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1、【英文读物】The Land of DarknessI THE LAND OF DARKNESSI found myself standing on my feet, with the tingling sensation of having come down rapidlyupon the ground from a height. There was a similar feeling in my head, as of the whirling andsickening sensation of passing downward through the air, like the de
2、scription Dante gives of hisdescent upon Geryon. My mind, curiously enough, was sufficiently disengaged to think of that, orat least to allow swift passage for the recollection through my thoughts. All the aching of wonder,doubt, and fear which I had been conscious of a little while before was gone.
3、 There 2was nodistinct interval between the one condition and the other, nor in my fall (as I supposed it musthave been) had I any consciousness of change. There was the whirling of the air, resisting mypassage, yet giving way under me in giddy circles, and then the sharp shock of once more feelingu
4、nder my feet something solid, which struck yet sustained. After a little while the giddinessabove and the tingling below passed away, and I felt able to look about me and discern where Iwas. But not all at once: the things immediately about me impressed me firstthen the generalaspect of the new plac
5、e.First of all the light, which was lurid, as if a thunderstorm were coming on. I looked upinvoluntarily to see if it had begun to rain; but there was nothing of the kind, though what I sawabove me was a lowering canopy of cloud, dark, threatening, with a faint reddish tint diffusedupon the vaporous
6、 darkness. It was, however, quite sufficiently clear to 3see everything, andthere was a good deal to see. I was in a street of what seemed a great and very populous place.There were shops on either side, full apparently of all sorts of costly wares. There was a continualcurrent of passengers up and
7、down on both sides of the way, and in the middle of the streetcarriages of every description, humble and splendid. The noise was great and ceaseless, thetraffic continual. Some of the shops were most brilliantly lighted, attracting one s eyes in thesombre light outside, which, however, had just enou
8、gh of day in it to make these spots ofillumination look sickly; most of the places thus distinguished were apparently bright with theelectric or some other scientific light; and delicate machines of every description, brought to thegreatest perfection, were in some windows, as were also many fine pr
9、oductions of art, butmingled with the gaudiest and coarsest in a way which struck me with astonishment. I was alsomuch surprised by the fact that the traffic, which was never stilled for a moment seemed tohave no sort of regulation. Some carriages dashed along, upsetting the smaller vehicles in thei
10、rway, without the least restraint or order, either, as it seemed, from their own good sense, or fromthe laws and customs of the place. When an accident happened, there was a great shouting, andsometimes a furious encounter一but nobody seemed to interfere. This was the first impressionmade upon me. Th
11、e passengers on the pavement were equally regardless. I was myself pushedout of the way, first to one side, then to another; hustled when I paused for a moment, troddenupon and driven about. I retreated soon to the doorway of a shop, from whence with a littlemore safety I could see what was going on
12、. The noise made my head ring. It seemed to me that Icould not hear myself think. If this were to go on for ever, I said to myself I should soon go mad.Oh no, said some one behind me, not at all; you will get used to it; you will be5 glad of it.The orator made a pause, holding his head high, and the
13、re was a certain amount of applause.The two men before me cheered vociferously. That is the right way to look at it, one of themsaid. My eyes were upon them, with no particular motive, and I could not help starting, as I sawsuddenly underneath their applause and laughter a snarl of cursing, which wa
14、s the realexpression of their thoughts. I felt disposed in the same way to curse the speaker, though I knewno reason why.He went on a little further; explaining what he meant to do; and then turning round, approachedthe table. An assistant, who was waiting, uncovered it quickly. The audience stirred
15、 withquickened interest, and I with consternation made a step forward, crying out with horror. Theobject on the table, writhing, twitching, to get free, but bound down by every limb, was a livingman. The lecturer went(39) forward calmly, taking his instruments from their case with perfectcomposure a
16、nd coolness. Now, ladies and gentlemen/ he said: and inserted the knife in theflesh, making a long clear cut in the bound arm. I shrieked out, unable to restrain myself. Thesight of the deliberate wound, the blood, the cry of agony that came from the victim, thecalmness of all the lookers-on, filled me with horror and rage indescribable. I felt myself clear thecrowd awa
