CHAPTER XXXVIII

When John Brown cunningly surveyed the lines around those houses inKansas, observed the fastenings of their doors, marked the strength ofthe shutters¹, learned the names of their dogs, crept under the coverof darkness on his prey² as a wild beast creeps through the jungle andhacked his innocent victims to pieces, we know that he was a criminalparanoiac pursuing a fixed³ idea under the delusion⁴ that God had senthim.
Yet on the eighteenth of July, 1861, Colonel Fletcher Webster'sregiment, the Twelfth Massachusetts, marched through the streets ofBoston singing a song of glory to John Brown which one of its memberscomposed. They were also marching Southward to kill. The only differencewas they had a Commission.
War had been declared.
Why did the war crowd on the streets and in the ranks burst into song asthey marched to kill their fellow men?
To find the answer we must go back to the dawn of human history and seeman, as yet a savage⁵ beast, with but one impulse the dominant⁶ force inlife, the archaic⁷ impulse to slay⁸.
All wars are not begun in this elemental fashion. There are wars ofdefense forced on innocent nations by brutal⁹ aggressors. But the joythat thrills the soul of the crowd on the declaration of war is alwaysthe simple thing. It is the roar of the lion as he springs on his prey.
In this Song to the Soul of John Brown there was no thought of freeinga slave. War was not declared on that ground. The President who calledthem had no such purpose. The men who marched had no such idea. Theysang "Glory, Glory Hallelujah! Glory, Glory Hallelujah!" because theysaw Red.
The restraints of Law, Religion and Tradition had been lifted. Theprimitive beast that had been held in check by civilization, rose witha shout and leaped to its ancient task. The homicidal wish--fancywith which the human mind had toyed in times of peace in dreams andreveries--was now a living reality.
Not one in a thousand knew what the war was about. And this one in athousand who thought he knew was mistaken. It had been made legal tokill. They were marching to kill. They shouted. They sang.
They were marching to the most utterly¹⁰ senseless and unnecessarystruggle in the history of our race. The North in the hours of sanitywhich preceded the outburst did not wish war. The South in her sanemoments never believed it possible. Yet the hell-lit tragedy of brothersmarching to slay their brothers had come. Nothing could dampen theenthusiasm of this first joyous¹¹ mob.
On the night of the twentieth of July the Army of the North was encampedabout seven miles from Beaureguard's lines at Bull Run. The volunteerswere singing, shouting, girding their loins for the fray¹². They had heardthe firing on the first skirmish line. Fifteen or twenty men had beenkilled it was reported.
The Red Thought leaped!
At two o'clock before day on Sunday morning, the order came to advanceagainst the foe¹³. The deep thrill of the elemental man swept the crowd.
They had come loaded down with baggage. They hurled¹⁴ it aside and gottheir guns.
What many of them were afraid of was that the whole rebel army wouldescape before they could get into the thick of it. Many had broughthandcuffs and ropes along with which to manacle their prisoners and havesport with them after the fight, another ancient pastime of our half-apeancestors. They threw down some of their blankets but held on to theirhandcuffs.
When the first crash of battle came these raw recruits on both sidesfought with desperate bravery for nine terrible hours. They fought fromdawn until three o'clock in the afternoon under the broiling¹⁵ Southernsun of July. Charge and counter charge left their toll¹⁶ of the dead andthen the tired archaic muscles began to wonder when it would end. Whyhadn't victory come? Where were the prisoners they were to manacle?
Both sides were sick with hunger and weariness. The Southerners wereexpecting reinforcements from Manassas Junction¹⁷. The Northerners wereexpecting reinforcements. Their eyes were turned toward the same roadwhich led from the Shenandoah Valley.
A dust cloud suddenly rose over the hill. A fresh army was marching onthe scene. North and South looked with straining eyes. They were notlong in doubt. The first troops suddenly swung in on the right flank ofthe Southern army and began to form their lines to charge the North.
Suddenly from this fresh Southern line rose a new cry. From two thousandthroats came the shrill¹⁸, elemental, savage shout of the hunter in sightof his game--the fierce Rebel Yell.
They charged the Northern lines and then pandemonium--blind, unreasoningwolf-panic seized the army that had marched with songs and shouts tokill. They broke and fled. They cut the traces of their horses, left theguns, mounted and rode for life.
The mob engulfed¹⁹ the buggies and carriages of Congressmen and picnickerswho had come out from Washington to see the fun. A rebellion crushed ata blow!
Stuart at the head of his Black Horse Cavalry²⁰, his saber flashing, cuthis way through this mob again and again.
When the smoke of battle lifted, the dazed, ill-organized ambulancecorps searched the field for the first toll of the Blood Feud²¹. Theyfound only nine hundred boys slain²² and two thousand six hundred wounded.
They lay weltering in their blood in the smothering²³ heat and dust anddirt.
The details of men were busy burying the dead, some of their bodies yetwarm.
The morning after dawned black and lowering and the rain began to pourin torrents²⁴. Through the streets of Washington the stragglers streamed.
The plumes²⁵ which waved as they sang were soaked and drooping²⁶. Theirgorgeous, new uniforms were wrinkled and mud-smeared.
The President called for five hundred thousand men this time. The joyand glory of war had gone.
But war remained.
War grim, gaunt, stark²⁷, hideous--as remorseless as death.

1 shutters   

百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门

参考例句：

• The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
• The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。

2 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

3 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

4 delusion   

n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑

参考例句：

• He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症，认为自己是拿破仑。
• I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。

5 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

6 dominant   

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

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

7 archaic   

adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的，已不通用的

参考例句：

• The company does some things in archaic ways,such as not using computers for bookkeeping.这个公司有些做法陈旧，如记账不使用电脑。
• Shaanxi is one of the Chinese archaic civilized origins which has a long history.陕西省是中国古代文明发祥之一，有悠久的历史。

8 slay   

v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮

参考例句：

• He intended to slay his father's murderer.他意图杀死杀父仇人。
• She has ordered me to slay you.她命令我把你杀了。

9 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

10 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

11 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

12 fray   

v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗

参考例句：

• Why should you get involved in their fray?你为什么要介入他们的争吵呢？
• Tempers began to fray in the hot weather.大热天脾气烦燥。

13 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

14 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 broiling   

adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙）

参考例句：

• They lay broiling in the sun. 他们躺在太阳底下几乎要晒熟了。
• I'm broiling in this hot sun. 在太阳底下，我感到热极了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

17 junction   

n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站

参考例句：

• There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
• You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。

18 shrill   

adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫

参考例句：

• Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
• The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

19 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

21 feud   

n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇

参考例句：

• How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？
• The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

22 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

23 smothering   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的现在分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• He laughed triumphantly, and silenced her by manly smothering. 他胜利地微笑着，以男人咄咄逼人的气势使她哑口无言。
• He wrapped the coat around her head, smothering the flames. 他用上衣包住她的头，熄灭了火。

24 torrents   

n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断

参考例句：

• The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Sudden rainstorms would bring the mountain torrents rushing down. 突然的暴雨会使山洪暴发。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

25 plumes   

羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物

参考例句：

• The dancer wore a headdress of pink ostrich plumes. 那位舞蹈演员戴着粉色鸵鸟毛制作的头饰。
• The plumes on her bonnet barely moved as she nodded. 她点点头，那帽子的羽毛在一个劲儿颤动。

26 drooping   

adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词

参考例句：

• The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
• The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。

27 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。