Two days before, the head of the federal police had called me to his room. He was awaiting me with some impatience1. “John Strock,” said he, “are you still the man who on so many occasions has proven to me both his devotion and his ability?”
“Mr. Ward2,” I answered, with a bow, “I cannot promise success or even ability, but as to devotion, I assure you, it is yours.”
“I do not doubt it,” responded the chief. “And I will ask you instead this more exact question: Are you as fond of riddles3 as ever? As eager to penetrate5 into mysteries, as I have known you before?”
“I am, Mr. Ward.”
“Good, Strock; then listen.”
Mr. Ward, a man of about fifty years, of great power and intellect, was fully6 master of the important position he filled. He had several times entrusted7 to me difficult missions which I had accomplished8 successfully, and which had won me his confidence. For several months past, however, he had found no occasion for my services. Therefore I awaited with impatience what he had to say. I did not doubt that his questioning implied a serious and important task for me.
“Doubtless you know,” said he, “what has happened down in the Blueridge Mountains near Morganton.”
“Surely, Mr. Ward, the phenomena9 reported from there have been singular enough to arouse anyone’s curiosity.”
“They are singular, even remarkable10, Strock. No doubt about that. But there is also reason to ask, if these phenomena about the Great Eyrie are not a source of continued danger to the people there, if they are not forerunners11 of some disaster as terrible as it is mysterious.”
“It is to be feared, sir.”
“So we must know, Strock, what is inside of that mountain. If we are helpless in the face of some great force of nature, people must be warned in time of the danger which threatens them.”
“It is clearly the duty of the authorities, Mr. Ward,” responded I, “to learn what is going on within there.”
“True, Strock; but that presents great difficulties. Everyone reports that it is impossible to scale the precipices12 of the Great Eyrie and reach its interior. But has anyone ever attempted it with scientific appliances and under the best conditions? I doubt it, and believe a resolute13 attempt may bring success.”
“Nothing is impossible, Mr. Ward; what we face here is merely a question of expense.”
“We must not regard expense when we are seeking to reassure14 an entire population, or to preserve it from a catastrophe15. There is another suggestion I would make to you. Perhaps this Great Eyrie is not so inaccessible16 as is supposed. Perhaps a band of malefactors have secreted17 themselves there, gaining access by ways known only to themselves.”
“What! You suspect that robbers—”
“Perhaps I am wrong, Strock; and these strange sights and sounds have all had natural causes. Well, that is what we have to settle, and as quickly as possible.”
“I have one question to ask.”
“Go ahead, Strock.”
“When the Great Eyrie has been visited, when we know the source of these phenomena, if there really is a crater18 there and an eruption19 is imminent20, can we avert21 it?”
“No, Strock; but we can estimate the extent of the danger. If some volcano in the Alleghanies threatens North Carolina with a disaster similar to that of Martinique, buried beneath the outpourings of Mont Pelee, then these people must leave their homes.”
“I hope, sir, there is no such widespread danger.”
“I think not, Strock; it seems to me highly improbable that an active volcano exists in the Blueridge mountain chain. Our Appalachian mountain system is nowhere volcanic22 in its origin. But all these events cannot be without basis. In short, Strock, we have decided23 to make a strict inquiry24 into the phenomena of the Great Eyrie, to gather all the testimony25, to question the people of the towns and farms. To do this, I have made choice of an agent in whom we have full confidence; and this agent is you, Strock.”
“Good! I am ready, Mr. Ward,” cried I, “and be sure that I shall neglect nothing to bring you full information.”
“I know it, Strock, and I will add that I regard you as specially26 fitted for the work. You will have a splendid opportunity to exercise, and I hope to satisfy, your favorite passion of curiosity.”
“As you say, sir.”
“You will be free to act according to circumstances. As to expenses, if there seems reason to organize an ascension party, which will be costly27, you have carte blanche.”
“I will act as seems best, Mr. Ward.”
“Let me caution you to act with all possible discretion28. The people in the vicinity are already over-excited. It will be well to move secretly. Do not mention the suspicions I have suggested to you. And above all, avoid arousing any fresh panic.”
“It is understood.”
“You will be accredited29 to the Mayor of Morganton, who will assist you. Once more, be prudent30, Strock, and acquaint no one with your mission, unless it is absolutely necessary. You have often given proofs of your intelligence and address; and this time I feel assured you will succeed.”
I asked him only “When shall I start?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, I shall leave Washington; and the day after, I shall be at Morganton.”
How little suspicion had I of what the future had in store for me!
I returned immediately to my house where I made my preparations for departure; and the next evening found me in Raleigh. There I passed the night, and in the course of the next afternoon arrived at the railroad station of Morganton.
Morganton is but a small town, built upon strata32 of the jurassic period, particularly rich in coal. Its mines give it some prosperity. It also has numerous unpleasant mineral waters, so that the season there attracts many visitors. Around Morganton is a rich farming country, with broad fields of grain. It lies in the midst of swamps, covered with mosses33 and reeds. Evergreen34 forests rise high up the mountain slopes. All that the region lacks is the wells of natural gas, that invaluable35 natural source of power, light, and warmth, so abundant in most of the Alleghany valleys. Villages and farms are numerous up to the very borders of the mountain forests. Thus there were many thousands of people threatened, if the Great Eyrie proved indeed a volcano, if the convulsions of nature extended to Pleasant Garden and to Morganton.
The mayor of Morganton, Mr. Elias Smith, was a tall man, vigorous and enterprising, forty years old or more, and of a health to defy all the doctors of the two Americas. He was a great hunter of bears and panthers, beasts which may still be found in the wild gorges36 and mighty37 forests of the Alleghanies.
Mr. Smith was himself a rich land-owner, possessing several farms in the neighborhood. Even his most distant tenants38 received frequent visits from him. Indeed, whenever his official duties did not keep him in his so-called home at Morganton, he was exploring the surrounding country, irresistibly39 drawn40 by the instincts of the hunter.
I went at once to the house of Mr. Smith. He was expecting me, having been warned by telegram. He received me very frankly41, without any formality, his pipe in his mouth, a glass of brandy on the table. A second glass was brought in by a servant, and I had to drink to my host before beginning our interview.
I clinked glasses with him, and drank in honor of the chief of police.
“And now,” demanded Elias Smith, “what is worrying him?”
At this I made known to the mayor of Morganton the cause and the purpose of my mission in North Carolina. I assured him that my chief had given me full power, and would render me every assistance, financial and otherwise, to solve the riddle4 and relieve the neighborhood of its anxiety relative to the Great Eyrie.
Elias Smith listened to me without uttering a word, but not without several times refilling his glass and mine. While he puffed43 steadily44 at his pipe, the close attention which he gave me was beyond question. I saw his cheeks flush at times, and his eyes gleam under their bushy brows. Evidently the chief magistrate45 of Morganton was uneasy about Great Eyrie, and would be as eager as I to discover the cause of these phenomena.
When I had finished my communication, Elias Smith gazed at me for some moments in silence. Then he said, softly, “So at Washington they wish to know what the Great Eyrie hides within its circuit?”
“Yes, Mr. Smith.”
“And you, also?”
“I do.”
“So do I, Mr. Strock.”
He and I were as one in our curiosity.
“You will understand,” added he, knocking the cinders46 from his pipe, “that as a land-owner, I am much interested in these stories of the Great Eyrie, and as mayor, I wish to protect my constituents47.”
“A double reason,” I commented, “to stimulate48 you to discover the cause of these extraordinary occurrences! Without doubt, my dear Mr. Smith, they have appeared to you as inexplicable49 and as threatening as to your people.”
“Inexplicable, certainly, Mr. Strock. For on my part, I do not believe it possible that the Great Eyrie can be a volcano; the Alleghanies are nowhere of volcanic origins. I, myself, in our immediate31 district, have never found any geological traces of scoria, or lava50, or any eruptive rock whatever. I do not think, therefore, that Morganton can possibly be threatened from such a source.”
“You really think not, Mr. Smith?”
“Certainly.”
“But these tremblings of the earth that have been felt in the neighborhood!”
“Yes these tremblings! These tremblings!” repeated Mr. Smith, shaking his head; “but in the first place, is it certain that there have been tremblings? At the moment when the flames showed most sharply, I was on my farm of Wildon, less than a mile from the Great Eyrie. There was certainly a tumult51 in the air, but I felt no quivering of the earth.”
“But in the reports sent to Mr. Ward—”
“Reports made under the impulse of the panic,” interrupted the mayor of Morganton. “I said nothing of any earth tremors52 in mine.”
“Yes, as to those, Mr. Strock, that is different. I saw them; saw them with my own eyes, and the clouds certainly reflected them for miles around. Moreover noises certainly came from the crater of the Great Eyrie, hissings, as if a great boiler54 were letting off steam.”
“You have reliable testimony of this?”
“Yes, the evidence of my own ears.”
“And in the midst of this noise, Mr. Smith, did you believe that you heard that most remarkable of all the phenomena, a sound like the flapping of great wings?”
“I thought so, Mr. Strock; but what mighty bird could this be, which sped away after the flames had died down, and what wings could ever make such tremendous sounds. I therefore seriously question, if this must not have been a deception55 of my imagination. The Great Eyrie a refuge for unknown monsters of the sky! Would they not have been seen long since, soaring above their immense nest of stone? In short, there is in all this a mystery which has not yet been solved.”
“But we will solve it, Mr. Smith, if you will give me your aid.”
“Surely, Mr. Strock; tomorrow we will start our campaign.”
“Tomorrow.” And on that word the mayor and I separated. I went to a hotel, and established myself for a stay which might be indefinitely prolonged. Then having dined, and written to Mr. Ward, I saw Mr. Smith again in the afternoon, and arranged to leave Morganton with him at daybreak.
Our first purpose was to undertake the ascent56 of the mountain, with the aid of two experienced guides. These men had ascended57 Mt. Mitchell and others of the highest peaks of the Blueridge. They had never, however, attempted the Great Eyrie, knowing that its walls of inaccessible cliffs defended it on every side. Moreover, before the recent startling occurrences the Great Eyrie had not particularly attracted the attention of tourists. Mr. Smith knew the two guides personally as men daring, skillful and trustworthy. They would stop at no obstacle; and we were resolved to follow them through everything.
Moreover Mr. Smith remarked at the last that perhaps it was no longer as difficult as formerly58 to penetrate within the Great Eyrie.
“And why?” asked I.
“Because a huge block has recently broken away from the mountain side and perhaps it has left a practicable path or entrance.”
“That would be a fortunate chance, Mr. Smith.”
“We shall know all about it, Mr. Strock, no later than tomorrow.”
“Till tomorrow, then.”
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1
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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riddles
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| n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜 | |
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riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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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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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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7
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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9
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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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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11
forerunners
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| n.先驱( forerunner的名词复数 )；开路人；先兆；前兆 | |
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12
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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13
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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14
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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17
secreted
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| v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏 | |
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18
crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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19
eruption
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| n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作 | |
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20
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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21
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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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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23
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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24
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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25
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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26
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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27
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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28
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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29
accredited
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| adj.可接受的；可信任的；公认的；质量合格的v.相信( accredit的过去式和过去分词 )；委托；委任；把…归结于 | |
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30
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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31
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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strata
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| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
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33
mosses
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| n. 藓类, 苔藓植物 名词moss的复数形式 | |
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34
evergreen
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| n.常青树；adj.四季常青的 | |
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35
invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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36
gorges
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| n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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39
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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40
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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41
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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42
jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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43
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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44
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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45
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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46
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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constituents
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| n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素 | |
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48
stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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49
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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50
lava
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| n.熔岩，火山岩 | |
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51
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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52
tremors
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| 震颤( tremor的名词复数 )； 战栗； 震颤声； 大地的轻微震动 | |
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53
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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54
boiler
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| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
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55
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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56
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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57
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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