In the middle of the broad, fertile plain that stretches away in the direction of the Rhine, a mile and a quarter from Mulhausen, the camp was pitched. In the fitful light of the overcast1 August day, beneath the lowering sky that was filled with heavy drifting clouds, the long lines of squat2 white shelter-tents seemed to cower3 closer to the ground, and the muskets4, stacked at regular intervals6 along the regimental fronts, made little spots of brightness, while over all the sentries8 with loaded pieces kept watch and ward9, motionless as statues, straining their eyes to pierce the purplish mists that lay on the horizon and showed where the mighty10 river ran.
It was about five o'clock when they had come in from Belfort; it was now eight, and the men had only just received their rations11. There could be no distribution of wood, however, the wagons14 having gone astray, and it had therefore been impossible for them to make fires and warm their soup. They had consequently been obliged to content themselves as best they might, washing down their dry hard-tack with copious15 draughts16 of brandy, a proceeding17 that was not calculated greatly to help their tired legs after their long march. Near the canteen, however, behind the stacks of muskets, there were two soldiers pertinaciously18 endeavoring to elicit19 a blaze from a small pile of green wood, the trunks of some small trees that they had chopped down with their sword-bayonets, and that were obstinately20 determined21 not to burn. The cloud of thick, black smoke, rising slowly in the evening air, added to the general cheerlessness of the scene.
There were but twelve thousand men there, all of the 7th corps22 that the general, Felix Douay, had with him at the time. The 1st division had been ordered to Froeschwiller the day before; the 3d was still at Lyons, and it had been decided23 to leave Belfort and hurry to the front with the 2d division, the reserve artillery24, and an incomplete division of cavalry25. Fires had been seen at Lorrach. The _sous-prefet_ at Schelestadt had sent a telegram announcing that the Prussians were preparing to pass the Rhine at Markolsheim. The general did not like his unsupported position on the extreme right, where he was cut off from communication with the other corps, and his movement in the direction of the frontier had been accelerated by the intelligence he had received the day before of the disastrous26 surprise at Wissembourg. Even if he should not be called on to face the enemy on his own front, he felt that he was likely at any moment to be ordered to march to the relief of the 1st corps. There must be fighting going on, away down the river near Froeschwiller, on that dark and threatening Saturday, that ominous27 6th of August; there was premonition of it in the sultry air, and the stray puffs28 of wind passed shudderingly29 over the camp as if fraught32 with tidings of impending33 evil. And for two days the division had believed that it was marching forth34 to battle; the men had expected to find the Prussians in their front, at the termination of their forced march from Belfort to Mulhausen.
The day was drawing to an end, and from a remote corner of the camp the rattling35 drums and the shrill36 bugles37 sounded retreat, the sound dying away faintly in the distance on the still air of evening. Jean Macquart, who had been securing the tent and driving the pegs39 home, rose to his feet. When it began to be rumored40 that there was to be war he had left Rognes, the scene of the bloody42 drama in which he had lost his wife, Francoise and the acres that she brought him; he had re-enlisted43 at the age of thirty-nine, and been assigned to the 106th of the line, of which they were at that time filling up the _cadres_, with his old rank of corporal, and there were moments when he could not help wondering how it ever came about that he, who after Solferino had been so glad to quit the service and cease endangering his own and other people's lives, was again wearing the _capote_ of the infantry44 man. But what is a man to do, when he has neither trade nor calling, neither wife, house, nor home, and his heart is heavy with mingled45 rage and sorrow? As well go and have a shot at the enemy, if they come where they are not wanted. And he remembered his old battle cry: Ah! _bon sang_! if he had no longer heart for honest toil46, he would go and defend her, his country, the old land of France!
When Jean was on his legs he cast a look about the camp, where the summons of the drums and bugles, taken up by one command after another, produced a momentary47 bustle48, the conclusion of the business of the day. Some men were running to take their places in the ranks, while others, already half asleep, arose and stretched their stiff limbs with an air of exasperated49 weariness. He stood waiting patiently for roll-call, with that cheerful imperturbability50 and determination to make the best of everything that made him the good soldier that he was. His comrades were accustomed to say of him that if he had only had education he would have made his mark. He could just barely read and write, and his aspirations51 did not rise even so high as to a sergeantcy. Once a peasant, always a peasant.
But he found something to interest him in the fire of green wood that was still smoldering53 and sending up dense54 volumes of smoke, and he stepped up to speak to the two men who were busying themselves over it, Loubet and Lapoulle, both members of his squad55.
Loubet, a lean, active fellow and something of a wag, replied:
"It will burn, corporal; I assure you it will--why don't you blow, you!"
And by way of encouragement he bestowed58 a kick on Lapoulle, a colossus of a man, who was on his knees puffing59 away with might and main, his cheeks distended60 till they were like wine-skins, his face red and swollen61, and his eyes starting from their orbits and streaming with tears. Two other men of the squad, Chouteau and Pache, the former stretched at length upon his back like a man who appreciates the delight of idleness, and the latter engrossed62 in the occupation of putting a patch on his trousers, laughed long and loud at the ridiculous expression on the face of their comrade, the brutish Lapoulle.
Jean did not interfere63 to check their merriment. Perhaps the time was at hand when they would not have much occasion for laughter, and he, with all his seriousness and his humdrum64, literal way of taking things, did not consider that it was part of his duty to be melancholy65, preferring rather to close his eyes or look the other way when his men were enjoying themselves. But his attention was attracted to a second group not far away, another soldier of his squad, Maurice Levasseur, who had been conversing66 earnestly for near an hour with a civilian67, a red-haired gentleman who was apparently68 about thirty-six years old, with an intelligent, honest face, illuminated69 by a pair of big protruding70 blue eyes, evidently the eyes of a near-sighted man. They had been joined by an artilleryman, a quartermaster-sergeant52 from the reserves, a knowing, self-satisfied-looking person with brown mustache and imperial, and the three stood talking like old friends, unmindful of what was going on about them.
In the kindness of his heart, in order to save them a reprimand, if not something worse, Jean stepped up to them and said:
"You had better be going, sir. It is past retreat, and if the lieutenant71 should see you--" Maurice did not permit him to conclude his sentence:
"Stay where you are, Weiss," he said, and turning to the corporal, curtly72 added: "This gentleman is my brother-in-law. He has a pass from the colonel, who is acquainted with him."
What business had he to interfere with other people's affairs, that peasant whose hands were still reeking73 of the manure-heap? _He_ was a lawyer, had been admitted to the bar the preceding autumn, had enlisted as a volunteer and been received into the 106th without the formality of passing through the recruiting station, thanks to the favor of the colonel; it was true that he had condescended75 to carry a musket5, but from the very start he had been conscious of a feeling of aversion and rebellion toward that ignorant clown under whose command he was.
"Very well," Jean tranquilly77 replied; "don't blame me if your friend finds his way to the guardhouse."
Thereon he turned and went away, assured that Maurice had not been lying, for the colonel, M. de Vineuil, with his commanding, high-bred manner and thick white mustache bisecting his long yellow face, passed by just then and saluted79 Weiss and the soldier with a smile. The colonel pursued his way at a good round pace toward a farmhouse80 that was visible off to the right among the plum trees, a few hundred feet away, where the staff had taken up their quarters for the night. No one could say whether the general commanding the 7th corps was there or not; he was in deep affliction on account of the death of his brother, slain81 in the action at Wissembourg. The brigadier, however, Bourgain-Desfeuilles, in whose command the 106th was, was certain to be there, brawling82 as loud as ever, and trundling his fat body about on his short, pudgy legs, with his red nose and rubicund83 face, vouchers84 for the good dinners he had eaten, and not likely ever to become top-heavy by reason of excessive weight in his upper story. There was a stir and movement about the farmhouse that seemed to be momentarily increasing; couriers and orderlies were arriving and departing every minute; they were awaiting there, with feverish85 anxiety of impatience86, the belated dispatches which should advise them of the result of the battle that everyone, all that long August day, had felt to be imminent87. Where had it been fought? what had been the issue? As night closed in and darkness shrouded88 the scene, a foreboding sense of calamity89 seemed to settle down upon the orchard90, upon the scattered91 stacks of grain about the stables, and spread, and envelop92 them in waves of inky blackness. It was said, also, that a Prussian spy had been caught roaming about the camp, and that he had been taken to the house to be examined by the general. Perhaps Colonel de Vineuil had received a telegram of some kind, that he was in such great haste.
Meantime Maurice had resumed his conversation with his brother-in-law Weiss and his cousin Honore Fouchard, the quartermaster-sergeant. Retreat, commencing in the remote distance, then gradually swelling93 in volume as it drew near with its blare and rattle94, reached them, passed them, and died away in the solemn stillness of the twilight95; they seemed to be quite unconscious of it. The young man was grandson to a hero of the Grand Army, and had first seen the light at Chene-Populeux, where his father, not caring to tread the path of glory, had held an ill-paid position as collector of taxes. His mother, a peasant, had died in giving him birth, him and his twin sister Henriette, who at an early age had become a second mother to him, and that he was now what he was, a private in the ranks, was owing entirely96 to his own imprudence, the headlong dissipation of a weak and enthusiastic nature, his money squandered98 and his substance wasted on women, cards, the thousand follies99 of the all-devouring minotaur, Paris, when he had concluded his law studies there and his relatives had impoverished100 themselves to make a gentleman of him. His conduct had brought his father to the grave; his sister, when he had stripped her of her little all, had been so fortunate as to find a husband in that excellent young fellow Weiss, who had long held the position of accountant in the great sugar refinery101 at Chene-Populeux, and was now foreman for M. Delaherche, one of the chief cloth manufacturers of Sedan. And Maurice, always cheered and encouraged when he saw a prospect102 of amendment103 in himself, and equally disheartened when his good resolves failed him and he relapsed, generous and enthusiastic but without steadiness of purpose, a weathercock that shifted with every varying breath of impulse, now believed that experience had done its work and taught him the error of his ways. He was a small, light-complexioned man, with a high, well-developed forehead, small nose, and retreating chin, and a pair of attractive gray eyes in a face that indicated intelligence; there were times when his mind seemed to lack balance.
Weiss, on the eve of the commencement of hostilities104, had found that there were family matters that made it necessary for him to visit Mulhausen, and had made a hurried trip to that city. That he had been able to employ the good offices of Colonel de Vineuil to afford him an opportunity of shaking hands with his brother-in-law was owing to the circumstance that that officer was own uncle to young Mme. Delaherche, a pretty young widow whom the cloth manufacturer had married the year previous, and whom Maurice and Henriette, thanks to their being neighbors, had known as a girl. In addition to the colonel, moreover, Maurice had discovered that the captain of his company, Beaudoin, was an acquaintance of Gilberte, Delaherche's young wife; report even had it that she and the captain had been on terms of intimacy106 in the days when she was Mme. Maginot, living at Meziere, wife of M. Maginot, the timber inspector107.
"Give Henriette a good kiss for me, Weiss," said the young man, who loved his sister passionately108. "Tell her that she shall have no reason to complain of me, that I wish her to be proud of her brother."
Tears rose to his eyes at the remembrance of his misdeeds. The brother-in-law, who was also deeply affected109, ended the painful scene by turning to Honore Fouchard, the artilleryman.
"The first time I am anywhere in the neighborhood," he said, "I will run up to Remilly and tell Uncle Fouchard that I saw you and that you are well."
Uncle Fouchard, a peasant, who owned a bit of land and plied57 the trade of itinerant110 butcher, serving his customers from a cart, was a brother of Henriette's and Maurice's mother. He lived at Remilly, in a house perched upon a high hill, about four miles from Sedan.
"Good!" Honore calmly answered; "the father don't worry his head a great deal on my account, but go there all the same if you feel inclined."
At that moment there was a movement over in the direction of the farmhouse, and they beheld111 the straggler, the man who had been arrested as a spy, come forth, free, accompanied only by a single officer. He had likely had papers to show, or had trumped112 up a story of some kind, for they were simply expelling him from the camp. In the darkening twilight, and at the distance they were, they could not make him out distinctly, only a big, square-shouldered fellow with a rough shock of reddish hair. And yet Maurice gave vent113 to an exclamation114 of surprise.
"Honore! look there. If one wouldn't swear he was the Prussian--you know, Goliah!"
The name made the artilleryman start as if he had been shot; he strained his blazing eyes to follow the receding74 shape. Goliah Steinberg, the journeyman butcher, the man who had set him and his father by the ears, who had stolen from him his Silvine; the whole base, dirty, miserable115 story, from which he had not yet ceased to suffer! He would have run after, would have caught him by the throat and strangled him, but the man had already crossed the line of stacked muskets, was moving off and vanishing in the darkness.
"Oh!" he murmured, "Goliah! no, it can't be he. He is down yonder, fighting on the other side. If I ever come across him--"
He shook his fist with an air of menace at the dusky horizon, at the wide empurpled stretch of eastern sky that stood for Prussia in his eyes. No one spoke116; they heard the strains of retreat again, but very distant now, away at the extreme end of the camp, blended and lost among the hum of other indistinguishable sounds.
"_Fichtre_!" exclaimed Honore, "I shall have the pleasure of sleeping on the soft side of a plank117 in the guard-house unless I make haste back to roll-call. Good-night--adieu, everybody!"
And grasping Weiss by both his hands and giving them a hearty119 squeeze, he strode swiftly away toward the slight elevation120 where the guns of the reserves were parked, without again mentioning his father's name or sending any word to Silvine, whose name lay at the end of his tongue.
The minutes slipped away, and over toward the left, where the 2d brigade lay, a bugle38 sounded. Another, near at hand, replied, and then a third, in the remote distance, took up the strain. Presently there was a universal blaring, far and near, throughout the camp, whereon Gaude, the bugler121 of the company, took up his instrument. He was a tall, lank118, beardless, melancholy youth, chary122 of his words, saving his breath for his calls, which he gave conscientiously123, with the vigor124 of a young hurricane.
Forthwith Sergeant Sapin, a ceremonious little man with large vague eyes, stepped forward and began to call the roll. He rattled125 off the names in a thin, piping voice, while the men, who had come up and ranged themselves in front of him, responded in accents of varying pitch, from the deep rumble126 of the violoncello to the shrill note of the piccolo. But there came a hitch127 in the proceedings128.
"Lapoulle!" shouted the sergeant, calling the name a second time with increased emphasis.
There was no response, and Jean rushed off to the place where Private Lapoulle, egged on by his comrades, was industriously129 trying to fan the refractory130 fuel into a blaze; flat on his stomach before the pile of blackening, spluttering wood, his face resembling an underdone beefsteak, the warrior131 was now propelling dense clouds of smoke horizontally along the surface of the plain.
"Thunder and ouns! Quit that, will you!" yelled Jean, "and come and answer to your name."
Lapoulle rose to his feet with a dazed look on his face, then appeared to grasp the situation and yelled: "Present!" in such stentorian132 tones that Loubet, pretending to be upset by the concussion133, sank to the ground in a sitting posture134. Pache had finished mending his trousers and answered in a voice that was barely audible, that sounded more like the mumbling135 of a prayer. Chouteau, not even troubling himself to rise, grunted136 his answer unconcernedly and turned over on his side.
Lieutenant Rochas, the officer of the guard, was meantime standing137 a few steps away, motionlessly awaiting the conclusion of the ceremony. When Sergeant Sapin had finished calling the roll and came up to report that all were present, the officer, with a glance at Weiss, who was still conversing with Maurice, growled138 from under his mustache:
"Yes, and one over. What is that civilian doing here?"
"He has the colonel's pass, Lieutenant," explained Jean, who had heard the question.
Rochas made no reply; he shrugged139 his shoulders disapprovingly141 and resumed his round among the company streets while waiting for taps to sound. Jean, stiff and sore after his day's march, went and sat down a little way from Maurice, whose murmured words fell indistinctly upon his unlistening ear, for he, too, had vague, half formed reflections of his own that were stirring sluggishly142 in the recesses143 of his muddy, torpid144 mind.
Maurice was a believer in war in the abstract; he considered it one of the necessary evils, essential to the very existence of nations. This was nothing more than the logical sequence of his course in embracing those theories of evolution which in those days exercised such a potent145 influence on our young men of intelligence and education. Is not life itself an unending battle? Does not all nature owe its being to a series of relentless146 conflicts, the survival of the fittest, the maintenance and renewal147 of force by unceasing activity; is not death a necessary condition to young and vigorous life? And he remembered the sensation of gladness that had filled his heart when first the thought occurred to him that he might expiate148 his errors by enlisting149 and defending his country on the frontier. It might be that France of the plebiscite, while giving itself over to the Emperor, had not desired war; he himself, only a week previously150, had declared it to be a culpable151 and idiotic152 measure. There were long discussions concerning the right of a German prince to occupy the throne of Spain; as the question gradually became more and more intricate and muddled153 it seemed as if everyone must be wrong, no one right; so that it was impossible to tell from which side the provocation154 came, and the only part of the entire business that was clear to the eyes of all was the inevitable155, the fatal law which at a given moment hurls156 nation against nation. Then Paris was convulsed from center to circumference157; he remembered that burning summer's night, the tossing, struggling human tide that filled the boulevards, the bands of men brandishing159 torches before the Hotel de Ville, and yelling: "On to Berlin! on to Berlin!" and he seemed to hear the strains of the Marseillaise, sung by a beautiful, stately woman with the face of a queen, wrapped in the folds of a flag, from her elevation on the box of a coach. Was it all a lie, was it true that the heart of Paris had not beaten then? And then, as was always the case with him, that condition of nervous excitation had been succeeded by long hours of doubt and disgust; there were all the small annoyances160 of the soldier's life; his arrival at the barracks, his examination by the adjutant, the fitting of his uniform by the gruff sergeant, the malodorous bedroom with its fetid air and filthy161 floor, the horseplay and coarse language of his new comrades, the merciless drill that stiffened162 his limbs and benumbed his brain. In a week's time, however, he had conquered his first squeamishness, and from that time forth was comparatively contented163 with his lot; and when the regiment7 was at last ordered forward to Belfort the fever of enthusiasm had again taken possession of him.
For the first few days after they took the field Maurice was convinced that their success was absolutely certain. The Emperor's plan appeared to him perfectly164 clear: he would advance four hundred thousand men to the left bank of the Rhine, pass the river before the Prussians had completed their preparations, separate northern and southern Germany by a vigorous inroad, and by means of a brilliant victory or two compel Austria and Italy to join hands immediately with France. Had there not been a short-lived rumor41 that that 7th corps of which his regiment formed a part was to be embarked165 at Brest and landed in Denmark, where it would create a diversion that would serve to neutralize166 one of the Prussian armies? They would be taken by surprise; the arrogant167 nation would be overrun in every direction and crushed utterly168 within a few brief weeks. It would be a military picnic, a holiday excursion from Strasbourg to Berlin. While they were lying inactive at Belfort, however, his former doubts and fears returned to him. To the 7th corps had been assigned the duty of guarding the entrance to the Black Forest; it had reached its position in a state of confusion that exceeded imagination, deficient169 in men, material, everything. The 3d division was in Italy; the 2d cavalry brigade had been halted at Lyons to check a threatened rising among the people there, and three batteries had straggled off in some direction--where, no one could say. Then their destitution170 in the way of stores and supplies was something wonderful; the depots171 at Belfort, which were to have furnished everything, were empty; not a sign of a tent, no mess-kettles, no flannel172 belts, no hospital supplies, no farriers' forges, not even a horse-shackle. The quartermaster's and medical departments were without trained assistants. At the very last moment it was discovered that thirty thousand rifles were practically useless owing to the absence of some small pin or other interchangeable mechanism173 about the breech-blocks, and the officer who posted off in hot haste to Paris succeeded with the greatest difficulty in securing five thousand of the missing implements174. Their inactivity, again, was another matter that kept him on pins and needles; why did they idle away their time for two weeks? why did they not advance? He saw clearly that each day of delay was a mistake that could never be repaired, a chance of victory gone. And if the plan of campaign that he had dreamed of was clear and precise, its manner of execution was most lame78 and impotent, a fact of which he was to learn a great deal more later on and of which he had then only a faint and glimmering175 perception: the seven army corps dispersed176 along the extended frontier line _en echelon_, from Metz to Bitche and from Bitche to Belfort; the many regiments177 and squadrons that had been recruited up to only half-strength or less, so that the four hundred and thirty thousand men on paper melted away to two hundred and thirty thousand at the outside; the jealousies178 among the generals, each of whom thought only of securing for himself a marshal's baton179, and gave no care to supporting his neighbor; the frightful180 lack of foresight181, mobilization and concentration being carried on simultaneously182 in order to gain time, a process that resulted in confusion worse confounded; a system, in a word, of dry rot and slow paralysis183, which, commencing with the head, with the Emperor himself, shattered in health and lacking in promptness of decision, could not fail ultimately to communicate itself to the whole army, disorganizing it and annihilating184 its efficiency, leading it into disaster from which it had not the means of extricating185 itself. And yet, over and above the dull misery186 of that period of waiting, in the intuitive, shuddering31 perception of what must infallibly happen, his certainty that they must be victors in the end remained unimpaired.
On the 3d of August the cheerful news had been given to the public of the victory of Sarrebruck, fought and won the day before. It could scarcely be called a great victory, but the columns of the newspapers teemed187 with enthusiastic gush188; the invasion of Germany was begun, it was the first step in their glorious march to triumph, and the little Prince Imperial, who had coolly stooped and picked up a bullet from the battlefield, then commenced to be celebrated189 in legend. Two days later, however, when intelligence came of the surprise and defeat at Wissembourg, every mouth was opened to emit a cry of rage and distress190. That five thousand men, caught in a trap, had faced thirty-five thousand Prussians all one long summer day, that was not a circumstance to daunt191 the courage of anyone; it simply called for vengeance192. Yes, the leaders had doubtless been culpably193 lacking in vigilance and were to be censured194 for their want of foresight, but that would soon be mended; MacMahon had sent for the 1st division of the 7th corps, the 1st corps would be supported by the 5th, and the Prussians must be across the Rhine again by that time, with the bayonets of our infantry at their backs to accelerate their movement. And so, beneath the deep, dim vault195 of heaven, the thought of the battle that must have raged that day, the feverish impatience with which the tidings were awaited, the horrible feeling of suspense196 that pervaded197 the air about them, spread from man to man and became each minute more tense and unendurable.
Maurice was just then saying to Weiss:
"Ah! we have certainly given them a righteous good drubbing to-day."
Weiss made no reply save to nod his head with an air of anxiety. His gaze was directed toward the Rhine, on that Orient region where now the night had settled down in earnest, like a wall of blackness, concealing198 strange forms and shapes of mystery. The concluding strains of the bugles for roll-call had been succeeded by a deep silence, which had descended76 upon the drowsy199 camp and was only broken now and then by the steps and voices of some wakeful soldiers. A light had been lit--it looked like a twinkling star--in the main room of the farmhouse where the staff, which is supposed never to sleep, was awaiting the telegrams that came in occasionally, though as yet they were undecided. And the green wood fire, now finally left to itself, was still emitting its funereal200 wreaths of dense black smoke, which drifted in the gentle breeze over the unsleeping farmhouse, obscuring the early stars in the heavens above.
"A drubbing!" Weiss at last replied, "God grant it may be so!"
Jean, still seated a few steps away, pricked201 up his ears, while Lieutenant Rochas, noticing that the wish was attended by a doubt, stopped to listen.
"What!" Maurice rejoined, "have you not confidence? can you believe that defeat is possible?"
His brother-in-law silenced him with a gesture; his hands were trembling with agitation202, his kindly203 pleasant face was pale and bore an expression of deep distress.
"Defeat, ah! Heaven preserve us from that! You know that I was born in this country; my grandfather and grandmother were murdered by the Cossacks in 1814, and whenever I think of invasion it makes me clench204 my fist and grit205 my teeth; I could go through fire and flood, like a trooper, in my shirt sleeves! Defeat--no, no! I cannot, I will not believe it possible."
He became calmer, allowing his arms to fall by his side in discouragement.
"But my mind is not easy, do you see. I know Alsace; I was born there; I am just off a business trip through the country, and we civilians206 have opportunities of seeing many things that the generals persist in ignoring, although they have them thrust beneath their very eyes. Ah, _we_ wanted war with Prussia as badly as anyone; for a long, long time we have been waiting patiently for a chance to pay off old scores, but that did not prevent us from being on neighborly terms with the people in Baden and Bavaria; every one of us, almost, has friends or relatives across the Rhine. It was our belief that they felt like us and would not be sorry to humble207 the intolerable insolence208 of the Prussians. And now, after our long period of uncomplaining expectation, for the past two weeks we have seen things going from bad to worse, and it vexes209 and terrifies us. Since the declaration of war the enemy's horse have been suffered to come among us, terrorizing the villages, reconnoitering the country, cutting the telegraph wires. Baden and Bavaria are rising; immense bodies of troops are being concentrated in the Palatinate; information reaches us from every quarter, from the great fairs and markets, that our frontier is threatened, and when the citizens, the mayors of the communes, take the alarm at last and hurry off to tell your officers what they know, those gentlemen shrug140 their shoulders and reply: Those things spring from the imagination of cowards; there is no enemy near here. And when there is not an hour to lose, days and days are wasted. What are they waiting for? To give the whole German nation time to concentrate on the other bank of the river?"
His words were uttered in a low, mournful, voice, as if he were reciting to himself a story that had long occupied his thoughts.
"Ah! Germany, I know her too well; and the terrible part of the business is that you soldiers seem to know no more about her than you do about China. You must remember my cousin Gunther, Maurice, the young man, who came to pay me a flying visit at Sedan last spring. His mother is a sister of my mother, and married a Berliner; the young man is a German out and out; he detests210 everything French. He is a captain in the 5th Prussian corps. I accompanied him to the railway station that night, and he said to me in his sharp, peremptory211 way: 'If France declares war on us, she will be soundly whipped!' I can hear his words ringing in my ears yet."
Forthwith, Lieutenant Rochas, who had managed to contain himself until then, not without some difficulty, stepped forward in a towering rage. He was a tall, lean individual of about fifty, with a long, weather-beaten, and wrinkled face; his inordinately212 long nose, curved like the beak213 of a bird of prey214, over a strong but well-shaped mouth, concealed215 by a thick, bristling216 mustache that was beginning to be touched with silver. And he shouted in a voice of thunder:
Jean did not interfere with his opinion, but he thought that the last speaker was right, for he, too, while beginning to be conscious of the protracted220 delay, and the general confusion in their affairs, had never had the slightest doubt about that terrible thrashing they were certain to give the Prussians. There could be no question about the matter, for was not that the reason of their being there?
"But I am not trying to dishearten anyone, Lieutenant," Weiss answered in astonishment221. "Quite the reverse; I am desirous that others should know what I know, because then they will be able to act with their eyes open. Look here! that Germany of which we were speaking--"
And he went on in his clear, demonstrative way to explain the reason of his fears: how Prussia had increased her resources since Sadowa; how the national movement had placed her at the head of the other German states, a mighty empire in process of formation and rejuvenation222, with the constant hope and desire for unity105 as the incentive223 to their irresistible224 efforts; the system of compulsory225 military service, which made them a nation of trained soldiers, provided with the most effective arms of modern invention, with generals who were masters in the art of strategy, proudly mindful still of the crushing defeat they had administered to Austria; the intelligence, the moral force that resided in that army, commanded as it was almost exclusively by young generals, who in turn looked up to a commander-in-chief who seemed destined226 to revolutionize the art of war, whose prudence97 and foresight were unparalleled, whose correctness of judgment227 was a thing to wonder at. And in contrast to that picture of Germany he pointed228 to France: the Empire sinking into senile decrepitude229, sanctioned by the plebiscite, but rotten at its foundation, destroying liberty, and therein stifling every idea of patriotism230, ready to give up the ghost as soon as it should cease to satisfy the unworthy appetites to which it had given birth; then there was the army, brave, it was true, as was to be expected from men of their race, and covered with Crimean and Italian laurels232, but vitiated by the system that permitted men to purchase substitutes for a money consideration, abandoned to the antiquated233 methods of African routine, too confident of victory to keep abreast235 with the more perfect science of modern times; and, finally, the generals, men for the most part not above mediocrity, consumed by petty rivalries236, some of them of an ignorance beyond all belief, and at their head the Emperor, an ailing219, vacillating man, deceiving himself and everyone with whom he had dealings in that desperate venture on which they were embarking237, into which they were all rushing blindfold238, with no preparation worthy231 of the name, with the panic and confusion of a flock of sheep on its way to the shambles239.
Rochas stood listening, open-mouthed, and with staring eyes; his terrible nose dilated241 visibly. Then suddenly his lantern jaws242 parted to emit an obstreperous243, Homeric peal244 of laughter.
"What are you giving us there, you? what do you mean by all that silly lingo245? Why, there is not the first word of sense in your whole harangue--it is too idiotic to deserve an answer. Go and tell those things to the recruits, but don't tell them to me; no! not to me, who have seen twenty-seven years of service."
And he gave himself a thump246 on the breast with his doubled fist. He was the son of a master mason who had come from Limousin to Paris, where the son, not taking kindly to the paternal247 handicraft, had enlisted at the age of eighteen. He had been a soldier of fortune and had carried the knapsack, was corporal in Africa, sergeant in the Crimea, and after Solferino had been made lieutenant, having devoted248 fifteen years of laborious249 toil and heroic bravery to obtaining that rank, and was so illiterate250 that he had no chance of ever getting his captaincy.
"You, sir, who think you know everything, let me tell you a thing you don't know. Yes, at Mazagran I was scarce nineteen years old, and there were twenty-three of us, not a living soul more, and for more than four days we held out against twelve thousand Arabs. Yes, indeed! for years and years, if you had only been with us out there in Africa, sir, at Mascara, at Biskra, at Dellys, after that in Grand Kabylia, after that again at Laghouat, you would have seen those dirty niggers run like deer as soon as we showed our faces. And at Sebastopol, sir, _fichtre_! you wouldn't have said it was the pleasantest place in the world. The wind blew fit to take a man's hair out by the roots, it was cold enough to freeze a brass251 monkey, and those beggars kept us on a continual dance with their feints and sorties. Never mind; we made them dance in the end; we danced them into the big hot frying pan, and to quick music, too! And Solferino, you were not there, sir! then why do you speak of it? Yes, at Solferino, where it was so hot, although I suppose more rain fell there that day than you have seen in your whole life, at Solferino, where we had our little brush with the Austrians, it would have warmed your heart to see how they vanished before our bayonets, riding one another down in their haste to get away from us, as if their coat tails were on fire!"
He laughed the gay, ringing laugh of the daredevil French soldier; he seemed to expand and dilate240 with satisfaction. It was the old story: the French trooper going about the world with his girl on his arm and a glass of good wine in his hand; thrones upset and kingdoms conquered in the singing of a merry song. Given a corporal and four men, and great armies would bite the dust. His voice suddenly sank to a low, rumbling252 bass253:
"What! whip France? We, whipped by those Prussian pigs, we!" He came up to Weiss and grasped him violently by the lapel of his coat. His entire long frame, lean as that of the immortal254 Knight255 Errant, seemed to breathe defiance256 and unmitigated contempt for the foe257, whoever he might be, regardless of time, place, or any other circumstance. "Listen to what I tell you, sir. If the Prussians dare to show their faces here, we will kick them home again. You hear me? we will kick them from here to Berlin." His bearing and manner were superb; the serene258 tranquillity259 of the child, the candid260 conviction of the innocent who knows nothing and fears nothing. "_Parbleu_! it is so, because it is so, and that's all there is about it!"
Weiss, stunned261 and almost convinced, made haste to declare that he wished for nothing better. As for Maurice, who had prudently262 held his tongue, not venturing to express an opinion in presence of his superior officer, he concluded by joining in the other's merriment; he warmed the cockles of his heart, that devil of a man, whom he nevertheless considered rather stupid. Jean, too, had nodded his approval at every one of the lieutenant's assertions. He had also been at Solferino, where it rained so hard. And that showed what it was to have a tongue in one's head and know how to use it. If all the leaders had talked like that they would not be in such a mess, and there would be camp-kettles and flannel belts in abundance.
It was quite dark by this time, and Rochas continued to gesticulate and brandish158 his long arms in the obscurity. His historical studies had been confined to a stray volume of Napoleonic memoirs263 that had found its way to his knapsack from a peddler's wagon13. His excitement refused to be pacified264 and all his book-learning burst from his lips in a torrent265 of eloquence266:
"We flogged the Austrians at Castiglione, at Marengo, at Austerlitz, at Wagram; we flogged the Prussians at Eylau, at Jena, at Lutzen; we flogged the Russians at Friedland, at Smolensk and at the Moskowa; we flogged Spain and England everywhere; all creation flogged, flogged, flogged, up and down, far and near, at home and abroad, and now you tell me that it is we who are to take the flogging! Why, pray tell me? How? Is the world coming to an end?" He drew his tall form up higher still and raised his arm aloft, like the staff of a battle-flag. "Look you, there has been a fight to-day, down yonder, and we are waiting for the news. Well! I will tell you what the news is--I will tell you, I! We have flogged the Prussians, flogged them until they didn't know whether they were a-foot or a-horseback, flogged them to powder, so that they had to be swept up in small pieces!"
At that moment there passed over the camp, beneath the somber267 heavens, a loud, wailing269 cry. Was it the plaint of some nocturnal bird? Or was it a mysterious voice, reaching them from some far-distant field of carnage, ominous of disaster? The whole camp shuddered270, lying there in the shadows, and the strained, tense sensation of expectant anxiety that hung, miasma-like, in the air became more strained, more feverish, as they waited for telegrams that seemed as if they would never come. In the distance, at the farmhouse, the candle that lighted the dreary271 watches of the staff burned up more brightly, with an erect272, unflickering flame, as if it had been of wax instead of tallow.
But it was ten o'clock, and Gaude, rising to his feet from the ground where he had been lost in the darkness, sounded taps, the first in all the camp. Other bugles, far and near, took up the strain, and it passed away in the distance with a dying, melancholy wail268, as if the angel of slumber273 had already brushed with his wings the weary men. And Weiss, who had lingered there so late, embraced Maurice affectionately; courage, and hope! he would kiss Henriette for her brother and would have many things to tell uncle Fouchard when they met. Then, just as he was turning to go, a rumor began to circulate, accompanied by the wildest excitement. A great victory had been won by Marshal MacMahon, so the report ran; the Crown Prince of Prussia a prisoner, with twenty-five thousand men, the enemy's army repulsed274 and utterly destroyed, its guns and baggage abandoned to the victors.
"Didn't I tell you so!" shouted Rochas, in his most thundering voice. Then, running after Weiss, who, light of heart, was hastening to get back to Mulhausen: "To Berlin, sir, and we'll kick them every step of the way!"
A quarter of an hour later came another dispatch, announcing that the army had been compelled to evacuate275 Woerth and was retreating. Ah, what a night was that! Rochas, overpowered by sleep, wrapped his cloak about him, threw himself down on the bare ground, as he had done many a time before. Maurice and Jean sought the shelter of the tent, into which were crowded, a confused tangle276 of arms and legs, Loubet, Chouteau, Pache, and Lapoulle, their heads resting on their knapsacks. There was room for six, provided they were careful how they disposed of their legs. Loubet, by way of diverting his comrades and making them forget their hunger, had labored277 for some time to convince Lapoulle that there was to be a ration12 of poultry278 issued the next morning, but they were too sleepy to keep up the joke; they were snoring, and the Prussians might come, it was all one to them. Jean lay for a moment without stirring, pressing close against Maurice; notwithstanding his fatigue279 he was unable to sleep; he could not help thinking of the things that gentleman had said, how all Germany was up in arms and preparing to pour her devastating280 hordes281 across the Rhine; and he felt that his tent-mate was not sleeping, either--was thinking of the same things as he. Then the latter turned over impatiently and moved away, and the other understood that his presence was not agreeable. There was a lack of sympathy between the peasant and the man of culture, an enmity of caste and education that amounted almost to physical aversion. The former, however, experienced a sensation of shame and sadness at this condition of affairs; he shrinkingly drew in his limbs so as to occupy as small a space as possible, endeavoring to escape from the hostile scorn that he was vaguely282 conscious of in his neighbor. But although the night wind without had blown up chill, the crowded tent was so stifling hot and close that Maurice, in a fever of exasperation283, raised the flap, darted284 out, and went and stretched himself on the ground a few steps away. That made Jean still more unhappy, and in his half-sleeping, half-waking condition he had troubled dreams, made up of a regretful feeling that no one cared for him, and a vague apprehension285 of impending calamity of which he seemed to hear the steps approaching with measured tread from the shadowy, mysterious depths of the unknown.
Two hours passed, and all the camp lay lifeless, motionless under the oppression of the deep, weird286 darkness, that was instinct with some dreadful horror as yet without a name. Out of the sea of blackness came stifled287 sighs and moans; from an invisible tent was heard something that sounded like the groan288 of a dying man, the fitful dream of some tired soldier. Then there were other sounds that to the strained ear lost their familiarity and became menaces of approaching evil; the neighing of a charger, the clank of a sword, the hurrying steps of some belated prowler. And all at once, off toward the canteens, a great light flamed up. The entire front was brilliantly illuminated; the long, regularly aligned289 array of stacks stood out against the darkness, and the ruddy blaze, reflected from the burnished290 barrels of the rifles, assumed the hue291 of new-shed blood; the erect, stern figures of the sentries became visible in the fiery292 glow. Could it be the enemy, whose presence the leaders had been talking of for the past two days, and on whose trail they had come out from Belfort to Mulhausen? Then a shower of sparks rose high in the air and the conflagration293 subsided294. It was only the pile of green wood that had been so long the object of Loubet's and Lapoulle's care, and which, after having smoldered295 for many hours, had at last flashed up like a fire of straw.
Jean, alarmed by the vivid light, hastily left the tent and was near falling over Maurice, who had raised himself on his elbow. The darkness seemed by contrast more opaque296 than it had been before, and the two men lay stretched on the bare ground, a few paces from each other. All that they could descry297 before them in the dense shadows of the night was the window of the farm-house, faintly illuminated by the dim candle, which shone with a sinister298 gleam, as if it were doing duty by the bedside of a corpse299. What time was it? two o'clock, or three, perhaps. It was plain that the staff had not made acquaintance with their beds that night. They could hear Bourgain-Desfeuilles' loud, disputatious voice; the general was furious that his rest should be broken thus, and it required many cigars and toddies to pacify300 him. More telegrams came in; things must be going badly; silhouettes301 of couriers, faintly drawn302 against the uncertain sky line, could be descried303, galloping304 madly. There was the sound of scuffling steps, imprecations, a smothered305 cry as of a man suddenly stricken down, followed by a blood-freezing silence. What could it be? Was it the end? A breath, chill and icy as that from the lips of death, had passed over the camp that lay lost in slumber and agonized306 expectation.
It was at that moment that Jean and Maurice recognized in the tall, thin, spectral307 form that passed swiftly by, their colonel, de Vineuil. He was accompanied by the regimental surgeon, Major Bouroche, a large man with a leonine face They were conversing in broken, unfinished sentences, whisperingly, such a conversation as we sometimes hear in dreams.
"It came by the way of Basle. Our 1st division all cut to pieces. The battle lasted twelve hours; the whole army is retreating--"
The colonel's specter halted and called by name another specter, which came lightly forward; it was an elegant ghost, faultless in uniform and equipment.
"Is that you, Beaudoin?"
"Yes, Colonel."
"Ah! bad news, my friend, terrible news! MacMahon beaten at Froeschwiller, Frossard beaten at Spickeren, and between them de Failly, held in check where he could give no assistance. At Froeschwiller it was a single corps against an entire army; they fought like heroes. It was a complete rout234, a panic, and now France lies open to their advance--"
His tears choked further utterance308, the words came from his lips unintelligible309, and the three shadows vanished, swallowed up in the obscurity.
"Good God!" he stammeringly310 exclaimed.
And he could think of nothing else to say, while Jean, in whose bones the very marrow311 seemed to be congealing312, murmured in his resigned manner:
"Ah, worse luck! The gentleman, that relative of yours, was right all the same in saying that they are stronger than we."
Maurice was beside himself, could have strangled him. The Prussians stronger than the French! The thought made his blood boil. The peasant calmly and stubbornly added:
"That don't matter, mind you. A man don't give up whipped at the first knock-down he gets. We shall have to keep hammering away at them all the same."
But a tall figure arose before them. They recognized Rochas, still wrapped in his long mantle313, whom the fugitive314 sounds about him, or it may have been the intuition of disaster, had awakened315 from his uneasy slumber. He questioned them, insisted on knowing all. When he was finally brought, with much difficulty, to see how matters stood, stupor316, immense and profound, filled his boyish, inexpressive eyes. More than ten times in succession he repeated:
"Beaten! How beaten? Why beaten?"
And that was the calamity that had lain hidden in the blackness of that night of agony. And now the pale dawn was appearing at the portals of the east, heralding317 a day heavy with bitterest sorrow and striking white upon the silent tents, in one of which began to be visible the ashy faces of Loubet and Lapoulle, of Chouteau and of Pache, who were snoring still with wide-open mouths. Forth from the thin mists that were slowly creeping upward from the river off yonder in the distance came the new day, bringing with it mourning and affliction.
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1
overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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cower
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| v.畏缩，退缩，抖缩 | |
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muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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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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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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sentries
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| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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12
ration
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| n.定量(pl.)给养，口粮；vt.定量供应 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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15
copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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16
draughts
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| n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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18
pertinaciously
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| adv.坚持地；固执地；坚决地；执拗地 | |
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elicit
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| v.引出,抽出,引起 | |
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obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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21
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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24
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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28
puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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29
shudderingly
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30
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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31
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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32
fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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33
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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34
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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37
bugles
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| 妙脆角，一种类似薯片但做成尖角或喇叭状的零食； 号角( bugle的名词复数 )； 喇叭； 匍匐筋骨草； （装饰女服用的）柱状玻璃（或塑料）小珠 | |
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38
bugle
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| n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集 | |
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pegs
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| n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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40
rumored
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| adj.传说的，谣传的v.传闻( rumor的过去式和过去分词 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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41
rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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42
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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43
enlisted
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| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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44
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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45
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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46
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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47
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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48
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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49
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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50
imperturbability
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| n.冷静；沉着 | |
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51
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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52
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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53
smoldering
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 ) | |
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54
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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55
squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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56
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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57
plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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58
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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60
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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61
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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62
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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63
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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64
humdrum
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| adj.单调的，乏味的 | |
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65
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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66
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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67
civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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68
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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69
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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70
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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71
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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72
curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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73
reeking
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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74
receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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75
condescended
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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76
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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77
tranquilly
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| adv. 宁静地 | |
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78
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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79
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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80
farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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81
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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82
brawling
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| n.争吵，喧嚷 | |
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83
rubicund
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| adj.(脸色)红润的 | |
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84
vouchers
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| n.凭证( voucher的名词复数 )；证人；证件；收据 | |
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85
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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86
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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87
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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88
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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89
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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90
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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91
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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92
envelop
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| vt.包，封，遮盖；包围 | |
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93
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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94
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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95
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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96
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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97
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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98
squandered
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| v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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99
follies
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| 罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
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100
impoverished
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| adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化 | |
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101
refinery
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| n.精炼厂，提炼厂 | |
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102
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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103
amendment
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| n.改正，修正，改善，修正案 | |
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104
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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105
unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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106
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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107
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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108
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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109
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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110
itinerant
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| adj.巡回的；流动的 | |
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111
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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112
trumped
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| v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去分词 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造 | |
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113
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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114
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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115
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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116
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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117
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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118
lank
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| adj.瘦削的；稀疏的 | |
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119
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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120
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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121
bugler
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| 喇叭手； 号兵； 吹鼓手； 司号员 | |
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122
chary
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| adj.谨慎的，细心的 | |
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123
conscientiously
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| adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实 | |
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124
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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125
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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126
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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127
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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128
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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129
industriously
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130
refractory
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| adj.倔强的，难驾驭的 | |
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131
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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132
stentorian
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| adj.大声的，响亮的 | |
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133
concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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134
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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135
mumbling
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的现在分词 ) | |
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136
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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137
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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138
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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139
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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140
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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141
disapprovingly
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| adv.不以为然地，不赞成地，非难地 | |
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142
sluggishly
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| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
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143
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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144
torpid
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| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
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145
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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146
relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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147
renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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148
expiate
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| v.抵补，赎罪 | |
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149
enlisting
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| v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的现在分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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150
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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151
culpable
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| adj.有罪的，该受谴责的 | |
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152
idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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153
muddled
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| adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子 | |
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154
provocation
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| n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因 | |
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155
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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156
hurls
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的第三人称单数 )；大声叫骂 | |
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157
circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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158
brandish
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| v.挥舞，挥动；n.挥动，挥舞 | |
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159
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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160
annoyances
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| n.恼怒( annoyance的名词复数 )；烦恼；打扰；使人烦恼的事 | |
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161
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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162
stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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163
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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164
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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165
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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166
neutralize
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| v.使失效、抵消，使中和 | |
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167
arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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168
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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169
deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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170
destitution
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| n.穷困，缺乏，贫穷 | |
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171
depots
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| 仓库( depot的名词复数 )； 火车站； 车库； 军需库 | |
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172
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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173
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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174
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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175
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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176
dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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177
regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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178
jealousies
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| n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡 | |
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179
baton
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| n.乐队用指挥杖 | |
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180
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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181
foresight
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| n.先见之明，深谋远虑 | |
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182
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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183
paralysis
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| n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症) | |
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184
annihilating
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的现在分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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185
extricating
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| v.使摆脱困难，脱身( extricate的现在分词 ) | |
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186
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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187
teemed
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| v.充满( teem的过去式和过去分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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188
gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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189
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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190
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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191
daunt
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| vt.使胆怯，使气馁 | |
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192
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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193
culpably
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| adv.该罚地，可恶地 | |
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194
censured
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| v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的过去式 ) | |
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195
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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196
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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197
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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198
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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199
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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200
funereal
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| adj.悲哀的；送葬的 | |
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201
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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202
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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203
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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204
clench
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| vt.捏紧（拳头等），咬紧（牙齿等），紧紧握住 | |
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205
grit
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| n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关 | |
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206
civilians
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| 平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓 | |
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207
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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208
insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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209
vexes
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| v.使烦恼( vex的第三人称单数 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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210
detests
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的第三人称单数 ) | |
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211
peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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212
inordinately
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| adv.无度地，非常地 | |
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213
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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214
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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215
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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216
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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217
yarns
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| n.纱( yarn的名词复数 )；纱线；奇闻漫谈；旅行轶事 | |
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218
retailing
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| n.零售业v.零售(retail的现在分词) | |
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219
ailing
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| v.生病 | |
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220
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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221
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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222
rejuvenation
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| n. 复原，再生, 更新, 嫩化, 恢复 | |
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223
incentive
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| n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机 | |
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224
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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225
compulsory
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| n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的 | |
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226
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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227
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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228
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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229
decrepitude
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| n.衰老；破旧 | |
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230
patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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231
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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232
laurels
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| n.桂冠，荣誉 | |
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233
antiquated
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| adj.陈旧的，过时的 | |
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234
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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235
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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236
rivalries
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| n.敌对，竞争，对抗( rivalry的名词复数 ) | |
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237
embarking
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| 乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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238
blindfold
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| vt.蒙住…的眼睛；adj.盲目的；adv.盲目地；n.蒙眼的绷带[布等]； 障眼物，蒙蔽人的事物 | |
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239
shambles
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| n.混乱之处；废墟 | |
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240
dilate
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| vt.使膨胀，使扩大 | |
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241
dilated
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|
| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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242
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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243
obstreperous
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| adj.喧闹的，不守秩序的 | |
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244
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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245
lingo
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| n.语言不知所云，外国话，隐语 | |
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246
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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247
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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248
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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249
laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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250
illiterate
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|
| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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251
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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252
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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253
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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254
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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255
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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256
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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257
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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258
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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259
tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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260
candid
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| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
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261
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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262
prudently
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| adv. 谨慎地，慎重地 | |
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263
memoirs
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| n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) | |
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264
pacified
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| 使（某人）安静( pacify的过去式和过去分词 )； 息怒； 抚慰； 在（有战争的地区、国家等）实现和平 | |
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265
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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266
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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267
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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268
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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269
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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270
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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271
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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272
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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273
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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274
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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275
evacuate
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| v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便 | |
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276
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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277
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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278
poultry
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| n.家禽，禽肉 | |
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279
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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280
devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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281
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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282
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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283
exasperation
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| n.愤慨 | |
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284
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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285
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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286
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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287
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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288
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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289
aligned
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| adj.对齐的，均衡的 | |
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290
burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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291
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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292
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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293
conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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294
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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295
smoldered
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的过去式 ) | |
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296
opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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297
descry
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| v.远远看到；发现；责备 | |
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298
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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299
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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300
pacify
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| vt.使(某人)平静(或息怒)；抚慰 | |
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301
silhouettes
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| 轮廓( silhouette的名词复数 )； （人的）体形； （事物的）形状； 剪影 | |
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302
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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303
descried
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| adj.被注意到的，被发现的，被看到的 | |
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304
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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305
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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306
agonized
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| v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦 | |
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307
spectral
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| adj.幽灵的，鬼魂的 | |
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308
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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309
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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310
stammeringly
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| adv.stammering（口吃的）的变形 | |
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311
marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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312
congealing
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| v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的现在分词 )；（指血）凝结 | |
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313
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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314
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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315
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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316
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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317
heralding
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| v.预示( herald的现在分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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