Then began an existence much like Robinson Crusoe’s on his desert island, but without clothes, tools, or weapons. It was unlike Crusoe’s also, in that it was cheered by mother-love, and inspired by a great purpose.
Although Hiwa had been served from infancy11 by chiefs and chiefesses, she now did a slave’s work with willing hands. She gathered grasses and made a hut—ample shelter from the rains. She plaited tapa and wrapped the royal mamo in it, and covered and sealed it with a coating of gums, and over all with a coating of coral sand, so that moths12 could not get at it or bees bore it or mice gnaw13 it, and she layed it away in a secret place. She also plaited tapa mats for beds and coverlets, and tapa garments for herself.
[30] Among the first things she did, she chose a hiding-place in the cavern14 for the boat, and plaited a great quantity of matting, and collected a great quantity of gums, and covered the boat and sealed it up, as she had sealed up the mamo, that it might be perfectly15 preserved until Aelani should have need of it. The sealing of the boat was the work of three months.
Fire was a prime necessity. She had great difficulty in getting it, although she was acquainted with the only method known to her people, and had seen the thing done many times. Rapidly and with all her strength she rubbed a pointed16 stick in a groove17, made in another stick of the hau tree, until at last the fine combustible18 powder in the end of the groove ignited. Then she fanned it to a flame, feeding it with dry leaves and little pieces of wood. During all her stay in the crater19 she never once allowed it to go out.
She made fish-hooks from shells, filing them down with a sharp stone, and braided lines and nets from the fibre of the olona. A few minutes’ work each morning supplied [31] her with fishes for the day. Sometimes she cooked them in ti leaves, but more frequently ate them raw, as the most refined people in the Hawaiian Islands do to this day—people of pure white as well as native blood. Some varieties of fish are considered great delicacies20 raw. The malihini (newcomer) marvels21 to see ladies and gentlemen who would grace any society in Europe or America eating fish raw; but he eats oysters22 raw.
Fish and poi are the Hawaiian staff of life. Poi is made from taro23, one of the most digestible and nutritious24 of vegetables. Fortunately for the exiles, taro grew abundantly along the swampy25 borders of the stream. Hiwa baked it under ground, on hot rocks, and mashed26 it with a stone, and kneaded and pounded it until it became a soft dough27, and mixed it with water and left it to ferment28. Then it was poi, which little Aelani learned to eat almost as soon as his mother’s milk. In that barbarous age, as now, making poi was considered too severe work for women, even for female slaves, and no chief had condescended29 to it; yet the goddess-queen [32] bent30 her back to the task, meanwhile chanting to her child ancient meles that commemorated31 the glories of his ancestors for forty generations.
They were by no means confined to fish and poi. Baked bread-fruit, pounded up and mixed with milk of cocoanuts and juice of sugar-cane and berries, made a luscious32 dish closely approaching a civilized33 pudding. Any quantity of fruit was to be had for the picking, and Hiwa often succeeded in snaring34 wild geese, rich and fat from their diet of berries, and ducks that visited the pool.
Before Aelani was six months old he added to his diet of mother’s milk and poi large yellow ohias and delicious berries, the ohelo, the poha, and the akala, sweetened with juice of sugar-cane. At the end of his first year he toddled35 down to the beach and swallowed the tiny fishes his mother gave him, their tails wiggling as they disappeared. At the end of his third year he swam like a fish himself, and felt as much at home in the water as out of it. And so, never seeing a human form or hearing a human voice save his mother’s and his own, he grew to be a [33] strong, supple36, active boy, of brave spirit and of thoughtful, inquiring mind.
In time there was a work-shop under the shade of the great koa tree, and tools—shells of all sizes and shapes, sharp stones that served for knives, and rough stones that served for saws and files—and coral sand for polishing. Sticks and pieces of wood, heavy and hard like iron, were selected with anxious care, and were cut and fashioned with infinite labor37. Hiwa worked patiently with the tools Nature gave her week after week, and at length that task was finished—the complete arms of a warrior38 of sizes adapted to a boy—a sling39 woven from his mother’s hair, long spears, pololu, short spears, ihe, a war-club, newa, and a feather helmet, but not of the mamo, the oo, or the iiwi, for these were unattainable. There were also blunted darts40, and circular, highly-polished disks of stone, swelling41 with a slight convexity from the edge to the centre, such as warriors42 used in athletic43 games.
Then a training, already begun, was patiently continued month after month and year after year. For two hours or more [34] each day mother and son bowled the disks and fought sham44 battles. The teacher was intelligent and exacting45. The pupil was apt. He was scarcely more than half grown when he could bring down a flying bird with his sling, and, while running at full speed, could hurl46 spear after spear at a hair’s-breadth and not miss. He could catch spears faster than they could be thrown at him; he could parry them; he could avoid them, twisting his body like a flash of lightning. He could hurl the disks farther and straighter, run faster, leap higher, and stay under water longer than Hiwa, although in training him she had equally trained herself. She had been familiar with such things from childhood, and knew that in these warlike feats47 her boy already excelled all men except Kaanaana. He was also immensely strong for his years, and gave promise of gigantic stature48.
He fought his first battle when he was eleven. He was sitting, as he had been taught to do, on a rock at the bottom of the pool spearing fish, when his mother dived down and hastily beckoned49 him to the surface.
[35] “It is a shark,” she said as soon as their heads were above water. “I am going to kill him.”
A man-eating monster eighteen feet long was swimming leisurely50 about, carrying terror to smaller fishes that had thus far found the pool a safe refuge from sharks, and had accordingly congregated51 in large numbers. It was the first fish larger than an ulua that Aelani had ever seen.
“Let me kill him!” he eagerly cried, catching52 hold of the stick, sharpened at both ends, which Hiwa held in her hands.
For a moment, as it seemed to Hiwa, her heart stopped beating. The boy was a mere53 child, and, if he should become frightened and lose his wits at the critical instant, he would surely be bitten in twain. But there was no sign of fear in his face. His eyes shone, and his pulses throbbed54 with the joy of coming battle. Why should not he do it? He was a fish himself almost, with human intelligence. He knew the trick perfectly, for in the training, in which nothing a warrior should know was forgotten, he had been exercised in it many times, his [36] mother personating the shark. Even baseborn men faced sharks without fear, and Aelani, though but a child, was Aelani, The Pledge from Heaven.
“He is born to great deeds,” reflected Hiwa, “and must learn to do them. And there is no danger, for only the God of Sharks can swim before a child of Wakea and Papa.”
Nevertheless, she armed herself with a spear and kept near him.
The boy swam quietly out to within a few fathoms55 of the shark, and then lay upon the water, almost motionless. The great fish, thinking he had an easy prey56, approached slowly and turned to bite. As he did so a small hand, quick as lightning, thrust the stick between his jaws58, and they closed over it, burying one sharp end in the roof of the mouth and the other through the great tongue into the lower jaw57. The next instant, with the supple swiftness of an ulua, the child dived and glided59 away. His work was finished. He had only to keep beyond reach of the mighty60 tail threshing the water in death agony.
[37] The teeth were laid carefully aside for the war-club of man’s estate, and the bones were preserved for fish-hooks and other domestic uses. Soon, however, there was a glut61 of sharks’ teeth and bones, for the flesh, being cast into the pool, attracted other sharks, and these, slaughtered62 in turn, lured63 still others to a cannibal repast and a sudden demise64. The pool swarmed65 with sharks, and furnished Aelani great sport. Of course, other fish became less plentiful66. Yet there were enough.
点击收听单词发音
1 inflicted | |
把…强加给,使承受,遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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2 lava | |
n.熔岩,火山岩 | |
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3 thorny | |
adj.多刺的,棘手的 | |
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4 ordeal | |
n.苦难经历,(尤指对品格、耐力的)严峻考验 | |
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5 exhaustion | |
n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述 | |
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6 fatigue | |
n.疲劳,劳累 | |
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7 bruised | |
[医]青肿的,瘀紫的 | |
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8 parched | |
adj.焦干的;极渴的;v.(使)焦干 | |
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9 delirious | |
adj.不省人事的,神智昏迷的 | |
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10 lucid | |
adj.明白易懂的,清晰的,头脑清楚的 | |
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11 infancy | |
n.婴儿期;幼年期;初期 | |
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12 moths | |
n.蛾( moth的名词复数 ) | |
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13 gnaw | |
v.不断地啃、咬;使苦恼,折磨 | |
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14 cavern | |
n.洞穴,大山洞 | |
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15 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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16 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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17 groove | |
n.沟,槽;凹线,(刻出的)线条,习惯 | |
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18 combustible | |
a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物 | |
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19 crater | |
n.火山口,弹坑 | |
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20 delicacies | |
n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 );精致;精美的食物;周到 | |
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21 marvels | |
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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22 oysters | |
牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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23 taro | |
n.芋,芋头 | |
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24 nutritious | |
adj.有营养的,营养价值高的 | |
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25 swampy | |
adj.沼泽的,湿地的 | |
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26 mashed | |
a.捣烂的 | |
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27 dough | |
n.生面团;钱,现款 | |
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28 ferment | |
vt.使发酵;n./vt.(使)激动,(使)动乱 | |
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29 condescended | |
屈尊,俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 ); 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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30 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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31 commemorated | |
v.纪念,庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32 luscious | |
adj.美味的;芬芳的;肉感的,引与性欲的 | |
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33 civilized | |
a.有教养的,文雅的 | |
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34 snaring | |
v.用罗网捕捉,诱陷,陷害( snare的现在分词 ) | |
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35 toddled | |
v.(幼儿等)东倒西歪地走( toddle的过去式和过去分词 );蹒跚行走;溜达;散步 | |
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36 supple | |
adj.柔软的,易弯的,逢迎的,顺从的,灵活的;vt.使柔软,使柔顺,使顺从;vi.变柔软,变柔顺 | |
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37 labor | |
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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38 warrior | |
n.勇士,武士,斗士 | |
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39 sling | |
vt.扔;悬挂;n.挂带;吊索,吊兜;弹弓 | |
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40 darts | |
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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41 swelling | |
n.肿胀 | |
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42 warriors | |
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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43 athletic | |
adj.擅长运动的,强健的;活跃的,体格健壮的 | |
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44 sham | |
n./adj.假冒(的),虚伪(的) | |
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45 exacting | |
adj.苛求的,要求严格的 | |
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46 hurl | |
vt.猛投,力掷,声叫骂 | |
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47 feats | |
功绩,伟业,技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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48 stature | |
n.(高度)水平,(高度)境界,身高,身材 | |
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49 beckoned | |
v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50 leisurely | |
adj.悠闲的;从容的,慢慢的 | |
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51 congregated | |
(使)集合,聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52 catching | |
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住 | |
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53 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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54 throbbed | |
抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 ); (心脏、脉搏等)跳动 | |
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55 fathoms | |
英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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56 prey | |
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨 | |
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57 jaw | |
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训 | |
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58 jaws | |
n.口部;嘴 | |
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59 glided | |
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
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60 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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61 glut | |
n.存货过多,供过于求;v.狼吞虎咽 | |
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62 slaughtered | |
v.屠杀,杀戮,屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63 lured | |
吸引,引诱(lure的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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64 demise | |
n.死亡;v.让渡,遗赠,转让 | |
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65 swarmed | |
密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 ); 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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66 plentiful | |
adj.富裕的,丰富的 | |
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