登陆注册
18899100000011

第11章

An, as we went along, was telling me more of her strange country, pointing out birds or flowers and naming them to me. "Now that," she said, pointing to a small grey owl who sat reflective on a floating log we were approaching--"that is a bird of omen; cover your face and look away, for it is not well to watch it."Whereat I laughed. "Oh!" I answered, "so those ancient follies have come as far as this, have they? But it is no bird grey or black or white that can frighten folk where I come from; see, I will ruffle his philosophy for him," and suiting the action to the words I lifted a pebble that happened to lie at the bottom of the boat and flung it at that creature with the melancholy eyes. Away went the owl, dipping his wings into the water at every stroke, and as he went wailing out a ghostly cry, which even amongst sunshine and glitter made one's flesh creep.

An shook her head. "You should not have done that," she said; "our dead whom we send down over the falls come back in the body of yonder little bird. But he has gone now," she added, with relief; "see, he settles far up stream upon the point of yonder rotten bough; I would not disturb him again if I were you--"Whatever more An would have said was lost, for amidst a sound of flutes and singing round the bend of the river below came a crowd of boats decked with flowers and gar-lands, all clustering round a barge barely able to move, so thick those lesser skiffs pressed upon it. So close those wherries hung about that the garlanded rowers who sat at the oars could scarcely pull, but, here as everywhere, it was the same good temper, the same carelessness of order, as like a flowery island in the dancing blue water the motley fleet came up.

I steered our skiff a space out from the bank to get a better view, while An clapped her hands together and laughed. "It is Hath--he himself and those of the palace with him. Steer a little nearer still, friend--so! between yon floating rubbish flats, for those with Hath are good to look at."Nothing loth I made out into mid-stream to see that strange prince go by, little thinking in a few minutes Ishould be shaking hands with him, a wet and dripping hero.

The crowd came up, and having the advantage of the wind, it did not take me long to get a front place in the ruck, whence I set to work, with republican interest in royalty, to stare at the man who An said was the head of Martian society. He did not make me desire to renounce my demo-cratic principles. The royal fellow was sitting in the centre of the barge under a canopy and on a throne which was a mass of flowers, not bunched together as they would have been with us, but so cunningly arranged that they rose from the footstool to the pinnacle in a rhythm of colour, a poem in bud and petals the like of which for harmonious beauty I could not have imagined possible. And in this fairy den was a thin, gaunt young man, dressed in some sort of black stuff so nondescript that it amounted to little more than a shadow. I took it for granted that a substance of bone and muscle was covered by that gloomy suit, but it was the face above that alone riveted my gaze and made me return the stare he gave me as we came up with re-doubled interest. It was not an unhandsome face, but ashy grey in colour and amongst the insipid countenances of the Martians about him marvellously thoughtful. I do not know whether those who had killed themselves by learn-ing ever leave ghosts behind, but if so this was the very ideal for such a one. At his feet I noticed, when I un-hooked my eyes from his at last, sat a girl in a loose coral pink gown who was his very antipode. Princess Heru, for so she was called, was resting one arm upon his knee at our approach and pulling a blue convolvulus bud to pieces--a charming picture of dainty idleness. Anything so soft, so silken as that little lady was never seen before. Who am I, a poor quarter-deck loafer, that I should attempt to describe what poet and painter alike would have failed to realise? I know, of course, your stock descriptives: the melting eye, the coral lip, the peachy cheek, the raven tress;but these were coined for mortal woman--and this was not one of them. I will not attempt to describe the glorious tenderness of those eyes she turned upon me presently;the glowing radiance of her skin; the infinite grace of every action; the incredible soul-searching harmony of her voice, when later on I heard it--you must gather something of these things as I go--suffice it to say that when I saw her there for the first time in the plenitude of her beauty I fell desperately, wildly in love with her.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 难得美人心

    难得美人心

    白英杰,N市鹰帮少主,如今闻名遐迩的冷血律师,凭一己之力洗白鹰帮,将白氏集团推向国际舞台,成为世界排名前列的企业之一。师以晴是一名小小的警察,最大的志愿,就是铲除所有不法分子,和黑道势不两立,然而却被自己的上级被派到白氏集团做白氏集团少主白英杰的保镖。
  • 腹黑总裁公主娇妻别想跑

    腹黑总裁公主娇妻别想跑

    一朝穿越遇到腹黑总裁被吃干抹净,一个公主穿越到现代,会发生什么有趣的事呢?敬请期待
  • 重生之傲宠妙探小萌妻

    重生之傲宠妙探小萌妻

    前世,她是神偷,他是军门神探。她对他恨之入骨,他对她无比痛惜。直至死亡的那一刻,她才明白,自己所有的付出,都只是渣男的一场骗局;为她情深不悔付出生命的人,竟然是他!一场执念,她竟然重生回到十八岁。这一世,她弃暗投明,千金女贼化身法证妙探,誓将前世渣人打入地狱,将现世爱人宠上天堂。愉快交流群:群名称:萌娃妙探群号:230519991
  • 旧颜

    旧颜

    他一梦初醒,却物是人非爱人,朋友,一切都离他而去短篇文
  • 这里曾经是汉朝6

    这里曾经是汉朝6

    “这里曾经是汉朝”是一套全面解读两汉史的通俗历史读物。它全景再现了中国古代第一盛世王朝的勃兴与衰落。本书是该系列的第六部,书中从马皇后入宫奋斗写起,到东汉末年军阀董卓被屠杀泄愤为止。东汉时期,自刘秀刘庄父子之后,一代不如一代,因为皇族子嗣无能,外戚趁机揽权。皇族为对抗外戚,开始重用宦官。面对这种情况,多年垄断汉朝话语权和行政权的士大夫,纷纷提剑上马,联合外戚跟宦官战斗。在这场史无前例、打得难舍难分的政治势力斗争中,东汉犹如被人从内部掏空的巨山,轰然倒塌……
  • 大唐管理员

    大唐管理员

    年轻的图书馆管理员许涵赟,意外的穿越到大唐武德九年末,面对即将发生大事的大唐王朝,作为一个曾经的图书管理员该如何选择,是安安稳稳的利用自己超越千年的知识作一个富家翁,还是去打造一个自己心目中崭新的大唐王朝。且看小小管理员如何玩转大唐。功名利禄,能给我们短暂的生命历程带来什么?青史留名?对后世来说也仅仅就是一个名字而已。
  • 《血月擎天》

    《血月擎天》

    战神起,大地灭,为爱而生,为爱而战。一个少年怎么凭自己的双手把握命运?爱恨交错的世界,魔与神共舞。逆天之剑,谁人与唤?
  • 乱码时空X盗非道

    乱码时空X盗非道

    无声的谋杀,黑暗的世界。现实何只残酷,简直冷酷无情!命运的羁绊,终究敌不过上天的旨意。异界的魂魄,妄想借尸还魂,可,她已不是她。七魂六魄,试练之路何其漫长,漫漫修真何其险峻,前世的辉煌,今世能否再续?不,是现在,能否圆了这弥天大谎!一世不存同人,他们之中必定死去一个,而活下的那个,就真的是活着吗?五年前,强者陨落,五年后,满血归来,可是,无尽的杀戮,是“她”想要的么?是!复活的唯一机会,成败就此一举!
  • 冷酷邪神:天才儿子黑道妈咪

    冷酷邪神:天才儿子黑道妈咪

    她是21世纪在黑道上叱咤风云的人物,在一场执行任务中不幸落入异世,成了宰相府众人不屑一顾的大小姐,受尽了后母与同父异母的妹妹是欺辱,只有哥哥慕洛晨心疼她。他冷酷,嗜血,无情集于一身,一场偶遇,让他和她纠缠不清
  • 爱经的智慧

    爱经的智慧

    《曾经》应该被视为伊壁鸠鲁快乐哲学延伸出来的有关爱的教育手册。《爱经的智慧》一书便是对这一爱的教育手册的总结。《爱经的智慧》摒弃了《曾经》中有争议的地方,即涉及性爱,偷情与私通的内容,在保持《爱经》原意的基础上,结合现代爱情的需要,详细论述了包括服饰化妾,社交礼仪,示爱方式,情书写法、说话技巧、维持爱情的策略等爱情的方方面面。《爱经的智慧》仍然保留着《爱经》全书的结构体系:第一卷,如何获得爱情,告诉男性如何接近心仪女性并打动她的芳心;第二卷,如何保持爱情,即男性如何维系与所爱女子的爱情关系;第三卷,爱情的良方,指导女性如何获得爱情并使爱情牢固长久。