's shape."
"But how can you walk, with only one leg?" asked
Ojo.
"Walk! Who wants to walk?" exclaimed the man.
"Walking is a terriblyawkward way to travel. I
hop, and so do all my people. It's so much more
graceful and agreeable than walking."
"I don't agree with you," said the Scarecrow.
"But tell me, is there any way to get to the
Horner Country without going through the city of
the Hoppers?"
"Yes; there is another path from the rocky
lowlands, outside the mountain, that leads
straight to the entrance of the Horner Country.
But it's a long way around, so you'd better come
with me. Perhaps they will allow you to go
through the gate; but we expect to conquer
them this afternoon, if we get time, and then
you may go and come as you please."
They thought it best to take the Hopper's
advice, and asked him to lead the way. This he
did in a series of hops, and he moved so swiftly
in this strange manner that those with two legs
had to run to keep up with him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Joking Horners
It was not long before they left the passage and
came to a great cave, so high that it must have
reached nearly to the top of the mountain within
which it lay. It was a magnificent cave, illumined
by the soft, invisible light, so that everything
in it could be plainly seen. The walls were of
polished marble, white with veins of delicate
colors running through it, and the roof was arched
and fantastic and beautiful.
Built beneath this vast dome was a pretty
village--not very large, for there seemed not more
than fifty houses altogether--and the dwellings
were of marble and artistically designed. No grass
nor flowers nor trees grew in this cave, so the
yards surrounding the houses carved in designs
both were smooth and bare and had low walls around
them to mark their boundaries.
In the streets and the yards of the houses
were many people all having one leg growing
below their bodies and all hopping here and
there whenever they moved. Even the children
stood firmly upon their single legs and never
lost their balance.
"All hail, Champion!" cried a man in the first
group of Hoppers they met; "whom have you
captured?"
"No one," replied the Champion in a gloomy
voice; "these strangers have captured me."
"Then," said another, "we will rescue you, and
capture them, for we are greater in number."
"No," answered the Champion, "I can't allow it.
I've surrendered, and it isn't polite to capture
those you've surrendered to."
"Never mind that," said Dorothy. "We will give
you your liberty and set you free."
"Really?" asked the Champion in joyous tones.
"Yes," said the little girl; "your people may
need you to help conquer the Horners."
At this all the Hoppers looked downcast and sad.
Several more had joined the group by this time and
quite a crowd of curious men, women and children
surrounded the strangers.
"This war with our neighbors is a terrible
thing," remarked one of the women. "Some one is
almost sure to get hurt."
"Why do you say that, madam?" inquired the
Scarecrow.
"Because the horns of our enemies are sharp,
and in battle they will try to stick those horns
into our warriors," she replied.
"How many horns do the Horners have?" asked
Dorothy.
"Each has one horn in the center of his fore
head," was the answer.
"Oh, then they're unicorns," declared the
Scarecrow.
"No; they're Horners. We never go to war with
them if we can help it, on account of their
dangerous horns; but this insult was so great and
so unprovoked that our brave men decided to fight,
in order to be revenged," said the woman.
"What weapons do you fight with?" the Scarecrow
asked.
"We have no weapons," explained the Champion.
"Whenever we fight the Horners, our plan is to
push them back, for our arms are longer than
theirs."
"Then you are better armed," said Scraps.
"Yes; but they have those terrible horns, and
unless we are careful they prick us with the
points," returned the Champion with a shudder.
"That makes a war with them dangerous, and a
dangerous war cannot be a pleasant one."
"I see very clearly," remarked the Scarecrow,
"that you are going to have trouble in conquering
those Horners--unless we help you."
"Oh!" cried the Hoppers in a chorus; "can
you help us? Please do! We will be greatly
obliged! It would please us very much!" and by
these exclamations the Scarecrow knew that his
speech had met with favor.
"How far is it to the Horner Country?" he asked.
"Why, it's just the other side of the fence,"
they answered, and the Champion added:
"Come with me, please, and I'll show you the
Horners."
So they followed the Champion and several
others through the streets and just beyond the
village came to a very high picket fence, built
all of marble, which seemed to divide the great
cave into two equal parts.
But the part inhabited by the Horners was in no
way as grand in appearance as that of the Hoppers.
Instead of being marble, the walls and roof were
of dull gray rock and the square houses were
plainly made of the same material. But in extent
the city was much larger than that of the Hoppers
and the streets were thronged with numerous people
who busied themselves in various ways.
Looking through the open pickets of the fence
our friends watched the Horners, who did not know
they were being watched by strangers, and found
them very unusual in appearance. They were little
folks in size and had bodies round as balls and
short legs and arms. Their heads were round, too,
and they had long, pointed ears and a horn set in
the center of the forehead. The horns did not seem
very terrible, for they were not more than six
- terribly [´terəbli]
ad.可怕地 (初中英语单词) - agreeable [ə´gri:əbəl] a.适合的；符合的 (初中英语单词)
- series [´siəri:z] n.连续；系列；丛书 (初中英语单词)
- magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)
- invisible [in´vizəbəl] a.看不见的；无形的 (初中英语单词)
- plainly [´pleinli] ad.平坦地；简单地 (初中英语单词)
- marble [´mɑ:bəl] n.大理石 a.大理石的 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)
- firmly [´fə:mli] ad.坚固地，稳定地 (初中英语单词)
- champion [´tʃæmpiən] n.冠军 vt.拥护 (初中英语单词)
- rescue [´reskju:] vt.&n.救援；挽救 (初中英语单词)
- polite [pə´lait] a.有礼貌的；温和的 (初中英语单词)
- conquer [´kɔŋkə] v.征服；克服；抑制 (初中英语单词)
- account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)
- insult [in´sʌlt, ´insʌlt] n.&vt.侮辱；损害 (初中英语单词)
- chorus [´kɔ:rəs] n.合唱；齐声 v.合唱 (初中英语单词)
- unusual [ʌn´ju:ʒuəl] a.不平常的；异常的 (初中英语单词)
- pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词)
- forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)
- angrily [´æŋgrili] ad.生气地；愤怒地 (高中英语单词)
- hesitation [,hezi´teiʃən] n.犹豫，踌躇 (高中英语单词)
- awkward [´ɔ:kwəd] a.笨拙的；为难的 (高中英语单词)
- fantastic [fæn´tæstik] a.奇异的；荒谬的 (高中英语单词)
- surrounding [sə´raundiŋ] n.周围的事物 (高中英语单词)
- joyous [´dʒɔiəs] a.充满快乐的 (高中英语单词)
- decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)
- pedestal [´pedistl] n.垫座 vt.给...装上座 (英语四级单词)
- ferocious [fə´rəuʃəs] a.凶猛的；残忍的 (英语六级单词)
- holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)
- lacking [´lækiŋ] a.缺少的，没有的 (英语六级单词)
- downcast [´daunkɑ:st] a.沮丧的；向下看的 (英语六级单词)
- picket [´pikit] n.(尖)桩 v.设置；监视 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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