And because of this conviction I have determined3 to write down the story of the interesting periods of my life and of my death. I cannot explain the phenomena4; I can only set down here in the words of an ordinary soldier of fortune a chronicle of the strange events that befell me during the ten years that my dead body lay undiscovered in an Arizona cave.
I have never told this story, nor shall mortal man see this manuscript until after I have passed over for eternity5. I know that the average human mind will not believe what it cannot grasp, and so I do not purpose being pilloried6 by the public, the pulpit, and the press, and held up as a colossal7 liar8 when I am but telling the simple truths which some day science will substantiate9. Possibly the suggestions which I gained upon Mars, and the knowledge which I can set down in this chronicle, will aid in an earlier understanding of the mysteries of our sister planet; mysteries to you, but no longer mysteries to me.
My name is John Carter; I am better known as Captain Jack11 Carter of Virginia. At the close of the Civil War I found myself possessed12 of several hundred thousand dollars (Confederate) and a captain's commission in the cavalry13 arm of an army which no longer existed; the servant of a state which had vanished with the hopes of the South. Masterless, penniless, and with my only means of livelihood14, fighting, gone, I determined to work my way to the southwest and attempt to retrieve15 my fallen fortunes in a search for gold.
I spent nearly a year prospecting16 in company with another Confederate officer, Captain James K. Powell of Richmond. We were extremely fortunate, for late in the winter of 1865, after many hardships and privations, we located the most remarkable17 gold-bearing quartz18 vein19 that our wildest dreams had ever pictured. Powell, who was a mining engineer by education, stated that we had uncovered over a million dollars worth of ore in a trifle over three months.
As our equipment was crude in the extreme we decided20 that one of us must return to civilization, purchase the necessary machinery21 and return with a sufficient force of men properly to work the mine.
As Powell was familiar with the country, as well as with the mechanical requirements of mining we determined that it would be best for him to make the trip. It was agreed that I was to hold down our claim against the remote possibility of its being jumped by some wandering prospector22.
On March 3, 1866, Powell and I packed his provisions on two of our burros, and bidding me good-bye he mounted his horse, and started down the mountainside toward the valley, across which led the first stage of his journey.
The morning of Powell's departure was, like nearly all Arizona mornings, clear and beautiful; I could see him and his little pack animals picking their way down the mountainside toward the valley, and all during the morning I would catch occasional glimpses of them as they topped a hog23 back or came out upon a level plateau. My last sight of Powell was about three in the afternoon as he entered the shadows of the range on the opposite side of the valley.
Some half hour later I happened to glance casually24 across the valley and was much surprised to note three little dots in about the same place I had last seen my friend and his two pack animals. I am not given to needless worrying, but the more I tried to convince myself that all was well with Powell, and that the dots I had seen on his trail were antelope25 or wild horses, the less I was able to assure myself.
Since we had entered the territory we had not seen a hostile Indian, and we had, therefore, become careless in the extreme, and were wont26 to ridicule27 the stories we had heard of the great numbers of these vicious marauders that were supposed to haunt the trails, taking their toll28 in lives and torture of every white party which fell into their merciless clutches.
Powell, I knew, was well armed and, further, an experienced Indian fighter; but I too had lived and fought for years among the Sioux in the North, and I knew that his chances were small against a party of cunning trailing Apaches. Finally I could endure the suspense29 no longer, and, arming myself with my two Colt revolvers and a carbine, I strapped30 two belts of cartridges31 about me and catching33 my saddle horse, started down the trail taken by Powell in the morning.
As soon as I reached comparatively level ground I urged my mount into a canter and continued this, where the going permitted, until, close upon dusk, I discovered the point where other tracks joined those of Powell. They were the tracks of unshod ponies34, three of them, and the ponies had been galloping35.
I followed rapidly until, darkness shutting down, I was forced to await the rising of the moon, and given an opportunity to speculate on the question of the wisdom of my chase. Possibly I had conjured36 up impossible dangers, like some nervous old housewife, and when I should catch up with Powell would get a good laugh for my pains. However, I am not prone37 to sensitiveness, and the following of a sense of duty, wherever it may lead, has always been a kind of fetich with me throughout my life; which may account for the honors bestowed38 upon me by three republics and the decorations and friendships of an old and powerful emperor and several lesser39 kings, in whose service my sword has been red many a time.
About nine o'clock the moon was sufficiently40 bright for me to proceed on my way and I had no difficulty in following the trail at a fast walk, and in some places at a brisk trot41 until, about midnight, I reached the water hole where Powell had expected to camp. I came upon the spot unexpectedly, finding it entirely42 deserted43, with no signs of having been recently occupied as a camp.
I was interested to note that the tracks of the pursuing horsemen, for such I was now convinced they must be, continued after Powell with only a brief stop at the hole for water; and always at the same rate of speed as his.
I was positive now that the trailers were Apaches and that they wished to capture Powell alive for the fiendish pleasure of the torture, so I urged my horse onward44 at a most dangerous pace, hoping against hope that I would catch up with the red rascals45 before they attacked him.
Further speculation46 was suddenly cut short by the faint report of two shots far ahead of me. I knew that Powell would need me now if ever, and I instantly urged my horse to his topmost speed up the narrow and difficult mountain trail.
I had forged ahead for perhaps a mile or more without hearing further sounds, when the trail suddenly debouched onto a small, open plateau near the summit of the pass. I had passed through a narrow, overhanging gorge47 just before entering suddenly upon this table land, and the sight which met my eyes filled me with consternation48 and dismay.
The little stretch of level land was white with Indian tepees, and there were probably half a thousand red warriors49 clustered around some object near the center of the camp. Their attention was so wholly riveted50 to this point of interest that they did not notice me, and I easily could have turned back into the dark recesses51 of the gorge and made my escape with perfect safety. The fact, however, that this thought did not occur to me until the following day removes any possible right to a claim to heroism52 to which the narration53 of this episode might possibly otherwise entitle me.
I do not believe that I am made of the stuff which constitutes heroes, because, in all of the hundreds of instances that my voluntary acts have placed me face to face with death, I cannot recall a single one where any alternative step to that I took occurred to me until many hours later. My mind is evidently so constituted that I am subconsciously54 forced into the path of duty without recourse to tiresome55 mental processes. However that may be, I have never regretted that cowardice56 is not optional with me.
In this instance I was, of course, positive that Powell was the center of attraction, but whether I thought or acted first I do not know, but within an instant from the moment the scene broke upon my view I had whipped out my revolvers and was charging down upon the entire army of warriors, shooting rapidly, and whooping57 at the top of my lungs. Singlehanded, I could not have pursued better tactics, for the red men, convinced by sudden surprise that not less than a regiment58 of regulars was upon them, turned and fled in every direction for their bows, arrows, and rifles.
The view which their hurried routing disclosed filled me with apprehension59 and with rage. Under the clear rays of the Arizona moon lay Powell, his body fairly bristling60 with the hostile arrows of the braves. That he was already dead I could not but be convinced, and yet I would have saved his body from mutilation at the hands of the Apaches as quickly as I would have saved the man himself from death.
Riding close to him I reached down from the saddle, and grasping his cartridge32 belt drew him up across the withers61 of my mount. A backward glance convinced me that to return by the way I had come would be more hazardous62 than to continue across the plateau, so, putting spurs to my poor beast, I made a dash for the opening to the pass which I could distinguish on the far side of the table land.
The Indians had by this time discovered that I was alone and I was pursued with imprecations, arrows, and rifle balls. The fact that it is difficult to aim anything but imprecations accurately63 by moonlight, that they were upset by the sudden and unexpected manner of my advent64, and that I was a rather rapidly moving target saved me from the various deadly projectiles65 of the enemy and permitted me to reach the shadows of the surrounding peaks before an orderly pursuit could be organized.
My horse was traveling practically unguided as I knew that I had probably less knowledge of the exact location of the trail to the pass than he, and thus it happened that he entered a defile66 which led to the summit of the range and not to the pass which I had hoped would carry me to the valley and to safety. It is probable, however, that to this fact I owe my life and the remarkable experiences and adventures which befell me during the following ten years.
My first knowledge that I was on the wrong trail came when I heard the yells of the pursuing savages67 suddenly grow fainter and fainter far off to my left.
I knew then that they had passed to the left of the jagged rock formation at the edge of the plateau, to the right of which my horse had borne me and the body of Powell.
I drew rein68 on a little level promontory69 overlooking the trail below and to my left, and saw the party of pursuing savages disappearing around the point of a neighboring peak.
I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks.
I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular70 drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.
I had followed this trail for perhaps a hundred yards when a sharp turn to the right brought me to the mouth of a large cave. The opening was about four feet in height and three to four feet wide, and at this opening the trail ended.
It was now morning, and, with the customary lack of dawn which is a startling characteristic of Arizona, it had become daylight almost without warning.
Dismounting, I laid Powell upon the ground, but the most painstaking71 examination failed to reveal the faintest spark of life. I forced water from my canteen between his dead lips, bathed his face and rubbed his hands, working over him continuously for the better part of an hour in the face of the fact that I knew him to be dead.
I was very fond of Powell; he was thoroughly72 a man in every respect; a polished southern gentleman; a staunch and true friend; and it was with a feeling of the deepest grief that I finally gave up my crude endeavors at resuscitation73.
Leaving Powell's body where it lay on the ledge10 I crept into the cave to reconnoiter. I found a large chamber74, possibly a hundred feet in diameter and thirty or forty feet in height; a smooth and well-worn floor, and many other evidences that the cave had, at some remote period, been inhabited. The back of the cave was so lost in dense75 shadow that I could not distinguish whether there were openings into other apartments or not.
As I was continuing my examination I commenced to feel a pleasant drowsiness76 creeping over me which I attributed to the fatigue77 of my long and strenuous78 ride, and the reaction from the excitement of the fight and the pursuit. I felt comparatively safe in my present location as I knew that one man could defend the trail to the cave against an army.
I soon became so drowsy79 that I could scarcely resist the strong desire to throw myself on the floor of the cave for a few moments' rest, but I knew that this would never do, as it would mean certain death at the hands of my red friends, who might be upon me at any moment. With an effort I started toward the opening of the cave only to reel drunkenly against a side wall, and from there slip prone upon the floor.
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1
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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5
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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6
pilloried
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| v.使受公众嘲笑( pillory的过去式和过去分词 )；将…示众；给…上颈手枷；处…以枷刑 | |
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7
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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8
liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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9
substantiate
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| v.证实；证明...有根据 | |
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ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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11
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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12
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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13
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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14
livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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15
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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16
prospecting
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| n.探矿 | |
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17
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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18
quartz
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| n.石英 | |
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19
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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20
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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21
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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prospector
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| n.探矿者 | |
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hog
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| n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占 | |
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24
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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29
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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30
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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31
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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32
cartridge
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| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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34
ponies
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| 矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑 | |
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35
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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36
conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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37
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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38
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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40
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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41
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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42
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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43
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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44
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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45
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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46
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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47
gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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48
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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49
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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50
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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51
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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52
heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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53
narration
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| n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体 | |
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54
subconsciously
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| ad.下意识地，潜意识地 | |
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55
tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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56
cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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57
whooping
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| 发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的 | |
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58
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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59
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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60
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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61
withers
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| 马肩隆 | |
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62
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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63
accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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64
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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65
projectiles
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| n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器 | |
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66
defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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67
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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68
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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69
promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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70
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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71
painstaking
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| adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的 | |
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72
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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73
resuscitation
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| n.复活 | |
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74
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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75
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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76
drowsiness
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| n.睡意；嗜睡 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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78
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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