When he had descended7, however, he lingered a moment, detained by the aspect of the central garden of the factory. It was near one o'clock, and the ambulance was crowded with wounded men; the wagons9 kept driving up to the entrance in an unbroken stream. The regular ambulance wagons of the medical department, two-wheeled and four-wheeled, were too few in number to meet the demand, and vehicles of every description from the artillery10 and other trains, _prolonges_, provision vans, everything on wheels that could be picked up on the battlefield, came rolling up with their ghastly loads; and later in the day even carrioles and market-gardeners' carts were pressed into the service and harnessed to horses that were found straying along the roads. Into these motley conveyances11 were huddled12 the men collected from the flying ambulances, where their hurts had received such hasty attention as could be afforded. It was a sight to move the most callous13 to behold14 the unloading of those poor wretches15, some with a greenish pallor on their face, others suffused16 with the purple hue17 that denotes congestion18; many were in a state of coma19, others uttered piercing cries of anguish20; some there were who, in their semi-conscious condition, yielded themselves to the arms of the attendants with a look of deepest terror in their eyes, while a few, the minute a hand was laid on them, died of the consequent shock. They continued to arrive in such numbers that soon every bed in the vast apartment would have its occupant, and Major Bouroche had given orders to make use of the straw that had been spread thickly upon the floor at one end. He and his assistants had thus far been able to attend to all the cases with reasonable promptness; he had requested Mme. Delaherche to furnish him with another table, with mattress21 and oilcloth cover, for the shed where he had established his operating room. The assistant would thrust a napkin saturated22 with chloroform to the patient's nostrils23, the keen knife flashed in the air, there was the faint rasping of the saw, barely audible, the blood spurted24 in short, sharp jets that were checked immediately. As soon as one subject had been operated on another was brought in, and they followed one another in such quick succession that there was barely time to pass a sponge over the protecting oilcloth. At the extremity26 of the grass plot, screened from sight by a clump27 of lilac bushes, they had set up a kind of morgue whither they carried the bodies of the dead, which were removed from the beds without a moment's delay in order to make room for the living, and this receptacle also served to receive the amputated legs, and arms, whatever debris28 of flesh and bone remained upon the table.
Mme. Delaherche and Gilberte, seated at the foot of one of the great trees, found it hard work to keep pace with the demand for bandages. Bouroche, who happened to be passing, his face very red, his apron29 white no longer, threw a bundle of linen30 to Delaherche and shouted:
"Here! be doing something; make yourself useful!"
But the manufacturer objected. "Oh! excuse me; I must go and try to pick up some news. One can't tell whether his neck is safe or not." Then, touching31 his lips to his wife's hair: "My poor Gilberte, to think that a shell may burn us out of house and home at any moment! It is horrible."
She was very pale; she raised her head and glanced about her, shuddering32 as she did so. Then, involuntarily, her unextinguishable smile returned to her lips.
"Oh, horrible, indeed! and all those poor men that they are cutting and carving33. I don't see how it is that I stay here without fainting."
Mme. Delaherche had watched her son as he kissed the young woman's hair. She made a movement as if to part them, thinking of that other man who must have kissed those tresses so short a time ago; then her old hands trembled, she murmured beneath her breath:
"What suffering all about us, _mon Dieu!_ It makes one forget his own."
Delaherche left them, with the assurance that he would be away no longer than was necessary to ascertain34 the true condition of affairs. In the Rue35 Maqua he was surprised to observe the crowds of soldiers that were streaming into the city, without arms and in torn, dust-stained uniforms. It was in vain, however, that he endeavored to slake36 his thirst for news by questioning them; some answered with vacant, stupid looks that they knew nothing, while others told long rambling37 stories, with the maniacal38 gestures and whirling words of one bereft39 of reason. He therefore mechanically turned his steps again toward the Sous Prefecture as the likeliest quarter in which to look for information. As he was passing along the Place du College two guns, probably all that remained of some battery, came dashing up to the curb40 on a gallop41, and were abandoned there. When at last he turned into the Grande Rue he had further evidence that the advanced guards of the fugitives42 were beginning to take possession, of the city; three dismounted hussars had seated themselves in a doorway43 and were sharing a loaf of bread; two others were walking their mounts up and down, leading them by the bridle44, not knowing where to look for stabling for them; officers were hurrying to and fro distractedly, seemingly without any distinct purpose. On the Place Turenne a lieutenant45 counseled him not to loiter unnecessarily, for the shells had an unpleasant way of dropping there every now and then; indeed, a splinter had just demolished46 the railing about the statue of the great commander who overran the Palatinate. And as if to emphasize the officer's advice, while he was making fast time down the Rue de la Sous Prefecture he saw two projectiles explode, with a terrible crash, on the Pont de Meuse.
He was standing47 in front of the janitor's lodge48, debating with himself whether it would be best to send in his card and try to interview one of the aides-de-camp, when he heard a girlish voice calling him by name.
"M. Delaherche! Come in here, quick; it is not safe out there."
It was Rose, his little operative, whose existence he had quite forgotten. She might be a useful ally in assisting him to gain access to headquarters; he entered the lodge and accepted her invitation to be seated.
"Just think, mamma is down sick with the worry and confusion; she can't leave her bed, so, you see, I have to attend to everything, for papa is with the National Guards up in the citadel49. A little while ago the Emperor left the building--I suppose he wanted to let people see he is not a coward--and succeeded in getting as far as the bridge down at the end of the street. A shell alighted right in front of him; one of his equerries had his horse killed under him. And then he came back--he couldn't do anything else, could he, now?"
"You must have heard some talk of how the battle is going. What do they say, those gentlemen upstairs?"
She looked at him in surprise. Her pretty face was bright and smiling, with its fluffy51 golden hair and the clear, childish eyes of one who bestirred herself among her multifarious duties, in the midst of all those horrors, which she did not well understand.
"No, I know nothing. About midday I sent up a letter for Marshal MacMahon, but it could not be given him right away, because the Emperor was in the room. They were together nearly an hour, the Marshal lying on his bed, the Emperor close beside him seated on a chair. That much I know for certain, because I saw them when the door was opened."
"And then, what did they say to each other?"
She looked at him again, and could not help laughing.
"Why, I don't know; how could you expect me to? There's not a living soul knows what they said to each other."
She was right; he made an apologetic gesture in recognition of the stupidity of his question. But the thought of that fateful conversation haunted him; the interest there was in it for him who could have heard it! What decision had they arrived at?
"And now," Rose added, "the Emperor is back in his cabinet again, where he is having a conference with two generals who have just come in from the battlefield." She checked herself, casting a glance at the main entrance of the building. "See! there is one of them, now--and there comes the other."
He hurried from the room, and in the two generals recognized Ducrot and Douay, whose horses were standing before the door. He watched them climb into their saddles and gallop away. They had hastened into the city, each independently of the other, after the plateau of Illy had been captured by the enemy, to notify the Emperor that the battle was lost. They placed the entire situation distinctly before him; the army and Sedan were even then surrounded on every side; the result could not help but be disastrous52.
For some minutes the Emperor continued silently to pace the floor of his cabinet, with the feeble, uncertain step of an invalid53. There was none with him save an aide-de-camp, who stood by the door, erect54 and mute. And ever, to and fro, from the window to the fireplace, from the fireplace to the window, the sovereign tramped wearily, the inscrutable face now drawn56 and twitching57 spasmodically with a nervous tic. The back was bent58, the shoulders bowed, as if the weight of his falling empire pressed on them more heavily, and the lifeless eyes, veiled by their heavy lids, told of the anguish of the fatalist who has played his last card against destiny and lost. Each time, however, that his walk brought him to the half-open window he gave a start and lingered there a second. And during one of those brief stoppages he faltered59 with trembling lips:
"Oh! those guns, those guns, that have been going since the morning!"
The thunder of the batteries on la Marfee and at Frenois seemed, indeed, to resound60 with more terrific violence there than elsewhere. It was one continuous, uninterrupted crash, that shook the windows, nay61, the very walls themselves; an incessant62 uproar63 that exasperated64 the nerves by its persistency65. And he could not banish66 the reflection from his mind that, as the struggle was now hopeless, further resistance would be criminal. What would avail more bloodshed, more maiming and mangling67; why add more corpses68 to the dead that were already piled high upon that bloody70 field? They were vanquished71, it was all ended; then why not stop the slaughter72? The abomination of desolation raised its voice to heaven: let it cease.
The Emperor, again before the window, trembled and raised his hands to his ears, as if to shut out those reproachful voices.
"Oh, those guns, those guns! Will they never be silent!"
Perhaps the dreadful thought of his responsibilities arose before him, with the vision of all those thousands of bleeding forms with which his errors had cumbered the earth; perhaps, again, it was but the compassionate73 impulse of the tender-hearted dreamer, of the well-meaning man whose mind was stocked with humanitarian74 theories. At the moment when he beheld75 utter ruin staring him in the face, in that frightful76 whirlwind of destruction that broke him like a reed and scattered77 his fortunes in the dust, he could yet find tears for others. Almost crazed at the thought of the slaughter that was mercilessly going on so near him, he felt he had not strength to endure it longer; each report of that accursed cannonade seemed to pierce his heart and intensified79 a thousandfold his own private suffering.
"Oh, those guns, those guns! they must be silenced at once, at once!"
And that monarch80 who no longer had a throne, for he had delegated all his functions to the Empress regent, that chief without an army, since he had turned over the supreme81 command to Marshal Bazaine, now felt that he must once more take the reins83 in his hand and be the master. Since they left Chalons he had kept himself in the background, had issued no orders, content to be a nameless nullity without recognized position, a cumbrous burden carried about from place to place among the baggage of his troops, and it was only in their hour of defeat that the Emperor reasserted itself in him; the one order that he was yet to give, out of the pity of his sorrowing heart, was to raise the white flag on the citadel to request an armistice84.
"Those guns, oh! those guns! Take a sheet, someone, a tablecloth85, it matters not what! only hasten, hasten, and see that it is done!"
The aide-de-camp hurried from the room, and with unsteady steps the Emperor continued to pace his beat, back and forth86, between the window and the fireplace, while still the batteries kept thundering, shaking the house from garret to foundation.
Delaherche was still chatting with Rose in the room below when a non-commissioned officer of the guard came running in and interrupted them.
"Mademoiselle, the house is in confusion, I cannot find a servant. Can you let me have something from your linen closet, a white cloth of some kind?"
"Will a napkin answer?"
"No, no, it would not be large enough. Half of a sheet, say."
Rose, eager to oblige, was already fumbling87 in her closet.
"I don't think I have any half-sheets. No, I don't see anything that looks as if it would serve your purpose. Oh, here is something; could you use a tablecloth?"
"A tablecloth! just the thing. Nothing could be better." And he added as he left the room: "It is to be used as a flag of truce88, and hoisted90 on the citadel to let the enemy know we want to stop the fighting. Much obliged, mademoiselle."
Delaherche gave a little involuntary start of delight; they were to have a respite91 at last, then! Then he thought it might be unpatriotic to be joyful92 at such a time, and put on a long face again; but none the less his heart was very glad and he contemplated93 with much interest a colonel and captain, followed by the sergeant94, as they hurriedly left the Sous-Prefecture. The colonel had the tablecloth, rolled in a bundle, beneath his arm. He thought he should like to follow them, and took leave of Rose, who was very proud that her napery was to be put to such use. It was then just striking two o'clock.
In front of the Hotel de Ville Delaherche was jostled by a disorderly mob of half-crazed soldiers who were pushing their way down from the Faubourg de la Cassine; he lost sight of the colonel, and abandoned his design of going to witness the raising of the white flag. He certainly would not be allowed to enter the citadel, and then again he had heard it reported that shells were falling on the college, and a new terror filled his mind; his factory might have been burned since he left it. All his feverish96 agitation returned to him and he started off on a run; the rapid motion was a relief to him. But the streets were blocked by groups of men, at every crossing he was delayed by some new obstacle. It was only when he reached the Rue Maqua and beheld the monumental facade97 of his house intact, no smoke or sign of fire about it, that his anxiety was allayed98, and he heaved a deep sigh of satisfaction. He entered, and from the doorway shouted to his mother and wife:
"It is all right! they are hoisting99 the white flag; the cannonade won't last much longer."
He said nothing more, for the appearance presented by the ambulance was truly horrifying100.
In the vast drying-room, the wide door of which was standing open, not only was every bed occupied, but there was no more room upon the litter that had been shaken down on the floor at the end of the apartment. They were commencing to strew101 straw in the spaces between the beds, the wounded were crowded together so closely that they were in contact. Already there were more than two hundred patients there, and more were arriving constantly; through the lofty windows the pitiless white daylight streamed in upon that aggregation102 of suffering humanity. Now and then an unguarded movement elicited103 an involuntary cry of anguish. The death-rattle rose on the warm, damp air. Down the room a low, mournful wail104, almost a lullaby, went on and ceased not. And all about was silence, intense, profound, the stolid105 resignation of despair, the solemn stillness of the death-chamber, broken only by the tread and whispers of the attendants. Rents in tattered106, shell-torn uniforms disclosed gaping107 wounds, some of which had received a hasty dressing108 on the battlefield, while others were still raw and bleeding. There were feet, still incased in their coarse shoes, crushed into a mass like jelly; from knees and elbows, that were as if they had been smashed by a hammer, depended inert109 limbs. There were broken hands, and fingers almost severed110, ready to drop, retained only by a strip of skin. Most numerous among the casualties were the fractures; the poor arms and legs, red and swollen111, throbbed112 intolerably and were heavy as lead. But the most dangerous hurts were those in the abdomen113, chest, and head. There were yawning fissures114 that laid open the entire flank, the knotted viscera were drawn into great hard lumps beneath the tight-drawn skin, while as the effect of certain wounds the patient frothed at the mouth and writhed115 like an epileptic. Here and there were cases where the lungs had been penetrated116, the puncture118 now so minute as to permit no escape of blood, again a wide, deep orifice through which the red tide of life escaped in torrents119; and the internal hemorrhages, those that were hid from sight, were the most terrible in their effects, prostrating120 their victim like a flash, making him black in the face and delirious121. And finally the head, more than any other portion of the frame, gave evidence of hard treatment; a broken jaw122, the mouth a pulp123 of teeth and bleeding tongue, an eye torn from its socket124 and exposed upon the cheek, a cloven skull125 that showed the palpitating brain beneath. Those in whose case the bullet had touched the brain or spinal126 marrow127 were already as dead men, sunk in the lethargy of coma, while the fractures and other less serious cases tossed restlessly on their pallets and beseechingly128 called for water to quench129 their thirst.
Leaving the large room and passing out into the courtyard, the shed where the operations were going on presented another scene of horror. In the rush and hurry that had continued unabated since morning it was impossible to operate on every case that was brought in, so their attention had been confined to those urgent cases that imperatively130 demanded it. Whenever Bouroche's rapid judgment131 told him that amputation132 was necessary, he proceeded at once to perform it. In the same way he lost not a moment's time in probing the wound and extracting the projectile1 whenever it had lodged133 in some locality where it might do further mischief134, as in the muscles of the neck, the region of the arm pit, the thigh135 joint136, the ligaments of the knee and elbow. Severed arteries137, too, had to be tied without delay. Other wounds were merely dressed by one of the hospital stewards140 under his direction and left to await developments. He had already with his own hand performed four amputations, the only rest that he allowed himself being to attend to some minor141 cases in the intervals between them, and was beginning to feel fatigue142. There were but two tables, his own and another, presided over by one of his assistants; a sheet had been hung between them, to isolate143 the patients from each other. Although the sponge was kept constantly at work the tables were always red, and the buckets that were emptied over a bed of daisies a few steps away, the clear water in which a single tumbler of blood sufficed to redden, seemed to be buckets of unmixed blood, torrents of blood, inundating144 the gentle flowers of the parterre. Although the room was thoroughly145 ventilated a nauseating146 smell arose from the tables and their horrid147 burdens, mingled148 with the sweetly insipid149 odor of chloroform.
Delaherche, naturally a soft-hearted man, was in a quiver of compassionate emotion at the spectacle that lay before his eyes, when his attention was attracted by a landau that drove up to the door. It was a private carriage, but doubtless the ambulance attendants had found none other ready to their hand and had crowded their patients into it. There were eight of them, sitting on one another's knees, and as the last man alighted the manufacturer recognized Captain Beaudoin, and gave utterance150 to a cry of terror and surprise.
"Ah, my poor friend! Wait, I will call my mother and my wife."
They came running up, leaving the bandages to be rolled by servants. The attendants had already raised the captain and brought him into the room, and were about to lay him down upon a pile of straw when Delaherche noticed, lying on a bed, a soldier whose ashy face and staring eyes exhibited no sign of life.
"Look, is he not dead, that man?"
"That's so!" replied the attendant. "He may as well make room for someone else!"
He and one of his mates took the body by the arms and legs and carried it off to the morgue that had been extemporized151 behind the lilac bushes. A dozen corpses were already there in a row, stiff and stark152, some drawn out to their full length as if in an attempt to rid themselves of the agony that racked them, others curled and twisted in every attitude of suffering. Some seemed to have left the world with a sneer153 on their faces, their eyes retroverted till naught154 was visible but the whites, the grinning lips parted over the glistening155 teeth, while in others, with faces unspeakably sorrowful, big tears still stood on the cheeks. One, a mere138 boy, short and slight, half whose face had been shot away by a cannon78-ball, had his two hands clasped convulsively above his heart, and in them a woman's photograph, one of those pale, blurred156 pictures that are made in the quarters of the poor, bedabbled with his blood. And at the feet of the dead had been thrown in a promiscuous157 pile the amputated arms and legs, the refuse of the knife and saw of the operating table, just as the butcher sweeps into a corner of his shop the offal, the worthless odds158 and ends of flesh and bone.
Gilberte shuddered159 as she looked on Captain Beaudoin. Good God! how pale he was, stretched out on his mattress, his face so white beneath the encrusting grime! And the thought that but a few short hours before he had held her in his arms, radiant in all his manly160 strength and beauty, sent a chill of terror to her heart. She kneeled beside him.
"What a terrible misfortune, my friend! But it won't amount to anything, will it?" And she drew her handkerchief from her pocket and began mechanically to wipe his face, for she could not bear to look at it thus soiled with powder, sweat, and clay. It seemed to her, too, that she would be helping161 him by cleansing162 him a little. "Will it? it is only your leg that is hurt; it won't amount to anything."
The captain made an effort to rouse himself from his semi-conscious state, and opened his eyes. He recognized his friends and greeted them with a faint smile.
"Yes, it is only the leg. I was not even aware of being hit; I thought I had made a misstep and fallen--" He spoke163 with great difficulty. "Oh! I am so thirsty!"
Mme. Delaherche, who was standing at the other side of the mattress, looking down compassionately164 on the young man, hastily left the room. She returned with a glass and a carafe165 of water into which a little cognac had been poured, and when the captain had greedily swallowed the contents of the glass, she distributed what remained in the carafe among the occupants of the adjacent beds, who begged with trembling outstretched hands and tearful voices for a drop. A zouave, for whom there was none left, sobbed166 like a child in his disappointment.
Delaherche was meantime trying to gain the major's ear to see if he could not prevail on him to take up the captain's case out of its regular turn. Bouroche came into the room just then, with his blood-stained apron and lion's mane hanging in confusion about his perspiring167 face, and the men raised their heads as he passed and endeavored to stop him, all clamoring at once for recognition and immediate25 attention: "This way, major! It's my turn, major!" Faltering168 words of entreaty169 went up to him, trembling hands clutched at his garments, but he, wrapped up in the work that lay before him and puffing170 with his laborious171 exertions172, continued to plan and calculate and listened to none of them. He communed with himself aloud, counting them over with his finger and classifying them, assigning them their numbers; this one first, then that one, then that other fellow; one, two, three; the jaw, the arm, then the thigh; while the assistant who accompanied him on his round made himself all ears in his effort to memorize his directions.
"Major," said Delaherche, plucking him by the sleeve, "there is an officer over here, Captain Beaudoin--"
Bouroche interrupted him. "What, Beaudoin here! Ah, the poor devil!" And he crossed over at once to the side of the wounded man. A single glance, however, must have sufficed to show him that the case was a bad one, for he added in the same breath, without even stooping to examine the injured member: "Good! I will have them bring him to me at once, just as soon as I am through with the operation that is now in hand."
And he went back to the shed, followed by Delaherche, who would not lose sight of him for fear lest he might forget his promise.
The business that lay before him now was the rescision of a shoulder-joint in accordance with Lisfranc's method, which surgeons never fail to speak of as a "very pretty" operation, something neat and expeditious173, barely occupying forty seconds in the performance. The patient was subjected to the influence of chloroform, while an assistant grasped the shoulder with both hands, the fingers under the armpit, the thumbs on top. Bouroche, brandishing174 the long, keen knife, cried: "Raise him!" seized the deltoid with his left hand and with a swift movement of the right cut through the flesh of the arm and severed the muscle; then, with a deft175 rearward cut, he disarticulated the joint at a single stroke, and presto176! the arm fell on the table, taken off in three motions. The assistant slipped his thumbs over the brachial artery177 in such manner as to close it. "Let him down!" Bouroche could not restrain a little pleased laugh as he proceeded to secure the artery, for he had done it in thirty-five seconds. All that was left to do now was to bring a flap of skin down over the wound and stitch it, in appearance something like a flat epaulette. It was not only "pretty," but exciting, on account of the danger, for a man will pump all the blood out of his body in two minutes through the brachial, to say nothing of the risk there is in bringing a patient to a sitting posture178 when under the influence of anaesthetics.
Delaherche was white as a ghost; a thrill of horror ran down his back. He would have turned and fled, but time was not given him; the arm was already off. The soldier was a new recruit, a sturdy peasant lad; on emerging from his state of coma he beheld a hospital attendant carrying away the amputated limb to conceal179 it behind the lilacs. Giving a quick downward glance at his shoulder, he saw the bleeding stump180 and knew what had been done, whereon he became furiously angry.
"Ah, _nom de Dieu!_ what have you been doing to me? It is a shame!"
Bouroche was too done up to make him an immediate answer, but presently, in his fatherly way:
"I acted for the best; I didn't want to see you kick the bucket, my boy. Besides, I asked you, and you told me to go ahead."
"I told you to go ahead! I did? How could I know what I was saying!" His anger subsided181 and he began to weep scalding tears. "What is going to become of me now?"
They carried him away and laid him on the straw, and gave the table and its covering a thorough cleansing; and the buckets of blood-red water that they threw out across the grass plot gave to the pale daisies a still deeper hue of crimson182.
When Delaherche had in some degree recovered his equanimity183 he was astonished to notice that the bombardment was still going on. Why had it not been silenced? Rose's tablecloth must have been hoisted over the citadel by that time, and yet it seemed as if the fire of the Prussian batteries was more rapid and furious than ever. The uproar was such that one could not hear his own voice; the sustained vibration184 tried the stoutest185 nerves. On both operators and patients the effect could not but be most unfavorable of those incessant detonations186 that seemed to penetrate117 the inmost recesses187 of one's being. The entire hospital was in a state of feverish alarm and apprehension188.
"I supposed it was all over; what can they mean by keeping it up?" exclaimed Delaherche, who was nervously189 listening, expecting each shot would be the last.
Returning to Bouroche to remind him of his promise and conduct him to the captain, he was astonished to find him seated on a bundle of straw before two pails of iced water, into which he had plunged190 both his arms, bared to the shoulder. The major, weary and disheartened, overwhelmed by a sensation of deepest melancholy191 and dejection, had reached one of those terrible moments when the practitioner192 becomes conscious of his own impotency; he had exhausted193 his strength, physical and moral, and taken this means to restore it. And yet he was not a weakling; he was steady of hand and firm of heart; but the inexorable question had presented itself to him: "What is the use?" The feeling that he could accomplish so little, that so much must be left undone194, had suddenly paralyzed him. What was the use? since Death, in spite of his utmost effort, would always be victorious195. Two attendants came in, bearing Captain Beaudoin on a stretcher.
"Major," Delaherche ventured to say, "here is the captain."
Bouroche opened his eyes, withdrew his arms from their cold bath, shook and dried them on the straw. Then, rising to his feet:
"Ah, yes; the next one-- Well, well, the day's work is not yet done." And he shook the tawny196 locks upon his lion's head, rejuvenated197 and refreshed, restored to himself once more by the invincible198 habit of duty and the stern discipline of his profession.
"Good! just above the right ankle," said Bouroche, with unusual garrulity199, intended to quiet the nerves of the patient. "You displayed wisdom in selecting the location of your wound; one is not much the worse for a hurt in that quarter. Now we'll just take a little look at it."
But Beaudoin's persistently200 lethargic201 condition evidently alarmed him. He inspected the contrivance that had been applied202 by the field attendant to check the flow of blood, which was simply a cord passed around the leg outside the trousers and twisted tight with the assistance of a bayonet sheath, with a growling203 request to be informed what infernal ignoramus had done that. Then suddenly he saw how matters were and was silent; while they were bringing him in from the field in the overcrowded landau the improvised204 tourniquet205 had become loosened and slipped down, thus giving rise to an extensive hemorrhage. He relieved his feelings by storming at the hospital steward139 who was assisting him.
"You confounded snail206, cut! Are you going to keep me here all day?"
The attendant cut away the trousers and drawers, then the shoe and sock, disclosing to view the leg and foot in their pale nudity, stained with blood. Just over the ankle was a frightful laceration, into which the splinter of the bursting shell had driven a piece of the red cloth of the trousers. The muscle protruded207 from the lips of the gaping orifice, a roll of whitish, mangled208 tissue.
Gilberte had to support herself against one of the uprights of the shed. Ah! that flesh, that poor flesh that was so white; now all torn and maimed and bleeding! Despite the horror and terror of the sight she could not turn away her eyes.
"Confound it!" Bouroche exclaimed, "they have made a nice mess here!"
He felt the foot and found it cold; the pulse, if any, was so feeble as to be undistinguishable. His face was very grave, and he pursed his lips in a way that was habitual209 with him when he had a more than usually serious case to deal with.
"Confound it," he repeated, "I don't like the looks of that foot!"
The captain, whom his anxiety had finally aroused from his semi-somnolent state, asked:
"What were you saying, major?"
Bouroche's tactics, whenever an amputation became necessary, were never to appeal directly to the patient for the customary authorization210. He preferred to have the patient accede211 to it voluntarily.
"I was saying that I don't like the looks of that foot," he murmured, as if thinking aloud. "I am afraid we shan't be able to save it."
In a tone of alarm Beaudoin rejoined: "Come, major, there is no use beating about the bush. What is your opinion?"
"My opinion is that you are a brave man, captain, and that you are going to let me do what the necessity of the case demands."
To Captain Beaudoin it seemed as if a sort of reddish vapor212 arose before his eyes through which he saw things obscurely. He understood. But notwithstanding the intolerable fear that appeared to be clutching at his throat, he replied, unaffectedly and bravely:
"Do as you think best, major."
The preparations did not consume much time. The assistant had saturated a cloth with chloroform and was holding it in readiness; it was at once applied to the patient's nostrils. Then, just at the moment that the brief struggle set in that precedes anaesthesia, two attendants raised the captain and placed him on the mattress upon his back, in such a position that the legs should be free; one of them retained his grasp on the left limb, holding it flexed213, while an assistant, seizing the right, clasped it tightly with both his hands in the region of the groin in order to compress the arteries.
Gilberte, when she saw Bouroche approach the victim with the glittering steel, could endure no more.
"Oh, don't! oh, don't! it is too horrible!"
And she would have fallen had it not been that Mme. Delaherche put forth her arm to sustain her.
"But why do you stay here?"
Both the women remained, however. They averted214 their eyes, not wishing to see the rest; motionless and trembling they stood locked in each other's arms, notwithstanding the little love there was between them.
At no time during the day had the artillery thundered more loudly than now. It was three o'clock, and Delaherche declared angrily that he gave it up--he could not understand it. There could be no doubt about it now, the Prussian batteries, instead of slackening their fire, were extending it. Why? What had happened? It was as if all the forces of the nether215 regions had been unchained; the earth shook, the heavens were on fire. The ring of flame-belching mouths of bronze that encircled Sedan, the eight hundred guns of the German armies, that were served with such activity and raised such an uproar, were expending216 their thunders on the adjacent fields; had that concentric fire been focused upon the city, had the batteries on those commanding heights once begun to play upon Sedan, it would have been reduced to ashes and pulverized217 into dust in less than fifteen minutes. But now the projectiles were again commencing to fall upon the houses, the crash that told of ruin and destruction was heard more frequently. One exploded in the Rue des Voyards, another grazed the tall chimney of the factory, and the bricks and mortar218 came tumbling to the ground directly in front of the shed where the surgeons were at work. Bouroche looked up and grumbled219:
"Are they trying to finish our wounded for us? Really, this racket is intolerable."
In the meantime an attendant had seized the captain's leg, and the major, with a swift circular motion of his hand, made an incision220 in the skin below the knee and some two inches below the spot where he intended to saw the bone; then, still employing the same thin-bladed knife, that he did not change in order to get on more rapidly, he loosened the skin on the superior side of the incision and turned it back, much as one would peel an orange. But just as he was on the point of dividing the muscles a hospital steward came up and whispered in his ear:
"Number two has just slipped his cable."
The major did not hear, owing to the fearful uproar.
"Speak up, can't you! My ear drums are broken with their d-----d cannon."
"Number two has just slipped his cable."
"Who is that, number two?"
"The arm, you know."
"Ah, very good! Well, then, you can bring me number three, the jaw."
And with wonderful dexterity221, never changing his position, he cut through the muscles clean down to the bone with a single motion of his wrist. He laid bare the tibia and fibula, introduced between them an implement222 to keep them in position, drew the saw across them once, and they were sundered223. And the foot remained in the hands of the attendant who was holding it.
The flow of blood had been small, thanks to the pressure maintained by the assistant higher up the leg, at the thigh. The ligature of the three arteries was quickly accomplished224, but the major shook his head, and when the assistant had removed his fingers he examined the stump, murmuring, certain that the patient could not hear as yet:
"It looks bad; there's no blood coming from the arterioles."
And he completed his diagnosis225 of the case by an expressive226 gesture: Another poor fellow who was soon to answer the great roll-call! while on his perspiring face was again seen that expression of weariness and utter dejection, that hopeless, unanswerable: "What is the use?" since out of every ten cases that they assumed the terrible responsibility of operating on they did not succeed in saving four. He wiped his forehead, and set to work to draw down the flap of skin and put in the three sutures that were to hold it in place.
Delaherche having told Gilberte that the operation was completed, she turned her gaze once more upon the table; she caught a glimpse of the captain's foot, however, as the attendant was carrying it away to the place behind the lilacs. The charnel house there continued to receive fresh occupants; two more corpses had recently been brought in and added to the ghastly array, one with blackened lips still parted wide as if rending227 the air with shrieks228 of anguish, the other, his form so contorted and contracted in the convulsions of the last agony that he was like a stunted229, malformed boy. Unfortunately, there was beginning to be a scarcity230 of room in the little secluded231 corner, and the human debris had commenced to overflow232 and invade the adjacent alley233. The attendant hesitated a moment, in doubt what to do with the captain's foot, then finally concluded to throw it on the general pile.
"Well, captain, that's over with," the major said to Beaudoin when he regained234 consciousness. "You'll be all right now."
But the captain did not show the cheeriness that follows a successful operation. He opened his eyes and made an attempt to raise himself, then fell back on his pillow, murmuring wearily, in a faint voice:
"Thanks, major. I'm glad it's over."
He was conscious of the pain, however, when the alcohol of the dressing touched the raw flesh. He flinched236 a little, complaining that they were burning him. And just as they were bringing up the stretcher preparatory to carrying him back into the other room the factory was shaken to its foundations by a most terrific explosion; a shell had burst directly in the rear of the shed, in the small courtyard where the pump was situated237. The glass in the windows was shattered into fragments, and a dense238 cloud of smoke came pouring into the ambulance. The wounded men, stricken with panic terror, arose from their bed of straw; all were clamoring with affright; all wished to fly at once.
Delaherche rushed from the building in consternation239 to see what damage had been done. Did they mean to burn his house down over his head? What did it all mean? Why did they open fire again when the Emperor had ordered that it should cease?
"Thunder and lightning! Stir yourselves, will you!" Bouroche shouted to his staff, who were standing about with pallid240 faces, transfixed by terror. "Wash off the table; go and bring me in number three!"
They cleansed241 the table; and once more the crimson contents of the buckets were hurled242 across the grass plot upon the bed of daisies, which was now a sodden243, blood-soaked mat of flowers and verdure. And Bouroche, to relieve the tedium244 until the attendants should bring him "number three," applied himself to probing for a musket-ball, which, having first broken the patient's lower jaw, had lodged in the root of the tongue. The blood flowed freely and collected on his fingers in glutinous245 masses.
Captain Beaudoin was again resting on his mattress in the large room. Gilberte and Mme. Delaherche had followed the stretcher when he was carried from the operating table, and even Delaherche, notwithstanding his anxiety, came in for a moment's chat.
"Lie here and rest a few minutes, Captain. We will have a room prepared for you, and you shall be our guest."
But the wounded man shook off his lethargy and for a moment had command of his faculties246.
"No, it is not worth while; I feel that I am going to die."
And he looked at them with wide eyes, filled with the horror of death.
"Oh, Captain! why do you talk like that?" murmured Gilberte, with a shiver, while she forced a smile to her lips. "You will be quite well a month hence."
He shook his head mournfully, and in the room was conscious of no presence save hers; on all his face was expressed his unutterable yearning247 for life, his bitter, almost craven regret that he was to be snatched away so young, leaving so many joys behind untasted.
"I am going to die, I am going to die. Oh! 'tis horrible--"
Then suddenly he became conscious of his torn, soiled uniform and the grime upon his hands, and it made him feel uncomfortable to be in the company of women in such a state. It shamed him to show such weakness, and his desire to look and be the gentleman to the last restored to him his manhood. When he spoke again it was in a tone almost of cheerfulness.
"If I have got to die, though, I would rather it should be with clean hands. I should count it a great kindness, madame, if you would moisten a napkin and let me have it."
Gilberte sped away and quickly returned with the napkin, with which she herself cleansed the hands of the dying man. Thenceforth, desirous of quitting the scene with dignity, he displayed much firmness. Delaherche did what he could to cheer him, and assisted his wife in the small attentions she offered for his comfort. Old Mme. Delaherche, too, in presence of the man whose hours were numbered, felt her enmity subsiding248. She would be silent, she who knew all and had sworn to impart her knowledge to her son. What would it avail to excite discord249 in the household, since death would soon obliterate250 all trace of the wrong?
The end came very soon. Captain Beaudoin, whose strength was ebbing251 rapidly, relapsed into his comatose252 condition, and a cold sweat broke out and stood in beads253 upon his neck and forehead. He opened his eyes again, and began to feebly grope about him with his stiffening254 fingers, as if feeling for a covering that was not there, pulling at it with a gentle, continuous movement, as if to draw it up around his shoulders.
"It is cold-- Oh! it is so cold."
And so he passed from life, peacefully, without a struggle; and on his wasted, tranquil255 face rested an expression of unspeakable melancholy.
Delaherche saw to it that the remains256, instead of being borne away and placed among the common dead, were deposited in one of the outbuildings of the factory. He endeavored to prevail on Gilberte, who was tearful and disconsolate257, to retire to her apartment, but she declared that to be alone now would be more than her nerves could stand, and begged to be allowed to remain with her mother-in-law in the ambulance, where the noise and movement would be a distraction258 to her. She was seen presently running to carry a drink of water to a chasseur d'Afrique whom his fever had made delirious, and she assisted a hospital steward to dress the hand of a little recruit, a lad of twenty, who had had his thumb shot away and come in on foot from the battlefield; and as he was jolly and amusing, treating his wound with all the levity259 and nonchalance260 of the Parisian rollicker, she was soon laughing and joking as merrily as he.
While the captain lay dying the cannonade seemed, if that were possible, to have increased in violence; another shell had landed in the garden, shattering one of the old elms. Terror-stricken men came running in to say that all Sedan was in danger of destruction; a great fire had broken out in the Faubourg de la Cassine. If the bombardment should continue with such fury for any length of time there would be nothing left of the city.
"It can't be; I am going to see about it!" Delaherche exclaimed, violently excited.
"Where are you going, pray?" asked Bouroche.
"Why, to the Sous-Prefecture, to see what the Emperor means by fooling us in this way, with his talk of hoisting the white flag."
For some few seconds the major stood as if petrified261 at the idea of defeat and capitulation, which presented itself to him then for the first time in the midst of his impotent efforts to save the lives of the poor maimed creatures they were bringing in to him from the field. Rage and grief were in his voice as he shouted:
"Go to the devil, if you will! All you can do won't keep us from being soundly whipped!"
On leaving the factory Delaherche found it no easy task to squeeze his way through the throng262; at every instant the crowd of straggling soldiers that filled the streets received fresh accessions. He questioned several of the officers whom he encountered; not one of them had seen the white flag on the citadel. Finally he met a colonel, who declared that he had caught a momentary263 glimpse of it: that it had been run up and then immediately hauled down. That explained matters; either the Germans had not seen it, or seeing it appear and disappear so quickly, had inferred the distressed264 condition of the French and redoubled their fire in consequence. There was a story in circulation how a general officer, enraged265 beyond control at the sight of the flag, had wrested266 it from its bearer, broken the staff, and trampled267 it in the mud. And still the Prussian batteries continued to play upon the city, shells were falling upon the roofs and in the streets, houses were in flames; a woman had just been killed at the corner of the Rue Pont de Meuse and the Place Turenne.
At the Sous-Prefecture Delaherche failed to find Rose at her usual station in the janitor's lodge. Everywhere were evidences of disorder95; all the doors were standing open; the reign55 of terror had commenced. As there was no sentry268 or anyone to prevent, he went upstairs, encountering on the way only a few scared-looking men, none of whom made any offer to stop him. He had reached the first story and was hesitating what to do next when he saw the young girl approaching him.
"Oh, M. Delaherche! isn't this dreadful! Here, quick! this way, if you would like to see the Emperor."
On the left of the corridor a door stood ajar, and through the narrow opening a glimpse could be had of the sovereign, who had resumed his weary, anguished269 tramp between the fireplace and the window. Back and forth he shuffled270 with heavy, dragging steps, and ceased not, despite his unendurable suffering. An aide-de-camp had just entered the room --it was he who had failed to close the door behind him--and Delaherche heard the Emperor ask him in a sorrowfully reproachful voice:
"What is the reason of this continued firing, sir, after I gave orders to hoist89 the white flag?"
The torture to him had become greater than he could bear, that never-ceasing cannonade, that seemed to grow more furious with every minute. Every time he approached the window it pierced him to the heart. More spilling of blood, more useless squandering271 of human life! At every moment the piles of corpses were rising higher on the battlefield, and his was the responsibility. The compassionate instincts that entered so largely into his nature revolted at it, and more than ten times already he had asked that question of those who approached him.
"I gave orders to raise the white flag; tell me, why do they continue firing?"
The aide-de-camp made answer in a voice so low that Delaherche failed to catch its purport272. The Emperor, moreover, seemed not to pause to listen, drawn by some irresistible273 attraction to that window at which, each time he approached it, he was greeted by that terrible salvo of artillery that rent and tore his being. His pallor was greater even than it had been before; his poor, pinched, wan50 face, on which were still visible traces of the rouge274 that had been applied that morning, bore witness to his anguish.
At that moment a short, quick-motioned man in dust-soiled uniform, whom Delaherche recognized as General Lebrun, hurriedly crossed the corridor and pushed open the door, without waiting to be announced. And scarcely was he in the room when again was heard the Emperor's so oft repeated question.
"Why do they continue to fire, General, when I have given orders to hoist the white flag?"
The aide-de-camp left the apartment, shutting the door behind him, and Delaherche never knew what was the general's answer. The vision had faded from his sight.
"Ah!" said Rose, "things are going badly; I can see that clearly enough by all those gentlemen's faces. It is bad for my tablecloth, too; I am afraid I shall never see it again; somebody told me it had been torn in pieces. But it is for the Emperor that I feel most sorry in all this business, for he is in a great deal worse condition than the marshal; he would be much better off in his bed than in that room, where he is wearing himself out with his everlasting275 walking."
She spoke with much feeling, and on her pretty pink and white face there was an expression of sincere pity, but Delaherche, whose Bonapartist ardor276 had somehow cooled considerably277 during the last two days, said to himself that she was a little fool. He nevertheless remained chatting with her a moment in the hall below while waiting for General Lebrun to take his departure, and when that officer appeared and left the building he followed him.
General Lebrun had explained to the Emperor that if it was thought best to apply for an armistice, etiquette278 demanded that a letter to that effect, signed by the commander-in-chief of the French forces, should be dispatched to the German commander-in-chief. He had also offered to write the letter, go in search of General de Wimpffen, and obtain his signature to it. He left the Sous-Prefecture with the letter in his pocket, but apprehensive279 he might not succeed in finding de Wimpffen, entirely280 ignorant as he was of the general's whereabouts on the field of battle. Within the ramparts of Sedan, moreover, the crowd was so dense that he was compelled to walk his horse, which enabled Delaherche to keep him in sight until he reached the Minil gate.
Once outside upon the road, however, General Lebrun struck into a gallop, and when near Balan had the good fortune to fall in with the chief. Only a few minutes previous to this the latter had written to the Emperor: "Sire, come and put yourself at the head of your troops; they will force a passage through the enemy's lines for you, or perish in the attempt;" therefore he flew into a furious passion at the mere mention of the word armistice. No, no! he would sign nothing, he would fight it out! This was about half-past three o'clock, and it was shortly afterward281 that occurred the gallant282, but mad attempt, the last serious effort of the day, to pierce the Bavarian lines and regain235 possession of Bazeilles. In order to put heart into the troops a ruse283 was resorted to: in the streets of Sedan and in the fields outside the walls the shout was raised: "Bazaine is coming up! Bazaine is at hand!" Ever since morning many had allowed themselves to be deluded284 by that hope; each time that the Germans opened fire with a fresh battery it was confidently asserted to be the guns of the army of Metz. In the neighborhood of twelve hundred men were collected, soldiers of all arms, from every corps69, and the little column bravely advanced into the storm of missiles that swept the road, at double time. It was a splendid spectacle of heroism285 and endurance while it lasted; the numerous casualties did not check the ardor of the survivors286, nearly five hundred yards were traversed with a courage and nerve that seemed almost like madness; but soon there were great gaps in the ranks, the bravest began to fall back. What could they do against overwhelming numbers? It was a mad attempt, anyway; the desperate effort of a commander who could not bring himself to acknowledge that he was defeated. And it ended by General de Wimpffen finding himself and General Lebrun alone together on the Bazeilles road, which they had to make up their mind to abandon to the enemy, for good and all. All that remained for them to do was to retreat and seek security under the walls of Sedan.
Upon losing sight of the general at the Minil gate Delaherche had hurried back to the factory at the best speed he was capable of, impelled287 by an irresistible longing to have another look from his observatory288 at what was going on in the distance. Just as he reached his door, however, his progress was arrested a moment by encountering Colonel de Vineuil, who, with his blood-stained boot, was being brought in for treatment in a condition of semi-consciousness, upon a bed of straw that had been prepared for him on the floor of a market-gardener's wagon8. The colonel had persisted in his efforts to collect the scattered fragments of his regiment289 until he dropped from his horse. He was immediately carried upstairs and put to bed in a room on the first floor, and Bouroche, who was summoned at once, finding the injury not of a serious character, had only to apply a dressing to the wound, from which he first extracted some bits of the leather of the boot. The worthy290 doctor was wrought291 up to a high pitch of excitement; he exclaimed, as he went downstairs, that he would rather cut off one of his own legs than continue working in that unsatisfactory, slovenly292 way, without a tithe293 of either the assistants or the appliances that he ought to have. Below in the ambulance, indeed, they no longer knew where to bestow294 the cases that were brought them, and had been obliged to have recourse to the lawn, where they laid them on the grass. There were already two long rows of them, exposed beneath the shrieking295 shells, filling the air with their dismal296 plaints while waiting for his ministrations. The number of cases brought in since noon exceeded four hundred, and in response to Bouroche's repeated appeals for assistance he had been sent one young doctor from the city. Good as was his will, he was unequal to the task; he probed, sliced, sawed, sewed like a man frantic297, and was reduced to despair to see his work continually accumulating before him. Gilberte, satiated with sights of horror, unable longer to endure the sad spectacle of blood and tears, remained upstairs with her uncle, the colonel, leaving to Mme. Delaherche the care of moistening fevered lips and wiping the cold sweat from the brow of the dying.
Rapidly climbing the stairs to his terrace, Delaherche endeavored to form some idea for himself of how matters stood. The city had suffered less injury than was generally supposed; there was one great conflagration298, however, over in the Faubourg de la Cassine, from which dense volumes of smoke were rising. Fort Palatinat had discontinued its fire, doubtless because the ammunition299 was all expended300; the guns mounted on the Porte de Paris alone continued to make themselves heard at infrequent intervals. But something that he beheld presently had greater interest for his eyes than all beside; they had run up the white flag on the citadel again, but it must be that it was invisible from the battlefield, for there was no perceptible slackening of the fire. The Balan road was concealed301 from his vision by the neighboring roofs; he was unable to make out what the troops were doing in that direction. Applying his eye to the telescope, however, which remained as he had left it, directed on la Marfee, he again beheld the cluster of officers that he had seen in that same place about midday. The master of them all, that miniature toy-soldier in lead, half finger high, in whom he had thought to recognize the King of Prussia, was there still, erect in his plain, dark uniform before the other officers, who, in their showy trappings, were for the most part reclining carelessly on the grass. Among them were officers from foreign lands, aides-de-camp, generals, high officials, princes; all of them with field glasses in their hands, with which, since early morning, they had been watching every phase of the death-struggle of the army of Chalons, as if they were at the play. And the direful drama was drawing to its end.
From among the trees that clothed the summit of la Marfee King William had just witnessed the junction302 of his armies. It was an accomplished fact; the third army, under the leadership of his son, the Crown Prince, advancing by the way of Saint-Menges and Fleigneux, had secured possession of the plateau of Illy, while the fourth, commanded by the Crown Prince of Saxony, turning the wood of la Garenne and, coming up through Givonne and Daigny, had also reached its appointed rendezvous303. There, too, the XIth and Vth corps had joined hands with the XIIth corps and the Guards. The gallant but ineffectual charge of Margueritte's division in its supreme effort to break through the hostile lines at the very moment when the circle was being rounded out had elicited from the king the exclamation304: "Ah, the brave fellows!" Now the great movement, inexorable as fate, the details of which had been arranged with such mathematical precision, was complete, the jaws305 of the vise had closed, and stretching on his either hand far in the distance, a mighty306 wall of adamant307 surrounding the army of the French, were the countless308 men and guns that called him master. At the north the contracting lines maintained a constantly increasing pressure on the vanquished, forcing them back upon Sedan under the merciless fire of the batteries that lined the horizon in an array without a break. Toward the south, at Bazeilles, where the conflict had ceased to rage and the scene was one of mournful desolation, great clouds of smoke were rising from the ruins of what had once been happy homes, while the Bavarians, now masters of Balan, had advanced their batteries to within three hundred yards of the city gates. And the other batteries, those posted on the left bank at Pont Maugis, Noyers, Frenois, Wadelincourt, completing the impenetrable rampart of flame and bringing it around to the sovereign's feet on his right, that had been spouting309 fire uninterruptedly for nearly twelve hours, now thundered more loudly still.
But King William, to give his tired eyes a moment's rest, dropped his glass to his side and continued his observations with unassisted vision. The sun was slanting310 downward to the woods on his left, about to set in a sky where there was not a cloud, and the golden light that lay upon the landscape was so transcendently clear and limpid311 that the most insignificant312 objects stood out with startling distinctness. He could almost count the houses in Sedan, whose windows flashed back the level rays of the departing day-star, and the ramparts and fortifications, outlined in black against the eastern sky, had an unwonted aspect of frowning massiveness. Then, scattered among the fields to right and left, were the pretty, smiling villages, reminding one of the toy villages that come packed in boxes for the little ones; to the west Donchery, seated at the border of her broad plain; Douzy and Carignan to the east, among the meadows. Shutting in the picture to the north was the forest of the Ardennes, an ocean of sunlit verdure, while the Meuse, loitering with sluggish313 current through the plain with many a bend and curve, was like a stream of purest molten gold in that caressing314 light. And seen from that height, with the sun's parting kiss resting on it, the horrible battlefield, with its blood and smoke, became an exquisite315 and highly finished miniature; the dead horsemen and disemboweled steeds on the plateau of Floing were so many splashes of bright color; on the right, in the direction of Givonne, those minute black specks316 that whirled and eddied317 with such apparent lack of aim, like motes318 dancing in the sunshine, were the retreating fragments of the beaten army; while on the left a Bavarian battery on the peninsula of Iges, its guns the size of matches, might have been taken for some mechanical toy as it performed its evolutions with clockwork regularity319. The victory was crushing, exceeding all that the victor could have desired or hoped, and the King felt no remorse320 in presence of all those corpses, of those thousands of men that were as the dust upon the roads of that broad valley where, notwithstanding the burning of Bazeilles, the slaughter of Illy, the anguish of Sedan, impassive nature yet could don her gayest robe and put on her brightest smile as the perfect day faded into the tranquil evening.
But suddenly Delaherche descried321 a French officer climbing the steep path up the flank of la Marfee; he was a general, wearing a blue tunic322, mounted on a black horse, and preceded by a hussar bearing a white flag. It was General Reille, whom the Emperor had entrusted323 with this communication for the King of Prussia: "My brother, as it has been denied me to die at the head of my army, all that is left me is to surrender my sword to Your Majesty324. I am Your Majesty's affectionate brother, Napoleon." Desiring to arrest the butchery and being no longer master, the Emperor yielded himself a prisoner, in the hope to placate325 the conqueror326 by the sacrifice. And Delaherche saw General Reille rein82 up his charger and dismount at ten paces from the King, then advance and deliver his letter; he was unarmed and merely carried a riding whip. The sun was setting in a flood of rosy327 light; the King seated himself on a chair in the midst of a grassy328 open space, and resting his hand on the back of another chair that was held in place by a secretary, replied that he accepted the sword and would await the appearance of an officer empowered to settle the terms of the capitulation.
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projectile
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| n.投射物，发射体；adj.向前开进的；推进的；抛掷的 | |
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projectiles
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| n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器 | |
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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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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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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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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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conveyances
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| n.传送( conveyance的名词复数 )；运送；表达；运输工具 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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congestion
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| n.阻塞，消化不良 | |
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coma
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| n.昏迷，昏迷状态 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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spurted
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| （液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的过去式和过去分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺 | |
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25
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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26
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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27
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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28
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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29
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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30
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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31
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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32
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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33
carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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34
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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35
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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36
slake
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| v.解渴，使平息 | |
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37
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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38
maniacal
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| adj.发疯的 | |
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39
bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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40
curb
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| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
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41
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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42
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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43
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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44
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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45
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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46
demolished
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| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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47
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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48
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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49
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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50
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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51
fluffy
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| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
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52
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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53
invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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54
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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55
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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56
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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57
twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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58
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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59
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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60
resound
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| v.回响 | |
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61
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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62
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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63
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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64
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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65
persistency
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| n. 坚持(余辉, 时间常数) | |
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66
banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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67
mangling
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| 重整 | |
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68
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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69
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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70
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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71
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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72
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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73
compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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74
humanitarian
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| n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者 | |
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75
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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76
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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77
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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78
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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79
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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81
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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82
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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83
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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84
armistice
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| n.休战，停战协定 | |
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85
tablecloth
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| n.桌布，台布 | |
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86
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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87
fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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88
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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89
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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90
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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91
respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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92
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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93
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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94
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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95
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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96
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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97
facade
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| n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表 | |
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98
allayed
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| v.减轻，缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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99
hoisting
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| 起重，提升 | |
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100
horrifying
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| a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的 | |
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101
strew
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| vt.撒；使散落；撒在…上，散布于 | |
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102
aggregation
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| n.聚合，组合；凝聚 | |
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103
elicited
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| 引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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104
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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105
stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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106
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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107
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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108
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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109
inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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110
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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111
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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112
throbbed
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| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
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113
abdomen
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| n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分) | |
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114
fissures
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| n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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115
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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116
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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117
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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118
puncture
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| n.刺孔，穿孔；v.刺穿，刺破 | |
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119
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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120
prostrating
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| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的现在分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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121
delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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122
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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123
pulp
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| n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆 | |
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124
socket
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| n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口 | |
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125
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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126
spinal
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| adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的 | |
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127
marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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128
beseechingly
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| adv. 恳求地 | |
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129
quench
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| vt.熄灭，扑灭；压制 | |
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130
imperatively
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| adv.命令式地 | |
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131
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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132
amputation
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| n.截肢 | |
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133
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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134
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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135
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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136
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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137
arteries
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| n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道 | |
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138
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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139
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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140
stewards
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| （轮船、飞机等的）乘务员( steward的名词复数 )； （俱乐部、旅馆、工会等的）管理员； （大型活动的）组织者； （私人家中的）管家 | |
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141
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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142
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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143
isolate
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| vt.使孤立，隔离 | |
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144
inundating
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| v.淹没( inundate的现在分词 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付 | |
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145
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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146
nauseating
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| adj.令人恶心的，使人厌恶的v.使恶心，作呕( nauseate的现在分词 ) | |
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147
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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148
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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149
insipid
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| adj.无味的，枯燥乏味的，单调的 | |
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150
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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151
extemporized
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| v.即兴创作，即席演奏( extemporize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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152
stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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153
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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154
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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155
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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156
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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157
promiscuous
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| adj.杂乱的，随便的 | |
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158
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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159
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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160
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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161
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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162
cleansing
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| n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词 | |
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163
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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164
compassionately
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| adv.表示怜悯地，有同情心地 | |
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165
carafe
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| n.玻璃水瓶 | |
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166
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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167
perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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168
faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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169
entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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170
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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171
laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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172
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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173
expeditious
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| adj.迅速的，敏捷的 | |
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174
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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175
deft
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| adj.灵巧的，熟练的（a deft hand 能手） | |
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176
presto
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| adv.急速地；n.急板乐段；adj.急板的 | |
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177
artery
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| n.干线，要道；动脉 | |
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178
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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179
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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180
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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181
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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182
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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183
equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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184
vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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185
stoutest
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| 粗壮的( stout的最高级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的 | |
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186
detonations
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| n.爆炸 （声）( detonation的名词复数 ) | |
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187
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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188
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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189
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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190
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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191
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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192
practitioner
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| n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者 | |
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193
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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194
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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195
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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196
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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197
rejuvenated
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| 更生的 | |
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198
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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199
garrulity
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| n.饶舌，多嘴 | |
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200
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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201
lethargic
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| adj.昏睡的，懒洋洋的 | |
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202
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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203
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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204
improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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205
tourniquet
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| n.止血器，绞压器，驱血带 | |
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206
snail
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| n.蜗牛 | |
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207
protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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208
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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209
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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210
authorization
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| n.授权，委任状 | |
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211
accede
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| v.应允，同意 | |
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212
vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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213
flexed
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| adj.[医]曲折的，屈曲v.屈曲( flex的过去式和过去分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌 | |
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214
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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215
nether
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| adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会 | |
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216
expending
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| v.花费( expend的现在分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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217
pulverized
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| adj.[医]雾化的，粉末状的v.将…弄碎( pulverize的过去式和过去分词 )；将…弄成粉末或尘埃；摧毁；粉碎 | |
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218
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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219
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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220
incision
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| n．切口，切开 | |
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221
dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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222
implement
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| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
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223
sundered
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| v.隔开，分开( sunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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224
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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225
diagnosis
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| n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断 | |
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226
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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227
rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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228
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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229
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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230
scarcity
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| n.缺乏，不足，萧条 | |
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231
secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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232
overflow
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| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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233
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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234
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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235
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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236
flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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237
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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238
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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239
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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240
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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241
cleansed
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| 弄干净，清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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242
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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243
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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244
tedium
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| n.单调；烦闷 | |
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245
glutinous
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| adj.粘的，胶状的 | |
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246
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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247
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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248
subsiding
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的现在分词 )；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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249
discord
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| n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐 | |
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250
obliterate
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| v.擦去，涂抹，去掉...痕迹，消失，除去 | |
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251
ebbing
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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252
comatose
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| adj.昏睡的，昏迷不醒的 | |
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253
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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254
stiffening
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| n. (使衣服等)变硬的材料, 硬化 动词stiffen的现在分词形式 | |
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255
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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256
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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257
disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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258
distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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259
levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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260
nonchalance
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| n.冷淡，漠不关心 | |
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261
petrified
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| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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262
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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263
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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264
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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265
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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266
wrested
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| （用力）拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 )； 费力取得； （从…）攫取； （ 从… ） 强行取去… | |
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267
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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268
sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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269
anguished
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| adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式) | |
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270
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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271
squandering
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| v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的现在分词 ) | |
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272
purport
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| n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是... | |
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273
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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274
rouge
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| n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红 | |
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275
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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276
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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277
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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278
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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279
apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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280
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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281
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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282
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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283
ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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284
deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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285
heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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286
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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287
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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288
observatory
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| n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台 | |
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289
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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290
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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291
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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292
slovenly
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| adj.懒散的，不整齐的，邋遢的 | |
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293
tithe
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| n.十分之一税；v.课什一税，缴什一税 | |
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294
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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295
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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296
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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297
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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298
conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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299
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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300
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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301
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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302
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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303
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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304
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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305
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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306
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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307
adamant
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| adj.坚硬的，固执的 | |
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308
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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309
spouting
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| n.水落管系统v.（指液体）喷出( spout的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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310
slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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311
limpid
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| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
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312
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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313
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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314
caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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315
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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316
specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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317
eddied
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| 起漩涡，旋转( eddy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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318
motes
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| n.尘埃( mote的名词复数 )；斑点 | |
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319
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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320
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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321
descried
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| adj.被注意到的，被发现的，被看到的 | |
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322
tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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323
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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324
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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325
placate
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| v.抚慰，平息(愤怒) | |
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326
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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327
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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328
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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