The savoury roast did a good deal towards restoring the spirits of the party; but they could not help dwelling2 upon the indifferent prospect3 they now had of procuring4 a fresh stock of provisions—so much changed were circumstances by their powder having been destroyed.
The bow and arrows of Ossaroo were still left, and other bows could be made, if that one was to get broken. Indeed, Caspar now determined5 on having one of his own; and practising archery under the tutelage of the shikaree, until he should be able to use that old-fashioned and universal weapon with deadly effect.
Old-fashioned we may well term it: since its existence dates far beyond the earliest times of historical record; and universal: for go where you will into the most remote corners of the earth, the bow is found in the hands of the savage6, copied from no model, introduced from no external source, but evidently native to the country and the tribe, as if when man was first created the weapon had been put into his hands by the Creator himself!
Indeed, the occurrence of the bow—with its necessary adjunct, the arrow—among tribes of savages7 living widely apart, and who, to all appearance, could never have communicated the idea to one another—is one of the most curious circumstances in the history of mankind; and there is no other way of explaining it, than by the supposition that the propelling power which exists in the recoil8 of a tightly-stretched string must be one of the earliest phenomena9 that presents itself to the human mind; and that, therefore, in many parts of the world this idea has been an indigenous10 and original conception.
The bow and arrow is certainly one of the oldest weapons on the earth—as well as one of the most universally distributed. It is a subject that, in the hands of the skilled ethnologist, might become one of the most interesting chapters in the history of the human race.
I have said that after eating the peacock our adventurers were in better spirits; but for all that, they could not help feeling some little apprehension11 as to how their food was to be obtained for the future. Ossaroo’s skill had provided their breakfast; but how about their dinner? And after that their supper? Even should something turn up for the next meal, they might not be so fortunate in obtaining the next after that; and this precarious12 way of subsistence—living, as it were, from hand to mouth—would be a constant exposure of their lives to the chances of starvation.
As soon, therefore, as they had finished with the flesh of the peacock—and while Ossaroo, who continued eating longer than any of them, was still engaged in polishing off the “drumsticks”—the point of replenishing the larder13 became the subject of their conversation; and all agreed that to get up a stock of provisions had now become a matter of primary importance. They resolved, therefore, to devote themselves entirely14 to this business—using such means as were in their power for capturing game, and devising other means should these prove insufficient15.
First and foremost, then, what were they to have for dinner? Was it to be fish, flesh, or fowl16? They did not think of having all three: for in their situation they had no desire for a fashionable dinner. One course would be sufficient for them; and they would only be too thankful to have one course assured to them.
Whether they would choose to go fishing with Ossaroo’s net, and have fish for their dinner, or whether they would try for another peacock, or an argus pheasant, or a brace17 of Brahminy geese; or whether they would take to the woods and search for grander game, had not become a decided18 point; when an incident occurred that settled the question, as to what they were to have for dinner. Without any exertion19 on their part—without the wasting of a single shot, or the spending of an arrow, they were provided with meat; and in quantity sufficient, not only for that day’s dinner, but to ration20 them for a whole week, with odds21 and ends falling to the share of Fritz.
They had gone out of the hut again; and were seated, as oft before, on some large stones that lay upon the ground in front. It was a fine bright morning; and, although cold in the shade, the sun shining down upon them, reflected from the white snow on the mountains above, made it warm enough to be pleasant. For that reason, and because there was some smoke inside the hut, where they had cooked their breakfast, they had preferred eating it in the open air; and here also they were holding council as to their future proceedings22.
While thus engaged, a sound fell upon their ears that bore some resemblance to the bleating23 of a goat. It appeared to come down from the sky above them; but they knew that it must be caused by some animal on the cliffs overhead.
On looking upwards24, they beheld25 the animal; and if its voice had already appeared to them to be like that of a goat, the creature itself in its personal appearance, to a very great extent, carried out the resemblance.
To speak the truth, it was a goat; though not one of the common kind. It was an ibex.
Once more Karl had the advantage of his companions. His knowledge of natural history enabled him to identify the animal. At the first glance he pronounced it an ibex; although he had never seen a living ibex before. But the goat-like shape of the animal, its shaggy coat, and above all, the immense ringed horns curving regularly backward over its shoulders, were all characteristic points, which Karl was able to identify by a comparison with pictures he had seen in books, and stuffed skins he had examined in a museum.
Ossaroo said it was a goat—some kind of a wild goat, he supposed; but as Ossaroo had never before been so high up the mountains, and therefore never in the regions frequented by the ibex, he knew it not. His conjecture26 that it was a goat was founded on the general resemblance which it bore to a goat; and this Caspar had observed as well as Ossaroo.
They could see the creature from head to foot, standing27 in a majestic28 attitude on a prominent point of the cliff; but although it was in reality much larger than the common domestic goat, it was so distant from them as not to appear bigger than a kid. It was en profile, however, to their eyes; and against the blue sky they could trace the outlines of the animal with perfect distinctness, and note the grand sweeping29 curvature of its horns.
The first thought of Caspar was to lay hold of his gun with the idea of taking a shot at it; but both the others interposed to prevent this—pointing out the impossibility of hitting at such a distance. Although seemingly much nearer, the ibex was considerably30 more than a hundred yards from where they were seated: for the point of the precipice31 upon which it stood was quite four hundred feet above the level.
Caspar, reflecting upon this, was easily dissuaded32 from his design; and the next moment was wondering why he had been so near playing the fool as to throw away a shot—his penultimate one, too—at an animal placed full fifty yards beyond the carry of his gun!
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1
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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2
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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4
procuring
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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5
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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7
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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8
recoil
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| vi.退却，退缩，畏缩 | |
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9
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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indigenous
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| adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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12
precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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larder
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| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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15
insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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16
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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17
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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18
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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ration
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| n.定量(pl.)给养，口粮；vt.定量供应 | |
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odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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22
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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23
bleating
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| v.（羊，小牛）叫( bleat的现在分词 )；哭诉；发出羊叫似的声音；轻声诉说 | |
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24
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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25
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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26
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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27
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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28
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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29
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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30
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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31
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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32
dissuaded
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| 劝（某人）勿做某事，劝阻( dissuade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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