As long as this fowl lasted we suffered nothing from our situation, but it was now entirely8 consumed, and it became absolutely necessary that we should look out for provision. The filberts would not satisfy the cravings of hunger, afflicting9 us, too, with severe gripings of the bowels10, and, if freely indulged in, with violent headache. We had seen several large tortoises near the seashore to the eastward11 of the hill, and perceived they might be easily taken, if we could get at them without the observation of the natives. It was resolved, therefore, to make an attempt at descending12.
We commenced by going down the southern declivity13, which seemed to offer the fewest difficulties, but had not proceeded a hundred yards before (as we had anticipated from appearances on the hilltop) our progress was entirely arrested by a branch of the gorge14 in which our companions had perished. We now passed along the edge of this for about a quarter of a mile, when we were again stopped by a precipice15 of immense depth, and, not being able to make our way along the brink16 of it, we were forced to retrace17 our steps by the main ravine.
We now pushed over to the eastward, but with precisely18 similar fortune. After an hour’s scramble19, at the risk of breaking our necks, we discovered that we had merely descended21 into a vast pit of black granite22, with fine dust at the bottom, and whence the only egress23 was by the rugged24 path in which we had come down. Toiling25 again up this path, we now tried the northern edge of the hill. Here we were obliged to use the greatest possible caution in our manoeuvres, as the least indiscretion would expose us to the full view of the savages26 in the village. We crawled along, therefore, on our hands and knees, and, occasionally, were even forced to throw ourselves at full length, dragging our bodies along by means of the shrubbery. In this careful manner we had proceeded but a little way, when we arrived at a chasm27 far deeper than any we had yet seen, and leading directly into the main gorge. Thus our fears were fully28 confirmed, and we found ourselves cut off entirely from access to the world below. Thoroughly29 exhausted30 by our exertions32, we made the best of our way back to the platform, and throwing ourselves upon the bed of leaves, slept sweetly and soundly for some hours.
For several days after this fruitless search we were occupied in exploring every part of the summit of the hill, in order to inform ourselves of its actual resources. We found that it would afford us no food, with the exception of the unwholesome filberts, and a rank species of scurvy33 grass, which grew in a little patch of not more than four rods square, and would be soon exhausted. On the fifteenth of February, as near as I can remember, there was not a blade of this left, and the nuts were growing scarce; our situation, therefore, could hardly be more lamentable34.5 On the sixteenth we again went round the walls of our prison, in hope of finding some avenue of escape; but to no purpose. We also descended the chasm in which we had been overwhelmed, with the faint expectation of discovering, through this channel, some opening to the main ravine. Here, too, we were disappointed, although we found and brought up with us a musket35.
5 This day was rendered remarkable36 by our observing in the south several huge wreaths of the grayish vapour I have spoken of.
On the seventeenth we set out with the determination of examining more thoroughly the chasm of black granite into which we had made our way in the first search. We remembered that one of the fissures37 in the sides of this pit had been but partially39 looked into, and we were anxious to explore it, although with no expectation of discovering here any opening.
We found no great difficulty in reaching the bottom of the hollow as before, and were now sufficiently40 calm to survey it with some attention. It was, indeed, one of the most singular-looking places imaginable, and we could scarcely bring ourselves to believe it altogether the work of nature. The pit, from its eastern to its western extremity41, was about five hundred yards in length, when all its windings42 were threaded; the distance from east to west in a straight line not being more (I should suppose, having no means of accurate examination) than forty or fifty yards. Upon first descending into the chasm, that is to say, for a hundred feet downward from the summit of the hill, the sides of the abyss bore little resemblance to each other, and, apparently, had at no time been connected, the one surface being of the soapstone, and the other of marl, granulated with some metallic43 matter. The average breadth or interval44 between the two cliffs was probably here sixty feet, but there seemed to be no regularity45 of formation. Passing down, however, beyond the limit spoken of, the interval rapidly contracted, and the sides began to run parallel, although, for some distance farther, they were still dissimilar in their material and form of surface. Upon arriving within fifty feet of the bottom, a perfect regularity commenced. The sides were now entirely uniform in substance, in colour, and in lateral46 direction, the material being a very black and shining granite, and the distance between the two sides, at all points facing each other, exactly twenty yards. The precise formation of the chasm will be best understood by means of a delineation47 taken upon the spot; for I had luckily with me a pocketbook and pencil, which I preserved with great care through a long series of subsequent adventure, and to which I am indebted for memoranda48 of many subjects which would otherwise have been crowded from my remembrance.
This figure (see fig49. 1) gives the general outlines of the chasm, without the minor50 cavities in the sides, of which there were several, each cavity having a corresponding protuberance opposite. The bottom of the gulf51 was covered to the depth of three or four inches with a powder almost impalpable, beneath which we found a continuation of the black granite. To the right, at the lower extremity, will be noticed the appearance of a small opening; this is the fissure38 alluded52 to above, and to examine which more minutely than before was the object of our second visit. We now pushed into it with vigor53, cutting away a quantity of brambles which impeded54 us, and removing a vast heap of sharp flints somewhat resembling arrowheads in shape. We were encouraged to persevere55, however, by perceiving some little light proceeding56 from the farther end. We at length squeezed our way for about thirty feet, and found that the aperture57 was a low and regularly formed arch, having a bottom of the same impalpable powder as that in the main chasm. A strong light now broke upon us, and, turning a short bend, we found ourselves in another lofty chamber58, similar to the one we had left in every respect but longitudinal form. Its general figure is here given. (See fig. 2.)
The total length of this chasm, commencing at the opening a and proceeding round the curve b to the extremity d, is five hundred and fifty yards. At c we discovered a small aperture similar to the one through which we had issued from the other chasm, and this was choked up in the same manner with brambles and a quantity of the white arrowhead flints. We forced our way through it, finding it about forty feet long, and emerged into a third chasm. This, too, was precisely like the first, except in its longitudinal shape, which was thus. (See fig. 3.)
We found the entire length of the third chasm three hundred and twenty yards. At the point a was an opening about six feet wide, and extending fifteen feet into the rock, where it terminated in a bed of marl, there being no other chasm beyond, as we had expected. We were about leaving this fissure, into which very little light was admitted, when Peters called my attention to a range of singular-looking indentures59 in the surface of the marl forming the termination of the cul-de-sac. With a very slight exertion31 of the imagination, the left, or most northern of these indentures might have been taken for the intentional60, although rude, representation of a human figure standing61 erect62, with outstretched arm. The rest of them bore also some little resemblance to alphabetical63 characters, and Peters was willing, at all events, to adopt the idle opinion that they were really such. I convinced him of his error, finally, by directing his attention to the floor of the fissure, where, among the powder, we picked up, piece by piece, several large flakes64 of the marl, which had evidently been broken off by some convulsion from the surface where the indentures were found, and which had projecting points exactly fitting the indentures; thus proving them to have been the work of nature. Fig. 4 presents an accurate copy of the whole.
After satisfying ourselves that these singular caverns65 afforded us no means of escape from our prison, we made our way back, dejected and dispirited, to the summit of the hill. Nothing worth mentioning occurred during the next twenty-four hours, except that, in examining the ground to the eastward of the third chasm, we found two triangular66 holes of great depth, and also with black granite sides. Into these holes we did not think it worth while to attempt descending, as they had the appearance of mere20 natural wells, without outlet67. They were each about twenty yards in circumference68, and their shape, as well as relative position in regard to the third chasm, is shown in figure 5.
点击收听单词发音
1 kindled | |
(使某物)燃烧,着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 ); 激起(感情等); 发亮,放光 | |
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2 fowl | |
n.家禽,鸡,禽肉 | |
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3 grizzly | |
adj.略为灰色的,呈灰色的;n.灰色大熊 | |
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4 diminutive | |
adj.小巧可爱的,小的 | |
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5 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
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6 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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7 catching | |
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住 | |
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8 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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9 afflicting | |
痛苦的 | |
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10 bowels | |
n.肠,内脏,内部;肠( bowel的名词复数 );内部,最深处 | |
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11 eastward | |
adv.向东;adj.向东的;n.东方,东部 | |
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12 descending | |
n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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13 declivity | |
n.下坡,倾斜面 | |
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14 gorge | |
n.咽喉,胃,暴食,山峡;v.塞饱,狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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15 precipice | |
n.悬崖,危急的处境 | |
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16 brink | |
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿 | |
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17 retrace | |
v.折回;追溯,探源 | |
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18 precisely | |
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 | |
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19 scramble | |
v.爬行,攀爬,杂乱蔓延,碎片,片段,废料 | |
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20 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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21 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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22 granite | |
adj.花岗岩,花岗石 | |
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23 egress | |
n.出去;出口 | |
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24 rugged | |
adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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25 toiling | |
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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26 savages | |
未开化的人,野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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27 chasm | |
n.深坑,断层,裂口,大分岐,利害冲突 | |
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28 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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29 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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30 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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31 exertion | |
n.尽力,努力 | |
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32 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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33 scurvy | |
adj.下流的,卑鄙的,无礼的;n.坏血病 | |
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34 lamentable | |
adj.令人惋惜的,悔恨的 | |
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35 musket | |
n.滑膛枪 | |
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36 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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37 fissures | |
n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 );裂伤;分歧;分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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38 fissure | |
n.裂缝;裂伤 | |
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39 partially | |
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲 | |
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40 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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41 extremity | |
n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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42 windings | |
(道路、河流等)蜿蜒的,弯曲的( winding的名词复数 ); 缠绕( wind的现在分词 ); 卷绕; 转动(把手) | |
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43 metallic | |
adj.金属的;金属制的;含金属的;产金属的;像金属的 | |
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44 interval | |
n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 | |
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45 regularity | |
n.规律性,规则性;匀称,整齐 | |
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46 lateral | |
adj.侧面的,旁边的 | |
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47 delineation | |
n.记述;描写 | |
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48 memoranda | |
n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式 | |
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49 fig | |
n.无花果(树) | |
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50 minor | |
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修 | |
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51 gulf | |
n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂 | |
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52 alluded | |
提及,暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53 vigor | |
n.活力,精力,元气 | |
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54 impeded | |
阻碍,妨碍,阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55 persevere | |
v.坚持,坚忍,不屈不挠 | |
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56 proceeding | |
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报 | |
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57 aperture | |
n.孔,隙,窄的缺口 | |
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58 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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59 indentures | |
vt.以契约束缚(indenture的第三人称单数形式) | |
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60 intentional | |
adj.故意的,有意(识)的 | |
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61 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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62 erect | |
n./v.树立,建立,使竖立;adj.直立的,垂直的 | |
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63 alphabetical | |
adj.字母(表)的,依字母顺序的 | |
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64 flakes | |
小薄片( flake的名词复数 ); (尤指)碎片; 雪花; 古怪的人 | |
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65 caverns | |
大山洞,大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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66 triangular | |
adj.三角(形)的,三者间的 | |
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67 outlet | |
n.出口/路;销路;批发商店;通风口;发泄 | |
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68 circumference | |
n.圆周,周长,圆周线 | |
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