Reedle Откройте в мобильном приложении
Понятно
Понятно
Для того чтобы воспользоваться закладками, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Отмена
Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Отмена
Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа
Купить PRO-доступ
Отмена
311
I
tried
him
with
some
other
questions
,
but
his
chattering
,
prompt
responses
were
as
often
as
not
quite
at
cross
purposes
with
my
question
.
Some
few
were
appropriate
,
others
quite
parrot-like
.
312
I
was
so
intent
upon
these
peculiarities
that
I
scarcely
noticed
the
path
we
followed
.
Presently
we
came
to
trees
,
all
charred
and
brown
,
and
so
to
a
bare
place
covered
with
a
yellow-white
incrustation
,
across
which
a
drifting
smoke
,
pungent
in
whiffs
to
nose
and
eyes
,
went
drifting
.
On
our
right
,
over
a
shoulder
of
bare
rock
,
I
saw
the
level
blue
of
the
sea
.
The
path
coiled
down
abruptly
into
a
narrow
ravine
between
two
tumbled
and
knotty
masses
of
blackish
scoria
.
Into
this
we
plunged
.
313
It
was
extremely
dark
,
this
passage
,
after
the
blinding
sunlight
reflected
from
the
sulphurous
ground
.
Its
walls
grew
steep
,
and
approached
each
other
.
Blotches
of
green
and
crimson
drifted
across
my
eyes
.
My
conductor
stopped
suddenly
.
"
Home
!
"
said
he
,
and
I
stood
in
a
floor
of
a
chasm
that
was
at
first
absolutely
dark
to
me
.
I
heard
some
strange
noises
,
and
thrust
the
knuckles
of
my
left
hand
into
my
eyes
.
I
became
aware
of
a
disagreeable
odor
,
like
that
of
a
monkey
's
cage
ill-cleaned
.
Beyond
,
the
rock
opened
again
upon
a
gradual
slope
of
sunlit
greenery
,
and
on
either
hand
the
light
smote
down
through
narrow
ways
into
the
central
gloom
.
Отключить рекламу
314
Then
something
cold
touched
my
hand
.
I
started
violently
,
and
saw
close
to
me
a
dim
pinkish
thing
,
looking
more
like
a
flayed
child
than
anything
else
in
the
world
.
The
creature
had
exactly
the
mild
but
repulsive
features
of
a
sloth
,
the
same
low
forehead
and
slow
gestures
.
315
As
the
first
shock
of
the
change
of
light
passed
,
I
saw
about
me
more
distinctly
.
The
little
sloth-like
creature
was
standing
and
staring
at
me
.
My
conductor
had
vanished
.
The
place
was
a
narrow
passage
between
high
walls
of
lava
,
a
crack
in
the
knotted
rock
,
and
on
either
side
interwoven
heaps
of
sea-mat
,
palm-fans
,
and
reeds
leaning
against
the
rock
formed
rough
and
impenetrably
dark
dens
.
The
winding
way
up
the
ravine
between
these
was
scarcely
three
yards
wide
,
and
was
disfigured
by
lumps
of
decaying
fruit-pulp
and
other
refuse
,
which
accounted
for
the
disagreeable
stench
of
the
place
.
316
The
little
pink
sloth-creature
was
still
blinking
at
me
when
my
Ape-man
reappeared
at
the
aperture
of
the
nearest
of
these
dens
,
and
beckoned
me
in
.
As
he
did
so
a
slouching
monster
wriggled
out
of
one
of
the
places
,
further
up
this
strange
street
,
and
stood
up
in
featureless
silhouette
against
the
bright
green
beyond
,
staring
at
me
.
I
hesitated
,
having
half
a
mind
to
bolt
the
way
I
had
come
;
and
then
,
determined
to
go
through
with
the
adventure
,
I
gripped
my
nailed
stick
about
the
middle
and
crawled
into
the
little
evil-smelling
lean-to
after
my
conductor
.
317
It
was
a
semi-circular
space
,
shaped
like
the
half
of
a
bee-hive
;
and
against
the
rocky
wall
that
formed
the
inner
side
of
it
was
a
pile
of
variegated
fruits
,
cocoa-nuts
among
others
.
Some
rough
vessels
of
lava
and
wood
stood
about
the
floor
,
and
one
on
a
rough
stool
.
There
was
no
fire
.
In
the
darkest
corner
of
the
hut
sat
a
shapeless
mass
of
darkness
that
grunted
"
Hey
!
"
as
I
came
in
,
and
my
Ape-man
stood
in
the
dim
light
of
the
doorway
and
held
out
a
split
cocoa-nut
to
me
as
I
crawled
into
the
other
corner
and
squatted
down
.
I
took
it
,
and
began
gnawing
it
,
as
serenely
as
possible
,
in
spite
of
a
certain
trepidation
and
the
nearly
intolerable
closeness
of
the
den
.
The
little
pink
sloth-creature
stood
in
the
aperture
of
the
hut
,
and
something
else
with
a
drab
face
and
bright
eyes
came
staring
over
its
shoulder
.
Отключить рекламу
318
"
Hey
!
"
came
out
of
the
lump
of
mystery
opposite
.
"
It
is
a
man
.
"
319
"
It
is
a
man
,
"
gabbled
my
conductor
,
"
a
man
,
a
man
,
a
five-man
,
like
me
.
"
320
"
Shut
up
!
"
said
the
voice
from
the
dark
,
and
grunted
.
I
gnawed
my
cocoa-nut
amid
an
impressive
stillness
.