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THE WHITE MAN’S WAY
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“To cook by your fire and to sleep under your roof for the night,” I had announced on entering old Ebbits’s cabin; and he had looked at me blear-eyed and vacuous1, while Zilla had favored me with a sour face and a contemptuous grunt2.  Zilla was his wife, and no more bitter-tongued, implacable old squaw dwelt on the Yukon.  Nor would I have stopped there had my dogs been less tired or had the rest of the village been inhabited.  But this cabin alone had I found occupied, and in this cabin, perforce, I took my shelter.

Old Ebbits now and again pulled his tangled3 wits together, and hints and sparkles of intelligence came and went in his eyes.  Several times during the preparation of my supper he even essayed hospitable4 inquiries5 about my health, the condition and number of my dogs, and the distance I had travelled that day.  And each time Zilla had looked sourer than ever and grunted6 more contemptuously.

Yet I confess that there was no particular call for cheerfulness on their part.  There they crouched7 by the fire, the pair of them, at the end of their days, old and withered8 and helpless, racked by rheumatism9, bitten by hunger, and tantalized10 by the frying-odors of my abundance of meat.  They rocked back and forth11 in a slow and hopeless way, and regularly, once every five minutes, Ebbits emitted a low groan12.  It was not so much a groan of pain, as of pain-weariness.  He was oppressed by the weight and the torment13 of this thing called life, and still more was he oppressed by the fear of death.  His was that eternal tragedy of the aged14, with whom the joy of life has departed and the instinct for death has not come.

When my moose-meat spluttered rowdily in the frying-pan, I noticed old Ebbits’s nostrils15 twitch16 and distend17 as he caught the food-scent.  He ceased rocking for a space and forgot to groan, while a look of intelligence seemed to come into his face.

Zilla, on the other hand, rocked more rapidly, and for the first time, in sharp little yelps18, voiced her pain.  It came to me that their behavior was like that of hungry dogs, and in the fitness of things I should not have been astonished had Zilla suddenly developed a tail and thumped19 it on the floor in right doggish fashion.  Ebbits drooled a little and stopped his rocking very frequently to lean forward and thrust his tremulous nose nearer to the source of gustatory excitement.

When I passed them each a plate of the fried meat, they ate greedily, making loud mouth-noises—champings of worn teeth and sucking intakes20 of the breath, accompanied by a continuous spluttering and mumbling21.  After that, when I gave them each a mug of scalding tea, the noises ceased.  Easement and content came into their faces.  Zilla relaxed her sour mouth long enough to sigh her satisfaction.  Neither rocked any more, and they seemed to have fallen into placid23 meditation24.  Then a dampness came into Ebbits’s eyes, and I knew that the sorrow of self-pity was his.  The search required to find their pipes told plainly that they had been without tobacco a long time, and the old man’s eagerness for the narcotic25 rendered him helpless, so that I was compelled to light his pipe for him.

“Why are you all alone in the village?” I asked.  “Is everybody dead?  Has there been a great sickness?  Are you alone left of the living?”

Old Ebbits shook his head, saying:  “Nay, there has been no great sickness.  The village has gone away to hunt meat.  We be too old, our legs are not strong, nor can our backs carry the burdens of camp and trail.  Wherefore we remain here and wonder when the young men will return with meat.”

“What if the young men do return with meat?” Zilla demanded harshly.

“They may return with much meat,” he quavered hopefully.

“Even so, with much meat,” she continued, more harshly than before.  “But of what worth to you and me?  A few bones to gnaw26 in our toothless old age.  But the back-fat, the kidneys, and the tongues—these shall go into other mouths than thine and mine, old man.”

Ebbits nodded his head and wept silently.

“There be no one to hunt meat for us,” she cried, turning fiercely upon me.

There was accusation27 in her manner, and I shrugged28 my shoulders in token that I was not guilty of the unknown crime imputed29 to me.

“Know, O White Man, that it is because of thy kind, because of all white men, that my man and I have no meat in our old age and sit without tobacco in the cold.”

“Nay,” Ebbits said gravely, with a stricter sense of justice.  “Wrong has been done us, it be true; but the white men did not mean the wrong.”

“Where be Moklan?” she demanded.  “Where be thy strong son, Moklan, and the fish he was ever willing to bring that you might eat?”

The old man shook his head.

“And where be Bidarshik, thy strong son?  Ever was he a mighty30 hunter, and ever did he bring thee the good back-fat and the sweet dried tongues of the moose and the caribou31.  I see no back-fat and no sweet dried tongues.  Your stomach is full with emptiness through the days, and it is for a man of a very miserable32 and lying people to give you to eat.”

“Nay,” old Ebbits interposed in kindliness33, “the white man’s is not a lying people.  The white man speaks true.  Always does the white man speak true.”  He paused, casting about him for words wherewith to temper the severity of what he was about to say.  “But the white man speaks true in different ways.  To-day he speaks true one way, to-morrow he speaks true another way, and there is no understanding him nor his way.”

“To-day speak true one way, to-morrow speak true another way, which is to lie,” was Zilla’s dictum.

“There is no understanding the white man,” Ebbits went on doggedly34.

The meat, and the tea, and the tobacco seemed to have brought him back to life, and he gripped tighter hold of the idea behind his age-bleared eyes.  He straightened up somewhat.  His voice lost its querulous and whimpering note, and became strong and positive.  He turned upon me with dignity, and addressed me as equal addresses equal.

“The white man’s eyes are not shut,” he began.  “The white man sees all things, and thinks greatly, and is very wise.  But the white man of one day is not the white man of next day, and there is no understanding him.  He does not do things always in the same way.  And what way his next way is to be, one cannot know.  Always does the Indian do the one thing in the one way.  Always does the moose come down from the high mountains when the winter is here.  Always does the salmon35 come in the spring when the ice has gone out of the river.  Always does everything do all things in the same way, and the Indian knows and understands.  But the white man does not do all things in the same way, and the Indian does not know nor understand.

“Tobacco be very good.  It be food to the hungry man.  It makes the strong man stronger, and the angry man to forget that he is angry.  Also is tobacco of value.  It is of very great value.  The Indian gives one large salmon for one leaf of tobacco, and he chews the tobacco for a long time.  It is the juice of the tobacco that is good.  When it runs down his throat it makes him feel good inside.  But the white man!  When his mouth is full with the juice, what does he do?  That juice, that juice of great value, he spits it out in the snow and it is lost.  Does the white man like tobacco?  I do not know.  But if he likes tobacco, why does he spit out its value and lose it in the snow?  It is a great foolishness and without understanding.”

He ceased, puffed36 at the pipe, found that it was out, and passed it over to Zilla, who took the sneer37 at the white man off her lips in order to pucker38 them about the pipe-stem.  Ebbits seemed sinking back into his senility with the tale untold39, and I demanded:

“What of thy sons, Moklan and Bidarshik?  And why is it that you and your old woman are without meat at the end of your years?”

He roused himself as from sleep, and straightened up with an effort.

“It is not good to steal,” he said.  “When the dog takes your meat you beat the dog with a club.  Such is the law.  It is the law the man gave to the dog, and the dog must live to the law, else will it suffer the pain of the club.  When man takes your meat, or your canoe, or your wife, you kill that man.  That is the law, and it is a good law.  It is not good to steal, wherefore it is the law that the man who steals must die.  Whoso breaks the law must suffer hurt.  It is a great hurt to die.”

“But if you kill the man, why do you not kill the dog?” I asked.

Old Ebbits looked at me in childlike wonder, while Zilla sneered40 openly at the absurdity41 of my question.

“It is the way of the white man,” Ebbits mumbled42 with an air of resignation.

“It is the foolishness of the white man,” snapped Zilla.

“Then let old Ebbits teach the white man wisdom,” I said softly.

“The dog is not killed, because it must pull the sled of the man.  No man pulls another man’s sled, wherefore the man is killed.”

“Oh,” I murmured.

“That is the law,” old Ebbits went on.  “Now listen, O White Man, and I will tell you of a great foolishness.  There is an Indian.  His name is Mobits.  From white man he steals two pounds of flour.  What does the white man do?  Does he beat Mobits?  No.  Does he kill Mobits?  No. What does he do to Mobits?  I will tell you, O White Man.  He has a house.  He puts Mobits in that house.  The roof is good.  The walls are thick.  He makes a fire that Mobits may be warm.  He gives Mobits plenty grub to eat.  It is good grub.  Never in his all days does Mobits eat so good grub.  There is bacon, and bread, and beans without end.  Mobits have very good time.

“There is a big lock on door so that Mobits does not run away.  This also is a great foolishness.  Mobits will not run away.  All the time is there plenty grub in that place, and warm blankets, and a big fire.  Very foolish to run away.  Mobits is not foolish.  Three months Mobits stop in that place.  He steal two pounds of flour.  For that, white man take plenty good care of him.  Mobits eat many pounds of flour, many pounds of sugar, of bacon, of beans without end.  Also, Mobits drink much tea.  After three months white man open door and tell Mobits he must go.  Mobits does not want to go.  He is like dog that is fed long time in one place.  He want to stay in that place, and the white man must drive Mobits away.  So Mobits come back to this village, and he is very fat.  That is the white man’s way, and there is no understanding it.  It is a foolishness, a great foolishness.”

“But thy sons?” I insisted.  “Thy very strong sons and thine old-age hunger?”

“There was Moklan,” Ebbits began.

“A strong man,” interrupted the mother.  “He could dip paddle all of a day and night and never stop for the need of rest.  He was wise in the way of the salmon and in the way of the water.  He was very wise.”

“There was Moklan,” Ebbits repeated, ignoring the interruption.  “In the spring, he went down the Yukon with the young men to trade at Cambell Fort.  There is a post there, filled with the goods of the white man, and a trader whose name is Jones.  Likewise is there a white man’s medicine man, what you call missionary43.  Also is there bad water at Cambell Fort, where the Yukon goes slim like a maiden44, and the water is fast, and the currents rush this way and that and come together, and there are whirls and sucks, and always are the currents changing and the face of the water changing, so at any two times it is never the same.  Moklan is my son, wherefore he is brave man—”

“Was not my father brave man?” Zilla demanded.

“Thy father was brave man,” Ebbits acknowledged, with the air of one who will keep peace in the house at any cost.  “Moklan is thy son and mine, wherefore he is brave.  Mayhap, because of thy very brave father, Moklan is too brave.  It is like when too much water is put in the pot it spills over.  So too much bravery is put into Moklan, and the bravery spills over.

“The young men are much afraid of the bad water at Cambell Fort.  But Moklan is not afraid.  He laughs strong, Ho! ho! and he goes forth into the bad water.  But where the currents come together the canoe is turned over.  A whirl takes Moklan by the legs, and he goes around and around, and down and down, and is seen no more.”

“Ai! ai!” wailed45 Zilla.  “Crafty and wise was he, and my first-born!”

“I am the father of Moklan,” Ebbits said, having patiently given the woman space for her noise.  “I get into canoe and journey down to Cambell Fort to collect the debt!”

“Debt!” interrupted.  “What debt?”

“The debt of Jones, who is chief trader,” came the answer.  “Such is the law of travel in a strange country.”

I shook my head in token of my ignorance, and Ebbits looked compassion46 at me, while Zilla snorted her customary contempt.

“Look you, O White Man,” he said.  “In thy camp is a dog that bites.  When the dog bites a man, you give that man a present because you are sorry and because it is thy dog.  You make payment.  Is it not so?  Also, if you have in thy country bad hunting, or bad water, you must make payment.  It is just.  It is the law.  Did not my father’s brother go over into the Tanana Country and get killed by a bear?  And did not the Tanana tribe pay my father many blankets and fine furs?  It was just.  It was bad hunting, and the Tanana people made payment for the bad hunting.

“So I, Ebbits, journeyed down to Cambell Fort to collect the debt.  Jones, who is chief trader, looked at me, and he laughed.  He made great laughter, and would not give payment.  I went to the medicine-man, what you call missionary, and had large talk about the bad water and the payment that should be mine.  And the missionary made talk about other things.  He talk about where Moklan has gone, now he is dead.  There be large fires in that place, and if missionary make true talk, I know that Moklan will be cold no more.  Also the missionary talk about where I shall go when I am dead.  And he say bad things.  He say that I am blind.  Which is a lie.  He say that I am in great darkness.  Which is a lie.  And I say that the day come and the night come for everybody just the same, and that in my village it is no more dark than at Cambell Fort.  Also, I say that darkness and light and where we go when we die be different things from the matter of payment of just debt for bad water.  Then the missionary make large anger, and call me bad names of darkness, and tell me to go away.  And so I come back from Cambell Fort, and no payment has been made, and Moklan is dead, and in my old age I am without fish and meat.”

“Because of the white man,” said Zilla.

“Because of the white man,” Ebbits concurred47.  “And other things because of the white man.  There was Bidarshik.  One way did the white man deal with him; and yet another way for the same thing did the white man deal with Yamikan.  And first must I tell you of Yamikan, who was a young man of this village and who chanced to kill a white man.  It is not good to kill a man of another people.  Always is there great trouble.  It was not the fault of Yamikan that he killed the white man.  Yamikan spoke48 always soft words and ran away from wrath49 as a dog from a stick.  But this white man drank much whiskey, and in the night-time came to Yamikan’s house and made much fight.  Yamikan cannot run away, and the white man tries to kill him.  Yamikan does not like to die, so he kills the white man.

“Then is all the village in great trouble.  We are much afraid that we must make large payment to the white man’s people, and we hide our blankets, and our furs, and all our wealth, so that it will seem that we are poor people and can make only small payment.  After long time white men come.  They are soldier white men, and they take Yamikan away with them.  His mother make great noise and throw ashes in her hair, for she knows Yamikan is dead.  And all the village knows that Yamikan is dead, and is glad that no payment is asked.

“That is in the spring when the ice has gone out of the river.  One year go by, two years go by.  It is spring-time again, and the ice has gone out of the river.  And then Yamikan, who is dead, comes back to us, and he is not dead, but very fat, and we know that he has slept warm and had plenty grub to eat.  He has much fine clothes and is all the same white man, and he has gathered large wisdom so that he is very quick head man in the village.

“And he has strange things to tell of the way of the white man, for he has seen much of the white man and done a great travel into the white man’s country.  First place, soldier white men take him down the river long way.  All the way do they take him down the river to the end, where it runs into a lake which is larger than all the land and large as the sky.  I do not know the Yukon is so big river, but Yamikan has seen with his own eyes.  I do not think there is a lake larger than all the land and large as the sky, but Yamikan has seen.  Also, he has told me that the waters of this lake be salt, which is a strange thing and beyond understanding.

“But the White Man knows all these marvels50 for himself, so I shall not weary him with the telling of them.  Only will I tell him what happened to Yamikan.  The white man give Yamikan much fine grub.  All the time does Yamikan eat, and all the time is there plenty more grub.  The white man lives under the sun, so said Yamikan, where there be much warmth, and animals have only hair and no fur, and the green things grow large and strong and become flour, and beans, and potatoes.  And under the sun there is never famine.  Always is there plenty grub.  I do not know.  Yamikan has said.

“And here is a strange thing that befell Yamikan.  Never did the white man hurt him.  Only did they give him warm bed at night and plenty fine grub.  They take him across the salt lake which is big as the sky.  He is on white man’s fire-boat, what you call steamboat, only he is on boat maybe twenty times bigger than steamboat on Yukon.  Also, it is made of iron, this boat, and yet does it not sink.  This I do not understand, but Yamikan has said, ‘I have journeyed far on the iron boat; behold52! I am still alive.’  It is a white man’s soldier-boat with many soldier men upon it.

“After many sleeps of travel, a long, long time, Yamikan comes to a land where there is no snow.  I cannot believe this.  It is not in the nature of things that when winter comes there shall be no snow.  But Yamikan has seen.  Also have I asked the white men, and they have said yes, there is no snow in that country.  But I cannot believe, and now I ask you if snow never come in that country.  Also, I would hear the name of that country.  I have heard the name before, but I would hear it again, if it be the same—thus will I know if I have heard lies or true talk.”

Old Ebbits regarded me with a wistful face.  He would have the truth at any cost, though it was his desire to retain his faith in the marvel51 he had never seen.

“Yes,” I answered, “it is true talk that you have heard.  There is no snow in that country, and its name is California.”

“Cal-ee-forn-ee-yeh,” he mumbled twice and thrice, listening intently to the sound of the syllables53 as they fell from his lips.  He nodded his head in confirmation54.  “Yes, it is the same country of which Yamikan made talk.”

I recognized the adventure of Yamikan as one likely to occur in the early days when Alaska first passed into the possession of the United States.  Such a murder case, occurring before the instalment of territorial55 law and officials, might well have been taken down to the United States for trial before a Federal court.

“When Yamikan is in this country where there is no snow,” old Ebbits continued, “he is taken to large house where many men make much talk.  Long time men talk.  Also many questions do they ask Yamikan.  By and by they tell Yamikan he have no more trouble.  Yamikan does not understand, for never has he had any trouble.  All the time have they given him warm place to sleep and plenty grub.

“But after that they give him much better grub, and they give him money, and they take him many places in white man’s country, and he see many strange things which are beyond the understanding of Ebbits, who is an old man and has not journeyed far.  After two years, Yamikan comes back to this village, and he is head man, and very wise until he dies.

“But before he dies, many times does he sit by my fire and make talk of the strange things he has seen.  And Bidarshik, who is my son, sits by the fire and listens; and his eyes are very wide and large because of the things he hears.  One night, after Yamikan has gone home, Bidarshik stands up, so, very tall, and he strikes his chest with his fist, and says, ‘When I am a man, I shall journey in far places, even to the land where there is no snow, and see things for myself.’”

“Always did Bidarshik journey in far places,” Zilla interrupted proudly.

“It be true,” Ebbits assented56 gravely.  “And always did he return to sit by the fire and hunger for yet other and unknown far places.”

“And always did he remember the salt lake as big as the sky and the country under the sun where there is no snow,” quoth Zilla.

“And always did he say, ‘When I have the full strength of a man, I will go and see for myself if the talk of Yamikan be true talk,’” said Ebbits.

“But there was no way to go to the white man’s country,” said Zilla.

“Did he not go down to the salt lake that is big as the sky?” Ebbits demanded.

“And there was no way for him across the salt lake,” said Zilla.

“Save in the white man’s fire-boat which is of iron and is bigger than twenty steamboats on the Yukon,” said Ebbits.  He scowled57 at Zilla, whose withered lips were again writhing58 into speech, and compelled her to silence.  “But the white man would not let him cross the salt lake in the fire-boat, and he returned to sit by the fire and hunger for the country under the sun where there is no snow.’”

“Yet on the salt lake had he seen the fire-boat of iron that did not sink,” cried out Zilla the irrepressible.

“Ay,” said Ebbits, “and he saw that Yamikan had made true talk of the things he had seen.  But there was no way for Bidarshik to journey to the white man’s land under the sun, and he grew sick and weary like an old man and moved not away from the fire.  No longer did he go forth to kill meat—”

“And no longer did he eat the meat placed before him,” Zilla broke in.  “He would shake his head and say, ‘Only do I care to eat the grub of the white man and grow fat after the manner of Yamikan.’”

“And he did not eat the meat,” Ebbits went on.  “And the sickness of Bidarshik grew into a great sickness until I thought he would die.  It was not a sickness of the body, but of the head.  It was a sickness of desire.  I, Ebbits, who am his father, make a great think.  I have no more sons and I do not want Bidarshik to die.  It is a head-sickness, and there is but one way to make it well.  Bidarshik must journey across the lake as large as the sky to the land where there is no snow, else will he die.  I make a very great think, and then I see the way for Bidarshik to go.

“So, one night when he sits by the fire, very sick, his head hanging down, I say, ‘My son, I have learned the way for you to go to the white man’s land.’  He looks at me, and his face is glad.  ‘Go,’ I say, ‘even as Yamikan went.’  But Bidarshik is sick and does not understand.  ‘Go forth,’ I say, ‘and find a white man, and, even as Yamikan, do you kill that white man.  Then will the soldier white men come and get you, and even as they took Yamikan will they take you across the salt lake to the white man’s land.  And then, even as Yamikan, will you return very fat, your eyes full of the things you have seen, your head filled with wisdom.’

“And Bidarshik stands up very quick, and his hand is reaching out for his gun.  ‘Where do you go?’ I ask.  ‘To kill the white man,’ he says.  And I see that my words have been good in the ears of Bidarshik and that he will grow well again.  Also do I know that my words have been wise.

“There is a white man come to this village.  He does not seek after gold in the ground, nor after furs in the forest.  All the time does he seek after bugs59 and flies.  He does not eat the bugs and flies, then why does he seek after them?  I do not know.  Only do I know that he is a funny white man.  Also does he seek after the eggs of birds.  He does not eat the eggs.  All that is inside he takes out, and only does he keep the shell.  Eggshell is not good to eat.  Nor does he eat the eggshells, but puts them away in soft boxes where they will not break.  He catch many small birds.  But he does not eat the birds.  He takes only the skins and puts them away in boxes.  Also does he like bones.  Bones are not good to eat.  And this strange white man likes best the bones of long time ago which he digs out of the ground.

“But he is not a fierce white man, and I know he will die very easy; so I say to Bidarshik, ‘My son, there is the white man for you to kill.’  And Bidarshik says that my words be wise.  So he goes to a place he knows where are many bones in the ground.  He digs up very many of these bones and brings them to the strange white man’s camp.  The white man is made very glad.  His face shines like the sun, and he smiles with much gladness as he looks at the bones.  He bends his head over, so, to look well at the bones, and then Bidarshik strikes him hard on the head, with axe22, once, so, and the strange white man kicks and is dead.

“‘Now,’ I say to Bidarshik, ‘will the white soldier men come and take you away to the land under the sun, where you will eat much and grow fat.’  Bidarshik is happy.  Already has his sickness gone from him, and he sits by the fire and waits for the coming of the white soldier men.

“How was I to know the way of the white man is never twice the same?” the old man demanded, whirling upon me fiercely.  “How was I to know that what the white man does yesterday he will not do to-day, and that what he does to-day he will not do to-morrow?”  Ebbits shook his head sadly.  “There is no understanding the white man.  Yesterday he takes Yamikan to the land under the sun and makes him fat with much grub.  To-day he takes Bidarshik and—what does he do with Bidarshik?  Let me tell you what he does with Bidarshik.

“I, Ebbits, his father, will tell you.  He takes Bidarshik to Cambell Fort, and he ties a rope around his neck, so, and, when his feet are no more on the ground, he dies.”

“Ai! ai!” wailed Zilla.  “And never does he cross the lake large as the sky, nor see the land under the sun where there is no snow.”

“Wherefore,” old Ebbits said with grave dignity, “there be no one to hunt meat for me in my old age, and I sit hungry by my fire and tell my story to the White Man who has given me grub, and strong tea, and tobacco for my pipe.”

“Because of the lying and very miserable white people,” Zilla proclaimed shrilly60.

“Nay,” answered the old man with gentle positiveness.  “Because of the way of the white man, which is without understanding and never twice the same.”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 vacuous Kiuwt     
adj.空的,漫散的,无聊的,愚蠢的
参考例句:
  • Male models are not always so vacuous as they are made out to be.男模特儿并不总像人们说的那样愚蠢。
  • His eyes looked dull,almost vacuous.他看上去目光呆滞,茫然若失。
2 grunt eeazI     
v.嘟哝;作呼噜声;n.呼噜声,嘟哝
参考例句:
  • He lifted the heavy suitcase with a grunt.他咕噜着把沉重的提箱拎了起来。
  • I ask him what he think,but he just grunt.我问他在想什麽,他只哼了一声。
3 tangled e487ee1bc1477d6c2828d91e94c01c6e     
adj. 纠缠的,紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了,我梳不动。
  • A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。
4 hospitable CcHxA     
adj.好客的;宽容的;有利的,适宜的
参考例句:
  • The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客,无论是他的朋友还是同事,他都盛情接待。
  • The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。
5 inquiries 86a54c7f2b27c02acf9fcb16a31c4b57     
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听
参考例句:
  • He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释,等候进一步调查。
  • I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
6 grunted f18a3a8ced1d857427f2252db2abbeaf     
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说
参考例句:
  • She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
  • She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
7 crouched 62634c7e8c15b8a61068e36aaed563ab     
v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
  • The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身,准备猛扑。
8 withered 342a99154d999c47f1fc69d900097df9     
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
参考例句:
  • The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
  • The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。
9 rheumatism hDnyl     
n.风湿病
参考例句:
  • The damp weather plays the very devil with my rheumatism.潮湿的天气加重了我的风湿病。
  • The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
10 tantalized 58c87a077913e60f735d2f739af31c8f     
v.逗弄,引诱,折磨( tantalize的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The delicious smell tantalized us. 香味逗引我们。 来自辞典例句
  • It tantalized him that she should have such a loathing for him. 她竟会这么厌恶他,这倒使他心里直纳闷。 来自辞典例句
11 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
12 groan LfXxU     
vi./n.呻吟,抱怨;(发出)呻吟般的声音
参考例句:
  • The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
  • The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。
13 torment gJXzd     
n.折磨;令人痛苦的东西(人);vt.折磨;纠缠
参考例句:
  • He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
  • Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。
14 aged 6zWzdI     
adj.年老的,陈年的
参考例句:
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
15 nostrils 23a65b62ec4d8a35d85125cdb1b4410e     
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
  • The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。
16 twitch jK3ze     
v.急拉,抽动,痉挛,抽搐;n.扯,阵痛,痉挛
参考例句:
  • The smell made my dog's nose twitch.那股气味使我的狗的鼻子抽动着。
  • I felt a twitch at my sleeve.我觉得有人扯了一下我的袖子。
17 distend 58tyz     
vt./vi.(使)扩大,(使)扩张
参考例句:
  • The stomachs of starving people often distend.饥民的腹部常鼓得大大的。
  • The patients were asked to micturate to distend the urethra.采用患者自行排尿方法充盈尿道。
18 yelps fa1c3b784a6cf1717cec9d315e1b1c86     
n.(因痛苦、气愤、兴奋等的)短而尖的叫声( yelp的名词复数 )v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The woman emitted queer regular little snores that sounded like yelps. 她那跟怪叫差不多的鼾声一股一股地从被里冒出来。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
  • As the moments passed the yelps grew closer and louder. 一会儿,呼叫声越来越近、越来越响了。 来自互联网
19 thumped 0a7f1b69ec9ae1663cb5ed15c0a62795     
v.重击, (指心脏)急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Dave thumped the table in frustration . 戴夫懊恼得捶打桌子。
  • He thumped the table angrily. 他愤怒地用拳捶击桌子。
20 intakes 8ef0c0b97d557507433c00f72a6fc6e2     
吸入( intake的名词复数 ); (液体等)进入口; (一定时期内)进入或纳入的人数; (采煤)进风巷道
参考例句:
  • The Tornado jet fighter-bomber has two air intakes. 旋风式喷气轰炸机有两个空气入口。
  • The air intakes to the carburetors were filling up with freezing snow. 汽化器的进气道被积雪封住了。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
21 mumbling 13967dedfacea8f03be56b40a8995491     
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • I could hear him mumbling to himself. 我听到他在喃喃自语。
  • He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg. 宴会结束时,他仍在咕哝着医院里的事。说着说着,他在一块冰上滑倒,跌断了左腿。
22 axe 2oVyI     
n.斧子;v.用斧头砍,削减
参考例句:
  • Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利,你要当心。
  • The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。
23 placid 7A1yV     
adj.安静的,平和的
参考例句:
  • He had been leading a placid life for the past eight years.八年来他一直过着平静的生活。
  • You should be in a placid mood and have a heart-to- heart talk with her.你应该心平气和的好好和她谈谈心。
24 meditation yjXyr     
n.熟虑,(尤指宗教的)默想,沉思,(pl.)冥想录
参考例句:
  • This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
  • I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉,我打断了你的沉思。
25 narcotic u6jzY     
n.麻醉药,镇静剂;adj.麻醉的,催眠的
参考例句:
  • Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。
  • No medical worker is allowed to prescribe any narcotic drug for herself.医务人员不得为自己开处方使用麻醉药品。
26 gnaw E6kyH     
v.不断地啃、咬;使苦恼,折磨
参考例句:
  • Dogs like to gnaw on a bone.狗爱啃骨头。
  • A rat can gnaw a hole through wood.老鼠能啃穿木头。
27 accusation GJpyf     
n.控告,指责,谴责
参考例句:
  • I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
  • She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。
28 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
29 imputed b517c0c1d49a8e6817c4d0667060241e     
v.把(错误等)归咎于( impute的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • They imputed the accident to the driver's carelessness. 他们把这次车祸归咎于司机的疏忽。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He imputed the failure of his marriage to his wife's shortcomings. 他把婚姻的失败归咎于妻子的缺点。 来自辞典例句
30 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
31 caribou 8cpyD     
n.北美驯鹿
参考例句:
  • Afar off he heard the squawking of caribou calves.他听到远处有一群小驯鹿尖叫的声音。
  • The Eskimos played soccer on ice and used balls filled with caribou hair and grass.爱斯基摩人在冰上踢球,他们用的是驯鹿的毛发和草填充成的球。
32 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
参考例句:
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
33 kindliness 2133e1da2ddf0309b4a22d6f5022476b     
n.厚道,亲切,友好的行为
参考例句:
  • Martha looked up into a strange face and dark eyes alight with kindliness and concern. 马撒慢慢抬起头,映入眼帘的是张陌生的脸,脸上有一双充满慈爱和关注的眼睛。 来自辞典例句
  • I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. 我想,我对伯顿印象最深之处主要还是这个人的和善。 来自辞典例句
34 doggedly 6upzAY     
adv.顽强地,固执地
参考例句:
  • He was still doggedly pursuing his studies.他仍然顽强地进行着自己的研究。
  • He trudged doggedly on until he reached the flat.他顽强地、步履艰难地走着,一直走回了公寓。
35 salmon pClzB     
n.鲑,大马哈鱼,橙红色的
参考例句:
  • We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
  • Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗?
36 puffed 72b91de7f5a5b3f6bdcac0d30e24f8ca     
adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧
参考例句:
  • He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟,狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了,便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
37 sneer YFdzu     
v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语
参考例句:
  • He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
  • You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻,但很多人喜欢这种音乐。
38 pucker 6tJya     
v.撅起,使起皱;n.(衣服上的)皱纹,褶子
参考例句:
  • She puckered her lips into a rosebud and kissed him on the nose.她双唇努起犹如一朵玫瑰花蕾,在他的鼻子上吻了一下。
  • Toby's face puckered.托比的脸皱了起来。
39 untold ljhw1     
adj.数不清的,无数的
参考例句:
  • She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
  • They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖,因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。
40 sneered 0e3b5b35e54fb2ad006040792a867d9f     
讥笑,冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
  • It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。
41 absurdity dIQyU     
n.荒谬,愚蠢;谬论
参考例句:
  • The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
  • The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。
42 mumbled 3855fd60b1f055fa928ebec8bcf3f539     
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话,可我没太听清楚。
  • George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
43 missionary ID8xX     
adj.教会的,传教(士)的;n.传教士
参考例句:
  • She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
  • I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。
44 maiden yRpz7     
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的
参考例句:
  • The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
  • The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。
45 wailed e27902fd534535a9f82ffa06a5b6937a     
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句
46 compassion 3q2zZ     
n.同情,怜悯
参考例句:
  • He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
  • Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。
47 concurred 1830b9fe9fc3a55d928418c131a295bd     
同意(concur的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。
  • So many things concurred to give rise to the problem. 许多事情同时发生而导致了这一问题。
48 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
49 wrath nVNzv     
n.愤怒,愤慨,暴怒
参考例句:
  • His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
  • The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。
50 marvels 029fcce896f8a250d9ae56bf8129422d     
n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 );令人惊奇的事物(或事例);不平凡的成果;成就v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The doctor's treatment has worked marvels : the patient has recovered completely. 该医生妙手回春,病人已完全康复。 来自辞典例句
  • Nevertheless he revels in a catalogue of marvels. 可他还是兴致勃勃地罗列了一堆怪诞不经的事物。 来自辞典例句
51 marvel b2xyG     
vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异;n.令人惊异的事
参考例句:
  • The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
  • The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。
52 behold jQKy9     
v.看,注视,看到
参考例句:
  • The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
  • The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。
53 syllables d36567f1b826504dbd698bd28ac3e747     
n.音节( syllable的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a word with two syllables 双音节单词
  • 'No. But I'll swear it was a name of two syllables.' “想不起。不过我可以发誓,它有两个音节。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
54 confirmation ZYMya     
n.证实,确认,批准
参考例句:
  • We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
  • We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前,我们需要书面确认。
55 territorial LImz4     
adj.领土的,领地的
参考例句:
  • The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
  • They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。
56 assented 4cee1313bb256a1f69bcc83867e78727     
同意,赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
  • "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对,”汤姆表示赞同地说,“他们不杀女人——真伟大!
57 scowled b83aa6db95e414d3ef876bc7fd16d80d     
怒视,生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
  • The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。
58 writhing 8e4d2653b7af038722d3f7503ad7849c     
(因极度痛苦而)扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She was writhing around on the floor in agony. 她痛得在地板上直打滚。
  • He was writhing on the ground in agony. 他痛苦地在地上打滚。
59 bugs e3255bae220613022d67e26d2e4fa689     
adj.疯狂的,发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 );病菌;虫子;[计算机](制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的)错误
参考例句:
  • All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞,都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
60 shrilly a8e1b87de57fd858801df009e7a453fe     
尖声的; 光亮的,耀眼的
参考例句:
  • The librarian threw back his head and laughed shrilly. 图书管理员把头往后面一仰,尖着嗓子哈哈大笑。
  • He half rose in his seat, whistling shrilly between his teeth, waving his hand. 他从车座上半欠起身子,低声打了一个尖锐的唿哨,一面挥挥手。


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