At last the dawn began to flush redly behind Tom’s back. In less than half an hour it was broad day. What a sight met their eyes! For sublimity3 and beauty it was the most powerfully impressive any of them had ever beheld4. Possibly the height from which they surveyed it lent it additional charm; but even the stolid5 captain was moved to exclamations6 of admiration7.
Before them were wooded slopes covered with verdure of the most brilliant green. Amidst this verdant8 carpet were patches of cleared land on which grew what resembled corn. In other cleared patches other crops were flourishing. Directly under their keel was the mighty9 forest, stretching, as they knew, without interruption to the coast, two thousand miles away.
Beyond the wooded slopes the ground rose abruptly10 upward, piling skyward in ever increasing majesty11 and ruggedness12 to where, sharply outlined against the flawless blue sky, were the sharp peaks of the mighty Andes. The foothills beyond the fruitful slopes already mentioned were, curiously13 enough, almost bare of vegetation, save for here and there an isolated14 clump15 of trees.
Their slopes were cut up and criss-crossed by gullies of unknown depth, and bore the scars of what appeared to be volcanic16 action. From a small peak not far off, and glaringly conspicuous17 by its height amidst the other slowly rising foothills, smoke was curling upward in a yellowish column.
But it was the country below them that occupied their immediate18 attention. From the cultivated patches it was evident that they were flying above a region inhabited by a thrifty19 race of Indians. The point was, were the inhabitants friendly, or were they like many tribes of the upper basin of the Amazon, possessed20 of an unalterable hatred21 of the white man? Much hinged on the answer to these questions.
As they flew along, the question of descending23 was discussed at length, and they finally, on motion of Captain Sprowl, reached the conclusion that they would descend22. But the gas was not to be exhausted24 from the bag, and in case of attack they were to be ready for instant flight. To attempt to oppose the Indians in their own territory would be folly25 of the worst sort. It was, therefore, agreed that in case they encountered hostility26 they were to make discretion27 the better part of valor28 and seek safety in the upper air.
They had hardly concluded their consultation29 before, below them, they saw a large village. It was arranged in the form of a circle, the huts, mostly thatched with palm leaves, with walls of the same material, converging30 to a common centre. It was, in fact, much as if the huts had been the spokes32 of a wheel, the hub of which was formed by a more pretentious33 structure, built, apparently34, of blocks of rough stone, probably quarried35 in the volcanic-looking foothills.
From the village, roads and paths could be seen through the forest in every direction, leading to the fields. As the ship flew, droning like a giant beetle36, above the village, its inhabitants were thrown into much the same flurry as possesses a chicken yard when the shadow of a hawk37 floats across it.
Men, women and children could be seen running from the huts and standing38 with upturned faces gazing at the monstrous39 creature of the skies. They could see that most of the men carried spears and bows, and through the glasses they also made out that many of them were armed with bamboo blow-pipes peculiar40 to the Amazonian tribes.
“Well, what do you think of the prospects41?” asked Mr. Chadwick, turning to the skipper, who had been using the binoculars42.
“I reckon it’ll be all right to go down,” rejoined the captain slowly, “but have Tom and Dick get the rifles ready first. Have them out of sight but handy and ready for instant use. We may have a tussle43; but if we want to get any reliable information about them elephant sloths44 we’ve got to get it from Injuns. Otherwise, we might hunt about here for twenty years without getting any closer to the critter.”
Jack swung the flying craft in big, lazy circles, while Tom and Dick slipped magazines into the automatics and placed fresh ones ready to use in case there was any necessity. The weapons were then laid out of sight, as they had no wish to antagonize the Indians by a show of force. When all these preparations were concluded Captain Sprowl, who, by common consent, was leader of the adventurers at this stage of their travels, gave the word to descend.
There was a patch of cleared ground outside the village and Jack aimed the great flying auto45 toward this. By this time the crowd had increased till the village was swarming46 with humanity. Suddenly, as they shot downward, they saw an odd procession emerge from the central building. Several men in scarlet47 robes appeared, escorting a tall man dressed entirely48 in white.
“That’s the king, or chief, or whatever they call him, I reckon,” remarked Captain Sprowl. “If we can make a hit with his nibs49, we’re all right.”
“Wonder what those red fellows that look like bottles of chili-sauce, are?” asked Dick, the inquisitive50.
“Priests, I guess, or suthin of that nature,” was the reply of the captain, “and say, young fellow, you don’t want to get disrespectful among these folks. They might resent it and their resentment51 takes the form of a spear in the ribs52.”
The flying auto came to the ground as easily as usual; but Jack experienced some difficulty in clearing a path for his landing. Far from running from the machine, which must have been the strangest they had ever seen, the natives appeared to be more curious than alarmed. They crowded about it and several narrowly escaped being run over.
“I don’t much like the look of this,” muttered the captain to Mr. Chadwick. “They don’t scare worth a cent, and that’s a bad sign. Look at ‘em size us up, too. Don’t a soul of you leave the machine whatever happens, till I give the word,” he added.
“Hullo! Here comes his nibs,” said the irreverent Dick, as the crowd gave way respectfully and the tall man in white, with his scarlet-robed retainers, advanced.
As he drew nearer, they saw that although he appeared to be tall, the white-robed man was only altitudinous by comparison with his subjects, as they guessed them to be. These latter were much like the Indians they had encountered the day before, only a trifle more intelligent looking. They had the same small stature53, copper-colored skins, straight black hair and sloe eyes. Several of the younger ones bore a striking resemblance to dark-colored Japanese.
The red-robed men, surrounding the chief, wore circles of feathers like coronets around their heads, and several of the villagers sported the same decoration. As only those so decorated were armed with spears, or bows or blow-pipes, the travelers assumed that they formed the warrior54 or hunter class. In this they were correct.
“Anybody speak English?—United States?” asked the captain, as the white-robed chieftain approached. He was anxious to remove any impression that they were Spaniards or Portuguese55, two races that the Indians hate with an undying resentment for their past cruelties. The captain bowed low to the ruler as he spoke31 and the others followed his example.
“Spanish, then? Anybody speak Spanish?” asked the captain in that language.
One of the red-robed men stepped forward. He was a fine-looking man with an expression almost of intellect which the others, even the chief, notably56 lacked.
“I speak Spanish,” he replied in that language, which they learned later he spoke with a most barbaric accent, “but you are not Spaniards?”
“No, we come from the north, from America,” rejoined the captain, with a sweep of his hand toward that point of the compass.
The red-robed man turned to the chief and spoke rapidly in a not unmusical tongue. The white-robed man nodded comprehendingly and then the inquisitor turned to the captain again. Of course the conversation was not understood by the boys but the captain gave them the details afterward57.
“You come in that flying canoe?” was the next question.
The captain deemed it wise to reply in the affirmative. He added that having heard wonderful things of the country they had come to pay it a friendly visit.
He said nothing just then of the real object of their journey, thinking it more prudent58 to leave this till later on.
This reply being translated to the chief, that dignitary himself appeared to suggest a question. It was one that was to the point, too.
“What do you want in this country?” asked Red-robe.
The captain dared not hesitate, and under the circumstances concluded that the truth was the best thing to tell.
“To hunt, to study your customs and to take back to our people the friendship of this great tribe,” he replied with a touch of diplomacy59.
The red-robed man appeared satisfied. He turned to his chief and spoke rapidly. The chief also appeared gratified, and the captain began to think that all was to go as smoothly60 as they could have desired. But suddenly their hopes were dashed, and that in an entirely unexpected way.
While the red-robed interpreter was talking to the chief and the villagers stood gaping61 around the flying craft, a murmur62 ran through the assemblage of red-robed men. One of them, a powerfully built fellow with a villainous squint63, was pointing out something to the others which appeared to cause them the greatest excitement.
Suddenly the one who squinted64 bounded over toward the chief and tugged65 violently at his sleeve. He spoke rapidly, excitedly pointing at the air craft. The chief frowned and a murmur that had an unmistakable intonation66 of anger buzzed among the central group.
“What’s up?” asked Jack anxiously. “They’re mad about something, aren’t they?”
“Wait a bit, here comes our friend,” was the reply. “Hold your horses, now.”
The interpreter stepped straight up to the captain and spoke swiftly in his imperfect Spanish, while the others pressed closely about the machine. It was clear that a crisis of some sort was pending67. But what, they could not imagine.
“Chekla, our king, wants to know, why, if you come from the far northland, you carry on your ship the god of the Iribis that was stolen from us ten years ago?” demanded the interpreter in tones that unmistakably called for a satisfactory explanation.
The captain explained that they had found the idol68 and that they were glad to be the means of restoring it to the tribe. It was partly for that purpose, he added tactfully, that they had made their long journey through the air.
Chekla impatiently desired to have the captain’s explanation translated to him at once. When this had been done, his brow clouded and he shot out some angry words. The red-robed man turned to the captain.
“Chekla says that the white men are liars69 and sons of liars,” he said in a clear, ringing tone.
At the same instant the red-robed man with the hideous70 squint uttered a loud yell. It appeared to be a signal of some kind, for almost simultaneously71 the air was filled with flying spears and darts72.
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收听单词发音
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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gauging
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| n.测量[试]，测定，计量v.（用仪器）测量( gauge的现在分词 )；估计；计量；划分 | |
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sublimity
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| 崇高，庄严，气质高尚 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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ruggedness
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| 险峻，粗野； 耐久性； 坚固性 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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18
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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thrifty
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| adj.节俭的；兴旺的；健壮的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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30
converging
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| adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
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31
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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32
spokes
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| n.（车轮的）辐条( spoke的名词复数 )；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 | |
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33
pretentious
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| adj.自命不凡的，自负的，炫耀的 | |
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34
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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35
quarried
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| v.从采石场采得( quarry的过去式和过去分词 )；从（书本等中）努力发掘（资料等）；在采石场采石 | |
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36
beetle
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| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
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37
hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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38
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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39
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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40
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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41
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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42
binoculars
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| n.双筒望远镜 | |
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43
tussle
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| n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩 | |
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44
sloths
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| 懒散( sloth的名词复数 )； 懒惰； 树獭； （经济）停滞。 | |
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45
auto
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| n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车 | |
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46
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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47
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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48
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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49
nibs
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| 上司，大人物； 钢笔尖，鹅毛管笔笔尖( nib的名词复数 )； 可可豆的碎粒； 小瑕疵 | |
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50
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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51
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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52
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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53
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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54
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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55
Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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56
notably
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| adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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58
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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60
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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61
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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62
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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63
squint
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| v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
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64
squinted
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| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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65
tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
intonation
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| n.语调，声调；发声 | |
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67
pending
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| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
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68
idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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69
liars
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| 说谎者( liar的名词复数 ) | |
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70
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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71
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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72
darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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