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CHAPTER1

ANotUnnaturalEnterpriseThisiswrittenfrommemory,unfortunately。IfIcouldhavebroughtwithmethematerialIsocarefullyprepared,thiswouldbeaverydifferentstory。Wholebooksfullofnotes,carefullycopiedrecords,firsthanddescriptions,andthepictures——that’stheworstloss。Wehadsomebird’s—eyesofthecitiesandparks;

alotoflovelyviewsofstreets,ofbuildings,outsideandin,andsomeofthosegorgeousgardens,and,mostimportantofall,ofthewomenthemselves。

Nobodywilleverbelievehowtheylooked。Descriptionsaren’tanygoodwhenitcomestowomen,andIneverwasgoodatdescriptionsanyhow。Butit’sgottobedonesomehow;therestoftheworldneedstoknowaboutthatcountry。

Ihaven’tsaidwhereitwasforfearsomeself—appointedmissionaries,ortraders,orland—greedyexpansionists,willtakeituponthemselvestopushin。Theywillnotbewanted,Icantellthemthat,andwillfareworsethanwedidiftheydofindit。

Itbeganthisway。Therewerethreeofus,classmatesandfriends——TerryO。Nicholson(weusedtocallhimtheOldNick,withgoodreason),JeffMargrave,andI,VandyckJennings。

Wehadknowneachotheryearsandyears,andinspiteofourdifferenceswehadagooddealincommon。Allofuswereinterestedinscience。

Terrywasrichenoughtodoashepleased。Hisgreataimwasexploration。Heusedtomakeallkindsofarowbecausetherewasnothinglefttoexplorenow,onlypatchworkandfillingin,hesaid。Hefilledinwellenough——hehadalotoftalents——greatonmechanicsandelectricity。Hadallkindsofboatsandmotorcars,andwasoneofthebestofourairmen。

WenevercouldhavedonethethingatallwithoutTerry。

JeffMargravewasborntobeapoet,abotanist——orboth——buthisfolkspersuadedhimtobeadoctorinstead。Hewasagoodone,forhisage,buthisrealinterestwasinwhathelovedtocall"thewondersofscience。"

Asforme,sociology’smymajor。Youhavetobackthatupwithalotofothersciences,ofcourse。I’minterestedinthemall。

Terrywasstrongonfacts——geographyandmeteorologyandthose;Jeffcouldbeathimanytimeonbiology,andIdidn’tcarewhatitwastheytalkedabout,solongasitconnectedwithhumanlife,somehow。Therearefewthingsthatdon’t。

Wethreehadachancetojoinabigscientificexpedition。Theyneededadoctor,andthatgaveJeffanexcusefordroppinghisjustopeningpractice;theyneededTerry’sexperience,hismachine,andhismoney;andasforme,IgotinthroughTerry’sinfluence。

Theexpeditionwasupamongthethousandtributariesandenormoushinterlandofagreatriver,upwherethemapshadtobemade,savagedialectsstudied,andallmannerofstrangefloraandfaunaexpected。

Butthisstoryisnotaboutthatexpedition。Thatwasonlythemereststarterforours。

Myinterestwasfirstrousedbytalkamongourguides。I’mquickatlanguages,knowagoodmany,andpickthemupreadily。

Whatwiththatandareallygoodinterpreterwetookwithus,Imadeoutquiteafewlegendsandfolkmythsofthesescatteredtribes。

Andaswegotfartherandfartherupstream,inadarktangleofrivers,lakes,morasses,anddenseforests,withhereandthereanunexpectedlongspurrunningoutfromthebigmountainsbeyond,InoticedthatmoreandmoreofthesesavageshadastoryaboutastrangeandterribleWomanLandinthehighdistance。

"Upyonder,""Overthere,""Wayup"——wasallthedirectiontheycouldoffer,buttheirlegendsallagreedonthemainpoint——thattherewasthisstrangecountrywherenomenlived——onlywomenandgirlchildren。

Noneofthemhadeverseenit。Itwasdangerous,deadly,theysaid,foranymantogothere。Butthereweretalesoflongago,whensomebraveinvestigatorhadseenit——aBigCountry,BigHouses,PlentyPeople——AllWomen。

Hadnooneelsegone?Yes——agoodmany——buttheynevercameback。Itwasnoplaceformen——ofthattheyseemedsure。

Itoldtheboysaboutthesestories,andtheylaughedatthem。

NaturallyIdidmyself。Iknewthestuffthatsavagedreamsaremadeof。

Butwhenwehadreachedourfarthestpoint,justthedaybeforeweallhadtoturnaroundandstartforhomeagain,asthebestofexpeditionsmustintime,wethreemadeadiscovery。

Themainencampmentwasonaspitoflandrunningoutintothemainstream,orwhatwethoughtwasthemainstream。Ithadthesamemuddycolorwehadbeenseeingforweekspast,thesametaste。

Ihappenedtospeakofthatrivertoourlastguide,arathersuperiorfellowwithquick,brighteyes。

Hetoldmethattherewasanotherriver——"overthere,shortriver,sweetwater,redandblue。"

IwasinterestedinthisandanxioustoseeifIhadunderstood,soIshowedhimaredandbluepencilIcarried,andaskedagain。

Yes,hepointedtotheriver,andthentothesouthwestward。

"River——goodwater——redandblue。"

Terrywasclosebyandinterestedinthefellow’spointing。

"Whatdoeshesay,Van?"

Itoldhim。

Terryblazedupatonce。

"Askhimhowfaritis。"

Themanindicatedashortjourney;Ijudgedabouttwohours,maybethree。

"Let’sgo,"urgedTerry。"Justusthree。Maybewecanreallyfindsomething。Maybecinnabarinit。"

"Maybeindigo,"Jeffsuggested,withhislazysmile。

Itwasearlyyet;wehadjustbreakfasted;andleavingwordthatwe’dbebackbeforenight,wegotawayquietly,notwishingtobethoughttoogullibleifwefailed,andsecretlyhopingtohavesomenicelittlediscoveryalltoourselves。

Itwasalongtwohours,nearerthree。Ifancythesavagecouldhavedoneitalonemuchquicker。Therewasadesperatetangleofwoodandwaterandaswampypatchwenevershouldhavefoundourwayacrossalone。Buttherewasone,andIcouldseeTerry,withcompassandnotebook,markingdirectionsandtryingtoplacelandmarks。

Wecameafterawhiletoasortofmarshylake,verybig,sothatthecirclingforestlookedquitelowanddimacrossit。Ourguidetoldusthatboatscouldgofromtheretoourcamp——but"longway——allday。"

Thiswaterwassomewhatclearerthanthatwehadleft,butwecouldnotjudgewellfromthemargin。Weskirteditforanotherhalfhourorso,thegroundgrowingfirmerasweadvanced,andpresentlyweturnedthecornerofawoodedpromontoryandsawaquitedifferentcountry——asuddenviewofmountains,steepandbare。

"Oneofthoselongeasterlyspurs,"Terrysaidappraisingly。

"Maybehundredsofmilesfromtherange。Theycropoutlikethat。"

Suddenlyweleftthelakeandstruckdirectlytowardthecliffs。Weheardrunningwaterbeforewereachedit,andtheguidepointedproudlytohisriver。

Itwasshort。Wecouldseewhereitpoureddownanarrowverticalcataractfromanopeninginthefaceofthecliff。Itwassweetwater。Theguidedrankeagerlyandsodidwe。

"That’ssnowwater,"Terryannounced。"Mustcomefromwaybackinthehills。"

Butastobeingredandblue——itwasgreenishintint。Theguideseemednotatallsurprised。Hehuntedaboutalittleandshowedusaquietmarginalpoolwherethereweresmearsofredalongtheborder;yes,andofblue。

Terrygotouthismagnifyingglassandsquatteddowntoinvestigate。

"Chemicalsofsomesort——Ican’ttellonthespot。Looktomelikedyestuffs。Let’sgetnearer,"heurged,"uptherebythefall。"

Wescrambledalongthesteepbanksandgotclosetothepoolthatfoamedandboiledbeneaththefallingwater。Herewesearchedtheborderandfoundtracesofcolorbeyonddispute。

More——Jeffsuddenlyheldupanunlooked—fortrophy。

Itwasonlyarag,along,raveledfragmentofcloth。Butitwasawell—wovenfabric,withapattern,andofaclearscarletthatthewaterhadnotfaded。Nosavagetribethatwehadheardofmadesuchfabrics。

Theguidestoodserenelyonthebank,wellpleasedwithourexcitement。

"Onedayblue——onedayred——onedaygreen,"hetoldus,andpulledfromhispouchanotherstripofbright—huedcloth。

"Comedown,"hesaid,pointingtothecataract。"WomanCountry——upthere。"

Thenwewereinterested。Wehadourrestandlunchrightthereandpumpedthemanforfurtherinformation。Hecouldtellusonlywhattheothershad——alandofwomen——nomen——babies,butallgirls。Noplaceformen——dangerous。Somehadgonetosee——nonehadcomeback。

IcouldseeTerry’sjawsetatthat。Noplaceformen?

Dangerous?Helookedasifhemightshinupthewaterfallonthespot。

Buttheguidewouldnothearofgoingup,eveniftherehadbeenanypossiblemethodofscalingthatsheercliff,andwehadtogetbacktoourpartybeforenight。

"Theymightstayifwetoldthem,"Isuggested。

ButTerrystoppedinhistracks。"Lookhere,fellows,"hesaid。

"Thisisourfind。Let’snottellthosecockyoldprofessors。Let’sgoonhomewith’em,andthencomeback——justus——havealittleexpeditionofourown。"

Welookedathim,muchimpressed。TherewassomethingattractivetoabunchofunattachedyoungmeninfindinganundiscoveredcountryofastrictlyAmazoniannature。

Ofcoursewedidn’tbelievethestory——butyet!

"Thereisnosuchclothmadebyanyoftheselocaltribes,"

Iannounced,examiningthoseragswithgreatcare。"Somewhereupyondertheyspinandweaveanddye——aswellaswedo。"

"Thatwouldmeanaconsiderablecivilization,Van。Therecouldn’tbesuchaplace——andnotknownabout。"

"Oh,well,Idon’tknow。What’sthatoldrepublicupinthePyreneessomewhere——Andorra?Preciousfewpeopleknowanythingaboutthat,andit’sbeenmindingitsownbusinessforathousandyears。Thenthere’sMontenegro——splendidlittlestate——youcouldloseadozenMontenegroesupanddownthesegreatranges。"

Wediscussedithotlyallthewaybacktocamp。Wediscusseditwithcareandprivacyonthevoyagehome。Wediscusseditafterthat,stillonlyamongourselves,whileTerrywasmakinghisarrangements。

Hewashotaboutit。Luckyhehadsomuchmoney——wemighthavehadtobegandadvertiseforyearstostartthething,andthenitwouldhavebeenamatterofpublicamusement——justsportforthepapers。

ButT。O。Nicholsoncouldfixuphisbigsteamyacht,loadhisspecially—madebigmotorboataboard,andtuckina"dissembled"

biplanewithoutanymorenoticethanasnipinthesocietycolumn。

Wehadprovisionsandpreventivesandallmannerofsupplies。

Hispreviousexperiencestoodhimingoodsteadthere。Itwasaverycompletelittleoutfit。

Weweretoleavetheyachtatthenearestsafeportandgoupthatendlessriverinourmotorboat,justthethreeofusandapilot;

thendropthepilotwhenwegottothatlaststoppingplaceofthepreviousparty,andhuntupthatclearwaterstreamourselves。

Themotorboatweweregoingtoleaveatanchorinthatwideshallowlake。Ithadaspecialcoveringoffittedarmor,thinbutstrong,shutuplikeaclamshell。

"Thosenativescan’tgetintoit,orhurtit,ormoveit,"Terryexplainedproudly。"We’llstartourflierfromthelakeandleavetheboatasabasetocomebackto。"

"Ifwecomeback,"Isuggestedcheerfully。

"`Fraidtheladieswilleatyou?"hescoffed。

"We’renotsosureaboutthoseladies,youknow,"drawledJeff。"Theremaybeacontingentofgentlemenwithpoisonedarrowsorsomething。"

"Youdon’tneedtogoifyoudon’twantto,"Terryremarkeddrily。

"Go?You’llhavetogetaninjunctiontostopme!"BothJeffandIweresureaboutthat。

Butwedidhavedifferencesofopinion,allthelongway。

Anoceanvoyageisanexcellenttimefordiscussion。Nowwehadnoeavesdroppers,wecouldlollandloafinourdeckchairsandtalkandtalk——therewasnothingelsetodo。Ourabsolutelackoffactsonlymadethefieldofdiscussionwider。

"We’llleavepaperswithourconsulwheretheyachtstays,"

Terryplanned。"Ifwedon’tcomebackin——sayamonth——theycansendareliefpartyafterus。"

"Apunitiveexpedition,"Iurged。"Iftheladiesdoeatuswemustmakereprisals。"

"Theycanlocatethatlaststoppingplaceeasyenough,andI’vemadeasortofchartofthatlakeandcliffandwaterfall。"

"Yes,buthowwilltheygetup?"askedJeff。

"Samewaywedo,ofcourse。IfthreevaluableAmericancitizensarelostupthere,theywillfollowsomehow——tosaynothingoftheglitteringattractionsofthatfairland——let’scallit`Feminisia,’"hebrokeoff。

"You’reright,Terry。Oncethestorygetsout,theriverwillcrawlwithexpeditionsandtheairshipsriselikeaswarmofmosquitoes。"

IlaughedasIthoughtofit。"We’vemadeagreatmistakenottoletMr。YellowPressinonthis。Saveus!Whatheadlines!"

"Notmuch!"saidTerrygrimly。"Thisisourparty。We’regoingtofindthatplacealone。"

"Whatareyougoingtodowithitwhenyoudofindit——ifyoudo?"Jeffaskedmildly。

Jeffwasatendersoul。Ithinkhethoughtthatcountry——iftherewasone——wasjustblossomingwithrosesandbabiesandcanariesandtidies,andallthatsortofthing。

AndTerry,inhissecretheart,hadvisionsofasortofsublimatedsummerresort——justGirlsandGirlsandGirls——andthathewasgoingtobe——well,Terrywaspopularamongwomenevenwhentherewereothermenaround,andit’snottobewonderedatthathehadpleasantdreamsofwhatmighthappen。Icouldseeitinhiseyesashelaythere,lookingatthelongbluerollersslippingby,andfingeringthatimpressivemustacheofhis。

ButIthought——then——thatIcouldformafarclearerideaofwhatwasbeforeusthaneitherofthem。

"You’realloff,boys,"Iinsisted。"Ifthereissuchaplace——andtheredoesseemsomefoundationforbelievingit——you’llfindit’sbuiltonasortofmatriarchalprinciple,that’sall。Themenhaveaseparatecultoftheirown,lesssociallydevelopedthanthewomen,andmakethemanannualvisit——asortofweddingcall。

Thisisaconditionknowntohaveexisted——here’sjustasurvival。

They’vegotsomepeculiarlyisolatedvalleyortablelandupthere,andtheirprimevalcustomshavesurvived。That’sallthereistoit。"

"Howabouttheboys?"Jeffasked。

"Oh,thementakethemawayassoonastheyarefiveorsix,yousee。"

"Andhowaboutthisdangertheoryallourguidesweresosureof?"

"Dangerenough,Terry,andwe’llhavetobemightycareful。

Womenofthatstageofculturearequiteabletodefendthemselvesandhavenowelcomeforunseasonablevisitors。"

Wetalkedandtalked。

AndwithallmyairsofsociologicalsuperiorityIwasnonearerthananyofthem。

Itwasfunnythough,inthelightofwhatwedidfind,thoseextremelyclearideasofoursastowhatacountryofwomenwouldbelike。Itwasnousetotellourselvesandoneanotherthatallthiswasidlespeculation。Wewereidleandwedidspeculate,ontheoceanvoyageandtherivervoyage,too。

"Admittingtheimprobability,"we’dbeginsolemnly,andthenlaunchoutagain。

"Theywouldfightamongthemselves,"Terryinsisted。

"Womenalwaysdo。Wemustn’tlooktofindanysortoforderandorganization。"

"You’redeadwrong,"Jefftoldhim。"Itwillbelikeanunneryunderanabbess——apeaceful,harmonioussisterhood。"

Isnortedderisionatthisidea。

"Nuns,indeed!Yourpeacefulsisterhoodswereallcelibate,Jeff,andundervowsofobedience。Thesearejustwomen,andmothers,andwherethere’smotherhoodyoudon’tfindsisterhood——notmuch。"

"No,sir——they’llscrap,"agreedTerry。"Alsowemustn’tlookforinventionsandprogress;it’llbeawfullyprimitive。"

"Howaboutthatclothmill?"Jeffsuggested。

"Oh,cloth!Womenhavealwaysbeenspinsters。Buttheretheystop——you’llsee。"

WejokedTerryabouthismodestimpressionthathewouldbewarmlyreceived,butheheldhisground。

"You’llsee,"heinsisted。"I’llgetsolidwiththemall——andplayonebunchagainstanother。I’llgetmyselfelectedkinginnotime——whew!Solomonwillhavetotakeabackseat!"

"Wheredowecomeinonthatdeal?"Idemanded。"Aren’tweViziersoranything?"

"Couldn’triskit,"heassertedsolemnly。"Youmightstartarevolution——probablywould。No,you’llhavetobebeheaded,orbowstrung——orwhateverthepopularmethodofexecutionis。"

"You’dhavetodoityourself,remember,"grinnedJeff。"Nohuskyblackslavesandmamelukes!Andthere’dbetwoofusandonlyoneofyou——eh,Van?"

Jeff’sideasandTerry’sweresofarapartthatsometimesitwasallIcoulddotokeepthepeacebetweenthem。JeffidealizedwomeninthebestSouthernstyle。Hewasfullofchivalryandsentiment,andallthat。Andhewasagoodboy;heliveduptohisideals。

YoumightsayTerrydid,too,ifyoucancallhisviewsaboutwomenanythingsopoliteasideals。IalwayslikedTerry。Hewasaman’sman,verymuchso,generousandbraveandclever;butIdon’tthinkanyofusincollegedayswasquitepleasedtohavehimwithoursisters。Weweren’tverystringent,heavensno!ButTerrywas"thelimit。"Lateron——why,ofcourseaman’slifeishisown,weheld,andaskednoquestions。

Butbarringapossibleexceptioninfavorofanotimpossiblewife,orofhismother,or,ofcourse,thefairrelativesofhisfriends,Terry’sideaseemedtobethatprettywomenwerejustsomuchgameandhomelyonesnotworthconsidering。

Itwasreallyunpleasantsometimestoseethenotionshehad。

ButIgotoutofpatiencewithJeff,too。Hehadsuchrose—

coloredhalosonhiswomenfolks。Iheldamiddleground,highlyscientific,ofcourse,andusedtoarguelearnedlyaboutthephysiologicallimitationsofthesex。

Wewerenotintheleast"advanced"onthewomanquestion,anyofus,then。

Sowejokedanddisputedandspeculated,andafteraninterminablejourney,wegottoouroldcampingplaceatlast。

Itwasnothardtofindtheriver,justpokingalongthatsidetillwecametoit,anditwasnavigableasfarasthelake。

Whenwereachedthatandslidoutonitsbroadglisteningbosom,withthathighgraypromontoryrunningouttowardus,andthestraightwhitefallclearlyvisible,itbegantobereallyexciting。

Therewassometalk,eventhen,ofskirtingtherockwallandseekingapossiblefootwayup,butthemarshyjunglemadethatmethodlooknotonlydifficultbutdangerous。

Terrydismissedtheplansharply。

"Nonsense,fellows!We’vedecidedthat。Itmighttakemonths——wehaven’tgottheprovisions。No,sir——we’vegottotakeourchances。Ifwegetbacksafe——allright。Ifwedon’t,why,we’renotthefirstexplorerstogetlostintheshuffle。Thereareplentytocomeafterus。"

Sowegotthebigbiplanetogetherandloadeditwithourscientificallycompressedbaggage:thecamera,ofcourse;theglasses;asupplyofconcentratedfood。Ourpocketsweremagazinesofsmallnecessities,andwehadourguns,ofcourse——

therewasnoknowingwhatmighthappen。

Upandupandupwesailed,wayupatfirst,toget"thelayoftheland"andmakenoteofit。

Outofthatdarkgreenseaofcrowdingforestthishigh—

standingspurrosesteeply。Itranbackoneitherside,apparently,tothefar—offwhite—crownedpeaksinthedistance,themselvesprobablyinaccessible。

"Let’smakethefirsttripgeographical,"Isuggested。

"Spyouttheland,anddropbackhereformoregasoline。

Withyourtremendousspeedwecanreachthatrangeandbackallright。Thenwecanleaveasortofmaponboard——

forthatreliefexpedition。"

"There’ssenseinthat,"Terryagreed。"I’llputoffbeingkingofLadylandforonemoreday。"

Sowemadealongskirtingvoyage,turnedthepointofthecapewhichwascloseby,ranuponesideofthetriangleatourbestspeed,crossedoverthebasewhereitleftthehighermountains,andsobacktoourlakebymoonlight。

"That’snotabadlittlekingdom,"weagreedwhenitwasroughlydrawnandmeasured。Wecouldtellthesizefairlybyourspeed。Andfromwhatwecouldseeofthesides——andthaticyridgeatthebackend——"It’saprettyenterprisingsavagewhowouldmanagetogetintoit,"Jeffsaid。

Ofcoursewehadlookedatthelanditself——eagerly,butweweretoohighandgoingtoofasttoseemuch。Itappearedtobewellforestedabouttheedges,butintheinteriortherewerewideplains,andeverywhereparklikemeadowsandopenplaces。

Therewerecities,too;thatIinsisted。Itlooked——well,itlookedlikeanyothercountry——acivilizedone,Imean。

Wehadtosleepafterthatlongsweepthroughtheair,butweturnedoutearlyenoughnextday,andagainwerosesoftlyuptheheighttillwecouldtopthecrowningtreesandseethebroadfairlandatourpleasure。

"Semitropical。Lookslikeafirst—rateclimate。It’swonderfulwhatalittleheightwilldofortemperature。"Terrywasstudyingtheforestgrowth。

"Littleheight!Isthatwhatyoucalllittle?"Iasked。Ourinstrumentsmeasureditclearly。Wehadnotrealizedthelonggentlerisefromthecoastperhaps。

"Mightyluckypieceofland,Icallit,"Terrypursued。

"Nowforthefolks——I’vehadenoughscenery。"

Sowesailedlow,crossingbackandforth,quarteringthecountryaswewent,andstudyingit。Wesaw——Ican’tremembernowhowmuchofthiswenotedthenandhowmuchwassupplementedbyourlaterknowledge,butwecouldnothelpseeingthismuch,evenonthatexcitedday——alandinastateofperfectcultivation,whereeventheforestslookedasiftheywerecaredfor;alandthatlookedlikeanenormouspark,onlyitwasevenmoreevidentlyanenormousgarden。

"Idon’tseeanycattle,"Isuggested,butTerrywassilent。Wewereapproachingavillage。

Iconfessthatwepaidsmallattentiontotheclean,well—builtroads,totheattractivearchitecture,totheorderedbeautyofthelittletown。Wehadourglassesout;evenTerry,settinghismachineforaspiralglide,clappedthebinocularstohiseyes。

Theyheardourwhirringscrew。Theyranoutofthehouses——theygatheredinfromthefields,swift—runninglightfigures,crowdsofthem。Westaredandstareduntilitwasalmosttoolatetocatchthelevers,sweepoffandriseagain;andthenweheldourpeaceforalongrunupward"Gosh!"saidTerry,afterawhile。

"Onlywomenthere——andchildren,"Jeffurgedexcitedly。

"Buttheylook——why,thisisaCIVILIZEDcountry!"Iprotested。

"Theremustbemen。"

"Ofcoursetherearemen,"saidTerry。"Comeon,let’sfind’em。"

HerefusedtolistentoJeff’ssuggestionthatweexaminethecountryfurtherbeforeweriskedleavingourmachine。

"There’safinelandingplacerighttherewherewecameover,"heinsisted,anditwasanexcellentone——awide,flattoppedrock,overlookingthelake,andquiteoutofsightfromtheinterior。

"Theywon’tfindthisinahurry,"heasserted,aswescrambledwiththeutmostdifficultydowntosaferfooting。"Comeon,boys——

thereweresomegoodlookersinthatbunch。"

Ofcourseitwasunwiseofus。

Itwasquiteeasytoseeafterwardthatourbestplanwastohavestudiedthecountrymorefullybeforeweleftourswoopingairshipandtrustedourselvestomerefootservice。Butwewerethreeyoungmen。Wehadbeentalkingaboutthiscountryforoverayear,hardlybelievingthattherewassuchaplace,andnow——wewereinit。

Itlookedsafeandcivilizedenough,andamongthoseupturned,crowdingfaces,thoughsomewereterrifiedenough,therewasgreatbeauty——onthatweallagreed。

"Comeon!"criedTerry,pushingforward。"Oh,comeon!

HeregoesforHerland!"

CHAPTER2

RashAdvancesNotmorethantenorfifteenmileswejudgeditfromourlandingrocktothatlastvillage。Foralloureagernesswethoughtitwisetokeeptothewoodsandgocarefully。

EvenTerry’sardorwasheldincheckbyhisfirmconvictionthattherewerementobemet,andwesawtoitthateachofushadagoodstockofcartridges。

"Theymaybescarce,andtheymaybehiddenawaysomewhere——

somekindofamatriarchate,asJefftellsus;forthatmatter,theymayliveupinthemountainsyonderandkeepthewomeninthispartofthecountry——sortofanationalharem!Buttherearemensomewhere——didn’tyouseethebabies?"

Wehadallseenbabies,childrenbigandlittle,everywherethatwehadcomenearenoughtodistinguishthepeople。Andthoughbydresswecouldnotbesureofallthegrownpersons,stilltherehadnotbeenonemanthatwewerecertainof。

"IalwayslikedthatArabsaying,`FirsttieyourcamelandthentrustintheLord,’"Jeffmurmured;soweallhadourweaponsinhand,andstolecautiouslythroughtheforest。Terrystudieditasweprogressed。

"Talkofcivilization,"hecriedsoftlyinrestrainedenthusiasm。"Ineversawaforestsopetted,eveninGermany。

Look,there’snotadeadbough——thevinesaretrained——actually!

Andseehere"——hestoppedandlookedabouthim,callingJeff’sattentiontothekindsoftrees。

Theyleftmeforalandmarkandmadealimitedexcursiononeitherside。

"Food—bearing,practicallyallofthem,"theyannouncedreturning。

"Therest,splendidhardwood。Callthisaforest?It’satruckfarm!"

"Goodthingtohaveabotanistonhand,"Iagreed。

"Suretherearenomedicinalones?Oranyforpureornament?"

Asamatteroffacttheywerequiteright。Thesetoweringtreeswereunderascarefulcultivationassomanycabbages。Inotherconditionsweshouldhavefoundthosewoodsfulloffairforestersandfruitgatherers;butanairshipisaconspicuousobject,andbynomeansquiet——andwomenarecautious。

Allwefoundmovinginthosewoods,aswestartedthroughthem,werebirds,somegorgeous,somemusical,allsotamethatitseemedalmosttocontradictourtheoryofcultivation——atleastuntilwecameuponoccasionallittleglades,wherecarvedstoneseatsandtablesstoodintheshadebesideclearfountains,withshallowbirdbathsalwaysadded。

"Theydon’tkillbirds,andapparentlytheydokillcats,"

Terrydeclared。"MUSTbemenhere。Hark!"

Wehadheardsomething:somethingnotintheleastlikeabirdsong,andverymuchlikeasuppressedwhisperoflaughter——alittlehappysound,instantlysmothered。Westoodlikesomanypointers,andthenusedourglasses,swiftly,carefully。

"Itcouldn’thavebeenfaroff,"saidTerryexcitedly。

"Howaboutthisbigtree?"

Therewasaverylargeandbeautifultreeinthegladewehadjustentered,withthickwide—spreadingbranchesthatslopedoutinlappingfanslikeabeechorpine。Itwastrimmedunderneathsometwentyfeetup,andstoodtherelikeahugeumbrella,withcirclingseatsbeneath。

"Look,"hepursued。"Thereareshortstumpsofbrancheslefttoclimbon。There’ssomeoneupthattree,Ibelieve。"

Westolenear,cautiously。

"Lookoutforapoisonedarrowinyoureye,"Isuggested,butTerrypressedforward,sprangupontheseat—back,andgraspedthetrunk。

"Inmyheart,morelikely,"heanswered。"Gee!Look,boys!"

Werushedcloseinandlookedup。Thereamongtheboughsoverheadwassomething——morethanonesomething——thatclungmotionless,closetothegreattrunkatfirst,andthen,asoneandallwestartedupthetree,separatedintothreeswift—movingfiguresandfledupward。Asweclimbedwecouldcatchglimpsesofthemscatteringaboveus。Bythetimewehadreachedaboutasfarasthreementogetherdaredpush,theyhadleftthemaintrunkandmovedoutward,eachonebalancedonalongbranchthatdippedandswayedbeneaththeweight。

Wepauseduncertain。Ifwepursuedfurther,theboughswouldbreakunderthedoubleburden。Wemightshakethemoff,perhaps,butnoneofuswassoinclined。Inthesoftdappledlightofthesehighregions,breathlesswithourrapidclimb,werestedawhile,eagerlystudyingourobjectsofpursuit;whiletheyinturn,withnomoreterrorthanasetoffrolicsomechildreninagameoftag,sataslightlyassomanybigbrightbirdsontheirprecariousperchesandfrankly,curiously,staredatus。

"Girls!"whisperedJeff,underhisbreath,asiftheymightflyifhespokealoud。

"Peaches!"addedTerry,scarcelylouder。"Peacherinos——

apricot—nectarines!Whew!"

Theyweregirls,ofcourse,noboyscouldeverhaveshownthatsparklingbeauty,andyetnoneofuswascertainatfirst。

Wesawshorthair,hatless,loose,andshining;asuitofsomelightfirmstuff,theclosestoftunicsandkneebreeches,metbytrimgaiters。Asbrightandsmoothasparrotsandasunawareofdanger,theyswungtherebeforeus,whollyatease,staringaswestared,tillfirstone,andthenallofthemburstintopealsofdelightedlaughter。

Thentherewasatorrentofsofttalktossedbackandforth;

nosavagesing—song,butclearmusicalfluentspeech。

Wemettheirlaughtercordially,anddoffedourhatstothem,atwhichtheylaughedagain,delightedly。

ThenTerry,whollyinhiselement,madeapolitespeech,withexplanatorygestures,andproceededtointroduceus,withpointingfinger。"Mr。JeffMargrave,"hesaidclearly;Jeffbowedasgracefullyasamancouldintheforkofagreatlimb。"Mr。

VandyckJennings"——Ialsotriedtomakeaneffectivesaluteandnearlylostmybalance。

ThenTerrylaidhishanduponhischest——afinechesthehad,too,andintroducedhimself;hewasbracedcarefullyfortheoccasionandachievedanexcellentobeisance。

Againtheylaugheddelightedly,andtheonenearestmefollowedhistactics。

"Celis,"shesaiddistinctly,pointingtotheoneinblue;

"Alima"——theoneinrose;then,withavividimitationofTerry’simpressivemanner,shelaidafirmdelicatehandonhergold—

greenjerkin——"Ellador。"Thiswaspleasant,butwegotnonearer。

"Wecan’tsithereandlearnthelanguage,"Terryprotested。

Hebeckonedtothemtocomenearer,mostwinningly——buttheygailyshooktheirheads。Hesuggested,bysigns,thatweallgodowntogether;butagaintheyshooktheirheads,stillmerrily。

ThenElladorclearlyindicatedthatweshouldgodown,pointingtoeachandallofus,withunmistakablefirmness;andfurtherseemingtoimplybythesweepofalithearmthatwenotonlygodownward,butgoawayaltogether——atwhichweshookourheadsinturn。

"Havetousebait,"grinnedTerry。"Idon’tknowaboutyoufellows,butIcameprepared。"Heproducedfromaninnerpocketalittleboxofpurplevelvet,thatopenedwithasnap——andoutofithedrewalongsparklingthing,anecklaceofbigvaricoloredstonesthatwouldhavebeenworthamillionifrealones。Hehelditup,swungit,glitteringinthesun,offereditfirsttoone,thentoanother,holdingitoutasfarashecouldreachtowardthegirlnearesthim。Hestoodbracedinthefork,heldfirmlybyonehand——theother,swinginghisbrighttemptation,reachedfaroutalongthebough,butnotquitetohisfullstretch。

Shewasvisiblymoved,Inoted,hesitated,spoketohercompanions。

Theychatteredsoftlytogether,oneevidentlywarningher,theotherencouraging。Then,softlyandslowly,shedrewnearer。

ThiswasAlima,atalllong—limbedlass,well—knitandevidentlybothstrongandagile。Hereyesweresplendid,wide,fearless,asfreefromsuspicionasachild’swhohasneverbeenrebuked。

Herinterestwasmorethatofanintentboyplayingafascinatinggamethanofagirlluredbyanornament。

Theothersmovedabitfartherout,holdingfirmly,watching。

Terry’ssmilewasirreproachable,butIdidnotlikethelookinhiseyes——itwaslikeacreatureabouttospring。Icouldalreadyseeithappen——thedroppednecklace,thesuddenclutchinghand,thegirl’ssharpcryasheseizedheranddrewherin。Butitdidn’thappen。Shemadeatimidreachwithherrighthandforthegayswingingthing——hehelditalittlenearer——then,swiftaslight,sheseizeditfromhimwithherleft,anddroppedontheinstanttotheboughbelow。

Hemadehissnatch,quitevainly,almostlosinghispositionashishandclutchedonlyair;andthen,withinconceivablerapidity,thethreebrightcreaturesweregone。Theydroppedfromtheendsofthebigboughstothosebelow,fairlypouringthemselvesoffthetree,whileweclimbeddownwardasswiftlyaswecould。

Weheardtheirvanishinggaylaughter,wesawthemfleetingawayinthewideopenreachesoftheforest,andgavechase,butwemightaswellhavechasedwildantelopes;sowestoppedatlengthsomewhatbreathless。

"Nouse,"gaspedTerry。"Theygotawaywithit。Myword!

Themenofthiscountrymustbegoodsprinters!"

"Inhabitantsevidentlyarboreal,"Igrimlysuggested。

"Civilizedandstillarboreal——peculiarpeople。"

"Youshouldn’thavetriedthatway,"Jeffprotested。"Theywereperfectlyfriendly;nowwe’vescaredthem。"

Butitwasnousegrumbling,andTerryrefusedtoadmitanymistake。"Nonsense,"hesaid。"Theyexpectedit。Womenliketoberunafter。Comeon,let’sgettothattown;maybewe’llfindthemthere。Let’ssee,itwasinthisdirectionandnotfarfromthewoods,asIremember。"

Whenwereachedtheedgeoftheopencountrywereconnoiteredwithourfieldglasses。Thereitwas,aboutfourmilesoff,thesametown,weconcluded,unless,asJeffventured,theyallhadpinkhouses。Thebroadgreenfieldsandcloselycultivatedgardensslopedawayatourfeet,alongeasyslant,withgoodroadswindingpleasantlyhereandthere,andnarrowerpathsbesides。

"Lookatthat!"criedJeffsuddenly。"Theretheygo!"

Sureenough,closetothetown,acrossawidemeadow,threebright—huedfigureswererunningswiftly。

"Howcouldtheyhavegotthatfarinthistime?Itcan’tbethesameones,"Iurged。Butthroughtheglasseswecouldidentifyourprettytree—climbersquiteplainly,atleastbycostume。

Terrywatchedthem,wealldidforthatmatter,tilltheydisappearedamongthehouses。Thenheputdownhisglassandturnedtous,drawingalongbreath。"MotherofMike,boys——whatGorgeousGirls!Toclimblikethat!torunlikethat!andafraidofnothing。Thiscountrysuitsmeallright。Let’sgetahead。"

"Nothingventure,nothinghave,"Isuggested,butTerrypreferred"Faintheartne’erwonfairlady。"

Wesetforthintheopen,walkingbriskly。"Ifthereareanymen,we’dbetterkeepaneyeout,"Isuggested,butJeffseemedlostinheavenlydreams,andTerryinhighlypracticalplans。

"Whataperfectroad!Whataheavenlycountry!Seetheflowers,willyou?"

ThiswasJeff,alwaysanenthusiast;butwecouldagreewithhimfully。

Theroadwassomesortofhardmanufacturedstuff,slopedslightlytoshedrain,witheverycurveandgradeandgutterasperfectasifitwereEurope’sbest。"Nomen,eh?"sneeredTerry。

Oneithersideadoublerowoftreesshadedthefootpaths;betweenthetreesbushesorvines,allfruit—bearing,nowandthenseatsandlittlewaysidefountains;everywhereflowers。

"We’dbetterimportsomeoftheseladiesandset’emtoparkingtheUnitedStates,"Isuggested。"Mightyniceplacethey’vegothere。"Werestedafewmomentsbyoneofthefountains,testedthefruitthatlookedripe,andwenton,impressed,forallourgaybravadobythesenseofquietpotencywhichlayaboutus。

Herewasevidentlyapeoplehighlyskilled,efficient,caringfortheircountryasafloristcaresforhiscostliestorchids。Underthesoftbrilliantblueofthatclearsky,inthepleasantshadeofthoseendlessrowsoftrees,wewalkedunharmed,theplacidsilencebrokenonlybythebirds。

Presentlytherelaybeforeusatthefootofalonghillthetownorvillagewewereaimingfor。Westoppedandstudiedit。

Jeffdrewalongbreath。"Iwouldn’thavebelievedacollectionofhousescouldlooksolovely,"hesaid。

"They’vegotarchitectsandlandscapegardenersinplenty,that’ssure,"agreedTerry。

Iwasastonishedmyself。Yousee,IcomefromCalifornia,andthere’snocountrylovelier,butwhenitcomestotowns——!Ihaveoftengroanedathometoseetheoffensivemessmanmadeinthefaceofnature,eventhoughI’mnoartsharp,likeJeff。Butthisplace!Itwasbuiltmostlyofasortofdullrose—coloredstone,withhereandtheresomeclearwhitehouses;anditlayabroadamongthegreengrovesandgardenslikeabrokenrosaryofpinkcoral。

"Thosebigwhiteonesarepublicbuildingsevidently,"Terrydeclared。"Thisisnosavagecountry,myfriend。Butnomen?

Boys,itbehoovesustogoforwardmostpolitely。"

Theplacehadanoddlook,moreimpressiveasweapproached。

"It’slikeanexposition。""It’stooprettytobetrue。"

"Plentyofpalaces,butwherearethehomes?""Ohtherearelittleonesenough——but——。"Itcertainlywasdifferentfromanytownswehadeverseen。

"There’snodirt,"saidJeffsuddenly。"There’snosmoke,"headdedafteralittle。

"There’snonoise,"Ioffered;butTerrysnubbedme——"That’sbecausetheyarelayinglowforus;we’dbetterbecarefulhowwegointhere。"

Nothingcouldinducehimtostayout,however,sowewalkedon。

Everythingwasbeauty,order,perfectcleanness,andthepleasantestsenseofhomeoveritall。Aswenearedthecenterofthetownthehousesstoodthicker,rantogetherasitwere,grewintoramblingpalacesgroupedamongparksandopensquares,somethingascollegebuildingsstandintheirquietgreens。

Andthen,turningacorner,wecameintoabroadpavedspaceandsawbeforeusabandofwomenstandingclosetogetherinevenorder,evidentlywaitingforus。

Westoppedamomentandlookedback。Thestreetbehindwasclosedbyanotherband,marchingsteadily,shouldertoshoulder。Wewenton——thereseemednootherwaytogo——andpresentlyfoundourselvesquitesurroundedbythisclose—massedmultitude,women,allofthem,but——

Theywerenotyoung。Theywerenotold。Theywerenot,inthegirlsense,beautiful。Theywerenotintheleastferocious。

Andyet,asIlookedfromfacetoface,calm,grave,wise,whollyunafraid,evidentlyassuredanddetermined,Ihadthefunniestfeeling——averyearlyfeeling——afeelingthatItracedbackandbackinmemoryuntilIcaughtupwithitatlast。ItwasthatsenseofbeinghopelesslyinthewrongthatIhadsooftenfeltinearlyyouthwhenmyshortlegs’utmosteffortfailedtoovercomethefactthatIwaslatetoschool。

Jefffeltittoo;Icouldseehedid。Wefeltlikesmallboys,verysmallboys,caughtdoingmischiefinsomegraciouslady’shouse。

ButTerryshowednosuchconsciousness。Isawhisquickeyesdartinghereandthere,estimatingnumbers,measuringdistances,judgingchancesofescape。Heexaminedthecloseranksaboutus,reachingbackfaroneveryside,andmurmuredsoftlytome,"Everyoneof’emoverfortyasI’masinner。"

Yettheywerenotoldwomen。Eachwasinthefullbloomofrosyhealth,erect,serene,standingsure—footedandlightasanypugilist。

Theyhadnoweapons,andwehad,butwehadnowishtoshoot。

"I’dassoonshootmyaunts,"mutteredTerryagain。"Whatdotheywantwithusanyhow?Theyseemtomeanbusiness。"

Butinspiteofthatbusinesslikeaspect,hedeterminedtotryhisfavoritetactics。Terryhadcomearmedwithatheory。

Hesteppedforward,withhisbrilliantingratiatingsmile,andmadelowobeisancetothewomenbeforehim。Thenheproducedanothertribute,abroadsoftscarfoffilmytexture,richincolorandpattern,alovelything,eventomyeye,andoffereditwithadeepbowtothetallunsmilingwomanwhoseemedtoheadtheranksbeforehim。Shetookitwithagraciousnodofacknowledgment,andpasseditontothosebehindher。

Hetriedagain,thistimebringingoutacircletofrhinestones,aglitteringcrownthatshouldhavepleasedanywomanonearth。

Hemadeabriefaddress,includingJeffandmeaspartnersinhisenterprise,andwithanotherbowpresentedthis。Againhisgiftwasacceptedand,asbefore,passedoutofsight。

"Iftheywereonlyyounger,"hemutteredbetweenhisteeth。

"WhatonearthisafellowtosaytoaregimentofoldColonelslikethis?"

Inallourdiscussionsandspeculationswehadalwaysunconsciouslyassumedthatthewomen,whateverelsetheymightbe,wouldbeyoung。Mostmendothinkthatway,Ifancy。

"Woman"intheabstractisyoung,and,weassume,charming。

Astheygetoldertheypassoffthestage,somehow,intoprivateownershipmostly,oroutofitaltogether。Butthesegoodladieswereverymuchonthestage,andyetanyoneofthemmighthavebeenagrandmother。

Welookedfornervousness——therewasnone。

Forterror,perhaps——therewasnone。

Foruneasiness,forcuriosity,forexcitement——andallwesawwaswhatmighthavebeenavigilancecommitteeofwomendoctors,ascoolascucumbers,andevidentlymeaningtotakeustotaskforbeingthere。

Sixofthemsteppedforwardnow,oneoneithersideofeachofus,andindicatedthatweweretogowiththem。Wethoughtitbesttoaccede,atfirstanyway,andmarchedalong,oneofthesecloseateachelbow,andtheothersinclosemassesbefore,behind,onbothsides。

Alargebuildingopenedbeforeus,averyheavythick—walledimpressiveplace,big,andold—looking;ofgraystone,notliketherestofthetown。

"Thiswon’tdo!"saidTerrytous,quickly。"Wemustn’tletthemgetusinthis,boys。Alltogether,now——"

Westoppedinourtracks。Webegantoexplain,tomakesignspointingawaytowardthebigforest——indicatingthatwewouldgobacktoit——atonce。

Itmakesmelaugh,knowingallIdonow,tothinkofusthreeboys——nothingelse;threeaudaciousimpertinentboys——buttingintoanunknowncountrywithoutanysortofaguardordefense。

Weseemedtothinkthatifthereweremenwecouldfightthem,andiftherewereonlywomen——why,theywouldbenoobstaclesatall。

Jeff,withhisgentleromanticold—fashionednotionsofwomenasclingingvines。Terry,withhiscleardecidedpracticaltheoriesthatthereweretwokindsofwomen——thosehewantedandthosehedidn’t;DesirableandUndesirablewashisdemarcation。

Thelatterasalargeclass,butnegligible——hehadneverthoughtaboutthematall。

Andnowheretheywere,ingreatnumbers,evidentlyindifferenttowhathemightthink,evidentlydeterminedonsomepurposeoftheirownregardinghim,andapparentlywellabletoenforcetheirpurpose。

【推荐阅读】幽幽深宫,醒来一梦似千年,重生于下堂妃身躯中的她,将如何手刃仇人? 点击阅读

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