As if in answer to his startled question, a weird3 object drifted over the treetops and poised4 directly above them, about fifty feet up. An egg-shaped thing, six or seven feet in length, and seemingly made of white metal. It swayed there gently, without visible means of support, and they could make out a transparent5 disk on its side, back of which there was a human head with eyes that regarded them curiously6.
Mado raised his torpedo tube and took aim.
"Hold it!" Carr warned him. "This fellow's no savage7. Probably he's one of those who tried to break our fall. Friendly, perhaps."
Two more of the ovoids drifted in from the woods and joined the first one, all three settling a few feet lower and their occupants staring intently at the intruders.
"I'll get the psycho-ray apparatus," Detis said excitedly. "We may be able to get thought contact with them." He dived through the Nomad8's entrance-manhole as he spoke9.
"Nothing so frightening about these creatures," Ora murmured, her eyes reproaching Carr. "Why, they seem anxious to know that we are not enemies."
And, indeed, this seemed to be the case, for the strange ovoids wafted10 still lower, dropping until a faint humming of the internal gravity mechanism11 came to their ears. These were a highly developed people of scientific attainment12; civilized13 beings. But Mado kept firm hold of his torpedo tube, and Carr fingered the ray pistol at his belt.
The booming note from the hills came then, frightfully near this time, and the three ovoids moved with sudden roaring of their motors, literally16 hurling17 themselves skyward. But the menace they sought to escape was real, and not to be outdone in speed. A vast black something whirred out from beyond the treetops and flung itself upon them.
"A pterodactyl!" Mado gasped18. "One of the prehistoric19 monsters of Terra!"
"Carr, there are men riding it!" Ora exclaimed. "Red men!"
It was true; the pteranodon, a horrid21 bat-like thing with a wing-spread of fully15 twenty feet, carried three of the bronzed savages22 clinging to a sort of harness that encircled its body just back of the crested23 head. The huge flying reptile24 whistled raucously25 as it flew and one of the savages was whirling a sling26 which held a stone as large as his own head. They watched in amazement27 as the swift aerial steed flapped its way after the rising ovoids. And then the savage let loose an end of his thong28 and released its missile, which crashed full against the transparent disk of an ovoid and tore its way through.
The damaged ovoid careened violently and then fell end over end, crashing in the forest. With a bellow29 of fury, Mado fired with the kalbite tube at his hip30. There was the twang of the propelling ray, and the slender arrow-like torpedo sped forth31 on its message of death, singing spitefully as it cleaved32 the air of Titan.
It was a fair hit, catching33 the pteranodon just ahead of its trailing legs and exploding with the characteristic screaming roar of the deadly kalbite. The monstrous34 reptile and its crew of barbarians35 vanished in a blaze that lighted the clouds above them and brought a babble36 of excited shoutings from the depths of the forest on all sides. They were surrounded by the uncivilized ones of Titan! And those of the ovoids had run off at the first sign of danger.
The din20 from the forest was augmented37 by the whistlings of a second pteranodon which darted38 after the remaining ovoids, following swiftly as these retreated with ludicrous, wabbling haste.
Ora screamed and struck out at something with her fist. A naked arm had reached out from the underbrush and grasped her wrist. Carr wheeled and his ray pistol spat40 crackling flame. The savage, an undersized red man with an enormous head, rose unsteadily from his hiding place, a look of terrible hate in his contorted features. Then, like a punctured41 balloon, his body collapsed42 into the nothingness of complete disintegration43.
"Back, back to the Nomad!" Carr roared, dragging Ora with him and leveling his pistol at a group of the bronze brutes44 who rushed into the space where the vessel45 lay amongst the trees.
Mado was busy with his torpedo tube and a vast explosion shook the ground beneath them as a trio of the savages were blasted out of existence. A great tree toppled and crashed across the nose of the Nomad, its roots ripped from the soil by the concussion46.
Ora had whipped out her own pistol and was firing as they fell back. Game kid, she was! Carr gloated as he saw she was making each shot tell. But this couldn't last; there were hundreds of them now, long-armed and big-headed red devils swarming48 in from every direction. Carr dodged49 none too quickly to save his skull50 from a swift-flung stone, which clanged against the Nomad's hull51. There was a perfect hail of the missiles now: one struck his left arm a numbing52 blow, and he heard a sickening thud and Ora's moan as she was hit. And there were winged darts53, from blow-guns.
A dusky moon-face leered into his own, horribly close, and he yelled his rage as he drove it back with a swift uppercut. But the horde54 of savages came on in ever increasing numbers and with renewed vigor55.
"Quick—inside!" Carr hissed56 in Ora's ear as his fingers found the rim57 of the manhole. He'd have her safely within in a moment.
Detis clambered out with the thought machine in his arms, and a singing dart39 from one of the blow-guns pierced him through and through. A look of astonishment58 spread over his kindly59 features, and he fell forward, dying.
And then Carr looked up into a grinning face behind a huge club that was swinging downward. He threw up his arm to break the force of the blow, but the club fell too swiftly; the enormous weight of it crashed down on his skull, and he knew no more.
When he awakened60 it was to stare for a dazed moment into a pair of blue eyes that looked down upon him in a place of dim light and stuffy61 atmosphere. The eyes were only vaguely62 familiar in his befuddled63 memory. Beautiful eyes, though, and incredibly dear....
"Ora!" he exclaimed, in wondering remembrance, trying to sit up as he grasped her hand.
"Hush64!" she warned him, placing a finger-tip to his lips. "Be quiet now and perhaps they'll leave us alone for a while."
"They! Did they capture us?" he whispered. "Are you hurt?"
"We're prisoners, all right, excepting poor father. But they didn't harm me much, outside of the rough handling."
"The devils. What of Detis?" He was growing stronger by the minute and now saw that they were in an open-mouthed cave and that Mado was sitting hunched65 dejectedly in a corner, his massive shoulders drooping66 and his proud head bowed on his chest.
"Father—they killed him," Ora sighed almost inaudibly. "Have you forgotten? We saw the dart strike him and I—I saw it sticking from his chest. Oh, Carr!" A dry sob67 caught in her throat.
"Yes—yes. Lord!" Carr groaned68, sick at heart with the sudden recollection and full of compassion69 for the stricken girl.
He patted her hand with clumsy tenderness as she turned her head and gazed out through the cave mouth in silence that was fraught70 with intense pain. She would take it like that: with little to say but with much inward suffering.
And then he noticed a fourth occupant of the cavern71, a young lad of Titan. Like one of the savages in his small stature72 and in the large size of his head, he was much lighter73 in color and his body was encased in a snug74 one-piece garment of shimmering75 material of silky texture76. And there was a different light in his eyes, the light of intelligence and culture.
"Who is that?" Carr whispered.
Ora stared when she saw that the stranger was on his feet. "Oh," she exclaimed, "I'm glad he has recovered. He's one of the civilized ones; they captured him with his ovoid when the second pteranodon went out after them."
Mado was standing77 now, endeavoring to communicate with the lad by means of signs and the drawing of crude pictures in the red sand of the cavern floor. The graceful78 little fellow watched him with understanding and with a smile of amused tolerance79. Then he halted the big Martian with an imperious motion, addressing him in velvety80 voice.
"Nazu," he said simply, placing a forefinger81 on his breast and bowing before the astonished Mado.
"Imps82 of the canals!" the Martian exclaimed, grinning delightedly as he cast a swift look at Carr and Ora. "He's telling me his name." "Mine's Mado," he said, turning his eyes to the keen gray ones that smiled up at him. "Mado," he repeated, placing a huge fist against his own chest and bending his body in awkward imitation of the lad's courtly gesture.
They made no attempt to converse83 in tongues that would convey no meaning, but there was no mistaking the quick friendship that sprang up between the incongruous pair. Mado was the boy's slave from that moment, and Nazu looked up to the Martian with all of youth's admiration84 for his vast bulk and rippling85 muscles.
Suddenly they were without light and Carr saw that a curtain of woven rushes had been dropped over the mouth of the cave. There were soft padding footsteps on every side and he drew back against the rock wall with Ora clasped in his arms. A sinewy86 hand grasped his wrist and twisted his right arm free. He lashed87 out in the darkness and was rewarded by a grunt88 of pain as his fist contacted with an unseen face. Nazu's voice rose in anguish89, and Mado's wrathful bellow was followed by a frightful14 commotion90 as he tore into his assailants.
They were everywhere in the blackness, these slippery little savages of Titan, their half naked bodies crowding him and stifling91 him with their sweaty nearness. Again and again Carr struck out, but it was like fighting a horde of squirming and clawing feline92 creatures that swarmed93 over him and bore him down by sheer weight of numbers. They dragged Ora from his arms and quickly overpowered him. Thongs94 of rawhide95 twisted deeply into the flesh of his wrists and he was hauled forth into the daylight.
Securely tied, hand and foot, Carr was propped96 sitting with his back to a huge boulder97. He saw they had been carried to the place they had viewed in the disk of the rulden. A dozen paces away, Ora and Mado sat similarly bound. The Martian had been gagged as well and Carr was forced to smile despite the seriousness of the situation. His mad bellowings must have proved as painful to the ears of the red dwarfs99 as had his fists to their bodies.
Nazu, unbound and walking proudly erect100, was being marched to the edge of a smoking fissure101 by two of the savages. No others of the red men were in sight.
Carr shuddered102. It was the place of sacrifice they had seen in the rulden, and the natives were in hiding as before. Nazu would be first to go; then Ora, most likely. He strained desperately103 at his bonds when he realized the awful significance of their position. It was incredible that Ora was here and in the hands of these unspeakable monsters. Why, she'd be thrown into the incandescent104 folds of the flapping fire-god, along with the rest of them! He groaned in an agony of self-recrimination; he should not have allowed her to come on this mad voyage.
Then came that roaring column of flame from out the crater105, and the weird fluttering thing whose intense heat radiated across the intervening space like the breath of a blast furnace. The rumble106 of drums commenced, and thousands of the red men dashed over the rocky area to worship at the shrine107 of their pitiless god.
As their monotonous108 chant rose high, Nazu was rushed to the edge of the pit. The ghastly, shimmering heat-ghost drifted hungrily to await the flinging of the slight form into its consuming embrace. Carr was glad to see that Ora had turned her head.
And then there came a sucking noise from the depths of the crater, and the pillar of blue flame vanished abruptly109, the incandescent ghost-shape flapping disconsolately110 in its wake. The chant of the savages trailed off into a chorus of disgruntled murmurings and the booming of the drums died down in disappointment. The worshippers had been cheated of their sadistic111 pleasure. There was something wrong with the timing112 of the rite113; their mysterious fire-god had granted the captives a reprieve114.
But the prisoners were not deceived by the solicitous115 treatment accorded them by their captors when they were returned to the cave and their bonds were severed116. For well they knew that at the next appearance of the phenomenon of the pit they would be dragged off to the sacrifice. Sooner or later all of them were to meet the fate of those given into the embrace of the heat-demon.
A guard of fifty or more of the savages, armed with blow-guns and stone hatchets117, paraded continuously before the mouth of the cave as one of their number returned with a huge woven container of fruits and nuts of strange form and color. This was set before them and the bearer withdrew.
"Humph!" Mado grunted118. "Seems like they want to fatten119 us up for this heated sheet of theirs. Like hogs120 fattened121 for the market."
But he reached for the striped yellow melon atop the heap, and, at a bright nod of approval from Nazu, bit into its smooth skin.
Carr's stomach rebelled when he looked at the food. He could not bear the sight of the stuff, sitting there in the damp cavern with Ora's blue eyes regarding him in the dim light. Those wide eyes held a gleam of hope and trust that would not be discouraged.
He gazed out through the cave mouth and calculated their chances. There were none. Not against that horde of barbarians; there were too many of the devils to fight with their bare hands. If only they had their ray pistols, or a torpedo projector. At least they could sell their lives dearly. His eyes narrowed speculatively122 when they came to rest on a peculiar123 egg-shaped object that stood out there in the open. It was Nazu's ovoid. Here was an idea!
But he saw that its entrance door was open and that the space inside was too small for any of them excepting one of the small stature of the Titanese. It was crammed124 with machinery125. Nazu was the only one of their number who could squeeze into the thing; in fact he alone knew how to operate the queer flying machine. There must be others of his kind, plenty of them; another country, or a city full of them at least. Perhaps he might obtain aid if only he could be made to understand, and if they could get him out there safely somehow.
"Mado," he called, pointing, "do you suppose we could dope out a way of getting Nazu aboard his sky vehicle to go for help?"
The Martian stared, his mouth stuffed with food and his jaws126 in full action. He strained suddenly to swallow the huge mouthful so he could make reply.
"Not a chance," he grunted. "Why, there's a million of them out there. You won't catch them napping."
But he turned his attention from the basket of fruit and made a desperate effort to convey the idea to Nazu, whose bright eyes took in his every significant motion and whose sensitive fingers traced images in the sand that conveyed his own thoughts to the mind of the Martian in rapid succession.
"He's got it!" Mado gloated. "The game little cuss would go in a minute if we could get him to the ovoid. He's got a picture of a big island here, so help me! An island covered with circular dwellings127, made of metal like the ovoids, he indicates. Look here."
Carr and Ora moved over to watch the swift sketching128 of the Titanese lad. By means of pantomime and his carefully drawn129 pictures, he told them of his people, making it clear that they were forced to live in insulated dwellings and travel only in the ovoids, which likewise were insulated against the devastating130 vibrations131 that emanated132 from Saturn's rings. He sketched133 those rings, illustrating134 the vibrations and tapping his own forehead in explanation of the effect on the brain; pointing to the savages to indicate the ultimate fate of his kind. The protective insulation135, it appeared, was not permanent; sooner or later, all of them would become barbarians like the others.
The savages out there were their fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers, gone mad; their skins darkened by continued action of the vibrations after they fled their insulated homes. His pictures of the family life were meticulously136 drawn. His people never warred upon these savage kin47 of theirs—naturally—though the reverse was not always true. However, Nazu pointed137 to the ovoid and showed his willingness to help the strangers. But he shook his head sadly as he counted the barbarians on his fingers, multiplying the number endlessly by clapping his hands. There were too many of them; the thing was impossible.
"Good Lord!" Carr exclaimed. "He's a marvel138 at communicating his thoughts without words. But I'd think his people would beat it for the hills without waiting. Might as well have it over with."
"But, they're still working on the problem," Ora objected. "With their wisdom, they'll finally get the thing under control. And they probably hope to discover a way of restoring their maddened relatives."
She was doing something with the red sand; wetting her fingers in a trickle139 of water that oozed140 from the wall and making a red paste which she smeared141 on her white forearm and then rubbed off.
"I guess you're right," Carr admitted. Then, watching her strange performance, he asked, "What are you doing?"
She looked up with sparkling eyes and stretched forth her arm. "It stains, Carr, see!" she exclaimed excitedly. "We can fix up Nazu to resemble one of the savages. It is the exact color of their skin."
"Mado!" he called, sensing at once the possibilities of her discovery. They could make up Nazu to perfection. Mingling142 with the barbarians unsuspected, he might get possession of the ovoid.
The Titanese lad fell in with the idea at once and the two men started work on him with water and the powdery stuff they had taken for red sand. They stripped him of his silken garment and smeared him from head to foot, Carr taking especial care to see that his upper body and face were thoroughly143 covered. Then, after using his own clothing to swab off the coating, they stepped back to view the result. He was exactly like one of the red men in color now, and he stood there twisting his face in a wicked grin to heighten the similarity.
"The little devil!" Mado chuckled144. "He gets the idea perfectly145. We'll have to muss his hair now and fix him up with a kirtle like theirs."
Removing his suede146 jacket and turning it inside out, he draped it about the slim hips147 of Nazu, then slapped his chest approvingly. "There you are, lad," he told the grinning youngster. "A tough-looking kid we've made of you, too."
The words were lost on the young Titanese, but his bright eyes showed that he fully comprehended the humor as well as the gravity of the situation. The improvised148 covering would pass without question as one of the untanned hides the barbarians wore dangling149 from their waists. The disguise was faultless.
Ora had been watching at the mouth of the cave. Now she called out in low-voiced warning, "Hurry! One of them is coming."
Carr moved forward swiftly to face the opening, while Mado stood with his great bulk hiding the now unrecognizable Nazu. The savage entered, proceeding150 directly to where Carr was standing. He bent151 over the fruit basket and then the Earth-man was upon him.
The wiry red man struggled furiously, but Carr had a grip on his windpipe that stopped his attempts to cry out and quickly reduced him to a state of flabby subjection. Then he bound and gagged his captive, tearing strips of linen152 from his own shirt to provide the necessary material. In a moment they had bundled the trussed-up dwarf98 into a dark corner of the cavern, and Nazu stepped forth blithely153 to lift the basket to his shoulder.
Everything seemed to happen at once after that. Nazu stalked boldly out among the savages, who paid him no attention whatsoever154. He passed out of their field of vision for a moment, and then they saw him at the circular door of the ovoid. In a flash he was inside and the thing soared speedily into the air and out of sight. The red men broke forth in a babel of excited jabbering155 and then they were crowding into the cave, hundreds of them it seemed, shrieking156 their rage as they attacked the hapless prisoners.
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1
torpedo
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| n.水雷，地雷；v.用鱼雷破坏 | |
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projector
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| n.投影机，放映机，幻灯机 | |
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3
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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poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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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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nomad
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| n.游牧部落的人，流浪者，游牧民 | |
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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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10
wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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attainment
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| n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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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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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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18
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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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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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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raucously
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| adv.粗声地；沙哑地 | |
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sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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thong
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| n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带 | |
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bellow
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| v.吼叫，怒吼；大声发出，大声喝道 | |
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hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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cleaved
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| v.劈开，剁开，割开( cleave的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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babble
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| v.含糊不清地说，胡言乱语地说，儿语 | |
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Augmented
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| adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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40
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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punctured
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| v.在（某物）上穿孔( puncture的过去式和过去分词 )；刺穿（某物）；削弱（某人的傲气、信心等）；泄某人的气 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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disintegration
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| n.分散，解体 | |
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brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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45
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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46
concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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47
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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48
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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49
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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50
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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51
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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52
numbing
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| adj.使麻木的，使失去感觉的v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的现在分词 ) | |
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53
darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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54
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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55
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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56
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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57
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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58
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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59
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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60
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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61
stuffy
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| adj.不透气的，闷热的 | |
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62
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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63
befuddled
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| adj.迷糊的，糊涂的v.使烂醉( befuddle的过去式和过去分词 )；使迷惑不解 | |
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64
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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65
hunched
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| （常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的 | |
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66
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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67
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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68
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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69
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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70
fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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71
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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72
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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73
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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74
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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75
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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76
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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77
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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78
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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79
tolerance
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| n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差 | |
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80
velvety
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| adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的 | |
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81
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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82
imps
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| n.（故事中的）小恶魔( imp的名词复数 )；小魔鬼；小淘气；顽童 | |
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83
converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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84
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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85
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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86
sinewy
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| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
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87
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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88
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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89
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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90
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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91
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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92
feline
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| adj.猫科的 | |
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93
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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94
thongs
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| 的东西 | |
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95
rawhide
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| n.生牛皮 | |
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96
propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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98
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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99
dwarfs
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| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
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100
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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101
fissure
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| n.裂缝；裂伤 | |
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102
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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103
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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104
incandescent
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| adj.遇热发光的， 白炽的，感情强烈的 | |
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105
crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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106
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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107
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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108
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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109
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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110
disconsolately
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| adv.悲伤地，愁闷地；哭丧着脸 | |
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111
sadistic
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| adj.虐待狂的 | |
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112
timing
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| n.时间安排，时间选择 | |
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113
rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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114
reprieve
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| n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解 | |
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115
solicitous
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| adj.热切的，挂念的 | |
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116
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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117
hatchets
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| n.短柄小斧( hatchet的名词复数 )；恶毒攻击；诽谤；休战 | |
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118
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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119
fatten
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| v.使肥，变肥 | |
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120
hogs
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| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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121
fattened
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| v.喂肥( fatten的过去式和过去分词 )；养肥（牲畜）；使（钱）增多；使（公司）升值 | |
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122
speculatively
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| adv.思考地，思索地；投机地 | |
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123
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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124
crammed
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| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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125
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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126
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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127
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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128
sketching
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| n.草图 | |
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129
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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130
devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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131
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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132
emanated
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| v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的过去式和过去分词 )；产生，表现，显示 | |
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133
sketched
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| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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134
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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135
insulation
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| n.隔离；绝缘；隔热 | |
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136
meticulously
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| adv.过细地，异常细致地；无微不至；精心 | |
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137
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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138
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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139
trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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140
oozed
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的过去式和过去分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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141
smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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142
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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143
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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144
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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145
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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146
suede
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| n.表面粗糙的软皮革 | |
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147
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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148
improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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149
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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150
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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151
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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152
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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153
blithely
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| adv.欢乐地，快活地，无挂虑地 | |
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154
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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155
jabbering
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| v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴 | |
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156
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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