This trait of frivolity8 was to Tus-ka-sah the more revolting, since he himself was of a serious cast of mind and possessed9 of faculties10, rare in an Indian, which are called "fine business capacity." He was esteemed11 at an English trading-house down on the Eupharsee River as the best "second man" in any of the towns; this phrase "second man" expressing the united functions of alderman, chief of police, chairman of boards of public improvements, and the various executive committees of civilization. His were municipal duties,—the apportionment of community labor12, the supervision13 of the building of houses and the planting of crops, the distribution of public bounty14, the transaction of any business of Ioco Town with visitors whom individual interest might bring thither15. So well did he acquit16 himself when these errands involved questions of commercial policy that the English traders were wont17 to declare that Tus-ka-sah, the Terrapin18, had "horse sense"—which certainly was remarkable19 in a terrapin!
His clear-headed qualities, however, valued commercially, seemed hardly calculated to adorn20 the fireside. In sensible cumbrous silence and disastrous21 eclipse he could only contemplate22 with dismayed aversion the palpable effect of Amoyah's gay sallies of wit, his fantastic lies, his vainglorious23 boastings, and his wonderful stories, which seemed always to enchant24 his audience, the household of the damsel to whom in civilized25 parlance26 they were both paying their addresses. These audiences were usually large, and far too lenient27 in the estimation of Tus-ka-sah. First there was present, of course, Amoyah himself, seeming a whole flock instead of one Pigeon. Then must be counted Altsasti, who although a widow was very young, and as slight, as lissome28, as graceful29 as the "wreath" which her name signified. She was clad now in her winter dress of otter30 skins, all deftly31 sewn together so that the fur might lie one way, the better to enable the fabric32 to shed the rain; the petticoat was longer than the summer attire33 of doeskin, for although the tinkle34 of the metal "bell buttons" of her many garters might be heard as she moved, only the anklets were visible above her richly beaded moccasins. She seldom moved, however; sitting beside the fire on a buffalo rug, she monotonously36 strung rainbow-hued beads37 for hours at a time. Her glossy38, straight black hair was threaded with a strand39 of opaque40 white beads passing through the coils, dressed high, and copiously41 anointed with bear's oil, and on her forehead she wore a single pendant wrought42 of the conch-shell, ivory-white and highly polished. She maintained a busy silence, but the others of the group—her father, sometimes her mother and grandmother and the younger sisters and brothers—preserved no such semblance43 of gravity, and indulged in appreciative44 chuckles45 responsive to Amoyah's jests, idly watching him with twinkling eyes as long as he would talk.
It would be difficult to say how long this might be, for there were no windows to the winter houses of the Cherokees; in point of architecture these structures resembled the great dome-shaped council-house, plastered within and without with red clay; the floor was some three feet lower than the surface of the ground outside, and the exit fashioned with a narrow winding46 passage before reaching the outlet47 of the door. The sun might rise or set; the night might come or go; no token how the hour waxed or waned48 could penetrate49 this seclusion50. The replenishing of the fire on the chimneyless hearth51 in the centre of the floor afforded the only comment on the passage of time. Its glow gave to view the red walls; the curious designs of the painted interior of the buffalo hides stretched upon them, by way of decoration; the cane52 divans53 or couches that were contrived54 to run all around the circular apartment, and on which were spread skins of bear and panther and wolves, covering even the heads of the slumbering56 members of the household, for the Cherokees slept away much of the tedious winter weather.
The fire would show, too, how gayly bedight and feather-crested58 was Amoyah, wearing a choice garb59 of furs;—often, so great was his vanity, his face was elaborately painted as if for some splendid festive60 occasion, a dance or the ball-play, instead of merely to impress with his magnificence this simple domestic circle. Tus-ka-sah dated the events that followed from one night when this facial decoration of his rival was even more fantastic than usual. Like a fish was one side of the young Cherokee's profile; the other in glaring daubs of white and black and red craftily63 represented the head of a woodpecker. The effect in front was the face of a nondescript monster, that only a gleeful laughing eye, and now and then a flash of narrow white teeth, identified as the jovial64 Amoyah, the Pigeon of Ioco.
The snow lay on the ground without, he said as he shook a wreath of it from a fold of his fur and it fell hissing65 among the coals. The shadows were long, he told them, for the moon was up and the world was dimly white and duskily blue. The wind was abroad, and indeed they could hear the swirl66 of its invisible wings as it swooped67 past; the boughs68 of the trees clashed together and ice was in the Tennessee River. The winter had come, he declared.
Not yet, Tus-ka-sah pragmatically averred69. There would be fine weather yet.
For the snowfall so early in the season was phenomenal and the red leaves were still clinging to the trees.
Had they been together among men Amoyah would not have cared enough for the subject to justify70 contention71, but in the presence of women he would suffer no contradiction. He must needs be paramount,—the infinitely72 admired! He shook his head.
The winter had surely come, he insisted. Why, he argued, the bears knew,—they always knew! And already each had walked the round with his shadow.
For in the approach of winter, in the light of the first mystic, icicled moon, the night when it reaches its full, a grotesque73 pageant74 is afoot in that remote town of the bears, immemorially fabled75 to be hidden in the dense coverts76 of the Great Smoky Mountains,—the procession of the bears, each walking with his shadow, seven times around the illuminated77 spaces of the "beloved square."
The bears knew undoubtedly78, the "second man," the man of facts and method and management, soberly admitted. But how did Amoyah know that already they had trodden those significant circles, each with his shadow? He smiled triumphant79 in his incontrovertible logic80.
And now Amoyah's face was wonderful to view, whether as a fish on one side or a woodpecker on the other, with that most human expression of surprise and indignation and aversion as distinctly limned81 upon it as if in pigments82, for he loved the "second man's" facts no more than the "second man" loved his fancies. How did he know, forsooth? Because, Amoyah hardily83 declared, he himself had witnessed the march,—he had been permitted to behold84 that weird85 and grotesque progress!
He took note of the blank silence that ensued upon this startling asseveration. Then emboldened86 to add circumstance to sheer statement he protested, "I attended the ceremony by invitation. I had a place in the line of march—I walked beside the Great Bear as his shadow!"
For, according to tradition, each bear, burly, upright in the moonlight, follows the others in Indian file, but at the side of each walks his shadow, and that shadow is not the semblance of a bear, but of a Cherokee Indian!
Now, as everybody has heard, the bears were once a band of Cherokee Indians, but wearying of the rigors87 and artificialities of tribal88 civilization they took to the woods, became bears, and have since dwelt in seclusion.
The thoughts, however, persistently89 reach out for the significance of the fact that in the tradition of this immemorial progress each creature is accompanied by the shadow, not of the thing that he is, but of the higher entity90 that he was designed to be.
Whether this inference is merely the mechanical deduction91 of a lesson, or a subtlety92 of moralizing, with a definite intention, on the part of the Cherokees, always past-masters in the intricacies of symbolism, it is difficult to determine, but the bears are certainly not alone in this illustration of retrogression, and memory may furnish many an image of a lost ideal to haunt the paths of beings of a higher plane.
The picture was before the eyes of all the fireside group,—the looming93 domes62 of the Great Smoky Mountains, where the clouds, white and opaline, hung in the intervals94 beneath the ultimate heights; the silences of the night were felt in the dense dark lonely forest that encompassed95 the open spaces of that mysterious city, with the conical thatched roofs of its winter houses and the sandy stretch of the "beloved square; "—and there was the line of bears, clumsy, heavy-footed, lumbering57, ungainly, and beside each the feather-crested similitude of what he had been, alert, powerful, gifted with human ingenuity96, the craft of weapons, mental endowment, and an immortal97 soul,—so they went in the wintry moonlight!
There was naught98 in this detail of the annual procession of the bears, always taking place before the period of their hibernation99, that surprised or angered Tus-ka-sah; but that they should break from their ancient law, their established habit of exclusiveness, single out Amoyah (of all the people in the world), summon him to attend their tribal celebration, and participate in their parade, as the shadow of Eeon-a, the Great Bear,—this passed the bounds of the possibilities. This fantasy had not the shreds101 of verisimilitude!
Yet even while he argued within himself Tus-ka-sah noted102 the old warrior's gaze fix spellbound upon Amoyah, the hands of Altsasti petrify103, the bead35 in one, the motionless thread in the other. The eyes of the more remote of the group, who were seated on rugs around the fire, glistened104 wide and startled, in the shadow, as Amoyah proceeded to relate how it had chanced.
A frosty morning he said it was, and he was out in the mountain a-hunting. He repeated the song which he had been singing, and the wind as it swirled105 about the house must have caught his voice and carried it far. It was a song chronicling the deeds of the Great Bear, and had a meaningless refrain, "Eeon-a, Ha-hoo-jah! Eeon-a, Ha-hoo-jah!" But when he reached the advent106 upon the scene of the secondary hero, the Great Bear himself, very polite, speaking excellent Cherokee ("since we are alone," he said), very recognizant of the merits of Amoyah,—the fame of which indeed was represented to have resounded107 through the remotest seclusions108 of the ursine109 realm,—fiction though it all obviously was, the man of facts could no longer endure this magnification of his rival.
"The great Eeon-a said all that to you?" he sneered110. "The fire-water at the trading-house makes your heart very strong and your tongue crooked111. This sounds to me like the language of a simple seequa, not the Great Bear—a mere61 bit of an opossum!"
Amoyah paused with a sudden gasp112. He was not without an aggressive temper, albeit113, persuaded of his own perfection, he feared no rival, and least of all Tus-ka-sah.
"You, Tus-ka-sah," he retorted angrily, "have evidently strongly shaken hands with the discourse114 of the opossum, speaking its language like the animal itself, and also the wolfish English. You have too many tongues, and, more than all, the deceitful, forked tongue of the snake, which is not agreeable to the old beloved speech. For myself, the Great Bear made me welcome in the only language that does not make my heart weigh heavy,—the elegant Cherokee language."
The spellbound listeners had broken out with irritated protests against the interruption, and Tus-ka-sah said no more.
As the blasts went sonorously115 over the house and the flames swirled anew into the murky117 atmosphere of the interior, a weird, half-smothered voice suddenly invaded the restored quiet of the hearthstone: "Eeon-a, Ha-hoo-jah! Eeon-a, Ha-hoo-jah!"
Like an echo the barbaric chant vibrated through the room. One of the sleepers118, a half-grown youth, had semi-consciously caught the familiar refrain and sang it in that strange uncanny voice of slumber55. The tones gave fitting effect to the grotesque details of the supernatural adventure, and as Tus-ka-sah rose and surlily took his way toward the door his departure did not attract even casual notice from the listeners, hanging enthralled119 upon the words of the Great Eeon-a, so veraciously120 repeated for their behoof. Their eyes showed intent even in the murky gloom and glistened lustrous121 in the alternate fitful flare122; the red walls seemed to recede123 and advance as the flames rose and fell; the sleeping boy on the broad bed-place stirred uneasily, flinging now and again a restless arm from out the panther skins in which he was enveloped124, and ever and anon his cry, "Eeon-a, Ha-hoo-jah! Eeon-a, Ha-hoo-jah!" punctuated125 the impressive dramatic tones of the raconteur126.
The next instant Tus-ka-sah was in the utter darkness of the narrow tortuous127 little passage, but after threading this he came out of the doorway128 into the keen chill air of a snowy world, the scintillations of frosty stars, the languid, glamourous radiance of the yellow moon, low in the sky, and his accustomed mental atmosphere of the plainest of plain prose. His thoughts were with the group he had just left, and he marveled if no influence could be brought to reduce the prestige with which the immaterial chief of the bears, the fabled Eeon-a, had contrived to invest the illusory Amoyah.
Tus-ka-sah's expectations concerning the weather were promptly129 justified130. A continual dripping from the roofs and trees pervaded131 the early hours of the morning, and soon the snow was all gone here in the valley; even the domes of the mountains so early whitened with drifts showed now a bare, dark, sketch-like outline against the horizon and above the garnet tint132 of the massed sere133 boughs of the forests of the slopes. A warm sun shone. Not a summer bird was yet lingering, but here and there a crisp red leaf winged the blue sky as gallantly134 as any crested cardinal135 of them all. The town of Ioco was now astir, and Tus-ka-sah noted how the softening136 of the air had brought out the inhabitants from their winter houses. Children played about the doorways137; boys in canoes shot down the shimmering138 reaches of the river; warriors139 congregated140 in the council-house and the half-open buildings surrounding the "beloved square," and in its sunny sandy spaces sundry141 old men were placidly142 engaged in the game of "roll the bullet."
It was at this group that Tus-ka-sah looked with an intent gaze and a sort of indignant question in his manner, and presently an elderly Cherokee, one of the cheera-taghe of the town, detached himself from it and came toward him. Despite this show of alacrity143 Cheesto distinctly winced144 as he contemplated145 the sullen146 and averse147 mien148 of his client or parishioner, for the relation in which Tus-ka-sah stood toward him partook of the characteristics of both. The professional wiseacre, however, made shift to recover himself.
"I will tell you what you have come to tell me," the prophet said quickly. "The spell on Amoyah does not work."
Tus-ka-sah assented149 surlily, gazing meanwhile at the face of the conjurer. It was a face in which the eyes were set so close together as to suggest a squint150, although they were not crossed. He had an uncertain and dilatory151 tread, the trait of one who hesitates, and decides in doubt, and forthwith repents152; being in his prophetic character an appraiser153 of the probable, and the sport of the possible. He wore many beads in strings154 around his neck, and big earrings155 of silver, heavy and costly156. His fur garments reached long and robe-like almost to his feet, the shaggy side of the pelt157 outward, the weather being damp, for when it was dry and cold it was customary to wear the fur turned inward.
The wise man had been recently unfortunate in his sorcery. The corn crop had been cut short by reason of a lack of rain which he had promised should fall in June. He had justified the drought, in the opinion of most of the Indians, by feigning158 illness and taking to his bed; for by these it was believed that if he had been able to be up and about his ordinary vocations159 the preposterous160 conduct of the weather must needs have been restrained. The fields about Ioco had suffered especially, and Tus-ka-sah, as the chief business man of that town, had manifested half veiled suspicions that the art of the conjurer was incompetent161; this rendered Cheesto particularly solicitous162 to succeed when his magic had been invoked163 to reduce the attractions of Amoyah in the eyes of Altsasti and turn her heart toward Tus-ka-sah. For among the Indians the lives of the weather-prophets were not safe from the aggrieved164 agriculturists, and there are authentic165 cases in which the cheera-taghe suffered death by tribal law as false conjurers. Cheesto fixed166 an anxious gaze upon his interlocutor as Tus-ka-sah rehearsed, by way of illustrating167 how worthless were the charms wrought, the unsubstantial fiction that had so beguiled168 the fancy of Altsasti, and posed Amoyah in the splendid guise169 of the representative of the great Eeon-a in the shadow-march of the bears.
The fate of the over-wise is ever the sorrowful dispensation. The fool may be merry and irresponsible. Cheesto was at his wit's end. With that unlucky drought in June to confront him, and dealing170 with the sharp business man of Ioco, who exacted his due in the exchange of the Fates as rigorously as if in a merely mundane171 market, the jeopardy172 of the magician was great and his discredit173 almost assured.
Old Cheesto set his jaw174 firmly. Somehow, somewhere, something must be wrought that would place Amoyah at a disadvantage and bring ridicule175 upon him. No great matter, it might be said, to compass the change of a fickle176 woman's mind, to disconcert a giddy young man. But how? Cheesto was aweary of his own incantations and his ineffectual spells. He would fain lend Fate a muscular hand.
This thought was uppermost in his mind for several days, even when he went with the other cheera-taghe of Ioco to share in the conjurations and incantations of the preliminary ceremonials of the Ball-Play, without which success would never be anticipated, for a great match between the towns of Ioco and Niowee was impending177.
This game was usually played in the mid-summer or fall, but it would seem that the unseasonable cold weather was well suited for such violent exercise and the severe physical training which preceded it, and although Amoyah noticed ice in the river as he dashed in for the ceremonial plunge179 which accompanies the incantations, he remembered the fact for a different reason than discomfort180.
The eighty ball-players of Ioco stood in a row near the bank, submerged to the knees. They had gone in with a tumultuous rush, and with their faces painted, their heads crested with feathers, clad fantastically and gorgeously but scantily181, they were holding their ball-sticks high in the air with an eager grasp,—all except Amoyah. Although still in his place in the line, he was looking over his shoulder with an amazed and startled gaze.
For there upon the bank, as if struck from his hand in the confusion and turmoil182 of first entering the water, lay his ball-sticks. He seemed about to return for them, as the implement183 of the game must be dipped also in the water at the appropriate moment of the incantation. But old Cheesto, the Rabbit, motioned him to forbear lest by this unprecedented184 quitting of the line during the ceremonial the efficacy of the spell be annulled185; he himself stooped down and picked up the ball-sticks. Then, notwithstanding his age and his fierce rheumatism187, notwithstanding his long and cumbrous robe of buffalo skin, the skirt of which he seemed to clutch with difficulty, he plunged188 into the icy water, waded189 out to the young man, handed him the ball-sticks, and regained190 the bank just as the other cheera-taghe standing186 at the margin192 of the river began the incantations supposed to influence the success of the competition.
This Indian game, which has left its name on one of the watercourses of Tennessee, Ball-Play Creek193, required a level space of some five or six hundred yards in length but no other preparation of the ground. At one end, in the direction of Niowee, two tall poles were fixed firmly in the earth about three yards apart, and slanting194 outward. At the end toward Ioco a similar goal was prepared. Every time the ball should be thrown over either goal the play would count one for the proximate town, and the game was of twelve or twenty points according to compact, the catcher of the twentieth ball being entitled to especial honor. It was of course the object of each side to throw the ball over the goal toward their own town, and to prevent it from going in the direction of the town of the opposing faction196.
All the morning crowds of Cherokees of all ages and both sexes had been gathering197 from the neighboring towns, and were congregated in the wide spaces about the course at Ioco. These fields had earlier been planted in corn, but the harvest had stripped the plain, and now the trampling198 of hundreds of feet erased199 all vestiges200 of the growth except for the yellow-gray tint of the stubble, spreading out on every side to the brown of the dense fallen leaves on the slopes where the forests began to climb the mountain sides. Here and there fires were kindled201 where some spectator felt the keen chill of the approaching winter, and more than one meal was in progress,—perhaps such groups had come from far. Pack-horses were in evidence laden202 with rich garments of fur, various peltry, blankets, valuable gear of every sort to be staked on the result of the game, and soon the men were betting heavily. All the various tones of the gamut203 were on the air,—the deep bass204 guttural laugh of the braves; the shrill205 callow yelping206 of boys; the absent-minded bawl207 of spoiled pappooses interested in the stir, but with an ever-recurrent recollection of the business of vocally208 disciplining their patient mothers; the keen treble chatter209 of women,—all were suddenly resolved into a strong dominant210 chord of sound as a tremendous shout arose upon the appearance of the ball-players of Ioco. Fresh from the river, they made a glittering show with the tossing feathers of their crested heads, their faces painted curiously211 and fantastically in white, the bright tints212 of their gaudy213 though scanty214 raiment, their bare arms and legs suppled215 with unguents and shining in the sun. This note of welcome had hardly died away and the echo of the encompassing216 mountains grown silent, when an agitated217 murmur218 of excitement went sibilantly through the throng219.
A cloud of dust was approaching in the distance, heralding220 a band of men. A new sound invoked the echoes. The breath was held to hear it. The throb221 of a drum—faint—far. And here thunderously beating, hard at hand, overpowering all lesser222 sounds, the drums of loco responded. To the vibrations224 of these sonorous116 earthen cylinders225, the sticks plied226 with a will on the heads of wet deerskins tightly stretched, the ball-players of Niowee advanced. In a diagonal direction and at a sturdy trot227 they came for a space,—a sudden halt ensued, and eighty pairs of muscular feet smote228 tumultuously on the ground. Then once more forward diagonally, at that swinging jaunty229 pace, and the stamping pause as before. The sound seemed to shake the ground, the impact of the feet with the earth was heard despite the turmoil of the drums; the stamping vibrations were felt in the midst of the stir of the crowds, and now in the nearer approach the individual faces could be distinguished230, wildly painted; the athletic231 figures, gaudily232 clad and barbarically decorated; the ball-sticks, held aloft in a sort of rhythmic233 vibration223 as if quivering for a chance at the ball; and fourscore wild young voices howled defiance234 at loco Town, whose youth in return howled its municipal pride, failing only with failing breath.
They were all in the course at last. The judges, elderly warriors and absolutely impartial235, chosen from towns which had no interest at stake in the match, were seated on a little knoll236, commanding a view of the ground, but at a sufficient distance to be in no danger from a maladroit237 handling of the ball. This was made of deerskin, stuffed hard with hair, and sewn up with deer sinews. The ball-sticks, of which each player owned his pair, were also partly made of deerskin, the two scoops238 or ladles being fashioned of a network of thongs240 on a wooden hoop241, each furnished with a handle of hickory three feet long, worked together with a thong239 of deerskin to catch the ball between the rackets,—it being of course prohibited to catch the ball in the hand.
The drums beat furiously; the word was given; the ball was flung high in the air in the middle of the course, and the next instant one hundred and sixty young athletes rushed together with a mighty242 shock the force of which seemed to shake the ground. Some fell and were trampled243 in the crush; others madly clutched one another, friend or foe244, with the ill-aimed ball-sticks, inflicting245 a snapping hurt like a bite,—a wound by no means to be despised. One, an expert, sent the ball with an artful twirl through the air toward the Ioco goal, and in the midst of a shout that rent the sky the whole rout246 of players went frantically247 flying after it, whirling with an incredible swiftness and agility249 when it was caught midway, and hurled250 back toward Niowee with a force as if it had been flung from a catapult. Here and there individual players in the frenzied251 chase made wonderful records of leaps in their efforts to catch the ball, springing into the air with a surprising strength and elasticity252, and a lightness as of creatures absolutely without weight.
A good match they were playing; for more than half an hour neither side was permitted by the other to score a single point. The ball seemed for a time as if it were awing253 forever, and would fall to the ground no more. The casualties were many; almost always after one of those sudden rushes together of both factions254 that had a tremendous momentum255 as of galloping256 squadrons, the ground would show as the moving masses receded178 half a dozen figures prone257 upon the course; one with a broken arm perhaps; another badly snapped by the inartistically plied ball-sticks of friend or foe and crawling off with a bloody258 pate100; sometimes another lying quite still, evidently stunned259 and to be hastily dragged off the course by spectators, before another stampede of the ball-players crush the life out of the unconscious and prostrate260 wight. Nevertheless only the normal interest, which however was very great, appertained to the match until at a crisis a strange thing happened, inexplicable261 then, and perhaps never fully262 understood.
The ball was flying toward the Niowee goal and the whole field was in full run after it. The blow that had impelled263 it had been something tremendous. A shout of triumph was already welling up from the throat of all Niowee, for to prevent the scoring of a point in its favor it would seem that there must be a thing afoot whose fleetness could exceed the speed of a thing awing.
Amoyah, the deftest264 runner of all the Tennessee River country, was foremost in the crown of swift athletes; presently he was detached by degrees from it; now he was definitely in advance; and soon, spurting265 tremendously, he had so neared the Niowee goal that the ball just above must needs pass over it if a spring might not enable him to capture it at the last moment. As agile266 as a deer, and as light as a bird, he leaped into the air, both arms upstretched, holding the rackets aloft and ready. He was a far-famed player, and even now the Ioco spectators were shouting, Amoyah needs must win!
A mysterious silence fell suddenly. They all saw what had happened. There could be no mistake. The rackets parted at the propitious267 moment to receive the ball. The netting closed about it. And then, as if it had met with no impediment whatever, the ball passed through the stanch268 web of thongs and over the poles, and falling to the ground counted one for Niowee.
The spectators from that town in their astonishment269 forgot to shout. The onrushing crowd of players, bearing down upon Amoyah, having intended to force him to drop the ball, which he had seemed predestined to catch, or to throw it so ill as to deliver it into the power of Niowee still to secure the point, could not arrest their own momentum, and went over the startled and dumfounded player in a swift dash, leaving him prone upon the ground. He was on his feet in an instant, his physical faculties rallying promptly, but so bewildered and doubtful that he had but one definite mental process, the resolve to regain191 for Ioco the point he had so mysteriously lost. Twice afterward270 his fine playing focused the attention of the crowd. Twice their plaudits of his skill rang through the vibrating air. Then the ball, hardly checked by the web of his racket, passed through the ball-sticks, and all realized their bewitchment.
Amoyah heard the gossip afloat concerning the matter before he had well quitted the course. The Great Bear had torn the net of the ball-sticks with his claw, one brave was telling another as he passed, because Amoyah had unveraciously boasted that he had walked by invitation in the procession of the bears during their annual march with their shadows at their hidden mysterious town in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Amoyah paused, tired, excited, panting, and critically examined the web. Surely enough the interlacing thongs had parted in twain in two straight lines, invisible save on close inspection271, as deftly and as evenly severed272 as if cut with a keen knife.
It was late in the day. The sun was now on a westering slant195. The parties of spectators were breaking up, some to journey homeward, others going into the town with friends. The place that the crowd had occupied had that peculiarly dreary273 aspect characteristic of a deserted274 pleasure ground. Trampled heavily it was, and the charred275 remnant of a fire showed black here and there; broken bits of food were scattered276 in places where feasting had been; a great gourd277 that had held some gallons of water lay shattered on the ground at his feet; a group at a distance were doubtfully retracing278 their steps, searching for something they had lost; at the farthest limits a wolf like a dog, or a dog like a wolf, was gnawing279 at a bone, and snarling280 as he gnawed281. It was all frowzy282, jaded283, forlorn.
Somehow suddenly he had a sense of freshness, an illumination, as it were a vision, of the early morning light striking through a network of bare trees upon the shimmering reaches of a river. And there on the bank lay his ball-sticks,—quite good and sound then, he would have staked his life. And now a picture was before him,—being a man of fancy, he thought in pictures,—a picture of old Cheesto the Rabbit holding the ball-sticks half hidden in the folds of his great fur robe and wading284 out into the ice-cold water to restore them. And old Cheesto, he reflected, was one of the cheera-taghe of Ioco, and could work a spell quite as well as the Great Bear, who had gone to bed for the winter two weeks ago, and had not heard of ball-sticks within the memory of man,—perhaps not since he was a Cherokee himself, and playing with the rest on the course at Tennessee Town.
In fact, old Cheesto, in common with many men not Cherokees, cared little for the public weal when it interfered285 with private interest. But he had not realized how much he had jeopardized286 the success of Ioco Town in cutting the netting of the ball-sticks. He had imagined the incompleteness of the racket would merely show Amoyah as incompetent, render his play futile287 and ineffective, and discredit him with both friend and foe. Never, however, had the play of any one man been so important and conspicuous288 as his to-day when the bewitched ball-sticks became the salient feature and the living tradition of the match between Ioco and Niowee. For despite these points, thus lost by supernatural agency to Niowee, the bewitchment of the ball-sticks only served to illustrate289 the superior skill of the Ioco team, and to embellish290 their victory.
Amoyah had nothing but his imagination to support his theory, but it seemed singularly credible248 to Altsasti, to whom he rehearsed it, finding her seated on the ground before the door of her winter house in great dreariness291 of spirit, that he should in playing so well have won nothing and merely jeopardized the game.
"I am afraid of that Great Bear," she declared, eying the ball-sticks askance as he came up.
Then revealing his theory of the spell that old Cheesto had wrought upon him in Tus-ka-sah's interest, Amoyah proposed a counter-spell which would defeat Tus-ka-sah.
"But Cheesto can still send you trouble if you have a wife," she argued.
"Ah, no," the specious292 Amoyah replied. "Everybody knows that a man's wife makes him all the trouble that he needs."
To save him from these woes293 devised by others Altsasti undertook to give him all the trouble he needed. But he seemed quite cheerful in the prospect294, and as she cooked the supper within doors he sat at the entrance, much at home, singing, "Eeon-a, Ha-hoo-jah! Eeon-a, Ha-hoo-jah!"
Tus-ka-sah upbraided295 the magician with the result of this victory, by which he was defeated. And the wise man threw up eyes and hands at his ingratitude296.
"I set the Great Bear after Amoyah for you! I made the Eeon-a acquainted with his boastful lies, and he bewitched Amoyah's ball-sticks that his fine play might come to nothing."
Very little to the purpose, the disaffected297 man of facts reflected, remembering the impression produced by his rival's display of skill. Somehow Amoyah seemed beyond the reach of logic. "Why did you not instead bewitch the woman?" Tus-ka-sah asked.
But this wiliest of the cheera-taghe shook his head.
"If she had been a mere woman," he said. "But a widow is a witch herself."
"Eeon-a, Ha-hoo-jah! Eeon-a, Ha-hoo-jah!" sang Amoyah at the door of the winter house.
Eeon-a, the Great Bear, made no sign and slept in peace at his town house in the mountains.
And since then, as always before, under the first icy moon of the winter the company of bears with their feather-crested shadows take up their mysterious march seven times around the "beloved square" of their ancient secluded298 town in the Great Smoky Mountains, which it is said may be seen to this day—by all who can find it!
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1
buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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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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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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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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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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frivolity
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| n.轻松的乐事，兴高采烈；轻浮的举止 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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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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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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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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supervision
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| n.监督，管理 | |
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bounty
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| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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acquit
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| vt.宣判无罪；(oneself)使(自己)表现出 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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terrapin
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| n.泥龟；鳖 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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vainglorious
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| adj.自负的；夸大的 | |
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enchant
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| vt.使陶醉，使入迷；使着魔，用妖术迷惑 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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parlance
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| n.说法；语调 | |
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lenient
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| adj.宽大的，仁慈的 | |
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lissome
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| adj.柔软的；敏捷的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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30
otter
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| n.水獭 | |
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deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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tinkle
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| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
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bead
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| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
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monotonously
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| adv.单调地，无变化地 | |
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beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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copiously
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| adv.丰富地，充裕地 | |
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42
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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43
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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45
chuckles
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的名词复数 ) | |
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46
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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47
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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48
waned
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| v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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49
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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50
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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51
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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52
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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53
divans
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| n.（可作床用的）矮沙发( divan的名词复数 )；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
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54
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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55
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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56
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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57
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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58
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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59
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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60
festive
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| adj.欢宴的，节日的 | |
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61
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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62
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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63
craftily
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| 狡猾地，狡诈地 | |
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jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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66
swirl
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| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
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67
swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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averred
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| v.断言( aver的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；证明…属实；作为事实提出 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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71
contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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pageant
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| n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧 | |
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fabled
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| adj.寓言中的，虚构的 | |
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76
coverts
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| n.隐蔽的，不公开的，秘密的( covert的名词复数 )；复羽 | |
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77
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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79
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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80
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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81
limned
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| v.画( limn的过去式和过去分词 )；勾画；描写；描述 | |
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82
pigments
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| n.（粉状）颜料( pigment的名词复数 )；天然色素 | |
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83
hardily
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| 耐劳地，大胆地，蛮勇地 | |
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84
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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85
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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86
emboldened
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| v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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87
rigors
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| 严格( rigor的名词复数 )； 严酷； 严密； （由惊吓或中毒等导致的身体）僵直 | |
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tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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entity
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| n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物 | |
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91
deduction
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| n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎 | |
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92
subtlety
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| n.微妙，敏锐，精巧；微妙之处，细微的区别 | |
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93
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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94
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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95
encompassed
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| v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 )；包围；包含；包括 | |
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96
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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hibernation
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| n.冬眠 | |
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100
pate
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| n.头顶；光顶 | |
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101
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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102
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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103
petrify
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| vt.使发呆；使…变成化石 | |
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104
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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105
swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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107
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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108
seclusions
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| n.隔绝，隔离，隐居( seclusion的名词复数 ) | |
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109
ursine
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| adj.似熊的，熊的 | |
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sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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111
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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112
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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113
albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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114
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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115
sonorously
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| adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；堂皇地；朗朗地 | |
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116
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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117
murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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118
sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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119
enthralled
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| 迷住，吸引住( enthrall的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到非常愉快 | |
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120
veraciously
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| adv.诚实地 | |
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121
lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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122
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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123
recede
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| vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进 | |
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124
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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125
punctuated
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| v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物 | |
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126
raconteur
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| n.善讲故事者 | |
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127
tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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128
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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129
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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130
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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131
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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132
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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133
sere
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| adj.干枯的；n.演替系列 | |
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134
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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135
cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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136
softening
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| 变软，软化 | |
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137
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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138
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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139
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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140
congregated
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| （使）集合，聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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141
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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142
placidly
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| adv.平稳地，平静地 | |
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143
alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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144
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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145
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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146
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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147
averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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148
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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149
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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150
squint
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| v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
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151
dilatory
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| adj.迟缓的，不慌不忙的 | |
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152
repents
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的第三人称单数 ) | |
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153
appraiser
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| n.评价者，鉴定者，估价官 | |
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154
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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155
earrings
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| n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子 | |
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156
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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157
pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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158
feigning
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| 假装，伪装( feign的现在分词 )； 捏造（借口、理由等） | |
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159
vocations
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| n.（认为特别适合自己的）职业( vocation的名词复数 )；使命；神召；（认为某种工作或生活方式特别适合自己的）信心 | |
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160
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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161
incompetent
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| adj.无能力的，不能胜任的 | |
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162
solicitous
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| adj.热切的，挂念的 | |
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163
invoked
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| v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求 | |
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164
aggrieved
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| adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词) | |
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authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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166
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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167
illustrating
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的现在分词 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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168
beguiled
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| v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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169
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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170
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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171
mundane
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| adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的 | |
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172
jeopardy
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| n.危险；危难 | |
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173
discredit
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| vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑 | |
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174
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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175
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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176
fickle
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| adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的 | |
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177
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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178
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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179
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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180
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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181
scantily
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| adv.缺乏地；不充足地；吝啬地；狭窄地 | |
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182
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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183
implement
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| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
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184
unprecedented
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| adj.无前例的，新奇的 | |
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185
annulled
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| v.宣告无效( annul的过去式和过去分词 )；取消；使消失；抹去 | |
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186
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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187
rheumatism
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| n.风湿病 | |
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188
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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189
waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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190
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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191
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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192
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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193
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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194
slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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195
slant
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| v.倾斜，倾向性地编写或报道；n.斜面，倾向 | |
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196
faction
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| n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争 | |
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197
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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198
trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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199
erased
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| v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除 | |
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200
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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201
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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202
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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203
gamut
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| n.全音阶，(一领域的)全部知识 | |
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204
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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205
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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206
yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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207
bawl
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| v.大喊大叫，大声地喊，咆哮 | |
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208
vocally
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| adv. 用声音, 用口头, 藉著声音 | |
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209
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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210
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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211
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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212
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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213
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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214
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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215
suppled
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| 使柔软，使柔顺（supple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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216
encompassing
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| v.围绕( encompass的现在分词 )；包围；包含；包括 | |
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217
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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218
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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219
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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220
heralding
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| v.预示( herald的现在分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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221
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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222
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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223
vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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224
vibrations
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| n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动 | |
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225
cylinders
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| n.圆筒( cylinder的名词复数 )；圆柱；汽缸；（尤指用作容器的）圆筒状物 | |
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226
plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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227
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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228
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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229
jaunty
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| adj．愉快的，满足的；adv.心满意足地，洋洋得意地；n.心满意足；洋洋得意 | |
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230
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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231
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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232
gaudily
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| adv.俗丽地 | |
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233
rhythmic
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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234
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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235
impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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236
knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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237
maladroit
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| adj.笨拙的 | |
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238
scoops
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| n.小铲( scoop的名词复数 )；小勺；一勺[铲]之量；（抢先刊载、播出的）独家新闻v.抢先报道( scoop的第三人称单数 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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239
thong
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| n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带 | |
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240
thongs
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| 的东西 | |
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241
hoop
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| n.（篮球）篮圈，篮 | |
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242
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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243
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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244
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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245
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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246
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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247
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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248
credible
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| adj.可信任的，可靠的 | |
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249
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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250
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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251
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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252
elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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awing
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| adj.& adv.飞翔的[地]v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的现在分词 ) | |
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254
factions
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| 组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 ) | |
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momentum
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| n.动力，冲力，势头；动量 | |
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256
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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257
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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258
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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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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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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impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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deftest
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| adj.熟练的，灵巧的( deft的最高级 ) | |
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spurting
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| （液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的现在分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺； 溅射 | |
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266
agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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267
propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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268
stanch
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| v.止住（血等）；adj.坚固的；坚定的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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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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charred
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| v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦 | |
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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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277
gourd
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| n.葫芦 | |
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278
retracing
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| v.折回( retrace的现在分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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280
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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gnawed
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| 咬( gnaw的过去式和过去分词 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物 | |
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frowzy
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| adj.不整洁的；污秽的 | |
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283
jaded
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| adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的 | |
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wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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286
jeopardized
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| 危及，损害( jeopardize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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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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illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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290
embellish
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| v.装饰，布置；给…添加细节，润饰 | |
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291
dreariness
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| 沉寂，可怕，凄凉 | |
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292
specious
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| adj.似是而非的；adv.似是而非地 | |
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293
woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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295
upbraided
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| v.责备，申斥，谴责( upbraid的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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296
ingratitude
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| n.忘恩负义 | |
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297
disaffected
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| adj.（政治上）不满的，叛离的 | |
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298
secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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