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第25节

before adam-第25节

小说: before adam 字数: 每页4000字

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Fire People appeared again。  They had come down the

river; not on a catamaran; but in a rude dug…out。

There were three of them that paddled in it; and one of

them was the little wizened old hunter。  They landed on

our beach; and he limped across the sand and examined

our caves。



They went away in a few minutes; but the Swift One was

badly scared。  We were all frightened; but none of us

to the extent that she was。  She whimpered and cried

and was restless all that night。 In the morning she

took the child in her arms; and by sharp cries;

gestures; and example; started me on our second long

flight。 There were eight of the Folk (all that was left

of the horde) that remained behind in the caves。  There

was no hope for them。 Without doubt; even if the Fire

People did not return; they must soon have perished。

It was a bad climate down there by the sea。  The Folk

were not constituted for the coast…dwelling life。



We travelled south; for days skirting the great swamp

but never venturing into it。  Once we broke back to the

westward; crossing a range of mountains and coming down

to the coast。  But it was no place for us。  There were

no treesonly bleak headlands; a thundering surf; and

strong winds that seemed never to cease from blowing。

We turned back across the mountains; travelling east

and south; until we came in touch with the great swamp

again。



Soon we gained the southern extremity of the swamp; and

we continued our course south and east。  It was a

pleasant land。  The air was warm; and we were again in

the forest。  Later on we crossed a low…lying range of

hills and found ourselves in an even better forest

country。  The farther we penetrated from the coast the

warmer we found it; and we went on and on until we came

to a large river that seemed familiar to the Swift One。

It was where she must have come during the four years'

absence from the harde。 This river we crossed on logs;

landing on side at the large bluff。 High up on the

bluff we found our new home most difficult of access

and quite hidden from any eye beneath。



There is little more of my tale to tell。  Here the

Swift One and I lived and reared our family。  And here

my memories end。  We never made another migration。  I

never dream beyond our high; inaccessible cave。  And

here must have been born the child that inherited the

stuff of my dreams; that had moulded into its being all

the impressions of my lifeor of the life of

Big…Tooth; rather; who is my other…self; and not my

real self; but who is so real to me that often I am

unable to tell what age I am living in。



I often wonder about this line of descent。  I; the

modern; am incontestably a man; yet I; Big…Tooth; the

primitive; am not a man。  Somewhere; and by straight

line of descent; these two parties to my dual

personality were connected。  Were the Folk; before

their destruction; in the process of becoming men? And

did I and mine carry through this process? On the other

hand; may not some descendant of mine have gone in to

the Fire People and become one of them? I do not know。

There is no way of learning。  One thing only is

certain; and that is that Big…Tooth did stamp into the

cerebral constitution of one of his progeny all the

impressions of his life; and stamped them in so

indelibly that the hosts of intervening generations

have failed to obliterate them。



There is one other thing of which I must speak before I

close。  It is a dream that I dream often; and in point

of time the real event must have occurred during the

period of my living in the high; inaccessible cave。 I

remember that I wandered far in the forest toward the

east。  There I came upon a tribe of Tree People。  I

crouched in a thicket and watched them at play。  They

were holding a laughing council; jumping up and down

and screeching rude choruses。



Suddenly they hushed their noise and ceased their

capering。  They shrank down in fear; and quested

anxiously about with their eyes for a way of retreat。

Then Red…Eye walked in among them。  They cowered away

from him。  All were frightened。  But he made no attempt

to hurt them。  He was one of them。  At his heels; on

stringy bended legs; supporting herself with knuckles

to the ground on either side; walked an old female of

the Tree People; his latest wife。  He sat down in the

midst of the circle。  I can see him now; as I write

this; scowling; his eyes inflamed; as he peers about

him at the circle of the Tree People。  And as he peers

he crooks one monstrous leg and with his gnarly toes

scratches himself on the stomach。  He is Red…Eye; the

atavism。












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