They had left Wave Crest1 at eleven o'clock, and following a circuitous2 route, and favoured by the late hour, had succeeded in reaching their destination without attracting notice.
Beatrice had begged hard to accompany them, but this Godfrey would not permit. So she watched them from the garden-gate till they were out of sight, and then returned indoors to alarm herself by reading the adventures of Belzoni in the Great Pyramid, finding some sort of affinity4 between the expedition of Idris and that of the enterprizing Paduan.
The night was lovely and cloudless, with a full moon shining from a sky of darkest blue.
Shimmering5 white in the hallowed radiance arose the lofty tomb of the long-buried Viking, and as the two friends made their way towards it the character of the undertaking6 began to oppress the mind of Godfrey with various strange fancies. What the interior of the hillock would reveal he could not tell; but he had forebodings of something grim and ghostly. Though it was of his own free will that he came, yet now, brought close to the intended task, he shrank from it, and found himself yielding to a spirit of fear.
He could not but admire the unconcern of his [Pg 107]companion, who strode gallantly7 forward, humming the chorus of a hunting-song.
"Confound yon bright moon!" muttered Idris. "If any of the coast-guard should stroll this way, we are certain to be seen."
Arrived at the northernmost point of the tumulus, he flung down the sack that he had carried containing the implements9 necessary for excavation10, and turning his eyes upon the side of the hillock began to look about for the white-flowering mandrake that betokened11 the point of ingress.
He glanced quickly from right to left, but, to his surprise, the plant was nowhere to be seen.
"Here's a mystery! What has become of the mandrake?—No matter: there's the pile of pebbles12 I set up on the spot where the shadow of the stone fell. I have but to repeat my former experiment."
Making his way to the little heap Idris faced about, and then began to walk towards the hillock, keeping in a direct line with the stone upon its apex13.
On reaching the base of the tumulus he paused and remained stationary14, with his back to Godfrey, and his gaze riveted15 on the side of the mound16. There was something so peculiar17 in the rigidity19 of his attitude, and in his long-continued silence, that Godfrey's heart quickened with an unknown fear, a fear that deepened, when Idris, with a scared face turned slowly round, and, as if the power of speech had left him, beckoned20 with his finger for the surgeon to come forward.
"Look there!" he said in a hoarse21 voice, clutching Godfrey with one hand, and pointing with the other. "Tell me whether I see aright. What's that?"
And there, protruding22 from the side of the hillock in the place where the mandrake had grown, was—a human hand!
[Pg 108]
A human hand, rising from the earth, motionless and rigid18, the crooked23 fingers seeming to tell of the agony of a death by suffocation24.
Some one, since the morning, had been trying to force a way through the soil at the entrance of the passage, and had lost his life in the attempt.
Such was Idris' first thought. A closer inspection25, however, showed that the event had not happened that day. The nails had fallen from the fingers, and there was, besides, a decayed, vegetable look about the hand, differing altogether from the aspect presented by the skin of the newly-dead. How Idris came to overlook it during his morning visit was a mystery, since the hand must have been in its present position for several days, if not for several weeks. Its sudden exposure was perhaps due to the afternoon storm, which had washed away a portion of the soil.
To endeavour to ascertain26 the identity of the victim by pulling at the withered27 hand, and thus bringing the decayed form to view, was an act that not only Idris shrank from, but even Godfrey, the surgeon, familiar with the disjecta membra of the dissecting28 room.
"Brave heroes we are to be frightened by a plant! It is nothing but the root of the mandrake."
Godfrey drew a breath of relief, as he assured himself by a nearer view that what he had taken for a human hand was indeed the withered root of the mandrake, so apt to assume strange and unaccountable shapes.
If such were the terrors guarding the exterior31 of the tomb, what might he not expect to find in the interior?
"Now, Godfrey, our silly fright being over, to work![Pg 109] I will dig while you watch. Take a seat on this boulder32 here, and if you should see anybody coming, give the word and I will suspend operations for a while. There cannot be more than five or six feet of earth to knock away, and then the passage will be open to our view. The work ought not to take long."
Godfrey did as desired, and Idris flung off ulster, coat, and vest. Rolling his shirt-sleeves above the elbow, he drew the tools from the sack and selected a spade.
"Now to disturb the repose33 of old Orm the Golden!" he cried, excitement sparkling from his eyes. "Now to evoke34 the fires of the Asas!"
The sickly, withered mandrake-root, with its resemblance to a human hand, fronted him, and as if in contempt of his former fears, he drove the edge of the spade clean through the stalk. The separated parts seemed to quiver and writhe35 in a manner extremely suggestive of animal-life.
A thrill of terror shot through his frame, and, spade in hand, he paused, staring at the root; for, simultaneously36 with its dissection37, there came a sound, bearing resemblance to a plaintive38 human cry.
It was not the creation of his fancy, since Godfrey too had heard it.
"In the name of all that's holy what was that?" he asked, starting up from the stone upon which he had been sitting.
"That is what I should like to know," said Idris, trying to look unconcerned. "It came—or seemed to come—from this plant here. The poet speaks of:—
but I never thought to hear them in my own person."
[Pg 110]
He toyed idly with the spade, desirous, yet almost afraid, of making a second stroke.
In all his life Godfrey had never been so much alarmed as he was at that moment.
"Idris, let us leave this business—at least, for to-night."
"Leave it? Never! till I have forced my way to the heart of this hillock, and wrested41 the secret from it. On the very point of discovery must we turn back, frightened by a sound, the cry, probably, of some night-bird? We are not the first to break into a Norse barrow at midnight. Shall we be outdone in enterprise by others? No: though the dead Viking rise up, sword in hand, to repel42 me, yet will I go on."
And with this Idris lifted the spade, and attacked the side of the hillock, savagely43 cutting the mandrake root to fragments, half expecting to hear the weird44 cry again. But the sound, whatever its origin, was not repeated.
Finding the earth to be hard conglomerate45, and not easily susceptible46 to impressions from the spade, Idris laid that tool aside, and, fitting the wooden shaft47 of a pickaxe into its iron head, proceeded to reduce the conglomerate to a crumble48, which he then tossed aside with the spade, labouring alternately with the two implements.
No word escaped him: he was too much interested in the work to waste his breath in words. His efforts soon unearthed49 two large unhewn blocks of stone standing50 a little distance apart.
Fired to fresh energy by this sight, a proof that he was working in the right direction, he continued his excavations51 between the two blocks. After the lapse52 of a few minutes he paused, and thrust his arm up to the shoulder through an aperture53 appearing in the conglomerate.
"Io triumphe!" he exclaimed. "Empty space behind[Pg 111] this. A little more labour, and we shall be able to crawl into the passage beyond."
Declining Godfrey's repeated offers of assistance, Idris resumed his work enthusiastically, dealing54 stroke after stroke upon the wall of earth that barred his way. Down came the black soil with a rush, as if glad to meet free air after an imprisonment55 of centuries. Wider and wider grew the aperture, revealing an open space beyond: and, at last, flinging down his tools, Idris declared that the way was now open to the interior.
"Where's the lantern, Godfrey?"
The surgeon was already fumbling56 about in the sack. With an exclamation57 of dismay he rose to his feet and gave it a shake, but nothing came forth.
"By heaven! Godfrey, don't say that we have left the lantern behind!"
"That is just what we have done."
"At least, the match-box is there."
"No: that, too, is a minus article."
Idris breathed a malediction58. As he himself had attended to the putting up of their paraphernalia59, the omission60 was his own, and no blame attached to Godfrey.
The neglect seemed irremediable. It was out of the question to return to Ormsby for the lantern, and yet, without a light, it would be hazardous61 to grope their way through darkness to the interior of the hillock. To be so near the point of discovery, and yet so far off, was maddening.
"I shall not return without some attempt at exploration," cried Idris. "We'll have to grope about in the dark and try what we can discover in that way."
Godfrey was almost ready to drop at this weird suggestion.
"Stay a moment!" continued Idris, stooping over his vest, and feeling in the pockets, "surely I have some[Pg 112] matches here. Yes," he added, with a cry of delight, drawing forth a metallic62 box. "Here they are! How many? Three, as I live! Three only! Humph! we shall have to economize63 our slender resources. We must feel our way along the passage. I'll walk a few steps ahead of you, so that if any hurt should befall me, take warning yourself, and help me if you can. We'll not strike these vestas till we are fairly within the central chamber64. We may learn something from their glimmer65."
Idris, having resumed his coat and vest, was on the point of leading the way, when he suddenly became impressed with the idea that there might be some hidden danger within the hillock, and for Beatrice's sake it was not right that Godfrey should be drawn66 into it.
But the surgeon, though indeed reluctant to go forward, was nevertheless unwilling67 to be considered a coward, and demurred68 to the suggestion that he should remain at the entrance till Idris had first paid a visit to the interior.
"Seriously speaking," said Idris, "I do not see what danger there can be, but still there is the possibility of it, and I ought to meet it alone. Beatrice would never forgive me if harm should befall you. Stay here till I have made a brief exploration."
While speaking he caught sight of the walking-stick with which Godfrey's grandfather had been accustomed to perform his feats69 of divination70. It was curiously71 shaped, carved so as to represent a serpent twining round a wand, the head of the reptile72 being set with two green, glittering stones in imitation of eyes.
"Pass me your ancestral caduceus," he said. "It will serve to guide my steps. I wish these eyes were lamps!"
Then, waving the surgeon back, he stepped within the dark hole, which seemed, in Godfrey's imagination, to gape73 like the mouth of a great dragon about to swallow its victim.
[Pg 113]
Idris' sensations on entering the passage were far from agreeable. Though the moonlight without was brilliantly white, not a ray of it found entrance to the passage; the air within was black and terrible, and as solid-looking as if formed of ebony.
His progress was slow and tedious, from the necessity imposed upon him of halting at each step to feel his way. Before lifting his foot he carefully explored the ground in front of him with the stick, and he touched in turn the sides of the passage as well as the roof. The corridor, judged by this test, was about seven feet in height and four in width. Roof, walls, and flooring were composed apparently74 of solid masonry75.
After taking about twenty paces Idris, extending the rod on each side of him, found that it touched nothing. The passage had opened out into something wider.
He judged that he had entered the mortuary chamber, and was now standing in the presence of the dead.
For all he knew to the contrary, not one, but many Vikings might be entombed here, disposed at different points of the chamber, their bodies preserved from decay by embalming77. Like the lost and frozen dead men, seen sometimes by navigators in northern seas, they might be in sitting posture78, staring with fixed79 and glassy eyes as if daring him to advance.
The temptation to obtain a glimpse of the place by striking one of the matches was very great, but he refrained from the action, resolving that Godfrey should share the sight.
Before calling upon him to follow, a sudden desire came upon Idris to grope his way once around the interior.
Exploring the darkness with his stick he soon hit upon the chamber-wall at the point where it shot off at right[Pg 114] angles to the side of the passage. Passing his hand over its surface, an action accompanied on his part by a feeling of disgust, the masonry being wet and slimy, he discovered what seemed to be a rusty80 rod extending in a horizontal line along the wall at the height of about six feet from the ground. Puzzled at first to account for its use he came to the conclusion that it had once served to uphold the tapestry81 with which the interiors of these old Norse tombs were sometimes decorated. The tapestry itself was gone, crumbled82 to dust, perhaps, with the lapse of time, but the metallic rod remaining would serve to conduct him round the chamber.
He shot a glance through the passage just traversed by him: the darkness swallowed up its perspective, rendering83 it impossible for the eye to form any judgment84 as to its length. The entrance seemed close by, a square patch of white light, in which was framed a dark stooping figure, that of Godfrey, vainly endeavouring to keep an eye on his venturesome friend.
Idris turned from the passage, and holding the rod with his left hand, and grasping the stick in his right, he advanced slowly and cautiously along the side of the chamber-wall, over ground that had, perhaps, been untrodden for ten centuries.
After taking six paces he was brought to a halt by the wall inclining again at right angles. He had evidently reached one corner of the stone chamber.
Turning his face in this new direction, and still submitting to the guidance of the supposed tapestry-rod, he continued his progress, exploring the way before him with the stick.
He paused again as his left hand came in contact with a small triangular85 shred86 of cloth hanging to the rod. It was apparently a fragment of tapestry. There might be other and larger portions farther on, which, in view of[Pg 115] their antiquity87, would be of considerable value. Pleased with the idea that he would not come away from the tomb altogether empty-handed he was about to move forward again, when his attention was suddenly diverted to the stick he was carrying.
Without the exercise of any volition88 on his part it was slowly inclining itself downwards89. There was no mistaking the fact, and the knowledge came upon him as a disagreeable surprise. It was as if the serpent-rod had suddenly become instinct with life.
His first impulse was to cast it from him, but thinking that its downward motion might be due to the relaxed state of his muscles, he raised and extended the stick horizontally: he kept it in that position, but it was evident to his sense of feeling that the rod manifested a tendency to assume an oblique90 direction, just as if a thread were tied to its extremity91, and some one below lightly pulling it.
What was the cause of this? Must he dismiss his former scepticism, and believe in the powers of the divining rod? Had this staff of witch-hazel, electrified92 by the nervous force of his own body, become transformed for the moment into a sort of magnet, capable of being attracted by metals? Was he standing on the site of the Viking's buried treasure? Was the very treasure itself lying upon the clay flooring at his feet? If he struck a match would his eye be caught by the sparkle of silver and gold? No: he would reserve the light, and make what discoveries he could without it.
Relinquishing93 his hold of the metallic rod he dropped upon his knees, and with his face bent94 low, put forth his hands.
* * * * * *
Hark! What was that?
The silent watcher at the entrance started.
[Pg 116]
A faint cry from the interior of the hillock as of one calling for help, and then stillness.
For some time Godfrey had kept his ear close to the flooring of the passage, a position which enabled him to follow the footsteps of Idris. But now these footsteps had ceased, their cessation being followed shortly afterwards by the cry.
Godfrey continued to listen, but though straining his ear to the utmost he could not detect the faintest sound. A suspiciously horrible stillness prevailed within.
"Idris! Idris!" he called out, sending the full volume of his voice along the passage: and "Idris! Idris!" was echoed from the roof in tones that seemed like a mockery of his own. If the dead in the sepulchral95 chamber were gibing96 at him the effect could not have been more weird.
Again he called aloud, and again there was no answer, save the echoes of his own voice.
"My God! what has happened?" he cried.
There fell upon him a terror like that which has turned men's hair grey in a single night. He did not doubt, he could not doubt, that some disaster had happened: he must hasten to the rescue: duty, humanity, friendship, honour—all these blending together in a voice of thunder urged him forward. Every moment was precious; and yet to venture into the dark chamber without a light seemed a piece of folly97, for what was there to prevent him from meeting with the same fate as Idris?
He rose to his feet and turned his eyes towards the cliffs and sea-beach in the hope of seeing a coast-guard whose lantern would at this juncture98 be of inestimable service. But alas99! no coast-guard was visible, and to go off in search of one was out of the question, when a minute might make all the difference between life and death.
No: he must venture in alone, and without a light, and he nerved himself for the task. Casting one glance[Pg 117] at the sky, the sea, the land, as objects he might never see again, he snatched up the pickaxe to serve as a weapon of defence, against he knew not whom or what, and plunged100 into the mouth of the excavation that yawned black and grim before him.
His course through the passage was much quicker than that of Idris had been. There could be no danger here, seeing that Idris had traversed it in safety. Therefore the surgeon groped his way swiftly along the wall of the corridor until it suddenly turned off at right angles, whence he concluded that he was at the entrance of the sepulchral chamber.
"Idris, where are you?" he cried.
There was no vocal101 reply, but a faint splash greeted his ears like the movement of a hand through water, a sound which Godfrey interpreted as an answer.
For a terrible idea had seized him. The floor of the chamber was of earth only, and not of masonry, he thought: and the rain of centuries, percolating102 through the roof, had converted this flooring into a quagmire103 incapable104 of supporting the lightest weight. Idris had become immersed in it: had just sunk below the surface: his voice was gone: he had just given his last gasp105!
How was he to save him? One step forward, and he himself might be in the abyss of mud.
To test his opinion he flung the pickaxe forward, taking care to avoid the spot whence came the splash. As it fell Godfrey drew a breath of relief. The clangour made by the falling implement8 proved that the quagmire was the creation of his fancy. Still, what had become of Idris that he made no reply? He must be somewhere within this chamber, seeing that there was no egress106 from it except by the passage. O for a light, if only that of a match! Its momentary107 gleam would suffice to dispel108 the mystery.
[Pg 118]
He listened for Idris' breathing, but failed to detect any sound: Idris, if he were really here, was as still as the dead.
There was no other course for Godfrey than to grope about until he came upon the body of Idris, an unpleasant task, seeing that it might bring him into contact with the bones of Vikings!
He started forward at random109. Five paces, and his knee knocked against some obstruction110. Putting out his hand he ascertained111 that directly in front of him was something formed of hewn stone.
With an instinctive112 feeling that this was a tomb, Godfrey gave it a wide range, and in so doing stumbled and fell over another object.
It was a human body. In a moment Godfrey was upon his knees, and passing his hand quickly over the prostrate113 figure he discovered that it was Idris in a state of coma114.
Quickly he felt for the match-box which Idris had put into his vest pocket, and on finding it, drew it forth. Taking out one of the wax-lights he struck it on the side of the box.
Never within Godfrey's experience had the striking of a match been attended with a result so appalling115, for he immediately found himself in an atmosphere of many-coloured flame. The hot breath of a fiery116 furnace glowed around, dazzling his eyes, scorching117 his face.
In that moment of bewilderment and terror the words of the runic ring flashed through his mind, and found expression in his gasping118 articulation119:
"The fires of the Asas!"
Simultaneously with the illumination a fierce detonation120 like a powder-blast rent the air, and Godfrey, flung backwards121 as by a giant hand, tumbled senseless to the ground.
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1
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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2
circuitous
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| adj.迂回的路的，迂曲的，绕行的 | |
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3
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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4
affinity
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| n.亲和力，密切关系 | |
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5
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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6
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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7
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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8
implement
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| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
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9
implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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10
excavation
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| n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地 | |
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11
betokened
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
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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13
apex
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| n.顶点，最高点 | |
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14
stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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15
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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16
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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17
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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18
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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19
rigidity
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| adj.钢性，坚硬 | |
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20
beckoned
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| 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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21
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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22
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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23
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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24
suffocation
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| n.窒息 | |
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25
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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26
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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27
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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28
dissecting
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| v.解剖（动物等）( dissect的现在分词 )；仔细分析或研究 | |
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29
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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30
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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31
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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32
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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33
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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34
evoke
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| vt.唤起，引起，使人想起 | |
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35
writhe
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| vt.挣扎，痛苦地扭曲；vi.扭曲，翻腾，受苦；n.翻腾，苦恼 | |
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36
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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37
dissection
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| n.分析；解剖 | |
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38
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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39
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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40
stimulus
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| n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物 | |
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41
wrested
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| （用力）拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 )； 费力取得； （从…）攫取； （ 从… ） 强行取去… | |
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42
repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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43
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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44
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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45
conglomerate
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| n.综合商社，多元化集团公司 | |
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46
susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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48
crumble
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| vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁 | |
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49
unearthed
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| 出土的（考古） | |
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50
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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51
excavations
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| n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹 | |
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52
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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53
aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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54
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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55
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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56
fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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57
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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58
malediction
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| n.诅咒 | |
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59
paraphernalia
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| n.装备；随身用品 | |
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60
omission
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| n.省略，删节；遗漏或省略的事物，冗长 | |
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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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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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economize
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| v.节约，节省 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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66
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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67
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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68
demurred
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| v.表示异议，反对( demur的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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70
divination
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| n.占卜，预测 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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73
gape
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| v.张口，打呵欠，目瞪口呆地凝视 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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awesome
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| adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的 | |
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embalming
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| v.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的现在分词 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气 | |
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posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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81
tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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82
crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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83
rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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84
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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85
triangular
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| adj.三角（形）的，三者间的 | |
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86
shred
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| v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少 | |
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antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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volition
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| n.意志；决意 | |
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89
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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oblique
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| adj.斜的，倾斜的，无诚意的，不坦率的 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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electrified
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| v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋 | |
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relinquishing
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的现在分词 )； 放弃 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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95
sepulchral
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| adj.坟墓的，阴深的 | |
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96
gibing
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| adj.讥刺的，嘲弄的v.嘲笑，嘲弄( gibe的现在分词 ) | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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98
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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99
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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100
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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101
vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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102
percolating
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| n.渗透v.滤( percolate的现在分词 )；渗透；（思想等）渗透；渗入 | |
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103
quagmire
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| n.沼地 | |
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104
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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105
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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106
egress
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| n.出去；出口 | |
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107
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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108
dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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109
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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110
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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111
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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112
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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113
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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114
coma
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| n.昏迷，昏迷状态 | |
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115
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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116
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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117
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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118
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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119
articulation
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| n.（清楚的）发音；清晰度，咬合 | |
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120
detonation
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| n.爆炸；巨响 | |
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121
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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