酷兔英语
    当前位置:
  1. 首页
  2. 文章
  3. 娱乐英语
  4. 原版小说
  5. 正文

When the World Shook-Part24_H.Rider Haggard(1856-1925)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

0 收藏 0 分享 0 赞

章节正文
文章总共2页


neglected to keep a watch, was the unpleasantsensation of brawny

savages kneeling on us and trussing us up with palm-fibre ropes.



Also they thrust handfuls of dry grass into our mouths to prevent

us from calling out, although as air came through the interstices



of the grass, we did not suffocate. The thing was so well done

that we never struck a blow in self-defence, and although we had



our pistols at hand, much less could we fire a shot. Of course,

we struggled as well as we were able, but it was quite useless;



in three minutes we were as helpless as calves in a net and like

calves were being conveyed to the butcher. Bastin managed to get



the gag out of his mouth for a few seconds, and I heard him say

in his slow, heavy voice:



"This, Bickley, is what comes of trafficking with evil spirits

in museum cases--" There his speech stopped, for the grass wad



was jammed down his throat again, but distinctly I heard the

inarticulate Bickley snort as he conceived the repartee he was



unable to utter. As for myself, I reflected that the business

served us right for not keeping a watch, and abandoned the issue



to fate.

Still, to confess the truth, I was infinitely more sorry to die



than I should have been forty-eight hours earlier. This is a dull

and in most ways a dreadful world, one, if we could only summon



the courage, that some of us would be glad to leave in search of

new adventures. But here a great and unprecedented adventure had



begun to befall me, and before its mystery was solved, before

even I could formulate a theory concerning it, my body must be



destroyed, and my intelligence that was caged therein, sent far

afield; or, if Bickley were right, eclipsed. It seemed so sad



just when the impossible, like an unguessed wandering moon, had

risen over the grey flats of the ascertained and made them shine



with hope and wonder.

They carried us off to the canoes, not too gently; indeed, I



heard the bony frame of Bastin bump into the bottom of one of

them and reflected, not without venom, that it served him right



as he was the fount and origin of our woes. Two stinking

magicians, wearing on their heads undress editions of their court



cages, since these were too cumbersome for active work of the

sort, and painted all over with various pigments, were just about



to swing me after him into the same, or another canoe, when

something happened. I did not know what it was, but as a result,



my captors left hold of me so that I fell to the rock, lying upon

my back.



Then, within my line of vision, which, it must be remembered,

was limited because I could not lift my head, appeared the upper



part of the tall person of the Ancient who said that he was named

Oro. I could only see him down to his middle, but I noted vaguely



that he seemed to be much changed. For instance, he wore a

different coloured dress, or rather robe; this time it was dark



blue, which caused me to wonder where on earth it came from.

Also, his tremendous beard had been trimmed and dressed, and on



his head there was a simple black cap, strangely quilted, which

looked as though it were made of velvet. Moreover, his face had



plumped out. He still looked ancient, it is true, and unutterably

wise, but now he resembled an antique youth, so great were his



energy and vigour. Also, his dark and glowing eyes shone with a

fearful intensity. In short, he seemed impressive and terrible



almost beyond imagining.

He looked about him slowly, then asked in a deep, cold voice,



speaking in the Orofenan tongue:

"What do you, slaves?"



No one seemed able to answer, they were too horror-stricken at

this sudden vision of their fabled god, whose fierce features of



wood had become flesh; they only turned to fly. He waved his thin

hand and they came to a standstill, like animals which have



reached the end of their tether and are checked by the chains

that bind them. There they stood in all sorts of postures,



immovable and looking extremely ridiculous in their paint and

feathers, with dread unutterable stamped upon their evil faces.



The Sleeper spoke again:

"You would murder as did your forefathers, O children of snakes



and hogs fashioned in the shape of men. You would sacrifice those




文章总共2页
文章标签:名著  

章节正文
Copyright © 2023 Qeto All rights reserved.
商务合作 | 联系我们 | 关于我们 | 版权声明 | 隐私条款 | 如果智培

京ICP备05059198号-1 京公网安备 11011202003401号