With this efficient re-enforcement the agitation7 of Reynal’s nerves subsided8. He began to conceive a sort of attachment9 to our old camping ground; yet it was time to change our quarters, since remaining too long on one spot must lead to certain unpleasant results not to be borne with unless in a case of dire10 necessity. The grass no longer presented a smooth surface of turf; it was trampled11 into mud and clay. So we removed to another old tree, larger yet, that grew by the river side at a furlong’s distance. Its trunk was full six feet in diameter; on one side it was marked by a party of Indians with various inexplicable12 hieroglyphics13, commemorating14 some warlike enterprise, and aloft among the branches were the remains15 of a scaffolding, where dead bodies had once been deposited, after the Indian manner.
“There comes Bull-Bear,” said Henry Chatillon, as we sat on the grass at dinner. Looking up, we saw several horsemen coming over the neighboring hill, and in a moment four stately young men rode up and dismounted. One of them was Bull-Bear, or Mahto-Tatonka, a compound name which he inherited from his father, the most powerful chief in the Ogallalla band. One of his brothers and two other young men accompanied him. We shook hands with the visitors, and when we had finished our meal—for this is the orthodox manner of entertaining Indians, even the best of them—we handed to each a tin cup of coffee and a biscuit, at which they ejaculated from the bottom of their throats, “How! how!” a monosyllable by which an Indian contrives18 to express half the emotions that he is susceptible19 of. Then we lighted the pipe, and passed it to them as they squatted20 on the ground.
“Where is the village?”
“There,” said Mahto-Tatonka, pointing southward; “it will come in two days.”
“Will they go to the war?”
“Yes.”
No man is a philanthropist on the prairie. We welcomed this news most cordially, and congratulated ourselves that Bordeaux’s interested efforts to divert The Whirlwind from his congenial vocation21 of bloodshed had failed of success, and that no additional obstacles would interpose between us and our plan of repairing to the rendezvous22 at La Bonte’s Camp.
For that and several succeeding days, Mahto-Tatonka and his friends remained our guests. They devoured23 the relics24 of our meals; they filled the pipe for us and also helped us to smoke it. Sometimes they stretched themselves side by side in the shade, indulging in raillery and practical jokes ill becoming the dignity of brave and aspiring25 warriors27, such as two of them in reality were.
Two days dragged away, and on the morning of the third we hoped confidently to see the Indian village. It did not come; so we rode out to look for it. In place of the eight hundred Indians we expected, we met one solitary29 savage30 riding toward us over the prairie, who told us that the Indians had changed their plans, and would not come within three days; still he persisted that they were going to the war. Taking along with us this messenger of evil tidings, we retraced31 our footsteps to the camp, amusing ourselves by the way with execrating32 Indian inconstancy. When we came in sight of our little white tent under the big tree, we saw that it no longer stood alone. A huge old lodge33 was erected34 close by its side, discolored by rain and storms, rotted with age, with the uncouth36 figures of horses and men, and outstretched hands that were painted upon it, well-nigh obliterated37. The long poles which supported this squalid habitation thrust themselves rakishly out from its pointed38 top, and over its entrance were suspended a “medicine-pipe” and various other implements39 of the magic art. While we were yet at a distance, we observed a greatly increased population of various colors and dimensions, swarming40 around our quiet encampment. Moran, the trapper, having been absent for a day or two, had returned, it seemed, bringing all his family with him. He had taken to himself a wife for whom he had paid the established price of one horse. This looks cheap at first sight, but in truth the purchase of a squaw is a transaction which no man should enter into without mature deliberation, since it involves not only the payment of the first price, but the formidable burden of feeding and supporting a rapacious41 horde42 of the bride’s relatives, who hold themselves entitled to feed upon the indiscreet white man. They gather round like leeches43, and drain him of all he has.
Moran, like Reynal, had not allied44 himself to an aristocratic circle. His relatives occupied but a contemptible45 position in Ogallalla society; for among those wild democrats46 of the prairie, as among us, there are virtual distinctions of rank and place; though this great advantage they have over us, that wealth has no part in determining such distinctions. Moran’s partner was not the most beautiful of her sex, and he had the exceedingly bad taste to array her in an old calico gown bought from an emigrant47 woman, instead of the neat and graceful48 tunic49 of whitened deerskin worn ordinarily by the squaws. The moving spirit of the establishment, in more senses than one, was a hideous50 old hag of eighty. Human imagination never conceived hobgoblin or witch more ugly than she. You could count all her ribs51 through the wrinkles of the leathery skin that covered them. Her withered52 face more resembled an old skull53 than the countenance54 of a living being, even to the hollow, darkened sockets55, at the bottom of which glittered her little black eyes. Her arms had dwindled56 away into nothing but whipcord and wire. Her hair, half black, half gray, hung in total neglect nearly to the ground, and her sole garment consisted of the remnant of a discarded buffalo robe tied round her waist with a string of hide. Yet the old squaw’s meager58 anatomy59 was wonderfully strong. She pitched the lodge, packed the horses, and did the hardest labor60 of the camp. From morning till night she bustled61 about the lodge, screaming like a screech-owl when anything displeased62 her. Then there was her brother, a “medicine-man,” or magician, equally gaunt and sinewy63 with herself. His mouth spread from ear to ear, and his appetite, as we had full occasion to learn, was ravenous64 in proportion. The other inmates65 of the lodge were a young bride and bridegroom; the latter one of those idle, good-for nothing fellows who infest66 an Indian village as well as more civilized67 communities. He was fit neither for hunting nor for war; and one might infer as much from the stolid68 unmeaning expression of his face. The happy pair had just entered upon the honeymoon69. They would stretch a buffalo robe upon poles, so as to protect them from the fierce rays of the sun, and spreading beneath this rough canopy70 a luxuriant couch of furs, would sit affectionately side by side for half the day, though I could not discover that much conversation passed between them. Probably they had nothing to say; for an Indian’s supply of topics for conversation is far from being copious71. There were half a dozen children, too, playing and whooping73 about the camp, shooting birds with little bows and arrows, or making miniature lodges74 of sticks, as children of a different complexion75 build houses of blocks.
A day passed, and Indians began rapidly to come in. Parties of two or three or more would ride up and silently seat themselves on the grass. The fourth day came at last, when about noon horsemen suddenly appeared into view on the summit of the neighboring ridge76. They descended77, and behind them followed a wild procession, hurrying in haste and disorder78 down the hill and over the plain below; horses, mules79, and dogs, heavily burdened travaux, mounted warriors, squaws walking amid the throng81, and a host of children. For a full half-hour they continued to pour down; and keeping directly to the bend of the stream, within a furlong of us, they soon assembled there, a dark and confused throng, until, as if by magic, 150 tall lodges sprung up. On a sudden the lonely plain was transformed into the site of a miniature city. Countless82 horses were soon grazing over the meadows around us, and the whole prairie was animated83 by restless figures careening on horseback, or sedately84 stalking in their long white robes. The Whirlwind was come at last! One question yet remained to be answered: “Will he go to the war, in order that we, with so respectable an escort, may pass over to the somewhat perilous rendezvous at La Bonte’s Camp?”
Still this remained in doubt. Characteristic indecision perplexed86 their councils. Indians cannot act in large bodies. Though their object be of the highest importance, they cannot combine to attain87 it by a series of connected efforts. King Philip, Pontiac, and Tecumseh all felt this to their cost. The Ogallalla once had a war chief who could control them; but he was dead, and now they were left to the sway of their own unsteady impulses.
This Indian village and its inhabitants will hold a prominent place in the rest of the narrative88, and perhaps it may not be amiss to glance for an instant at the savage people of which they form a part. The Dakota (I prefer this national designation to the unmeaning French name, Sioux) range over a vast territory, from the river St. Peter’s to the Rocky Mountains themselves. They are divided into several independent bands, united under no central government, and acknowledge no common head. The same language, usages, and superstitions89 form the sole bond between them. They do not unite even in their wars. The bands of the east fight the Ojibwas on the Upper Lakes; those of the west make incessant91 war upon the Snake Indians in the Rocky Mountains. As the whole people is divided into bands, so each band is divided into villages. Each village has a chief, who is honored and obeyed only so far as his personal qualities may command respect and fear. Sometimes he is a mere92 nominal93 chief; sometimes his authority is little short of absolute, and his fame and influence reach even beyond his own village; so that the whole band to which he belongs is ready to acknowledge him as their head. This was, a few years since, the case with the Ogallalla. Courage, address, and enterprise may raise any warrior26 to the highest honor, especially if he be the son of a former chief, or a member of a numerous family, to support him and avenge94 his quarrels; but when he has reached the dignity of chief, and the old men and warriors, by a peculiar95 ceremony, have formally installed him, let it not be imagined that he assumes any of the outward semblances96 of rank and honor. He knows too well on how frail97 a tenure98 he holds his station. He must conciliate his uncertain subjects. Many a man in the village lives better, owns more squaws and more horses, and goes better clad than he. Like the Teutonic chiefs of old, he ingratiates himself with his young men by making them presents, thereby99 often impoverishing100 himself. Does he fail in gaining their favor, they will set his authority at naught101, and may desert him at any moment; for the usages of his people have provided no sanctions by which he may enforce his authority. Very seldom does it happen, at least among these western bands, that a chief attains102 to much power, unless he is the head of a numerous family. Frequently the village is principally made up of his relatives and descendants, and the wandering community assumes much of the patriarchal character. A people so loosely united, torn, too, with ranking feuds104 and jealousies105, can have little power or efficiency.
The western Dakota have no fixed106 habitations. Hunting and fighting, they wander incessantly107 through summer and winter. Some are following the herds108 of buffalo over the waste of prairie; others are traversing the Black Hills, thronging109 on horseback and on foot through the dark gulfs and somber110 gorges111 beneath the vast splintering precipices112, and emerging at last upon the “Parks,” those beautiful but most perilous hunting grounds. The buffalo supplies them with almost all the necessaries of life; with habitations, food, clothing, and fuel; with strings113 for their bows, with thread, cordage, and trail-ropes for their horses, with coverings for their saddles, with vessels114 to hold water, with boats to cross streams, with glue, and with the means of purchasing all that they desire from the traders. When the buffalo are extinct, they too must dwindle57 away.
War is the breath of their nostrils115. Against most of the neighboring tribes they cherish a deadly, rancorous hatred116, transmitted from father to son, and inflamed117 by constant aggression118 and retaliation119. Many times a year, in every village, the Great Spirit is called upon, fasts are made, the war parade is celebrated120, and the warriors go out by handfuls at a time against the enemy. This fierce and evil spirit awakens121 their most eager aspirations122, and calls forth123 their greatest energies. It is chiefly this that saves them from lethargy and utter abasement124. Without its powerful stimulus125 they would be like the unwarlike tribes beyond the mountains, who are scattered126 among the caves and rocks like beasts, living on roots and reptiles127. These latter have little of humanity except the form; but the proud and ambitious Dakota warrior can sometimes boast of heroic virtues128. It is very seldom that distinction and influence are attained129 among them by any other course than that of arms. Their superstition90, however, sometimes gives great power, to those among them who pretend to the character of magicians. Their wild hearts, too, can feel the power of oratory130, and yield deference131 to the masters of it.
But to return. Look into our tent, or enter, if you can bear the stifling132 smoke and the close atmosphere. There, wedged close together, you will see a circle of stout133 warriors, passing the pipe around, joking, telling stories, and making themselves merry, after their fashion. We were also infested134 by little copper-colored naked boys and snake-eyed girls. They would come up to us, muttering certain words, which being interpreted conveyed the concise135 invitation, “Come and eat.” Then we would rise, cursing the pertinacity136 of Dakota hospitality, which allowed scarcely an hour of rest between sun and sun, and to which we were bound to do honor, unless we would offend our entertainers. This necessity was particularly burdensome to me, as I was scarcely able to walk, from the effects of illness, and was of course poorly qualified137 to dispose of twenty meals a day. Of these sumptuous138 banquets I gave a specimen139 in a former chapter, where the tragical140 fate of the little dog was chronicled. So bounteous141 an entertainment looks like an outgushing of good will; but doubtless one-half at least of our kind hosts, had they met us alone and unarmed on the prairie, would have robbed us of our horses, and perchance have bestowed142 an arrow upon us beside. Trust not an Indian. Let your rifle be ever in your hand. Wear next your heart the old chivalric143 motto SEMPER PARATUS.
One morning we were summoned to the lodge of an old man, in good truth the Nestor of his tribe. We found him half sitting, half reclining on a pile of buffalo robes; his long hair, jet-black even now, though he had seen some eighty winters, hung on either side of his thin features. Those most conversant144 with Indians in their homes will scarcely believe me when I affirm that there was dignity in his countenance and mien145. His gaunt but symmetrical frame, did not more clearly exhibit the wreck146 of bygone strength, than did his dark, wasted features, still prominent and commanding, bear the stamp of mental energies. I recalled, as I saw him, the eloquent147 metaphor148 of the Iroquois sachem: “I am an aged149 hemlock150; the winds of a hundred winters have whistled through my branches, and I am dead at the top!” Opposite the patriarch was his nephew, the young aspirant151 Mahto-Tatonka; and besides these, there were one or two women in the lodge.
The old man’s story is peculiar, and singularly illustrative of a superstitious152 custom that prevails in full force among many of the Indian tribes. He was one of a powerful family, renowned153 for their warlike exploits. When a very young man, he submitted to the singular rite16 to which most of the tribe subject themselves before entering upon life. He painted his face black; then seeking out a cavern155 in a sequestered156 part of the Black Hills, he lay for several days, fasting and praying to the Great Spirit. In the dreams and visions produced by his weakened and excited state, he fancied like all Indians, that he saw supernatural revelations. Again and again the form of an antelope157 appeared before him. The antelope is the graceful peace spirit of the Ogallalla; but seldom is it that such a gentle visitor presents itself during the initiatory158 fasts of their young men. The terrible grizzly159 bear, the divinity of war, usually appears to fire them with martial160 ardor161 and thirst for renown154. At length the antelope spoke162. He told the young dreamer that he was not to follow the path of war; that a life of peace and tranquillity164 was marked out for him; that henceforward he was to guide the people by his counsels and protect them from the evils of their own feuds and dissensions. Others were to gain renown by fighting the enemy; but greatness of a different kind was in store for him.
The visions beheld165 during the period of this fast usually determine the whole course of the dreamer’s life, for an Indian is bound by iron superstitions. From that time, Le Borgne, which was the only name by which we knew him, abandoned all thoughts of war and devoted166 himself to the labors167 of peace. He told his vision to the people. They honored his commission and respected him in his novel capacity.
A far different man was his brother, Mahto-Tatonka, who had transmitted his names, his features, and many of his characteristic qualities to his son. He was the father of Henry Chatillon’s squaw, a circumstance which proved of some advantage to us, as securing for us the friendship of a family perhaps the most distinguished168 and powerful in the whole Ogallalla band. Mahto-Tatonka, in his rude way, was a hero. No chief could vie with him in warlike renown, or in power over his people. He had a fearless spirit, and a most impetuous and inflexible169 resolution. His will was law. He was politic170 and sagacious, and with true Indian craft he always befriended the whites, well knowing that he might thus reap great advantages for himself and his adherents171. When he had resolved on any course of conduct, he would pay to the warriors the empty compliment of calling them together to deliberate upon it, and when their debates were over, he would quietly state his own opinion, which no one ever disputed. The consequences of thwarting172 his imperious will were too formidable to be encountered. Woe173 to those who incurred174 his displeasure! He would strike them or stab them on the spot; and this act, which, if attempted by any other chief, would instantly have cost him his life, the awe175 inspired by his name enabled him to repeat again and again with impunity176. In a community where, from immemorial time, no man has acknowledged any law but his own will, Mahto-Tatonka, by the force of his dauntless resolution, raised himself to power little short of despotic. His haughty177 career came at last to an end. He had a host of enemies only waiting for their opportunity of revenge, and our old friend Smoke, in particular, together with all his kinsmen178, hated him most cordially. Smoke sat one day in his lodge in the midst of his own village, when Mahto-Tatonka entered it alone, and approaching the dwelling179 of his enemy, called on him in a loud voice to come out, if he were a man, and fight. Smoke would not move. At this, Mahto-Tatonka proclaimed him a coward and an old woman, and striding close to the entrance of the lodge, stabbed the chief’s best horse, which was picketed180 there. Smoke was daunted181, and even this insult failed to call him forth. Mahto-Tatonka moved haughtily182 away; all made way for him, but his hour of reckoning was near.
One hot day, five or six years ago, numerous lodges of Smoke’s kinsmen were gathered around some of the Fur Company’s men, who were trading in various articles with them, whisky among the rest. Mahto-Tatonka was also there with a few of his people. As he lay in his own lodge, a fray183 arose between his adherents and the kinsmen of his enemy. The war-whoop72 was raised, bullets and arrows began to fly, and the camp was in confusion. The chief sprang up, and rushing in a fury from the lodge shouted to the combatants on both sides to cease. Instantly—for the attack was preconcerted—came the reports of two or three guns, and the twanging of a dozen bows, and the savage hero, mortally wounded, pitched forward headlong to the ground. Rouleau was present, and told me the particulars. The tumult184 became general, and was not quelled185 until several had fallen on both sides. When we were in the country the feud103 between the two families was still rankling186, and not likely soon to cease.
Thus died Mahto-Tatonka, but he left behind him a goodly army of descendants, to perpetuate187 his renown and avenge his fate. Besides daughters he had thirty sons, a number which need not stagger the credulity of those who are best acquainted with Indian usages and practices. We saw many of them, all marked by the same dark complexion and the same peculiar cast of features. Of these our visitor, young Mahto-Tatonka, was the eldest188, and some reported him as likely to succeed to his father’s honors. Though he appeared not more than twenty-one years old, he had oftener struck the enemy, and stolen more horses and more squaws than any young man in the village. We of the civilized world are not apt to attach much credit to the latter species of exploits; but horse-stealing is well known as an avenue to distinction on the prairies, and the other kind of depredation189 is esteemed190 equally meritorious191. Not that the act can confer fame from its own intrinsic merits. Any one can steal a squaw, and if he chooses afterward192 to make an adequate present to her rightful proprietor193, the easy husband for the most part rests content, his vengeance194 falls asleep, and all danger from that quarter is averted195. Yet this is esteemed but a pitiful and mean-spirited transaction. The danger is averted, but the glory of the achievement also is lost. Mahto-Tatonka proceeded after a more gallant196 and dashing fashion. Out of several dozen squaws whom he had stolen, he could boast that he had never paid for one, but snapping his fingers in the face of the injured husband, had defied the extremity197 of his indignation, and no one yet had dared to lay the finger of violence upon him. He was following close in the footsteps of his father. The young men and the young squaws, each in their way, admired him. The one would always follow him to war, and he was esteemed to have unrivaled charm in the eyes of the other. Perhaps his impunity may excite some wonder. An arrow shot from a ravine, a stab given in the dark, require no great valor198, and are especially suited to the Indian genius; but Mahto-Tatonka had a strong protection. It was not alone his courage and audacious will that enabled him to career so dashingly among his compeers. His enemies did not forget that he was one of thirty warlike brethren, all growing up to manhood. Should they wreak199 their anger upon him, many keen eyes would be ever upon them, many fierce hearts would thirst for their blood. The avenger200 would dog their footsteps everywhere. To kill Mahto-Tatonka would be no better than an act of suicide.
Though he found such favor in the eyes of the fair, he was no dandy. As among us those of highest worth and breeding are most simple in manner and attire201, so our aspiring young friend was indifferent to the gaudy202 trappings and ornaments203 of his companions. He was content to rest his chances of success upon his own warlike merits. He never arrayed himself in gaudy blanket and glittering necklaces, but left his statue-like form, limbed like an Apollo of bronze, to win its way to favor. His voice was singularly deep and strong. It sounded from his chest like the deep notes of an organ. Yet after all, he was but an Indian. See him as he lies there in the sun before our tent, kicking his heels in the air and cracking jokes with his brother. Does he look like a hero? See him now in the hour of his glory, when at sunset the whole village empties itself to behold204 him, for to-morrow their favorite young partisan205 goes out against the enemy. His superb headdress is adorned206 with a crest207 of the war eagle’s feathers, rising in a waving ridge above his brow, and sweeping208 far behind him. His round white shield hangs at his breast, with feathers radiating from the center like a star. His quiver is at his back; his tall lance in his hand, the iron point flashing against the declining sun, while the long scalp-locks of his enemies flutter from the shaft209. Thus, gorgeous as a champion in his panoply210, he rides round and round within the great circle of lodges, balancing with a graceful buoyancy to the free movements of his war horse, while with a sedate85 brow he sings his song to the Great Spirit. Young rival warriors look askance at him; vermilion-cheeked girls gaze in admiration211, boys whoop and scream in a thrill of delight, and old women yell forth his name and proclaim his praises from lodge to lodge.
Mahto-Tatonka, to come back to him, was the best of all our Indian friends. Hour after hour and day after day, when swarms212 of savages213 of every age, sex, and degree beset214 our camp, he would lie in our tent, his lynx eye ever open to guard our property from pillage215.
The Whirlwind invited us one day to his lodge. The feast was finished, and the pipe began to circulate. It was a remarkably216 large and fine one, and I expressed my admiration of its form and dimensions.
“If the Meneaska likes the pipe,” asked The Whirlwind, “why does he not keep it?”
Such a pipe among the Ogallalla is valued at the price of a horse. A princely gift, thinks the reader, and worthy217 of a chieftain and a warrior. The Whirlwind’s generosity218 rose to no such pitch. He gave me the pipe, confidently expecting that I in return should make him a present of equal or superior value. This is the implied condition of every gift among the Indians as among the Orientals, and should it not be complied with the present is usually reclaimed219 by the giver. So I arranged upon a gaudy calico handkerchief, an assortment220 of vermilion, tobacco, knives, and gunpowder221, and summoning the chief to camp, assured him of my friendship and begged his acceptance of a slight token of it. Ejaculating HOW! HOW! he folded up the offerings and withdrew to his lodge.
Several days passed and we and the Indians remained encamped side by side. They could not decide whether or not to go to war. Toward evening, scores of them would surround our tent, a picturesque222 group. Late one afternoon a party of them mounted on horseback came suddenly in sight from behind some clumps223 of bushes that lined the bank of the stream, leading with them a mule80, on whose back was a wretched negro, only sustained in his seat by the high pommel and cantle of the Indian saddle. His cheeks were withered and shrunken in the hollow of his jaws225; his eyes were unnaturally226 dilated227, and his lips seemed shriveled and drawn228 back from his teeth like those of a corpse229. When they brought him up before our tent, and lifted him from the saddle, he could not walk or stand, but he crawled a short distance, and with a look of utter misery230 sat down on the grass. All the children and women came pouring out of the lodges round us, and with screams and cries made a close circle about him, while he sat supporting himself with his hands, and looking from side to side with a vacant stare. The wretch224 was starving to death! For thirty-three days he had wandered alone on the prairie, without weapon of any kind; without shoes, moccasins, or any other clothing than an old jacket and pantaloons; without intelligence and skill to guide his course, or any knowledge of the productions of the prairie. All this time he had subsisted231 on crickets and lizards232, wild onions, and three eggs which he found in the nest of a prairie dove. He had not seen a human being. Utterly233 bewildered in the boundless234, hopeless desert that stretched around him, offering to his inexperienced eye no mark by which to direct his course, he had walked on in despair till he could walk no longer, and then crawled on his knees until the bone was laid bare. He chose the night for his traveling, lying down by day to sleep in the glaring sun, always dreaming, as he said, of the broth17 and corn cake he used to eat under his old master’s shed in Missouri. Every man in the camp, both white and red, was astonished at his wonderful escape not only from starvation but from the grizzly bears which abound235 in that neighborhood, and the wolves which howled around him every night.
Reynal recognized him the moment the Indians brought him in. He had run away from his master about a year before and joined the party of M. Richard, who was then leaving the frontier for the mountains. He had lived with Richard ever since, until in the end of May he with Reynal and several other men went out in search of some stray horses, when he got separated from the rest in a storm, and had never been heard of up to this time. Knowing his inexperience and helplessness, no one dreamed that he could still be living. The Indians had found him lying exhausted236 on the ground.
As he sat there with the Indians gazing silently on him, his haggard face and glazed237 eye were disgusting to look upon. Delorier made him a bowl of gruel238, but he suffered it to remain untasted before him. At length he languidly raised the spoon to his lips; again he did so, and again; and then his appetite seemed suddenly inflamed into madness, for he seized the bowl, swallowed all its contents in a few seconds, and eagerly demanded meat. This we refused, telling him to wait until morning, but he begged so eagerly that we gave him a small piece, which he devoured, tearing it like a dog. He said he must have more. We told him that his life was in danger if he ate so immoderately at first. He assented239, and said he knew he was a fool to do so, but he must have meat. This we absolutely refused, to the great indignation of the senseless squaws, who, when we were not watching him, would slyly bring dried meat and POMMES BLANCHES240, and place them on the ground by his side. Still this was not enough for him. When it grew dark he contrived241 to creep away between the legs of the horses and crawl over to the Indian village, about a furlong down the stream. Here he fed to his heart’s content, and was brought back again in the morning, when Jean Gras, the trapper, put him on horseback and carried him to the fort. He managed to survive the effects of his insane greediness, and though slightly deranged242 when we left this part of the country, he was otherwise in tolerable health, and expressed his firm conviction that nothing could ever kill him.
When the sun was yet an hour high, it was a gay scene in the village. The warriors stalked sedately among the lodges, or along the margin243 of the streams, or walked out to visit the bands of horses that were feeding over the prairie. Half the village population deserted244 the close and heated lodges and betook themselves to the water; and here you might see boys and girls and young squaws splashing, swimming, and diving beneath the afternoon sun, with merry laughter and screaming. But when the sun was just resting above the broken peaks, and the purple mountains threw their prolonged shadows for miles over the prairie; when our grim old tree, lighted by the horizontal rays, assumed an aspect of peaceful repose245, such as one loves after scenes of tumult and excitement; and when the whole landscape of swelling246 plains and scattered groves247 was softened248 into a tranquil163 beauty, then our encampment presented a striking spectacle. Could Salvator Rosa have transferred it to his canvas, it would have added new renown to his pencil. Savage figures surrounded our tent, with quivers at their backs, and guns, lances, or tomahawks in their hands. Some sat on horseback, motionless as equestrian249 statues, their arms crossed on their breasts, their eyes fixed in a steady unwavering gaze upon us. Some stood erect35, wrapped from head to foot in their long white robes of buffalo hide. Some sat together on the grass, holding their shaggy horses by a rope, with their broad dark busts250 exposed to view as they suffered their robes to fall from their shoulders. Others again stood carelessly among the throng, with nothing to conceal251 the matchless symmetry of their forms; and I do not exaggerate when I say that only on the prairie and in the Vatican have I seen such faultless models of the human figure. See that warrior standing252 by the tree, towering six feet and a half in stature253. Your eyes may trace the whole of his graceful and majestic254 height, and discover no defect or blemish255. With his free and noble attitude, with the bow in his hand, and the quiver at his back, he might seem, but for his face, the Pythian Apollo himself. Such a figure rose before the imagination of West, when on first seeing the Belvidere in the Vatican, he exclaimed, “By God, a Mohawk!”
When the sky darkened and the stars began to appear; when the prairie was involved in gloom and the horses were driven in and secured around the camp, the crowd began to melt away. Fires gleamed around, duskily revealing the rough trappers and the graceful Indians. One of the families near us would always be gathered about a bright blaze, that displayed the shadowy dimensions of their lodge, and sent its lights far up among the masses of foliage256 above, gilding257 the dead and ragged28 branches. Withered witchlike hags flitted around the blaze, and here for hour after hour sat a circle of children and young girls, laughing and talking, their round merry faces glowing in the ruddy light. We could hear the monotonous258 notes of the drum from the Indian village, with the chant of the war song, deadened in the distance, and the long chorus of quavering yells, where the war dance was going on in the largest lodge. For several nights, too, we could hear wild and mournful cries, rising and dying away like the melancholy259 voice of a wolf. They came from the sisters and female relatives of Mahto-Tatonka, who were gashing260 their limbs with knives, and bewailing the death of Henry Chatillon’s squaw. The hour would grow late before all retired261 to rest in the camp. Then the embers of the fires would be glowing dimly, the men would be stretched in their blankets on the ground, and nothing could be heard but the restless motions of the crowded horses.
I recall these scenes with a mixed feeling of pleasure and pain. At this time I was so reduced by illness that I could seldom walk without reeling like a drunken man, and when I rose from my seat upon the ground the landscape suddenly grew dim before my eyes, the trees and lodges seemed to sway to and fro, and the prairie to rise and fall like the swells262 of the ocean. Such a state of things is by no means enviable anywhere. In a country where a man’s life may at any moment depend on the strength of his arm, or it may be on the activity of his legs, it is more particularly inconvenient263. Medical assistance of course there was none; neither had I the means of pursuing a system of diet; and sleeping on a damp ground, with an occasional drenching264 from a shower, would hardly be recommended as beneficial. I sometimes suffered the extremity of languor265 and exhaustion266, and though at the time I felt no apprehensions267 of the final result, I have since learned that my situation was a critical one.
Besides other formidable inconveniences I owe it in a great measure to the remote effects of that unlucky disorder that from deficient268 eyesight I am compelled to employ the pen of another in taking down this narrative from my lips; and I have learned very effectually that a violent attack of dysentery on the prairie is a thing too serious for a joke. I tried repose and a very sparing diet. For a long time, with exemplary patience, I lounged about the camp, or at the utmost staggered over to the Indian village, and walked faint and dizzy among the lodges. It would not do, and I bethought me of starvation. During five days I sustained life on one small biscuit a day. At the end of that time I was weaker than before, but the disorder seemed shaken in its stronghold and very gradually I began to resume a less rigid269 diet. No sooner had I done so than the same detested270 symptoms revisited me; my old enemy resumed his pertinacious271 assaults, yet not with his former violence or constancy, and though before I regained272 any fair portion of my ordinary strength weeks had elapsed, and months passed before the disorder left me, yet thanks to old habits of activity, and a merciful Providence273, I was able to sustain myself against it.
I used to lie languid and dreamy before our tent and muse274 on the past and the future, and when most overcome with lassitude, my eyes turned always toward the distant Black Hills. There is a spirit of energy and vigor275 in mountains, and they impart it to all who approach their presence. At that time I did not know how many dark superstitions and gloomy legends are associated with those mountains in the minds of the Indians, but I felt an eager desire to penetrate276 their hidden recesses277, to explore the awful chasms278 and precipices, the black torrents279, the silent forests, that I fancied were concealed280 there.
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1
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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13
hieroglyphics
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| n.pl.象形文字 | |
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commemorating
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| v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 ) | |
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15
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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broth
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| n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等) | |
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contrives
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的第三人称单数 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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vocation
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| n.职业，行业 | |
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rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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23
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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25
aspiring
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| adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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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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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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31
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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32
execrating
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| v.憎恶( execrate的现在分词 )；厌恶；诅咒；咒骂 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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34
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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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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36
uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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38
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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40
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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41
rapacious
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| adj.贪婪的，强夺的 | |
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42
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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43
leeches
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| n.水蛭( leech的名词复数 )；蚂蟥；榨取他人脂膏者；医生 | |
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44
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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45
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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46
democrats
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| n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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47
emigrant
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| adj.移居的，移民的；n.移居外国的人，移民 | |
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48
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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49
tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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50
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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51
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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52
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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53
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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54
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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55
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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56
dwindled
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| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
dwindle
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| v.逐渐变小（或减少） | |
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58
meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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59
anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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60
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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61
bustled
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| 闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促 | |
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62
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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63
sinewy
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| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
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64
ravenous
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| adj.极饿的，贪婪的 | |
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65
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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66
infest
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| v.大批出没于；侵扰；寄生于 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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honeymoon
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| n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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72
whoop
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| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
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73
whooping
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| 发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的 | |
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74
lodges
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| v.存放( lodge的第三人称单数 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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75
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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81
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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82
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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84
sedately
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| adv.镇静地，安详地 | |
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85
sedate
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| adj.沉着的，镇静的，安静的 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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87
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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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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semblances
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| n.外表，外观（semblance的复数形式） | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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tenure
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| n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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impoverishing
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| v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的现在分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化 | |
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101
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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102
attains
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的第三人称单数 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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103
feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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104
feuds
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| n.长期不和，世仇( feud的名词复数 ) | |
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105
jealousies
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| n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡 | |
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106
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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107
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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108
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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109
thronging
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的现在分词 ) | |
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110
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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111
gorges
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| n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕 | |
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112
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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113
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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114
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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115
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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116
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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117
inflamed
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| adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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118
aggression
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| n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害 | |
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119
retaliation
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| n.报复，反击 | |
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120
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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121
awakens
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的第三人称单数 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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122
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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123
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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124
abasement
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| n.滥用 | |
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125
stimulus
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| n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物 | |
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126
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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127
reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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128
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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129
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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130
oratory
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| n.演讲术；词藻华丽的言辞 | |
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131
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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132
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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134
infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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135
concise
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| adj.简洁的，简明的 | |
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136
pertinacity
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| n.执拗，顽固 | |
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137
qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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138
sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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139
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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140
tragical
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| adj. 悲剧的, 悲剧性的 | |
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141
bounteous
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| adj.丰富的 | |
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142
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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143
chivalric
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| 有武士气概的，有武士风范的 | |
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144
conversant
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| adj.亲近的，有交情的，熟悉的 | |
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145
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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146
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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147
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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148
metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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149
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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150
hemlock
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| n.毒胡萝卜，铁杉 | |
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151
aspirant
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| n.热望者；adj.渴望的 | |
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152
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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153
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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154
renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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155
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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156
sequestered
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| adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押 | |
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157
antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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158
initiatory
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| adj.开始的；创始的；入会的；入社的 | |
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159
grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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160
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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161
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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162
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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163
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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164
tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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165
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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166
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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167
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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168
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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169
inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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170
politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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171
adherents
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| n.支持者，拥护者( adherent的名词复数 )；党羽；徒子徒孙 | |
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172
thwarting
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| 阻挠( thwart的现在分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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173
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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174
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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175
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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176
impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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177
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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178
kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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179
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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180
picketed
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| 用尖桩围住（picket的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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181
daunted
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| 使（某人）气馁，威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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182
haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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183
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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184
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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185
quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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186
rankling
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| v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的现在分词 ) | |
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187
perpetuate
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| v.使永存，使永记不忘 | |
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188
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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189
depredation
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| n.掠夺，蹂躏 | |
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190
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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191
meritorious
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| adj.值得赞赏的 | |
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192
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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193
proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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194
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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195
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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196
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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197
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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198
valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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199
wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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200
avenger
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| n. 复仇者 | |
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201
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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202
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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203
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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204
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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205
partisan
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| adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒 | |
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206
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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207
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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208
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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209
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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210
panoply
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| n.全副甲胄，礼服 | |
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211
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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212
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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213
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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214
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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215
pillage
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| v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物 | |
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216
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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217
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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218
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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219
reclaimed
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| adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救 | |
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220
assortment
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| n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集 | |
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221
gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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222
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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223
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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224
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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225
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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226
unnaturally
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| adv.违反习俗地；不自然地；勉强地；不近人情地 | |
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227
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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228
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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229
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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230
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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231
subsisted
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| v.（靠很少的钱或食物）维持生活，生存下去( subsist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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232
lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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233
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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234
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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235
abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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236
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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238
gruel
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| n.稀饭，粥 | |
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239
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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240
blanches
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| v.使变白( blanch的第三人称单数 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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242
deranged
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| adj.疯狂的 | |
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243
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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246
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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247
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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248
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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249
equestrian
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| adj.骑马的；n.马术 | |
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250
busts
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| 半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕 | |
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251
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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252
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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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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blemish
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| v.损害；玷污；瑕疵，缺点 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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257
gilding
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| n.贴金箔，镀金 | |
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258
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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259
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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260
gashing
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| v.划伤，割破( gash的现在分词 ) | |
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261
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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262
swells
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| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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drenching
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| n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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268
deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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269
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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270
detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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271
pertinacious
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| adj.顽固的 | |
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272
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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273
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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274
muse
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| n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感 | |
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275
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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276
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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277
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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278
chasms
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| 裂缝( chasm的名词复数 )； 裂口； 分歧； 差别 | |
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279
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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280
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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