The jester was snoring. Somewhere Dax thought he heard a rat. His muscles tensed, and he found himself on his feet by instinct—the idea of a rat was surprisingly attractive and he was hungry again. The noise stopped. He remembered that he had been having a dream—a strange nightmare of chasing after Mallison and catching1 him, and tearing him ... with his claws and teeth.
A rusty2 bell started ringing somewhere in the castle.
The jester snorted, sat up and looked out of the narrow window. Then he lit the candle and said his prayers, kneeling on his bed. Dax stretched, and the old man cleaned his teeth with a splinter and took a draught3 from the ale pot. It had a sour stench, but Dax found that he no longer minded—there were so many conflicting smells around, the most interesting of which had been the rat. A new, more immediately hopeful one, was of cooking that drifted up from below. It seemed that these people ate meat for their breakfast. And they liked it early.
"Come along, Tybalt," the jester said, putting on his headdress, and went to the door. Dax slipped through quickly so as not to get his tail caught as the jester closed it. They went down the winding4 stairs again.
At the bottom they came upon another cat—a big red tom—who on catching sight of Dax fluffed his tail and laid back his ears, spitting. Dax had a momentary6 impulse to see if communication was possible with him, but the big cat yowled and fled down the hallway.
"Ah, Tybalt," the old man said. "Jesters and cats! Even their own kind spits at them!" As they got to the kitchen Dax saw the two hounds that had growled7 at him the night before. He was glad that they were now leashed and in the charge of a boy in a short woolen8 surcoat.
But when they saw Dax the boy was unable to hold them back, and they jerked their leashes9 from his hand and came running and barking. Dax was terrified. He bolted ahead of them along the vaulted10 corridor and into the Great Hall, but came face to face with another brace11 of hounds whose ears pricked13 up at the sound. Dax without any conscious thought dodged14 sideways and ran up the tapestry15 on the wall.
His sharp claws had good foothold on the tough canvas backing. But at the top he almost lost his grip, and scarcely managed to get over onto the musicians' gallery from which the tapestry hung. He crouched16 there, trembling, while the din5 below increased. He could hear men shouting at the dogs, and the jester's voice calling him. He mewed loudly for help.
After a while he heard the old man's footsteps on the wooden ladder. He was picked up and comforted, but he was so dizzy with fear that he could hardly see. The jester seemed to think he was calm, and put him on his shoulder and went down the ladder again. The hounds had been taken away. But Dax stayed where he was with his eyes shut, holding on tight.
"Well, Trice!" Dax opened his eyes and saw the lord of the manor17 glowering18 at the jester, and then at him. So Trice was the jester's name. An odd one. The Earl stood with his hands on his hips19 and seemed irritated rather than angry. "What's this I hear? The cat runs at my hounds and tries to scratch!"
"Oh, no, sir," Trice said. "It was the other way! They ran at him! Tybalt has never scratched!"
"Scratched or no, I wish you'd give him to one of the villagers," the Earl said. "I don't want the hounds upset, and Lady Godwina doesn't like cats. Besides, he'll ruin the tapestry."
"But, my lord, he catches the rats! And he's my ... friend."
"The dogs catch the rats," the Earl said shortly. "Give him away."
"Well, my lord, the mice...."
"The red tom gets them."
The old man put up a hand to Dax protectively. "But, noble lord, what would I do without my pet?" Dax glanced at the tired face next his and saw tears in the eyes, but he had a determined20 look. "If he cannot stay, I ... I must go, too!"
The Earl opened his eyes at this, but he smiled. "I see you are loyal, old Trice," he said. "I hope you are as loyal to me!"
The Earl turned away. Trice put Dax on the floor and started back towards the kitchens.
"Come, Tybalt," he said. "Or there'll be none left for us."
Dax wished he were still on the shoulder, and stayed close to the jester's feet. Things were not going well at all. It had become as much a problem of survival as of research and communication, but when they got to the kitchen and the hounds were nowhere about, he decided21 that perhaps the two problems were inter-related. After a meal of scraps22 he felt more secure. Not seeing his master he went to look for him in the Great Hall.
When he got there he saw that the Earl and his wife and retainers were eating boiled meat. He remembered that his tutor in Middle English had said the main meal in Medieval times was eaten in the morning. The four hounds were squabbling over bones that were thrown to them on the rush-covered flagstones under the trestle-board, and didn't notice him. Trice was not to be seen. After a while the boy in the woolen surcoat was told to take them out. He fastened leashes to their collars and led them through a large doorway23 in the far wall. Dax looked at the Earl: he had a fairly intelligent face, and he had shown forbearance towards Trice, so he thought he would make another try.
The Lady Godwina got up unsteadily from her chair and left the hall—on the way to the lady's solar, Dax guessed; and he padded across to the Earl. When he got to the foot of the high-backed chair—it looked like a detached choir-stall from a gothic church—he patted the Earl's foot.
The Earl looked down at him and frowned.
Dax patted the foot again; three times. Then he mewed three times, and repeated the patting. The Earl blinked and got up, backing away. Dax mewed three times again, and the Earl crossed himself.
"Saints preserve my soul! What have we here?"
Dax turned around three times, getting his hind24 legs crossed and nearly falling down. "Send for Trice at once!" the Earl shouted. "His cat Tybalt has a fit! Careful!" he said to a serving man who had come forward with outstretched hands. "Take care you are not bitten! He is unclean!"
Dax backed away and ran to the open door, and out.
There was a brilliant sun and he could see nothing at first—and when he did it was blurred25, owing to the vertical26 shape of his contracted pupils. It was much warmer than the night before, and the leaves were brown on the trees. There was no courtyard and gateway27, with drawbridge and moat beyond, as he had rather expected. Instead he was on cobblestones, surrounded at intervals29 by small houses, with trees between them. The village was built against the castle, somewhat in the French manner, but the houses were wretched affairs of mud-daubed reeds on wooden framing: hardly better than hovels. Only a few had more than one story. Smoke was coming up from every chimney, and the men were evidently on their way to work in the fields. They carried crude-looking farm implements30 and were dressed in coarse homespun with their legs padded and cross-gartered. They were a sorry lot: blank-faced and half starved.
Dax heard footsteps behind him and turned.
A young man with blond short hair and a Norman nose had come out of the doorway. He looked at Dax with amused curiosity, and squatted31 down, putting out a hand. At this proximity32 his eyes showed bloodshot and there was a beery smell. He said something that Dax could not understand—it sounded vaguely33 like a kind of French, but Dax had not studied medieval Norman. Still, it had a kindly34 sound. Dax rubbed against the hand. This man, at least, did not share the Earl's diagnosis35. What was his position in the Earl's household? Not his son—he looked too unlike him. Would he be his clerk? He had a clerkly look—what is it in a face that makes it seem scholarly? And his hands were more fit for holding a pen than a mattock or a sword.
Well, give it another try.
Dax wished he could make an ingratiating sound, and found he was purring. He looked around for something he could use as a signal; mewing and tapping seemed to be misunderstood. A few yards away the cobblestones gave place to dirt, and he started towards it. It might do for a blackboard. He looked back, but the clerk had not moved.
Dax wondered how a cat might beckon36, lacking a forefinger37. He waited until he caught the young man's eye, and tried to beckon with his head but it had no results. He continued on to the patch of dirt and scratched a triangle, and to his relief the clerk got up and came to him. When he was standing38 over him, Dax scratched two words in Latin: homo sum, and looked up.
The clerk was staring with his mouth open.
Good, thought Dax: Latin was the lingua Franca of medieval Europe, and went on with his scratching. Humani nihil a me alienum—
There was a gasp39 and he looked up again. The young man had closed his eyes and had the back of his hand against his forehead. He turned and walked to the castle door, holding his head. Dax sat down in disgust. A Twelfth Century hangover, indeed! A shadow fell across him and he turned.
Three villagers: two men, and a woman in a hood40 were behind him. They had an expectant air, and, realizing that they were doubtless illiterate41, he drew a large five-pointed star.
The effect on them was volcanic42.
The woman screeched43 and threw her skirt over her head. The men crossed themselves and one of them turned and ran. The other slashed44 at Dax with a bill-hook and then, shouting, "Bewitched! Bewitched!" he, too, ran. The bill-hook missed Dax, thanks to his instinctive45 leap to one side, but the woman continued her noise and more people came out of the cottages, armed with farming implements and sticks. Everyone was shouting and offering advice. The main thread of their discourse46 was: Possessed47! Possessed! Kill it! The Devil Incarnate48!
Dax was hemmed49 in on three sides. He started back for the castle, but the big doorway was filled with onlookers50, one of whom stepped forward, aiming a crossbow. There was a clank followed by a hissing51 in the air, and the bolt thumped52 into the ground next to him. The bowman cursed and began to wind up his bow with a crannikin. Dax's fur stood out all over him and he made a mad dash towards a group of women who had nothing in their hands but besoms of birch twigs53. It was a fortunate choice.
Two or three women made abortive54 swats at him and the others backed away, leaving a clear path. In front of him was an open space and a tall tree.
Almost before he knew it he was near its top and the whole village was milling around near its base, looking up with red angry faces.
"Fire the tree!" someone shouted.
"T'won't burn. It's an elm!"
"Well, I shan't climb it!"
"I won't have my tree burn!" an indignant voice yelled, but was drowned out. Small children were jumping up and down in excitement, and some teen-age boys threw stones but none of them reached him. Dax spat55 furiously. Teen-agers were the same through the ages!
"Cut it down, then!"
"T'will fall on my house!" (A woman's voice.)
The shouting died down, and Dax hung on till his claws ached. There seemed to be a conference going on. The castle appeared to have lost interest, which relieved him; if there was to be any more crossbow shooting he stood little chance. After a short while the subject of the conference became apparent as men began arriving with bundles of dry sticks and faggots. To Dax's horror these were piled about the trunk and set alight. Then, as the flames began to rise, green boughs56 were added and a thick cloud of suffocating57 smoke came up.
Desperately58 he tried to find escape. One of the elm's long branches reached out almost over the roof of one of the houses, but it meant climbing down into the heart of the choking cloud. Beyond the house he suddenly caught sight of his master, Trice, who waved to him beseechingly59. It gave him courage. Holding his breath, he began to back down the trunk until he felt the branch under him. Then he twisted round and ran along it with his heart pounding. A cat has small lungs for its size and holding his breath was a torment—but at last he was free of the smoke, and he took a breath of clean air.
The roof seemed to be within reach, and the crowd had temporarily lost sight of him in the smoke.
He could hear the jester's voice, but for some reason he couldn't understand him—it sounded like gibberish. He crept out until the thinning branch began to bend and, just as shouts went up from the more observant villagers, he leapt.
He landed on the thatch—and almost lost his hold, but he was just able to scramble60 to the rooftree, and ran along the ridge28. There was more shouting. Either these ones spoke61 a dialect or the excitement had put Middle English out of his head: he could barely understand them. Something about Widow Aelthreda's cottage—something about a witch....
He slithered down the far side of the thatching and landed on a window box of late purple daisies. The parchment-covered window next him was open and he slipped inside just as the crowd turned the corner.
He found himself in a small, bare upstairs room, insufficiently62 lit by the single window, but he could easily see into the most profound shadows. Under a chest in the corner was a mouse, frozen with terror. Dax was still out of breath, but he crept toward it, and as it ran out along the baseboard he intercepted63 it. He ate it—all.
As he washed his face he wondered with diminishing nervousness what all the shouting and noise outside meant.
In a little while he heard footsteps and a woman came into the room. When she saw him she made some noises with her mouth, and Dax ran to her. She picked him up and began to stroke him very pleasantly. Then there were more noises from below and presently there were a lot of people in the room. The woman dropped him for some reason.
He ran under a big, low wooden thing, but a big iron thing was pushed at him. It had a sharp point, and he had to come out. This time the man with the bill-hook did not miss, but the pain lasted only for an instant.
And ... and ... he was more conscious of the sound made by the hypodermic as it fell on the floor and broke.
He looked at it with annoyance64, and felt the slight prick12 on his arm. He got up and went to his bathroom, where he dabbed65 it with antiseptic. He saw that he'd better shave before going to the meeting. Well, the drug hadn't worked. What a waste of time. What a pity.
Perhaps a larger dose? He must experiment some more.
He started shaving.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
catching
|
|
| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
rusty
|
|
| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
draught
|
|
| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
winding
|
|
| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
din
|
|
| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
momentary
|
|
| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
growled
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
woolen
|
|
| adj.羊毛(制)的；毛纺的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
leashes
|
|
| n.拴猎狗的皮带( leash的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
vaulted
|
|
| adj.拱状的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
brace
|
|
| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
prick
|
|
| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
pricked
|
|
| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
dodged
|
|
| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
tapestry
|
|
| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
manor
|
|
| n.庄园，领地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
glowering
|
|
| v.怒视( glower的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
hips
|
|
| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
scraps
|
|
| 油渣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
doorway
|
|
| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
hind
|
|
| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
blurred
|
|
| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
vertical
|
|
| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
gateway
|
|
| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
ridge
|
|
| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
intervals
|
|
| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
implements
|
|
| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
squatted
|
|
| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
proximity
|
|
| n.接近，邻近 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
vaguely
|
|
| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
kindly
|
|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
diagnosis
|
|
| n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
beckon
|
|
| v.(以点头或打手势)向...示意，召唤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
forefinger
|
|
| n.食指 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
gasp
|
|
| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
hood
|
|
| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
illiterate
|
|
| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
volcanic
|
|
| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
screeched
|
|
| v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
slashed
|
|
| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
instinctive
|
|
| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
discourse
|
|
| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
incarnate
|
|
| adj.化身的，人体化的，肉色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
hemmed
|
|
| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
onlookers
|
|
| n.旁观者，观看者( onlooker的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
hissing
|
|
| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
thumped
|
|
| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
twigs
|
|
| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
abortive
|
|
| adj.不成功的，发育不全的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
spat
|
|
| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
boughs
|
|
| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
suffocating
|
|
| a.使人窒息的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
beseechingly
|
|
| adv. 恳求地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
scramble
|
|
| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
spoke
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
insufficiently
|
|
| adv.不够地，不能胜任地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
intercepted
|
|
| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
annoyance
|
|
| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
dabbed
|
|
| （用某物）轻触( dab的过去式和过去分词 )； 轻而快地擦掉（或抹掉）； 快速擦拭； （用某物）轻而快地涂上（或点上）… | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |