the mirror of kong ho-第26节

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of　glamour；　but　with　what　funereal　pigments　shall　he　describe　his



sinking　emotions　when　one　of　his　own　band；　approaching　him　as　he　went；



whispered　in　his　ear；　〃Look　out　at　this　end；　they　kick　up　like　the



very　devil。　And　their　man　behind　the　wicket　is　really　smart；　if　you



give　him　half　a　chance　he'll　have　your　stumps　down　before　you　can　say



'knife。'〃　Shorn　of　its　uncouth　familiarity；　this　was　a　charitable



warning　that　they　into　whose　stronghold　I　was　turning　my



footstepsperhaps　first　deceiving　my　alertness　with　a　proffered



friendshipwould　kick　with　the　ferocity　of　untamed　demons；　and　that



one　in　particular；　whose　description；　to　my　added　despair；　I　was



unable　to　retain；　was　known　to　possess　a　formidable　knife；　with　which



it　was　his　intention　to　cut　off　this　person's　legs　at　the　first



opportunity；　before　he　could　be　accused　of　the　act。　Truly；　〃To　one



whom　he　would　utterly　destroy　Buddha　sends　a　lucky　dream。〃







Behind　lay　the　pagoda　（though　the　fact　that　this　one　did　admittedly



turn　round　for　a　period　need　not　be　too　critically　dwelt　upon）；　with



three　tiers　of　maidens；　some　already　waving　their　hands　as　an



encouraging　token；　on　each　side　a　barrier　of　prickly　growth



inopportunely　presented　itself；　while　in　front　the　eleven　kicking



crickets　stood　waiting；　and　among　them　lurked　the　one　grasping　a



doubly…edged　blade　of　a　highly　proficient　keenness。







There　are　occasional　moments　in　the　life　of　a　person　when　he　as　the



inward　perception　of　retiring　for　a　few　paces　and　looking　back　in



order　to　consider　his　general　appearance　and　to　judge　how　he　is



situated　with　regard　to　himself；　to　review　his　past　life　in　a　spirit



of　judicial　severity；　to　arrange　definitely　upon　a　future　composed



entirely　of　acts　of　benevolence；　and　to　examine　the　working　of　destiny



at　large。　In　such　a　scrutiny　I　now　began　to　understand　that　it　would



perhaps　have　been　more　harmonious　to　my　love　of　contemplative　repose



if　I　had　considered　the　disadvantages　closer　before　venturing　into



this　barbarian　region；　or；　at　least；　if　I　had　used　the　occasion



profitably　to　advance　an　argument　tending　towards　a　somewhat　fuller



allowance　of　taels　from　your　benevolent　sleeve。　Our　own　virtuous　and



flower…strewn　land；　it　is　true；　does　not　possess　an　immunity　from



every　trifling　drawback。　The　Hoang　Hoto　concede　specifically　the



existence　of　some　of　thesefrequently　bursts　through　its　restraining



barriers　and　indiscriminately　sweeps　away　all　those　who　are　so



ill…advised　as　to　dwell　within　reach　of　its　malignant　influence。　From



time　to　time　wars　and　insurrections　are　found　to　be　necessary；　and　no



matter　how　morally…intentioned　and　humanely　conducted；　they



necessarily　result　in　the　violation；　dismemberment　or　extirpation　of



many　thousand　polite　and　dispassionate　persons　who　have　no　concern



with　either　side。　Towns　are　repeatedly　consumed　by　fire；　districts



scourged　by　leprosy；　and　provinces　swept　by　famine。　The　storms　are



admittedly　more　fatal　than　elsewhere；　the　thunderbolts　larger；　more



numerous；　and　all　unerringly　directed；　while　the　extremities　of　heat



and　cold　render　life　really　uncongenial　for　the　greater　part　of　each



year。　The　poor；　having　no　money　to　secure　justice；　are　evilly　used；



whereas　the　wealthy；　having　too　much；　are　assailed　legally　by　the



gross　and　powerful　for　the　purpose　of　extorting　their　riches。　Robbers



and　assassins　lurk　in　every　cave；　vast　hoards　of　pirates　blacken　the



surface　of　every　river；　and　mandarins　of　the　nine　degrees　must　make　a



livelihood　by　some　means　or　other。　By　day；　therefore；　it　is



inadvisable　to　go　forth　and　encounter　human　beings；　while　none　but　the



shallow…headed　would　risk　a　meeting　with　the　countless　demons　and



vampires　which　move　by　night。　To　one　who　has　spent　many　moons　among



these　foreign　apparitions　the　absence　of　drains；　roads；　illustrated



message…parchments；　maidens　whose　voices　may　be　heard　protesting　upon



ringing　a　wire；　loaves　of　conflicting　dimensions；　persons　who　strive



to　put　their　faces　upon　every　advertisement；　pens　which　emit　fountains



when　carried　in　the　pocket；　a　profusion　of　make…strong　foods；　and　an



Encyclopaedia　Mongolia；　may　undoubtedly　be　mentioned　as　constituting　a



material　deficiency。　Affairs　are　not　being　altogether　reputably



conducted　during　the　crisis；　it　can　never　be　quite　definitely　asserted



what　the　next　action　of　the　versatile　and　high…spirited　Dowager



Empress　will　be；　and　here　it　is　freely　contended　that　the　Pure　and



Immortal　Empire　is　incapable　of　remaining　in　one　piece　for　much



longer。　These；　and　other　inconveniences　of　a　like　nature；　which　the



fastidious　might　distort　into　actual　hardships；　have　never　been



denied；　yet　at　no　period　of　the　nine　thousand　years　of　our



civilisation　has　it　been　the　custom　to　lure　out　the　unwary；　on　the



plea　of　an　agreeable　entertainment；　and　then　to　abandon　him　into　the



society　of　eleven　club…bearing　adversaries；　one　of　whom　may　be



depicted　as　in　the　act　of　imparting　an　unnecessary　polish　to　the　edge



of　his　already　preternaturally　acute　weapon；　while　those　of　his　own



band　offer　no　protection；　and　three　tiers　of　very　richly…dressed



maidens　encourage　him　to　his　fate　by　refined　gestures　of　approval。







Doubtless　this　person　had　unconsciously　allowed　his　inner　meditations



to　carry　him　away；　as　it　may　be　expressed；　for　when　he　emerged　from



this　strain　of　reverie　it　was　to　discover　himself　in　the　chariot…road



andso　incongruously　may　be　the　actions　when　the　controlling



intelligence　is　withdrawneven　proceeding　at　a　somewhat　undignified



pace　in　a　direction　immediately　opposed　to　an　encounter　with　the　brown



locusts。　From　this　mortifying　position　he　was　happily　saved　by



emerging　from　these　thought…dreams　before　it　was　too　late　to　return；



and；　also；　if　the　detail　is　not　too　insignificant　to　be　related；　by



the　fact　that　certain　chosen　runners　from　his　own　company　had　reached



a　point　in　the　road　before　him；　and　now　stood　joining　their



outstretched　arms　across　the　passage　and　raising　gravity…dispelling



cries。　Smiling　acquiescently；　therefore；　this　person　returned　in　their



midst；　and　receiving　a　new　weapon；　his　own　club　having　been



absent…mindedly　mislaid；　he　again　set　forth　warily　to　the　encounter。







Yet　in　this　he　did　not　altogether　neglect　a　discreet　prudence。　The



sympathetic　person　to　whom　he　was　indebted　for　the　pointed　allusion



had　specifically　declared　that　they　who　used　their　feet　with　the



desperate　savagery　of　baffled　spectres　guarded　the　nearer　limits　of



their　position；　the　intention　of　his　timely　hint　assuredly　being　that



I　should　seek　to　approach　from　the　opposite　end；　where；　doubtless；　the



more　humane　and　conciliatory　grass…hoppers　were　assembled。　Thus　guided



I　now　set　forth　in　a　widely…circuitous　direction；　having　the　point



where　I　meant　to　open　an　attack　clearly　before　my　eyes；　yet　seeking　to



deliver　a　more　effective　onslaught　by　reaching　it　to　some　extent



unperceived　and　to　this　end　creeping　forward　in　the　protecting　shadow



of　the　long　grass　and　untrimmed　herbage。







Whether　the　one　already　referred　to　had　incapably　failed　to　express



his　real　meaning；　or　whether　he　was　tremulous　by　nature　and



inordinately　self…deficient；　concerns　the　narration　less　than　the　fact



that　he　had　admittedly　produced　a　state　of　things　largely　in　excess　of



the　actual。　There　is　no　longer　any　serviceable　pretext　for　maintaining



that　those　guarding　any　point　of　their　position　were　other　than　mild



and　benevolent；　while　the　only　edged　weapon　displayed　was　one



courteously　produced　to　aid　this　person's　ineffectual　struggles　to



extricate　himself　when；　by　some　obscure　movement；　he　had　most　ignobly



entangled　his　pigtail　about　the　claws　of　his　sandal。







Ignorant　of　this；　the　true　state　of　things；　I　was　still　advancing



subtly　when　one　wearing　the　emblems　of　our　band　appeared　from　among



the　brown　insects　and　came　towards　me。　〃Courage！〃　I　exclaimed　in　a



guarded　tone；　raising　my　head　cautiously　and　rejoiced　to　find　that　I



should　not　be　alone。　〃Here　is　one　clad　in　green　bearing　succour；　who



will；　moreover；　obstinately　defend　his　stumps　to　the　last　extremity。〃







〃That's　right；〃　replied　the　opportune　person　agreeably；　〃we　need　a　few



like　that。　But　do　get　up　on　your　hind　legs　and　come　along；　there's　a



good　fellow。　You　can　play　at　bears　in　the　nursery　when　we　get　back；　if



you　want。〃







Certainly　one　can　simulate　the　movements　of　wild　animals　in　a



market…garden　if　the　impersonation　is　thought　to　be　desirable；　yet　the



reasonable　an