CHAPTER IV. THE HOLLOW MOUNTAIN.

Certainly the appearance of the volcanic¹ mountain was unusual in the extreme. What did it mean?

Had internal fires burned it out and made of it a hollow cone²? It certainly looked very much so.

But now another startling thing was seen. Into the vast cavity a large body of men were seen to be rushing.

“It is the home of the barbarians³!” cried Professor Gaston, in amazement⁴. “More and more wonderful!”

The aerial voyagers gazed upon the spectacle in sheerest wonder.

Into the mighty⁵ aperture⁶ rushed the Antarctic natives. In a few moments not one was in sight.

The airship now rapidly settled down at the foot of the volcano.

There was one resolute⁷ purpose in the minds of all.

They were determined⁸ to invade the curious dwelling⁹ place of the natives. It was a moral certainty that the white prisoners, Lucille and Mark Vane and Alvan Bates were therein confined.

This being the case, there was sufficient excuse for the invasion, for it was necessary to rescue them.

The airship descended¹⁰ until on a level with the cavernous opening. It could easily have sailed into the place, but Frank was afraid that collision with the roof might damage the wings or rotascope.

So he did not venture to enter.

But getting down on a level he turned the rays of the searchlight into the place. This revealed a curious sight.

A mighty open space, or perhaps it might be called cavern¹¹, occupied several acres in extent, and all roofed by the shell of the volcano.

But in the centre of this vast underground area was what looked like a lake of molten gold as it lay under the gleam of the searchlight.

However, Frank saw that it was nothing of the kind, but a vast basin of boiling lava¹².

A stream of the boiling liquid ran down into the basin from an orifice in the mountain wall.

The walls of the immense cavern were of hardened lava, apparently¹⁴. It was certainly a queer freak of nature.

But this was not all.

The Antarctic natives had entered the place, but none of them were in sight.

Frank was in a position whence he could easily view the whole interior of the place.

But an explanation of their disappearance¹⁵ was easily obtained.

Just beyond the lava basin there was a dark, cavernous opening which appeared to trend downward.

Frank understood it all at once.

“I have it!” he cried. “This is only one of many caverns¹⁶ in this volcanic range. The whole region here doubtless is honeycombed by the action of currents of lava. Doubtless their retreat is deep down in the bowels¹⁷ of the earth.”

Captain Hardy¹⁸ heard this with dismay.

“Then we can never hope to rout¹⁹ them out!” he said. “That will not be possible.”

“On the contrary, I believe it is possible,” said Frank.

“You do?”

“Yes.”

“How will you do it?

“Easiest thing in the world. Simply track them right into their den¹³.”

Captain Hardy shrugged²⁰ his shoulders.

“You cannot go there with your airship,” he said.

“Very true!”

“How then do you propose to go?”

“On foot.”

“Mercy! a handful of men like us will stand no show with such a myriad²¹ of foes²², however insufficiently²³ armed.”

“How many of the natives do you reckon there are?” asked Frank.

“At least several thousand.”

The young inventor was silent. He realized that there was logic²⁴ in Captain Hardy’s words.

But he was not to be defeated.

“Barney,” he said, “go down and fetch up those long, black boxes in the forward cabin.”

“All roight, sor!”

The Celt disappeared at once.

When he returned he had two of the boxes on his shoulder. They were marked in plain black letters:
“Plain Armor.”

“Armor!” exclaimed Captain Hardy. “Is that what you have there, Mr. Reade?”

“That is it,” replied Frank.

“Mercy on us! I supposed the days of armor and knighthood had gone by.”

“Neither have as yet,” replied Frank, quietly. “I have four suits of this armor, and it is my own manufacture. Did you ever see anything better?”

As Frank said this he took from one of the boxes a shirt of mail.

The finest of steel meshes²⁵, intricately woven, and all as pliable²⁶ as cloth. Such was the wonderful armor.

There was a suit from head to foot, including a helmet, with visor and skull²⁷ cap. Truly it was wonderful workmanship.

“It is bullet proof,” declared Frank. “Nothing ordinary can penetrate²⁸ it.”

“Wonderful!” cried Jack²⁹ Wallis. “Why, with this armor one man could hold an army at bay.”

“That he could,” agreed Frank. “They might fire volleys at him. They could not kill him.”

The suits of mail were carefully examined and admired.

Then Frank said:

“You get into one, Wallis; and you, Captain Hardy, into the other. Pomp will remain with the machine. Barney, don this suit of mail and at once.”

“All right, sor!” replied the Celt, who proceeded to obey.

“Then you propose to wear these suits of mail in attacking the natives?” asked Hardy.

“Certainly,” replied Frank. “Thus equipped we can clean out the country. Ah, there is great work ahead for us!”

All were, of course, enthusiastic over the prospect³¹.

It is needless to say that they were soon ready. Over the rail they went and stood upon the volcanic ground.

Pomp elevated the airship a few hundred feet for safety’s sake, after they had gone. Then the four rescuers entered the hollow mountain.

As they did so they noted³² a peculiar³³ vibration³⁴ and at times a distant jarring, jolting³⁵ sound as if machinery³⁶ were at work beneath them.

And doubtless it was, but not machinery made by human hands.

The internal fires raging there, no doubt, caused the tremulous motion. Indeed, the atmosphere was charged with waves of heat, which was evidence enough in itself of that.

Entering the hollow mountain, the four mail-clad men skirted the lake of molten lava.

The heat from this was something not exactly pleasant to bear. They did not venture too near the edge.

Upon every hand was visible evidences of the great struggle of the volcanic elements in ages past.

It was a wonderful sight, and Professor Gaston made the best of it. He declared:

“I am the most fortunate man in America to-day to be enabled to be here. This is a wonderful experience!”

As the professor had not a suit of armor on it was decided³⁷ that he should remain in the outer cavern where he would be very much safer.

He was anxious to search for specimens³⁸, and at the same time was not desirous of an encounter with the natives.

Leaving Professor Gaston in the outer cavern, Frank Reade, Jr., and his three companions boldly entered the subterranean³⁹ passage which led presumably to the stronghold of the Antarctic natives.

To their surprise the passage was hardly a hundred feet in length.

Then they emerged upon a scene the like of which none of them had ever before beheld⁴⁰. It was wonderful.

They emerged upon a long gallery, from which they looked down into an internal crater⁴¹ full two hundred feet deep.

A mighty basin it was, covering acres with small islands of rock in a vast lake of fire and lava.

Great sheets of burning gas at times leaped a hundred feet into the air. Yet certain draughts⁴² of air made the gallery secure against the frightful⁴³ heat.

For some while our explorers gazed upon the scene with wonder.

“Upon my word!” exclaimed Captain Hardy. “Inferno could not be worse than that!”

“You are right,” agreed Frank. “Certainly it is akin⁴⁴ to it.”

“Begorra, I’d niver want to fall down there!” cried Barney, with a shiver. “Shure, it’s moighty quick yez would come to nothing.”

Nobody was disposed to contradict this logical statement. But Jack Wallis was impatient.

“If we are to save the captives I think we had better move,” he said.

Everybody agreed to this, and they now pressed forward along the gallery.

For perhaps a hundred yards this followed a winding⁴⁵ way, and suddenly a startling view burst upon the rescuers.

Daylight was visible just ahead, and now they emerged into a narrow and deep valley right among the peaks.

What was the most striking was that this valley was as green as an emerald, which, indeed, it seemed like in a rough setting of mighty jagged heights.

Vegetation flourished in this peculiar valley. There were larches⁴⁶, cedars⁴⁷ and spruces, and a peculiar sort of grass interspersed⁴⁸ with moss⁴⁹ turfed the valley.

This was the home of the Antarctic people. Truly it was a remarkable⁵⁰ spectacle.

For many weeks none in the party had gazed upon aught but the white waste of snow and ice.

The green valley now seemed to partly blind them, and, indeed, it was some while before any could take in its appointments in full.

Then they saw that a small settlement of stone houses was near at hand.

Beyond was another, larger, and in the midst of it was one large building covering fully³⁰ an acre.

It looked as if the Antarctic natives had expected the attack, for they were gathered about their huts with arms ready for battle.

At sight of the white men they set up a fearful yelling, and danced about, brandishing⁵¹ their weapons.

“They mean to give us a warm reception, don’t they?” cried Frank. “Now where do you suppose the prisoners are?”

“Probably in that large building,” said Hardy, with conviction; “that seems to be the stronghold of the tribe.”

“What shall we do? Make an open attack?” asked Jack Wallis.

“First let us see if we cannot treat with them,” said Frank.

But this was quickly proved out of the question.

The words had barely left his lips when there was a startling sound in his rear.

Instantly from behind rocks and shrubs⁵² a score of armed barbarians sprang forth⁵³ and rushed upon our adventurers like an avalanche⁵⁴.

Swinging their battle axes they looked formidable indeed. The white men had barely time to prepare for defense⁵⁵, so sudden and swift was the murderous attack.

1 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

2 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

3 barbarians   

n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人

参考例句：

• The ancient city of Rome fell under the iron hooves of the barbarians. 古罗马城在蛮族的铁蹄下沦陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It conquered its conquerors, the barbarians. 它战胜了征服者——蛮族。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

4 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

5 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

6 aperture   

n.孔，隙，窄的缺口

参考例句：

• The only light came through a narrow aperture.仅有的光亮来自一个小孔。
• We saw light through a small aperture in the wall.我们透过墙上的小孔看到了亮光。

7 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

10 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

11 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。

12 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

13 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

14 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

15 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

16 caverns   

大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Within were dark caverns; what was inside them, no one could see. 里面是一个黑洞，这里面有什么东西，谁也望不见。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• UNDERGROUND Under water grottos, caverns Filled with apes That eat figs. 在水帘洞里，挤满了猿争吃无花果。

17 bowels   

n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处

参考例句：

• Salts is a medicine that causes movements of the bowels. 泻盐是一种促使肠子运动的药物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cabins are in the bowels of the ship. 舱房设在船腹内。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 hardy   

adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的

参考例句：

• The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
• He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。

19 rout   

n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮

参考例句：

• The enemy was put to rout all along the line.敌人已全线崩溃。
• The people's army put all to rout wherever they went.人民军队所向披靡。

20 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。

22 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

23 insufficiently   

adv.不够地，不能胜任地

参考例句：

• Your insurance card is insufficiently stamped. 你的保险卡片未贴足印花。 来自辞典例句
• Many of Britain's people are poorly dressed, badly housed, insufficiently nourished. 许多英国人衣着寒伧，居住简陋，营养不良。 来自互联网

24 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

25 meshes   

网孔( mesh的名词复数 )； 网状物； 陷阱； 困境

参考例句：

• The net of Heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through. 天网恢恢，疏而不漏。
• This net has half-inch meshes. 这个网有半英寸见方的网孔。

26 pliable   

adj.易受影响的；易弯的；柔顺的，易驾驭的

参考例句：

• Willow twigs are pliable.柳条很软。
• The finely twined baskets are made with young,pliable spruce roots.这些编织精美的篮子是用柔韧的云杉嫩树根编成的。

27 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

28 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

29 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

30 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

31 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

32 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

33 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

34 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。

35 jolting   

adj.令人震惊的

参考例句：

• 'she should be all right from the plane's jolting by now. “飞机震荡应该过了。
• This is perhaps the most jolting comment of all. 这恐怕是最令人震惊的评论。

36 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

37 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

38 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

39 subterranean   

adj.地下的，地表下的

参考例句：

• London has 9 miles of such subterranean passages.伦敦像这样的地下通道有9英里长。
• We wandered through subterranean passages.我们漫游地下通道。

40 beheld   

v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence. 他从未见过这样的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. 灵魂在逝去的瞬间的镜子中看到了自己的模样。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

41 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

42 draughts   

n. <英>国际跳棋

参考例句：

• Seal (up) the window to prevent draughts. 把窗户封起来以防风。
• I will play at draughts with him. 我跟他下一盘棋吧！

43 frightful   

adj.可怕的；讨厌的

参考例句：

• How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊！
• We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。

44 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

45 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

46 larches   

n.落叶松（木材）( larch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most larches have brittle branches and produce relatively few flowers on lower branches. 大多数落叶松具有脆弱的枝条，并且下部枝条开花较少。 来自辞典例句
• How many golden larches are there in the arboretum? 植物园里有几棵金钱松？ 来自互联网

47 cedars   

雪松，西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The old cedars were badly damaged in the storm. 风暴严重损害了古老的雪松。
• Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. 1黎巴嫩哪，开开你的门，任火烧灭你的香柏树。

48 interspersed   

adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The grass was interspersed with beds of flowers. 草地上点缀着许多花坛。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

49 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

50 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

51 brandishing   

v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀

参考例句：

• The horseman came up to Robin Hood, brandishing his sword. 那个骑士挥舞着剑，来到罗宾汉面前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He appeared in the lounge brandishing a knife. 他挥舞着一把小刀，出现在休息室里。 来自辞典例句

52 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

53 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

54 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

55 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。