The Camel—Its Paramount1 Importance in the great Tropical Sandwastes—Its Organisation2 admirably adapted to its mode of Life—Beauty of the Giraffe—Its Wide Range of Vision—Pleasures of Giraffe Hunting—The Antelopes3—The Springbok—The Reedbok—The Duiker—The Atro—The Gemsbok—The Klippspringer—The Koodoo—The Gnu—The Indian Antelope4—The Nylghau—The Caffrarian Buffalo5—The Indian Buffalo and the Tiger—Dr. Livingstone’s Escape from a solitary7 Buffalo—Swimming Feats8 of the Bhain—The Zebra—The Quagga—The Douw.
There is a sea without water and refreshing10 breezes, without ebb11 and flood, without fishes and algæ! And there is a ship which safely travels from one shore to the other of that sea, a ship without sails or masts, without keel or rudder, without screw or paddle, without cabin or deck!
This ship, so swift and sure, is the Dromedary, and that sea is the desert; which none but he, or what he carries, can pass.
In many respects the vast sandy deserts of Africa and Asia remind one of the ocean. There is the same boundless12 horizon, the same unstable13 surface, now rising, now falling with the play of the winds; the same majestic14 monotony, the same optical illusions, for as the thirsty mariner15 sees phantom16 palm-groves17 rise from the ocean, thus also the sandwaste transforms itself, before the panting caravan20, into the semblance21 of a refreshing lake. Here we see islands, verdant22 oases23 of the sea—there, oases,400 green islands of the desert; here, sand billows—there, water waves, separating widely different worlds of plants and animals; here, the ship, the camel of the ocean—there, the dromedary, the ship of the desert!
But for this invaluable24 animal, the desert itself would ever have remained impassable and unknown to man. On it alone depends the existence of the nomadic25 tribes of the Orient, the whole commercial intercourse26 of North Africa and Southwest Asia; and no wonder that the Bedouin prizes it, along with the fruit-teeming date-palm, as the most precious gift of Allah. Other animals have been formed for the forest, the water, the savannah; to be the guide, the carrier, the companion, the purveyor27 of all man’s wants in the desert, is the camel’s destiny.
Wonderfully has he been shaped for this peculiar28 life, formed to endure privations and fatigues29 under which all but he would sink. On examining the camel’s foot, it will at once be seen how well it is adapted for walking on a loose soil, as the full length of its two toes is provided with a broad, expanded, and elastic31 sole. Thus the camel treads securely and lightly over the unstable sands, while he would either slip or sink on a muddy ground. He can support hunger longer than any other mammiferous animal, and is satisfied with the meanest food. Frugal32, like his lord the wiry Bedouin, the grinding power of his teeth and his cartilaginous palate enable him to derive34 nutriment from the coarsest shrubs35, from thorny36 mimosas and acacias, or even from the stony37 date-kernels, which his master throws to him after having eaten the sweet flesh in which they are imbedded.
For many days he can subsist38 without drinking, as the pouchlike cavities of his stomach—a peculiarity39 which distinguishes him from all other quadrupeds, perhaps, with the sole exception of the elephant—form a natural cistern40 or reservoir, whose contents can be forced upwards41 by muscular contraction42, to meet the exigencies43 of the journey. It is frequently believed that this liquid remains44 constantly limpid45 and palatable46, and that in cases of extreme necessity camels are slaughtered47 to preserve the lives of the thirsty caravan; but Burckhardt never heard of the Arabs resorting to this expedient48, nor did he think it likely they would do so, as their own destruction must be involved401 in that of the beast on which they rode, and the lukewarm liquid thus obtained, besides affording a very poor supply, would be sufficiently49 nauseous to make even a Tantalus turn away disgusted.
But the ‘ship of the desert’ is not only provided with water for the voyage, but also with liberal stores of fat, which are chiefly accumulated in the hump; so that this prominence50, which gives it so deformed51 an appearance, is in reality of the highest utility—for should food be scarce, and this is almost always the case while journeying through the desert, internal absorption makes up in some measure for the deficiency, and enables the famished52 camel to brave for some time longer the fatigues of the naked waste. This is so well known to the Bedouin that the first thing he examines about his camel when preparing for a long journey is the hump: should he find it large he knows that the animal will endure considerable fatigue30 even with a very moderate allowance of food, for he believes in the proverb that the ‘camel can subsist for an expedition on the fat of its own hump.’ Yet all mortal endurance has its limits, and even the camel, though so well provided against hunger and thirst, must frequently succumb53 to the excess of his privations, and the bleached54 skeletons of the much-enduring animal strewed55 along the road mark at once the path of the caravan and the dreadful sufferings of a desert-journey.
BACTRIAN CAMEL.
DROMEDARY.
While the Bactrian Camel with a double hump ranges from Turkestan to China, the single-hump camel or dromedary, originally Arabian, has spread in opposite directions towards the East Indies, the Mediterranean56, and the Niger, and is used in Syria, Egypt, Persia, and Barbary, as the commonest beast of burden. It serves the robber, but it serves also the peaceful merchant, or the pilgrim, as he wanders to Mecca to perform his devotions at the prophet’s tomb. In long array, winding402 like a snake, the caravan traverses the desert. Each dromedary is loaded, according to its strength, with from six hundred to a thousand pounds, and knows so well the limits of its endurance, that it suffers no overweight, and will not stir before it be removed. Thus, with slow and measured pace, the caravan proceeds at the rate of ten or twelve leagues a day, often requiring many a week before attaining57 the end of its journey.
When we consider the deformity of the camel, we cannot doubt that its nature has suffered considerable changes from the thraldom58 and unceasing labours of more than one millennium59. Its servitude is of older date, more complete, and more irksome, than that of any other domestic animal—of older date, as it inhabits the countries which history points out to us as the cradle of mankind; more complete, as all other domestic animals still have their wild types roaming about in unrestrained liberty, while the whole camel race is doomed60 to slavery; more irksome, finally, as it is never kept for luxury or state like so many horses, or for the table like the ox, the pig, or the sheep, but is merely used as a beast of transport, which its master does not even give himself the trouble to attach to a cart, but whose body is loaded like a living waggon62, and frequently even remains burdened during sleep.
Thus, the camel bears all the marks of serfdom. Large naked callosities of horny hardness cover the lower part of the breast and the joints63 of the legs, and although they are never wanting, yet they themselves give proof that they are not natural, but that they have been produced by an excess of misery64 and ill-treatment, as they are frequently found filled with a purulent matter.
The back of the camel is still more deformed by its single or double hump than its breast or legs by their callosities; and as the latter are evidently owing to the position in which the heavily burthened beast is forced to rest, it may justly be inferred that the hump also, which merely consists of an accumulation of fat, did not belong to the primitive65 animal, but has been produced by the pressure of its load. Even its evident use as a store-house for a desert journey may have contributed to its development, as Nature is ever ready to protect its creatures, and to modify their forms according to circumstances; and thus, what at first was a mere61 casual occurrence,403 became at length, through successive generations, the badge and heir-loom of the whole race.
Even the stomach may, in the course of many centuries, have gradually provided itself with its water-cistern, since the animal, after a long and tormenting66 privation, whenever an opportunity of satisfying its thirst occurred, distended67 the coats of that organ by immoderate draughts68, and thus, by degrees, gave rise to its pouch-like cavities.
The hardships of long servitude, which have thus gradually deformed the originally, perhaps, not ungraceful camel, have no doubt also soured its temper, and rendered its character as unamiable as its appearance is repulsive71. ‘It is an abominably72 ugly necessary animal,’ says Mr. Russell, in a letter dated from the camp of Lucknow; ‘ungainly, morose73, quarrelsome, with tee-totalling propensities74; unaccountably capricious in its friendships and enmities; delighting to produce with its throat, its jaws75, its tongue, and its stomach, the most abominable76 grunts78 and growls79. Stupidly bowing to the yoke80, it willingly submits to the most atrocious cruelties, and bites innocent, well-meaning persons, ready to take its part. When its leader tears its nostril81, it will do no more than grunt77; but ten against one it will spit at you if you offer it a piece of bread. For days it will march along, its nose close to the tail of the beast that precedes it, without ever making the least attempt to break from the chain; and yet it will snort furiously at the poor European who amicably82 pats its ragged83 hide.’
The camel seems to have been rather harshly dealt with in this description; at any rate, it may plead for its excuse that it would be too much to expect a mild and amiable70 temper in a toil84-worn slave.
Which of all four-footed animals raises its head to the most towering height? Is it the colossal85 elephant, or the ‘ship of the desert’? No doubt the former reaches many a lofty branch with its flexible proboscis86, and the eye of the long-necked camel sweeps over a vast extent of desert; but the Giraffe embraces a still wider horizon, and plucks the leaves of the mokaala at a still greater height. A strange and most surprising animal, almost all neck and leg, seventeen feet high against a length of only seven from the breast to the beginning of the tail, its comparatively small and slanting88 body resting404 on long stilts89, its diminutive90 head fixed91 at the summit of a column; and yet, in spite of these disproportions, of so elegant and pleasing an appearance, that it owes its Arabic name, Xirapha, to the graceful69 ease of its movements.
The beauty of the giraffe is enhanced by its magnificently spotted92 skin, and by its soft and gentle eyes, which eclipse even those of the gazelle, and, by their lateral93 projection94, take in a wider range of the horizon than is subject to the vision of any other quadruped, so as even to be able to anticipate a threatened attack in the rear from the stealthy lion or any other foe95 of the desert.
GIRAFFES AND ZEBRAS.
The long tail, adorned96 with a bushy tuft of flowing black hair, no doubt renders it good service against many a stinging insect; and the straight horns, or rather excrescences of the frontal bone, small as they are, and muffled97 with skin and hair, are by no means the insignificant98 weapons they have been supposed to be. ‘We have seen them wielded99 by the males against each other with fearful and reckless force,’ says Maunder, in his excellent ‘Dictionary of Animated100 Nature,’ ‘and we know that they are the natural arms of the giraffe most dreaded101 by the keeper of the present living giraffes in the Zoological Gardens, because they are most commonly and suddenly put in use. The giraffe does not butt102 by depressing and suddenly elevating the head, like the deer, ox, or sheep, but strikes the callous103 obtuse104 extremity105 of the horns against405 the object of his attack with a sidelong sweep of the neck. One blow thus directed at full swing against the head of an unlucky attendant would be fatal.’
The projecting upper lip of the giraffe is remarkably106 flexible, and its elongated107 prehensile108 tongue, performing in miniature the part of the elephant’s proboscis, is of material assistance in browsing109 upon the foliage110 and young shoots of the prickly acacia, which constitute the animal’s chief food.
With feet terminating in a divided hoof111, and a ruminant like our ox, the giraffe has four stomachs, and an enormous intestinal112 length of 288 feet, a formation which bears testimony113 to the vast and prolonged powers of digestion114 necessary to extract nutrition from its hard and meagre diet.
Ranging throughout the wide plains of Central Africa from Caffraria to Nubia, the giraffe, though a gregarious115 animal, generally roams about only in small herds117, averaging sixteen in number, from the young animal of nine or ten feet in height, to the dark chestnut118-coloured old male, towering to a height of upwards of eighteen feet. Notwithstanding the rapidity with which it strides along, the fore19 and hind120 leg on the same side moving together, instead of diagonally as in most other quadrupeds, yet a full gallop121 quite dissipates its strength; and the hunters, being aware of this, always try to press the giraffes at once to it, knowing that they have but a short space to run before the animals are in their power. In doing this the old sportsmen are careful not to go too close to the giraffe’s tail; ‘for this animal,’ says Dr. Livingstone, ‘can swing his hind foot round in a way which would leave little to choose between a kick with it and a clap from the arm of a windmill.’
Captain Harris, in his ‘Wild Sports of Africa,’ gives us an animated picture of a giraffe hunt, breathing the full life and excitement of the chase.
‘Many days had now elapsed since we had even seen the camelopard, and then only in small numbers, and under the most unfavourable circumstances. The blood coursed through my veins122 like quicksilver therefore as, on the morning of the 19th, from the back of Breslar, my most trusty steed, with a firm-wooded plain before me, I counted thirty-two of these animals industriously123 stretching their peacock-necks to crop406 the tiny leaves which fluttered above their heads in a mimosa grove18 that beautified the scenery. They were within a hundred yards of me; but having previously124 determined125 to try the boarding system, I reserved my fire.
‘Although I had taken the field expressly to look for giraffes, and had put four of the Hottentots on horseback, all excepting Piet had as usual slipped off unperceived in pursuit of a troop of koodoos. Our stealthy approach was soon opposed by an ill-tempered rhinoceros126, which, with her ugly calf127, stood directly in the path, and the twinkling of her bright little eyes, accompanied by a restless rolling of the body, giving earnest of her intention to charge. I directed Piet to salute128 her with a broadside, at the same moment putting spurs to my horse. At the report of the gun, and the sudden clattering129 of hoofs131, away bounded the giraffes in grotesque132 confusion, clearing the ground by a succession of frog-like hops133, and soon leaving me far in the rear. Twice were their towering forms concealed134 from view by a park of trees, which we entered almost at the same instant, and twice, in emerging from the labyrinth135, did I perceive them tilting136 over an eminence137 immeasurably in advance. A white turban that I wore round my hunting cap, being dragged off by a projecting bough138, was instantly charged by three rhinoceroses139, and, looking over my shoulder, I could see them long afterwards, fagging themselves to overtake me. In the course of five minutes the fugitives140 arrived at a small river, the treacherous141 sands of which receiving their long legs, their flight was greatly retarded142; and after floundering to the opposite side, and scrambling143 to the top of the bank, I perceived that their race was run. Patting the steaming neck of my good steed, I urged him again to his utmost, and instantly found myself by the side of the herd116. The stately bull being readily distinguishable from the rest by his dark chestnut robe and superior stature144, I applied145 the muzzle146 of my rifle behind his dappled shoulder with the right hand, and drew both triggers; but he still continued to shuffle147 along, and being afraid of losing him, should I dismount, among the extensive mimosa groves with which the landscape was now obscured, I sat in my saddle, loading and firing behind the elbow, and then, placing myself across his path, until the tears trickling148 from his full brilliant eye, his lofty frame began to totter149, and at the seventeenth discharge from the deadly-grooved407 bore, like a falling minaret150 bowing his graceful head from the skies, his proud form was prostrate151 in the dust. Never shall I forget the tingling152 excitement of that moment. At last then, the summit of my hunting ambition was actually attained153, and the towering giraffe laid low. Tossing my turbanless cap into the air, alone in the wild wood, I hurraed with bursting exultation154, and, unsaddling my steed, sank exhausted155 beside the noble prize I had won.’
In a similar strain of triumph Gordon Cumming describes his first giraffe hunt: ‘Galloping round a thick bushy tree under cover of which I had ridden, I suddenly beheld156 a sight the most astounding157 that a sportsman’s eye can encounter. Before me stood a troop of ten colossal giraffes, the majority of which were from seventeen to eighteen feet high. On beholding158 me they at once made off, twisting their long tails over their backs, making a loud switching noise with them, and cantering along at an easy pace, which, however, obliged my horse to put his best foot foremost to keep up with them. The sensations which I felt on this occasion were different from anything that I had before experienced during a long sporting career. My senses were so absorbed by the wondrous159 and beautiful sight before me, that I rode along like one entranced. At every stride I gained upon the giraffes, and after a short burst at a swinging gallop, I was in the middle of them, and turned the finest cow out of the herd. On finding herself driven from her comrades and hotly pursued, she increased her pace and cantered along with tremendous strides, clearing an amazing extent of ground at every bound, while her neck and breast coming in contact with the dead old branches of the trees were continually strewing160 them in my path. In a few minutes I was riding within five yards of her stern, and firing at the gallop I sent a bullet into her back. Increasing my pace, I next rode alongside, and placing the muzzle of my rifle within a few feet of her, I fired my second shot behind the shoulder; the ball, however, seemed to have little effect. Once more I brought her to a stand, and dismounted from my horse. There we stood together alone in the wild wood. I gazed in wonder at her extreme beauty, while her soft dark eye, with its silky fringe, looked down imploringly161 at me, and I really felt a pang162 of sorrow in this moment of triumph for the blood I was shedding.408 Pointing my rifle towards the skies, I sent a bullet through her neck. On receiving it she reared high on her hind legs and fell backwards163 with a heavy crash making the earth shake around her. A thick stream of dark blood spouted164 out from the wound, her colossal limbs quivered for a moment and she expired. No pen nor words can convey to a sportsman what it is to ride in the midst of a troop of gigantic giraffes—it must be experienced to be understood. They emitted a powerful perfume, which in the chase came hot in my face, reminding me of the smell of a hive of heather honey in September.’
After man, the giraffe’s chief enemy is the lion, who often waits for it in the thick brakes on the margin165 of the rivers or pools, and darts166 upon it with a murderous spring while it is slaking167 its thirst. Andersson once saw five lions, two of whom were in the act of pulling down a splendid giraffe, while the other three were watching close at hand the issue of the deadly strife168; and Captain Harris relates that, while he was encamped on the banks of a small stream, a camelopard was killed by a lion whilst in the act of drinking, at no great distance from the waggons169. It was a noisy affair; but an inspection170 of the scene on which it occurred proved that the giant strength of the victim had been paralysed in an instant.
Sometimes the giraffe saves itself from the attacks of its arch-enemy by a timely flight; but when hemmed171 in, it offers a desperate resistance, and in spite of its naturally gentle and peaceable disposition172, gives such desperate kicks with its forefeet as to keep its antagonist173 at a respectful distance, and finally to compel him to retreat.
There are many analogies between the giraffe and the ostrich174; both long-legged, long-necked, fit for cropping the tall mimosas, or scouring175 rapidly the plain; both, finally, defending themselves by striking their feet forwards, the one against the jackal or hyæna, the other against the assaults of the formidable lion.
The great peculiarity of the zoology176 of South Africa is the predominance of antelopes. Here no species of deer, roe177, stag, or elk178 greets the eyes of the sportsman: their place in nature is taken by these hollow-horned ruminants, which have been created in an unusual number and variety of specific forms, constituting a series that fills up the wide hiatus between the goat and the ox. As the traveller advances from the Cape409 towards the Sahara, he constantly falls in with new antelopes, and many unknown to the naturalist179 no doubt still roam in the undiscovered interior of the continent.
With the exception of the ox or cow-like species, such as the Eland, whose clumsier proportions and heavier gait remind one of our domestic cattle, the antelopes generally resemble the deer tribe by their elegant forms, their restless and timid disposition, and their proverbial swiftness. Their horns, whatever shape they assume, are round and annulated; in some species straight, in others curved and spiral; in some the females have no horns, in others they are common to both sexes. They all possess a most delicate sense of smell, and their eyes are proverbially bright and beaming. Their skin generally emits a delicious odour of the grass and wild herbs on which they feed, and some have between their hoofs a gland180 from which issues a secretion181 of an agreeable perfume.
Africa appears to be their great nursery, but many kinds are natives of Asia, while Europe has but two species,—the well-known Chamois of the Alps and the Saiga of the Russian steppes,—and the New World only one.
SPRINGBOK.
Few of the numerous African antelopes are more entitled to our notice than the graceful Springbok (A. enchora), which has earned its name from the surprising and almost perpendicular182 leaps it makes when started. It bounds to the height of ten or twelve feet with the elasticity183 of an India-rubber ball, clearing at each spring from twelve to fifteen feet of ground, without apparently184 the slightest exertion185. In performing this astonishing leap it appears for an instant as if suspended in the air, when down come all four feet again together, and striking the plain, away it soars again, as if about to take flight.
From the vast wilds in the interior of South Africa, when a prolonged drought has exhausted the last pools or watercourses, the springboks migrate in such incredible multitudes towards the fertile cultivated districts, that they have been well compared to the swarms186 of locusts187. Like them, they consume every410 green thing in their course, and ruin in a single night the fruits of the farmer’s toil. The course they adopt is generally such as to bring them back to their own country by a route different from that by which they set out, but this march is not effected with impunity189. The lion, the hyæna, the panther, and, above all, man, make great havoc190 in their ranks; many also perish from want of food, the country to which they have migrated being unable to support them, and comparatively few return to their native haunts.
While the springbok prefers the level plains with short grass, where it may be able to watch the approach of an enemy, the Reedbok (Eleotragos arundinaceus); selects for its favourite haunts the low grounds covered with a dense191 growth of reeds. It generally remains concealed until the hunter approaches, then suddenly starts up and flies to a short distance, when it stops and turns round to have a look at its pursuer. At the same time it utters a peculiar sneezing cry, evidently meant as a warning signal to its comrades, but which frequently proves the cause of its own destruction by attracting the enemy’s attention.
The dense bush-forests of Africa harbour several kinds of antelopes, among others the Duiker (Cephalophus mergens), who at the approach of man plunges193 or dives, as it were, into the thicket194, and glides195 so quietly through the bushes that he seems to have vanished, and the neat little Atro or Ben Israel of Abyssinia (Cephalophus hemprichii), which even the sharpest eye is scarce able to detect in its flight, so nearly does its colour resemble that of the dim underwood through which it makes its escape. In thickets196 which would be utterly197 impassable by the larger big-horned antelopes, the Atro finds an admirable refuge, particularly in the green forest borders of the watercourses, where it enjoys the shade under a thick canopy198 of leaves.
The Gemsbok (A. Oryx) is supposed to have given rise to the fable199 of the unicorn200, from its long straight horns when seen in profile, so exactly covering one another as to give it the appearance of having but one. This robust201 and noble antelope, which when adult measures little less than four feet in height at the shoulder, possesses the erect202 mane, long sweeping203 black tail, and general appearance of the horse, with the head and411 hoofs of an antelope. It thrives and attains204 a high condition in barren regions, where it might be imagined that a locust188 would not find subsistence, and is remarkably independent of water. Owing to the even nature of the ground which it frequents, its shy and suspicious disposition, and the extreme distance from water to which it must be followed, it is never stalked or drawn205 to an ambush206 like other antelopes, but is hunted down by a long tail-on-end chase, a feat9 which only the fleetest coursers are able to perform.
Among the mountain antelopes who, like the goat, love to browse207 among the rocks, the Klippspringer (Oreotragus saltatrix) is remarkable208 for the elastic agility209 with which he bounds along from crag to crag; the deep chasm210, the yawning precipice211, have no terrors for this sure-footed, sharp-eyed animal, which in its rapid flight over the serrated ridge212 bids defiance213 to the hunter’s pursuit.
The Koodoo (A. strepsiceros) likewise prefers the craggy districts to the plains, and loves to browse on hills covered with sharp angular rocks, but with abundance of excellent grass and fine green bushes. When seen on the brow of any eminence, with its graceful form and fine spiral horns projected against the dark blue sky, it is decidedly one of the grandest-looking antelopes in the world.
KOODOO.
GNU.
The fantastic Wildebeest, or Gnu, of which there are two species, the black and the brindled214, has the head and horns of the buffalo, and the mane and tail of a horse, supported on agile215 antelopine legs. Shy and suspicious at the night season, when their carnivorous enemies are abroad, the bearing of the412 Gnus is bold in broad daylight, when roaming over their native plains. Wheeling about in endless circles, and performing the most extraordinary variety of intricate evolutions, the shaggy herds of these fierce-looking animals are for ever capering216 and gambolling217 round the hunter on every side. Singly, and in small troops of four or five individuals, the old bull wildebeests may be seen stationed at intervals218 throughout the plains, standing119 motionless during a whole forenoon coolly watching with a philosophic219 eye the movements of the other game, eternally uttering a loud snorting noise, and also a short sharp cry which is peculiar to them. When the hunter approaches these old bulls they commence whisking their long white tails in a most eccentric manner, then springing suddenly into the air, they begin prancing220 and capering, and pursue each other in circles at their utmost speed. When wounded they will sometimes turn upon the hunter and pursue him in turn, darting221 forwards on their assailant with amazing force and impetuosity, so that it requires the utmost coolness on his part to evade222 their attack.
In India the Antilopa cervicapra is consecrated223 to the moon, and takes the place of the capricorn among the signs of the zodiac. Numberless poems praise the beauty of this graceful animal, which resembles our fallow deer, but is somewhat smaller, and of a far more elegant shape. Such is its fleetness and activity that it often vaults224 over nets ten feet high, and when pursued will pass over as many yards at a single bound.
NYLGHAU.
The native haunts of the Nylghau (A. picta) are the dense forests of India. In the days of Aurungzebe, these large and fine antelopes abounded225 between Delhi and Lahore, where they were frequently chased by that mighty226 monarch227, his army of hunters inclosing them within a limited space by means of nets. The Great Mogul and his omrahs, attended by their huntsmen, then entered and, somewhat after the manner of a modern battue, dispatched them with their arrows and spears.
The wild Caffrarian Buffalo (Bubalus Caffer), the strongest413 and most ferocious228 of the ruminant race, roams in small herds over the woody districts of South and Central Africa, where it is more feared by the natives than the lion and rhinoceros. Combining malice229 with brutality230, it not seldom remains concealed behind a tree, till the innocent victim of its rage approaches, when, horribly bellowing231, it rushes forth232 and attacks him with its broad-based, sharp-pointed horns. Not satisfied with goring233 him to death, it stamps and tears him again and again, and after having left the spot, will even return to vent87 once more its blind fury on the mangled234 corpse235.
Its ponderous236 strength, deadly weapons, and ungovernable fury make it more than a match for the king of animals himself, who never ventures to attack a full-grown buffalo, as one toss from its horns would kill the strongest lion that ever breathed.
In India, where the wild colossal Arnee (Bubalus Arnee), remarkable for its enormous horns, inhabits the highlands, even the tame ordinary buffaloes237 feel their superiority to the large felidæ, for they have been seen to chase a tiger up the hills, bellowing as if they enjoyed the sport. The Indian herdsman, riding on a buffalo of their herd, are therefore not in the least afraid of entering the jungles infested238 by tigers. Colonel Rice once saw a troop of buffaloes, excited by the blood of a tiger he had wounded, throw themselves furiously into the thicket where the beast had sought refuge, beat about the bushes and tear up the ground with their horns.
The solitary buffaloes, or such as have been expelled from the herd by stronger competitors for female favour, are particularly dangerous as they are apt to wreak239 their ill humour on whatever falls in their way. Dr Livingstone, among others, made the experience that to meet one of these rogue240 buffaloes is about as bad as to face a hungry lion or an ill-disposed rhinoceros. ‘As I walked slowly,’ says the illustrious traveller, ‘on an extensive plain, I observed that a solitary buffalo, disturbed by others of my own party, was coming to me at a gallop. I glanced around, but the only tree on the plain was a hundred yards off, and there was no escape elsewhere. I therefore cocked my rifle, with the intention of giving him a steady shot in the forehead when he should come within three or four yards of me. The thought flashed across my mind, “What if your gun misses fire?” I placed it to my shoulder as he came on at full speed,414 and that is tremendous, though generally he is a lumbering-looking animal in his paces. A small bush and bunch of grass fifteen yards off, made him swerve241 a little and exposed his shoulder. I just heard the ball crack there, and I fell flat on my face. The pain must have made him renounce242 his purpose, for he bounded close past me on to the water, where he was found dead.’
The buffaloes are generally fond of marshes243 or submerged river banks, where they love to wallow in the mud, or to remain plunged244 up to the muzzle in water. They are admirable swimmers, particularly the Bhain (Bubalus Bhain), a species inhabiting the sandy banks of the Ganges. Abandoning themselves to the current, these semi-aquatic ruminants often drift down the river in large herds, and are said to plunge192 from time to time in order to detach with their horns the water-plants growing at the bottom, which they then leisurely245 devour246 as they slowly float along.
As if to make up for the hideous247 deformity of the rhinoceros and hippopotamus248, the African wilds exclusively give birth to the beautifully striped Zebras, the most gorgeously attired249 members of the equine race.
The isabelle-coloured Quagga, irregularly banded and marked with dark brown stripes, which, stronger on the head and neck, gradually become fainter, until lost behind the shoulders, has its high crest250 surmounted251 by a standing mane, banded alternately brown and white. It used formerly252 to be found in great numbers within the limits of the Cape6 Colony, and still roams in large numbers in the open plain farther to the north, where it may often be seen herding253 together with gnus and springboks.
QUAGGA.
Thus in the desert of the Meritsane, Major Harris, after crossing a park of magnificent camelthorn trees, soon perceived large herds of quaggas and brindled gnus, which continued to join each other, until the whole plain seemed alive. The clatter130 of their hoofs was perfectly254 astounding, and could be compared to nothing but to the din33 of a tremendous charge of cavalry255, or the rushing of a mighty tempest. The accumulated415 numbers could not be estimated at less than 15,000, a great extent of country being actually chequered black and white with their congregated256 masses.
The Douw, or Burchell’s Zebra, differs little from the common quagga in point of shape or size; but while the latter is faintly striped only on the head and neck, the former is adorned over every part of the body with broad black bands, beautifully contrasting with a pale yellow ground.
Major Harris, who had so many opportunities of seeing this fine species in a state of nature, remarks that—‘Beautifully clad by the hand of nature, possessing much of the graceful symmetry of the horse, with great bones and muscular power, united to easy and stylish257 action, thus combining comeliness258 of figure with solidity of form, this species, if subjugated259 and domesticated260, would assuredly make the best pony261 in the world. Although it admits of being tamed to a certain extent with the greatest facility—a half-domesticated specimen262, with a jockey on its brindled back, being occasionally exposed in Cape Town for sale—it has hitherto contrived263 to evade the yoke of servitude. The senses of sight, hearing, and smell are extremely delicate. The slightest noise or motion, no less than the appearance of any object that is unfamiliar264, at once rivets265 their gaze, and causes them to stop and listen with the utmost attention; any taint266 in the air equally attracting their olfactory267 organs.
‘Instinct having taught these beautiful animals that in union consists their strength, they combine in a compact body when menaced by an attack, either from man or beast; and, if overtaken by the foe, they unite for mutual268 defence, with their heads together in a close circular band presenting their heels to the enemy, and dealing269 out kicks in equal force and abundance. Beset270 on all sides, or partially271 crippled, they rear on their hind legs, fly at their adversary272 with jaws distended, and use both teeth and heels with the greatest freedom.’
ZEBRA.
Whilst the douw and the quagga roam over the plains, the Zebra inhabits mountainous regions only. The beauty of its light symmetrical form is enhanced by the narrow black416 bands with which the whole of the white-coloured body is covered.
Travellers through the African wilds have sometimes been startled by piteous wailings, resembling the faint gasps273 and stifled274 groanings of a drowning man. On approaching the spot where they supposed some ravenous275 beast was lacerating an unfortunate native, they were surprised to find a zebra in its last agonies; and well may the dying moans of the animal be sorrowful, when we consider that its usual neighings, when heard from a distance, are of a very melancholy276 sound.
Captain Harris tells us that it seeks the wildest and most sequestered277 spots, so that it is extremely difficult of approach, not only from its watchful278 habits and very great agility of foot, but also from the inaccessible279 nature of its abode280. The herds graze on the steep hill-side, with a sentinel posted on some adjacent crag, ready to sound the alarm in case of any suspicious approach to their feeding quarters, and no sooner is the alarm given than away they scamper281, with pricked282 ears and whisking their tails aloft, to places where few, if any, would venture to pursue them.
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1
paramount
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| a.最重要的，最高权力的 | |
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2
organisation
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| n.组织，安排，团体，有机休 | |
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3
antelopes
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| 羚羊( antelope的名词复数 )； 羚羊皮革 | |
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antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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6
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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7
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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8
feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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12
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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unstable
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| adj.不稳定的，易变的 | |
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14
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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15
mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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16
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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17
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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18
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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19
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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20
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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21
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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23
oases
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| n.（沙漠中的）绿洲( oasis的名词复数 )；（困苦中）令人快慰的地方（或时刻）；乐土；乐事 | |
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24
invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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25
nomadic
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| adj.流浪的；游牧的 | |
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26
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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27
purveyor
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| n.承办商，伙食承办商 | |
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28
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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29
fatigues
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| n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服 | |
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30
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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31
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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32
frugal
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| adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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34
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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35
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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36
thorny
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| adj.多刺的，棘手的 | |
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37
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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38
subsist
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| vi.生存，存在，供养 | |
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39
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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40
cistern
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| n.贮水池 | |
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41
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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42
contraction
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| n.缩略词，缩写式，害病 | |
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43
exigencies
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| n.急切需要 | |
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44
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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45
limpid
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| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
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46
palatable
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| adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的 | |
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47
slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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49
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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50
prominence
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| n.突出；显著；杰出；重要 | |
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51
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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52
famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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53
succumb
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| v.屈服，屈从；死 | |
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54
bleached
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| 漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的 | |
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55
strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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56
Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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57
attaining
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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58
thraldom
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| n.奴隶的身份，奴役，束缚 | |
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59
millennium
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| n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世 | |
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60
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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61
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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62
waggon
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| n.运货马车，运货车；敞篷车箱 | |
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63
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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64
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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65
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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66
tormenting
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| 使痛苦的，使苦恼的 | |
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67
distended
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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68
draughts
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| n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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69
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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70
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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71
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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72
abominably
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| adv. 可恶地，可恨地，恶劣地 | |
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73
morose
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| adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的 | |
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74
propensities
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| n.倾向，习性( propensity的名词复数 ) | |
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75
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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76
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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77
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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78
grunts
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈 | |
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79
growls
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的第三人称单数 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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80
yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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81
nostril
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| n.鼻孔 | |
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82
amicably
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| adv.友善地 | |
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83
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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84
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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proboscis
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| n.（象的）长鼻 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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stilts
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| n.（支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的）桩子，支柱( stilt的名词复数 )；高跷 | |
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diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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91
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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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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93
lateral
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| adj.侧面的，旁边的 | |
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94
projection
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| n.发射，计划，突出部分 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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wielded
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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102
butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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obtuse
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| adj.钝的；愚钝的 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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elongated
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| v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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prehensile
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| adj.（足等）适于抓握的 | |
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browsing
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| v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息 | |
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110
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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intestinal
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| adj.肠的；肠壁；肠道细菌 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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digestion
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| n.消化，吸收 | |
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115
gregarious
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| adj.群居的，喜好群居的 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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118
chestnut
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| n.栗树，栗子 | |
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119
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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120
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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121
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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122
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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123
industriously
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124
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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125
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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126
rhinoceros
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| n.犀牛 | |
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127
calf
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| n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮 | |
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128
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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129
clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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130
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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131
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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132
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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133
hops
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| 跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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134
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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135
labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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136
tilting
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| 倾斜，倾卸 | |
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137
eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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138
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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139
rhinoceroses
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| n.钱，钞票( rhino的名词复数 )；犀牛(=rhinoceros)；犀牛( rhinoceros的名词复数 )；脸皮和犀牛皮一样厚 | |
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140
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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141
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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142
retarded
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| a.智力迟钝的，智力发育迟缓的 | |
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143
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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144
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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145
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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146
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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147
shuffle
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| n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走 | |
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148
trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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149
totter
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| v.蹒跚， 摇摇欲坠；n.蹒跚的步子 | |
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150
minaret
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| n.（回教寺院的）尖塔 | |
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151
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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152
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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153
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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154
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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155
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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156
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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157
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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158
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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159
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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160
strewing
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| v.撒在…上( strew的现在分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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161
imploringly
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| adv. 恳求地, 哀求地 | |
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162
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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163
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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164
spouted
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| adj.装有嘴的v.（指液体）喷出( spout的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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165
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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166
darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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167
slaking
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| n.熟化v.满足( slake的现在分词 ) | |
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168
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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169
waggons
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| 四轮的运货马车( waggon的名词复数 )； 铁路货车； 小手推车 | |
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170
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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171
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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172
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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173
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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174
ostrich
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| n.鸵鸟 | |
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175
scouring
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| 擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤 | |
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176
zoology
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| n.动物学，生态 | |
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177
roe
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| n.鱼卵；獐鹿 | |
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178
elk
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| n.麋鹿 | |
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179
naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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180
gland
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| n.腺体，(机)密封压盖，填料盖 | |
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181
secretion
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| n.分泌 | |
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182
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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183
elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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184
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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185
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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186
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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187
locusts
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| n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树 | |
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188
locust
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| n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐 | |
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189
impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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190
havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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191
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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192
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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193
plunges
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| n.跳进，投入vt.使投入，使插入，使陷入vi.投入，跳进，陷入v.颠簸( plunge的第三人称单数 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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194
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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195
glides
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| n.滑行( glide的名词复数 )；滑音；音渡；过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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196
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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197
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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198
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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199
fable
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| n.寓言；童话；神话 | |
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200
unicorn
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| n.(传说中的)独角兽 | |
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201
robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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202
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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203
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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204
attains
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的第三人称单数 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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205
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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206
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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207
browse
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| vi.随意翻阅，浏览；(牛、羊等)吃草 | |
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208
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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209
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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210
chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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211
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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212
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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213
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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214
brindled
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| adj.有斑纹的 | |
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215
agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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216
capering
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| v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的现在分词 )；蹦蹦跳跳 | |
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217
gambolling
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| v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的现在分词 ) | |
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218
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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219
philosophic
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| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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220
prancing
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| v.（马）腾跃( prance的现在分词 ) | |
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221
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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222
evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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223
consecrated
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| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
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224
vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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225
abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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226
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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227
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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228
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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229
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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230
brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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231
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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232
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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233
goring
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| v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破( gore的现在分词 ) | |
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234
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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235
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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236
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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237
buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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238
infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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239
wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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240
rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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241
swerve
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| v.突然转向，背离；n．转向，弯曲，背离 | |
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242
renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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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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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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hippopotamus
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| n.河马 | |
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249
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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herding
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| 中畜群 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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congregated
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| （使）集合，聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stylish
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| adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的 | |
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258
comeliness
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| n. 清秀, 美丽, 合宜 | |
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subjugated
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| v.征服，降伏( subjugate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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domesticated
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| adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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261
pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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262
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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rivets
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| 铆钉( rivet的名词复数 ) | |
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taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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olfactory
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| adj.嗅觉的 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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gasps
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| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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ravenous
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| adj.极饿的，贪婪的 | |
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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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sequestered
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| adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押 | |
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278
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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279
inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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280
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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scamper
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| v.奔跑，快跑 | |
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282
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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