“There he is,” Jack1 shouted as he caught sight of his friend as he stood bag in hand on the car platform.
Another moment and the three were shaking hands heartily2 together.
“It’s a treat for sore eyes to see you again,” Jack declared.
“And I’m mighty3 glad to see you.”
“Well, let’s get over to the house and you can tell us all about it,” Bob said.
Their car was waiting at the station platform and it was only a few minutes’ ride to their home, so in less than twenty minutes from the time the train had pulled in they were sitting on the porch listening to Rex’s story.
31
“As I wrote you a few days ago,” he began, “I expected to sail from New York to-morrow on a business trip to Europe. I had my plans all made and even had my passage engaged and then like a bolt out of a clear sky we found that Father’s cashier had skipped with nearly a quarter of a million dollars. John Stebbins had been with us for over twenty years and we all thought him the very soul of honor. It comes at a very hard time for Father. You see business has been poor lately and he lost a lot of money a few months ago through the failure of one of our biggest customers and the loss of this money will pretty badly cripple him.”
“Now I know that you are wondering what I am doing up here in Maine but I have reason to think that he’s up here. Did you ever hear of a lake by the name Umsaskis?”
The boys thought a moment.
“I’m not sure,” Bob replied slowly. “But I think there’s a lake by that name up some twenty or thirty miles north of Chemquessbamticook. It’s up pretty close to the border if I’m correct. But Father will know and he ought to be home pretty soon.”
“Well just a few days ago I happened to pass Stebbins’ office and heard him talking to some man whom I didn’t know. I didn’t intend to listen but I was getting some papers out of the safe and couldn’t help hearing what he was saying. He mentioned that lake and I heard him say that he had been there some years ago and might be there before long. As it was pretty near to the time he was to leave for his vacation I thought nothing of it. In fact I had forgotten all about it but after we found that he had left with the money I remembered it.
32
“I told Father about it and I can’t say that he seemed to attach a great deal of importance to it but when we couldn’t find a single clue to his whereabouts he consented to my coming up here to see if I could locate him. You see Father’s business is in such shape that if it was known that he had lost all the money it would be sure to ruin him. So for that reason, he has not let it be known.”
“Will you let us go up there with you?” Jack asked eagerly.
“Will I? I was hoping that you’d propose it. I hated to ask you but I sure do want you.”
“Of course we want to go,” Bob assured him. “You couldn’t keep us at home with a ten-horse team.”
“And he was saying only yesterday that he hoped nothing would happen the rest of the summer.”
“Oh, well this is different you know,” Bob laughed just as his Father came up the steps.
Mr. Golden gave their friend a most hearty4 greeting; indeed he was nearly as fond of Rex Dale as were the boys.
“Welcome to the old Pine Tree State again,” he said as he grasped him by the hand.
33
“The Pine Tree State always looks mighty good to me, sir,” he declared as he returned the grasp.
“Father, isn’t Umsaskis Lake up above Chemquessbamticook?” Bob asked as soon as the greeting was over.
“Yes. It’s some ways above if I remember rightly. All of forty miles I should say. I know it’s pretty close to the border.”
“I thought so,” Bob said.
“You aren’t thinking of going up there, are you?”
“Looks as though we might,” and he told his father of Rex’s mission.
“I’m mighty sorry to hear that,” Mr. Golden declared turning to Rex. “And you think he may be up there at Umsaskis?”
“It may be a pretty slim chance but I believe it is a chance and I just had to do something.”
“Of course.”
“Don’t you think yourself, sir, that it would be a good place for a man to hide up there?”
“Don’t believe he could find a better. It’s about as wild as you could wish for up there and I don’t suppose there’s a white man lives within fifty or sixty miles of that lake unless it’s some lone5 trapper. I was up there once many years ago on a hunting trip and I remember we didn’t see a soul for nearly two weeks.”
34
“Then I’m more than ever inclined to think that he has gone there. He is just the kind of a man who would go off to a place like that and I know he came from somewhere in the northern part of Maine.”
“There’s an old legend connected with that lake,” Mr. Golden told the boys while they were waiting for dinner. “Many years ago a large tribe of Indians lived on the shore of Umsaskis. Moose and deer and bear were very plentiful6 and the tribe was wealthy and happy. Big Foot was chief and White Flower, his daughter was the pride of the tribe. Straight as an arrow she was and she could outrun and outshoot, with the bow and arrow, any member of the tribe.
“Many a hopeful young buck7 came to match his skill with the bow and arrow and his speed both in running and in paddling the canoe against her for it was known that she had vowed8 that she would wed9 only her master in these fetes. But one and all they went away sorrowful, for her arrows always struck nearer the mark than theirs and so swift were her feet that although she even gave them considerable start never was the race more than half run before she had passed them. And it is related how she would paddle her light birch canoe many lengths beyond the outer mark set for the race and then beat her dusky wooer in by a long margin10.
35
“Then one day in mid-summer came Spotted11 Tail from a tribe far to the west with a message for Big Foot. Never was such an Indian as Spotted Tail. Cast in a perfect mold he was as beautiful a man as was White Flower a woman. It was a case of love at first sight when they met. For two days Spotted Tail rested before pitting his strength and skill against her whom he would wed.
“First came the shooting with the bow and arrow. Frowns of disapproval12 settled on the brows of many when White Flower’s arrow just brushed the thin reed with the tip of the feather which guided its flight and they watched her with hostile eyes when a moment later the arrow of Spotted Tail split the same reed in two. Did her eyes light up with hope? Who can tell?
“Then came the foot race. When she motioned her lover to take the customary fifty feet start loud grunts13 of disapproval were heard on all sides and, being appealed to, Big Foot ruled that they should start together. Did White Flower run with less than her usual swiftness or was Spotted Tail really her master? Who could tell. But it was evident that many suspected her when Spotted Tail crossed the line a full foot ahead of her and she threw herself panting onto the ground.
36
“But one trial remained, the race with the canoe. And now White Flower seemed to be putting all her strength into her paddle. Not a foot did she go farther than was necessary to make the turn and her frail14 craft seemed almost to leap from the water as she bore down toward the finish mark. Suspicions were lulled15 as it seemed certain that she would win by a good margin. Spotted Tail was doing his best and his canoe, too, was rushing over rather than through the water. But she rounded the turn a full length ahead of him and this lead she had steadily16 increased on the home stretch. Then with but a few rods to go a gasp17 of horror was heard as her paddle snapped fairly in the middle. There was no excuse in an Indian race. The first over the line won regardless of what might have happened.
“As Spotted Tail swept his canoe over the line the winner by several lengths Big Foot waded18 out into the lake and picked up the pieces of the broken paddle. For a moment he examined them and then, without a word he drew his bow and the next instant his arrow was buried in the heart of White Flower. It was so sudden that for a moment Spotted Tail stood motionless then, as if galvanized into action, he snatched a bow from a young brave and quicker than the eye could follow an arrow sped to the heart of Big Foot. Then with but a single glance at his hoped-for bride, he bounded away into the forest and was gone.
37
“That is the story of White Flower and Spotted Tail. The tribe moved away soon after but tradition tells that often on moonlight nights a pure white canoe paddled by a figure dressed in snow white buckskin can be seen skimming the waters of Umsaskis Lake. No Indian will go near the place and even the half-breeds give it a wide berth19.”
“Did you see the ghost?” Bob asked as Mr. Golden brought his story to a close.
“No. I did not see it,” Mr. Golden smiled.
“It’s a pretty story,” Rex declared.
“Perhaps you will have better luck if you go up there,” Mr. Golden said just as the dinner bell rang.
“I would sure like to see it, or rather her,” Bob laughed as he followed the others into the house.
“How would you advise us to go?” Bob asked his father when they were again on the porch.
“If I were you I’d take the car up as far as North East Carry. Then you can get a canoe there and make a short carry to the West Branch of the Penobscot. Follow that for about twenty miles or perhaps a little more and it will bring you to the head of Chesuncook Lake. Wait a minute till I get a map and I’ll make out the rest of the course. Here we are now,” he resumed after Jack had returned with the map. “Now we’re right here,” pointing with his finger, “at the head of Chesuncook. Now you take this little stream up to Umbazooksses Lake. Then you’ll have to carry across to Chamberlain Lake. From there you see it’s clear sailing up through Pomgoewahem Lake and Churchill Lake into the Allagash River. You’ll find some pretty swift water part of the way along the Allagash and you’ll probably have to make a number of carries.”
38
“How far do we follow the Allagash?” Bob asked.
“Till you come to the big falls about fifty miles where you enter the river from Churchill Lake.”
“But look here, Father, someone has got things balled up a bit. Here’s Umsaskis Lake right here just a few miles above Churchill.” And Jack pointed20 with his finger.
“I know. That’s the Old or Big Umsaskis as it is often called. The Little Umsaskis is a much smaller Lake far to the north. Of course,” he said turning to Rex, “I don’t suppose you can be sure which one Stebbins referred to, can you?”
“I’m pretty sure that it was the one farthest north,” Rex replied after a short pause. “I remember hearing him say that there was no other lake within twenty or thirty miles of it.”
“Then it must have been Little Umsaskis,” Mr. Golden declared. “You can see that there’s a number of lakes much nearer than that to the lower one.”
“I think so, sir. But we can take a look around when we get that far and see if we can find anything.”
39
“That would be wise,” Mr. Golden agreed. “But to come back where we were. When you come to the big falls you will have to leave the canoe and strike off due east. The Little Umsaskis is about twenty miles from the falls and it is uphill most of the way. Pick out the highest peak you can see and head straight for it. The lake lies in a depression between that peak and the one nearer the lake which is much lower.”
“I guess we’ll be able to find it all right,” Jack declared.
“Oh, you can’t miss it,” his father assured him.
“How large is the lake?” Rex asked.
“Well, it’s nearly round and perhaps three miles across.”
“Any trout21 in it?” Jack asked.
“I know he’d want to know that sooner or later,” Bob laughed.
“Plenty when I was there and I suppose there are now. And we got some big fellows too. I wouldn’t dare tell you just how large,” and Mr. Golden smiled.
“You might tell us how big the ones were that got away,” Jack laughed.
“They’re always the largest of course,” Mr. Golden smiled. “But when are you intending to start?”
“The sooner the better I suppose,” Bob replied looking at Rex. “I thought we could put in this afternoon getting the things together and get an early start in the morning.”
40
“I guess that would be best,” Mr. Golden agreed. “But I must be off to the office. I’ll see you at supper.”
The boys had been on so many trips of a like nature that they knew just what was needed and by four o’clock everything was in readiness for the start on the morrow.
They were to go as far as The North East Carry on Moosehead Lake in the little car which they had equipped with an electric motor run by the new cell which the boys had invented.
“Well, how goes it?” Mr. Golden asked as he came up the steps and found the boys pouring over the map again.
“All set,” Jack replied.
“Sure you got everything?”
“So far’s I know.”
“Better take plenty of food.”
“I should think we had enough to last an army a month,” Rex laughed.
“And you’ll need a lot. The Maine Woods is a great appetizer22 as you’ll find out before you get back and you can’t tell how long you may be gone. A little too much is a whole lot better than a little too little.”
“I’ll say it is,” Jack laughed.
41
“I’ll tell you what I’d do,” Mr. Golden said as if struck by a sudden thought. “I’d take Kernertok along. He knows all about that country up there and I always feel safer when I know he’s along with you. And then he’ll be a lot of help on the carries.”
“Just the thing,” Bob said enthusiastically. “We’ll stop for him on the way up. It will only delay us a couple of hours and we’ll more than make up for the time by having him along.”
Kernertok, an old Indian trapper, had long been a friend of the Golden Boys and it was he who had taught them all they knew about woodcraft and the hundred and one things so necessary to life in the vast forest of northern Maine.
The sun had hardly lifted its head over the horizon the next morning when they were off.
“Good-bye, good luck and be careful,” Mr. Golden, who had gotten up to see them off, shouted as they drove out of the yard.
“Sure thing,” Jack called back.
It was a beautiful morning early in August. The night had been almost cold and the early morning air, was, as Rex put it, decidedly snappy.
“I’ll bet this air’s loaded with ozone,” he declared as he drew a deep breath into his lungs.
“It’s the best ever,” Bob agreed.
“Did you ever see any thing prettier than that?” Jack asked a little over two hours later as they reached the top of a high hill.
42
“I never did,” Rex declared as he gazed down at the broad expanse of Moosehead Lake spread out like a mirror almost at their feet.
“That’s one of the Coburn fleet,” Bob said pointing to a steamer which was making its way up the lake.
“Looks like one of the boats I used to sail in the bath tub from here,” Rex laughed.
“It’s the Kathadin,” Jack declared. “And she’ll carry six hundred people besides a lot of freight.”
“How big is Moosehead?” Rex asked.
“Forty miles long and a little over eighteen miles wide in the widest place,” Bob told him.
“Some lake.”
“Largest in New England,” Jack said proudly.
An hour later, when about half way up the lake Bob brought the car to a stop.
“We turn off here,” he said as he pointed to a narrow trail leading to the right.
“Do you mean to say that you can run the car over that road?” Rex asked anxiously.
“It won’t be the first time,” Bob laughed. “But you want to hang on with both hands.”
“Guess I’d better use my teeth also,” Rex laughed a few minutes later as he struck the seat.
“If you go through the top be sure and come down through the same hole so as not to make two holes,” Jack shouted.
“I’ll do my best.”
43
At places the trail seemed impassable for a car but Bob kept on much to Rex’s amazement23.
“Do you ever climb trees with this car?” he asked a little later, as it hit a particularly large bump.
“Not very often,” Bob laughed.
“I’ll bet she’d do it at that,” Jack added.
“Not a bit of doubt about it in my mind,” Rex declared.
“Here’s where we have to abandon ship,” Bob announced a little later as he brought the car to a stop. “It’s about a mile through the woods to Kernertok’s cabin.”
“I’m surprised that you don’t drive right up to his door,” Rex said with a grin.
“Trouble is, the trees are too thick together to get her through,” Jack explained.
“And you’d stop her for a little thing like that?”
“You might wait here, Rex, while we walk in,” Bob suggested.
“Not on your life. I want to see his cabin.”
“All right then. Come on.”
“And make it snappy,” Jack added.
“I guess you would have some trouble in getting even that car through here,” Rex laughed a few minutes as he squeezed himself between two trees.
“We’re almost there,” Bob announced a little later. “Give him a call, Jack.”
44
Jack put his fingers to his lips and the clear shrill24 call of the whip-poor-will rang through the forest. For a moment they listened.
“Afraid he isn’t home,” Bob said.
“I’ll try him again,” and once more Jack sent the call from his lips.
“How in the world would he know that it wasn’t a genuine bird?” Rex asked.
Bob smiled.
“Jack puts a peculiar25 touch to the last note which is the real signal between us and Kernertok. I doubt if any one else would notice it.”
“I should say not.”
For the third time Jack whistled and this time almost at once the call came back to them.
“He’s home,” Jack shouted.
“Sure’s pop. Come on.”
Before they had taken more than a dozen steps a dog came bounding toward them.
“Here, Sicum. Good old Sicum.”
The dog with a yelp26 of joy leaped upon them, but uttered a low growl27 as he saw Rex.
“It’s all right, old fellow. He’s one of us,” Bob said as he took Rex by the hand.
Thus assured the intelligent animal crouched28 at Rex’s feet and allowed him to place his hand on his head.
45
“Sicum doesn’t take readily to strangers but if he once accepts you he’s a friend for life,” Jack explained. “You’re in good with him now and he’ll never forget you.”
Old Kernertok was standing29 in front of his cabin as they approached.
“Hello, there, Kernertok,” Jack shouted.
“How,” the Indian replied.
“Fine as silk, and you?”
“Injun heap well.”
“You look it,” Bob assured him as he shook hands.
The boys then introduced their friend.
“Sicum has accepted him, so you can be sure he’s all right,” Jack laughed.
“Injun heap glad know friend of white boys,” Kernertok assured him.
“And it’s a great pleasure for me to know you,” Rex replied as he took the old Indian’s hand. “I’ve heard so much about you from the boys that I feel as though I had known you for a long time already. Believe me, they never get tired of talking about you.”
“White boys talk heap too much,” the Indian grunted30 and the boys all laughed.
“What bring white boys up here now?”
“It’s a pretty long story and we’d better sit down,” Bob suggested.
46
Kernertok motioned to them to come inside the cabin and as soon as they were seated on the floor Bob told him as quickly as possible about their mission.
Kernertok uttered no word until Bob had finished.
“Injun glad to go with white boys. Injun know all that land. It heap big woods.”
“How soon can you be ready?” Bob asked.
“Ten minute.”
And to Rex’s great surprise it was but a very little more than that time when he announced that he was ready to start.
“I was afraid he might balk31 on account of that ghost story your father told us,” Rex whispered while the Indian was outside.
“Oh, Kernertok’s too civilized32 to take any stock in that kind of stuff,” Bob told him.
“You got um heap much grub?” Kernertok asked as they were about to make the start.
“I think we’ve got plenty,” Bob assured him.
It took some persuasion33 to induce Sicum to get into the car, but by the time they had reached the main road he was quite reconciled to the new method of travel and seemed to enjoy it.
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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2
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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3
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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8
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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grunts
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈 | |
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14
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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16
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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appetizer
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| n.小吃，开胃品 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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28
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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30
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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31
balk
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| n.大方木料；v.妨碍；不愿前进或从事某事 | |
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32
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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