The noon sun sweltered down through the rank vegetation of the narrow defile1. The heat was almost too burdensome to endure. It was moist; it was dank with the reek2 of decaying matter. The way was a seemingly endless battle against odds3. But the travelers were buoyed4 with the knowledge that it was a short cut, calculated to save them many hours and many miles.
Bud Tristram had pointed5 the way. Furthermore, he had urged Jeff to accept and endure the tortures and shortcomings which he knew they must face in the heart of this remote gulch6.
Nor were his warnings unneeded, for Nature had set up no inconsiderable defenses. Here were swarms7 of over-grown mosquitoes of a peculiarly vicious type, which covered their horses' flanks in a gray horde8, almost obliterating9 their original colors; and a bleeding mass resulted every time either man raised a hand to the back of his own neck to soothe10 the fierce irritation11 of the vicious attacks. Then the way itself. It was a narrow gorge12 almost completely occupied by the muddy bed and boggy13 shores of a drying mountain creek14.
It was, in Jeff's own words, a "fierce journey." The heat left them drenched15 in perspiration16, and wiltering. The two packhorses fought for their very lives, often hock deep in a sucking mire18. While the beasts, who bore the burden of their exacting19 masters, were driven to battle every inch of the way against a fiercely obstinate20 rampart of dense21 grown bush.
Mercifully the gorge was less than three miles in length. A greater distance must have left the nervous equine mind staggered, and helpless, and beaten. As it was nearly three hours of incessant22 struggle only served to pass the final barrier.
"Phew!"
Jeff Masters drew off his hat as they emerged upon the wide opening of a great valley. Then he flung himself out of the saddle and began to sweep the blood-inflated mosquitoes from his horse's flanks. Bud, with less haste, proceeded to do the same. Finally, both men walked round the weary beasts and examined the security of the packs on the led horses.
Bud pointed down the valley with one outstretched arm.
"We'll make that way," he said, his deep eyes dwelling23 almost affectionately upon the wide stretch of blue-tinted grass. "Guess we'll take the high land an' camp fer food."
Then he turned back to his horse and remounted. Jeff silently followed his example and they rode on.
For many minutes no word passed between them. Each was busy with his own particular thoughts. The deep look of friendly affection was still in Bud's eyes. Jeff was far less concerned with the wonderful scene slowly unfolding itself as they proceeded than with the purpose of his journey. He knew they had reached the central point from which they were to radiate their search of the labyrinth24 of hills. His mind was upon the wealth of possibility before them. The difficulties. Bud, for the time at least, was concerned only with that which his eyes beheld25, and the memories of other days far, far back when he had possessed26 no greater responsibility than the quest of adventure, and his own safe delivery from the fruits of his unwisdom.
It was he who first broke the silence between them.
"Gee27!" he exclaimed, with that curious note of appreciation28 which that ejaculation can assume. "It's big. Say, Jeff, it's big an' good to look on. Sort of makes you think, too, don't it? Jest get a peek29 that way. Them slopes." He indicated the western boundary of the valley rising up, up to great pine-crested heights. "A thousand--two thousand feet. And hills beyond. Big hills, with snows you couldn't melt anyhow. Over there, too." One great hand waved in the direction of the east. "Lesser30 hills. Lesser woods. But--man, it's fine! Then ahead. Miles an' miles of this queer blue grass which sets fat on cattle inches deep."
His words ceased, but his eyes continued to feast, flooding the simple brain behind them with a joy which no words could describe. Presently he went on:
"Makes you feel A'mighty God's a pretty big feller, don't it? Guess He jest tumbles things around, an' sets up, an' levels down in a way that wouldn't mean a thing to brains like ours--till He's finished it all, and sort of swep' up tidy. Look at them colors, way up there to the west. Queer? Sure. Every sort o' blamed color in a tangle31 no earthly painter could set out. Ain't it a pictur'? It's jest a sort o' pictur' a painter feller's li'ble to spend most of his wholesome32 nights dreamin' about. An' when he wakes up, why, I don't guess he kin17 even think like it, an' he sure ain't a hell of a chance to paint that way anyhow. Say, d'you make it these things are, or is it jest something He sets in us makes us see 'em that way? He's big--He surely is. I'm glad I come along with you, Jeff, boy. Y' see, a feller sort o' sits around home, an' sees the same grass, an' brands the same steers33, an' thinks the same thinks. Ther' ain't nothin' he don't know around home. He gets so life don't seem a thing, an' he jest feels he's running things so as he pleases. He sort o' fergets he's jest a part o' the scenery around. He fergets he's set in that scenery by an A'mighty big Hand, same as them all-fired m'squitters we just found, an' kind o' guesses he is that A'mighty Hand." He turned his deeply smiling eyes on his companion. "I don't often take on like this, Jeff," he apologized, "but the sight o' this place makes me want to shout an' get right out an' thank the good God He's seen fit to let me sit around an' live."
But Jeff had no means of simple expression such as Bud. He could never give verbal expression to the emotions locked away in his heart. Those who knew him regarded it as reserve, even hardness. Perhaps it was only that shyness which the strongest characters are often most prone34 to.
He ignored the older man's quaintly35 expressed feelings, and fastened upon the opening he had at last received, and which he had been seeking ever since it had become obvious that Bud's knowledge of the great Cathill range was almost phenomenal.
"You know these parts a heap," he observed.
"Know 'em?" Bud laughed in his deep-throated way, which was only another indication of his buoyant mood. "You'd know 'em, boy, if you'd had a father build up a big pelt36 trading post right in this valley, an' fer sixteen years o' your life you'd ridden, an' shot, an' hunted over this blue grass, and these hills, for nigh a range of fifty mile. Guess I know this territory same as you know the playgrounds o' the college that handed you your knowledge o' figgers. Know it? Say, you could dump me right down anywhere around here for fifty miles an' more, an' I'd travel straight here same as the birds fly." He laughed again. "When you said you'd the notion of huntin' out your brother, who was huntin' these hills, you give me the excuse I'd been yearnin' to find in years. I wanted to see these hills again. I wanted it bad. Guess I was jest crazy fer it. It didn't get me figgerin' long, either, to locate wher' we'd likely find that boy you're lookin' fer. Ther' ain't no better huntin' ground than around this valley. It's sort of untouched since my father died, an' I had to quit it and take to punchin' cattle. Then ther's that post he built. A dandy place, with nigh everything a pelt hunter needs fer his comfort. We're making for that post right now, an' when we make it I'm guessin' we ain't goin' to chase much farther to locate that twin brother of yours."
"But you never----"
Bud shook his great head, and stretched his ungainly legs with his stirrups thrust out wide.
"I never---- Say, does Nan know you were--raised here?"
"Surely." Then Bud went on with an amused twinkle in his eyes. "But I guess Nan's like me. It ain't our way worryin' other folks with our troubles. You see, most folks ain't a heap o' time to listen to other folks' troubles. Most everybody's jest yearnin' to tell their own."
"Troubles?" Jeff smiled in his own peculiarly shadowy fashion. "You don't seem to figure this valley's any sort of trouble, nor its associations. But maybe there's a bone or two hidden around you don't figure to show me."
Bud remained silent for some moments. Then he gave way to another of his joyous38, deep-throated laughs.
"No, sirree! Ther' ain't no troubles to this valley fer me. None. I got memories I wouldn't sell fer a farm. Them wer' days you didn't find trouble in nothin'. No. It's later on you see things diff'rent. Make good, an' you see troubles wher' there shouldn't be none. You an' me we're guessin' to make a pile o' dollars, so we could set up a palace on 5th Av'noo, New York, if we was yearnin' that-a-way. I don't reckon there's many fellers 'ud find trouble in such a play as that. Wal, I'd be willing enough to turn it all down, an' pitch camp right here among these hills, an' chase pelts39 for the few dollars needed to keep the wind from rattling40 my bones--'cep' fer Nan."
"Ah yes--Nan. There's Nan to think of. And Nan's more to you, Bud, than anything else in life. Say, your little girl's a bright jewel. I don't need to say a word about her value, eh? But some day you're going to lose her. And then?"
Bud's eyes came round upon him and for some moments encountered Jeff's steady regard. Then he looked away, and slowly all its simple delight dropped from the strong weather-tanned face, to be replaced by an almost painful dejection. Presently he turned again, and, in a moment, Jeff found an added interest in the wonderful scene that lay ahead of him.
"Nan's a fine, good gal," Bud declared, with simple earnestness. "Guess she's her mother over again--only she's jest Nan. Nan's more to me than all the dollars in creation, boy. Guess you're right. Oh, yes, you're right--sure." The man brushed aside the beads41 of sweat from his broad forehead. "An' Nan's goin' to do jest as she notions. She's goin' to live around her home as long as she feels that way. When she don't feel that way she's goin' to quit. When she feels like choosin' a man fer herself--why, I'm goin' to do all I know helpin' her that way. But it's goin' to be her choice, boy. An' when that time comes, why, I'll get right down on my knees an' pray A'mighty God he's the feller for her, an' the man I'm hopin' she'll choose, an' that he wants her, same as she wants him."
Then he shook his head and a deep sigh escaped him.
"But I don't know. It don't seem to me reasonable. Y' see, the luck's run all my way so far, an' I don't guess you can keep on dealin' the cards without 'em gettin' right up an' handin' it you plenty--some time."
Jeff had no reply. Something warned him to keep silent. The older man in his earnest simplicity42 had opened out to him a vista43 which he felt he had no right to gaze upon.
As they jogged steadily44 along over the blue-green carpet, and the kaleidoscopic45 coloring of the distant slopes fell away behind them, his whole mental vision became occupied by the sweet picture of a brown-eyed, brown-haired girl. But he was regarding it without any lover's emotions. Rather was he regarding it as one who calmly appraises46 a beautiful jewel he does not covet47. He was thinking of Nan as he had known her for some five years. From the days of her schoolgirlhood he had watched her develop into a grown woman full of all that was wholesome and winsome48. She was her father over again, trustful, simple, fearless, and she was possessed of a whimsical philosophy quite beyond her years. Her beauty was undeniable, her gentle kindliness49 was no less. But the memory of these things made no stirring within him. Nan was just a loyal little friend whom he loved and was ready to serve as he might love and help a sister, but regard of her broke off at that. So, as he rode, the pictures of her failed to hold him, and, finally, his roving gaze became caught and held by a sudden and striking anachronism in the scene about him.
He claimed Bud's attention with a gesture which roused him from his engrossing50 thought.
"Fire," he observed.
Bud's gaze became rivetted on the spot.
"Yes, it's fire--sure," he admitted.
It was a long way ahead. Only the trained eyes of prairiemen could have read the sign aright at such a distance. It was a break in the wonderful sea of varying shades of restful green. It was, to them, an ominous51 dead black patch which broke the sky-line with unmistakable skeleton arms.
It was the only remark upon the subject which passed between them, but as they rode on it occupied something more than a passing attention.
With Jeff his interest was mere52 curiosity. With Bud it was deeper and more significant. Had the younger man observed him he might have discovered a curious expression almost amounting to pain in the deep eyes which contemplated53 the blackened limbs where the fire had wrought55 its havoc56.
As they drew nearer it became apparent that the havoc was even greater than they had first supposed. A wide patch of woodland, hundreds of acres in extent, whose upper limits were confined only by the summit of the valley's slope, where it cut the sky-line, had been completely burnt out. Nor was it possible to tell if even that limit was the extent of the disaster.
Bud suddenly reined57 in his horse as they came abreast59 of it, and his voice broke with painful sharpness upon the deathly stillness of the world about them.
"It's gone," he cried, with a note of deep distress60 and grievous disappointment. "It's burnt right out to a shell. Say----"
"What's gone?"
The older man glanced round. Then his troubled eyes sought the charred61 remains62 of the splendid pines once more.
"Why--the post." Then he pointed amongst the charred skeletons. "Get a peek right in ther'. See, Jeff. Them walls; them fallen logs. Burnt. Burnt right through to the heart of 'em. That's all that's left of the home that sheltered me for the first sixteen years of my life. Say, I'm sick--sick to death."
Jeff left his packhorse and moved forward amongst the blackened limbs. The reek of burnt wood hung heavily upon the air. He threaded his way carefully toward the charred remains of an extensive abode63, now plainly visible amongst the black tree trunks.
It was a wide rambling64 structure, and, though burnt to cinders65, much of its general shape, and the great logs which had formed its walls, still remained to testify to all it had been under the hands of those who had originally wrought there.
Jeff glanced back at the man he had left behind. He had not stirred. He sat in the saddle just gazing at the destruction. That was all. So he turned again to the ruins, and, dismounting, he proceeded on foot to explore.
* * * * * *
They were eyes wide with repulsion and a certain horror that gazed down upon the object at Jeff's feet. It was the rotting, charred remains of a human figure. It was beyond recognition, except in so far as its human identity was concerned. The clothes were gone. The flesh was seared and shriveled. The process of incineration was almost complete.
After a few fascinated moments his eyes searched further along the remains of the old post wall. Another figure lay sprawling66 on the ground. Near by it a heavy pistol had fallen wide. A rifle, too, lay across the second body.
Every detail was swiftly absorbed by the man's keenly active brain. He stood back from the gutted67 precincts and gazed speculatively68 upon the picture. His imagination reconstructed something of what he believed must have occurred in the deep heart of these wrecked69 woodlands.
What of the fire? How had it been started? Was it the work of an incendiary? Had the heat of the summer sun wrought the mischief70? Had the hut itself supplied the trouble? None of these questions offered real enlightenment through the answers he could supply. No. He saw the superheated furnace of the woods blazing, and he saw men struggling with all their might to save themselves, and some of their more precious belongings71. The reckless daring of those two, perhaps at the last moment, returning to their shelter on one final journey to save some detail of their home. Then the awful penalty for their temerity72. Perhaps overwhelmed by smoke. Death--hideous73, appalling74 death. Death, a thousand times worse than that which, in the routine of their lives, it was their work to mete75 out to the valuable fur bearers which yielded them a means of existence.
A sudden question, not unaccompanied by fear, swept through his brain. It was a question inspired by the belief that these men were fur hunters. Who--who were they? He drew close up to each body in turn, seeking identity where none was discoverable. A sweat broke upon his temples. There was no sign in them. There was no human semblance76 except for outline.
"God! If it should be----"
His sentence remained incompleted. A dreadful fear had broken it off. He was gazing down upon the second body, in earnest, horrified77 contemplation. Then to his amazement78 he was answered by Bud's familiar voice.
"It ain't the boy we're chasin' up, Jeff," he said, with a deep assurance.
"How d'you know that?"
Jeff had turned to the speaker, and a great relief shone in his eyes.
"What--who were they--then?" he asked sharply.
"Maybe it was a ranch--of sorts."
"Of sorts? You mean----?"
"Rustlers. Come right on out of here, an' I'll show you."
With gentle insistence81 he drew his friend away from the painfully fascinating spectacle which held so difficult a riddle82. And presently they were again with their horses, which were grazing unconcernedly upon the sweet blue grass which the valley yielded so generously.
"Well?" There was almost impatience83 in Jeff's monosyllable.
"See them? Oh, yes, I guess they're corrals sure. But it don't take a feller who's lived all his life among cattle more'n five seconds to locate their meanin'. They're corrals set up in an a'mighty hurry by folks who hate work o' that sort anyway. An' I'd say, Jeff, cattlemen--real cattlemen--don't dump a range down in the heart of the Cathills, not even fer this sweet-grass you can see around, when ther's the prairie jest outside. That is cattlemen who got no sort o' reason fer keepin' quit of the--open plains. Then ther's bin a big drive away north from here. Mebbe they wer' gettin' clear of this fire."
Under the influence of Bud's clear convictions all Jeff's fears vanished. He accepted the other's admittedly better understanding of these things all the more readily that he desired earnestly to dispel85 the last shadows of his momentary86 doubt.
"That's so," he agreed. Then he added: "But anyway, our camp's gone."
"Yes. We'll make camp some'ere else. Meanwhiles----"
"Yes?"
"We must follow up the trail."
There was irrevocable decision in the older cattleman's tone. And his words had the effect of startling the other.
"But--I don't see----"
"They're rustlers. Ther's their tracks clear as day. This is their hiding. Wal, I guess there's jest one thing to be done. It's our duty to track 'em down. Our duty to the cattle world, Jeff, boy."
"But what about--Ronald?"
Bud looked him squarely in the eyes.
"We're cattlemen first, Jeff. The other'll come later."
Jeff nodded, but there was a certain reluctance87 in his manner. His whole heart was set upon the search for his twin brother. He felt that his duty as a cattleman scarcely had the right to claim him at such a time. But the older man's manner made it difficult to protest, and, in deference88 to him, he felt it would be ungenerous to refuse. After all it only meant perhaps the delay of a day for his own projects.
"Then we'll feed and water right here, Bud," he said resignedly. "We can leave our pack ponies89, and ride light. There's five hours of daylight yet."
"Yes, five hours good. Thanks, boy. Don't you worry a thing. We'll make this time good. We're goin' to find your Ronald--if he's anywheres around these Cathills."
* * * * * *
The more concentrated the character, the more sure its power of moral endurance, so the more acute its suffering under adversity. Such penalties lie ambushed90 for the strong, as though in delight at the immensity of the suffering which can thereby92 be inflicted93.
Such an ambush91 was awaiting Jeffrey Masters. It came with terrifying suddenness. Bud was on the lead. The great sea of blue grass had been beaten and crushed by the hoofs94 of a considerable herd95. There was no difficulty, and the pace he made was rapid. But, even so, Bud's keen eyes never left the well-defined trail. He was reading it with an understanding which might well have seemed almost superhuman. And as he rode he communicated odd fragments of his reading to the man behind him.
"It's queer," he observed once, when they had covered nearly two miles of the track. "Ther's a great bunch of horsemen been over this. Kind o' seems to me as if ther' was as many horses as steers. They're headin' northeast, too."
Jeff's eyes were as close upon the trail as Bud's, only he read with less understanding.
"They seem leading out of the valley," he said. "Maybe there's another camp way up further."
Suddenly Bud drew rein58, his great body lurching forward in the saddle as his horse "propped96" itself to a standstill. Jeff's horse followed suit of its own accord.
"What's doing?"
Jeff's demand was accompanied by a keen look into the other's face.
Bud's eyes were wide with speculation97.
"They've broke up--hereabouts," he cried. "More'n half the horses have cut out. Say, ther'," he went on pointing away to the right. "That's the way they've took, clear across ther' to the east. The herd's gone on with jest a few boys to handle it. Say----"
"Look!"
A curious suppressed force rang in Jeff's exclamation98. He was pointing at a bluff99 of wide-spreading sturdy trees that grew hard in against the eastern slope of the valley.
Bud followed the direction indicated, and that which he beheld robbed him of all inclination100 for further speech.
Long silent moments passed. Moments fraught101 with poignant102, stirring emotions. Something painful was slowly creeping into the eyes of both men as they continued to regard this stout103 cluster of trees.
"Oaks."
The word was muttered.
They drew up almost in the shadow of the trees, at a point where three hideous things were hanging suspended by rawhide106 ropes. They were swaying gently, stirred almost imperceptibly under the pressure of the light breeze.
Bud sat stock still upon his horse. For a moment Jeff remained at his side. Then the latter stirred. He pressed his horse forward, urging it closer under the overhanging boughs107. The animal moved willingly enough for a few yards. Then panic suddenly beset108 it. It shied. It reared and plunged109. The fierce reminder110 of the spur was powerless to affect it beyond driving it to even more strenuous111 rebellion. The terror-stricken creature would not approach another step in the direction of those ominous swinging bodies.
Jeff finally leaped from the saddle and released his horse. It turned to bolt, but Bud reached its hanging reins112 and secured it. Then he sat still, observing the movements of his companion with strained, intent gaze.
Jeff passed under the great limbs of the tree. He cautiously approached the first of the hanging bodies. It was hideous. There was a bandage drawn113 tightly over the dead eyes, but its folds were powerless to disguise the rest of the contorted features. The head was tilted114 over on one side. Its flesh was ghastly, and deep discolorations blotched it from the neck up. The body was clad in the ordinary garb115 of the prairieman, with the loose waistcoat hanging open over a discolored cotton shirt, and the nether116 part of it sheathed117 in dirty moleskin trousers. The ankles were lashed118 securely together, and the arms firmly pinioned119.
For some moments Jeff stared up at the dead man. His blue eyes were quite unsoftening. There was no real pity in him for the fate of a cattle thief. He understood only the justice of it from the point of view of the cattle grower. So his cold eyes gazed up at the horrid120 spectacle unflinchingly.
After some moments he passed on to the second body. The same conditions prevailed. A colored handkerchief concealed121 the glazed122 eyes, and the dropping jaw123 displayed the blackened cavity beyond the lips.
He moved away to the third. Its back was turned to him, and the bared head displayed a close mass of fair curling hair. In this instance the bandage over the eyes had fallen from its place, and lay lodged124 against the raw hide rope about the dead man's neck. He moved round quickly. In a moment he was facing the dreadful dead features.
He stood there without a sound. But his eyes had changed from their cold regard to a horror unspeakable. Once his lips parted, and there was an automatic effort to moisten them with a parching125 tongue. He swallowed with a visible effort. But no other movement came from him.
The moments passed. Hideous, dreadful moments of an agony that was displayed in the drawn lines which had suddenly taken possession of his strong features. It was the face of a man whose soul is seared with the blasting fury of a hell from the sight of which he is powerless to withdraw his terrified gaze. He knew nothing but the agony which smote126 through his every sense. The world about him, the place, even the hideous swaying remains of a once joyous life that confronted him. He was blind, blind to it all, crushed beneath a burden of agony which left him stupefied. His twin brother Ronald was there before him, a dreadful, dead thing, hanged for a--cattle thief.
* * * * * *
Bud gazed from the dead to the living. His deep eyes were full of an understanding which required no words. There was that about the dead, distorted face which was unmistakable. One look into the dreadful eyes of the living had told him all he needed.
He, too, stood silently contemplating127 the swaying figure. But it was only for a moment. Then he moved swiftly, actively128. As he moved he drew a sheath knife from his belt.
He reached up. The steel of the knife gleamed. The next moment the dead thing was in his arms.
A low fierce cry suddenly broke the silence of those dreadful shades.
"Leave him! Don't dare, or--I'll kill you!"
Bud's head turned, and the muzzle129 of a gun touched his cheek. The blazing eyes behind it shone like coals of fire as they glared into his.
But the great Bud's purpose was stronger than the madness of the other's agony.
"Put up your gun, Jeff," he said, in a deep gentle voice. "We're jest goin' to hide this poor boy wher' the eyes o' men an' beasts can't see him. We're jest goin' to hide him away wher' mebbe the good God'll watch over him, an' help him, an' surely will forgive him. You ken54 jest help me, boy, to locate the place, an' when we find it we'll sort o' seal it up, an' you ken hide the key away in your heart so no one'll ever find it. Are you goin' to help, Jeff?"
For answer the gun was abruptly130 withdrawn131. Then Bud saw the stricken man's hand dash across his eyes, and, as it passed, he realized the moisture of tears upon the back of it.
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1
defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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reek
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| v.发出臭气；n.恶臭 | |
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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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buoyed
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| v.使浮起( buoy的过去式和过去分词 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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gulch
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| n.深谷，峡谷 | |
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swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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obliterating
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| v.除去( obliterate的现在分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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boggy
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| adj.沼泽多的 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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24
labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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25
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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26
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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27
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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28
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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29
peek
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| vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥 | |
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30
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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31
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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32
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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33
steers
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| n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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34
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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35
quaintly
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| adv.古怪离奇地 | |
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36
pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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37
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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38
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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39
pelts
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| n. 皮毛，投掷, 疾行 vt. 剥去皮毛，（连续）投掷 vi. 猛击，大步走 | |
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40
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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41
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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42
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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43
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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44
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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45
kaleidoscopic
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| adj.千变万化的 | |
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46
appraises
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| v.估价( appraise的第三人称单数 )；估计；估量；评价 | |
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47
covet
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| vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西) | |
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48
winsome
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| n.迷人的，漂亮的 | |
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49
kindliness
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| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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50
engrossing
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| adj.使人全神贯注的，引人入胜的v.使全神贯注( engross的现在分词 ) | |
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51
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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52
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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53
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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54
ken
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| n.视野，知识领域 | |
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55
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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56
havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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57
reined
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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58
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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59
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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60
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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61
charred
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| v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦 | |
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62
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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63
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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64
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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65
cinders
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| n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道 | |
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66
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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67
gutted
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| adj.容易消化的v.毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的过去式和过去分词 )；取出…的内脏 | |
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68
speculatively
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| adv.思考地，思索地；投机地 | |
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69
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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70
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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71
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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72
temerity
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| n.鲁莽，冒失 | |
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73
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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74
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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75
mete
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| v.分配；给予 | |
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76
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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77
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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78
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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79
incisive
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| adj.敏锐的，机敏的，锋利的，切入的 | |
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80
bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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81
insistence
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| n.坚持；强调；坚决主张 | |
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82
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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83
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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84
uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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85
dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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86
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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87
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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88
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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89
ponies
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| 矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑 | |
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90
ambushed
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| v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着 | |
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91
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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92
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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93
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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94
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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95
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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96
propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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98
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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99
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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100
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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101
fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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102
poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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104
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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105
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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106
rawhide
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| n.生牛皮 | |
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107
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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108
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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109
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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110
reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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111
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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112
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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113
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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114
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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115
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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116
nether
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| adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会 | |
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117
sheathed
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| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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118
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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119
pinioned
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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120
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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121
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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122
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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123
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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124
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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125
parching
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| adj.烘烤似的，焦干似的v.（使）焦干， （使）干透( parch的现在分词 )；使（某人）极口渴 | |
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126
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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127
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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128
actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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129
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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130
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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131
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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