“What funny-looking trees!” exclaimed Mr. Jones, paying no heed1 to the Russian’s self-congratulations. “Why, they look like — like cabbages! And what a horrible smell!”
The word “horrible” was none too strong to describe the intolerable odor which permeated2 the air. Descending4 as they had done from the clear, clean, fresh upper atmosphere, it seemed at first almost impossible to breathe at all. It was a sort of concentrated, well-nigh visible stench, suggesting nothing less than decayed slaughter-houses or open graveyards5. Even the prince lost his smile after the first moment of delight over his successful landing.
The “trees” to which Mr. Jones had referred, were indeed not trees at all, but some sort of vegetable growth entirely6 unfamiliar7 to either of the men. If they had really been the cabbages they resembled, they would have made the everlasting8 fortune of the market-gardener who grew them, for the smallest was as large as a fair-sized hen-house, and some of the larger ones must have measured at least a hundred feet from root to crest9, with a diameter at least one fourth as great. They were a dark purple in color, shading upward into a sickly green. None of them grew very close together, and the spaces between were filled with an astonishing variety of mushroomlike things, whose vivid coloring, red, yellow, violet, and orange, jarred upon the eye in a disharmony of which nature is very seldom guilty.
Like a giant’s vegetable garden, these monstrous10 growths entirely surrounded the glade11 where they had alighted. But even though they towered so high over the heads of the aeronauts, they caught glimpses between and above them of other and different growths, yet higher.
There was no wind in the glade. The sun beat down and the stench rose up. Mr. Jones had a strong feeling that if they did not get out of the place in a short time he was going to be very ill indeed.
“This is awful,” he said appealingly. “Can’t we go up again?”
The Russian, who had been looking about with much interest, shook his head. “Of what use to rise now when we have just made such a very nice landing? Another time we might not be so lucky. The odor is certainly unpleasant, but after all it is only a smell. It is only the vegetation. I knew that here in the crater12 valley we would find some very peculiar13 things. We must not be too easily deterred14. Let us penetrate15 past these vegetables and find what lies beyond.”
Sergius undoubtedly16 had the final say so in regard to their leaving or remaining, so his companion followed his example, unstrapped himself from his seat in the monoplane, and descended17 to earth. The prince handed him a rifle and cartridge18 belt and took one himself. They discarded their coats and hoods19 and advanced toward the nearest passage between the “cabbages.”
As they approached the dreadful charnel odor became more intense, if that were possible. Shoulders thrown forward, eyes half-shut and smarting, they pushed through it as through some tangible20 obstruction21.
Then the first of the many-hued mushrooms were crunching22 beneath their feet. They crushed and squelched23, with a semiliquid sound, sending up a sort of acid gas into the faces of the two adventurers, somewhat like the fumes24 of hydrochloric acid. The prince took out his handkerchief and bound it over his mouth and nose, signaling to Jones to do likewise, for both of them were past speaking. With these improvised25 and inadequate26 gas-masks, they waded27 doggedly28 on through the fungi29.
They were within fifteen feet of one of the smaller cabbages, when with a sort of swishing sound it began to move. Its outer sheath of purple and green leaves, twenty-five feet long and five broad, began to open out and descend3.
Jones caught a glimpse between them of a huge, scarlet30, writhing31 mass, and tried to turn and run. The crushed mushroom things held his feet. It was like trying to leap or run in a quicksand.
Then the rough, thick, sawlike edge of the nearest leaf struck him a glancing blow on the shoulder, And he was down in the mess of fungi. A long, writhing, bright-red thing, like a nightmare fishingworm, lashed32 out above him, curled back and encircled his neck in a strangling grip.
“Help!” he tried to shout. “Sergius — help!”
Then his shoulder was seized and he was being pulled away from the giant cabbage. The tentacle33 which held him straightened out and actually stretched as if it had been made of india-rubber. A knife flashed over him, severing34 the tentacle, and a moment later he was out of reach of a dozen more which were shooting after him. That was the last thing he remembered until he came to under the shadow of the plane, to look up into the anxious face of Sergius Petrofsky, who was fanning him with a handkerchief.
Mr. Jones sat up and felt of his neck gingerly. Luckily his collar had somewhat protected it, but it felt very stiff and sore.
“I thought you were gone, my friend,” said Sergius, standing35 up and wiping his perspiring36 face with the handkerchief.
“So did I. What I can’t understand is why the thing didn’t get you, too. Look at it now — ugh, the horrible, nasty, writhing beast!”
The “death cabbage” (as they afterward37 named the interesting vegetables) had not closed its outer sheath, and its inner hideousness38 stood fully39 exposed to the sun. Straight up from the center sprang a sort of slimy, blue-black stalk, terminating some twenty-five feet above the ground in a wide plume40 of green fronds41. Surrounding this stalk was a dense42, intertwined mass of the long, scarlet tentacles43 which had nearly dragged Mr. Jones to his doom44. To be eaten by a vegetable — and such a vegetable! Jones shuddered45 and looked away, feeling very sick and disgusted.
“Look!” cried the nihilist. “It is twisting itself about like a thing in agony. I wonder if the brute46 has eyes and sees us here and still hungers after its prey47? But that is curious. See, it is becoming of a bright orange color!”
Jones looked again, rather unwittingly, but what the Russian said was quite true. The wriggling48 scarlet mass was rapidly changing to orange, and from orange it faded to a sickly yellow. Moreover it was wriggling more and more feebly. The outstretched sheath-leaves lifted themselves spasmodically two or three times, then wilted49 limply among the fungi at its base. The central stalk began to droop50 over to one side, and the green fronds hung dispiritedly down. At the end of five minutes all motion had ceased. Even the now pale tentacles writhed51 no more. The death cabbage was itself dead.
“Do you suppose it perished of a broken heart?” asked Sergius whimsically. “‘You resisted its ardent52 caresses53, and it died of disappointment But rather, I think, it possible that another than either of us has killed this monster, my friend.”
“What do you mean? Have you seen anybody else?”
Sergius pointed54 upward solemnly.
“I mean him,” he said, and he was pointing at the sun. “There is but one explanation. These are creatures of the night, and they get their — their food in the night, whatever it may be. They are not accustomed to grasp their prey by daylight. This one was tempted55, and he opened his protecting sheath, and he was slain56 by the sun! But he would have killed us first, if I had not been able to spring back more quickly than you, my friend, and escape his first gropings.”
“I owe you my life,” said Jones earnestly. “I never knew anybody before who would have had the courage to throw himself within reach of that — that thing, and drag another man away from it.”
“It is nothing,” Sergius demurred57, looking very much pleased nevertheless. “Now we will be comrades, indeed — no? I think, however, that we have done and seen enough for one day. Mount again to your seat and we will leave this valley of death. But we will return tomorrow and alight in some more favorable spot.”
“I’m with you,” Mr. Jones assented58 joyfully59.
But first they cleaned themselves as well as they could of the pulpy60 fungoids with which they were both plastered; Jones from head-to foot. Then they started to put on their heavy coats. Mr. Jones was buttoning his and Sergius had just slipped his arms into the sleeves, when a voice behind them said sharply: “Stand perfectly61 still, please! If either one of you moves a finger I’ll kill you first, Prince Sergius Petrofsky!”
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1
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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permeated
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| 弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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graveyards
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| 墓地( graveyard的名词复数 )； 垃圾场； 废物堆积处； 收容所 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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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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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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cartridge
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| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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hoods
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| n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩 | |
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20
tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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crunching
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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23
squelched
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| v.发吧唧声，发扑哧声( squelch的过去式和过去分词 )；制止；压制；遏制 | |
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fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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fungi
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| n.真菌，霉菌 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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32
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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tentacle
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| n.触角，触须，触手 | |
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severing
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的现在分词 )；断，裂 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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38
hideousness
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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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plume
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| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
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41
fronds
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| n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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42
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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43
tentacles
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| n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛 | |
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44
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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45
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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46
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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47
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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48
wriggling
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）；蠕蠕 | |
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49
wilted
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| （使）凋谢，枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
droop
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| v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡 | |
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51
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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53
caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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54
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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55
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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56
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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57
demurred
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| v.表示异议，反对( demur的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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60
pulpy
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| 果肉状的，多汁的，柔软的； 烂糊； 稀烂 | |
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61
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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