I mounted the black mule which Raymond usually rode. She was a very fine and powerful animal, gentle and manageable enough by nature; but of late her temper had been soured by misfortune. About a week before I had chanced to offend some one of the Indians, who out of revenge went secretly into the meadow and gave her a severe stab in the haunch with his knife. The wound, though partially16 healed, still galled17 her extremely, and made her even more perverse18 and obstinate19 than the rest of her species.
The morning was a glorious one, and I was in better health than I had been at any time for the last two months. Though a strong frame and well compacted sinews had borne me through hitherto, it was long since I had been in a condition to feel the exhilaration of the fresh mountain wind and the gay sunshine that brightened the crags and trees. We left the little valley and ascended21 a rocky hollow in the mountain. Very soon we were out of sight of the camp, and of every living thing, man, beast, bird, or insect. I had never before, except on foot, passed over such execrable ground, and I desire never to repeat the experiment. The black mule grew indignant, and even the redoubtable22 yellow horse stumbled every moment, and kept groaning23 to himself as he cut his feet and legs among the sharp rocks.
It was a scene of silence and desolation. Little was visible except beetling24 crags and the bare shingly25 sides of the mountains, relieved by scarcely a trace of vegetation. At length, however, we came upon a forest tract26, and had no sooner done so than we heartily27 wished ourselves back among the rocks again; for we were on a steep descent, among trees so thick that we could see scarcely a rod in any direction.
If one is anxious to place himself in a situation where the hazardous28 and the ludicrous are combined in about equal proportions, let him get upon a vicious mule, with a snaffle bit, and try to drive her through the woods down a slope of 45 degrees. Let him have on a long rifle, a buckskin frock with long fringes, and a head of long hair. These latter appendages29 will be caught every moment and twitched30 away in small portions by the twigs31, which will also whip him smartly across the face, while the large branches above thump32 him on the head. His mule, if she be a true one, will alternately stop short and dive violently forward, and his position upon her back will be somewhat diversified33 and extraordinary. At one time he will clasp her affectionately, to avoid the blow of a bough34 overhead; at another, he will throw himself back and fling his knee forward against the side of her neck, to keep it from being crushed between the rough bark of a tree and the equally unyielding ribs35 of the animal herself. Reynal was cursing incessantly36 during the whole way down. Neither of us had the remotest idea where we were going; and though I have seen rough riding, I shall always retain an evil recollection of that five minutes’ scramble37.
At last we left our troubles behind us, emerging into the channel of a brook that circled along the foot of the descent; and here, turning joyfully38 to the left, we rode in luxury and ease over the white pebbles39 and the rippling40 water, shaded from the glaring sun by an overarching green transparency. These halcyon41 moments were of short duration. The friendly brook, turning sharply to one side, went brawling42 and foaming43 down the rocky hill into an abyss, which, as far as we could discern, had no bottom; so once more we betook ourselves to the detested44 woods. When next we came forth45 from their dancing shadow and sunlight, we found ourselves standing46 in the broad glare of day, on a high jutting47 point of the mountain. Before us stretched a long, wide, desert valley, winding48 away far amid the mountains. No civilized49 eye but mine had ever looked upon that virgin50 waste. Reynal was gazing intently; he began to speak at last:
“Many a time, when I was with the Indians, I have been hunting for gold all through the Black Hills. There’s plenty of it here; you may be certain of that. I have dreamed about it fifty times, and I never dreamed yet but what it came true. Look over yonder at those black rocks piled up against that other big rock. Don’t it look as if there might be something there? It won’t do for a white man to be rummaging51 too much about these mountains; the Indians say they are full of bad spirits; and I believe myself that it’s no good luck to be hunting about here after gold. Well, for all that, I would like to have one of these fellows up here, from down below, to go about with his witch-hazel rod, and I’ll guarantee that it would not be long before he would light on a gold mine. Never mind; we’ll let the gold alone for to-day. Look at those trees down below us in the hollow; we’ll go down there, and I reckon we’ll get a black-tailed deer.”
But Reynal’s predictions were not verified. We passed mountain after mountain, and valley after valley; we explored deep ravines; yet still to my companion’s vexation and evident surprise, no game could be found. So, in the absence of better, we resolved to go out on the plains and look for an antelope52. With this view we began to pass down a narrow valley, the bottom of which was covered with the stiff wild-sage bushes and marked with deep paths, made by the buffalo, who, for some inexplicable53 reason, are accustomed to penetrate54, in their long grave processions, deep among the gorges55 of these sterile56 mountains.
Reynal’s eye was ranging incessantly among the rocks and along the edges of the black precipices57, in hopes of discovering the mountain sheep peering down upon us in fancied security from that giddy elevation59. Nothing was visible for some time. At length we both detected something in motion near the foot of one of the mountains, and in a moment afterward60 a black-tailed deer, with his spreading antlers, stood gazing at us from the top of a rock, and then, slowly turning away, disappeared behind it. In an instant Reynal was out of his saddle, and running toward the spot. I, being too weak to follow, sat holding his horse and waiting the result. I lost sight of him, then heard the report of his rifle, deadened among the rocks, and finally saw him reappear, with a surly look that plainly betrayed his ill success. Again we moved forward down the long valley, when soon after we came full upon what seemed a wide and very shallow ditch, incrusted at the bottom with white clay, dried and cracked in the sun. Under this fair outside, Reynal’s eye detected the signs of lurking61 mischief62. He called me to stop, and then alighting, picked up a stone and threw it into the ditch. To my utter amazement63 it fell with a dull splash, breaking at once through the thin crust, and spattering round the hole a yellowish creamy fluid, into which it sank and disappeared. A stick, five or six feet long lay on the ground, and with this we sounded the insidious64 abyss close to its edge. It was just possible to touch the bottom. Places like this are numerous among the Rocky Mountains. The buffalo, in his blind and heedless walk, often plunges65 into them unawares. Down he sinks; one snort of terror, one convulsive struggle, and the slime calmly flows above his shaggy head, the languid undulations of its sleek67 and placid68 surface alone betraying how the powerful monster writhes69 in his death-throes below.
We found after some trouble a point where we could pass the abyss, and now the valley began to open upon the plains which spread to the horizon before us. On one of their distant swells71 we discerned three or four black specks72, which Reynal pronounced to be buffalo.
“Come,” said he, “we must get one of them. My squaw wants more sinews to finish her lodge with, and I want some glue myself.”
He immediately put the yellow horse at such a gallop73 as he was capable of executing, while I set spurs to the mule, who soon far outran her plebeian74 rival. When we had galloped75 a mile or more, a large rabbit, by ill luck, sprang up just under the feet of the mule, who bounded violently aside in full career. Weakened as I was, I was flung forcibly to the ground, and my rifle, falling close to my head, went off with a shock. Its sharp spiteful report rang for some moments in my ear. Being slightly stunned76, I lay for an instant motionless, and Reynal, supposing me to be shot, rode up and began to curse the mule. Soon recovering myself, I rose, picked up the rifle and anxiously examined it. It was badly injured. The stock was cracked, and the main screw broken, so that the lock had to be tied in its place with a string; yet happily it was not rendered totally unserviceable. I wiped it out, reloaded it, and handing it to Reynal, who meanwhile had caught the mule and led her up to me, I mounted again. No sooner had I done so, than the brute77 began to rear and plunge66 with extreme violence; but being now well prepared for her, and free from incumbrance, I soon reduced her to submission78. Then taking the rifle again from Reynal, we galloped forward as before.
We were now free of the mountain and riding far out on the broad prairie. The buffalo were still some two miles in advance of us. When we came near them, we stopped where a gentle swell70 of the plain concealed79 us from their view, and while I held his horse Reynal ran forward with his rifle, till I lost sight of him beyond the rising ground. A few minutes elapsed; I heard the report of his piece, and saw the buffalo running away at full speed on the right, and immediately after, the hunter himself unsuccessful as before, came up and mounted his horse in excessive ill-humor. He cursed the Black Hills and the buffalo, swore that he was a good hunter, which indeed was true, and that he had never been out before among those mountains without killing80 two or three deer at least.
We now turned toward the distant encampment. As we rode along, antelope in considerable numbers were flying lightly in all directions over the plain, but not one of them would stand and be shot at. When we reached the foot of the mountain ridge81 that lay between us and the village, we were too impatient to take the smooth and circuitous82 route; so turning short to the left, we drove our wearied animals directly upward among the rocks. Still more antelope were leaping about among these flinty hillsides. Each of us shot at one, though from a great distance, and each missed his mark. At length we reached the summit of the last ridge. Looking down, we saw the bustling83 camp in the valley at our feet, and ingloriously descended84 to it. As we rode among the lodges, the Indians looked in vain for the fresh meat that should have hung behind our saddles, and the squaws uttered various suppressed ejaculations, to the great indignation of Reynal. Our mortification85 was increased when we rode up to his lodge. Here we saw his young Indian relative, the Hail-Storm, his light graceful86 figure on the ground in an easy attitude, while with his friend the Rabbit, who sat by his side, he was making an abundant meal from a wooden bowl of wasna, which the squaw had placed between them. Near him lay the fresh skin of a female elk, which he had just killed among the mountains, only a mile or two from the camp. No doubt the boy’s heart was elated with triumph, but he betrayed no sign of it. He even seemed totally unconscious of our approach, and his handsome face had all the tranquillity88 of Indian self-control; a self-control which prevents the exhibition of emotion, without restraining the emotion itself. It was about two months since I had known the Hail-Storm, and within that time his character had remarkably89 developed. When I first saw him, he was just emerging from the habits and feelings of the boy into the ambition of the hunter and warrior3. He had lately killed his first deer, and this had excited his aspirations90 after distinction. Since that time he had been continually in search of game, and no young hunter in the village had been so active or so fortunate as he. It will perhaps be remembered how fearlessly he attacked the buffalo bull, as we were moving toward our camp at the Medicine-Bow Mountain. All this success had produced a marked change in his character. As I first remembered him he always shunned91 the society of the young squaws, and was extremely bashful and sheepish in their presence; but now, in the confidence of his own reputation, he began to assume the airs and the arts of a man of gallantry. He wore his red blanket dashingly over his left shoulder, painted his cheeks every day with vermilion, and hung pendants of shells in his ears. If I observed aright, he met with very good success in his new pursuits; still the Hail-Storm had much to accomplish before he attained92 the full standing of a warrior. Gallantly93 as he began to bear himself among the women and girls, he still was timid and abashed94 in the presence of the chiefs and old men; for he had never yet killed a man, or stricken the dead body of an enemy in battle. I have no doubt that the handsome smooth-faced boy burned with keen desire to flash his maiden95 scalping-knife, and I would not have encamped alone with him without watching his movements with a distrustful eye.
His elder brother, the Horse, was of a different character. He was nothing but a lazy dandy. He knew very well how to hunt, but preferred to live by the hunting of others. He had no appetite for distinction, and the Hail-Storm, though a few years younger than he, already surpassed him in reputation. He had a dark and ugly face, and he passed a great part of his time in adorning96 it with vermilion, and contemplating97 it by means of a little pocket looking-glass which I gave him. As for the rest of the day, he divided it between eating and sleeping, and sitting in the sun on the outside of a lodge. Here he would remain for hour after hour, arrayed in all his finery, with an old dragoon’s sword in his hand, and evidently flattering himself that he was the center of attraction to the eyes of the surrounding squaws. Yet he sat looking straight forward with a face of the utmost gravity, as if wrapped in profound meditation98, and it was only by the occasional sidelong glances which he shot at his supposed admirers that one could detect the true course of his thoughts.
Both he and his brother may represent a class in the Indian community; neither should the Hail-Storm’s friend, the Rabbit, be passed by without notice. The Hail-Storm and he were inseparable; they ate, slept, and hunted together, and shared with one another almost all that they possessed99. If there be anything that deserves to be called romantic in the Indian character, it is to be sought for in friendships such as this, which are quite common among many of the prairie tribes.
Slowly, hour after hour, that weary afternoon dragged away. I lay in Reynal’s lodge, overcome by the listless torpor100 that pervaded101 the whole encampment. The day’s work was finished, or if it were not, the inhabitants had resolved not to finish it at all, and all were dozing102 quietly within the shelter of the lodges. A profound lethargy, the very spirit of indolence, seemed to have sunk upon the village. Now and then I could hear the low laughter of some girl from within a neighboring lodge, or the small shrill103 voices of a few restless children, who alone were moving in the deserted104 area. The spirit of the place infected me; I could not even think consecutively105; I was fit only for musing106 and reverie, when at last, like the rest, I fell asleep.
When evening came and the fires were lighted round the lodges, a select family circle convened107 in the neighborhood of Reynal’s domicile. It was composed entirely108 of his squaw’s relatives, a mean and ignoble109 clan110, among whom none but the Hail-Storm held forth any promise of future distinction. Even his protests were rendered not a little dubious111 by the character of the family, less however from any principle of aristocratic distinction than from the want of powerful supporters to assist him in his undertakings112, and help to avenge113 his quarrels. Raymond and I sat down along with them. There were eight or ten men gathered around the fire, together with about as many women, old and young, some of whom were tolerably good-looking. As the pipe passed round among the men, a lively conversation went forward, more merry than delicate, and at length two or three of the elder women (for the girls were somewhat diffident and bashful) began to assail114 Raymond with various pungent115 witticisms116. Some of the men took part and an old squaw concluded by bestowing117 on him a ludicrous nick name, at which a general laugh followed at his expense. Raymond grinned and giggled118, and made several futile119 attempts at repartee120. Knowing the impolicy and even danger of suffering myself to be placed in a ludicrous light among the Indians, I maintained a rigid121 inflexible122 countenance123, and wholly escaped their sallies.
In the morning I found, to my great disgust, that the camp was to retain its position for another day. I dreaded124 its languor125 and monotony, and to escape it, I set out to explore the surrounding mountains. I was accompanied by a faithful friend, my rifle, the only friend indeed on whose prompt assistance in time of trouble I could implicitly126 rely. Most of the Indians in the village, it is true, professed127 good-will toward the whites, but the experience of others and my own observation had taught me the extreme folly128 of confidence, and the utter impossibility of foreseeing to what sudden acts the strange unbridled impulses of an Indian may urge him. When among this people danger is never so near as when you are unprepared for it, never so remote as when you are armed and on the alert to meet it any moment. Nothing offers so strong a temptation to their ferocious129 instincts as the appearance of timidity, weakness, or security.
Many deep and gloomy gorges, choked with trees and bushes, opened from the sides of the hills, which were shaggy with forests wherever the rocks permitted vegetation to spring. A great number of Indians were stalking along the edges of the woods, and boys were whooping130 and laughing on the mountain-sides, practicing eye and hand, and indulging their destructive propensities131 by following birds and small animals and killing them with their little bows and arrows. There was one glen, stretching up between steep cliffs far into the bosom132 of the mountain. I began to ascend20 along its bottom, pushing my way onward133 among the rocks, trees, and bushes that obstructed134 it. A slender thread of water trickled135 along its center, which since issuing from the heart of its native rock could scarcely have been warmed or gladdened by a ray of sunshine. After advancing for some time, I conceived myself to be entirely alone; but coming to a part of the glen in a great measure free of trees and undergrowth, I saw at some distance the black head and red shoulders of an Indian among the bushes above. The reader need not prepare himself for a startling adventure, for I have none to relate. The head and shoulders belonged to Mene-Seela, my best friend in the village. As I had approached noiselessly with my moccasined feet, the old man was quite unconscious of my presence; and turning to a point where I could gain an unobstructed view of him, I saw him seated alone, immovable as a statue, among the rocks and trees. His face was turned upward, and his eyes seemed riveted136 on a pine tree springing from a cleft137 in the precipice58 above. The crest138 of the pine was swaying to and fro in the wind, and its long limbs waved slowly up and down, as if the tree had life. Looking for a while at the old man, I was satisfied that he was engaged in an act of worship or prayer, or communion of some kind with a supernatural being. I longed to penetrate his thoughts, but I could do nothing more than conjecture139 and speculate. I knew that though the intellect of an Indian can embrace the idea of an all-wise, all-powerful Spirit, the supreme140 Ruler of the universe, yet his mind will not always ascend into communion with a being that seems to him so vast, remote, and incomprehensible; and when danger threatens, when his hopes are broken, when the black wing of sorrow overshadows him, he is prone141 to turn for relief to some inferior agency, less removed from the ordinary scope of his faculties142. He has a guardian143 spirit, on whom he relies for succor144 and guidance. To him all nature is instinct with mystic influence. Among those mountains not a wild beast was prowling, a bird singing, or a leaf fluttering, that might not tend to direct his destiny or give warning of what was in store for him; and he watches the world of nature around him as the astrologer watches the stars. So closely is he linked with it that his guardian spirit, no unsubstantial creation of the fancy, is usually embodied145 in the form of some living thing—a bear, a wolf, an eagle, or a serpent; and Mene-Seela, as he gazed intently on the old pine tree, might believe it to inshrine the fancied guide and protector of his life.
Whatever was passing in the mind of the old man, it was no part of sense or of delicacy146 to disturb him. Silently retracing147 my footsteps, I descended the glen until I came to a point where I could climb the steep precipices that shut it in, and gain the side of the mountain. Looking up, I saw a tall peak rising among the woods. Something impelled148 me to climb; I had not felt for many a day such strength and elasticity149 of limb. An hour and a half of slow and often intermittent150 labor151 brought me to the very summit; and emerging from the dark shadows of the rocks and pines, I stepped forth into the light, and walking along the sunny verge152 of a precipice, seated myself on its extreme point. Looking between the mountain peaks to the westward153, the pale blue prairie was stretching to the farthest horizon like a serene154 and tranquil87 ocean. The surrounding mountains were in themselves sufficiently155 striking and impressive, but this contrast gave redoubled effect to their stern features.
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1
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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2
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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3
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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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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brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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8
willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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awl
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| n.尖钻 | |
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buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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elk
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| n.麋鹿 | |
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mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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galled
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| v.使…擦痛( gall的过去式和过去分词 )；擦伤；烦扰；侮辱 | |
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perverse
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| adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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redoubtable
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| adj.可敬的；可怕的 | |
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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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beetling
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| adj.突出的，悬垂的v.快速移动( beetle的现在分词 ) | |
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shingly
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| adj.小石子多的 | |
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tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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appendages
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| n.附属物( appendage的名词复数 )；依附的人；附属器官；附属肢体（如臂、腿、尾等） | |
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30
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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diversified
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| adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域 | |
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bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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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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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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40
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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41
halcyon
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| n.平静的，愉快的 | |
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42
brawling
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| n.争吵，喧嚷 | |
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43
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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44
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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45
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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46
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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47
jutting
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| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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48
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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49
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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50
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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51
rummaging
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| 翻找，搜寻( rummage的现在分词 )； 海关检查 | |
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52
antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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53
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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54
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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55
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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56
sterile
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| adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的 | |
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57
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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58
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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59
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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60
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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61
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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62
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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63
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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64
insidious
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| adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧 | |
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65
plunges
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| n.跳进，投入vt.使投入，使插入，使陷入vi.投入，跳进，陷入v.颠簸( plunge的第三人称单数 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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66
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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67
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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68
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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69
writhes
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的第三人称单数 ) | |
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70
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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71
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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72
specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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73
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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74
plebeian
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| adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民 | |
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75
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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76
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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77
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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78
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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79
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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80
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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81
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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82
circuitous
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| adj.迂回的路的，迂曲的，绕行的 | |
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83
bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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84
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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85
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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86
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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87
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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88
tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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89
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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90
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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91
shunned
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| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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92
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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93
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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94
abashed
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| adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95
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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96
adorning
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| 修饰，装饰物 | |
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97
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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98
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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99
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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100
torpor
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| n.迟钝；麻木；（动物的）冬眠 | |
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101
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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102
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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103
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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104
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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105
consecutively
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| adv.连续地 | |
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106
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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107
convened
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| 召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合 | |
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108
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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109
ignoble
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| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
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110
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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111
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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112
undertakings
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| 企业( undertaking的名词复数 )； 保证； 殡仪业； 任务 | |
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113
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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114
assail
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| v.猛烈攻击，抨击，痛斥 | |
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115
pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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116
witticisms
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| n.妙语，俏皮话( witticism的名词复数 ) | |
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117
bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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118
giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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119
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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120
repartee
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| n.机敏的应答 | |
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121
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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122
inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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123
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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124
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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125
languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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126
implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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127
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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128
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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129
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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130
whooping
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| 发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的 | |
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131
propensities
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| n.倾向，习性( propensity的名词复数 ) | |
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132
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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133
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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134
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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135
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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136
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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137
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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138
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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139
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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140
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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141
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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142
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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143
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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144
succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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145
embodied
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| v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含 | |
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146
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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147
retracing
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| v.折回( retrace的现在分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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148
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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149
elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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150
intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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151
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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152
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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153
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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154
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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155
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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