登陆注册
15468500000021

第21章 Chapter Nine The Quarrelsome Dragons(1)

The Green Monkey sank gently into the earth for a little way and then tumbled swiftly through space, landing on a rocky floor with a thump that astonished him. Then he sat up, found that no bones were broken, and gazed around him.

He seemed to be in a big underground cave, which was dimly lighted by dozens of big round discs that looked like moons. They were not moons, however, as Woot discovered when he had examined the place more carefully. They were eyes. The eyes were in the heads of enormous beasts whose bodies trailed far behind them. Each beast was bigger than an elephant, and three times as long, and there were a dozen or more of the creatures scattered here and there about the cavern. On their bodies were big scales, as round as pie-plates, which were beautifully tinted in shades of green, purple and orange. On the ends of their long tails were clusters of jewels. Around the great, moon-like eyes were circles of diamonds which sparkled in the subdued light that glowed from the eyes.

Woot saw that the creatures had wide mouths and rows of terrible teeth and, from tales he had heard of such beings, he knew he had fallen into a cavern inhabited by the great Dragons that had been driven from the surface of the earth and were only allowed to come out once in a hundred years to search for food. Of course he had never seen Dragons before, yet there was no mistaking them, for they were unlike any other living creatures.

Woot sat upon the floor where he had fallen, staring around, and the owners of the big eyes returned his look, silently and motionless. Finally one of the Dragons which was farthest away from him asked, in a deep, grave voice:

"What was that?"

And the greatest Dragon of all, who was just in front of the Green Monkey, answered in a still deeper voice:

"It is some foolish animal from Outside."

"Is it good to eat?" inquired a smaller Dragon beside the great one. "I'm hungry."

"Hungry!" exclaimed all the Dragons, in a reproachful chorus; and then the great one said chidingly: "Tut- tut, my son! You've no reason to be hungry at this time."

"Why not?" asked the little Dragon. "I haven't eaten anything in eleven years."

"Eleven years is nothing," remarked another Dragon, sleepily opening and closing his eyes; "I haven't feasted for eighty-seven years, and I dare not get hungry for a dozen or so years to come. Children who eat between meals should be broken of the habit."

"All I had, eleven years ago, was a rhinoceros, and that's not a full meal at all," grumbled the young one.

"And, before that, I had waited sixty-two years to be fed; so it's no wonder I'm hungry."

"How old are you now?" asked Woot, forgetting his own dangerous position in his interest in the conversation.

"Why, I'm -- I'm -- How old am I, Father?" asked the little Dragon.

"Goodness gracious! what a child to ask questions. Do you want to keep me thinking all the time? Don't you know that thinking is very bad for Dragons?" returned the big one, impatiently.

"How old am I, Father?" persisted the small Dragon.

"About six hundred and thirty, I believe. Ask your mother."

"No; don't!" said an old Dragon in the background;

"haven't I enough worries, what with being wakened in the middle of a nap, without being obliged to keep track of my children's ages?"

"You've been fast asleep for over sixty years, Mother," said the child Dragon. "How long a nap do you wish?"

"I should have slept forty years longer. And this strange little green beast should be punished for falling into our cavern and disturbing us."

"I didn't know you were here, and I didn't know I was going to fall in," explained Woot.

"Nevertheless, here you are," said the great Dragon, "and you have carelessly wakened our entire tribe; so it stands to reason you must be punished."

"In what way?" inquired the Green Monkey, trembling a little.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 异世炉石

    异世炉石

    寒冰箭,冰枪,冰矛,冰尖柱,暴风雪……这就是你熟知的冰法么?冰法怎么可能是这样!冻结地面,能破战士的冲锋!冻结伤口,能破盗贼的流血!厌倦了火球大火球爆裂火球连环火球么?来个控场冰法降降温吧!这是一个带着炉石卡牌库穿越异界的故事。
  • 唾弃的人生:男神求救记

    唾弃的人生:男神求救记

    原本热情的她因为被陷害,被所有人唾弃,走到哪儿都被人嫌弃,她原本无父无母已经够伤心了,现在就因为一场陷害,让她的人生彻彻底底地过完了,让她遭遇到所有人的唾弃,没有人知道她是被冤枉的,就只有一个人相信他,那就是她幼儿园时的男闺蜜,男闺蜜的父母也很喜欢她,知道她受了这么大的伤害,她们就去安慰她,保护她,让她重新有了勇气走下去
  • 霸道老公请爱我之强势夺爱

    霸道老公请爱我之强势夺爱

    本想为了多赚点钱才经过朋友找了一个兼职的工作,却没有想过就此跌进了集霸道和腹黑于一身的男人的生活圈。本以为不会有交集的两个人却在命运的牵引下越来越近。
  • 非凡奇闻录

    非凡奇闻录

    大千世界无奇不有,我买酱油救了一个老人被一巴掌传授了绝世神功,不一样的世界向我开启。平淡的都市下波涛汹涌,光怪琉璃的冒险正式开始!新人写作,笔力不足,用第一人称哈,请多指教!
  • 偷脸

    偷脸

    女友被人杀了,还被更换了身体,神秘的“偷窥者 ”,可怕的真相……
  • 鬼医王妃:腹黑王爷宠妻无度

    鬼医王妃:腹黑王爷宠妻无度

    二十一世纪的顶端杀手,因为刺杀一个人,在途中被被人推下坠楼而亡,上苍给她一次重生却意外穿越,她,冰冷无情,拒人千里之外,却只为他温柔,他,妖孽美男却不近女色,但只让她接近,他戎马一生却她依然倾倒,他们会擦出什么样的火花,他想护她一生,她只能做他的“小娇妻”.........
  • 伪君子

    伪君子

    世界名著-伪君子
  • 某非科学的闭锁空间

    某非科学的闭锁空间

    真简介在里面~这不是学园都市,是北高。百合党,无节操。尽量在不改角色性格的基础上都做了些调整。嗯嗯,就这样。
  • 与我涅槃

    与我涅槃

    初见便是永别,我抛下一切从新开始,开始过属于我的异世新生,我们慢慢地接近属于我们的天堂,只为对得起上天对我们的厚爱
  • 纯爱契约之我心永蘅

    纯爱契约之我心永蘅

    现在有点记不得当初写作的初衷了,在生活的缝隙里一路写一路忘,时哭时笑时疯癫。大纲改了又改,有时卡得一个字都写不下去,就关了电脑去楼下喝咖啡,结果喝成了钻石卡。好吧,这本书是关于青春,关于早恋,关于若干年后遗失在旧时空里的她。借用表叔的话:“青春就是一场治不好的病,病根落在心里,会带一辈子。”我们活着的这一百年内,天不会老,地不会荒,所以没有天老地荒,只有细水长流的岁月。