The commandant of Louisiana, though busied with his growing colony, kept yet a watchful4 eye upon the grasping Spaniards, who claimed the country eastward5 nearly to the Mississippi. But France claimed westward6 as far as the bay of San Bernard, by virtue7 of La Salle’s discovery. Bienville determined8 to make good the claim of France. In August, 1721, he fitted out a small vessel9, the Subtile, told off a detachment of tried soldiers, and placed Bernard de la Harpe, an experienced captain, in command. The expedition set out at once to recover La Salle’s old fort. Belleisle, on account of his knowledge of the country and the Indian language, was sent along as guide.
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The surprise and the rage of the Indians when they saw the hated flag waving again above the fort may be imagined. They threw themselves with such fury against the newcomers that La Harpe, seeing his small garrison10 in danger of massacre11, withdrew quietly, and returned in October to New Orleans.
Fort St. Louis was left at last to a solitude12 never again to be broken. Vines grew over the crumbling13 walls and sprawled14 across the floors where human feet had passed; lizards15 basked16 in crevices17 of the blockhouse; and wild creatures from the wood took up their abode18 in the chapel19. Day by day and year by year decay and change went on, until there came a time when nothing remained to tell of the place where the first settlers of Texas lived, suffered, rejoiced, and perished.
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1
ardent
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adj.热情的,热烈的,强烈的,烈性的 | |
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2
colonists
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n.殖民地开拓者,移民,殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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3
wilderness
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n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等,荒漠 | |
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4
watchful
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adj.注意的,警惕的 | |
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5
eastward
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adv.向东;adj.向东的;n.东方,东部 | |
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6
westward
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n.西方,西部;adj.西方的,向西的;adv.向西 | |
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7
virtue
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n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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8
determined
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adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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9
vessel
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n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
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10
garrison
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n.卫戍部队;驻地,卫戍区;vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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11
massacre
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n.残杀,大屠杀;v.残杀,集体屠杀 | |
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12
solitude
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n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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13
crumbling
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adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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14
sprawled
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v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词);蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着) | |
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15
lizards
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n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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16
basked
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v.晒太阳,取暖( bask的过去式和过去分词 );对…感到乐趣;因他人的功绩而出名;仰仗…的余泽 | |
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17
crevices
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n.(尤指岩石的)裂缝,缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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18
abode
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n.住处,住所 | |
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19
chapel
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n.小教堂,殡仪馆 | |
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