“Now what on earth can that be?” cried Adam. “Surely all the angels of Satan must be in that swamp.”
“We will reconnoiter,” said Smith.
“Have you gone daft, man? Do you want them to seize you by the hair and bear you off to toast on a pitchfork?”
“You should not be afraid of your familiar friends,” returned the Captain, his brown eyes twinkling. “Pocahontas said you were the chief of the terrible tribe. Who will go with me to reconnoiter?” he added.
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“I am safer with Smith than with you. He is worth all the rest of the colony put together.”
“Now listen to my instructions, men,” said the Captain. “If any danger threatens us, I will cry ‘Saint George,’ and do four of you fellows come to our aid, while the rest stand ready to push off the boat.”
Armed with their muskets13 and powder-horns, Captain Smith and Adam Clotworthy started on their perilous15 adventure through the dark swamp. Knowledge of danger was to Captain Smith like the scent16 of battle to the pawing war-horse. His spirits rose at every step. Not so the worthy14 Adam; his courage drained down to his toes as he stumbled along over deceitful hillocks showing dimly under the fitful light of the moon. Choosing an eminence17 covered with lush grass, he stepped upon it. Immediately it gave away and he slid down into a pool filled with black, slimy ooze18.
“They have got me!” he wailed19 under his breath. “I can feel their icy claws upon my feet. Lord have mercy upon my100 sinful soul! Don’t let the devil have me! You know I am not fit to die. Only let me get out and I swear I will never utter another oath, and I will go to church regularly every day. Indeed I will!”
Captain Smith caught him by the shoulders just under the arms, and bracing20 himself against a tree, gave a mighty jerk. Forth21 came the bedraggled Adam, smeared22 in slime up to his breast. The ludicrous sight filled the Captain with silent mirth as he plodded23 along beside him and listened to the slimy water slushing in his boots at every step.
After an hour of arduous24 toil25 they came out upon firm ground. There before them rose the temple. Trees planted thickly together formed the walls; their branches twisted and matted together, the roof. Countless26 passion-flowers crept in and out among the trunks, and spread their purple flowers in a thick coverlet over the entire structure. A yellow glare from pitch pine torches within gleamed through the many crevices27, like millions of fireflies.
Adam would not stir a step until with much labor28 he had gotten off his boots and emptied out the mud and slime.
Not an Indian was to be seen as they stole toward the house, and, avoiding the101 door, made for an opening in the wall through which a broad beam of light streamed out. This opening was so large that both Smith and Adam could gain a clear view of the interior without being seen themselves.
As Adam opened his mouth to utter a groan30 of horror, Smith clapped his hand upon it and whispered, “Do you want to be scalped? Keep still if you value your life.”
Such an awful picture they had never looked upon before. Here in the midst of the American wilderness31 was Dante’s Inferno32. At the end of the temple opposite the door, high up on a framework of reeds, lay the shriveled remains33 of past kings and priests. The bodies were painted and decorated in a fearful manner, their claw-like fingers still grasping the bow and arrow. At their feet crouched34 the stuffed bodies of favorite hounds. Occupying the center of the room was the image of Okee, his frightful35 face painted in red and black stripes. Ropes of pearls as large as peas hung around his neck, and from the crown of his head stood up a tuft of eagle feathers dyed green and red. His staring eyes, enclosed in broad white circles, gazed unwinkingly upon the priests surrounding him.
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Their naked bodies, clothed only in an apron36 of skin, were painted red and black in imitation of the god. Writhing37 green snakes, hanging in holes bored in their ears, hit viciously with arrow-head tongues at their foaming38 lips as they whirled in the devil’s dance.
Rattling39 pebbles40 shut up in conch shells, together with the hollow boom of membrane41 stretched over gourds42, added their deafening43 din29 to the confusion.
In the background knelt the squaws with buckhorns bound to their heads. Their sobs44 and lamentations rose to shrieks45 as the frenzied46 warriors47, black as midnight, tore the suckling babes from their clinging arms to offer them in sacrifice to Okee.
“Let me get behind you, Smith, for mercy’s sake! I see a howling devil glaring right in this direction. Your armor will blunt his arrows before they get around to me,” whispered the irrepressible Adam.
Again the whirling dance and sacrifice went on until the exhausted48 madmen fell to the ground. In the lull49 that ensued, Powhatan, seated near his departed ancestors, raised his hand for silence.
“The priests of Okee crave50 another103 offering, else the Terrible One will send the warriors when they die to Popagosso under the fiery51 sun, burning low in the west. The pale face has come among us, taken our lands, and killed our warriors. Okee demands the blood of the white captive at our hands.”
Captain Smith’s hair stood on end with horror, for he realized that the little white boy, given by Newport to Powhatan, was to be the propitiatory52 victim. The Captain’s mind traveled like lightning over various plans for the release of the child.
While Powhatan was speaking, Pocahontas, sick with the sight of flowing blood, crept noiselessly out. Would not the Great Spirit of the pale face send succor53 to the unfortunate boy, soon to be slaughtered54? she wondered. She would pray to Him. Perhaps He might heed55 the prayer of an Indian maiden56. Her “father” had said the Great Spirit could do all things.
Kneeling down and clasping her hands as she had seen Captain Smith do, she lifted pleading accents to the God of the Indian and the white man.
“O Great Spirit of my ‘father,’ let not Powhatan take the life of the little pale face brother. Pocahontas will give in104 return the blue beads57 her ‘father’ gave her.”
“Pocahontas,” whispered Smith, “it is I, your father. Do as I bid you and the boy will be saved.” Then he rapidly whispered directions in her ear.
“Pocahontas understands and obeys. My father will not hurt Powhatan and her people?”
“No, Powhatan and your people shall live,” he answered; but to himself he muttered, “If it were not for the women and children, I could murder every fiend.”
Looking now through the crack, he saw the lad dragged forth toward the priests. His cries for mercy were met by the taunting58 “Ohe, Ohe,” of his tormentors. No time was to be lost. Turning to Adam he said, “Give me your powder-horn.”
“Take heed what you do, Smith,” implored59 Adam, his teeth clashing together like castanets, and the knob on his nose working like a pig’s snout with excitement.
“Keep still, and hand me your horn. Stir not from this spot, no matter what happens.” So saying, Captain Smith and Pocahontas disappeared, leaving Adam alone. Now and then curiosity overpowered fear, and he would look again105 through the crack, only to fall back and begin petitions for deliverance.
Running around to a spot in full view of the door, Captain Smith emptied the powder in Adam’s horn into a piece of clay pipe lying near. Then inserting a lighted fuse, he took to his heels. Fleeing around the corner he ran full tilt60 into the unconscious Adam, with his eye glued to the crack, and both rolled to the ground. Not knowing what had assaulted him, Adam let out a yell that would have wakened the dead kings lying in state, had it not been drowned in the explosion of the gunpowder61.
A roar of thunder split the air, followed by blinding flashes of flame. For a moment a deathly silence hung over the Indians, then shrieks and yells burst from the painted demons. Pandemonium62 reigned63 as they fled from the temple. Leading the vanguard was Powhatan, clinging to a litter borne on the shoulders of four warriors who sped away in the darkness.
In the midst of the confusion, Pocahontas snatched the white boy up and made for the place where Captain Smith was vainly trying to pacify64 the terrified Adam, who was now wallowing on the ground.
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“Stop your howls, or I will leave you to the mercy of the Indians! Get up, we have not a moment to lose. Pocahontas is here with the boy. We must hasten to the boat for our lives.”
Leading the way as guide, with the boy clasped in her strong young arms, Pocahontas plunged65 into the swamp. Over morass66, through matted vines, she went with unerring instinct, followed by Smith, trundling the unwieldy form of Adam before him. Down into a hole went Adam for the second time, leaving a boot as a memento67 of the adventure. As he hobbled painfully along, sick with misery68 and fear, his strength gave out, and with a moan he pitched forward. Losing no time in an examination of the unfortunate man, Smith merely rolled him over, and catching69 him in the back of his collar, dragged him along in his flight.
He heaved a sigh of thankfulness as he saw the boat through an opening in the trees. “Saint George!” he shouted, and the men on the beach ran forward to meet him. Picking up the body of Adam as if he were a log of wood, they sped to the boat and dumped him in. Pocahontas placed the boy in Smith’s arms and vanished.
“Row for your lives, men! Death lies in the swamp,” urged Smith.
Bending to their oars70, they sent the boat plunging71 down the stream in reckless haste, nor did they cease to row until the broad York was left behind, and the prow72 of their barge73 dipped its nose in the salty waters of the Chesapeake.
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1
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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exhaled
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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vapors
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| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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7
stagnant
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| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
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marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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9
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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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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12
taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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13
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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14
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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17
eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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ooze
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| n.软泥，渗出物；vi.渗出，泄漏；vt.慢慢渗出，流露 | |
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19
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bracing
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| adj.令人振奋的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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23
plodded
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| v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作） | |
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24
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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26
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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29
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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31
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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32
inferno
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| n.火海；地狱般的场所 | |
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33
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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34
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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37
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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38
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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39
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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40
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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41
membrane
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| n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸 | |
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42
gourds
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| n.葫芦( gourd的名词复数 ) | |
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43
deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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44
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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45
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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46
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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47
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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48
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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49
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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50
crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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51
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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52
propitiatory
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| adj.劝解的；抚慰的；谋求好感的；哄人息怒的 | |
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53
succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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54
slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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56
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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57
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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58
taunting
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| 嘲讽( taunt的现在分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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59
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
tilt
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| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
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61
gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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62
pandemonium
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| n.喧嚣，大混乱 | |
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63
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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64
pacify
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| vt.使(某人)平静(或息怒)；抚慰 | |
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65
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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66
morass
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| n.沼泽，困境 | |
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67
memento
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| n.纪念品，令人回忆的东西 | |
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68
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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69
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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70
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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71
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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72
prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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73
barge
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| n.平底载货船，驳船 | |
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