Macfarlane was a stern chief of the olden time. Yet, what heart, however stark24 or rude, but must have been subdued25 and softened beneath the warm influence of those emotions which such a scene, and such sounds, and such an evening combined to excite? As he sat apart from his people he was melted into a mood of feeling which he had rarely experienced during his life of feudal26 turmoil27. His thoughts insensibly stole upwards28 in secret musings, which gradually exhaled30 themselves in grateful orisons to that Heaven whence he felt that all the blessings31 he possessed32 had so liberally flowed; and although these prayers were inwardly breathed in the formal and set terms prescribed by his church, yet his soul more fully33 and effectually suffused34 itself into them than it had ever done before. That mysterious and uncontrollable desire which man often feels to hold converse35 with his Creator alone, gradually stole upon him; and, having ordered his attendants to precede him, he arose soon after their departure, to saunter homewards through the twilight36 in that calm and dreamy state of religious reflection which had rarely ever before visited his stormy mind.
As he slowly descended38 the mountain side that slopes down to the Arroquhar, the course of the little rill, which he followed, led him into a grove40 of natural birches, and his silent footstep betrayed him into an involuntary intrusion on the privacy of two lovers. These were his foster brother, Angus Macfarlane, and Ellen, a beautiful maiden41, who was about to become his wife. The wedding-day was fixed42, as the Laird of Macfarlane well knew; and as his heart was at this moment brimful of kindly43 feeling, the sight of this betrothed44 pair made it run over with benevolence45.
“What ho! my fair Ellen,” cried he, as, chased away by her modest confusion, her sylph-like form was disappearing [17]among the tender foliage of the birchen bushes like some delicate thing of air, “dost fear the face of thy chief? Knowest thou not that Macfarlane’s most earnest wish ever is to be held as the father of his meanest clansman? and think ye that he would be less than a father to thee, sad posthumous47 pledge of the worthiest48 warrior49 that ever followed the banner of Loch Sloy, or for whom a gallant50 clan46 ever sung a wailing51 lament53? But ha!” exclaimed he, as he kindly took her hand to detain her; “why dost thou look so sad? By this light, such as it is, it would seem as if the tear-drop had been in that blue eye of thine. My worthy54 Angus could never have caused this? He loves thee too well ever to give pain to so soft and confiding55 a heart as thine.”
“Angus never could wilfully56 give me pain,” said the maiden earnestly, and throwing down her eyes, and blushing deeply as she said so.
“Ha!” said Macfarlane, in a playful manner, “now I think on’t, yours may have been the tears of repentance57, seeing that you most wickedly have seduced58 my trusty master herdsman from his duty this evening, and that he hath left his people and his beasts to take care of one another, that he might come over the hill here to whisper soft things into thine ear, under the clustering woodbine, that wreathes itself through the holly59 there, and fills the air thus with its delicious perfume.”
“My good lord, I would humbly60 acknowledge my fault, and crave61 your pardon,” replied Angus; “I must confess that I did leave the lads and the cattle to come to keep tryst62 here with Ellen. But albeit63 that she had some small share of blame in this, her tears fell not from compunction for any such fault. Say, shall I tell the cause, Ellen?—They fell because of a strange vision which her old Aunt Margery saw last night.”
“A vision!” exclaimed Macfarlane seriously; “tell me, Ellen, what did she see?”
“It was last night, my lord,” replied Ellen, “that my Aunt Margery came over to my mother’s cottage to settle some matters regarding—a—a—I mean, to speak with my mother of some little family affairs, which kept her better than an hour after nightfall, when, as she was crossing the hill again in her way home, she suddenly beheld64 a red glowing gleam in the sky, and turning to look behind her, [18]the whole of the forest below seemed to be on fire. She rubbed her eyes in her astonishment65, and when she looked again the vision had disappeared.”
“Strange!” said Macfarlane seriously.
“But this was not all,” continued Ellen, with increased earnestness of manner, and shuddering66 as she spoke67, “for by the light that still gleamed in the sky, she beheld a dark object at some distance from her on the heath. It moved towards the spot where she was. Trembling with fear, she stood aside to observe it, and on it continued to come, gliding68 without sound. A single stream of faint light fell upon it from a broken part of the sky, and showed the figure and the features of—of—of you, Macfarlane.”
“What, my figure! my features!” exclaimed the laird, in a disturbed tone; and then, commanding himself, he quietly added, “Awell, and saw she aught else?”
“She did, my lord,” added Ellen, much agitated69, “for, borne over your right shoulder she beheld a human corse; the head was hanging down, and the pale fixed features were those of—of—my betrothed husband!” Overpowered by her feelings, Ellen sank down on a mossy bank, and wept bitterly.
“Let not these gloomy fancies enter your head at a time like this, Ellen,” said Macfarlane, roused by her sobbing70 from the fit of gloomy abstraction into which her narration71 had thrown him. “If not altogether an unaccountable and unreal freak of imagination, it can be interpreted no otherwise than felicitously72 for you. The burning forest is but a type of the extent and the warmth of your mutual73 affection, and the dead figure of Angus only shadows forth74 the fact that your love will endure with life itself.”
“There needed not such a vision to tell us these truths,” said Angus energetically.
“Yet do we often see matters as palpable as these, as wonderfully vouched75 for by supernatural means,” said the chief. “Get thee home then, Ellen; and do thou see her safe, Angus, and let her not suffer her young mind to brood on such dreary76 and distressing77 phantasies as seem now to fill it. Be yours the joyous78 anticipations79 of the bride and bridegroom three days before they are made one for ever. Ere three days go round your indissoluble union shall be blessed by the happiest influence of the warm sunshine [19]of your chief’s substantial favour. Meanwhile, may good angels guard you both!—Good night.”
With these words, Macfarlane sought his way home, musing29 as he went, impressed, more than he even wished to own to himself, with the strange tale he had heard, and when he could contrive80 to rid himself of it, turning in his thoughts from time to time certain benevolent81 schemes which suggested themselves to him for the liberal establishment of Angus and his bride.
The next day’s sun had hardly reddened the eastern sky, so as to exhibit the huge dark mass of Ben Lomond with a sharp and well-defined outline on its glowing surface, when the herdsmen of the Laird of Macfarlane arose and left their huts, with the intention of driving their cattle across the dewy pastures back to the slopes of the mountains. The thick summer mist still hung over the lower grounds; and the men wandered about hallooing to each other whilst employed in actively82 looking for the animals of which they had the charge. They had left them the previous evening feeding in numerous groups among herbage of the most luxuriant description. They were well aware that it was much too fragrant83 not to tie them, by the sweetest and securest of all tethers, to the vicinity of those spots where they had been collected in herds; and they were quite sure that the animals never would have left them voluntarily. But all their shouting and all their searching appeared to be unsuccessful, and the more unsuccessful they were likely to be the more were their exertions84 increased. All was clamour, confusion, and uncertainty86, till sunrise had somewhat dispelled88 the mist that had hitherto rolled its dense89 and silent waves over the bottom of the valley; and then one herdsman more active and intelligent than the rest, having climbed the mountain that sends forth its root to form the boundary between the enchanting90 mazes91 of the beautiful oak and birch-fringed lakes of Ballochan and the long stretch of Loch Lomond’s inland sea, and having looked up Glen Falloch, and far and wide around him to the full extent that his eyes could reach,—
“We are harried92!” shouted he in Gaelic to his anxiously inquiring comrades below. “Not a horn of them is to be seen! I can perceive a large herd6 of deer afar off yonder, clustered together in the open forest glade93, but not a horn [20]or hide of cow, ox, quey, or stirk, do I see within all the space that my eyes can light upon; and unless the muckle stone, the Clach-nan-Tairbh, down below there has covered them, as tradition tells us it covered the two wild bulls, when the fury of their battle was said to have been so great as to shake it down from the very craig upon them, our beasts are harried every cloot o’ them!”
“My curses on the catterans that took them then!” exclaimed Angus Macfarlane, the master of the herdsmen—“and my especial curses, too, because they have thus harried them the very night when I chanced to be wandering! But if they are above the surface of the earth we must find them; so come, lads, look about ye sharply.”
Like an eager pack of hounds newly uncoupled, who have been taught by the huntsman’s well-understood voice that a fresh scent94 is at hand, the herdsmen now went dodging95 about, looking for the track of those who had so adroitly96 driven off a creagh so very numerous and so immensely valuable. Long experience and much practice in such matters soon enabled Angus to discover the country towards which the freshest hoof-prints pointed97, and in a short time the whole band were in full and hot pursuit of the reavers.
“They are Lochaber men, I’ll warrant me!” said Angus, whose sagacity and acuteness left him seldom mistaken; and guessing shrewdly at the route they would probably take, he resolved to follow them cautiously with his assistants, that he might dog their footsteps and spy out their motions, whilst he sent one back as a messenger to the Laird of Macfarlane, to report to him the daring robbery that had been committed on him.
If you have been able to conceive the calm that settled upon Macfarlane’s mind when the placidity99 of the previous evening had brought it so much into harmony with all the surrounding objects of nature, that it might almost have been said to have reflected the unruffled image of Loch Lomond itself, you may easily imagine that the intelligence which he now received operated on him as some whirlwind would have done on the peaceful bosom of the lake. The eyes of the dark-browed chief kindled100 up into a blaze of rage, and shot forth red lightnings, and his soul was lashed101 into a sudden and furious storm ere the messenger had time to unfold half of his information. [21]
“What! all harried, said you?—Bid the pipers play the gathering102! Shout our war-cry of Loch Sloy! We’ll after them with what of our clansmen may be mustered103 in haste. By the blessed rood, we’ll follow them to Lochaber itself, but we’ll have back our bestial104!”
But Macfarlane was not one who allowed his rage to render him incapable105 of adopting the proper measures for the sure attainment106 of his object. A numerous party of his clan was speedily assembled, all boiling with the same indignation that excited their chief. Macfarlane himself saw that each man was equipped in the most efficient manner for celerity of movement; and when all were in order, he instantly set forward at their head, taking that direction which was indicated to him by the intelligence which the messenger had brought him.
In their rapid march through the great forest, they threaded its intricacies, partly trusting to their local knowledge, partly to their leader’s judgment108 of the probable route of the reavers, partly guided by the fresh tracks which they now and then fell in with, and partly by certain signal marks which the wily Angus had from time to time left behind him, by breaking the boughs109 down in a particular direction. Once or twice they encountered some individual of the party of herdsmen in advance, whom Angus had stationed in their way to give his chief intelligence; and at last, as the sun was fast declining towards the west, another man appeared, who came to meet them in breathless haste.
“Well! what tidings now?” demanded the laird.
“They are Lochaber men, sure enough,” replied the man.
“Pshaw! I never doubted that,” said Macfarlane impatiently; “but, quick! tell me whither you have tracked them. We have no time to lose.”
“I’m thinking you may take your own leisure, Macfarlane,” replied the man, “for I’m in the belief that they are lodged110 for the best part of this night, tethered as they are with the tired legs of the beasts.” And so he went on to explain that they had been traced into what was then one of the thickest parts of the forest, to a spot lying between Loch Sloy and what is now the wide moss18 of the Caoran, stretching south-east from Ben Laoidh.
“Then they cannot be far distant from the bothy of the [22]lochan, where I slept when we last hunted in that quarter?” said the chief.
“Sure enough, you have guessed it, Macfarlane,” replied the man, “sure enough they are there, and Angus and Parlane, and the rest, are watching them. By all appearance there’s a strong party of the limmers, and I’ll warrant me they keep a good guard.”
“Let them guard as they may, our cattle are our own again,” said the chief, with a laugh of anticipated triumph; “Saint Mary! but we’ll make these gentlemen of Lochaber pay for their incivility, and for the unwilling111 tramp they have given both to us and to our beasts! Not a man of them shall escape to tell the tale!”
A general exclamation112 burst from his followers. “Not a man of them!” was echoed around, and they besought113 Macfarlane to lead them instantly to the slaughter114.
“No!” replied he sternly, “I have said, and I now swear by the roof-tree of my fathers, and by the graves where they rest, that not a man of these vermin shall escape! and Macfarlane has never yet said, for weal or for woe115, what he did not make good to the very letter. But no advantage must be lost by rashness. Every precaution must be taken coolly and deliberately116, so that not a man of them may ever return to parent, to wife, or to child. Lochaber shall wail52 for them from one end of it to the other, and the men of that country shall pause long before they again attempt to lay hand even on a cat belonging to Macfarlane.”
Having thus checked their impatience117, he marched them slowly onwards, without noise, till he discovered a thicket118 by the side of a brook119, where, sheltered and concealed120 by an overhanging bank, his men could rest and refresh themselves without being observed, and there he patiently halted to wait for the night, and for further intelligence.
Impenetrable darkness had settled over the forest, and the Macfarlanes had sat long in silence, listening eagerly to catch the distant but welcome sound of the lowing of the cattle, that came on their ears faintly at intervals121, and assured them that they were now within a short march of their enemies, when the cracking of the withered122 branches of the firs at some distance ahead of them made them stand to their arms and look sharply out from their ambush123. Human footsteps were evidently heard approaching. [23]Not a word was uttered by those in the thicket, but every eye that peered from it was steadily124 fixed on a natural break among the trees growing on a bank, that rose with a gentle slope immediately in front of their position, where the obscurity being less absolutely impervious126, they might at least be enabled to see something like the form of any object that came, however imperfectly it might be defined. The sounds slowly advanced, till at length one human figure only appeared on the knoll128 that crowned the bank. It stood for some moments, as if scrutinising every bush that grew in the hollow below. It moved—and then it seemed to stop, as if in hesitation129. Macfarlane’s henchman raised his arquebuse, and proceeded to light a match for its lock. The click of the flint and steel made the figure start.
“It is a patrol of the Lochaber men,” whispered the henchman, raising the piece to his shoulder to take aim; “I’ll warrant they have got hold of Angus and the rest. But I’ll make sure of that fellow at any rate.”
“Not for your life!” replied Macfarlane in the same tone, whilst he arrested his hand. “The whole forest would ring with the report, and all would be lost.”
Seizing a crossbow from one of his immediate125 attendants, he bent130 it, and fitted a quarrel-bolt to it, and, having pointed it at the object on the summit of the knoll, he challenged in such an under tone of voice as might not spread alarm to any great distance, whilst, at the same time, he was quite prepared to shoot with deadly certainty of aim the moment he saw the figure make the smallest effort to retreat.
“Ho, there!” cried the chief.
“Ho, there!” replied the figure, starting at the sound, and turning his head to look eagerly around him.
A long breath was inhaled133 and expired by the lungs of every anxious Macfarlane, as he recognised the well-known voice of Angus, the master herdsman.
“Advance, my trusty Angus,” said the chief; “the brake is full of friends.”
Angus had never left his post of watch until he was [24]satisfied that the Lochaber men were in such a state of repose as to ensure to him time enough to return to meet his chief. He then planted some of his people to keep their eyes on the enemy, whilst he found his way back alone, to make Macfarlane fully aware of their position. The plunderers lay about a mile from the spot where the chief had halted. The great body of them, consisting of some thirty or more in number, had retired134 into the hunting-bothy, before the door of which a sentinel was posted, to give alarm in case of assault. To prevent the cattle from straying away, they had driven them together into a large open hollow, immediately in front of the knoll on which the bothy stood; and to take away all risk of their escape or abstraction, four men were stationed at equal distances from each other, so as to surround them. The poor animals were so jaded135 with their rapid journey, that they drew themselves around the shallow little lochan or pool in the bottom of the hollow, from which the bothy had its name, and having lain down there, they showed so much unwillingness136 to rise from their recumbent position, that the watchmen soon ceased to have any apprehension137 of their running away. The men rolled themselves up in their plaids, therefore, and each making a bed for himself among the long heather, they indulged in that sort of half slumber to which active-bodied and vacant-minded people must naturally yield the moment they are brought into an attitude of rest.
Macfarlane had no sooner made himself perfectly127 master of all these circumstances, than he at once conceived his murderous plans—took his resolution—gave his orders; and, having cautioned every man of his party to be hushed as the grave, they proceeded, under the guidance of Angus, to steal like cats upon their prey138—foot falling softly and slowly after foot, so that if they produced any sound at all, it was liker the rustle139 of some zephyr140 passing gently over the heather tops, than the pressure of mortal tread.
Whilst they were proceeding141 in this cautious manner, Angus, who was at the head of the men, was observed suddenly to raise his crossbow, and to point it in the direction of Macfarlane, who was, at that moment, some ten or fifteen paces before the party. Filled with horror, the men who were nearest to him sprang upon him to prevent so great a treason as the murder of their chief. Angus [25]was felled to the ground—but his bolt had already flown—and, with a sure aim too, for down fell among the heath, weltering in his blood, and with an expiring groan142, not the chief of the Macfarlanes, but one of the Lochaber men. The quick eye of Angus had detected him standing143 half concealed by the huge trunk of a tree, exactly in the very path of the chief. Three more steps would have brought Macfarlane within reach of the very dirk of the assassin, which was already unsheathed, and ready to have been plunged144 in his bosom. Amazement145 fell upon all of them for some moments. Macfarlane could with difficulty comprehend what had happened; but when he was at length made to understand the truth, he ran towards Angus. He was already raised in the arms of those of his friends who had so rashly judged and punished him, but who were now sufficiently146 ashamed and repentant147 of their precipitation.
“Look up, my brave Angus,” said Macfarlane to his clansman, as he began to revive; “look up to thy chief, grateful as he is for that life which thou hast preserved to him!—Heaven forbid that it were at the expense of thine own life; and that, too, taken by the too zealous148 hands of Macfarlanes.”
“Fear not for me,” replied Angus, somewhat faintly, “I was but stunned149 by the blow; and he that gave it me would have been well excused if he had given me a death-wound, if I could have been justly suspected of traitorie to my chief; and well I wot the bare suspicion of such villainy is wound enough to me.”
“Nay150, nay, Angus,” said Macfarlane; “you must not think so deeply of this accident. The judgment was necessarily as sudden as the action, and no wonder that it was faulty. But, how came this stray man to be patrolling about? Are we betrayed or discovered, think ye?”
“I would fain trust that we are not,” replied Angus. “As we watched, we saw one man leave the bothy to go out and spy around their post, as we guessed; but, as we afterwards saw a man come in again, we took him to be the same, when, I’ll warrant me, he has been the fellow whom the first man went out to relieve. But, if we were deceived, the fault is luckily cured now, for this is doubtless the very man who”——
“Aye,” said the chief interrupting him; “the very man, indeed, who would have certainly taken my life, had it not [26]been for thine alert and timely aid. What do I not owe thee, my trusty Angus! But stay; let him sit down and rest for a brief space, till he recovers his strength, and then, if I mistake not, we shall bloodily151 revenge his passing injury.”
They now again moved forward, with much circumspection152, until they at length began to perceive a distant light, which occasionally twinkled in advance of them. As they proceeded, the light became broader, though it was still broken by the intervention153 of the thick-set stems of the forest. But after groping their way onwards with redoubled care for some hundred yards farther, it burst forth fully and steadily on their eyes, as the trees ceased suddenly, and they found themselves close to the very edge of the open hollow described by Angus, and in the middle of the herdsmen who had been left by him as spies. After using their eyes very earnestly and intently for a little time, they could now perceive the surface of the shallow pool, which lay in the still shadow, in the centre of the bottom below them, and they could dimly descry154 the dusky mass of cattle lying crowded together around it. As the Macfarlanes stood peering into the obscurity, a low and melancholy155 voice of complaint would every now and then burst from some individual beast, reminiscent of the rich Loch Lomond pasture from which it had been driven, and bitterly sensible of the sad change of fortunes which a few hours had brought to it. The figures of the four watchmen were as yet invisible; but the whole face of the opposite knoll being free from wood, the door of the hunting bothy was clearly defined, by the bickering156 blaze of faggots that burned in the middle of the floor within, distinctly displaying the sentinel as he walked to and fro across the field of its light. The thick wooding of the forest that encircled this natural opening came climbing up the rear of the knoll until its tall pines clustered over the back of the bothy itself, and the existence of high grounds rising with considerable abruptness157 at no great distance, if not previously158 known, could only have been guessed at by the greater density159 of the shade which prevailed over everything that was beneath the lofty horizon, the limits of which were easily distinguished160 by the partial gleam that proceeded from the sky above it. There the clouds were now every moment growing thinner and [27]thinner, as the driving rack skimmed across the face of heaven with a velocity161 that proclaimed an approaching hurricane.
In obedience162 to the orders already given to them by their chief, the Macfarlanes retreated a few steps into the thick part of the skirting forest, the dark foliage of which arose everywhere around this naturally open space, and beneath its impenetrable concealment163 they made a silent movement to right and left, during which they posted single men at equal distances from each other, until they had completely surrounded the hollow, the bothy, and the whole party of Lochaber men, together with their booty. This man?uvre was no sooner silently and successfully executed, than four choice young herdsmen, remarkable164 for their daring courage as well as for their strength and agility165, were selected by Angus. These had well and accurately166 noted167 the respective spots where each of the Lochaber watchmen had lain down, and after some consultation168, each had one of them assigned to him as his own peculiar object of attack. Having gone around the edge of the wood till each man was opposite to his slumbering169 enemy, they glided171 down the sloping edges of the hollow, armed with their dirks alone, and they crept on their bellies172 towards the bottom, drawing themselves like snakes silently and imperceptibly through the long heather. Full time was to be allowed for each man to reach his prey; and although the period was not in reality very long, yet you will easily believe that it passed over the heads of the Macfarlanes with a degree of anxiety that made it appear long enough. The moment the four herdsmen began to descend39 into the deep shadow which filled the sides of the hollow, their figures were entirely173 lost to the view of those who were stationed within the skirt of the surrounding forest. Every heart beat with agonising suspense174. The smallest accident might ruin all. An occasional prolonged moan was heard to come from some of the cattle, and all felt persuaded, however contrary it might be to reason, that each succeeding recurrence175 of it must awaken176 the slumberers. But at length, whether from the operation of some peculiar instinct, or from some remarkable sense of smell which these creatures have occasionally proved that they possess, it happened that they really did become [28]sensible of the approach of some of those who were wont177 to attend on them, I know not; but all of a sudden some ten or a dozen of them sprang up to their legs, and changed their long low moan into that sharp and piercing rout98 into which it is frequently known to graduate.
“Look out! look out there!” cried one of the Lochaber watchmen in Gaelic, and half raising himself as he spoke.
“Look out!” cried one of the others laughing, “I’m thinking that I would need the blazing eyes of the devil himself to be able to look at anything here.”
“What’s the matter?” shouted the sentinel at the door of the bothy; and as he said so, he halted in the midst of his walk, and bent his body forward in all directions in his eagerness to descry the cause of the alarm.
“Tut, nothing,” replied another of the watchmen, “all’s well, I warrant me.”
“Aye, aye,” said another, “we’re safe enough from all surprise this night; for, as Archy says, it would need the fiery178 e’en of the red de’il himself to grope a way through the forest in such darkness as this.”
“It’s dark enough to confound an owl37 or a bat, indeed,” said the watchman who first spoke, “but mine are eyes that can note a buck179 on Ben Nevis’ side of an autumn morning a good hour before the sun hath touched his storm-worn top; and, by St. Colm, I swear I saw some dark-looking thing glide170 over the lip of the bank yonder.”
“It must have been a dark-looking thing, indeed, to have been visible there,” replied his comrade; “but if it were not fancy, it must have been a fox or a badger180.”
“Be it what it might,” replied the man, “I swear I saw the back of the creature as it came creeping over the round of the bank.”
“What, think ye, makes the’ cattle rout so strangely?” demanded the sentinel.
“That which makes the pipes skirl so loudly,” replied one of the men below, “a stomach full of wind. I promise you the poor beasts got but a scanty181 supper ere the sun went to. And here, unless they can eat gravel182 or sand in this hole, or heather as hard as pike-heads, they have little chance of filling their bellies with aught else but wind.”
A noise of talking was now heard within the bothy, where all had been so quiet previously, and immediately afterwards the doorway183 was darkened by the figures of [29]two or three men, who came crowding out to gaze ineffectually around them. Some talking took place between them and the sentinel; and Macfarlane and his people gave up all hope of the success of the man?uvres they had planned. But after some moments of most painful suspense, the talk of the Lochaber men terminated in a loud laugh, produced, no doubt, by some waggish184 remark made against some individual of the little knot, after which the figures retired into the hut. The sentinel resumed his silent walk, and the watchmen in the hollow below seemed to relapse into their former state of slumber.
The silence that now prevailed was not less deep and intense than the darkness that sat upon this wild forest scene, where the plunderers lay unconsciously surrounded by their mortal foes185. Macfarlane moved cautiously round the circle of his men, to assure himself that all were prepared, and sufficient time having now expired to have allowed the slumber of security to have again crept over his victims, he took a matchlock from his henchman, and stepping forth from under the trees, he pointed it with a deliberate and unerring aim at the sentinel, as he stood for a moment directly opposed to the full light proceeding from the doorway. He gave fire. This was the fatal signal—instantaneously fatal to him against whom the deadly tube was levelled, who sprang into the air and fell without a groan, pierced through the very heart. But it was not fatal to him alone; for ere the report of the shot had re-echoed from the surrounding heights of the forest, or its myriads186 of feathered inhabitants had been roused by it on the startled wing, the dirks of the four Macfarlane herdsmen had bathed themselves in the life’s-blood of the four Lochaber watchmen; so that their living slumbers187 were in one moment exchanged for those of death. The wild war-shout of “Lochsloy! Lochsloy!” arose at once from every part of the ring of the Macfarlanes, who environed the place; and each man keeping his eyes on the light that issued from the bothy, on they ran towards it as to a centre from all parts of the circle. So sudden was the attack, that those within had hardly time to start from their sleep, and to hurry in confusion to the door, ere the Macfarlanes were upon them. The clash of arms was terrific, and the [30]slaughter fearful. At once driven back in a mass, the remnant of the Lochaber men barricaded188 the doorway in despair, and determining to die hard, they fired many shots from behind it, as well as from a small window hole near it; but discharged as these were from a crowded press of men, where no aim could be taken, no very fatal effect could be produced by them. On the other hand, the assailants could do nothing, till Macfarlane kindled a slow-match, and prepared to thrust it into the dry heather that covered the roof.
“Macfarlane!” cried Angus, eagerly endeavouring to interpose; “for the love of the Virgin189 fire not the thatch190! Think of old Margery’s vision!”
Macfarlane did think of it; but, alas191! he thought of it too late; for the slow match had been already applied—had already caught fatally; and in one instant it had burst into a blaze, that, amidst the pitchy darkness of that night, would have been a magnificent spectacle, could any one have beheld it without those dreadful emotions naturally excited by the cruel cause that created it, and the horrible circumstances that attended it. In one moment more the whole of the wooden structure was in flames, and inconceivably short was the period in which the tragedy was consummated193. Loud and piteous were the cries for mercy; but they fell on ears which revenge had rendered deaf to mercy’s call. The half-burned Lochaber men, yelling like demons194, rushed in desperation forth from the blazing walls; but dazzled by the glare, they only rushed to certain destruction on the spears of the Macfarlanes, and were hewn down by their trenchant196 claymores, or despatched with their ready dirks: so that ere a few brief moments had fled away, all those who had been so recently reposing197 in fancied security, with the full pulses of robust198 life beating vigorously within their hardy199 frames, were heaped up in one reeking200 mass of carnage before the burning bothy.
“Let us rid the earth of these carcases!” said Macfarlane after a pause; for now that the keenness of revenge and the exciting eagerness of enterprise had been fully satiated by success, he was half horror-struck with the ghastly fruits of it, which he thus beheld piled up before him. In obedience to his command, the whole of the dead bodies were immediately gathered together, and thrown [31]within the burning bothy, where they were quickly covered with branches and half-decayed pieces of wood, hastily dragged from the forest, till the fire that was thus created shot up far above the trees in one spiral pillar of flame, bearing on its capital a black smoke that poisoned the air with the heavy and sickening taint87 with which it was loaded.
The Macfarlanes stood for a while grouped in front of it, in silent contemplation of its fitful changes; but its light showed little of the flush of triumph on their sullen201 brows. Each man held dark communing with his own gloomy thoughts. Their chief, leaning on the deadly instrument which had given the fatal signal, looked on the scene with a cloud on his brow not less dark than that of the murky202 smoke itself. Whatever his reflections were, there was a restless and uneasy expression on his countenance203. He started, for a dreadful sound came crashing through the forest. It was like that which might well have announced the coming of the demon195 of destruction or the angel of vengeance204; and before he could mutter the Ave-Maria which mechanically came to his lips, that hurricane which the careering rack of the clouds had been for some time unheededly announcing, came rushing upon them with the swiftness of lightning and with resistless force. In one moment the frail205 wooden walls of the bothy, already yielding to the influence of the combustion206, were levelled with the ground; and some six or eight of the tallest pines which stood nearest to them behind, were laid across them with all their branches in one heap by the blast. Macfarlane and his men were driven down on their faces, and compelled to cling to the knoll on hands and knees, like flies to a mushroom top. So tremendous was the violence of the tempest, that they could not rise from their crouching207 position, nor even dare to lift up their heads without the certainty of being whirled off their feet, and dashed to atoms against the boles of the neighbouring trees. This furious fit of the elements endured not long; but when a sudden lull208 of nature did allow them to assume the erect209 position, how terrible! how appalling210 was the scene they beheld!
The funeral pile which they had themselves kindled for the massacred men of Lochaber, now arose in one broad resistless tower of fire, crowned, as it were, with many a [32]pointed pinnacle211 of flame, that appeared to pierce the very sky, lighting212 up every part of the surrounding elevations213, nay, every little crevice214 in the rocks, and every tree, bush, or petty plant that grew upon their rugged215 surface. If the spectacle was grand before, it was now sublime216 beyond all imagination. But, alas! the Macfarlanes were occupied with other contemplations; for the huge fallen pines which had so much augmented217 the conflagration218, had formed a train of communication from the burning bothy to the thick forest immediately behind it; and the flames had spread so rapidly far and wide on every side, that already the whole of the surrounding circle of wood presented nearly one dense and lofty wall of fire through which there was hardly any door of escape left for them. For one instant, and for that one instant only, something like dismay appeared in Macfarlane’s eye, as he first gazed around him, and then cast a glance full of anxious expression towards his faithful clansmen.
“Perhaps I might have shown more mercy,” half-muttered he to himself. “But if it be the will of Heaven to punish me, oh! why should these poor fellows suffer for the sin of their chief? My brave men,” continued he aloud, “we cannot stand here. The air already grows hot and scanty. Follow me, and let us try to burst through yonder point where the flames seem to burn thinnest. Come on.”
Followed by his people, Macfarlane rushed down the sloping face of the knoll, with the intention of cutting across the open space by the most direct line towards the spot he had indicated; but they had not gone many steps ere the hurricane again came sweeping219 over the woods with all its former fury,—the enormous pines bent and groaned220 as if from the agony they were enduring,—the violence of the conflagration was increased tenfold,—the wall of fire by which they were environed was speedily closed in, so as to annihilate221 every lingering hope of escape,—and the Macfarlanes were compelled to throw themselves again flat on the ground, and to scramble222 down into the bottom of the hollow, to avoid being scorched223 up like moths224 by the fire which the uncertain whirlwind darted225 suddenly hither and thither226 in different directions, and to escape the risk of being snatched up into the air and launched amid the burning pines. [33]
It had happened so far well for the sufferers, that the cattle, terrified by the shouts of the conflict, and still more by the first blaze of the bothy, had fled up the bank from the hollow, and, forgetting their fatigue, they had charged full-tilt through the forest, routing and bellowing227 in that direction which led to their own Loch Lomond pastures, from which they had been so unwillingly228 driven. The small space towards the bottom of the hollow, therefore, was thus left entirely disencumbered of them; so that when the Macfarlanes were forced down thither, they were enabled to gather around the shallow pool of water in the centre of the place. There they endeavoured to defend themselves against the flying embers, by rolling up their bodies tight in their plaids. But although they were rid of the cattle, they were not left as the only occupants of the spot; for the place was soon covered with swarms230 of mice, weasels, adders231, frogs, toads232, and all the minuter sorts of animals, like them driven into the centre of the circle by the scorching233 heat of the devouring234 element that surrounded them. For now the flames raged fiercer than ever, and the dense canopy235 of smoke that covered the comparatively small space where they lay, was so pressed down upon them by the fury of the blast, that it appeared to shut out the very air; and they seemed to breathe nothing but fire and burning dust and ashes. Their very lungs seemed to be igniting, whilst at every temporary accession of the tempest, the half-consumed tops of the blazing pines were whirled among them like darts236, inflicting237 grievous bruises238 and burns on many of them.
And now, as if to consummate192 their afflictions and their miserable239 fate, the long, dry, and wiry heath that grew within the open space where they lay, was laid hold of by the fire; and the flames, running along the ground from all sides towards the centre, threatened them with instant, awful, and inevitable240 death. But one resource now remained; and to that they were not slow in resorting. They rolled themselves into the shallow pool, and wallowed together in a knot. They gasped241 like dying men, and their eyeballs glared and started from their sockets242 with the agony they endured; and in their utter despair they sucked the muddy water of the lochan in which they lay, to cool their burning mouths and throats. Macfarlane felt as if they had been already consigned243 to the purifying [34]pains of that purgatory244 through which, as his religion told him, their guilty souls must pass. Their bewildered brains spun245 round, and strange and terrific shapes seemed to pass before their eyes. Some short ejaculations for mercy were breathed, but not a groan, nor a word, nor a sound of complaint, was permitted to escape from any one of their manly246 breasts, even although the pool, their last frail hope, was now fast drying up from the intensity247 of the heat.
After a complication of indescribable torments248, which made the passing minutes seem like hours, the force of the hurricane suddenly slackened for a short time, and the thick surface of heath around them having been by this time burnt out, and the trees which grew upon the immediate confines of the circle having had their boughs and foliage consumed and their trunks prostrated249, the open space within which they were enclosed grew wider in its limits, and consequently the air became more abundant and freer in its circulation; so that they began gradually to revive. By degrees they were enabled to raise themselves in a weak and half-suffocated state from what was now reduced to little more than the mere250 mud of the pool. Then it was that their chief, though himself much overcome by the conjunction of his own bodily and mental sufferings, was roused to active exertion85 by that anxious desire to preserve his people which now sprang up within him, to the utter extinguishment of all consideration for his own person. He was so faint, that it was with some difficulty he could ascend251 the knoll; but he hastened to climb it, that he might endeavour to discover from thence whether any hope was likely to arise for them. There he found that the bothy, and the fuel and pine trees that had been heaped upon it, had already sunk into a smoking hillock of red-hot ashes, from the smouldering surface of which the ghastly half-consumed skulls252 of his Lochaber foes were seen fearfully protruding253 themselves. The undaunted heart of Macfarlane quailed254 before a spectacle so unlooked for and so unwelcome at such a moment. He started back and shuddered255 as their blackened visages met his eye, grinning, as it were, with a horrible fiend-like expression of satisfaction at his present misery256. He turned from the sight with disgust, not unmingled with remorse258, and then sweeping his eyes around the now far-retreating circle of the burning forest, and reflecting on [35]the imminent259 destruction which he and his clansmen had so recently escaped, and looking to the peril260 by which they were yet environed, he crossed himself, threw his eyes upwards, uttered an inward prayer of penitence261 and of thankfulness, and then he bravely prepared himself to take every advantage of whatever favourable262 circumstances might occur.
After scanning the blazing boundary all around with the most minute attention, Macfarlane thought he could perceive one narrow blank in the continuity of the fiery wall. His knowledge of the forest enabled him to be immediately aware that the blank was occasioned by a ravine which he knew was but partially263 covered with wood, through which a stream found its way. He took his determination; and summoning his people around him, and pointing out this distant hope of escape, he called to them to follow him. With resolute264 countenances265 they immediately began to make their difficult and hazardous266 way over the torrid and smoking ground, among the red-hot trunks of the pine-trees which stood half-consumed—smouldering fallen logs—tall branchless masts, which still blazed like upright torches, and which were every moment falling around them, or those which had already fallen, or which had been broken over, hanging burning in an inclined position across their way—whilst they were, every now and then, tripped and thrown down by some unseen obstacle among the scorching embers; and ever and anon each returning gust257 of the hurricane whirled up around them an atmosphere of ignited dust and cinders267, almost sufficient to have deprived them of the breath of life. But still, with their heads half-muffled in their plaids, they persevered268, till the increasing heat of the air they inhaled and of the ground they trod on, and the multiplication269 of the difficulties they had to encounter, would have been enough of themselves to have convinced them of their approach to the more active theatre of the conflagration, even if its fiery enclosure, and the groaning270 and crashing of the falling timber, had not been but too manifestly before their eyes and loud in their ears.
The difficulties and dangers of their progress now became infinitely271 multiplied. Hitherto their endeavours to keep together had been tolerably successful; but now each individual could do no more than take care of himself, and [36]every cloud of burning cinders that blew around them produced a greater separation among them, till finally they became so dispersed272, that when the chief reached the head of the narrow ravine, through which he had hoped that he might have led them in a body, he cleared the burning dust from his eyes, looked everywhere around him eagerly for his people, and, to his bitter mortification273, he beheld no one but his trusty Angus, who, amidst all the obstacles and hazards through which they had passed, had still contrived274 to stick close to his master. Old Margery’s vision came across his mind, and, in the midst of the burning heats to which he was subjected, the blood ran cold to his heart. He cast his eyes down the trough of the ravine, over which clouds of flame and smoke were then rolling, and there, indeed, he did, at transient intervals, behold275 a handful of his clansmen toiling276 through the perilous278 passage. He shouted aloud to bid them stay; but the overwhelming roar of the whirlwind, combined with that of the combustion of the neighbouring trees, rendered his voice altogether powerless. Distressing doubts arose within him as to the fate of those who appeared to be amissing; but the rapid growth of the conflagration around him compelled him to shake off all such thoughts, and summoning up his sternest resolution, he rushed down into the ravine, with Angus at his back, as if he had been rushing to an assault under the spirit-stirring influence of the war-cry of the Macfarlanes. And few assaults indeed could have been so hazardous, for, ever and anon, huge burning pines were precipitated279 from the steeps above, so that even the water-course itself was in a great measure choked up by their hissing280 and smoking ruins. But still Macfarlane fought his way onwards amidst burnings and bruises, many of them occasioned by his frequently looking round with anxious solicitude281 for the safety of his faithful follower23; but, in spite of all these difficulties and perils282, he had already made considerable progress down the ravine, when, in one instant, he was deprived of all sense by the sudden descent of an enormous pine, which he could neither avoid nor see.
When the chief recovered from his swoon, he found himself lying on his back, in a shallow part of the little stream, which there crept along between two great stony283 masses. He had been struck down by the spray and smaller branches of the upper boughs of the tree, which, [37]fortunately for him, had rested across the great stones in such a manner as to form an arch over his body, and as this arch naturally produced a rush of air under it, he was thus saved alike from being crushed to death and from suffocation284. Raising himself on his hands and knees, he made his way out from under the burning boughs, and got up so stunned and battered285, that some moments elapsed ere he quite recovered his recollection. Recent events then crowded fast to his mind, and with these his anxiety for the safety of Angus recurred286 more strongly than ever. He called loudly and frequently on him by name, but the well-known voice of his faithful follower came not in return. A lurid287 light was thrown down into the depth of the ravine by the conflagration which was spreading widely above. He moved anxiously around the tree, looking earnestly everywhere underneath288 the smoking branches, till at last the manly countenance of Angus Macfarlane met his eye. The forehead exhibited a fearful ghastly-looking wound, and his body was lying so crushed down beneath the boughs that pressed upon it, as to take away all chance that a spark of life remained within it. With desperate strength and anguish289 of mind the chief drew his claymore, and hewed290 away the interposing branches, till he had so far relieved the body as to be able to draw it forth. He eagerly felt for the pulses of life, but they were for ever stilled.
“Alas, alas, my faithful Angus!” cried Macfarlane, “art thou gone for ever! Alas, thy fate was indeed too truly read! But I cannot leave thee to feed the devouring flames, or to be a banquet for the ravens291 when this awful burning shall have passed away. Alas! I promised to provide for thy bridal, and now, since it hath pleased Heaven to dispose it otherwise, it shall not be said that thy chief permitted thee to lack funereal292 rites293!”
With these words Macfarlane stooped him down, and raised the body of Angus upon his shoulders. The way down the water-course was obstructed294 by the huge half-consumed trunks of the fallen pines, which lay in every direction across, resting irregularly on the large blocks of slippery stone, with their branches interwoven like hurdles295. But Macfarlane, weakened as he was by the accumulated fatigue and suffering he had undergone, staggered on under his burden with an unsubdued spirit, determined296 to bear [38]it so long as his limbs were able to sustain his own person. Inconceivable was the toil277 which he underwent, and many were the hairbreadth ’scapes which he made from instantaneous destruction. But still he persevered with undiminished courage, until his heroic exertions were at length rewarded by his reaching a spot of comparative safety, beyond the fiery barrier which had so long environed him. But here he only stopped to breathe for a moment, for, toil-spent, exhausted297, and bruised298, and faint as he was, he was still compelled, by a regard for his own life, to urge onwards over the smoother ground which he now trod, with longer and less cautious strides. His way was illuminated299 for an immense distance before him, by the triumphant300 conflagration that came roaring after him, and it was still gaining fresh strength every succeeding moment from the furious aid it was receiving from the increasing hurricane.
As he bore his burden resolutely301 onwards, his uncertain path led him across a mossy patch of heath, where there were but few trees. There the lurid light of the conflagration, reflected as it was from the heavens, was sufficient to show him a white figure advancing hastily towards him. It was a maiden’s slender form—she came—she uttered one wild and piercing shriek302, and then she sank down amid the long heath. Macfarlane laid the body of Angus upon a small hillock, and ran to her aid. It was Ellen. He flew to a rill hard by, and brought water in his bonnet303. She still breathed, but, as he lifted her head on his knee, each succeeding inspiration became fainter and fainter, till her fair bosom ceased to heave, and her lovely features settled into the marble stillness of death. Her frenzied304 efforts had been greater than her delicate frame could bear, and the severe mental shock which she received had suddenly expelled her pure spirit from its earthly tenement305.
Macfarlane leant over her for a time, altogether absorbed in the intensity of those feelings to which human nature compelled him to yield. But it was not long till the increasing roar of the advancing conflagration, which was now fearfully extending the breadth of its line of march, roused him from his stupor306. What could he now do? Was he to abandon both, or even one of the bodies of those, the memory of whom he so much cherished, in order to consult [39]his own safety? or was he to peril his own life for the purpose of performing a pious307 but by no means an imperatively308 necessary duty? He hesitated for a moment—a transient and accidental gleam disclosed to him the honest countenance of Angus—his heart filled with many an old recollection—his lip quivered—his eyes became moist—he moved towards the hillock where the body of Angus lay, and, stooping down hastily, he raised it again to his right shoulder, and then, passing onwards, he put his left arm around the slim form of Ellen, and lifting it up, he laboured on under the weight of both, with the long hair of the maiden sweeping over the tops of the purple heath as he went. Louder and louder came the roar of the conflagration behind him. He quickened his steps, toiling on every moment more and more breathlessly. But again the trees grew thicker as he advanced, and his way became more and more encumbered229 by their stems. The heat of the advancing flames now came more and more sensibly upon him, yet still he struggled on, firmly resolved not to relinquish309 either of his burdens till dire107 necessity should compel him to do so. The moment when this alternative was to arrive seemed to be fast approaching—nature was becoming exhausted—when his ears caught a shout which he well knew must come from some of his own clansmen. Faint as he was, the chief was not slow in replying to it; and, to his great relief, he was soon joined by some of those from whom he had been separated during the earlier part of their dreadful and bewildering retreat. He was now speedily relieved of both his burdens, and the flagging spirits of all of them being in some degree restored by this meeting, they again pushed on with renewed exertions, and without a halt, for some miles, during which they picked up several stragglers, whose bruised and blackened figures gave sufficient evidence of the dangers and difficulties they had passed through.
Worn out almost to death, this remnant of the Macfarlanes with difficulty climbed the gentle slope of a considerable eminence310 that lay in their way, and as they wound over the summit of it, where the trees grew somewhat thinly, Macfarlane, as he looked behind him, had at last the satisfaction to perceive that they had now gained so much on their pursuing enemy as to render them secure of a safe and easy retreat. Many, I trow, was the cross [40]that was signed, and the broken thanksgiving that was uttered ere the chief and this fragment of his followers threw themselves down to rest awhile, and to contemplate311 the awful scene of destruction from which they had so wonderfully escaped, of which their present commanding position gave them a full view.
The flames had now spread for miles in every direction over the thickest parts of the forest, rising over the crested312 ridges313 and swelling314 elevations, and diving into the deepest valleys and hollows. It seemed like one great billowy sea of fire, agitated as it was from time to time by the hurricane, which, as it approached its termination, came in gusts315, violent in strength, but short in duration. As each of these successively swept over the blazing woods, its terrible roar was mingled with the fearful crash of thousands of gigantic pines, which were levelled like reeds before it. These, as they fell, tossed up myriads of mimic316 stars and meteors into the firmament317, which, being surrounded by a zone of dense and inky clouds on its horizon, shone from within that circumference318 to its very centre, like one vast concave plate of red-hot brass319. The scene was enough to humble320 the proudest heart. The very deer were terrified into an unwonted degree of familiarity with man, for a herd of them that came sweeping over the brow of the eminence, flying in terror from the devouring flames, halted by them, and mingled with them, as if to claim protection from them. The dauntless heart of Macfarlane himself sank within him, as the whole desolating321 circumstances of this terrible night came crowding to his mind. It was wrung322 by a deep pang323 as he recalled the horrible spectacle of the massacred men of Lochaber; he wept like a child when he again looked on the inanimate bodies of those whose appointed bridal-day must now become that of their funeral. He groaned deeply as he gathered from his people around him the sad fate of many of those who were not now to be seen among them; and when such thoughts as these could be so far subdued as to permit him to gaze on the red and resistlessly devouring element, which was so rapidly annihilating324 his forest, he pictured to himself the melancholy devastation325 it would produce over his wide domains326, and the destruction it would occasion to his hunting grounds, and already, in imagination, he beheld the sable327 livery of mourning that must [41]soon be spread over his hitherto magnificent territory. And how well his anticipations were verified, we know from the fact, that ere many days went round the whole of the forest covering that country for above twenty-five miles in length, and of a breadth corresponding to that extent, was completely burned down, and the mosses328 which afterwards originated from it, and which still exist, are full of the embalmed329 witnesses of this terrible calamity330.
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1
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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7
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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8
vassals
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| n.奴仆( vassal的名词复数 )；（封建时代）诸侯；从属者；下属 | |
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9
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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10
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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14
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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battalions
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| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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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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follower
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| n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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exhaled
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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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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suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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36
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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37
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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38
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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39
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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40
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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41
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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42
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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43
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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44
betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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45
benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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46
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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47
posthumous
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| adj.遗腹的；父亡后出生的；死后的，身后的 | |
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48
worthiest
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| 应得某事物( worthy的最高级 )； 值得做某事； 可尊敬的； 有（某人或事物）的典型特征 | |
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49
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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50
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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51
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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52
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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53
lament
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| n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹 | |
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54
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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55
confiding
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| adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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56
wilfully
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| adv.任性固执地；蓄意地 | |
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57
repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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58
seduced
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| 诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷 | |
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59
holly
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| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
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60
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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61
crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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62
tryst
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| n.约会；v.与…幽会 | |
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63
albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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64
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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65
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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66
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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67
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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68
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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69
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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70
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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71
narration
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| n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体 | |
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72
felicitously
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| adv.恰当地，适切地 | |
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73
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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74
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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75
vouched
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| v.保证( vouch的过去式和过去分词 )；担保；确定；确定地说 | |
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76
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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77
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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78
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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79
anticipations
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|
| 预期( anticipation的名词复数 )； 预测； （信托财产收益的）预支； 预期的事物 | |
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80
contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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81
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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82
actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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83
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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84
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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85
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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86
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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87
taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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88
dispelled
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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89
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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90
enchanting
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| a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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91
mazes
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| 迷宫( maze的名词复数 )； 纷繁复杂的规则； 复杂难懂的细节； 迷宫图 | |
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92
harried
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| v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰 | |
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93
glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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94
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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95
dodging
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|
| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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96
adroitly
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| adv.熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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97
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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98
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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99
placidity
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| n.平静，安静，温和 | |
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100
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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101
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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102
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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103
mustered
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| 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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104
bestial
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| adj.残忍的；野蛮的 | |
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105
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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106
attainment
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| n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣 | |
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107
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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108
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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109
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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110
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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111
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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112
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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113
besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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114
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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115
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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116
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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117
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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118
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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119
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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120
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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121
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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122
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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123
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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124
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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125
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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126
impervious
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| adj.不能渗透的，不能穿过的，不易伤害的 | |
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127
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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128
knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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129
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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130
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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131
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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132
isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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133
inhaled
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| v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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134
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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135
jaded
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| adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的 | |
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136
unwillingness
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| n. 不愿意，不情愿 | |
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137
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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138
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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139
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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140
zephyr
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| n.和风，微风 | |
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141
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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142
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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143
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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144
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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145
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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146
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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147
repentant
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| adj.对…感到悔恨的 | |
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148
zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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149
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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150
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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151
bloodily
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| adv.出血地；血淋淋地；残忍地；野蛮地 | |
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152
circumspection
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| n.细心，慎重 | |
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153
intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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154
descry
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| v.远远看到；发现；责备 | |
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155
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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156
bickering
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|
| v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁 | |
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157
abruptness
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| n. 突然，唐突 | |
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158
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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159
density
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| n.密集，密度，浓度 | |
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160
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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161
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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162
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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163
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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164
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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165
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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166
accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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167
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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168
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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169
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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170
glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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171
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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172
bellies
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| n.肚子( belly的名词复数 )；腹部；（物体的）圆形或凸起部份；腹部…形的 | |
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173
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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174
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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175
recurrence
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| n.复发，反复，重现 | |
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176
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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177
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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178
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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179
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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180
badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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181
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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182
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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183
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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184
waggish
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| adj.诙谐的，滑稽的 | |
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185
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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186
myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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187
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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188
barricaded
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| 设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守 | |
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189
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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190
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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191
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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192
consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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193
consummated
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| v.使结束( consummate的过去式和过去分词 )；使完美；完婚；（婚礼后的）圆房 | |
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194
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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195
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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196
trenchant
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| adj.尖刻的，清晰的 | |
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197
reposing
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的现在分词 ) | |
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198
robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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199
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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200
reeking
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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201
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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202
murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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203
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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204
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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205
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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206
combustion
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| n.燃烧；氧化；骚动 | |
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207
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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208
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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209
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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210
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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211
pinnacle
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| n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰 | |
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212
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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213
elevations
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| （水平或数量）提高( elevation的名词复数 )； 高地； 海拔； 提升 | |
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214
crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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215
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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216
sublime
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|
| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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217
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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218
conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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219
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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220
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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221
annihilate
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| v.使无效；毁灭；取消 | |
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222
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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223
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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224
moths
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| n.蛾( moth的名词复数 ) | |
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225
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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226
thither
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|
| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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227
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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228
unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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229
encumbered
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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230
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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231
adders
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| n.加法器，（欧洲产）蝰蛇（小毒蛇），（北美产无毒的）猪鼻蛇( adder的名词复数 ) | |
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232
toads
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
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233
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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234
devouring
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|
| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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235
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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236
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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237
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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238
bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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239
miserable
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|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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240
inevitable
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|
| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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241
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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242
sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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243
consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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244
purgatory
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| n.炼狱；苦难；adj.净化的，清洗的 | |
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245
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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246
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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247
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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248
torments
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| （肉体或精神上的）折磨，痛苦( torment的名词复数 )； 造成痛苦的事物[人] | |
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249
prostrated
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| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的过去式和过去分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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250
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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251
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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252
skulls
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| 颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜 | |
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253
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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254
quailed
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| 害怕，发抖，畏缩( quail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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255
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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256
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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257
gust
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| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
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258
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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259
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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260
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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261
penitence
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| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
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262
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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263
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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264
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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265
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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266
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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267
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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268
persevered
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| v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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269
multiplication
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| n.增加，增多，倍增；增殖，繁殖；乘法 | |
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270
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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271
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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272
dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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273
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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274
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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275
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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276
toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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277
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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278
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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279
precipitated
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| v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀 | |
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280
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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281
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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282
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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283
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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284
suffocation
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| n.窒息 | |
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285
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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286
recurred
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| 再发生，复发( recur的过去式和过去分词 )； 治愈 | |
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287
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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288
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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289
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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290
hewed
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| v.（用斧、刀等）砍、劈( hew的过去式和过去分词 )；砍成；劈出；开辟 | |
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291
ravens
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| n.低质煤；渡鸦( raven的名词复数 ) | |
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292
funereal
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| adj.悲哀的；送葬的 | |
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293
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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294
obstructed
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| 阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止 | |
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295
hurdles
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| n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛 | |
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296
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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297
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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298
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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299
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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300
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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301
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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302
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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303
bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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304
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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305
tenement
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| n.公寓；房屋 | |
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306
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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307
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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308
imperatively
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| adv.命令式地 | |
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309
relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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310
eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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311
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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312
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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313
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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314
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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315
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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316
mimic
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| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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317
firmament
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| n.苍穹；最高层 | |
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318
circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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319
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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320
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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321
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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322
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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323
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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324
annihilating
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的现在分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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325
devastation
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| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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326
domains
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| n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产 | |
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327
sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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328
mosses
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| n. 藓类, 苔藓植物 名词moss的复数形式 | |
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329
embalmed
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| adj.用防腐药物保存（尸体）的v.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的过去式和过去分词 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气 | |
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330
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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