The canoe—Ascending1 the rapids—The portage—Deer-shooting, and life in the woods.
We must now beg the patient reader to take a leap with us, not only through space, but also through time. We must pass over the events of the remainder of the journey along the shore of Lake Winnipeg. Unwilling2 though we are to omit anything in the history of our friends that would be likely to prove interesting, we think it wise not to run the risk of being tedious, or of dwelling3 too minutely on the details of scenes which recall powerfully the feelings and memories of bygone days to the writer, but may nevertheless appear somewhat flat to the reader.
We shall not, therefore, enlarge at present on the arrival of the boats at Norway House, which lies at the north end of the lake, nor on what was said and done by our friends and by several other young comrades whom they found there. We shall not speak of the horror of Harry5 Somerville, and the extreme disappointment of his friend Charley Kennedy, when the former was told that, instead of hunting grizzly6 bears up the Saskatchewan, he was condemned7 to the desk again at York Fort, the depot8 on Hudson’s Bay—a low, swampy9 place near the seashore, where the goods for the interior are annually10 landed and the furs shipped for England, where the greater part of the summer and much of the winter is occupied by the clerks who may be doomed11 to vegetate12 there in making up the accounts of what is termed the Northern Department, and where the brigades converge13 from all the wide-scattered14 and far-distant outposts, and the ship from England—that great event of the year—arrives, keeping the place in a state of constant bustle15 and effervescence until autumn, when ship and brigades finally depart, leaving the residents (about thirty in number) shut up for eight long, dreary16 months of winter, with a tenantless17 wilderness18 around and behind them, and the wide, cold, frozen sea before. This was among the first of Harry’s disappointments. He suffered many afterwards, poor fellow!
Neither shall we accompany Charley up the south branch of the Saskatchewan, where his utmost expectations in the way of hunting were more than realised, and where he became so accustomed to shooting ducks and geese, and bears and buffaloes19, that he could not forbear smiling when he chanced to meet with a red-legged gull20, and remembered how he and his friend Harry had comported21 themselves when they first met with these birds on the shores of Lake Winnipeg! We shall pass over all this, and the summer, autumn, and winter too, and leap at once into the spring of the following year.
On a very bright, cheery morning of that spring, a canoe might have been seen slowly ascending one of the numerous streams which meander22 through a richly-wooded, fertile country, and mingle23 their waters with those of the Athabasca River, terminating their united career in a large lake of the same name. The canoe was small—one of the kind used by the natives while engaged in hunting, and capable of holding only two persons conveniently, with their baggage. To any one unacquainted with the nature or capabilities24 of a northern Indian canoe, the fragile, bright orange-coloured machine that was battling with the strong current of a rapid must indeed have appeared an unsafe and insignificant25 craft; but a more careful study of its performances in the rapid, and of the immense quantity of miscellaneous goods and chattels26 which were, at a later period of the day, disgorged from its interior, would have convinced the beholder28 that it was in truth the most convenient and serviceable craft that could be devised for the exigencies29 of such a country.
True, it could only hold two men (it might have taken three at a pinch), because men, and women too, are awkward, unyielding baggage, very difficult to stow compactly; but it is otherwise with tractable30 goods. The canoe is exceedingly thin, so that no space is taken up or rendered useless by its own structure, and there is no end to the amount of blankets, and furs, and coats, and paddles, and tent-covers, and dogs, and babies, that can be stowed away in its capacious interior. The canoe of which we are now writing contained two persons, whose active figures were thrown alternately into every graceful31 attitude of manly32 vigour33, as with poles in hand they struggled to force their light craft against the boiling stream. One was a man apparently34 of about forty-five years of age. He was a square-shouldered, muscular man, and from the ruggedness35 of his general appearance, the soiled hunting-shirt that was strapped36 round his waist with a parti-coloured worsted belt, the leather leggings, a good deal the worse for wear, together with the quiet, self-possessed glance of his grey eye, the compressed lip and sunburned brow, it was evident that he was a hunter, and one who had seen rough work in his day. The expression of his face was pleasing, despite a look of habitual37 severity which sat upon it, and a deep scar which traversed his brow from the right temple to the top of his nose. It was difficult to tell to what country he belonged. His father was a Canadian, his mother a Scotchwoman. He was born in Canada, brought up in one of the Yankee settlements on the Missouri, and had, from a mere38 youth, spent his life as a hunter in the wilderness. He could speak English, French, or Indian with equal ease and fluency39, but it would have been hard for any one to say which of the three was his native tongue. The younger man, who occupied the stern of the canoe, acting40 the part of steersman, was quite a youth, apparently about seventeen, but tall and stout41 beyond his years, and deeply sunburned. Indeed, were it not for this fact, the unusual quantity of hair that hung in massive curls down his neck, and the voyageur costume, we should have recognised our young friend Charley Kennedy again more easily. Had any doubts remained in our mind, the shout of his merry voice would have scattered them at once.
“Hold hard, Jacques!” he cried, as the canoe trembled in the current; “one moment, till I get my pole fixed42 behind this rock. Now then, shove ahead. Ah!” he exclaimed, with chagrin43, as the pole slipped on the treacherous44 bottom and the canoe whirled round.
“Mind the rock,” cried the bowsman, giving an energetic thrust with his pole, that sent the light bark into an eddy45 formed by a large rock which rose above the turbulent waters. Here it rested while Jacques and Charley raised themselves on their knees (travellers in small canoes always sit in a kneeling position) to survey the rapid.
“It’s too much for us, I fear, Mr Charles,” said Jacques, shading his brow with his horny hand. “I’ve paddled up it many a time alone, but never saw the water so big as now.”
“Humph! we shall have to make a portage, then, I presume. Could we not give it one trial more? I think we might make a dash for the tail of that eddy, and then the stream above seems not quite so strong. Do you think so, Jacques?”
Jacques was not the man to check a daring young spirit. His motto through life had ever been, “Never venture, never win,”—a sentiment which his intercourse46 among fur-traders had taught him to embody47 in the pithy48 expression, “Never say die;” so that, although quite satisfied that the thing was impossible, he merely replied to his companion’s speech by an assenting49 “Ho,” and pushed out again into the stream. An energetic effort enabled them to gain the tail of the eddy spoken of, when Charley’s pole snapped across, and falling heavily on the gunwale, he would have upset the little craft, had not Jacques, whose wits were habitually51 on the qui vive, thrown his own weight at the same moment on the opposite side, and counterbalanced Charley’s slip. The action saved them a ducking; but the canoe, being left to its own devices for an instant, whirled off again into the stream, and before Charley could seize a paddle to prevent it, they were floating in the still water at the foot of the rapids.
“Now, isn’t that a bore?” said Charley, with a comical look of disappointment at his companion.
Jacques laughed.
“It was well to try, master. I mind a young clerk who came into these parts the same year as I did, and he seldom tried anything. He couldn’t abide52 canoes. He didn’t want for courage neither; but he had a nat’ral dislike to them, I suppose, that he couldn’t help, and never entered one except when he was obliged to do so. Well, one day he wounded a grizzly bear on the banks o’ the Saskatchewan (mind the tail o’ that rapid, Mr Charles; we’ll land t’other side o’ yon rock). Well, the bear made after him, and he cut stick right away for the river, where there was a canoe hauled up on the bank. He didn’t take time to put his rifle aboard, but dropped it on the gravel53, crammed54 the canoe into the water and jumped in, almost driving his feet through its bottom as he did so, and then plumped down so suddenly, to prevent its capsizing, that he split it right across. By this time the bear was at his heels, and took the water like a duck. The poor clerk, in his hurry, swayed from side to side tryin’ to prevent the canoe goin’ over. But when he went to one side, he was so unused to it that he went too far, and had to jerk over to the other pretty sharp; and so he got worse and worse, until he heard the bear give a great snort beside him. Then he grabbed the paddle in desperation, but at the first dash he missed his stroke, and over he went. The current was pretty strong at the place, which was lucky for him, for it kept him down a bit, so that the bear didn’t observe him for a little; and while it was pokin’ away at the canoe, he was carried downstream like a log and stranded55 on a shallow. Jumping up, he made tracks for the wood, and the bear (which had found out its mistake) after him; so he was obliged at last to take to a tree, where the beast watched him for a day and a night, till his friends, thinking that something must be wrong, sent out to look for him. (Steady, now, Mr Charles; a little more to the right. That’s it.) Now, if that young man had only ventured boldly into small canoes when he got the chance, he might have laughed at the grizzly and killed him too.”
As Jacques finished, the canoe glided56 into a quiet bay formed by an eddy of the rapid, where the still water was overhung by dense57 foliage58.
“Is the portage a long one?” asked Charley, as he stepped out on the bank, and helped to unload the canoe.
“About half a mile,” replied his companion. “We might make it shorter by poling up the last rapid; but it’s stiff work, Mr Charles, and we’ll do the thing quicker and easier at one lift.”
The two travellers now proceeded to make a portage. They prepared to carry their canoe and baggage overland, so as to avoid a succession of rapids and waterfalls which intercepted59 their further progress.
“Now, Jacques, up with it,” said Charley, after the loading had been taken out and placed on the grassy60 bank.
The hunter stooped, and seizing the canoe by its centre bar, lifted it out of the water, placed it on his shoulders, and walked off with it into the woods. This was not accomplished61 by the man’s superior strength. Charley could have done it quite as well; and, indeed, the strong hunter could have carried a canoe of twice the size with perfect ease. Immediately afterwards Charley followed with as much of the lading as he could carry, leaving enough on the bank to form another load.
The banks of the river were steep—in some places so much so that Jacques found it a matter of no small difficulty to climb over the broken rocks with the unwieldy canoe on his back; the more so that the branches interlaced overhead so thickly as to present a strong barrier, through which the canoe had to be forced, at the risk of damaging its delicate bark covering. On reaching the comparatively level land above, however, there was more open space, and the hunter threaded his way among the tree stems more rapidly, making a détour occasionally to avoid a swamp or piece of broken ground; sometimes descending62 a deep gorge27 formed by a small tributary63 of the stream they were ascending, and which, to an unpractised eye, would have appeared almost impassable, even without the encumbrance64 of a canoe. But the said canoe never bore Jacques more gallantly65 or safely over the surges of lake or stream than did he bear it through the intricate mazes66 of the forest; now diving down and disappearing altogether in the umbrageous67 foliage of a dell; anon reappearing on the other side and scrambling68 up the bank on all-fours, he and the canoe together looking like some frightful69 yellow reptile70 of antediluvian71 proportions; and then speeding rapidly forward over a level plain until he reached a sheet of still water above the rapids. Here he deposited his burden on the grass, and halting only for a few seconds to carry a few drops of the clear water to his lips, retraced72 his steps to bring over the remainder of the baggage. Soon afterwards Charley made his appearance on the spot where the canoe was left, and throwing down his load, seated himself on it and surveyed the prospect73. Before him lay a reach of the stream, which spread out so widely as to resemble a small lake, in whose clear, still bosom74 were reflected the overhanging foliage of graceful willows75, and here and there the bright stem of a silver birch, whose light-green leaves contrasted well with scattered groups and solitary76 specimens77 of the spruce fir. Reeds and sedges grew in the water along the banks, rendering78 the junction79 of the land and the stream uncertain and confused. All this and a great deal more Charley noted80 at a glance; for the hundreds of beautiful and interesting objects in nature that take so long to describe even partially81, and are feebly set forth82 after all even by the most graphic83 language, flash upon the eye in all their force and beauty, and are drunk in at once in a single glance.
But Charley noted several objects floating on the water which we have not yet mentioned. These were five grey geese feeding among the reeds at a considerable distance off, and all unconscious of the presence of a human foe84 in their remote domains85. The travellers had trusted very much to their guns and nets for food, having only a small quantity of pemmican in reserve, lest these should fail—an event which was not at all likely, as the country through which they passed was teeming86 with wild-fowl of all kinds, besides deer. These latter, however, were only shot when they came inadvertently within rifle-range, as our voyageurs had a definite object in view, and could not afford to devote much of their time to the chase.
During the day previous to that on which we have introduced them to our readers, Charley and his companion had been so much occupied in navigating87 their frail88 bark among a succession of rapids, that they had not attended to the replenishing of their larder89, so that the geese which now showed themselves were looked upon by Charley with a longing90 eye. Unfortunately they were feeding on the opposite side of the river, and out of shot. But Charley was a hunter now, and knew how to overcome slight difficulties. He first cut down a pretty large and leafy branch of a tree, and placed it in the bow of the canoe in such a way as to hang down before it and form a perfect screen, through the interstices of which he could see the geese, while they could only see, what was to them no novelty, the branch of a tree floating down the stream. Having gently launched the canoe, Charley was soon close to the unsuspecting birds, from among which he selected one that appeared to be unusually complacent91 and self-satisfied, concluding at once, with an amount of wisdom that bespoke92 him a true philosopher, that such must as a matter of course be the fattest.
“Bang” went the gun, and immediately the sleek93 goose turned round upon its back and stretched out its feet towards the sky, waving them once or twice as if bidding adieu to its friend. The others thereupon took to flight, with such a deal of sputter94 and noise as made it quite apparent that their astonishment95 was unfeigned. Bang went the gun again, and down fell a second goose.
“Ha!” exclaimed Jacques, throwing down the remainder of the cargo96 as Charley landed with his booty, “that’s well. I was just thinking as I comed across that we should have to take to pemmican to-night.”
“Well, Jacques, and if we had, I’m sure an old hunter like you, who have roughed it so often, need not complain,” said Charley, smiling.
“As to that, master,” replied Jacques, “I’ve roughed it often enough; and when it does come to a clear fix, I can eat my shoes without grumblin’ as well as any man. But, you see, fresh meat is better than dried meat when it’s to be had; and so I’m glad to see that you’ve been lucky, Mr Charles.”
“To say truth, so am I; and these fellows are delightfully97 plump. But you spoke50 of eating your shoes, Jacques; when were you reduced to that direful extremity98?”
Jacques finished reloading the canoe while they conversed99, and the two were seated in their places, and quietly but swiftly ascending the stream again, ere the hunter replied.
“You’ve heerd of Sir John Franklin, I s’pose?” he inquired, after a minute’s consideration.
“Yes, often.”
“An’ p’r’aps you’ve heerd tell of his first trip of discovery along the shores of the Polar Sea?”
“Do you refer to the time when he was nearly starved to death, and when poor Hood100 was shot by the Indian?”
“The same,” said Jacques.
“Oh yes; I know all about that. Were you with them?” inquired Charley, in great surprise.
“Why, no—not exactly on the trip; but I was sent in winter with provisions to them—and much need they had of them, poor fellows! I found them tearing away at some old parchment skins that had lain under the snow all winter, and that an Injin’s dog would ha’ turned up his nose at—and they don’t turn up their snouts at many things, I can tell ye. Well, after we had left all our provisions with them, we started for the fort again, just keepin’ as much as would drive off starvation; for, you see, we thought that surely we would git something on the road. But neither hoof101 nor feather did we see all the way (I was travellin’ with an Injin), and our grub was soon done, though we saved it up, and only took a mouthful or two the last three days. At last it was done, and we was pretty well used up, and the fort two days ahead of us. So says I to my comrade—who had been looking at me for some time as if he thought that a cut off my shoulder wouldn’t be a bad thing—says I, ‘Nipitabo, I’m afeard the shoes must go for it now;’ so with that I pulls out a pair o’ deerskin moccasins. ‘They looks tender,’ said I, trying to be cheerful. ‘Wah!’ said the Injin; and then I held them over the fire till they was done black, and Nipitabo ate one, and I ate the tother, with a lump o’ snow to wash it down!”
“It must have been rather dry eating,” said Charley, laughing.
“Rayther; but it was better than the Injin’s leather breeches, which we took in hand next day. They was uncommon102 tough, and very dirty, havin’ been worn about a year and a half. Hows’ever, they kept us up; an’ as we only ate the legs, he had the benefit o’ the stump103 to arrive with at the fort next day.”
“What’s yon ahead?” exclaimed Charley, pausing as he spoke, and shading his eyes with his hand.
“It’s uncommon like trees,” said Jacques. “It’s likely a tree that’s been tumbled across the river; and from its appearance, I think we’ll have to cut through it.”
“Cut through it!” exclaimed Charley; “if my sight is worth a gun-flint, we’ll have to cut through a dozen trees.”
Charley was right. The river ahead of them became rapidly narrower; and, either from the looseness of the surrounding soil or the passing of a whirlwind, dozens of trees had been upset, and lay right across the narrow stream in terrible confusion. What made the thing worse was that the banks on either side, which were low and flat, were covered with such a dense thicket104 down to the water’s edge, that the idea of making a portage to overcome the barrier seemed altogether hopeless.
“Here’s a pretty business, to be sure!” cried Charley, in great disgust.
“Never say die, Mister Charles,” replied Jacques, taking up the axe105 from the bottom of the canoe; “it’s quite clear that cuttin’ through the trees is easier than cuttin’ through the bushes, so here goes.”
For fully4 three hours the travellers were engaged in cutting their way up the encumbered106 stream, during which time they did not advance three miles; and it was evening ere they broke down the last barrier and paddled out into a sheet of clear water again.
“That’ll prepare us for the geese, Jacques,” said Charley, as he wiped the perspiration107 from his brow; “there’s nothing like warm work for whetting108 the appetite and making one sleep soundly.”
“That’s true,” replied the hunter, resuming his paddle. “I often wonder how them white-faced fellows in the settlements manage to keep body and soul together—a-sittin’, as they do, all day in the house, and a-lyin’ all night in a feather bed. For my part, rather than live as they do, I would cut my way up streams like them we’ve just passed every day and all day, and sleep on top of a flat rock o’ nights, under the blue sky, all my life through.”
With this decided109 expression of his sentiments, the stout hunter steered110 the canoe up alongside of a huge, flat rock, as if he were bent111 on giving a practical illustration of the latter part of his speech then and there.
“We’d better camp now, Mister Charles; there’s a portage o’ two miles here, and it’ll take us till sundown to get the canoe and things over.”
“Be it so,” said Charley, landing. “Is there a good place at the other end to camp on?”
“First-rate. It’s smooth as a blanket on the turf, and a clear spring bubbling at the root of a wide tree that would keep off the rain if it was to come down like waterspouts.”
The spot on which the travellers encamped that evening overlooked one of those scenes in which vast extent, and rich, soft variety of natural objects, were united with much that was grand and savage112. It filled the mind with the calm satisfaction that is experienced when one gazes on the wide lawns studded with noble trees; the spreading fields of waving grain that mingle with stream and copse, rock and dell, vineyard and garden, of the cultivated lands of civilised men: while it produced that exulting113 throb114 of freedom which stirs man’s heart to its centre, when he casts a first glance over miles and miles of broad lands that are yet unowned, unclaimed; that yet lie in the unmutilated beauty with which the beneficent Creator originally clothed them—far away from the well-known scenes of man’s chequered history; entirely115 devoid116 of those ancient monuments of man’s power and skill that carry the mind back with feelings of awe117 to bygone ages, yet stamped with evidences of an antiquity118 more ancient still, in the wild primeval forests, and the noble trees that have sprouted119, and spread, and towered in their strength for centuries—trees that have fallen at their posts, while others took their place, and rose and fell as they did, like long-lived sentinels whose duty it was to keep perpetual guard over the vast solitudes120 of the great American Wilderness.
The fire was lighted, and the canoe turned bottom up in front of it, under the branches of a spreading tree that stood on an eminence121, whence was obtained a bird’s-eye view of the noble scene. It was a flat valley, on either side of which rose two ranges of hills, which were clothed to the top with trees of various kinds, the plain of the valley itself being dotted with clumps122 of wood, among which the fresh green foliage of the plane tree and the silver-stemmed birch were conspicuous123, giving an airy lightness to the scene and enhancing the picturesque124 effect of the dark pines. A small stream could be traced winding125 out and in among clumps of willows, reflecting their drooping126 boughs127 and the more sombre branches of the spruce fir and the straight larch128, with which in many places its banks were shaded. Here and there were stretches of clearer ground, where the green herbage of spring gave to it a lawn-like appearance, and the whole magnificent scene was bounded by blue hills that became fainter as they receded129 from the eye and mingled130 at last with the horizon. The sun had just set, and a rich glow of red bathed the whole scene, which was further enlivened by flocks of wild-fowls and herds132 of reindeer133.
These last soon drew Charley’s attention from the contemplation of the scenery, and observing a deer feeding in an open space, towards which he could approach without coming between it and the wind, he ran for his gun and hurried into the woods, while Jacques busied himself in arranging their blankets under the upturned canoe, and in preparing supper.
Charley discovered, soon after starting, what all hunters discover sooner or later—namely, that appearances are deceitful; for he no sooner reached the foot of the hill than he found, between him and the lawn-like country, an almost impenetrable thicket of underwood. Our young hero, however, was of that disposition134 which sticks at nothing, and instead of taking time to search for an opening, he took a race and sprang into the middle of it, in hopes of forcing his way through. His hopes were not disappointed. He got through—quite through—and alighted up to the armpits in a swamp, to the infinite consternation135 of a flock of teal ducks that were slumbering136 peacefully there with their heads under their wings, and had evidently gone to bed for the night. Fortunately he held his gun above the water and kept his balance, so that he was able to proceed with a dry charge, though with an uncommonly137 wet skin. Half an hour brought Charley within range, and watching patiently until the animal presented his side towards the place of his concealment138, he fired and shot it through the heart.
“Well done, Mister Charles,” exclaimed Jacques, as the former staggered into camp with the reindeer on his shoulders. “A fat doe, too.”
“Ay,” said Charley; “but she has cost me a wet skin. So pray, Jacques, rouse up the fire, and let’s have supper as soon as you can.”
Jacques speedily skinned the deer, cut a couple of steaks from its flank, and placing them on wooden spikes139, stuck them up to roast, while his young friend put on a dry shirt, and hung his coat before the blaze. The goose which had been shot earlier in the day was also plucked, split open, impaled140 in the same manner as the steaks, and set up to roast. By this time the shadows of night had deepened, and ere long all was shrouded141 in gloom, except the circle of ruddy light around the camp fire, in the centre of which Jacques and Charley sat, with the canoe at their backs, knives in their hands, and the two spits, on the top of which smoked their ample supper, planted in the ground before them.
One by one the stars went out, until none were visible except the bright, beautiful morning star, as it rose higher and higher in the eastern sky. One by one the owls131 and the wolves, ill-omened birds and beasts of night, retired142 to rest in the dark recesses143 of the forest. Little by little the grey dawn overspread the sky, and paled the lustre144 of the morning star, until it faded away altogether; and then Jacques awoke with a start, and throwing out his arm, brought it accidentally into violent contact with Charley’s nose.
This caused Charley to awake, not only with a start, but also with a roar, which brought them both suddenly into a sitting posture145, in which they continued for some time in a state between sleeping and waking, their faces meanwhile expressive146 of mingled imbecility and extreme surprise. Bursting into a simultaneous laugh, which degenerated147 into a loud yawn, they sprang up, launched and reloaded their canoe, and resumed their journey.
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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depot
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| n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站 | |
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swampy
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| adj.沼泽的，湿地的 | |
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annually
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| adv.一年一次，每年 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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vegetate
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| v.无所事事地过活 | |
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converge
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| vi.会合；聚集，集中；(思想、观点等)趋近 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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tenantless
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| adj.无人租赁的，无人居住的 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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gull
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| n.鸥；受骗的人；v.欺诈 | |
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comported
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| v.表现( comport的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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meander
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| n.河流的曲折，漫步，迂回旅行；v.缓慢而弯曲地流动，漫谈 | |
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mingle
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| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
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24
capabilities
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| n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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chattels
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| n.动产，奴隶( chattel的名词复数 ) | |
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27
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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28
beholder
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| n.观看者，旁观者 | |
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29
exigencies
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| n.急切需要 | |
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30
tractable
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| adj.易驾驭的；温顺的 | |
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31
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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32
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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33
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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34
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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35
ruggedness
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| 险峻，粗野； 耐久性； 坚固性 | |
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36
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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37
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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38
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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39
fluency
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| n.流畅，雄辩，善辩 | |
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40
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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42
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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43
chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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44
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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45
eddy
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| n.漩涡，涡流 | |
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46
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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47
embody
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| vt.具体表达，使具体化；包含，收录 | |
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48
pithy
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| adj.(讲话或文章)简练的 | |
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49
assenting
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| 同意，赞成( assent的现在分词 ) | |
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50
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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51
habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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52
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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53
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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54
crammed
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| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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55
stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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56
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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57
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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58
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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59
intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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60
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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61
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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62
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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63
tributary
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| n.支流；纳贡国；adj.附庸的；辅助的；支流的 | |
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64
encumbrance
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| n.妨碍物，累赘 | |
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65
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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66
mazes
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| 迷宫( maze的名词复数 )； 纷繁复杂的规则； 复杂难懂的细节； 迷宫图 | |
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67
umbrageous
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| adj.多荫的 | |
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68
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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69
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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70
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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71
antediluvian
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| adj.史前的，陈旧的 | |
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72
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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73
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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74
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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75
willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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76
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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77
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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78
rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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79
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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80
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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81
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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82
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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83
graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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84
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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85
domains
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| n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产 | |
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86
teeming
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| adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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87
navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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88
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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89
larder
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| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
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90
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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91
complacent
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| adj.自满的；自鸣得意的 | |
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92
bespoke
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| adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求 | |
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93
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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94
sputter
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| n.喷溅声；v.喷溅 | |
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95
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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96
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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97
delightfully
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| 大喜，欣然 | |
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98
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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99
conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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100
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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101
hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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102
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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103
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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104
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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105
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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106
encumbered
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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108
whetting
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| v.（在石头上）磨（刀、斧等）( whet的现在分词 )；引起，刺激（食欲、欲望、兴趣等） | |
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109
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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110
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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111
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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112
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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113
exulting
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| vi. 欢欣鼓舞，狂喜 | |
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114
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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115
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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116
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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117
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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118
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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119
sprouted
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| v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
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120
solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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121
eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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122
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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123
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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124
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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125
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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126
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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127
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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128
larch
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| n.落叶松 | |
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129
receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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130
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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131
owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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132
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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133
reindeer
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| n.驯鹿 | |
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134
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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135
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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136
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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137
uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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138
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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139
spikes
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| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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140
impaled
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| 钉在尖桩上( impale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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141
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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142
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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143
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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144
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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145
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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146
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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degenerated
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| 衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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