allan quatermain-第22部分

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we　proceeded　a　distance　of　about　a　hundred　and　fifty　miles　to　

another　magnificent　snow…clad　mountain　called　Lekakisera；　which　

has　never；　to　the　best　of　my　belief；　been　visited　before　by　a　

European；　but　which　I　cannot　now　stop　to　describe。　　There　we　

rested　a　fortnight；　and　then　started　out　into　the　trackless　and　

uninhabited　forest　of　a　vast　district　called　Elgumi。　　In　this　

forest　alone　there　are　more　elephants　than　I　ever　met　with　or　

heard　with　before。　　The　mighty　mammals　literally　swarm　there　

entirely　unmolested　by　man；　and　only　kept　down　by　the　natural　

law　that　prevents　any　animals　increasing　beyond　the　capacity　

of　the　country　they　inhabit　to　support　them。　　Needless　to　say；　

however；　we　did　not　shoot　many　of　them；　first　because　we　could　

not　afford　to　waste　ammunition；　of　which　our　stock　was　getting　

perilously　low；　a　donkey　loaded　with　it　having　been　swept　away　

in　fording　a　flooded　river；　and　secondly；　because　we　could　not　

carry　away　the　ivory；　and　did　not　wish　to　kill　for　the　mere　sake　

of　slaughter。　　So　we　let　the　great　beasts　be；　only　shooting　one　

or　two　in　self…protection。　　In　this　district；　the　elephants；　

being　unacquainted　with　the　hunter　and　his　tender　mercies；　would　

allow　one　to　walk　up　to　within　twenty　yards　of　them　in　the　open；　

while　they　stood；　with　their　great　ears　cocked　for　all　the　world　

like　puzzled　and　gigantic　puppy…dogs；　and　stared　at　that　new　

and　extraordinary　phenomenon　　man。　　Occasionally；　when　the　

inspection　did　not　prove　satisfactory；　the　staring　ended　in　a　

trumpet　and　a　charge；　but　this　did　not　often　happen。　　When　it　

did　we　had　to　use　our　rifles。　　Nor　were　elephants　the　only　wild　

beasts　in　the　great　Elgumi　forest。　　All　sorts　of　large　game　abounded；　

including　lions　　confound　them！　　I　have　always　hated　the　sight　

of　a　lion　since　one　bit　my　leg　and　lamed　me　for　life。　　As　a　consequence；　

another　thing　that　abounded　was　the　dreadful　tsetse　fly；　whose　

bite　is　death　to　domestic　animals。　　Donkeys　have；　together　with　

men；　hitherto　been　supposed　to　enjoy　a　peculiar　immunity　from　

its　attacks；　but　all　I　have　to　say；　whether　it　was　on　account　

of　their　poor　condition；　or　because　the　tsetse　in　those　parts　

is　more　poisonous　than　usual；　I　do　not　know；　but　ours　succumbed　

to　its　onslaught。　　Fortunately；　however；　that　was　not　till　two　

months　or　so　after　the　bites　had　been　inflicted；　when　suddenly；　

after　a　two　days'　cold　rain；　they　all　died；　and　on　removing　the　

skins　of　several　of　them　I　found　the　long　yellow　streaks　upon　

the　flesh　which　are　characteristic　of　death　from　bites　from　the　

tsetse；　marking　the　spot　where　the　insect　had　inserted　his　proboscis。　　

On　emerging　from　the　great　Elgumi　forest；　we；　still　steering　

northwards；　in　accordance　with　the　information　Mr　Mackenzie　had　

collected　from　the　unfortunate　wanderer　who　reached　him　only　

to　die　so　tragically；　struck　the　base　in　due　course　of　the　large　

lake；　called　Laga　by　the　natives；　which　is　about　fifty　miles　

long　by　twenty　broad；　and　of　which；　it　may　be　remembered；　he　

made　mention。　　Thence　we　pushed　on　nearly　a　month's　journey　over　

great　rolling　uplands；　something　like　those　in　the　Transvaal；　

but　diversified　by　patches　of　bush　country。



All　this　time　we　were　continually　ascending　at　the　rate　of　about　

one　hundred　feet　every　ten　miles。　　Indeed　the　country　was　on　

a　slope　which　appeared　to　terminate　at　a　mass　of　snow…tipped　

mountains；　for　which　we　were　steering；　and　where　we　learnt　the　

second　lake　of　which　the　wanderer　had　spoken　as　the　lake　without　

a　bottom　was　situated。　　At　length　we　arrived　there；　and；　having　

ascertained　that　there　was　a　large　lake　on　top　of　the　mountains；　

ascended　three　thousand　feet　more　till　we　came　to　a　precipitous　

cliff　or　edge；　to　find　a　great　sheet　of　water　some　twenty　miles　

square　lying　fifteen　hundred　feet　below　us；　and　evidently　occupying　

an　extinct　volcanic　crater　or　craters　of　vast　extent。　　Perceiving　

villages　on　the　border　of　this　lake；　we　descended　with　great　

difficulty　through　forests　of　pine　trees；　which　now　clothed　the　

precipitous　sides　of　the　crater；　and　were　well　received　by　the　

people；　a　simple；　unwarlike　folk；　who　had　never　seen　or　even　

heard　of　a　white　man　before；　and　treated　us　with　great　reverence　

and　kindness；　supplying　us　with　as　much　food　and　milk　as　we　could　

eat　and　drink。　　This　wonderful　and　beautiful　lake　lay；　according　

to　our　aneroid；　at　a　height　of　no　less　than　11；450　feet　above　

sea…level；　and　its　climate　was　quite　cold；　and　not　at　all　unlike　

that　of　England。　　Indeed；　for　the　first　three　days　of　our　stay　

there　we　saw　little　or　nothing　of　the　scenery　on　account　of　an　

unmistakable　Scotch　mist　which　prevailed。　　It　was　this　rain　that　

set　the　tsetse　poison　working　in　our　remaining　donkeys；　so　that　

they　all　died。



This　disaster　left　us　in　a　very　awkward　position；　as　we　had　now　

no　means　of　transport　whatever；　though　on　the　other　hand　we　had　

not　much　to　carry。　　Ammunition；　too；　was　very　short；　amounting　

to　but　one　hundred　and　fifty　rounds　of　rifle　cartridges　and　some　

fifty　shot…gun　cartridges。　　How　to　get　on　we　did　not　know；　indeed　

it　seemed　to　us　that　we　had　about　reached　the　end　of　our　tether。　　

Even　if　we　had　been　inclined　to　abandon　the　object　of　our　search；　

which；　shadow　as　it　was；　was　by　no　means　the　case；　it　was　ridiculous　

to　think　of　forcing　our　way　back　some　seven　hundred　miles　to　

the　coast　in　our　present　plight；　so　we　came　to　the　conclusion　

that　the　only　thing　to　be　done　was　to　stop　where　we　were　　the　

natives　being　so　well　disposed　and　food　plentiful　　for　the　

present；　and　abide　events；　and　try　to　collect　information　as　

to　the　countries　beyond。



Accordingly；　having　purchased　a　capital　log　canoe；　large　enough　

to　hold　us　all　and　our　baggage；　from　the　headman　of　the　village　

we　were　staying　in；　presenting　him　with　three　empty　cold…drawn　

brass　cartridges　by　way　of　payment；　with　which　he　was　perfectly　

delighted；　we　set　out　to　make　a　tour　of　the　lake　in　order　to　

find　the　most　favourable　place　to　make　a　camp。　　As　we　did　not　

know　if　we　should　return　to　this　village；　we　put　all　our　gear　

into　the　canoe；　and　also　a　quarter　of　cooked　water…buck；　which　

when　young　is　delicious　eating；　and　off　we　set；　natives　having　

already　gone　before　us　in　light　canoes　to　warn　the　inhabitants　

of　the　other　villages　of　our　approach。



As　we　were　puddling　leisurely　along　Good　remarked　upon　the　extraordinary　

deep　blue　colour　of　the　water；　and　said　that　he　understood　from　

the　natives；　who　were　great　fishermen　　fish；　indeed；　being　

their　principal　food　　that　the　lake　was　supposed　to　be　wonderfully　

deep；　and　to　have　a　hole　at　the　bottom　through　which　the　water　

escaped　and　put　out　some　great　fire　that　was　raging　below。



I　pointed　out　to　him　that　what　he　had　heard　was　probably　a　legend　

arising　from　a　tradition　among　the　people　which　dated　back　to　

the　time　when　one　of　the　extinct　parasitic　volcanic　cones　was　

in　activity。　　We　saw　several　round　the　borders　of　the　lake　which　

had　no　doubt　been　working　at　a　period　long　subsequent　to　the　

volcanic　death　of　the　central　crater　which　now　formed　the　bed　

of　the　lake　itself。　　When　it　finally　became　extinct　the　people　

would　imagine　that　the　water　from　the　lake　had　run　down　and　put　

out　the　big　fire　below；　more　especially　as；　though　it　was　constantly　

fed　by　streams　running　from　the　snow…tipped　peaks　about；　there　

was　no　visible　exit　to　it。



The　farther　shore　of　the　lake　we　found；　on　approaching　it；　to　

consist　of　a　vast　perpendicular　wall　of　rock；　which　held　the　

water　without　any　intermediate　sloping　bank；　as　elsewhere。　　Accordingly　

we　paddled　parallel　with　this　precipice；　at　a　distance　of　about　

a　hundred　paces　from　it；　shaping　our　course　for　the　end　of　the　

lake；　where　we　knew　that　there　was　a　large　village。



As　we　went　we　began　to　pass　a　considerable　accumulation　of　floating　

rushes；　weed；　boughs　of　trees；　and　other　rubbish；　brought；　Good　

supposed；　to　this　spot　by　some　current；　which　he　was　much　puzzled　

to　account　for。　　Whilst　we　were　speculating　about　this；　Sir　Henry　

pointed　out　a　flock　of　large　white　swans；　which　were　feeding　

on　the　drift　some　little　way　ahead　of　us。　　Now　I　had　already　

noticed　swans　flying　about　this　lake；　and；　having　never　come　

across　them　before　in　Africa；　was　exceedingly　anxious　to　obtain　

a　specimen。　　I　had　questioned　the　natives　about　them；　and　learnt　

that　they　came　from　over　the　mountain；　always　arriving　at　certain　

periods　of　the　year　in　the　early　morning；　when　it　was　very　easy　

to　catch　them；　on　account　of　their　exhausted　condition。　　I　also　

asked　them　what　country　they　came　from；　when　they　shrugged　their　

shoulders；　and　said　that　on　the　top　of　the　great　black　precipice　

was　stony　inhospitable　land；　and　beyond　that　were　mountains　with　

snow；　and　full　of　wild　beasts；　where　no　people　lived；　and　beyond　

the　mountains　were　hundreds　of　miles　of　dense　thorn　forest；　so　

thick　that　even　the　elephants　could　not　get　through　it；　much　

less　men。　　Next　I　asked　them　if　they　had　ever　heard　of　white　

people　like　ourselves　living　on　the　farther　side　of　the　mountains　

and　the　thorn　forest；　whereat　they　laughed。　　But　afterwards　a　

very　old　woman　came　and　told　me　that　when　she　was　a　little　girl　

her　grandfather　had　told　her　that　in　his　youth　his　grandfather　

had　crossed　the　desert　and　the　mountains；　and　pierced　the　thorn　

forest；　and　seen　a　white　people　who　lived　in　stone　kraals　beyond。　　

Of　course；　as　this　took　the　tale　back　some　two　hundred　and　fifty　

years；　the　information　was　very　indefinite；　but　still　there　it　

was　again；　and　on　thinking　it　over　I　grew　firmly　convinced　that　

there　was　some　truth　in　all　these　rumours；　and　equally　firmly　

determined　to　solve　the　mystery。　　Little　did　I　guess　in　what　

an　almost　miraculous　way　my　desire　was　to　be　gratified。



Well；　we　set　to　work　to　stalk　the　swans；　which　kept　drawing；　

as　they　fed；　nearer　and　n