"That's just my case," Dick said, "though, as you see, I can move. The doctor's been feeling me all over this morning, and he said it was lucky I was a boy and my bones were soft, for if I had been a man, I should have been smashed up all over. As to my elbows and my knees, and all the projecting parts of me, I haven't got a bit of skin on them, and my uniform is cut absolutely to ribbons. However, old boy, we did a good night's work. We saved sixteen lives, we got no end of credit, and the chief says he shall send a report in to the Admiral; so we shall be mentioned in despatches, and it will help us for promotion6 when we have passed. The bay is a wonderful sight. The shores are strewn with floating timber, bales of stores, compressed hay, and all sorts of things. Fellows who have been down to the town told me that lots of the houses have been damaged, roofs blown away, and those gingerbread-looking balconies smashed off. As for the camps, even with a glass there is not a single tent to be seen standing7 on the plateau. The gale8 has made a clean sweep of them. What a night the soldiers must have had! I am put on the sick list for a few days so I shall be able to be with you. That's good news, isn't it?"
"Wonderfully good," Jack laughed, "as if I haven't enough of your jaw9 at other times. And how long do you suppose I shall be before I am out?"
"Not for some little time, Jack. The doctor says you've got four ribs10 broken as well as your arm."
"Have I?" Jack said, surprised. "I know he hurt me preciously while he was feeling me about this morning; but he didn't say anything about broken ribs."
A broken rib5 is a much less serious business than a broken arm, and in ten days Jack was up and about again, feeling generally stiff and sore, and with his arm in a sling11. The surgeon had talked of sending him on board ship, but Jack begged so hard for leave to remain with the party ashore12, that his request was granted.
Winter had now set in in earnest. The weather was cold and wet; sometimes it cleared up overhead, and the country was covered with snow. A month after the accident, Jack was fit for duty again. Seeing what chums the lads were, the officer in command had placed them in the same watch, for here on land the same routine was observed as on board ship. The duties were not severe. The guns were kept bright and polished, the arms and accoutrements were as clean as if at sea. Each day the tars13 went through a certain amount of drill, and fatigue14 parties went daily down to the harbor to bring up stores, but beyond this there was little to do. One of the occupations of the men was chopping wood for fuel. The sides of the ravine immediately below the battery had long since been cleared of their brushwood, and each day the parties in search of fuel had to go farther away. Upon the day after Jack returned to duty, he and Hawtry were told off with a party of seamen15 to go down to cut firewood. Each man carried his rifle in addition to his chopper, for, although they had never been disturbed at this occupation, the Russians were known not to be far away. The sailors were soon at work hacking16 down the undergrowth and lopping off branches of trees. Some were making them up into faggots as fast as the others cut them, and all were laughing and jesting at their work.
Suddenly there was a shout, and looking up, they saw that a party of Russians had made their way noiselessly over the snowclad ground, and were actually between them and the heights. At the same moment a volley of musketry was poured in from the other side, and three or four men fell.
"Form up, form up," Hawtry shouted. "Well together, lads. We must make a rush at those beggars ahead. Don't fire till I tell you, then give them a volley and go at them with the butt18-end of your muskets19, then let every one who gets through make a bolt for it."
The sailors, some twenty strong, threw themselves together, and, headed by the midshipmen, made a rush at the Russians. These opened fire upon them, and several dropped, but the remainder went on at the double until within twenty yards of the enemy, when pouring in a volley and clubbing their muskets, they rushed upon them.
For a moment there was a sharp mélée; several of the sailors were shot or bayoneted, but the rest, using the butt-ends of their muskets with tremendous execution, fought their way through their opponents. Jack had shot down two men with his revolver, and having got through, was taking his place at the rear of the men—the proper place for an officer in retreat?—when he saw Hawtry fall. A Russian ran up to bayonet him as he lay, when Jack, running back, shot him through the head. In a moment he was surrounded, and while in the act of shooting down an assailant in front, he was struck on the back of the head with the butt of a musket17, and fell stunned20 across the body of his friend. When he recovered consciousness, he found that he was being carried along by four Russians. He could hear the boom of cannon21 and the rattle22 of musketry, and knew that the defenders23 on the heights were angrily firing at the retreating party, who had so successfully surprised them. As soon as his bearers perceived that Jack had opened his eyes, they let him drop, hauled him to his feet, and then holding him by his collar, made him run along with them.
When they had mounted the other side of the slope, and were out of fire of the guns, the party halted, and Jack, hearing his own name called, looked round, and saw Hawtry in the snow, where his captors had dropped him.
"Hullo, Dick! old fellow," Jack shouted joyfully24; "so there you are. I was afraid they had killed you."
"I'm worth a lot of dead men yet, Jack. I've been hit in the leg, and went down, worse luck, and that rascally25 Russian would have skewered26 me if you hadn't shot him. You saved my life, old fellow, and made a good fight for me and I shall never forget it; but it has cost you your liberty."
"That's no great odds," Jack said. "It can't be much worse stopping a few months in a Russian prison, than spending the winter upon the heights. Besides, with two of us together, we shall be as right as possible, and maybe, when your leg gets all right again, we'll manage to give them the slip."
The Russian officer in command of the party, which was about 200 strong, now made signs to the boys that they were to proceed.
Dick pointed27 to his leg, and the officer examined the wound. It was a slight one, the ball having passed through the calf28, missing the bone.
He was, however, unable to walk. A litter was formed of two muskets with a great-coat laid between them, and Dick, being seated on this, was taken up by four men, and Jack taking his place beside him, the procession started. They halted some four miles off at a village in a valley beyond the Tchernaya.
The next day the boys were placed on ponies29, and, under the escort of an officer and six troopers, conducted to Sebastopol. Here they were taken before a Russian general who, by means of an interpreter, closely examined them as to the force, condition, and position of the army.
The lads, however, evaded30 all questions by stating that they belonged to the fleet, and were only on duty on the heights above Balaklava, and were in entire ignorance of the force of the army and the intentions of its general. As to the fleet, they could tell nothing which the Russians did not already know.
The examination over, they were conducted to one of the casemates of Fort St. Nicholas. Here for a fortnight they remained, seeing no one except the soldier who brought them their food. The casemate was some thirty feet long by eighteen wide, and a sixty-eight-pounder stood looking out seaward. There the boys could occasionally see the ships of war of the allies as they cruised to and fro.
It was very cold, for the opening was of course unglazed. They had each a heap of straw and two blankets, and these in the daytime they used as shawls, for they had no fire, and it was freezing sharply.
Dick's leg had been examined and dressed by a surgeon upon his first arrival; but as the wound was not serious, and the surgeons were worked night and day with the enormous number of wounded at Inkerman, and in the various sorties, with which the town was crowded, he did not again come near his patient. The wound, however, healed rapidly.
As Jack remarked, the scanty31 rations32 of black bread and tough meat—the latter the produce of some of the innumerable bullocks which arrived at Sebastopol with convoys34, too exhausted35 and broken down for further service—were not calculated to cause any feverish36 excitement to the blood, nor, had it been so, would the temperature have permitted the fever to rise to any undue37 height.
Their guards were kind to them so far as was in their power, and upon their using the word "tobacco," and making signs that they wanted to smoke, furnished them with pipes and with tobacco, which, although much lighter38 and very different in quality from that supplied on board ship, was yet very smokable, and much mitigated39 the dulness from which the boys suffered. A few days after their captivity40 the boys heard the church bells of Sebastopol ringing merrily.
"I wonder what all this is about?" Dick said; "not for a victory, I'll be bound."
"Why, bless me," Jack exclaimed, "if it isn't Christmas day, and we had forgotten all about it! Now, that is hard, monstrously41 hard. The fellows on the heights will just be enjoying themselves to-day. I know they were talking about getting some currants and raisins42 from on board ship, and there will be plum-duff and all sorts of things. I wonder how they're all getting on at home? They're sure to be thinking often enough of us, but it will never enter their minds that here we are cooped up in this beastly hole."
The day, however, did not pass unnoticed, for a Russian officer who spoke43 English called upon them, and said that he came at the request of the governor himself to express to them his regret that their quarters were so uncomfortable and their fare so bad. "But," he said, "we cannot help ourselves. Every barrack in the town is crowded; every hospital, every private house even, filled with wounded. We have fifty or sixty thousand troops, and near twenty thousand sick and wounded. Your people are very good not to fire at the town, for if they did, I do not know what the poor fellows would do. For to-day the governor has sent you down a dinner from his own table, together with a few bottles of wine and spirits—and what you will not prize less, for I see you smoke, a box of cigars. It is very cold here. I will see that you have some more blankets."
Two soldiers came in with baskets, the one with tin-covered dishes, the other with wines. These were set out on the ground, and the boys, after sending a message expressing their cordial thanks to the general for his thoughtfulness, sat down, when alone, in the highest spirits to their unexpected feast.
"This is a glorious spread, Jack. I wonder what all these dishes are? I don't recognize any of them. However, this is soup, there is no doubt about that, so let's fall to on that to begin with. But first of all, get out the cork44 of one of those champagne45 bottles. Now fill up your tin, Jack, and let's drink 'God bless all at home, and a merry Christmas to them.' We'll have our other toasts after dinner. I couldn't begin till we drank that. Now set to."
The dishes were not as cold as might have been expected, for each had been enveloped46 in flannel47 before placing it in the basket. The soup was pronounced excellent, and the unknown meats, prime—better than anything they had tasted since they left England. There were sweets, too, which they made a clean sweep of. Then they called their guard, to whom they gave the remains48 of their dinner, together with a strong pannikin of water and spirits, to his extreme delight.
Then, making themselves snug49 in the straw, wrapping themselves well in their blankets, fencing in their candle, so that it was sheltered from the draughts50, they opened a bottle of brandy, drank a variety of toasts, not forgetting the health of the governor, who they agreed was a brick, they sang a song or two, then blew out the light, and, thoroughly51 warm and comfortable, were asleep in a minute or two.
A few days later, an officer came in, signed to them to make their blankets into a bundle, and to follow him.
The boys slipped four bottles of spirits which they had still remaining, and also the stock of cigars, into the rolls. Then, holding the bundles on their shoulders, they followed him.
Dick, although still weak on his legs, was now able to walk.
Presently they came to a large party of men, some of whom had their arms in slings52, some were bandaged on the head, some lay in stretchers on the ground.
They returned the salute54. He was a pleasant-looking fellow with light-blue eyes, and yellowish moustache and beard. He looked at them, and then gave orders to a soldier, who entered the building, and returned with two peasants' cloaks lined with sheep-skin, similar to the one he himself wore.
These were handed to them, and the midshipmen expressed their warmest gratitude55 to him; their meaning, if not their words, being clearly intelligible56.
"These are splendid," Jack said. "They've got hoods57 too, to go over the head. This is something like comfort. I wish our poor fellows up above there had each got one. It must be awful up on the plateau now. Fancy twelve hours in the trenches58, and then twelve hours in the tents, with no fires, and nothing but those thin great-coats, and scarcely anything to eat. Now there's a move."
A strong party of soldiers came down, lifted the stretchers, and in a few minutes the whole convoy were at the water's edge. Other similar parties were already there, and alongside were a number of flat barges59. Upon these the invalids60 walked, or were carried, and the barges were then taken in tow by ships' boats, and rowed across the harbor to the north side.
"I hope to goodness," Jack said, looking up at the heights behind them, along which the lines of entrenchments were clearly visible against the white snow, "that our fellows won't take it into their heads to have a shot at us. From our battery we often amused ourselves by sending a shell from one of the big Lancaster guns down at the ships in the harbor. But I never dreamed that I was likely to be a cockshy myself."
The usual duel61 was going on between the batteries, and the puffs62 of white smoke rose from the dark line of trenches and drifted up unbroken across the deep blue of the still wintry sky.
But happily the passage of the flotilla of boats attracted no attention, and they soon arrived at the shore close to the work known as Battery No. 4.
Here they were landed. Those who could not walk were lifted into carts, of which some hundreds stood ranged alongside. The rest fell in on foot, and the procession started. The boys, to their satisfaction, found that the officer who had given them the coats was in charge of a portion of the train, and as they started he stopped to speak a word or two to them, to which they replied in the most intelligible manner they could by offering him a cigar, which a flash of pleasure in his face at once showed to be a welcome present.
It took some time to get the long convoy in motion, for it consisted of some 700 or 800 carts and about 5,000 sick and wounded, of whom fully3 three-fourths were unable to walk. It mounted to the plateau north of the harbor, wound along near the great north fort, and then across undulating land parallel with the sea. They stopped for the night on the Katcha, where the allied63 army had turned off for their flank march to the southern side.
The boys during the march were allowed to walk as they liked, but two soldiers with loaded muskets kept near them. They discussed the chances of trying to make their escape, but agreed that although they might be able to slip away from the convoy, the probability of their making their way through the Russian troops to their own lines at Balaklava or Sebastopol was so slight that the attempt would be almost madness. Their figures would be everywhere conspicuous64 on the snow, their footsteps, could be followed, they had no food, and were ignorant of the language and country. Altogether they determined65 to abandon any idea of escaping for the present.
There were but a dozen soldiers with the convoy, the officers being medical men in charge of the wounded. A halt was made in a sheltered spot near the river, and close to the village of Mamaschia, which was entirely66 deserted67 by its inhabitants.
The worst cases of sickness were carried into the houses, and the rest prepared to make themselves as comfortable as they could in or under the wagons68. Stores of forage70 were piled by the village for the use of the convoys going up and down, and the drivers speedily spread a portion of this before their beasts.
The guard and such men as were able to get about went off among the orchards71 that surrounded the village, to cut fuel. The boys' special guard remained by them. When the doctor whom they regarded as their friend came up to them, he brought with him another officer as interpreter, who said in broken French,—
"Voulez-vous donner votre parole pas essayez echapper?"
Jack was as ignorant of French as of Russian, but Dick knew a little. He turned to Jack and translated the question.
"Tell him we will give our words not to try and escape during the march, or till we tell him to the contrary." This was almost beyond Dick.
"Nous donnons notre parole pour le présent," he said, "pour la marche, vous comprenez. Si nous changons notre—I wonder what mind is," he grumbled72 to himself—"intention, nous vous dirons."
This was intelligible, although not good French, and their friend, having shaken hands with them as if to seal the bargain, told the soldiers that they need no longer keep a watch on the prisoners, and then beckoned73 them to accompany him. The boys had, at starting, placed their bundles upon a cart to which they had kept close during the march. Putting these on their shoulders, they accompanied their friend to a cart which was drawn74 up three or four feet from the wall of a house. They set to work at once, and with the aid of some sticks and blankets, of which there was a good supply in the wagon69, made a roof covering the space between it and the house, hung others at the end and side, and had soon a snug tent erected75.
One of the soldiers brought a large truss of straw, and another a bundle of firewood. The blanket at the end of the tent sheltered from the wind, was drawn aside, and a great fire speedily blazed up at the entrance. The straw was shaken out to form a soft seat, just inside the tent. All three produced their pipes and lit them, while the doctor's servant prepared over the fire a sort of soup with the rations. This turned out to be by no means bad, and when after it the boys produced one of their bottles of brandy and three cigars, the Russian doctor patted them on the back, and evidently told them that they were first-rate fellows.
For half-an-hour he smoked his cigar and sipped76 his tin of brandy and water, then, explaining by signs that he must go and look after his wounded, left them.
The boys chatted for another half-hour, and then stowing their brandy carefully away, they shook up the straw into a big bed, and, wrapping themselves in their sheepskins, were soon soundly asleep; but it was long after midnight before the doctor returned from his heavy work of dressing77 wounds and administering medicine, and stretched himself on the straw beside them.
点击收听单词发音
1 jack | |
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克 | |
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2 awfully | |
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地 | |
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3 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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4 bruised | |
[医]青肿的,瘀紫的 | |
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5 rib | |
n.肋骨,肋状物 | |
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6 promotion | |
n.提升,晋级;促销,宣传 | |
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7 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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8 gale | |
n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等) | |
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9 jaw | |
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训 | |
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10 ribs | |
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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11 sling | |
vt.扔;悬挂;n.挂带;吊索,吊兜;弹弓 | |
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12 ashore | |
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸 | |
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13 tars | |
焦油,沥青,柏油( tar的名词复数 ) | |
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14 fatigue | |
n.疲劳,劳累 | |
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15 seamen | |
n.海员 | |
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16 hacking | |
n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动 | |
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17 musket | |
n.滑膛枪 | |
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18 butt | |
n.笑柄;烟蒂;枪托;臀部;v.用头撞或顶 | |
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19 muskets | |
n.火枪,(尤指)滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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20 stunned | |
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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21 cannon | |
n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮 | |
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22 rattle | |
v.飞奔,碰响;激怒;n.碰撞声;拨浪鼓 | |
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23 defenders | |
n.防御者( defender的名词复数 );守卫者;保护者;辩护者 | |
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24 joyfully | |
adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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25 rascally | |
adj. 无赖的,恶棍的 adv. 无赖地,卑鄙地 | |
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26 skewered | |
v.(用串肉扦或类似物)串起,刺穿( skewer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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28 calf | |
n.小牛,犊,幼仔,小牛皮 | |
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29 ponies | |
矮种马,小型马( pony的名词复数 ); £25 25 英镑 | |
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30 evaded | |
逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 ); 避开; 回避; 想不出 | |
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31 scanty | |
adj.缺乏的,仅有的,节省的,狭小的,不够的 | |
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32 rations | |
定量( ration的名词复数 ); 配给量; 正常量; 合理的量 | |
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33 convoy | |
vt.护送,护卫,护航;n.护送;护送队 | |
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34 convoys | |
n.(有护航的)船队( convoy的名词复数 );车队;护航(队);护送队 | |
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35 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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36 feverish | |
adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的 | |
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37 undue | |
adj.过分的;不适当的;未到期的 | |
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38 lighter | |
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级 | |
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39 mitigated | |
v.减轻,缓和( mitigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40 captivity | |
n.囚禁;被俘;束缚 | |
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41 monstrously | |
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42 raisins | |
n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 ) | |
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43 spoke | |
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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44 cork | |
n.软木,软木塞 | |
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45 champagne | |
n.香槟酒;微黄色 | |
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46 enveloped | |
v.包围,笼罩,包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47 flannel | |
n.法兰绒;法兰绒衣服 | |
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48 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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49 snug | |
adj.温暖舒适的,合身的,安全的;v.使整洁干净,舒适地依靠,紧贴;n.(英)酒吧里的私房 | |
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50 draughts | |
n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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51 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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52 slings | |
抛( sling的第三人称单数 ); 吊挂; 遣送; 押往 | |
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53 saluted | |
v.欢迎,致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 );赞扬,赞颂 | |
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54 salute | |
vi.行礼,致意,问候,放礼炮;vt.向…致意,迎接,赞扬;n.招呼,敬礼,礼炮 | |
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55 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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56 intelligible | |
adj.可理解的,明白易懂的,清楚的 | |
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57 hoods | |
n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 );头巾;(汽车、童车等的)折合式车篷;汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 );头巾;(汽车、童车等的)折合式车篷;汽车发动机罩 | |
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58 trenches | |
深沟,地沟( trench的名词复数 ); 战壕 | |
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59 barges | |
驳船( barge的名词复数 ) | |
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60 invalids | |
病人,残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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61 duel | |
n./v.决斗;(双方的)斗争 | |
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62 puffs | |
n.吸( puff的名词复数 );(烟斗或香烟的)一吸;一缕(烟、蒸汽等);(呼吸或风的)呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧 | |
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63 allied | |
adj.协约国的;同盟国的 | |
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64 conspicuous | |
adj.明眼的,惹人注目的;炫耀的,摆阔气的 | |
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65 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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66 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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67 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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68 wagons | |
n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 );铁路货车;小手推车 | |
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69 wagon | |
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车 | |
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70 forage | |
n.(牛马的)饲料,粮草;v.搜寻,翻寻 | |
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71 orchards | |
(通常指围起来的)果园( orchard的名词复数 ) | |
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72 grumbled | |
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声 | |
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73 beckoned | |
v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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75 ERECTED | |
adj. 直立的,竖立的,笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立,建立 | |
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76 sipped | |
v.小口喝,呷,抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77 dressing | |
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 | |
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