We were still favoured with wonderfully fine weather. About this time the wind would blow from the east in the morning, and afterwards from the west, if there were any wind at all.
During our halt, we sent out men to the north and to the south, to try and find some signs of nomads2, while we ourselves sallied forth3 in search of game. The total result of all our exertions4 was nil6. The men who went south spoke7 only of a hilly country with grass and no water, and the northerners reported that after crossing a broad grassy8 valley they came to a range of hills, and that on the other side flowed our lost river, then consisting of a small stream running south-east in the centre of a very large sandy nullah; that still further off was another range of hills but no grass. We could not put much faith in the assertion of having found our lost river, which must have been still further north.
There is a place marked as a town in our map, called Barkhalu, which we intended to try and steer10 for by keeping as nearly as possible on the line of its exact latitude11. From our present camp we reckoned that it was about a week's journey off. With such expectations, we endeavoured to keep up our men's spirits, and to induce them to double their exertions. It was always a difficult task to get them up of a morning in time to load the animals for an early 105 start, and upon their doing this our success greatly depended. In order to make a start at 4.30 a.m., the camp would have to wake up very soon after three, and unless Malcolm or I awoke, the camp would go slumbering12 on till sunrise. But when we knew it depended upon ourselves, one of us generally managed to wake up in time. As the men had returned unsuccessful from their search for people after one day, there was no need to stop two, especially as all were eager to get on to Barkhalu. At our first halt for grass and digging operations, the sand-grouse came over in fair numbers and did well for our breakfast. Ahead of us a range of hills obscured an extensive view, although they did not appear of a very formidable nature, differing from those ranges to our north and south. The very feeling of not being able to see our onward14 course made us all the more eager to surmount15 the obstacle, peep over the other side, and see what lay in store for us.
On the 27th of June, Camp 39, we marched up the hills that hid our view and camped near the summit, where the water was brackish16 and purging17. We inspected our men's rations13, and found there was only sufficient to last them twenty-five days more, and as to ourselves, our consumption would have to be curtailed18 to one pound a day between the two of us, so as to last out for the same length of time. We all hoped to reach Barkhalu and there lay in fresh supplies, and we felt that if we could not find the place, our difficulties would be hard to overcome. From this summit we made a very early start at 4 a.m. I went on ahead, as it was my turn, finding it fairly plain sailing, considering it was not yet light. It was my intention to reach some point of vantage, whence I could get a good view as soon as there was sufficient light. Below me was an expanse of uneven19, barren, sandy country, and the haze20 prevented me from seeing at all far.
As I was finding a way over these low mounds21, I looked 106 back, as was my wont22, to see how far the caravan23 had come, when I noticed that Esau, a long way off, was coming towards me all alone, but, thinking little of it, I went on again to another bit of rising ground. There was Esau still alone, and on using my glasses I saw that he was first walking, then running; no doubt he wanted me. I waved my handkerchief and waited. On he came faster than before, so that when he reached me, he was so breathless from his exertion5 and feverish24 agitation25, that it was some minutes before he could come out with even a single word. His first utterance26 was, "Shot—gun." It struck me that something terrible might have happened; all sorts of things entered my head, and the worst thought of all—had Malcolm met with an accident? I made Esau sit down, and as soon as he had grown calmer, he told me that our cook, Lassoo, had been carrying a shot gun, and that Mahomed Rahim had tried to take it from him. Whilst they were struggling for the loaded weapon, off went the trigger, and the contents of the cartridge27 had blown away the lower half of the face of one of the muleteers, by name Sulloo, who was marching only a couple of yards off at the time.
I hurried back as fast as possible, only hoping that Esau, like many other people, had been carried away by his own imagination, and greatly exaggerated the truth. I thought it quite possible that the man might have been wounded, and at first sight that Esau had on the spur of the moment concluded that half the man's face had been blown away. I soon met the caravan, still coming along with most of the men, but their long faces and downcast looks told me too clearly that there had been some sad mishap29. They told me that Malcolm had remained with Sulloo to doctor him up and give him brandy, and had sent on the caravan, with orders to halt at the very first spot where water could be got. It seemed to me that at the place where we met 107 water could be obtained by digging, so the animals were at once unloaded and set free.
On my way further back to the scene of the disaster I met Malcolm coming towards me. He explained to me how the poor man had completely lost the lower half of his face, and how he had done his best for him in the way of bandaging and doctoring. It was impossible for him to walk or ride, so the men took back one of our bamboo beds, whereon to bring him into camp. Whilst they were away on this errand, Malcolm and I set to work to dig for water, the toughest dig we had had, and as the water could be only taken out by cupfuls it was a very tedious business before the animals had had sufficient to drink. The water, too, was very brackish, and almost undrinkable.
In the meantime Sulloo had been brought in, and we found the most effective solution in the way of soothing30 his pain was cyona and water. The poor fellow was most plucky31 over it, and implored32 to be merely left where he was to die. His only thought was that somebody owed him twenty rupees, and he wanted this money to go to his brother, and not to the woman he had married the day before he had set out from Leh! And there was no one else he cared about. We had certainly fallen into a most distressing34 fix. We could not help wishing that it might be so willed that the unfortunate man should die quietly that same morning. We could then have buried him, and marched away from the sad calamity35 to fresh scenes. As one of our men, Shukr Ali, philosophically36 remarked, it would only be his "kismet." Should, on the other hand, the man live, for all that, it was not in our power to remain where we were, for in that case the small store of rations would have soon been eaten up, and when they were gone there was nothing to follow, as far as we could see, but starvation. "We must shove on and find people" had been our daily axiom for some time, and to halt more than 108 was absolutely necessary for the strength of the mules37 would be entirely38 fatal. Yet it was our duty, it we possibly could, to keep the man alive, and we knew it, too. We were in a most unpleasant situation; whichever course we adopted was equally hateful to us.
After seriously considering the pros39 and cons9, we decided40 to remain where we were, Camp 40, for the day, and on the morrow to strap41 the man to a pony42, with a muleteer walking on either side to support him. The idea of carrying him on a stretcher certainly entered our heads, but its execution was an impossibility.
It was indeed a very gloomy day, most of the time being spent in trying to get enough water from the holes we had dug. The unhappy Sulloo was fed through a small opening, by holding back his head and pouring down brandy and water or mutton broth33.
One sad event seldom comes without a second. As we had no meat with us, and it was imperative43 that Sulloo should have something in the shape of beef-tea, for solid food could never be his fare again, we had to slay44 our dear old sheep and make the soup from his bones and what flesh there was. We wondered all the time what possible good we could be doing the man. He would never be able to eat again, nor even speak, or, as Shukr Ali put it, "What's the use of troubling about him? Admi kabhi nahin banjaega! He'll never make a man any more."
Our caravan was very depressed45 as it moved off the next morning at 4.30, marching for five miles over a most barren, sandy, and desolate46 country, when there was some improvement, and we were able to call a halt, again managing to get brackish water by digging. Poor Sulloo was brought into camp later on, and seemed to be doing well, for the bleeding ceased when he was placed on the ground and rested from the motion of the pony. He would lie huddled47 up in a heap on the pony's back, and if the pony happened 109 to take an uneven pace or make a sudden jolt48 over an unlevel piece of ground, the jar to the man must have been almost unbearable49. The second march was accomplished50, too, without any casualty to man or beast.
OUR MULES BEING WATERED.
The following day we had two stragglers, and Sulloo came in late, for even the two miles an hour was too fast for him. The land we marched over was remarkable51 for its various coloured stones; there were different shades of blue, red, green, yellow, black, and white, all perhaps indicating the presence of a multitude of minerals. The fine range of mountains to the north was still kept in sight, and we conjectured52 they must be a part of the Kuen Lun. Towards evening we came to a sandy nullah at the foot of an easy pass, and as water was good and plentiful53 a foot below the surface, and the animals had had none that day, we halted and made our drinking trough with the waterproof54 sheet. 110 The wind blew hard and bitterly cold that evening from the north, and as we had no meat we tried one of Lazenby's pea-soup squares. These were excellent, and quite equal to a meal; would that we had brought more of them. After the strong night wind, we had a perfectly55 still cloudless morning as we began the ascent56 of the pass, whose summit we reached almost simultaneously57 with the rising sun.
We were sorely in need of meat, and although there was good grass round and about, yet there was no water visible above the surface, and this was how we accounted for the remarkable absence of any game. During the latter part of the day things improved, for an antelope58 was shot, but as none of the men were at hand to hallal the beast the entire meat fell to our share, so we made the most of our opportunity by carrying enough to last us for five or six days. And if we were lucky enough during that time to shoot another antelope, we promised the men they should have the whole of it, provided one of them came up quick enough to hallal it.
During the night of the 2nd July some snow fell, and caused some of our mules to stray in search of grass and better shelter, and, what was worse still, forced upon us a late start. We passed through a very barren, sandy country, so much so that it was no surprise to us at not finding the remotest trace of any one ever having been there before. We calculated by our dead reckoning and the plane-table that we had just crossed the eighty-fourth degree of longitude59, and if that were the case, we knew by the latitudes60 we had taken that we must be about forty miles south of the village of Iman Mula, which lies just south of the Kuen Lun, or it would be more correct to say, the place according to our map would be there, if in reality such a village existed. At our first halt there was a hill, quite close, completely covered with loose round stones of a fossil-like appearance, or the equal halves of them, 111 about the size of Tangerine61 oranges, one of which we brought back with us. There was good water in the black clayey soil that lay just below the surface, and we were able to satisfy the most thirsty of our animals. During the day there was thunder and a shower of snow. It seemed as though there was about to be a breaking up of the grand weather.
The men wanted us to give Sulloo some medicine which would make him insensible, so that they might then sew up a portion of his face. This we did not feel inclined to do, as we did not know the proper amount of laudanum to dose him with, and an attempt at sewing up his face on the top of this would probably have done for the man. He had, undoubtedly62, gained some strength, for he was able to keep up with the caravan on his pony.
Another snowstorm coming from the north, that blew through the night, made the ground in heavy condition, so that we had to make a late march. We passed through a sandy, stony63 country, with low ranges of hills on either hand, and further off another large range running as usual almost east and west. Our difficulties throughout the day were increased by the scarcity64 of water.
On the 4th of July we found ourselves marching down a fine grassy nullah, with several others running into it from the north and south, and we could not help thinking that we had struck a nullah of some importance, that perhaps it would eventually lead to the source of some river. About a foot below the surface we could always get as much water as we wanted and of a very fair quality. It was a happy event to have some means of raising hopes of finding people in the men's minds again. They were becoming lazier and inclined to be insolent65, and any kindness or consideration we showed them was looked upon as so much weakness on our part. Our only way of getting any real work out of them was by behaving towards them with sternness112 and severity, and showing a pretty sharp temper, much as we disliked doing it. Towards evening the aspect of the country underwent a change. Although there were still grassy valleys, several of them and the intervening country were adorned66 by curiously-shaped hills of sandstone.
Far away, some thirty or forty miles, in an east-north-east direction, we saw a fine snow mountain range and peaks, and decided to steer for the south side of them. On climbing a hill it was obvious that the nullah we were in ran straight away towards these mountains. This was certainly encouraging. There would be no more trouble in having to find a way, and there would be no anxiety about our water and grass supply. The chances, too, were that we should pick up a better supply of wild game droppings for our fires, instead of having to dig up so much boortsa each day, and on some occasions we had hardly been able to collect enough to make a fire at all. We argued, with regard to the range we should come to, that if there were grass, streams from the snow, and shelter from the hills, why should not there be wandering inhabitants of the place?
Some time back a muleteer, Ghulam Russul, had taken the post of headman in place of Tokhta, degraded for incapacity. Ghulam Russul had been on a previous trip with the Littledales, and knew the likely sort of country where nomads love to dwell in. We had been warned against this man by the Wazir of Leh, but then we considered him the most suitable, out of a poor lot of men, for the post of head muleteer. The sight of this range added to Ghulam Russul's opinion that people might be living there, and the knowledge that we must be somewhere near Barkhalu, if there were such a place, induced us to make the following plan. We arranged to send Esau and Mahomed Rahim south, and Ghulam Russul with Shukr Ali north, each man with enough rations to 113 last for two days; this we were able to do, for fortunately an antelope had just lately been shot. We furnished them with the simple instructions to find people, get assistance in the shape of some baggage animals, and return again into camp a little lower down, but in the same nullah we were in. We agreed that we might just as well not lose an opportunity of making a few more miles, by marching the first day without these four men. Before, therefore, these two exploring parties sallied forth, they helped to load up. We thought we could manage to drive them by ourselves for one day, seeing that the way was clear, although our numbers would be very small. Of a truth, when these four men went off, there only remained, besides Malcolm and myself, Lassoo and another man, called Usman, to look after the caravan. This is really not enough, for one man must lead the way in front; whenever, too, a load during the march falls over to one side, the mule28 must at once be reloaded, to prevent any chafing67 from a badly-balanced burden. While this is occupying the attention of two or three men, the rest of the mules will stray in any direction, unless there are some more men present to keep them together. Sulloo, as usual, would come along behind, with one Juma to look after him, whose special employment was as cook for the rest of the men. Shahzad Mir, of course, would have to attend to his plane-table work. Usman was a tall, black, powerful fellow, but not fond of work; when Shahzad Mir's pony died he was generally told off to carry the plane-table. This duty suited him admirably, for he could put in many a snooze throughout the day on the top of various hills. He used to say he had travelled before, with a Russian through Turkistan. As for Tokhta, who had swollen68 to a tremendous size, resembling a large, over-ripe gooseberry, or rotten apple, he had been sent out in the very early morning to look after the ponies69, for he was equal to no other 114 greater exertion, but when it came to the hour of starting there was no Tokhta present, nor could we discover what on earth had become of him. In the end, we moved off without him, knowing that when he awoke, for he was probably slumbering peacefully in a sheltered nook, he would find it no hard job to track us down the nullah we were going along; besides, we intended halting all that afternoon and the whole of the following day. Tokhta was a regular drain upon us, for, although he had made up his mind that he was unfit to do any more work, still he had to have his share of the rations, much to the disgust of his brother muleteers, who under such circumstances soon lost all affection for one another, and had no scruples70 about letting a man starve as long as it suited their own ends. Having loaded the animals, we all started off together, the men who had been selected to the north and south, and we ourselves down the nullah.
About 9 o'clock we decided to halt, as already one of the mules had collapsed71 half a mile back. After unloading, we first of all dug a number of water holes, so as to have an abundant supply for all. We next found out that some of the animals required re-shoeing. We had leisure to see to all things. Our little camp table had come to ruin, or rather its legs had, but their place was taken by a couple of yakdans, which served us equally well. Our two camp chairs were still holding out; the most durable73 one that can be had in India is from the Government workshops at Roorkee. Most other chairs generally last for two or three weeks, when they require nailing and binding74 up, only to give way again shortly afterwards. Even at this early stage of our journey, when we were buoyed75 up with the empty hopes of our men finding signs of people and of Barkhalu, and of bringing in yak72, ponies, and provisions, we began to anticipate the pleasures of our voyage across a portion of China, down the Yellow River from Lancheo to Pao T'eo. With so 115 many men, we argued that this would be quite the best way of getting through China, as well as an inexpensive way, for we could pack the whole of them on one boat, and ourselves on another; or, better still, perhaps one boat would hold both the men and ourselves. Leisure and a clear night enabled us to take latitudes again from north and south stars, showing us to be about 35 degrees, 20 minutes.
During the afternoon of the following day Ghulam Russul and Shukr Ali turned up, without any news whatever of people. They told us how, after climbing a range of hills, they had been able to see an immense distance, but that there was nothing more than a continuation of grassy plains without any water; this, too, with the help of field-glasses we had provided them with. As Esau and Mahomed Rahim had not turned up by sunset, we began to entertain hopes that they had really found people, and that their delay was caused by bargaining and persuading them to come to us. Tokhta, too, had not turned up, and must have been having a splendid sleep. It was blowing hard with sleet76 the next morning, and this, combined with Esau's absence, kept us imprisoned77 in our tent.
点击收听单词发音
1 scouts | |
侦察员[机,舰]( scout的名词复数 ); 童子军; 搜索; 童子军成员 | |
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2 nomads | |
n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 );流浪者;游牧生活;流浪生活 | |
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3 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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4 exertions | |
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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5 exertion | |
n.尽力,努力 | |
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6 nil | |
n.无,全无,零 | |
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7 spoke | |
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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8 grassy | |
adj.盖满草的;长满草的 | |
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9 cons | |
n.欺骗,骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗,哄骗( con的第三人称单数 ) | |
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10 steer | |
vt.驾驶,为…操舵;引导;vi.驾驶 | |
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11 latitude | |
n.纬度,行动或言论的自由(范围),(pl.)地区 | |
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12 slumbering | |
微睡,睡眠(slumber的现在分词形式) | |
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13 rations | |
定量( ration的名词复数 ); 配给量; 正常量; 合理的量 | |
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14 onward | |
adj.向前的,前进的;adv.向前,前进,在先 | |
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15 surmount | |
vt.克服;置于…顶上 | |
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16 brackish | |
adj.混有盐的;咸的 | |
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17 purging | |
清洗; 清除; 净化; 洗炉 | |
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18 curtailed | |
v.截断,缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19 uneven | |
adj.不平坦的,不规则的,不均匀的 | |
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20 haze | |
n.霾,烟雾;懵懂,迷糊;vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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21 mounds | |
土堆,土丘( mound的名词复数 ); 一大堆 | |
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22 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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23 caravan | |
n.大蓬车;活动房屋 | |
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24 feverish | |
adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的 | |
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25 agitation | |
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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26 utterance | |
n.用言语表达,话语,言语 | |
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27 cartridge | |
n.弹壳,弹药筒;(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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28 mule | |
n.骡子,杂种,执拗的人 | |
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29 mishap | |
n.不幸的事,不幸;灾祸 | |
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30 soothing | |
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的 | |
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31 plucky | |
adj.勇敢的 | |
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32 implored | |
恳求或乞求(某人)( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33 broth | |
n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等) | |
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34 distressing | |
a.使人痛苦的 | |
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35 calamity | |
n.灾害,祸患,不幸事件 | |
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36 philosophically | |
adv.哲学上;富有哲理性地;贤明地;冷静地 | |
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37 mules | |
骡( mule的名词复数 ); 拖鞋; 顽固的人; 越境运毒者 | |
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38 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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39 pros | |
abbr.prosecuting 起诉;prosecutor 起诉人;professionals 自由职业者;proscenium (舞台)前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 );赞成的理由;抵偿物;交换物 | |
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40 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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41 strap | |
n.皮带,带子;v.用带扣住,束牢;用绷带包扎 | |
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42 pony | |
adj.小型的;n.小马 | |
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43 imperative | |
n.命令,需要;规则;祈使语气;adj.强制的;紧急的 | |
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44 slay | |
v.杀死,宰杀,杀戮 | |
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45 depressed | |
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的 | |
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46 desolate | |
adj.荒凉的,荒芜的;孤独的,凄凉的;v.使荒芜,使孤寂 | |
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47 huddled | |
挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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48 jolt | |
v.(使)摇动,(使)震动,(使)颠簸 | |
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49 unbearable | |
adj.不能容忍的;忍受不住的 | |
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50 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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51 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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52 conjectured | |
推测,猜测,猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53 plentiful | |
adj.富裕的,丰富的 | |
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54 waterproof | |
n.防水材料;adj.防水的;v.使...能防水 | |
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55 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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56 ascent | |
n.(声望或地位)提高;上升,升高;登高 | |
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57 simultaneously | |
adv.同时发生地,同时进行地 | |
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58 antelope | |
n.羚羊;羚羊皮 | |
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59 longitude | |
n.经线,经度 | |
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60 latitudes | |
纬度 | |
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61 tangerine | |
n.橘子,橘子树 | |
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62 undoubtedly | |
adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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63 stony | |
adj.石头的,多石头的,冷酷的,无情的 | |
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64 scarcity | |
n.缺乏,不足,萧条 | |
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65 insolent | |
adj.傲慢的,无理的 | |
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66 adorned | |
[计]被修饰的 | |
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67 chafing | |
n.皮肤发炎v.擦热(尤指皮肤)( chafe的现在分词 );擦痛;发怒;惹怒 | |
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68 swollen | |
adj.肿大的,水涨的;v.使变大,肿胀 | |
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69 ponies | |
矮种马,小型马( pony的名词复数 ); £25 25 英镑 | |
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70 scruples | |
n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 );顾虑,顾忌v.感到于心不安,有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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71 collapsed | |
adj.倒塌的 | |
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72 yak | |
n.牦牛 | |
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73 durable | |
adj.持久的,耐久的 | |
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74 binding | |
有约束力的,有效的,应遵守的 | |
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75 buoyed | |
v.使浮起( buoy的过去式和过去分词 );支持;为…设浮标;振奋…的精神 | |
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76 sleet | |
n.雨雪;v.下雨雪,下冰雹 | |
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77 imprisoned | |
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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