By midnight the main result of the day's fight was known beyond a doubt; how the enemy, in heavy masses, had attacked the Confederate left, and hurled9 it back and around, entirely10 flanking it; how the raw troops had contested every inch of ground with stubborn valor11, but still gave way until the change of front had made itself; how the supports brought up from the right and center—where a force had to be maintained to face the masses threatening them—came only to meet fresh masses that they could only check, not break; how the battle was at one time really lost!
When science had done all it could to retrieve12 the day, but the most obstinate13 even of the southern troops—after doing more than desperate courage and determined14 pluck could warrant—were breaking and giving way, then the wild yell of Elzey's brigade broke through the pines like a clarion15! On came that devoted16 band, breathless and worn with their run from the railroad; eight hundred Marylanders—and only two companies of these with bayonets—leading the charge! On they came, their yells piercing the woods before they are yet visible; and, as if by magic, the tide of battle turned! The tired, worn ranks, all day battered17 by the ceaseless hail of death, catch that shout, and answering it, breast the storm again; regiment18 after regiment hears the yell, and echoes it with a wild swelling19 chorus! And ever on rush the fresh troops—past their weary brothers, into the hottest of the deadly rain of fire—wherever the blue coats are thickest! Their front lines waver—General Smith falls, but Elzey gains the crest20 of the plateau—like a fire in the prairie spreads the contagion21 of fear—line after line melts before the hot blast of that charge—a moment more and the "Grand Army" is mixed in a straining, struggling, chaotic22 mass in the race for life—the battle is won!
I have heard the fight discussed by actors in it on both sides; have read accounts from northern penny a-liners, and English correspondents whose pay depended upon their neutrality; and all agree that the battle was saved by the advent23 of Kirby Smith, just at that critical moment when the numbers of the North were sweeping24 resistlessly over the broken and worn troops of the South. Elzey's brigade no doubt saved the day, for they created the panic.
"But I look upon it as a most causeless one," once said an Austrian officer to me, "for had the Federals stood but half an hour longer—which, with their position and supports, there was no earthly reason for their not doing—there could have been but one result. Smith's forces could not have held their own that much longer against overwhelming numbers; and the weary troops who had been fighting all day could not even have supported them in a heavy fight. Had Smith reached the scene of action at morning instead of noon, he, too, might have shared the general fate, and a far different page of history been written. Coming as he did, I doubt not the battle turned upon his advent. The main difference I see," he added, "is that the Confederates were whipped for several hours and didn't know it; but just as the Federals found it out and were about to close their hands upon the victory already in their grasp, they were struck with a panic and ran away from it!"
By midnight the anxious crowds in Richmond streets knew that the fight was over,
"And the red field was won!"
But the first arrivals were ominous25 ones—splashed and muddy hospital stewards26 and quartermaster's men, who wanted more stretchers and instruments, more tourniquets27 and stimulants28; and their stories threw a deeper gloom over the crowds that—collected at departments, hotels and depots—spoke29 in hushed whispers their words of solemn triumph, of hope, or of suspense. They told that almost every regiment had been badly cut up—that the slaughter31 of the best and bravest had been terrible—that the "Hampton Legion" was annihilated—Hampton himself killed—Beauregard was wounded—Kirby Smith killed—the first Virginia was cut to pieces and the Alabama troops swept from the face of the earth. These were some of the wild rumors they spread; eagerly caught up and echoed from mouth to mouth with a reliance on their truth to be expected from the morbid32 anxiety. No one reflected that these men must have left Manassas before the fighting was even hotly joined; and could only have gained their diluted33 intelligence from the rumors at way-stations. As yet the cant34 of camp followers35 was new to the people, who listened as though these terrible things must be true to be related.
There was no sleep in Richmond that night. Men and women gathered in knots and huddled36 into groups on the corners and doorsteps, and the black shadow of some dreadful calamity38 seemed brooding over every rooftree. Each splashed and weary-looking man was stopped and surrounded by crowds, who poured varied39 and anxious questioning upon him. The weak treble of gray-haired old men besought40 news of son, or grandson; and on the edge of every group, pale, beseeching41 faces mutely pleaded with sad, tearless eyes, for tidings of brother, husband, or lover.
But there was no despairing weakness, and every one went sadly but steadily42 to work to give what aid they might. Rare stores of old wines were freely given; baskets of cordials and rolls of lint43 were brought; and often that night, as the women leaned over the baskets they so carefully packed, bitter tears rolled from their pale cheeks and fell noiselessly on bandage and lint. For who could tell but that very piece of linen44 might bind45 the sore wound of one far dearer than life.
Slowly the night wore on, trains coming in occasionally only to disappoint the crowds that rushed to surround them. No one came who had seen the battle—all had heard what they related. And though no man was base enough to play upon feelings such as theirs, the love of common natures for being oracles46 carried them away; and they repeated far more even than that. Next day the news was more full, and the details of the fight came in with some lists of the wounded. The victory was dearly bought. Bee, Bartow, Johnson, and others equally valuable, were dead. Some of the best and bravest from every state had sealed their devotion to the flag with their blood. Still, so immense were the consequences of the victory now judged to be, that even the wildest rumors of the day before had not told one half.
At night the President returned; and on the train with him were the bodies of the dead generals, with their garde d'honneur. These proceeded to the Capitol, while Mr. Davis went to the Spotswood and addressed a vast crowd that had collected before it. He told them in simple, but glowing, language that the first blow for liberty had been struck and struck home; that the hosts of the North had been scattered47 like chaff48 before southern might and southern right; that the cause was just and must prevail. Then he spoke words of consolation49 to the stricken city. Many of her noblest were spared; the wounded had reaped a glory far beyond the scars they bore; the dead were honored far beyond the living, and future generations should twine50 the laurel for their crown.
The great crowd listened with breathless interest to his lightest word. Old men, resting on their staves, erected51 themselves; reckless boys were quiet and still; and the pale faces of the women, furrowed52 with tears, looked up at him till the color came back to their cheeks and their eyes dried. Of a truth, he was still their idol53. As yet they hung upon his lightest word, and believed that what he did was best.
Then the crowd dispersed54, many mournfully wending their way to the Capitol where the dead officers lay in state, wrapped in the flag of the new victory. An hour after, the rain descending55 in torrents56, the first ambulance train arrived.
First came forth57 the slightly wounded, with bandaged heads, arms in slings58, or with painful limp.
Then came ugly, narrow boxes of rough plank59. These were tenderly handled, and the soldiers who bore them upon their shoulders carried sad faces, too; for happily as yet the death of friends in the South was not made, by familiarity, a thing of course. And lastly—lifted so gently, and suffering so patiently—came the ghastly burdens of the stretchers. Strong men, maimed and torn, their muscular hands straining the handles of the litter with the bitter effort to repress complaint, the horrid60 crimson61 ooze62 marking the rough cloths thrown over them; delicate, fair-browed boys, who had gone forth a few days back so full of life and hope, now gory63 and livid, with clenched64 teeth and matted hair, and eyeballs straining for the loved faces that must be there to wait them.
It was a strange crowd that stood there in the driving storm, lit up by the fitful flashes of the moving lanterns.
The whole city was there—the rich merchant—the rough laborer—the heavy features of the sturdy serving-woman—the dusky, but loving face of the negro—the delicate profile of the petted belle—all strained forward in the same intent gaze, as car after car was emptied of its ghastly freight. There, under the pitiless storm, they stood silent and still, careless of its fury—not a sound breaking the perfect hush30, in which the measured tramp of the carriers, or the half-repressed groan65 of the wounded, sounded painfully distinct.
Now and then, as a limping soldier was recognized, would come a rush and a cry of joy—strong arms were given to support him—tender hands were laid upon his hair—and warm lips were pressed to his blanched66 cheek, drenched67 with the storm.
Here some wife, or sister, dropped bitter tears on the unconscious face of the household darling, as she walked by the stretcher where he writhed68 in fevered agony. There
"The shrill-edged shriek69 of the mother divided the shuddering71 night,"
as she threw herself prone72 on the rough pine box; or the wild, wordless wail73 of sudden widowhood was torn from the inmost heart of some stricken creature who had hoped in vain!
There was a vague, unconscious feeling of joy in those who had found their darlings—even shattered and maimed; an unbearable74 and leaden weight of agonizing75 suspense and dread37 hung over those who could hear nothing. Many wandered restlessly about the Capitol, ever and anon questioning the guard around the dead generals; but the sturdy men of the Legion could only give kindly76 and vague answers that but heightened the feverish77 anxiety.
Day after day the ambulance trains came in bearing their sad burdens, and the same scene was ever enacted78. Strangers, miles from home, met the same care as the brothers and husbands of Richmond; and the meanest private was as much a hero as the tinseled officer.
It is strange how soon even the gentlest natures gain a familiarity with suffering and death. The awfulness and solemnity of the unaccustomed sight loses rapidly by daily contact with it; even though the sentiments of sympathy and pity may not grow callous79 as well. But, as yet, Richmond was new to such scenes; and a shudder70 went through the whole social fabric80 at the shattering and tearing of the fair forms so well known and so dear.
Gradually—very gradually—the echoes of the fight rolled into distance; the wildest wailing81 settled to the steady sob82 of suffering, and Richmond went her way, with only here and there a wreck83 of manhood, or pale-faced woman in deepest mourning, to recall the fever of that fearful night.
Though the after effect of Manassas proved undoubtedly84 bad, the immediate85 fruits of the victory were of incalculable value. Panic-struck, the Federals had thrown away everything that could impede86 their flight. Besides fifty-four pieces of artillery87 of all kinds, horses and mules88 in large numbers, ammunition89, medical stores and miles of wagon90 and ambulance trains, near six thousand stand of small arms, of the newest pattern and in best condition, fell into the hands of the half-armed rebels.
These last were the real prize of the victors, putting a dozen new regiments91 waiting only for arms, at once on an effective war-footing. Blankets, tents and clothing were captured in bulk; nor were they to be despised by soldiers who had left home with knapsacks as empty as those of Falstaff's heroes.
But the moral effect of the victory was to elate the tone of the army far above any previous act of the war. Already prepared not to undervalue their own prowess, its ease and completeness left a universal sense of their invincibility92, till the feeling became common in the ranks—and spread thence to the people—that one southern man was worth a dozen Yankees; and that if they did not come in numbers greater than five to one, the result of any conflict was assured.
Everything was going smoothly93. The first rough outlines had been laid in, with bold effectiveness, a rosy94 cloud floated over the grim distance of the war; and in the foreground—only brilliant and victorious95 action.
The Confederate loss, too, was much smaller than at first supposed, not exceeding eighteen hundred; and many of the slightly wounded began already to hobble about again, petted by the communities and justly proud of their crutches96 and scars. The Federal loss was harder to estimate. Many of their wounded had been borne away by the rush of the retreat; the Government, naturally anxious to calm the public mind of the North, made incomplete returns; while large numbers of uncounted dead had been buried on the field and along the line of retreat, both by the victorious army and country people. From the best data obtainable, their loss could not have been much short, if at all short, of five thousand. The army was satisfied, the country was satisfied, and, unfortunately, the Government was satisfied.
Among the people there was a universal belief in an immediate advance. The army that had been the main bulwark97 of the National Capital was rushing—a panic-stricken herd—into and beyond it; the fortifications were perfectly98 uncovered and their small garrisons99 utterly100 demoralized by the woe-begone and terrified fugitives101 constantly streaming by them. The triumphant102 legions of the South were almost near enough for their battle-cry to be heard in the Cabinet; and the southern people could not believe that the bright victory that had perched upon their banners would be allowed to fold her wings before another and bloodier103 flight, that would leave the North prostrate104 at her feet. Day after day they waited and—the wish being father to the thought—day after day the sun rose on fresh stories of an advance—a bloody fight—a splendid victory—or the capture of Washington. But the sun always set on an authoritative105 contradiction of them; and at last the excitement was forced to settle down on the news that General Johnston had extended his pickets106 as far as Mason's and Munson's hills, and the army had gone into camp on the field it had so bloodily107 won the week before.
点击收听单词发音
1 agog | |
adj.兴奋的,有强烈兴趣的; adv.渴望地 | |
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2 speculations | |
n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 );思考;投机活动;推断 | |
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3 rumors | |
n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷 | |
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4 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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5 gasp | |
n.喘息,气喘;v.喘息;气吁吁他说 | |
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6 agonized | |
v.使(极度)痛苦,折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 );苦斗;苦苦思索;感到极度痛苦 | |
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7 suspense | |
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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8 dense | |
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的 | |
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9 hurled | |
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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10 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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11 valor | |
n.勇气,英勇 | |
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12 retrieve | |
vt.重新得到,收回;挽回,补救;检索 | |
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13 obstinate | |
adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的 | |
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14 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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15 clarion | |
n.尖音小号声;尖音小号 | |
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16 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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17 battered | |
adj.磨损的;v.连续猛击;磨损 | |
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18 regiment | |
n.团,多数,管理;v.组织,编成团,统制 | |
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19 swelling | |
n.肿胀 | |
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20 crest | |
n.顶点;饰章;羽冠;vt.达到顶点;vi.形成浪尖 | |
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21 contagion | |
n.(通过接触的疾病)传染;蔓延 | |
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22 chaotic | |
adj.混沌的,一片混乱的,一团糟的 | |
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23 advent | |
n.(重要事件等的)到来,来临 | |
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24 sweeping | |
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的 | |
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25 ominous | |
adj.不祥的,不吉的,预兆的,预示的 | |
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26 stewards | |
(轮船、飞机等的)乘务员( steward的名词复数 ); (俱乐部、旅馆、工会等的)管理员; (大型活动的)组织者; (私人家中的)管家 | |
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27 tourniquets | |
n.止血带( tourniquet的名词复数 ) | |
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28 stimulants | |
n.兴奋剂( stimulant的名词复数 );含兴奋剂的饮料;刺激物;激励物 | |
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29 spoke | |
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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30 hush | |
int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静 | |
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31 slaughter | |
n.屠杀,屠宰;vt.屠杀,宰杀 | |
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32 morbid | |
adj.病的;致病的;病态的;可怕的 | |
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33 diluted | |
无力的,冲淡的 | |
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34 cant | |
n.斜穿,黑话,猛扔 | |
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35 followers | |
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件 | |
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36 huddled | |
挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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37 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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38 calamity | |
n.灾害,祸患,不幸事件 | |
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39 varied | |
adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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40 besought | |
v.恳求,乞求(某事物)( beseech的过去式和过去分词 );(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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41 beseeching | |
adj.恳求似的v.恳求,乞求(某事物)( beseech的现在分词 ) | |
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42 steadily | |
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 | |
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43 lint | |
n.线头;绷带用麻布,皮棉 | |
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44 linen | |
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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45 bind | |
vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬 | |
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46 oracles | |
神示所( oracle的名词复数 ); 神谕; 圣贤; 哲人 | |
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47 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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48 chaff | |
v.取笑,嘲笑;n.谷壳 | |
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49 consolation | |
n.安慰,慰问 | |
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50 twine | |
v.搓,织,编饰;(使)缠绕 | |
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51 ERECTED | |
adj. 直立的,竖立的,笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立,建立 | |
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52 furrowed | |
v.犁田,开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53 idol | |
n.偶像,红人,宠儿 | |
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54 dispersed | |
adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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55 descending | |
n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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56 torrents | |
n.倾注;奔流( torrent的名词复数 );急流;爆发;连续不断 | |
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57 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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58 slings | |
抛( sling的第三人称单数 ); 吊挂; 遣送; 押往 | |
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59 plank | |
n.板条,木板,政策要点,政纲条目 | |
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60 horrid | |
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的 | |
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61 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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62 ooze | |
n.软泥,渗出物;vi.渗出,泄漏;vt.慢慢渗出,流露 | |
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63 gory | |
adj.流血的;残酷的 | |
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64 clenched | |
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65 groan | |
vi./n.呻吟,抱怨;(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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66 blanched | |
v.使变白( blanch的过去式 );使(植物)不见阳光而变白;酸洗(金属)使有光泽;用沸水烫(杏仁等)以便去皮 | |
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67 drenched | |
adj.湿透的;充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 );在某人(某物)上大量使用(某液体) | |
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68 writhed | |
(因极度痛苦而)扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69 shriek | |
v./n.尖叫,叫喊 | |
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70 shudder | |
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动 | |
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71 shuddering | |
v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动 | |
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72 prone | |
adj.(to)易于…的,很可能…的;俯卧的 | |
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73 wail | |
vt./vi.大声哀号,恸哭;呼啸,尖啸 | |
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74 unbearable | |
adj.不能容忍的;忍受不住的 | |
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75 agonizing | |
adj.痛苦难忍的;使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦;折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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76 kindly | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
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77 feverish | |
adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的 | |
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78 enacted | |
制定(法律),通过(法案)( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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79 callous | |
adj.无情的,冷淡的,硬结的,起老茧的 | |
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80 fabric | |
n.织物,织品,布;构造,结构,组织 | |
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81 wailing | |
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的现在分词 );沱 | |
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82 sob | |
n.空间轨道的轰炸机;呜咽,哭泣 | |
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83 wreck | |
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难 | |
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84 undoubtedly | |
adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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85 immediate | |
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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86 impede | |
v.妨碍,阻碍,阻止 | |
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87 artillery | |
n.(军)火炮,大炮;炮兵(部队) | |
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88 mules | |
骡( mule的名词复数 ); 拖鞋; 顽固的人; 越境运毒者 | |
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89 ammunition | |
n.军火,弹药 | |
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90 wagon | |
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车 | |
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91 regiments | |
(军队的)团( regiment的名词复数 ); 大量的人或物 | |
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92 invincibility | |
n.无敌,绝对不败 | |
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93 smoothly | |
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地 | |
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94 rosy | |
adj.美好的,乐观的,玫瑰色的 | |
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95 victorious | |
adj.胜利的,得胜的 | |
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96 crutches | |
n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑 | |
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97 bulwark | |
n.堡垒,保障,防御 | |
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98 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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99 garrisons | |
守备部队,卫戍部队( garrison的名词复数 ) | |
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100 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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101 fugitives | |
n.亡命者,逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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102 triumphant | |
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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103 bloodier | |
adj.血污的( bloody的比较级 );流血的;屠杀的;残忍的 | |
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104 prostrate | |
v.拜倒,平卧,衰竭;adj.拜倒的,平卧的,衰竭的 | |
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105 authoritative | |
adj.有权威的,可相信的;命令式的;官方的 | |
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106 pickets | |
罢工纠察员( picket的名词复数 ) | |
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107 bloodily | |
adv.出血地;血淋淋地;残忍地;野蛮地 | |
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