When we said that the firemen returned to their respective stations, it must not be supposed that the house which had been burnt was left in forlorn wretchedness. No; one of the firemen remained to watch over it, and guard against the upstarting of any sneaking1 spark that might have managed to conceal2 itself.
The man selected for this duty was Joe Corney.
Joe Corney was, both by nature and education, very superstitious4. He believed implicitly5 in ghosts, and knew an innumerable host of persons, male and female, who had seen people who said they had seen ghosts. He was too honest to say he had ever seen a ghost himself; but he had been “very near seein’ wan6 two or three times,” and he lived in perpetual expectation and dread7 of meeting one face to face before he died. Joe was as brave as a lion, and faced danger, and sometimes even what appeared to be certain death, with as much unflinching courage as the bravest of his comrades. Once, in particular, he had walked with the branch in his hands along the burning roof of a tottering8 warehouse9, near the docks, in order to gain a point from which he could play on the flames so as to prevent them spreading to the next warehouse, and so check a fire which might have easily become one of the “great fires of London.”
Joe was therefore a man who could not be easily frightened; yet Joe trembled in his shoes when he had the most distant prospect10 of meeting with a ghost!
There was no help for it, however. He had been appointed to watch the ruin; and, being a man who cherished a strong sense of duty, he set himself doggedly11 to make the most of his circumstances.
It was past one o’clock when the fire was finally extinguished. A few night-birds and late revellers still hung about it, as if in the hope that it would burst forth12 again, and afford them fresh excitement; but before two o’clock, everyone had gone away, and Joe was left alone with his “preventer” and lantern. Even the policeman on the beat appeared to avoid him; for, although he passed the ruin at regular intervals13 in his rounds, he did not stop at it beyond a few moments, to see that the fireman’s lantern was burning and all right.
“Corney, me lad,” said Joe to himself, “it’s bad luck has befallen ye this night; but face yer luck like a man now, and shame it.”
Encouraging himself thus, he grasped his preventer, and pulled about the débris in various places of which he had some suspicion; but the engines had done their work so effectually that not a spark remained. Then Joe walked up and down, and in and out for an hour; studied the half-consumed pictures that still hung on the walls of one of the lower rooms, which had not been completely destroyed; moralised on the dire15 confusion and ruin that could be accomplished16 in so short a space of time; reflected on the probable condition of the unfortunates who had been burnt out; on the mutability of human affairs in general, and wondered what his “owld mother” would think of him, if she saw him in his forlorn situation.
This latter thought caused his mind to revert17 to ghosts; but he was comforted by hearing the slow, distant foot-fall of the policeman. On it came, not unlike the supposed step of an unearthly visitant, until the guardian18 of the night stood revealed before him on the other side of the road.
“It’s a cowld night intirely,” cried Corney.
“It is,” responded the policeman.
“How goes the inimy?” inquired the fireman.
“Just gone three,” replied the other.
The policeman’s voice, although gruff, was good-humoured and hearty19; but he was evidently a strict disciplinarian, for he uttered no other word, and passed on.
“Faix, I’m gettin’ slaipy,” remarked Joe to himself, with a loud yawn. “I’ll go and rest a bit.”
So saying, he re-entered the ruin, and with the aid of his lantern sought about for the least uncomfortable apartment on the ground floor. He selected one which was comparatively weather-tight. That is to say, only one of the windows had been dashed out, and the ceiling was entire, with the exception of a hole about four feet wide, through which the charred20 beams above could be seen depicted21 against the black sky. There was about an inch of water on the floor; but this was a small matter, for Joe’s boots were thick and strong. The door, too, had been burst off its hinges, and lay on the floor; but Joe could raise this, and place it in its original position.
The room had been a parlour and there were several damaged prints hanging on the walls, besides a quantity of detached paper hanging from them. Most of the furniture had been removed at the commencement of the fire; but a few broken articles remained, and one big old easy-chair, which had either been forgotten, or deemed unworthy of removal, by the men of the Salvage22 Corps23. (See note 1.)
Joe wheeled the chair to the fireplace—not that there was any fire in it; on the contrary, it was choked up with fallen bricks and mortar24, and the hearth25 was flooded with water; but, as Joe remarked to himself, “it felt more homelike an’ sociable26 to sit wid wan’s feet on the finder!”
Having erected27 the door in front of its own doorway28, Joe leaned his preventer against the wall, placed his lantern on the chimney-piece, and sat down to meditate29. He had not meditated30 long, when the steady draught31 of air from the window at his back began to tell upon him.
“Och! but it’s a cowld wind,” said he. “I’ll try the other side. There’s nothin’ like facin’ wan’s inimies.”
Acting32 on this idea, he changed his position, turning his face to the window and his back to the door.
“Well,” he remarked on sitting down again, “there’s about as much draught from the door; but, sure, ye’ve improved yer sitivation, Corney, for haven’t ye the illigant prospect of over the way through the windy?”
Not long after this, Joe’s mind became much affected33 with ghostly memories. This condition was aggravated34 by an intense desire to sleep, for the poor man had been hard worked that day, and stood much in need of repose35. He frequently fell asleep, and frequently awoke. On falling asleep, his helmet performed extremely undignified gyrations. On awaking, he always started, opened his eyes very wide, looked round inquiringly, then smiled, and resumed a more easy position. But, awake or asleep, his thoughts ran always in the same channel.
During one of those waking moments, Joe heard a sound which rooted him to his seat with horror; and would doubtless have caused his hair to stand on end, if the helmet would have allowed it. The sound was simple enough in itself, however; being slight, slow, and regular, and was only horrible in Joe’s mind, because of his being utterly36 unable to account for it, or to conceive what it could be.
Whatever the sound was, it banished37 sleep from his eyes for at least a quarter of an hour. At last, unable to stand the strain of uncertainty38, he arose, drew his hatchet39, took down his lantern, and, coughing loudly and sternly—as though to say:
“Have a care, I’m coming!”—removed the door and went cautiously into the passage, where the sound appeared to come from. It did not cease on his appearing; but went on slowly and steadily40, and louder than before. It appeared to be at his very elbow; yet Joe could see nothing, and a cold perspiration41 broke out on him.
Just as he said this he did see it, for a turn of his lantern revealed the fact that a drop of water fell regularly from one of the burnt beams upon a large sheet of paper which had been torn from the passage wall. This, resting on the irregular rubbish, formed a sort of drum, which gave forth a hollow sound.
“Ah, then, but ye are a goose, Joe Corney, me boy!” said the fireman, as he turned away with an amiable43 smile and resumed his seat after replacing the door.
About this time the wind began to rise, and came in irregular gusts44. At each gust45 the door was blown from the wall an inch or so, and fell back with a noise that invariably awoke Joe with a start. He looked round each time quickly; but as the door remained quiet he did not discover the cause of his alarm. After it had done this several times Joe became, so to speak, desperately46 courageous47.
“Git out wid ye!” he cried angrily on being startled again, “wasn’t the last wan all a sham14? an’ sure ye’re the same. Go ’long in pace—an’ goodnight!”
As he said this the over-taxed man fell asleep; at the same moment a heavy gust of wind drove the door in altogether, and dashed it down on his head. Fortunately, being somewhat charred, the panel that struck his helmet was driven out, so that Joe came by no greater damage than the fright, which caused his heart to bound into his throat, for he really believed that the ghost had got him at last!
Relieving himself of the door, which he laid on the floor lest it should play him the same prank48 over again, Joe Corney once more settled himself in the easy-chair and resolved to give his mind to meditation49. Just then the City clocks pealed50 forth the hour of four o’clock.
This is perhaps the quietest hour of the twenty-four in London. Before this most of the latest revellers have gone home, and few of the early risers are moving.
There was one active mind at work at that hour, however—namely, that of Gorman—who, after recovering from the blow given him by Dale, went to his own home on the banks of the Thames, in the unaristocratic locality of London Bridge.
Gorman owned a small boat, and did various kinds of business with it. But Gorman’s occupations were numerous and not definite. He was everything by turns, and nothing long. When visible to the outward eye (and that wasn’t often), his chief occupations were loafing about and drinking. On the present occasion he drank a good deal more than usual, and lay down to sleep, vowing51 vengeance52 against firemen in general, and Dale in particular.
Two or three hours later he awoke, and leaving his house, crossed London Bridge, and wended his way back to the scene of the fire without any definite intention, but with savage53 desires in his breast. He reached it just at that point where Joe Corney had seated himself to meditate, as above described.
Joe’s powers of meditation were not great at any time. At that particular time they were exerted in vain, for his head began to sway backward and forward and to either side, despite his best efforts to the contrary.
Waiting in the shadow of a doorway until the policeman should pass out of sight and hearing, and cautiously stepping over the débris that encumbered54 the threshold of the burnt house, Gorman peeped into the room, where the light told him that some one kept watch. Great was his satisfaction and grim his smile when he saw that a stalwart fireman sat there apparently55 asleep. Being only able to see his back, he could not make certain who it was,—but from the bulk of the man and breadth of the shoulders he concluded that it was Dale. Anyhow it was one of his enemies, and that was sufficient, for Gorman’s nature was of that brutal56 kind that he would risk his life any day in order to gratify his vengeance, and it signified little to him which of his enemies fell in his way, so long as it was one of them.
Taking up a brick from the floor, he raised himself to his full height, and dashed it down on the head of the sleeping man. Just at that moment Corney’s nodding head chanced to fall forward, and the brick only hit the comb of his helmet, knocking it over his eyes. Next moment he was grappling with Gorman.
As on previous occasions, Joe’s heart had leaped to his throat, and that the ghost was upon him “at last” he had no manner of doubt; but no sooner did he feel the human arm of Gorman and behold57 his face than his native courage returned with a bound. He gave his antagonist58 a squeeze that nearly crushed his ribs59 together, and at the same time hurled60 him against the opposite wall. But Gorman was powerful and savage. He recovered himself and sprang like a tiger on Joe, who received him in a warm embrace with an Irish yell!
The struggle of the two strong men was for a few moments terrible, but not doubtful, for Joe’s muscles had been brought into splendid training at the gymnastics. He soon forced Gorman down on one knee; but at the same moment a mass of brickwork which had been in a toppling condition, and was probably shaken down by the violence of their movements, fell on the floor above, broke through it, and struck both men to the ground.
Joe lay stunned61 and motionless for a few seconds, for a beam had hit him on the head; but Gorman leaped up and made off a moment or two before the entrance of the policeman, who had run back to the house on hearing Joe’s war-whoop.
It is needless to add that Joe spent the remainder of his vigil that night in an extremely wakeful condition, and that he gave a most graphic62 account of his adventure with the ghosts on his return to the station!
Note 1. The Salvage Corps is a body of men appointed by the insurance offices to save and protect goods at fires, and otherwise to watch over their interests. They wear a uniform and helmets, something like those of the firemen, and generally follow close in their wake—in their own vans—when fires break out.
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1
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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2
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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8
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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warehouse
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| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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revert
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| v.恢复，复归，回到 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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charred
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| v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦 | |
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depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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salvage
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| v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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sociable
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| adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的 | |
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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meditate
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| v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想 | |
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meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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31
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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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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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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aggravated
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| 使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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42
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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44
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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45
gust
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| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
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46
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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47
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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48
prank
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| n.开玩笑，恶作剧；v.装饰；打扮；炫耀自己 | |
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meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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50
pealed
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| v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
vowing
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式） | |
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52
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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53
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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54
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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55
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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56
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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57
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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59
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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60
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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61
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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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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