the coming race-第7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！


its；　whether　at　home　or　in　travel；　I　could　not　allow　that　my　cerebral　organisation　could　possibly　be　duller　than　that　of　people　who　had　lived　all　their　lives　by　lamplight。　　However；　while　I　was　thus　thinking；　Zee　quietly　pointed　her　forefinger　at　my　forehead；　and　sent　me　to　sleep。


Chapter　VIII。


When　I　once　more　awoke　I　saw　by　my　bed…side　the　child　who　had　brought　the　rope　and　grappling…hooks　to　the　house　in　which　I　had　been　first　received；　and　which；　as　I　afterwards　learned；　was　the　residence　of　the　chief　magistrate　of　the　tribe。　　The　child；　whose　name　was　Taee　（pronounced　Tar…ee）；　was　the　magistrate's　eldest　son。　　I　found　that　during　my　last　sleep　or　trance　I　had　made　still　greater　advance　in　the　language　of　the　country；　and　could　converse　with　comparative　ease　and　fluency。

This　child　was　singularly　handsome；　even　for　the　beautiful　race　to　which　he　belonged；　with　a　countenance　very　manly　in　aspect　for　his　years；　and　with　a　more　vivacious　and　energetic　expression　than　I　had　hitherto　seen　in　the　serene　and　passionless　faces　of　the　men。　　He　brought　me　the　tablet　on　which　I　had　drawn　the　mode　of　my　descent；　and　had　also　sketched　the　head　of　the　horrible　reptile　that　had　scared　me　from　my　friend's　corpse。　　Pointing　to　that　part　of　the　drawing；　Taee　put　31to　me　a　few　questions　respecting　the　size　and　form　of　the　monster；　and　the　cave　or　chasm　from　which　it　had　emerged。　　His　interest　in　my　answers　seemed　so　grave　as　to　divert　him　for　a　while　from　any　curiosity　as　to　myself　or　my　antecedents。　　But　to　my　great　embarrassment；　seeing　how　I　was　pledged　to　my　host；　　he　was　just　beginning　to　ask　me　where　I　came　from；　when　Zee；　　fortunately　entered；　and；　overhearing　him；　said；　〃Taee；　give　to　　our　guest　any　information　he　may　desire；　but　ask　none　from　him　　in　return。　　To　question　him　who　he　is；　whence　he　comes；　or　　wherefore　he　is　here；　would　be　a　breach　of　the　law　which　my　　father　has　laid　down　in　this　house。〃　

〃So　be　it；〃　said　Taee；　pressing　his　hand　to　his　breast；　and　from　that　moment；　till　the　one　in　which　I　saw　him　last；　this　child；　with　whom　I　became　very　intimate；　never　once　put　to　me　any　of　the　questions　thus　interdicted。


Chapter　IX。


It　was　not　for　some　time；　and　until；　by　repeated　trances；　if　they　are　to　be　so　called；　my　mind　became　better　prepared　to　interchange　ideas　with　my　entertainers；　and　more　fully　to　comprehend　differences　of　manners　and　customs；　at　first　too　strange　to　my　experience　to　be　seized　by　my　reason；　that　I　was　enabled　to　gather　the　following　details　respecting　the　origin　and　history　of　the　subterranean　population；　as　portion　of　one　great　family　race　called　the　Ana。

According　to　the　earliest　traditions；　the　remote　progenitors　of　the　race　had　once　tenanted　a　world　above　the　surface　of　that　in　which　their　descendants　dwelt。　　Myths　of　that　world　were　still　preserved　in　their　archives；　and　in　those　myths　were　legends　of　a　vaulted　dome　in　which　the　lamps　were　lighted　by　no　human　hand。　　But　such　legends　were　considered　by　most　commentators　as　allegorical　fables。　　According　to　these　traditions　the　earth　32itself；　at　the　date　to　which　the　traditions　ascend；　was　not　indeed　in　its　infancy；　but　in　the　throes　and　travail　of　transition　from　one　form　of　development　to　another；　and　subject　to　many　violent　revolutions　of　nature。　　By　one　of　such　revolutions；　that　portion　of　the　upper　world　inhabited　by　the　ancestors　of　this　race　had　been　subjected　to　inundations；　not　rapid；　but　gradual　and　uncontrollable；　in　which　all；　save　a　scanty　remnant；　were　submerged　and　perished。　　Whether　this　be　a　record　of　our　historical　and　sacred　Deluge；　or　of　some　earlier　one　contended　for　by　geologists；　I　do　not　pretend　to　conjecture；　though；　according　to　the　chronology　of　this　people　as　compared　with　that　of　Newton；　it　must　have　been　many　thousands　of　years　before　the　time　of　Noah。　　On　the　other　hand；　the　account　of　these　writers　does　not　harmonise　with　the　opinions　most　in　vogue　among　geological　authorities；　inasmuch　as　it　places　the　existence　of　a　human　race　upon　earth　at　dates　long　anterior　to　that　assigned　to　the　terrestrial　formation　adapted　to　the　introduction　of　mammalia。　　A　band　of　the　ill…fated　race；　thus　invaded　by　the　Flood；　had；　during　the　march　of　the　waters；　taken　refuge　in　caverns　amidst　the　loftier　rocks；　and；　wandering　through　these　hollows；　they　lost　sight　of　the　upper　world　forever。　　Indeed；　the　whole　face　of　the　earth　had　been　changed　by　this　great　revulsion；　land　had　been　turned　into　sea…　sea　into　land。　　In　the　bowels　of　the　inner　earth；　even　now；　I　was　informed　as　a　positive　fact；　might　be　discovered　the　remains　of　human　habitation…　habitation　not　in　huts　and　caverns；　but　in　vast　cities　whose　ruins　attest　the　civilisation　of　races　which　flourished　before　the　age　of　Noah；　and　are　not　to　be　classified　with　those　genera　to　which　philosophy　ascribes　the　use　of　flint　and　the　ignorance　of　iron。

The　fugitives　had　carried　with　them　the　knowledge　of　the　arts　they　had　practised　above　ground…　arts　of　culture　and　civilisation。　　Their　earliest　want　must　have　been　that　of　supplying　below　the　earth　the　light　they　had　lost　above　it；　and　at　no　time；　even　in　the　traditional　period；　do　the　races；　of　which　the　one　I　now　sojourned　with　formed　a　tribe；　seem　to　have　33been　unacquainted　with　the　art　of　extracting　light　from　gases；　　or　manganese；　or　petroleum。　　They　had　been　accustomed　in　their　　former　state　to　contend　with　the　rude　forces　of　nature；　and　　indeed　the　lengthened　battle　they　had　fought　with　their　　conqueror　Ocean；　which　had　taken　centuries　in　its　spread；　had　　quickened　their　skill　in　curbing　waters　into　dikes　and　channels。　　　To　this　skill　they　owed　their　preservation　in　their　new　abode。　　　〃For　many　generations；〃　said　my　host；　with　a　sort　of　contempt　　and　horror；　〃these　primitive　forefathers　are　said　to　have　　degraded　their　rank　and　shortened　their　lives　by　eating　the　　flesh　of　animals；　many　varieties　of　which　had；　like　themselves；　　escaped　the　Deluge；　and　sought　shelter　in　the　hollows　of　the　　earth；　other　animals；　supposed　to　be　unknown　to　the　upper　world；　　those　hollows　themselves　produced。〃　

When　what　we　should　term　the　historical　age　emerged　from　the　twilight　of　tradition；　the　Ana　were　already　established　in　different　communities；　and　had　attained　to　a　degree　of　civilisation　very　analogous　to　that　which　the　more　advanced　nations　above　the　earth　now　enjoy。　　They　were　familiar　with　most　of　our　mechanical　inventions；　including　the　application　of　steam　as　well　as　gas。　　The　communities　were　in　fierce　competition　with　each　other。　　They　had　their　rich　and　their　poor；　they　had　orators　and　conquerors；　they　made　war　either　for　a　domain　or　an　idea。　　Though　the　various　states　acknowledged　various　forms　of　government；　free　institutions　were　beginning　to　preponderate；　popular　assemblies　increased　in　power；　republics　soon　became　general；　the　democracy　to　which　the　most　enlightened　European　politicians　look　forward　as　the　extreme　goal　of　political　advancement；　and　which　still　prevailed　among　other　subterranean　races；　whom　they　despised　as　barbarians；　the　loftier　family　of　Ana；　to　which　belonged　the　tribe　I　was　visiting；　looked　back　to　as　one　of　the　crude　and　ignorant　experiments　which　belong　to　the　infancy　of　political　science。　　It　was　the　age　of　envy　and　hate；　of　fierce　passions；　of　34constant　social　changes　more　or　less　violent；　of　strife　between　classes；　of　war　between　state　and　state。　　This　phase　of　society　lasted；　however；　for　some　ages；　and　was　finally　brought　to　a　close；　at　least　among　the　nobler　and　more　intellectual　populations；　by　the　gradual　discovery　of　the　latent　powers　stored　in　the　all…permeating　fluid　which　they　denominate　Vril。

According　to　the　account　I　received　from　Zee；　who；　as　an　erudite　professor　of　the　College　of　Sages；　had　studied　such　matters　more　diligently　than　any　other　member　of　my　host's　family；　this　fluid　is　capable　of　being　raised　and　disciplined　into　the　mightiest　agency　over　all　forms　of　matter；　animate　or　inanimate。　　It　can　destroy　like　the　flash　of　lightning；　yet；　differently　applied；　it　can　replenish　or　invigorate　life；　heal；　and　preserve；　and　on　it　they　chiefly　rely　for　the　cure　of　disease；　or　rather　for　enabling　the　physical　organisation　to　re…establish　the　due　equilibrium　of　its　natur