“You may observe that I have large hands. Their size and strength served me well on this occasion. At the moment that the rope tightened2 about my throat I reached up and grasped the Brahmin’s left thumb. Desperation gave me additional strength, and I snapped it like a stick of candy.
“Just in the nick of time I felt the cord relax, and, although the veins3 in my head seemed to be bursting, I managed to get my fingers under that damnable rope. To this very hour I can hear Vadi’s shriek4 of pain as I broke his thumb, and it brings the whole scene back to me.
“Clutching the rope with my left hand, I groaned5 and lay still. The Brahmin slightly shifted his position, which was what I wanted him to do. The brief respite6 had been sufficient. As he moved, I managed to draw my knees up, very slightly, for he was a big, heavy man, but sufficiently7 to enable me to throw him off and roll over.
“Then, gentlemen, I dealt with him as he had meant to deal with me; only I used my bare hands and made a job of it.
“I stood up, breathing heavily, and looked down at him where he lay in the shadows at my feet. Dusk had come with a million stars, and almost above my head were flowering creepers festooned from bough8 to bough. The two campfires danced up and cast their red light upon the jagged rocks of the hillock, which started up from the very heart of the thicket9, to stand out like some giant pyramid against the newly risen moon.
“There were night things on the wing, and strange whispering sounds came from the forests clothing the hills. Then came a distant, hollow booming like the sound of artillery10, which echoed down the mountain gorges11 and seemed to roll away over the lowland swamps and die, inaudible, by the remote river. Yet I stood still, looking down at the dead man at my feet. For this strange, mysterious artillery was a phenomenon I had already met with on this fateful march—weird enough and inexplicable13, but no novelty to me, for I had previously14 met with it in the Shan Hills of Burma.
“I was thinking rapidly. It was clear enough now why I had hitherto been unmolested. To Vadi the task had been allotted16 by the mysterious organization of which he was a member, of removing me quietly and decently, under circumstances which would lead to no official inquiry17. Although only animals, insects, and reptiles18 seemed to be awake about me, yet I could not get rid of the idea that I was watched.
“I remembered the phantom19 light, and that memory was an unpleasant one. For ten minutes or more I stood there watching and listening, but nothing molested15 me, nothing human approached. With a rifle resting across my knees, I sat down in the entrance to my tent to await the dawn.
“Later in the night, those phantom guns boomed out again, and again their booming died away in the far valleys. The fires burned lower and lower, but I made no attempt to replenish20 them; and because I sat there so silent, all kinds of jungle creatures crept furtively21 out of the shadows and watched me with their glittering eyes. Once a snake crossed almost at my feet, and once some large creature of the cat species, possibly a puma22, showed like a silhouette23 upon the rocky slopes above.
“So the night passed, and dawn found me still sitting there, the dead man huddled24 on the ground not three paces from me. I am a man who as a rule thinks slowly, but when the light came my mind was fully25 made up.
“From the man who had died in Nagpur I had learned more about the location of the City of Fire than I had confided26 to Vadi. In fact, I thought I could undertake to find the way. Upon the most important point of all, however, I had no information: that is to say, I had no idea how to obtain entrance to the place; for I had been given to understand that the way in was a secret known only to the initiated27.
“Nevertheless, I had no intention of turning back; and, although I realized that from this point onward28 I must largely trust to luck, I had no intention of taking unnecessary chances. Accordingly, I dressed myself in Vadi’s clothes, and, being very tanned at this time, I think I made a fairly creditable native.
“Faintly throughout the night, above the other sounds of the jungle, I had heard that of distant falling water. Now, my informant at Nagpur, in speaking of the secret temple, had used the words:
“‘Whoever would see the fire must quit air and pass through water.’
“This mysterious formula he had firmly declined to translate into comprehensible English; but during my journey I had been considering it from every angle, and I had recently come to the conclusion that the entrance to this mysterious place was in some way concealed29 by water. Recollecting30 the gallery under Niagara Falls, I wondered if some similar natural formation was to be looked for here.
“Now, in the light of the morning sun, looking around me from the little plateau upon which I stood, and remembering a vague description of the country which had been given to me, I decided31 that I was indeed in the neighbourhood of the Temple of Fire.
“We had followed a fairly well-defined path right to this plateau, and that it was nothing less than the high road to the citadel32 of Fire-Tongue, I no longer doubted. Beneath me stretched a panorama33 limned34 in feverish35 greens and unhealthy yellows. Scar-like rocks striated36 the jungle clothing the foothills, and through the dancing air, viewed from the arid37 heights, they had the appearance of running water.
“Swamps to the southeast showed like unhealing wounds upon the face of the landscape. Beyond them spread the lower river waters, the bank of the stream proper being discernible only by reason of a greater greenness in the palm-tops. Venomous green slopes beyond them again, a fringe of dwarf38 forest, and the brazen39 skyline.
“On the right, and above me yet, the path entered a district of volcanic40 rocks, gnarled, twisted, and contorted as with the agonies of some mighty41 plague which in a forgotten past had seized on the very bowels42 of the world and had contorted whole mountains and laid waste vast forests and endless plains. Above, the sun, growing hourly more cruel; ahead, more plague-twisted rocks and the scars dancing like running water; and all around the swooning stillness of the tropics.
“The night sounds of the jungle had ceased, giving place to the ceaseless humming of insects. North, south, east, and west lay that haze43 of heat, like a moving mantle44 clothing hills and valleys. The sound of falling water remained perceptible.
“And now, gentlemen, I must relate a discovery which I had made in the act of removing Vadi’s clothing. Upon his right forearm was branded a mark resembling the apparition45 which I had witnessed in the night, namely, a little torch, or flambeau, surmounted46 by a tongue of fire. Even in the light of the morning, amid that oppressive stillness, I could scarcely believe in my own safety, for that to Vadi the duty of assassinating47 me had been assigned by this ever-watchful, secret organization, whose stronghold I had dared to approach, was a fact beyond dispute.
“Since I seemed to be quite alone on the plateau, I could only suppose that the issue had been regarded as definitely settled, that no doubt had been entertained by Vadi’s instructors48 respecting his success. The plateau upon which I stood was one of a series of giant steps, and on the west was a sheer descent to a dense49 jungle, where banks of rotten vegetation, sun-dried upon the top, lay heaped about the tree stems.
“Dragging the heavy body of Vadi to the brink50 of this precipice51, I toppled it over, swaying dizzily as I watched it crash down into the poisonous undergrowth two hundred feet below.
“I made a rough cache, where I stored the bulk of my provisions; and, selecting only such articles as I thought necessary for my purpose, I set out again northward52, guided by the sound of falling water, and having my face turned toward the silver pencillings in the blue sky, which marked the giant peaks of the distant mountains.
“At midday the heat grew so great that a halt became imperative53. The path was still clearly discernible; and in a little cave beside it, which afforded grateful shelter from the merciless rays of the sun, I unfastened my bundle and prepared to take a frugal54 lunch.
“I was so employed, gentlemen, when I heard the sound of approaching footsteps on the path behind me—the path which I had recently traversed.
“Hastily concealing55 my bundle, I slipped into some dense undergrowth by the entrance to the cave, and crouched56 there, waiting and watching. I had not waited very long before a yellow-robed mendicant57 passed by, carrying a bundle not unlike my own, whereby I concluded that he had come some distance. There was nothing remarkable58 in his appearance except the fact of his travelling during the hottest part of the day. Therefore I did not doubt that he was one of the members of the secret organization and was bound for headquarters.
“I gave him half an hour’s start and then resumed my march. If he could travel beneath a noonday sun, so could I.
“In this fashion I presently came out upon a larger and higher plateau, carpeted with a uniform, stunted59 undergrowth, and extending, as flat as a table, to the very edge of a sheer precipice, which rose from it to a height of three or four hundred feet—gnarled, naked rock, showing no vestige60 of vegetation.
“By this time the sound of falling water had become very loud, and as I emerged from the gorge12 through which the path ran on to this plateau I saw, on the further side of this tableland, the yellow robe of the mendicant. He was walking straight for the face of the precipice, and straight for the spot at which, from a fissure61 in the rock, a little stream leapt out, to fall sheerly ten or fifteen feet into a winding62 channel, along which it bubbled away westward63, doubtless to form a greater waterfall beyond.
“The mendicant was fully half a mile away from me, but in that clear tropical air was plainly visible; and, fearing that he might look around, I stepped back into the comparative shadow of the gorge and watched.
“Gentlemen, I saw a strange thing. Placing his bundle upon his head, he walked squarely into the face of the waterfall and disappeared!”
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收听单词发音
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1
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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2
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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3
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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4
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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5
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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7
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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8
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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10
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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11
gorges
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| n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕 | |
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12
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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13
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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15
molested
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| v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵 | |
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16
allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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18
reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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19
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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20
replenish
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| vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满 | |
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21
furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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22
puma
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| 美洲豹 | |
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23
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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24
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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25
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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26
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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27
initiated
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| n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入 | |
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28
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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29
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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30
recollecting
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| v.记起，想起( recollect的现在分词 ) | |
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31
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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32
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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33
panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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34
limned
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| v.画( limn的过去式和过去分词 )；勾画；描写；描述 | |
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35
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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36
striated
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| adj.有纵线，条纹的 | |
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arid
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| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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38
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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39
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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40
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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41
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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42
bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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43
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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44
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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45
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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46
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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47
assassinating
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| v.暗杀( assassinate的现在分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏 | |
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48
instructors
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| 指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 ) | |
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49
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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50
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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51
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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52
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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53
imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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54
frugal
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| adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的 | |
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55
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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56
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
mendicant
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| n.乞丐；adj.行乞的 | |
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58
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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59
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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60
vestige
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| n.痕迹，遗迹，残余 | |
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61
fissure
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| n.裂缝；裂伤 | |
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62
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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63
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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