Previous Story
在受到了热情的接待之后，“我们”决定去往Loo，因为据说部落的王正在那举办一年一度的宴会。
Chapter4
Presently our meditations（深思）were broken in upon by our polite friend Infadoos.
"If my lords are rested we will journey on to Loo, where a hut is made ready for my lords tonight. The moon is now bright, so that we shall not fall by the way."
We assented, and in an hour's time were at the outskirts of the town, of which the extent, mapped out as it was by thousands of camp fires, appeared absolutely endless.
Indeed, Good, who is always fond of a bad joke, christened（为…命名）it "Unlimited Loo." Soon we came to a moat with a drawbridge, where we were met by the rattling of arms and the hoarse challenge of a sentry（岗哨）.
Infadoos gave some password that I could not catch, which was met with a salute, and we passed on through the central street of the great grass city.
After nearly half an hour's tramp, past endless lines of huts, Infadoos halted at last by the gate of a little group of huts which surrounded a small courtyard of powdered limestone（石灰石）, and informed us that these were to be our "poor" quarters.
We entered, and found that a hut had been assigned to each of us. These huts were superior to any that we had yet seen, and in each was a most comfortable bed made of tanned（深褐色的）skins, spread upon mattresses of aromatic（芳香的）grass.
Food too was ready for us, and so soon as we had washed ourselves with water, which stood ready in earthenware jars, some young women of handsome appearance brought us roasted meats, and mealie cobs daintily（可口的）served on wooden platters, and presented them to us with deep obeisances.
We ate and drank, and then, the beds having been all moved into one hut by our request, a precaution（预防）at which the amiable young ladies smiled, we flung ourselves down to sleep, thoroughly wearied with our long journey.
When we woke it was to find the sun high in the heavens, and the female attendants, who did not seem to be troubled by any false shame, already standing inside the hut, having been ordered to attend and help us to "make ready."
"Make ready, indeed," growled Good; "when one has only a flannel shirt and a pair of boots, that does not take long. I wish you would ask them for my trousers, Quatermain."
I asked accordingly, but was informed that these sacred relics（神圣的纪念物）had already been taken to the king, who would see us in the forenoon.
Somewhat to their astonishment and disappointment, having requested the young ladies to step outside, we proceeded to make the best toilet of which the circumstances（环境）admitted.
Good even went the length of again shaving the right side of his face; the left, on which now appeared a very fair crop of whiskers, we impressed upon him he must on no account touch. As for ourselves, we were contented with a good wash and combing our hair.
Sir Henry's yellow locks were now almost upon his shoulders, and he looked more like an ancient Dane than ever, while my grizzled scrub（灰白的短发）was fully an inch long, instead of half an inch, which in a general way I considered my maximum length.
By the time that we had eaten our breakfast, and smoked a pipe, a message was brought to us by no less a personage（要人）than Infadoos himself that Twala the king was ready to see us, if we would be pleased to come.
We remarked in reply that we should prefer to wait till the sun was a little higher, we were yet weary with our journey etc etc.
It is always well, when dealing with uncivilized people, not to be in too great a hurry. They are apt to mistake politeness for awe or servility（奴性）.
So, although we were quite as anxious to see Twala as Twala could be to see us, we sat down and waited for an hour, employing the interval in preparing such presents as our slender stock of goods permitted — namely, the Winchester rifle（温彻斯特步枪）which had been used by poor Ventvoegel, and some beads.
The rifle and ammunition（弹药）we determined to present to his royal highness, and the beads were for his wives and courtiers. We had already given a few to Infadoos and Scragga, and found that they were delighted with them, never having seen such things before.
At length we declared that we were ready, and guided by Infadoos, started off to the audience, Umbopa carrying the rifle and beads.
After walking a few hundred yards we came to an enclosure, something like that surrounding the huts which had been allotted to us, only fifty times as big, for it could not have covered less than six or seven acres of ground.
All round the outside fence stood a row of huts, which were the habitations of the king's wives.
Exactly opposite the gateway, on the further side of the open space, was a very large hut, built by itself, in which his majesty（权威）resided.
All the rest was open ground; that is to say, it would have been open had it not been filled by company after company of warriors, who were mustered there to the number of seven or eight thousand.
These men stood still as statues as we advanced through them, and it would be impossible to give an adequate idea of the grandeur（壮丽）of the spectacle which they presented, with their waving plumes, their glancing spears, and iron-backed ox-hide shields.
The space in front of the large hut was empty, but before it were placed several stools. On three of these, at a sign from Infadoos, we seated ourselves, Umbopa standing behind us.
As for Infadoos, he took up a position by the door of the hut. So we waited for ten minutes or more in the midst of a dead silence, but conscious that we were the object of the concentrated gaze of some eight thousand pairs of eyes.
It was a somewhat trying ordeal, but we carried it off as best we could. At length the door of the hut opened, and a gigantic（巨大的）figure, with a splendid tiger-skin karross flung over its shoulders, stepped out, followed by the boy Scragga, and what appeared to us to be a withered-up monkey, wrapped in a fur cloak（斗篷）.
The figure seated itself upon a stool, Scragga took his stand behind it, and the withered-up monkey crept on all fours into the shade of the hut and squatted down.
Still there was silence.
Then the gigantic figure slipped off the karross and stood up before us, a truly alarming spectacle. It was that of an enormous man with the most entirely repulsive countenance（令人憎恶的面容）we had ever beheld.
This man's lips were as thick as a Negro's, the nose was flat, he had but one gleaming black eye, for the other was represented by a hollow in the face, and his whole expression was cruel and sensual to a degree.
From the large head rose a magnificent plume of white ostrich（鸵鸟）feathers, his body was clad in a shirt of shining chain armour, whilst round the waist and right knee were the usual garnishes（装饰）of white ox-tail. In his right hand was a huge spear, about the neck a thick torque of gold, and bound on the forehead shone dully a single and enormous uncut diamond.
Still there was silence; but not for long. Presently the man, whom we rightly guessed to be the king, raised the great javelin（标枪）in his hand.
Instantly eight thousand spears were lifted in answer, and from eight thousand throats rang out the royal salute of "Koom."
Three times this was repeated, and each time the earth shook with the noise, that can only be compared to the deepest notes of thunder.（1319 words）
-今日短语-
1. map out 在地图上标出；筹划
2. be fond of 爱好；喜爱
3. comb hair 梳头发
4. squat down 蹲下
5. ring out 鸣钟送别
备注：本专辑为知米阅读提升营配套音频，方便学员循环收听。
对英文原著学习的小伙伴可以关注我们的微信公众号【知米阅读】，加入我们的学习军团，和上万名小伙伴一起阅读英文原著。100天读3-4本英文原著，思想和英语同时进步！
用户评论