San Ambrosio was, at the period of which we write, a small and thriving place—though what may be styled a mushroom town, which owed its prosperity to recently discovered silver-mines. All things considered, it was a town of unusual magnificence on a small scale.
Being built with straight streets, cutting each other at right angles, Lawrence and his man had no difficulty in finding the principal square, or market-place, which was crowded with people selling and buying vegetables, milk, eggs, fruit, etcetera, brought in from the surrounding districts. The people presented all the picturesque2 characteristics of the land in profusion—peons, with huge Spanish spurs, mounted on gaily3 caparisoned mules4; Gauchos6, on active horses of the Pampas; market-women, in varied7 costumes more or less becoming, and dark-eyed senhoras on balconies and verandas8 sporting the graceful9 mantilla and the indispensable fan.
The carts and donkeys, and dogs and fowls10, and boys had the curious effect of reducing the babel of voices and discordant11 sounds to something like a grand harmony.
Besides these, there was a sprinkling of men of free-and-easy swagger, in long boots, with more or less of villainy in their faces—adventurers these, attracted by the hope of “something turning up” to their advantage, though afflicted12, most of them, with an intense objection to take the trouble of turning up anything for themselves. Dangerous fellows, too, who would not scruple13 to appropriate the turnings up of other people when safe opportunity offered.
A clear fountain played in the centre of the square—its cool, refreshing14 splash sounding very sweet in the ears of Lawrence, whose recent sojourn15 in the cold regions of the higher Andes had rendered him sensitive to the oppressive heat of the town. Besides this, a clear rivulet16 ran along one side of the square, near to which was the governor’s house. A line of trees threw a grateful shade over the footpath17 here. On the opposite side stood the barracks, where a few ill-clad unsoldierly men lounged about with muskets18 in their hands. All the houses and church walls and spires19, not only in the square, but in the town, bore evidence, in the form of cracked walls and twisted windows and doorways20, of the prevalence of earthquakes; and there was a general appearance of dilapidation21 and dirt around, which was anything but agreeable to men who had just come from the free, grand, sweet-scented scenery of the mountains.
“They seem to have had some severe shakings here,” said Lawrence, pointing with his stick to a crack in the side of one of the houses which extended from the roof to the ground.
We may remark here that, on entering the town, our travellers had laid aside their arms as being useless encumbrances22, though Lawrence still carried his oaken cudgel, not as a weapon but a walking-stick.
“Yes, massa,” replied Quashy, “got lots ob eart’ quaks in dem diggins. Ebery day, more or less, dey hab a few. Jest afore you come down dis mornin’ I hab some conv’sashin’ wid de landlord, an’ he say he don’ like de look ob t’ings.”
“Indeed, Quashy. Why not?”
“’Cause it’s gittin’ too hot, he say, for de time ob year—sulfry, he called it.”
“Sultry, you mean?”
“Well, I’s not ’zactly sure what I means, but he said sulfry. An’ dey’ve bin23 shook more dan ornar ob late. An’ dere’s a scienskrific gen’leman in our inn what’s bin a-profisyin’ as there’ll be a grand bust-up afore long.”
“I hope he’ll turn out to be a false prophet,” said Lawrence. “What is his name?”
“Dun’ know, massa. Look dar!” exclaimed Quashy, with a grin, pointing to a fat priest with a broad-brimmed white hat on a sleek24 mule5, “he do look comf’rable.”
“More comfortable than the poor beast behind him,” returned Lawrence, with a laugh, as he observed three little children cantering along on one horse.
There was no lack of entertainment and variety in that town, for people generally seemed to a great extent to have cast off the trammels of social etiquette25, both in habits and costume. Many of the horses that passed were made to carry double. Here would ride past a man with a woman behind him; there a couple of girls, or two elderly females. Elsewhere appeared a priest of tremendous length and thinness, with feet much too near the ground, and further on a boy, so small as to resemble a monkey, with behind him a woman so old as to suggest the idea he had taken his great-grandmother out for a ride, or—vice versa!
For some hours master and man wandered about enjoying themselves thoroughly26 in spite of the heat, commenting freely on all they saw and heard, until hunger reminded them of the flight of time. Returning to their hotel, Lawrence, to his surprise, found a note awaiting him. It was from Pedro, saying that he had found his friend in a village about three miles from San Ambrosio, describing the route to the place, and asking him to send Quashy out immediately, as he wanted his assistance that night for a few hours.
“I wonder what he wants with you?” said Lawrence.
“To help him wid de mischif!” replied the negro, in a half-sulky tone.
“Well, you’ll have to go, but you’d better eat something first.”
“No, massa; wid you’s leave I’ll go off at once. A hunk ob bread in de pocket an’ lots o’ fruit by de way—das ’nuff for dis nigger.”
“Off with you, then, and tell Pedro that you left Manuela and me quite comfortable.”
“O Massa Lawrie!—’scuse me usin’ de ole name—it am so nice to hear you speak jolly like dat. ’Minds me ob de ole times!”
“Get along with you,” said Lawrence, with a laugh, as the warm-hearted black left the hotel.
Thus these two parted. Little did they imagine what singular experiences they should encounter before meeting again.
Soon after Quashy’s departure Lawrence went to the door of Manuela’s room, and, tapping gently, said—
“Dinner is ready, Manuela.”
It had by that time become an established little touch of pleasantry between these two that Lawrence should teach the Indian girl English—at least to the extent of familiar phrases—while she should do the same for him with Spanish. There was one thing that the youth liked much in this, and it also surprised him a little, namely, that it seemed to draw the girl out of her Indian reticence28 and gravity, for she laughed with childlike delight at the amazing blunders she made in attempting English. Indeed, she laughed far more at herself than at him, although his attempts at Spanish were even more ridiculous.
A few minutes later Manuela entered the room, and, with a modest yet gracious smile, took a seat opposite her pupil-teacher.
“Dignity,” thought the latter—“native dignity and grace! Being the daughter of a great chief of the Incas—a princess, I suppose—she cannot help it. An ordinary Indian female, now, would have come into the room clumsily, looked sheepish, and sat down on the edge of her chair—perhaps on the floor!”
But as he gazed at her short, black, curly hair, her splendid black eyebrows29, her pretty little high-bred mouth, beautiful white teeth, and horribly brown skin, he sighed, and only said—
“Ay, ay! Well, well! What a pity!”
“What ees dat?” inquired the girl, with a look of grave simplicity30.
“Did I speak?” returned Lawrence, a little confused.
“Yes—you say, ‘Ay, ay. Well, well. What a pittie!’”
“Oh!—ah!—yes—I was only thinking, Manuela. What will you have?”
“Som muttin,” replied the girl, with a pursing of the little mouth that indicated a tendency to laugh.
“It is not mutton. It’s beef, I think.”
“Well, bee-eef very naice—an’ som’ gravvie too, plee-ese.”
She went off at this point into a rippling31 laugh, which, being infectious in its nature, also set her companion off, but the entrance of the landlord checked them both. He sat down at a small table near to them, and, being joined by a friend, called for a bottle of wine.
“Hotter than ever,” he remarked to Lawrence.
“Yes, very sultry indeed.”
“Shouldn’t wonder if we was to have a sharpish touch or two to-night.”
To which his friend, who was also an American if not an Englishman, and appeared to be sceptical in his nature, replied, “Gammon!”
This led to a conversation between the two which is not worthy32 of record, as it was chiefly speculative33 in regard to earthquakes in general, and tailed off into guesses as to social convulsions present, past or pending34. One remark they made, however, which attracted the attention of our hero, and made him wish to hear more. It had reference to some desperate character whose name he failed to catch, but who was said to be in the neighbourhood again, “trying to raise men to join his band of robbers,” the landlord supposed, to which the landlord’s friend replied with emphasis that he had come to the right place, for, as far as his experience went, San Ambrosio was swarming35 with men that seemed fit for anything—from “pitch-and-toss to manslaughter.”
Not wishing, apparently36, to hear anything more about such disagreeable characters and subjects, Manuela rose at the conclusion of the meal and retired37 to her apartment, while Lawrence continued to sip38 his coffee in a balcony which overlooked the vineyard behind the hotel.
It was evening, and, although unusually warm, the weather was very enjoyable, for a profound calm reigned39 around, and the hum of the multitudes in the distant square seemed hushed as the church bells rang the hour for evening prayers. As the twilight40 deepened, and the stars came faintly into sight in the dark-blue vault41 above, the thoughts of Lawrence became strangely saddened, and, gradually quitting the scene of peaceful beauty on which he gazed, sped over the Cordillera of the Andes to that home of his boyhood which now lay in ashes. The frame of mind thus induced naturally led him to dwell on past scenes in which his mother had taken a part, and he was still meditating42, more than half asleep, on the joys which were never to return, when he was roused into sudden and thorough consciousness by something—he could not tell what—a sort of sensation—which caused him to leap from his chair.
At the same moment there arose from the streets a cry, or wail43. Suddenly a rumbling44 noise was heard. Lawrence bounded towards the nearest door. Full well he knew what it meant. Before he could escape there was a tremendous upheaval45 of the solid earth, and in one instant, without further warning, the entire town fell with one mighty46 crash! Lawrence just saw the walls and roof collapsing—then all was dark, and consciousness forsook47 him.
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1
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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2
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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3
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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4
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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5
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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6
gauchos
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| n.南美牧人( gaucho的名词复数 ) | |
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7
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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8
verandas
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| 阳台，走廊( veranda的名词复数 ) | |
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9
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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10
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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11
discordant
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| adj.不调和的 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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14
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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15
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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16
rivulet
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| n.小溪，小河 | |
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17
footpath
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| n.小路，人行道 | |
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18
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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19
spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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20
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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21
dilapidation
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| n.倒塌；毁坏 | |
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22
encumbrances
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| n.负担( encumbrance的名词复数 )；累赘；妨碍；阻碍 | |
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23
bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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24
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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25
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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26
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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27
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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28
reticence
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| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
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29
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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30
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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31
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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32
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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33
speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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34
pending
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| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
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35
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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36
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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37
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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38
sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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39
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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40
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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41
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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42
meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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43
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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44
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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45
upheaval
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| n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱 | |
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46
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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47
forsook
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| forsake的过去式 | |
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