CHAPTER XII FIAM AS A MOUNTAIN CLIMBER

Twice more during that long journey I thought I had lost Fiam. Each time it was on account of that hole in his box through which he crawled out to ramble¹, and which he couldn’t always find on his way back.

One morning in a Chinese village, where I had passed the night, just as I was mounting my horse to ride out to the army I discovered that Fiam had disappeared.

I looked everywhere, especially among my postage stamps, but couldn’t find him.

In the afternoon as I lay under a tree in the stillness of a deserted² field I thought I heard his little voice.

“Fiam! Fiam!” I called.

I could make out the response distinctly:

“Miferino! Miferino!”

As I was warm I had taken off my waistcoat to use [100] as a pillow as I lay stretched out. The voice came from that.

I fumbled³ around until I found him shut in between the lining⁴ and the cloth. I pulled him out and greeted him effusively⁵.

“How did you ever get there?”

“I have a habit of going out at night.”

“A very bad one.”

“Well, what do you expect me to do? I don’t sleep. Last night I went out as usual. Your watch near my house made such an abominable⁶ noise, tic, tac! It was like a blacksmith’s forge. Never mind. I went out and took a trip over your clothes.”

“Over my clothes?”

“Exactly; you had thrown them on the floor, and they made a beautiful landscape.”

“A landscape?”

“Surely. All in a heap they looked like mountains and valleys, ravines, plains, precipices⁷ and grottoes—all kinds of things. It was a great pleasure to travel all over it. I climbed up and slid down. I sat on round things like immense tubes.”

“They were folds.”

[101]

“I know it, but your folds are gigantic to me. As I went around I discovered the entrance to a cave. I went in. It was a long tunnel where I had to crawl on all fours. When I got half-way in I wanted to turn around; but I couldn’t, for my hands and feet got caught in the folds, so I had to go forward.”

“I see; you were in one of the sleeves.”

“When I came out from the tunnel, I discovered a great opening with a shed over it. I entered and found a cavern⁸ full of paper.”

“It was a pocket.”

“I traveled around until I found a little hole I could scarcely squeeze through.”

“Ah, yes! My pocket is a little ripped.”

“I was now in a large and empty, wearisome place, [102] and when I wanted to get back I couldn’t find the hole through which I entered. Imagine my suffering! After a while I felt you take up the clothes and put them on. I screamed as loud as I could, but you didn’t hear me. I knew that you were looking for me, but I could do nothing. But, at last, you heard me and I am saved.”

“I say, Fiam....”

“Miferino!”

“You ought to promise me not to go out at night or I shall be obliged to make you an iron house and shut you up for a hundred years. Just think, if I lose you the first person who finds you will burn you up without giving you time to say, ‘Ouch!’”

He promised. But a few days later he was gone again.

1 ramble   

v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延

参考例句：

• This is the best season for a ramble in the suburbs.这是去郊区漫游的最好季节。
• I like to ramble about the street after work.我下班后在街上漫步。

2 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

3 fumbled   

（笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下

参考例句：

• She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
• He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他（瞎）摸着衣兜找票。

4 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

5 effusively   

adv.变溢地，热情洋溢地

参考例句：

• We were effusively welcomed by the patron and his wife. 我们受到老板和他妻子的热忱欢迎。 来自辞典例句
• The critics praised her effusively. 评论家们热情洋溢地表扬了她。 来自互联网

6 abominable   

adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的

参考例句：

• Their cruel treatment of prisoners was abominable.他们虐待犯人的做法令人厌恶。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

7 precipices   

n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Sheer above us rose the Spy-glass, here dotted with single pines, there black with precipices. 我们的头顶上方耸立着陡峭的望远镜山，上面长着几棵孤零零的松树，其他地方则是黑黝黝的悬崖绝壁。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• Few people can climb up to the sheer precipices and overhanging rocks. 悬崖绝壁很少有人能登上去。 来自互联网

8 cavern   

n.洞穴，大山洞

参考例句：

• The cavern walls echoed his cries.大山洞的四壁回响着他的喊声。
• It suddenly began to shower,and we took refuge in the cavern.天突然下起雨来，我们在一个山洞里避雨。