“It is true he did everything to reach my position. A dozen times he charged up the hill, and more than once effected a lodgment among the tops of the lower turrets4, but the main one was too steep for him. No wonder! It, had tried my own powers to scale it.
“At times he came so close to me in his desperate efforts, that I could have touched his horns with the muzzle5 of my gun; and I had prepared to give him a blow whenever I could get a good chance. I never saw a creature behave so fiercely. The fact was, that I had hit him with my bullet,—the wound was there along his jaw6, and bleeding freely. The pain of it maddened him; but that was not the only cause of his fury, as I afterwards discovered.
“Well. After several unsuccessful attempts to scale the cone, he varied7 his tactics, and commenced butting8 the ant-heap as though he would bring it down. He repeatedly backed, and then charged forward upon it with all his might; and, to say the truth, it looked for some time as though he would succeed.
“Several of the lesser10 cones11 were knocked over by his powerful blows; and the hard tough clay yielded before his sharp horns, used by him as inverted12 pickaxes. In several places I could see that he had laid open the chambers13 of the insects, or rather the ways and galleries that are placed in the outer crust of the hill.
“With all this I felt no fear. I was under the belief that he would soon exhaust his rage and go away; and then I could descend14 without danger. But after watching him a good long spell, I was not a little astonished to observe that, instead of cooling down, he seemed to grow more furious than ever. I had taken out my handkerchief to wipe the perspiration15 off my face. It was as hot as an oven where I sat. Not a breath of air was stirring, and the rays of the sun, glaring right down and then reflecting up again from the white clay, brought the perspiration out of me in streams. Every minute I was obliged to rub my eyes clear of it with the handkerchief.
“Now, before passing the kerchief over my face, I always shook it open; and each time I did so, I noticed that the rage of the wildebeest seemed to be redoubled! In fact, at such times he would leave off goring16 the heap, and make a fresh attempt to rush up at me, roaring his loudest as he charged against the steep wall!
“I was puzzled at this, as well as astonished. What could there be in my wiping my face to provoke the wildebeest anew? And yet such was clearly the case. Every time I did so, he appeared to swell17 with a fresh burst of passion!
“The explanation came at length. I saw that it was not the wiping off the perspiration that provoked him. It was the shaking out of my handkerchief. This was, as you know, of a bright scarlet18 colour. I thought of this, and then, for the first time, remembered having heard that anything scarlet has a most powerful effect upon the wildebeest, and excites him to a rage resembling madness.
“I did not wish to keep up his fury. I crumpled19 up the handkerchief and buried it in my pocket—preferring to endure the perspiration rather than remain there any longer. By hiding the scarlet, I conceived a hope he would the sooner cool down, and go away.
“But I had raised a devil in him too fierce to be so easily laid. He showed no signs of cooling down. On the contrary, he continued to charge, butt9, and bellow20, as vengefully as ever—though the scarlet was no longer before his eyes.
“I began to feel really annoyed. I had no idea the gnoo was so implacable in his rage. The bull evidently felt pain from his wound. I could perceive that he moaned it. He knew well enough it was I who had given him this pain.
“He appeared determined21 not to let me escape retribution. He showed no signs of an intention to leave the place; but laboured away with hoof22 and horns, as if he would demolish23 the mound24.
“I was growing very tired of my situation Though not afraid that the bull could reach me, I was troubled by the thought of being so long absent from our camp. I knew I should have been there. I thought of my little sister and brother. Some misfortune might befall them. I was very sad about that, though up to that time I had little or no fears for myself. I was still in hopes the wildebeest would tire out and leave me, and then I could soon run home.
“I say, up to that time I had no very serious fears for myself—excepting the moment or two when the bull was chasing me to the hill; but that little fright was soon over.
“But now appeared a new object of dread—another enemy, as terrible as the enraged25 bull—that almost caused me to sprint26 down upon the horns of the latter in my first moments of alarm!
“I have said that the wildebeest had broken down several of the lesser turrets—the outworks of the ant-hill—and had laid open the hollow spaces within. He had not penetrated27 to the main dome28, but only the winding29 galleries and passages that perforate the outer walls.
“I noticed, that, as soon as these were broken open, a number of ants had rushed out from each. Indeed, I had observed many of the creatures crawling outside the hill, when I first approached it, and had wondered at this—as I knew that they usually keep under ground when going and coming from their nests. I had observed all this, without taking note of it at the time—being too intent in my stalk to think of anything else. For the last half-hour I was too busy watching the manoeuvres of the wildebeest bull, to take my gaze off him for a moment.
“Something in motion directly under me at length caught my eye, and I looked down to see what it was. The first glance caused me to jump to my feet; and, as I have already said, very nearly impelled30 me to leap down upon the horns of the bull!
“Swarming all over the hill, already clustering upon my shoes, and crawling still higher, were the crowds of angry ants. Every hole that the bull had made was yielding out its throng31 of spiteful insects; and all appeared moving towards me!
“Small as the creatures were, I fancied I saw design in their movements. They seemed all actuated with the same feeling—the same impulse—that of attacking me. I could not be mistaken in their intent. They moved all together, as if guided and led by intelligent beings; and they advanced towards the spot on which I stood.
“I saw, too, that they were the soldiers. I knew these from the workers, by their larger heads and long horny mandibles. I knew they could bite fiercely and painfully.
“The thought filled me with horror. I confess it, I never was so horrified32 before. My late encounter with the lion was nothing to compare with it.
“My first impression was that I would be destroyed by the termites33. I had heard of such things—I remembered that I had. It was that, no doubt, that frightened me so badly. I had heard of men in their sleep being attacked by the white ants, and bitten to death. Such memories came crowding upon me at the moment, until I felt certain, that if I did not soon escape from that spot, the ants would sting me to death and eat me up!”
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1
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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gored
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| v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破( gore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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cone
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| n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果 | |
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turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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butting
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| 用头撞人（犯规动作） | |
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butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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cones
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| n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒 | |
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12
inverted
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| adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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14
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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goring
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| v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破( gore的现在分词 ) | |
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17
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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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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crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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bellow
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| v.吼叫，怒吼；大声发出，大声喝道 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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demolish
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| v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等) | |
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mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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25
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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26
sprint
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| n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过 | |
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27
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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29
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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termites
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| n.白蚁( termite的名词复数 ) | |
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