The dwellings9 were of the most miserable10 description imaginable, and, unlike those of even the lowest of the savage3 races with which mankind are acquainted, were of no uniform plan. Some of them (and these we found belonged to the Wampoos or Yampoos, the great men of the land) consisted of a tree cut down at about four feet from the root, with a large black skin thrown over it, and hanging in loose folds upon the ground. Under this the savage nestled. Others were formed by means of rough limbs of trees, with the withered11 foliage12 upon them, made to recline, at an angle of forty-five degrees, against a bank of clay, heaped up, without regular form, to the height of five or six feet. Others, again, were mere13 holes dug in the earth perpendicularly14, and covered over with similar branches, these being removed when the tenant15 was about to enter, and pulled on again when he had entered. A few were built among the forked limbs of trees as they stood, the upper limbs being partially16 cut through, so as to bend over upon the lower, thus forming thicker shelter from the weather. The greater number, however, consisted of small shallow caverns17, apparently18 scratched in the face of a precipitous ledge19 of dark stone, resembling fuller’s earth, with which three sides of the village were bounded. At the door of each of these primitive20 caverns was a small rock, which the tenant carefully placed before the entrance upon leaving his residence, for what purpose I could not ascertain21, as the stone itself was never of sufficient size to close up more than a third of the opening.
This village, if it were worthy22 of the name, lay in a valley of some depth, and could only be approached from the southward, the precipitous ledge of which I have already spoken cutting off all access in other directions. Through the middle of the valley ran a brawling23 stream of the same magical-looking water which has been described. We saw several strange animals about the dwellings, all appearing to be thoroughly24 domesticated25. The largest of these creatures resembled our common hog26 in the structure of the body and snout; the tail, however, was bushy, and the legs slender as those of the antelope27. Its motion was exceedingly awkward and indecisive, and we never saw it attempt to run. We noticed also several animals very similar in appearance, but of a greater length of body, and covered with a black wool. There were a great variety of tame fowls28 running about, and these seemed to constitute the chief food of the natives. To our astonishment29 we saw black albatross among these birds in a state of entire domestication30, going to sea periodically for food, but always returning to the village as a home, and using the southern shore in the vicinity as a place of incubation. There they were joined by their friends the pelicans31 as usual, but these latter never followed them to the dwellings of the savages. Among the other kinds of tame fowls were ducks, differing very little from the canvass-back of our own country, black gannets, and a large bird not unlike the buzzard in appearance, but not carnivorous. Of fish there seemed to be a great abundance. We saw, during our visit, a quantity of dried salmon32, rock cod33, blue dolphins, mackerel, blackfish, skate, conger eels34, elephantfish, mullets, soles, parrotfish, leather-jackets, gurnards, hake, flounders, paracutas, and innumerable other varieties. We noticed, too, that most of them were similar to the fish about the group of Lord Auckland Islands, in a latitude35 as low as fifty-one degrees south. The Gallipago tortoise was also very plentiful36. We saw but few wild animals, and none of a large size, or of a species with which we were familiar. One or two serpents of a formidable aspect crossed our path, but the natives paid them little attention, and we concluded that they were not venomous.
As we approached the village with Too-wit and his party, a vast crowd of the people rushed out to meet us, with loud shouts, among which we could only distinguish the everlasting37 Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! We were much surprised at perceiving that, with one or two exceptions, these new comers were entirely38 naked, and skins being used only by the men of the canoes. All the weapons of the country seemed also to be in the possession of the latter, for there was no appearance of any among the villagers. There were a great many women and children, the former not altogether wanting in what might be termed personal beauty. They were straight, tall, and well formed, with a grace and freedom of carriage not to be found in civilized39 society. Their lips, however, like those of the men, were thick and clumsy, so that, even when laughing, the teeth were never disclosed. Their hair was of a finer texture40 than that of the males. Among these naked villagers there might have been ten or twelve who were clothed, like the party of Too-wit, in dresses of black skin, and armed with lances and heavy clubs. These appeared to have great influence among the rest, and were always addressed by the title Wampoo. These, too, were the tenants41 of the black skin palaces. That of Too-wit was situated42 in the centre of the village, and was much larger and somewhat better constructed than others of its kind. The tree which formed its support was cut off at a distance of twelve feet or thereabouts from the root, and there were several branches left just below the cut, these serving to extend the covering, and in this way prevent its flapping about the trunk. The covering, too, which consisted of four very large skins fastened together with wooden skewers43, was secured at the bottom with pegs44 driven through it and into the ground. The floor was strewed45 with a quantity of dry leaves by way of carpet.
To this hut we were conducted with great solemnity, and as many of the natives crowded in after us as possible. Too-wit seated himself on the leaves, and made signs that we should follow his example. This we did, and presently found ourselves in a situation peculiarly uncomfortable, if not indeed critical. We were on the ground, twelve in number, with the savages, as many as forty, sitting on their hams so closely around us that, if any disturbance46 had arisen, we should have found it impossible to make use of our arms, or indeed to have risen to our feet. The pressure was not only inside the tent, but outside, where probably was every individual on the whole island, the crowd being prevented from trampling47 us to death only by the incessant48 exertions49 and vociferations of Too-wit. Our chief security lay, however, in the presence of Too-wit himself among us, and we resolved to stick by him closely, as the best chance of extricating50 ourselves from the dilemma51, sacrificing him immediately upon the first appearance of hostile design.
After some trouble a certain degree of quiet was restored, when the chief addressed us in a speech of great length, and very nearly resembling the one delivered in the canoes, with the exception that the Anamoo-moos! were now somewhat more strenuously52 insisted upon than the Lama-Lamas! We listened in profound silence until the conclusion of this harangue53, when Captain Guy replied by assuring the chief of his eternal friendship and goodwill54, concluding what he had to say be a present of several strings55 of blue beads56 and a knife. At the former the monarch57, much to our surprise, turned up his nose with some expression of contempt, but the knife gave him the most unlimited58 satisfaction, and he immediately ordered dinner. This was handed into the tent over the heads of the attendants, and consisted of the palpitating entrails of a specials of unknown animal, probably one of the slim-legged hogs59 which we had observed in our approach to the village. Seeing us at a loss how to proceed, he began, by way of setting us an example, to devour60 yard after yard of the enticing61 food, until we could positively62 stand it no longer, and evinced such manifest symptoms of rebellion of stomach as inspired his majesty63 with a degree of astonishment only inferior to that brought about by the looking-glasses. We declined, however, partaking of the delicacies64 before us, and endeavoured to make him understand that we had no appetite whatever, having just finished a hearty65 dejeuner.
When the monarch had made an end of his meal, we commenced a series of cross-questioning in every ingenious manner we could devise, with a view of discovering what were the chief productions of the country, and whether any of them might be turned to profit. At length he seemed to have some idea of our meaning, and offered to accompany us to a part of coast where he assured us the biche de mer (pointing to a specimen66 of that animal) was to be found in great abundance. We were glad of this early opportunity of escaping from the oppression of the crowd, and signified our eagerness to proceed. We now left the tent, and, accompanied by the whole population of the village, followed the chief to the southeastern extremity67 of the island, nor far from the bay where our vessel68 lay at anchor. We waited here for about an hour, until the four canoes were brought around by some of the savages to our station. the whole of our party then getting into one of them, we were paddled along the edge of the reef before mentioned, and of another still farther out, where we saw a far greater quantity of biche de mer than the oldest seamen69 among us had ever seen in those groups of the lower latitudes70 most celebrated71 for this article of commerce. We stayed near these reefs only long enough to satisfy ourselves that we could easily load a dozen vessels72 with the animal if necessary, when we were taken alongside the schooner73, and parted with Too-wit, after obtaining from him a promise that he would bring us, in the course of twenty-four hours, as many of the canvass-back ducks and Gallipago tortoises as his canoes would hold. In the whole of this adventure we saw nothing in the demeanour of the natives calculated to create suspicion, with the single exception of the systematic74 manner in which their party was strengthened during our route from the schooner to the village.
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1 rugged | |
adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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2 savages | |
未开化的人,野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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3 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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4 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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5 apprehensions | |
疑惧 | |
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6 recede | |
vi.退(去),渐渐远去;向后倾斜,缩进 | |
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7 wary | |
adj.谨慎的,机警的,小心的 | |
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8 generic | |
adj.一般的,普通的,共有的 | |
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9 dwellings | |
n.住处,处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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10 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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11 withered | |
adj. 枯萎的,干瘪的,(人身体的部分器官)因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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12 foliage | |
n.叶子,树叶,簇叶 | |
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13 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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14 perpendicularly | |
adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地 | |
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15 tenant | |
n.承租人;房客;佃户;v.租借,租用 | |
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16 partially | |
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲 | |
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17 caverns | |
大山洞,大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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18 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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19 ledge | |
n.壁架,架状突出物;岩架,岩礁 | |
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20 primitive | |
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物 | |
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21 ascertain | |
vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清 | |
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22 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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23 brawling | |
n.争吵,喧嚷 | |
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24 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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25 domesticated | |
adj.喜欢家庭生活的;(指动物)被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26 hog | |
n.猪;馋嘴贪吃的人;vt.把…占为己有,独占 | |
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27 antelope | |
n.羚羊;羚羊皮 | |
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28 fowls | |
鸟( fowl的名词复数 ); 禽肉; 既不是这; 非驴非马 | |
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29 astonishment | |
n.惊奇,惊异 | |
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30 domestication | |
n.驯养,驯化 | |
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31 pelicans | |
n.鹈鹕( pelican的名词复数 ) | |
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32 salmon | |
n.鲑,大马哈鱼,橙红色的 | |
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33 cod | |
n.鳕鱼;v.愚弄;哄骗 | |
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34 eels | |
abbr. 电子发射器定位系统(=electronic emitter location system) | |
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35 latitude | |
n.纬度,行动或言论的自由(范围),(pl.)地区 | |
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36 plentiful | |
adj.富裕的,丰富的 | |
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37 everlasting | |
adj.永恒的,持久的,无止境的 | |
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38 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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39 civilized | |
a.有教养的,文雅的 | |
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40 texture | |
n.(织物)质地;(材料)构造;结构;肌理 | |
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41 tenants | |
n.房客( tenant的名词复数 );佃户;占用者;占有者 | |
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42 situated | |
adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的 | |
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43 skewers | |
n.串肉扦( skewer的名词复数 );烤肉扦;棒v.(用串肉扦或类似物)串起,刺穿( skewer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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44 pegs | |
n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 );挂钉;系帐篷的桩;弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 );使固定在某水平 | |
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45 strewed | |
v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 );散落于;点缀;撒满 | |
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46 disturbance | |
n.动乱,骚动;打扰,干扰;(身心)失调 | |
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47 trampling | |
踩( trample的现在分词 ); 践踏; 无视; 侵犯 | |
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48 incessant | |
adj.不停的,连续的 | |
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49 exertions | |
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使 | |
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50 extricating | |
v.使摆脱困难,脱身( extricate的现在分词 ) | |
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51 dilemma | |
n.困境,进退两难的局面 | |
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52 strenuously | |
adv.奋发地,费力地 | |
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53 harangue | |
n.慷慨冗长的训话,言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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54 goodwill | |
n.善意,亲善,信誉,声誉 | |
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55 strings | |
n.弦 | |
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56 beads | |
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链 | |
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57 monarch | |
n.帝王,君主,最高统治者 | |
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58 unlimited | |
adj.无限的,不受控制的,无条件的 | |
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59 hogs | |
n.(尤指喂肥供食用的)猪( hog的名词复数 );(供食用的)阉公猪;彻底地做某事;自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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60 devour | |
v.吞没;贪婪地注视或谛听,贪读;使着迷 | |
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61 enticing | |
adj.迷人的;诱人的 | |
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62 positively | |
adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实 | |
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63 majesty | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
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64 delicacies | |
n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 );精致;精美的食物;周到 | |
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65 hearty | |
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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66 specimen | |
n.样本,标本 | |
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67 extremity | |
n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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68 vessel | |
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
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69 seamen | |
n.海员 | |
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70 latitudes | |
纬度 | |
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71 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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72 vessels | |
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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73 schooner | |
n.纵帆船 | |
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74 systematic | |
adj.有系统的,有计划的,有方法的 | |
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