Causes of the Inferiority of Negro Civilisation1—Natural Capabilities2 of the Negro—Geographical3 Formation of Africa—Its Political Condition—Physical Conformation of the Negro—Fetishism—The Rain-Doctor—The Medicine-Man—Religious Observances—Gift-Offerings—Human Sacrifices—Ornaments4—The Pelélé—The Bonnians—Their Barbarous Condition—The Town of Okolloma—Negroes of the Lake Regions—The Iwanza—Slavery—A Miserable6 Group.
With the exception of the narrow strip of territory fertilized7 by the annual inundations of the Nile, where stately pyramids and the ruins of vast palaces and temples proclaim the ancient glories of Egypt; or of the coast-lands of the Mediterranean8, where once Carthage reigned9 and Utica flourished, Africa has ever been a region without influence on the progressive march of mankind. From the vast and still partly unknown countries inhabited by the Negro or the Kaffer no gleam of genius has ever shone forth10 to enlighten the world; no invention has ever proceeded for the benefit of the human race; no individual has ever risen to eminence11 in science or in art; but all, from generation to generation, has519 ever been one dull monotonous12 scene of ignorance, barbarism, and stagnation13.
As to the causes of this stationary14 unprogressive state opinions are greatly divided, for while some authorities consider the African as decidedly inferior in intellect to the more favoured races of Europe, he is according to others merely the victim of unfortunate circumstances, which have never allowed the latent germs of improvement to quicken into life? That there is no defect in his organisation16 to account for his low condition, is sufficiently17 proved by the celebrated18 physiologist19, Tiedemann, who found, as the result of numerous measurements and examinations, that his brain is by no means smaller than that of the European, and that its form and structure are identical.
Travellers and missionaries20 who have had the best opportunities of forming a just estimate of the character and capacities of the Negroes, describe them as social, generous, and confiding21. No one, such is their opinion, can live among them without being impressed with their natural energy of character, their shrewdness and close observation, the cunning with which they can drive a bargain, and the perfect adroitness22 with which they practise upon the unsuspecting credulity of white men. They have long since risen above the hunter life, have fixed23 habitations, cultivate the soil for the means of subsistence, have herds26 of domestic animals, construct for themselves houses sufficient to protect them alike from the scorching27 heat of the sun and the chilly28 damps of night, show a taste for the mechanical arts, a surprising skill in the fabrication of implements29 of warfare30 and articles of ornament5, and at the same time a decided15 taste and aptitude31 for commercial pursuits.
The Southern Kaffers gradually pass through the transition of intermediate tribes into the pure typical equatorial Negroes, and travellers have been astonished at the acuteness of intellect displayed by the Zulus, Betchuanas, and other Kaffer nations. Of the Mandingoes, a pure Negro race, inhabiting parts of Senegambia and Upper Guinea, shrewd observers assure us that no one who has had personal intercourse32 with them, can have the least doubt as to their intellectual equality with Europeans. These few examples, to which many others520 might be added, sufficiently prove that there is no wide impassable gulf33 between the negro and the white races.
The aboriginal34 Africans are indeed averse35 to all abstract discussions, but they have excellent memories, lively imaginations, much instinctiveness, and very close observation. With the exception of the Veys, who have recently invented an alphabet for themselves (a circumstance in itself sufficient to establish their claims to a high degree of intelligence), none of the nations along the sea coast regions have any written literature, but this is not to be set down as a mark of mental imbecility. Their thoughts, as a matter of necessity, must operate in a comparatively narrow circle; but it does not follow that they are less active on that account. They have abundant stores of unwritten lore36, allegories, legends, traditionary stores, fables—and many of their proverbs bear testimony37 to their sound good sense.
Men of remarkable38 ability have risen up among the Africans from time to time, as well as amongst other portions of the human family. Some have excited the admiration39 of large districts by their wisdom, others have been the wonder of their generation by their personal prowess and deeds of arms, but the total absence of literature leads to the loss of all former experience and the lessons of the sage40 and the feats41 of the hero have been alike forgotten.
The detractors of the Negroes have generally formed their opinion upon the most unfavourable specimens43 of the race, upon tribes living in a pestilential climate along the sultry coasts of Guinea, upon the victims of oppression, upon slaves or the descendants of slaves. But everywhere we find physical and moral inferiority resulting from conditions which cramp44 the natural energies of man, and among the most highly civilised nations a considerable part of the population shows the fatal stigmas45 of ignorance and want in a stunted46 growth and a blighted47 intellect. It is evidently as erroneous to judge of the whole Negro race by its inferior representatives, as it would be to measure the English nation by the low standard of the refuse of our cities. The reasons for the torpid48 state of Africa, when compared with the ancient civilisation of Asia or the progressive march of Europe, must therefore be sought for, not in an organic and consequently incurable49 incapacity521 for higher attainments50, but in unfavourable external circumstances, and these are quite sufficient to account for its existence.
Among the causes which have contributed to retard51 the march of improvement in Africa, one of the most important is its compact geographical formation and the natural obstacles which render the access to its interior so extremely difficult. While Europe possesses a vast extent of coast line, numerous harbours, large peninsulas, deep gulfs and bays, and broad navigable rivers, Africa is deprived of these physical advantages. Though more than three times larger than Europe, its coasts are not only less extensive by one-fourth, but are also frequently bounded, particularly within the tropics, by sandy deserts or unhealthy swamps, which render them in a great measure inaccessible52 or useless to man. We there see no such peninsulas as Italy or Portugal and Spain, stretching far out into the ocean, and affording a seat to a numerous maritime53 population; no such great mediterranean seas as the Baltic, the Adriatic, or the Ægæan; and while in Europe many rivers carry the tides far into the interior of the land, and extend as it were the domains54 of ocean into the bosom55 of the continent, a great number of the streams of Africa are often rendered unnavigable by long-continued droughts, or even cease to flow altogether during a considerable part of the year. But the sea is not only the great highway of commerce, it also enlarges the sphere of man’s ideas, by bringing him into easier contact with other nations; it not only conveys the productions of every zone from coast to coast, but civilisation is also wafted56 upon its waves from shore to shore. Thus the vicinity of the sea has been as favourable42 to the development of a great part of Europe as the confinement57 or isolation58 of the Negro within the bounds of his native continent has tended to retard his improvement.
Even in the interior of Africa itself, communications are rendered difficult by many natural obstacles. The fertile regions of the Soudan are separated from the coast lands of the Mediterranean by the vast deserts of the Sahara, which have always opposed an insurmountable barrier to the spread of European civilisation. Here enormous tracts59 of arid60 land, there immense marshes61 and swampy62 lake districts, or high mountain ranges522 covered with impervious63 woods, impede64 the progress of the traveller, and separate one nation from the other.
Along with its unfavourable geographical formation, the political condition of Africa has likewise tended to maintain its ancient barbarism. As far as history reaches into the past, slavery has been its curse, nor has it ever enjoyed the advantages of a strong and permanent government. Thus, to cite but one example, the Manganja were all formerly65 united under the government of their great chief Undi, whose rule extended from Lake Shirwa to the river Loangwa, but after Undi’s death it fell to pieces. This has been the inevitable66 fate of every African empire from time immemorial. A chief of more than ordinary ability arises, and subduing67 all his less powerful neighbours, founds a kingdom which he governs more or less wisely, till he dies. His successor not having the talents of the conqueror68 cannot retain the dominion69, and some of the abler or more ambitious under-chiefs set up for themselves, and in a few years the remembrance only of the empire remains70. This, which may be considered as the normal state of African society, gives rise to frequent and desolating71 wars, and perpetuates72 a state of general insecurity which paralyses improvement and prevents the accumulation of wealth, that great lever of civilisation. Ignorance, superstition73, intolerance are the natural consequences of the misgovernment under which Africa suffers, and contribute in their turn to maintain it. Even the most gifted nations must eventually sink under such a load of adverse74 circumstances, and when we recollect75 for how many centuries the genius of Europe languished76 after the fall of the Roman empire, we must not be too hasty in depreciating77 the natural abilities of the Negro.
A black, soft, and unctuous78 skin, woolly hair, thick lips, a flat nose, a retiring forehead, and a projecting maxilla, are his well-known physical characters; but both his colour and his features are considerably79 modified both by the climate of the land which he inhabits and the degree of civilisation he has attained80. Considerable elevations81 of surface, as they produce a cooler temperature of the air, are also productive of a lighter-coloured skin. Thus, in the high parts of Senegambia, which fronting the Atlantic Ocean are cooled by westerly winds, we find the light copper-coloured Felatas surrounded on every523 side by the darker-coloured Negro tribes inhabiting the surrounding lower countries. In the interior of Africa, the Bornui, the occupants of the low basin of Lake Tsad, are also the most like the typical Negroes of the coast. Their moral and social condition, or the degree of barbarism and civilisation in which they live, has likewise a considerable influence on the physical conformation of the Negroes. The tribes in which the distinctive82 marks of the race are developed in the highest degree invariably occupy the lowest grade in the scale of African humanity: they are either ferocious83, barbarous, or sunk in stupidity and sloth—as, for instance, the Papels, Balloms, and other savage84 hordes85 on the coast of Guinea, where the slave trade was formerly carried on to a great extent, and exerted, as usual, its baneful86 influence. On the other hand, where we hear of a Negro state whose inhabitants have made some progress in the social arts, we constantly find their physical character considerably deviating87 from the strongly pronounced Negro type. The Ashantees and the Sulimas may be cited as examples. The Negroes of Guber and Haussa, where a considerable degree of civilisation was a long time dominant88, are perhaps the finest race of true Negroes in all Africa. The Joloff, who, since the time of their first discovery by the Portuguese89, have enjoyed a certain degree of culture, are also tall, well-made Negroes, with the nasal profile less depressed90, and the lips less prominent than is the case with the more typical tribes.
The religion of Mahomet has spread over many North African countries, but Fetissism, or the adoration91 of natural objects, animate92 or inanimate, to which certain mysterious powers are attributed, is still the superstitious93 creed94 of the greater part of that continent. Anything which chances to catch hold of the fancy of a Negro may be a fetish. One selects the tooth of a dog, of a tiger, or of a cat, or the bone of a bird; while another fixes on the head of a goat, or monkey, or parrot, or even upon a piece of red or yellow wood, or a thorn branch. The fetish thus chosen becomes to its owner a kind of divinity, which he worships, and from which he expects assistance on all occasions. In honour of his fetish, it is common for a Negro to deprive himself of some pleasure, by abstaining96 from a particular kind of meat or drink. Thus one man eats no524 goat’s flesh, another tastes no beef, and a third no brandy or palm wine. By a continual attention to his fetish, the Negro so far imposes upon himself as to represent it to his imagination as an intelligent being or ruling power, inspecting his actions and ready to reward or punish. Hence, like the Russian with his image of St. Nicholas, or the ancient Roman with his household gods, he covers it up carefully whenever he performs any action that he accounts improper97. The importance or value of a fetish is always estimated according to the success of its owner whose good fortune induces others to adopt it. On the contrary, when a Negro suffers any great misfortunes, he infallibly attributes it to the weakness of his fetish, which he relinquishes98, and adopts another that he hopes will prove more powerful. Sometimes a whole tribe or a large district has its fetish, which is regarded as a kind of palladium upon which the safety of their country depends. Thus, at Whidah, on the coast of Ashantee, they worship as their national fetish a kind of serpent of monstrous99 size, which they call the grandfather of the snakes. They say that it formerly deserted100 some other country on account of its wickedness, and came to them, bringing good fortune and prosperity along with it. The national fetish of the Kanga is an elephant’s tooth, and that of the tribe of Wawa a tiger. At Bonny divine honours are paid to huge water-lizards101. Undisturbed, the lazy monsters crawl heavily through the streets, and as they pass the Negroes reverentially make way. A white man is hardly allowed to look at them, and hurried as fast as possible out of their presence. An attempt was once made to kidnap one of these dull lizard102 gods for the benefit of a profane103 museum, but the consequences were such as to prevent a repetition of the offence, for the palm oil trade was immediately stopped, and affairs assumed so hostile an aspect that the foreigners were but too glad to purchase peace with a considerable sacrifice of money and goods. When one of the lizards crawls into a house, it is considered a great piece of good fortune, and when it chooses to take a bath, the Bonnians hurry after it in their canoes. After having allowed it to swim and plunge104 several times, they seize it for fear of danger, and carry it back again to the land, well pleased at once more having the sacred reptile105 in their safe possession.
525 From this account of the fetishes of the Negroes, it is evident that the rudeness of their idolatry is on a level with the low state of their social condition. A victim to evil passions and to a vague and nameless awe106 engendered107 by the fantastical and monstrous character of the animal and vegetable productions around him, the Fetissist peoples with malevolent108 beings the invisible world, and animates109 material nature with evil influences. The rites110 of his dark and deadly superstition are all intended to avert111 evils from himself by transfering them to others; hence the witchcraft112 and magic which flow naturally from the system of demonology.
Like the Schaman of the Polar World, the Negro priest, or professional holy man, is supposed to have the power of controlling evil spirits, and founds his influence on the gross superstition and baseless fears of those who trust in his agency. His office includes many duties. He is a physician or medicine man, a detecter of sorcery by means of the ordeal113, a vase maker114, a conjuror115 or augur116, and a prophet.
As all diseases are attributed by the Fetissist to ‘possession,’ the medicine man is expected to heal the patient by casting out the devil who has entered his body and disturbs its functions. The unwelcome visitant must be charmed away by the sound of drums and dancing, and when the auspicious117 moment for his expulsion arrives, is enticed118 from the body of the possessed119 into some inanimate article, which he will condescend120 to inhabit. This may be a certain kind of bead121, two or more bits of wood bound together by a strip of snake’s skin, a lion’s or a leopard’s claw, and other similar articles, worn round the head, the arm, the wrist, or the ankle. Hence also the habit of driving nails into and hanging rags upon trees, which are considered apt places for the laying of evil spirits.
The second and perhaps the most profitable occupation of the medicine man is, the detection of sorcery. The unfortunate wretches123, accused of practising the black art, are generally required to prove their innocence124 by submitting to various ordeals125, similar to the fire tests of mediæval Europe. The commonest trial consists in the administration of some poisonous liquid, such as the red water of the Ashantees, which is extremely apt to find the accused person guilty. If he escape unhurt, however, and without vomiting126, he is judged innocent.526 Much dancing and singing takes place on account of his escape, and he is allowed to demand that some punishment be inflicted127 on his accusers, on account of the defamation128. Among the Eastern Africans visited by Captain Burton, a heated iron spike129 driven into some tender part of the person accused is twice struck with a log of wood. The Wazaramo dip the hand into boiling water, the Waganda into seething130 oil, and the Wazegura prick131 the ear with the stiff bristles132 of a gnu’s tail.
The crime of sorcery is usually punished by the stake; and in some parts of Eastern Africa, the roadside shows at every few miles, a heap or two of ashes with a few calcined and blackened human bones, telling the shocking tragedy that has been enacted134 there. The prospect135 cannot be contemplated136 without horror: here and there, close to the larger circle where the father and mother have been burnt, a smaller heap shows that some wretched child has shared its parents’ terrible fate, lest growing up he should follow in their path.
In countries where a season of drought causes dearth137, disease, and desolation, the rain maker or rain doctor, is necessarily a person of great consequence, and he does not fail to turn the hopes and fears of the people to his own advantage. The enemy has medicines for dispersing138 the clouds which the doctor is expected to attract by his more potent139 charms. His spells are those of fetissists in general, the mystic use of something foul140, poisonous, or difficult to procure141. As he is a weatherwise man, and rains in tropical lands are easily foreseen, his trickery sometimes proves successful. Not unfrequently, however, he proves himself a false prophet, and when all the resources of cunning fail he must fly for his life, from the exasperated142 victims of his delusion143.
The holy man is also a predictor and a soothsayer. He foretells144 the success or failure of commercial or warlike expeditions, prevents their being undertaken, or fixes the proper time for their commencement. In one word, his influence extends over almost all the occurrences of life, and is all the greater for being based on the abject145 superstition of his votaries146.
Prayers and sacrifices are the chief religious observances of the Pagan negroes. Like most people all over the world, they pray for health, good weather, rich harvests, or victory over their enemies. After a long continuance of dearth, the Wawas527 assemble in a mourning procession before the house in which a panther is adored as a god. Howling and lamenting147 they represent to him their distress148, and beg him to send them rain, as otherwise they must all die of hunger. The Watjas pray to the new moon to give them strength for labouring, and the Aminas go even so far as to implore149 their god to pay their debts.
The sacrifices or gift offerings of the Negroes generally consist of various kinds of household animals, or fruits of the earth; but in the kingdoms of Ashantee and Dahomey, human sacrifices are prevalent to a frightful150 extent. As the kings and black nobility ascend151, after death, to the upper gods, with whom they are to enjoy eternally the state and luxury which was their portion on earth, a certain number of slaves, proportionate to their dignity, is sacrificed for the purpose of serving them in their new condition. Bowdich41 relates that the king of Ashantee, on the death of his mother, butchered no less than 3,000 victims, and on his own death this number would probably be doubled. The funeral rites of a great captain were repeated weekly for three months, and 200 persons were slaughtered152 each time, or 2,400 in all. These wholesale153 executions, the details of which are too horrible to relate, still subsist24 to the present day, for the negroes cling with remarkable tenacity154 to their ancient customs, and this is perhaps the principal obstacle to their civilization or improvement.
The belief, so common among barbarous nations, that after death the spirit of the deceased still feels the same wants as during life, and the same pleasure in their gratification, leads to similar atrocious murders in other African countries, though probably nowhere on so gigantic a scale as in Ashantee. Thus the chiefs of Unyamwesi are generally interred155 with cruel rites. A deep pit is sunk, with a kind of vault156 projecting from it; in this the corpse157, clothed with skin and hide, is placed sitting, with a pot of malt liquor, whilst sometimes one, but more generally three, female slaves, one on each side and the third in front, are buried alive to preserve their lord from the horrors of solitude158. The great headmen of the Wadoe are interred almost naked, but retaining their head ornaments, sitting in a shallow pit so that the forefinger159 can project above the ground.528 With each man is buried alive a male and a female slave, the former holding a bill-hook wherewith to cut fuel for his master in the cold death-world, and the latter, who is seated upon a little stool, supports his head in her lap.
Among the negroes of Bonny, on the coast of Guinea, the wants of the dead are provided for in a less inhuman160 manner. The wealthy oil-merchant is interred under the threshold of his door, and a small round opening left in the ground leads to the head of the corpse. On feast days large quantities of rum are poured into this opening to gratify the thirst of the deceased and give him his share of the good things of this earth, for it is supposed that in the land of spirits he still retains the same predilection161 for spirituous enjoyments163 which he frequently testified during life. The medicine men invariably attend at these interesting ceremonies, and largely participate in the libations offered to the dead.
Throughout all Negro land we find, more or less, the custom so prevalent among other barbarous nations, of painting or tattooing164 the body, of distending165 the ears, of dressing166 the hair in a ridiculous manner, or of wearing an extravagant167 quantity of worthless trinkets; but the Manganja, a negro tribe inhabiting the banks of the Shire, have adopted the same wonderful ornament, if such it may be called, which so hideously168 distorts the Botocude physiognomy.
The middle of the upper lip of the girls is pierced close to the septum of the nose, and a small pin inserted to prevent the puncture169 closing up. After it has healed, the pin is taken out and a larger one is pressed into its place, and so on successively for weeks and months and years. The process of increasing the size of the lip goes on till its capacity becomes so great that a ring of two inches in diameter can be introduced with ease. The poorer classes make the pelélé—as this absurd instrument of disfigurement is called—of hollow or of solid bamboo, but the wealthier of ivory or tin. The tin pelélé is often made in the form of a small dish; the ivory one is not unlike a napkin ring. No woman ever appears in public without the pelélé, except in times of mourning for the dead. The Manganjas no doubt see beauty in the upper lip projecting two inches beyond the tip of the nose, but to the rest of the world it is frightfully ugly. When an old wearer of a hollow bamboo-ring529 smiles, by the action of the muscles of the cheek, the ring and lip outside it are dragged back and thrown above the eyebrows170. The nose is seen through the middle of the ring, and the exposed teeth show how carefully they have been chipped to look like those of a cat or crocodile. When told it makes them ugly, they had better throw it away, the Manganja ladies return the same answer as their European sisters, when fault is found with a monstrous chignon or an extravagant crinoline: ‘Really, it is the fashion.’
On the coast of Guinea, in the low delta171 of the Niger, we find the Negro inhabiting a country very different from the arid wastes in which the Bushman roams, more like a wild animal than a human creature. Here, instead of vast plains thirsting for water, numerous canals and creeks173 intersect the swampy soil and render the canoe as necessary to the existence of the people as the camel is to that of the Bedouins of the desert. The canoe furnishes the Bonnian with provisions from the interior of the country, it also serves to transport the palm oil which he exchanges for the commodities of Europe. This traffic, which has supplanted174 the old slave trade, has now lasted many years, but as yet the humanizing influence of commerce has made itself but little felt among the Bonnians whose intercourse with the white customers has only served to engraft some of the worst vices175 of civilized176 man on the brutality177 of the savage. Trade has indeed awakened178 in them the spirit of speculation179, it has sharpened their intellect and rendered their manners less barbarous than those of their neighbours; but it has also taught them all the arts of deception180 and rendered them accomplished181 cheats, thieves, and liars182. Of a passionate183 character, a trifle will provoke the most violent explosions of rage, which often lead to the use of the knife or the gun. King Peppel, one of the last sovereigns of this miserable little realm, would, without ceremony, send a bullet, the fatal messenger of his wrath185, among the native crew of a canoe that was in his way or somewhat tardy186 in paying him the respect due to royalty187.
The priest, conjurer, or medicine man still preserves an unshaken authority over the superstitious minds of the Bonnians, and appears most despicable in the character of a judge, for his verdict always inclines to the side of the party which offers530 him the largest bribe188, and a cruel punishment awaits the wretch122 who has nothing but his innocence to plead in his favour. The accused is either obliged to undergo the ordeal of swimming across a creek172, where he becomes the sure prey189 of the alligator190 or the shark; or he is led to execution on a sandpit at its mouth, where he is bound at ebb191 tide to two poles fastened in the sand. One limb after another, proceeding192 from the hands and feet to the shoulders and hip95 joints193, is now separated from the bleeding trunk which is finally hewn down from the stake. While this horrid194 scene is performing, the impatient alligators195 already protrude196 their monstrous jaws197 out of the water, and the sharks are also in attendance waiting till the returning flood brings them their share of the feast. At the next ebb the sea has washed away every trace of the disgusting spectacle.
Sometimes a cruel sacrifice is offered to the sea. As the Bonnians chiefly subsist by their trade with the Europeans, which enables them to procure provisions from the interior, the arrival of the foreign ships is to them of the greatest importance. But large vessels198 are in the dry season often prevented for weeks together from passing the bar by low water, fogs, calms, or contrary winds. A sufficient depth of water across the bar is therefore the great desideratum of the traders or ‘gentlemen,’ as they call themselves, of Bonny. To obtain this they sail with several large canoes down the river close to the bar, where they throw several of their best male and female slaves into the water as a propitiatory199 offering to the sea, so as to induce it to rise, or, as they call it, to make ‘big water.’
The aspect of the capital town of Bonny, or Okolloma, which may contain about 5,000 souls, corresponds with the barbarous state of its inhabitants. On account of its low situation, scarcely elevated above high-water mark, the streets are constantly muddy, so that a stranger visiting the place is obliged to be carried over the worst places on the unctuous back of a negro, the only vehicle in Okolloma. The streets or rather lanes form a complete labyrinth200, as every man erects201 his hut where he thinks proper, without any regard to regularity202. The clay floor of these dwellings204, which, though varying in size, are all built on the same plan, is raised about a foot above the level of the streets, and is undermined in all directions by a multitude of531 burrowing205 crabs206. The walls are generally only six or seven feet high, but the roof, thatched with palm leaves, rises without any partition twenty feet or more above the floor. Generally the hut is without any window, so that in the obscurity which reigns184 within, it is difficult for the stranger to find his way to the smaller rooms or compartments207 into which the interior is subdivided208. Some gourds209 and water-jugs, a few cases filled with clothes, arms, and other valuables, and low wooden stools for the master and his chief attendants, form the only furniture. The dwellings of the ‘gentlemen’ have no more pretension210 to architectural beauty than those of the humblest ‘freeman,’ consisting merely of several of the huts above described clustered together in the strangest confusion and communicating with each other through door openings in the interior.
If idleness were bliss211 the tribes inhabiting the fertile Lake Regions of Central Africa must be reckoned among the happiest of mankind. Rising with the dawn from his couch of cow’s hide, the negro usually kindles212 a fire to keep out the chill of the morning from his hay-stack hut, and addresses himself to his constant companion the pipe. When the sun becomes sufficiently powerful he removes the reed screen which forms the entrance to his dwelling203, and issues forth to bask213 in the morning beams. After breaking his fast with a dish of porridge or curded milk, he now repairs to the Iwanza, or village ‘public,’ where in the society of his own sex he will spend the greater part of the day talking and laughing, smoking or indulging in copious214 draughts215 of a beer without hops216, called pombe, the use of which among the negro and negroid races dates back as far as the age of Osiris. To while away the time he sits down to play at heads and tails; gambling217 being as violent a passion in him as with the Malay or the Americian Indian. Many of the Wanyamwesi have been compelled by this indulgence to sell themselves into slavery, and, after playing away their property, they even stake their aged133 mothers against the equivalent of an old lady in these lands—a cow or a pair of goats. Others, instead of gambling, indulge in some less dangerous employment, which occupying the hands, leaves the rest of the body and the mind at ease; such as whittling218 wood, piercing and airing their pipe-sticks, plucking out their beards, eyebrows, and eye-lashes, or preparing and polishing their weapons.532 At noon the African returns to his hut to eat the most substantial and the last meal of the day, which has been cooked by his women. Eminently219 gregarious220, however, he often prefers the Iwanza as a dining-room, where the company of relatives and friends adds the pleasure of society to the enjoyment162 of beef or mutton. With him food is the all-in-all of life—his thought by day, his dream by night. The civilised European can hardly comprehend the intense delight with which his wild brother satisfies the wants of his stomach, or the envious221 eye which he casts on all those who live better than himself. After eating, the East African invariably indulges in a long fit of torpidity222, using the back, breast, or stomach, of his neighbour as a pillow, and awakening223 from his siesta224, passes the afternoon as he did the forenoon, chatting, playing, smoking, and where tobacco fails, chewing sweet earth, or the clay of ant-hills. This probably contains some animal matter, but the chief reason for using it is apparently225 the necessity to barbarians226 of whiling away the time when not sleeping, by exercising their jaws. Towards sunset all issue forth to enjoy the coolness; the men sit outside the Iwanza, whilst the women and the girls, after fetching water for the household wants from the well, collect in a group upon their little stools, and indulge in the pleasures of gossip and the pipe. This delightful228 hour in the more favoured parts of the country is replete229 with enjoyment, felt by the barbarian227 as much as by civilised man. As the hours of darkness draw nigh, the village doors are carefully closed, and after milking his cows, each peasant retires to his hut, or passes his time squatting230 round the fire with his friends in the Iwanza. He has not yet learned the art of making a wick, and of filling a bit of pottery231 with oil. An ignited stick of some oleaginous wood, which will keep burning for a quarter of an hour with a brilliant flame, serves to light him home. Such is the African’s idle day, and thus every summer is spent; but as the wintry rains draw nigh, and provisions become scarce, the necessity of providing for his daily bread suggests itself, and labour in the fields occupies a great part of the day, which would otherwise have been spent in the Iwanza.
When the moon shines bright, the spirits of the East African rise to their highest pitch, and a furious drumming, a loud clapping of hands, and a drowsy232 chorus summon the lads and lasses of the neighbouring villages to come out and dance.
533 The style of saltation usual in these parts is remarkable only for the excessive gravity which it induces, for at no other time does the East African look so serious, so full of earnest purpose, as when about to practise the art of Terpsichore. At first the dancers tramping to the measure with alternate feet, and simultaneously233 performing a kind of treadmill234 exercise, with a heavier stamp at the end of every period, sway their bodies slowly from side to side; but as excitement increases,
‘The mirth and fun grows fast and furious,’
till the assembly, with arms waving like windmills, assumes the semblance235 of a set of maniacs236. The performance often closes with a grand promenade237, all the dancers being jammed in a rushing mass, with the features of satyrs and fiendish gestures. The performance having reached this highest pitch, the song dies, and the dancers with loud shouts of laughter, throw themselves on the ground to recover strength and breath.
What a contrast to this life of easy indolence when the Negro villager, violently torn from home, is led away into hopeless slavery! This, however, is but too often his lot, for throughout the whole length and breadth of torrid Africa, from the coast of Guinea to the borders of the Nile, we almost universally find man armed against man and the stronger tribes ever ready to kidnap and capture the weaker wretches within their reach. Every year sees new gangs of slaves driven to the great mart of Zanzibar, or on their melancholy238 way across the desert to Chartum; every year witnesses the renewal239 of atrocities240, which, to the disgrace of man, date back as far as the time of the Phœnicians, and may possibly outlast241 the nineteenth century.42
An Egyptian Razzai, or slave-hunting expedition, after long toilsome marches across the desert or through the primeval forest, at length succeeds in surprising a Negro village. The soldiers, in whom their own sufferings have long since extinguished every spark of humanity, rush with tiger-like ferocity upon their prey; their fury spares neither age nor infancy242; all who are deemed unfit for a life of bondage243 are mercilessly butchered. The Scheba, a heavy wooden collar, shaped like a fork, rests upon the neck of the adult captives, and prevents their escape or their desperate attempts at suicide. Being534 neither planed nor covered with soft rags, it wears deep wounds into the skin, and causes painful ulcers244 which last as long as the journey, for the Scheba is not removed before the place of destination is reached. More goaded245 and more brutally246 treated than a herd25 of cattle, the miserable pilgrims now set forth on their eternal separation from all that rendered life of any value in their eyes. Before the burning village fades for ever from their sight, the commander orders the caravan247 to halt. Little cares he, if, under those smoking ruins some wounded wretch unable to move, sees the flames advance nearer and nearer to consume him; if some infant left in a conflagrated hut utters its piercing cries for help.
This is the fate of more than one village until a sufficient number of slaves has been collected, or the expedition is unable any longer to withstand the climate, or the attacks of an exasperated foe248. Burning, plundering249, and destroying, the soldiers return to Chartum. The caravan moves slowly. The men wounded in battle or with necks chafed250 by the Scheba, the poor women half-dead from thirst and hunger, the weak children cannot possibly walk fast. Brehm witnessed the arrival of a transport of Dinkh negroes at Chartum and was for weeks after haunted by the dreadful sight, the horrors of which no pen could describe, no words express. It was on January 12, 1848. Before the government house, about sixty men and women sat in a circle on the ground. All the men were shackled251, the women free. Children were creeping on all fours between them. The wretches lay exposed without the least protection to the rays of the burning sun, too exhausted252, too dispirited to murmur253 or to complain, their dull glassy eyes immovably fixed on one spot, and yet full of an indescribably mournful expression. Blood and matter issued from the wounds of the men, but no word of pity, no helping254 hand was there to alleviate255 their sufferings. Involuntarily the eye of the spectator sought out the most miserable objects of the miserable group, and found them in a mother worn down to a skeleton by despair, hunger, and fatigue256, and vainly pressing her famished257 infant to her dried-up breast. It seemed to him as if he saw the Angel of Death hovering258 over the wretched pair, as if he heard the rustling259 of his wings, and from the bottom of his heart he prayed that God might soon send the deliverer to release them from their sufferings.
The End
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1
civilisation
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| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
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2
capabilities
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| n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力 | |
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3
geographical
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| adj.地理的；地区(性)的 | |
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4
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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6
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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7
Fertilized
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| v.施肥( fertilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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12
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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13
stagnation
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| n. 停滞 | |
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14
stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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15
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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16
organisation
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| n.组织，安排，团体，有机休 | |
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17
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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18
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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19
physiologist
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| n.生理学家 | |
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20
missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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21
confiding
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| adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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22
adroitness
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23
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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24
subsist
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| vi.生存，存在，供养 | |
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25
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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26
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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27
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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29
implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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30
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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31
aptitude
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| n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资 | |
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32
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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33
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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34
aboriginal
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| adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的 | |
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averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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36
lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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37
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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38
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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39
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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40
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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41
feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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42
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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43
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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44
cramp
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| n.痉挛；[pl.](腹)绞痛；vt.限制，束缚 | |
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45
stigmas
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| n.耻辱的标记，瑕疵( stigma的名词复数 ) | |
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46
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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47
blighted
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| adj.枯萎的，摧毁的 | |
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48
torpid
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| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
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49
incurable
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| adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人 | |
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50
attainments
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| 成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就 | |
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51
retard
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| n.阻止，延迟；vt.妨碍，延迟，使减速 | |
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52
inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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53
maritime
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| adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的 | |
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54
domains
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| n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产 | |
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55
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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56
wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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58
isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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59
tracts
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| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
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60
arid
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| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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61
marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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62
swampy
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| adj.沼泽的，湿地的 | |
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63
impervious
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| adj.不能渗透的，不能穿过的，不易伤害的 | |
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64
impede
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，阻止 | |
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65
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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66
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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67
subduing
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| 征服( subdue的现在分词 )； 克制； 制服； 色变暗 | |
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68
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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69
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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70
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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71
desolating
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| 毁坏( desolate的现在分词 )； 极大地破坏； 使沮丧； 使痛苦 | |
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72
perpetuates
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| n.使永存，使人记住不忘( perpetuate的名词复数 )；使永久化，使持久化，使持续 | |
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73
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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74
adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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75
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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76
languished
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| 长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 )； 受折磨； 变得（越来越）衰弱； 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐 | |
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77
depreciating
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| v.贬值，跌价，减价( depreciate的现在分词 )；贬低，蔑视，轻视 | |
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78
unctuous
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| adj.油腔滑调的，大胆的 | |
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79
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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80
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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81
elevations
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| （水平或数量）提高( elevation的名词复数 )； 高地； 海拔； 提升 | |
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82
distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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84
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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85
hordes
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| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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86
baneful
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| adj.有害的 | |
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87
deviating
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| v.偏离，越轨( deviate的现在分词 ) | |
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88
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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89
Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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92
animate
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| v.赋于生命，鼓励；adj.有生命的，有生气的 | |
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93
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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abstaining
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| 戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的现在分词 )； 弃权（不投票） | |
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improper
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| adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的 | |
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relinquishes
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的第三人称单数 )； 放弃 | |
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99
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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101
lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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lizard
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| n.蜥蜴，壁虎 | |
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103
profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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104
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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106
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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107
engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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108
malevolent
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| adj.有恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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109
animates
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| v.使有生气( animate的第三人称单数 )；驱动；使栩栩如生地动作；赋予…以生命 | |
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rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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111
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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112
witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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113
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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114
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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115
conjuror
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| n.魔术师，变戏法者 | |
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116
augur
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| n.占卦师；v.占卦 | |
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117
auspicious
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| adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的 | |
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118
enticed
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| 诱惑，怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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119
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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120
condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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121
bead
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| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
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122
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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123
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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124
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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125
ordeals
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| n.严峻的考验，苦难的经历( ordeal的名词复数 ) | |
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126
vomiting
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| 吐 | |
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127
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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128
defamation
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| n.诽谤；中伤 | |
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129
spike
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| n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效 | |
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130
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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131
prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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132
bristles
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| 短而硬的毛发，刷子毛( bristle的名词复数 ) | |
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133
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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134
enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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135
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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136
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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137
dearth
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| n.缺乏，粮食不足，饥谨 | |
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138
dispersing
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| adj. 分散的 动词disperse的现在分词形式 | |
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139
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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140
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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141
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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142
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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143
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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144
foretells
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的第三人称单数 ) | |
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145
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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146
votaries
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| n.信徒( votary的名词复数 )；追随者；（天主教）修士；修女 | |
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147
lamenting
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| adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
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148
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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149
implore
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| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
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150
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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151
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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152
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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153
wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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154
tenacity
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| n.坚韧 | |
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155
interred
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| v.埋，葬( inter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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156
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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157
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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158
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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159
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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160
inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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161
predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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162
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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163
enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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164
tattooing
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| n.刺字，文身v.刺青，文身( tattoo的现在分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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165
distending
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的现在分词 ) | |
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166
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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167
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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168
hideously
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| adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地 | |
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169
puncture
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| n.刺孔，穿孔；v.刺穿，刺破 | |
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170
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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171
delta
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| n.（流的）角洲 | |
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172
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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173
creeks
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| n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪 | |
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174
supplanted
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| 把…排挤掉，取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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175
vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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176
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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177
brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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178
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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179
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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180
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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181
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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182
liars
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| 说谎者( liar的名词复数 ) | |
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183
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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184
reigns
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| n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期 | |
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185
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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186
tardy
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|
| adj.缓慢的，迟缓的 | |
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187
royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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188
bribe
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| n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通 | |
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189
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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190
alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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191
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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192
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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193
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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194
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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195
alligators
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| n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 ) | |
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196
protrude
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| v.使突出，伸出，突出 | |
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197
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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198
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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199
propitiatory
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| adj.劝解的；抚慰的；谋求好感的；哄人息怒的 | |
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200
labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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201
erects
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| v.使直立，竖起( erect的第三人称单数 )；建立 | |
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202
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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203
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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204
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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205
burrowing
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| v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的现在分词 )；翻寻 | |
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206
crabs
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| n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 ) | |
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207
compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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208
subdivided
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| 再分，细分( subdivide的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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209
gourds
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| n.葫芦( gourd的名词复数 ) | |
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210
pretension
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| n.要求；自命，自称；自负 | |
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211
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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212
kindles
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的第三人称单数 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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213
bask
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| vt.取暖，晒太阳，沐浴于 | |
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214
copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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215
draughts
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| n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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216
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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217
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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218
whittling
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| v.切，削（木头），使逐渐变小( whittle的现在分词 ) | |
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219
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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220
gregarious
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| adj.群居的，喜好群居的 | |
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221
envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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222
torpidity
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| n.麻痹 | |
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223
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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224
siesta
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| n.午睡 | |
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225
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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226
barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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227
barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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228
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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229
replete
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| adj.饱满的，塞满的；n.贮蜜蚁 | |
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230
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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231
pottery
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| n.陶器，陶器场 | |
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232
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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233
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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234
treadmill
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| n.踏车；单调的工作 | |
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235
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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236
maniacs
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| n.疯子（maniac的复数形式） | |
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237
promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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238
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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239
renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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240
atrocities
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| n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪 | |
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241
outlast
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| v.较…耐久 | |
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242
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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243
bondage
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| n.奴役，束缚 | |
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244
ulcers
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| n.溃疡( ulcer的名词复数 )；腐烂物；道德败坏；腐败 | |
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goaded
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| v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人 | |
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246
brutally
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| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
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247
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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248
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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249
plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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shackled
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| 给（某人）带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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254
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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255
alleviate
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| v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等) | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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258
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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259
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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