“You look merry to-day,” cried Captain Tew at my elbow. “I have good news. The lookout4 on the mizzen top has sighted land.”
I stretched one hand towards the horizon as if I could reach Ruth. The buccaneer seemed to understand my gesture for he continued:
“She’s been there a year, you say? That’s a long time to stay in Yorke. I suppose she took service up the Hudson, perhaps even as far as Albany on the great Van Rensselaer estate. Do you know any one in Yorke?”
“Not a soul,” I answered, the admission damping my spirits somewhat. “But I shall hunt up the Huguenot pastor5 and inquire of him.”
“I mean no offense6, Monsieur Le Bourse,” continued the pirate. “But if you will take my advice you will go slow in your dealing7 with your countrymen 42in Yorke. I hear they have been on the fence since the Rebellion:—one year Leisler men; the next, Jacobites to a man. I don’t know much of the new governor either, curse him, except that he keeps us out of the port.”
He stopped talking and looked down absently at the buttons of his coat, fondling them tenderly and turning them up one by one so that he could look at the device engraved8 on them.
“Fine buttons, Monsieur, fine buttons. Did you ever stop to look at the workmanship and the coat of arms on the back? It goes hard with me to part with them, it does indeed.” Then he cried out more to himself than to me, as if he had made up his mind to a difficult task: “You old ungrateful dog! Off with the pair, I say, off on the instant!”
With that he drew his cutlass and slashed9 away clumsily at two of the buttons which he presented to me, holding them out on the flat of his hand.
“I’m an ungrateful dog to think twice about letting them go, but you must know their value. They came to me from his Excellency, Colonel Benjamin Fletcher. Ah, he was a merry soul. When he was governor of Yorke we had no trouble to land, but the present earl sets close watch upon the ports. You’ll find the city as full of brawls12 as tobacco is of smoke. There are Jacobites and Earl’s men and the devil knows what besides. You may be sure of one thing: whatever is at 43stake, Kilian Van Volkenberg will be at logger-heads with the new earl. When you get there, show these buttons to Kilian. He brought them to me from Fletcher. I’ll stake my ship and cargo13 he’ll do all that the love of a good fat bargain can make a Dutch merchant do.”
Soon after this conversation the buccaneer took me into his cabin where he presented me with a purse of money, a pair of pistols, and a handsomely mounted sword. All these articles put together, he assured me, were not worth the eye-hole of one of the buttons. “For,” as he said, “old Ben Fletcher was a merry dog and profitable to the jolly sea-rovers.”
An hour later we sighted land from the deck. During the rest of the afternoon our ship stood off and on, waiting for night. As soon as it grew dark enough to conceal14 my landing, a long-boat was lowered and they put me ashore15 at Gravesoon. As I went down the side of the ship, Captain Tew bade me a last farewell. He thanked me again and again for the warning I had given him, assuring me that I had saved him and his ship and all his crew.
“Commend me to Kilian,” he said. “And to Ben Fletcher, and mind the factions16 in the city—and—and—oh, yes, there’s Mistress Miriam, the patroon’s daughter. Tell her that old Tommy Tew hasn’t forgotten her pretty face, and he’ll bring 44her something from the east when he returns. God speed!”
The long-boat shoved off and soon I was on land. I have already told how I made my way to Gravesoon where the host of the ordinary was curious to know the manner of my arrival, as well as anxious to teach me how to blow a summons upon a conch.
I went to bed that night, as I have already stated, and rose early the next morning to set out on foot. The distance to Breuckelen was about ten miles across the end of the island. The day was bright and cheery, and the road passed through a rich country of farms. This region supplied most of the food for the city and was carefully tilled by the various tenants18 of the island. On nearing the Sound the road, which was a poor, rutty track at the best, dipped steeply from a crest19 and in a hundred yards I was at the water’s edge. A small wooden platform floated on the surface and near, tethered to a tree by a thong20 of buckskin, hung the sea shell. I put it to my lips and, thanks to my practice of the night before, I was able, after one or two unavailing attempts, to send forth21 a dull wail22 that echoed over the water and back again half a dozen times.
While I was waiting for the ferryman to come from the Yorke side of the river, my eyes scanned the town impatiently. The city lay huddled23 on the side of a hill covered with verdure. The tiers of 45flaming red-tiled roofs extended nearly to the water’s edge where the white walls of the lower houses made visible the cluster of masts swaying in the harbor. Two structures stood out in conspicuous24 prominence25 before the rest of the town. High on the right loomed26 the Stadt Huys, topped by a pointed27 belfry. To the left on a bold hump of rock squatted28 the low fort. There the eye lingered with most interest. The slender staff floated the flag of England. In one corner the double gable of the fort chapel29 peeped above the top of the bastions. What must have been the portholes were mere30 black blotches31 upon the gray face of the wall; and below, at the foot of a steep cliff, the climbing surf fretted32 the rocks with foam33.
My eyes were not drawn34 from the pleasing scene for fully17 half an hour. By that time the boatman had crossed the river. On the way back both wind and tide were against us and the crossing took much longer. We passed beyond the greater part of the town, having it upon our left, and landed at a little half-moon battery which projected into the East River near what was called the Water Gate. This gate was the eastern entrance to the city through the Wall, a line of palisades backed by a ditch that extended quite across the city from the East River to the Hudson. It formed the northern boundary of New York, and thus it happened that I entered the city from the rear or landward side.
46“There is the way to Van Volkenberg manor,” said the ferryman, advancing one arm like a guidepost and pointing along a road that vanished northward35 among the wooded hills. “But you’ll do no good to follow it now. The patroon will be in the city to-day. It is all furred up with excitement at the meeting of the new assembly. What are you, white or blue?”
I assured him that I was a stranger and that I belonged to neither party as yet; at this information he lost all interest in my affairs. Even from that distance I could hear the confused din11 of shouting crowds bowling36 along the streets in the lower part of the town. While I stood irresolute37, trying to decide whether to go north towards the manor-house or south into town, I caught sight of a woman in the distance. I made off hastily in her direction with my mind constantly upon Ruth. I laughed to myself when, all out of breath, I caught up with the woman and found her a squalid wife with clumsy wooden shoes that clattered38 noisily over the stepping stones of the unpaved street.
In this pursuit I had followed the street next the Wall which was bordered on the left by the houses of the chimney sweeps. Now and then a besooted urchin39 would run out in front of me, point to his grimy rags and call out: “Hi, mynher! I’m an Earl’s man.” This would set him and half a dozen other sweeps to laughing. I did not understand the humor of the youngster’s joke till later 47when I found that white was the color of the Earl’s party. Then the thought of his little partisans40 dressed in their sooty rags would set me laughing with a will.
There was a smell of slops to the street next the Wall and nothing attractive about its appearance. I soon came to a turning and, as I glanced down an avenue curving broadly to the left, I stood still with wonder. As far as I could see the street was loosely filled with people. They were in constant motion; now opening into a gap, now closing into a compact mass from house to house; yet the crowd did not grow smaller nor did it move one way more than another.
Above their heads flags projected from every house-front. Many were white, a few were blue; the most distant were indistinguishable as to color, being mere silhouette41 patches against the sky. They made a pretty sight, fluttering together in the breeze as if the houses trembled with the same excitement that throbbed42 in the streets below. Bunches of white ribbons hung from the doorknobs and polished knockers. Festoons of the same color looped across the street. Just overhead, so near me that I had not noticed it at first, a large placard was suspended over the middle of the street. It bore in tall figures the inscription43 “19 to 5.” I accosted44 a bystander, or runner-by, for no one was still an instant, and asked the meaning of the numbers.
48“Good lack! Are you a stranger? That is our majority. Ours!”
He twirled a bunch of white ribbons in my face by way of explanation and then made off towards the scene of a new excitement. I followed his direction and began to hear the cry “Marmaduke, Marmaduke,” which was swelling45 farther down the street. I followed the crowd which was all moving in one direction now, and elbowed my way along with the others. Men, women and children pressed eagerly forward in the direction of a low building with a peaked gable that stood on the corner of the next street. Soon I fell into a walk; and then we were so jammed together that I had to fight my way tooth and nail to gain a yard. I looked over the tops of people’s heads to where a coach drawn by six white horses had been brought to a stand. A lady had stepped half out of the vehicle and was about to address the people. She was a strong, dignified46 looking woman with angular features and flashing eyes. She lifted one hand and everyone became still.
“Men of New York,” she began in a rich melodious47 voice that won its way to my heart immediately, “on this day of victory and joy, it does my old heart good to see the people alive to their rights. When the liberty of the citizens is at stake, who is their friend?”
The crowd broke into a shout of “Marmaduke, Marmaduke.” A woman who stood next me in 49the street flourished a white flag and cried: “Three cheers for Lady Marmaduke, the friend of the people!” The lady who stood on the step of the coach caught the flag in her hands and motioned for silence.
“Yes, the Marmaduke is the friend of the people. But that is not what I meant. Our bulwark48 is the Earl. Stand by Earl Richard, friends. You are the strength of Yorke. He is your champion against the blue.” She waved above her head the flag she had taken from the woman and cried: “Three hearty49 cheers for the Earl of Bellamont!”
By the time the ringing response had died away and order was once more restored the whole attitude of Lady Marmaduke had changed. Tears stood in her eyes and her voice trembled with emotion.
“Dear people, when it pleased God to take my husband, He took from you your staunchest friend. ‘Helen,’ he once said to me, 'if by chance you should be left alone, never forget the people.'” Then she grew brave again, and her deep voice rang clear and distinct. “I shall do all I can, but—remember—remember what I say: our bulwark is Earl Richard.”
She sprang back into the carriage. The driver struck out with his lash10. For a moment the six white horses reared and plunged50 till the swaying crowd gave way in front. The huge vehicle lumbered51 50forward over the uneven52 street, followed by the cheering of the people.
I turned into a deserted53 by-way, wondering who this woman was and hoping to make progress more quickly towards the lower part of the town. Even here I met with the same assertion of victory. Three little bare-legged urchins54 were belaboring55 a fourth who was scarce able to toddle56. He stood on a doorstep warding57 off the blows of his assailants with a stick. The cause of their attack was the blue blouse he wore;—blue was the color of the defeated party.
“Hiky tiky, you Jacobite!” cried the three little soldiers of the Earl. “Come down and fight fair, you coward.”
I caught up the nearest of the three boys and spanked58 him well for a bully59; upon which the other two fled precipitately60 into the midst of a duck pond where they stood knee deep in the slimy water and dared me to follow them at my peril61.
“I’m as good an Earl’s man as them,” cried the defender62 of the doorstep. “But I’ll be a Jacobite now for spite. Don’t come near me, you rebel brats63.”
He shouldered his stick like a musket64 and strutted65 ahead, offering to accompany me to the next corner if I was afraid.
I took the little fellow safely to his mother’s doorstep and then continued my way through King Street to the Slip, whence I could see the whole 51water front and the merchant ships lying at anchor. I had scarcely reached the battery by the Stadt Huys when a crowd of people came pell mell along the square. They were shouting and yelling at a score of persons who went before and were provided with brooms decked in the victorious66 white ribbons of the Earl’s party. They were sweeping67 the street industriously68. As they drew near I saw that the ground in front of them was plentifully69 strewed70 with little blue marbles the size of birds’ eggs. The sweepers were thus in play cleansing71 the town of the blue taint72 of their enemies. They drew near the water, each vying73 with his neighbor to be the first to get the marbles in front of him into the bay. Ere long they were popping merrily upon the surface. At that moment a diversion occurred in the form of a charge by a company of marines from one of the merchant ships in the harbor. The marines came up the Slip on the run, and in two minutes a hot fight began.
The brooms were not bad weapons of defense74. The cutlasses of the sailors got entangled75 in the brushy ends and sometimes the weapons of the sailors were jerked clean out of their hands. Now and then a stinging thrust in the face would set a man yelling with pain and anger. Meantime the bystanders amused themselves by egging on the combatants as if it were a cock fight.
This sort of thing could not last long. One by one the ends of the brooms were lopped off. The 52sweepers gave back and at last broke into flight just as the sheriff and a guard of six men came to their relief. Not at all daunted76 by the appearance of the officers of the law, the marines continued the attack, now gaining ground, now losing, but keeping to it with a will.
My blood was up. Swords ringing and mine in its sheath was a craven plight77. I was for joining in but did not know which side to join. Suddenly the sheriff fell wounded and his men turned tail to run.
“Cowards,” I yelled, flourishing my sword, “follow me.”
They plucked up courage and did as I bade them. I led them aside some twenty yards to the mouth of a narrow lane where we were protected on the flanks by a fence on one side and a house on the other. Here the fray78 began again with redoubled spirit. I had time to notice that each of the sailors wore about his arm a band of red cloth that gave his dress somewhat the appearance of a uniform. Three of them soon lay on the ground by the mouth of the lane, and I doubt not that they were killed, for there seemed to be great enmity between the marines and the city officers. The sailors continued to fight like fiends, yelling and cursing between their blows like so many madmen. I have no doubt they were full of drink, for they did not fight well together but often turned on one another, or hampered79 themselves by crowding shoulder 53to shoulder too close to fight to good advantage. In twenty minutes we had reduced their number by half. The sobering effect of this lively scrimmage put a little reason into the heads of those who were still upon their legs. It was now their turn to run, which they did with a marvelous speed considering the fact that they were sailors.
The battle at an end, I wiped the blade of my sword and continued down the Slip, casting my eyes curiously80 upon the tradesmen’s signs. There were but a few names on the street, though a symbol of some sort stood over the entrance to each shop. At one place a pair of scissors indicated the dock barber and peruke maker81. A red ball hung before a vender82 of cheese; and an empty cask before every third or fourth door showed where spirits was sold. I made my way past a long row of petty shops and small ordinaries till my eyes fell upon that for which I was looking.
This was a tall, pretentious83 building decked from top to bottom in blue hangings. Within the ample doorway84 I could see piles of boxes, casks, bales of cotton, and to the rear there were many clerks bending over huge account books, or skurrying about with pots of paint in their hands to mark the numerous parcels for shipment. What made this warehouse85 of more interest to me than all the others was its sign and the name of its owner. It read “KILIAN VAN VOLKENBERG—MERCHANT.”
点击收听单词发音
1 prow | |
n.(飞机)机头,船头 | |
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2 slant | |
v.倾斜,倾向性地编写或报道;n.斜面,倾向 | |
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3 rattle | |
v.飞奔,碰响;激怒;n.碰撞声;拨浪鼓 | |
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4 lookout | |
n.注意,前途,瞭望台 | |
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5 pastor | |
n.牧师,牧人 | |
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6 offense | |
n.犯规,违法行为;冒犯,得罪 | |
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7 dealing | |
n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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8 engraved | |
v.在(硬物)上雕刻(字,画等)( engrave的过去式和过去分词 );将某事物深深印在(记忆或头脑中) | |
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9 slashed | |
v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 );鞭打;割破;削减 | |
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10 lash | |
v.系牢;鞭打;猛烈抨击;n.鞭打;眼睫毛 | |
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11 din | |
n.喧闹声,嘈杂声 | |
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12 brawls | |
吵架,打架( brawl的名词复数 ) | |
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13 cargo | |
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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14 conceal | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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15 ashore | |
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸 | |
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16 factions | |
组织中的小派别,派系( faction的名词复数 ) | |
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17 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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18 tenants | |
n.房客( tenant的名词复数 );佃户;占用者;占有者 | |
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19 crest | |
n.顶点;饰章;羽冠;vt.达到顶点;vi.形成浪尖 | |
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20 thong | |
n.皮带;皮鞭;v.装皮带 | |
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21 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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22 wail | |
vt./vi.大声哀号,恸哭;呼啸,尖啸 | |
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23 huddled | |
挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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24 conspicuous | |
adj.明眼的,惹人注目的;炫耀的,摆阔气的 | |
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25 prominence | |
n.突出;显著;杰出;重要 | |
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26 loomed | |
v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近 | |
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27 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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28 squatted | |
v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 );非法擅自占用(土地或房屋);为获得其所有权;而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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29 chapel | |
n.小教堂,殡仪馆 | |
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30 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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31 blotches | |
n.(皮肤上的)红斑,疹块( blotch的名词复数 );大滴 [大片](墨水或颜色的)污渍 | |
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32 fretted | |
焦躁的,附有弦马的,腐蚀的 | |
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33 foam | |
v./n.泡沫,起泡沫 | |
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34 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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35 northward | |
adv.向北;n.北方的地区 | |
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36 bowling | |
n.保龄球运动 | |
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37 irresolute | |
adj.无决断的,优柔寡断的,踌躇不定的 | |
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38 clattered | |
发出咔哒声(clatter的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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39 urchin | |
n.顽童;海胆 | |
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40 partisans | |
游击队员( partisan的名词复数 ); 党人; 党羽; 帮伙 | |
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41 silhouette | |
n.黑色半身侧面影,影子,轮廓;v.描绘成侧面影,照出影子来,仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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42 throbbed | |
抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 ); (心脏、脉搏等)跳动 | |
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43 inscription | |
n.(尤指石块上的)刻印文字,铭文,碑文 | |
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44 accosted | |
v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 );跟…搭讪;(乞丐等)上前向…乞讨;(妓女等)勾搭 | |
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45 swelling | |
n.肿胀 | |
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46 dignified | |
a.可敬的,高贵的 | |
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47 melodious | |
adj.旋律美妙的,调子优美的,音乐性的 | |
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48 bulwark | |
n.堡垒,保障,防御 | |
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49 hearty | |
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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50 plunged | |
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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51 lumbered | |
砍伐(lumber的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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52 uneven | |
adj.不平坦的,不规则的,不均匀的 | |
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53 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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54 urchins | |
n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 );淘气鬼;猬;海胆 | |
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55 belaboring | |
v.毒打一顿( belabor的现在分词 );责骂;就…作过度的说明;向…唠叨 | |
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56 toddle | |
v.(如小孩)蹒跚学步 | |
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57 warding | |
监护,守护(ward的现在分词形式) | |
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58 spanked | |
v.用手掌打( spank的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59 bully | |
n.恃强欺弱者,小流氓;vt.威胁,欺侮 | |
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60 precipitately | |
adv.猛进地 | |
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61 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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62 defender | |
n.保卫者,拥护者,辩护人 | |
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63 brats | |
n.调皮捣蛋的孩子( brat的名词复数 ) | |
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64 musket | |
n.滑膛枪 | |
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65 strutted | |
趾高气扬地走,高视阔步( strut的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66 victorious | |
adj.胜利的,得胜的 | |
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67 sweeping | |
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的 | |
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68 industriously | |
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69 plentifully | |
adv. 许多地,丰饶地 | |
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70 strewed | |
v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 );散落于;点缀;撒满 | |
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71 cleansing | |
n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词 | |
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72 taint | |
n.污点;感染;腐坏;v.使感染;污染 | |
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73 vying | |
adj.竞争的;比赛的 | |
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74 defense | |
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩 | |
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75 entangled | |
adj.卷入的;陷入的;被缠住的;缠在一起的v.使某人(某物/自己)缠绕,纠缠于(某物中),使某人(自己)陷入(困难或复杂的环境中)( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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76 daunted | |
使(某人)气馁,威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77 plight | |
n.困境,境况,誓约,艰难;vt.宣誓,保证,约定 | |
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78 fray | |
v.争吵;打斗;磨损,磨破;n.吵架;打斗 | |
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79 hampered | |
妨碍,束缚,限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80 curiously | |
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地 | |
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81 maker | |
n.制造者,制造商 | |
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82 vender | |
n.小贩 | |
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83 pretentious | |
adj.自命不凡的,自负的,炫耀的 | |
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84 doorway | |
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 | |
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85 warehouse | |
n.仓库;vt.存入仓库 | |
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