CHAPTER V LODRIX LOST

 “Look!” said Lodrix, darting¹ off toward² a deer whose antlers he saw in the distance.

 

The men smiled at one another, proud to see their chief’s son fond of the hunt.

 

They did not follow, for they wished to see if Lodrix could kill the deer alone.

 

They turned toward a mound⁴ which held the tomb where their former chiefs were buried.

 

 

This tomb was a small stone room which the Lake-Dwellers had built, and then covered with soil.

 

They thought of the time when they had carried Lodrix’s grandfather to this stone room. The men had stood about with lighted torches, and the women with their hair hanging over their faces had shed³ many bitter tears for the dead chief.

 

Then, after they had put the bronze and stone weapons beside their chief, they had gathered about the hill and chosen a new one.

 

They always chose for their new chief the bravest and strongest man of all the tribe⁵. The brave and strong chief they chose that day was Lodrix’s father.

 

For a time the men had forgotten Lodrix, then one of them said: “Lodrix has not come back. Where can he be?”

 

They looked about, but could see no trace⁶ of their chief’s son.

 

With fear in their hearts, they separated and ran in many directions through the forest.

 

 

They shouted, “Lodrix! Lodrix!” but their calls were not answered.

 

They did not stop to shoot the deer, but ran on and on, so anxious were they to find the boy.

 

Again and again they called, but no answer came.

 

They could not find Lodrix, and yet they dared not go home without him.

 

All day the men hunted for Lodrix, shouting the boy’s name as loudly as they could.

 

At nightfall they stood on the shore of the lake looking toward their village and wondering how they could tell their chief that his son was lost.

 

Silently they walked toward the bridge and with bowed heads they crossed it.

 

 

When they reached the round hut of their chief, they stood quite still, fearing to go in.

 

The chief, who had been watching for his son, came out of the low door.

 

“What is the matter?” he said. “Where is Lodrix?”

 

The men stood silent. They could not answer.

 

“My son! Where is my son?”

 

Then one of the men said, “He is lost in the forest, my chief. We looked for him all day, but could not find him.”

 

The chief raised his hands to the moon, praying that his son might be found.

 

Then he asked the men for the whole story.

 

It was but a few minutes before all the men in the village were roused⁷ and a hunting party started out to look for their chief’s son.

 

Some of the men stayed to guard the homes, but the chief went with the hunting party.

1 darting   

v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• Swallows were darting through the clouds. 燕子穿云急飞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Swallows were darting through the air. 燕子在空中掠过。 来自辞典例句

2 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

3 shed   

n.车棚，小屋，脱落之物，分水岭；vt.使流出，放射，脱落，散发，摆脱；vi. 流出

参考例句：

• There are a lot of straws in the shed.棚子里有许多稻草。
• His nose told him that he was getting near the cow shed.他的嗅觉告诉他，他正走近牛棚。

4 mound   

n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
• The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。

5 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

6 trace   

n.痕迹，踪迹，微量；vt.追踪，找出根源，描绘；vi.追踪

参考例句：

• There isn't a trace of a smile on her face.她脸上没有一丝笑容。
• We have lost all trace of him.我们找不到他的踪迹。

7 roused   

v.醒来，唤醒( rouse的过去式和过去分词 )；使…活跃起来[产生兴趣]；激昂

参考例句：

• Her mother's voice in the corridor roused her from an angry trance. 她气得失魂落魄，是她妈妈在走廊里的声音唤醒了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Their rejection of these measures roused the people to indignation. 他们拒不采取这些措施，引起了人民的愤慨。 来自《简明英汉词典》