The Hurricane.--A Forced Departure.--Loss of an Anchor.--Melancholy1 Reflections.--The Resolution adopted.--The Sand-Storm.--The Buried Caravan2.--A Contrary yet Favorable Wind.--The Return southward.--Kennedy at his Post.
At three o'clock in the morning the wind was raging. It beat down with such violence that the Victoria could not stay near the ground without danger. It was thrown almost flat over upon its side, and the reeds chafed3 the silk so roughly that it seemed as though they would tear it.
"We must be off, Dick," said the doctor; "we cannot remain in this situation."
"But, doctor, what of Joe?"
"I am not likely to abandon him. No, indeed! and should the hurricane carry me a thousand miles to the northward4, I will return! But here we are endangering the safety of all."
"Must we go without him?" asked the Scot, with an accent of profound grief.
"And do you think, then," rejoined Ferguson, "that my heart does not bleed like your own? Am I not merely obeying an imperious necessity?"
"I am entirely5 at your orders," replied the hunter; "let us start!"
But their departure was surrounded with unusual difficulty. The anchor, which had caught very deeply, resisted all their efforts to disengage it; while the balloon, drawing in the opposite direction, increased its tension. Kennedy could not get it free. Besides, in his present position, the manoeuvre6 had become a very perilous7 one, for the Victoria threatened to break away before he should be able to get into the car again.
The doctor, unwilling9 to run such a risk, made his friend get into his place, and resigned himself to the alternative of cutting the anchor-rope. The Victoria made one bound of three hundred feet into the air, and took her route directly northward.
Ferguson had no other choice than to scud10 before the storm. He folded his arms, and soon became absorbed in his own melancholy reflections.
After a few moments of profound silence, he turned to Kennedy, who sat there no less taciturn.
"We have, perhaps, been tempting11 Providence12," said he; "it does not belong to man to undertake such a journey!" --and a sigh of grief escaped him as he spoke13.
"It is but a few days," replied the sportsman, "since we were congratulating ourselves upon having escaped so many dangers! All three of us were shaking hands!"
"Poor Joe! kindly14 and excellent disposition15! brave and candid16 heart! Dazzled for a moment by his sudden discovery of wealth, he willingly sacrificed his treasures! And now, he is far from us; and the wind is carrying us still farther away with resistless speed!"
"Come, doctor, admitting that he may have found refuge among the lake tribes, can he not do as the travellers who visited them before us, did;--like Denham, like Barth? Both of those men got back to their own country."
"Ah! my dear Dick! Joe doesn't know one word of the language; he is alone, and without resources. The travellers of whom you speak did not attempt to go forward without sending many presents in advance of them to the chiefs, and surrounded by an escort armed and trained for these expeditions. Yet, they could not avoid sufferings of the worst description! What, then, can you expect the fate of our companion to be? It is horrible to think of, and this is one of the worst calamities18 that it has ever been my lot to endure!"
"But, we'll come back again, doctor!"
"Come back, Dick? Yes, if we have to abandon the balloon! if we should be forced to return to Lake Tchad on foot, and put ourselves in communication with the Sultan of Bornou! The Arabs cannot have retained a disagreeable remembrance of the first Europeans."
"I will follow you, doctor," replied the hunter, with emphasis. "You may count upon me! We would rather give up the idea of prosecuting19 this journey than not return. Joe forgot himself for our sake; we will sacrifice ourselves for his!"
This resolve revived some hope in the hearts of these two men; they felt strong in the same inspiration. Ferguson forthwith set every thing at work to get into a contrary current, that might bring him back again to Lake Tchad; but this was impracticable at that moment, and even to alight was out of the question on ground completely bare of trees, and with such a hurricane blowing.
The Victoria thus passed over the country of the Tibbous, crossed the Belad el Djerid, a desert of briers that forms the border of the Soudan, and advanced into the desert of sand streaked20 with the long tracks of the many caravans21 that pass and repass there. The last line of vegetation was speedily lost in the dim southern horizon, not far from the principal oasis22 in this part of Africa, whose fifty wells are shaded by magnificent trees; but it was impossible to stop. An Arab encampment, tents of striped stuff, some camels, stretching out their viper-like heads and necks along the sand, gave life to this solitude23, but the Victoria sped by like a shooting-star, and in this way traversed a distance of sixty miles in three hours, without Ferguson being able to check or guide her course.
"We cannot halt, we cannot alight!" said the doctor; "not a tree, not an inequality of the ground! Are we then to be driven clear across Sahara? Surely, Heaven is indeed against us!"
He was uttering these words with a sort of despairing rage, when suddenly he saw the desert sands rising aloft in the midst of a dense24 cloud of dust, and go whirling through the air, impelled25 by opposing currents.
Amid this tornado26, an entire caravan, disorganized, broken, and overthrown27, was disappearing beneath an avalanche28 of sand. The camels, flung pell-mell together, were uttering dull and pitiful groans29; cries and howls of despair were heard issuing from that dusty and stifling30 cloud, and, from time to time, a parti-colored garment cut the chaos31 of the scene with its vivid hues32, and the moaning and shrieking33 sounded over all, a terrible accompaniment to this spectacle of destruction.
Ere long the sand had accumulated in compact masses; and there, where so recently stretched a level plain as far as the eye could see, rose now a ridgy34 line of hillocks, still moving from beneath--the vast tomb of an entire caravan!
The doctor and Kennedy, pallid35 with emotion, sat transfixed by this fearful spectacle. They could no longer manage their balloon, which went whirling round and round in contending currents, and refused to obey the different dilations of the gas. Caught in these eddies36 of the atmosphere, it spun37 about with a rapidity that made their heads reel, while the car oscillated and swung to and fro violently at the same time. The instruments suspended under the awning38 clattered39 together as though they would be dashed to pieces; the pipes of the spiral bent40 to and fro, threatening to break at every instant; and the water-tanks jostled and jarred with tremendous din17. Although but two feet apart, our aeronauts could not hear each other speak, but with firmly-clinched hands they clung convulsively to the cordage, and endeavored to steady themselves against the fury of the tempest.
Kennedy, with his hair blown wildly about his face, looked on without speaking; but the doctor had regained41 all his daring in the midst of this deadly peril8, and not a sign of his emotion was betrayed in his countenance42, even when, after a last violent twirl, the Victoria stopped suddenly in the midst of a most unlooked-for calm; the north wind had abruptly43 got the upper hand, and now drove her back with equal rapidity over the route she had traversed in the morning.
"Whither are we going now?" cried Kennedy.
"Let us leave that to Providence, my dear Dick; I was wrong in doubting it. It knows better than we, and here we are, returning to places that we had expected never to see again!"
The surface of the country, which had looked so flat and level when they were coming, now seemed tossed and uneven44, like the ocean-billows after a storm; a long succession of hillocks, that had scarcely settled to their places yet, indented45 the desert; the wind blew furiously, and the balloon fairly flew through the atmosphere.
The direction taken by our aeronauts differed somewhat from that of the morning, and thus about nine o'clock, instead of finding themselves again near the borders of Lake Tchad, they saw the desert still stretching away before them.
Kennedy remarked the circumstance.
"It matters little," replied the doctor, "the important point is to return southward; we shall come across the towns of Bornou, Wouddie, or Kouka, and I should not hesitate to halt there."
"If you are satisfied, I am content," replied the Scot, "but Heaven grant that we may not be reduced to cross the desert, as those unfortunate Arabs had to do! What we saw was frightful46!"
"It often happens, Dick; these trips across the desert are far more perilous than those across the ocean. The desert has all the dangers of the sea, including the risk of being swallowed up, and added thereto are unendurable fatigues47 and privations."
"I think the wind shows some symptoms of moderating; the sand-dust is less dense; the undulations of the surface are diminishing, and the sky is growing clearer."
"So much the better! We must now reconnoitre attentively48 with our glasses, and take care not to omit a single point."
"I will look out for that, doctor, and not a tree shall be seen without my informing you of it."
And, suiting the action to the word, Kennedy took his station, spy-glass in hand, at the forward part of the car.
飓风——被迫启程——损失一只锚——忧心忡忡——下定决心——龙卷风——骆驼商队被沙漠吞没——逆风和顺风——回到南方——肯尼迪在哨位上
早晨3点钟时， 刮起了狂风。风一阵猛似一阵，“维多利亚号”已不可能安全地停在原地。芦苇来回剧烈地晃动，抽打着气球的气囊，好像威胁着要撕裂它似的。
“肯尼迪，不能不走了。”博士说，“这种情况下，我们无法再待在这儿。”
“但是，乔怎么办，弗格森？”
“我决不丢掉他！决不！就是飓风把我们往北吹100英里，我也要回来！但是，现在再等在这儿，我们也不安全。”
“我们把他抛下先走吗？”苏格兰人万分痛苦地喊道。
“你以为我的心情比你好受吗？”弗格森答道，“如果不是非起飞不可，我会这么做吗？”
“我听你的，咱们动身吧。”肯尼迪无可奈何地说。
但是，要飞起来也不那么容易了。锚深深钩在芦苇中，无论如何用力也拔不出来。而气球却被风刮得直往外挣，使得锚勾得更牢了。肯尼迪折腾来折腾去就是摘不下锚。从眼下的情形来看，取锚已变得十分危险，因为“维多利亚号”很可能会在肯尼迪爬进吊篮前就飞走。
博士不愿冒这个险，他把肯尼迪喊回吊篮里，然后，无可奈何地砍断了锚索。“维多利亚号”挣脱羁绊，一下子往空中腾起了300尺，随后径直向北飞去。
弗格森只好任凭这股风暴的摆布。他双手交叉抱着胳膊，开始苦苦地思索起来。沉闷了一会儿，他把身子转向默默无言的肯尼迪，说：
“也许我们太胆大妄为了。这样的旅行就不是人可以做的！”
说完，他十分痛苦地深深叹了口气。
“几乎就在几天前，我们还庆幸躲过了那么多的危险呢！”肯尼迪答道，“我们3个人当时还紧紧地握手祝贺！”
“可怜的乔！多么善良的一个人啊！又诚实，又坦率！尽管一时被财宝迷昏了眼，可是他毕竟主动牺牲了他的财富呀！唉！现在，他已离我们很远了！还有这风，速度那么快，不知会把我们吹到哪儿，想停也停不下来！”
“弗格森，你听着，假定他在沿湖的哪个部落里找到了避难的地方，他就不能像在我们以前来拜访过他们的那些旅行家一样幸运吗？就像丹纳姆、巴尔特，他们最后不是都回到了祖国吗？”
“唉！可怜的肯尼迪。乔连一句当地话也不会说呀！他孤单单一个人，又没有带点钱什么的。你说的那几位旅行家每到一个地方都给酋长送了大量的礼物，而且他们的探险都是事先做了充分准备的。他们的身边配有武器，每走一步又都有卫队护送。即使这样，他们也免不了在这恶劣地区吃苦受罪！你想想，可怜的乔还会怎么样？真叫人越想越可怕。我觉得，我还从来没有这么难受过呢！”
“弗格森，我们回去怎么样？”
“我们一定回去，肯尼迪！哪怕必须抛弃‘维多利亚号’，哪怕不得不步行重返乍得湖，或不得不和博尔努的苏丹打交道，我们也在所不惜！那些阿拉伯人对最初来此地的欧洲人大概不会有什么坏印象。”
“弗格森，我跟着你。”猎人语气有力地说，“你就瞧我的吧！我们宁愿一直找下去，不见到乔决不回去！他为我们献出了自己，我们也要为他牺牲性命！”
这个决心使俩位旅行家恢复了几分勇气。一致的看法使他们更加坚定。弗格森想方设法，竭尽全力，寻找能把他们带回乍得湖上空的反向气流。但是，一切尝试都失败了。在这片光秃秃的大地上，在这狂暴的飓风中，就连把气球降下去也成了空想。
“维多利亚号”就这样掠过提布人居住的地区，飞越苏丹边境上长满带刺灌木的荒原地带（巴拉德·埃尔·杰里德），进入由无数骆驼商队留下一条条连绵印迹的沙漠。最后一行植物很快溶入了南方的天际中，紧接着而来的是非洲这一带最重要的沙漠绿洲。枝繁叶茂的树木遮蔽着绿洲上的五十口水井。但是，风那么大，气球根本没法停下。之后，下面出现了一个阿拉伯人的宿营地。地上支着几顶条纹布的帐篷。一些骆驼伏在沙上伸着它们蝰蛇一样的头，给这块孤寂的沙漠增添了几分生气。然而，“维多利亚号”如同流星般在空中一闪而过，哪里还谈得上降落。弗格森已经无计可施，只好眼睁睁地看着气球疾飞。3个小时过去后，“维多利亚号”竟飞了整整60英里。
“我们要停停不了，要降降不下。地上没有树，连个土丘也没有。难道说，我们又要穿越撒哈拉大沙漠不成？看来，老天是铁了心和我们作对了！”
博士正在万分绝望地哀叹时，突然看到北面沙漠中尘沙飞扬，空中升起云雾般的沙尘。在两股对流气团的冲击下这柱沙尘急速旋转。一支骆驼商队恰巧这时走在那里，他们立即被裹入这股旋风里。顷刻间，好端端的队伍被吹得七零八落，人仰驼翻，完全隐没在了沙暴之中。乱成一片的骆驼发出暗哑、悲哀的呻吟。从这片令人透不过气的尘雾中不断传出人的凄惨叫声和动物的哀鸣声。混乱中，一件花花绿绿的衣服时隐时现，在昏黄的沙尘衬托下分外醒目。此时此刻，呼啸的风暴肆无忌惮地左右着这幅毁灭的场面……。不大一会儿，黄沙聚成密集的沙团，在原本几乎平展展的沙原上隆起了一个变幻不定的沙丘，形成一个埋葬着整支骆驼商队的大坟墓。
博士和肯尼迪眼睁睁地望着这可怕的一幕，脸色变得苍白。现在，他们的气球已无法控制。“维多利亚号”在对流气团中不停地打转，变换氢气的膨胀也不起任何作用了。卷在空气涡流中的气球急速地旋转着。吊篮在空中大幅度地荡来荡去。挂在帐篷里的仪器互相碰撞，几乎破碎。蛇形管弯曲得快要断裂。水箱滑来滑去轰隆作响。 两位旅行家虽然相距只2尺远，却无法听清对方的话。他们一只手死命抓住绳索，尽力抵抗飓风的肆虐。
肯尼迪头发散乱，两眼凝视着，一言不发。危险关头，博士恢复了他以往的英勇本色。他的脸上看不出来有丝毫急躁不安。甚至在气球突然停止打转，周围出乎意料地平静下来时，他也保持着高度镇定。北风占了优势，肯尼迪感觉到气球在顺着原路返回，而且飞行速度不比早上来时慢。
“我们这是去哪儿？”肯尼迪问。
“听天由命吧，亲爱的肯尼迪。我错怪了上帝，这太不该了。其实，什么合适什么不合适，他比我们更清楚，这不，我们又在返回我们不愿再看见的地方去。”
上午走过时还是平平展展没有变化的地面，现在已经被飓风折腾得犹如暴风过后的汹涌大海。 沙漠中隆起一个个几乎一动不动的小沙丘。 风依然猛烈地刮着，“维多利亚号”也仍在这片上空飞行，但是这一次，旅行家走的方向与早上路过时有些不同了。 9点钟左右，他们没有看见乍得湖岸，却发现眼前又是连绵不断的沙漠。
“这没什么大不了的，”博士说，“重要的是回到南岸。看到博尔努城，乌迪城或库卡城时，我会毫不犹豫地把气球停下来的。”
“既然你满意，我也没什么意见。”猎人答道，“只是，但愿老天爷千万别让我们落得和那些不幸的阿拉伯人一样穿越大沙漠！我们看见的那一幕实在太可怕了。”
“肯尼迪，这种事常常发生。与横渡大西洋比起来，过沙漠更危险。大海里可能发生的意外，沙漠里都有，包括被淹死。此外，沙漠中还有难以忍受的疲劳和饥渴。”
“我觉得好像风在渐渐小下去。”肯尼迪说，“沙尘不那么厚了，沙浪也小了，天边看上去发亮了。”
“那可太好啦！应该用望远镜仔细查看查看。别错过任何东西！”
“这事就交给我吧，弗格森。一看见树，我就告诉你。”
说完，肯尼迪手拿望远镜站到了吊篮的前端。
收听单词发音 |
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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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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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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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manoeuvre
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| n.策略，调动；v.用策略，调动 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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scud
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| n.疾行；v.疾行 | |
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tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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candid
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| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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calamities
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| n.灾祸，灾难( calamity的名词复数 )；不幸之事 | |
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prosecuting
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| 检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师 | |
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streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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caravans
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| （可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队） | |
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oasis
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| n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tornado
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| n.飓风，龙卷风 | |
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overthrown
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| adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词 | |
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avalanche
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| n.雪崩，大量涌来 | |
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groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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ridgy
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| adj.有脊的；有棱纹的；隆起的；有埂的 | |
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pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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eddies
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| （水、烟等的）漩涡，涡流( eddy的名词复数 ) | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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indented
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| adj.锯齿状的，高低不平的；缩进排版 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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fatigues
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| n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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