We left our camping ground at Lanak La on Sunday, the 31st May, and failing to find the sign of any track running northwards, we tried to make out by which route Bower3 had gone, but our only map was drawn4 to such a very small scale that we could decide on nothing with any certainty. Riding ahead on our ponies5, we found our easiest way was to continue up the nullah we were in, which led over an easy pass, from the summit of which we looked back over the Lanak La.
In spite of our extensive views, we could discover no route running in any direction whatever, and having come so far, we decided6 to give up all searching for routes and to find a way for ourselves, marching due east as much as possible, and, failing that, north rather than south. Quite naturally, therefore, we descended7 the other side of the pass just the same as any one else would have done, and then we found a range of mountains north of us, and another range south of us, compelling us to take to a rather narrow nullah which eventually debouched in the early afternoon into a broad valley some miles across, running in an easterly direction, and bounded north and south by ranges of snow-tipped hills. Thus the actual finding of our way was not 82 such a difficult undertaking9 as one might have expected. We could see the valley stretching far away to the east, and calculated that we had some days of clear sailing before us.
We trotted10 on ahead in search of grass and water to halt by. Straight in front of us, we noticed what we took to be snow in the middle of the valley, but the nearer we came to it the farther off it appeared to be, and we were most anxious to reach that snow, for otherwise we saw no chance of finding any water. We finally concluded that it was a hopeless job to try and get there; and as the sun was setting, and a short distance in front of us we saw some antelope11, we knew there must be some grass close by and probably some water too. Such proved to be the case; there was a small stretch of very short growth with two little pools of rain-water, as good a camping ground as we could have expected to find that night.
A strong wind was blowing from the south-west, enough to cut us in two, and as the skies clouded over pretty quickly, we had no chance of taking any observations. I really felt inwardly thankful that the clouds had come up so thick, for it is no joke observing stars with twenty-five degrees of frost and a keen wind. Unless the clouds absolutely obscure the view and one slips in between the blankets without attempting observations, one's conscience feels a prick13 of guilt14.
Our mules15 and ponies must have suffered from the cold that evening, and seemed to find but little amusement in nibbling16 at the short grass. Throughout the night we heard some of them becoming entangled17 in the guy ropes of our tent in their endeavours to find some small amount of shelter from the blast. And it was a marvellous thing how the tent managed to stand at all.
Despite these and other divers18 annoyances19, we both fell off to sleep till daybreak, when all seemed clothed in perfect stillness—the whole atmosphere was calm. It was difficult 83 at first to collect our thoughts and to remember where we were and what had befallen us. Why was it we could hear no sign of man or beast? Something unusual must surely have happened. In another moment we were up and outside the tent; the wind had completely died away, and everything and everywhere was covered with a fresh layer of snow. The men were silent in their tents, some of our mules lay without moving, others stood with drooping20 heads, and, on counting their number, we found that several were missing. It was not very long before we found one of these latter; there he lay stretched out close to our own tent, as dead as dead could be. We felt sad for the poor brute21, for little had we thought whilst we had been abusing him for fiddling22 with our guy ropes, that he had been actually dying from cold or from some other painful cause. We turned away from the corpse23, and tried to forget our own selfishness.
At this moment the sun was just appearing and omened a fine and warm day, arousing us to the fact that the snow would soon melt, and if that happened, we should have no small difficulty in tracking the animals that had strayed. We at once turned out our men and sent some of them off on our stoutest24 ponies to search for the deserters.
This morning's disastrous26 work undoubtedly27 laid the seeds of many more deaths to come. As to our own riding ponies, which had been ridden by the muleteers in the search, so much was taken out of them that we were only able to ride them for a very few more days, and ever afterwards were solely28 dependent upon our own feet. The five delinquents29 were eventually found about five miles back in the nullah we had come from the previous day, but they were in so exhausted30 a condition that one of them could scarcely drag itself along, let alone take a few pounds' weight of luggage, in fact, he never reached another camp.
Even at this early stage there was no use blinding ourselves 84 to the truth that there were a goodish number of the animals that could not possibly last out many more days. Had we been able to find good grass and water together, our best plan would have been to halt there for a few days; then, again, it must be remembered that during that period the men would be eating their rations31 all the same, and probably more, without making any onward32 progress at all.
It was almost noon before we were off, and by that time all the snow, excepting on the tops of the hills, had completely thawed34, for the day was warm and pleasant. Again we fortunately had easy marching down the valley, and we went towards the patch of snow we had been so anxious to reach the previous day, but we never seemed to get there; the illusion was caused by vapour or steam rising up from the salt ground and hanging over it like a white sheet, and when we conjectured35 we were on the very spot, we could see nothing at all.
After fourteen miles we came to a fresh-water lake completely frozen over, having been seven hours over the march. Knowing how deceptive36 the distance is across such lakes at this great height, namely, just over 16,000 feet, we decided to halt where we were; besides, there was fairly good grass, and a bright moon for observations, but no water for the mules. The man, too, whom we had left behind to bring in the exhausted pony, had not turned up, and despite our discharging our guns pretty frequently, he never reached camp that night at all. In addition to all this, my own pony, which had made the march riderless, had some difficulty in struggling in. We here gave our beasts three bags of bhoussa, leaving us only thirteen more, and allowed them to graze till 8 o'clock the following morning. At that hour the sun had begun to thaw33 the lake, and on reaching the further side, after a most slippery walk, we found a small stream had just commenced to trickle37, a great boon38 for our beasts. 85
That same evening, after marching over a stretch of undulating ground, with a certain amount of grass in some of the nullahs, frequented, too, by antelope and kyang, we came to a large salt-water lake. There was but poor grass around, but a stream of good fresh water. Ahead of us, on all sides of the lake, the land appeared absolutely barren and arid39, possibly on the southern side there might have been a little hidden grass; but then, again, had we marched south, we did not know that we might not meet with another show of opposition40, so stuck to our original plan of steering41 north when in doubt. We began at this early stage to recognise the superiority of the mules over the ponies, for three of the latter could only just crawl into camp at a late hour in a very weak condition.
Another snowstorm prevented us from making a fresh start before 11 o'clock, and as the snow had put a stop to the grazing, poor as it was, we prepared some bhoussa for our remaining thirty-five animals, yet only thirty-four came hurrying up for this much appreciated food. There stood the thirty-fifth, a few hundred yards off, gazing at the remainder, who had their noses hidden deep into the chopped straw. Poor brute! he could not reach the spot, his condition was so weak and impoverished42; there he stood, resembling mostly a bag of bones, a grievous sight for us: for this was the very white pony who had been such a great friend of the black mule, and he had struggled hard for some days to keep up with the caravan43. After he had been shot, we were glad to leave the spot to try and forget the sad event.
By reason of the late snowstorm, the going along the edge of the lake was heavy in the extreme, so much so that we lost a small black mule from exhaustion44, the only advantage gained by this disaster being that fewer animals were left to eat up the grain. The land was barren and useless to a degree, with no chance of finding any fresh 86 water or grass; the former difficulty was overcome by collecting some snow, and the latter by being extravagant45 with our bhoussa. The ground fell in terraces from the hills that rose up some distance from the lake, and was split up by several deep, narrow and harsh nullahs running into it; nor was there any sign of life, with the exception of an occasional startled hare.
Although there were twenty-four degrees of frost that night, yet at 6 o'clock in the morning we were eating our breakfast with comfort in the open, by the edge of the salt lake. There was not a single ripple46 on the dark blue water, whose colour was only rivalled by the magnificent sky, nor was there a sound excepting the murmurs47 that came from our own camp. Although enjoying this peaceful scene for a few minutes, we were all the time getting most anxious about our inability to find grass, as another few days of this kind of marching would have been most disastrous. As far as we could see, a barren salt land extended due east, and we were therefore very likely following a regular zone of salt country, and, to get clear of this belt, it was advisable to strike north.
At the eastern extremity48 of the lake, we found a nullah running in that direction. This we followed, a gradual ascent49 between two ranges to the top of an easy pass, where we found a very small stream and fairly good grass. It was freezing hard by the time our animals reached this spot, defeating us in our hopes of being able to water them properly. Three ponies and a mule failed to reach camp, and we grew more anxious than ever to hit off a suitable place for a day's halt.
It was a grand, hot morning as we commenced the descent of this pass, so much so that we were somewhat puzzled to know really what amount of clothes we ought to put on to suit the extraordinary variety in the temperature. As soon as we had come down a few hundred feet, we came to a 87 more hospitable-looking country. Grass grew in some of the valleys, and water, too, was to be had, while a herd50 of antelope close by gave us an easy chance of knocking some of them over. Early in the afternoon we came to a stretch of fairly good grazing, and in the sandy nullah close at hand, a foot or so beneath the surface, flowed unlimited51 water. Antelope were plentiful52 and tame around this spot, and having fallen into such clover, we agreed to remain there over the following day.
During this necessary halt our time was by no means wasted. Men and animals had to be doctored up, the shoeing had to be seen to; there was mending, repairing, washing, sketching53, mapping, and writing to be done; above all things, we began to overhaul54 our impedimenta to see if there were not a few articles we might dispense55 with. As it was, we had only been making some nine or ten miles a day, and even with this care we feared to think of or to count our losses. At this spot we left a yakdan, with some horse-shoes and a book or two inside. Whoever may happen to come this way will find something worth having. One of our muleteers, too, named Tokhta, was so ill that he could do no work; he had swollen56 to an abnormal size, more resembling a balloon than a human being.
Looking ahead of us, it seemed as though a range of mountains barred our road, and our only chance was to follow the sandy nullah from whence we had obtained the water. It was now covered with snow and ice owing to another storm during the night. On our left hand were some very heavy craggy-looking rocks, and through them was a very narrow gorge57, only a few yards across, sorely tempting12 us to follow it through and see what would be disclosed on the further side. It almost invited one to enter and explore, but we feared marching too far north, and followed instead the nullah we were in, which eventually led to the summit of a pass. The way was steep and rocky, and the sun so 88 powerful that we slung58 our coats across our arms and loitered on the top for the breeze and the caravan. Snow lay there in heaps, a welcome quencher59 to our thirst. This was a stiff climb for our caravan, the height of the pass being nearly 17,000 feet. Having waited till they were nearly at the top, we began to descend8 again the other side.
Quite suddenly we seemed to be transplanted into a new zone, for a cutting snowstorm blew straight in our faces. We were almost frozen, and any portion of the head we exposed suffered severely60. We looked for some overhanging rock that would serve for a shelter, but there the cold became so intense that we preferred to fight the elements and keep in motion. As soon as we had completed the descent we found a broad valley stretching east and west, apparently61 to eternity62. We walked along this, for our ponies had become too weak for us ever to think of riding them again, and sought grass and water for making a halt by. Having found a fairly suitable spot, and waited for a considerable length of time, we were perplexed63 to hear no sign of the caravan. They would have to come thus far, for until they did they would find no fit place to camp in.
Darkness and cold came upon us, and we kept up an intermittent64 fusillade till eight o'clock, when a distant shout in reply revealed to us that they were at length coming. But alas65! although some of the mules walked in fit and strong, others came in wretchedly weak, and, worst of all, six animals and three complete loads had been abandoned altogether.
This was a crushing bit of news, coming as it did just after our day's halt, when we had expected to make such good headway. The men, too, declared that these six animals had all died; but we suspected, from their demeanour and the way they spoke66 and behaved, that very likely some of them had been left behind in good 89 condition for a reason, namely, that should any of the men take it into their heads to turn back, they would have the assistance of one or two stout25 animals to carry what they wanted. We knew they had been taking but little care of the transport, even in the proper adjustment of their loads.
In order to satisfy our suspicions, we arranged that Malcolm should remain in camp, or, better still, shift the camp a mile or so further on to a better spot, while I should take a man and go back in search of the mules and ponies that had been left behind. After a five-mile tramp, we came to a dead black pony, and another mile further on found a single mule grazing, to whom we gave some of the grain we had brought with us. In another nullah close by was a second dead pony and another mule, which must have very shortly died had we not hastened on his end with a revolver. The fifth, a grey mule, we found grazing, apparently enjoying himself. The sixth, a dun-coloured pony, we could discover nowhere. He was a useful pony, and had probably wandered a long way in search of good grass. We returned triumphant67 to camp with the grey and black mules, the latter especially doing good work afterwards for some weeks to come. Had one of us not gone back we must have lost the services of two strong mules, which would have been due solely to the men's laziness, and we could not help thinking that they, the dun pony, and the three loads of food, had been temporarily abandoned with the intention of helping68 some of the men on a return journey to Ladakh. My satisfaction was, however, marred69 on return to camp by the news that my own riding pony had succumbed70 in the night.
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1
mule
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n.骡子,杂种,执拗的人 | |
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2
pony
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adj.小型的;n.小马 | |
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bower
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n.凉亭,树荫下凉快之处;闺房;v.荫蔽 | |
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4
drawn
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v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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5
ponies
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矮种马,小型马( pony的名词复数 ); £25 25 英镑 | |
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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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7
descended
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a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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descend
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vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降 | |
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9
undertaking
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n.保证,许诺,事业 | |
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trotted
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小跑,急走( trot的过去分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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11
antelope
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n.羚羊;羚羊皮 | |
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tempting
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a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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13
prick
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v.刺伤,刺痛,刺孔;n.刺伤,刺痛 | |
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14
guilt
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n.犯罪;内疚;过失,罪责 | |
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15
mules
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骡( mule的名词复数 ); 拖鞋; 顽固的人; 越境运毒者 | |
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nibbling
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v.啃,一点一点地咬(吃)( nibble的现在分词 );啃出(洞),一点一点咬出(洞);慢慢减少;小口咬 | |
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17
entangled
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adj.卷入的;陷入的;被缠住的;缠在一起的v.使某人(某物/自己)缠绕,纠缠于(某物中),使某人(自己)陷入(困难或复杂的环境中)( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
divers
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adj.不同的;种种的 | |
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19
annoyances
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n.恼怒( annoyance的名词复数 );烦恼;打扰;使人烦恼的事 | |
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20
drooping
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adj. 下垂的,无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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21
brute
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n.野兽,兽性 | |
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22
fiddling
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微小的 | |
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23
corpse
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n.尸体,死尸 | |
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24
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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26
disastrous
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adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的 | |
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undoubtedly
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adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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solely
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adv.仅仅,唯一地 | |
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delinquents
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n.(尤指青少年)有过失的人,违法的人( delinquent的名词复数 ) | |
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30
exhausted
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adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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31
rations
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定量( ration的名词复数 ); 配给量; 正常量; 合理的量 | |
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32
onward
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adj.向前的,前进的;adv.向前,前进,在先 | |
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33
thaw
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v.(使)融化,(使)变得友善;n.融化,缓和 | |
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thawed
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解冻 | |
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35
conjectured
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推测,猜测,猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
deceptive
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adj.骗人的,造成假象的,靠不住的 | |
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37
trickle
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vi.淌,滴,流出,慢慢移动,逐渐消散 | |
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38
boon
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n.恩赐,恩物,恩惠 | |
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arid
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adj.干旱的;(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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40
opposition
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n.反对,敌对 | |
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41
steering
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n.操舵装置 | |
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42
impoverished
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adj.穷困的,无力的,用尽了的v.使(某人)贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 );使(某物)贫瘠或恶化 | |
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43
caravan
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n.大蓬车;活动房屋 | |
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44
exhaustion
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n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述 | |
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45
extravagant
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adj.奢侈的;过分的;(言行等)放肆的 | |
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46
ripple
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n.涟波,涟漪,波纹,粗钢梳;vt.使...起涟漪,使起波纹; vi.呈波浪状,起伏前进 | |
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47
murmurs
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n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 );低语声;怨言;嘀咕 | |
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48
extremity
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n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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49
ascent
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n.(声望或地位)提高;上升,升高;登高 | |
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50
herd
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n.兽群,牧群;vt.使集中,把…赶在一起 | |
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51
unlimited
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adj.无限的,不受控制的,无条件的 | |
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52
plentiful
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adj.富裕的,丰富的 | |
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53
sketching
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n.草图 | |
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54
overhaul
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v./n.大修,仔细检查 | |
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55
dispense
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vt.分配,分发;配(药),发(药);实施 | |
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56
swollen
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adj.肿大的,水涨的;v.使变大,肿胀 | |
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57
gorge
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n.咽喉,胃,暴食,山峡;v.塞饱,狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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58
slung
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抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 ); 吊挂; 遣送; 押往 | |
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59
quencher
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淬火,骤冷; 猝灭 | |
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60
severely
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adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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61
apparently
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adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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62
eternity
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n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 | |
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63
perplexed
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adj.不知所措的 | |
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64
intermittent
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adj.间歇的,断断续续的 | |
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65
alas
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int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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66
spoke
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n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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67
triumphant
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adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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68
helping
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n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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marred
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adj. 被损毁, 污损的 | |
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70
succumbed
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不再抵抗(诱惑、疾病、攻击等)( succumb的过去式和过去分词 ); 屈从; 被压垮; 死 | |
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