This was my first experience with a Martian watch dog, but it was destined8 not to be my last, for this fellow guarded me carefully during the time I remained a captive among these green men; twice saving my life, and never voluntarily being away from me a moment.
While Sola was away I took occasion to examine more minutely the room in which I found myself captive. The mural painting depicted9 scenes of rare and wonderful beauty; mountains, rivers, lake, ocean, meadow, trees and flowers, winding10 roadways, sun-kissed gardens—scenes which might have portrayed11 earthly views but for the different colorings of the vegetation. The work had evidently been wrought12 by a master hand, so subtle the atmosphere, so perfect the technique; yet nowhere was there a representation of a living animal, either human or brute, by which I could guess at the likeness13 of these other and perhaps extinct denizens14 of Mars.
While I was allowing my fancy to run riot in wild conjecture15 on the possible explanation of the strange anomalies which I had so far met with on Mars, Sola returned bearing both food and drink. These she placed on the floor beside me, and seating herself a short ways off regarded me intently. The food consisted of about a pound of some solid substance of the consistency16 of cheese and almost tasteless, while the liquid was apparently17 milk from some animal. It was not unpleasant to the taste, though slightly acid, and I learned in a short time to prize it very highly. It came, as I later discovered, not from an animal, as there is only one mammal on Mars and that one very rare indeed, but from a large plant which grows practically without water, but seems to distill18 its plentiful19 supply of milk from the products of the soil, the moisture of the air, and the rays of the sun. A single plant of this species will give eight or ten quarts of milk per day.
After I had eaten I was greatly invigorated, but feeling the need of rest I stretched out upon the silks and was soon asleep. I must have slept several hours, as it was dark when I awoke, and I was very cold. I noticed that someone had thrown a fur over me, but it had become partially20 dislodged and in the darkness I could not see to replace it. Suddenly a hand reached out and pulled the fur over me, shortly afterwards adding another to my covering.
I presumed that my watchful21 guardian22 was Sola, nor was I wrong. This girl alone, among all the green Martians with whom I came in contact, disclosed characteristics of sympathy, kindliness23, and affection; her ministrations to my bodily wants were unfailing, and her solicitous24 care saved me from much suffering and many hardships.
As I was to learn, the Martian nights are extremely cold, and as there is practically no twilight25 or dawn, the changes in temperature are sudden and most uncomfortable, as are the transitions from brilliant daylight to darkness. The nights are either brilliantly illumined or very dark, for if neither of the two moons of Mars happen to be in the sky almost total darkness results, since the lack of atmosphere, or, rather, the very thin atmosphere, fails to diffuse27 the starlight to any great extent; on the other hand, if both of the moons are in the heavens at night the surface of the ground is brightly illuminated28.
Both of Mars' moons are vastly nearer her than is our moon to Earth; the nearer moon being but about five thousand miles distant, while the further is but little more than fourteen thousand miles away, against the nearly one-quarter million miles which separate us from our moon. The nearer moon of Mars makes a complete revolution around the planet in a little over seven and one-half hours, so that she may be seen hurtling through the sky like some huge meteor two or three times each night, revealing all her phases during each transit26 of the heavens.
The further moon revolves29 about Mars in something over thirty and one-quarter hours, and with her sister satellite makes a nocturnal Martian scene one of splendid and weird30 grandeur31. And it is well that nature has so graciously and abundantly lighted the Martian night, for the green men of Mars, being a nomadic32 race without high intellectual development, have but crude means for artificial lighting33; depending principally upon torches, a kind of candle, and a peculiar34 oil lamp which generates a gas and burns without a wick.
This last device produces an intensely brilliant far-reaching white light, but as the natural oil which it requires can only be obtained by mining in one of several widely separated and remote localities it is seldom used by these creatures whose only thought is for today, and whose hatred35 for manual labor36 has kept them in a semi-barbaric state for countless37 ages.
After Sola had replenished38 my coverings I again slept, nor did I awaken39 until daylight. The other occupants of the room, five in number, were all females, and they were still sleeping, piled high with a motley array of silks and furs. Across the threshold lay stretched the sleepless40 guardian brute, just as I had last seen him on the preceding day; apparently he had not moved a muscle; his eyes were fairly glued upon me, and I fell to wondering just what might befall me should I endeavor to escape.
I have ever been prone41 to seek adventure and to investigate and experiment where wiser men would have left well enough alone. It therefore now occurred to me that the surest way of learning the exact attitude of this beast toward me would be to attempt to leave the room. I felt fairly secure in my belief that I could escape him should he pursue me once I was outside the building, for I had begun to take great pride in my ability as a jumper. Furthermore, I could see from the shortness of his legs that the brute himself was no jumper and probably no runner.
Slowly and carefully, therefore, I gained my feet, only to see that my watcher did the same; cautiously I advanced toward him, finding that by moving with a shuffling42 gait I could retain my balance as well as make reasonably rapid progress. As I neared the brute he backed cautiously away from me, and when I had reached the open he moved to one side to let me pass. He then fell in behind me and followed about ten paces in my rear as I made my way along the deserted43 street.
Evidently his mission was to protect me only, I thought, but when we reached the edge of the city he suddenly sprang before me, uttering strange sounds and baring his ugly and ferocious tusks44. Thinking to have some amusement at his expense, I rushed toward him, and when almost upon him sprang into the air, alighting far beyond him and away from the city. He wheeled instantly and charged me with the most appalling45 speed I had ever beheld46. I had thought his short legs a bar to swiftness, but had he been coursing with greyhounds the latter would have appeared as though asleep on a door mat. As I was to learn, this is the fleetest animal on Mars, and owing to its intelligence, loyalty47, and ferocity is used in hunting, in war, and as the protector of the Martian man.
I quickly saw that I would have difficulty in escaping the fangs48 of the beast on a straightaway course, and so I met his charge by doubling in my tracks and leaping over him as he was almost upon me. This maneuver49 gave me a considerable advantage, and I was able to reach the city quite a bit ahead of him, and as he came tearing after me I jumped for a window about thirty feet from the ground in the face of one of the buildings overlooking the valley.
Grasping the sill I pulled myself up to a sitting posture50 without looking into the building, and gazed down at the baffled animal beneath me. My exultation51 was short-lived, however, for scarcely had I gained a secure seat upon the sill than a huge hand grasped me by the neck from behind and dragged me violently into the room. Here I was thrown upon my back, and beheld standing52 over me a colossal53 ape-like creature, white and hairless except for an enormous shock of bristly hair upon its head.
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1
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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relatively
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| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
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morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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9
depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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portrayed
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| v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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consistency
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| n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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distill
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| vt.蒸馏，用蒸馏法提取，吸取，提炼 | |
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plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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kindliness
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| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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solicitous
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| adj.热切的，挂念的 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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transit
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| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
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diffuse
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| v.扩散；传播；adj.冗长的；四散的，弥漫的 | |
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illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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revolves
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的第三人称单数 )；细想 | |
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weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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nomadic
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| adj.流浪的；游牧的 | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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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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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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replenished
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| 补充( replenish的过去式和过去分词 )； 重新装满 | |
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awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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40
sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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42
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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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
tusks
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| n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头 | |
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45
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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46
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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47
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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48
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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49
maneuver
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| n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略 | |
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50
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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51
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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52
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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53
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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