‘It is as well, perhaps,’ said Saxon, ‘that we gave them the slip, for that young springald might have smelled a rat and played us some ill-turn. Have you chanced to see my silken kerchief?’
‘Not I,’ I answered.
‘Nay4, then, it must have fallen from my bosom5 during our ruffle6. I can ill afford to leave it, for I travel light in such matters. Eight hundred men, quoth the major, and three thousand to follow. Should I meet this same Oglethorpe or Ogilvy when the little business is over, I shall read him a lesson on thinking less of chemistry and more of the need of preserving military precautions. It is well always to be courteous7 to strangers and to give them information, but it is well also that the information should be false.’
‘As his may have been,’ I suggested.
‘Nay, nay, the words came too glibly8 from his tongue. So ho, Chloe, so ho! She is full of oats and would fain gallop9, but it is so plaguy dark that we can scarce see where we are going.’
We had been trotting10 down the broad high-road shimmering12 vaguely13 white in the gloom, with the shadowy trees dancing past us on either side, scarce outlined against the dark background of cloud. We were now coming upon the eastern edge of the great plain, which extends forty miles one way and twenty the other, over the greater part of Wiltshire and past the boundaries of Somersetshire. The main road to the West skirts this wilderness14, but we had agreed to follow a less important track, which would lead us to our goal, though in a more tedious manner. Its insignificance15 would, we hoped, prevent it from being guarded by the King’s horse. We had come to the point where this byroad branches off from the main highway when we heard the clatter17 of horses’ hoofs18 behind us.
‘Here comes some one who is not afraid to gallop,’ I remarked.
‘Halt here in the shadow!’ cried Saxon, in a short, quick whisper. ‘Have your blade loose in the scabbard. He must have a set errand who rides so fast o’ nights.’
Looking down the road we could make out through the darkness a shadowy blur19 which soon resolved itself into man and horse. The rider was well-nigh abreast20 of us before he was aware of our presence, when he pulled up his steed in a strange, awkward fashion, and faced round in our direction.
‘Is Micah Clarke there?’ he said, in a voice which was strangely familiar to my ears.
‘I am Micah Clarke,’ said I.
‘And I am Reuben Lockarby,’ cried our pursuer, in a mock heroic voice. ‘Ah, Micah lad, I’d embrace you were it not that I should assuredly fall out of the saddle if I attempted it, and perchance drag you along. That sudden pull up well-nigh landed me on the roadway. I have been sliding off and clambering on ever since I bade goodbye to Havant. Sure, such a horse for slipping from under one was never bestridden by man.’
‘Good Heavens, Reuben!’ I cried in amazement22, ‘what brings you all this way from home?’
‘The very same cause which brings you, Micah, and also Don Decimo Saxon, late of the Solent, whom methinks I see in the shadow behind you. How fares it, oh illustrious one?’
‘It is you, then, young cock of the woods!’ growled24 Saxon, in no very overjoyed voice.
‘No less a person,’ said Reuben. ‘And now, my gay cavalieros, round with your horses and trot11 on your way, for there is no time to be lost. We ought all to be at Taunton tomorrow.’
‘But, my dear Reuben,’ said I, ‘it cannot be that you are coming with us to join Monmouth. What would your father say? This is no holiday jaunt26, but one that may have a sad and stern ending. At the best, victory can only come through much bloodshed and danger. At the worst, we are as like to wind up upon a scaffold as not.’
‘Forwards, lads, forwards!’ cried he, spurring on his horse, ‘it is all arranged and settled. I am about to offer my august person, together with a sword which I borrowed and a horse which I stole, to his most Protestant highness, James, Duke of Monmouth.’
‘But how comes it all?’ I asked, as we rode on together. ‘It warms my very heart to see you, but you were never concerned either in religion or in politics. Whence, then, this sudden resolution?’
‘Well, truth to tell,’ he replied, ‘I am neither a king’s man nor a duke’s man, nor would I give a button which sat upon the throne. I do not suppose that either one or the other would increase the custom of the Wheatsheaf, or want Reuben Lockarby for a councillor. I am a Micah Clarke man, though, from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet; and if he rides to the wars, may the plague strike me if I don’t stick to his elbow!’ He raised his hand excitedly as he spoke27, and instantly losing his balance, he shot into a dense28 clump29 of bushes by the roadside whence his legs flapped helplessly in the darkness.
‘That makes the tenth,’ said he, scrambling30 out and clambering into his saddle once more. ‘My father used to tell me not to sit a horse too closely. “A gentle rise and fall,” said the old man. Egad, there is more fall than rise, and it is anything but gentle.’
‘Odd’s truth!’ exclaimed Saxon. ‘How in the name of all the saints in the calendar do you expect to keep your seat in the presence of an enemy if you lose it on a peaceful high-road?’
‘I can but try, my illustrious,’ he answered, rearranging his ruffled32 clothing. ‘Perchance the sudden and unexpected character of my movements may disconcert the said enemy.’
‘Well, well, there may be more truth in that than you are aware of,’ quoth Saxon, riding upon Lockarby’s bridle33 arm, so that there was scarce room for him to fall between us. ‘I had sooner fight a man like that young fool at the inn, who knew a little of the use of his weapon, than one like Micah here, or yourself, who know nothing. You can tell what the one is after, but the other will invent a system of his own which will serve his turn for the nonce. Ober-hauptmann Muller was reckoned to be the finest player at the small-sword in the Kaiser’s army, and could for a wager34 snick any button from an opponent’s vest without cutting the cloth. Yet was he slain35 in an encounter with Fahnfuhrer Zollner, who was a cornet in our own Pandour corps36, and who knew as much of the rapier as you do of horsemanship. For the rapier, be it understood, is designed to thrust and not to cut, so that no man wielding37 it ever thinks of guarding a side-stroke. But Zollner, being a long-armed man, smote38 his antagonist39 across the face with his weapon as though it had been a cane40, and then, ere he had time to recover himself, fairly pinked him. Doubtless if the matter were to do again, the Oberhauptmann would have got his thrust in sooner, but as it was, no explanation or excuse could get over the fact that the man was dead.’
‘If want of knowledge maketh a dangerous swordsman,’ quoth Reuben, ‘then am I even more deadly than the unpronounceable gentleman whom you have mentioned. To continue my story, however, which I broke off in order to step down from my horse, I found out early in the morning that ye were gone, and Zachary Palmer was able to tell me whither. I made up my mind, therefore, that I would out into the world also. To this end I borrowed a sword from Solomon Sprent, and my father having gone to Gosport, I helped myself to the best nag41 in his stables — for I have too much respect for the old man to allow one of his flesh and blood to go ill-provided to the wars. All day I have ridden, since early morning, being twice stopped on suspicion of being ill-affected, but having the good luck to get away each time. I knew that I was close at your heels, for I found them searching for you at the Salisbury Inn.’
Decimus whistled. ‘Searching for us?’ said he.
‘Yes. It seems that they had some notion that ye were not what ye professed42 to be, so the inn was surrounded as I passed, but none knew which road ye had taken.’
‘Said I not so?’ cried Saxon. ‘That young viper43 hath stirred up the regiment against us. We must push on, for they may send a party on our track.’
‘We are off the main road now, ‘I remarked; ‘even should they pursue us, they would be unlikely to follow this side track.’
‘Yet it would be wise to show them a clean pair of heels,’ said Saxon, spurring his mare44 into a gallop. Lockarby and I followed his example, and we all three rode swiftly along the rough moorland track.
We passed through scattered46 belts of pinewood, where the wild cat howled and the owl25 screeched47, and across broad stretches of fenland and moor45, where the silence was only broken by the booming cry of the bittern or the fluttering of wild duck far above our heads. The road was in parts overgrown with brambles, and was so deeply rutted and so studded with sharp and dangerous hollows, that our horses came more than once upon their knees. In one place the wooden bridge which led over a stream had broken down, and no attempt had been made to repair it, so that we were compelled to ride our horses girth deep through the torrent48. At first some scattered lights had shown that we were in the neighbourhood of human habitations, but these became fewer as we advanced, until the last died away and we found ourselves upon the desolate49 moor which stretched away in unbroken solitude50 to the shadowy horizon. The moon had broken through the clouds and now shone hazily51 through wreaths of mist, throwing a dim light over the wild scene, and enabling us to keep to the track, which was not fenced in in any way and could scarce be distinguished52 from the plain around it.
We had slackened our pace under the impression that all fear of pursuit was at an end, and Reuben was amazing us by an account of the excitement which had been caused in Havant by our disappearance53, when through the stillness of the night a dull, muffled54 rat-tat-tat struck upon my ear. At the same moment Saxon sprang from his horse and listened intently with sidelong head.
‘Boot and saddle!’ he cried, springing into his seat again. ‘They are after us as sure as fate. A dozen troopers by the sound. We must shake them off, or goodbye to Monmouth.’
‘Give them their heads,’ I answered, and striking spurs into our steeds, we thundered on through the darkness. Covenant55 and Chloe were as fresh as could he wished, and soon settled down into a long springy gallop. Our friend’s horse however, had been travelling all day, and its long-drawn56, laboured breathing showed that it could not hold out for long. Through the clatter of our horses’ hoofs I could still from time to time hear the ominous57 murmur58 from behind us.
‘This will never do, Reuben,’ said I anxiously, as the weary creature stumbled, and the rider came perilously60 near to shooting over its head.
‘The old horse is nearly foundered,’ he answered ruefully. ‘We are off the road now, and the rough ground is too much for her.’
‘Yes, we are off the track,’ cried Saxon over his shoulder — for he led us by a few paces. ‘Bear in mind that the Bluecoats have been on the march all day, so that their horses may also be blown. How in Himmel came they to know which road we took?’
As if in answer to his ejaculation, there rose out of the still night behind us a single, clear, bell-like note, swelling and increasing in volume until it seemed to fill the whole air with its harmony.
‘A bloodhound!’ cried Saxon.
A second sharper, keener note, ending in an unmistakable howl, answered the first.
‘Another of them,’ said he. ‘They have loosed the brutes61 that we saw near the Cathedral. Gad31! we little thought when we peered over the rails at them, a few hours ago, that they would so soon be on our own track. Keep a firm knee and a steady seat, for a slip now would be your last.’
‘Holy mother!’ cried Reuben, ‘I had steeled myself to die in battle — but to be dogsmeat! It is something outside the contract.’
‘They hold them in leash64,’ said Saxon, between his teeth, ‘else they would outstrip65 the horses and be lost in the darkness.
Could we but come on running water we might put them off our track.’
‘My horse cannot hold on at this pace for more than a very few minutes,’ Reuben cried. ‘If I break down, do ye go on, for ye must remember that they are upon your track and not mine. They have found cause for suspicion of the two strangers of the inn, but none of me.’
‘Nay, Reuben, we shall stand or fall together,’ said I sadly, for at every step his horse grew more and more feeble. ‘In this darkness they will make little distinction between persons.’
‘Keep a good heart,’ shouted the old soldier, who was now leading us by twenty yards or more. ‘We can hear them because the wind blows from that way, but it’s odds66 whether they have heard us. Methinks they slacken in their pursuit.’
‘The sound of their horses has indeed grown fainter,’ said I joyfully67.
‘So faint that I can hear it no longer,’ my companion cried.
We reined69 up our panting steeds and strained our ears, but not a sound could we hear save the gentle murmur of the breeze amongst the whin-bushes, and the melancholy70 cry of the night-jar. Behind us the broad rolling plain, half light and half shadow, stretched away to the dim horizon without sign of life or movement. ‘We have either outstripped71 them completely, or else they have given up the chase,’ said I. ‘What ails63 the horses that they should tremble and snort?’
‘My poor beast is nearly done for,’ Reuben remarked, leaning forward and passing his hand down the creature’s reeking72 neck.
‘For all that we cannot rest,’ said Saxon. ‘We may not be out of danger yet. Another mile or two may shake us clear. But I like it not.’
‘Like not what?’
‘These horses and their terrors. The beasts can at times both see and hear more than we, as I could show by divers73 examples drawn from mine own experience on the Danube and in the Palatinate, were the time and place more fitting. Let us on, then, before we rest.’
The weary horses responded bravely to the call, and struggled onwards over the broken ground for a considerable time. At last we were thinking of pulling up in good earnest, and of congratulating ourselves upon having tired out our pursuers, when of a sudden the bell-like baying broke upon our ears far louder than it had been before — so loud, indeed, that it was evident that the dogs were close upon our heels.
‘The accursed hounds!’ cried Saxon, putting spurs to his horse and shooting ahead of us; ‘I feared as much. They have freed them from the leash. There is no escape from the devils, but we can choose the spot where we shall make our stand.’
‘Come on, Reuben,’ I shouted. ‘We have only to reckon with the dogs now. Their masters have let them loose, and turned back for Salisbury.’
‘Pray heaven they break their necks before they get there!’ he cried. ‘They set dogs on us as though we were rats in a cock-pit. Yet they call England a Christian74 country! It’s no use, Micah. Poor Dido can’t stir another step.’
As he spoke, the sharp fierce bay of the hounds rose again, clear and stern on the night air, swelling up from a low hoarse75 growl23 to a high angry yelp76. There seemed to be a ring of exultation77 in their wild cry, as though they knew that their quarry78 was almost run to earth.
‘Not another step!’ said Reuben Lockarby, pulling up and drawing his sword. ‘If I must fight, I shall fight here.’
‘There could be no better place,’ I replied. Two great jagged rocks rose before us, jutting79 abruptly80 out of the ground, and leaving a space of twelve or fifteen feet between them. Through this gap we rode, and I shouted loudly for Saxon to join us. His horse, however, had been steadily81 gaining upon ours, and at the renewed alarm had darted82 off again, so that he was already some hundred yards from us. It was useless to summon him, even could he hear our voices, for the hounds would be upon us before he could return.
‘Never heed83 him,’ I said hurriedly. ‘Do you rein68 your steed behind that rock, and I behind this. They will serve to break the force of the attack. Dismount not, but strike down, and strike hard.’
On either side in the shadow of the rock we waited in silence for our terrible pursuers. Looking back at it, my dear children, I cannot but think that it was a great trial on such young soldiers as Reuben and myself to be put, on the first occasion of drawing our swords, into such a position. For I have found, and others have confirmed my opinion, that of all dangers that a man is called upon to face, that arising from savage84 and determined85 animals is the most unnerving. For with men there is ever the chance that some trait of weakness or of want of courage may give you an advantage over them, but with fierce beasts there is no such hope. We knew that the creatures to whom we were opposed could never be turned from our throats while there was breath in their bodies. One feels in one’s heart, too, that the combat is an unequal one, for your life is precious at least to your friends, while their lives, what are they? All this and a great deal more passed swiftly through our minds as we sat with drawn swords, soothing86 our trembling horses as best we might, and waiting for the coming of the hounds.
Nor had we long to wait. Another long, deep, thunderous bay sounded in our ears, followed by a profound silence, broken only by the quick shivering breathing of the horses. Then suddenly, and noiselessly, a great tawny87 brute62, with its black muzzle88 to the earth, and its overhung cheeks napping on either side, sprang into the band of moonlight between the rocks, and on into the shadow beyond. It never paused or swerved89 for an instant, but pursued its course straight onwards without a glance to right or to left. Close behind it came a second, and behind that a third, all of enormous size, and looking even larger and more terrible than they were in the dim shifting light. Like the first, they took no notice of our presence, but bounded on along the trail left by Decimus Saxon.
The first and second I let pass, for I hardly realised that they so completely overlooked us. When the third, however, sprang out into the moonlight, I drew my right-hand pistol from its holster, and resting its long barrel across my left forearm, I fired at it as it passed. The bullet struck the mark, for the brute gave a fierce howl of rage and pain, but true to the scent90 it never turned or swerved. Lockarby fired also as it disappeared among the brushwood, but with no apparent effect. So swiftly and so noiselessly did the great hounds pass, that they might have been grim silent spirits of the night, the phantom91 dogs of Herne the hunter, but for that one fierce yelp which followed my shot.
‘What brutes!’ my companion ejaculated; ‘what shall we do, Micah?’
‘They have clearly been laid on Saxon’s trail,’ said I. ‘We must follow them up, or they will be too many for him. Can you hear anything of our pursuers?’
‘Nothing.’
‘They have given up the chase, then, and let the dogs loose as a last resource. Doubtless the creatures are trained to return to the town. But we must push on, Reuben, if we are to help our companion.’
‘One more spurt92, then, little Dido,’ cried Reuben; ‘can you muster93 strength for one more? Nay, I have not the heart to put spurs to you. If you can do it, I know you will.’
The brave mare snorted, as though she understood her riders words, and stretched her weary limbs into a gallop. So stoutly94 did she answer the appeal that, though I pressed Covenant to his topmost speed, she was never more than a few strides behind him.
‘He took this direction,’ said I, peering anxiously out into the darkness. ‘He can scarce have gone far, for he spoke of making a stand. Or, perhaps, finding that we are not with him, he may trust to the speed of his horse.’
‘What chance hath a horse of outstripping95 these brutes?’ Reuben answered. ‘They must run him to earth, and he knows it. Hullo! what have we here?’
A dark dim form lay stretched in the moonlight in front of us. It was the dead body of a hound — the one evidently at which I had fired.
‘There is one of them disposed of, ‘I cried joyously96; ‘we have but two to settle with now.’
‘As I spoke we heard the crack of two pistol-shots some little distance to the left. Heading our steeds in that direction, we pressed on at the top of our speed. Presently out of the darkness in front of us there arose such a roaring and a yelping97 as sent the hearts into our mouths. It was not a single cry, such as the hounds had uttered when they were on the scent, but a continuous deep-mouthed uproar98, so fierce and so prolonged, that we could not doubt that they had come to the end of their run.
‘Pray God that they have not got him down!’ cried Reuben, in a faltering99 voice.
The same thought had crossed my own mind, for I have heard a similar though lesser100 din21 come from a pack of otter101 hounds when they had overtaken their prey102 and were tearing it to pieces. Sick at heart, I drew my sword with the determination that, if we were too late to save our companion, we should at least revenge him upon the four-footed fiends. Bursting through a thick belt of scrub and tangled103 gorse bushes, we came upon a scene so unlike what we had expected that we pulled up our horses in astonishment104.
A circular clearing lay in front of us, brightly illuminated105 by the silvery moonshine. In the centre of this rose a giant stone, one of those high dark columns which are found all over the plain, and especially in the parts round Stonehenge. It could not have been less than fifteen feet in height, and had doubtless been originally straight, but wind and weather, or the crumbling106 of the soil, had gradually suffered it to tilt107 over until it inclined at such an angle that an active man might clamber up to the summit. On the top of this ancient stone, cross-legged and motionless, like some strange carved idol108 of former days, sat Decimus Saxon, puffing109 sedately110 at the long pipe which was ever his comfort in moments of difficulty. Beneath him, at the base of the monolith, as our learned men call them, the two great bloodhounds were rearing and springing, clambering over each other’s backs in their frenzied111 and futile112 eagerness to reach the impassive figure perched above them, while they gave vent16 to their rage and disappointment in the hideous113 uproar which had suggested such terrible thoughts to our mind.
We had little time, however, to gaze at this strange scene, for upon our appearance the hounds abandoned their helpless attempts to reach Saxon, and flew, with a fierce snarl114 of satisfaction, at Reuben and myself. One great brute, with flaring115 eyes and yawning mouth, his white fangs116 glistening117 in the moonlight, sprang at my horse’s neck; but I met him fair with a single sweeping118 cut, which shore away his muzzle, and left him wallowing and writhing119 in a pool of blood. Reuben, meanwhile, had spurred his horse forward to meet his assailant; but the poor tired steed flinched120 at the sight of the fierce hound, and pulled up suddenly, with the result that her rider rolled headlong into the very jaws121 of the animal. It might have gone ill with Reuben had he been left to his own resources. At the most he could only have kept the cruel teeth from his throat for a very few moments; but seeing the mischance, I drew my remaining pistol, and springing from my horse, discharged it full into the creature’s flank while it struggled with my friend. With a last yell of rage and pain it brought its fierce jaws together in one wild impotent snap, and then sank slowly over upon its side, while Reuben crawled from beneath it, scared and bruised122, but none the worse otherwise for his perilous59 adventure.
‘I owe you one for that, Micah,’ he said gratefully. ‘I may live to do as much for you.’
‘And I owe ye both one,’ said Saxon, who had scrambled123 down from his place of refuge. ‘I pay my debts, too, whether for good or evil. I might have stayed up there until I had eaten my jack-boots, for all the chance I had of ever getting down again. Sancta Maria! but that was a shrewd blow of yours, Clarke! The brute’s head flew in halves like a rotten pumpkin124. No wonder that they stuck to my track, for I have left both my spare girth and my kerchief behind me, which would serve to put them on Chloe’s scent as well as mine own.’
‘And where is Chloe?’ I asked, wiping my sword.
‘Chloe had to look out for herself. I found the brutes gaining on me, you see, and I let drive at them with my barkers; but with a horse flying at twenty mile an hour, what chance is there for a single slug finding its way home?’ Things looked black then, for I had no time to reload, and the rapier, though the king of weapons in the duello, is scarce strong enough to rely upon on an occasion like this. As luck would have it, just as I was fairly puzzled, what should I come across but this handy stone, which the good priests of old did erect125, as far as I can see, for no other purpose than to provide worthy126 cavalieros with an escape from such ignoble127 and scurvy128 enemies. I had no time to spare in clambering up it, for I had to tear my heel out of the mouth of the foremost of them, and might have been dragged down by it had he not found my spur too tough a morsel129 for his chewing. But surely one of my bullets must have readied its mark.’ Lighting130 the touch-paper in his tobacco-box, he passed it over the body of the hound which had attacked me, and then of the other.
‘Why, this one is riddled131 like a sieve,’ he cried. ‘What do you load your petronels with, good Master Clarke?’
‘With two leaden slugs.’
‘Yet two leaden slugs have made a score of holes at the least! And of all things in this world, here is the neck of a bottle stuck in the brute’s hide!’
‘Good heavens!’ I exclaimed. ‘I remember. My dear mother packed a bottle of Daffy’s elixir132 in the barrel of my pistol.’
‘And you have shot it into the bloodhound!’ roared Reuben. ‘Ho! ho! When they hear that tale at the tap of the Wheatsheaf, there will be some throats dry with laughter. Saved my life by shooting a dog with a bottle of Daffy’s elixir!’
‘And a bullet as well, Reuben, though I dare warrant the gossips will soon contrive133 to leave that detail out. It is a mercy the pistol did not burst. But what do you propose to do now, Master Saxon?’
‘Why, to recover my mare if it can anywise be done,’ said the adventurer.’ Though on this vast moor, in the dark, she will be as difficult to find as a Scotsman’s breeches or a flavourless line in “Hudibras.”’
‘And Reuben Lockarby’s steed can go no further,’ I remarked. ‘But do mine eyes deceive me, or is there a glimmer134 of light over yonder?’
‘A Will-o’-the-wisp,’ said Saxon.
“An ignis fatuus that bewitches,
And leads men into pools and ditches.”
Yet I confess that it burns steady and clear, as though it came from lamp, candle, rushlight, lanthorn, or other human agency.’
‘Where there is light there is life,’ cried Reuben. ‘Let us make for it, and see what chance of shelter we may find there.’
‘It cannot come from our dragoon friends,’ remarked Decimus. ‘A murrain on them! how came they to guess our true character; or was it on the score of some insult to the regiment that that young Fahnfuhrer has set them on our track? If I have him at my sword’s point again, he shall not come off so free. Well, do ye lead your horses, and we shall explore this light, since no better course is open to us.’
Picking our way across the moor, we directed our course for the bright point which twinkled in the distance; and as we advanced we hazarded a thousand conjectures135 as to whence it could come. If it were a human dwelling136, what sort of being could it be who, not content with living in the heart of this wilderness, had chosen a spot so far removed from the ordinary tracks which crossed it? The roadway was miles behind us, and it was probable that no one save those driven by such a necessity as that which had overtaken us would ever find themselves in that desolate region. No hermit137 could have desired an abode138 more completely isolated139 from all communion with his kind.
As we approached we saw that the light did indeed come from a small cottage, which was built in a hollow, so as to be invisible from any quarter save that from which we approached it. In front of this humble140 dwelling a small patch of ground had been cleared of shrub141, and in the centre of this little piece of sward our missing steed stood grazing at her leisure upon the scanty142 herbage. The same light which had attracted us had doubtless caught her eye, and drawn her towards it by hopes of oats and of water. With a grunt143 of satisfaction Saxon resumed possession of his lost property, and leading her by the bridle, approached the door of the solitary144 cottage.
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bugles
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| 妙脆角，一种类似薯片但做成尖角或喇叭状的零食； 号角( bugle的名词复数 )； 喇叭； 匍匐筋骨草； （装饰女服用的）柱状玻璃（或塑料）小珠 | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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ruffle
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| v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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glibly
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| adv.流利地，流畅地；满口 | |
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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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trot
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| 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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12
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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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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15
insignificance
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| n.不重要；无价值；无意义 | |
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16
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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17
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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18
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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19
blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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20
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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21
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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22
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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23
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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24
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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25
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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26
jaunt
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| v.短程旅游；n.游览 | |
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27
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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28
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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29
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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30
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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31
gad
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| n.闲逛；v.闲逛 | |
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32
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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33
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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34
wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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35
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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36
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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37
wielding
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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38
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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39
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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40
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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41
nag
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| v.(对…)不停地唠叨；n.爱唠叨的人 | |
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42
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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43
viper
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| n.毒蛇；危险的人 | |
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44
mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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45
moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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46
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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47
screeched
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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48
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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49
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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50
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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51
hazily
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| ad. vaguely, not clear | |
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52
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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53
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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54
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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55
covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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56
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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57
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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58
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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59
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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60
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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61
brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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62
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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63
ails
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| v.生病( ail的第三人称单数 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳 | |
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64
leash
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| n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住 | |
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65
outstrip
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| v.超过，跑过 | |
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66
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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67
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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68
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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69
reined
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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70
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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71
outstripped
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| v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
reeking
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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73
divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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74
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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75
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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76
yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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77
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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78
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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79
jutting
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| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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80
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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81
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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82
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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83
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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84
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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85
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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86
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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87
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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88
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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89
swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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90
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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91
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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92
spurt
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| v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆 | |
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93
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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94
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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95
outstripping
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| v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的现在分词 ) | |
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96
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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97
yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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98
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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99
faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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100
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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101
otter
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| n.水獭 | |
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102
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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103
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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104
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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105
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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106
crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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107
tilt
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| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
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108
idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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109
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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110
sedately
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| adv.镇静地，安详地 | |
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111
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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112
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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113
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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114
snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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115
flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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116
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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117
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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118
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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119
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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120
flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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121
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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122
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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123
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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124
pumpkin
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| n.南瓜 | |
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125
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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126
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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127
ignoble
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| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
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128
scurvy
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| adj.下流的，卑鄙的，无礼的；n.坏血病 | |
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129
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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130
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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131
riddled
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| adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式) | |
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132
elixir
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| n.长生不老药，万能药 | |
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133
contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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134
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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135
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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136
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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137
hermit
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| n.隐士，修道者；隐居 | |
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138
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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139
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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140
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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141
shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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142
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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143
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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144
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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