CHAPTER XIX. A DAY IN THE CAVE.

 Meanwhile Ernest was left in the cave with Frank. He had been brought in blindfolded¹, and was therefore ignorant as to the entrance or exit. He thought he might, without arousing the boy's suspicion, seek information from him on these points.

 

"Are there many rooms here, Frank?" he asked.

 

"Oh, a good many," answered the boy.

 

"Have you been in many?"

 

"I have been around with papa."

 

"I should like to go round," said Ernest. "Suppose we take a little walk."

 

"I'll go with you. I should be afraid to go alone."

 

"Does Juba ever go out?"

 

"Yes; she sometimes goes out to get things."

 

"Do you know where she goes?"

 

"No."

 

"Then you never went with her."

 

"I went once, but papa does not like to have me go out."

 

"Let us go about a little."

 

The boy was quite ready to accept any suggestion from Ernest. So he took his hand and they went from the main room farther into the cavern².

 

Ernest found that only the portion near the entrance had been furnished. Beyond, there was a large amount of empty space. Here and there a small light revealed trunks and boxes, arranged without regard to regularity³. These, Ernest conjectured⁴, contained stolen articles which had accumulated during the years in which the dreaded⁵ outlaws⁶ had been a power and a menace in the neighborhood.

 

It occurred to him that he would like to open some of these boxes, but the companionship of the boy prevented.

 

He ventured to ask, however, "What is in those boxes, Frank?"

 

"I don't know. Something of papa's and Uncle John's."

 

As they kept on they reached parts of the cavern which were quite empty. The Fox brothers were in the position of householders who occupied a house too large for their needs.

 

By and by the lamps ceased, and the portion farther on looked dark and gloomy.

 

"I am afraid to go any farther, Ernest," said the boy.

 

"Why, Frank? What are you afraid of?"

 

"There may be wild animals there."

 

"But how could they live there?"

 

"I don't know, but papa told me there were some."

 

Ernest understood why the boy had been told this. It was to prevent his going too far. But it made Ernest all the more eager to continue his explorations.

 

"Even if there were any wild animals I would protect you, Frank. I would not let them hurt you."

 

"But we may not find our way back. It is so dark," said the child with a shudder⁷.

 

"I won't go farther. But, see, it seems to be lighter⁸."

 

It was at a point fifty feet farther on.

 

Through a rift⁹ in the roof a gleam of light entered the cavern.

 

Ernest was anxious to trace this, for, as he judged, it came from some outlet¹⁰, through which he might possibly obtain deliverance.

 

"Stay where you are," he said. "I will just go forward, and see what I can."

 

"Don't stay long," entreated¹¹ Frank, nervously¹².

 

"No, I won't."

 

Ernest was just as well pleased to go forward alone, for if there was really, as he supposed, an outlet, it was as well that Frank should not have his attention drawn¹³ to it lest he should speak of it to his father, and so reveal the fact of their explorations. This might excite the suspicion of James Fox and put a stop to their further walks.

 

Continuing on alone, Ernest then saw, perhaps fifteen feet above him, an opening some three feet in diameter, through which he could obtain a glimpse of the clear sky far above.

 

It made his heart beat with exultation¹⁴ and longing¹⁵. There was freedom, if he could only manage somehow to lift himself up to the outlet and make his way through it.

 

"What is it, Ernest?" asked Frank. "Come back. I am afraid."

 

"Oh, it is nothing," answered Ernest, with studied indifference¹⁶. "It isn't anything you would care to see."

 

The little boy accepted this assurance, for he did not feel the interest that excited Ernest.

 

"Let us go back," he said, as he resumed his clasp of Ernest's hand.

 

"Yes, we will go back. Have you ever been as far as this before?"

 

"No."

 

"Then we had better not say anything about it. Your papa might not like it."

 

"All right, Ernest. Will you read to me when you go back?"

 

"Yes, Frank."

 

Ernest was glad to comply with the little boy's request, as he thought he might in this way put the thoughts of their exploration out of his mind.

 

They were fortunate enough to get back without exciting the attention of Juba, who was busy in the kitchen.

 

Her work, however, was soon over, and she brought her sewing into the room where the two boys were seated. The garment on which she was engaged seemed to be a dress of rough cloth.

 

"Well, Massa Frank, what am you doing?"

 

"Ernest is reading to me. Why don't you ever read to me, Juba?"

 

"O lor', chile, you know I can't read."

 

"But why can't you read? You're old enough."

 

"Yes, honey, I'm old enough, but I never had no chance to learn."

 

"Why didn't you?" persisted Frank. "Didn't you go to school when you was little?"

 

"No, chile, never went to school. They didn't have no schools where I was raised."

 

"Where was that?"

 

"In ole Virginny."

 

"Were you a slave, Juba?" asked Ernest, getting interested.

 

"Yes, massa, I was a slave."

 

"And how did you get here?"

 

"It was all along of the war. Ole massa, he went to the war and got killed. Then young massa went, and he got killed, too. Then one day there came an officer--one of Abe Linkum's officers--and he told us we were free and might go where we pleased. That was a drefful time."

 

"Why was it dreadful? Weren't you glad to be free?" asked Ernest.

 

"No, honey, we didn't know where to go, nor what to do. We'd allus had some one to look after us and take care of us, but now there wasn't anybody."

 

"Were you married, Juba?"

 

"Yes, but I don't know whether my ole man is livin' or not. He was sold down in Georgie, to a cousin of ole massa."

 

"Then he may be living yet?"

 

"Yes, honey."

 

"How old are you, Juba?" asked Frank.

 

"I don't know, chile. I's powerful old. Specs I's a hundred."

 

Ernest smiled.

 

"No, Juba," he said, "you are not nearly a hundred. You may be sixty."

 

"All right, massa, you know best."

 

"Juba, did you ever hear about Uncle Tom?"

 

"Yes, chile, I knew Uncle Tom," was the unexpected reply. "He was raised on Mr. Jackson's place, next to ours."

 

Ernest asked some questions about this Uncle Tom, but learned, as he expected, that it was quite a different person from the negro immortalized by Mrs. Stowe.

 

In looking over Frank's books Ernest found an old copy of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and taking it down, he read some portions, particularly those relating to Topsy.

 

Both Frank and Juba were very much entertained.

 

"Did you know Topsy, Juba?" asked Frank.

 

"No, chile, never knowed Topsy. She must have been a no account young nigga. If she'd lived on our plantation¹⁷ she'd have got flogged for her impudence¹⁸."

 

"How did you come here, Juba?" asked Frank.

 

"One of them officers took me to Chicago. I lived out with a lady, but when she died, after a good many years, I went to a 'telligence office, and there I met your papa. He brought me out here. I didn't at first like livin' down under the ground, but I don't mind it now. Massa Fox treats me well, and I ain't no wish to change."

 

This was the substance of what Juba had to communicate. The rest of the day passed quietly. At nightfall James Fox came home looking very sober. But he came alone. His brother was not with him.

 

1 blindfolded   

v.（尤指用布）挡住（某人）的视线( blindfold的过去式 )；蒙住（某人）的眼睛；使不理解；蒙骗

参考例句：

• The hostages were tied up and blindfolded. 人质被捆绑起来并蒙上了眼睛。
• They were each blindfolded with big red handkerchiefs. 他们每个人的眼睛都被一块红色大手巾蒙住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 cavern   

n.洞穴，大山洞

参考例句：

• The cavern walls echoed his cries.大山洞的四壁回响着他的喊声。
• It suddenly began to shower,and we took refuge in the cavern.天突然下起雨来，我们在一个山洞里避雨。

3 regularity   

n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐

参考例句：

• The idea is to maintain the regularity of the heartbeat.问题就是要维持心跳的规律性。
• He exercised with a regularity that amazed us.他锻炼的规律程度令我们非常惊讶。

4 conjectured   

推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The old peasant conjectured that it would be an unusually cold winter. 那老汉推测冬天将会异常地寒冷。
• The general conjectured that the enemy only had about five days' supply of food left. 将军推测敌人只剩下五天的粮食给养。

5 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

6 outlaws   

歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯

参考例句：

• During his year in the forest, Robin met many other outlaws. 在森林里的一年，罗宾遇见其他许多绿林大盗。
• I didn't have to leave the country or fight outlaws. 我不必离开自己的国家，也不必与不法分子斗争。

7 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

8 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

9 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

10 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

11 entreated   

恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They entreated and threatened, but all this seemed of no avail. 他们时而恳求，时而威胁，但这一切看来都没有用。
• 'One word,' the Doctor entreated. 'Will you tell me who denounced him?' “还有一个问题，”医生请求道，“你可否告诉我是谁告发他的？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

12 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

13 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

14 exultation   

n.狂喜，得意

参考例句：

• It made him catch his breath, it lit his face with exultation. 听了这个名字，他屏住呼吸，乐得脸上放光。
• He could get up no exultation that was really worthy the name. 他一点都激动不起来。

15 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

16 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

17 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

18 impudence   

n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼

参考例句：

• His impudence provoked her into slapping his face.他的粗暴让她气愤地给了他一耳光。
• What knocks me is his impudence.他的厚颜无耻使我感到吃惊。