[93]
It had crept from Curtwright's factory, and had already begun to carpet the discarded lands through which Aaron was now passing, and the turf felt as soft as velvet7 under his feet. The touch of it seemed to inspire his movements, for he began to trot8; and he trotted9 until, at the end of half an hour, he struck into the plantation10 road leading to the Oconee. Aaron was making for the river. Having received fair warning, and guessing something of the character of Mr. Simmons, he had made up his mind that the best plan would be to get away from the dogs if possible.
He hoped to find one of the Ward13 negroes at the river landing, and in this he was not disappointed. Old Uncle Andy, who was almost on the retired14 list, on account of his age and faithfulness, although he was still strong and vigorous, was just preparing to visit his set-hooks which were down the river. He was about to shove the boat into deep water and jump in when Aaron called him.
"Ah-yi," he answered in a tone almost gay, for he had a good master, and he had no troubles except the few that old age had brought on him.
[94]
"Up or down?" inquired Aaron.
"Down, honey; down. All de time down. Den16 I'll lef' um down dar an' let Rowan Ward" (this was his master whom he talked about so familiarly) "sen' one er his triflin' no 'count nigners atter um wid de waggin'."
"I want to go up," said Aaron.
"I ain't henderin' you," replied old Uncle Andy. "Whar yo' huffs? Walk. I ain't gwine pull you in dis boat. No. I won't pull Rowan Ward yit, en he know it. I won't pull nobody up stream in his boat less'n it's Sally Ward" (his mistress), "en she'd do ez much fer me. What yo' name, honey?"
"Aaron, I'm called."
"Ah-yi!" exclaimed Old Uncle Andy, under his breath. "Dey are atter you. Oh, yes! En what's mo' dey'll git you. En mo' dan dat, dey oughter git you! Dem Gossetts is rank pizen, en der niggers is pizen. A nigger what ain't got no better sense dan ter b'long ter po' white trash ain't got no business ter git good treatment. Look at me! Dey ain't nobody dast ter lay de weight er der han' on me. Ef dey do, dey got ter whip Sally Ward en Rowan Ward. You ain't[95] bad ez dem yuther Gossett niggers, kaze you been in de woods en you er dar yit. Kensecontly you got one chance, en it's de onliest chance. Cross dis river en go up dar ter de house, en wake up Sally Ward en tell 'er dat ole Andy say she mus' buy you. Ef she hum en haw, des put yo' foot down en tell her dat ole Andy say she des got ter buy you. She'll do it! She'll know better'n not ter do it. Ah-h-h-h!"
Aaron would have laughed at this display of self-importance, but he knew that to laugh would be to defeat the object he had in view. So his reply was very serious.
"She's good!" cried old Uncle Andy. "Dey's er heap er good wimmen, but dey ain't no 'oman like Sally Ward,—I don't keer ef she is got a temper. Ef folks is made out'n dus' dey wuz des nuff er de kin11' she wuz made out'n fer ter make her. Dey wuz de greates' plenty fer ter make her, but dey wan't a pinch lef' over. How come you got ter go up de river?"
"Wait a little while, and Simmons's dog'll tell you," replied Aaron.
"Jim Simmons? I wish I had Rowan Ward here ter do my cussin'!" exclaimed old Uncle[96] Andy, striking the edge of the bateau viciously. "Kin you handle dish yer paddle? Git in dis boat, den! Jim Simmons! Much he look like ketchin' anybody. Git in dis boat, I tell you! En take dis paddle en he'p me pull ef you want to go up de river."
Aaron lost no time in getting in the bateau. Instead of sitting down he remained standing17, and braced18 himself by placing one foot in advance of the other. In this position he leaned first on one side and then on the other as he swept the long, wide oar19 through the water. A few strokes carried him into the middle of the Oconee and nearly across. Then, out of the current and in the still water, Aaron headed the boat up stream. It was a long, heavy, unwieldy affair, built for carrying the field hands and the fruits of the harvest across the river, for the Ward plantation lay on both sides of the Oconee. The bateau was unwieldy, but propelled by Aaron's strong arms it moved swiftly and steadily20 up the stream. Old Uncle Andy had intended to help row the boat, but when he saw how easily Aaron managed it he made himself comfortable by holding his oar across his lap and talking.
[97]
"I done year tell er you," he said. "Some folks say you er nigger, en some say you ain't no nigger. I'm wid dem what say you ain't no nigger, kaze you don't do like a nigger, en dey ain't no nigger in de roun' worl' what kin stan' up in dis boat an' shove it 'long like you doin'. Dey all weak-kneed en wobbly when dey git on de water. I wish Sally Ward could see you now. She'd buy you terreckly. Don't you want ter b'long ter Sally Ward?"
"No,—Abercrombie," replied Aaron.
"Yo' sho fly high," remarked old Uncle Andy. "Dey er good folks, dem Abercrombies. Ef dey's anybody anywheres 'roun' dat's mos' ez good ez Sally Ward en Rowan Ward it's de Abercrombies. I'll say dat much an' not begrudge21 it. Speshally dat ar cripple boy. Dey tells me dat dat chil' don't never git tired er doin' good. En dat's a mighty22 bad sign; it's de wust kinder sign. You watch. De Lord done put his han' on dat chil', en he gwine take 'im back up dar whar he b'longs at. When folks git good like dey say dat chil' is, dey are done ripe."
To this Aaron made no reply. He had had the same or similar thoughts for some time. He[98] simply gave the waters of the river a stronger backward sweep with the oar. The shadows were still heavy on the water, and the overhanging trees helped to make them heavier, but the reflection of dawn caught and became entangled23 in the ripples24 made by the boat, and far away in the east the red signal lights of the morning gave forth25 a dull glow.
The fact that Aaron made no comment on his remarks had no effect on Uncle Andy. He continued to talk incessantly26, and when he paused for a moment it was to take breath and not to hear what his companion had to say.
"Jim Simmons. Huh. I wish Sally Ward could git de chance fer ter lay de law down ter dat man." (Uncle Andy had his wish later in the day). "She'd tell 'im de news. She'd make 'im 'shamed er hisse'f—gwine trollopin' roun' de country huntin' niggers en dem what ain't niggers, en all b'longin' ter Gossett. How come dey ain't no niggers but de Gossett niggers in de woods? Tell me dat. You may go all 'roun' here for forty mile, en holler at eve'y plantation gate en ax 'em how many niggers dey got in de woods, en dey'll tell you na'er one. Dey'll tell[99] you ids twel you holler at de Gossett gate an' dar dey'll holler back: Forty-'leven in de woods an' spectin' mo' ter foller. Now, how come dat? When you stoop in de road fer ter git a drink er water you kin allers tell when dey's sump'n dead up de creek27."
Still Aaron swept the water back with his oar, and still the bateau went up stream. One mile—two miles—two miles and a half. At last Aaron headed the boat toward the shore.
"What you gwine ter lan' on the same side wid Jim Simmons fer?" Uncle Andy inquired indignantly. "Ain't you got no sense? Don't you know he'll ketch you ef you do dat? You reckon he gwine ter foller you ter de landin' en den turn right 'roun' in his tracks en go back?"
"I'll hide in the big swamp," replied Aaron.
"Hide!" exclaimed Uncle Andy. "Don't you know dey done foun' out whar you stays at? A'er one er dem Gossett niggers'll swap28 der soul's salvation29 fer a bellyful er vittles. Ef dey wuz ter ketch you des dry so, I'd be sorry fer you, but ef you gwine ter run right in de trap, you'll hatter fin12' some un else fer ter cry atter you. You put me in min' er de rabbit. Man come 'long[100] wid his dogs, en jump de rabbit out er his warm bed, en he done gone. Dogs take atter him, but dey ain't nowhar. He done out er sight. Den dey trail 'im en trail 'im, but dat ain't do no good. Rabbit done gone. De man, he let de dogs trail. He take his stan' right at de place whar rabbit jump fum. He prime he gun, en wink30 he eye. De dogs trail, en trail, en trail, en it seem like dey gwine out er hearin'. Man stan' right still en wink de t'er eye. En, bless gracious! 'fo' you know it, bang go de gun en down drap de rabbit. Stidder gwine on 'bout15 his business, he done come back en de man bag 'im. Dat 'zackly de way you gwine do—but go on, go on! De speckled pullet hollered shoo ter hawk31, but what good did dat do?"
By this time the bateau had floated under a tree that leaned from the river bank over the water. Aaron laid his oar in the boat and steadied it by holding to a limb. Then he turned to Uncle Andy.
"Maybe some day I can help you. So long!"
He lifted himself into the tree. As he did so a dog ran down the bank whining32. "Wait!" cried Uncle Andy. "Wait, en look out! I hear[101] a dog in de bushes dar. Ef it's a Simmons dog drap back in de boat en I'll take you right straight to Sally Ward."
"It's my dog," said Aaron. "He's been waiting for me." It was Rambler.
"Desso! I wish you mighty well, honey." With that Uncle Andy backed the boat out into the river, headed it down stream, and aided the current by an occasional stroke of his oar, which he knew well how to use.
Standing on the hill above the river, Aaron saw that the red signal lights in the east had been put out, and it was now broad day. In the top of a pine a quarter of a mile away a faint shimmer33 of sunlight glowed a moment and then disappeared. Again it appeared and this time to stay. He stood listening, and it seemed to him that he could hear in the far-off distance the faint musical cry of hounds. Perhaps he was mistaken; perhaps it was a fox-hunting pack, or, perhaps—
He turned and moved rapidly to the Swamp, which he found wide awake and ready to receive him. So vigorous was the Swamp, and so jealous of its possessions, that it rarely permitted the[102] summer sun to shine upon its secrets. If a stray beam came through, very well, but the Swamp never had a fair glimpse of the sun except in winter, when the glare was shorn of its heat, all the shadows pointing to the north, where the cold winds come from. At midday, in the season when the Swamp was ready for business, the shade was dense—dense enough to give the effect of twilight34. At sunrise dawn had hardly made its way to the places where the mysteries wandered back and forth, led by Jack-o'-the-Lantern. But the Willis-Whistlers knew when dawn came in the outer world, and they hid their shrill35 pipes in the canes36 and disappeared; but the mysteries still had an hour to frolic—an hour in which they might dispense38 with the services of Jack-o'-the-Lantern. So Aaron found them there—all his old friends and a new one, the old brindle steer39 to whom he sometimes gave a handful of salt. The brindle steer was supposed to be superannuated40, but he was not. He had the hollow horn, as the negroes called it, and this had made him thin and weak for a time, but he was now in fair trim, the Swamp proving to be a well-conducted hospital, stocked with an[103] abundance of pleasant medicine. He was not of the Swamp, but he had been taken in out of charity, and he was the more welcome on that account. Moreover, he had introduced himself to the White Pig in a sugarcane patch, and they got on famously together—one making luscious41 cuds of the green blades and the other smacking42 his mouth over the sweets to be found in the stalks.
Aaron was glad to see the Brindle Steer, and Brindle was so glad to see Aaron that he must needs hoist43 his tail in the air and lower his horns, which were remarkably44 long and sharp, and pretend that he was on the point of charging, pawing the ground and making a noise with his mouth that was something between a bleat45 and a bellow46. It was such a queer sound that Aaron laughed, seeing which Brindle shook his head and capered47 around the Son of Ben Ali as if trying to find some vulnerable point in his body that would offer small resistance to the long horns.
"You are well, Brindle," said Aaron.
"No, Son of Ben Ali, not well—only a great deal better," replied Brindle.
"That is something, Brindle; be glad, as I[104] am," remarked Aaron. "You may have work to do to-day—with your horns."
Brindle drew a long breath that sounded like a tremendous sigh. "It is well you say with my horns, Son of Ben Ali. No cart for me. When the time comes for the cart I shall have—what do you call it?"
"The hollow horn," suggested Aaron.
"Yes, two hollow horns, Son of Ben Ali. No cart for me. Though there is nothing the matter with my horns, the people shall believe that both are hollow. When I was sick, Son of Ben Ali, something was the matter with all nine of my stomachs."
"Nine! You have but three, Brindle," said Aaron.
"Only three, Son of Ben Ali? Well, when I was sick I thought there were nine of them. What am I to do to-day?"
"Go not too far, Brindle. When you hear hounds running through the fields from the river come to the big poplar. There you will find me and the White Grunter."
"I'm here, Son of Ben Ali, and here I stay. All night I have fed on the sprouts48 of the young cane37, and once I waded49 too far in the quagmire50. I'm tired. I'll lie here and chew my cud. But no yoke51, Son of Ben Ali, and no cart." Whereupon old Brindle made himself comfortable by lying down and chewing his cud between short pauses.
Meanwhile Mr. Jim Simmons, accompanied only by George Gossett (the father had turned back in disgust soon after the chase began), was galloping52 across the country in a somewhat puzzled frame of mind.
When Mr. Simmons had given one short blast on his horn to warn his dogs that a hunt was on the programme, the three men rode along the plantation path toward the Abercrombie place.
"Now, Colonel," remarked Mr. Simmons as they started out, "I want you to keep your eyes on that red dog. It'll be worth your while."
"Is that Sound?" George Gossett asked.
"Well, sometimes I call him Sound on account of his voice, and sometimes I call him Sandy on account of his color, but just you watch his motions." Pride was in the tone of Mr. Simmons's voice.
[106]
The dog was trotting53 in the path ahead of the horse. Suddenly he put his nose to the ground and seemed to be so delighted at what he found there that his tail began to wag. He lifted his head, and ran along the path for fifty yards or more. Then he put his nose to the ground again, and kept it there as he cantered along the narrow trail. Then he began to trot, and finally, with something of a snort, turned and ran back the way he had come. He had not given voice to so much as a whimper.
"Don't he open on track?" asked George Gossett.
"He'll cry loud enough and long enough when he gets down to business," Mr. Simmons explained. "Just you keep your eyes on him."
"Fiddlesticks. He's tracking us," exclaimed Mr. Gossett contemptuously.
"But, Colonel, if he is, I'm willing to take him out and kill him, and, as he stands, I would take no man's hundred dollars for him. I'll see what he's up to."
Suiting the action to the word, Mr. Simmons turned his horse's head and galloped54 after Sound, who was now moving rapidly, followed by all the[107] expectant dogs. Nothing was left for the two Gossetts to do but to follow Mr. Simmons, though the elder plainly showed his indignation, not only by his actions, but by the use of a few words that are either too choice or too emphatic55 to be found in a school dictionary.
Sound ran to the point where Aaron and the woman had stopped. He followed the woman's scent56 to her cabin; but this not proving satisfactory, he turned and came back to where the two had stood. There he picked up Aaron's scent, ran around in a small circle, and then, with a loud, wailing57 cry, as if he had been hit with a cudgel, he was off, the rest of the dogs joining in, their cries making a musical chorus that fell on the ear with a lusty, pleasant twang as it echoed through the woods.
"Wait," said Mr. Gossett, as Mr. Simmons made a movement to follow the dogs. "This is a fool's errand you are starting on. The nigger we're after wouldn't come in a mile of this place. It's one of the Spivey niggers the dogs are tracking. Or one of the Ward niggers. I'm too old to go galloping about the country just to see the dogs run. George, you can go if you want to,[108] but I'd advise you to go in the house and go to bed. That's what I'll do. Simmons, if you catch the right nigger, well and good. If I thought the dogs were on his track, I'd ride behind them the balance of the week. But it's out of reason. We know where the nigger goes, and the dogs haven't been there."
"I'll risk all that, Colonel. If we don't come up with the nigger, why, it costs nobody nothing," remarked Mr. Simmons.
"I'll go along and see the fun, pap," said George.
"Well, be back by dinner time. I want you to do something for me."
Mr. Gossett called a negro and had his horse taken, while George and Mr. Simmons galloped after the hounds, which were now going out of the woods into the old, worn-out fields beyond. As Mr. Simmons put it, they were "running pretty smooth." They were not going as swiftly as the modern hounds go, but they were going rapidly enough to give the horses as much work as they wanted to do.
The hounds were really after Aaron. Mr. Simmons suspected it, but he didn't know it.[109] He was simply taking the chances. But his hopes fell as the dogs struck into the plantation road leading to the river. "If they were after the runaway58, what on earth did he mean by going in this direction?" Mr. Simmons asked himself. He knew the dogs were following the scent of a negro, and he knew the negro had been to the Abercrombie place, but more than this he did not know.
Then it occurred to him that a runaway with some sense and judgment59 might be expected to go to the river, steal a bateau, and float down stream to avoid the hounds. He had heard of such tricks in his day and time, and his hopes began to rise. But they fell again, for he suddenly remembered that the negro who left the scent which the hounds were following could not possibly have known that he was to be hunted with dogs, consequently he would not be going to the river to steal a boat. But wait! Another thought struck Mr. Simmons. Didn't the Colonel send one of his nigger women to the quarters on the Abercrombie plantation? He surely did. Didn't the woman say she had seen the runaway? Of course she did. Weren't the chances[110] ten to one that when she saw him she told him that Simmons would be after him in the morning? Exactly so! The result of this rapid summing up of the situation was so satisfactory to Mr. Simmons that he slapped the pommel of his saddle and cried:—
"By jing, I've got him!"
"Got who?" inquired George Gossett, who was riding close up.
"Wait and see!" replied Mr. Simmons.
"Oh, I'll wait," said young Gossett, "and so will you."
点击收听单词发音
1 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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2 dismally | |
adv.阴暗地,沉闷地 | |
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3 gashes | |
n.深长的切口(或伤口)( gash的名词复数 )v.划伤,割破( gash的第三人称单数 ) | |
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4 mantle | |
n.斗篷,覆罩之物,罩子;v.罩住,覆盖,脸红 | |
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5 wither | |
vt.使凋谢,使衰退,(用眼神气势等)使畏缩;vi.枯萎,衰退,消亡 | |
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6 parch | |
v.烤干,焦干 | |
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7 velvet | |
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的 | |
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8 trot | |
n.疾走,慢跑;n.老太婆;现成译本;(复数)trots:腹泻(与the 连用);v.小跑,快步走,赶紧 | |
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9 trotted | |
小跑,急走( trot的过去分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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10 plantation | |
n.种植园,大农场 | |
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11 kin | |
n.家族,亲属,血缘关系;adj.亲属关系的,同类的 | |
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12 fin | |
n.鳍;(飞机的)安定翼 | |
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13 ward | |
n.守卫,监护,病房,行政区,由监护人或法院保护的人(尤指儿童);vt.守护,躲开 | |
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14 retired | |
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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15 bout | |
n.侵袭,发作;一次(阵,回);拳击等比赛 | |
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16 den | |
n.兽穴;秘密地方;安静的小房间,私室 | |
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17 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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18 braced | |
adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 );撑牢;使自己站稳;振作起来 | |
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19 oar | |
n.桨,橹,划手;v.划行 | |
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20 steadily | |
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 | |
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21 begrudge | |
vt.吝啬,羡慕 | |
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22 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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23 entangled | |
adj.卷入的;陷入的;被缠住的;缠在一起的v.使某人(某物/自己)缠绕,纠缠于(某物中),使某人(自己)陷入(困难或复杂的环境中)( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24 ripples | |
逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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25 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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26 incessantly | |
ad.不停地 | |
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27 creek | |
n.小溪,小河,小湾 | |
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28 swap | |
n.交换;vt.交换,用...作交易 | |
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29 salvation | |
n.(尤指基督)救世,超度,拯救,解困 | |
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30 wink | |
n.眨眼,使眼色,瞬间;v.眨眼,使眼色,闪烁 | |
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31 hawk | |
n.鹰,骗子;鹰派成员 | |
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32 whining | |
n. 抱怨,牢骚 v. 哭诉,发牢骚 | |
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33 shimmer | |
v./n.发微光,发闪光;微光 | |
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34 twilight | |
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期 | |
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35 shrill | |
adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫 | |
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36 canes | |
n.(某些植物,如竹或甘蔗的)茎( cane的名词复数 );(用于制作家具等的)竹竿;竹杖 | |
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37 cane | |
n.手杖,细长的茎,藤条;v.以杖击,以藤编制的 | |
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38 dispense | |
vt.分配,分发;配(药),发(药);实施 | |
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39 steer | |
vt.驾驶,为…操舵;引导;vi.驾驶 | |
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40 superannuated | |
adj.老朽的,退休的;v.因落后于时代而废除,勒令退学 | |
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41 luscious | |
adj.美味的;芬芳的;肉感的,引与性欲的 | |
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42 smacking | |
活泼的,发出响声的,精力充沛的 | |
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43 hoist | |
n.升高,起重机,推动;v.升起,升高,举起 | |
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44 remarkably | |
ad.不同寻常地,相当地 | |
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45 bleat | |
v.咩咩叫,(讲)废话,哭诉;n.咩咩叫,废话,哭诉 | |
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46 bellow | |
v.吼叫,怒吼;大声发出,大声喝道 | |
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47 capered | |
v.跳跃,雀跃( caper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48 sprouts | |
n.新芽,嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 );抽芽;出现;(使)涌现出 | |
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49 waded | |
(从水、泥等)蹚,走过,跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50 quagmire | |
n.沼地 | |
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51 yoke | |
n.轭;支配;v.给...上轭,连接,使成配偶 | |
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52 galloping | |
adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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53 trotting | |
小跑,急走( trot的现在分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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54 galloped | |
(使马)飞奔,奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 ); 快速做[说]某事 | |
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55 emphatic | |
adj.强调的,着重的;无可置疑的,明显的 | |
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56 scent | |
n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉 | |
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57 wailing | |
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的现在分词 );沱 | |
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58 runaway | |
n.逃走的人,逃亡,亡命者;adj.逃亡的,逃走的 | |
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59 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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