The day after leaving the Cape3, Puffeigh was taken seriously ill, his sickness proving to be brain fever, doubtless caused by the severe treatment received at the hands of the old German. Thompson acted as his nurse; and although he took quite as great care of himself as he did of his patient, Jerry's appointment was not an agreeable one. The commander did not leave his bed until they arrived in Singapore, and the ship was more than ever under the despotic control of Crushe.
It must not be imagined that the first lieutenant4 tyrannized over every one of his crew,—he was far too prudent5 to do that. By countenancing6 a few of the most brutal7 of the men, he kept himself posted with regard to those who had received cruel treatment by his orders. Again, if his misdeeds came to the knowledge of the press at any port they might visit, he thought it would be as well to have a number of trusty men he could send on shore, who would be a living advertisement for him, and prove by word and deed what jolly fellows the Stingers all were; so he promoted the fiends among the crew, and flogged those who showed a particle of manly8 feeling or self-respect. Shever was his right-hand man, being perfectly9 willing to testify to anything at his bidding; and between the Cape and Singapore many a man was brought to the gratings.
The crew were teased and worried until several of them became mutinous10, upon which they were reported and flogged, the number of lashes11 awarded the victims varying from twenty-four to thirty-six, according to the caprice of Crushe; and very few of those not in the first lieutenant's favour escaped with unscarred backs. The boatswain and his mates were often the worse for liquor, and this, when the unjust lieutenant was punishing men for being intoxicated13, upon the false testimony14 of Shever.
Puffeigh signed all the warrants, and would compliment Crushe upon the excellent state of discipline into which he was bringing the crew. "Flog the brutes15 now you are away from the station, and when in port stop the leave of all those mutinous dogs who ask for their rights, and you will soon have a good crew," commented the commander one day when requested to sanction a brace17 of warrants for punishment. Thompson, who handed him the pen with which he signed the atrocious orders, uttered a silent prayer that the old Tartar might never be able to sign any others.
Cravan and Crushe were greater friends than ever, and the former gloated over the spectacle of seeing Englishmen enjoy one of their naval18 privileges—the Lash12.
Lieutenant Ford19 was pained and disgusted, and with the doctor, master, and paymaster, showed his contempt for the first lieutenant by cutting him in every way, and only speaking to him on duty.
They knew that there was no remedy. If either of them were rash enough to report matters to the senior officer, on their arrival at Singapore a court of inquiry20 would follow. What that would result in they knew but too well; Crushe, having creatures[Pg 51] enough at his command ready to swear to anything, would be exonerated21, while in all probability the officer who made the complaint would be sent home in disgrace. Moreover, it is considered ungentlemanly for officers to report each other.
One morning the ship was steaming in a dead calm, with Cravan in charge of the deck, the first lieutenant having ceased to keep regular watch, in consequence of the captain's illness. Midshipman Ryan had mustered22 the watch and idlers, and found one of the number absent.
"Who is the infernal sweep," demanded Nosey.
Upon this Mr. Shever, who was standing24 by, reported, "It's Dunstable, sir."
"Fetch him up—rouse him out—don't spare him, Mr. Shever; cut him down, curse him!"
Dunstable was a weak-minded fellow, who had one day before he went to sea stolen a loaf of bread to keep life in his body, and therefore had been a thief according to the law of the land. A humane25 magistrate26 gave him the alternative of "entering a man-of-war, or going to prison for a month." The poor idiot chose the freedom of the sea to a lodging27 in Pentonville palace, and was in due time drafted to the Stinger as an ordinary seaman28; probably being, in the words of the facetious29 boatswain, "about as ordinary a seaman as he'd ever set eyes on." Crushe imagined the idiotic30 expression of the fellow's face was assumed to induce the commander to dismiss him from the service as useless; but this was not so—the man was weak-minded,—and any one with a particle of humanity in his heart would have been gentle with the "softy."
While at the Cape, Dunstable had tried to desert, so the day after they left that place he was brought to the gratings and received two dozen lashes, which destroyed the little sense he originally possessed31; and some of the crew, finding the first lieutenant down upon the poor fellow, played him all manner of tricks. Wet swabs were dropped upon the "mad un," his grog stolen or diluted32 with vinegar, and pipes charged with powder were lent him by pretended sympathizers; who, knowing their superior officer disliked the man, vented33 their spleen upon him without fear of consequences.
Shever found Dunstable coiled up in his hammock, pretending to snooze. With the grin of a demon34 he took out his knife, cut the clews, and let the man down crash upon his head, then grasped him by the hair, and found he had received a severe scalp wound.
Rousing out one of the men who was sleeping near, and who proved to be Tom Clare, Shever told him to call the assistant-surgeon, adding, "Don't you call that cursed meddler35, the old doctor;" and giving him a caution not to say anything to the latter, the worthy36 warrant-officer went on deck.
By some extraordinary accident the senior surgeon was called, we strongly suspect by Clare—although the doctor declared he came forward by accident. Dunstable's wound was sewed up, and the unfortunate fellow told "that he was on the sick list," but as the surgeon left the man the latter got up, and in spite of Clare's persuasions37, walked on deck, where he went aft and reported himself ready for duty.
Crushe had just turned out, and was walking the starboard side of the quarter-deck, conversing38 with Cravan about Dunstable, when the latter made his appearance. Crossing over to the port side, he cursed the smiling idiot as a "useless thing"—"a dirty, beastly hound"—"a son of a dog, unfitted to live;" and turning to Cravan, asked what there was against the fellow.
"Absence from muster23, skulking39 below in his watch on deck, insulting his superior officer (the boatswain), and not going on deck when directed by his superior officer," saying which Cravan pointed40 to the grinning object, as he would to some loathsome41 reptile42, and added, "Yes, and the beast is filthy43, and wants holy stoning."
[Pg 52]
Crushe then indulged in a flow of shameful44 abuse. His victim—fool as he was—clenched his fists, ground his teeth, and replied in language no less foul45; but after a time he faltered46, and wound up with, "Well, thank goodness for everything!"
"What did you say, you yahoo?" roared Crushe.
"I said, Thank goodness for everything, amen. Can't I say my prayers in a man-o'-war?"
"Mr. Shever, give this hound a scrubbing with sand and canvas, and clean his mouth out with it," said the gallant47 officer and gentleman.
Unable to keep his tongue quiet, and not realizing the purport48 of the cruel order Dunstable replied, "You're too good to me, sir; thank goodness again! who'd have thought I'd have found such a good friend in a man-o'-war?" However, seeing Shever advance to seize him, the imbecile began to yell, and tried to run forward, but was quickly secured by the boatswain and his mates, with whom the poor fellow bit and fought in very desperation.
"Let me go, you brutes! I won't bother you again if you let me go! I'll take a good long drink if you'll only let me go!"
He would have jumped overboard, if they had released him then, but there was no fear of that,—the business they had in hand was too congenial to their taste for them to let him drown himself, so he was bundled and worried about until his few clothes were stripped off, when, to prevent any further noise on his part, Mr. Shever roughly thrust a gag in his mouth.
The wash deck tub was filled with salt water, a grating laid across, and Dunstable's hands made fast to it behind, so that he could not rise or struggle without injuring his wrists. The boatswain called for a bucket of coarse sand, took a piece of hard sailcloth, wetted it, dipped it in the sand, and himself commenced to inflict49 the scandalous torture known as "scrubbing with sand and canvas." His mates fell to with zeal50, and these fiends in human shape rubbed and excoriated51 the person of the wretched Dunstable from head to foot. The sand was mixed with shells, which cut like knives, while the salt water pickled and stung until the victim almost fainted, upon which they cut his hands adrift and ducked him in the water.
The watch and idlers knocked off work "to see the sport," and encouraged by the countenance53 of Crushe and Cravan, shouted with delight whenever the idiot uttered a groan54 or writhed55 in agony. There had lately been a great deal of torture inflicted56 before their eyes, and they had become quite judges of its effects.
When Dunstable had for the tenth time been thrust to the bottom of the brimming wash deck tub, Shever called for a pair of scissors, and proceeded to hack57 off the hair from the poor victim's head. Many were the jokes indulged in by the gentle barber at the expense of the idiot, as some of the grinning wags around him asked for "locks of his hair to send to their grandmothers," and when the last clip was made they felt quite sorry there was no more left.
Bruised58, demented, and bewildered was the shivering specimen59 of humanity when they removed the gag, and leading him to the fore-rigging told him "to run for his life three times over the mast head."
As he did not reply or offer to move, the boatswain gave him a kick, upon which he said, "Thank goodness for that!" This raised a laugh among the jolly tars60 who were standing around him, and one of them, emulating61 the warrant-officer's example, also dealt the fool a kick.
"I can't go up that ladder," he pleaded. "I'm not up to that move. Thank goodness for all things;" and added, in the slang of the beings who had reared him, "my nibs62 ain't vardi for that."
[Pg 53]
"Shever, muster the boys, give each a strip of raw hide, and let them flog this fellow aloft," said Crushe.
The active boatswain soon did as he was directed, and the boys were mustered and equipped in a very short space of time.
"Now, my lads, lay on to him as hard as you like," shouted the first lieutenant.
Dunstable sprang into the rigging when he saw the boatswain arming the boys, who were all willing enough to advance, but afraid of their victim's vicious looks. At last one rat of a boy sprang up beside him, and brought his strip of hide stinging across the poor fellow's naked body. In a moment up went his foot, and with a kick under the jaw63, which made the boy bite the tip off his tongue, the hunted man stretched the little brute16 senseless upon the deck, completely stunned64 by his fall from the rigging.
Upon seeing this the sailors became furious, and urged the boys to attack him in a body.
"Lay into the brute, you warmints," bellowed65 the boatswain.
"Give it him, my lads!" cried the first lieutenant.
"A shilling for the next who touches him!" roared Cravan.
Dunstable gave one loud idiotic shout, then darted66 aloft like a squirrel, followed by twenty vindictive67 little devils thirsting to avenge68 the blow he gave their chum. Now one would reach him, when sting would go the torturing raw hide, making the idiot curse and howl like a demon. It was glorious sport for the lookers on, almost as good as bear-baiting.
Up, up they go, pursued and pursuers, until they reach the main-royal-stay; but only one boy followed then, the others hung on to the rigging and watched the sport; they were afraid to go on, the man's eyes glared so. Dunstable saw at a glance if he could only get across he would be safe from his persecutors. Away he clambered up the stay, hand over hand and foot over foot, like an experienced sailor.
The men below turned the quids in their cheeks, and observed to each other that "he warn't sich a darned fool arter all, you know, as he could get about aloft like a regler knowin one." But suddenly he stopped. His right leg slid from the stay, and hung helplessly down; soon the left followed, and he dangled69 aloft, holding on by his long, lean, sinewless arms.
A groan of horror burst from the crew. "He'll fall! O God, he'll fall!!" said Clare, who, roused out by the noise, had come on deck. All eyes were strained towards the poor wretch52, who now began to show signs of total exhaustion70. With a fearful wail71 he let go one hand, and swayed, with the weight of his body entirely72 thrown upon the other; then suddenly he released his grasp, and shot down towards the deck.
Those who could bear to look saw him strike the main-top-gallant-stay, turn over twice in his descent, and fall across the bridge.
Up sprang Clare, and tenderly he lifted the now broken form of the wretched idiot. Crushe, with livid face and trembling lips, asked him if the man was dead. Tom could not reply. He was too indignant to trust himself to speak; but giving the lieutenant a look of scorn, he raised the body in his powerful arms, and reclining the inanimate head upon his shoulder as gently as a woman would have laid her babe's, bore his mangled73 burden to the surgery.
The little doctor did his utmost to save the man's life,—amputation of one limb was resorted to, but all without avail. Crushe ordered a screen to be placed across the steerage, and every few moments went to know "how the fellow got on."
But the end was not far off. Maimed by accident or design, mutilated by the surgeon's art, weak and weary, the spirit of Dunstable would have passed away without a struggle, but Crushe came down; and when he saw his enemy standing before him[Pg 54] with no sign of pity, but rather a contemptuous expression upon his cruel face, the victim raised his head, and with his eyes gleaming with unnatural74 brightness, gasped75 out, "You did this, you monster! you did this; tell my mother he murdered me!" Then, with a terrible convulsion, the muscles of his body trembled, and the soul of the idiot passed to the other world, where, we are told, "there will be no more sorrow, nor any trouble known, no more misery76 or injustice77, but all will be joy and peace."
There lay the victim with the marks of the cat upon his body, the effects of the sand torture still visible upon him, and with the livid wales raised by the raw-hide thongs78 growing more distinct each moment. There lay the idiot, foully79 murdered, and done to death by Crushe and his subordinates; yet none dared tell of it, or raise their voice in denouncing his murderers.
The doctor told Clare to arrange the body for burial, and the sailor who had himself suffered so much performed the last few offices for the dead. When this was done they carried it up, placed it aft upon the quarter-deck, and spread a flag over it. There it lay until the commander was notified that the ordinary seaman who fell from aloft was ready for burial. Then Puffeigh directed Crushe to "bury the fellow," adding, "he considered it a good riddance;" and that officer, with the blood of his victim on his conscience, stood at the port, and with mock humility80 read from the prayer book of the Church of England the solemn service "for the burial of the dead, who die at sea." There, with the crew gathered round, the man whose bloody81 work it was which the flag covered, this sin-steeped wretch, with holy words upon his accursed lips, "committed his brother to the deep, in the sure and certain hope of a joyful82 resurrection when the sea shall give up its dead."
"Hands, make sail!" A breeze had sprung up, and all that was mortal of Dunstable was soon far astern.
Crushe made the following entry in the log-book of H. M. S. Stinger, where it looked like a very ordinary accident.
"8.50. A.M., lat. —— long. ——. Departed this life, Charles Dunstable, ordinary seaman belonging to this ship, having died from the effects of injuries received through falling from aloft."
"Departed this life," hounded to death, and forced into another, and we hope a happier, state, was this man and brother. "May he rest in peace."
Some time after this, an old woman dozing83 over her misery by the side of a wretched fire in a London garret, received a letter from a kind-hearted midshipman belonging to the Stinger; and when a friend read the contents to her she cried and rocked herself, saying, "She had lost her boy, her dear, good, darling Charley."
点击收听单词发音
1 rumoured | |
adj.谣传的;传说的;风 | |
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2 allied | |
adj.协约国的;同盟国的 | |
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3 cape | |
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风 | |
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4 lieutenant | |
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员 | |
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5 prudent | |
adj.谨慎的,有远见的,精打细算的 | |
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6 countenancing | |
v.支持,赞同,批准( countenance的现在分词 ) | |
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7 brutal | |
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的 | |
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8 manly | |
adj.有男子气概的;adv.男子般地,果断地 | |
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9 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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10 mutinous | |
adj.叛变的,反抗的;adv.反抗地,叛变地;n.反抗,叛变 | |
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11 lashes | |
n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 );鞭子;突然猛烈的一击;急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 );煽动;紧系;怒斥 | |
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12 lash | |
v.系牢;鞭打;猛烈抨击;n.鞭打;眼睫毛 | |
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13 intoxicated | |
喝醉的,极其兴奋的 | |
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14 testimony | |
n.证词;见证,证明 | |
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15 brutes | |
兽( brute的名词复数 ); 畜生; 残酷无情的人; 兽性 | |
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16 brute | |
n.野兽,兽性 | |
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17 brace | |
n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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18 naval | |
adj.海军的,军舰的,船的 | |
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19 Ford | |
n.浅滩,水浅可涉处;v.涉水,涉过 | |
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20 inquiry | |
n.打听,询问,调查,查问 | |
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21 exonerated | |
v.使免罪,免除( exonerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22 mustered | |
v.集合,召集,集结(尤指部队)( muster的过去式和过去分词 );(自他人处)搜集某事物;聚集;激发 | |
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23 muster | |
v.集合,收集,鼓起,激起;n.集合,检阅,集合人员,点名册 | |
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24 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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25 humane | |
adj.人道的,富有同情心的 | |
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26 magistrate | |
n.地方行政官,地方法官,治安官 | |
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27 lodging | |
n.寄宿,住所;(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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28 seaman | |
n.海员,水手,水兵 | |
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29 facetious | |
adj.轻浮的,好开玩笑的 | |
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30 idiotic | |
adj.白痴的 | |
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31 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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32 diluted | |
无力的,冲淡的 | |
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33 vented | |
表达,发泄(感情,尤指愤怒)( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34 demon | |
n.魔鬼,恶魔 | |
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35 meddler | |
n.爱管闲事的人,干涉者 | |
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36 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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37 persuasions | |
n.劝说,说服(力)( persuasion的名词复数 );信仰 | |
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38 conversing | |
v.交谈,谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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39 skulking | |
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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40 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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41 loathsome | |
adj.讨厌的,令人厌恶的 | |
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42 reptile | |
n.爬行动物;两栖动物 | |
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43 filthy | |
adj.卑劣的;恶劣的,肮脏的 | |
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44 shameful | |
adj.可耻的,不道德的 | |
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45 foul | |
adj.污秽的;邪恶的;v.弄脏;妨害;犯规;n.犯规 | |
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46 faltered | |
(嗓音)颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 ); 支吾其词; 蹒跚; 摇晃 | |
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47 gallant | |
adj.英勇的,豪侠的;(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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48 purport | |
n.意义,要旨,大要;v.意味著,做为...要旨,要领是... | |
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49 inflict | |
vt.(on)把…强加给,使遭受,使承担 | |
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50 zeal | |
n.热心,热情,热忱 | |
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51 excoriated | |
v.擦伤( excoriate的过去式和过去分词 );擦破(皮肤);剥(皮);严厉指责 | |
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52 wretch | |
n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人 | |
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53 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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54 groan | |
vi./n.呻吟,抱怨;(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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55 writhed | |
(因极度痛苦而)扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56 inflicted | |
把…强加给,使承受,遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57 hack | |
n.劈,砍,出租马车;v.劈,砍,干咳 | |
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58 bruised | |
[医]青肿的,瘀紫的 | |
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59 specimen | |
n.样本,标本 | |
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60 tars | |
焦油,沥青,柏油( tar的名词复数 ) | |
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61 emulating | |
v.与…竞争( emulate的现在分词 );努力赶上;计算机程序等仿真;模仿 | |
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62 nibs | |
上司,大人物; 钢笔尖,鹅毛管笔笔尖( nib的名词复数 ); 可可豆的碎粒; 小瑕疵 | |
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63 jaw | |
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训 | |
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64 stunned | |
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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65 bellowed | |
v.发出吼叫声,咆哮(尤指因痛苦)( bellow的过去式和过去分词 );(愤怒地)说出(某事),大叫 | |
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66 darted | |
v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔 | |
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67 vindictive | |
adj.有报仇心的,怀恨的,惩罚的 | |
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68 avenge | |
v.为...复仇,为...报仇 | |
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69 dangled | |
悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口 | |
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70 exhaustion | |
n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述 | |
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71 wail | |
vt./vi.大声哀号,恸哭;呼啸,尖啸 | |
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72 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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73 mangled | |
vt.乱砍(mangle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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74 unnatural | |
adj.不自然的;反常的 | |
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75 gasped | |
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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76 misery | |
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
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77 injustice | |
n.非正义,不公正,不公平,侵犯(别人的)权利 | |
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78 thongs | |
的东西 | |
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79 foully | |
ad.卑鄙地 | |
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80 humility | |
n.谦逊,谦恭 | |
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81 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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82 joyful | |
adj.欢乐的,令人欢欣的 | |
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83 dozing | |
v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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