Jack was much better. After leaving the marshy6 districts he had no return of fever, and as a certain amount of indulgence had been allowed them on their journey, both he and his mother, as far as their health was concerned, might be said to be in a satisfactory condition.
Of the rest of her former companions Mrs. Weldon could hear nothing. She had herself been a witness of the escape of Hercules, but of course knew nothing further of his fate; as for Dick Sands, she entertained a sanguine7 hope that his white skin would protect him from any severe treatment; but for Nan and the other poor negroes, here upon African soil, she feared the very worst.
Being entirely8 shut off from communication with the outer world, she was quite unaware9 of the arrival of the caravan; even if she had heard the noisy commotion10 of the market she would not have known what it meant, and she was in ignorance alike of the death of Harris, of the sale of Tom and his companions, of the dreadful end of the king, and of the royal obsequies in which poor Dick had been assigned so melancholy11 a share. During the journey from the Coanza to Kazonndé, Harris and Negoro had held no conversation with her, and since her arrival she had not been allowed to pass the inclosure of the establishment, so that, as far as she knew, she was quite alone, and being in Negoro's power, was in a position from which it seemed only too likely nothing but death could release her.
From Cousin Benedict, it is needless to repeat, she could expect no assistance; his own personal pursuits engrossed12 him, and he had no care nor leisure to bestow13 upon external circumstances. His first feeling, on being made to understand that he was not in America, was one of deep disappointment that the wonderful things he had seen were no discoveries at all; they were simply African insects common on African soil. This vexation, however, soon passed away, and he began to believe that "the land of the Pharaohs" might possess as much entomological wealth as "the land of the Incas."
"Ah," he would exclaim to Mrs. Weldon, heedless that she gave him little or no attention, "this is the country of the manticoræ, and wonderful coleoptera they are, with their long hairy legs, their sharp elytra and their big mandibles; the most remarkable14 of them all is the tuberous manticora. And isn't this, too, the land of the golden-tipped calosomi? and of the prickly-legged goliaths of Guinea and Gabon? Here, too, we ought to find the spotted15 anthidia, which lay their eggs in empty snail-shells; and the sacred atenchus, which the old Egyptians used to venerate16 as divine."
"Yes, yes;" he would say at another time, "this is the proper habitat of those death's-head sphinxes which are now so common everywhere; and this is the place for those 'Idias Bigoti,' so formidable to the natives of Senegal.
There must be wonderful discoveries to be made here if only those good people will let me."
The "good people" referred to were Negoro and Harris, who had restored him much of the liberty of which Dick Sands had found it necessary to deprive him. With freedom to roam and in possession of his tin box, Benedict would have been amongst the most contented17 of men, had it not been for the loss of his spectacles and magnifying-glass, now buried with the King of Kazonndé. Reduced to the necessity of poking18 every insect almost into his eyes before he could discover its characteristics, he would have sacrificed much to recover or replace his glasses, but as such articles were not to be procured19 at any price, he contented himself with the permission to go where he pleased within the limits of the palisade. His keepers knew him well enough to be satisfied that he would make no attempt to escape, and as the enclosure was nearly a mile in circumference20, containing many shrubs21 and trees and huts with thatched roofs, besides being intersected by a running stream, it afforded him a very fair scope for his researches, and who should say that he would not discover some novel specimen22 to which, in the records of entomological science, his own name might be assigned?
If thus the domain23 of Antonio Alvez was sufficient to satisfy Benedict, to little Jack it might well seem immense. But though allowed to ramble24 over the whole place as he liked, the child rarely cared to leave his mother; he would be continually inquiring about his father, whom he had now so long been expecting to see: he would ask why Nan and Hercules and Dingo had gone away and left him; and perpetually he would be expressing his wonder where Dick could be, and wishing he would come back again. Mrs. Weldon could only hide her tears and answer him by caresses25.
Nothing, however, transpired26 to give the least intimation that any of the prisoners were to be treated otherwise than they had been upon the journey from the Coanza. Excepting such as were retained for old Alvez' personal service, all the slaves had been sold, and the storehouses were now
[Illustration: He contented himself with the permission to go where he pleased within the limits of the palisade.]
full of stuffs and ivory, the stuffs destined27 to be sent into the central provinces and the ivory to be exported. The establishment was thus no longer crowded as it had been, and Mrs. Weldon and Jack were lodged in a different hut to Cousin Benedict. All three, however, took their meals together and were allowed a sufficient diet of mutton or goats'-flesh, vegetables, manioc, sorghum28 and native fruits. With the traders' servants they held no communication, but Halima, a young slave who had been told off to attend to Mrs. Weldon, evinced for her new mistress an attachment29 which, though rough, was evidently sincere.
Old Alvez, who occupied the principal house in thedépôt, was rarely seen; whilst the non-appearance of either Harris or Negoro caused Mrs. Weldon much surprise and perplexity. In the midst of all her troubles, too, she was haunted by the thought of the anxiety her husband must be suffering on her account. Unaware of her having embarked30 on board the "Pilgrim," at first he would have wondered at steamer after steamer arriving at San Francisco without her. After a while the "Pilgrim" would have been registered amongst the number of missing ships; and it was certain the intelligence would be forwarded to him by his correspondents, that the vessel31 had sailed from Auckland with his wife and child on board. What was he to imagine? he might refuse to believe that they had perished at sea, but he would never dream of their having been carried to Africa, and would certainly institute a search in no other direction than on the coast of America, or amongst the isles32 of the Pacific. She had not the faintest hope of her whereabouts being discovered, and involuntarily her thoughts turned to the possibility of making an escape. She might well feel her heart sink within her at the bare idea; even if she should succeed in eluding33 the vigilance of the watch, there were two hundred miles of dense34 forest to be traversed before the coast could be reached; nevertheless, it revealed itself to her as her last chance, and failing all else, she resolved to hazard it.
But, first of all, she determined35, if it were possible, to discover the ultimate design of Negoro. She was not kept long in suspense36. On the 6th of June, just a week after the royal funeral, the Portuguese37 entered the depót, in which he had not set foot since his return, and made his way straight to the hut in which he knew he should find the prisoner. Benedict was out insect-hunting; Jack, under Halima's charge, was being taken for a walk. Mrs. Weldon was alone.
Negoro pushed open the door, and said abruptly,-
"Mrs. Weldon, I have come to tell you, that Tom and his lot have been sold for the Ujiji market; Nan died on her way here; and Dick Sands is dead too."
Mrs. Weldon uttered a cry of horror.
"Yes, Mrs. Weldon," he continued; "he has got what he deserved; he shot Harris, and has been executed for the murder. And here you are alone! mark this! alone and in my power!"
What Negoro said was true; Tom, Bat, Actæon, and Austin had all been sent off that morning on their way to Ujiji.
Negoro went on.
"If I chose, I could still further avenge39 upon you the ill-treatment I got on board that ship; but it does not suit my purpose to kill you. You and that boy of yours, and that idiot of a fly-catcher, all have a certain value in the market. I mean to sell you."
"You dare not!" said Mrs. Weldon firmly; "you know you are making an idle threat; who do you suppose would purchase people of white blood?"
She bent41 down her head; only too well she knew that such things were possible in this horrid42 land.
"Tell me who he is!" she said; "tell the name of the man who ..."
"James Weldon," he answered slowly.
"My husband!" she cried; "what do you mean?"
"I mean what I say. I mean to make your husband buy you back at my price; and if he likes to pay for them, he shall have his son and his cousin too."
[Illustration: "I suppose Weldon will not mind coming to fetch you?"]
"And when, and how, may I ask, do you propose to manage this?" replied Mrs. Weldon. forcing herself to be calm.
"Here, and soon too. I suppose Weldon will not mind coming to fetch you."
"He would not hesitate to come; but how could he know we are here?"
"I will go to him. I have money that will take me to San Francisco."
"What you stole from the 'Pilgrim'?" said Mrs. Weldon.
"Just so," replied Negoro; "and I have plenty more I suppose when Weldon hears that you are a prisoner in Central Africa, he will not think much of a hundred thousand dollars."
"But how is he to know the truth of your statement?"
"I shall take him a letter from you. You shall represent me as your faithful servant, just escaped from the hands of savages43."
"A letter such as that I will never write; never," said Mrs. Weldon decisively.
"What? what? you refuse?"
"I refuse."
She had all the natural cravings of a woman and a wife, but so thoroughly44 was she aware of the treachery of the man she had to deal with, that she dreaded45 lest, as soon as he had touched the ransom46, he would dispose of her husband altogether.
There was a short silence.
"You will write that letter," said Negoro.
"Never!" repeated Mrs. Weldon.
"Remember your child!"
Mrs. Weldon's heart beat violently, but she did not answer a word.
Mrs. Weldon was still silent.
"A week! I will come again in a week; you will do as I wish, or it will be the worse for you."
He gnashed his teeth, turned on his heel, and left the hut.
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收听单词发音
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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2
succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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3
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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5
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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marshy
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| adj.沼泽的 | |
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7
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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8
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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9
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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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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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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venerate
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| v.尊敬，崇敬，崇拜 | |
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17
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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18
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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19
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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20
circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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21
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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22
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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23
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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24
ramble
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| v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延 | |
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25
caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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26
transpired
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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27
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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28
sorghum
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| n.高粱属的植物，高粱糖浆，甜得发腻的东西 | |
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29
attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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30
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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31
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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32
isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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33
eluding
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的现在分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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34
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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36
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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37
Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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38
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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39
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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40
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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41
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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42
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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43
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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44
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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45
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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46
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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47
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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