Upon the platform, sat an image which appeared out of harmony with the lifeless things about it; nor did it resemble sky or cloud. It was the figure of a man sitting upon a rock near the cave entrance; a man bare of all vestment except that which covered his body from head to foot—his own hair, thick and bristly like a boar’s. His head was inclined forward so that only the base of the skull14-cap could be seen. The latter was of lesser15 girth than the huge neck which joined it to the shoulders. And such shoulders! They and the broad back were proportionately even more massive than the bull-like neck. That was all. The image sat with features averted16 and the wondering eyes could see no more.
And then, as though sensible of something regarding it from behind, the image moved. The great back turned slowly around and a face peered from behind one shoulder at the figure lying on the cave-floor. As its gaze met that of the wondering eyes, the image unfolded its limbs and stood erect18, a living man.
A man?—rather a giant; stranger from another world. The eyes staring from the grotto19 had never gazed upon a more extraordinary human being. The heavy brows so characteristic of all cave-folk,[149] were exaggerated into great bars of bone which transformed the deep eye-sockets into cavernous recesses20. They continued far forward from the sloping forehead like the eaves of a roof. The skull top receded21 at a low angle to meet the hind17 portion. The mouth was large, the lips thin, the nose prominent but well-formed. The body and, limbs, particularly the arms and shoulders were of tremendous size and strength.
The apparition22 now strode to the cave entrance whose roof barely cleared the huge head. As it stood silhouetted23 against the sky, its herculean proportions were clearly displayed. And yet in spite of his gigantic stature24 the Man of the Neander Gorge was but an exaggeration of a familiar type—the race of Moustier.
He entered the cave and bent25 over the figure lying there. The wondering eyes followed his every motion as in a dream. What with the sombre surroundings, the death-like silence and this vision of a motionless image suddenly transformed into a living being, the eyes continued staring as though just opened for the first time upon the marvels26 of an unknown world.
Slowly the Giant’s huge hand reached down and stroked the cold forehead,—a hand of iron and yet so soothing27, the eyes drifted back to earth and became one with the mind and substance of the body.[150] They lost their blank expression and stared curiously28 into the strange face now bending over them. A touch of crimson29 warmed the sunken cheeks and the sick man asked in a hollow voice: “Who are you?”
“A man.” The Giant’s face brightened as he answered. That touch of the hand, the look of sympathy, were indications of certain elements which define human character and which men alone possessed30. The Cave Man of the Neander Gorge was fierce and terrible to look upon; but all the more, a man.
The sufferer’s eyes closed and he sighed as though content. The corners of his mouth expanded slowly backwards31 towards his ears. The Giant stared amazed; but as he looked and wondered, a warm glow arose within his breast. His face reflected the sunshine of that smile whose like he had never seen light the features of beast or man. It was but a grinning mouth; and yet for the first time he gazed upon white teeth that neither snapped nor threatened but touched a responsive chord in his own breast.
“And what strange being are you?” he asked in a deep voice. “You whose snarl32 would make even a rabbit lose its fear of red jowl and gleaming fang33?”
“I?” The eyes of the sick man opened wide.[151] His brows wrinkled as vainly he strove to collect his thoughts. “Arrah; I do not know,” he answered faintly. “Where am I? Why am I here?”
The Giant’s face darkened. “Ugh; that I would like to know. Did you think to drive me from my cave? Who are you?”
“I do not know,” replied the sick man, startled by the other’s manner. “I remember nothing but what I have seen these few passing moments.”
The Giant’s wrath34 subsided35 as he observed the invalid’s perplexity. He even chided himself for his hasty display of temper. As the sufferer dozed36 off, he resumed his seat near the cave-mouth, turning from time to time to glance at the sleeper37 like a nurse awaiting the patient’s pleasure.
This was but the awakening,—light emerging from obscurity; the return of a mind long dead to the living body. But in that which lay upon the cave-floor, none would now recognize the once powerful Ape Boy of Moustier.
Long illness had wasted his muscular frame almost to a skeleton. His head was a grinning skull with hairy parchment stretched so tightly over its ridges38 and hollows, they threatened to break through. His body and limbs were little more than hide and bone. He was dead to look upon. The life-spark glowed feebly; but it burned. The fever had now left him, permitting his strength to return[152] and repair the ravages39 of disease. His mind ceased to wander. It rejoined the body newly arisen from the grave and both followed the thread of life anew.
The Giant kept his patient supplied with food and water and covered him at night with the hyena robe. It was this latter that brought a first message from the forgotten past. One morning as Pic raised himself on one elbow to take his fare, his eyes fell upon the skin under which he lay. A strange look came over his face as he ran his fingers through the long thick fur.
“This skin?” he asked. “How came it here?”
“It came with you,” was the answer. “You wore it.”
“Yes, I remember now,” muttered Pic. “I wore it to keep warm. The air was cold. I do not feel cold now.”
“That was long ago,” said the Giant. “The snow and ice are gone. The birds have returned and all creatures have crawled from their holes. Buds and green leaves brighten every bush and tree. Until their coming, you lay as one dead. This is the first time you have awakened40 since my club crashed down upon your skull——”
“You struck me?” Pic cried. “Then it was you who crept upon me from behind—the shadow on the wall.”
“Yes it was I.” The Giant pointed41 to an object[153] on the cave floor, a bludgeon of seasoned oak, the length and thickness of his arm. “The one blow failed to kill. I withheld42 the second and brought you back to life instead.”
“Why? Men are none too gentle with those who intrude43 upon them, I know.”
“Nor do men of this day carry great hand-stones,” the Giant replied. “But for it, your bones would now be whitening at the bottom of the gorge. Who are you—a boy who comes upon me as though from the sky bearing the blade of a race long dead—the Terrace Men—?”
“Terrace Men? Agh-h-h!” Pic’s eyes were starting from his head. His jaw12 dropped until the chin touched his breast. A lump arose in his throat. He could say no more.
“Yes, the Terrace Man’s hand-stone,” said the Giant. “The one you bore bound to a wooden haft. Wait and I will fetch it. When you see, you will remember.”
He entered the cave and returned in a few moments with a great almond-shaped flint of lustrous44 grey—the blade of Ach Eul still bound to its long wooden handle with strips of hide. He laid it in the Ape Boy’s trembling hands.
“Agh; I know it now—my ax, my father’s ax made by a man of the River Terraces.” Pic clasped the weapon to his breast while the Giant looked[154] curiously on. In a moment he turned to his companion with a puzzled look upon his face.
“Hand-stone; hand-stone?” he repeated several times. “I do not understand. Does the flint please you—as it pleases me? You spoke45 of Terrace Men. What do you know of them?”
“I know of a race long dead,” the Giant replied in a voice so deep and hollow, it seemed to arise from the earth. “A race of mighty46 men who roamed along the river banks; who fought and hunted in the warm sunlight and slept beneath the blue sky and twinkling stars. They vied with the Mammoth47, the Rhinoceros——”
“Agh! I am listening,” Pic muttered hoarsely48. “Go on.”
“And other beasts,” the Giant continued. “Then”—his voice sank almost to a whisper—“the Storm Wind descended49 upon them from the north. They were mighty men—the People of the Terraces—but even their strength could not match that of the Storm Wind. One by one they died of cold, hunger and disease. Wild beasts set upon them in their weakness. Those who survived, fled to the shelter of caves—gloomy holes where many sickened and died. The others lost all remembrance of things. They sat still and stared and snapped like wolves—and they died too. All were gone—all[155] but one who yet lives; here alone in a cave high above the gorge——”
“You—a Terrace Man?” cried Pic as he gazed up awe-stricken into the Giant’s face. “Arrah, I have found you now: big, strong Man of the Terraces, maker50 of wonderful flints. I have searched the world for you and now I will learn the secret of how flints like this were made.”
The Ape Boy was now soaring in the clouds. His eyes shone with the zeal51 of a fanatic52, as every moment he took in more inspiration from the ax of Ach Eul which he held closely to his breast. The Giant was speechless with amazement53. He could only listen as Pic rambled54 on:
“You see how large and shapely it is; the same on both edges—on both surfaces. Such work was not done entirely55 with the hammer-stone. Some other tool was used after the blank was hewn. See where the tiny chips were removed to form the point and edges. Soon I will know how they were struck off and the flint thinned down, when a blow however slight might break and spoil it.”
The Giant shook his head vigorously. “You mistake,” he said. “I know nothing of flint-working nor did any others of my tribe. We carried hand-stones—the ones our fathers’ fathers made long before my time. They were poignards—axes without handles. They and clubs were our weapons;[156] but the blades were lost or broken one by one and none knew how to replace them. The hand-stone has long passed away. Those are dead who can tell of its making. I never knew. I do not know now.”
Pic’s heart sank. His head fell forward upon his breast. “And so I will never know. What is left, worth living for—to the miserable56 Ape Boy hiding in a man’s skin? Nothing; not even the friends you spoke of.”
“Friends?” the Giant exclaimed. “I spoke of none. Who were they?”
Pic’s head sank yet lower. His eyes stared vacantly at his companion’s feet.
“The Hairy Mammoth and Woolly Rhinoceros,” he replied.
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1
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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2
limestone
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| n.石灰石 | |
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3
gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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4
frayed
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| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hyena
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| n.土狼，鬣狗 | |
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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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7
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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8
sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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9
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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10
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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11
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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12
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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13
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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14
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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15
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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16
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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17
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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19
grotto
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| n.洞穴 | |
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20
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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21
receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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22
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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23
silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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24
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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25
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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26
marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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27
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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28
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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29
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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30
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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31
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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32
snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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33
fang
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| n.尖牙，犬牙 | |
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34
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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35
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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36
dozed
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| v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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38
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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39
ravages
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| 劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹 | |
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40
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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41
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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42
withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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43
intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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44
lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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45
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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46
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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47
mammoth
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| n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的 | |
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48
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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49
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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50
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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51
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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52
fanatic
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| n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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53
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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54
rambled
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的过去式和过去分词 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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55
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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56
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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