章节正文
see it out. Besides, I've an old quarrel with our friend Laputa.'
'Good and well,' said Captain Arcoll. 'Draw in your chair to
the table, then, and I'll explain to you the disposition of my
men. I should tell you that I have loyal natives in my pay in
most tribes, and can count on early intelligence. We can't
match their telepathy; but the new type of field telegraph is
not so bad, and may be a trifle more reliable.'
Till midnight we pored over maps, and certain details were
burned in on my memory. Then we went to bed and slept
soundly, even Mr Wardlaw. It was strange how fear had gone
from the establishment, now that we knew the worst and had
a fighting man by our side.
CHAPTER VIII
I FALL IN AGAIN WITH THE REVEREND JOHN LAPUTA
Once, as a boy, I had earnestly desired to go into the army,
and had hopes of rising to be a great general. Now that I know
myself better, I do not think I would have been much good at
a general's work. I would have shirked the loneliness of it, the
isolation of responsibility. But I think I would have done well
in a subaltern command, for I had a great notion of carrying
out orders, and a certain zest in the mere act of obedience.
Three days before I had been as nervous as a kitten because I
was alone and it was 'up to me,' as Americans say, to decide on
the next step. But now that I was only one wheel in a great
machine of defence my nervousness seemed to have fled. I was
well aware that the mission I was bound on was full of risk;
but, to my surprise, I felt no fear. Indeed, I had much the
same feeling as a boy on a Saturday's holiday who has planned
a big expedition. One thing only I regretted - that Tam Dyke
was not with me to see the fun. The thought of that faithful
soul, now beating somewhere on the seas, made me long for
his comradeship. As I shaved, I remember wondering if I
would ever shave again, and the thought gave me no tremors.
For once in my sober life I was strung up to the gambler's
pitch of adventure.
My job was to go to Umvelos' as if on my ordinary business,
and if possible find out something of the evening's plan of
march. The question was how to send back a message to
Arcoll, assuming I had any difficulty in getting away. At first
this puzzled us both, and then I thought of Colin. I had
trained the dog to go home at my bidding, for often when I
used to go hunting I would have occasion to visit a kraal where
he would have been a nuisance. Accordingly, I resolved to take
Colin with me, and, if I got into trouble, to send word by him.
I asked about Laputa's knowledge of our preparations.
Arcoll was inclined to think that he suspected little. The police
and the commandos had been kept very secret, and, besides,
they were moving on the high veld and out of the ken of the
tribes. Natives, he told me, were not good scouts so far as
white man's work was concerned, for they did not understand
the meaning of what we did. On the other hand, his own
native scouts brought him pretty accuratetidings of any Kaffir
movements. He thought that all the bush country of the plain
would be closely watched, and that no one would get through
without some kind of pass. But he thought also that the
storekeeper might be an exception, for his presence would give
rise to no suspicions. Almost his last words to me were to come
back hell-for-leather if I saw the game was hopeless, and in
any case to leave as soon as I got any news. 'If you're there
when the march begins,' he said, 'they'll cut your throat for a
certainty.' I had all the various police posts on the Berg clear
in my mind, so that I would know where to make for if the
road to Blaauwildebeestefontein should be closed.
I said good-bye to Arcoll and Wardlaw with a light heart,
though the schoolmaster broke down and implored me to think
better of it. As I turned down into the gorge I heard the sound
of horses' feet far behind, and, turning back, saw white riders
dismounting at the dorp. At any rate I was leaving the country
well guarded in my rear.
It was a fine morning in mid-winter, and I was in very good
spirits as I jogged on my pony down the steep hill-road, with
Colin running beside me. A month before I had taken the
same journey, with no suspicion in my head of what the future
was to bring. I thought about my Dutch companions, now
with their cattle far out on the plains. Did they know of the
great danger, I wondered. All the way down the glen I saw no
sign of human presence. The game-birds mocked me from the
thicket; a brace of white berghaan circled far up in the blue;
and I had for pleasant comrade the brawling river. I dismounted
once to drink, and in that green haven of flowers and ferns I was
struck sharply with a sense of folly. Here were we wretched
creatures of men making for each other's throats, and outraging
the good earth which God had made so fair a habitation.
I had resolved on a short cut to Umvelos', avoiding the
neighbourhood of Sikitola's kraal, so when the river emerged
from the glen I crossed it and struck into the bush. I had not
gone far before I realized that something strange was going on.
It was like the woods on the Berg a week before. I had the
impression of many people moving in the bush, and now and
then I caught a glimpse of them. My first thought was that I
should be stopped, but soon it appeared that these folk had
business of their own which did not concern me. I was
conscious of being watched, yet it was clear that the bush folk
were not there for the purpose of watching me.
For a little I kept my spirits, but as the hours passed with
the same uncanny hurrying to and fro all about me my nerves
began to suffer. Weeks of espionage at Blaauwildebeestefontein
had made me jumpy. These people apparently meant me no
ill, and had no time to spare on me, But the sensation of
moving through them was like walking on a black-dark night
with precipices all around. I felt odd quiverings between my
shoulder blades where a spear might be expected to lodge.
Overhead was a great blue sky and a blazing sun, and I could
see the path running clear before me between the walls of
scrub. But it was like midnight to me, a midnight of suspicion
and unknown perils. I began to wish heartily I had never come.
I stopped for my midday meal at a place called Taqui, a
grassy glade in the bush where a tiny spring of water crept out
from below a big stone, only to disappear in the sand. Here I
sat and smoked for half an hour, wondering what was going to
become of me. The air was very still, but I could hear the
rustle of movement somewhere within a hundred yards. The
hidden folk were busy about their own ends, and I regretted
that I had not taken the road by Sikitola's and seen how the
kraals looked. They must be empty now, for the young men
were already out on some mission. So nervous I got that I took
my pocket-book and wrote down certain messages to my
mother, which I implored whoever should find my body to
transmit. Then, a little ashamed of my childishness, I pulled
myself together, and remounted.
About three in the afternoon I came over a low ridge of bush
and saw the corrugated iron roof of the store and the gleam of
water from the Labongo. The sight encouraged me, for at any
rate it meant the end of this disquieting ride. Here the bush
changed to trees of some size, and after leaving the ridge the
road plunged for a little into a thick shade. I had forgotten for
a moment the folk in the bush, and when a man stepped out of
the thicket I pulled up my horse with a start.
It was a tall native, who carried himself proudly, and after a
glance at me, stalked along at my side. He wore curious
clothes, for he had a kind of linen tunic, and around his waist
hung a kilt of leopard-skin. In such a man one would have
looked for a ting-kop,* but instead he had a mass of hair, not
like a Kaffir's wool, but long and curled like some popular
musician's. I should have been prepared for the face, but the
sight of it sent a sudden chill of fright through my veins. For
there was the curved nose, the deep flashing eyes, and the
cruel lips of my enemy of the Kirkcaple shore.
*The circlet into which, with the aid of gum, Zulu warriors weave their
hair.
Colin was deeply suspicious and followed his heels growling,
but he never turned his head.
'The day is warm, father,' I said in Kaffir. 'Do you go far?'
He slackened his pace till he was at my elbow. 'But a short
way, Baas,' he replied in English; 'I go to the store yonder.'
'Well met, then,' said I, 'for I am the storekeeper. You will
find little in it, for it is newly built and not yet stocked. I have
ridden over to see to it.'
He turned his face to me. 'That is bad news. I had hoped
for food and drink yonder. I have travelled far, and in the chill
nights I desire a cover for my head. Will the Baas allow me to
sleep the night in an outhouse?'
By this time I had recovered my nerve, and was ready to
play the part I had determined on. 'Willingly,' I said. 'You
may sleep in the storeroom if you care. You will find sacks for
bedding, and the place is snug enough on a cold night.'
He thanked me with a grave dignity which I had never seen
in any Kaffir. As my eye fell on his splendid proportions I
forgot all else in my admiration of the man. In his minister's
clothes he had looked only a heavily built native, but now in
his savage dress I saw how noble a figure he made. He must
have been at least six feet and a half, but his chest was so deep
and his shoulders so massive that one did not remark his
height. He put a hand on my saddle, and I remember noting
how slim and fine it was, more like a high-bred woman's than
a man's. Curiously enough he filled me with a certain confidence.
'I do not think you will cut my throat,' I said to myself.
'Your game is too big for common murder.'
The store at Umvelos' stood as I had left it. There was the
sjambok I had forgotten still lying on the window sill. I
unlocked the door, and a stifling smell of new paint came out
to meet me. Inside there was nothing but the chairs and
benches, and in a corner the pots and pans I had left against
my next visit. I unlocked the cupboard and got out a few
stores, opened the windows of the bedroom next door, and
flung my kaross on the cartel which did duty as bed. Then I
went out to find Laputa standingpatiently in the sunshine.
I showed him the outhouse where I had said he might sleep.
It was the largest room in the store, but wholly unfurnished.
A pile of barrels and packing-cases stood in the corner, and
there was enough sacking to make a sort of bed.
'I am going to make tea,' I said. 'If you have come far you
would maybe like a cup?'
He thanked me, and I made a fire in the grate and put on
the kettle to boil. Then I set on the table biscuits, and sardines,
and a pot of jam. It was my business now to play the fool, and
I believe I succeeded to admiration in the part. I blush to-day
to think of the stuff I talked. First I made him sit on a chair
opposite me, a thing no white man in the country would have
done. Then I told him affectionately that I liked natives, that
they were fine fellows and better men than the dirty whites
round about. I explained that I was fresh from England, and
believed in equal rights for all men, white or coloured. God
forgive me, but I think I said I hoped to see the day when
Africa would belong once more to its rightful masters.
He heard me with an impassive face, his grave eyes studying
every line of me. I am bound to add that he made a hearty
meal, and drank three cups of strong tea of my brewing. I gave
him a cigar, one of a lot I had got from a Dutch farmer who
was experimenting with their manufacture - and all the while
I babbled of myself and my opinions. He must have thought
'Good and well,' said Captain Arcoll. 'Draw in your chair to
the table, then, and I'll explain to you the disposition of my
men. I should tell you that I have loyal natives in my pay in
most tribes, and can count on early intelligence. We can't
match their telepathy; but the new type of field telegraph is
not so bad, and may be a trifle more reliable.'
Till midnight we pored over maps, and certain details were
burned in on my memory. Then we went to bed and slept
soundly, even Mr Wardlaw. It was strange how fear had gone
from the establishment, now that we knew the worst and had
a fighting man by our side.
CHAPTER VIII
I FALL IN AGAIN WITH THE REVEREND JOHN LAPUTA
Once, as a boy, I had earnestly desired to go into the army,
and had hopes of rising to be a great general. Now that I know
myself better, I do not think I would have been much good at
a general's work. I would have shirked the loneliness of it, the
isolation of responsibility. But I think I would have done well
in a subaltern command, for I had a great notion of carrying
out orders, and a certain zest in the mere act of obedience.
Three days before I had been as nervous as a kitten because I
was alone and it was 'up to me,' as Americans say, to decide on
the next step. But now that I was only one wheel in a great
machine of defence my nervousness seemed to have fled. I was
well aware that the mission I was bound on was full of risk;
but, to my surprise, I felt no fear. Indeed, I had much the
same feeling as a boy on a Saturday's holiday who has planned
a big expedition. One thing only I regretted - that Tam Dyke
was not with me to see the fun. The thought of that faithful
soul, now beating somewhere on the seas, made me long for
his comradeship. As I shaved, I remember wondering if I
would ever shave again, and the thought gave me no tremors.
For once in my sober life I was strung up to the gambler's
pitch of adventure.
My job was to go to Umvelos' as if on my ordinary business,
and if possible find out something of the evening's plan of
march. The question was how to send back a message to
Arcoll, assuming I had any difficulty in getting away. At first
this puzzled us both, and then I thought of Colin. I had
trained the dog to go home at my bidding, for often when I
used to go hunting I would have occasion to visit a kraal where
he would have been a nuisance. Accordingly, I resolved to take
Colin with me, and, if I got into trouble, to send word by him.
I asked about Laputa's knowledge of our preparations.
Arcoll was inclined to think that he suspected little. The police
and the commandos had been kept very secret, and, besides,
they were moving on the high veld and out of the ken of the
tribes. Natives, he told me, were not good scouts so far as
white man's work was concerned, for they did not understand
the meaning of what we did. On the other hand, his own
native scouts brought him pretty accuratetidings of any Kaffir
movements. He thought that all the bush country of the plain
would be closely watched, and that no one would get through
without some kind of pass. But he thought also that the
storekeeper might be an exception, for his presence would give
rise to no suspicions. Almost his last words to me were to come
back hell-for-leather if I saw the game was hopeless, and in
any case to leave as soon as I got any news. 'If you're there
when the march begins,' he said, 'they'll cut your throat for a
certainty.' I had all the various police posts on the Berg clear
in my mind, so that I would know where to make for if the
road to Blaauwildebeestefontein should be closed.
I said good-bye to Arcoll and Wardlaw with a light heart,
though the schoolmaster broke down and implored me to think
better of it. As I turned down into the gorge I heard the sound
of horses' feet far behind, and, turning back, saw white riders
dismounting at the dorp. At any rate I was leaving the country
well guarded in my rear.
It was a fine morning in mid-winter, and I was in very good
spirits as I jogged on my pony down the steep hill-road, with
Colin running beside me. A month before I had taken the
same journey, with no suspicion in my head of what the future
was to bring. I thought about my Dutch companions, now
with their cattle far out on the plains. Did they know of the
great danger, I wondered. All the way down the glen I saw no
sign of human presence. The game-birds mocked me from the
thicket; a brace of white berghaan circled far up in the blue;
and I had for pleasant comrade the brawling river. I dismounted
once to drink, and in that green haven of flowers and ferns I was
struck sharply with a sense of folly. Here were we wretched
creatures of men making for each other's throats, and outraging
the good earth which God had made so fair a habitation.
I had resolved on a short cut to Umvelos', avoiding the
neighbourhood of Sikitola's kraal, so when the river emerged
from the glen I crossed it and struck into the bush. I had not
gone far before I realized that something strange was going on.
It was like the woods on the Berg a week before. I had the
impression of many people moving in the bush, and now and
then I caught a glimpse of them. My first thought was that I
should be stopped, but soon it appeared that these folk had
business of their own which did not concern me. I was
conscious of being watched, yet it was clear that the bush folk
were not there for the purpose of watching me.
For a little I kept my spirits, but as the hours passed with
the same uncanny hurrying to and fro all about me my nerves
began to suffer. Weeks of espionage at Blaauwildebeestefontein
had made me jumpy. These people apparently meant me no
ill, and had no time to spare on me, But the sensation of
moving through them was like walking on a black-dark night
with precipices all around. I felt odd quiverings between my
shoulder blades where a spear might be expected to lodge.
Overhead was a great blue sky and a blazing sun, and I could
see the path running clear before me between the walls of
scrub. But it was like midnight to me, a midnight of suspicion
and unknown perils. I began to wish heartily I had never come.
I stopped for my midday meal at a place called Taqui, a
grassy glade in the bush where a tiny spring of water crept out
from below a big stone, only to disappear in the sand. Here I
sat and smoked for half an hour, wondering what was going to
become of me. The air was very still, but I could hear the
rustle of movement somewhere within a hundred yards. The
hidden folk were busy about their own ends, and I regretted
that I had not taken the road by Sikitola's and seen how the
kraals looked. They must be empty now, for the young men
were already out on some mission. So nervous I got that I took
my pocket-book and wrote down certain messages to my
mother, which I implored whoever should find my body to
transmit. Then, a little ashamed of my childishness, I pulled
myself together, and remounted.
About three in the afternoon I came over a low ridge of bush
and saw the corrugated iron roof of the store and the gleam of
water from the Labongo. The sight encouraged me, for at any
rate it meant the end of this disquieting ride. Here the bush
changed to trees of some size, and after leaving the ridge the
road plunged for a little into a thick shade. I had forgotten for
a moment the folk in the bush, and when a man stepped out of
the thicket I pulled up my horse with a start.
It was a tall native, who carried himself proudly, and after a
glance at me, stalked along at my side. He wore curious
clothes, for he had a kind of linen tunic, and around his waist
hung a kilt of leopard-skin. In such a man one would have
looked for a ting-kop,* but instead he had a mass of hair, not
like a Kaffir's wool, but long and curled like some popular
musician's. I should have been prepared for the face, but the
sight of it sent a sudden chill of fright through my veins. For
there was the curved nose, the deep flashing eyes, and the
cruel lips of my enemy of the Kirkcaple shore.
*The circlet into which, with the aid of gum, Zulu warriors weave their
hair.
Colin was deeply suspicious and followed his heels growling,
but he never turned his head.
'The day is warm, father,' I said in Kaffir. 'Do you go far?'
He slackened his pace till he was at my elbow. 'But a short
way, Baas,' he replied in English; 'I go to the store yonder.'
'Well met, then,' said I, 'for I am the storekeeper. You will
find little in it, for it is newly built and not yet stocked. I have
ridden over to see to it.'
He turned his face to me. 'That is bad news. I had hoped
for food and drink yonder. I have travelled far, and in the chill
nights I desire a cover for my head. Will the Baas allow me to
sleep the night in an outhouse?'
By this time I had recovered my nerve, and was ready to
play the part I had determined on. 'Willingly,' I said. 'You
may sleep in the storeroom if you care. You will find sacks for
bedding, and the place is snug enough on a cold night.'
He thanked me with a grave dignity which I had never seen
in any Kaffir. As my eye fell on his splendid proportions I
forgot all else in my admiration of the man. In his minister's
clothes he had looked only a heavily built native, but now in
his savage dress I saw how noble a figure he made. He must
have been at least six feet and a half, but his chest was so deep
and his shoulders so massive that one did not remark his
height. He put a hand on my saddle, and I remember noting
how slim and fine it was, more like a high-bred woman's than
a man's. Curiously enough he filled me with a certain confidence.
'I do not think you will cut my throat,' I said to myself.
'Your game is too big for common murder.'
The store at Umvelos' stood as I had left it. There was the
sjambok I had forgotten still lying on the window sill. I
unlocked the door, and a stifling smell of new paint came out
to meet me. Inside there was nothing but the chairs and
benches, and in a corner the pots and pans I had left against
my next visit. I unlocked the cupboard and got out a few
stores, opened the windows of the bedroom next door, and
flung my kaross on the cartel which did duty as bed. Then I
went out to find Laputa standingpatiently in the sunshine.
I showed him the outhouse where I had said he might sleep.
It was the largest room in the store, but wholly unfurnished.
A pile of barrels and packing-cases stood in the corner, and
there was enough sacking to make a sort of bed.
'I am going to make tea,' I said. 'If you have come far you
would maybe like a cup?'
He thanked me, and I made a fire in the grate and put on
the kettle to boil. Then I set on the table biscuits, and sardines,
and a pot of jam. It was my business now to play the fool, and
I believe I succeeded to admiration in the part. I blush to-day
to think of the stuff I talked. First I made him sit on a chair
opposite me, a thing no white man in the country would have
done. Then I told him affectionately that I liked natives, that
they were fine fellows and better men than the dirty whites
round about. I explained that I was fresh from England, and
believed in equal rights for all men, white or coloured. God
forgive me, but I think I said I hoped to see the day when
Africa would belong once more to its rightful masters.
He heard me with an impassive face, his grave eyes studying
every line of me. I am bound to add that he made a hearty
meal, and drank three cups of strong tea of my brewing. I gave
him a cigar, one of a lot I had got from a Dutch farmer who
was experimenting with their manufacture - and all the while
I babbled of myself and my opinions. He must have thought
- disposition [,dispə´ziʃən]
n.安排；性情；倾向 (初中英语单词) - intelligence [in´telidʒəns] n.智力；消息 (初中英语单词)
- telegraph [´teligrɑ:f] n.&v.(打)电报；电告 (初中英语单词)
- trifle [´traifəl] n.琐事，小事；少量 (初中英语单词)
- midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)
- establishment [i´stæbliʃmənt] n.建(成)立；研究所 (初中英语单词)
- responsibility [ri,spɔnsə´biliti] n.责任(心)；职责；任务 (初中英语单词)
- nervous [´nə:vəs] a.神经的；神经过敏的 (初中英语单词)
- kitten [´kitn] n.小猫 (初中英语单词)
- mission [´miʃən] n.代表团；使馆vt.派遣 (初中英语单词)
- holiday [´hɔlidi] n.假日，假期，节日 (初中英语单词)
- expedition [,ekspi´diʃən] n.远征；探险；迅速 (初中英语单词)
- accordingly [ə´kɔ:diŋli] ad.因此；从而；依照 (初中英语单词)
- accurate [´ækjurət] a.准确的；精密的 (初中英语单词)
- exception [ik´sepʃən] n.例外；反对，异议 (初中英语单词)
- throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- suspicion [sə´spiʃən] n.怀(猜)疑；嫌疑 (初中英语单词)
- sharply [´ʃɑ:pli] ad.锋利地；剧烈地 (初中英语单词)
- glimpse [glimps] n.&v.瞥见 (初中英语单词)
- sensation [sen´seiʃən] n.感觉；轰动；轰动一时 (初中英语单词)
- movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)
- ashamed [ə´ʃeimd] a.惭愧；不好意思 (初中英语单词)
- proudly [´praudli] ad.骄傲地；傲慢地 (初中英语单词)
- fright [frait] n.惊吓；恐怖；怪人 (初中英语单词)
- dignity [´digniti] n.尊严，尊贵；高官显贵 (初中英语单词)
- admiration [,ædmə´reiʃən] n.赞赏，钦佩 (初中英语单词)
- savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)
- saddle [´sædl] n.鞍子 v.装鞍(于) (初中英语单词)
- curiously [´kjuəriəsli] ad.好奇地；稀奇古怪地 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- wholly [´həul-li] ad.完全，十足；统统 (初中英语单词)
- kettle [´ketl] n.水壶 (初中英语单词)
- reverend [´revərənd] a.可尊敬的 (高中英语单词)
- earnestly [´ə:nistli] ad.认真地；急切地 (高中英语单词)
- loneliness [´ləunliniz] n.孤独，寂寞 (高中英语单词)
- nuisance [´nju:səns] n.损害；讨厌的人(事) (高中英语单词)
- concerned [kən´sə:nd] a.有关的；担心的 (高中英语单词)
- tidings [´taidiŋz] n.消息，音信 (高中英语单词)
- hopeless [´həupləs] a.无望的，无可救药的 (高中英语单词)
- apparently [ə´pærəntli] ad.显然，表面上地 (高中英语单词)
- heartily [´hɑ:tili] ad.衷心地；亲切地 (高中英语单词)
- whoever [hu:´evə] pron.任何人，无论谁 (高中英语单词)
- thicket [´θikit] n.灌木丛；密集的东西 (高中英语单词)
- suspicious [sə´spiʃəs] a.可疑的，多疑的 (高中英语单词)
- massive [´mæsiv] a.厚实的；魁伟的 (高中英语单词)
- cupboard [´kʌbəd] n.碗柜，食橱 (高中英语单词)
- patiently [´peiʃəntli] ad.有耐心地；坚韧地 (高中英语单词)
- resolved [ri´zɔlvd] a.决心的；坚定的 (英语四级单词)
- schoolmaster [´sku:l,mɑ:stə] n.教练；(男)教师 (英语四级单词)
- midday [´middei] n.中午 (英语四级单词)
- beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)
- hunting [´hʌntiŋ] n.打猎 (英语六级单词)
- uncanny [ʌn´kæni] a.神秘的；离奇的 (英语六级单词)
- affectionately [ə´fekʃnitli] ad.热情地；体贴地 (英语六级单词)
- rightful [´raitfəl] a.正义的；合法的 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
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