"It's the gathering6 storm," he explained. "These creatures are peculiarly susceptible7 to atmospheric8 disturbances9."
Now the door was thrown open, and, standing10 in the lighted hall, a picture fair to look upon in her dainty kimono and little red, high-heeled slippers11, stood Kâramaneh!
I was beside her in a moment; for the lovely face was pale and there was a wildness in her eyes which alarmed me.
"He is somewhere near!" she whispered, clinging to me. "Some great danger threatens. Where have you been?—what has happened?"
"Smith was attacked on his way back from London," I replied. "But, as you see, he is quite recovered. We are in no danger; and I insist that you go back to bed. We shall tell you all about it in the morning."
Rebellion blazed up in her wonderful eyes instantly—and as quickly was gone, leaving them exquisitely12 bright. Two tears, like twin pearls, hung upon the curved black lashes13. It made my blood course faster to watch this lovely Eastern girl conquering the barbaric impulses that sometimes flamed up within, her, because I willed it; indeed this was a miracle that I never tired of witnessing.
Mrs. Oram, the white-haired housekeeper14, placed her arm in motherly fashion about the girl's slim waist.
"She wants to stay in my room until the trouble is all over," she said in her refined, sweet voice.
"You are very good, Mrs. Oram," I replied. "Take care of her."
One long, reassuring15 glance I gave Kâramaneh, then turned and followed Smith and Sir Lionel up the winding16 oak stair. Kennedy came close behind me, carrying one of the acetylene head-lamps of the car. And—
"Just listen to the lioness, sir!" he whispered. "It's not the gathering storm that's making her so restless. Jungle beasts grow quiet, as a rule, when there's thunder about."
"Through your room, Barton!" snapped Nayland Smith, when we gained the top corridor.
He was his old, masterful self once more, and his voice was vibrant18 with that suppressed excitement which I knew well. Into the disorderly sleeping apartment of the baronet we hurried, and Smith made for the recess19 near the bed which concealed20 a door in the paneling.
"Cautiously here!" cried Smith. "Follow immediately behind me, Kennedy, and throw the beam ahead. Hold the lamp well to the left."
In we filed, into that ancient passage which had figured in many a black deed but had never served the ends of a more evil plotter than the awful Chinaman who so recently had rediscovered it.
Down we marched, and down, but not to the base of the tower, as I had anticipated. At a point which I judged to be about level with the first floor of the house, Smith—who had been audibly counting the steps—paused, and began to examine the seemingly unbroken masonry21 of the wall.
"We have to remember," he muttered, "that this passage may be blocked up or otherwise impassable, and that Fu-Manchu may know of another entrance. Furthermore, since the plan is lost, I have to rely upon my memory for the exact position of the door."
"Twenty-one steps," he muttered; "I feel certain."
Suddenly it seemed that his quest had proved successful.
"Ah!" he cried—"the ring!"
"Stand back, Kennedy!" he warned.
Kennedy moved on to a lower step—as Smith, bringing all his weight to bear upon the ring, turned the huge stone slab25 upon its hidden pivot26, so that it fell back upon the stair with a reverberating27 boom.
We all pressed forward to peer into the black cavity. Kennedy moving the light, a square well was revealed, not more than three feet across. Foot-holes were cut at intervals28 down the further side.
"H'm!" said Smith—"I was hardly prepared for this. The method of descent that occurs to me is to lean back against one side and trust one's weight entirely29 to the foot-holes on the other. A shaft30 appeared in the plan, I remember, but I had formed no theory respecting the means provided for descending32 it. Tilt33 the lamp forward, Kennedy. Good! I can see the floor of the passage below; only about fifteen feet or so down."
"Kennedy next!" came his muffled35 voice, "with the lamp. Its light will enable you others to see the way."
Down went Kennedy without hesitation36, the lamp swung from his right arm.
"I will bring up the rear," said Sir Lionel Barton.
Whereupon I descended37. I had climbed down about half-way when, from below, came a loud cry, a sound of scuffling, and a savage38 exclamation39 from Smith. Then——
"We're right, Petrie! This passage was recently used by Fu-Manchu!"
I gained the bottom of the well, and found myself standing in the entrance to an arched passage. Kennedy was directing the light of the lamp down upon the floor.
"You see, the door was guarded" said Nayland Smith.
"What!"
Sir Lionel now joined us; and, a silent quartette, we stood staring from the dead reptile42 into the damp and evil-smelling tunnel. A distant muttering and rumbling43 rolled, echoing awesomely44 along it.
"For Heaven's sake what was that, sir?" whispered Kennedy.
"It was the thunder," answered Nayland Smith. "The storm is breaking over the hills. Steady with the lamp, my man."
We had proceeded for some three hundred yards, and, according to my calculation, were clear of the orchard45 of Graywater Park and close to the fringe of trees beyond; I was taking note of the curious old brickwork of the passage, when—
"Look out, sir!" cried Kennedy—and the light began dancing madly.
"Just under your feet! Now it's up the wall!—mind your hand, Dr.
Petrie!"
"On the roof over your head, Barton!"—this from Nayland Smith. "What can we kill it with?"
Now my sight was restored to me, and looking back along the passage, I saw, clinging to an irregularity in the moldy47 wall, the most gigantic scorpion48 I had ever set eyes upon! It was fully as large as my open hand.
Kennedy and Nayland Smith were stealthily retracing49 their steps, the former keeping the light directed upon the hideous50 insect, which now began running about with that horrible, febrile activity characteristic of the species. Suddenly came a sharp, staccato report…. Sir Lionel had scored a hit with his Browning pistol.
In waves of sound, the report went booming along the passage. The lamp, as I have said, was turned in order to shine back upon us, rendering51 the tunnel ahead a mere52 black mouth—a veritable inferno53, held by inhuman54 guards. Into that black cavern55 I stared, gloomily fascinated by the onward56 rolling sound storm; into that blackness I looked … to feel my scalp tingle57 horrifically, to know the crowning horror of the horrible journey.
The blackness was spangled with watching, diamond eyes!—with tiny insect eyes that moved; upon the floor, upon the walls, upon the ceiling! A choking cry rose to my lips.
Around we all came, panic plucking at our hearts, around swept the beam of the big lamp; and there, retreating before the light, went a veritable army of venomous creatures! I counted no fewer than three of the giant red centipedes whose poisonous touch, called "the zayat kiss," is certain death; several species of scorpion were represented; and some kind of bloated, unwieldy spider, so gross of body that its short, hairy legs could scarce support it, crawled, hideous, almost at my feet.
What other monstrosities of the insect kingdom were included in that obscene host I know not; my skin tingled59 from head to feet; I experienced a sensation as if a million venomous things already clung to me—unclean things bred in the malarial60 jungles of Burma, in the corpse-tainted mud of China's rivers, in the fever spots of that darkest East from which Fu-Manchu recruited his shadow army.
I was perilously61 near to losing my nerve when the crisp, incisive62 tones of Nayland Smith's voice came to stimulate63 me like a cold douche.
"This wanton sacrifice of horrors speaks eloquently64 of a forlorn hope! Sweep the walls with light, Kennedy; all those filthy65 things are nocturnal and they will retreat before us as we advance."
His words proved true. Occasioning a sort of rustling66 sound—a faint sibilance indescribably loathsome—the creatures gray and black and red darted67 off along the passage. One by one, as we proceeded, they crept into holes and crevices of the ancient walls, sometimes singly, sometimes in pairs—the pairs locked together in deadly embrace.
"They cannot live long in this cold atmosphere," cried Smith. "Many of them will kill one another—and we can safely leave the rest to the British climate. But see that none of them drops upon you in passing."
Thus we pursued our nightmare march, on through that valley of horror. Colder grew the atmosphere and colder. Again the thunder boomed out above us, seeming to shake the roof of the tunnel fiercely, as with Titan hands. A sound of falling water, audible for some time, now grew so loud that conversation became difficult. All the insects had disappeared.
"We are approaching the River Starn!" roared Sir Lionel. "Note the dip of the passage and the wet walls!"
"Note the type of brickwork!" shouted Smith.
Largely as a sedative68 to the feverish69 excitement which consumed me, I forced myself to study the construction of the tunnel; and I became aware of an astonishing circumstance. Partly the walls were natural, a narrow cavern traversing the bed of rock which upcropped on this portion of the estate, but partly, if my scanty70 knowledge of archaeology71 did not betray me, they were Phoenician!
"This stretch of passage," came another roar from Sir Lionel, "dates back to Roman days or even earlier! By God! It's almost incredible!"
And now Smith and Kennedy, who lid, were up to their knees in a running tide. An icy shower-bath drenched72 us from above; ahead was a solid wall of falling water. Again, and louder, nearer, boomed and rattled73 the thunder; its mighty74 voice was almost lost in the roar of that subterranean75 cataract76. Nayland Smith, using his hands as a megaphone, cried;—
"Failing the evidence that others have passed this way, I should not dare to risk it! But the river is less than forty feet wide at the point below Monkswell; a dozen paces should see us through the worst!"
I attempted no reply. I will frankly77 admit that the prospect78 appalled79 me. But, bracing80 himself up as one does preparatory to a high dive, Smith, nodding to Kennedy to proceed, plunged81 into the cataract ahead….
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1
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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prelude
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| n.序言，前兆，序曲 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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leopards
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| n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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8
atmospheric
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| adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的 | |
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disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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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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slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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13
lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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14
housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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15
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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17
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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18
vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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24
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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26
pivot
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| v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的 | |
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27
reverberating
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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28
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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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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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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31
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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32
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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tilt
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| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
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34
niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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35
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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36
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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37
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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38
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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40
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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adder
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| n.蝰蛇；小毒蛇 | |
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42
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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43
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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44
awesomely
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| 赫然 | |
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45
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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46
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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47
moldy
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| adj.发霉的 | |
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48
scorpion
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| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
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49
retracing
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| v.折回( retrace的现在分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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50
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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51
rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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52
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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53
inferno
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| n.火海；地狱般的场所 | |
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54
inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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55
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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56
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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57
tingle
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| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
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58
scorpions
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| n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 ) | |
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59
tingled
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
malarial
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| 患疟疾的，毒气的 | |
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perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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incisive
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| adj.敏锐的，机敏的，锋利的，切入的 | |
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63
stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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64
eloquently
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| adv. 雄辩地(有口才地, 富于表情地) | |
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filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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66
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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67
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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68
sedative
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| adj.使安静的，使镇静的；n. 镇静剂，能使安静的东西 | |
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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70
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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71
archaeology
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| n.考古学 | |
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72
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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73
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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76
cataract
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| n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障 | |
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77
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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79
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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80
bracing
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| adj.令人振奋的 | |
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81
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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