第 42 节
作者:嘟嘟      更新:2021-02-20 05:57      字数:9322
  corner under the rock。        Poor piggy!      He ought to have been at home safe
  in   his  stye;  and   not   wandering     about    the  hills。  And     what   are   these
  coming now?
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  MADAM HOW AND LADY WHY
  Butter firkins; I think。      Yes。    This is a great flood。      It is well if there
  are no lives lost。
  But is it not cruel of Madam How to make such floods?
  Welllet us ask one of these men who are looking over the bridge。
  Why;     what   does    he  say?    I   cannot   understand     one   word。     Is   he
  talking Irish?
  Irish…English at least:      but what he said was; that it was a mighty fine
  flood entirely;  praised be   God;   and   would help   on the potatoes   and  oats
  after the drought; and set the grass growing again on the mountains。
  And what is he saying now?
  That the river will be full of salmon and white trout after this。
  What does he mean?
  That   under   our   feet   now;   if   we   could   see   through   the   muddy   water;
  dozens of salmon and sea…trout are running up from the sea。
  What! up this furious stream?
  Yes。    What would be death to you is pleasure and play to them。                   Up
  they are going; to spawn in the little brooks among the mountains; and all
  of them are the best of food; fattened on the herrings and sprats in the sea
  outside; Madam How's free gift; which does not cost man a farthing; save
  the expense of nets and rods to catch them。
  How can that be?
  I  will   give  you    a  bit  of  political  economy。      Suppose      a  pound    of
  salmon is worth a shilling; and a pound of beef is worth a shilling likewise。
  Before   we   can   eat   the   beef;   it   has   cost   perhaps   tenpence   to   make   that
  pound of beef out of turnips and grass and oil…cake; and so the country is
  only twopence a pound richer for it。             But Mr。 Salmon has made himself
  out of what he eats in the sea; and so has cost nothing; and the shilling a
  pound is all clear gain。        Thereyou don't quite understand that piece of
  political   economy。      Indeed;  it   is   only  in   the last two or   three  years   that
  older heads than yours have got to understand it; and have passed the wise
  new salmon laws; by which the rivers will be once more as rich with food
  as   the  land   is;  just   as   they  were  hundreds   of  years   ago。 But now;  look
  again at the river。     What do you think makes it so yellow and muddy?
  Dirt; of course。
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  MADAM HOW AND LADY WHY
  And where does that come from?
  Off the mountains?
  Yes。    Tons on tons of white mud are being carried down past us now;
  and where will they go?
  Into the sea?
  Yes; and sink there in the still water; to make new strata at the bottom;
  and perhaps in them; ages hence; some   one will find the bones of   those
  sheep; and of poor Mr。 Pig too; fossil …
  And the butter firkins too。       What fun to find a fossil butter firkin!
  But now lift up your eyes to the jagged mountain crests; and their dark
  sides all laced with silver streams。          Out of every crack and cranny there
  aloft; the rain is bringing down dirt; and stones too; which have been split
  off   by   the   winter's   frosts;   deepening   every   little   hollow;   and   sharpening
  every peak; and making the hills more jagged and steep year by year。
  When the ice went away; the hills were all scraped smooth and round
  by   the   glaciers;   like   the   flat   rock   upon   the   lawn;   and   ugly   enough   they
  must   have   looked;   most   like   great   brown   buns。      But   ever   since   then;
  Madam How has been scooping them out again by her water…chisel into
  deep glens; mighty cliffs; sharp peaks; such as you see aloft; and making
  the   old   hills   beautiful   once   more。  Why;   even   the Alps   in   Switzerland
  have been carved out by frost and rain; out of some great flat。                 The very
  peak of the Matterhorn; of which you have so often seen a picture; is but
  one single point left of some enormous bun of rock。               All the rest has been
  carved away by rain and frost; and some day the Matterhorn itself will be
  carved away; and its last stone topple into the glacier at its foot。              See; as
  we have been talking; we have got into the woods。
  Oh; what beautiful woods; just like our own。
  Not quite。     There are some things growing here which do not grow at
  home; as you will soon see。           And there are no rocks at home; either; as
  there are here。
  How strange; to see trees growing out of rocks!               How do their roots
  get into the stone?
  There is plenty of rich mould in the cracks for them to feed on …
  〃Health   to   the   oak   of   the   mountains;   he   trusts   to   the   might   of   the
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  MADAM HOW AND LADY WHY
  rock…clefts。   Deeply   he   mines;   and   in   peace   feeds   on   the   wealth   of   the
  stone。〃
  How   many   sorts   of   trees   there   areoak;   and   birch   and   nuts;   and
  mountain…ash; and holly and furze; and heather。
  And if you went to some of the islands in the lake up in the glen; you
  would find wild arbutusstrawberry…tree; as you call it。                We will go and
  get some one day or other。
  How long and green the grass is; even on the rocks; and the ferns; and
  the moss; too。      Everything seems richer here than at home。
  Of course it is。      You are here in the land of perpetual spring; where
  frost and snow seldom; or never comes。
  Oh; look at the ferns under this rock!          I must pick some。
  Pick away。      I will warrant you do not pick all the sorts。
  Yes。    I have got them all now。
  Not so hasty; child; there is plenty of a beautiful fern growing among
  that moss; which you have passed over。             Look here。
  What! that little thing a fern!
  Hold it up to the light; and see。
  What a lovely little thing; like a transparent sea…weed; hung on black
  wire。    What is it?
  Film  fern;   Hymenophyllum。          But   what   are   you   staring   at   now;   with
  all your eyes?
  Oh! that rock covered with green stars and a cloud of little white and
  pink flowers growing out of them。
  Aha!   my   good   little   dog!   I   thought   you   would   stand   to   that   game
  when you found it。
  What is it; though?
  You   must   answer   that   yourself。     You   have   seen   it   a   hundred   times
  before。
  Why; it is London Pride; that grows in the garden at home。
  Of course it is:     but the Irish call it St。 Patrick's cabbage; though it got
  here a long time before St。 Patrick; and St。 Patrick must have been very
  short of garden…stuff if he ever ate it。
  But how  did   it   get here   from London?         No;  no。     How  did it get   to
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  MADAM HOW AND LADY WHY
  London      from   hence?     For   from   this   country   it  came。   I   suppose    the
  English brought it home in Queen Bess's or James the First's time。
  But if it is wild here; and will grow so well in England; why do we not
  find it wild in England too?
  For the same reason that there are no toads or snakes in Ireland。 They
  had not got as far as Ireland before Ireland was parted off from England。
  And St。 Patrick's cabbage; and a good many other plants; had not got as far
  as England。
  But why?
  Why; I don't know。       But this I know:       that when Madam How makes
  a new sort of plant or animal; she starts it in one single place; and leaves it
  to take care of itself and earn its own livingas she does you and me and
  every oneand spread from that place all round as far as it can go。               So St。
  Patrick's cabbage got into this south…west of Ireland; long; long ago; and
  was such a brave sturdy little plant; that it clambered up to the top of the
  highest   mountains;   and   over   all   the   rocks。  But   when   it   got   to   the   rich
  lowlands to the eastward; in county Cork; it found all the ground taken up
  already with other plants; and as they had enough to do to live themselves;
  they would not let St。 Patrick's cabbage settle among them; and it had to
  be content with living here in the far…westand; what was very sad; had no
  means of sending word to its brothers and sisters in the Pyrenees how it
  was getting on。
  What do you m