In this circle was the house, whose roof only could be seen from without.
Not finding any opening through the jessamines, I parted the leaves with my hands, and looked through. The picture was dream-like; so strange, I could scarcely credit my senses.
On the crest1 of the little hillock stood a house of rare construction—unique and unlike anything I had ever seen. The sides were formed of bamboos, closely picketed2, and laced together by fibres of the pita. The roof—a thatch3 of palm-leaves—projected far over the eaves, rising to a cone4, and terminating in a small wooden cupola with a cross. There were no windows. The walls themselves were translucent5; and articles of furniture could be distinguished6 through the interstices of the bamboos.
A curtain of green barège, supported by a rod and rings, formed the door. This was drawn7, discovering an ottoman near the entrance, and an elegant harp8.
The whole structure presented the coup-d’oeil of a huge birdcage, with its wires of gold!
The grounds were in keeping with the house. In these, the evidence of neglect, which had been noticed without, existed no longer. Every object appeared to be under the training of a watchful9 solicitude10.
A thick grove11 of olives, with their gnarled and spreading branches and dark-green leaves, stretched rearward, forming a background to the picture. Right and left grew clumps12 of orange and lime trees. Golden fruit and flowers of brilliant hues13 mingled14 with their yellow leaves; spring and autumn blended upon the same branches!
Rare shrubs—exotics—grew out of large vessels15 of japanned earthenware16, whose brilliant tints17 added to the voluptuous18 colouring of the scene.
A jet d’eau, crystalline, rose to the height of twenty feet, and, returning in a shower of prismatic globules, stole away through a bed of water-lilies and other aquatic19 plants, losing itself in a grove of lofty plantain-trees. These, growing from the cool watery20 bed, flung out their broad glistening21 leaves to the length of twenty feet.
So signs of human life met the eye. The birds alone seemed to revel22 in the luxuriance of this tropical paradise. A brace23 of pea-fowl stalked over the parterre in all the pride of their rainbow plumage. In the fountain appeared the tall form of a flamingo24, his scarlet25 colour contrasting with the green leaves of the water-lily. Songsters were trilling in every tree. The mock-bird, perched upon the highest limb, was mimicking26 the monotonous27 tones of the parrot. The toucans28 and trogons flashed from grove to grove, or balanced their bodies under the spray of the jet d’eau; while the humming-birds hung upon the leaves of some honeyed blossom, or prinkled over the parterre like straying sunbeams.
I was running my eye over this dream-like picture, in search of a human figure, when the soft, metallic30 accents of a female voice reached me from the grove of plantains. It was a burst of laughter—clear and ringing. Then followed another, with short exclamations31, and the sound of water as if dashed and sprinkled with a light hand.
What must be the Eve of a paradise like this! The silver tones were full of promise. It was the first female voice that had greeted my ears for a month, and chords long slumbering32 vibrated under the exquisite33 touch.
My heart bounded. My first impulse was “forward”, which I obeyed by springing through the jessamines. But the fear of intruding34 upon a scene à la Diane changed my determination, and my next thought was to make a quiet retreat.
I was preparing to return, and had thrust one leg back through the hedge, when a harsh voice—apparently that of a man—mingled with the silvery tones.
“Anda!—anda!—hace mucho calor. Vamos á volver.” (Hasten!—it is hot. Let us return.)
“Ah, no, Pepe! un ratito mas.” (Ah, no, Pepe! a little while longer.)
“Vaya, carrambor!” (Quick, then!)
Again the clear laughter rang out, mingled with the clapping of hands and short exclamations of delight.
“Come,” thought I, once more entering the parterre, “as there appears to be one of my own sex here already, it cannot be very mal à propos to take a peep at this amusement, whatever it be.”
I approached the row of plantain-trees, whose leaves screened the speakers from view.
“Lupé! Lupé! mira! que bonito!” (Lupé! Lupé! look here! What a pretty thing!)
“Ah, pobrecito! echalo, Luz, echalo.” (Ah! poor little thing! fling it back, Luz.)
“Voy luego,” (Presently.)
I stooped down, and silently parted the broad, silken leaves. The sight was divine!
Within lay a circular tank, or basin, of crystal water, several rods in diameter, and walled in on all sides by the high screen of glossy35 plantains, whose giant leaves, stretching out horizontally, sheltered it from the rays of the sun.
A low parapet of mason-work ran around, forming the circumference36 of the circle. This was japanned with a species of porcelain37, whose deep colouring of blue and green and yellow was displayed in a variety of grotesque38 figures.
A strong jet boiled up in the centre, by the refraction of whose ripples39 the gold and red fish seemed multiplied into myriads40.
At a distant point a bed of water-lilies hung out from the parapet; and the long, thin neck of a swan rose gracefully42 over the leaves. Another, his mate, stood upon the bank drying her snowy pinions44 in the sun.
A different object attracted me, depriving me, for awhile, of the power of action.
In the water, and near the jet, were two beautiful girls clothed in a sort of sleeveless, green tunic45, loosely girdled. They were immersed to the waist. So pellucid46 was the water that their little feet were distinctly visible at the bottom, shining like gold.
Luxuriant hair fell down in broad flakes47, partially48 shrouding49 the snowy development of their arms and shoulders. Their forms were strikingly similar—tall, graceful41, fully43 developed, and characterised by that elliptical line of beauty that, in the female form more than in any other earthly object, illustrates50 the far-famed curve of Hogarth.
Their features, too, were alike. “Sisters!” one would exclaim, and yet their complexions51 were strikingly dissimilar. The blood, mantling52 darker in the veins53 of one, lent an olive tinge54 to the soft and wax-like surface of her skin, while the red upon her cheeks and lips presented an admixture of purple. Her hair, too, was black; and a dark shading along the upper lip—a moustache, in fact—soft and silky as the tracery of a crayon, contrasted with the dazzling whiteness of her teeth. Her eyes were black, large, and almond-shaped, with that expression which looks over one; and her whole appearance formed a type of that beauty which we associate with the Abencerrage and the Alhambra. This was evidently the elder.
The other was the type of a distinct class of beauty—the golden-haired blonde. Her eyes were large, globular, and blue as turquoise55. Her hair of a chastened yellow, long and luxuriant; while her skin, less soft and waxen than that of her sister, presented an effusion of roseate blushes that extended along the snowy whiteness of her arms. These, in the sun, appeared as bloodless and transparent56 as the tiny gold-fish that quivered in her uplifted hand.
I was riveted57 to the spot. My first impulse was to retire, silently and modestly, but the power of a strange fascination58 for a moment prevented me. Was it a dream?
“Ah! que barbara! pobrecito—ito—ito!” (Ah! what a barbarian59 you are! poor little thing!)
“Comeremos.” (We shall eat it.)
“Por Dios! no! echalo, Luz, ó tirare la agua en sus ojos.” (Goodness! no! fling it in, Luz, or I shall throw water in your eyes.) And the speaker stooped as if to execute the threat.
“Ya—no,” (Now I shall not), said Luz resolutely60.
“Guarda te!” (Look out, then!)
The brunette placed her little hands close together, forming with their united palms a concave surface, and commenced dashing water upon the perverse61 blonde.
The latter instantly dropped the gold-fish, and retaliated62.
An exciting and animated63 contest ensued. The bright globules flew around their heads, and rolled down their glittering tresses, as from the pinions of a swan; while their clear laughter rang out at intervals64, as one or the other appeared victorious65.
A hoarse66 voice drew my attention from this interesting spectacle. Looking whence it came, my eye rested upon a huge negress stretched under a cocoa-tree, who had raised herself on one arm, and was laughing at the contest.
It was her voice, then, I had mistaken for that of a man!
Becoming sensible of my intrusive67 position, I turned to retreat, when a shrill68 cry reached me from the pond.
The swans, with a frightened energy shrieked69 and flapped over the surface, the gold-fish shot to and fro like sunbeams, and leaped out of the water, quivering and terrified, and the birds on all sides screamed and chattered70.
I sprang forward to ascertain71 the cause of this strange commotion72. My eye fell upon the negress, who had risen, and, running out upon the parapet with uplifted arms, shouted in terrified accents:
“Valgame Dios—niñas! El cayman! el cayman!”
I looked across to the other side of the pond. A fearful object met my eyes—the cayman of Mexico! The hideous73 monster was slowly crawling over the low wall, dragging his lengthened74 body from a bed of aquatic plants.
Already his short fore-arms, squamy and corrugated75, rested upon the inner edge of the parapet, his shoulders projecting as if in the act to spring! His scale-covered back, with its long serrated ridge76, glittered with a slippery moistness; and his eyes, usually dull, gleamed fierce and lurid77 from their prominent sockets78.
I had brought with me a light rifle. It was but the work of a moment to unsling and level it. The sharp crack followed, and the ball impinged between the monster’s eyes, glancing harmlessly from his hard skull79 as though it had been a plate of steel. The shot was an idle one, perhaps worse; for, stung to madness with the stunning80 shock, the reptile81 sprang far out into the water, and made directly for its victims.
The girls, who had long since given over their mirthful contest, seemed to have lost all presence of mind; and, instead of making for the bank, stood locked in each other’s arms terrified and trembling.
Their symmetrical forms fell into an agonised embrace; and their rounded arms, olive and roseate, laced each other, and twined across their quivering bodies.
Their faces were turned to heaven, as though they expected succour from above—a group that rivalled the Laocoon.
With a spring I cleared the parapet, and, drawing my sword, dashed madly across the basin.
The girls were near the centre; but the cayman had got the start of me, and the water, three feet deep, impeded82 my progress. The bottom of the tank, too, was slippery, and I fell once or twice on my hands. I rose again, and with frantic83 energy plunged84 forward, all the while calling upon the bathers to make for the parapet.
Notwithstanding my shouts, the terrified girls made no effort to save themselves. They were incapable85 from terror.
On came the cayman with the velocity86 of vengeance87. It was a fearful moment. Already he swam at a distance of less than six paces from his prey88, his long snout projecting from the water, his gaunt jaws89 displaying their quadruple rows of sharp glistening teeth.
I shouted despairingly. I was baffled by the deep water. I had nearly twice the distance before I could interpose myself between the monster and its victims.
“I shall be too late!”
Suddenly I saw that the cayman had swerved90. In his eagerness he had struck a subaqueous pipe of the jet.
It delayed him only a moment; but in that moment I had passed the statue-like group, and stood ready to receive his attack.
“A la orilla! á la orilla!” (To the bank! to the bank!) I shouted, pushing the terrified girls with one hand, while with the other I held my sword at arm’s-length in the face of the advancing reptile.
The girls now, for the first time awaking from their lethargy of terror, rushed towards the bank.
On came the monster, gnashing his teeth in the fury of disappointment, and uttering fearful cries.
As soon as he had got within reach I aimed a blow at his head; but the light sabre glinted from the fleshless skull with the ringing of steel to steel.
The blow, however, turned him out of his course, and, missing his aim, he passed me like an arrow. I looked around with a feeling of despair. “Thank heaven, they are safe!”
I felt the clammy scales rub against my thigh91; and I leaped aside to avoid the stroke of his tail, as it lashed29 the water into foam92.
Again the monster turned, and came on as before.
This time I did not attempt to cut, but thrust the sabre directly for his throat. The cold blade snapped between his teeth like an icicle. Not above twelve inches remained with the hilt; and with this I hacked93 and fought with the energy of despair.
My situation had now grown critical indeed. The girls had reached the bank, and stood screaming upon the parapet.
At length the elder seized upon a pole, and, lifting it with all her might, leaped back into the basin, and was hastening to my rescue, when a stream of fire was poured through the leaves of the plantains: I heard a sharp crack—the short humming whiz of a bullet—and a large form, followed by half a dozen others, emerged from the grove, and, rushing over the wall, plunged into the pond.
I heard a loud plashing in the water—the shouts of men, the clashing of bayonets; and then saw the reptile roll over, pierced by a dozen wounds.
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收听单词发音
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1
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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picketed
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| 用尖桩围住（picket的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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cone
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| n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果 | |
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translucent
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| adj.半透明的；透明的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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7
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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8
harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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13
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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14
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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15
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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16
earthenware
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| n.土器，陶器 | |
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17
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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18
voluptuous
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| adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的 | |
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19
aquatic
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| adj.水生的，水栖的 | |
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20
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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21
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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22
revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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23
brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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24
flamingo
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| n.红鹳，火烈鸟 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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26
mimicking
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| v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的现在分词 )；酷似 | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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toucans
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| n.巨嘴鸟，犀鸟( toucan的名词复数 ) | |
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29
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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30
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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31
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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32
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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intruding
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| v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的现在分词)；把…强加于 | |
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glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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37
porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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38
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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39
ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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40
myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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41
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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42
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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43
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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44
pinions
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的第三人称单数 ) | |
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45
tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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46
pellucid
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| adj.透明的，简单的 | |
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47
flakes
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| 小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人 | |
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48
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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49
shrouding
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| n.覆盖v.隐瞒( shroud的现在分词 )；保密 | |
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50
illustrates
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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51
complexions
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| 肤色( complexion的名词复数 )； 面色； 局面； 性质 | |
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52
mantling
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| 覆巾 | |
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53
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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54
tinge
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| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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55
turquoise
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| n.绿宝石；adj.蓝绿色的 | |
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56
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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57
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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58
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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perverse
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| adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的 | |
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62
retaliated
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| v.报复，反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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64
intervals
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| 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 | |
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65
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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66
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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67
intrusive
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| adj.打搅的；侵扰的 | |
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68
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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69
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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72
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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73
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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corrugated
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| adj.波纹的；缩成皱纹的；波纹面的；波纹状的v.（使某物）起皱褶(corrugate的过去式和过去分词) | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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78
sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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stunning
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| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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82
impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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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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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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93
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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