For half a mile the party moved along the narrow trail unmolested. Theriere had come back to exchange a half-dozen words with the girl and had again moved forward toward the head of the column. Miller was not more than twenty-five feet behind the first man ahead of him, and Miss Harding and Swenson followed at intervals3 of but three or four yards.
Suddenly, without warning, Swenson and Miller fell, pierced with savage4 spears, and at the same instant sinewy5 fingers gripped Barbara Harding, and a silencing hand was clapped over her mouth. There had been no sound above the muffled6 tread of the seamen7. It had all been accomplished8 so quickly and so easily that the girl did not comprehend what had befallen her for several minutes.
In the darkness of the forest she could not clearly distinguish the forms or features of her abductors, though she reasoned, as was only natural, that Skipper Simms' party had become aware of the plot against them and had taken this means of thwarting9 a part of it; but when her captors turned directly into the mazes10 of the jungle, away from the coast, she began first to wonder and then to doubt, so that presently when a small clearing let the moonlight full upon them she was not surprised to discover that none of the members of the Halfmoon's company was among her guard.
Barbara Harding had not circled the globe half a dozen times for nothing. There were few races or nations with whose history, past and present, she was not fairly familiar, and so the sight that greeted her eyes was well suited to fill her with astonishment12, for she found herself in the hands of what appeared to be a party of Japanese warriors13 of the fifteenth or sixteenth century. She recognized the medieval arms and armor, the ancient helmets, the hairdressing of the two-sworded men of old Japan. At the belts of two of her captors dangled14 grisly trophies15 of the hunt. In the moonlight she saw that they were the heads of Miller and Swenson.
The girl was horrified16. She had thought her lot before as bad as it could be, but to be in the clutches of these strange, fierce warriors of a long-dead age was unthinkably worse. That she could ever have wished to be back upon the Halfmoon would have seemed, a few days since, incredible; yet that was precisely17 what she longed for now.
On through the night marched the little, brown men—grim and silent—until at last they came to a small village in a valley away from the coast—a valley that lay nestled high among lofty mountains. Here were cavelike dwellings19 burrowed20 half under ground, the upper walls and thatched roofs rising scarce four feet above the level. Granaries on stilts21 were dotted here and there among the dwellings.
Into one of the filthy22 dens23 Barbara Harding was dragged. She found a single room in which several native and half-caste women were sleeping, about them stretched and curled and perched a motley throng25 of dirty yellow children, dogs, pigs, and chickens. It was the palace of Daimio Oda Yorimoto, Lord of Yoka, as his ancestors had christened their new island home.
Once within the warren the two samurai who had guarded Barbara upon the march turned and withdrew—she was alone with Oda Yorimoto and his family. From the center of the room depended a swinging shelf upon which a great pile of grinning skulls26 rested. At the back of the room was a door which Barbara had not at first noticed—evidently there was another apartment to the dwelling18.
The girl was given little opportunity to examine her new prison, for scarce had the guards withdrawn27 than Oda Yorimoto approached and grasped her by the arm.
“Come!” he said, in Japanese that was sufficiently28 similar to modern Nippon to be easily understood by Barbara Harding. With the word he drew her toward a sleeping mat on a raised platform at one side of the room.
One of the women awoke at the sound of the man's voice. She looked up at Barbara in sullen29 hatred30—otherwise she gave no indication that she saw anything unusual transpiring31. It was as though an exquisite32 American belle33 were a daily visitor at the Oda Yorimoto home.
“What do you want of me?” cried the frightened girl, in Japanese.
Oda Yorimoto looked at her in astonishment. Where had this white girl learned to speak his tongue?
“I am the daimio, Oda Yorimoto,” he said. “These are my wives. Now you are one of them. Come!”
“Not yet—not here!” cried the girl clutching at a straw. “Wait. Give me time to think. If you do not harm me my father will reward you fabulously34. Ten thousand koku he would gladly give to have me returned to him safely.”
Oda Yorimoto but shook his head.
“Twenty thousand koku!” cried the girl.
Still the daimio shook his head negatively.
“A hundred thousand—name your own price, if you will but not harm me.”
“Silence!” growled35 the man. “What are even a million koku to me who only know the word from the legends of my ancestors. We have no need for koku here, and had we, my hills are full of the yellow metal which measures its value. No! you are my woman. Come!”
“Not here! Not here!” pleaded the girl. “There is another room—away from all these women,” and she turned her eyes toward the door at the opposite side of the chamber36.
Oda Yorimoto shrugged37 his shoulders. That would be easier than a fight, he argued, and so he led the girl toward the doorway38 that she had indicated. Within the room all was dark, but the daimio moved as one accustomed to the place, and as he moved through the blackness the girl at his side felt with stealthy fingers at the man's belt.
At last Oda Yorimoto reached the far side of the long chamber.
“Here!” he said, and took her by the shoulders.
“Here!” answered the girl in a low, tense voice, and at the instant that she spoke39 Oda Yorimoto, Lord of Yoka, felt a quick tug40 at his belt, and before he guessed what was to happen his own short sword had pierced his breast.
A single shriek41 broke from the lips of the daimio; but it was so high and shrill42 and like the shriek of a woman in mortal terror that the woman in the next room who heard it but smiled a crooked44, wicked smile of hate and turned once more upon her pallet to sleep.
Again and again Barbara Harding plunged45 the sword of the brown man into the still heart, until she knew beyond peradventure of a doubt that her enemy was forevermore powerless to injure her. Then she sank, exhausted46 and trembling, upon the dirt floor beside the corpse47.
When Theriere came to the realization48 that Barbara Harding was gone he jumped to the natural conclusion that Ward2 and Simms had discovered the ruse49 that he had worked upon them just in time to permit them to intercept50 Miller and Swenson with the girl, and carry her back to the main camp.
The others were prone51 to agree with him, though the mucker grumbled52 that “it listened fishy53.” However, all hands returned cautiously down the face of the cliff, expecting momentarily to be attacked by the guards which they felt sure Ward would post in expectation of a return of the mutineers, the moment they discovered that the girl had been taken from them; but to the surprise of all they reached the cove11 without molestation54, and when they had crept cautiously to the vicinity of the sleepers55 they discovered that all were there, in peaceful slumber56, just as they had left them a few hours before.
Silently the party retraced57 its steps up the cliff. Theriere and Billy Byrne brought up the rear.
“What do you make of it anyway, Byrne?” asked the Frenchman.
“If you wanta get it straight, cul,” replied the mucker, “I tink youse know a whole lot more about it dan you'd like to have de rest of us tink.”
“What do you mean, Byrne?” cried Theriere. “Out with it now!”
“Sure I'll out wid it. You didn't tink I was bashful didja? Wot fer did you detail dem two pikers, Miller and Swenson, to guard de skirt fer if it wasn't fer some special frame-up of yer own? Dey never been in our gang, and dats just wot you wanted 'em fer. It was easy to tip dem off to hike out wid de squab, and de first chanct you get you'll hike after dem, while we hold de bag. Tought you'd double-cross us easy, didn't yeh? Yeh cheap-skate!”
“Byrne,” said Theriere, and it was easy to see that only through the strength of his will-power did he keep his temper, “you may have cause to suspect the motives58 of everyone connected with this outfit59. I can't say that I blame you; but I want you to remember what I say to you now. There was a time when I fully60 intended to 'double-cross' you, as you say—that was before you saved my life. Since then I have been on the square with you not only in deed but in thought as well. I give you the word of a man whose word once meant something—I am playing square with you now except in one thing, and I shall tell you what that is at once. I do not know where Miss Harding is, or what has happened to her, and Miller, and Swenson. That is God's truth. Now for the one thing that I just mentioned. Recently I changed my intentions relative to Miss Harding. I was after the money the same as the rest—that I am free to admit; but now I don't give a rap for it, and I had intended taking advantage of the first opportunity to return Miss Harding to civilization unharmed and without the payment of a penny to anyone. The reason for my change of heart is my own affair. In all probability you wouldn't believe the sincerity62 or honesty of my motives should I disclose them. I am only telling you these things because you have accused me of double dealing63, and I do not want the man who saved my life at the risk of his own to have the slightest grounds to doubt my honesty with him. I've been a fairly bad egg, Byrne, for a great many years; but, by George! I'm not entirely64 rotten yet.”
Byrne was silent for a few moments. He, too, had recently come to the conclusion that possibly he was not entirely rotten either, and had in a vague and half-formed sort of way wished for the opportunity to demonstrate the fact, so he was willing to concede to another that which he craved66 for himself.
“Yeh listen all right, cul,” he said at last; “an' I'm willin' to take yeh at yer own say-so until I learn different.”
“Thanks,” said Theriere tersely67. “Now we can work together in the search for Miss Harding; but where, in the name of all that's holy, are we to start?”
“Why, where we seen her last, of course,” replied the mucker. “Right here on top of dese bluffs68.”
“Then we can't do anything until daylight,” said the Frenchman.
“Not a ting, and at daylight we'll most likely have a scrap69 on our hands from below,” and the mucker jerked his thumb in the direction of the cove.
“I think,” said Theriere, “that we had better spend an hour arming ourselves with sticks and stones. We've a mighty70 good position up here. One that we can defend splendidly from an assault from below, and if we are prepared for them we can stave 'em off for a while if we need the time to search about up here for clews to Miss Harding's whereabouts.”
And so the party set to work to cut stout71 bludgeons from the trees about them, and pile loose fragments of rock in handy places near the cliff top. Theriere even went so far as to throw up a low breastwork across the top of the trail up which the enemy must climb to reach the summit of the cliff. When they had completed their preparations three men could have held the place against ten times their own number.
Then they lay down to sleep, leaving Blanco and Divine on guard, for it had been decided72 that these two, with Bony Sawyer, should be left behind on the morrow to hold the cliff top while the others were searching for clews to the whereabouts of Barbara Harding. They were to relieve each other at guard duty during the balance of the night.
Scarce had the first suggestion of dawn lightened the eastern sky than Divine, who was again on guard, awakened73 Theriere. In a moment the others were aroused, and a hasty raid on the cached provisions made. The lack of water was keenly felt by all, but it was too far to the spring to chance taking the time necessary to fetch the much-craved fluid and those who were to forge into the jungle in search of Barbara Harding hoped to find water farther inland, while it was decided to dispatch Bony Sawyer to the spring for water for those who were to remain on guard at the cliff top.
A hurried breakfast was made on water-soaked ship's biscuit. Theriere and his searching party stuffed their pockets full of them, and a moment later the search was on. First the men traversed the trail toward the spring, looking for indications of the spot where Barbara Harding had ceased to follow them. The girl had worn heelless buckskin shoes at the time she was taken from the Lotus, and these left little or no spoor in the well-tramped earth of the narrow path; but a careful and minute examination on the part of Theriere finally resulted in the detection of a single small footprint a hundred yards from the point they had struck the trail after ascending75 the cliffs. This far at least she had been with them.
The men now spread out upon either side of the track—Theriere and Red Sanders upon one side, Byrne and Wison upon the other. Occasionally Theriere would return to the trail to search for further indications of the spoor they sought.
The party had proceeded in this fashion for nearly half a mile when suddenly they were attracted by a low exclamation76 from the mucker.
“Here!” he called. “Here's Miller an' the Swede, an' they sure have mussed 'em up turrible.”
The others hastened in the direction of his voice, to come to a horrified halt at the sides of the headless trunks of the two sailors.
“Mon Dieu!” exclaimed the Frenchman, reverting77 to his mother tongue as he never did except under the stress of great excitement.
“Who done it?” queried78 Red Sanders, looking suspiciously at the mucker.
“Head-hunters,” said Theriere. “God! What an awful fate for that poor girl!”
Billy Byrne went white.
“Yeh don't mean dat dey've lopped off her block?” he whispered in an awed79 voice. Something strange rose in the mucker's breast at the thought he had just voiced. He did not attempt to analyze80 the sensation; but it was far from joy at the suggestion that the woman he so hated had met a horrible and disgusting death at the hands of savages81.
“I'm afraid not, Byrne,” said Theriere, in a voice that none there would have recognized as that of the harsh and masterful second officer of the Halfmoon.
“Yer afraid not!” echoed Billy Byrne, in amazement82.
“For her sake I hope that they did,” said Theriere; “for such as she it would have been a far less horrible fate than the one I fear they have reserved her for.”
“You mean—” queried Byrne, and then he stopped, for the realization of just what Theriere did mean swept over him quite suddenly.
There was no particular reason why Billy Byrne should have felt toward women the finer sentiments which are so cherished a possession of those men who have been gently born and raised, even after they have learned that all women are not as was the feminine ideal of their boyhood.
Billy's mother, always foul-mouthed and quarrelsome, had been a veritable demon65 when drunk, and drunk she had been whenever she could, by hook or crook43, raise the price of whiskey. Never, to Billy's recollection, had she spoken a word of endearment83 to him; and so terribly had she abused him that even while he was yet a little boy, scarce out of babyhood, he had learned to view her with a hatred as deep-rooted as is the affection of most little children for their mothers.
When he had come to man's estate he had defended himself from the woman's brutal84 assaults as he would have defended himself from another man—when she had struck, Billy had struck back; the only thing to his credit being that he never had struck her except in self-defense. Chastity in woman was to him a thing to joke of—he did not believe that it existed; for he judged other women by the one he knew best—his mother. And as he hated her, so he hated them all. He had doubly hated Barbara Harding since she not only was a woman, but a woman of the class he loathed85.
And so it was strange and inexplicable86 that the suggestion of the girl's probable fate should have affected87 Billy Byrne as it did. He did not stop to reason about it at all—he simply knew that he felt a mad and unreasoning rage against the creatures that had borne the girl away. Outwardly Billy showed no indication of the turmoil88 that raged within his breast.
“We gotta find her, bo,” he said to Theriere. “We gotta find the skirt.”
Ordinarily Billy would have blustered89 about the terrible things he would do to the objects of his wrath90 when once he had them in his power; but now he was strangely quiet—only the firm set of his strong chin, and the steely glitter of his gray eyes gave token of the iron resolution within.
Theriere, who had been walking slowly to and fro about the dead men, now called the others to him.
“Here's their trail,” he said. “If it's as plain as that all the way we won't be long in overhauling91 them. Come along.”
Before he had the words half out of his mouth the mucker was forging ahead through the jungle along the well-marked spoor of the samurai.
“Wot kind of men do you suppose they are?” asked Red Sanders.
“Malaysian head-hunters, unquestionably,” replied Theriere.
Red Sanders shuddered92 inwardly. The appellation93 had a most gruesome sound.
“Come on!” cried Theriere, and started off after the mucker, who already was out of sight in the thick forest.
Red Sanders and Wison took a few steps after the Frenchman. Theriere turned once to see that they were following him, and then a turn in the trail hid them from his view. Red Sanders stopped.
“Damme if I'm goin' to get my coconut94 hacked95 off on any such wild-goose chase as this,” he said to Wison.
“The girl's more'n likely dead long ago,” said the other.
“Sure she is,” returned Red Sanders, “an' if we go buttin' into that there thicket96 we'll be dead too. Ugh! Poor Miller. Poor Swenson. It's orful. Did you see wot they done to 'em beside cuttin' off their heads?”
“Yes,” whispered Wison, looking suddenly behind him.
Red Sanders gave a little start, peering in the direction that his companion had looked.
“Wot was it?” he whimpered. “Wot did you do that fer?”
“I thought I seen something move there,” replied Wison. “Fer Gawd's sake let's get outen this,” and without waiting for a word of assent97 from his companion the sailor turned and ran at breakneck speed along the little path toward the spot where Divine, Blanco, and Bony Sawyer were stationed. When they arrived Bony was just on the point of setting out for the spring to fetch water, but at sight of the frightened, breathless men he returned to hear their story.
“What's up?” shouted Divine. “You men look as though you'd seen a ghost. Where are the others?”
“They're all murdered, and their heads cut off,” cried Red Sanders. “We found the bunch that got Miller, Swenson, and the girl. They'd killed 'em all and was eatin' of 'em when we jumps 'em. Before we knew wot had happened about a thousand more of the devils came runnin' up. They got us separated, and when we seen Theriere and Byrne kilt we jest natch'rally beat it. Gawd, but it was orful.”
“Do you think they will follow you?” asked Divine.
At the suggestion every head turned toward the trail down which the two panic-stricken men had just come. At the same moment a hoarse98 shout arose from the cove below and the five looked down to see a scene of wild activity upon the beach. The defection of Theriere's party had been discovered, as well as the absence of the girl and the theft of the provisions.
Skipper Simms was dancing about like a madman. His bellowed99 oaths rolled up the cliffs like thunder. Presently Ward caught a glimpse of the men at the top of the cliff above him.
“There they are!” he cried.
Skipper Simms looked up.
“The swabs!” he shrieked100. “A-stealin' of our grub, an' abductin' of that there pore girl. The swabs! Lemme to 'em, I say; jest lemme to 'em.”
“We'd all better go to 'em,” said Ward. “We've got a fight on here sure. Gather up some rocks, men, an' come along. Skipper, you're too fat to do any fightin' on that there hillside, so you better stay here an' let one o' the men take your gun,” for Ward knew so well the mettle101 of his superior that he much preferred his absence to his presence in the face of real fighting, and with the gun in the hands of a braver man it would be vastly more effective.
Ward himself was no lover of a fight, but he saw now that starvation might stare them in the face with their food gone, and everything be lost with the loss of the girl. For food and money a much more cowardly man than Bender Ward would fight to the death.
Up the face of the cliff they hurried, expecting momentarily to be either challenged or fired upon by those above them. Divine and his party looked down with mixed emotions upon those who were ascending in so threatening a manner. They found themselves truly between the devil and the deep sea.
Ward and his men were halfway102 up the cliff, yet Divine had made no move to repel103 them. He glanced timorously104 toward the dark forest behind from which he momentarily expected to see the savage, snarling105 faces of the head-hunters appear.
“Surrender! You swabs,” called Ward from below, “or we'll string the last mother's son of you to the yardarm.”
For reply Blanco hurled106 a heavy fragment of rock at the assaulters. It grazed perilously107 close to Ward, against whom Blanco cherished a keen hatred. Instantly Ward's revolver barked, the bullet whistling close by Divine's head. L. Cortwrite Divine, cotillion leader, ducked behind Theriere's breastwork, where he lay sprawled108 upon his belly109, trembling in terror.
Bony Sawyer and Red Sanders followed the example of their commander. Blanco and Wison alone made any attempt to repel the assault. The big Negro ran to Divine's side and snatched the terror-stricken man's revolver from his belt. Then turning he fired at Ward. The bullet, missing its intended victim, pierced the heart of a sailor directly behind him, and as the man crumpled110 to the ground, rolling down the steep declivity111, his fellows sought cover.
Wison followed up the advantage with a shower of well-aimed missiles, and then hostilities112 ceased temporarily.
“Have they gone?” queried Divine, with trembling lips, noticing the quiet that followed the shot.
“Gone nothin', yo big cowahd,” replied Blanco. “Do yo done suppose dat two men is a-gwine to stan' off five? Ef yo white-livered skunks113 'ud git up an' fight we might have a chanct. I'se a good min' to cut out yo cowahdly heart fer yo, das wot I has—a-lyin' der on yo belly settin' dat kin61' o' example to yo men!”
Divine's terror had placed him beyond the reach of contumely or reproach.
“What's the use of fighting them?” he whimpered. “We should never have left them. It's all the fault of that fool Theriere. What can we do against the savages of this awful island if we divide our forces? They will pick us off a few at a time just as they picked off Miller and Swenson, Theriere and Byrne. We ought to tell Ward about it, and call this foolish battle off.”
“Now you're talkin',” cried Bony Sawyer. “I'm not a-goin' to squat114 up here any longer with my friends a-shootin' at me from below an' a lot of wild heathen creeping down on me from above to cut off my bloomin' head.”
“Same here!” chimed in Red Sanders.
Blanco looked toward Wison. For his own part the Negro would not have been averse74 to returning to the fold could the thing be accomplished without danger of reprisal115 on the part of Skipper Simms and Ward; but he knew the men so well that he feared to trust them even should they seemingly acquiesce116 to any such proposal. On the other hand, he reasoned, it would be as much to their advantage to have the deserters return to them as it would to the deserters themselves, for when they had heard the story told by Red Sanders and Wison of the murder of the others of the party they too would realize the necessity for maintaining the strength of the little company to its fullest.
“I don't see that we're goin' to gain nothin' by fightin' 'em,” said Wison. “There ain't nothin' in it any more nohow for nobody since the girl's gorn. Let's chuck it, an' see wot terms we can make with Squint117 Eye.”
“Well,” grumbled the Negro, “I can't fight 'em alone; What yo doin' dere, Bony?”
During the conversation Bony Sawyer had been busy with a stick and a piece of rag, and now as he turned toward his companions once more they saw that he had rigged a white flag of surrender. None interfered118 as he raised it above the edge of the breastwork.
Immediately there was a hail from below. It was Ward's voice.
“Surrenderin', eh? Comin' to your senses, are you?” he shouted.
Divine, feeling that immediate119 danger from bullets was past, raised his head above the edge of the earthwork.
“We have something to communicate, Mr. Ward,” he called.
“Spit it out, then; I'm a-listenin',” called back the mate.
“Miss Harding, Mr. Theriere, Byrne, Miller, and Swenson have been captured and killed by native head-hunters,” said Divine.
Ward's eyes went wide, and he blew out his cheeks in surprise. Then his face went black with an angry scowl120.
“You see what you done now, you blitherin' fools, you!” he cried, “with your funny business? You gone an' killed the goose what laid the golden eggs. Thought you'd get it all, didn't you? and now nobody won't get nothin', unless it is the halter. Nice lot o' numbskulls you be, an' whimperin' 'round now expectin' of us to take you back—well, I reckon not, not on your measly lives,” and with that he raised his revolver to fire again at Divine.
The society man toppled over backward into the pit behind the breastwork before Ward had a chance to pull the trigger.
“Hol' on there mate!” cried Bony Sawyer; “there ain't no call now fer gettin' excited. Wait until you hear all we gotta say. You can't blame us pore sailormen. It was this here fool dude and that scoundrel Theriere that put us up to it. They told us that you an' Skipper Simms was a-fixin' to double-cross us all an' leave us here to starve on this Gawd-forsaken islan'. Theriere said that he was with you when you planned it. That you wanted to git rid o' as many of us as you could so that you'd have more of the ransom121 to divide. So all we done was in self-defense, as it were.
“Why not let bygones be bygones, an' all of us join forces ag'in' these murderin' heathen? There won't be any too many of us at best—Red an' Wison seen more'n two thousan' of the man-eatin' devils. They're a-creepin' up on us from behin' right this minute, an' you can lay to that; an' the chances are that they got some special kind o' route into that there cove, an' maybe they're a-watchin' of you right now!”
Ward turned an apprehensive122 glance to either side. There was logic123 in Bony's proposal. They couldn't spare a man now. Later he could punish the offenders124 at his leisure—when he didn't need them any further.
“Will you swear on the Book to do your duty by Skipper Simms an' me if we take you back?” asked Ward.
“You bet,” answered Bony Sawyer.
The others nodded their heads, and Divine sprang up and started down toward Ward.
“Hol' on you!” commanded the mate. “This here arrangement don' include you—it's jes' between Skipper Simms an' his sailors. You're a rank outsider, an' you butts125 in an' starts a mutiny. Ef you come back you gotta stand trial fer that—see?”
“You better duck, mister,” advised Red Sanders; “they'll hang you sure.”
Divine went white. To face trial before two such men as Simms and Ward meant death, of that he was positive. To flee into the forest meant death, almost equally certain, and much more horrible. The man went to his knees, lifting supplicating126 hands to the mate.
“For God's sake, Mr. Ward,” he cried, “be merciful. I was led into this by Theriere. He lied to me just as he did to the men. You can't kill me—it would be murder—they'd hang you for it.”
“We'll hang for this muss you got us into anyway, if we're ever caught,” growled the mate. “Ef you hadn't a-carried the girl off to be murdered we might have had enough ransom money to have got clear some way, but now you gone and cooked the whole goose fer the lot of us.”
“You can collect ransom on me,” cried Divine, clutching at a straw. “I'll pay a hundred thousand myself the day you set me down in a civilized127 port, safe and free.”
Ward laughed in his face.
“You ain't got a cent, you four-flusher,” he cried. “Clinker put us next to that long before we sailed from Frisco.”
“Clinker lies,” cried Divine. “He doesn't know anything about it—I'm rich.”
“Wot's de use ob chewin' de rag 'bout24 all dis,” cried Blanco, seeing where he might square himself with Ward and Simms easily. “Does yo' take back all us sailormen, Mr. Ward, an' promise not t' punish none o' us, ef we swear to stick by yo' all in de future?”
“Yes,” replied the mate.
Blanco took a step toward Divine.
“Den yo come along too as a prisoner, white man,” and the burly black grasped Divine by the scruff of the neck and forced him before him down the steep trail toward the cove, and so the mutineers returned to the command of Skipper Simms, and L. Cortwrite Divine went with them as a prisoner, charged with a crime the punishment for which has been death since men sailed the seas.
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miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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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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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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sinewy
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| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
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muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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thwarting
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| 阻挠( thwart的现在分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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10
mazes
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| 迷宫( maze的名词复数 )； 纷繁复杂的规则； 复杂难懂的细节； 迷宫图 | |
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11
cove
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| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
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12
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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13
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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14
dangled
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| 悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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15
trophies
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| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
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16
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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17
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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18
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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19
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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20
burrowed
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| v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的过去式和过去分词 )；翻寻 | |
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21
stilts
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| n.（支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的）桩子，支柱( stilt的名词复数 )；高跷 | |
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22
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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23
dens
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| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
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24
bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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25
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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26
skulls
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| 颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜 | |
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27
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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28
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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29
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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30
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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31
transpiring
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的现在分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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32
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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33
belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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34
fabulously
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| 难以置信地，惊人地 | |
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35
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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36
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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37
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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38
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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39
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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40
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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41
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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42
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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43
crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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44
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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45
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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46
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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47
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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48
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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49
ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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50
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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51
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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52
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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53
fishy
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| adj. 值得怀疑的 | |
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54
molestation
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| n.骚扰，干扰，调戏；折磨 | |
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55
sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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56
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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57
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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58
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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59
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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60
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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61
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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62
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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63
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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64
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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65
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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66
craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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67
tersely
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| adv. 简捷地, 简要地 | |
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68
bluffs
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| 恐吓( bluff的名词复数 )； 悬崖； 峭壁 | |
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69
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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70
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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72
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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73
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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74
averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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75
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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76
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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77
reverting
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| 恢复( revert的现在分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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78
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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79
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
analyze
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| vt.分析，解析 (=analyse) | |
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81
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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82
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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83
endearment
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| n.表示亲爱的行为 | |
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84
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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85
loathed
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| v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢 | |
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86
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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87
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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88
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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89
blustered
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| v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹 | |
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90
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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91
overhauling
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| n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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92
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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93
appellation
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| n.名称，称呼 | |
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94
coconut
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| n.椰子 | |
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95
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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96
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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97
assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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98
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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99
bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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100
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101
mettle
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| n.勇气，精神 | |
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102
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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103
repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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104
timorously
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| adv.胆怯地，羞怯地 | |
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105
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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106
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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107
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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108
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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109
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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110
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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111
declivity
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| n.下坡，倾斜面 | |
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112
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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113
skunks
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| n.臭鼬( skunk的名词复数 )；臭鼬毛皮；卑鄙的人；可恶的人 | |
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114
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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115
reprisal
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| n.报复，报仇，报复性劫掠 | |
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116
acquiesce
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| vi.默许，顺从，同意 | |
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117
squint
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| v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
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118
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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119
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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120
scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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121
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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122
apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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123
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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124
offenders
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| n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物） | |
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125
butts
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| 笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂 | |
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126
supplicating
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| v.祈求，哀求，恳求( supplicate的现在分词 ) | |
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127
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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