—King Henry VI.
The mustering1 of the borderers on the following morning was silent, sullen2, and gloomy. The repast of that hour was wanting in the inharmonious accompaniment with which Esther ordinarily enlivened their meals; for the effects of the powerful opiate the Doctor had administered still muddled3 her intellects. The young men brooded over the absence of their elder brother, and the brows of Ishmael himself were knit, as he cast his scowling4 eyes from one to the other, like a man preparing to meet and to repel5 an expected assault on his authority. In the midst of this family distrust, Ellen and her midnight confederate, the naturalist6, took their usual places among the children, without awakening7 suspicion or exciting comment. The only apparent fruits of the adventure in which they had been engaged, were occasional upliftings of the eyes, on the part of the Doctor, which were mistaken by the observers for some of his scientific contemplations of the heavens, but which, in reality, were no other than furtive9 glances at the fluttering walls of the proscribed10 tent.
At length the squatter11, who had waited in vain for some more decided12 manifestation13 of the expected rising among his sons, resolved to make a demonstration14 of his own intentions.
“Asa shall account to me for this undutiful conduct!” he observed. “Here has the livelong night gone by, and he out-lying on the prairie, when his hand and his rifle might both have been wanted in a brush with the Siouxes, for any right he had to know the contrary.”
“Spare your breath, good man,” retorted his wife; “be saving of your breath; for you may have to call long enough for the boy before he will answer!”
“It ar' a fact, that some men be so womanish, as to let the young master the old! But, you, old Esther, should know better than to think such will ever be the nature of things in the family of Ishmael Bush.”
“Ah! you are a hectorer with the boys, when need calls! I know it well, Ishmael; and one of your sons have you driven from you, by your temper; and that, too, at a time when he is most wanted.”
“Father,” said Abner, whose sluggish15 nature had gradually been stimulating16 itself to the exertion17 of taking so bold a stand, “the boys and I have pretty generally concluded to go out on the search of Asa. We are disagreeable about his camping on the prairie, instead of coming in to his own bed, as we all know he would like to do.”
“Pshaw!” muttered Abiram; “the boy has killed a buck18; or perhaps a buffaloe; and he is sleeping by the carcass to keep off the wolves, till day; we shall soon see him, or hear him bawling19 for help to bring in his load.”
“'Tis little help that a son of mine will call for, to shoulder a buck or to quarter your wild-beef,” returned the mother. “And you, Abiram, to say so uncertain a thing! you, who said yourself that the red-skins had been prowling around this place, no later than the yesterday—”
“I!” exclaimed her brother, hastily, as if anxious to retract20 an error; “I said it then, and I say it now and so you will find it to be. The Tetons are in our neighbourhood, and happy will it prove for the boy if he is well shut of them.”
“It seems to me,” said Dr. Battius, speaking with the sort of deliberation and dignity one is apt to use after having thoroughly21 ripened22 his opinions by sufficient reflection,—“it seems to me, a man but little skilled in the signs and tokens of Indian warfare23, especially as practised in these remote plains, but one, who I may say without vanity has some insight into the mysteries of nature,—it seems, then, to me, thus humbly24 qualified25, that when doubts exist in a matter of moment, it would always be the wisest course to appease26 them.”
“No more of your doctoring for me!” cried the grum Esther; “no more of your quiddities in a healthy family, say I! Here was I doing well, only a little out of sorts with over instructing the young, and you dos'd me with a drug that hangs about my tongue, like a pound weight on a humming-bird's wing!”
“Is the medicine out?” drily demanded Ishmael: “it must be a rare dose that gives a heavy feel to the tongue of old Eester!”
“Friend,” continued the Doctor, waving his hand for the angry wife to maintain the peace, “that it cannot perform all that is said of it, the very charge of good Mrs. Bush is a sufficient proof. But to speak of the absent Asa. There is doubt as to his fate, and there is a proposition to solve it. Now, in the natural sciences truth is always a desideratum; and I confess it would seem to be equally so in the present case of domestic uncertainty27, which may be called a vacuum where according to the laws of physic, there should exist some pretty palpable proofs of materiality.”
“Don't mind him, don't mind him,” cried Esther, observing that the rest of his auditors28 listened with an attention which might proceed, equally, from acquiescence29 in his proposal or ignorance of its meaning. “There is a drug in every word he utters.”
“Dr. Battius wishes to say,” Ellen modestly interposed, “that as some of us think Asa is in danger, and some think otherwise, the whole family might pass an hour or two in looking for him.”
“Does he?” interrupted the woman; “then Dr. Battius has more sense in him than I believed! She is right, Ishmael; and what she says, shall be done. I will shoulder a rifle myself; and woe30 betide the red-skin that crosses my path! I have pulled a trigger before to-day; ay, and heard an Indian yell, too, to my sorrow.”
The spirit of Esther diffused31 itself, like the stimulus32 which attends a war-cry, among her sons. They arose in a body, and declared their determination to second so bold a resolution. Ishmael prudently33 yielded to an impulse he could not resist, and in a few minutes the woman appeared, shouldering her arms, prepared to lead forth34, in person, such of her descendants as chose to follow.
“Let them stay with the children that please,” she said, “and them follow me, who ar' not chicken-hearted!”
“Abiram, it will not do to leave the huts without some guard,” Ishmael whispered, glancing his eye upward.
The man whom he addressed started, and betrayed extraordinary eagerness in his reply.
“I will tarry and watch the camp.”
A dozen voices were instantly raised in objections to this proposal. He was wanted to point out the places where the hostile tracks had been seen, and his termagant sister openly scouted35 at the idea, as unworthy of his manhood. The reluctant Abiram was compelled to yield, and Ishmael made a new disposition37 for the defence of the place; which was admitted, by every one, to be all-important to their security and comfort.
He offered the post of commandant to Dr. Battius, who, however, peremptorily38 and somewhat haughtily39 declined the doubtful honour; exchanging looks of intelligence with Ellen, as he did so. In this dilemma40 the squatter was obliged to constitute the girl herself castellan; taking care, however, in deputing this important trust, to omit no words of caution and instruction. When this preliminary point was settled, the young men proceeded to arrange certain means of defence, and signals of alarm, that were adapted to the weakness and character of the garrison41. Several masses of rock were drawn42 to the edge of the upper level, and so placed as to leave it at the discretion43 of the feeble Ellen and her associates, to cast them or not, as they might choose, on the heads of any invaders44, who would, of necessity, be obliged to mount the eminence45 by the difficult and narrow passage already so often mentioned. In addition to this formidable obstruction47, the barriers were strengthened and rendered nearly impassable. Smaller missiles, that might be hurled48 even by the hands of the younger children, but which would prove, from the elevation49 of the place, exceedingly dangerous, were provided in profusion50. A pile of dried leaves and splinters were placed, as a beacon51, on the upper rock, and then, even in the jealous judgment52 of the squatter, the post was deemed competent to maintain a creditable siege.
The moment the rock was thought to be in a state of sufficient security, the party who composed what might be called the sortie, sallied forth on their anxious expedition. The advance was led by Esther in person, who, attired53 in a dress half masculine, and bearing a weapon like the rest, seemed no unfit leader for the group of wildly clad frontiermen, that followed in her rear.
“Now, Abiram;” cried the Amazon, in a voice that was cracked and harsh, for the simple reason of being used too often on a strained and unnatural54 key, “now, Abiram, run with your nose low; show yourself a hound of the true breed, and do some credit to your training. You it was that saw the prints of the Indian moccasin, and it behoves you, to let others be as wise as yourself. Come; come to the front, man; and give us a bold lead.”
The brother, who appeared at all times to stand in awe55 of his sister's authority, complied; though it was with a reluctance56 so evident, as to excite sneers57, even among the unobservant and indolent sons of the squatter. Ishmael, himself, moved among his tall children, like one who expected nothing from the search, and who was indifferent alike to its success or failure. In this manner the party proceeded until their distant fortress58 had sunk so low, as to present an object no larger nor more distinct than a hazy59 point, on the margin60 of the prairie. Hitherto their progress had been silent and somewhat rapid, for as swell61 after swell was mounted and passed, without varying, or discovering a living object to enliven the monotony of the view, even the tongue of Esther was hushed in increasing anxiety. Here, however, Ishmael chose to pause, and casting the butt62 of his rifle from his shoulder to the ground, he observed—
“This is enough. Buffaloe signs, and deer signs, ar' plenty; but where ar' thy Indian footsteps, Abiram?”
“Still farther west,” returned the other, pointing in the direction he named. “This was the spot where I struck the tracks of the buck; it was after I took the deer, that I fell upon the Teton trail.”
“And a bloody64 piece of work you made of it, man,” cried the squatter, pointing tauntily to the soiled garments of his kinsman65, and then directing the attention of the spectators to his own, by the way of a triumphant66 contrast. “Here have I cut the throats of two lively does, and a scampering67 fawn68, without spot or stain; while you, blundering dog as you ar', have made as much work for Eester and her girls, as though butchering was your regular calling. Come, boys; it is enough. I am too old not to know the signs of the frontiers; no Indian has been here since the last fall of water. Follow me; and I will make a turn that shall give us at least the beef of a fallow cow for our trouble.”
“Follow me!” echoed Esther, stepping undauntedly forward. “I am leader to-day, and I will be followed. Who so proper, let me know, as a mother, to head a search for her own lost child?”
Ishmael regarded his intractable mate with a smile of indulgent pity. Observing that she had already struck out a path for herself, different both from that of Abiram and the one he had seen fit to choose, and being unwilling69 to draw the cord of authority too tight, just at that moment, he submitted to her will. But Dr. Battius, who had hitherto been a silent and thoughtful attendant on the woman, now saw fit to raise his feeble voice in the way of remonstrance70.
“I agree with thy partner in life, worthy36 and gentle Mrs. Bush,” he said, “in believing that some ignis fatuus of the imagination has deceived Abiram, in the signs or symptoms of which he has spoken.”
“Symptoms, yourself!” interrupted the termagant. “This is no time for bookish words, nor is this a place to stop and swallow medicines. If you are a-leg-weary, say so, as a plain-speaking man should; then seat yourself on the prairie, like a hound that is foot-sore, and take your natural rest.”
“I accord in the opinion,” the naturalist calmly replied, complying literally71 with the opinion of the deriding72 Esther, by taking his seat, very coolly, by the side of an indigenous73 shrub74; the examination of which he commenced, on the instant, in order that science might not loose any of its just and important dues. “I honour your excellent advice, Mistress Esther, as you may perceive. Go thou in quest of thy offspring; while I tarry here, in pursuit of that which is better; viz. an insight into the arcana of Nature's volume.”
The woman answered with a hollow, unnatural, and scornful laugh, and even her heavy sons, as they slowly passed the seat of the already abstracted naturalist, did not disdain75 to manifest their contempt in smiles. In a few minutes the train mounted the nearest eminence, and, as it turned the rounded acclivity, the Doctor was left to pursue his profitable investigations76 in entire solitude77.
Another half-hour passed, during which Esther continued to advance, on her seemingly fruitless search. Her pauses, however, were becoming frequent, and her looks wandering and uncertain, when footsteps were heard clattering78 through the bottom, and at the next instant a buck was seen to bound up the ascent79, and to dart81 from before their eyes, in the direction of the naturalist. So sudden and unlooked for had been the passage of the animal, and so much had he been favoured by the shape of the ground, that before any one of the foresters had time to bring his rifle to his shoulder, it was already beyond the range of a bullet.
“Look out for the wolf!” shouted Abner, shaking his head in vexation, at being a single moment too late. “A wolf's skin will be no bad gift in a winter's night; ay, yonder the hungry devil comes!”
“Hold!” cried Ishmael, knocking up the levelled weapon of his too eager son. “'Tis not a wolf; but a hound of thorough blood and bottom. Ha! we have hunters nigh: there ar' two of them!”
He was still speaking, when the animals in question came leaping on the track of the deer, striving with noble ardour to outdo each other. One was an aged8 dog, whose strength seemed to be sustained purely82 by generous emulation83, and the other a pup, that gambolled84 even while he pressed most warmly on the chase. They both ran, however, with clean and powerful leaps, carrying their noses high, like animals of the most keen and subtle scent80. They had passed; and in another minute they would have been running open-mouthed with the deer in view, had not the younger dog suddenly bounded from the course, and uttered a cry of surprise. His aged companion stopped also, and returned panting and exhausted85 to the place, where the other was whirling around in swift, and apparently86 in mad evolutions, circling the spot in his own footsteps, and continuing his outcry, in a short, snappish barking. But, when the elder hound had reached the spot, he seated himself, and lifting his nose high into the air, he raised a long, loud, and wailing87 howl.
“It must be a strong scent,” said Abner, who had been, with the rest of the family, an admiring observer of the movements of the dogs, “that can break off two such creatur's so suddenly from their trail.”
“Murder them!” cried Abiram; “I'll swear to the old hound; 'tis the dog of the trapper, whom we now know to be our mortal enemy.”
Though the brother of Esther gave so hostile advice, he appeared in no way ready to put it in execution himself. The surprise, which had taken possession of the whole party, exhibited itself in his own vacant wondering stare, as strongly as in any of the admiring visages by whom he was surrounded. His denunciation, therefore, notwithstanding its dire63 import, was disregarded; and the dogs were left to obey the impulses of their mysterious instinct, without let or hinderance.
It was long before any of the spectators broke the silence; but the squatter, at length, so far recollected89 his authority, as to take on himself the right to control the movements of his children.
“Come away, boys; come away, and leave the hounds to sing their tunes90 for their own amusement,” Ishmael said, in his coldest manner. “I scorn to take the life of a beast, because its master has pitched himself too nigh my clearing; come away, boys, come away; we have enough of our own work before us, without turning aside to do that of the whole neighbourhood.”
“Come not away!” cried Esther, in tones that sounded like the admonitions of some sibyl. “I say, come not away, my children. There is a meaning and a warning in this; and as I am a woman and a mother, will I know the truth of it all!”
So saying, the awakened91 wife brandished92 her weapon, with an air that was not without its wild and secret influence, and led the way towards the spot where the dogs still remained, filling the air with their long-drawn and piteous complaints. The whole party followed in her steps, some too indolent to oppose, others obedient to her will, and all more or less excited by the uncommon93 character of the scene.
“Tell me, you Abner—Abiram—Ishmael!” the woman cried, standing88 over a spot where the earth was trampled94 and beaten, and plainly sprinkled with blood; “tell me, you who ar' hunters! what sort of animal has here met his death?—Speak!—Ye ar' men, and used to the signs of the plains; is it the blood of wolf or panther?”
“A buffaloe—and a noble and powerful creatur' has it been!” returned the squatter, who looked down calmly on the fatal signs which so strangely affected95 his wife. “Here are the marks of the spot where he has struck his hoofs96 into the earth, in the death-struggle; and yonder he has plunged97 and torn the ground with his horns. Ay, a buffaloe bull of wonderful strength and courage has he been!”
“And who has slain98 him?” continued Esther; “man where are the offals?—Wolves!—They devour99 not the hide! Tell me, ye men and hunters, is this the blood of a beast?”
“The creatur' has plunged over the hillock,” said Abner, who had proceeded a short distance beyond the rest of the party. “Ah! there you will find it, in yon swale of alders100. Look! a thousand carrion101 birds, ar' hovering103 above the carcass.”
“The animal has still life in him,” returned the squatter, “or the buzzards would settle upon their prey104! By the action of the dogs it must be something ravenous105; I reckon it is the white bear from the upper falls. They are said to cling desperately106 to life!”
“Let us go back,” said Abiram; “there may be danger, and there can be no good in attacking a ravenous beast. Remember, Ishmael, 'twill be a risky107 job, and one of small profit!”
The young men smiled at this new proof of the well known pusillanimity108 of their uncle. The oldest even proceeded so far as to express his contempt, by bluntly saying—
“It will do to cage with the other animal we carry; then we may go back double-handed into the settlements, and set up for showmen, around the court-houses and gaols109 of Kentucky.”
The threatening frown, which gathered on the brow of his father, admonished110 the young man to forbear. Exchanging looks that were half rebellious111 with his brethren, he saw fit to be silent. But instead of observing the caution recommended by Abiram, they proceeded in a body, until they again came to a halt within a few yards of the matted cover of the thicket112.
The scene had now, indeed, become wild and striking enough to have produced a powerful effect on minds better prepared, than those of the unnurtured family of the squatter, to resist the impressions of so exciting a spectacle. The heavens were, as usual at the season, covered with dark, driving clouds, beneath which interminable flocks of aquatic113 birds were again on the wing, holding their toilsome and heavy way towards the distant waters of the south. The wind had risen, and was once more sweeping114 over the prairie in gusts115, which it was often vain to oppose; and then again the blasts would seem to mount into the upper air, as if to sport with the drifting vapour, whirling and rolling vast masses of the dusky and ragged116 volumes over each other, in a terrific and yet grand disorder117. Above the little brake, the flocks of birds still held their flight, circling with heavy wings about the spot, struggling at times against the torrent118 of wind, and then favoured by their position and height, making bold swoops119 upon the thicket, away from which, however, they never failed to sail, screaming in terror, as if apprised120, either by sight or instinct, that the hour of their voracious121 dominion122 had not yet fully123 arrived.
Ishmael stood for many minutes, with his wife and children clustered together, in an amazement124, with which awe was singularly mingled125, gazing in death-like stillness on the sight. The voice of Esther at length broke the charm, and reminded the spectators of the necessity of resolving their doubts in some manner more worthy of their manhood, than by dull and inactive observation.
“Call in the dogs!” she said; “call in the hounds, and put them into the thicket; there ar' men enough of ye, if ye have not lost the spirit with which I know ye were born, to tame the tempers of all the bears west of the big river. Call in the dogs, I say, you Enoch! Abner! Gabriel! has wonder made ye deaf?”
One of the young men complied; and having succeeded in detaching the hounds from the place, around which, until then, they had not ceased to hover102, he led them down to the margin of the thicket.
“Put them in, boy; put them in,” continued the woman; “and you, Ishmael and Abiram, if any thing wicked or hurtful comes forth, show them the use of your rifles, like frontier-men. If ye ar' wanting in spirit, before the eyes of my children will I put ye both to shame!”
The youths who, until now, had detained the hounds, let slip the thongs126 of skin, by which they had been held, and urged them to the attack by their voices. But, it would seem, that the elder dog was restrained by some extraordinary sensation, or that he was much too experienced to attempt the rash adventure. After proceeding127 a few yards to the very verge128 of the brake, he made a sudden pause, and stood trembling in all his aged limbs, apparently as unable to recede129 as to advance. The encouraging calls of the young men were disregarded, or only answered by a low and plaintive130 whining131. For a minute the pup also was similarly affected; but less sage46, or more easily excited, he was induced at length to leap forward, and finally to dash into the cover. An alarmed and startling howl was heard, and, at the next minute, he broke out of the thicket, and commenced circling the spot, in the same wild and unsteady manner as before.
“Have I a man among my children?” demanded Esther. “Give me a truer piece than a childish shotgun, and I will show ye what the courage of a frontier-woman can do!”
“Stay, mother,” exclaimed Abner and Enoch; “if you will see the creatur', let us drive it into view.”
This was quite as much as the youths were accustomed to utter, even on more important occasions, but having given a pledge of their intentions, they were far from being backward in redeeming132 it. Preparing their arms with the utmost care, they advanced with steadiness to the brake. Nerves less often tried than those of the young borderers might have shrunk before the dangers of so uncertain an undertaking133. As they proceeded, the howls of the dogs became more shrill134 and plaintive. The vultures and buzzards settled so low as to flap the bushes with their heavy wings, and the wind came hoarsely135 sweeping along the naked prairie, as if the spirits of the air had also descended136 to witness the approaching development.
There was a breathless moment, when the blood of the undaunted Esther flowed backward to her heart, as she saw her sons push aside the matted branches of the thicket and bury themselves in its labyrinth137. A deep and solemn pause succeeded. Then arose two loud and piercing cries, in quick succession, which were followed by a quiet, still more awful and appalling138.
“Come back, come back, my children!” cried the woman, the feelings of a mother getting the ascendency.
But her voice was hushed, and every faculty139 seemed frozen with horror, as at that instant the bushes once more parted, and the two adventurers re-appeared, pale, and nearly insensible themselves, and laid at her feet the stiff and motionless body of the lost Asa, with the marks of a violent death but too plainly stamped on every pallid140 lineament.
The dogs uttered a long and closing howl, and then breaking off together, they disappeared on the forsaken141 trail of the deer. The flight of birds wheeled upward into the heavens, filling the air with their complaints at having been robbed of a victim which, frightful142 and disgusting as it was, still bore too much of the impression of humanity to become the prey of their obscene appetites.
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1
mustering
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的现在分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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2
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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3
muddled
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| adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子 | |
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scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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5
repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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6
naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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8
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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10
proscribed
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| v.正式宣布（某事物）有危险或被禁止( proscribe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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squatter
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| n.擅自占地者 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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13
manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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15
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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stimulating
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| adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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bawling
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的现在分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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20
retract
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| vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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ripened
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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appease
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| v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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auditors
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| n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生 | |
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acquiescence
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| n.默许；顺从 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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stimulus
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| n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物 | |
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prudently
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| adv. 谨慎地，慎重地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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35
scouted
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| 寻找，侦察( scout的过去式和过去分词 )； 物色（优秀运动员、演员、音乐家等） | |
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36
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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37
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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38
peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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39
haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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40
dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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41
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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42
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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43
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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44
invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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45
eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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46
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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47
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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48
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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49
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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50
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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51
beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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52
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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53
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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55
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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56
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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57
sneers
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| 讥笑的表情（言语）( sneer的名词复数 ) | |
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58
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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59
hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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60
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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61
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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62
butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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63
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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64
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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65
kinsman
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| n.男亲属 | |
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66
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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67
scampering
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的现在分词 ) | |
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68
fawn
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| n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承 | |
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69
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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70
remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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71
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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72
deriding
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| v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的现在分词 ) | |
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73
indigenous
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| adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的 | |
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74
shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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75
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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76
investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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77
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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78
clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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79
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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80
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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81
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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82
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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83
emulation
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| n.竞争；仿效 | |
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84
gambolled
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| v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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86
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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87
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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88
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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89
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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90
tunes
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| n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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91
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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92
brandished
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| v.挥舞( brandish的过去式和过去分词 )；炫耀 | |
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93
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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94
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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95
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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96
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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97
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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98
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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99
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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100
alders
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| n.桤木( alder的名词复数 ) | |
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101
carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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102
hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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103
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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104
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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105
ravenous
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| adj.极饿的，贪婪的 | |
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106
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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107
risky
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| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
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108
pusillanimity
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| n.无气力，胆怯 | |
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109
gaols
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| 监狱，拘留所( gaol的名词复数 ) | |
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110
admonished
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| v.劝告( admonish的过去式和过去分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责 | |
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111
rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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112
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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113
aquatic
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| adj.水生的，水栖的 | |
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114
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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115
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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116
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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117
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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118
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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119
swoops
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| 猛扑，突然下降( swoop的名词复数 ) | |
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120
apprised
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| v.告知，通知( apprise的过去式和过去分词 )；评价 | |
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121
voracious
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| adj.狼吞虎咽的，贪婪的 | |
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122
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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123
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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124
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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125
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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126
thongs
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| 的东西 | |
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127
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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128
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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129
recede
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| vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进 | |
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130
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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131
whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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132
redeeming
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| 补偿的，弥补的 | |
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133
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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134
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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135
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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136
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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137
labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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138
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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139
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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140
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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141
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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142
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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