The guileless old seaman12 superintending the O.S.N. service imagined that the last three days had exhausted13 every startling surprise the political life of Costaguana could offer. He used to confess afterwards that the events which followed surpassed his imagination. To begin with, Sulaco (because of the seizure14 of the cables and the disorganization of the steam service) remained for a whole fortnight cut off from the rest of the world like a besieged15 city.
“One would not have believed it possible; but so it was, sir. A full fortnight.”
The account of the extraordinary things that happened during that time, and the powerful emotions he experienced, acquired a comic impressiveness from the pompous16 manner of his personal narrative17. He opened it always by assuring his hearer that he was “in the thick of things from first to last.” Then he would begin by describing the getting away of the silver, and his natural anxiety lest “his fellow” in charge of the lighter18 should make some mistake. Apart from the loss of so much precious metal, the life of Senor Martin Decoud, an agreeable, wealthy, and well-informed young gentleman, would have been jeopardized19 through his falling into the hands of his political enemies. Captain Mitchell also admitted that in his solitary20 vigil on the wharf he had felt a certain measure of concern for the future of the whole country.
“A feeling, sir,” he explained, “perfectly21 comprehensible in a man properly grateful for the many kindnesses received from the best families of merchants and other native gentlemen of independent means, who, barely saved by us from the excesses of the mob, seemed, to my mind’s eye, destined22 to become the prey23 in person and fortune of the native soldiery, which, as is well known, behave with regrettable barbarity to the inhabitants during their civil commotions24. And then, sir, there were the Goulds, for both of whom, man and wife, I could not but entertain the warmest feelings deserved by their hospitality and kindness. I felt, too, the dangers of the gentlemen of the Amarilla Club, who had made me honorary member, and had treated me with uniform regard and civility, both in my capacity of Consular25 Agent and as Superintendent26 of an important Steam Service. Miss Antonia Avellanos, the most beautiful and accomplished27 young lady whom it had ever been my privilege to speak to, was not a little in my mind, I confess. How the interests of my Company would be affected28 by the impending29 change of officials claimed a large share of my attention, too. In short, sir, I was extremely anxious and very tired, as you may suppose, by the exciting and memorable30 events in which I had taken my little part. The Company’s building containing my residence was within five minutes’ walk, with the attraction of some supper and of my hammock (I always take my nightly rest in a hammock, as the most suitable to the climate); but somehow, sir, though evidently I could do nothing for any one by remaining about, I could not tear myself away from that wharf, where the fatigue31 made me stumble painfully at times. The night was excessively dark — the darkest I remember in my life; so that I began to think that the arrival of the transport from Esmeralda could not possibly take place before daylight, owing to the difficulty of navigating32 the gulf33. The mosquitoes bit like fury. We have been infested34 here with mosquitoes before the late improvements; a peculiar35 harbour brand, sir, renowned36 for its ferocity. They were like a cloud about my head, and I shouldn’t wonder that but for their attacks I would have dozed37 off as I walked up and down, and got a heavy fall. I kept on smoking cigar after cigar, more to protect myself from being eaten up alive than from any real relish38 for the weed. Then, sir, when perhaps for the twentieth time I was approaching my watch to the lighted end in order to see the time, and observing with surprise that it wanted yet ten minutes to midnight, I heard the splash of a ship’s propeller39 — an unmistakable sound to a sailor’s ear on such a calm night. It was faint indeed, because they were advancing with precaution and dead slow, both on account of the darkness and from their desire of not revealing too soon their presence: a very unnecessary care, because, I verily believe, in all the enormous extent of this harbour I was the only living soul about. Even the usual staff of watchmen and others had been absent from their posts for several nights owing to the disturbances40. I stood stock still, after dropping and stamping out my cigar — a circumstance highly agreeable, I should think, to the mosquitoes, if I may judge from the state of my face next morning. But that was a trifling41 inconvenience in comparison with the brutal42 proceedings43 I became victim of on the part of Sotillo. Something utterly44 inconceivable, sir; more like the proceedings of a maniac45 than the action of a sane46 man, however lost to all sense of honour and decency47. But Sotillo was furious at the failure of his thievish scheme.”
In this Captain Mitchell was right. Sotillo was indeed infuriated. Captain Mitchell, however, had not been arrested at once; a vivid curiosity induced him to remain on the wharf (which is nearly four hundred feet long) to see, or rather hear, the whole process of disembarkation. Concealed49 by the railway truck used for the silver, which had been run back afterwards to the shore end of the jetty, Captain Mitchell saw the small detachment thrown forward, pass by, taking different directions upon the plain. Meantime, the troops were being landed and formed into a column, whose head crept up gradually so close to him that he made it out, barring nearly the whole width of the wharf, only a very few yards from him. Then the low, shuffling50, murmuring, clinking sounds ceased, and the whole mass remained for about an hour motionless and silent, awaiting the return of the scouts52. On land nothing was to be heard except the deep baying of the mastiffs at the railway yards, answered by the faint barking of the curs infesting53 the outer limits of the town. A detached knot of dark shapes stood in front of the head of the column.
Presently the picket54 at the end of the wharf began to challenge in undertones single figures approaching from the plain. Those messengers sent back from the scouting55 parties flung to their comrades brief sentences and passed on rapidly, becoming lost in the great motionless mass, to make their report to the Staff. It occurred to Captain Mitchell that his position could become disagreeable and perhaps dangerous, when suddenly, at the head of the jetty, there was a shout of command, a bugle56 call, followed by a stir and a rattling57 of arms, and a murmuring noise that ran right up the column. Near by a loud voice directed hurriedly, “Push that railway car out of the way!” At the rush of bare feet to execute the order Captain Mitchell skipped back a pace or two; the car, suddenly impelled58 by many hands, flew away from him along the rails, and before he knew what had happened he found himself surrounded and seized by his arms and the collar of his coat.
“We have caught a man hiding here, mi teniente!” cried one of his captors.
“Hold him on one side till the rearguard comes along,” answered the voice. The whole column streamed past Captain Mitchell at a run, the thundering noise of their feet dying away suddenly on the shore. His captors held him tightly, disregarding his declaration that he was an Englishman and his loud demands to be taken at once before their commanding officer. Finally he lapsed59 into dignified60 silence. With a hollow rumble61 of wheels on the planks62 a couple of field guns, dragged by hand, rolled by. Then, after a small body of men had marched past escorting four or five figures which walked in advance, with a jingle64 of steel scabbards, he felt a tug65 at his arms, and was ordered to come along. During the passage from the wharf to the Custom House it is to be feared that Captain Mitchell was subjected to certain indignities66 at the hands of the soldiers — such as jerks, thumps67 on the neck, forcible application of the butt68 of a rifle to the small of his back. Their ideas of speed were not in accord with his notion of his dignity. He became flustered69, flushed, and helpless. It was as if the world were coming to an end.
The long building was surrounded by troops, which were already piling arms by companies and preparing to pass the night lying on the ground in their ponchos70 with their sacks under their heads. Corporals moved with swinging lanterns posting sentries71 all round the walls wherever there was a door or an opening. Sotillo was taking his measures to protect his conquest as if it had indeed contained the treasure. His desire to make his fortune at one audacious stroke of genius had overmastered his reasoning faculties72. He would not believe in the possibility of failure; the mere73 hint of such a thing made his brain reel with rage. Every circumstance pointing to it appeared incredible. The statement of Hirsch, which was so absolutely fatal to his hopes, could by no means be admitted. It is true, too, that Hirsch’s story had been told so incoherently, with such excessive signs of distraction74, that it really looked improbable. It was extremely difficult, as the saying is, to make head or tail of it. On the bridge of the steamer, directly after his rescue, Sotillo and his officers, in their impatience75 and excitement, would not give the wretched man time to collect such few wits as remained to him. He ought to have been quieted, soothed76, and reassured77, whereas he had been roughly handled, cuffed78, shaken, and addressed in menacing tones. His struggles, his wriggles79, his attempts to get down on his knees, followed by the most violent efforts to break away, as if he meant incontinently to jump overboard, his shrieks81 and shrinkings and cowering82 wild glances had filled them first with amazement84, then with a doubt of his genuineness, as men are wont85 to suspect the sincerity86 of every great passion. His Spanish, too, became so mixed up with German that the better half of his statements remained incomprehensible. He tried to propitiate87 them by calling them hochwohlgeboren herren, which in itself sounded suspicious. When admonished88 sternly not to trifle he repeated his entreaties89 and protestations of loyalty90 and innocence91 again in German, obstinately93, because he was not aware in what language he was speaking. His identity, of course, was perfectly known as an inhabitant of Esmeralda, but this made the matter no clearer. As he kept on forgetting Decoud’s name, mixing him up with several other people he had seen in the Casa Gould, it looked as if they all had been in the lighter together; and for a moment Sotillo thought that he had drowned every prominent Ribierist of Sulaco. The improbability of such a thing threw a doubt upon the whole statement. Hirsch was either mad or playing a part — pretending fear and distraction on the spur of the moment to cover the truth. Sotillo’s rapacity94, excited to the highest pitch by the prospect95 of an immense booty, could believe in nothing adverse96. This Jew might have been very much frightened by the accident, but he knew where the silver was concealed, and had invented this story, with his Jewish cunning, to put him entirely97 off the track as to what had been done.
Sotillo had taken up his quarters on the upper floor in a vast apartment with heavy black beams. But there was no ceiling, and the eye lost itself in the darkness under the high pitch of the roof. The thick shutters98 stood open. On a long table could be seen a large inkstand, some stumpy, inky quill99 pens, and two square wooden boxes, each holding half a hundred-weight of sand. Sheets of grey coarse official paper bestrewed the floor. It must have been a room occupied by some higher official of the Customs, because a large leathern armchair stood behind the table, with other high-backed chairs scattered100 about. A net hammock was swung under one of the beams — for the official’s afternoon siesta101, no doubt. A couple of candles stuck into tall iron candlesticks gave a dim reddish light. The colonel’s hat, sword, and revolver lay between them, and a couple of his more trusty officers lounged gloomily against the table. The colonel threw himself into the armchair, and a big negro with a sergeant’s stripes on his ragged63 sleeve, kneeling down, pulled off his boots. Sotillo’s ebony moustache contrasted violently with the livid colouring of his cheeks. His eyes were sombre and as if sunk very far into his head. He seemed exhausted by his perplexities, languid with disappointment; but when the sentry102 on the landing thrust his head in to announce the arrival of a prisoner, he revived at once.
“Let him be brought in,” he shouted, fiercely.
The door flew open, and Captain Mitchell, bareheaded, his waistcoat open, the bow of his tie under his ear, was hustled103 into the room.
Sotillo recognized him at once. He could not have hoped for a more precious capture; here was a man who could tell him, if he chose, everything he wished to know — and directly the problem of how best to make him talk to the point presented itself to his mind. The resentment104 of a foreign nation had no terrors for Sotillo. The might of the whole armed Europe would not have protected Captain Mitchell from insults and ill-usage, so well as the quick reflection of Sotillo that this was an Englishman who would most likely turn obstinate92 under bad treatment, and become quite unmanageable. At all events, the colonel smoothed the scowl105 on his brow.
“What! The excellent Senor Mitchell!” he cried, in affected dismay. The pretended anger of his swift advance and of his shout, “Release the caballero at once,” was so effective that the astounded106 soldiers positively107 sprang away from their prisoner. Thus suddenly deprived of forcible support, Captain Mitchell reeled as though about to fall. Sotillo took him familiarly under the arm, led him to a chair, waved his hand at the room. “Go out, all of you,” he commanded.
When they had been left alone he stood looking down, irresolute108 and silent, watching till Captain Mitchell had recovered his power of speech.
Here in his very grasp was one of the men concerned in the removal of the silver. Sotillo’s temperament was of that sort that he experienced an ardent110 desire to beat him; just as formerly111 when negotiating with difficulty a loan from the cautious Anzani, his fingers always itched112 to take the shopkeeper by the throat. As to Captain Mitchell, the suddenness, unexpectedness, and general inconceivableness of this experience had confused his thoughts. Moreover, he was physically113 out of breath.
“I’ve been knocked down three times between this and the wharf,” he gasped114 out at last. “Somebody shall be made to pay for this.” He had certainly stumbled more than once, and had been dragged along for some distance before he could regain115 his stride. With his recovered breath his indignation seemed to madden him. He jumped up, crimson116, all his white hair bristling117, his eyes glaring vengefully, and shook violently the flaps of his ruined waistcoat before the disconcerted Sotillo. “Look! Those uniformed thieves of yours downstairs have robbed me of my watch.”
The old sailor’s aspect was very threatening. Sotillo saw himself cut off from the table on which his sabre and revolver were lying.
“I demand restitution118 and apologies,” Mitchell thundered at him, quite beside himself. “From you! Yes, from you!”
For the space of a second or so the colonel stood with a perfectly stony119 expression of face; then, as Captain Mitchell flung out an arm towards the table as if to snatch up the revolver, Sotillo, with a yell of alarm, bounded to the door and was gone in a flash, slamming it after him. Surprise calmed Captain Mitchell’s fury. Behind the closed door Sotillo shouted on the landing, and there was a great tumult120 of feet on the wooden staircase.
“Disarm him! Bind121 him!” the colonel could be heard vociferating.
Captain Mitchell had just the time to glance once at the windows, with three perpendicular122 bars of iron each and some twenty feet from the ground, as he well knew, before the door flew open and the rush upon him took place. In an incredibly short time he found himself bound with many turns of a hide rope to a high-backed chair, so that his head alone remained free. Not till then did Sotillo, who had been leaning in the doorway123 trembling visibly, venture again within. The soldiers, picking up from the floor the rifles they had dropped to grapple with the prisoner, filed out of the room. The officers remained leaning on their swords and looking on.
“The watch! the watch!” raved124 the colonel, pacing to and fro like a tiger in a cage. “Give me that man’s watch.”
It was true, that when searched for arms in the hall downstairs, before being taken into Sotillo’s presence, Captain Mitchell had been relieved of his watch and chain; but at the colonel’s clamour it was produced quickly enough, a corporal bringing it up, carried carefully in the palms of his joined hands. Sotillo snatched it, and pushed the clenched125 fist from which it dangled126 close to Captain Mitchell’s face.
“Now then! You arrogant127 Englishman! You dare to call the soldiers of the army thieves! Behold128 your watch.”
He flourished his fist as if aiming blows at the prisoner’s nose. Captain Mitchell, helpless as a swathed infant, looked anxiously at the sixty-guinea gold half-chronometer129, presented to him years ago by a Committee of Underwriters for saving a ship from total loss by fire. Sotillo, too, seemed to perceive its valuable appearance. He became silent suddenly, stepped aside to the table, and began a careful examination in the light of the candles. He had never seen anything so fine. His officers closed in and craned their necks behind his back.
He became so interested that for an instant he forgot his precious prisoner. There is always something childish in the rapacity of the passionate130, clear-minded, Southern races, wanting in the misty131 idealism of the Northerners, who at the smallest encouragement dream of nothing less than the conquest of the earth. Sotillo was fond of jewels, gold trinkets, of personal adornment132. After a moment he turned about, and with a commanding gesture made all his officers fall back. He laid down the watch on the table, then, negligently133, pushed his hat over it.
“Ha!” he began, going up very close to the chair. “You dare call my valiant134 soldiers of the Esmeralda regiment135, thieves. You dare! What impudence136! You foreigners come here to rob our country of its wealth. You never have enough! Your audacity137 knows no bounds.”
He looked towards the officers, amongst whom there was an approving murmur51. The older major was moved to declare —
“Si, mi colonel. They are all traitors138.”
“I shall say nothing,” continued Sotillo, fixing the motionless and powerless Mitchell with an angry but uneasy stare. “I shall say nothing of your treacherous139 attempt to get possession of my revolver to shoot me while I was trying to treat you with consideration you did not deserve. You have forfeited140 your life. Your only hope is in my clemency141.”
He watched for the effect of his words, but there was no obvious sign of fear on Captain Mitchell’s face. His white hair was full of dust, which covered also the rest of his helpless person. As if he had heard nothing, he twitched142 an eyebrow143 to get rid of a bit of straw which hung amongst the hairs.
Sotillo advanced one leg and put his arms akimbo. “It is you, Mitchell,” he said, emphatically, “who are the thief, not my soldiers!” He pointed144 at his prisoner a forefinger145 with a long, almond-shaped nail. “Where is the silver of the San Tome mine? I ask you, Mitchell, where is the silver that was deposited in this Custom House? Answer me that! You stole it. You were a party to stealing it. It was stolen from the Government. Aha! you think I do not know what I say; but I am up to your foreign tricks. It is gone, the silver! No? Gone in one of your lanchas, you miserable146 man! How dared you?”
This time he produced his effect. “How on earth could Sotillo know that?” thought Mitchell. His head, the only part of his body that could move, betrayed his surprise by a sudden jerk.
“Ha! you tremble,” Sotillo shouted, suddenly. “It is a conspiracy147. It is a crime against the State. Did you not know that the silver belongs to the Republic till the Government claims are satisfied? Where is it? Where have you hidden it, you miserable thief?”
At this question Captain Mitchell’s sinking spirits revived. In whatever incomprehensible manner Sotillo had already got his information about the lighter, he had not captured it. That was clear. In his outraged148 heart, Captain Mitchell had resolved that nothing would induce him to say a word while he remained so disgracefully bound, but his desire to help the escape of the silver made him depart from this resolution. His wits were very much at work. He detected in Sotillo a certain air of doubt, of irresolution149.
“That man,” he said to himself, “is not certain of what he advances.” For all his pomposity150 in social intercourse151, Captain Mitchell could meet the realities of life in a resolute109 and ready spirit. Now he had got over the first shock of the abominable152 treatment he was cool and collected enough. The immense contempt he felt for Sotillo steadied him, and he said oracularly, “No doubt it is well concealed by this time.”
Sotillo, too, had time to cool down. “Muy bien, Mitchell,” he said in a cold and threatening manner. “But can you produce the Government receipt for the royalty153 and the Custom House permit of embarkation48, hey? Can you? No. Then the silver has been removed illegally, and the guilty shall be made to suffer, unless it is produced within five days from this.” He gave orders for the prisoner to be unbound and locked up in one of the smaller rooms downstairs. He walked about the room, moody154 and silent, till Captain Mitchell, with each of his arms held by a couple of men, stood up, shook himself, and stamped his feet.
“How did you like to be tied up, Mitchell?” he asked, derisively155.
“It is the most incredible, abominable use of power!” Captain Mitchell declared in a loud voice. “And whatever your purpose, you shall gain nothing from it, I can promise you.”
The tall colonel, livid, with his coal-black ringlets and moustache, crouched157, as it were, to look into the eyes of the short, thick-set, red-faced prisoner with rumpled158 white hair.
“That we shall see. You shall know my power a little better when I tie you up to a potalon outside in the sun for a whole day.” He drew himself up haughtily159, and made a sign for Captain Mitchell to be led away.
“What about my watch?” cried Captain Mitchell, hanging back from the efforts of the men pulling him towards the door.
Sotillo turned to his officers. “No! But only listen to this picaro, caballeros,” he pronounced with affected scorn, and was answered by a chorus of derisive156 laughter. “He demands his watch!” . . . He ran up again to Captain Mitchell, for the desire to relieve his feelings by inflicting160 blows and pain upon this Englishman was very strong within him. “Your watch! You are a prisoner in war time, Mitchell! In war time! You have no rights and no property! Caramba! The very breath in your body belongs to me. Remember that.”
“Bosh!” said Captain Mitchell, concealing161 a disagreeable impression.
Down below, in a great hall, with the earthen floor and with a tall mound162 thrown up by white ants in a corner, the soldiers had kindled163 a small fire with broken chairs and tables near the arched gateway164, through which the faint murmur of the harbour waters on the beach could be heard. While Captain Mitchell was being led down the staircase, an officer passed him, running up to report to Sotillo the capture of more prisoners. A lot of smoke hung about in the vast gloomy place, the fire crackled, and, as if through a haze165, Captain Mitchell made out, surrounded by short soldiers with fixed166 bayonets, the heads of three tall prisoners — the doctor, the engineer-in-chief, and the white leonine mane of old Viola, who stood half-turned away from the others with his chin on his breast and his arms crossed. Mitchell’s astonishment167 knew no bounds. He cried out; the other two exclaimed also. But he hurried on, diagonally, across the big cavern-like hall. Lots of thoughts, surmises168, hints of caution, and so on, crowded his head to distraction.
“Is he actually keeping you?” shouted the chief engineer, whose single eyeglass glittered in the firelight.
An officer from the top of the stairs was shouting urgently, “Bring them all up — all three.”
In the clamour of voices and the rattle169 of arms, Captain Mitchell made himself heard imperfectly: “By heavens! the fellow has stolen my watch.”
The engineer-in-chief on the staircase resisted the pressure long enough to shout, “What? What did you say?”
“My chronometer!” Captain Mitchell yelled violently at the very moment of being thrust head foremost through a small door into a sort of cell, perfectly black, and so narrow that he fetched up against the opposite wall. The door had been instantly slammed. He knew where they had put him. This was the strong room of the Custom House, whence the silver had been removed only a few hours earlier. It was almost as narrow as a corridor, with a small square aperture170, barred by a heavy grating, at the distant end. Captain Mitchell staggered for a few steps, then sat down on the earthen floor with his back to the wall. Nothing, not even a gleam of light from anywhere, interfered171 with Captain Mitchell’s meditation172. He did some hard but not very extensive thinking. It was not of a gloomy cast. The old sailor, with all his small weaknesses and absurdities173, was constitutionally incapable174 of entertaining for any length of time a fear of his personal safety. It was not so much firmness of soul as the lack of a certain kind of imagination — the kind whose undue175 development caused intense suffering to Senor Hirsch; that sort of imagination which adds the blind terror of bodily suffering and of death, envisaged176 as an accident to the body alone, strictly177 — to all the other apprehensions178 on which the sense of one’s existence is based. Unfortunately, Captain Mitchell had not much penetration179 of any kind; characteristic, illuminating180 trifles of expression, action, or movement, escaped him completely. He was too pompously181 and innocently aware of his own existence to observe that of others. For instance, he could not believe that Sotillo had been really afraid of him, and this simply because it would never have entered into his head to shoot any one except in the most pressing case of self-defence. Anybody could see he was not a murdering kind of man, he reflected quite gravely. Then why this preposterous182 and insulting charge? he asked himself. But his thoughts mainly clung around the astounding183 and unanswerable question: How the devil the fellow got to know that the silver had gone off in the lighter? It was obvious that he had not captured it. And, obviously, he could not have captured it! In this last conclusion Captain Mitchell was misled by the assumption drawn184 from his observation of the weather during his long vigil on the wharf. He thought that there had been much more wind than usual that night in the gulf; whereas, as a matter of fact, the reverse was the case.
“How in the name of all that’s marvellous did that confounded fellow get wind of the affair?” was the first question he asked directly after the bang, clatter185, and flash of the open door (which was closed again almost before he could lift his dropped head) informed him that he had a companion of captivity186. Dr. Monygham’s voice stopped muttering curses in English and Spanish.
“Is that you, Mitchell?” he made answer, surlily. “I struck my forehead against this confounded wall with enough force to fell an ox. Where are you?”
Captain Mitchell, accustomed to the darkness, could make out the doctor stretching out his hands blindly.
“I am sitting here on the floor. Don’t fall over my legs,” Captain Mitchell’s voice announced with great dignity of tone. The doctor, entreated187 not to walk about in the dark, sank down to the ground, too. The two prisoners of Sotillo, with their heads nearly touching188, began to exchange confidences.
“Yes,” the doctor related in a low tone to Captain Mitchell’s vehement189 curiosity, “we have been nabbed in old Viola’s place. It seems that one of their pickets190, commanded by an officer, pushed as far as the town gate. They had orders not to enter, but to bring along every soul they could find on the plain. We had been talking in there with the door open, and no doubt they saw the glimmer191 of our light. They must have been making their approaches for some time. The engineer laid himself on a bench in a recess192 by the fire-place, and I went upstairs to have a look. I hadn’t heard any sound from there for a long time. Old Viola, as soon as he saw me come up, lifted his arm for silence. I stole in on tiptoe. By Jove, his wife was lying down and had gone to sleep. The woman had actually dropped off to sleep! ‘Senor Doctor,’ Viola whispers to me, ‘it looks as if her oppression was going to get better.’ ‘Yes,’ I said, very much surprised; ‘your wife is a wonderful woman, Giorgio.’ Just then a shot was fired in the kitchen, which made us jump and cower83 as if at a thunder-clap. It seems that the party of soldiers had stolen quite close up, and one of them had crept up to the door. He looked in, thought there was no one there, and, holding his rifle ready, entered quietly. The chief told me that he had just closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he saw the man already in the middle of the room peering into the dark corners. The chief was so startled that, without thinking, he made one leap from the recess right out in front of the fireplace. The soldier, no less startled, up with his rifle and pulls the trigger, deafening193 and singeing194 the engineer, but in his flurry missing him completely. But, look what happens! At the noise of the report the sleeping woman sat up, as if moved by a spring, with a shriek80, ‘The children, Gian’ Battista! Save the children!’ I have it in my ears now. It was the truest cry of distress195 I ever heard. I stood as if paralyzed, but the old husband ran across to the bedside, stretching out his hands. She clung to them! I could see her eyes go glazed196; the old fellow lowered her down on the pillows and then looked round at me. She was dead! All this took less than five minutes, and then I ran down to see what was the matter. It was no use thinking of any resistance. Nothing we two could say availed with the officer, so I volunteered to go up with a couple of soldiers and fetch down old Viola. He was sitting at the foot of the bed, looking at his wife’s face, and did not seem to hear what I said; but after I had pulled the sheet over her head, he got up and followed us downstairs quietly, in a sort of thoughtful way. They marched us off along the road, leaving the door open and the candle burning. The chief engineer strode on without a word, but I looked back once or twice at the feeble gleam. After we had gone some considerable distance, the Garibaldino, who was walking by my side, suddenly said, ‘I have buried many men on battlefields on this continent. The priests talk of consecrated197 ground! Bah! All the earth made by God is holy; but the sea, which knows nothing of kings and priests and tyrants198, is the holiest of all. Doctor! I should like to bury her in the sea. No mummeries, candles, incense199, no holy water mumbled200 over by priests. The spirit of liberty is upon the waters.’ . . . Amazing old man. He was saying all this in an undertone as if talking to himself.”
“Yes, yes,” interrupted Captain Mitchell, impatiently. “Poor old chap! But have you any idea how that ruffian Sotillo obtained his information? He did not get hold of any of our Cargadores who helped with the truck, did he? But no, it is impossible! These were picked men we’ve had in our boats for these five years, and I paid them myself specially201 for the job, with instructions to keep out of the way for twenty-four hours at least. I saw them with my own eyes march on with the Italians to the railway yards. The chief promised to give them rations202 as long as they wanted to remain there.”
“Well,” said the doctor, slowly, “I can tell you that you may say good-bye for ever to your best lighter, and to the Capataz of Cargadores.”
At this, Captain Mitchell scrambled203 up to his feet in the excess of his excitement. The doctor, without giving him time to exclaim, stated briefly204 the part played by Hirsch during the night.
Captain Mitchell was overcome. “Drowned!” he muttered, in a bewildered and appalled205 whisper. “Drowned!” Afterwards he kept still, apparently206 listening, but too absorbed in the news of the catastrophe207 to follow the doctor’s narrative with attention.
The doctor had taken up an attitude of perfect ignorance, till at last Sotillo was induced to have Hirsch brought in to repeat the whole story, which was got out of him again with the greatest difficulty, because every moment he would break out into lamentations. At last, Hirsch was led away, looking more dead than alive, and shut up in one of the upstairs rooms to be close at hand. Then the doctor, keeping up his character of a man not admitted to the inner councils of the San Tome Administration, remarked that the story sounded incredible. Of course, he said, he couldn’t tell what had been the action of the Europeans, as he had been exclusively occupied with his own work in looking after the wounded, and also in attending Don Jose Avellanos. He had succeeded in assuming so well a tone of impartial208 indifference209, that Sotillo seemed to be completely deceived. Till then a show of regular inquiry210 had been kept up; one of the officers sitting at the table wrote down the questions and the answers, the others, lounging about the room, listened attentively211, puffing212 at their long cigars and keeping their eyes on the doctor. But at that point Sotillo ordered everybody out.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
wharf
|
|
| n.码头，停泊处 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
expedient
|
|
| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
intercepting
|
|
| 截取（技术），截接 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
advantageous
|
|
| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
ashore
|
|
| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
confiscated
|
|
| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
authoritative
|
|
| adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
temperament
|
|
| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
democrat
|
|
| n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
profess
|
|
| v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
deferred
|
|
| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
seaman
|
|
| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
seizure
|
|
| n.没收；占有；抵押 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
besieged
|
|
| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
pompous
|
|
| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
narrative
|
|
| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
lighter
|
|
| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
jeopardized
|
|
| 危及，损害( jeopardize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
solitary
|
|
| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
destined
|
|
| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
commotions
|
|
| n.混乱，喧闹，骚动( commotion的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
25
consular
|
|
| a.领事的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
superintendent
|
|
| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
accomplished
|
|
| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
affected
|
|
| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
impending
|
|
| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
memorable
|
|
| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
fatigue
|
|
| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
navigating
|
|
| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
gulf
|
|
| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
infested
|
|
| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
peculiar
|
|
| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
renowned
|
|
| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
dozed
|
|
| v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
relish
|
|
| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
propeller
|
|
| n.螺旋桨，推进器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
disturbances
|
|
| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
trifling
|
|
| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
brutal
|
|
| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
proceedings
|
|
| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
maniac
|
|
| n.精神癫狂的人；疯子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
sane
|
|
| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
decency
|
|
| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
embarkation
|
|
| n. 乘船, 搭机, 开船 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
shuffling
|
|
| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
scouts
|
|
| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
infesting
|
|
| v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的现在分词 )；遍布于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
picket
|
|
| n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
scouting
|
|
| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
bugle
|
|
| n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
rattling
|
|
| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
impelled
|
|
| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
lapsed
|
|
| adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
dignified
|
|
| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
rumble
|
|
| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
planks
|
|
| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
ragged
|
|
| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
jingle
|
|
| n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
tug
|
|
| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
indignities
|
|
| n.侮辱，轻蔑( indignity的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
thumps
|
|
| n.猪肺病；砰的重击声( thump的名词复数 )v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
butt
|
|
| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
flustered
|
|
| adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
ponchos
|
|
| n.斗篷( poncho的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
sentries
|
|
| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
faculties
|
|
| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
distraction
|
|
| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
impatience
|
|
| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
soothed
|
|
| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
reassured
|
|
| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
cuffed
|
|
| v.掌打，拳打( cuff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
wriggles
|
|
| n.蠕动，扭动( wriggle的名词复数 )v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的第三人称单数 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
shriek
|
|
| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
shrieks
|
|
| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
cowering
|
|
| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
cower
|
|
| v.畏缩，退缩，抖缩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
wont
|
|
| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
sincerity
|
|
| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
propitiate
|
|
| v.慰解，劝解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
admonished
|
|
| v.劝告( admonish的过去式和过去分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
entreaties
|
|
| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
loyalty
|
|
| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
innocence
|
|
| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
obstinate
|
|
| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
obstinately
|
|
| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
rapacity
|
|
| n.贪婪，贪心，劫掠的欲望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
prospect
|
|
| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
adverse
|
|
| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
shutters
|
|
| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
quill
|
|
| n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
siesta
|
|
| n.午睡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
sentry
|
|
| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
hustled
|
|
| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
resentment
|
|
| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
scowl
|
|
| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
astounded
|
|
| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
positively
|
|
| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
irresolute
|
|
| adj.无决断的，优柔寡断的，踌躇不定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
resolute
|
|
| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
ardent
|
|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
formerly
|
|
| adv.从前，以前 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
itched
|
|
| v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
physically
|
|
| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
regain
|
|
| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
crimson
|
|
| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
bristling
|
|
| a.竖立的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
restitution
|
|
| n.赔偿；恢复原状 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
stony
|
|
| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
tumult
|
|
| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
bind
|
|
| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
perpendicular
|
|
| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
doorway
|
|
| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
raved
|
|
| v.胡言乱语( rave的过去式和过去分词 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
clenched
|
|
| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
dangled
|
|
| 悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
arrogant
|
|
| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
behold
|
|
| v.看，注视，看到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
chronometer
|
|
| n.精密的计时器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
passionate
|
|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
misty
|
|
| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
adornment
|
|
| n.装饰；装饰品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
negligently
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
valiant
|
|
| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
regiment
|
|
| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
impudence
|
|
| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
audacity
|
|
| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
traitors
|
|
| 卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
treacherous
|
|
| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
forfeited
|
|
| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
clemency
|
|
| n.温和，仁慈，宽厚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
twitched
|
|
| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
eyebrow
|
|
| n.眉毛，眉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
forefinger
|
|
| n.食指 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
conspiracy
|
|
| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
outraged
|
|
| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
irresolution
|
|
| n.不决断，优柔寡断，犹豫不定 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
pomposity
|
|
| n.浮华；虚夸；炫耀；自负 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
intercourse
|
|
| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
abominable
|
|
| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
royalty
|
|
| n.皇家，皇族 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
moody
|
|
| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
derisively
|
|
| adv. 嘲笑地，嘲弄地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
derisive
|
|
| adj.嘲弄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
rumpled
|
|
| v.弄皱，使凌乱( rumple的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
haughtily
|
|
| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
inflicting
|
|
| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
concealing
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
mound
|
|
| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
kindled
|
|
| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
gateway
|
|
| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
haze
|
|
| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
surmises
|
|
| v.臆测，推断( surmise的第三人称单数 )；揣测；猜想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
rattle
|
|
| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
aperture
|
|
| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
interfered
|
|
| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
meditation
|
|
| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
absurdities
|
|
| n.极端无理性( absurdity的名词复数 )；荒谬；谬论；荒谬的行为 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
incapable
|
|
| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
undue
|
|
| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
envisaged
|
|
| 想像，设想( envisage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
strictly
|
|
| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
apprehensions
|
|
| 疑惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
penetration
|
|
| n.穿透，穿人，渗透 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
illuminating
|
|
| a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
pompously
|
|
| adv.傲慢地，盛大壮观地；大模大样 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
182
preposterous
|
|
| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
183
astounding
|
|
| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
184
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
185
clatter
|
|
| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
186
captivity
|
|
| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
187
entreated
|
|
| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
188
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
189
vehement
|
|
| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
190
pickets
|
|
| 罢工纠察员( picket的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
191
glimmer
|
|
| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
192
recess
|
|
| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
193
deafening
|
|
| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
194
singeing
|
|
| v.浅表烧焦( singe的现在分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿]；烧毛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
195
distress
|
|
| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
196
glazed
|
|
| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
197
consecrated
|
|
| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
198
tyrants
|
|
| 专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
199
incense
|
|
| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
200
mumbled
|
|
| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
201
specially
|
|
| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
202
rations
|
|
| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
203
scrambled
|
|
| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
204
briefly
|
|
| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
205
appalled
|
|
| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
206
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
207
catastrophe
|
|
| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
208
impartial
|
|
| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
209
indifference
|
|
| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
210
inquiry
|
|
| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
211
attentively
|
|
| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
212
puffing
|
|
| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |