登陆注册
5264700000012

第12章 Chapter 3(2)

As I slowly recalled my collegiate studies and paleontological readings in Bowen's textbooks, I realized that I had looked upon nothing less than a diplodocus of the Upper Jurassic; but how infinitely different was the true, live thing from the crude restorations of Hatcher and Holland! I had had the idea that the diplodocus was a land-animal, but evidently it is partially amphibious. I have seen several since my first encounter, and in each case the creature took to the sea for concealment as soon as it was disturbed. With the exception of its gigantic tail, it has no weapon of defense; but with this appendage it can lash so terrific a blow as to lay low even a giant cave-bear, stunned and broken. It is a stupid, simple, gentle beast--one of the few within Caspak which such a description might even remotely fit.

For three nights we slept in trees, finding no caves or other places of concealment. Here we were free from the attacks of the large land carnivora; but the smaller flying reptiles, the snakes, leopards, and panthers were a constant menace, though by no means as much to be feared as the huge beasts that roamed the surface of the earth.

At the close of the third day Ajor and I were able to converse with considerable fluency, and it was a great relief to both of us, especially to Ajor. She now did nothing but ask questions whenever I would let her, which could not be all the time, as our preservation depended largely upon the rapidity with which I could gain knowledge of the geography and customs of Caspak, and accordingly I had to ask numerous questions myself.

I enjoyed immensely hearing and answering her, so naive were many of her queries and so filled with wonder was she at the things I told her of the world beyond the lofty barriers of Caspak; not once did she seem to doubt me, however marvelous my statements must have seemed; and doubtless they were the cause of marvel to Ajor, who before had never dreamed that any life existed beyond Caspak and the life she knew.

Artless though many of her questions were, they evidenced a keen intellect and a shrewdness which seemed far beyond her years of her experience. Altogether I was finding my little savage a mighty interesting and companionable person, and I often thanked the kind fate that directed the crossing of our paths. From her I learned much of Caspak, but there still remained the mystery that had proved so baffling to Bowen Tyler--the total absence of young among the ape, the semihuman and the human races with which both he and I had come in contact upon opposite shores of the inland sea. Ajor tried to explain the matter to me, though it was apparent that she could not conceive how so natural a condition should demand explanation.

She told me that among the Galus there were a few babies, that she had once been a baby but that most of her people "came up," as he put it, "cor sva jo," or literally, "from the beginning"; and as they all did when they used that phrase, she would wave a broad gesture toward the south.

"For long," she explained, leaning very close to me and whispering the words into my ear while she cast apprehensive glances about and mostly skyward, "for long my mother kept me hidden lest the Wieroo, passing through the air by night, should come and take me away to Oo-oh." And the child shuddered as she voiced the word. I tried to get her to tell me more; but her terror was so real when she spoke of the Wieroo and the land of Oo-oh where they dwell that I at last desisted, though I did learn that the Wieroo carried off only female babes and occasionally women of the Galus who had "come up from the beginning." It was all very mysterious and unfathomable, but I got the idea that the Wieroo were creatures of imagination--the demons or gods of her race, omniscient and omnipresent. This led me to assume that the Galus had a religious sense, and further questioning brought out the fact that such was the case.

Ajor spoke in tones of reverence of Luata, the god of heat and life. The word is derived from two others: Lua, meaning sun, and ata, meaning variously eggs, life, young, and reproduction. She told me that they worshiped Luata in several forms, as fire, the sun, eggs and other material objects which suggested heat and reproduction.

I had noticed that whenever I built a fire, Ajor outlined in the air before her with a forefinger an isosceles triangle, and that she did the same in the morning when she first viewed the sun. At first I had not connected her act with anything in particular, but after we learned to converse and she had explained a little of her religious superstitions, I realized that she was making the sign of the triangle as a Roman Catholic makes the sign of the cross. Always the short side of the triangle was uppermost. As she explained all this to me, she pointed to the decorations on her golden armlets, upon the knob of her dagger-hilt and upon the band which encircled her right leg above the knee--always was the design partly made up of isosceles triangles, and when she explained the significance of this particular geometric figure, I at once grasped its appropriateness.

We were now in the country of the Band-lu, the spearmen of Caspak.

Bowen had remarked in his narrative that these people were analogous to the so-called Cro-Magnon race of the Upper Paleolithic, and I was therefore very anxious to see them.

Nor was I to be disappointed; I saw them, all right! We had left the Sto-lu country and literally fought our way through cordons of wild beasts for two days when we decided to make camp a little earlier than usual, owing to the fact that we had reached a line of cliffs running east and west in which were numerous likely cave-lodgings. We were both very tired, and the sight of these caverns, several of which could be easily barricaded, decided us to halt until the following morning.

同类推荐
  • On Liberty

    On Liberty

    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。
  • 灵信经旨

    灵信经旨

    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。
  • 石溪心月禅师杂录

    石溪心月禅师杂录

    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。
  • 金刚顶超胜三界经说文殊五字真言胜相

    金刚顶超胜三界经说文殊五字真言胜相

    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。
  • Chants for Socialists

    Chants for Socialists

    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
  • 血弑天穹

    血弑天穹

    -(三组出品-必属精品)【東街.Smile、社员出品。】-前世凄苦的遭遇,转世废材的命运。老天故意在玩他吗?的确如此,非人的遭遇,让他在逆境中不断的成长。非人的享受,让他在生死间不断的变强。-一戟,划破天际,一箭,洞穿虚空。弑雷,天地变色,弑血,赤红人间。我命由我不由天,天若要绝我、我必逆天行。新书《动天》祈求各位的支持!
  • 昆虫记:蓑蛾的保护层(第7卷)

    昆虫记:蓑蛾的保护层(第7卷)

    中国唯一全译插图本跨越两个世纪的传世经典献给所有敬畏生命、热爱生活的读者它们捕猎、相爱、生儿育女,它们诈取、被杀、朝生夕死……昆虫的世界从不绝望,它们永远生机勃勃。卷七:蓑蛾的保护层法布尔将专业知识与人生感悟融于一炉,用自己客观、独特的眼光描述了象虫、叶甲、步甲、石蛾和蓑蛾等昆虫的生活习性,字里行间洋溢着作者本人对生命的尊重和热爱,宛如一幅描绘属于昆虫秘密花园的精美画卷。对生命的最后时刻感到不安的心态,成了我们的最大痛苦,同时也显示了我们的崇高伟大。——法布尔《昆虫记第七卷:蓑蛾的保护层》
  • 割不断的苦藤

    割不断的苦藤

    八十年代的贺坦乡大坝村周庄子是一个既平凡又普通的小村庄。村民们默默无闻,平平淡淡不被外人所知。但是他们有着自己的故事。有的活的潇洒,尊严;有的却活的卑微,无耻。不论怎么样,他们都是周庄子的一份子,他们用自己的故事编织着周庄子已成过去的历史。出生时因怪异的模样被村民视为不详的徐少华是周庄子的一份子,他有着童年里和小伙伴快乐的时光,有父母姐妹屡遭的不幸;也有心爱女孩的伤害;他有过失望、有过心碎。他会向命运妥协还是力争......
  • 是应篇

    是应篇

    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。
  • 被神坛篡改的王者荣耀

    被神坛篡改的王者荣耀

    【2018王者荣耀文学大赛·征文参赛作品】神坛的出现复活了王者荣耀故事中的所有英雄,也改变了王者大陆既有的规则。罗俊在一番经历过后,也终于知道了自己身为召唤师所要走的路。“我要让武则天跪下唱征服。”“我要让甄姬给我搓背。”“我要让阿珂给我挠痒痒。”“我要让虞姬给我跳钢管舞。”“我要让……”其实这是一本正经的穿越文。首发在创世,希望大家能够多多订阅,支持正版阅读。谢谢
  • 若是爱有天意

    若是爱有天意

    女主魂穿到1998年,受了重伤,被杀手追杀,好端端的看下风景,被不长眼的活生生弄的痛晕。好不容易抢救过来,莫名其妙和一个孤傲严肃,帅气耀眼,阴晴不定的军少结了婚。分分钟被吓到心脏跳动加速。苏悦溪:“我上辈子倒了血霉遇到了他。”某帅气军少:“缘分天注定,你逃不掉。”你以为这是一本正正经经的军少,军嫂文。不存在的,不存在的,不存在的。
  • 佛说阿弥陀三耶三佛萨楼佛檀过度人道经

    佛说阿弥陀三耶三佛萨楼佛檀过度人道经

    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。
  • 梵志頞波罗延问种尊经

    梵志頞波罗延问种尊经

    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。
  • 盗版C罗

    盗版C罗

    我叫罗南多,一个有志于吃饱穿暖的中国宅男。欧洲人叫我克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多,这个名字原本属于一个天才,而我只是一个渺小的凡人。我来了,葡萄牙的小镇上走来了一个不起眼的厨子,而C·罗纳尔多彻底消失了……如果我说自己有一项绝技,可以在三秒钟之内如同上帝附体一般无所不能,你信吗?99新书《战争至上》,军事题材,欢迎阅读!
  • 飞艇上的火中逃生

    飞艇上的火中逃生

    因为妹妹得了重病急需从德国回到美国,雨果和家人登上了世界上最大的飞行器——“兴登堡号”飞艇。为了逗妹妹开心,雨果偷偷溜进飞艇的货舱区寻找被托运的小狗,却意外发现了神秘的美国间谍……飞艇即将着陆时,竟然发生了大火!面对追捕间谍的坏人的枪口,被大火困在飞艇上的雨果能成功脱险吗?与他失散的家人又是否能平安逃离飞艇呢?