A Rapid Passage.--Prudent Resolves.--Caravans2 in Sight.--Incessant Rains.-- Goa.--The Niger.--Golberry, Geoffroy, and Gray.--Mungo Park.--Laing.-- Rene Caillie.--Clapperton.--John and Richard Lander.
The 17th of May passed tranquilly3, without any remarkable4 incident; the desert gained upon them once more; a moderate wind bore the Victoria toward the southwest, and she never swerved5 to the right or to the left, but her shadow traced a perfectly6 straight line on the sand.
Before starting, the doctor had prudently7 renewed his stock of water, having feared that he should not be able to touch ground in these regions, infested8 as they are by the Aouelim-Minian Touaregs. The plateau, at an elevation9 of eighteen hundred feet above the level of the sea, sloped down toward the south. Our travellers, having crossed the Aghades route at Murzouk--a route often pressed by the feet of camels--arrived that evening, in the sixteenth degree of north latitude10, and four degrees fifty-five minutes east longitude11, after having passed over one hundred and eighty miles of a long and monotonous12 day's journey.
During the day Joe dressed the last pieces of game, which had been only hastily prepared, and he served up for supper a mess of snipe, that were greatly relished13. The wind continuing good, the doctor resolved to keep on during the night, the moon, still nearly at the full, illumining it with her radiance. The Victoria ascended14 to a height of five hundred feet, and, during her nocturnal trip of about sixty miles, the gentle slumbers15 of an infant would not have been disturbed by her motion.
On Sunday morning, the direction of the wind again changed, and it bore to the northwestward. A few crows were seen sweeping17 through the air, and, off on the horizon, a flock of vultures which, fortunately, however, kept at a distance.
The sight of these birds led Joe to compliment his master on the idea of having two balloons.
"Where would we be," said he, "with only one balloon? The second balloon is like the life-boat to a ship; in case of wreck18 we could always take to it and escape."
"You are right, friend Joe," said the doctor, "only that my life-boat gives me some uneasiness. It is not so good as the main craft."
"What do you mean by that, doctor?" asked Kennedy.
"I mean to say that the new Victoria is not so good as the old one. Whether it be that the stuff it is made of is too much worn, or that the heat of the spiral has melted the gutta-percha, I can observe a certain loss of gas. It don't amount to much thus far, but still it is noticeable. We have a tendency to sink, and, in order to keep our elevation, I am compelled to give greater dilation19 to the hydrogen."
"The deuce!" exclaimed Kennedy with concern; "I see no remedy for that."
"There is none, Dick, and that is why we must hasten our progress, and even avoid night halts."
"Are we still far from the coast?" asked Joe.
"Which coast, my boy? How are we to know whither chance will carry us? All that I can say is, that Timbuctoo is still about four hundred miles to the westward16.
"And how long will it take us to get there?"
"Should the wind not carry us too far out of the way, I hope to reach that city by Tuesday evening."
"Then," remarked Joe, pointing to a long file of animals and men winding20 across the open desert, "we shall arrive there sooner than that caravan1."
Ferguson and Kennedy leaned over and saw an immense cavalcade21. There were at least one hundred and fifty camels of the kind that, for twelve mutkals of gold, or about twenty-five dollars, go from Timbuctoo to Tafilet with a load of five hundred pounds upon their backs. Each animal had dangling22 to its tail a bag to receive its excrement23, the only fuel on which the caravans can depend when crossing the desert.
These Touareg camels are of the very best race. They can go from three to seven days without drinking, and for two without eating. Their speed surpasses that of the horse, and they obey with intelligence the voice of the khabir, or guide of the caravan. They are known in the country under the name of mehari.
Such were the details given by the doctor while his companions continued to gaze upon that multitude of men, women, and children, advancing on foot and with difficulty over a waste of sand half in motion, and scarcely kept in its place by scanty24 nettles25, withered26 grass, and stunted27 bushes that grew upon it. The wind obliterated28 the marks of their feet almost instantly.
Joe inquired how the Arabs managed to guide themselves across the desert, and come to the few wells scattered29 far between throughout this vast solitude30.
"The Arabs," replied Dr. Ferguson, "are endowed by nature with a wonderful instinct in finding their way. Where a European would be at a loss, they never hesitate for a moment. An insignificant31 fragment of rock, a pebble32, a tuft of grass, a different shade of color in the sand, suffice to guide them with accuracy. During the night they go by the polar star. They never travel more than two miles per hour, and always rest during the noonday heat. You may judge from that how long it takes them to cross Sahara, a desert more than nine hundred miles in breadth."
But the Victoria had already disappeared from the astonished gaze of the Arabs, who must have envied her rapidity. That evening she passed two degrees twenty minutes east longitude, and during the night left another degree behind her.
On Monday the weather changed completely. Rain began to fall with extreme violence, and not only had the balloon to resist the power of this deluge33, but also the increase of weight which it caused by wetting the whole machine, car and all. This continuous shower accounted for the swamps and marshes34 that formed the sole surface of the country. Vegetation reappeared, however, along with the mimosas, the baobabs, and the tamarind-trees.
Such was the Sonray country, with its villages topped with roofs turned over like Armenian caps. There were few mountains, and only such hills as were enough to form the ravines and pools where the pintadoes and snipes went sailing and diving through. Here and there, an impetuous torrent35 cut the roads, and had to be crossed by the natives on long vines stretched from tree to tree. The forests gave place to jungles, which alligators36, hippopotami, and the rhinoceros37, made their haunts.
"It will not be long before we see the Niger," said the doctor. "The face of the country always changes in the vicinity of large rivers. These moving highways, as they are sometimes correctly called, have first brought vegetation with them, as they will at last bring civilization. Thus, in its course of twenty-five hundred miles, the Niger has scattered along its banks the most important cities of Africa."
"By-the-way," put in Joe, "that reminds me of what was said by an admirer of the goodness of Providence38, who praised the foresight39 with which it had generally caused rivers to flow close to large cities!"
At noon the Victoria was passing over a petty town, a mere40 assemblage of miserable41 huts, which once was Goa, a great capital.
"It was there," said the doctor, "that Barth crossed the Niger, on his return from Timbuctoo. This is the river so famous in antiquity42, the rival of the Nile, to which pagan superstition43 ascribed a celestial44 origin. Like the Nile, it has engaged the attention of geographers45 in all ages; and like it, also, its exploration has cost the lives of many victims; yes, even more of them than perished on account of the other."
The Niger flowed broadly between its banks, and its waters rolled southward with some violence of current; but our travellers, borne swiftly by as they were, could scarcely catch a glimpse of its curious outline.
"I wanted to talk to you about this river," said Dr. Ferguson, "and it is already far from us. Under the names of Dhiouleba, Mayo, Egghirreou, Quorra, and other titles besides, it traverses an immense extent of country, and almost competes in length with the Nile. These appellations46 signify simply 'the River,' according to the dialects of the countries through which it passes."
"Did Dr. Barth follow this route?" asked Kennedy.
"No, Dick: in quitting Lake Tchad, he passed through the different towns of Bornou, and intersected the Niger at Say, four degrees below Goa; then he penetrated47 to the bosom49 of those unexplored countries which the Niger embraces in its elbow; and, after eight months of fresh fatigues50, he arrived at Timbuctoo; all of which we may do in about three days with as swift a wind as this."
"Have the sources of the Niger been discovered?" asked Joe.
"Long since," replied the doctor. "The exploration of the Niger and its tributaries52 was the object of several expeditions, the principal of which I shall mention: Between 1749 and 1758, Adamson made a reconnoissance of the river, and visited Gorea; from 1785 to 1788, Golberry and Geoffroy travelled across the deserts of Senegambia, and ascended as far as the country of the Moors53, who assassinated54 Saugnier, Brisson, Adam, Riley, Cochelet, and so many other unfortunate men. Then came the illustrious Mungo Park, the friend of Sir Walter Scott, and, like him, a Scotchman by birth. Sent out in 1795 by the African Society of London, he got as far as Bambarra, saw the Niger, travelled five hundred miles with a slave-merchant, reconnoitred the Gambia River, and returned to England in 1797. He again set out, on the 30th of January, 1805, with his brother-in-law Anderson, Scott, the designer, and a gang of workmen; he reached Gorea, there added a detachment of thirty-five soldiers to his party, and saw the Niger again on the 19th of August. But, by that time, in consequence of fatigue51, privations, ill-usage, the inclemencies of the weather, and the unhealthiness of the country, only eleven persons remained alive of the forty Europeans in the party. On the 16th of November, the last letters from Mungo Park reached his wife; and, a year later a trader from that country gave information that, having got as far as Boussa, on the Niger, on the 23d of December, the unfortunate traveller's boat was upset by the cataracts55 in that part of the river, and he was murdered by the natives."
"And his dreadful fate did not check the efforts of others to explore that river?"
"On the contrary, Dick. Since then, there were two objects in view: namely, to recover the lost man's papers, as well as to pursue the exploration. In 1816, an expedition was organized, in which Major Grey took part. It arrived in Senegal, penetrated to the Fonta-Jallon, visited the Foullah and Mandingo populations, and returned to England without further results. In 1822, Major Laing explored all the western part of Africa near to the British possessions; and he it was who got so far as the sources of the Niger; and, according to his documents, the spring in which that immense river takes its rise is not two feet broad.
"Easy to jump over," said Joe.
"How's that? Easy you think, eh?" retorted the doctor. "If we are to believe tradition, whoever attempts to pass that spring, by leaping over it, is immediately swallowed up; and whoever tries to draw water from it, feels himself repulsed56 by an invisible hand."
"I suppose a man has a right not to believe a word of that!" persisted Joe.
"Oh, by all means!--Five years later, it was Major Laing's destiny to force his way across the desert of Sahara, penetrate48 to Timbuctoo, and perish a few miles above it, by strangling, at the hands of the Ouelad-shiman, who wanted to compel him to turn Mussulman."
"Still another victim!" said the sportsman.
"It was then that a brave young man, with his own feeble resources, undertook and accomplished57 the most astonishing of modern journeys--I mean the Frenchman Rene Caillie, who, after sundry58 attempts in 1819 and 1824, set out again on the 19th of April, 1827, from Rio Nunez. On the 3d of August he arrived at Time, so thoroughly59 exhausted60 and ill that he could not resume his journey until six months later, in January, 1828. He then joined a caravan, and, protected by his Oriental dress, reached the Niger on the 10th of March, penetrated to the city of Jenne, embarked61 on the river, and descended62 it, as far as Timbuctoo, where he arrived on the 30th of April. In 1760, another Frenchman, Imbert by name, and, in 1810, an Englishman, Robert Adams, had seen this curious place; but Rene Caillie was to be the first European who could bring back any authentic63 data concerning it. On the 4th of May he quitted this 'Queen of the desert;' on the 9th, he surveyed the very spot where Major Laing had been murdered; on the 19th, he arrived at El-Arouan, and left that commercial town to brave a thousand dangers in crossing the vast solitudes64 comprised between the Soudan and the northern regions of Africa. At length he entered Tangiers, and on the 28th of September sailed for Toulon. In nineteen months, notwithstanding one hundred and eighty days' sickness, he had traversed Africa from west to north. Ah! had Callie been born in England, he would have been honored as the most intrepid65 traveller of modern times, as was the case with Mungo Park. But in France he was not appreciated according to his worth."
"He was a sturdy fellow!" said Kennedy, "but what became of him?"
"He died at the age of thirty-nine, from the consequences of his long fatigues. They thought they had done enough in decreeing him the prize of the Geographical66 Society in 1828; the highest honors would have been paid to him in England.
"While he was accomplishing this remarkable journey, an Englishman had conceived a similar enterprise and was trying to push it through with equal courage, if not with equal good fortune. This was Captain Clapperton, the companion of Denham. In 1829 he reentered Africa by the western coast of the Gulf67 of Benin; he then followed in the track of Mungo Park and of Laing, recovered at Boussa the documents relative to the death of the former, and arrived on the 20th of August at Sackatoo, where he was seized and held as a prisoner, until he expired in the arms of his faithful attendant Richard Lander."
"And what became of this Lander?" asked Joe, deeply interested.
"He succeeded in regaining68 the coast and returned to London, bringing with him the captain's papers, and an exact narrative69 of his own journey. He then offered his services to the government to complete the reconnoissance of the Niger. He took with him his brother John, the second child of a poor couple in Cornwall, and, together, these men, between 1829 and 1831, redescended the river from Boussa to its mouth, describing it village by village, mile by mile."
"So both the brothers escaped the common fate?" queried70 Kennedy.
"Yes, on this expedition, at least; but in 1833 Richard undertook a third trip to the Niger, and perished by a bullet, near the mouth of the river. You see, then, my friends, that the country over which we are now passing has witnessed some noble instances of self-sacrifice which, unfortunately, have only too often had death for their reward."
迅速飞行——审慎的解决办法——骆驼商队——连绵大雨——加奥①——尼日尔河——戈尔贝利、杰弗罗伊、格雷——蒙戈—帕克——莱恩②——勒内—卡耶——克拉珀顿——约翰—兰德和理查德—兰德
①位于现在的马里境内。
②1793—1826，英国探险家，着有《西非蒂马尼，库兰科和苏利马地区旅行记》。
5月17日的白天过得很平静， 没有任何意外发生。沙漠又开始出现了。一股不大不小的风把“维多利亚号”往西南方送去。它不偏不倚地一直往前飞着，影子在沙地上划出一条笔直的线条。
出发前，博士出于慎重补充了储备水。他害怕在图瓦雷格人经常骚扰的这个地区，气球不能着陆。海拔1800尺的高原向南逐渐倾斜，地势越来越低。由阿加德兹到穆尔祖克有一条骆驼长年踏出来的道路。旅行家们横穿过这条道路，晚上到了北纬16度，东经4度55分的位置。漫长单调的一天里，他们飞了180英里。
白天里，乔精心烧烤了最后几块野味。当初肯尼迪打来猎后，只是把这些肉简单地作了一下粗加工。乔把一串烤得香喷喷的沙锥鸟当作晚餐。风很合适，博士决定在明月迷人的夜间继续赶路。 “维多利亚号”升到了500尺的高度。月光下气球稳稳当当地飞行了约60英里路。整个过程中，吊篮没有丝毫摆动，甚至连像儿童那样的浅睡也不会被打扰。
星期天早晨，风向发生了变化。气球转而向西北方向飞去。几只乌鸦在空中翱翔，甚至在地平线方向有一群秃鹫。幸好它们离得很远。
看到那群鸟，乔不由得连声夸赞主人，把“维多利亚号”设计成两个气球的主意太妙了。
“要是只有一个气囊，谁知道我们这会儿在什么地方？”他说，“这第二个气球，就和船上的救生艇没什么两样。万一遇难，随时可以乘上它逃生。”
“朋友，你说得有道理。只是我们的救生艇让我有点担心。它比不上一艘船。”
“你这话是什么意思？”肯尼迪问。
“我是说，新‘维多利亚号’没有原来的好。不知是因为日晒雨淋塔夫绸布料太陈旧了，还是上面涂的马来树胶被蛇形管的热气烤得太久有点老化，我发现气球有些漏气。当然，到目前为止，这还不算多么严重，但是毕竟要引起我们的警惕。气球上升的高度有越来越低的趋势，因此，为了把气球维持在一定的高度上，我不得不使氢气尽可能地膨胀。”
“见鬼！”肯尼迪叫道，“我看，想补救也没有办法了。”
“是的，亲爱的肯尼迪，没有办法，所以，我们最好抓紧赶路，甚至夜间也尽量避免停下来。”
“我们离海岸还很远吗？”乔问。
“离哪个海岸，小伙子？我们怎么知道命运将把我们带往何处？我现在所能告诉你的，就是还要往西400英里才是廷巴克图。”
“我们要花多少时间才能到那儿？”
“如果一直顺风的话，我估计星期二傍晚可以到。”
“这么说，我们比那支骆驼商队到的早。”乔指指下面拉成长队在沙漠里蜿蜒前行的人和牲畜，说。
弗格森和肯尼迪在吊篮边俯身观看。只见下面走着一支人畜庞杂的大队伍，其中光骆驼就有150多头。 这支队伍是从廷巴克图到塔菲莱去的。这一趟靠每头骆驼背上的500斤货物， 队伍中每个人可赚12个金穆特卡尔（相当于12 5法郎）。所有的骆驼，尾巴下面都挂着一个小袋子。那是用来收集骆驼粪的，因为在沙漠中，骆驼粪是唯一靠得住的燃料。
图瓦雷格人的骆驼是最优良的品种。 它们可以3天甚至7天一口水不喝，或者2天不吃一点东西。它们跑起来比马还要快，而且聪明、听话，服从向导“克阿比”的指挥。在当地提起“梅阿利①”没有不知道的。
①即“单峰驼”。
在博士介绍这些杂闻趣事时，猎人和乔注视着那群男女老幼在似动非动的流沙中艰难地跋涉。地面上凋谢的枯草和潺弱的灌木丛疏疏落落，难以遏制住沙子的流动。队伍刚一走过，留下的足迹几乎立即就被风沙掩平了。
乔不明白阿拉伯人在茫茫沙漠中怎么能知道往哪儿走，如何找得到散落在无垠荒僻处的水井。
“大自然赋予了阿拉伯人一种无与伦比的辨路本能。”博士答道，“欧洲人弄不清方向的地方，他们毫不犹豫地就能辨清东西南北。一块毫无意义的石头、一粒石子、一丛小草、沙子颜色的细微差异，这些都足以使他们清楚自己该往哪儿走。夜里， 他们就根据北极星来认路。他们每小时前进不超过2英里，而且中午最热的时候，还要停下来休息。这样，你们可以估计出，穿越900多英里的撒哈拉大沙漠，他们需要花多少时间了。”
此时，“维多利亚号”已经从阿拉伯人惊讶的目光中消失了。看到气球飞得那么快， 这些阿拉伯人不知道有多羡慕呢。天黑时，“维多利亚号”飞过了东经2度20分地区。一个晚上，他们又走了1度多的路。
星期一，天气完全变了，大雨哗哗地下了起来。气球和吊篮淋湿后重了不少，因此，既要顶得住滂沱大雨的袭击，又要对付气球额外增加的重量。正是这无休止的大雨才使这一地区形成了许多独一无二的沼泽地和泥塘。地面上又见到了金合欢树、猴面包树、罗望子树和其他植物。
桑海国到了。这个地区的房顶都是向后倾斜的，如同亚美尼亚人的无边软帽。大山很少，但有一些仅仅算得上丘岭的小山。山丘间有许多细谷和天然水库。珠鸡鸟和沙锥鸟在那里来回飞翔。一股股汹涌的激流把路截得支离破碎。当地人只好攀紧藤蔓，从一棵树荡到另一棵树越过水面。再往前，小树林被莽莽丛林所代替。林中生活着钝吻鳄、河马和犀牛。
“我们路上没有耽搁，很快就要看到尼日尔河了。”博士说，“越靠近大河，地面的外貌变化越大。恰当地说来，这些奔腾不息的大河就是一条条推动社会发展的‘前进大道’。它们每到一地，首先带去植物，然后送去文明。可以说，尼日尔河在它2500英里长的行程中，沿途孕育了非洲最大的城市。”
“主人，您这么说，倒使我想起了那位对上帝大唱颂歌的大人物的故事。他赞美说，上帝注意到了使大河从大城市流过！”乔插话道。
中午时分，“维多利亚号”从一个小镇上空飞过。小镇名叫加奥，过去曾是一个重要的首府。现在，镇上只有几座破旧的茅屋。
“巴尔特博士回延巴克图时，就是从这儿横渡尼日尔河的。”博士指出，“这就是那条古代文化中很有名的大河。它可以与尼罗河相媲美，被异教徒说成是从天上流下来的。同尼罗河一样，尼日尔河招致了历代地理学家的注意。许多人为考察尼日尔河献身。人数可能比为考察尼罗河而牺牲的还要多。”
尼日尔河在两块辽阔的河岸中流淌。奔腾不息的滔滔河水向南方流去。但是，3位旅行家几乎还没完全看清河的轮廓，就被风吹走了。
“我来给你们谈谈这条河吧。”弗格森说，“可惜它已经离我们很远了！这条河的长度几乎和尼罗河一样，它流经很大一片地区。这条河，有的地方叫它‘迪乌勒巴’，有的地方叫它‘玛约’，也有的地方叫它‘考拉’，当然还有其他一些叫法。这些名字的意思就是‘大河’，只是流经的地区不同，叫法不同罢了。”
“巴尔特博士走过这条路线吗？”肯尼迪问。
“没走过。他离开乍得湖时，经过的是博尔努的一些重要城市。他在加奥城往南4度一个名叫‘塞’ 的地方过的尼日尔河。随后，他深入到了尼日尔河河弯里那片从未被考察过的地区。 又受了8个月的累后，巴尔特才抵达延巴克图。如果风大些的话，他走的这些路，我们用不了三天就能飞完了。”
“尼日尔河源头被人发现过了吗？”乔问。
“很早以前就被发现了。”博士回答说，“勘探尼日尔河与它的支流吸引了许多探险队。我可以把一些主要的探险队说给你听听：1749年到1753年，亚当森①查看了这条河，并游览了戈雷岛；1785年到1788年，戈尔贝利和杰弗罗伊穿过了塞内冈比亚②的沙漠，并一直走到了摩尔人③的国家。那些摩尔人杀害了索涅、布里森、亚当、赖利、科什莱和其他许多不幸的人；此后，来了大名鼎鼎的蒙戈—帕克。他是沃尔特（斯各特的朋友，也是位苏格兰人。）1795年，受伦敦非洲学会的派遣，蒙戈—帕克来非洲考察。他抵达班巴拉，见到了尼日尔河。后来他和一个奴隶贩子作伴同行了500英里，查看了冈比亚河。1797年蒙戈—帕克回到伦敦。1805年1月30日，他与一位姻亲安德森、画家斯科特和一队工人又动身来非洲。他到了戈雷岛，与一支35名士兵的小分队会合后继续出发。 8月19日，他又一次来到尼日尔河。但是这一回，由于过度疲劳，物质匮乏，当地人的虐待，天气的酷热和对健康有害的自然条件，最后，40名欧洲人只活下来了11人。11月16日，蒙戈—帕克夫人收到了她丈夫的最后几封来信。一年后，人们从一位当地商人的口中得知，这位不幸的旅行家12月23日乘船顺尼日尔河而下到达布萨时，瀑布掀翻了他坐的小船，他本人也被土人杀害了。”
①1727—1806，法国植物学家。
②塞内加尔河与冈比亚河之间的地区的旧称。
③毛里塔尼亚人。
“这个可怕的结局没使其他的探险家们退而却步了吗？”
“肯尼迪，正相反，因为，当时人们不仅要了解这条河，还要找到这位旅行家留下的资料，所以，从1816年起，伦敦又组织了一支探险队。格雷少校参加了进来。这支探险队抵达塞内加尔后，深入到了富塔贾隆高原①。他们走访了富拉人②和曼丁哥人，然后返回英国。他们在其他方面收获不大。1822年，莱恩少校考察了毗邻英属领地的整个西非部分，正是他第一个到达了尼日尔河发源地。根据他的资料来看，这条河的源头部分好像不到2尺宽。”
①位于几内亚中南部边境。
②非洲西部黑人和含米特人混血种，大多游牧为生，信奉伊斯兰教。
“跳过去很容易嘛。”乔不屑一顾地说。
“什么呀！哪有那么容易！”博士反驳道，“如果听信传说，谁跳源头，谁就会立即掉进水里淹死。凡是想从源头里汲水的人都感到有只无形的手在背后推他。”
“可以不相信这些说法吗？”乔问。
“可以。 5年后，莱恩少校打算穿越撒哈拉大沙漠，一直挺进到廷巴克图去。但是，在延巴克图以北几英里的地方，他被乌拉德—西曼人勒死了，因为那些人想逼他改信伊斯兰教，他坚决不从。”
“又一位受害者！”猎人叹息道。
“之后，一位有勇气的年青人靠他少的可怜的一点钱财，开始从事而且最后完成了现代探险中最惊人的一趟旅行。我想说的是法国人勒内—卡耶。1819年和1824年， 他曾做过多次尝试。1827年4月19日，他又一次从里奥—努内出发。8月3日，他到达蒂梅城时已精疲力竭， 身患疾病。直到半年后，即1828年1月他才又能继续旅行。 凭借身上穿着的东方人服装的掩护，他加入了一支骆驼商队。3月10日，他到达尼日尔河， 进了热内城。他从那儿乘船顺流而下，终于在4月30日抵达廷巴克图。此前，另一位法国人安伯尔，英国人罗伯特—亚当斯分别于1670年和1810年可能也到过这座奇异的城。但是应该说，勒内—卡耶是第一位把该城准确资料带回来的欧洲人。5月4日，他离开这个‘沙漠明珠’。9日，找到了莱恩少校被杀的地方。19日，他到了埃尔—阿拉旺。随后，他离开这座商业城市，经历无数艰险横穿苏丹与非洲北部地区之间的茫茫荒漠，最后进入丹吉尔①城。12月28日，他登上了去土伦②的船。 19个月中，尽管生病就占了180天，他还是由东到西横穿了整个非洲。唉！如果卡耶出生在英国，他肯定会获得现代最勇敢旅行家的美誉！与蒙戈—帕克齐名！但是在法国，他却没得到应有的重视③！”
①摩洛哥北部港口城市。
②法国南部港口城市。
③弗格森是英国人，所以也许他有些夸张。不过应该承认，勒内—卡耶在法国，在旅行家中间没有享受到与他的献身精神和英勇相称的荣誉。—原注
“真是条英雄好汉！”猎人夸道，“他后来怎么样了？”
“由于积劳成疾，他39岁就去世了。那些人认为给他颁发了1828年地理学会奖就够了。倒是在英国，他获得了当时最高的荣誉！再说，就在他做这趟无与伦比的旅行时，一位英国人也想出了这么一个计划，并进行了尝试。他的勇气丝毫不逊于卡耶， 但是却没卡耶那么幸运。 这位英国人就是克拉珀顿上尉，丹纳姆的同伴。1829年，他在西海岸的贝宁湾登陆重返非洲。他沿着蒙戈—帕克和莱恩的足迹前进，在布萨发现了与蒙戈—帕克之死有关的资料。 8月20日，他抵达萨卡图。在那儿，他成了当地人的俘虏，在他忠实的仆人理查德—兰德的怀抱里咽了最后一口气。”
“这位兰德的命运如何呢？”乔饶有兴趣地问。
“他最终抵达海岸，回到了伦敦，并带回了上尉遗留下的文件和他自己旅行的精确笔述。他向政府提出愿为国家效劳，完成对尼日尔河的考察工作。他与他的兄弟约翰结成同伴。他们俩是出身贫寒的科努尔人。1829到1831年，两人从布萨沿河而下，一直到了尼日尔河的河口，详详细细记下了这段河流的全部情况。”
“如此说来，这两兄弟逃脱了其他人的那种不幸命运了？”肯尼迪问。
“是的。 至少这一次探险平安返回了。但是，1833年理查德第3次去尼日尔河旅行时，在河口附近被莫名其妙飞来的一颗子弹击中身亡。朋友们，你们看，我们飞越的这块土地是许多旅行家作出崇高奉献的地方，而他们得到的回报，更多的却是死亡！”
收听单词发音 |
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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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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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tranquilly
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| adv. 宁静地 | |
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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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swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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prudently
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| adv. 谨慎地，慎重地 | |
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infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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relished
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| v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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dilation
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| n.膨胀，扩张，扩大 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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excrement
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| n.排泄物，粪便 | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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nettles
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| n.荨麻( nettle的名词复数 ) | |
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withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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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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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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pebble
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| n.卵石，小圆石 | |
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deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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alligators
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| n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 ) | |
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rhinoceros
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| n.犀牛 | |
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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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foresight
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| n.先见之明，深谋远虑 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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geographers
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| 地理学家( geographer的名词复数 ) | |
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appellations
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| n.名称，称号( appellation的名词复数 ) | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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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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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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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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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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tributaries
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| n. 支流 | |
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moors
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| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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assassinated
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| v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏 | |
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cataracts
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| n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障 | |
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repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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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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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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intrepid
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| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
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geographical
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| adj.地理的；地区(性)的 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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regaining
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| 复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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