“I am going back,” said Sir Henry.
“Why?” asked Good.
“Because it has struck me that — what we saw — may be my brother.”
This was a new idea, and we re-entered the place to put it to the proof. After the bright light outside, our eyes, weak as they were with staring at the snow, could not pierce the gloom of the cave for a while. Presently, however, they grew accustomed to the semi-darkness, and we advanced towards the dead man.
Sir Henry knelt down and peered into his face.
“Thank God,” he said, with a sigh of relief, “it is not my brother.”
Then I drew near and looked. The body was that of a tall man in middle life with aquiline2 features, grizzled hair, and a long black moustache. The skin was perfectly3 yellow, and stretched tightly over the bones. Its clothing, with the exception of what seemed to be the remains4 of a woollen pair of hose, had been removed, leaving the skeleton-like frame naked. Round the neck of the corpse5, which was frozen perfectly stiff, hung a yellow ivory crucifix.
“Who on earth can it be?” said I.
“Can’t you guess?” asked Good.
I shook my head.
“Why, the old Dom, José da Silvestra, of course — who else?”
“Impossible,” I gasped6; “he died three hundred years ago.”
“And what is there to prevent him from lasting8 for three thousand years in this atmosphere, I should like to know?” asked Good. “If only the temperature is sufficiently9 low, flesh and blood will keep fresh as New Zealand mutton for ever, and Heaven knows it is cold enough here. The sun never gets in here; no animal comes here to tear or destroy. No doubt his slave, of whom he speaks on the writing, took off his clothes and left him. He could not have buried him alone. Look!” he went on, stooping down to pick up a queerly-shaped bone scraped at the end into a sharp point, “here is the ‘cleft bone’ that Silvestra used to draw the map with.”
We gazed for a moment astonished, forgetting our own miseries10 in this extraordinary and, as it seemed to us, semi-miraculous sight.
“Ay,” said Sir Henry, “and this is where he got his ink from,” and he pointed11 to a small wound on the Dom’s left arm. “Did ever man see such a thing before?”
There was no longer any doubt about the matter, which for my own part I confess perfectly appalled12 me. There he sat, the dead man, whose directions, written some ten generations ago, had led us to this spot. Here in my own hand was the rude pen with which he had written them, and about his neck hung the crucifix that his dying lips had kissed. Gazing at him, my imagination could reconstruct the last scene of the drama, the traveller dying of cold and starvation, yet striving to convey to the world the great secret which he had discovered:— the awful loneliness of his death, of which the evidence sat before us. It even seemed to me that I could trace in his strongly-marked features a likeness13 to those of my poor friend Silvestre his descendant, who had died twenty years before in my arms, but perhaps that was fancy. At any rate, there he sat, a sad memento14 of the fate that so often overtakes those who would penetrate15 into the unknown; and there doubtless he will still sit, crowned with the dread16 majesty17 of death, for centuries yet unborn, to startle the eyes of wanderers like ourselves, if ever any such should come again to invade his loneliness. The thing overpowered us, already almost perished as we were with cold and hunger.
“Let us go,” said Sir Henry in a low voice; “stay, we will give him a companion,” and lifting up the dead body of the Hottentot Ventv?gel, he placed it near to that of the old Dom. Then he stooped, and with a jerk broke the rotten string of the crucifix which hung round da Silvestra’s neck, for his fingers were too cold to attempt to unfasten it. I believe that he has it still. I took the bone pen, and it is before me as I write — sometimes I use it to sign my name.
Then leaving these two, the proud white man of a past age, and the poor Hottentot, to keep their eternal vigil in the midst of the eternal snows, we crept out of the cave into the welcome sunshine and resumed our path, wondering in our hearts how many hours it would be before we were even as they are.
When we had walked about half a mile we came to the edge of the plateau, for the nipple of the mountain does not rise out of its exact centre, though from the desert side it had seemed to do so. What lay below us we could not see, for the landscape was wreathed in billows of morning fog. Presently, however, the higher layers of mist cleared a little, and revealed, at the end of a long slope of snow, a patch of green grass, some five hundred yards beneath us, through which a stream was running. Nor was this all. By the stream, basking19 in the bright sun, stood and lay a group of from ten to fifteen large antelopes20 — at that distance we could not see of what species.
The sight filled us with an unreasoning joy. If only we could get it, there was food in plenty. But the question was how to do so. The beasts were fully22 six hundred yards off, a very long shot, and one not to be depended on when our lives hung on the results.
Rapidly we discussed the advisability of trying to stalk the game, but in the end dismissed it reluctantly. To begin with, the wind was not favourable23, and further, we must certainly be perceived, however careful we were, against the blinding background of snow, which we should be obliged to traverse.
“Well, we must have a try from where we are,” said Sir Henry. “Which shall it be, Quatermain, the repeating rifles or the expresses?”
Here again was a question. The Winchester repeaters — of which we had two, Umbopa carrying poor Ventv?gel’s as well as his own — were sighted up to a thousand yards, whereas the expresses were only sighted to three hundred and fifty, beyond which distance shooting with them was more or less guess-work. On the other hand, if they did hit, the express bullets, being “expanding,” were much more likely to bring the game down. It was a knotty24 point, but I made up my mind that we must risk it and use the expresses.
“Let each of us take the buck25 opposite to him. Aim well at the point of the shoulder and high up,” said I; “and Umbopa, do you give the word, so that we may all fire together.”
Then came a pause, each of us aiming his level best, as indeed a man is likely to do when he knows that life itself depends upon the shot.
“Fire,” said Umbopa in Zulu, and at almost the same instant the three rifles rang out loudly; three clouds of smoke hung for a moment before us, and a hundred echoes went flying over the silent snow. Presently the smoke cleared, and revealed — oh, joy!— a great buck lying on its back and kicking furiously in its death agony. We gave a yell of triumph — we were saved — we should not starve. Weak as we were, we rushed down the intervening slope of snow, and in ten minutes from the time of shooting, that animal’s heart and liver were lying before us. But now a new difficulty arose, we had no fuel, and therefore could make no fire to cook them. We gazed at each other in dismay.
“Starving men should not be fanciful,” said Good; “we must eat raw meat.”
There was no other way out of the dilemma26, and our gnawing27 hunger made the proposition less distasteful than it would otherwise have been. So we took the heart and liver and buried them for a few minutes in a patch of snow to cool them. Then we washed them in the ice-cold water of the stream, and lastly ate them greedily. It sounds horrible enough, but honestly, I never tasted anything so good as that raw meat. In a quarter of an hour we were changed men. Our life and vigour28 came back to us, our feeble pulses grew strong again, and the blood went coursing through our veins29. But mindful of the results of over-feeding on starved stomachs, we were careful not to eat too much, stopping whilst we were still hungry.
“Thank Heaven!” said Sir Henry; “that brute30 has saved our lives. What is it, Quatermain?”
I rose and went to look at the antelope21, for I was not certain. It was about the size of a donkey, with large curved horns. I had never seen one like it before; the species was new to me. It was brown in colour, with faint red stripes, and grew a thick coat. I afterwards discovered that the natives of that wonderful country call these bucks31 “inco.” They are very rare, and only found at a great altitude where no other game will live. This animal was fairly hit high up in the shoulder, though whose bullet brought it down we could not, of course, discover. I believe that Good, mindful of his marvellous shot at the giraffe, secretly set it down to his own prowess, and we did not contradict him.
We had been so busy satisfying our hunger that hitherto we had not found time to look about us. But now, having set Umbopa to cut off as much of the best meat as we were likely to be able to carry, we began to inspect our surroundings. The mist had cleared away, for it was eight o’clock, and the sun had sucked it up, so we were able to take in all the country before us at a glance. I know not how to describe the glorious panorama32 which unfolded itself to our gaze. I have never seen anything like it before, nor shall, I suppose, again.
Behind and over us towered Sheba’s snowy Breasts, and below, some five thousand feet beneath where we stood, lay league on league of the most lovely champaign country. Here were dense33 patches of lofty forest, there a great river wound its silvery way. To the left stretched a vast expanse of rich, undulating veld or grass land, whereon we could just make out countless34 herds35 of game or cattle, at that distance we could not tell which. This expanse appeared to be ringed in by a wall of distant mountains. To the right the country was more or less mountainous; that is, solitary36 hills stood up from its level, with stretches of cultivated land between, amongst which we could see groups of dome-shaped huts. The landscape lay before us as a map, wherein rivers flashed like silver snakes, and Alp-like peaks crowned with wildly twisted snow wreaths rose in grandeur37, whilst over all was the glad sunlight and the breath of Nature’s happy life.
Two curious things struck us as we gazed. First, that the country before us must lie at least three thousand feet higher than the desert we had crossed, and secondly38, that all the rivers flowed from south to north. As we had painful reason to know, there was no water upon the southern side of the vast range on which we stood, but on the northern face were many streams, most of which appeared to unite with the great river we could see winding39 away farther than our eyes could follow.
We sat down for a while and gazed in silence at this wonderful view. Presently Sir Henry spoke40.
“Isn’t there something on the map about Solomon’s Great Road?” he said.
I nodded, for I was still gazing out over the far country.
“Well, look; there it is!” and he pointed a little to our right.
Good and I looked accordingly, and there, winding away towards the plain, was what appeared to be a wide turnpike road. We had not seen it at first because, on reaching the plain, it turned behind some broken country. We did not say anything, at least, not much; we were beginning to lose the sense of wonder. Somehow it did not seem particularly unnatural41 that we should find a sort of Roman road in this strange land. We accepted the fact, that was all.
“Well,” said Good, “it must be quite near us if we cut off to the right. Hadn’t we better be making a start?”
This was sound advice, and so soon as we had washed our faces and hands in the stream we acted on it. For a mile or more we made our way over boulders42 and across patches of snow, till suddenly, on reaching the top of the little rise, we found the road at our feet. It was a splendid road cut out of the solid rock, at least fifty feet wide, and apparently43 well kept; though the odd thing was that it seemed to begin there. We walked down and stood on it, but one single hundred paces behind us, in the direction of Sheba’s Breasts, it vanished, the entire surface of the mountain being strewn with boulders interspersed44 with patches of snow.
“What do you make of this, Quatermain?” asked Sir Henry.
I shook my head, I could make nothing of the thing.
“I have it!” said Good; “the road no doubt ran right over the range and across the desert on the other side, but the sand there has covered it up, and above us it has been obliterated45 by some volcanic46 eruption47 of molten lava48.”
This seemed a good suggestion; at any rate, we accepted it, and proceeded down the mountain. It proved a very different business travelling along down hill on that magnificent pathway with full stomachs from what it was travelling uphill over the snow quite starved and almost frozen. Indeed, had it not been for melancholy49 recollections of poor Ventv?gel’s sad fate, and of that grim cave where he kept company with the old Dom, we should have felt positively50 cheerful, notwithstanding the sense of unknown dangers before us. Every mile we walked the atmosphere grew softer and balmier, and the country before us shone with a yet more luminous52 beauty. As for the road itself, I never saw such an engineering work, though Sir Henry said that the great road over the St. Gothard in Switzerland is very similar. No difficulty had been too great for the Old World engineer who laid it out. At one place we came to a ravine three hundred feet broad and at least a hundred feet deep. This vast gulf53 was actually filled in with huge blocks of dressed stone, having arches pierced through them at the bottom for a waterway, over which the road went on sublimely54. At another place it was cut in zigzags55 out of the side of a precipice56 five hundred feet deep, and in a third it tunnelled through the base of an intervening ridge57, a space of thirty yards or more.
Here we noticed that the sides of the tunnel were covered with quaint58 sculptures, mostly of mailed figures driving in chariots. One, which was exceedingly beautiful, represented a whole battle scene with a convoy59 of captives being marched off in the distance.
“Well,” said Sir Henry, after inspecting this ancient work of art, “it is very well to call this Solomon’s Road, but my humble60 opinion is that the Egyptians had been here before Solomon’s people ever set a foot on it. If this isn’t Egyptian or Phoenician handiwork, I must say that it is very like it.”
By midday we had advanced sufficiently down the mountain to search the region where wood was to be met with. First we came to scattered61 bushes which grew more and more frequent, till at last we found the road winding through a vast grove62 of silver trees similar to those which are to be seen on the slopes of Table Mountain at Cape18 Town. I had never before met with them in all my wanderings, except at the Cape, and their appearance here astonished me greatly.
“Ah!” said Good, surveying these shining-leaved trees with evident enthusiasm, “here is lots of wood, let us stop and cook some dinner; I have about digested that raw heart.”
Nobody objected to this, so leaving the road we made our way to a stream which was babbling63 away not far off, and soon had a goodly fire of dry boughs65 blazing. Cutting off some substantial hunks from the flesh of the inco which we had brought with us, we proceeded to toast them on the end of sharp sticks, as one sees the Kafirs do, and ate them with relish66. After filling ourselves, we lit our pipes and gave ourselves up to enjoyment67 that, compared with the hardships we had recently undergone, seemed almost heavenly.
The brook68, of which the banks were clothed with dense masses of a gigantic species of maidenhair fern interspersed with feathery tufts of wild asparagus, sung merrily at our side, the soft air murmured through the leaves of the silver trees, doves cooed around, and bright-winged birds flashed like living gems69 from bough64 to bough. It was a Paradise.
The magic of the place combined with an overwhelming sense of dangers left behind, and of the promised land reached at last, seemed to charm us into silence. Sir Henry and Umbopa sat conversing70 in a mixture of broken English and Kitchen Zulu in a low voice, but earnestly enough, and I lay, with my eyes half shut, upon that fragrant71 bed of fern and watched them.
Presently I missed Good, and I looked to see what had become of him. Soon I observed him sitting by the bank of the stream, in which he had been bathing. He had nothing on but his flannel72 shirt, and his natural habits of extreme neatness having reasserted themselves, he was actively73 employed in making a most elaborate toilet. He had washed his gutta-percha collar, had thoroughly74 shaken out his trousers, coat and waistcoat, and was now folding them up neatly75 till he was ready to put them on, shaking his head sadly as he scanned the numerous rents and tears in them, which naturally had resulted from our frightful76 journey. Then he took his boots, scrubbed them with a handful of fern, and finally rubbed them over with a piece of fat, which he had carefully saved from the inco meat, till they looked, comparatively speaking, respectable. Having inspected them judiciously77 through his eye-glass, he put the boots on and began a fresh operation. From a little bag that he carried he produced a pocket-comb in which was fixed78 a tiny looking-glass, and in this he surveyed himself. Apparently he was not satisfied, for he proceeded to do his hair with great care. Then came a pause whilst he again contemplated79 the effect; still it was not satisfactory. He felt his chin, on which the accumulated scrub of a ten days’ beard was flourishing.
“Surely,” thought I, “he is not going to try to shave.” But so it was. Taking the piece of fat with which he had greased his boots, Good washed it thoroughly in the stream. Then diving again into the bag he brought out a little pocket razor with a guard to it, such as are bought by people who are afraid of cutting themselves, or by those about to undertake a sea voyage. Then he rubbed his face and chin vigorously with the fat and began. Evidently it proved a painful process, for he groaned81 very much over it, and I was convulsed with inward laughter as I watched him struggling with that stubbly beard. It seemed so very odd that a man should take the trouble to shave himself with a piece of fat in such a place and in our circumstances. At last he succeeded in getting the hair off the right side of his face and chin, when suddenly I, who was watching, became conscious of a flash of light that passed just by his head.
Good sprang up with a profane82 exclamation83 (if it had not been a safety razor he would certainly have cut his throat), and so did I, without the exclamation, and this was what I saw. Standing51 not more than twenty paces from where I was, and ten from Good, were a group of men. They were very tall and copper-coloured, and some of them wore great plumes84 of black feathers and short cloaks of leopard85 skins; this was all I noticed at the moment. In front of them stood a youth of about seventeen, his hand still raised and his body bent86 forward in the attitude of a Grecian statue of a spear-thrower. Evidently the flash of light had been caused by a weapon which he had hurled87.
As I looked an old soldier-like man stepped forward out of the group, and catching88 the youth by the arm said something to him. Then they advanced upon us.
Sir Henry, Good, and Umbopa by this time had seized their rifles and lifted them threateningly. The party of natives still came on. It struck me that they could not know what rifles were, or they would not have treated them with such contempt.
“Put down your guns!” I halloed to the others, seeing that our only chance of safety lay in conciliation89. They obeyed, and walking to the front I addressed the elderly man who had checked the youth.
“Greeting,” I said in Zulu, not knowing what language to use. To my surprise I was understood.
“Greeting,” answered the old man, not, indeed, in the same tongue, but in a dialect so closely allied90 to it that neither Umbopa nor myself had any difficulty in understanding him. Indeed, as we afterwards found out, the language spoken by this people is an old-fashioned form of the Zulu tongue, bearing about the same relationship to it that the English of Chaucer does to the English of the nineteenth century.
“Whence come you?” he went on, “who are you? and why are the faces of three of you white, and the face of the fourth as the face of our mother’s sons?” and he pointed to Umbopa. I looked at Umbopa as he said it, and it flashed across me that he was right. The face of Umbopa was like the faces of the men before me, and so was his great form like their forms. But I had not time to reflect on this coincidence.
“We are strangers, and come in peace,” I answered, speaking very slowly, so that he might understand me, “and this man is our servant.”
“You lie,” he answered; “no strangers can cross the mountains where all things perish. But what do your lies matter?— if ye are strangers then ye must die, for no strangers may live in the land of the Kukuanas. It is the king’s law. Prepare then to die, O strangers!”
I was slightly staggered at this, more especially as I saw the hands of some of the men steal down to their sides, where hung on each what looked to me like a large and heavy knife.
“What does that beggar say?” asked Good.
“He says we are going to be killed,” I answered grimly.
“Oh, Lord!” groaned Good; and, as was his way when perplexed91, he put his hand to his false teeth, dragging the top set down and allowing them to fly back to his jaw92 with a snap. It was a most fortunate move, for next second the dignified93 crowd of Kukuanas uttered a simultaneous yell of horror, and bolted back some yards.
“What’s up?” said I.
“It’s his teeth,” whispered Sir Henry excitedly. “He moved them. Take them out, Good, take them out!”
He obeyed, slipping the set into the sleeve of his flannel shirt.
In another second curiosity had overcome fear, and the men advanced slowly. Apparently they had now forgotten their amiable94 intention of killing95 us.
“How is it, O strangers,” asked the old man solemnly, “that this fat man (pointing to Good, who was clad in nothing but boots and a flannel shirt, and had only half finished his shaving), whose body is clothed, and whose legs are bare, who grows hair on one side of his sickly face and not on the other, and who wears one shining and transparent96 eye — how is it, I ask, that he has teeth which move of themselves, coming away from the jaws97 and returning of their own will?”
“Open your mouth,” I said to Good, who promptly98 curled up his lips and grinned at the old gentleman like an angry dog, revealing to his astonished gaze two thin red lines of gum as utterly99 innocent of ivories as a new-born elephant. The audience gasped.
“Where are his teeth?” they shouted; “with our eyes we saw them.”
Turning his head slowly and with a gesture of ineffable100 contempt, Good swept his hand across his mouth. Then he grinned again, and lo, there were two rows of lovely teeth.
Now the young man who had flung the knife threw himself down on the grass and gave vent7 to a prolonged howl of terror; and as for the old gentleman, his knees knocked together with fear.
“I see that ye are spirits,” he said falteringly101; “did ever man born of woman have hair on one side of his face and not on the other, or a round and transparent eye, or teeth which moved and melted away and grew again? Pardon us, O my lords.”
Here was luck indeed, and, needless to say, I jumped at the chance.
“It is granted,” I said with an imperial smile. “Nay, ye shall know the truth. We come from another world, though we are men such as ye; we come,” I went on, “from the biggest star that shines at night.”
“Oh! oh!” groaned the chorus of astonished aborigines.
“Yes,” I went on, “we do, indeed”; and again I smiled benignly102, as I uttered that amazing lie. “We come to stay with you a little while, and to bless you by our sojourn103. Ye will see, O friends, that I have prepared myself for this visit by the learning of your language.”
“It is so, it is so,” said the chorus.
“Only, my lord,” put in the old gentleman, “thou hast learnt it very badly.”
I cast an indignant glance at him, and he quailed104.
“Now friends,” I continued, “ye might think that after so long a journey we should find it in our hearts to avenge105 such a reception, mayhap to strike cold in death the imperious hand that — that, in short — threw a knife at the head of him whose teeth come and go.”
“Spare him, my lords,” said the old man in supplication106; “he is the king’s son, and I am his uncle. If anything befalls him his blood will be required at my hands.”
“Yes, that is certainly so,” put in the young man with great emphasis.
“Ye may perhaps doubt our power to avenge,” I went on, heedless of this by-play. “Stay, I will show you. Here, thou dog and slave (addressing Umbopa in a savage107 tone), give me the magic tube that speaks”; and I tipped a wink108 towards my express rifle.
Umbopa rose to the occasion, and with something as nearly resembling a grin as I have ever seen on his dignified face he handed me the gun.
“It is here, O Lord of Lords,” he said with a deep obeisance109.
Now just before I had asked for the rifle I had perceived a little klipspringer antelope standing on a mass of rock about seventy yards away, and determined110 to risk the shot.
“Ye see that buck,” I said, pointing the animal out to the party before me. “Tell me, is it possible for man born of woman to kill it from here with a noise?”
“It is not possible, my lord,” answered the old man.
“Yet shall I kill it,” I said quietly.
The old man smiled. “That my lord cannot do,” he answered.
I raised the rifle and covered the buck. It was a small animal, and one which a man might well be excused for missing, but I knew that it would not do to miss.
I drew a deep breath, and slowly pressed on the trigger. The buck stood still as a stone.
“Bang! thud!” The antelope sprang into the air and fell on the rock dead as a door nail.
A groan80 of simultaneous terror burst from the group before us.
“If you want meat,” I remarked coolly, “go fetch that buck.”
The old man made a sign, and one of his followers111 departed, and presently returned bearing the klipspringer. I noticed with satisfaction that I had hit it fairly behind the shoulder. They gathered round the poor creature’s body, gazing at the bullet-hole in consternation112.
“Ye see,” I said, “I do not speak empty words.”
There was no answer.
“If ye yet doubt our power,” I went on, “let one of you go stand upon that rock that I may make him as this buck.”
None of them seemed at all inclined to take the hint, till at last the king’s son spoke.
“It is well said. Do thou, my uncle, go stand upon the rock. It is but a buck that the magic has killed. Surely it cannot kill a man.”
The old gentleman did not take the suggestion in good part. Indeed, he seemed hurt.
“No! no!” he ejaculated hastily, “my old eyes have seen enough. These are wizards, indeed. Let us bring them to the king. Yet if any should wish a further proof, let him stand upon the rock, that the magic tube may speak with him.”
There was a most general and hasty expression of dissent113.
“Let not good magic be wasted on our poor bodies,” said one; “we are satisfied. All the witchcraft114 of our people cannot show the like of this.”
“It is so,” remarked the old gentleman, in a tone of intense relief; “without any doubt it is so. Listen, children of the Stars, children of the shining Eye and the movable Teeth, who roar out in thunder, and slay115 from afar. I am Infadoos, son of Kafa, once king of the Kukuana people. This youth is Scragga.”
“He nearly scragged me,” murmured Good.
“Scragga, son of Twala, the great king — Twala, husband of a thousand wives, chief and lord paramount116 of the Kukuanas, keeper of the great Road, terror of his enemies, student of the Black Arts, leader of a hundred thousand warriors117, Twala the One-eyed, the Black, the Terrible.”
“So,” said I superciliously118, “lead us then to Twala. We do not talk with low people and underlings.”
“It is well, my lords, we will lead you; but the way is long. We are hunting three days’ journey from the place of the king. But let my lords have patience, and we will lead them.”
“So be it,” I said carelessly; “all time is before us, for we do not die. We are ready, lead on. But Infadoos, and thou Scragga, beware! Play us no monkey tricks, set for us no foxes’ snares119, for before your brains of mud have thought of them we shall know and avenge. The light of the transparent eye of him with the bare legs and the half-haired face shall destroy you, and go through your land; his vanishing teeth shall affix120 themselves fast in you and eat you up, you and your wives and children; the magic tubes shall argue with you loudly, and make you as sieves121. Beware!”
This magnificent address did not fail of its effect; indeed, it might almost have been spared, so deeply were our friends already impressed with our powers.
The old man made a deep obeisance, and murmured the words, “Koom Koom,” which I afterwards discovered was their royal salute122, corresponding to the Bayéte of the Zulus, and turning, addressed his followers. These at once proceeded to lay hold of all our goods and chattels123, in order to bear them for us, excepting only the guns, which they would on no account touch. They even seized Good’s clothes, that, as the reader may remember, were neatly folded up beside him.
He saw and made a dive for them, and a loud altercation124 ensued.
“Let not my lord of the transparent Eye and the melting Teeth touch them,” said the old man. “Surely his slave shall carry the things.”
“But I want to put ’em on!” roared Good, in nervous English.
Umbopa translated.
“Nay, my lord,” answered Infadoos, “would my lord cover up his beautiful white legs (although he is so dark Good has a singularly white skin) from the eyes of his servants? Have we offended my lord that he should do such a thing?”
Here I nearly exploded with laughing; and meanwhile one of the men started on with the garments.
“Damn it!” roared Good, “that black villain125 has got my trousers.”
“Look here, Good,” said Sir Henry; “you have appeared in this country in a certain character, and you must live up to it. It will never do for you to put on trousers again. Henceforth you must exist in a flannel shirt, a pair of boots, and an eye-glass.”
“Yes,” I said, “and with whiskers on one side of your face and not on the other. If you change any of these things the people will think that we are impostors. I am very sorry for you, but, seriously, you must. If once they begin to suspect us our lives will not be worth a brass126 farthing.”
“Do you really think so?” said Good gloomily.
“I do, indeed. Your ‘beautiful white legs’ and your eye-glass are now the features of our party, and as Sir Henry says, you must live up to them. Be thankful that you have got your boots on, and that the air is warm.”
Good sighed, and said no more, but it took him a fortnight to become accustomed to his new and scant127 attire128.
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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aquiline
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| adj.钩状的，鹰的 | |
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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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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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10
miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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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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13
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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14
memento
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| n.纪念品，令人回忆的东西 | |
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15
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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16
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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17
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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18
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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19
basking
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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20
antelopes
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| 羚羊( antelope的名词复数 )； 羚羊皮革 | |
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21
antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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22
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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23
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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24
knotty
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| adj.有结的，多节的，多瘤的，棘手的 | |
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25
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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26
dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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27
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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28
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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29
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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30
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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31
bucks
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| n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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32
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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33
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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34
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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35
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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36
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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37
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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38
secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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39
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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40
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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41
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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42
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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43
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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44
interspersed
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| adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词 | |
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45
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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46
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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47
eruption
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| n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作 | |
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48
lava
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| n.熔岩，火山岩 | |
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49
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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50
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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51
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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52
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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53
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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54
sublimely
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| 高尚地，卓越地 | |
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55
zigzags
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| n.锯齿形的线条、小径等( zigzag的名词复数 )v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的第三人称单数 ) | |
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56
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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57
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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58
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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59
convoy
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| vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队 | |
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60
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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61
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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62
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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63
babbling
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| n.胡说，婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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64
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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65
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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66
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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67
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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68
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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69
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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70
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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71
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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72
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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73
actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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74
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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75
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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76
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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77
judiciously
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| adv.明断地，明智而审慎地 | |
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78
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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79
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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80
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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81
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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82
profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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83
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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84
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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85
leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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86
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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87
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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88
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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89
conciliation
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| n.调解，调停 | |
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90
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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91
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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92
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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93
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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94
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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95
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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96
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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97
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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98
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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99
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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100
ineffable
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| adj.无法表达的，不可言喻的 | |
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101
falteringly
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| 口吃地，支吾地 | |
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102
benignly
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| adv.仁慈地，亲切地 | |
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103
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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104
quailed
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| 害怕，发抖，畏缩( quail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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105
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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106
supplication
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| n.恳求，祈愿，哀求 | |
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107
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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108
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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109
obeisance
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| n.鞠躬，敬礼 | |
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110
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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111
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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112
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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113
dissent
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| n./v.不同意，持异议 | |
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114
witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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115
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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116
paramount
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| a.最重要的，最高权力的 | |
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117
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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118
superciliously
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| adv.高傲地；傲慢地 | |
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119
snares
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| n.陷阱( snare的名词复数 )；圈套；诱人遭受失败（丢脸、损失等）的东西；诱惑物v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的第三人称单数 ) | |
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120
affix
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| n.附件，附录 vt.附贴，盖(章)，签署 | |
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121
sieves
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| 筛，漏勺( sieve的名词复数 ) | |
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122
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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123
chattels
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| n.动产，奴隶( chattel的名词复数 ) | |
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124
altercation
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| n.争吵，争论 | |
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125
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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126
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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127
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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128
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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