酷兔英语
    当前位置:
  1. 首页
  2. 文章
  3. 娱乐英语
  4. 原版小说
  5. 正文

The Lost Continent-Part20_C.J.Cutcliffe Hyne(1865-1944)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

0 收藏 0 分享 0 赞

章节正文
文章总共2页


enabled her to work so many marvels. And in the end she lifted

both of her fair white arms towards the blackness above, and with



her lovely face set with the strain of will, she uttered her final

cry:



"O my high Father, the Sun, I pray You now to acknowledge me

as Your very daughter. Give this people a sign that I am indeed a



child of the Gods and no frail mortal. Here is sacrifice unlit,

where mortalpriests with their puny fires had weekly, since the



foundation of this land, sent savoury smoke towards the sky. I

pray You send down the heavenly fire to burn this beast here



offered, in token that though You still rule on high, You have

given me Atlantis to be my kingdom, and the people of the Earth to



be my worshippers."

She broke off and strained towards the sky. Her face was



contorted. Her limbs shook. "O mighty Father," she cried, "who

hast made me a God and an equal, hear me! Hear me!"



Out of the black cloud overhead there came a blinding flash of

light, which spat downwards on to the altar. The cloven-hoofed



horse gave one shrill neigh, and one convulsion, and fell back

dead. Flames crackled out from the wood pile, and the air became



rich with the smell of burning flesh. And lo! in another moment

the cloud above had melted into nothingness, and the flames burnt



pale, and the smoke went up in a thin blue spiral towards the

deeper blueness of the sky.



Phorenice, the Empress, stood there before the great stone,

and before the snake and the outstretched hand of life which were



inscribed upon it, flushed, exultant, and once more radiantly

lovely; and the knot of priests within the circle, and the great



mob of people without, fell to the ground adoring.

"Phorenice, Goddess!" they cried. "Phorenice, Goddess of all



Atlantis!"

But for myself I did not kneel. I would have no part in this



apostasy, so I stood there awaiting fate.

10. A WOOING



A murmur quickly sprang up round me, which grew into shouts.

"Kneel," one whispered, "kneel, sir, or you will be seen." And



another cried: "Kneel, you without beard, and do obeisance to the

only Goddess, or by the old Gods I will make myself her priest and



butcher you!" And so the shouts arose into a roar.

But presently the word "Deucalion" began to be bandied about,



and there came a moderation in the zeal of these enthusiasts.

Deucalion, the man who had left Atlantis twenty years before to



rule Yucatan, they might know little enough about, but Deucalion,

who rode not many days back beside the Empress in the golden castle



beneath the canopy of snakes, was a person they remembered; and

when they weighed up his possible ability for vengeance, the shouts



died away from them limply.

So when the silence had grown again, and Phorenice turned and



saw me standing alone amongst all the prostrateworshippers, I

stepped out from the crowd and passed between two of the great



stones, and went across the circle to where she stood beside the

altar. I did not prostrate myself. At the prescribed distance I



made the salutation which she herself had ordered when she made me

her chief minister, and then hailed her with formal decorum as



Empress.

"Deucalion, man of ice," she retorted.



"I still adhere to the old Gods!"

"I was not referring to that," said she, and looked at me with



a sidelong smile.

But here Ylga came up to us with a face that was white, and a



hand that shook, and made supplication for my life. "If he will

not leave the old Gods yet," she pleaded, "surely you will pardon



him? He is a strong man, and does not become a convert easily.

You may change him later. But think, Phorenice, he is Deucalion;



and if you slay him here for this one thing, there is no other man

within all the marches of Atlantis who would so worthily serve--"



The Empress took the words from her. "You slut," she cried

out. "I have you near me to appoint my wardrobe, and carry my fan,



and do you dare to put a meddling finger on my policies? Back with

you, outside this circle, or I'll have you whipped. Ay, and I'll



do more. I'll serve you as Zaemon served my captain, Tarca. Shall




文章总共2页
文章标签:名著  

章节正文
Copyright © 2023 Qeto All rights reserved.
商务合作 | 联系我们 | 关于我们 | 版权声明 | 隐私条款 | 如果智培

京ICP备05059198号-1 京公网安备 11011202003401号