In the remarkable passages of the recital5, it is important that you should believe my word. For some of the facts I can bring no other testimony6 than my own. If you do not wish to believe me, so be it. I can scarce believe it all myself.
The strange occurrences began in the western part of our great American State of North Carolina. There, deep amid the Blueridge Mountains rises the crest8 called the Great Eyrie. Its huge rounded form is distinctly seen from the little town of Morganton on the Catawba River, and still more clearly as one approaches the mountains by way of the village of Pleasant Garden.
Why the name of Great Eyrie was originally given this mountain by the people of the surrounding region, I am not quite sure. It rises rocky and grim and inaccessible9, and under certain atmospheric10 conditions has a peculiarly blue and distant effect. But the idea one would naturally get from the name is of a refuge for birds of prey11, eagles, condors12, vultures; the home of vast numbers of the feathered tribes, wheeling and screaming above peaks beyond the reach of man. Now, the Great Eyrie did not seem particularly attractive to birds; on the contrary, the people of the neighborhood began to remark that on some days when birds approached its summit they mounted still further, circled high above the crest, and then flew swiftly away, troubling the air with harsh cries.
Why then the name Great Eyrie? Perhaps the mount might better have been called a crater13, for in the center of those steep and rounded walls there might well be a huge deep basin. Perhaps there might even lie within their circuit a mountain lake, such as exists in other parts of the Appalachian mountain system, a lagoon14 fed by the rain and the winter snows.
In brief was not this the site of an ancient volcano, one which had slept through ages, but whose inner fires might yet reawake? Might not the Great Eyrie reproduce in its neighborhood the violence of Mount Krakatoa or the terrible disaster of Mont Pelee? If there were indeed a central lake, was there not danger that its waters, penetrating15 the strata16 beneath, would be turned to steam by the volcanic17 fires and tear their way forth18 in a tremendous explosion, deluging19 the fair plains of Carolina with an eruption20 such as that of 1902 in Martinique?
Indeed, with regard to this last possibility there had been certain symptoms recently observed which might well be due to volcanic action. Smoke had floated above the mountain and once the country folk passing near had heard subterranean21 noises, unexplainable rumblings. A glow in the sky had crowned the height at night.
When the wind blew the smoky cloud eastward22 toward Pleasant Garden, a few cinders23 and ashes drifted down from it. And finally one stormy night pale flames, reflected from the clouds above the summit, cast upon the district below a sinister24, warning light.
In presence of these strange phenomena25, it is not astonishing that the people of the surrounding district became seriously disquieted27. And to the disquiet26 was joined an imperious need of knowing the true condition of the mountain. The Carolina newspapers had flaring28 headlines, “The Mystery of Great Eyrie!” They asked if it was not dangerous to dwell in such a region. Their articles aroused curiosity and fear—curiosity among those who being in no danger themselves were interested in the disturbance29 merely as a strange phenomenon of nature, fear in those who were likely to be the victims if a catastrophe30 actually occurred. Those more immediately threatened were the citizens of Morganton, and even more the good folk of Pleasant Garden and the hamlets and farms yet closer to the mountain.
Assuredly it was regrettable that mountain climbers had not previously31 attempted to ascend32 to the summit of the Great Eyrie. The cliffs of rock which surrounded it had never been scaled. Perhaps they might offer no path by which even the most daring climber could penetrate33 to the interior. Yet, if a volcanic eruption menaced all the western region of the Carolinas, then a complete examination of the mountain was become absolutely necessary.
Now before the actual ascent34 of the crater, with its many serious difficulties, was attempted, there was one way which offered an opportunity of reconnoitering the interior, without clambering up the precipices35. In the first days of September of that memorable36 year, a well-known aeronaut named Wilker came to Morganton with his balloon. By waiting for a breeze from the east, he could easily rise in his balloon and drift over the Great Eyrie. There from a safe height above he could search with a powerful glass into its deeps. Thus he would know if the mouth of a volcano really opened amid the mighty37 rocks. This was the principal question. If this were settled, it would be known if the surrounding country must fear an eruption at some period more or less distant.
The ascension was begun according to the programme suggested. The wind was fair and steady; the sky clear; the morning clouds were disappearing under the vigorous rays of the sun. If the interior of the Great Eyrie was not filled with smoke, the aeronaut would be able to search with his glass its entire extent. If the vapors38 were rising, he, no doubt, could detect their source.
The balloon rose at once to a height of fifteen hundred feet, and there rested almost motionless for a quarter of an hour. Evidently the east wind, which was brisk upon the Surface of the earth, did not make itself felt at that height. Then, unlucky chance, the balloon was caught in an adverse39 current, and began to drift toward the east. Its distance from the mountain chain rapidly increased. Despite all the efforts of the aeronaut, the citizens of Morganton saw the balloon disappear on the wrong horizon. Later, they learned that it had landed in the neighborhood of Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina.
This attempt having failed, it was agreed that it should be tried again under better conditions. Indeed, fresh rumblings were heard from the mountain, accompanied by heavy clouds and wavering glimmerings of light at night. Folk began to realize that the Great Eyrie was a serious and perhaps imminent40 source of danger. Yes, the entire country lay under the threat of some seismic41 or volcanic disaster.
During the first days of April of that year, these more or less vague apprehensions42 turned to actual panic. The newspapers gave prompt echo to the public terror. The entire district between the mountains and Morganton was sure that an eruption was at hand.
The night of the fourth of April, the good folk of Pleasant Garden were awakened43 by a sudden uproar44. They thought that the mountains were falling upon them. They rushed from their houses, ready for instant flight, fearing to see open before them some immense abyss, engulfing45 the farms and villages for miles around.
The night was very dark. A weight of heavy clouds pressed down upon the plain. Even had it been day the crest of the mountains would have been invisible.
In the midst of this impenetrable obscurity, there was no response to the cries which arose from every side. Frightened groups of men, women, and children groped their way along the black roads in wild confusion. From every quarter came the screaming voices: “It is an earthquake!” “It is an eruption!” “Whence comes it?” “From the Great Eyrie!”
Shrewd citizens of the town, however, observed that if there were an eruption the noise would have continued and increased, the flames would have appeared above the crater; or at least their lurid47 reflections would have penetrated48 the clouds. Now, even these reflections were no longer seen. If there had been an earthquake, the terrified people saw that at least their houses had not crumbled49 beneath the shock. It was possible that the uproar had been caused by an avalanche50, the fall of some mighty rock from the summit of the mountains.
An hour passed without other incident. A wind from the west sweeping51 over the long chain of the Blueridge, set the pines and hemlocks52 wailing53 on the higher slopes. There seemed no new cause for panic; and folk began to return to their houses. All, however, awaited impatiently the return of day.
Then suddenly, toward three o’clock in the morning, another alarm! Flames leaped up above the rocky wall of the Great Eyrie. Reflected from the clouds, they illuminated54 the atmosphere for a great distance. A crackling, as if of many burning trees, was heard.
Had a fire spontaneously broken out? And to what cause was it due? Lightning could not have started the conflagration55; for no thunder had been heard. True, there was plenty of material for fire; at this height the chain of the Blueridge is well wooded. But these flames were too sudden for any ordinary cause.
“An eruption! An eruption!”
The cry resounded56 from all sides. An eruption! The Great Eyrie was then indeed the crater of a volcano buried in the bowels57 of the mountains. And after so many years, so many ages even, had it reawakened? Added to the flames, was a rain of stones and ashes about to follow? Were the lavas58 going to pour down torrents59 of molten fire, destroying everything in their passage, annihilating61 the towns, the villages, the farms, all this beautiful world of meadows, fields and forests, even as far as Pleasant Garden and Morganton?
This time the panic was overwhelming; nothing could stop it. Women carrying their infants, crazed with terror, rushed along the eastward roads. Men, deserting their homes, made hurried bundles of their most precious belongings62 and set free their livestock63, cows, sheep, pigs, which fled in all directions. What disorder64 resulted from this agglomeration65, human and animal, under darkest night, amid forests, threatened by the fires of the volcano, along the border of marshes66 whose waters might be upheaved and overflow67! With the earth itself threatening to disappear from under the feet of the fugitives68! Would they be in time to save themselves, if a cascade69 of glowing lava came rolling down the slope of the mountain across their route?
Nevertheless, some of the chief and shrewder farm owners were not swept away in this mad flight, which they did their best to restrain. Venturing within a mile of the mountain, they saw that the glare of the flames was decreasing. In truth it hardly seemed that the region was immediately menaced by any further upheaval70. No stones were being hurled71 into space; no torrent60 of lava was visible upon the slopes; no rumblings rose from the ground. There was no further manifestation72 of any seismic disturbance capable of overwhelming the land.
At length, the flight of the fugitives ceased at a distance where they seemed secure from all danger. Then a few ventured back toward the mountain. Some farms were reoccupied before the break of day.
By morning the crests73 of the Great Eyrie showed scarcely the least remnant of its cloud of smoke. The fires were certainly at an end; and if it were impossible to determine their cause, one might at least hope that they would not break out again.
It appeared possible that the Great Eyrie had not really been the theater of volcanic phenomena at all. There was no further evidence that the neighborhood was at the mercy either of eruptions74 or of earthquakes.
Yet once more about five o’clock, from beneath the ridge7 of the mountain, where the shadows of night still lingered, a strange noise swept across the air, a sort of whirring, accompanied by the beating of mighty wings. And had it been a clear day, perhaps the farmers would have seen the passage of a mighty bird of prey, some monster of the skies, which having risen from the Great Eyrie sped away toward the east.
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该作者的其它作品
《Around the World In 80 Days八十天环游地球》
《康涅狄格州的洋基 A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur'》
《海底两万里 Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea》
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1
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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atmospheric
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| adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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condors
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| n.神鹰( condor的名词复数 ) | |
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crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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strata
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| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
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volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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deluging
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| v.使淹没( deluge的现在分词 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付 | |
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eruption
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| n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作 | |
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subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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cinders
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| n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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disquiet
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| n.担心，焦虑 | |
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disquieted
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| v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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vapors
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| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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seismic
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| a.地震的，地震强度的 | |
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42
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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43
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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45
engulfing
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| adj.吞噬的v.吞没，包住( engulf的现在分词 ) | |
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lava
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| n.熔岩，火山岩 | |
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lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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48
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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49
crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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50
avalanche
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| n.雪崩，大量涌来 | |
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51
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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52
hemlocks
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| 由毒芹提取的毒药( hemlock的名词复数 ) | |
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53
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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54
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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55
conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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56
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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57
bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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lavas
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| n.（火山喷发的）熔岩( lava的名词复数 )；（熔岩冷凝后的）火山岩 | |
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59
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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61
annihilating
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的现在分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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livestock
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| n.家畜，牲畜 | |
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64
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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agglomeration
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| n.结聚，一堆 | |
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marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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overflow
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| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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cascade
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| n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下 | |
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70
upheaval
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| n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱 | |
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71
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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72
manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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73
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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eruptions
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| n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 ) | |
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