Which stood four-square to all the winds that blew.
TENNYSON.
The episode with which this chapter is concerned is one that has often occurred on the out-post line of civilisation1, and which is peculiarly frequent in the history of a people whose widespread Empire is fringed with savage2 tribes. A small band of soldiers or settlers, armed with the resources of science, and strengthened by the cohesion3 of mutual4 trust, are assailed5 in some isolated6 post, by thousands of warlike and merciless enemies. Usually the courage and equipment of the garrison7 enable them to hold out until a relieving force arrives, as at Rorke's Drift, Fort Chitral, Chakdara or Gulistan. But sometimes the defenders8 are overwhelmed, and, as at Saraghari or Khartoum, none are left to tell the tale. There is something strangely terrible in the spectacle of men, who fight—not for political or patriotic9 reasons, not for the sake of duty or glory—but for dear life itself; not because they want to, but because they have to. They hold the dykes10 of social progress against a rising deluge11 of barbarism, which threatens every moment to overflow12 the banks and drown them all. The situation is one which will make a coward valorous, and affords to brave men opportunities for the most sublime13 forms of heroism14 and devotion.
Chakdara holds the passage of the Swat River—a rapid, broad, and at most seasons of the year an unfordable torrent15. It is built on a rocky knoll16 that rises abruptly17 from the plain about a hundred yards from the mountains. Sketches18 and photographs usually show only the knoll and buildings on it, and any one looking at them will be struck by the picturesque19 and impregnable aspect of the little fort, without observing that its proportions are dwarfed20, and its defences commanded, by the frowning cliffs, under which it stands. In its construction the principles of defilade have been completely ignored. Standing21 on the mountain ridge22, occupied by the signal tower, it is possible to look or fire right into the fort. Every open space is commanded. Every parapet is exposed. Against an enemy unprovided with artillery23, however, it could be held indefinitely; but the fact that all interior communications are open to fire, makes its defence painful to the garrison, and might, by gradually weakening their numbers, lead to its capture.
The narrow, swinging, wire bridge across the Swat is nearly 500 yards long. At the southern end it is closed by a massive iron door, loopholed for musketry, and flanked by two stone towers, in one of which a Maxim24 gun is mounted. On the further side is the fort itself, which consists of the fortified25 knoll, a strong stone horn-work, an enclosure for horses, protected by a loopholed wall and much tangled26 barbed wire, and the signal tower, a detached post 200 yards up the cliff.
The garrison of the place consisted at the time of the outbreak of twenty sowars of the 11th Bengal Lancers and two strong companies of the 45th Sikhs, in all about 200 men, under the command of Lieutenant27 H.B. Rattray. [The actual strength was as follows: 11th Bengal Lancers, 20 sabres; 45th Sikhs, 180 rifles; 2 British telegraphists; 1 Hospital Havildar; 1 Provost Naick (24th Punjaub Infantry); 1 Jemadar (Dir Levies28). British officers—45th Sikhs, Lieutenants29 Rattray and Wheatley; Surgeon-Captain V. Hugo; Political Agent, Lieutenant Minchin.] As the rumours30 of an impending31 rising grew stronger and stronger, and the end of July approached, this officer practised his men in taking stations in the event of an alarm, and made such preparations as he thought necessary for eventualities. On the 23rd he received an official warning from the D.A.A.G. [Deputy-Assistant-Adjutant-General. Surely this astounding32 title, with that of the Deputy-Assistant-Quarter-Master-General, might be replaced with advantage by the more sensible and appropriate terms "Brigade Adjutant" and "Brigade Quartermaster"!], Major Herbert, that a tribal33 rising was "possible but not probable." Every precaution was henceforth taken in the fort. On the 26th, a Sepoy, who was out sketching34, hurried in with the news that a large body of tribesmen were advancing down the valley, and that he himself had been robbed of his compass, his field-glasses and some money.
But, in spite of the disturbed and threatening situation, the British officers of the Malakand garrison, though they took all military precautions for the defence of their posts, did not abandon their practice of riding freely about the valley, armed only with revolvers. Nor did they cease from their amusements. On the evening of the 26th, Lieutenant Rattray went over to Khar as usual to play polo. Just as the game was ended, he received a letter, brought in haste by two sowars, from Lieutenant Wheatley, the other subaltern at Chakdara, warning him that a great number of Pathans with flags were advancing on the fort. He at once galloped35 back at full speed, passing close to one large gathering37 of tribesmen, who for some reason of their own took no notice of him, and so reached the fort in safety, and just in time. Formidable masses of men were then closing in on it. He telegraphed to the staff officer at the Malakand reporting the impending attack. Immediately afterwards the wire was cut by the enemy and the little garrison got under arms.
A havildar of the Khan of Dir's Levies had promised the political agent to give warning of any actual assault, by lighting38 a fire on the opposite hills. At 10.15 a solitary39 flame shot up. It was the signal. The alarm was sounded. The garrison went to their posts. For a space there was silence, and then out of the darkness began a fusillade, which did not stop until the 2nd of August. Immediately the figures of the tribesmen, as they advanced to the attack on the western face of the fort, became visible. The defenders opened fire with effect. The enemy pressed on vigorously. Their losses were severe. At length they retreated repulsed40.
A second attack was immediately delivered against the north-east corner and again beaten off by the garrison. At 4 A.M. a third assault was made upon the cavalry42 enclosure. The tribesmen, carrying scaling ladders, advanced with great determination. They were received with a deadly fire. They then drew off, and the first night of the siege was terminated by desultory43 firing. The garrison remained at their posts all night, and when it became day the enemy were seen to have retired44, to the hills to the north-west, whence they maintained a ceaseless fire. Although the defenders were protected by their stone walls, many had strange escapes from the bullets, which fell incessantly45 into the interior.
Meanwhile, in spite of the vigorous attack that was being made on the Malakand, it had been decided47 to send some assistance to the little band at Chakdara. Captain Wright and forty sowars of the 11th Bengal Lancers with Captain Baker48 of the 2nd Bombay Grenadiers and transport officer at the Malakand, started at dawn on the 27th, by the road from the north camp. Before they had gone very far they came under the fire of the enemy on the hills. These did not dare to venture into the plain, but availed themselves of the broken nature of the country. As the squadron reached the road leading to the polo ground, Captain Wright received information that the enemy were collected on the plain and immediately the pace was quickened in the hopes of a charge being possible. But the tribesmen ran to the hills at the sight of the Lancers, and maintained a constant, though luckily, an ill-aimed fire. At length the village of Batkhela was reached, and beyond it the Amandara Pass came in sight. This is a gap in a long spur, which runs from the southern side of the valley to the rapid river in the middle. As the river was then in full flood and unfordable, the only road to Chakdara lay over or through the spur. But the pass was held by the enemy.
Captain Wright had by this time realised, what probably no one at the Malakand then knew, that the enemy's numbers were enormous. The whole way from Malakand to Amandara—every ridge and hill was crowned with their banners. Wherever the ground protected them from the horsemen they gathered thickly. Cemeteries50 [Cemeteries are frequent and prominent features of Frontier landscapes. Some of them are of great extent: all of remarkable51 sanctity.], nullahs and villages swarmed52 with men. Their figures could be seen in all directions. Far beyond the Amandara Pass bands of tribesmen, of varying strengths, could be observed hurrying with their standards to the attack. But these formidable signs, far from deterring53 the cavalry soldier, only added, by displaying how great was the need of Chakdara, to his determination to force his way through at all costs.
Under a dropping fire from the cemetery54 on the right of the road, a brief consultation55 was held. The Amandara defile56 was occupied on both sides by the enemy. With the loss of perhaps a dozen men the squadron might gallop36 through. But this meant leaving all who fell, to perish miserably57, by torture and mutilation. To attempt to pick up the wounded, would lead to the annihilation of the squadron. Any alternative was preferable, though if there were no other way, the dash would have to be made, and the wounded left. A Sowar now said there was a path round the rock by the bank of the river. Captain Wright determined58 to take it.
The path was bad. After about half the spur had been passed, it ended abruptly in a steep white rock. It was, in fact, a path leading to a point where the natives were in the habit of floating across the river upon "mussucks" (inflated skins). To go back now was to fail. Without hesitation59, the horsemen turned to the right up the hill and among the rocks, trusting to get through somehow. After passing over ground which would be difficult to move across on foot, they saw a gorge60 to their left which appeared as if it would lead to the open plain, on the other side of the ridge. Down this gorge forty horses huddled61 together, with no room to pick their way, were scrambling62 and jumping from rock to rock, apparently63 as conscious as their riders that their lives depended on their cleverness—when, suddenly, the enemy appeared.
As soon as the tribesmen, who were holding the pass, saw the squadron trot64 off to their right towards the river, they realised that they intended to make a desperate effort to get through to Chakdara. They knew what the ground was like, and confident they would kill them all, if they could get there soon enough, ran swiftly along the spur. It was a race. The leading tribesmen arrived in time to fire on the cavalry, while they were in the gorge. So close were they, that the officers used their revolvers. But the Pathans were out of breath and shot badly. Several horses were hit, including Captain Wright's, but though the large thigh65 bone was penetrated66, the gallant67 beast held on, and carried his rider to Chakdara safely.
By the extraordinary activity of the horses the rocks were cleared before the enemy could collect in any strength. But, to the dismay of all, the gorge was found to lead, not to the plain, but to a branch of the river. A broad, swift channel of water of unknown depth confronted the cavalry. To go back was now, however, out of the question. They plunged68 in. The 11th Bengal Lancers are perhaps better mounted than any native cavalry regiment69 in India. Their strong horses just held their own against the current. Several were nearly swept away. Captain Wright was the last to cross. All this time the enemy were firing and approaching. At length the passage was made and the squadron collected on an island of flooded rice fields, in which the horses sank up to their hocks. Beyond this ran another arm of the river about fifty yards wide, and apparently almost as deep as the first. The bullets of the enemy made "watery70 flashes" on all sides. After passing this second torrent the squadron found themselves again on the same bank of the river as the enemy. They were in swampy71 ground. Captain Wright dismounted his men and returned the fire. Then he turned back himself, and riding into the stream again, rescued the hospital assistant, whose pony72, smaller than the other horses, was being carried off its legs by the force of the water. After this the march was resumed. The squadron kept in the heavy ground, struggling along painfully. The enemy, running along the edge of the rice fields, maintained a continual fire, kneeling down to take good aim. A sowar threw up his hands and fell, shot through the back. Several more horses were hit. Then another man reeled in his saddle and collapsed73 on the ground. A halt was made. Dismounted fire was opened upon the enemy. The wounded were picked up, and by slow degrees Chakdara was approached, when the Bridgehead Maxim gun compelled the tribesmen to draw off. [For the particulars of this affair I am indebted to Captain Baker, 2nd Bombay Grenadiers, who shared its perils74.]
Thus the garrison of the fort received a needed reinforcement. I have given a somewhat long description of this gallant ride, because it shows that there are few obstacles that can stop brave men and good horses. Captain Wright now assumed command of Chakdara, but the direction of the defense75 he still confided76 to Lieutenant Rattray, as fighting behind walls is a phase of warfare77 with which the cavalry soldier is little acquainted.
At 11.30, in the heat of the day the tribesmen attacked again. They surrounded the north and east sides of the fort, and made strenuous78 efforts to get in. They suffered heavy losses from the musketry of the defence, and their dead lay scattered79 thickly on the approaches. Nor were they removed till nightfall. Many Ghazis, mad with fanaticism80, pressed on carrying standards, heedless of the fire, until they fell riddled81 with bullets under the very walls.
To communicate with the Malakand was now almost impossible. To heliograph, it was necessary that the operator should be exposed to a terrible fire. In the evening the signal tower was surrounded by men in stone sungars, who kept up an incessant46 fusillade, and made all exposure, even for an instant, perilous82.
At midday, after the repulse41 of the main attack, the guard of the signal tower was reinforced by six men, and food and water were also sent up. This difficult operation was protected by the fire of both the Maxims83, and of all the garrison who could be spared from other points. Until the 1st of August, water was sent up daily to the signal tower in this way. The distance was long and the road steep. The enemy's fire was persistent84. Looking at the ground it seems wonderful that supplies could have been got through at all.
As night approached, the defenders prepared to meet a fresh attack. Lieutenant Wheatley, observing the points behind which the enemy usually assembled, trained the fort Maxim and the 9-pounder gun on them, while daylight lasted. At 11 P.M. the tribesmen advanced with shouts, yells and the beating of drums. The gun and the Maxims were fired, and it is said that no fewer than seventy men perished by the single discharge. At any rate the assault was delayed for an hour and a half. All day long the garrison had remained at their posts. It was hoped they would now get a little rest. But at 1 o'clock the attack was renewed on the north-east corner. Again the enemy brought up scaling ladders and charged with desperate ferocity. They were shot down.
Meanwhile every spare moment was devoted85 to improving the cover of the garrison. Captain Baker applied86 himself to this task, and used every expedient87. Logs, sand bags, stones, boxes filled with earth were piled upon the walls. It is due to these precautions that the loss of life was no larger.
Continuous firing occupied the 28th, and at 5.30 P.M. the enemy again assaulted. As in previous attacks, they at first advanced by twos and threes, making little dashes over the open ground, for bits of natural cover, and for the stone sungars they had built all round the fort under cover of darkness. Some of these were within 200 yards of the wall. As they advanced the fire became intense. Then the main rush was delivered. In a great semi-circle round the face of the fort held by the cavalry, and displaying nearly 200 standards whose gay colours were representative of every tribe on the border, they charged right up to the walls. Some of them actually got across the tangled barbed wire and were destroyed in the enclosure. But all efforts were defeated by the garrison, and towards morning the attack melted away, and only the usual sharpshooters remained. Some of these displayed a singular recklessness. One man climbed up into the barbed wire and fired three shots at the defenders at close quarters before he was killed.
Thursday morning dawned on similar scenes. The garrison employed such intervals88 as occurred in strengthening their defences and improving their cover, particularly in the approaches to the Maxim and field gun platforms. At 3 P.M. the enemy came out of Chakdara village, and, carrying ladders to scale the walls, and bundles of grass to throw on the barbed wire, made a formidable effort. They directed the attack mainly against the signal station. This building is a strong, square, stone tower. Its entrance is above six feet from the ground. All around the top runs a machiconlis gallery, a kind of narrow balcony, with holes in the floor to fire through. It is well provided with loopholes. At 4 o'clock it was closely assailed. The garrison of the fort aided the tower guard by their fire. So bold were the enemy in their efforts, that they rushed in under the musketry of the defence, and lighted a great heap of grass about three yards from the doorway89. The flames sprang up. A howl of ferocious90 delight arose. But the tribesmen relapsed into silence, when they saw that no real harm was done. At sunset the fore49 sight of the fort Maxim was shot away, and the defenders were temporarily deprived of the service of that powerful weapon. They soon managed, however, to rig up a makeshift, which answered all practical purposes. At 8 P.M. the enemy wearied of the struggle, and the firing died away to desultory skirmishing. They toiled91 all night carrying away their dead, but next morning over fifty bodies were still lying around the signal tower. Their losses had been enormous.
The morning of the 30th brought no cessation of the fighting, but the enemy, disheartened by their losses of the previous night, did not attack until 7 P.M. At that hour they advanced and made a fresh effort. They were again repulsed. Perhaps the reader is tired of the long recital93 of the monotonous94 succession of assaults and repulses95. What must the garrison have been by the reality? Until this day—when they snatched a few hours' sleep—they had been continually fighting and watching for ninety-six hours. Like men in a leaking ship, who toil92 at the pumps ceaselessly and find their fatigues96 increasing and the ship sinking hour by hour, they cast anxious, weary eyes in the direction whence help might be expected. But none came. And there are worse deaths than by drowning.
Men fell asleep at the loopholes and at the service of the field gun. Even during the progress of the attacks, insulted nature asserted itself, and the soldiers drifted away from the roar of the musketry, and the savage figures of the enemy, to the peaceful unconsciousness of utter exhaustion97. The officers, haggard but tireless, aroused them frequently.
At other times the brave Sepoys would despair. The fort was ringed with the enemy. The Malakand, too, was assailed. Perhaps it was the same elsewhere. The whole British Raj seemed passing away in a single cataclysm98. The officers encouraged them. The Government of the Queen-Empress would never desert them. If they could hold out, they would be relieved. If not, they would be avenged99. Trust in the young white men who led them, and perhaps some dim half-idolatrous faith in a mysterious Sovereign across the seas, whose soldiers they were, and who would surely protect them, restored their fainting strength. The fighting continued.
During the whole time of the siege the difficulty of maintaining signalling communication with the Malakand was extreme. But for the heroism of the signallers, it would have been insuperable. One man in particular, Sepoy Prem Singh, used every day at the risk of his life to come out through a porthole of the tower, establish his heliograph, and, under a terrible fire from short range, flash urgent messages to the main force. The extreme danger, the delicacy100 of the operation of obtaining connection with a helio, the time consumed, the composure required, these things combined to make the action as brave as any which these or other pages record. [A proposal has recently been made, to give the Victoria Cross to native soldiers who shall deserve it. It would seem that the value of such a decoration must be enhanced by making it open to all British subjects. The keener the competition, the greater the honor of success. In sport, in courage, and in the sight of heaven, all men meet on equal terms.] Early on Saturday morning a supply of water was sent to the guard of the signal tower. It was the last they got until 4.30 on Monday afternoon.
When the attack on the fort began, the enemy numbered perhaps 1500 men. Since then they had been increasing every day, until on the 1st and 2nd, they are estimated to have been between 12,000 and 14,000 strong. Matters now began to assume a still graver aspect. At 5 o'clock on the evening of the 31st a renewed attack was made in tremendous force on the east side of the fort. But it was beaten back with great loss by the Maxims and the field gun. All night long the firing continued, and Sunday morning displayed the enemy in far larger numbers than hitherto. They now captured the Civil Hospital, a detached building, the walls of which they loopholed, and from which they maintained a galling101 fire. They also occupied the ridge, leading to the signal tower, thus cutting off all communication with its guard. No water reached those unfortunate men that day. The weather was intensely hot. The fire from the ridge made all interior communication difficult and dangerous. The enemy appeared armed to a great extent with Martini-Henry rifles and Sniders, and their musketry was most harassing102. The party in the tower kept sending by signal pressing requests for water, which could not be supplied. The situation became critical. I quote the simple words of Lieutenant Rattray's official report:—
"Matters now looked so serious that we decided to send an urgent appeal for help, but owing to the difficulty and danger of signalling we could not send a long message, and made it as short as possible, merely sending the two words, 'Help us.'"
Still the garrison displayed a determined aspect, and though the tribesmen occupied the ridge, the Civil Hospital and an adjoining nullah, none set foot within the defences.
At length the last day of the struggle came. At daybreak the enemy in tremendous numbers came on to the assault, as if resolute103 to take the place at any cost. They carried scaling ladders and bundles of grass. The firing became intense. In spite of the cover of the garrison several men were killed and wounded by the hail of bullets which was directed against the fort, and which splashed and scarred the walls in every direction.
Then suddenly, as matters were approaching a crisis, the cavalry of the relieving column appeared over the Amandara ridge. The strong horsemen mercilessly pursued and cut down all who opposed them. When they reached the Bridgehead on the side of the river remote from the fort, the enemy began to turn and run. The garrison had held out stubbornly and desperately104 throughout the siege. Now that relief was at hand, Lieutenant Rattray flung open the gate, and followed by half a dozen men charged the Civil Hospital. Captain Baker and Lieutenant Wheatley followed with a few more. The hospital was recaptured. The enemy occupying it, some thirty in number, were bayoneted. It was a finish in style. Returning, the sallying party found the cavalry—the 11th Bengal Lancers—checked by a sungar full of tribesmen. This they charged in flank, killing105 most of its occupants, and driving the rest after their comrades in rout106 and ruin. The last man to leave the sungar shot Lieutenant Rattray in the neck, but that officer, as distinguished107 for physical prowess as for military conduct, cut him down. This ended the fighting. It is not possible to think of a more fitting conclusion.
The casualties in the siege were as follows:—
Killed Wounded
11th B.L...... 1 1
45th Sikhs..... 4 10
Dir Levies..... 1 0
Followers..... 1 2
Total, all ranks—20
This was the loss; but every man in the fort had held death at arm's length, for seven nights, and seven days.
It is a significant fact, that, though the cavalry horses were exposed to the enemy's fire the whole time, hardly any were killed or wounded. The tribesmen, feeling sure that the place was theirs, and hoping that these fine beasts would fall unto their hands alive, had abstained108 from shooting them.
As far as could be ascertained109 by careful official inquiries110 the enemy lost over 2000 men in the attack upon Chakdara.
Rounds.
28th July. Maxim...... 843
" Martini-Henry... 7170
29th July. Maxim...... 667
" Martini-Henry... 4020
30th July. Maxim...... 1200
" Martini-Henry... 5530
31st July. Maxim...... 180
" Martini-Henry... 2700
This is approximately twenty rounds per man per diem. The fire control must have been excellent.]
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1
civilisation
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| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
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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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cohesion
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| n.团结，凝结力 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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dykes
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| abbr.diagonal wire cutters 斜线切割机n.堤( dyke的名词复数 )；坝；堰；沟 | |
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deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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overflow
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| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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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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dwarfed
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| vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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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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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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maxim
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| n.格言，箴言 | |
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fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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levies
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| （部队）征兵( levy的名词复数 )； 募捐； 被征募的军队 | |
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lieutenants
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| n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员 | |
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rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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sketching
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| n.草图 | |
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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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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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37
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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38
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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39
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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40
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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41
repulse
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| n.击退，拒绝；vt.逐退，击退，拒绝 | |
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42
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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43
desultory
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| adj.散漫的，无方法的 | |
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44
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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45
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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46
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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47
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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48
baker
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| n.面包师 | |
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49
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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50
cemeteries
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| n.（非教堂的）墓地，公墓( cemetery的名词复数 ) | |
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51
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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52
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 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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53
deterring
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的现在分词 ) | |
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54
cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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55
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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56
defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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57
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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59
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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60
gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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61
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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64
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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swampy
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| adj.沼泽的，湿地的 | |
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72
pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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74
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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77
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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fanaticism
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| n.狂热，盲信 | |
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81
riddled
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| adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式) | |
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82
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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83
maxims
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| n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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84
persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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85
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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86
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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87
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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92
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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93
recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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94
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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repulses
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| v.击退( repulse的第三人称单数 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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fatigues
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| n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服 | |
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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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98
cataclysm
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| n.洪水，剧变，大灾难 | |
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99
avenged
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| v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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101
galling
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| adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的 | |
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102
harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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103
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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104
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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105
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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106
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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107
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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108
abstained
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| v.戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的过去式和过去分词 )；弃权（不投票） | |
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109
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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111
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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112
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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