The herons, bitterns and wild ducks swept low over the brush entangled2 water course and dropped into the quiet open places. Innumerable clusters of small mud turtles fringed the drift wood and fallen timbers that retarded4 the sluggish5 current. The patriarchs of the hard shelled brotherhood—moss6 covered and intolerant—spent their days on the half-submerged gray logs in somnolent7 isolation8.
Kingfishers, crows and hawks9 found a fecund10 hunting ground along the winding11 byway. Squirrels and chipmunks12 raced over the recumbent trunks, and whisked their bushy tails in the patches of sunlight that filtered through the interlacing boughs13 above them.
At night the owls14, coons, minks16 and muskrats18 explored the wet labyrinths19, aged20 bull frogs trumpeted21 dolefully, and stealthy nocturnal prowlers came there to drink. Sometimes the splash of a fish broke the stillness, and little rings crept away over the 48surface and lost themselves among the weeds and floating moss.
Long ago the trails of wolves, deer, and other large animals appeared in the snow on the island during the winter; bear tracks were often found, and there is a legend among the latter day prosaics that a couple of panthers once had a den22 in the neighborhood. In later years most of the winter pathways were made by foxes and rabbits and their human and canine23 pursuers.
Near the bank of the main stream stood a decayed but well constructed old house. It was built of faced logs with mortar24 between them. There were three rooms on the ground floor, and some steep narrow stairs led into an attic25 next to the roof that sloped to the floor along its sides.
My friend “Buck26” Granger, a gray haired old trapper and hunter, whose grandfather built the house about a hundred years ago, ushered27 me up the creaky stairs late one night.
The alert eyes of a red squirrel peered at us from the end of a tattered28 mink15 muff that lay on an oak chest close to the roof, and vanished. Apparently29 the small visitor was not greatly disturbed, for, after two or three gentle undulations, the muff was motionless.
After conventional but cordial injunctions to make myself at home, Buck departed to his quarters below.
Familiar Haunts
49The quaint30 and picturesque31 attic was full of interest. An old fashioned bedstead stood in the room, a cumbrous, home made “four poster.” Over its cord lacings was a thick feather bed, several comforters, and a multicolored patchwork32 quilt. The sheets and pillow slips were of coarsely woven linen33.
Bunches of seed corn and dried herbs were suspended from pegs34 along the roof timbers; near the oak chest was a spinning wheel, and a broken cradle—all veiled with mantles35 of fine dust and cobwebs. The cradle, in which incipient36 genius may once have slumbered37, was filled with bags of beans, ears of pop corn, and hickory nuts. Squirrels and white footed mice from the surrounding woods had held high revel39 in the tempting40 hoard41.
The cradle had guarded the infancy42 of many little furred families after its first usefulness had ceased, for there were cosy43 tangled3 nests of shredded44 cotton and woolen45 material among its mixed contents.
Moths46 had worked sad havoc47 in the row of worn out garments that festooned the cross beams. Some rusty48 muskrat17 traps and obsolete49 fire arms were heaped in one corner, with discarded hats and boots.
Close to the roof, near the edge of the unprotected stairway, was a tall silent clock. It was very old. Most of the veneering had chipped away from its woodwork, parts of the enameled50 and grotesquely51 ornamented52 dial had scaled off, and across the scarred face its one crippled hand pointed53 to the figure seven. The worn mechanism54 had not pulsated55 for many years.
Innumerable tiny fibers56 connected the top and sides of the old clock with the sloping roof timbers, and a sinister57 watcher, hairy and misshapen—crouched 50within the mouth of a tubular web above the dial.
Tenuous59 highways spanned the spaces between the rafters. Gauzy filaments60 led away into obscurities, and gossamer61 shreds62 hung motionless from the upper gloom. There were mazes63 of webs, woven by generations of spiders, laden64 with impalpable dust, and tenantless66. The patient spinners had lived their little day and left their airy tissues to the mercy of the years. Like flimsy relics67 of human endeavor, the frail68 structures awaited the inevitable69.
There was an impression of mistiness70 and haziness71 in the wandering and broken fibers, and the filmy labyrinths—as of a brain filled with fancies that were inchoate72 and confused—an abode73 of idle dreams.
The web spanned attic pictured a mind, inert74 and fettered75 by dogma and tradition, in which existence is passive, and where vital currents are stilled—where light is instinctively76 excluded and intrusion of extraneous77 ideas is resented. Occupants of endowed chairs in old universities, pedantic78 art classicists, smug dignitaries of established churches, and other guardians79 of embalmed80 and encrusted conclusions, are apt to have such attics81. Like the misshapen watcher within the tubular web above the dial, they crouch58 in musty seclusion82.
I opened the queer looking bed, that had evidently been made up a long time, and lay for half an hour or so, trying to read by the light of the sputtering83 candle. The subtle spell of the old attic at length 51overcame the charm of my author, and I gave myself over to a troop of thronging84 fancies.
Although the invisible inmate85 of the muff gave a life accent to the room, the quiet was oppressive. A sense of seclusion from realities pervaded86 the human belongings88. Intimate personal things, that only vanished hands have touched, seem to possess an indefinable remoteness—as if they pertained89 to something detached and far away—and lingered in an atmosphere of spiritual loneliness.
When the moon beams came through the cobwebbed window frame, and crept along the floor to the ghostly old clock, it haunted the room with a vague impression of weariness and futility90. It seemed to stand in mute and solemn mockery of the eternal hours that had passed on and left it in hopeless vigil by the wayside.
The watcher in the web—grim and silent, like a waiting sexton—awakened uncanny thought. There was gruesome suggestion in the dark stairway hole at the foot of the clock—as if it had been newly dug in the earth.
Like evil phantoms91 into an idle mind, a pair of bats glided92 swiftly in through the open window, circled noiselessly about, and departed.
The moon rays touched something in the rubbish at the further end of the room that reflected a dull light. After restraining my curiosity for some time, I arose, crossed the floor, and picked up a strange looking box. It was about fourteen inches long, nine inches high, and a foot wide. Its hasp and small 52handle on the cover appeared to be of wrought93 iron, but the embossed facing that covered the sides and ends, and the strips that protected the edges, were of brass94, studded with nails of the same metal. It seemed in the dim light to be much corroded95 by time.
Hoping that something might be learned of its history in the morning, I placed the box on the floor near the bed, and was finally lulled96 to belated slumber38 by the crickets in the crevices97 of the logs, and the rustlings of tiny feet among the contents of the cradle. Speculations99 regarding the brass bound box softly blended into dreams.
During breakfast the next morning my host told me that the box had once belonged to a Jesuit priest; some Indians who formerly100 lived on the island had given it to his grandfather, and it had been in the attic ever since the house was built. He had often looked at its contents but could make nothing of them, and considered that “they were not of much account.” He said he would be glad to have me go through them and see if they were of any value. He also said that there was a bundle of old papers in the oak chest that he hoped I would look over, as his grandfather had written much concerning the river and the Indians that might interest me.
Filled with anticipation101 of congenial occupation during the rainy day, I went with Buck to the attic after breakfast. We dragged a decrepit102 walnut103 table to the window and dusted it carefully. Buck brought from the chest a small bundle that was tied up in 53brown paper and left it with me. The tenant65 of the muff had decamped, probably resenting the intrusion into his domain104. I brought the brass bound box, found a comfortable hickory chair, lighted a tranquilizing pipe, and was soon absorbed in the stack of closely written manuscript that I found in the bundle.
Some parts of it were illegible105 and the spelling was unique. The old man probably considered correct spelling to be an accomplishment106 of mere107 literary hacks108, and that it was not necessary for an author who had anything else to think of to pay much attention to it.
There was much information regarding the Indian occupation of the river country. It appeared that there were about fifty wigwams on the island when the red men were compelled to leave by the government. Most of them were taken to a reservation out west, and a number went to some lands of their kindred along the St. Joseph river in Michigan. Eventually a few returned and lived in scattered109 isolation, but their tribal110 organization was broken up.
The head of the village on Jerry Island was a venerable warrior111 named “Hot Ashes.” He was a friend of Buck’s grandfather, and it was he who gave him the brass bound box when the Indians left. He said it had been brought to the island by the “Black Robe” many years before, and that he had left it in the mission house when he went away.
The box had been treasured by the Indians, for it 54was supposed for a long time to be a “great medicine,” but when they departed they considered it a useless burden. There had been much misfortune after the Black Robe left and their faith in its powers gradually ceased.
The going away of the kindly112 priest was much mourned by his dusky flock. He was supposed to have departed on some mysterious errand, and to have met fatality113 in the woods, but they were never able to find any traces of him.
Hot Ashes believed that the Black Robe had a great trouble, as, before his disappearance114, he neglected the work of his mission for several days, and walked about on the island, carrying a little bundle which he was seen to throw into the river the day he left.
There was no further reference in the manuscript to the Black Robe, or to the brass bound box, which I now opened.
There were two compartments115, divided into sections, one on either side of a larger opening in the middle. These contained various small articles. Two of them fitted low square bottles, one of which was half filled with a black powdery substance. On the label, that fell off when I removed the bottle, I deciphered the word ENCRE. Experiment justified116 the conclusion that the powder had been added to water when ink was needed. A dry coating on the inside of the other bottle indicated that it had been used for this purpose.
In a larger section were some beads117 that were 55once a rosary, fragments of a silk cord that had held them together, and a crucifix.
At the center of each end of the box, were half circular rests, probably designed to hold a chalice118. The space contained a breviary, bound in leather, and much worn, some ink stained quill119 pens, a small box of fine sand that had been used for blotting120, and some loosely folded papers. They consisted mostly of letters from the Superior of the Mission, and pertained to routine affairs, suggestions regarding the work of the little mission, and congratulations on its successful progress.
Comparison of the depth of the opening with the outside of the box revealed the existence of a secret space, and it was only after long study and experiment that I discovered the means of access to it. On lifting its cover I found a flexible cloth covered book and a letter enclosed in oiled silk, that was much tattered.
The book, which was yellow with age, and frayed121 at the edges, contained closely written pages in French, many of them much faded, obscure, and in some places entirely122 obliterated123.
The chirography was in the main neat and methodical, but apparently the writing had been done under many varying conditions that made uniformity impossible. Several small drawings were scattered through the text. Some of them showed considerable skill and care, and the others were rough topographic sketches124 and memorandums of routes.
56The book was the journal of Pierre de Lisle, a young Jesuit missionary125 who left France in 1723 to carry salvation126 to the heathen in the remote wilderness127 of the new continent.
The early entries related to his novitiate in Paris, his work in the Jesuit college, and the preparations for his departure for America. They reflected his hopes for the success of his perilous128 undertaking129.
There were vague references to a deep affliction, and to periods of heart sickness and mental depression, by reason of which he had taken the long and difficult path of self denial and self effacement130 that led him into the activities of the Society of Jesus.
He had spent the required years in the subjugation131 of the flesh and the sanctification of mind and soul, when he went on board the vessel132 that was to take him to Quebec.
In the hope of finding a clue to Pierre’s sorrow, I extracted the letter from its silk covering. It had evidently been cherished through the vicissitudes133 of purification and the perils134 of arduous135 journeyings. It was signed by Marie d’Aubigney, and told of her love, that was undying but hopeless, and of her approaching compulsory136 marriage to “M. le Marquis.” His name did not appear in the letter.
Mingled137 with the musty odor of the ancient missive, I thought I detected a faint lingering perfume—at least there was one in the message, if not in the paper that bore it.
Several pages of the journal were devoted138 to the tempestuous139 voyage across the Atlantic, and a 57gloomy week spent in the fog off the Grand Banks. The vessel finally reached Quebec, where Pierre reported to the Superior of the Canadian Mission.
He and several other missionaries140, accompanied by voyageurs and Indian guides, made a long and eventful trip up the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers to Georgian Bay. They skirted its shores to Lake Huron, where a violent gale141 scattered their boats, and wrecked142 two of them.
After much danger and hardship the party landed on the wild coast, but the food supplies had been lost in the turbulent waters. In an attempt to find sustenance143, Pierre and one companion wandered a considerable distance from the camp and lost their way in a snowstorm. They found an Indian village that had been depopulated by small pox, and took refuge in one of the squalid huts, where they were besieged144 by a pack of wolves for several days. Had it not been for some scraps145 of dried fish that they fortunately found in the hut, they would have starved. They were finally rescued, and Pierre ascribed their deliverance to St. Francis.
The Indians succeeded in killing146 some game in the woods, and, after a hazardous147 journey, the party reached Mackinac. Pierre went from there to Green Bay. He stayed a few months and departed for the mission on the St. Joseph river, where he remained a year.
The journal gave many details of his life as an assistant at this mission, where he baptized numerous 58converts, and greatly increased the attendance at the mission school.
In the hope of enlarging his usefulness, he sent a letter to Quebec, asking permission to found a new mission among the Indians inhabiting the river country south of the St. Joseph. With the doubtful means of communication the letter was a long time in reaching its destination, and he had about given up hope when a favorable reply came.
With one of his converts as a guide, he departed for the field of his new labors148. They ascended149 the St. Joseph in a canoe, made the portage from its headwaters, and descended150 the Kankakee.
Frequent mention was made in the journal of the faithful guide, who proved invaluable151, and of the beautiful scenery of the route. Camps were pitched on the verdant152 banks at night, but once, in passing through one of the vast marshes153, they lost the uncertain channel and were compelled to sleep in the canoe.
They stopped at a few Indian villages along the river and were received with kindness. The journey was continued down stream beyond Jerry Island. The populous154 communities above and below that point commended it to his judgment155. He returned and began the work of establishing his mission.
Although he found the manifold vices98 of paganism in the villages, he was treated with bountiful hospitality. Successive feasts were prepared in his honor, in which boiled dog was the “piece de resistance.” 59Willing hands assisted in the construction of the mission house, and the date of the first mass was recorded in the journal.
There was much sickness among the Indians when Pierre came, the nature of which did not appear. Orgies and incantations continued day and night to conjure156 away the epidemic157. He performed the consolatory158 offices of his church in the afflicted159 wigwams. Soon after his arrival practically all of the sickness disappeared. Their recovered health convinced the credulous160 savages161 that the Black Robe possessed162 a mysterious power, and the small bottle of black powder was thought to be a mighty163 magic.
Ink has swayed the destinies of countless164 millions, but here its potency165 seems to have played a strange role.
Much of the journal was devoted to happenings that now seem trivial, but to the zealous166 disciple167 of Loyola—a protagonist168 of his faith on a spiritual frontier—they were of great moment. Detached from their contemporary human associations, events must affect the emotions or the interests of the mass of mankind if their records endure.
Pierre assisted in the councils, gave advice on temporal affairs, and patiently inculcated the precepts169 of his religion in the minds of his primitive170 flock. Impressive baptisms and beautiful deaths were noted171 at length. Converts who strayed from the fold, and were induced to return, were given much space.
Here and there poetic172 reflections graced the faded 60pages, and pious173 musings were recorded. Original verse, and quotations174 from favorite authors, that seemed inspired by melancholy175 hours, mingled with the text. The names of the various saint’s days were often used as captions176 for the entries, instead of calendar dates.
In the back of the book was a list of names of converts, dates of baptism, marriages and deaths, and a vocabulary of about three hundred words of the Pottowatomie dialect of the Algonquin language, with their French equivalents. Variations in the chirography indicated that the lists had grown gradually, as additions were made with different pens.
A gloomy spirit seemed to pervade87 the dim pages. The broken heart of Pierre de Lisle throbbed177 between the lines of the story of his life in the wilderness. He had carried his cross to the far places, and, in isolation, he yearned178 for the healing balm of forgetfulness on his fevered soul. There were evidences of a great mental conflict among the last entries. He mentioned the arrival at the island of Jacques Le Moyne, a Jesuit priest, who was on his way to a distant post on the Mississippi, and spent several weeks with him. They had been boyhood friends in France and had entered the Jesuit college at about the same time. His coming was a breath of life from the outer world.
Le Moyne told him of the death of the Marquis de Courcelles, whose existence had darkened Pierre’s life, and all of the precepts, tenets, and 61pageantry of the Church of Rome floated away as mists before a freshening wind.
Pierre was born again. The dormant179 life currents quickened, and his virile180 soul and body exulted181 in emancipation182 and new found hope.
The entries in the journal closed with a sorrowful farewell to his spiritual charges, of which they probably never knew, and an expression of pathetic gratitude183 to his friend Jacques, who had opened a gate between desolation and earthly paradise, for warm arms in France were reaching across the stormy seas, and into the wilds of the new world for Pierre de Lisle.
It seemed strange that he had left the journal and the letter of Marie d’Aubigney. He was probably obsessed184 by his one dominant185 thought, and naturally excluded everything not needed for his long journey, but if his mind had not been much perturbed186 and confused he might have taken or destroyed the journal, but he surely would have carried the precious letter with him.
The little bundle that he threw into the river, the day he left the island, may have contained his sacramental chalice, for in it his lips had found bitter waters.
He probably dissembled his apostasy187 and utilized188 such Jesuit facilities as were available in getting back to his native land, lulling189 his conscience with one of the maxims190 of the Society of Jesus—“the end justifies191 the means”—but be that as it may, the chronicles in the attic had come to an end.
62I sat for a long time, listening to the patter of the rain on the old roof, and mused192 over the frail memorials.
There is but one great passion in the world. With it all human destiny is entwined. Votaries193 of established religion have ever been recruited from the disconsolate194. The gray walls of convents and monasteries195 have lured196 the heart stricken, and in remote fields of pious endeavor unguents have been sought for cruel wounds. In the waste places of the earth have been scattered the ashes of despair, but while life lasts, it somewhere holds the eternal chords. At hope’s vibrant197 touch the enfeebled strings198 awake and attune199 to the sublime200 strains of the Great Lyric201.
The faint echo of a song lingered in the brass bound box. The silk covered letter intoned a dream melody that the years had not hushed.
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1
marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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retarded
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| a.智力迟钝的，智力发育迟缓的 | |
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sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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somnolent
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| adj.想睡的，催眠的；adv.瞌睡地；昏昏欲睡地；使人瞌睡地 | |
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isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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hawks
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| 鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物 | |
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fecund
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| adj.多产的，丰饶的，肥沃的 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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chipmunks
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| n.金花鼠( chipmunk的名词复数 ) | |
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boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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mink
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| n.貂，貂皮 | |
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minks
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| n.水貂( mink的名词复数 )；水貂皮 | |
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muskrat
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| n.麝香鼠 | |
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muskrats
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| n.麝鼠（产于北美，毛皮珍贵）( muskrat的名词复数 ) | |
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labyrinths
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| 迷宫( labyrinth的名词复数 )； （文字，建筑）错综复杂的 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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trumpeted
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| 大声说出或宣告（trumpet的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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canine
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| adj.犬的，犬科的 | |
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mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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attic
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| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
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buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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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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patchwork
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| n.混杂物；拼缝物 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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pegs
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| n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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mantles
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| vt.&vi.覆盖（mantle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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incipient
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| adj.起初的，发端的，初期的 | |
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slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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41
hoard
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| n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积 | |
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42
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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43
cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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44
shredded
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| shred的过去式和过去分词 | |
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45
woolen
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| adj.羊毛(制)的；毛纺的 | |
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46
moths
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| n.蛾( moth的名词复数 ) | |
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47
havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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48
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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49
obsolete
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| adj.已废弃的，过时的 | |
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50
enameled
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| 涂瓷釉于，给…上瓷漆，给…上彩饰( enamel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
grotesquely
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| adv. 奇异地,荒诞地 | |
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52
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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54
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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55
pulsated
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| v.有节奏地舒张及收缩( pulsate的过去式和过去分词 )；跳动；脉动；受（激情）震动 | |
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56
fibers
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| 光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质 | |
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57
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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58
crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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59
tenuous
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| adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的 | |
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60
filaments
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| n.（电灯泡的）灯丝( filament的名词复数 )；丝极；细丝；丝状物 | |
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61
gossamer
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| n.薄纱，游丝 | |
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62
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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63
mazes
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| 迷宫( maze的名词复数 )； 纷繁复杂的规则； 复杂难懂的细节； 迷宫图 | |
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64
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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65
tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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66
tenantless
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| adj.无人租赁的，无人居住的 | |
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67
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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68
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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69
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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70
mistiness
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| n.雾，模糊，不清楚 | |
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71
haziness
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| 有薄雾，模糊； 朦胧之性质或状态； 零能见度 | |
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72
inchoate
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| adj.才开始的，初期的 | |
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73
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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74
inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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75
fettered
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| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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76
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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77
extraneous
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| adj.体外的；外来的；外部的 | |
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78
pedantic
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| adj.卖弄学问的；迂腐的 | |
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79
guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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80
embalmed
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| adj.用防腐药物保存（尸体）的v.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的过去式和过去分词 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气 | |
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81
attics
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| n. 阁楼 | |
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82
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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83
sputtering
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| n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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84
thronging
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的现在分词 ) | |
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85
inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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86
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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87
pervade
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| v.弥漫，遍及，充满，渗透，漫延 | |
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88
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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89
pertained
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| 关于( pertain的过去式和过去分词 )； 有关； 存在； 适用 | |
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90
futility
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| n.无用 | |
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91
phantoms
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| n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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92
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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93
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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94
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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95
corroded
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| 已被腐蚀的 | |
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96
lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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97
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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98
vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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99
speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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100
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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101
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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102
decrepit
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| adj.衰老的，破旧的 | |
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103
walnut
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| n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色 | |
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104
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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105
illegible
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| adj.难以辨认的，字迹模糊的 | |
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106
accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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107
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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108
hacks
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| 黑客 | |
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109
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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110
tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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111
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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112
kindly
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|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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113
fatality
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| n.不幸，灾祸，天命 | |
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114
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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115
compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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116
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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117
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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118
chalice
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| n.圣餐杯；金杯毒酒 | |
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119
quill
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| n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶 | |
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120
blotting
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| 吸墨水纸 | |
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121
frayed
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| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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122
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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123
obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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124
sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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125
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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126
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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127
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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128
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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129
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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130
effacement
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| n.抹消，抹杀 | |
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131
subjugation
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| n.镇压，平息，征服 | |
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132
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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133
vicissitudes
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| n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废 | |
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134
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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135
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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136
compulsory
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| n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的 | |
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137
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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138
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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139
tempestuous
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| adj.狂暴的 | |
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140
missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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141
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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142
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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143
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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144
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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145
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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146
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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147
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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148
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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149
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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150
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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151
invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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152
verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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153
marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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154
populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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155
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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156
conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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157
epidemic
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| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
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158
consolatory
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| adj.慰问的，可藉慰的 | |
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159
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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160
credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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161
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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162
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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163
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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164
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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165
potency
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| n. 效力，潜能 | |
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166
zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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167
disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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168
protagonist
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| n.(思想观念的)倡导者；主角，主人公 | |
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169
precepts
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| n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 ) | |
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170
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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171
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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172
poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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173
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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174
quotations
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| n.引用( quotation的名词复数 )；[商业]行情（报告）；（货物或股票的）市价；时价 | |
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175
melancholy
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|
| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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176
captions
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| n.标题，说明文字，字幕( caption的名词复数 )v.给（图片、照片等）加说明文字( caption的第三人称单数 ) | |
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177
throbbed
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| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
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178
yearned
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| 渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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179
dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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180
virile
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| adj.男性的；有男性生殖力的；有男子气概的；强有力的 | |
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181
exulted
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| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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182
emancipation
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| n.（从束缚、支配下）解放 | |
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183
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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184
obsessed
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| adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的 | |
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185
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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186
perturbed
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| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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187
apostasy
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| n.背教，脱党 | |
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188
utilized
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| v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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189
lulling
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的现在分词形式） | |
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190
maxims
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| n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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191
justifies
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| 证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护） | |
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192
mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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193
votaries
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| n.信徒( votary的名词复数 )；追随者；（天主教）修士；修女 | |
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194
disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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195
monasteries
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| 修道院( monastery的名词复数 ) | |
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196
lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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197
vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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198
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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199
attune
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| v.使调和 | |
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200
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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201
lyric
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| n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的 | |
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