登陆注册
5184400000051

第51章 THE WHITE LEOPARDESS(1)

At the foot of the stair lay the moonlit street,and I could hear the unwholesome,inhospitable wind blowing about below.But not a breath of it entered my retreat,and I was composing myself to rest,when suddenly my eyes opened,and there was the head of the shining creature I had seen following the Shadow,just rising above the uppermost step!The moment she caught sight of my eyes,she stopped and began to retire,tail foremost.I sprang up;whereupon,having no room to turn,she threw herself backward,head over tail,scrambled to her feet,and in a moment was down the stair and gone.I followed her to the bottom,and looked all up and down the street.Not seeing her,I went back to my hard couch.

There were,then,two evil creatures prowling about the city,one with,and one without spots!I was not inclined to risk much for man or woman in Bulika,but the life of a child might well be worth such a poor one as mine,and I resolved to keep watch at that door the rest of the night.

Presently I heard the latch move,slow,slow:I looked up,and seeing the door half-open,rose and slid softly in.Behind it stood,not the woman I had befriended,but the muffled woman of the desert.Without a word she led me a few steps to an empty stone-paved chamber,and pointed to a rug on the floor.I wrapped myself in it,and once more lay down.She shut the door of the room,and I heard the outer door open and close again.There was no light save what came from the moonlit air.

As I lay sleepless,I began to hear a stifled moaning.It went on for a good while,and then came the cry of a child,followed by a terrible shriek.I sprang up and darted into the passage:from another door in it came the white leopardess with a new-born baby in her mouth,carrying it like a cub of her own.I threw myself upon her,and compelled her to drop the infant,which fell on the stone slabs with a piteous wail.

At the cry appeared the muffled woman.She stepped over us,the beast and myself,where we lay struggling in the narrow passage,took up the child,and carried it away.Returning,she lifted me off the animal,opened the door,and pushed me gently out.At my heels followed the leopardess.

"She too has failed me!"thought I;"--given me up to the beast to be settled with at her leisure!But we shall have a tussle for it!"I ran down the stair,fearing she would spring on my back,but she followed me quietly.At the foot I turned to lay hold of her,but she sprang over my head;and when again I turned to face her,she was crouching at my feet!I stooped and stroked her lovely white skin;she responded by licking my bare feet with her hard dry tongue.

Then I patted and fondled her,a well of tenderness overflowing in my heart:she might be treacherous too,but if I turned from every show of love lest it should be feigned,how was I ever to find the real love which must be somewhere in every world?

I stood up;she rose,and stood beside me.

同类推荐
  • 七域修真证品图

    七域修真证品图

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 石关禅师语录

    石关禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 唯识论

    唯识论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 使咒法经

    使咒法经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Commission in Lunacy

    The Commission in Lunacy

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 惊世狂妃训冷皇

    惊世狂妃训冷皇

    病榻上,她高调退婚震惊帝都。眨眼间,她转投他王怀抱惹来众人嘲笑,野种和丑女,当真极配。她不在乎外界评议,助他成皇,只为当初的约定。心愿达成,他卸下面具,冷血的让她不寒而栗。五年后,她华丽归来。比武招亲,他击败所有人站在她面前,她会以怎样的感情面对呢?
  • 灭秦(6)

    灭秦(6)

    大秦末年,神州大地群雄并起。在这烽火狼烟的乱世中,随着一个混混少年纪空手的崛起,他的风云传奇,拉开了秦末汉初恢宏壮阔的历史长卷。大秦帝国因他而灭,楚汉争霸因他而起。因为他——霸王项羽死在小小的蚂蚁面前。因为他——汉王刘邦用最心爱的女人来换取生命。因为他——才有了浪漫爱情红颜知己的典故。军事史上的明修栈道,暗度陈仓是他的谋略。四面楚歌、动摇军心是他的筹划。十面埋伏这流传千古的经典战役是他最得意的杰作。
  • 内战风云:东北烽火(续四)

    内战风云:东北烽火(续四)

    寂寞的鸭绿江1947年2月下旬,北线吉林、长春地区战事正酣,南线相对平静,我到安东去采访,主要是想看看久闻大名的鸭绿江。鸭绿江是中朝两国的天然水界,历史上,就是长白山脉所产木材外运的重要水道航路。据说每到伐木季节,大批木排由上游顺流而下,连绵不断,蔚为壮观。但在国防意义上,鸭绿江却因国势衰微,始终没有成为防卫屏障。中日甲午战争时,日军就是从鸭绿江打过来,入侵东北的,中国失去了江南屏障朝鲜。日俄战争时,日军再次渡江北上,打败俄国,朝鲜完全变成日本的侵华基地,鸭绿江就是其直趋东北的桥梁。“九一八”事变,东北沦陷,国境一缩千余里,山海关成了“国境线”。
  • 穿越之日月神女

    穿越之日月神女

    居然穿越了?吴梦菲不敢相信!更悲催的是穿个越还发现自己惹到了惹不起的大人物!怎么办?先保住小命再说!菲菲小心翼翼地走在保命的路上,看到了帅哥一箩筐,这又怎么好呢?哪还容得她多想?被害得更悲催的男主可不是吃素的!斗志斗勇后,菲菲说:“我对您有愧,我害您吃了不少苦。”他答:“既然这样,那就给我一点甜,让我可以靠近你!”可是有着现代婚恋观的菲菲怎么敢轻易接受?他身份高贵,想要平等尚且困难,又怎么可能与她一生一世一双人?实在是不匹配啊......一路向前,奋斗不止,惊喜不断!她渐渐发现,自己竟是日月神女!到底是谁配不上谁?身份大逆转了,往后的路怎么走,又该情归何处呢?
  • 三十六计活学活用(1—12计)

    三十六计活学活用(1—12计)

    商场如战场,竞争即战争。在当今这个充满机遇与挑战,竞争激烈,关系复杂,优胜劣汰的世界,人人者渴望事业成功,家庭幸福,人生顺遂。但想要在官场、商场、家庭和社会上为自己争得一席之地,进而立于不败之地,没有一套高超的处世哲学与计谋是根本行不通的。三十六计是依据古代阴阳变化之理,以辩证法思想论述了战争中诸如虚实、劳逸、刚柔、攻防等关系,做到“数中有术,术中有数”。
  • 超级拍卖行

    超级拍卖行

    一个来自异世的强大灵魂闯入了方慎脑海,开启地修之门,成为地球上唯一一名修炼者……修炼之余,大肆开始圈地之旅,整个地球都是我的,甚至还能连接到其他世界去,得到各种天材地宝,放到自家拍卖行拍卖,让无数人趋之如鹜。你垂垂老矣,需要一年时间安排家族后事?超级拍卖行为你服务,别说一年,增加十年阳寿都不是问题。你花容月貌,却遭情敌迫害,一场大火,从此如同厉鬼?超级拍卖行为你服务,重返青春不是梦。你自小习武,学有所成,却因为一场比武经脉尽毁,成为废人?超级拍卖行为你服务,还你一个强壮身躯,以后世界的和平就靠你了。……
  • 有贼抢内丹

    有贼抢内丹

    狐妖婵九趁着师父柳七被人抓走,下山作祟,遇到了同样下山历劫的昆仑派剑仙寒山,寒山毫不犹豫夺走了她的内丹(冷漠脸)。现在有没有人指条明路啊?妖没有内丹该怎么活啊啊啊啊?
  • 从坟墓中爬出的大帝

    从坟墓中爬出的大帝

    重生浩然大世界万年归来,从坟墓中爬出。一身三分,看且看三位大帝,如何开启怼天怼地怼众生之路。
  • 傅太太超甜的

    傅太太超甜的

    【全文完】“大哥哥,你一直板着脸,以后是不会有女朋友的。”林籽瑜第一次去傅家就一本正经的“训”了好朋友傅思琪的小叔叔。“那是我小叔叔。”傅思琪小声的提醒她。“哦。”林籽瑜小脑袋点了点,懂了,换了个称呼重新陈述了一遍:“小叔叔,你一直板着脸,以后是不会有女朋友的。”傅子宸:“……”没过几分钟,傅子宸淡漠拒绝了某女生的告白又遇到了林籽瑜……“大哥哥,你脾气那么差,以后会娶不到老婆的。”“那是我小叔叔。”傅思琪压低声音又一次的提醒她。林籽瑜顿了一下,立即改口:“小叔叔,你脾气那么差,以后会娶不到老婆的。”额……后来他真的“找不到”老婆,然后她成了他的太太。
  • 江姐其人

    江姐其人

    一曲红梅赞,唤起了多少人对纫岩上那位视死如归的巾帼英雄的深情怀念。在为新中国的诞生而抛头颅洒热血的千千万万革命先烈中。江姐这个名字是大家最熟悉的了。小说、电影、歌剧都饱含激情地讴歌了她的英雄事迹,并对她的光辉形象作了深刻动人的描写。然而现实生活中为人妻、为人母、为人友的江姐到底是个什么样子,那就鲜为人知了。