章节正文
文章总共2页
ranche to make it handsomer. Then the climate, with the sea-
breeze every afternoon in the hottest summer weather, had
gradually cured the sciatica; and his sister and niece were
now domesticated with him for company - or, rather, the niece
came only once in the two days, teaching music the meanwhile
in the valley. And then, for a last piece of luck, "the
handsomest spot in the Californy mountains" had produced a
petrified forest, which Mr. Evans now shows at the modest
figure of half a dollar a head, or two-thirds of his capital
when he first came there with an axe and a sciatica.
This tardy favourite of fortune - hobbling a little, I think,
as if in memory of the sciatica, but with not a trace that I
can remember of the sea - thoroughly ruralized from head to
foot, proceeded to escort us up the hill behind his house.
"Who first found the forest?" asked my wife.
"The first? I was that man," said he. "I was cleaning up
the pasture for my beasts, when I found THIS" - kicking a
great redwood seven feet in diameter, that lay there on its
side, hollow heart, clinging lumps of bark, all changed into
gray stone, with veins of quartz between what had been the
layers of the wood.
"Were you surprised?"
"Surprised? No! What would I be surprised about? What did
I know about petrifactions - following the sea?
Petrifaction! There was no such word in my language! I knew
about putrifaction, though! I thought it was a stone; so
would you, if you was cleaning up pasture."
And now he had a theory of his own, which I did not quite
grasp, except that the trees had not "grewed" there. But he
mentioned, with evident pride, that he differed from all the
scientific people who had visited the spot; and he flung
about such words as "tufa" and "scilica" with careless
freedom.
When I mentioned I was from Scotland, "My old country," he
said; "my old country" - with a smiling look and a tone of
real affection in his voice. I was mightily surprised, for
he was obviously Scandinavian, and begged him to explain. It
seemed he had learned his English and done nearly all his
sailing in Scotch ships. "Out of Glasgow," said he, "or
Greenock; but that's all the same - they all hail from
Glasgow." And he was so pleased with me for being a Scotsman,
and his adopted compatriot, that he made me a present of a
very beautiful piece of petrifaction - I believe the most
beautiful and portable he had.
Here was a man, at least, who was a Swede, a Scot, and an
American, acknowledging some kind allegiance to three lands.
Mr. Wallace's Scoto-Circassian will not fail to come before
the reader. I have myself met and spoken with a Fifeshire
German, whose combination of abominable accents struck me
dumb. But, indeed, I think we all belong to many countries.
And perhaps this habit of much travel, and the engendering of
scattered friendships, may prepare the euthanasia of ancient
nations.
And the forest itself? Well, on a tangled, briery hillside -
for the pasture would bear a little further cleaning up, to
my eyes - there lie scattered thickly various lengths of
petrified trunk, such as the one already mentioned. It is
very curious, of course, and ancient enough, if that were
all. Doubtless, the heart of the geologist beats quicker at
the sight; but, for my part, I was mightily unmoved. Sight-
seeing is the art of disappointment.
"There's nothing under heaven so blue,
That's fairly worth the travelling to."
But, fortunately, Heaven rewards us with many agreeable
prospects and adventures by the way; and sometimes, when we
go out to see a petrified forest, prepares a far more
delightful curiosity, in the form of Mr. Evans, whom may all
prosperity attend throughout a long and green old age.
CHAPTER III - NAPA WINE
I WAS interested in Californian wine. Indeed, I am
interested in all wines, and have been all my life, from the
raisin wine that a schoolfellow kept secreted in his play-box
up to my last discovery, those notable Valtellines, that once
breeze every afternoon in the hottest summer weather, had
gradually cured the sciatica; and his sister and niece were
now domesticated with him for company - or, rather, the niece
came only once in the two days, teaching music the meanwhile
in the valley. And then, for a last piece of luck, "the
handsomest spot in the Californy mountains" had produced a
petrified forest, which Mr. Evans now shows at the modest
figure of half a dollar a head, or two-thirds of his capital
when he first came there with an axe and a sciatica.
This tardy favourite of fortune - hobbling a little, I think,
as if in memory of the sciatica, but with not a trace that I
can remember of the sea - thoroughly ruralized from head to
foot, proceeded to escort us up the hill behind his house.
"Who first found the forest?" asked my wife.
"The first? I was that man," said he. "I was cleaning up
the pasture for my beasts, when I found THIS" - kicking a
great redwood seven feet in diameter, that lay there on its
side, hollow heart, clinging lumps of bark, all changed into
gray stone, with veins of quartz between what had been the
layers of the wood.
"Were you surprised?"
"Surprised? No! What would I be surprised about? What did
I know about petrifactions - following the sea?
Petrifaction! There was no such word in my language! I knew
about putrifaction, though! I thought it was a stone; so
would you, if you was cleaning up pasture."
And now he had a theory of his own, which I did not quite
grasp, except that the trees had not "grewed" there. But he
mentioned, with evident pride, that he differed from all the
scientific people who had visited the spot; and he flung
about such words as "tufa" and "scilica" with careless
freedom.
When I mentioned I was from Scotland, "My old country," he
said; "my old country" - with a smiling look and a tone of
real affection in his voice. I was mightily surprised, for
he was obviously Scandinavian, and begged him to explain. It
seemed he had learned his English and done nearly all his
sailing in Scotch ships. "Out of Glasgow," said he, "or
Greenock; but that's all the same - they all hail from
Glasgow." And he was so pleased with me for being a Scotsman,
and his adopted compatriot, that he made me a present of a
very beautiful piece of petrifaction - I believe the most
beautiful and portable he had.
Here was a man, at least, who was a Swede, a Scot, and an
American, acknowledging some kind allegiance to three lands.
Mr. Wallace's Scoto-Circassian will not fail to come before
the reader. I have myself met and spoken with a Fifeshire
German, whose combination of abominable accents struck me
dumb. But, indeed, I think we all belong to many countries.
And perhaps this habit of much travel, and the engendering of
scattered friendships, may prepare the euthanasia of ancient
nations.
And the forest itself? Well, on a tangled, briery hillside -
for the pasture would bear a little further cleaning up, to
my eyes - there lie scattered thickly various lengths of
petrified trunk, such as the one already mentioned. It is
very curious, of course, and ancient enough, if that were
all. Doubtless, the heart of the geologist beats quicker at
the sight; but, for my part, I was mightily unmoved. Sight-
seeing is the art of disappointment.
"There's nothing under heaven so blue,
That's fairly worth the travelling to."
But, fortunately, Heaven rewards us with many agreeable
prospects and adventures by the way; and sometimes, when we
go out to see a petrified forest, prepares a far more
delightful curiosity, in the form of Mr. Evans, whom may all
prosperity attend throughout a long and green old age.
CHAPTER III - NAPA WINE
I WAS interested in Californian wine. Indeed, I am
interested in all wines, and have been all my life, from the
raisin wine that a schoolfellow kept secreted in his play-box
up to my last discovery, those notable Valtellines, that once
- civilization [,sivilai´zeiʃən]
n.文明，文化 (初中英语单词) - career [kə´riə] n.经历；生涯；职业 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- attendant [ə´tendənt] n.随员 a.伴随的 (初中英语单词)
- extremely [ik´stri:mli] ad.极端地；非常地 (初中英语单词)
- system [´sistəm] n.系统，体系，制度 (初中英语单词)
- cottage [´kɔtidʒ] n.村舍；小屋；小别墅 (初中英语单词)
- domestic [də´mestik] a.家庭的；本国的 (初中英语单词)
- resort [ri´zɔ:t] vi.求助；乞灵；诉诸 (初中英语单词)
- sulphur [´sʌlfə] n.硫，硫磺 (初中英语单词)
- valley [´væli] n.谷；河谷；流域 (初中英语单词)
- seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)
- overhead [´əuvə,hed] ad.当头 a.在头上的 (初中英语单词)
- stress [stres] n.强调；压力 vt.强调 (初中英语单词)
- satisfactory [,sætis´fæktəri] a.令人满意的 (初中英语单词)
- sunshine [´sʌnʃain] n.日光，阳光 (初中英语单词)
- pasture [´pɑ:stʃə] n.牧场；放牧 v.吃(草) (初中英语单词)
- wilderness [´wildənis] n.荒地，荒野 (初中英语单词)
- graceful [´greisfəl] a.优美的，流畅的 (初中英语单词)
- movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)
- monument [´mɔnjumənt] n.纪念碑；古迹 (初中英语单词)
- timber [´timbə] n.木材；木料；横梁 (初中英语单词)
- scarce [skeəs, skers] a.缺乏的；稀有的 (初中英语单词)
- lively [´laivli] a.活泼的；热烈的 (初中英语单词)
- variety [və´raiəti] n.变化；多样(性)；种类 (初中英语单词)
- breeze [bri:z] n.微风；不费力的事 (初中英语单词)
- plunge [plʌndʒ] v.插进 n.投入；冲击 (初中英语单词)
- lonely [´ləunli] a.孤独的；无人烟的 (初中英语单词)
- wooden [´wudn] a.木制的；呆板的 (初中英语单词)
- useless [´ju:sləs] a.无用的，无价值的 (初中英语单词)
- ashore [ə´ʃɔ:] ad.向岸上 (初中英语单词)
- climate [´klaimit] n.气候；特殊气候地带 (初中英语单词)
- thoroughly [´θʌrəli] ad.完全地，彻底地 (初中英语单词)
- evident [´evidənt] a.明显的，明白的 (初中英语单词)
- affection [ə´fekʃən] n.友爱；慈爱 (初中英语单词)
- obviously [´ɔbviəsli] ad.明显地；显而易见地 (初中英语单词)
- spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- combination [,kɔmbi´neiʃən] n.结合；联合；团体 (初中英语单词)
- hillside [´hilsaid] n.山腰 (初中英语单词)
- doubtless [´dautlis] ad.无疑地；大概，多半 (初中英语单词)
- curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇；奇事；珍品 (初中英语单词)
- schoolfellow [´sku:l,feləu] n.同学 (初中英语单词)
- tenant [´tenənt] n.租户，佃户 (高中英语单词)
- pacific [pə´sifik] a.和平的；温和的 (高中英语单词)
- hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)
- thermometer [θə´mɔmitə] n.温度计；寒暑表 (高中英语单词)
- brightness [´braitnis] n.光明；快乐 (高中英语单词)
- bearing [´beəriŋ] n.举止；忍耐；关系 (高中英语单词)
- summit [´sʌmit] n.顶(点)；绝顶 (高中英语单词)
- quartz [kwɔ:ts] n.石英 (高中英语单词)
- composition [,kɔmpə´ziʃən] n.写作；作曲；作品 (高中英语单词)
- innumerable [i´nju:mərəbəl] a.无数的，数不清的 (高中英语单词)
- continual [kən´tinjuəl] a.不断的，频繁的 (高中英语单词)
- proprietor [prə´praiətə] n.所有人；业主；经营者 (高中英语单词)
- solitary [´sɔlitəri] a.独居的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)
- escort [´eskɔ:t] n.伴随者；警卫(队) (高中英语单词)
- diameter [dai´æmitə] n.直径 (高中英语单词)
- learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
- scotch [skɔtʃ] vt.&n.刻痕(于)；划伤 (高中英语单词)
- allegiance [ə´li:dʒəns] n.忠诚，效忠 (高中英语单词)
- thickly [´θikli] ad.厚厚地；密密地 (高中英语单词)
- fortunately [´fɔ:tʃənətli] ad.幸运地 (高中英语单词)
- notable [´nəutəbəl] a.显著的 n.名人 (高中英语单词)
- favoured [´feivəd] a.有利的，喜爱的 (英语四级单词)
- californian [,kæli´fɔ:njən] a.加利福尼亚州的 (英语四级单词)
- stature [´stætʃə] n.身高；身材 (英语四级单词)
- shaggy [´ʃægi] a.蓬乱的；多粗毛的 (英语四级单词)
- lesser [´lesə] a.较小的；次要的 (英语四级单词)
- seemingly [´si:miŋli] ad.表面上；似乎 (英语四级单词)
- abominable [ə´bɔminəbəl] a.可憎的；极坏的 (英语四级单词)
- chieftain [´tʃi:ftən] n.(强盗)首领；族长 (英语六级单词)
- enclosure [in´kləuʒə] n.包围；围墙；封入物 (英语六级单词)
- pinnacle [´pinəkl] n.小尖塔；山顶；极点 (英语六级单词)
- fleeting [´fli:tiŋ] a.飞逝的，疾驰的 (英语六级单词)
- profile [´prəufail] n.侧面 vt.画…侧面 (英语六级单词)
- beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)
- coolness [´ku:lnis] n.凉，凉爽；冷静 (英语六级单词)
- portable [´pɔ:təbəl] a.轻便的 n.手提打字机 (英语六级单词)
- unmoved [ʌn´mu:vd] a.无动于衷的；坚定的 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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