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Chapter 42
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The Fight Among the Fern-trees.

Then Desborough cried aloud to ride at them, and spare no man. And, as he spoke1, every golden fernbough, and every coigne of vantage among the rocks, began to blaze and crackle with gun and pistol shot. Jim’s horse sprung aloft and fell, hurling2 him forcibly to the ground, and a tall young trooper, dropping his carbine, rolled heavily off his saddle, and lay on the grass face downward, quite still, as if asleep.

“There’s the first man killed,” said the Major, very quietly. “Sam, my boy, don’t get excited, but close on the first fellow you see a chance at.” And Sam, looking in his father’s face as he spoke, saw a light in his eyes, that he had never seen there before — the light of battle. The Major caught a carbine from the hands of a trooper who rode beside him, and took a snap shot, quick as lightning, at a man whom they saw running from one cover to another. The poor wretch3 staggered and put his hands to his head, then stumbled and fell heavily down.

Now the fight became general and confused. All about among the fern and the flowers, among the lemanshrubs, and the tangled5 vines, men fought, and fired, and struck, and cursed; while the little brown bandiroots scudded6 swiftly away, and the deadly snake hid himself in his darkest lair7, affrighted. Shots were cracking on all sides, two riderless horses, confused in the MELEE8, were galloping9 about neighing, and a third lay squealing10 on the ground in the agonies of death.

Sam saw a man fire at his father, whose horse went down, while the Major arose unhurt. He rode at the ruffian, who was dismounted, and cut him so deep between the shoulder and the neck, that he fell and never spoke again. Then seeing Halbert and the Doctor on the right, fiercely engaged with four men who were fighting with clubbed muskets11 and knives, he turned to help them, but ere he reached them, a tall, handsome young fellow dashed out of the shrub4, and pulling his horse short up, took deliberate aim at him, and fired.

Sam heard the bullet go hissing12 past his ear, and got mad. “That young dog shall go down,” said he. “I know him. He is the one who rode first yesterday.” And as this passed through his mind, he rode straight at him, with his sword hand upon his left shoulder. He came full against him in a moment, and as the man held up his gun to guard himself, his cut descended13, so full and hard that it shore through the gunbarrel as through a stick, and ere he could bring his hand to his cheek, his opponent had grappled him, and the two rolled off their horses together, locked in a deadly embrace.

Then began an awful and deadly fight between these two young fellows. Sam’s sword had gone from his hand in the fall, and he was defenceless, save by such splendid physical powers as he had by nature. But his adversary14, though perhaps a little lighter15, was a terrible enemy, and fought with the strength and litheness16 of a leopard17. He had his hand at Sam’s throat, and was trying to choke him. Sam saw that one great effort was necessary, and with a heave of his whole body, threw the other beneath him, and struck downwards18, three quick blows, with the whole strength of his ponderous19 fist, on the face of the man, as he lay beneath him. The hold on his throat loosened, and seeing that they had rolled within reach of his sword, in a moment he had clutched it, and drawing back his elbow, prepared to plunge20 it in his adversary’s chest.

But he hesitated. He could not do it. Maddened as he was with fighting, the sight of that bloody21 face, bruised22 beyond recognition by his terrible blows, and the wild fierce eyes, full of rage and terror, looking into his own, stayed his hand, and while he paused the man spoke, thick and indistinctly, for his jaw23 was broken.

“If you will spare me,” he said, “I will be King’s evidence.”

“Then turn on your face,” said Sam; “and I will tie you up.”

And as he spoke a trooper ran up, and secured the prisoner, who appealed to Sam for his handkerchief. “I fought you fair,” he said; “and you’re a man worth fighting. But you have broken something in my face with your fist. Give me something to tie it up with?”

“God save us all!” said Sam, giving him his handkerchief. “This is miserable24 work! I hope it is all over.”

It seemed so. All he heard were the fearful screams of a wounded man lying somewhere among the fern.

“Where are they all, Jackson?” said he.

“All away to the right, sir,” said the trooper. “One of my comrades is killed, your father has had his horse shot, the Doctor is hit in the arm, and Mr. James Brentwood has got his leg broke with the fall of his horse. They are minding him now. We’ve got all the gang, alive or dead, except two. Captain Desborough is up the valley now after the head man, and young Mr. Hawker is with him. D— n it all! hark to that.”

Two shots were fired in quick succession in the direction indicated; and Sam having caught his horse, gallopped off to see what was going on.

Desborough fought neither against small nor great, but only against one man, and he was George Hawker. Him he had sworn he would bring home, dead or alive. When he and his party had first broken through the fern, he had caught sight of his quarry25, and had instantly made towards him, as quick as the broken, scrub-tangled ground would allow.

They knew one another; and, as soon as Hawker saw that he was recognised, he made to the left, away from the rest of his gang, trying to reach, as Desborough could plainly see, the only practicable way that led from the amphitheatre in which they were back into the mountains.

They fired at one another without effect at the first. Hawker was now pushing in full flight, though the scrub was so dense26 that neither made much way. Now the ground got more open and easier travelled, when Desborough was aware of one who came charging recklessly up alongside of him, and, looking round, he recognised Charles Hawker.

“Good lad,” he said; “come on. I must have that fellow before us there. He is the arch-devil of the lot. If we follow him to h-ll, we must have him!”

“We’ll have him, safe enough!” said Charles. “Push to the left, Captain, and we shall get him against those fallen rocks.”

Desborough saw the excellence27 of this advice. This was the last piece of broken ground there was. On the right the cliff rose precipitous, and from its side had tumbled a confused heap of broken rock, running out into the glen. Once past this, the man they were pursuing would have the advantage, for he was splendidly mounted, and beyond was clear galloping ground. As it was, he was in a recess28, and Desborough and Charles, pushing forward, succeeded in bringing him to bay. Alas29, too well!

George Hawker reined30 up his horse when he saw escape was impossible, and awaited their coming with a double-barrelled pistol in his hand. As the other two came on, calling on him to surrender, Desborough’s horse received a bullet in his chest, and down went horse and man together. But Charles pushed on till he was within twenty yards of the bushranger, and levelled his pistol to fire.

So met father and son the second time in their lives, all unconsciously. For an instant they glared on one another with wild threatening eyes, as the father made his aim more certain and deadly. Was there no lightning in heaven to strike him dead, and save him from this last horrid31 crime? Was there no warning voice to tell him that this was his son?

None. The bullet sped, and the poor boy tumbled from his saddle, clutching wildly, with crooked32, convulsive fingers at the grass and flowers — shot through the the chest!

Then, ere Desborough had disentangled himself from his fallen horse, George Hawker rode off laughing — out through the upper rock walls into the presence of the broad bald snow-line that rolled above his head in endless lofty tiers towards the sky.

Desborough arose, swearing and stamping; but, ere he could pick up his cap, Sam was alongside of him, breathless, and with him another common-looking man — my man, Dick, no other — and they both cried out together, “What has happened?”

“Look there!” said Desborough, pointing to something dark among the grass — “that’s what has happened. What lies there was Charles Hawker, and the villain33 is off.”

“Who shot Charles Hawker?” said Dick.

“His namesake,” said Desborough.

“His own father!” said Dick; “that’s terrible.”

“What do you mean?” they both asked, aghast.

“Never mind now,” he answered. “Captain Desborough, what are you going to do? Do you know where he’s gone?”

“Up into the mountain, to lie by, I suppose,” said Desborough.

“Not at all, sir! He is going to cross the snow, and get to the old hut, near the Murray Gate.”

“What! Merryman’s hut?” said the Captain. “Impossible! He could not get through that way.”

“I tell you he can. That is where they came from at first; that is where they went to when they landed; and this is the gully they came through.”

“Are you deceiving me?” said Desborough. “It will be worse for you if you are! I ain’t in a humour for that sort of thing. Who are you?”

“I am Mr. Hamlyn’s groom34 — Dick. Strike me dead if I ain’t telling the truth!”

“Do you know this man, Buckley?” said Desborough, calling out to Sam, who was sitting beside poor Charles Hawker, holding his head up.

“Know him! of course I do,” he replied; “ever since I was a child.”

“Then, look here,” said Desborough to Dick; “I shall trust you. Now, you say he will cross the snow. If I were to go round by the Parson’s I shouldn’t get much snow.”

“That’s just it, don’t you see? You can be round at the huts before him. That’s what I mean,” said Dick. “Take Mr. Buckley’s horse, and ride him till he drops, and you’ll get another at the Parson’s. If you have any snow, it will be on Broadsaddle; but it won’t signify. You go round the low side of Tambo, and sight the lake, and you’ll be there before him.”

“How far?”

“Sixty miles, or thereabouts, plain sailing. It ain’t eleven o’clock yet.”

“Good; I’ll remember you for this. Buckley, I want your horse. Is the lad dead?”

“No; but he is very bad. I’ll try to get him home. Take the horse; he is not so good a one as Widderin, but he’ll carry you to the Parson’s. God speed you.”

They watched him ride away almost south, skirting the ridges36 of the mountain as long as he could; then they saw him scrambling37 up a lofty wooded ridge35, and there he disappeared.

They raised poor Charles Hawker up, and Sam, mounting Dick’s horse, took the wounded man up before him, and started to go slowly home. After a time, he said, “Do you feel worse, Charles?” and the other replied, “No; but I am very cold.” After that he stayed quite still, with his arm round Sam Buckley’s neck, until they reached the Brentwoods’ door.

Some came out to the door to meet them, and, among others, Alice. “Take him from me,” said Sam to one of the men. “Be very gentle: he is asleep.” And so they took the dead man’s arm from off the living man’s shoulder, and carried him in; for Charles Hawker was asleep indeed — in the sleep that knows no waking.

That was one of the fiercest and firmest stands that was ever made by bushrangers against the authorities. Of the latter five were shot down, three wounded, and the rest captured, save two. The gang was destroyed at once, and life and property once more secure, though at a sad sacrifice.

One trooper was shot dead at the first onset38 — a fine young fellow, just picked from his regiment39 for good conduct to join the police. Another was desperately40 wounded, who died the next day. On the part of the independent men assisting, there were Charles Hawker killed, Doctor Mulhaus shot in the left arm, and Jim with his leg broke; so that, on that evening, Captain Brentwood’s house was like a hospital.

Captain Brentwood set his son’s leg, under Dr. Mulhaus’ directions, the Doctor keeping mighty41 brave, though once or twice his face twisted with pain, and he was nearly fainting. Alice was everywhere, pale and calm, helping42 every one who needed it, and saying nothing. Eleanor, the cook, pervaded43 the house, doing the work of seven women, and having the sympathies of fourteen. She told them that this was as bad a job as she’d ever seen; worse, in fact. That the nearest thing she’d ever seen to it was when Mat Steeman’s mob were broke up by the squatters; “But then,” she added, “there were none but prisoners killed.”

But when Alice had done all she could, and the house was quiet, she went up to her father, and said —

“Now, father, comes the worst part of the matter for me. Who is to tell Mrs. Hawker?”

“Mrs. Buckley, my dear, would be the best person. But she is at the Mayfords’, I am afraid.”

“Mrs. Hawker must be told at once, father, by some of us. I do so dread44 her hearing of it by some accident, when none of her friends are with her. Oh, dear! oh, dear! I never thought to have had such times as these.”

“Alice, my darling,” said her father, “do you think that you have strength to carry the news to her? If Major Buckley went with you, he could tell her, you know; and it would be much better for her to have him, an old friend, beside her. It would be such a delay to go round and fetch his wife. Have you courage?”

“I will make courage,” she said. “Speak to Major Buckley, father, and I will get ready.”

She went to Sam. “I am going on a terrible errand,” she said; “I am going to tell Mrs. Hawker about this dreadful, dreadful business. Now, what I want to say is, that you mustn’t come; your father is going with me, and I’ll get through it alone, Sam. Now please,” she added, seeing Sam was going to speak, “don’t argue about it; I am very much upset as it is, and I want you to stay here. You won’t follow us, will you?”

“Whatever you order, Alice, is law,” said Sam. “I won’t come if you don’t wish it; but I can’t see ——”

“There now. Will you get me my horse? And please stay by poor Jim, for my sake.”

Sam complied; and Alice, getting on her riding-habit, came back trembling, and trying not to cry, to tell Major Buckley that she was ready.

He took her in his arms, and kissed her. “You are a brave, noble girl,” he said; “I thank God for such a daughter-in-law. Now, my dear, let us hurry off, and not think of what is to come.”

It was about five o’clock when they went off. Sam and Halbert, having let them out of the paddock, went indoors to comfort poor Jim’s heart, and to get something to eat, if it were procurable45. Jim lay on his bed tossing about, and the Doctor sat beside him, talking to him; pale and grim, waiting for the doctor who had been sent for; no other than his drunken old enemy.

“This is about as nice a kettle of fish,” said Jim, when they came and sat beside him, “as a man could possibly wish to eat. Poor Cecil and Charley; both gone, eh? Well, I know it ain’t decent for a fellow with a broken leg to feel wicked; but I do, nevertheless. I wish now that I had had a chance at some of them before that stupid brute46 of a horse got shot.”

“If you don’t lie still, you Jim,” said Sam, “your leg will never set; and then you must have it taken off, you know. How is your arm, Doctor?”

“Shooting a little,” said the Doctor; “nothing to signify, I believe. At least, nothing in the midst of such a tragedy as this. Poor Mary Hawker; the pretty little village-maid we all loved so well. To come to such an end as this!”

“Is it true, then, Doctor, that Hawker, the bushranger, is her husband?”

“Quite true, alas! Every one must know it now. But I pray you, Sam, to keep the darkest part of it all from her; don’t let her know that the boy fell by the hand of his father.”

“I could almost swear,” said Sam, “that one among the gang is his son too. When they rode past Alice and myself yesterday morning, one was beside him so wonderfully like him, that even at that time I set them down for father and son.”

“If Hamlyn’s strange tale be true, it is so,” said the Doctor. “Is the young man you speak of among the prisoners, do you know?”

“Yes; I helped to capture him myself,” said Sam. “What do you mean by Hamlyn’s story?”

“Oh, a long one. He met him in a hut the night after we picnic’d at Mirngish, and found out who he was. The secret not being ours, your father and I never told any of you young people of the fact of this bushranger being poor Mrs. Hawker’s husband. I wish we had; all this might have been avoided. But the poor soul always desired that the secret of his birth might be kept from Charles, and you see the consequences. I’ll never keep a secret again. Come here with me; let us see both of them.”

They followed him, and he turned into a little side room at the back of the house. It was a room used for chance visitors or strangers, containing two small beds, which now bore an unaccustomed burden, for beneath the snow-white coverlids, lay two figures, indistinct indeed, but unmistakeable.

“Which is he?” whispered the Doctor.

Sam raised the counterpane from the nearest one, but it was not Charles. It was a young, handsome face that he saw, lying so quietly and peacefully on the white pillow, that he exclaimed —

“Surely this man is not dead?”

The Doctor shook his head. “I have often seen them like that,” he said. “He is shot through the heart.”

Then they went to the other bed, where poor Charles lay. Sam gently raised the black curls from his face, but none of them spoke a word for a few minutes, till the Doctor said, “Now let us come and see his brother.”

They crossed the yard, to a slab47 outbuilding, before which one of the troopers was keeping guard, with a loaded carbine, and, the Sergeant48 coming across, admitted them.

Seven or eight fearfully ill-looking ruffians lay about on the floor, handcuffed. They were most of them of the usual convict stamp, dark, saturnine49 looking fellows, though one offered a strange contrast by being an Albino, and another they could not see plainly, for he was huddled50 up in a dark corner, bending down over a basin of water, and dabbing51 his face. The greater part of them cursed and blasphemed desperately, as is the manner of such men when their blood is up, and they are reckless; while the wounded ones lay in a fierce sullen52 silence, more terrible almost than the foul53 language of the others.

“He is not here,” said Sam. “Stay, that must be him wiping his face!”

He went towards him, and saw he was right. The young man he had taken looked wildly up like a trapped animal into his face, and the Doctor could not suppress an exclamation54 when he saw the likeness55 to his father.

“Is your face very bad?” said Sam quietly.

The other turned away in silence.

“I’ll tie it up for you, if you like,” said Sam.

“It don’t want no tying up.”

He turned his face to the wall, and remained obstinately56 silent. They perceived that nothing more was to be got from him, and departed. But, turning at the door, they still saw him crouched57 in the corner like a wild beast, wiping his bruised face every now and then with Sam’s handkerchief, apparently58 thinking of nothing, hoping for nothing. Such a pitiful sight — such an example of one who was gone beyond feeling pity, or sorrow, or aught else, save physical pain, that the Doctor’s gorge59 rose, and he said, stamping on the gravel60

“A man, who says that that is not the saddest, saddest sight he ever saw, is a disgrace to the mother that bore him. To see a young fellow like that with such a PHYSIQUE— and God only knows what undeveloped qualities in him, only ripe for the gallows61 at five-and-twenty, is enough to make the angels weep. He knows no evil but physical pain, and that he considers but a temporary one. He knows no good save, perhaps, to be faithful to his confederates. He has been brought up from his cradle to look on every man as his enemy. He never knew what it was to love a human being in his life. Why, what does such a man regard this world as? As the antechamber of hell, if he ever heard of such a place. I want to know what either of us three would have been if we had had his training. I want to know that now. We might have been as much worse than him as a wolf is worse than an evil-tempered dog.”

A beautiful colley came up to the Doctor and fawned62 on him, looking into his face with her deep, expressive63, hazel eyes.

“We must do something for that fellow, Sam. If it’s only for his name’s sake,” said the Doctor.

That poor boy, sitting crouched there in the corner, with a broken jaw, and just so much of human feeling as one may suppose a polecat to have, caught in a gin, is that same baby that we saw Ellen Lee nursing on the door-step in the rain, when our poor Mary came upon her on one wild night in Exeter.

Base-born, workhouse-bred! Tossed from workhouse to prison, from prison to hulk — every man’s hand against him — an Arab of society. As hopeless a case, my lord judge, as you ever had to deal with; and yet I think, my lord, that your big heart grows a little pitiful, when you see that handsome face before you, blank and careless, and you try, fruitlessly, to raise some blush of shame, or even anger in it, by your eloquence64.

Gone beyond that, my lord. Your thunderbolts fall harmless here, and the man you say is lost, and naturally. Yet, give that same man room to breathe and act; keep temptation from him, and let his good qualities, should he have any, have fair play, and, even yet, he may convert you to the belief that hardened criminals may be reformed, to the extent of one in a dozen; beyond that no reasonable man will go.

Let us see the end of this man. For now the end of my tale draws near, and I must begin gathering65 up the threads of the story, to tie them in a knot, and release my readers from duty. Here is all I can gather about him —

Sam and the Doctor moved heaven, earth, and the Colonial Secretary, to get his sentence commuted66, and with success. So when his companions were led out to execution, he was held back; reserved for penal67 servitude for life.

He proved himself quiet and docile68; so much so that when our greatest, boldest explorer was starting for his last hopeless journey to the interior, this man was selected as one of the twelve convicts who were to accompany him. What follows is an extract which I have been favoured with from his private journal. You will not find it in the published history of the expedition:—

“Date — lat. — long. — Morning. It is getting hopeless now, and tomorrow I turn. Sand, and nothing but sand. The salsolaceous plants, so long the only vegetation we have seen, are gone; and the little sienite peak, the last symptom of a water-bearing country, has disappeared behind us. The sandhills still roll away towards the setting sun, but get less and less elevated. The wild fowl69 are still holding their mysterious flight to the north-west, but I have not wings to follow them. Oh, my God! if I only knew what those silly birds know. It is hopeless to go on, and, I begin to fear, hopeless to go back. Will it never rain again?

“Afternoon. — My servant Hawker, one of the convicts assigned to me by Government, died today at noon. I had got fond of this man, as the most patient and the bravest, where all have been so patient and so brave. He was a very silent and reserved man, and had never complained, so that I was deeply shocked on his sending for me at dinner-time, to find that he was dying.

“He asked me not to deceive him, but to tell him if there was any truth in what the gaol-chaplain had said, about there being another life after death. I told him earnestly that I knew it as surely as I knew that the earth was under my feet; and went on comforting him as one comforts a dying man. But he never spoke again; and we buried him in the hot sand at sundown. The first wind will obliterate70 the little mound71 we raised over him, and none will ever cross this hideous72 desert again. So that he will have as quiet a grave as he could wish.

“Eleven o’clock at night. — God be praised. Heavy clouds and thunder to the north. —”

So this poor workhouse-bred lad lies out among the sands of the middle desert.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 spoke XryyC     
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
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
2 hurling bd3cda2040d4df0d320fd392f72b7dc3     
n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的现在分词 );大声叫骂
参考例句:
  • The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动,把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了,真是个傻姑娘! 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 wretch EIPyl     
n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人
参考例句:
  • You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他,还埋怨他,真不知好歹。
  • The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。
4 shrub 7ysw5     
n.灌木,灌木丛
参考例句:
  • There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
  • Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。
5 tangled e487ee1bc1477d6c2828d91e94c01c6e     
adj. 纠缠的,紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了,我梳不动。
  • A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。
6 scudded c462f8ea5bb84e37045ac6f3ce9c5bfc     
v.(尤指船、舰或云彩)笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • White clouds scudded across the sky. 白云在天空疾驰而过。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Clouds scudded across the sky driven by high winds. 劲风吹着飞云掠过天空。 来自辞典例句
7 lair R2jx2     
n.野兽的巢穴;躲藏处
参考例句:
  • How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair?不入虎穴,焉得虎子?
  • I retired to my lair,and wrote some letters.我回到自己的躲藏处,写了几封信。
8 melee hCAxc     
n.混战;混战的人群
参考例句:
  • There was a scuffle and I lost my hat in the melee.因发生一场斗殴,我的帽子也在混乱中丢失了。
  • In the melee that followed they trampled their mother a couple of times.他们打在一团,七手八脚的又踩了他们的母亲几下。
9 galloping galloping     
adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The horse started galloping the moment I gave it a good dig. 我猛戳了马一下,它就奔驰起来了。
  • Japan is galloping ahead in the race to develop new technology. 日本在发展新技术的竞争中进展迅速,日新月异。
10 squealing b55ccc77031ac474fd1639ff54a5ad9e     
v.长声尖叫,用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Pigs were grunting and squealing in the yard. 猪在院子里哼哼地叫个不停。
  • The pigs were squealing. 猪尖叫着。
11 muskets c800a2b34c12fbe7b5ea8ef241e9a447     
n.火枪,(尤指)滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The watch below, all hands to load muskets. 另一组人都来帮着给枪装火药。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
  • Deep ditch, single drawbridge, massive stone walls, eight at towers, cannon, muskets, fire and smoke. 深深的壕堑,单吊桥,厚重的石壁,八座巨大的塔楼。大炮、毛瑟枪、火焰与烟雾。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
12 hissing hissing     
n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。
  • His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕
13 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的
参考例句:
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
14 adversary mxrzt     
adj.敌手,对手
参考例句:
  • He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
  • They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。
15 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级
参考例句:
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
16 litheness e38a6062dc2f6ec3a578445e0d48e384     
参考例句:
17 leopard n9xzO     
n.豹
参考例句:
  • I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
  • The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。
18 downwards MsDxU     
adj./adv.向下的(地),下行的(地)
参考例句:
  • He lay face downwards on his bed.他脸向下伏在床上。
  • As the river flows downwards,it widens.这条河愈到下游愈宽。
19 ponderous pOCxR     
adj.沉重的,笨重的,(文章)冗长的
参考例句:
  • His steps were heavy and ponderous.他的步伐沉重缓慢。
  • It was easy to underestimate him because of his occasionally ponderous manner.由于他偶尔现出的沉闷的姿态,很容易使人小看了他。
20 plunge 228zO     
v.跳入,(使)投入,(使)陷入;猛冲
参考例句:
  • Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
  • That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。
21 bloody kWHza     
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染
参考例句:
  • He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
  • He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。
22 bruised 5xKz2P     
[医]青肿的,瘀紫的
参考例句:
  • his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
  • She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤,摔得鼻青脸肿。
23 jaw 5xgy9     
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训
参考例句:
  • He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
  • A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
24 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
参考例句:
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
25 quarry ASbzF     
n.采石场;v.采石;费力地找
参考例句:
  • Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
  • This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。
26 dense aONzX     
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的
参考例句:
  • The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
27 excellence ZnhxM     
n.优秀,杰出,(pl.)优点,美德
参考例句:
  • His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
  • My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。
28 recess pAxzC     
n.短期休息,壁凹(墙上装架子,柜子等凹处)
参考例句:
  • The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
  • Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。
29 alas Rx8z1     
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
参考例句:
  • Alas!The window is broken!哎呀!窗子破了!
  • Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而,真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
30 reined 90bca18bd35d2cee2318d494d6abfa96     
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
参考例句:
  • Then, all of a sudden, he reined up his tired horse. 这时,他突然把疲倦的马勒住了。
  • The officer reined in his horse at a crossroads. 军官在十字路口勒住了马。
31 horrid arozZj     
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的
参考例句:
  • I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
  • The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃,她咽不下去。
32 crooked xvazAv     
adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的
参考例句:
  • He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指,示意我们到他那儿去。
  • You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。
33 villain ZL1zA     
n.反派演员,反面人物;恶棍;问题的起因
参考例句:
  • He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
  • The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。
34 groom 0fHxW     
vt.给(马、狗等)梳毛,照料,使...整洁
参考例句:
  • His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
  • George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作,乔治已在接受专门的培训。
35 ridge KDvyh     
n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭
参考例句:
  • We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
  • The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。
36 ridges 9198b24606843d31204907681f48436b     
n.脊( ridge的名词复数 );山脊;脊状突起;大气层的)高压脊
参考例句:
  • The path winds along mountain ridges. 峰回路转。
  • Perhaps that was the deepest truth in Ridges's nature. 在里奇斯的思想上,这大概可以算是天经地义第一条了。
37 scrambling cfea7454c3a8813b07de2178a1025138     
v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发,冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》
38 onset bICxF     
n.进攻,袭击,开始,突然开始
参考例句:
  • The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
  • Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。
39 regiment JATzZ     
n.团,多数,管理;v.组织,编成团,统制
参考例句:
  • As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活,所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。
  • They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。
40 desperately cu7znp     
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地
参考例句:
  • He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
  • He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。
41 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
42 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
43 pervaded cf99c400da205fe52f352ac5c1317c13     
v.遍及,弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • A retrospective influence pervaded the whole performance. 怀旧的影响弥漫了整个演出。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The air is pervaded by a smell [smoking]. 空气中弥散着一种气味[烟味]。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
44 dread Ekpz8     
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧
参考例句:
  • We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
  • Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。
45 procurable 7c315b8d45791dc9143198f1611a6df1     
adj.可得到的,得手的
参考例句:
  • Just began, 3 suspects rob the vanity of effeminate woman technically, procurable hind sneak away. 刚开始,三名疑犯专门抢劫柔弱女子的手袋,得手后就溜之大吉。
46 brute GSjya     
n.野兽,兽性
参考例句:
  • The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
  • That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲,它咬人。
47 slab BTKz3     
n.平板,厚的切片;v.切成厚板,以平板盖上
参考例句:
  • This heavy slab of oak now stood between the bomb and Hitler.这时笨重的橡木厚板就横在炸弹和希特勒之间了。
  • The monument consists of two vertical pillars supporting a horizontal slab.这座纪念碑由两根垂直的柱体构成,它们共同支撑着一块平板。
48 sergeant REQzz     
n.警官,中士
参考例句:
  • His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
  • How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹?
49 saturnine rhGyi     
adj.忧郁的,沉默寡言的,阴沉的,感染铅毒的
参考例句:
  • The saturnine faces of the judges.法官们那阴沉的脸色。
  • He had a rather forbidding,saturnine manner.他的举止相当乖戾阴郁。
50 huddled 39b87f9ca342d61fe478b5034beb4139     
挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
  • We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。
51 dabbing 0af3ac3dccf99cc3a3e030e7d8b1143a     
石面凿毛,灰泥抛毛
参考例句:
  • She was crying and dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. 她一边哭一边用手绢轻按眼睛。
  • Huei-fang was leaning against a willow, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. 四小姐蕙芳正靠在一棵杨柳树上用手帕揉眼睛。 来自子夜部分
52 sullen kHGzl     
adj.愠怒的,闷闷不乐的,(天气等)阴沉的
参考例句:
  • He looked up at the sullen sky.他抬头看了一眼阴沉的天空。
  • Susan was sullen in the morning because she hadn't slept well.苏珊今天早上郁闷不乐,因为昨晚没睡好。
53 foul Sfnzy     
adj.污秽的;邪恶的;v.弄脏;妨害;犯规;n.犯规
参考例句:
  • Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
  • What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气!
54 exclamation onBxZ     
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词
参考例句:
  • He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
  • The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号,以引起读者的注意。
55 likeness P1txX     
n.相像,相似(之处)
参考例句:
  • I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
  • She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。
56 obstinately imVzvU     
ad.固执地,顽固地
参考例句:
  • He obstinately asserted that he had done the right thing. 他硬说他做得对。
  • Unemployment figures are remaining obstinately high. 失业数字仍然顽固地居高不下。
57 crouched 62634c7e8c15b8a61068e36aaed563ab     
v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
  • The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身,准备猛扑。
58 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
59 gorge Zf1xm     
n.咽喉,胃,暴食,山峡;v.塞饱,狼吞虎咽地吃
参考例句:
  • East of the gorge leveled out.峡谷东面地势变得平坦起来。
  • It made my gorge rise to hear the news.这消息令我作呕。
60 gravel s6hyT     
n.砂跞;砂砾层;结石
参考例句:
  • We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
  • More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。
61 gallows UfLzE     
n.绞刑架,绞台
参考例句:
  • The murderer was sent to the gallows for his crimes.谋杀犯由于罪大恶极被处以绞刑。
  • Now I was to expiate all my offences at the gallows.现在我将在绞刑架上赎我一切的罪过。
62 fawned e0524baa230d9db2cea3c53dc99ba3f6     
v.(尤指狗等)跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的过去式和过去分词 );巴结;讨好
参考例句:
  • The dog fawned on [upon] the boy. 那条狗向那少年摇尾乞怜。 来自辞典例句
  • The lion, considering him attentively, and remembering his former friend, fawned upon him. 狮子将他仔细地打量了一番,记起他就是从前的那个朋友,于是亲昵地偎在他身旁。 来自辞典例句
63 expressive shwz4     
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的
参考例句:
  • Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
  • He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的,富于表情的,生动活泼的脸。
64 eloquence 6mVyM     
n.雄辩;口才,修辞
参考例句:
  • I am afraid my eloquence did not avail against the facts.恐怕我的雄辩也无补于事实了。
  • The people were charmed by his eloquence.人们被他的口才迷住了。
65 gathering ChmxZ     
n.集会,聚会,聚集
参考例句:
  • He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
  • He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
66 commuted 724892c1891ddce7d27d9b956147e7b4     
通勤( commute的过去式和过去分词 ); 减(刑); 代偿
参考例句:
  • His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment. 他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
  • The death sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment. 死刑可能減为无期徒刑。
67 penal OSBzn     
adj.刑罚的;刑法上的
参考例句:
  • I hope you're familiar with penal code.我希望你们熟悉本州法律规则。
  • He underwent nineteen years of penal servitude for theft.他因犯了大窃案受过十九年的苦刑。
68 docile s8lyp     
adj.驯服的,易控制的,容易教的
参考例句:
  • Circus monkeys are trained to be very docile and obedient.马戏团的猴子训练得服服贴贴的。
  • He is a docile and well-behaved child.他是个温顺且彬彬有礼的孩子。
69 fowl fljy6     
n.家禽,鸡,禽肉
参考例句:
  • Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
  • Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后,我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉,少吃红色肉类。
70 obliterate 35QzF     
v.擦去,涂抹,去掉...痕迹,消失,除去
参考例句:
  • Whole villages were obliterated by fire.整座整座的村庄都被大火所吞噬。
  • There was time enough to obliterate memories of how things once were for him.时间足以抹去他对过去经历的记忆。
71 mound unCzhy     
n.土墩,堤,小山;v.筑堤,用土堆防卫
参考例句:
  • The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
  • The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。
72 hideous 65KyC     
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的
参考例句:
  • The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
  • They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗,是丑陋的畜牲。


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