Only one of the white pack-men employed to drive a score of well-laden horses semi-annually from Charlestown to a trading-station farther along on the Great Tennessee—then called the Cherokee River—and back again used to glower9 fearfully at the "waste town" as he passed. He had ample leisure for speculation11, for the experienced animals of the pack-train required scant12 heed13, so regularly they swung along in single file, and the wild whoops14 of their drivers were for the sake of personal encouragement and the simple joy which very young men find in their own clamor. It grew specially16 boisterous17 always when they neared the site of Nilaque Great, the deserted18 place, as if to give warning to any vague spiritual essences, unmeet for mortal vision, that might be lurking19 about the "waste town," and bid them avaunt, for the place was reputed haunted.
The rest of the Carolina pack-men, trooping noisily past, averted22 their eyes from the darkened doors of the empty houses; the weed-grown spaces of the "beloved square," where once the ceremonies of state, the religious rites23, the public games and dances were held; the council-house on its high mound24, whence had been wont to issue the bland25 vapors26 of the pipe of peace or the far more significant smoke emitted from the cheera, the "sacred fire," which only the cheera-taghe, the fire-prophets,[10] were permitted to kindle27, and which was done with pomp and ceremony in the new year, when every spark of the last year's fire had been suffered to die out.
Cuthbert Barnett, however, always looked to see what he might,—perhaps because he was a trifle bolder than the other stalwart pack-men, all riding armed to the teeth to guard the goods of the train from robbery as well as their own lives from treachery, for although the Cherokees professed28 friendship it was but half-hearted, as they loved the French always better than the English; perhaps because he had a touch of imagination that coerced29 his furtive30 glance; perhaps because he doubted more, or believed less, of the traditions of the day. And he saw—silence! the sunset in vacant spaces, with long, slanting31, melancholy32 rays among the scattered33 houses of the hamlet; an empty doorway34, here and there; a falling rotting roof; futile35 traces of vanished homes. Once a deer and fawn36 were grazing in the weed-grown fields that used to stand so thick with corn that they laughed and sung; once—it was close upon winter—he heard a bear humming and humming his content (the hunters called the sound "singing") from the den3 where the animal had bestowed37 himself among the fallen logs of a dwelling-house, half covered with great drifts of dead leaves; often an owl40 would cry out in alarm from some dark nook as the pack-train clattered41 past; and once a wolf with a stealthy and sinister42 tread was patrolling the "beloved square." These were but the natural incidents of the time and the ruins of the old Cherokee town.
Little did Cuddy Barnett imagine, as he gazed on the deserted and desolate7 place, that he was yet to behold43 the smoke of the "sacred fire" flaring44 up into the blue sky from the portal of the temple, as the cheera-taghe would issue bearing the flame aloft, newly kindled45 in the opening year, and calling upon many assembled people to light therefrom their hearths46, rekindling48 good resolutions and religious fervor49 for the future, and letting the faults of the unavailing past die out with the old year's fire; that he was to mark the clash of arms in the "beloved square," once more populous50 with the alert figures of warriors52 in martial53 array, making ready for the war-path; that he was to hear the joyful54 religious songs of greeting to the dawn, and the sonorous55 trumpeting56 of the conch-shells, as the vanished Indians of the "old waste town" would troop down at daybreak into the water of that bright stream where long ago they had been wont to plunge57 in their mystic religious ablutions. All this, however, the pack-men might see and hear, to believe the tradition of the day, in camping but a single night near the old "waste town."
And so anxious were these gay itinerant58 companies to see and hear nothing of such ghostly sort that whatever the stress of the weather, the mischances of the journey, the condition of the pack-animals, this vicinity was always distinguished59 by the longest day's travel of the whole route, and the camp was pitched at the extreme limit of the endurance of man and horse to compass distance from Nilaque Great. For believe what one might, the fact remained indisputable, that a decade earlier, when the place was inhabited, strange sounds were rife60 about the locality, the "sacred fire" was unkindled on the great "Sanctified Day," the two cheera-taghe of the town mysteriously disappeared, and their fate had remained a dark riddle61.
One of these men, Oo-koo-koo, was well known in Charlestown. Both were of influence in the tribe, but often he had been specially chosen as one of the delegations62 of warriors and "beloved men" sent to wait in diplomatic conference on the Governor of South Carolina, to complain of injustice63 in the dealings of the licensed65 traders or the encroachments of the frontier settlers, or to crave66 the extension of some privilege of the treaty which the Cherokee tribe had lately made with the British government.
Two white men, who had become conspicuous67 in a short stay in the town of Nilaque Great, disappeared simultaneously68, and the suspicion of foul69 dealing64 on their part against the cheera-taghe, which the Cherokee nation seemed disposed to entertain, threatened at one time the peace that was so precious to the "infant settlements," as the small, remote, stockaded stations of the Carolina frontiersmen were tenderly called.
Therefore the Governor of South Carolina, now a royal province,—the event occurred during the incumbency70 of Robert Johnson, who having acted in that capacity for the Lords Proprietors71, well understood the menace of the situation,—busied himself with extreme diligence to discover the subsequent movements of the two white men, whose names were Terence O'Kimmon and Adrien L'épine, in order to ascertain72 the fate of the cheera-taghe, and if evilly entreated73, to bring the perpetrators of the deed to justice.
With a long, unguarded, open frontier such as his province presented to the incursions of the warlike and fierce Cherokees, who, despite their depopulating wars with other tribes, could still bring to the field six thousand braves from their sixty-four towns, the inhabitants of which were estimated at twenty thousand souls, he was by no means disposed to delay or to indulge doubts or to foster compatriot commiseration74 in meting75 out the penalty of the malefactors. The united militia76 of South Carolina and Georgia at this time numbered but thirty-five hundred rank and file, these colonies being so destitute77 of white men for the common defense78 that a memorial addressed to his majesty79 King George II. a little earlier than this event, bearing date April 9, 1734, pathetically states that "money itself cannot here raise a sufficient body of them." The search for the suspects, however, although long, exhaustive, and of such diligence as to convince the Indians of its sincerity80 of purpose, resulted fruitlessly. The government presently took occasion to made some valuable presents to the tribe, not as indemnity81, for it could recognize no responsibility in the strange disaster, but for the sake of seeming to comply with the form of offering satisfaction for the loss, which otherwise the Indians would retaliate82 with massacre83.
Nilaque Great with this cloud upon it grew dreary84. The strange disappearance85 of its cheera-taghe was canvassed86 again and again, reaching no surmise87 of the truth. Speculations88, futile as they were continuous, began to be reinforced with reminiscences of the date of the event, and certain episodes became strangely significant now, although hardly remarked at the time; people remembered unexplained and curious noises that had sounded like muffled89 thunder in the deep midnight, and again, scarcely noted90, in the broad daylight. The "sacred fire" remained unkindled, and sundry91 misfortunes were attributed to this unprecedented92 neglect; an expert warrior51, young and notably94 deft-handed, awkwardly shot himself with his own gun; the crops, cut short by a late and long-continued drought, were so meagre as to be hardly worth the harvesting; the days appointed for the annual feasts and thanksgiving were like days of mourning; discontents waxed and grew strong. Superstitious95 terrors became rife, and at length it was known at Charlestown that the Cherokees of Nilaque Great had settled a new place farther down upon the river, for at the old town the vanished cheera-taghe were abroad in the spirit, pervading96 the "beloved square" at night with cries of "A-kee-o-hoo-sa! A-kee-o-hoo-sa!" (I am dead! I am dead!) clamoring for their graves and the honors of sepulture due to them and denied. And this was a grief to the head men of the town, for of all tribes the Cherokees loved and revered97 their dead. Thus when other cheera-taghe kindled for the municipality the "sacred fire" for a new year it was distributed to hearths far away, and Nilaque Great, deserted and depopulated, had become a "waste town."
A fair place it had been in its prime, and so it had seemed one afternoon in June, 1734, when for the first time the two white strangers had entered it. Mountains more splendid than those which rose about it on every hand it would be difficult to imagine. The dense, rich woods reach in undiminished vigor98 along the slopes covering them at a height of six thousand feet, till the "tree line" interposes; thence the great bare domes99 lift their stately proportions among the clouds. Along these lofty perspectives the varying distance affords the vision a vast array of gradations of color,—green in a thousand shades, and bronze, and purple, and blue,—blue growing ever fainter and more remote till it is but an illusion of azure101, and one may believe that the summits seen through a gap to the northeast are sheer necromancy102 of the facile horizon.
In the deep verdant103 cove38 below, groups of the giant trees common to the region towered above the stanchly constructed cabins that formed the homes of the Indians, for the Cherokees, detesting104 labor105 and experts in procrastination106, builded well and wisely that they might not be forced to rebuild, and many of the distinctive107 features of the stout108 frontier architecture were borrowed by the pioneers from aboriginal109 example. Out beyond the shadows were broad stretches of fields with the lush June in the wide and shining blade and the flaunting110 tassel111. The voices of women and young girls came cheerily from the breezy midst as they tilled the ground, where flourished in their proper divisions the three varieties of maize112 known to Indian culture, "the six weeks' corn, the hominy corn, and the bread corn." A shoal of canoes skimmed down the river, each with its darting113 shadow upon that lucent current and seeming as native, as indigenous114 to the place as the minnows in a crystal brown pool there by the waterside—each too with its swift javelin-like motion and a darting shadow. Sundry open doors here and there showed glimpses of passing figures within, but the arrival of the strangers was unnoticed till some children playing beside the river caught sight of the unaccustomed faces. With a shrill115 cry of discovery, they sped across the square, agitated116 half by fright and half by the gusto of novelty. In another moment there were two score armed men in the square.
"Now hould yer tongue still, an' I'll do the talkin'," said one of the white adventurers to the other, speaking peremptorily118, but with a suave119 and delusive120 smile. "If yez weren't Frinch ye'd be a beautiful Englishman; but I hev got the advantage of ye in that, an' faix I'll kape it."
He was evidently of a breeding inferior to that of his companion, but he had so sturdy and swinging a gait, so stalwart and goodly a build, so engaging a manner, and so florid a smile, that the very sight of him was disarming121, despite the patent crafty122 deceit in his face. It seemed as if it could not be very deep or guileful123, it was so frankly124 expressed. It was suggestive of the roguish machinations of a child. He had twinkling brown eyes, and reddish hair, plaited in a club and tied with a thong125 of leather. His features were blunt, but his red, well-shaped lips parted in a ready, reassuring126 smile, and showed teeth as even and white as the early corn. Both men were arrayed in the buckskin shirt and leggings generally worn by the frontiersmen, but the face of the other had a certain incongruity127 with his friend's, and was more difficult to decipher. It looked good,—not kind, but true. It had severe pragmatic lines about the mouth, and the lips were thin and somewhat fixedly128 set. His eyes were dark, serious, and very intent, as if he could argue and protest very earnestly on matters of no weight. He would in a question of theory go very far if set on the wrong line, and just as far on the right. The direction was the matter of great moment, and this seemed now in the hands of the haphazard130 but scheming Irishman.
"If it plaze yer honor," said O'Kimmon in English, taking off his coonskin cap with a lavish131 flourish as a tall and stately Indian hastily garbed132 in fine raiment of the aboriginal type, a conspicuous article of which was a long feather-wrought134 mantle135, both brilliant and delicate of effect, detached himself from the group and came forward, "I can't spake yer illigant language,—me eddication bein' that backward,—but I kin20 spake me own so eloquent136 that it would make a gate-post prick137 up the ears of understanding. We've come to visit yez, sor."
The smile which the Hibernian bent138 upon the savage139 was of a honeyed sweetness, but the heart of his companion sank as he suddenly noted the keen, intuitive power of comprehension expressed in the face of the old Indian. Here was craft too, but of a different quality, masked, potent140, impossible to divine, to measure, to thwart141. The sage142 Oo-koo-koo stood motionless, his eyes narrowing, his long, flat, cruel mouth compressed as with a keen scrutiny143 he marked all the characteristics of the strangers,—first of one, then deliberately144 of the other. A war captain (his flighty name was Watatuga, the Dragon-fly, although he looked with his high nose and eagle glance more like a bird of prey), assuming precedence of the others, pressed up beside the prophet, and the challenge of his eyes and the contempt that dilated145 his nostrils146 might have seemed more formidable of intent than the lacerating gaze of the cheera-taghe, except that to an Irishman there is always a subtle joy even in the abstract idea of fight. The rest of the braves, with their alert, high-featured cast of countenance147, inimical, threatening, clustered about, intent, doubtful, listening.
Adrien L'épine had his secret doubts as to the efficacy of the bold, blunt, humorous impudence148 which Terence O'Kimmon fancied such masterful policy,—taking now special joy in the fact that its meaning was partially149 veiled because of the presumable limitations of the Indian's comprehension of the English language. The more delicate nurture150 that L'épine obviously had known revolted at times from this unkempt brusquerie, although he had a strong pulse of sympathy with the wild, lawless disregard of conventional standards which characterized much of the frontier life. He feared, too, that O'Kimmon underrated the extent of the Cherokee's comprehension of the language of which, however, the Indians generally spoke151 only a few disconnected phrases. So practiced were the savages152 in all the arts of pantomime, in the interpretation153 of facial expression and the intonation154 of the voice, that L'épine had known in his varied155 wanderings of instances of tribes in conference, each ignorant of the other's language, who nevertheless reached a definite and intricate mutual156 understanding without the services of an interpreter. L'épine felt entrapped157, regretful, and wished to recede93. He winced158 palpably as O'Kimmon's rich Irish voice, full of words, struck once more upon the air.
"Me godson, the Governor o' South Carolina," Terence O'Kimmon resumed, lying quite recklessly, "sint his humble159 respects,—an' he's that swate upon yez that he licks his fingers ter even sphake yer name! (Pity I furgits ut, bein' I never knew ut!)"
Although possessing an assurance that he could get the better of the devil, "could he but identify him," as O'Kimmon frequently said, he felt for one moment as if he were now in the presence. Despite his nerve the silence terrified him. He was beginning to cringe before the steady glare of those searching eyes. It was even as a refreshment160 of spirit to note a sudden bovine161 snort of rage from the lightsome Dragon-fly, as if he could ill bridle162 his inimical excitement.
The adventurers had not anticipated a reception of this sort, for the hospitality of the Indians was proverbial. Credentials163 surely were not necessary in the social circles of the Cherokees, and two men to six thousand offered no foundation for fear. O'Kimmon had such confidence in his own propitiating164 wiles165 and crafty policy that he did not realize how his genial166 deceit was emblazoned upon his face, how blatant167 it was in his voice. But for its challenging duplicity there would hardly have arisen a suggestion of suspicion. Many men on various errands easily found their way into the Indian tribes when at peace with the British, and suffered no injury. Nevertheless as the wise Oo-koo-koo looked at O'Kimmon thus steadily168, with so discerning a gaze, the Irishman felt each red hair of his scalp rise obtrusively169 into notice, as if to suggest the instant taking of it. He instinctively170 put on his coonskin cap again to hold his scalp down, as he said afterward171.
"Why come?" Oo-koo-koo demanded sternly.
"Tell the truth, for God's sake!" L'épine adjured172 O'Kimmon in a low voice.
"I'm not used to it! 'T would give me me death o' cold!" quavered the Irishman, in sad sincerity, at a grievous loss.
"Asgaya uneka (White man), but no Ingliss," said the astute173 Indian, touching174 the breast of each with the bowl of his pipe, still in his hand and still alight as it was when the interruption of their advent117 had occurred.
"No, by the powers,—not English!" exclaimed the Irishman impulsively175, seeing he was already discovered. "I'm me own glorious nation!—the pride o' the worruld,—I was born in the Emerald Isle176, the gem15 o' the say! I'm an Oirishman from the tip o' me scalp—in the name o' pity why should I mintion the contrivance" (dropping his voice to an appalled177 muffled tone)—"may the saints purtect ut! But surely, Mister Injun, I've no part nor lot with the bloody178 bastes179 o' Englishers either over the say or in the provinces. If I were the brother-in-law o' the Governor o' South Carolina I'd hev a divorce from the murtherin' Englisher before he could cry, 'Quarter!'"
Oo-koo-koo, the wise Owl, made no direct answer.
"Asgaya uneka (White man), but no Ingliss," he only said, now indicating L'épine.
"Frinch in the mornin', plaze yer worship, an' only a bit o' English late in the afternoon o' the day," cried O'Kimmon, officiously, himself once more.
"French father, English mother," explained L'épine, feeling that the Indian was hardly a safe subject for the pleasantries of conundrums180.
"But his mother was but a wee bit of a woman," urged O'Kimmon; "the most of him is Frinch,—look at the size of him!"
For O'Kimmon was now bidding as high against the English aegis181 as earlier he had been disposed to claim its protection, when he had protested his familiarity with the Royal Governor of South Carolina. In an instant he was once more gay, impudent182, confident of carrying everything before him. He divined that some recent friction183 had supervened in the ever-clashing interests subsisting184 between the Cherokee nation and the British government, and was relying on the recurrent inclination185 of this tribe to fraternize with the French. Their influence from their increasing western settlements was exerted antagonistically186 to the British colonists187, by whom it was dreaded188 in anticipation190 of the war against a French and Cherokee alliance which came later. Oo-koo-koo, complacent191 in his own sagacity in having detected a difference in the speech of the new-comers from the English which he had been accustomed to hear in Charlestown, and animated192 by a wish to believe, hearkened with the more credulity to an expansive fiction detailed193 by the specious194 Irishman as to their mission here.
They were awaiting the coming of certain pettiaugres from New Orleans,—a long journey by way of the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Cherokee, and the Tennessee rivers,—with a cargo195 of French goods cheaper than the English. They designed to establish a trading-post at some convenient point, out of reach of the grasping British, and thus to compete with the monopoly of the Cherokee commerce which the English government sought to foster. And then, to furnish a leaven196 of truth to this mass of lies, he detailed, with such a relish197 as only an Irishman can feel in a happy incongruity, that the French, having no market in old France for deerskins, the chief commodity of barter198 that the Indians possessed199, disposed of them to ships of the British colonies, from New York and elsewhere, lured200 thus to New Orleans, in exchange for English cloths and other British manufactures, which the French then surreptitiously furnished to the Indians of the British alliance, underselling them on every hand.
"The intellects of the Frinch are so handsome!" cried O'Kimmon, the tears of delighted laughter in his eyes. "Faix, that is what makes 'em so close kin to the Oirish!"
Albeit201 the Cherokee treaty with the British forbade the Indians to trade with white men of any other nationality than the English, these professed aliens were promised protection and concealment203 from the British government, and the pretext204 of their mission served to countenance their lingering stay.
Soon their presence seemed a matter of course. The Indians had recurred205 to their methods of suave hospitality. The two strangers encountered only friendly looks and words, while affecting to gratify curiosity by peering into all the unaccustomed habitudes,—the preparation of food, the manufacture of deerskin garments, the care of the sick, the modeling of bowls and jars of clay, in which the Cherokees were notably expert as well as in the weaving of feather-wrought fabrics206 and baskets, the athletic207 games, the horse-races, the continual dances and pantomimic plays,—and were presently domiciled as it were in the tribe. Of so little note did they soon become that when they gradually ceased these manifestations208 of interest, as if familiarity had sated their curiosity, it seemed to occasion no comment. They were obviously free to rove, to stay, to live their lives as they would without interference or surveillance.
Nevertheless, they still maintained the utmost caution. Sometimes, idleness being no phenomenon, they would lie half the day in the shade on the river-bank. The Tennessee was shrunken now in the heated season, and great gravelly slopes were exposed. The two loiterers were apparently210 motionless at first, but as their confidence increased and the chances of being observed lessened211, L'épine, always dreading212 discovery, began to casually213 pass the gravel209 and sand through his fingers as he lay; sometimes he idly trifled with the blade of a hoe in a shallow pool left by the receding214 waters, while the jolly Irishman, now grave and solicitous215, watched him breathlessly. Then L'épine would shake his head, and the mercurial216 O'Kimmon groaned217 his deep despondency.
Once the Frenchman's head was not shaken. A flush sprang up among the pragmatic lines of L'épine's face; his dark eyes glittered; his hand shook; for as he held out the hoe, on its blade were vaguely218 glimmering219 particles among the sand.
Later the two adventurers cherished a small nugget of red, red gold!
This find chanced below a bluff220 in a sort of grotto221 of rock, which the water filled when the river was high, and left quite dry and exposed as it receded222 in the droughts of summer.
Whether the two strangers were too much and too long out of sight; whether attention was attracted by certain perforated dippers or pans which they now brought into assiduous use, but which they sought to conceal202; whether they had been all the time furtively223 watched, with a suspicion never abated224, one can hardly say. They had observed every precaution of secrecy225 that the most zealous226 heed could suggest. Only one worked with the pan while the other lay motionless and idle, and vigilantly227 watched and listened for any stealthy sign of approach. They fully10 realized the jealousy228 of the Indians concerning the mineral wealth of their territory, lest its discovery bring hordes229 of the craving230 white people to dispossess them. This prophetic terror was later fulfilled in the Ayrate division of the tribe, but to the northward231, along the Tennessee River, they sedulously232 guarded this knowledge. Traditions there are to the present day in the Great Smoky Mountains concerning mines of silver and lead, and of localities rich in auriferous gravel which are approximately ascertained233, but which the Cherokees knew accurately234 and worked as far as they listed;—they carried their secret with them to the grave or the far west.
The exploration of L'épine and O'Kimmon of necessity was conducted chiefly by day, but one night the prospectors235 could not be still, the moon on the sand was so bright!
The time which they had fixed129 for a silent, secret departure was drawing near. Their bags were almost filled, but they lingered for a little more, and covetously236 a little more still. And this night, this memorable237 night, the moon on the sand was as bright as day!
The light slanted238 across the Tennessee River and shimmered239 in the ripples241. One could see, if one would, the stately lines of dark summits along a far horizon. A mockingbird was singing from out the boscage of the laurel near at hand, and the night wind was astir. And suddenly the two gold-washers in the depths of the grotto became conscious that they were not alone.
There, sitting like stone figures one on each side of the narrow portal, were the two cheera-taghe of the town, silent, motionless, watching with eyes how long alert, listening with ears how discerningly attentive242, it is impossible to divine.
The gold-washers sprang to their feet, each instinctively grasping for his weapon, but alack, neither was armed! The pan had come to seem the most potent of accoutrements, with which, in good sooth, one might take the world by storm, and the rifle and knife were forgotten, in their absorption. Doubtless the Cherokees interpreted aright the gesture, so significant, so obvious to their methods of life. Both the cheera-taghe were armed with pistol as well as tomahawk and scalping-knife.
Perhaps because of this they felt secure, at leisure, acquiescently allowing the event to develop as it needs must,—or perhaps realizing the significance of the discovery to the young strangers, their palpitant eagerness to gauge243 its result, their dread189 of reprisal244, of forced renunciation of their booty, the Indians permitted themselves a relish of the torture of an enemy on a more aesthetic245 scheme than their wont.
The two cheera-taghe, the shadow of their feather-crested246 heads in the moonlight on the sand of the grotto almost as distinct as the reality, spoke suddenly to each other, and the discomfited247 gold-seekers, who had learned to comprehend to a certain extent the language, perceived with dismay the sarcasm248 that lengthened249 their suspense250. For it was thus that the rulers among the Cherokees rebuked251 their own young people, not upbraiding252 them with their misdeeds, but with gentle satire253 complimenting them for that in which they had notably failed.
"A reward for hospitality we find in these young men," said one, whose voice was hoarse254 and croaking255 and guttural and who was called Kanoona (the Bull-frog).
"Strangers to us, yet they requite256 us, for we treated them as our own," said Oo-koo-koo.
"They treat us as their own!" the croaking, satiric257, half-smothered laughter of this response intimated an aside. Then Kanoona in full voice went on, "Open and frank as the day, they keep no secrets from us!"
"They are honest! They rob us not of the yellow stone which the Carolina people think so precious!" rejoined Oo-koo-koo, while O'Kimmon and L'épine looked from one to the other as the cheera-taghe sustained this fugue of satiric accusation258.
"Not they," croaked259 the responsive voice, "for behold, we have long time fed and lodged260 them and given them of our best. We have believed them and trusted them. We have befriended them and loved them."
"And they have befriended and loved us!" said Oo-koo-koo.
Then silence. The river sang, but only a murmurous261 rune; the mute moonlight lay still on the mountains; the wind had sunk, and the motionless leaves glistened263 as the dew fell; a nighthawk swept past the portal of the grotto with the noiseless wing of its kind.
"Had they desired to explore our land they would have asked our consent," the croaking voice of Kanoona resumed the antiphonal reproach. "They would not have brought upon us the hordes of British colonists, who would fain drive us from our habitations for their greed of the yellow stone."
"Oh, no! never would they make so base a recompense!—to bring upon us the destruction of our men and women and children, the wresting265 from us of our land, the casting of us forth266 from our homes,—because the poor, unsuspecting Indians gave them food and shelter and a haven267 of rest while waiting for the pettiaugres that are coming up from New Orleans."
"The pettiaugres from New Orleans!" Kanoona repeated with a burst of raucous268 laughter. "Hala! Hala!"
But Oo-koo-koo preserved his gravity. "They would not lie! Surely the white men would not lie!"
Then turning to O'Kimmon he asked point-blank, "Chee-a-koh-ga?" (Do you lie?)
The direct address was a relief to O'Kimmon. He had often wondered to see the young braves reduced almost to tears by this seemingly gentle discipline; he felt its poignancy269 when the keen blade of satire was turned against himself.
"I did lie!" he admitted, as unreservedly as it he were at confession270. "But Oo-koo-koo, we will pay for what we've got. This is all of ut! An' faix, yez have thrated us well,—an' begorra, we would have axed yer consint, if we had dramed we could have got ut!" he concluded ingenuously271.
The two Indians gazed at him with a surprise so evident that a chill ran through his every nerve.
"We will never reveal the secret,—the place of the gold," declared L'épine. Then perceiving in his turn something uncomprehended in their expression he reinforced his promise with argument. "We will want to come back—alone—to get more of it—all for ourselves. We will not be willing to share our discovery with others."
The cheera-taghe still silently gazed at the two young men; then turned toward each other with that patent astonishment272 yet on their faces. At last they burst forth into sarcastic273 laughter.
L'épine and O'Kimmon, albeit half bewildered, exchanged appalled glances. There was no need of speech. Each understood at last.
Return! There was no chance of departure. They were to pay the penalty of the dangerous knowledge they had acquired. Already some vague report, some suspicion of the hidden gold of the locality had been bruited274 abroad,—thus the Indians must reason,—or these white men would not have come so far to seek it. Should they be permitted to depart, their sudden wealth would proclaim its source, even though as they had promised they should keep silence.
This was equally true should they eventually escape. Therefore—hideous realization275!—the actual possession by the Indians of their own country depended upon the keeping of the secret inviolate276. Dead men tell no tales!
O'Kimmon, with a swelling277 heart, bethought himself of his status as a British subject and the possible vengeance278 of the province. It would come, if at all, too late. For the Cherokees believed the two to be without the pale of the English protection. One had repudiated279 the government, declaring himself an Irishman, a nationality then unknown to the Cherokees. The other was French,—no reprisal for his sake was possible to a tribe under British allegiance. Death it must be!—doubtless with all the pomp and circumstance of the torture, for from the standpoint of the Indians they had requited280 hospitality with robbery. Death was inevitable,—unless they could now escape. Had they but one weapon between them they might yet make good their flight.
An Irishman rarely stops to count the odds281. With the thought O'Kimmon, heavy, muscular, yet alert, threw himself upon Oo-koo-koo, and in an instant he had almost wrenched282 the knife from the Indian's belt.
The other Cherokee cried warningly, "Akee-rooka! Akee-rooka!" (I will shoot!) Then drew his pistol and fired.
The next moment, perhaps for many moments thereafter, none of them knew very definitely what had happened. There was a cloud of dust, a terrific detonation283, a sudden absolute darkness, as in some revulsion of nature, a stifling284 sensation. They were penned within the grotto by a great fragment of the beetling285 cliff. Doubtless it had been previously286 fractured by the action of continuous freezes, and the concussion287 of the pistol shot in the restricted space of the cave below had brought it down.
The days went on. The men were missed after a time, but a considerable interval288 had elapsed. The two strangers had of late kept themselves much apart, owing to their absorption and their covert289 methods of seeking for gold. It was an ill-ordered, roaming, sylvan290 life they led at best. The cheera-taghe, although "beloved men" and priests of their strange and savage religion, were but wild Indians, and their temporary absence created no surprise. In fact, until sought with anxiety when the drought had become excessive and threatened the later crops, and the services of the cheera-taghe were necessary to invoke291 and with wild barbaric ceremonials bring down the lightning and thunder to clear the atmosphere and the rain to refresh the soil, it was not ascertained that the prophets had definitely disappeared.
Then it was that excitement supervened, search, anxiety, grief, fear. There began to be vague rumors292 of untoward293 sounds, remembered rather than noticed at the time. Faint explosions had been heard in the night as if under the ground, and again in broad daylight as if in the air. None could imagine that the doomed294 men had sought to attract the attention of the town by firing off their pistols, thus utilizing295 their scanty296 ammunition297. The strain grew intense; superstitious fancies supplemented the real mystery; the place was finally abandoned, and thus Nilaque Great became a "waste town."
It was ten years, perhaps, after this blight298 had fallen upon it, that one day as the pack-train came down the valley of the Little Tennessee, on its autumnal return trip to Charlestown, the snow began to sift299 down. An unseasonable storm it was, for the winter had hardly set in. A north wind sprang up; the snow was soon heavily driving; within an hour the woods, still in the red leafage of autumn, were covered with snow and encased in ice. Only by a strenuous300 effort would the train be able to pass the old "waste town" before the early dusk,—a mile or two at most; but it was hoped that this might suffice to keep the ghosts out of the bounds of visibility. The roaring bacchanalian301 glees with which the pack-men set the melancholy sheeted woods aquiver might well send the ghosts out of earshot, presuming them endowed with volition302.
Suddenly Cuddy Barnett discovered that one of the pack-horses of his own especial charge was missing,—a good bay with a load of fine dressed deerskins to take to Charlestown, then the great mart of all this far region. A recollection of a sharp curve in the trading-path, running dangerously near a bluff bank, came abruptly303 into his mind. Drifts had lodged in its jagged crevices304, and it might well have chanced that here the animal had lost his footing and slipped out of the steadily trotting306 file along the river bank unnoticed in the blinding snow.
This theory seemed eminently307 plausible308 to his comrades, but when they learned that he was of the opinion that the disaster had happened at the old "waste town," as he had there first missed the animal in the file, not one would go back with him to search the locality,—not for the horse, not for the peltry, not even to avert21 the displeasure of their employer in Charlestown. Barnett besought309 their aid for a time, urging the project of rescue as they all sat around the roaring camp-fire under the sheltering branches of a cluster of fir trees that, acting310 as wind-break, served to fend311 off in some degree the fury of the storm. The ruddy flare312 illumined far shadowy aisles313 of the snowy wilderness314, all agloom with the early dusk. Despite the falling flakes315, they could still see the picketed316 pack-horses, now freed from their burdens, huddling317 together and holding down their heads to the icy blast as they munched318 their forage319. The supper of the young pack-men was broiling320 on the coals; their faces were florid with the keen wind, their coonskin caps all crested with snow; and the fringes of their buckskin raiment had tinkling321 pendants of icicles; but although they had found good cheer in a chortling jug322, uncorked as the first preliminary of encamping, they had not yet imbibed323 sufficient fictitious324 courage to set at naught325 their fears of the old "waste town."
Barnett at last acquiesced326 in the relinquishment327 of his desire of rescue. Some losses must needs occur in a great trade, and considering the stress of the weather, the long distances traversed, the dangers of the lonely wildernesses329 in the territory of savages, the incident would doubtless be leniently330 overlooked. And then he bethought himself of the horse,—a good horse, stout, swift, kindly331 disposed; a hard fate the animal had encountered,—abandoned here to starve in these bleak332 winter woods. Perhaps he might be lying there at the foot of the cliffs with a broken leg, suffering the immeasurable agonies of a dumb beast, for the lack of a merciful pistol-ball to put him at peace. Barnett could not resist the mute appeal of his fancy.
Presently he was trudging333 alone along the icy path. The flare of the red fire grew dim behind him; the last flicker334 faded. The woods were all unillumined, ghastly white, with a hovering335 gray shadow. The song of the bivouac fainted in the distance and failed; the echo grew doubtful and dull; and now in absolute silence that somehow set his nerves aquiver he was coming in with the dreary dusk and the driving snow to the old "waste town," Nilaque Great.
More silent even than the wilderness it seemed with the muffling336 drifts heavy on the roofs, blocking the dark open doors of the tenantless337 dwellings338, lying in fluffy339 masses on the boughs340 of the trees that had once made the desert spaces so pleasantly umbrageous342 in those sweet summers so long ago. The great circular council-house, shaped like a dome100, was whitely aglimmer against the gray twilight343 and the wintry background of the woods and mountains,—only the vaguest suggestions of heights seen through the ceaseless whirl of the crystalline flakes. No wolf now, although remembering the casual glimpse he had had he was prepared with rifle and pistol, and held his knife in his hand; no bear; no sign of living creature until, as he skirted the jagged bluff of the river where he fancied the horse might have lost his footing, he heard a sudden whinny of welcome, the sound keen and eerie344 and intrusive345 in the strange breathless solemnity of the silent place.
Gazing cautiously over the verge346 of the precipice347, he saw the animal despite the gathering348 shadows. The horse was quite safe, having doubtless slipped down in the soft densities349 of a great drift dislodged from the crevice305 by his own weight. His pack was still on his back, now piled twice as high with snow. He lifted his arched neck as he sprang about with undiminished activity, vainly seeking to ascend350 the almost sheer precipice.
Daylight, however, was essential for his rescue. The effort now on these icy steeps might cost either man or beast a broken limb, if no more. With an instinct of self-protection the animal had chosen the lee of a great buttress351 of the cliff, and could stand there safely all night though the temperature should fall still lower. The young pack-man called out a word or two of encouragement, listening fearfully as the sound struck back in the silence from the icy bank of the river, the craggy hillsides, and the resonant352 walls of the deserted houses in the old "waste town." Himself suddenly stricken to silence, he realized as he turned that the night had at last closed in. It lay dark and desolate in the limitless woods, where a vague sense of motion gave token that the snow was still viewlessly falling in the dense obscurities.
But in the "waste town" itself a pallid353 visibility lingered in the open spaces where the trees were few, and gloomily showed the empty cabins, the deserted council-house, the vacant "beloved square." Somehow, turn as he would, this dim scene in the midst of the dense darkness of the stormy night was before his eyes. Again and again he plunged354 into the woods seeking to follow the well-known trail of the trading-path to the camp and rejoin his companions, but invariably he would emerge from the wilderness after a toilsome tramp, entering the old "waste town" at a different angle.
He perceived at length that he could not keep the direction, that he was wandering in a circle after the manner of those lost in forests. His clothing, freezing upon his body, was calculated for warmer weather; the buckskin shirt and leggings, the garb133 of the frontiersmen, copied from the attire355 of the Indians, were of a thin and pliable356 texture357, owing to the peculiar358 skill of the savages in dressing359 peltry. An early historian describes such costume in a curiously360 sophisticated phrase as the "summer visiting dress of the Indians." The southern tribes were intensely averse328 to cold, for in winter they wore furs and garments made of buffalo361 hides, the shaggy side inward; this raiment was sewed with the sinews of deer and a kind of wild hemp362 for thread, and with needles dexterously363 fashioned of fishbone.
Barnett had now no thought of the ghosts of the old "waste town." His first care was to save his life this cruel night; without fire, without food, without shelter, it might be that he had indeed come to the end. He was induced by this reflection to climb the mound to the old council-house. For here the walls, plastered both within and without with the strong adhesive364 red clay of the region, admitted no wind, while in the cabins which had been dwellings the drifts lay deep beneath the rifts39 in the dilapidated roofs and the crevices in the wall, and the flying flakes sifted365 in as the keen gusts366 surged through. He had had the forethought to gather as he went bits of wood, now a loose clapboard or piece of bark from low-hanging eaves, now a fragment of half-rotten puncheon from a doorstep, and as he groped into the dense darkness of the council-house with his steel and flint he set them alight on the hearth47 in the centre of the floor.
When he was once more warm and free of the fear of death, other fears took hold upon him. In the first glimmers367 of the fire he could see through the tall narrow doorless portal only the dark night outside and a flickering368 glimpse against its blackness of the quivering crystals of the snow,—these but vaguely, for the blue smoke eddying369 through the great room veiled the opposite side, there being no chimney or window, and he sat in the interior behind the fire.
He gazed furtively over his shoulder ever and anon, as the flames flared370 up, revealing the deeply red walls of the dome-like place with here and there a buffalo skin suspended against them, the inside of the hide showing, painted in curious hieroglyphics371, brilliant with color, and instinct with an untranslated meaning; a number of conch shells lay about, with jars and vases of clay, and those quaintly372 fashioned earthen drums, the heads of tightly stretched deerskin,—all paraphernalia373 of the savage worship which the cheera-taghe had conducted, now abandoned as bewitched.
Sitting here comfortably in the place of those men of the "divine fire," Cuthbert Barnett, his rifle by his side, his knife in his belt, his coonskin cap pushed back from his face, once more florid, warm, tingling374 from the keen wind of the day and the change to this heated air, and with perchance a drowsy375 eyelid376, began to marvel377 anew as to the fate of the cheera-taghe. Hardly a drowsy eyelid, he consciously had, however, for he had resolved that he would not sleep. His situation here alone was too dangerous; he feared wolves,—the fire that would otherwise affright them might untended sink too low. He feared also some wandering Indian. Should he be discovered here by means of the unaccustomed light he might be wantonly murdered as he slept, or in revenge for the sacrilege of his intrusion among these things that the savages had esteemed378 sacred.
Therefore, when he suddenly saw the cheera-taghe he saw them quite plainly. Tall, stately, splendidly arrayed in their barbaric garb, draped with their iridescent379 feather-wrought mantles380, their heads dressed with white plumes381, a staff of cane382 adorned383 with white feathers in the right hand, a green bough341 in the left, preceded by those curiously sonorous earthen drums, of which the drone blended with the notes of the religious song, Yo-he-wah-yah! Yo-he-wah-yah! they thrice led the glittering procession of the "holy dance" around and around the "beloved square."
A blank interval ensued. And then again he saw them, nearer now, more distinct; they were entering the temple; they were close at hand; triumphant384 of mien385, assured, so full of life!—he could laugh to think that he had had a dream, or had heard somehow, that they were dead or lost or vaguely gone. For here, without seeming in the least to notice his presence, they kindled anew with friction of bits of poplar or white oak the fire for the new year, the cheera, the "sacred flame," to bear it outside to distribute it to the assembled people of Nilaque Great. Without was summer; the trees were full of green leaves; canoes were glancing along the shimmering386 river; the "beloved square" was crowded with braves,—he saw their feathered crests387 wave and glisten262; the wind was blowing fresh and cool; the sun shone.
And suddenly it was shining in his face, as it came up over the Great Smoky Mountains, sending its first long slanting wintry beams through the narrow portal to the hearth where he had lain asleep before the ashes of the once "sacred fire," covered with the fresh ashes of last night's vigil, for they too were dead. He staggered to his feet and went out into the glistening388 dawn of this snowy sunlit day, hardly able to reconcile its aspect with the summer-tide scene he had just quitted. Now and again he paused, half-bewildered, as if unfamiliar389 with the pathetic miseries390 of the old "waste town"—the scene in his mind savored391 far more of reality.
The necessity of caring for the pack-horse, perhaps better than aught else, served to restore his faculties392. He found it easy now to climb down the jagged face of the bluffs393 of the river bank, whence the snow had vanished, for in the changeable southern climate a sudden thaw264 had begun in the earlier hours and now the warm sun was setting all the trees and eaves adrip. As he stood below the cliff on the sandy slope whence the snow had slipped down into the river, the volume of which the storm of last night would much increase after the long drought of the summer, he carefully examined the horse to ascertain what injuries he might have sustained; a few abrasions394 on the right flank seemed to be all, until the animal moved, a bit stiffly with the near fore5 leg. This attracted Barnett's attention to a gash395 on the knee received doubtless when the horse first fell on the ground,—a queer gash, long, jagged, unaccountable, as if it had been made by a dull blade. Glancing down to search the gravel, the pack-man discerned, half-imbedded in the sand, the edge of a fragment of a knife, a scalping-knife, broken half in two; and there, lying not three yards away, was a handle attached to a belt heavily wrought with roanoke,—only a bit of the belt,—and the other half of the knife.
The pack-man's hand trembled and his florid cheek went pale, for these lay just under the sharp edge of a huge fragment of rock that had evidently fallen from the cliff above, breaking the blade and holding the belt fast.
How long he stood and stared he did not know. For a time he heard without realizing the significance of the sounds the whoops and shouts of his comrades, wildly racing396 back through the old "waste town" in search of him; but although in the strenuous duty of his rescue they would venture to pass it in broad daylight, no ardor397 of persuasion398 could induce them to linger there to investigate the locality of his find, or to aid in moving the rock and exploring the grotto that had evidently proved a sepulchre.
On the contrary, they deemed the discovery might be resented by the Indians as intrusive, and, keeping the secret, they made haste to get out of the country with even more speed than their wont. Cuthbert Barnett, however, carried his information to the authorities in Charlestown, who, promptly399 acting upon it, solved the mystery of the fate of the cheera-taghe.
Since peace with the Cherokees was becoming more and more precarious400, some satisfaction was experienced by the Royal Governor of South Carolina, James Glen, at that time, in being able to urge upon the attention of the head-men of the tribe the fact that, although the two white strangers had obviously been captured in the act of robbing Cherokee soil of its gold, they had as evidently been unarmed, and the Irishman, a British subject, had been shot down by one of the cheera-taghe, for there was the bullet still imbedded firmly in the sternum of his broad chest. Thus a political crisis, which the event had threatened, was averted.
Despite the evil chance that had befallen the gold-seekers, now widely bruited abroad, stealthy efforts were ever and anon made by the hardy401 frontier prospectors of those days, already busy in the richer deposits of the Ayrate division of the Cherokee country, to pan also the sands of the banks of the Tennessee; but the yield here was never again worth the work, and the interest in the possibility of securing "pay gravel" in this region died out, until the later excitements of the discovery of the precious metal in a neighboring locality, Coca Creek402, during the last century.
The old "waste town" long remained a ruin, and at last fell away to a mere240 memory.
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1
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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gorges
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| n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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vestiges
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| 残余部分( vestige的名词复数 )； 遗迹； 痕迹； 毫不 | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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desolated
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| adj.荒凉的，荒废的 | |
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glower
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| v.怒目而视 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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whoops
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| int.呼喊声 | |
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gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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vapors
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| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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kindle
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| v.点燃，着火 | |
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professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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coerced
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| v.迫使做( coerce的过去式和过去分词 )；强迫；（以武力、惩罚、威胁等手段）控制；支配 | |
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furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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fawn
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| n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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cove
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| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
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rifts
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| n.裂缝( rift的名词复数 )；裂隙；分裂；不和 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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45
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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46
hearths
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| 壁炉前的地板，炉床，壁炉边( hearth的名词复数 ) | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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48
rekindling
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| v.使再燃( rekindle的现在分词 ) | |
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49
fervor
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| n.热诚；热心；炽热 | |
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50
populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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51
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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52
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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53
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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54
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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55
sonorous
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| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
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56
trumpeting
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| 大声说出或宣告（trumpet的现在分词形式） | |
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57
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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58
itinerant
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| adj.巡回的；流动的 | |
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59
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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rife
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| adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的 | |
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61
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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62
delegations
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| n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派 | |
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63
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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64
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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65
licensed
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| adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词) | |
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66
crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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67
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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68
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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69
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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70
incumbency
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| n.职责，义务 | |
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71
proprietors
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| n.所有人，业主( proprietor的名词复数 ) | |
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72
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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73
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
commiseration
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| n.怜悯，同情 | |
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75
meting
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| v.（对某人）施以，给予（处罚等）( mete的现在分词 ) | |
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76
militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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77
destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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78
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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79
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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80
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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81
indemnity
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| n.赔偿，赔款，补偿金 | |
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82
retaliate
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| v.报复，反击 | |
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83
massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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84
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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85
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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86
canvassed
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| v.（在政治方面）游说( canvass的过去式和过去分词 )；调查（如选举前选民的）意见；为讨论而提出（意见等）；详细检查 | |
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87
surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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88
speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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89
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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90
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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91
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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92
unprecedented
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| adj.无前例的，新奇的 | |
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93
recede
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| vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进 | |
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94
notably
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| adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地 | |
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95
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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96
pervading
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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97
revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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99
domes
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| n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场 | |
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100
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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101
azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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102
necromancy
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| n.巫术；通灵术 | |
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103
verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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104
detesting
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的现在分词 ) | |
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105
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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106
procrastination
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| n.拖延，耽搁 | |
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107
distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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109
aboriginal
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| adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的 | |
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110
flaunting
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| adj.招摇的，扬扬得意的，夸耀的v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的现在分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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111
tassel
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| n.流苏，穗；v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须 | |
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112
maize
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| n.玉米 | |
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113
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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114
indigenous
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| adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的 | |
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115
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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116
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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117
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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118
peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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119
suave
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| adj.温和的；柔和的；文雅的 | |
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120
delusive
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| adj.欺骗的，妄想的 | |
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121
disarming
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| adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒 | |
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122
crafty
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| adj.狡猾的，诡诈的 | |
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123
guileful
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| adj.狡诈的，诡计多端的 | |
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124
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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125
thong
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| n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带 | |
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126
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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127
incongruity
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| n.不协调，不一致 | |
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128
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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129
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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130
haphazard
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| adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的 | |
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131
lavish
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| adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍 | |
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132
garbed
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| v.（尤指某类人穿的特定）服装，衣服，制服( garb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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133
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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134
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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135
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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136
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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137
prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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138
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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139
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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140
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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141
thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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142
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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143
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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144
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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145
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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146
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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147
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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148
impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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149
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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150
nurture
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| n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持 | |
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151
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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152
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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153
interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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154
intonation
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| n.语调，声调；发声 | |
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155
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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156
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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157
entrapped
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| v.使陷入圈套，使入陷阱( entrap的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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158
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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159
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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160
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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161
bovine
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| adj.牛的；n.牛 | |
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162
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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163
credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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164
propitiating
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| v.劝解，抚慰，使息怒( propitiate的现在分词 ) | |
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165
wiles
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| n.（旨在欺骗或吸引人的）诡计，花招；欺骗，欺诈( wile的名词复数 ) | |
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166
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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167
blatant
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| adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的 | |
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168
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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169
obtrusively
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| adv.冒失地，莽撞地 | |
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170
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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171
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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172
adjured
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| v.（以起誓或诅咒等形式）命令要求( adjure的过去式和过去分词 )；祈求；恳求 | |
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173
astute
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| adj.机敏的，精明的 | |
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174
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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175
impulsively
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| adv.冲动地 | |
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176
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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177
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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178
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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179
bastes
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| v.打( baste的第三人称单数 )；粗缝；痛斥；（烤肉等时）往上抹[浇]油 | |
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180
conundrums
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| n.谜，猜不透的难题，难答的问题( conundrum的名词复数 ) | |
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181
aegis
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| n.盾；保护，庇护 | |
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182
impudent
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| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
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183
friction
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| n.摩擦，摩擦力 | |
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184
subsisting
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| v.（靠很少的钱或食物）维持生活，生存下去( subsist的现在分词 ) | |
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185
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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186
antagonistically
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| adv.敌对地，对抗性地 | |
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187
colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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188
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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189
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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190
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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191
complacent
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| adj.自满的；自鸣得意的 | |
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192
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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193
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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194
specious
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| adj.似是而非的；adv.似是而非地 | |
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195
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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196
leaven
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| v.使发酵；n.酵母；影响 | |
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197
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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198
barter
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| n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易 | |
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199
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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200
lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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201
albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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202
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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203
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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204
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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205
recurred
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| 再发生，复发( recur的过去式和过去分词 )； 治愈 | |
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206
fabrics
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| 织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地 | |
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207
athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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208
manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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209
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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210
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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211
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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212
dreading
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| v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 ) | |
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213
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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214
receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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215
solicitous
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| adj.热切的，挂念的 | |
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216
mercurial
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| adj.善变的，活泼的 | |
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217
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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218
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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219
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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220
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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221
grotto
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| n.洞穴 | |
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222
receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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223
furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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224
abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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225
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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226
zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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227
vigilantly
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| adv.警觉地，警惕地 | |
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228
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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229
hordes
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| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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230
craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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231
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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232
sedulously
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| ad.孜孜不倦地 | |
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233
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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234
accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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235
prospectors
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| n.勘探者，探矿者( prospector的名词复数 ) | |
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236
covetously
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| adv.妄想地，贪心地 | |
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237
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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238
slanted
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| 有偏见的； 倾斜的 | |
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239
shimmered
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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240
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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241
ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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242
attentive
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|
| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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243
gauge
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| v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器 | |
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244
reprisal
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| n.报复，报仇，报复性劫掠 | |
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245
aesthetic
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| adj.美学的，审美的，有美感 | |
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246
crested
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| adj.有顶饰的，有纹章的，有冠毛的v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的过去式和过去分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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247
discomfited
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| v.使为难( discomfit的过去式和过去分词)；使狼狈；使挫折；挫败 | |
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248
sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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249
lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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250
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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251
rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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252
upbraiding
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|
| adj.& n.谴责（的）v.责备，申斥，谴责( upbraid的现在分词 ) | |
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253
satire
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| n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品 | |
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254
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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255
croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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256
requite
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| v.报酬，报答 | |
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257
satiric
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| adj.讽刺的，挖苦的 | |
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258
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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259
croaked
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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260
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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261
murmurous
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| adj.低声的 | |
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262
glisten
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| vi.（光洁或湿润表面等）闪闪发光，闪闪发亮 | |
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263
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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264
thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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265
wresting
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| 动词wrest的现在进行式 | |
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266
forth
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|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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267
haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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268
raucous
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| adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的 | |
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269
poignancy
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| n.辛酸事，尖锐 | |
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270
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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271
ingenuously
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| adv.率直地，正直地 | |
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272
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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273
sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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274
bruited
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| v.传播（传说或谣言）( bruit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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275
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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276
inviolate
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| adj.未亵渎的，未受侵犯的 | |
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277
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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278
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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279
repudiated
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| v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务） | |
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280
requited
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| v.报答( requite的过去式和过去分词 )；酬谢；回报；报复 | |
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281
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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282
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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283
detonation
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| n.爆炸；巨响 | |
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284
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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285
beetling
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| adj.突出的，悬垂的v.快速移动( beetle的现在分词 ) | |
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286
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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287
concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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288
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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289
covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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290
sylvan
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| adj.森林的 | |
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291
invoke
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| v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求 | |
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292
rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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293
untoward
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| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
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294
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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295
utilizing
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| v.利用，使用( utilize的现在分词 ) | |
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296
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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297
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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298
blight
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| n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残 | |
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299
sift
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| v.筛撒，纷落，详察 | |
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300
strenuous
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|
| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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301
bacchanalian
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| adj.闹酒狂饮的；n.发酒疯的人 | |
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302
volition
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| n.意志；决意 | |
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303
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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304
crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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305
crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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306
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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307
eminently
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|
| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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308
plausible
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|
| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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309
besought
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|
| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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310
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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311
fend
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| v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开 | |
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312
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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313
aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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314
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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315
flakes
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| 小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人 | |
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316
picketed
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| 用尖桩围住（picket的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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317
huddling
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| n. 杂乱一团, 混乱, 拥挤 v. 推挤, 乱堆, 草率了事 | |
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318
munched
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| v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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319
forage
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| n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻 | |
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320
broiling
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| adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙） | |
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321
tinkling
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| n.丁当作响声 | |
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322
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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323
imbibed
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| v.吸收( imbibe的过去式和过去分词 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
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324
fictitious
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| adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的 | |
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325
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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326
acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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327
relinquishment
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| n.放弃；撤回；停止 | |
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328
averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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329
wildernesses
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| 荒野( wilderness的名词复数 )； 沙漠； （政治家）在野； 不再当政（或掌权） | |
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330
leniently
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| 温和地，仁慈地 | |
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331
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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332
bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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333
trudging
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的现在分词形式） | |
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334
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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335
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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336
muffling
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| v.压抑，捂住( muffle的现在分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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337
tenantless
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| adj.无人租赁的，无人居住的 | |
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338
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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339
fluffy
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| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
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340
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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341
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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342
umbrageous
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| adj.多荫的 | |
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343
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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344
eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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345
intrusive
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| adj.打搅的；侵扰的 | |
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346
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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347
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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348
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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349
densities
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| 密集( density的名词复数 )； 稠密； 密度（固体、液体或气体单位体积的质量）； 密度（磁盘存贮数据的可用空间） | |
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350
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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351
buttress
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| n.支撑物；v.支持 | |
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352
resonant
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| adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的 | |
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353
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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354
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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355
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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356
pliable
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| adj.易受影响的；易弯的；柔顺的，易驾驭的 | |
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357
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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358
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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359
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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360
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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361
buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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362
hemp
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| n.大麻；纤维 | |
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363
dexterously
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| adv.巧妙地，敏捷地 | |
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364
adhesive
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| n.粘合剂；adj.可粘着的，粘性的 | |
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365
sifted
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| v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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366
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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367
glimmers
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| n.微光，闪光( glimmer的名词复数 )v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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368
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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369
eddying
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| 涡流，涡流的形成 | |
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370
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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371
hieroglyphics
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| n.pl.象形文字 | |
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372
quaintly
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| adv.古怪离奇地 | |
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373
paraphernalia
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| n.装备；随身用品 | |
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374
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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375
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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376
eyelid
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| n.眼睑，眼皮 | |
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377
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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378
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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379
iridescent
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| adj.彩虹色的，闪色的 | |
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380
mantles
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| vt.&vi.覆盖（mantle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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381
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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382
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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383
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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384
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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385
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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386
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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387
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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388
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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389
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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390
miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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391
savored
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| v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的过去式和过去分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝 | |
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392
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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393
bluffs
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| 恐吓( bluff的名词复数 )； 悬崖； 峭壁 | |
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394
abrasions
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| n.磨损( abrasion的名词复数 )；擦伤处；摩擦；磨蚀（作用） | |
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395
gash
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| v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝 | |
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396
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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397
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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398
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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399
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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400
precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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401
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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402
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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