第 6 节
作者:
悟来悟去 更新:2021-02-20 15:46 字数:9322
his eyelids。
〃The beauty of the game;〃 continued Hop…Frog; 〃lies in the fright it
occasions among the women。〃
〃Capital!〃 roared in chorus the monarch and his ministry。
〃I will equip you as ourang…outangs;〃 proceeded the dwarf; 〃leave all that
to me。 The resemblance shall be so striking; that the company of
masqueraders will take you for real beasts and of course; they will be
as much terrified as astonished。〃
〃Oh; this is exquisite!〃 exclaimed the king。 〃Hop…Frog! I will make a man
of you。〃
〃The chains are for the purpose of increasing the confusion by their
jangling。 You are supposed to have escaped; en masse; from your keepers。
Your majesty cannot conceive the effect produced; at a masquerade; by
eight chained ourang…outangs; imagined to be real ones by most of the
company; and rushing in with savage cries; among the crowd of delicately
and gorgeously habited men and women。 The contrast is inimitable!〃
〃It must be;〃 said the king: and the council arose hurriedly (as it was
growing late); to put in execution the scheme of Hop…Frog。
His mode of equipping the party as ourang…outangs was very simple; but
effective enough for his purposes。 The animals in question had; at the
epoch of my story; very rarely been seen in any part of the civilized
world; and as the imitations made by the dwarf were sufficiently
beast…like and more than sufficiently hideous; their truthfulness to
nature was thus thought to be secured。
The king and his ministers were first encased in tight…fitting stockinet
shirts and drawers。 They were then saturated with tar。 At this stage of
the process; some one of the party suggested feathers; but the suggestion
was at once overruled by the dwarf; who soon convinced the eight; by
ocular demonstration; that the hair of such a brute as the ourang…outang
was much more efficiently represented by flu。 A thick coating of the
latter was accordingly plastered upon the coating of tar。 A long chain was
now procured。 First; it was passed about the waist of the king; and tied;
then about another of the party; and also tied; then about all
successively; in the same manner。 When this chaining arrangement was
complete; and the party stood as far apart from each other as possible;
they formed a circle; and to make all things appear natural; Hop…Frog
passed the residue of the chain in two diameters; at right angles; across
the circle; after the fashion adopted; at the present day; by those who
capture Chimpanzees; or other large apes; in Borneo。
The grand saloon in which the masquerade was to take place; was a circular
room; very lofty; and receiving the light of the sun only through a single
window at top。 At night (the season for which the apartment was especially
designed) it was illuminated principally by a large chandelier; depending
by a chain from the centre of the sky…light; and lowered; or elevated; by
means of a counter…balance as usual; but (in order not to look unsightly)
this latter passed outside the cupola and over the roof。
The arrangements of the room had been left to Trippetta's superintendence;
but; in some particulars; it seems; she had been guided by the calmer
judgment of her friend the dwarf。 At his suggestion it was that; on this
occasion; the chandelier was removed。 Its waxen drippings (which; in
weather so warm; it was quite impossible to prevent) would have been
seriously detrimental to the rich dresses of the guests; who; on account
of the crowded state of the saloon; could not all be expected to keep from
out its centre; that is to say; from under the chandelier。 Additional
sconces were set in various parts of the hall; out of the war; and a
flambeau; emitting sweet odor; was placed in the right hand of each of the
Caryaides 'Caryatides' that stood against the wall some fifty or sixty
altogether。
The eight ourang…outangs; taking Hop…Frog's advice; waited patiently until
midnight (when the room was thoroughly filled with masqueraders) before
making their appearance。 No sooner had the clock ceased striking; however;
than they rushed; or rather rolled in; all together for the impediments
of their chains caused most of the party to fall; and all to stumble as
they entered。
The excitement among the masqueraders was prodigious; and filled the heart
of the king with glee。 As had been anticipated; there were not a few of
the guests who supposed the ferocious…looking creatures to be beasts of
some kind in reality; if not precisely ourang…outangs。 Many of the women
swooned with affright; and had not the king taken the precaution to
exclude all weapons from the saloon; his party might soon have expiated
their frolic in their blood。 As it was; a general rush was made for the
doors; but the king had ordered them to be locked immediately upon his
entrance; and; at the dwarf's suggestion; the keys had been deposited with
him。
While the tumult was at its height; and each masquerader attentive only to
his own safety (for; in fact; there was much real danger from the pressure
of the excited crowd); the chain by which the chandelier ordinarily hung;
and which had been drawn up on its removal; might have been seen very
gradually to descend; until its hooked extremity came within three feet of
the floor。
Soon after this; the king and his seven friends having reeled about the
hall in all directions; found themselves; at length; in its centre; and;
of course; in immediate contact with the chain。 While they were thus
situated; the dwarf; who had followed noiselessly at their heels; inciting
them to keep up the commotion; took hold of their own chain at the
intersection of the two portions which crossed the circle diametrically
and at right angles。 Here; with the rapidity of thought; he inserted the
hook from which the chandelier had been wont to depend; and; in an
instant; by some unseen agency; the chandelier…chain was drawn so far
upward as to take the hook out of reach; and; as an inevitable
consequence; to drag the ourang…outangs together in close connection; and
face to face。
The masqueraders; by this time; had recovered; in some measure; from their
alarm; and; beginning to regard the whole matter as a well…contrived
pleasantry; set up a loud shout of laughter at the predicament of the
apes。
〃Leave them to me!〃 now screamed Hop…Frog; his shrill voice making itself
easily heard through all the din。 〃Leave them to me。 I fancy I know them。
If I can only get a good look at them; I can soon tell who they are。〃
Here; scrambling over the heads of the crowd; he managed to get to the
wall; when; seizing a flambeau from one of the Caryatides; he returned; as
he went; to the centre of the room…leaping; with the agility of a monkey;
upon the kings head; and thence clambered a few feet up the chain; holding
down the torch to examine the group of ourang…outangs; and still
screaming: 〃I shall soon find out who they are!〃
And now; while the whole assembly (the apes included) were convulsed with
laughter; the jester suddenly uttered a shrill whistle; when the chain
flew violently up for about thirty feet dragging with it the dismayed
and struggling ourang…outangs; and leaving them suspended in mid…air
between the sky…light and the floor。 Hop…Frog; clinging to the chain as it
rose; still maintained his relative position in respect to the eight
maskers; and still (as if nothing were the matter) continued to thrust his
torch down toward them; as though endeavoring to discover who they were。
So thoroughly astonished was the whole company at this ascent; that a dead
silence; of about a minute's duration; ensued。 It was broken by just such
a low; harsh; grating sound; as had before attracted the attention of the
king and his councillors when the former threw the wine in the face of
Trippetta。 But; on the present occasion; there could be no question as to
whence the sound issued。 It came from the fang like teeth of the dwarf;
who ground them and gnashed them as he foamed at the mouth; and glared;
with an expression of maniacal rage; into the upturned countenances of the
king and his seven companions。
〃Ah; ha!〃 said at length the infuriated jester。 〃Ah; ha! I begin to see
who these people are now!〃 Here; pretending to scrutinize the king more
closely; he held the flambeau to the flaxen coat which enveloped him; and
which instantly burst into a sheet of vivid flame。 In less than half a
minute the whole eight ourang…outangs were blazing fiercely; amid the
shrieks of the multitude who gazed at them from below; horror…stricken;
and without the power to render them the slightest assistance。
At length the flames; suddenly increasing in virulence; forced the jester
to climb higher up the chain; to be out of their reach; and; as he made
this movement; the crowd again sank; for a brief instant; into silence。
The dwarf seized his opportunity; and once more spoke:
〃I now see distinctly。〃 he said; 〃what manner of people these maskers are。
They are a great king and his seven privy…councillors; a king who does
not scruple to strike a defenceless girl and his seven councillors who
abet him in the outrage。 As for myself; I am simply Hop…Frog; the jester
and this is my last jest。〃
Owing