—Shakspeare.
The several movements, related in the close of the preceding chapter, had passed in so short a space of time, that the old man, while he neglected not to note the smallest incident, had no opportunity of expressing his opinion concerning the stranger's motives2. After the Pawnee had disappeared, however, he shook his head and muttered, while he walked slowly to the angle of the thicket3 that the Indian had just quitted—
“There are both scents4 and sounds in the air, though my miserable5 senses are not good enough to hear the one, or to catch the taint6 of the other.”
“There is nothing to be seen,” cried Middleton, who kept close at his side. “My eyes and my ears are good, and yet I can assure you that I neither hear nor see any thing.”
“Your eyes are good! and you are not deaf!” returned the other with a slight air of contempt; “no, lad, no; they may be good to see across a church, or to hear a town-bell, but afore you had passed a year in these prairies you would find yourself taking a turkey for a buffaloe, or conceiting, fifty times, that the roar of a buffaloe bull was the thunder of the Lord! There is a deception8 of natur' in these naked plains, in which the air throws up the images like water, and then it is hard to tell the prairies from a sea. But yonder is a sign that a hunter never fails to know!”
The trapper pointed9 to a flight of vultures, that were sailing over the plain at no great distance, and apparently10 in the direction in which the Pawnee had riveted11 his eye. At first Middleton could not distinguish the small dark objects, that were dotting the dusky clouds, but as they came swiftly onward12, first their forms, and then their heavy waving wings, became distinctly visible.
“Listen,” said the trapper, when he had succeeded in making Middleton see the moving column of birds. “Now you hear the buffaloes13, or bisons, as your knowing Doctor sees fit to call them, though buffaloes is their name among all the hunters of these regions. And, I conclude, that a hunter is a better judge of a beast and of its name,” he added, winking14 to the young soldier, “than any man who has turned over the leaves of a book, instead of travelling over the face of the 'arth, in order to find out the natur's of its inhabitants.”
“Of their habits, I will grant you,” cried the naturalist15, who rarely missed an opportunity to agitate16 any disputed point in his favourite studies. “That is, provided always, deference17 is had to the proper use of definitions, and that they are contemplated18 with scientific eyes.”
“Eyes of a mole19! as if man's eyes were not as good for names as the eyes of any other creatur'! Who named the works of His hand? can you tell me that, with your books and college wisdom? Was it not the first man in the Garden, and is it not a plain consequence that his children inherit his gifts?”
“That is certainly the Mosaic20 account of the event,” said the Doctor; “though your reading is by far too literal!”
“My reading! nay21, if you suppose, that I have wasted my time in schools, you do such a wrong to my knowledge, as one mortal should never lay to the door of another without sufficient reason. If I have ever craved22 the art of reading, it has been that I might better know the sayings of the book you name, for it is a book which speaks, in every line, according to human feelings, and therein according to reason.”
“And do you then believe,” said the Doctor a little provoked by the dogmatism of his stubborn adversary23, and perhaps, secretly, too confident in his own more liberal, though scarcely as profitable, attainments,—“do you then believe that all these beasts were literally24 collected in a garden, to be enrolled25 in the nomenclature of the first man?”
“Why not? I understand your meaning; for it is not needful to live in towns to hear all the devilish devices, that the conceit7 of man can invent to upset his own happiness. What does it prove, except indeed it may be said to prove that the garden He made was not after the miserable fashions of our times, thereby26 directly giving the lie to what the world calls its civilising? No, no, the garden of the Lord was the forest then, and is the forest now, where the fruits do grow, and the birds do sing, according to his own wise ordering. Now, lady, you may see the mystery of the vultures! There come the buffaloes themselves, and a noble herd27 it is! I warrant me, that Pawnee has a troop of his people in some of the hollows, nigh by; and as he has gone scampering28 after them, you are about to see a glorious chase. It will serve to keep the squatter29 and his brood under cover, and for ourselves there is little reason to fear. A Pawnee is not apt to be a malicious30 savage31.”
Every eye was now drawn32 to the striking spectacle that succeeded. Even the timid Inez hastened to the side of Middleton to gaze at the sight, and Paul summoned Ellen from her culinary labours, to become a witness of the lively scene.
Throughout the whole of those moving events, which it has been our duty to record, the prairies had lain in the majesty33 of perfect solitude34. The heavens had been blackened with the passage of the migratory35 birds, it is true, but the dogs of the party, and the ass1 of the doctor, were the only quadrupeds that had enlivened the broad surface of the waste beneath. There was now a sudden exhibition of animal life, which changed the scene, as it were, by magic, to the very opposite extreme.
A few enormous bison bulls were first observed, scouring36 along the most distant roll of the prairie, and then succeeded long files of single beasts, which, in their turns, were followed by a dark mass of bodies, until the dun-coloured herbage of the plain was entirely37 lost, in the deeper hue38 of their shaggy coats. The herd, as the column spread and thickened, was like the endless flocks of the smaller birds, whose extended flanks are so often seen to heave up out of the abyss of the heavens, until they appear as countless39 as the leaves in those forests, over which they wing their endless flight. Clouds of dust shot up in little columns from the centre of the mass, as some animal, more furious than the rest, ploughed the plain with his horns, and, from time to time, a deep hollow bellowing40 was borne along on the wind, as if a thousand throats vented41 their plaints in a discordant42 murmuring.
A long and musing43 silence reigned44 in the party, as they gazed on this spectacle of wild and peculiar45 grandeur46. It was at length broken by the trapper, who, having been long accustomed to similar sights, felt less of its influence, or, rather, felt it in a less thrilling and absorbing manner, than those to whom the scene was more novel.
“There go ten thousand oxen in one drove, without keeper or master, except Him who made them, and gave them these open plains for their pasture! Ay, it is here that man may see the proofs of his wantonness and folly47! Can the proudest governor in all the States go into his fields, and slaughter48 a nobler bullock than is here offered to the meanest hand; and when he has gotten his sirloin, or his steak, can he eat it with as good a relish49 as he who has sweetened his food with wholesome50 toil51, and earned it according to the law of natur', by honestly mastering that which the Lord hath put before him?”
“If the prairie platter is smoking with a buffaloe's hump, I answer, No,” interrupted the luxurious52 bee-hunter.
“Ay, boy, you have tasted, and you feel the genuine reasoning of the thing! But the herd is heading a little this-a-way, and it behoves us to make ready for their visit. If we hide ourselves, altogether, the horned brutes54 will break through the place and trample55 us beneath their feet, like so many creeping worms; so we will just put the weak ones apart, and take post, as becomes men and hunters, in the van.”
As there was but little time to make the necessary arrangements, the whole party set about them in good earnest. Inez and Ellen were placed in the edge of the thicket on the side farthest from the approaching herd. Asinus was posted in the centre, in consideration of his nerves, and then the old man, with his three male companions, divided themselves in such a manner as they thought would enable them to turn the head of the rushing column, should it chance to approach too nigh their position. By the vacillating movements of some fifty or a hundred bulls, that led the advance, it remained questionable56, for many moments, what course they intended to pursue. But a tremendous and painful roar, which came from behind the cloud of dust that rose in the centre of the herd, and which was horridly57 answered by the screams of the carrion59 birds, that were greedily sailing directly above the flying drove, appeared to give a new impulse to their flight, and at once to remove every symptom of indecision. As if glad to seek the smallest signs of the forest, the whole of the affrighted herd became steady in its direction, rushing in a straight line toward the little cover of bushes, which has already been so often named.
The appearance of danger was now, in reality, of a character to try the stoutest60 nerves. The flanks of the dark, moving mass, were advanced in such a manner as to make a concave line of the front, and every fierce eye, that was glaring from the shaggy wilderness61 of hair in which the entire heads of the males were enveloped62, was riveted with mad anxiety on the thicket. It seemed as if each beast strove to outstrip63 his neighbour, in gaining this desired cover; and as thousands in the rear pressed blindly on those in front, there was the appearance of an imminent64 risk that the leaders of the herd would be precipitated65 on the concealed66 party, in which case the destruction of every one of them was certain. Each of our adventurers felt the danger of his situation in a manner peculiar to his individual character and circumstances.
Middleton wavered. At times he felt inclined to rush through the bushes, and, seizing Inez, attempt to fly. Then recollecting67 the impossibility of outstripping68 the furious speed of an alarmed bison, he felt for his arms, determined69 to make head against the countless drove. The faculties70 of Dr. Battius were quickly wrought71 up to the very summit of mental delusion72. The dark forms of the herd lost their distinctness, and then the naturalist began to fancy he beheld73 a wild collection of all the creatures of the world, rushing upon him in a body, as if to revenge the various injuries, which in the course of a life of indefatigable74 labour in behalf of the natural sciences, he had inflicted75 on their several genera. The paralysis76 it occasioned in his system, was like the effect of the incubus77. Equally unable to fly or to advance, he stood riveted to the spot, until the infatuation became so complete, that the worthy78 naturalist was beginning, by a desperate effort of scientific resolution, even to class the different specimens80. On the other hand, Paul shouted, and called on Ellen to come and assist him in shouting, but his voice was lost in the bellowings and trampling81 of the herd. Furious, and yet strangely excited by the obstinacy82 of the brutes and the wildness of the sight, and nearly maddened by sympathy and a species of unconscious apprehension83, in which the claims of nature were singularly mingled84 with concern for his mistress, he nearly split his throat in exhorting85 his aged86 friend to interfere87.
“Come forth88, old trapper,” he shouted, “with your prairie inventions! or we shall be all smothered89 under a mountain of buffaloe humps!”
The old man, who had stood all this while leaning on his rifle, and regarding the movements of the herd with a steady eye, now deemed it time to strike his blow. Levelling his piece at the foremost bull, with an agility90 that would have done credit to his youth, he fired. The animal received the bullet on the matted hair between his horns, and fell to his knees: but shaking his head he instantly arose, the very shock seeming to increase his exertions91. There was now no longer time to hesitate. Throwing down his rifle, the trapper stretched forth his arms, and advanced from the cover with naked hands, directly towards the rushing column of the beasts.
The figure of a man, when sustained by the firmness and steadiness that intellect can only impart, rarely fails of commanding respect from all the inferior animals of the creation. The leading bulls recoiled92, and for a single instant there was a sudden stop to their speed, a dense93 mass of bodies rolling up in front, until hundreds were seen floundering and tumbling on the plain. Then came another of those hollow bellowings from the rear, and set the herd again in motion. The head of the column, however, divided. The immovable form of the trapper, cutting it, as it were, into two gliding94 streams of life. Middleton and Paul instantly profited by his example, and extended the feeble barrier by a similar exhibition of their own persons.
For a few moments, the new impulse given to the animals in front, served to protect the thicket. But, as the body of the herd pressed more and more upon the open line of its defenders95, and the dust thickened, so as to obscure their persons, there was, at each instant, a renewed danger of the beasts breaking through. It became necessary for the trapper and his companions to become still more and more alert; and they were gradually yielding before the headlong multitude, when a furious bull darted96 by Middleton, so near as to brush his person, and, at the next instant, swept through the thicket with the velocity97 of the wind.
“Close, and die for the ground,” shouted the old man, “or a thousand of the devils will be at his heels!”
All their efforts would have proved fruitless, however, against the living torrent98, had not Asinus, whose domains99 had just been so rudely entered, lifted his voice, in the midst of the uproar100. The most sturdy and furious of the bulls trembled at the alarming and unknown cry, and then each individual brute53 was seen madly pressing from that very thicket, which, the moment before, he had endeavoured to reach, with the eagerness with which the murderer seeks the sanctuary101.
As the stream divided, the place became clear; the two dark columns moving obliquely102 from the copse, to unite again at the distance of a mile, on its opposite side. The instant the old man saw the sudden effect which the voice of Asinus had produced, he coolly commenced reloading his rifle, indulging at the same time in a heartfelt fit of his silent and peculiar merriment.
“There they go, like dogs with so many half-filled shot-pouches dangling103 at their tails, and no fear of their breaking their order; for what the brutes in the rear didn't hear with their own ears, they'll conceit they did: besides, if they change their minds, it may be no hard matter to get the Jack104 to sing the rest of his tune105!”
“The ass has spoken, but Balaam is silent!” cried the bee-hunter, catching106 his breath after a repeated burst of noisy mirth, that might possibly have added to the panic of the buffaloes by its vociferation. “The man is as completely dumb-founded, as if a swarm107 of young bees had settled on the end of his tongue, and he not willing to speak, for fear of their answer.”
“How now, friend,” continued the trapper, addressing the still motionless and entranced naturalist; “how now, friend; are you, who make your livelihood108 by booking the names and natur's of the beasts of the fields and the fowls109 of the air, frightened at a herd of scampering buffaloes? Though, perhaps, you are ready to dispute my right to call them by a word, that is in the mouth of every hunter and trader on the frontier!”
The old man was however mistaken, in supposing he could excite the benumbed faculties of the Doctor, by provoking a discussion. From that time, henceforth, he was never known, except on one occasion, to utter a word that indicated either the species, or the genus, of the animal. He obstinately111 refused the nutritious113 food of the whole ox family, and even to the present hour, now that he is established in all the scientific dignity and security of a savant in one of the maritime114 towns, he turns his back with a shudder115 on those delicious and unrivalled viands116, that are so often seen at the suppers of the craft, and which are unequalled by any thing, that is served under the same name, at the boasted chop-houses of London, or at the most renowned117 of the Parisian restaurants. In short, the distaste of the worthy naturalist for beef was not unlike that which the shepherd sometimes produces, by first muzzling118 and fettering119 his delinquent120 dog, and then leaving him as a stepping stone for the whole flock to use in its transit121 over a wall, or through the opening of a sheep-fold; a process which is said to produce in the culprit a species of surfeit122, on the subject of mutton, for ever after. By the time Paul and the trapper saw fit to terminate the fresh bursts of merriment, which the continued abstraction of their learned companion did not fail to excite, he commenced breathing again, as if the suspended action of his lungs had been renewed by the application of a pair of artificial bellows123, and was heard to make use of the ever afterwards proscribed124 term, on that solitary125 occasion, to which we have just alluded126.
“Boves Americani horridi!” exclaimed the Doctor, laying great stress on the latter word; after which he continued mute, like one who pondered on strange and unaccountable events.
“Ay, horrid58 eyes enough, I will willingly allow,” returned the trapper; “and altogether the creatur' has a frightful127 look, to one unused to the sights and bustle128 of a natural life; but then the courage of the beast is in no way equal to its countenance129. Lord, man, if you should once get fairly beset130 by a brood of grizzly131 bears, as happened to Hector and I, at the great falls of the Miss—Ah, here comes the tail of the herd, and yonder goes a pack of hungry wolves, ready to pick up the sick, or such as get a disjointed neck by a tumble. Ha! there are mounted men on their trail, or I'm no sinner! here, lad; you may see them here-away, just where the dust is scattering132 afore the wind. They are hovering133 around a wounded buffaloe, making an end of the surly devil with their arrows!”
Middleton and Paul soon caught a glimpse of the dark group, that the quick eye of the old man had so readily detected. Some fifteen or twenty horsemen were, in truth, to be seen riding, in quick circuits, about a noble bull, which stood at bay, too grievously hurt to fly, and yet seeming to disdain134 to fall, notwithstanding his hardy135 body had already been the target for a hundred arrows. A thrust from the lance of a powerful Indian, however, completed his conquest, and the brute gave up his obstinate112 hold of life with a roar, that passed bellowing over the place where our adventurers stood, and, reaching the ears of the affrighted herd, added a new impulse to their flight.
“How well the Pawnee knew the philosophy of a buffaloe hunt!” said the old man, after he had stood regarding the animated136 scene for a few moments, with evident satisfaction. “You saw how he went off like the wind before the drove. It was in order that he might not taint the air, and that he might turn the flank, and join—Ha! how is this! yonder Red-skins are no Pawnees! The feathers in their heads are from the wings and tails of owls110.—Ah! as I am but a miserable, half-sighted, trapper, it is a band of the accursed Siouxes! To cover, lads, to cover. A single cast of an eye this-a-way, would strip us of every rag of clothes, as surely as the lightning scorches137 the bush, and it might be that our very lives would be far from safe.”
Middleton had already turned from the spectacle, to seek that which pleased him better; the sight of his young and beautiful bride. Paul seized the Doctor by the arm; and, as the trapper followed with the smallest possible delay, the whole party was quickly collected within the cover of the thicket. After a few short explanations concerning the character of this new danger, the old man, on whom the whole duty of directing their movements was devolved, in deference to his great experience, continued his discourse138 as follows—
“This is a region, as you must all know, where a strong arm is far better than the right, and where the white law is as little known as needed. Therefore does every thing, now, depend on judgment139 and power. If,” he continued, laying his finger on his cheek, like one who considered deeply all sides of the embarrassing situation in which he found himself,—“if an invention could be framed, which would set these Siouxes and the brood of the squatter by the ears, then might we come in, like the buzzards after a fight atween the beasts, and pick up the gleanings of the ground—there are Pawnees nigh us, too! It is a certain matter, for yonder lad is not so far from his village without an errand. Here are therefore four parties within sound of a cannon140, not one of whom can trust the other. All which makes movement a little difficult, in a district where covers are far from plenty. But we are three well-armed, and I think I may see three stout-hearted men—”
“Four,” interrupted Paul.
“Anan,” said the old man, looking up simply at his companion.
“Four,” repeated the bee-hunter, pointing to the naturalist.
“Every army has its hangers-on and idlers,” rejoined the blunt border-man. “Friend, it will be necessary to slaughter this ass.”
“To slay141 Asinus! such a deed would be an act of supererogatory cruelty.”
“I know nothing of your words, which hide their meaning in sound; but that is cruel which sacrifices a Christian142 to a brute. This is what I call the reason of mercy. It would be just as safe to blow a trumpet143, as to let the animal raise his voice again, inasmuch as it would prove a manifest challenge to the Siouxes.”
“I will answer for the discretion144 of Asinus, who seldom speaks without a reason.”
“They say a man can be known by the company he keeps,” retorted the old man, “and why not a brute? I once made a forced march, and went through a great deal of jeopardy145, with a companion who never opened his mouth but to sing; and trouble enough and great concern of mind did the fellow give me. It was in that very business with your grand'ther, captain. But then he had a human throat, and well did he know how to use it, on occasion, though he didn't always stop to regard the time and seasons fit for such outcries. Ah's me! if I was now, as I was then, it wouldn't be a band of thieving Siouxes that should easily drive me from such a lodgment as this! But what signifies boasting, when sight and strength are both failing. The warrior146, that the Delawares once saw fit to call after the Hawk147, for the goodness of his eyes, would now be better termed the Mole! In my judgment, therefore, it will be well to slay the brute.”
“There's argument and good logic148 in it,” said Paul; “music is music, and it's always noisy, whether it comes from a fiddle149 or a jackass. Therefore I agree with the old man, and say, Kill the beast.”
“Friends,” said the naturalist, looking with a sorrowful eye from one to another of his bloodily150 disposed companions, “slay not Asinus; he is a specimen79 of his kind, of whom much good and little evil can be said. Hardy and docile151 for his genus; abstemious152 and patient, even for his humble153 species. We have journeyed much together, and his death would grieve me. How would it trouble thy spirit, venerable venator, to separate, in such an untimely manner, from your faithful hound?”
“The animal shall not die,” said the old man, suddenly clearing his throat, in a manner that proved he felt the force of the appeal; “but his voice must be smothered. Bind154 his jaws155 with the halter, and then I think we may trust the rest to Providence156.”
With this double security for the discretion of Asinus, for Paul instantly bound the muzzle157 of the ass in the manner required, the trapper seemed content. After which he proceeded to the margin158 of the thicket to reconnoitre.
The uproar, which attended the passage of the herd, was now gone, or rather it was heard rolling along the prairie, at the distance of a mile. The clouds of dust were already blown away by the wind, and a clear range was left to the eye, in that place where ten minutes before there existed a scene of so much wildness and confusion.
The Siouxes had completed their conquest, and, apparently satisfied with this addition to the numerous previous captures they had made, they now seemed content to let the remainder of the herd escape. A dozen remained around the carcass, over which a few buzzards were balancing themselves with steady wings and greedy eyes, while the rest were riding about, in quest of such further booty as might come in their way, on the trail of so vast a drove. The trapper measured the proportions, and scanned the equipments of such individuals as drew nearer to the side of the thicket, with careful eyes. At length he pointed out one among them, to Middleton, as Weucha.
“Now, know we not only who they are, but their errand,” the old man continued, deliberately159 shaking his head. “They have lost the trail of the squatter, and are on its hunt. These buffaloes have crossed their path, and in chasing the animals, bad luck has led them in open sight of the hill on which the brood of Ishmael have harboured. Do you see yon birds watching for the offals of the beast they have killed? Therein is a moral, which teaches the manner of a prairie life. A band of Pawnees are outlying for these very Siouxes, as you see the buzzards looking down for their food, and it behoves us, as Christian men who have so much at stake, to look down upon them both. Ha! what brings yonder two skirting reptiles160 to a stand? As you live, they have found the place where the miserable son of the squatter met his death!”
The old man was not mistaken. Weucha, and a savage who accompanied him, had reached that spot, which has already been mentioned as furnishing the frightful evidences of violence and bloodshed. There they sat on their horses, examining the well-known signs, with the intelligence that distinguishes the habits of Indians. Their scrutiny161 was long, and apparently not without distrust. At length they raised a cry, that was scarcely less piteous and startling than that which the hounds had before made over the same fatal signs, and which did not fail to draw the whole band immediately around them, as the fell bark of the jackal is said to gather his comrades to the chase.
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1
ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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7
conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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agitate
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| vi.(for,against)煽动，鼓动；vt.搅动 | |
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deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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mole
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| n.胎块；痣；克分子 | |
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mosaic
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| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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enrolled
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| adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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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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29
squatter
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| n.擅自占地者 | |
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30
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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31
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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32
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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33
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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34
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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35
migratory
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| n.候鸟，迁移 | |
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36
scouring
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| 擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤 | |
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37
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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38
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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39
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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40
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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41
vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
discordant
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| adj.不调和的 | |
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43
musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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44
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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45
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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46
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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47
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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48
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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49
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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50
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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51
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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52
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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53
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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54
brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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55
trample
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| vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯 | |
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56
questionable
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| adj.可疑的，有问题的 | |
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57
horridly
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| 可怕地，讨厌地 | |
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58
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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59
carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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60
stoutest
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| 粗壮的( stout的最高级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的 | |
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61
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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62
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
outstrip
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| v.超过，跑过 | |
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64
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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65
precipitated
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| v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀 | |
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66
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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67
recollecting
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| v.记起，想起( recollect的现在分词 ) | |
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68
outstripping
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| v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的现在分词 ) | |
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69
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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70
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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71
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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72
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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73
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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74
indefatigable
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| adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的 | |
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75
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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76
paralysis
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| n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症) | |
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77
incubus
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| n.负担；恶梦 | |
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78
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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79
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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80
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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81
trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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82
obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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83
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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84
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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85
exhorting
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| v.劝告，劝说( exhort的现在分词 ) | |
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86
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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87
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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88
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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89
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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90
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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91
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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92
recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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93
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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94
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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95
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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96
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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97
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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98
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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99
domains
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| n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产 | |
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100
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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101
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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102
obliquely
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| adv.斜； 倾斜； 间接； 不光明正大 | |
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103
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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104
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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105
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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106
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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107
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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108
livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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109
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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110
owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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111
obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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112
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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113
nutritious
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|
| adj.有营养的，营养价值高的 | |
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114
maritime
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| adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的 | |
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115
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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116
viands
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| n.食品，食物 | |
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117
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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118
muzzling
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| 给（狗等）戴口套( muzzle的现在分词 )； 使缄默，钳制…言论 | |
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119
fettering
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| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的现在分词 ) | |
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120
delinquent
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| adj.犯法的，有过失的；n.违法者 | |
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121
transit
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| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
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122
surfeit
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| v.使饮食过度；n.(食物)过量，过度 | |
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123
bellows
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| n.风箱；发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的名词复数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的第三人称单数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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124
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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125
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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126
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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127
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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128
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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129
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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130
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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131
grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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132
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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133
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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134
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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135
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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136
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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137
scorches
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的第三人称单数 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶 | |
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138
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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139
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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140
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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141
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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142
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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143
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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144
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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145
jeopardy
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| n.危险；危难 | |
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146
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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147
hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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148
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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149
fiddle
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| n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动 | |
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150
bloodily
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| adv.出血地；血淋淋地；残忍地；野蛮地 | |
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151
docile
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| adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的 | |
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152
abstemious
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| adj.有节制的，节俭的 | |
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153
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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154
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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155
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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156
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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157
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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158
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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159
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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160
reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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161
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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