"Haggard, H Rider- Hunter Quatermain's Story" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haggard H. Rider)

Everybody turned and stared politely at the curious-looking little
lame man, and though his size was insignificant, he was quite worth
staring at. He had short grizzled hair, which stood about an inch
above his head like the bristles of a brush, gentle brown eyes, that
seemed to notice everything, and a withered face, tanned to the colour
of mahogany from exposure to the weather. He spoke, too, when he
returned Good's enthusiastic greeting, with a curious little accent,
which made his speech noticeable.

It so happened that I sat next to Mr. Allan Quatermain at dinner, and,
of course, did my best to draw him; but he was not to be drawn. He
admitted that he had recently been a long journey into the interior of
Africa with Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good, and that they had found
treasure, and then politely turned the subject and began to ask me
questions about England, where he had never been before--that is,
since he came to years of discretion. Of course, I did not find this
very interesting, and so cast about for some means to bring the
conversation round again.

Now, we were dining in an oak-panelled vestibule, and on the wall
opposite to me were fixed two gigantic elephant tusks, and under them
a pair of buffalo horns, very rough and knotted, showing that they
came off an old bull, and having the tip of one horn split and
chipped. I noticed that Hunter Quatermain's eyes kept glancing at
these trophies, and took an occasion to ask him if he knew anything
about them.

"I ought to," he answered, with a little laugh; "the elephant to which
those tusks belonged tore one of our party right in two about eighteen
months ago, and as for the buffalo horns, they were nearly my death,
and were the end of a servant of mine to whom I was much attached. I
gave them to Sir Henry when he left Natal some months ago;" and Mr.
Quatermain sighed and turned to answer a question from the lady whom
he had taken down to dinner, and who, needless to say, was also
employed in trying to pump him about the diamonds.

Indeed, all round the table there was a simmer of scarcely suppressed
excitement, which, when the servants had left the room, could no
longer be restrained.

"Now, Mr. Quatermain," said the lady next him, "we have been kept in
an agony of suspense by Sir Henry and Captain Good, who have
persistently refused to tell us a word of this story about the hidden
treasure till you came, and we simply can bear it no longer; so,
please, begin at once."

"Yes," said everybody, "go on, please."

Hunter Quatermain glanced round the table apprehensively; he did not
seem to appreciate finding himself the object of so much curiosity.