erewhon revisited-第5章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


youth　came　bounding　back　to　him　with　the　return　of　his　youth's
surroundings；　the　next；　and　the　intervening　twenty　yearsmost　of
them　grim　onesrose　up　mockingly　before　him；　and　the　buoyancy　of
hope　yielded　to　the　despondency　of　admitted　failure。　　By　and　by
buoyancy　reasserted　itself；　and；　soothed　by　the　peace　and　beauty　of
the　night；　he　wrapped　himself　up　in　his　blanket　and　dropped　off
into　a　dreamless　slumber。

Next　morning；　i。e。　December　3；　he　rose　soon　after　dawn；　bathed　in　a
backwater　of　the　river；　got　his　breakfast；　found　his　horse　on　the
river…bed；　and　started　as　soon　as　he　had　duly　packed　and　loaded。
He　had　now　to　cross　streams　of　the　river　and　recross　them　more
often　than　on　the　preceding　day；　and　this；　though　his　horse　took
well　to　the　water；　required　care；　for　he　was　anxious　not　to　wet　his
saddle…bags；　and　it　was　only　by　crossing　at　the　wide；　smooth；　water
above　a　rapid；　and　by　picking　places　where　the　river　ran　in　two　or
three　streams；　that　he　could　find　fords　where　his　practised　eye
told　him　that　the　water　would　not　be　above　his　horse's　bellyfor
the　river　was　of　great　volume。　　Fortunately；　there　had　been　a　late
fall　of　snow　on　the　higher　ranges；　and　the　river　was；　for　the
summer　season；　low。

Towards　evening；　having　travelled；　so　far　as　he　could　guess；　some
twenty　or　five　and　twenty　miles　（for　he　had　made　another　mid　day
halt）；　he　reached　the　place；　which　he　easily　recognised；　as　that
where　he　had　camped　before　crossing　to　the　pass　that　led　into
Erewhon。　　It　was　the　last　piece　of　ground　that　could　be　called　a
flat　（though　it　was　in　reality　only　the　sloping　delta　of　a　stream
that　descended　from　the　pass）　before　reaching　a　large　glacier　that
had　encroached　on　the　river…bed；　which　it　traversed　at　right　angles
for　a　considerable　distance。

Here　he　again　camped；　hobbled　his　horse；　and　turned　him　adrift；
hoping　that　he　might　again　find　him　some　two　or　three　months　hence；
for　there　was　a　good　deal　of　sweet　grass　here　and　there；　with　sow…
thistle　and　anise；　and　the　coarse　tussock　grass　would　be　in　full
seed　shortly；　which　alone　would　keep　him　going　for　as　long　a　time
as　my　father　expected　to　be　away。　　Little　did　he　think　that　he
should　want　him　again　so　shortly。

Having　attended　to　his　horse；　he　got　his　supper；　and　while　smoking
his　pipe　congratulated　himself　on　the　way　in　which　something　had
smoothed　away　all　the　obstacles　that　had　so　nearly　baffled　him　on
his　earlier　journey。　　Was　he　being　lured　on　to　his　destruction　by
some　malicious　fiend；　or　befriended　by　one　who　had　compassion　on
him　and　wished　him　well？　　His　naturally　sanguine　temperament
inclined　him　to　adopt　the　friendly　spirit　theory；　in　the　peace　of
which　he　again　laid　himself　down　to　rest；　and　slept　soundly　from
dark　till　dawn。

In　the　morning；　though　the　water　was　somewhat　icy；　he　again　bathed；
and　then　put　on　his　Erewhonian　boots　and　dress。　　He　stowed　his
European　clothes；　with　some　difficulty；　into　his　saddle…bags。
Herein　also　he　left　his　case　full　of　English　sovereigns；　his　spare
pipes；　his　purse；　which　contained　two　pounds　in　gold　and　seven　or
eight　shillings；　part　of　his　stock　of　tobacco；　and　whatever
provision　was　left　him；　except　the　meatwhich　he　left　for　sundry
hawks　and　parrots　that　were　eyeing　his　proceedings　apparently
without　fear　of　man。　　His　nuggets　he　concealed　in　the　secret
pockets　of　which　I　have　already　spoken；　keeping　one　bag　alone
accessible。

He　had　had　his　hair　and　beard　cut　short　on　shipboard　the　day　before
he　landed。　　These　he　now　dyed　with　a　dye　that　he　had　brought　from
England；　and　which　in　a　few　minutes　turned　them　very　nearly　black。
He　also　stained　his　face　and　hands　deep　brown。　　He　hung　his　saddle
and　bridle；　his　English　boots；　and　his　saddle…bags　on　the　highest
bough　that　he　could　reach；　and　made　them　fairly　fast　with　strips　of
flax　leaf；　for　there　was　some　stunted　flax　growing　on　the　ground
where　he　had　camped。　　He　feared　that；　do　what　he　might；　they　would
not　escape　the　inquisitive　thievishness　of　the　parrots；　whose
strong　beaks　could　easily　cut　leather；　but　he　could　do　nothing
more。　　It　occurs　to　me；　though　my　father　never　told　me　so；　that　it
was　perhaps　with　a　view　to　these　birds　that　he　had　chosen　to　put
his　English　sovereigns　into　a　metal　box；　with　a　clasp　to　it　which
would　defy　them。

He　made　a　roll　of　his　blanket；　and　slung　it　over　his　shoulder；　he
also　took　his　pipe；　tobacco；　a　little　tea；　a　few　ship's　biscuits；
and　his　billy　and　pannikin；　matches　and　salt　go　without　saying。
When　he　had　thus　ordered　everything　as　nearly　to　his　satisfaction
as　he　could；　he　looked　at　his　watch　for　the　last　time；　as　he
believed；　till　many　weeks　should　have　gone　by；　and　found　it　to　be
about　seven　o'clock。　　Remembering　what　trouble　it　had　got　him　into
years　before；　he　took　down　his　saddle…bags；　reopened　them；　and　put
the　watch　inside。　　He　then　set　himself　to　climb　the　mountain　side；
towards　the　saddle　on　which　he　had　seen　the　statues。



CHAPTER　III：　　MY　FATHER　WHILE　CAMPING　IS　ACCOSTED　BY　PROFESSORS
HANKY　AND　PANKY



My　father　found　the　ascent　more　fatiguing　than　he　remembered　it　to
have　been。　　The　climb；　he　said；　was　steady；　and　took　him　between
four　and　five　hours；　as　near　as　he　could　guess；　now　that　he　had　no
watch；　but　it　offered　nothing　that　could　be　called　a　difficulty；
and　the　watercourse　that　came　down　from　the　saddle　was　a　sufficient
guide；　once　or　twice　there　were　waterfalls；　but　they　did　not
seriously　delay　him。

After　he　had　climbed　some　three　thousand　feet；　he　began　to　be　on
the　alert　for　some　sound　of　ghostly　chanting　from　the　statues；　but
he　heard　nothing；　and　toiled　on　till　he　came　to　a　sprinkling　of
fresh　snowpart　of　the　fall　which　he　had　observed　on　the　preceding
day　as　having　whitened　the　higher　mountains；　he　knew；　therefore；
that　he　must　now　be　nearing　the　saddle。　　The　snow　grew　rapidly
deeper；　and　by　the　time　he　reached　the　statues　the　ground　was
covered　to　a　depth　of　two　or　three　inches。

He　found　the　statues　smaller　than　he　had　expected。　　He　had　said　in
his　bookwritten　many　months　after　he　had　seen　themthat　they
were　about　six　times　the　size　of　life；　but　he　now　thought　that　four
or　five　times　would　have　been　enough　to　say。　　Their　mouths　were
much　clogged　with　snow；　so　that　even　though　there　had　been　a　strong
wind　（which　there　was　not）　they　would　not　have　chanted。　　In　other
respects　he　found　them　not　less　mysteriously　impressive　than　at
first。　　He　walked　two　or　three　times　all　round　them；　and　then　went
on。

The　snow　did　not　continue　far　down；　but　before　long　my　father
entered　a　thick　bank　of　cloud；　and　had　to　feel　his　way　cautiously
along　the　stream　that　descended　from　the　pass。　　It　was　some　two
hours　before　he　emerged　into　clear　air；　and　found　himself　on　the
level　bed　of　an　old　lake　now　grassed　over。　　He　had　quite　forgotten
this　feature　of　the　descentperhaps　the　clouds　had　hung　over　it；
he　was　overjoyed；　however；　to　find　that　the　flat　ground　abounded
with　a　kind　of　quail；　larger　than　ours；　and　hardly；　if　at　all；
smaller　than　a　partridge。　　The　abundance　of　these　quails　surprised
him；　for　he　did　not　remember　them　as　plentiful　anywhere　on　the
Erewhonian　side　of　the　mountains。

The　Erewhonian　quail；　like　its　now　nearly；　if　not　quite；　extinct
New　Zealand　congener；　can　take　three　successive　flights　of　a　few
yards　each；　but　then　becomes　exhausted；　hence　quails　are　only　found
on　ground　that　is　never　burned；　and　where　there　are　no　wild　animals
to　molest　them；　the　cats　and　dogs　that　accompany　European
civilisation　soon　exterminate　them；　my　father；　therefore；　felt　safe
in　concluding　that　he　was　still　far　from　any　village。　　Moreover　he
could　see　no　sheep　or　goat's　dung；　and　this　surprised　him；　for　he
thought　he　had　found　signs　of　pasturage　much　higher　than　this。
Doubtless；　he　said　to　himself；　when　he　wrote　his　book　he　had
forgotten　how　long　the　descent　had　been。　　But　it　was　odd；　for　the
grass　was　good　feed　enough；　and　ought；　he　considered；　to　have　been
well　stocked。

Tired　with　his　climb；　during　which　he　had　not　rested　to　take　food；
but　had　eaten　biscuits；　as　he　walked；　he　gave　himself　a　good　long
rest；　and　when　refreshed；　he　ran　down　a　couple　of　dozen　quails；
some　of　which　he　meant　to　eat　wh