It was during such a deluge18, one day in early spring, that I lay on the guest bed in Puarei's one-room house, 133 watching Poura, his wife, who had washed my linen19 with her own hands and was then ironing it. It was not, strictly20 speaking, linen. The articles were three—a sleeveless gauze singlet, a cotton handkerchief, and a faded khaki shirt. A pair of khaki trousers, a pair of canvas tennis shoes, and a pandanus hat completed my wardrobe. Since I needed the whole of it when going abroad about the island, it was necessary to go to bed on washing day, and to wait there until the laundering21 was finished, and such repairs made as constant wear had caused and further wear demanded. How to replenish22 it and to meet other simple urgent needs gave me cause for some concern, and I was going over the problem as I lay on Puarei's guest bed. It was toward the end of my second week at Rutiaro, and already I was beginning to look decidedly shabby. My shoes were rotted out with sea water, and both shirt and trousers, which were far from new at the time of my arrival, gave evidence of early dissolution. Poura had washed, sewed on buttons, drawn24 seams together, but the garments were chronically25 ailing26, as hopeless of effective repair as an old man far gone in senile decay. Poura was becoming discouraged about them, and I knew that she must be wondering why I didn't buy some fresh ones. I had a very good reason for not doing so—I had no money. I had been left at Rutiaro without so much as a twenty-five-centime piece, and the Banque de l'Indo-Chine was six hundred miles away.
It would not occur to either Puarei or his wife that I was in need of funds. Theirs was one of the more primitive27 atolls of the Low Archipelago, where all white men are regarded as mysteriously affluent28. If, instead of being marooned29 at Rutiaro through Tino's fit of 134 temper, I had been discovered a mile outside the reef, making toward the land clad only in a pair of swimming trunks, upon reaching it my rescuers would have expected me, as a matter of course, to take a bulky parcel of thousand-franc notes from beneath that garment. I had, in fact, made a secret inventory30 of my wealth after the sudden departure of the Caleb Winship, hoping there might be a forgotten bank note in one of my trousers pockets. What I found was a cotton handkerchief, a picture post card of the Woolworth Building, and a small musical instrument called an ocharina, or, more commonly, a sweet-potato whistle. The handkerchief I needed; the post card seemed of no practical use as a means of barter31; and, while I might have given up the ocharina, it had but a slight monetary32 value, and Moy Ling, the Chinese storekeeper of the village, was not interested in it. I didn't offer it to him outright33. Instead, I played on it, in front of his shop, "The March of the Black Watch," which I could render with some skill. Thereafter every youngster on the island coveted34 the instrument, but Moy Ling made no offers and the prospect35 of a wardrobe was as far away as ever.
His supply of European clothing was limited, but ample to supply my wants. He found for me three undershirts, size forty-four, two gingham outer shirts of less ample proportions, a pair of dungaree overalls36, and a pair of rope-sole shoes. I asked him to put these articles aside and went off to reflect upon ways and means of opening a credit account with the canny37 Chinaman. There was one possible method open to me; I might adopt the pareu as a costume. I could buy three of them for the price of one undershirt, and 135 I believed that Moy Ling would trust me to that extent. Nearly all of the natives wore pareus. They had put aside their trousers and shirts and gingham dresses now that I was no longer a stranger to them, and were much more comfortable in their simple, knee-length garments, those of the men reaching from the waist, those of the women twisted tightly under the arms. Simple and convenient though it was, I felt that it would be absurd for me to assume that style of dress, since I was not accustomed to it. Furthermore, I remembered the ridiculous appearance of Americans and Europeans I had seen at Tahiti—queer people from all sorts of queer places, who come and go through the capital of French Oceania. They rushed into pareus the moment of their arrival at Papeete, and before a week had passed were more primitive in a sophisticated way than the Tahitians themselves. I had no desire to join the ranks of the amateur cannibals, even though there was some excuse for it at Rutiaro; and I knew that the Paumotuans would have more respect for me if I dressed after the manner of my own race.
But how obtain clothing without money—without divulging38 to anyone that I had no money? The question dinned39 through my brain with annoying persistence40, like the thunder of falling water on Puarei's iron roof. Would it, after all, be best to confide41 in the chief? I could tell him of my bank account at Papeete, and he knew, of course, that the Caleb Winship had left me without a word of warning, taking my sea chest with her. I was tempted42 to make a confession43 of my predicament, but pride or a kind of childish vanity prevented me. 136
"No, by Jove!" I said. "I'll be hanged if I do! Puarei, his wife—all the rest of them—expect me to live up to their traditional conceptions of white men. I am supposed to be mysteriously affluent, and I owe it to them to preserve that myth in all its romantic glamour44."
I had no feeling of guilt45 in making this decision; rather, a sense of virtue46, like that of an indulgent father upon assuring his children that there is a Santa Claus. I decided23 to be not only mysteriously, but incredibly, affluent. Therefore, when the rain had passed I put on my mended garments and went to Moy Ling's shop.
I found him splitting coconuts48 in front of his copra shed, and beckoned49 to him in a careless way. He came forward, smiling pleasantly as usual, but there was a shrewd glitter in his eyes which said, quite as plainly as words, "Honorable sir, I bow before you, but I expect an adequate monetary return for the service." I was not intimidated50, however, and when he brought forth51 the articles I had selected earlier I waved them aside—all of them excepting the rope-sole shoes, the only male footgear of any kind on the island. I explained that I had not before seen the bolt of white drill—the most expensive cloth in his shop—and that I wanted enough of it to make four suits. I saw at once that I had risen in his estimation about 75 per cent, and, thus encouraged, I went on buying lavishly53—white-cotton cloth for underwear and shirts; some pencils and his entire supply of notebooks for my voluminous observations on the life and character of the Paumotuans; a Night-King flash lamp; a dozen silk handkerchiefs of Chinese manufacture; a dozen pairs of earrings54 and four lockets and chains; 137 ten kilos of flour and two of coffee; three bottles of perfume in fancy boxes; four large bolts of ribbon—enough to reach from one end of the village to the other; side and back combs for women, superbly ornamented55 with bits of colored glass; a bolt of mosquito netting; a monkey wrench56; two Beacon57 lanterns; a pandanus mat; and one bow tie already made up, the kind sold at home in "gents' furnishings" shops.
At the beginning I had no thought of going in so recklessly. But as I went from article to article the conviction grew upon me that the deeper I plunged58 the greater the impression I should make upon Moy Ling, and it was essential that I should convince him that my mythical59 wealth was real. He became more and more deferential60 as my heap of purchases increased in size. I made no inquiry61 as to the price of anything, believing that to be in keeping with the mysteriously affluent tradition. At my back I heard a hum of excited conversation. The shop was filled with people. I felt the crush behind me, but took no notice of it and went on with my passionless orgy of spending: two bolts of women's dress goods; four pocketknives; a can of green paint and another of white—but details are tiresome62. It is enough to say that I bought lavishly, and selected odds63 and ends of things because Moy's shop contained nothing else. He had a large supply of food, but in other respects his stock was low, and when I had finished, some of his shelves were almost bare. On one there remained only a box of chewing gum. An inscription64 printed on the side of it read: "Chew on, MacDuff! You can't chew out the original mint-leaf flavor" of somebody's pepsin gum—words to that effect. That product of American epicureanism 138 is to be found, strangely enough, at nearly every Chinaman's store in the Low Archipelago. I bought twenty packages of it, since there were no other confections to be had, and distributed them among the children. The youthful MacDuffs chewed on for some thirty seconds and then swallowed, believing, in their unenlightened way, that gum is a sort of food. I had read of monkeys dying in zoos because of the same practice; but, in so far as I know, there were no ill effects from it at Rutiaro, either then or later.
I succeeded very well in impressing Puarei. He was astonished at the number of my purchases; and Poura said, "Au-e!" shooed out the mint-breathed porters who carried them to the house, and sat down in the doorway65, her enormous body completely blocking the entrance. On the veranda66 the conversation crackled and sparkled with conjecture67. I could hear above the others the voice of Paki, wife of the constable68, enumerating69 the things I had bought. It sounded odd in Paumotuan—a high-pitched recitative of strange words, most of them adapted from the English since all of the articles were unknown to the natives before the coming of the traders—faraoa (flour), ripine (ribbon), peni (pencil or pen), taofe (coffee), etc.
I myself was wondering what use I could make of some of my wealth. The flour I would give to Puarei, and his ten-ton cutter was badly in need of paint. Poura would be glad to have the dress goods for herself and her girls, for the Rutiaroans put aside their pareus on Sunday and dressed in European costume. I could also give her the mosquito netting as a drapery for the guest bed. I had, in fact, bought it with that end in mind, for on windless nights, particularly after 139 a rain, the mosquitoes were a fearful nuisance. Puarei's household was used to them, but I tossed and tumbled, and at last would have to paddle out on the lagoon and stay there till morning. The coffee, likewise, was for my own use, Puarei believing that the drinking of either tea or coffee was forbidden by his variety of the Christian70 religion. Tobacco, too, was a product of evil, and the use of it made broad the way to hell. It is impossible to believe that any missionary71 would wander so far to preach such theology. What had happened, very likely, was that one of the more austere72 churchmen who visit Rutiaro at rare intervals73 had condemned74 those white man's comforts as injurious to health. He must have been severe in his denunciation, for Puarei had got the idea that abstinence from the enjoyment75 of them was exacted in a sort of amendment76 to the Ten Commandments. I did my best to corrupt77 him, for breakfast at his house was to me a cheerless meal. His faith was not to be shaken, however, although he admitted that coffee drinking might not damn me, since I had been taught to believe that it would not.
I was thinking with pleasure of his tolerance78 and of the comforting beverage79 I should have the following morning when I remembered that mine was green Tahiti coffee which must be taken to Moy Ling for roasting. His shop was deserted80. I could see it at the end of the sunlit street, steaming with moisture after the rain. The open doorway was a square of black shadow. It lightened with a misty81 glimmer82 as I watched, and suddenly Moy flashed into view. He ran quickly down the steps, halted irresolutely83, and stood for a moment, shading his eyes with his hand, 140 looking in the direction of Puarei's house. Then he turned, mounted the steps again, and vanished slowly in the gloom. I was uneasy, knowing what he was thinking; but an island less than three miles long, with an average width of four hundred yards, offers a poor refuge for a faint-hearted debtor84. And so, having stowed my other purchases under the guest bed, I took the bag of coffee and returned to Moy's store, hoping that I might quiet his fears by increasing my obligation to him.
When one is without them, clothing, coffee, tobacco, and other such necessities assume a place of exaggerated importance, which is the reason why the memories of the earlier part of my stay at Rutiaro are tinged85 with the thought of them. But I had not come to the Low Islands to spend all of my time and energy in the mere86 fight for a comfortable existence. I could have done that quite as well at home, with greater results in the development of a more or less Crusoe-like resourcefulness. At Rutiaro the life was strange and new to me, and I found the days too short for observing it and the nights for reflecting upon it. My first interest, of course, was Puarei's household—the chief, his wife, two sons, and three daughters all housed in that one-room frame building. The room was commodious87, however, about twenty-five feet by fifteen, and on the lagoon side there was a broad veranda where Poura and her daughters did much of their work and passed their hours of leisure. Behind the house was a large cistern88, built of blocks of cemented coral, and a small outkitchen made of the odds and ends of packing cases and roofed with thatch89.
I wondered at Puarei's preference for a board box 141 covered with corrugated iron, to the seemly houses of the other Rutiaroans. He thought it a palace, and, being a chief, the richest man of the atoll, it was in keeping with the later Paumotuan tradition that he should have a white man's kind of dwelling. Unsightly though it was without, the economy of furnishing gave the interior an air of pleasant spaciousness90, like that of the island itself with its scarcity91 of plant life and of trees other than the coconut47. There was no European furniture with the exception of a sewing machine and the guest bed, an old-fashioned, slatted affair which looked strange in that environment. On it was a mattress92 of kspok and two immense pillows filled with the same material. The linen was immaculate, and the outer coverlet decorated with hibiscus flowers worked in silk. I had no hesitation93 in accepting the bed, for it would not have held Puarei and his wife. The slats would have given away at once under their weight, and Poura assured me that the children preferred sleeping on their mats on the veranda. The rest of the furnishings were like those of the other houses—two or three chests for clothing; pandanus mats for the floor; paddles, fishing spears, and water glasses stacked in a corner or lying across the rafters. An open cabinet of native manufacture held the toilet articles of the women—a hand mirror, a few combs, and a bottle of unscented coconut oil, the one cosmetic94 of the Low Islands, which was used by all members of the family. There were also several articles of jewelry95 such as the traders sell, some fishing hooks of pearl shell, and, on a lower shelf, a Tahitian Bible. The walls were hung with branches of curiously96 formed coral, hat wreaths and necklaces of shell wrought97 in beautiful and intricate 142 designs. There were no pictures other than the open windows looking out on the lagoon in one direction, and in the other, across the level, shaded floor of the island toward the sea.
We spent but little time indoors. All of the cooking was done in the open, and we had our food there, sitting cross-legged around a cloth of green fronds98. The trees around us furnished the dishes. I had not used my tin spoon and the two-pronged fork since the evening of my arrival, and learned to suck the miti sauce from my fingers with as loud a zest99 as any of them. Usually we had two meals a day at Rutiaro, but there was no regularity100 about the time of serving them. We ate when we were hungry and food was to be had, sometimes in the middle of the afternoon, and as late as ten in the evening. That is one reason why I remember so well the feasts prepared by Poura and her daughters, and served by them, for they never sat down to their own food until we had finished. Feasts of a simple kind, but, by Jove! how good everything tasted after a day of fishing and swimming in the lagoon or out at sea. I didn't tire of coconuts as quickly as I had feared I should; and the fish were prepared in a variety of ways—boiled, roasted over hot stones, grilled101 on the coals, or we ate them raw with a savor102 of miti sauce. Puarei's dog, one of the best fishers of the island, was the only member of the family discriminating103 in his requirements. He often came up while we were at dinner, with a live fish in his mouth, which he would lay at Poura's feet, looking at her appealingly until she cooked it for him. Sometimes, to tease him, she threw it away, but he would bring it back, and, no matter how hungry he might be, refuse to eat it raw.
143 The sea furnished occasional variety of diet in the way of turtles and devilfish; and I contributed rice, tinned meat, and other preserved food which I bought of Moy Ling whenever I imagined his confidence in me was beginning to falter104. That was a risky105 procedure, only to be undertaken on the days when I was so filled with animal spirits that I more than half believed in my wealth, in my power to draw money or anything else I wanted out of the clear, dry air of Rutiaro.
One thing I had wanted from the first, above all others—a house. The idea of imposing indefinitely upon Puarei's hospitality was distasteful, and no boats were expected within five or six months. I had not, in years, lived for so long a period at any one place. Here was an opportunity I had often dreamed of for having a home of my own. I should have to ask the chief for it, and at first thought the request seemed a large one. Then, too, how could I say to him with any show of logic106: "Puarei, I am not willing to bother you longer by occupying the guest bed in your house. Therefore, will you please give me a house to myself?" He might think I had peculiar107 ideas of delicacy108. But further reflection convinced me that, while I could not ask him for a pair of trousers—not even for so trifling109 a thing as a shirt button, since he would have to purchase it at Moy Ling's store—I might legitimately110 suggest the gift of a house. It would cost only the labor111 of making it, and that was not great. At Rutiaro houses were built in less time than was needed to sail across the lagoon and back. The inhabitants might reasonably have adopted the early Chinese method of roasting pig by putting the carcasses in their dwellings112 and setting fire to the thatch. It would have been a 144 sensible procedure, employed at times when the old thatch needed renewal113. Nothing permanent would have been destroyed except the framework of poles, and that could be replaced as easily as firewood could be cut for a Maori oven.
The upshot of the matter was that I was given not only a house, but an island of my own to set it on—I who had lived much of my life up four or five flights of stairs, in furnished rooms looking out on chimney pots and brick courts filled with odors and family washings. The site was a small motu lying at the entrance to the lagoon, four miles from the village island. It had a name which meant, "The place where the souls were eaten." Once, a man, his wife, and two children went there to fish on the reef near the pass. All of them were taken ill of some mysterious disease, and died on the same day. As their souls left their bodies they were seized and eaten by some vindictive114 human spirits in the form of sea birds. The legend was evidently a very ancient one, and the events which it described had happened so long ago that fear of the place had largely vanished. Nevertheless, the chief tried to persuade me to choose another site; and Poura, when she learned that I wanted to live on the Soul-Eaters' Island, was deeply concerned. Neither of them could understand why I should want to live away from the village island. I wince115, even now, when I think of the appalling116 tactlessness of that request; but the fact is that the Paumotuans themselves, by their example, had got me into the vicious habit of truth-telling in such matters. There is no word in their language for tact117. They believe that a man has adequate, although sometimes hidden, reasons for doing what he wants to 145 do, and they understand that it explains seemingly uncourtly behavior.
I had accepted, almost unconsciously, their own point of view, so that it didn't occur to me to invent any polite falsehoods. But my knowledge of Paumotuan was more limited than Paurei's knowledge of French, and how was I to explain my desire for so lonely a place as the Soul-Eaters' Island? The Paumotuans, from their scarcity of numbers, the isolation118 of their fragments of land, the dangers of the sea around them, are drawn together naturally, inevitably119. How make clear to them the unnatural120 gregariousness121 of life in great cities? Suddenly I thought of my picture post card of the Woolworth Building. I told them that in America many people, thousands of them, were cooped together in houses of that sort. I had been compelled to spend several years in one and had got such a horror of the life that I had come all the way to the Cloud of Islands, searching for a place where I might be occasionally alone.
While the post card was passing from hand to hand, Huirai, the constable, loyal friend in every emergency, gave color to my explanation by describing—for the thousand and first time, I suppose—his adventures in San Francisco. Dusk deepened, the last ghostly light faded from the clouds along the northern horizon, and still he talked on; and the idlers on the chief's veranda listened with as keen interest as though they had never heard the story before. Poura, who was at work on my new wardrobe, lit a lamp and placed it on the floor beside her, shading it from her eyes with a piece of matting. The light ran smoothly122 over her brown hands, and the mountain of shadow 146 behind her blotted123 out the forms of the trees. Now and then she put down her work and gazed intently in Huirai's direction. His voice rose and fell, thrilled with excitement, died away to a deep whisper of awe124 as he told of the wonders he had seen, the street cars, the lofty buildings, the elevators which rose to an immense height as swiftly as a coconut would fall, the trains, the motors, the ships, the pictures which were alive. He imitated sounds with amazing fidelity125, and his gestures, vaguely126 seen in the gloom, were vividly127 pictorial128 of the marvels129 he had met with in his travels.
The story ended abruptly130 and Huirai sat down, conscious of the effect he had produced. No one spoke131 for a long while. Then the chief, who was sitting beside me, broke the silence with that strange Polynesian exclamation132 of wonder too great for words, "Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!" uttered with distinct, rapid precision, like the staccato of machine-gun fire. He laid his hand on my knee affectionately, with an air of possessorship; and at the contact a feeling of pride rose in me, as though I were the planner of the cities, the magician whose brain had given birth to the marvels Huirai had described. But conceit133 of that kind may be measurably reduced by a moment of reflection, and I remembered that the extent of my contribution to my native land was that I had left it. Small cause for vanity there. However, I had no mind for another tussle134 with my conscience. I had been the indirect cause of eloquence135 in Huirai and of enjoyment in his auditors136. That was enough for one evening on the credit side. On the other side, to Puarei, to Poura, to his children, and to all the kindly137, hospitable138 people of Rutiaro I was under an obligation which I could never hope to cancel. 147 But they didn't expect me to cancel it. I was not even under the necessity of showing appreciation139. Just as there is no word in their language for "tact," there is none approaching our word "gratitude140" in meaning. To a man in my position, owner of Soul-Eaters' Island, and of a house to be built there the following day, that was something to be grateful for.
The Chinese language is richer, I believe, in terms implying obligation. I was reminded, less pleasantly, of another account on the debit141 side, by the flare142 of a match which lit up for a moment the pensive52, cadaverous face of Moy Ling.
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1
halfway
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lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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7
utilitarian
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| adj.实用的，功利的 | |
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8
overflow
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| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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corrugated
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| adj.波纹的；缩成皱纹的；波纹面的；波纹状的v.（使某物）起皱褶(corrugate的过去式和过去分词) | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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laundering
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| n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入） | |
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replenish
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| vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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chronically
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| ad.长期地 | |
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ailing
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| v.生病 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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affluent
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| adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的 | |
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marooned
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| adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的 | |
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inventory
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| n.详细目录，存货清单 | |
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31
barter
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| n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易 | |
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monetary
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| adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的 | |
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outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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36
overalls
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| n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣 | |
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37
canny
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| adj.谨慎的，节俭的 | |
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38
divulging
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| v.吐露，泄露( divulge的现在分词 ) | |
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39
dinned
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| vt.喧闹（din的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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40
persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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41
confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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42
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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43
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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44
glamour
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| n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住 | |
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45
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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46
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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47
coconut
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| n.椰子 | |
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48
coconuts
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| n.椰子( coconut的名词复数 )；椰肉，椰果 | |
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49
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
intimidated
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| v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的 | |
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51
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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52
pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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53
lavishly
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| adv.慷慨地，大方地 | |
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54
earrings
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| n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子 | |
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55
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
wrench
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| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
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57
beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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58
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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59
mythical
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| adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的 | |
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60
deferential
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| adj. 敬意的，恭敬的 | |
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61
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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62
tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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63
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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64
inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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65
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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66
veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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67
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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68
constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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69
enumerating
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| v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的现在分词 ) | |
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70
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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71
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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72
austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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73
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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74
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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75
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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76
amendment
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| n.改正，修正，改善，修正案 | |
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77
corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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78
tolerance
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| n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差 | |
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79
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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80
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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81
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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82
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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83
irresolutely
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| adv.优柔寡断地 | |
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84
debtor
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| n.借方，债务人 | |
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85
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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87
commodious
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| adj.宽敞的；使用方便的 | |
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88
cistern
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| n.贮水池 | |
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89
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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90
spaciousness
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| n.宽敞 | |
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91
scarcity
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| n.缺乏，不足，萧条 | |
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92
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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93
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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94
cosmetic
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| n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的 | |
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95
jewelry
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| n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝 | |
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96
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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97
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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98
fronds
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| n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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99
zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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100
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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101
grilled
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| adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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102
savor
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| vt.品尝，欣赏；n.味道，风味；情趣，趣味 | |
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103
discriminating
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| a.有辨别能力的 | |
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104
falter
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| vi.(嗓音)颤抖，结巴地说；犹豫；蹒跚 | |
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105
risky
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| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
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106
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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107
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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108
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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109
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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110
legitimately
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| ad.合法地；正当地，合理地 | |
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111
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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112
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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113
renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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114
vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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115
wince
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| n.畏缩，退避，（因痛苦，苦恼等)面部肌肉抽动；v.畏缩，退缩，退避 | |
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116
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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117
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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118
isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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119
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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120
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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121
gregariousness
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| 集群性；簇聚性 | |
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122
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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123
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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124
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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125
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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126
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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127
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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128
pictorial
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| adj.绘画的；图片的；n．画报 | |
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129
marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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130
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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131
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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132
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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133
conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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134
tussle
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| n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩 | |
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135
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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136
auditors
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| n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生 | |
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137
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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138
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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139
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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140
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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141
debit
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| n.借方，借项，记人借方的款项 | |
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142
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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