But how to attract the notice of the Englishmen! If only I could manage to catch Frank's face! If only I could fling up my arms and sign to him to come! But he would not look! It was terrible! It was agonizing13!
Suddenly, an inspiration seized me unawares. The heliograph to the rescue! I might signal to him by the moonlight. One chance yet left! My mirror! My mirror!
I felt for it in my pocket with trembling fingers. One moment of hope. Then an abyss of despair. I had left it at home by the sofa at Kalaua's. That chance was fruitless.
To have made my way back for it would have been of little avail. I could not fail in that case to attract Kalaua's keen attention, as I hobbled painfully in the broad moonlight up the zig-zag path: and to attract attention under existing circumstances would probably mean all the sooner to hasten poor trembling Kea's impending14 fate. I must think of some other means of communicating with Frank. I must find some less obtrusive15 and dangerous way of calling the sailors and officers to our assistance.
How short a time still remained to us! I took out my watch and gazed at it hopelessly.
In another burst of inspiration, then, I saw my way clear. A mirror! A mirror! all ready to hand! I could signal still! I could call their attention!
My watch was a gold one—a naval16 chronometer17: the inside of the case was burnished18 and bright. I held it up straight in the bright beams of the moon, and as Frank's face turned for a moment in the direction where I stood, or rather crouched19 under cover of the pinnacle20, I flashed the light full in his eyes from the reflecting surface. Thank heaven! Thank heaven! he started and observed it. I signalled three rapid flashes for attention. Frank flashed me back, yes, from his own pocket mirror. My hands shook so that I could hardly hold the watch aright: but with tremulous fingers I managed somehow to spell out the words, "Come quick. Bring sailors. Steal cautiously round the dark corner. There's foul21 play on. Kalaua means to make Kea leap into the crater as a bride to Pélé's son at the moment of totality."
In a second, I saw that Frank and the officers had taken it all in in its full ghastliness, and that, if time enough remained, Kea might yet be saved from that awful death in the fiery22 abysses. Without one moment's delay their men seized the horses, and leaving one or two, officers alone to continue the observations, dashed wildly down the ravine, and into the gloom of the gully.
Then, for a few minutes more, I lost sight of them entirely23.
When they emerged again to view, on the Floor of the Strangers, they had left their horses, and, headed by Frank in his white jacket, were creeping cautiously, unperceived, under cover of the broken masses of lava24, round the sharp corner of the jutting25 platform. My heart bounded as I saw them approach. There was still some chance, then, of saving Kea!
Had she been my own sister I could not have felt the suspense26 more awful.
As we gazed below we saw, to our dismay, that the lake of fire was still tossing and rolling with wild wreathing billows, and that it had risen visibly several feet in the last few minutes.
While we still looked, the moon's face began slowly to darken. The eclipse had commenced. We had only a quarter of an hour yet to the period of totality.
In a few short words, I explained to Frank and the sailors he had brought with him the entire situation in all its gravity. I told them all I had seen and heard; and their own eyes confirmed my report: for there stood Kea full in view, round the corner of the pinnacle, beyond the open chasm27, in her white dress, with her hands clasped in inarticulate prayer, and her pale face turned up appealingly towards the cold moonlight. She had but a quarter of an hour left to live. Yet near as we were to her, it would have taken us more than fifty minutes to ride round the crater by the outer rim4 to the only practicable path on the other side of the chasm.
"What are we to do?" I cried, in my horror, though in a low voice, for it was necessary above all things not to arouse the Hawaiians' quick attention.
"We must cross the chasm somehow," the eldest28 officer of the party answered at once. "We can't let the poor girl be sacrificed before our very eyes."
"If we only had a rope, and could once get it fastened on the other side, we might sling29 ourselves across, hand over hand," Frank suggested eagerly.
"We have rope, lots of it, on my saddle over yonder," the officer answered. "But we can't get it fastened. If only the chasm were narrow enough to leap! But it's quite impossible. No athlete on earth could ever jump it."
"Stop!" Frank cried. "The bamboo! The bamboo!—I had a big bamboo down here the other day, stirring up lava in a liquid pool in the small craters30. There it is—over yonder. I think with that—"
He said no more, but creeping over for the bamboo, crawled noiselessly on with it to the edge of the chasm. We all followed him on our hands and knees, skulking31 behind the pinnacles32, and concealed33 from the Hawaiians by the rough lava-masses. I seemed to forget my half-mended leg in the excitement of the moment, and to crawl along as easily and as quickly as any of them. On the very edge of the deep fissure34, now boiling below with liquid fire, Frank laid across the bamboo from cliff to cliff, so that it hung, a frail35 bridge, across that yawning abyss of sulphurous vapour. With great difficulty, he thrust it home on the far side into a honey-combed mass of crumbling37 scoriae lava. "Now stand, you fellows, on the end," he said, "to give it weight and keep me from slipping. I'm the lightest of the lot: it'll bear me, I suppose, if it'll bear anybody. I'm going to cross it, hand over hand, and take a rope with me for you others to come over by. If it breaks, I shall fall into the lava below. No matter: it's jolly white hot down there now; it'd frizzle me up, if it came to the worst, before I could feel it."
The sailors brought all their weight to bear upon the loose end. I knelt by myself, breathless with suspense, to see the result of this mad experiment. The bamboo was frail and supple38 indeed: if it broke, as Frank said, all would be up with him. But Frank was too brave to heed11 much for that. He tied the rope round his waist in a running noose39, caught hold of the bamboo with both his hands, and swinging himself off the edge with a quiet and gentle swaying motion, so as to lessen40 as far as possible the strain of that slender bridge, hung one moment like a gymnast, from a trapeze, suspended between the sky and the gulf41 of liquid lava.
It was a terrible moment. All eager with excitement, we leaned over the abyss, and watched him rapidly but quietly passing hand over hand across that frightful42 chasm. As he reached the middle, the bamboo for one indivisible second of time bent43 ominously44 down under his light weight. Would it yield? Would it crack? If so, the next instant we should see him falling, a lost life, into that hideous45 strait of liquid fire. For half a throb46 of the heart, our agony of doubt and suspense was unspeakable. Next instant, he had passed in safety the central point; the weight was easier; the faithful bamboo curved slowly up again.
We breathed more freely. He had reached the far end; he was grasping the cliff, the further cliff, in eager confidence, with that brave young hand of his. The lava was loose; all bubbly with holes like a piece of rotten pumice-stone. "Frank, Frank," I cried in a low voice, but beside myself with terror, "take care how you trust it. The stuff's all dry. It never can bear you. Don't try to grasp it!"
"THE BAMBOO BENT OMINOUSLY DOWN."
"All right," Frank answered low, as he struggled on. "There's no foothold anywhere near the edge. I must go in for a somersault. Thank goodness that gymnasium work I used to hate so has done something for me unexpectedly at last."
As he spoke47, he vaulted48 with a light leap on his hands up the edge of the precipice50. The next thing we knew, he was standing51, safe and sound, with the rope round his waist, a living soul, on the further brink52 beyond the chasm.
A sigh of relief burst simultaneously53 from all our lips. "Now, quick!" the officer cried. "Not a moment to be lost! Swing yourselves over, men, and make haste about it!"
Frank held the end of rope in both hands firmly, twisting it for greater security twice round his body: and the slenderest of the sailors, trusting himself the first to this safer bridge, crossed over the chasm with the ease and rapidity due to long practice on the masts and rigging. As soon as he had landed unhurt on the far side, he helped Frank to hold the end of the rope; and one by one his five companions and the officer last of all made good their passage in the self-same manner. I alone was left to keep up touch and facilitate their return to the hither side; for we felt we must probably fight for Kea. Our plan was to seize her by main force, before the natives were aware, retire with her to our horses, and ride down at all speed to the Hornet at Hilo.
"Now, look sharp: make a dash for it!" the officer said, in a muffled54 voice. "Out into the open, and seize the girl at once! Never mind the men. Carry her off in your arms before they know what's happening, and back here again to the rope immediately."
I stood and watched on the further bank of that fiery strait. The moon's light meanwhile had been growing each instant dimmer and dimmer. The greater part of the orb55 was already obscured. The moment of totality was rapidly approaching. Kea, warned by a word from her uncle, stood up in her bridal dress and faced the awful flood of surging lava. Kalaua, by her side, began once more to drone out in long notes his monotonous56 chant. He flung a handful of taro57, with a solemn incantation, into the mouth of the volcano. "See, Pélé," he cried, "we bring thee thy daughter-in-law. See, Maloka, we bring thee thy chosen bride. At the stroke of midnight, at the appointed hour, thou hast put out the lamp in heaven, the moon. This is thy signal: we mortals obey it. O humpbacked favourite of Pélé the long-haired, the bride will go into the bridegroom's chamber59.—Maloka, hold up thy hands for thy handmaid! leap, Kea, leap, into the arms of your husband!"
I looked and trembled. Kea stepped forward with marvellous courage. Through the dim light of the ruddy volcanic fires I could see her draw back her white veil from her face, and make as though she would meet some lovers embraces. Then the last corner of the moon disappeared all at once in darkness from my sight, and for half a moment, at that critical point, I saw and heard nothing with distinctness or certainty.
Next instant, as if by magic, a weird60 red glare illumined the scene. Great arms of fire lunged forth61 spasmodically from the open crater. Maloka had leaped forward with his scorching62 hands, to claim his bride in fiery wedlock63. The eruption64 had at last begun in real earnest. Huge volumes of flame darted65 up with commingled66 black smoke towards the vault49 of heaven. A lurid67 light hung upon the massive clouds overhead. Stones and ashes and cinders68 fell wildly around us. The crater had broken loose in its fiercest might. The rivers of liquid fire were welling up all round and bursting their bounds with majestic69 grandeur70.
And in the midst of all, by the uncertain light of that deep red glare, I could just see Frank and the friendly sailors bearing off Kea in her bridal robe, half fainting, half unwilling71, before the very eyes of the astonished and amazed Hawaiians. Our party had rushed upon them from behind, unawares, at the very first instant of total eclipse, and seized her in their arms, in the act to jump, from the circling ring of baffled natives.
Thank heaven, then, they had been in time; in time to save her from the cruel volcano and the crueller superstition72 of her heathen ancestors.
"Back, now, back, to the chasm and your horses!" the officer cried in a tune73 of command, at the top of his voice, as Kalaua and the natives, recovering after a moment from their first shock of surprise, and gathering74 together into an angry knot, began to show signs of attempting an organized resistance. "Carry off the girl between you, there, at the top of your speed. No time to lose! The lava's rising." He pointed58 his revolver. "And if one of you heathen brown fellows come a single step nearer," he added with a menace, "I'll put a bullet through his ugly black head, as soon as look at him."
Kalaua leaped forward with a wild and almost inarticulate cry of rage and disappointment. "Seize them, friends," he shrieked75 aloud in his hoarse77 Hawaiian. "Kill them! Tear them to pieces! How dare they interfere78 with the bridals of Maloka?" Bat even as he spoke, a river of lava burst suddenly forth from the mouth of the seething79 crater, and spread a broad stream of liquid fire between the infuriated natives and the little band of Kea's gallant80 protectors.
"Run, run," Kalaua cried. "Down the other road! By the black rocks! Intercept81 them at the gulley. Kill them! kill them! They're Pélé's enemies! However you do it, kill them, kill them!"
The officer, unheeding their savage9 threats, stalked on to the chasm, and pointed firmly but quietly to the rope that still spanned it. Kea, dazed and frightened, yet graceful82 and light of limb as ever, clasping it hard in her small fair hands, swung herself across to my side with native ease, while the sailors held the ends of the cable on the bank opposite. Then one by one the others followed swiftly in turn, with admirable discipline, in spite of the shower of ashes, till only Frank was left by himself beyond the deep abyss of boiling lava.
"How will he ever get over?" I cried, looking across at him in alarm and terror.
"Oh, don't be afraid, old fellow!" Frank shouted back cheerily. "Leave that to me! I'm as right as ninepence. Thank goodness, I can hang from a rope like a monkey!" And with a hasty movement, he began to roll the end of the cable tight around his waist and to tie it firmly in a slip-knot to his sturdy shoulders.
How he could ever drop himself down so steep an abyss with flame below, I had no notion. On the other hand, I knew he dared not trust the bamboo again. It had bent already too severely83 with his weight, almost indeed to the point of breaking; and half charred84 as it now was with the constant heat ascending85 for ever from that subterranean86 furnace, it would no doubt have snapped short in the middle by this time, if he had been foolish enough to attempt crossing by its aid a second time over the few yards of chasm that intervened to divide us.
Frank however had a device of his own. Planting his feet hard against the edge of the precipice, he swung himself off like a monkey, with the rope grasped hard in his two hands; and even as he fell, kicking off from the side, he gripped it quickly hand over hand, till he brought himself up with wonderful agility87 level with the opposite side where we were all standing. Half a dozen stout88 arms were extended at once to pull him safe to solid land; and in another moment we all stood secure, with Kea in our midst, a recovered party, on the brink of the crater, undeterred by anything more serious in its way than an ordinary everyday volcanic outburst.
"Off to the horses!" the officer cried aloud; and before I knew what was happening, two of the sailors had seized me in their arms, and were hurrying me away at a break-neck pace up the steep zig-zag to the level of the summit.
In the ravine, we came, sure enough, upon the horses, tethered and guarded by a couple of sailors. "Mount," the officer cried with military promptitude: and the men mounted, not exactly, I must confess, with the ease or grace of cavalry89 orderlies. I mounted myself, too, with what skill I could command, taking into consideration that broken leg of mine; and giving the trusty little ponies90 their heads, we rode at full speed in breathless haste, but in long Indian file down the narrow bridle91 path to the base of the mountain.
I knew well the gully where the two roads joined, and where Kalaua had threatened to meet us in hostile array with his proscribed band of heathen followers92. It was an ugly spot, with great overhanging rocks to defend the pass, and if they got there first, I knew we should have to fight them for possession of Kea. All depended now upon the swiftness and sureness of foot of our ponies. To be sure, we were mounted, while Kalaua and his party were all on foot; but then, most of us had been greatly delayed by the necessity for recrossing the chasm on the rope bridge in order to get at our path and our horses; and even apart from this unavoidable stoppage, very few ponies, at the best of times, can cover the ground faster than an unimpeded Hawaiian. Those fellows can run like a deer or greyhound. I trembled for the result if they held the rocks above the fort in full force. They could hurl93 down stones upon us from the heights with infinite ease, crush us like locusts94 as we passed beneath them: even fire-arms there would be useless against a party that held the pass in any numbers.
"WE RODE AT FULL SPEED IN BREATHLESS HASTE."
On, on, we rode, in fear and trembling. The volcano now was all in full blast. Ashes and pumice stone kept falling around us. Smoke and steam obscured our way. But the dangers of nature frightened us little in comparison; what we dreaded95 most was the desperate onslaught of the enraged96 Hawaiians.
As we drew near the fort however I breathed again more freely. Not a sign of Kalaua was anywhere to be seen. We rode along, cautiously, under the overhanging rocks. No Hawaiian showed his grim black head above or below us. Then Kea, with a shriek76, guessed in a moment exactly what had happened. "The lava has overwhelmed them!" she cried, clasping her hands together in girlish trepidation97. "They are dead! They are dead! My uncle! My people! Pélé will not be robbed of her victim at any rate. The lava has burst forth in one great flood and swallowed them."
And indeed, when we reached a turn in the bridle path, and looked up the ravine down whose rugged98 centre the other road descended99 tortuously100, a terrible sight met our astonished eyes. The summit of the mountain was now one red and lurid mass of living fire. Through the gully along whose course Kalaua and his followers had plunged101 in the first darkness of the total eclipse to cut off our retreat, a vast river of red-hot lava was pouring onward102 resistlessly in huge fiery cataracts103. We could see the fierce stream descending104 apace over ledges105 of rock like a flood of molten metal poured forth from the smelting-bowl; we could see it engulfing106 trees and shrubs107 and stumps108 and boulders109 in its plastic mass; we could see it overwhelming the whole green ravine with one desolating110 inundation111 of fire and ashes. "Quick, quick," I cried; "ride, ride for your lives. You may think volcanoes are nothing much to be frightened of; but, I tell you, a volcano in such a temper as that is not by any means a thing to be trifled with. She's mad with rage. The stream's coming down the valley straight for the fork; take at once to the ridge36, and ride on for your lives. Ride, ride across country, anyhow, to the Hornet at Hilo!"
"And me!" Kea cried, looking back at me appealingly, for she headed our little hasty procession. "What's to become of me? Of me, who have brought it all by my sin upon you! Of me, for whose sake Pélé is so angry! Of me, who roused her wrath112 by stealing away her victim! Leave me here to die! Kalaua is dead! My people are swallowed! I meant myself to die in their place, but you wouldn't let me! Leave me here to perish! If you don't leave me, Pélé in her anger will pursue you on your way to the sea itself, to the foot of the mountain!"
"Ride on!" I answered. "Ride on to Hilo. Is this a time to make plans for the future? We'll discuss all that, Kea, on the deck of the Hornet."
That evening, on board the British gunboat, lighted up by the terrific glare overhead, we had time to reflect what it all meant, and to feel ourselves free to think and speak again.
"What will you do now, Kea?" I asked the poor girl, as she sat there, trembling, in a small cabin chair, while the red flames still illumined for miles and miles the summit and flanks of Mauna Loa. "Do you wish to stop here in your own island?"
Kea looked up at me with a half terrified glance. "I wish," she said in a low voice, "to be as far away from Pélé and Maloka as possible..... Kalaua is dead. Pélé has devoured113 him..... I will leave my husband on my wedding night. I will go home to my father's people."
"That is best so," I answered quietly. "Hawaii is no place for such as you. I don't think Maloka will ever miss you. We will go on the Hornet away to Honolulu. There you can take passage with Frank and me on the next steamer for San Francisco, on your way home to dear, peaceful England."
"Why," Frank exclaimed, with a look of immense surprise, "you don't mean to say, Tom, you're going to turn your back upon a volcano—and in actual eruption, too, into the bargain!"
"Bother volcanoes!" I answered testily114. "One may have too much of a good thing. I don't care if I never set eyes on another eruption as long as I live. So that's flat for you."
"Nonsense!" Frank promptly115 replied with spirit, refusing to desert an old friend in a moment of vexation. "That's all very well now, when you're annoyed with Pélé for misbehaving herself; but I'll bet you sixpence, in spite of that, you'll be off again before twelve months are over, exploring some other jolly crater in Sumatra or Teneriffe, or the Antarctic regions."
And sure enough, as I put the last finishing touches to these lines for press, the post brings me in a letter in an official envelope, "On Her Majesty's Service," informing me that the Lords Commissioners116 of the Admiralty have been graciously pleased to accept my suggested appointment for three years on a scientific mission to investigate the volcanic phenomena117 of Cotopaxi and other craters in the chain of the Andes. By the same post, I have also received a note from my sister, who is now stopping down at the Kentish rectory where Kea lives with her English relations, and who says, among sundry118 other pieces of domestic criticism, "What a dainty, charming, lovable girl your pretty little Hawaiian really is, Tom! So gentle and good-natured, and so sweetly pensive119! I can hardly believe, myself, there's anything of the cannibal Sandwich Islander in her! She's as fair as I am, and quite as European in all her ideas and thoughts and sentiments. When she doesn't talk nonsense about Pélé, in fact, I almost forget she isn't one of ourselves, she's so perfectly120 English. But the rector says he can't allow her to teach in the Sunday school till she's quite got over that heathenish rubbish. By the way, I shouldn't be surprised if she and her Cousin Hugh were some day to make a nice little match of it, if only Hugh can ever persuade her that it wouldn't be bigamy, and that she isn't already duly married to some ugly, mythical121, humpbacked creature of the name of Maloka."
The End
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1
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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effete
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| adj.无生产力的，虚弱的 | |
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proscribed
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| v.正式宣布（某事物）有危险或被禁止( proscribe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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obtrusive
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| adj.显眼的；冒失的 | |
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naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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chronometer
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| n.精密的计时器 | |
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burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pinnacle
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| n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰 | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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lava
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| n.熔岩，火山岩 | |
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jutting
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| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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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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craters
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| n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等 | |
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skulking
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 ) | |
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pinnacles
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| 顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 )； 顶点； 尖顶； 小尖塔 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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fissure
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| n.裂缝；裂伤 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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supple
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| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
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39
noose
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| n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑 | |
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40
lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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41
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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42
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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43
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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44
ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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45
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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46
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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47
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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48
vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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49
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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50
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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51
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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52
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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53
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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54
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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55
orb
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| n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形 | |
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56
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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57
taro
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| n.芋，芋头 | |
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58
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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59
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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60
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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61
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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62
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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63
wedlock
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| n.婚姻，已婚状态 | |
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64
eruption
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| n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作 | |
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65
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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66
commingled
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| v.混合，掺和，合并( commingle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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68
cinders
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| n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道 | |
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69
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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71
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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72
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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73
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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74
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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75
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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76
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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77
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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78
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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81
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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82
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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83
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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84
charred
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| v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦 | |
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85
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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86
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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87
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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89
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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90
ponies
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| 矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑 | |
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91
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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92
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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93
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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94
locusts
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| n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树 | |
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95
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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96
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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97
trepidation
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| n.惊恐，惶恐 | |
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98
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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99
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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100
tortuously
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101
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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102
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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103
cataracts
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| n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障 | |
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104
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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105
ledges
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| n.（墙壁，悬崖等）突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 )；（平窄的）壁架；横档；（尤指）窗台 | |
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106
engulfing
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| adj.吞噬的v.吞没，包住( engulf的现在分词 ) | |
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107
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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108
stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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109
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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110
desolating
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| 毁坏( desolate的现在分词 )； 极大地破坏； 使沮丧； 使痛苦 | |
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111
inundation
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| n.the act or fact of overflowing | |
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112
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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113
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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114
testily
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| adv. 易怒地, 暴躁地 | |
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115
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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116
commissioners
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| n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官 | |
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117
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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118
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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119
pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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120
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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121
mythical
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| adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的 | |
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