"It's Just the very Biggest Thing in the World"
Hardly was it shut when Mrs. Challenger darted1 out from the dining-room. The small woman was in a furious temper. She barred her husband's way like an enraged2 chicken in front of a bulldog. It was evident that she had seen my exit, but had not observed my return.
"You brute3, George!" she screamed. "You've hurt that nice young man."
He jerked backwards4 with his thumb.
"Here he is, safe and sound behind me."
She was confused, but not unduly6 so.
"I am so sorry, I didn't see you."
"I assure you, madam, that it is all right."
"He has marked your poor face! Oh, George, what a brute you are! Nothing but scandals from one end of the week to the other. Everyone hating and making fun of you. You've finished my patience. This ends it."
"It's not a secret," she cried. "Do you suppose that the whole street--the whole of London, for that matter---- Get away, Austin, we don't want you here. Do you suppose they don't all talk about you? Where is your dignity? You, a man who should have been Regius Professor at a great University with a thousand students all revering9 you. Where is your dignity, George?"
"How about yours, my dear?"
"You try me too much. A ruffian--a common brawling10 ruffian-that's what you have become."
"Be good, Jessie."
"That's done it! Stool of penance12!" said he.
To my amazement13 he stooped, picked her up, and placed her sitting upon a high pedestal of black marble in the angle of the hall. It was at least seven feet high, and so thin that she could hardly balance upon it. A more absurd object than she presented cocked up there with her face convulsed with anger, her feet dangling14, and her body rigid15 for fear of an upset, I could not imagine.
"Say `please.'"
"You brute, George! Let me down this instant!"
"Come into the study, Mr. Malone."
"Really, sir----!" said I, looking at the lady.
"Here's Mr. Malone pleading for you, Jessie.
Say `please,' and down you come."
"Oh, you brute! Please! please!"
"You must behave yourself, dear. Mr. Malone is a Pressman. He will have it all in his rag to-morrow, and sell an extra dozen among our neighbors. `Strange story of high life'--you felt fairly high on that pedestal, did you not? Then a sub-title, `Glimpse of a singular menage.' He's a foul17 feeder, is Mr. Malone, a carrion18 eater, like all of his kind--porcus ex grege diaboli-a swine from the devil's herd19. That's it, Malone--what?"
"You are really intolerable!" said I, hotly.
"We shall have a coalition21 presently," he boomed, looking from his wife to me and puffing22 out his enormous chest. Then, suddenly altering his tone, "Excuse this frivolous23 family badinage24, Mr. Malone. I called you back for some more serious purpose than to mix you up with our little domestic pleasantries. Run away, little woman, and don't fret25." He placed a huge hand upon each of her shoulders. "All that you say is perfectly26 true. I should be a better man if I did what you advise, but I shouldn't be quite George Edward Challenger. There are plenty of better men, my dear, but only one G. E. C. So make the best of him." He suddenly gave her a resounding27 kiss, which embarrassed me even more than his violence had done. "Now, Mr. Malone," he continued, with a great accession of dignity, "this way, if YOU please."
We re-entered the room which we had left so tumultuously ten minutes before. The Professor closed the door carefully behind us, motioned me into an arm-chair, and pushed a cigar-box under my nose.
"Real San Juan Colorado," he said. "Excitable people like you are the better for narcotics28. Heavens! don't bite it! Cut--and cut with reverence29! Now lean back, and listen attentively30 to whatever I may care to say to you. If any remark should occur to you, you can reserve it for some more opportune31 time.
"First of all, as to your return to my house after your most justifiable32 expulsion"--he protruded33 his beard, and stared at me as one who challenges and invites contradiction--"after, as I say, your well-merited expulsion. The reason lay in your answer to that most officious policeman, in which I seemed to discern some glimmering34 of good feeling upon your part--more, at any rate, than I am accustomed to associate with your profession. In admitting that the fault of the incident lay with you, you gave some evidence of a certain mental detachment and breadth of view which attracted my favorable notice. The sub-species of the human race to which you unfortunately belong has always been below my mental horizon. Your words brought you suddenly above it. You swam up into my serious notice. For this reason I asked you to return with me, as I was minded to make your further acquaintance. You will kindly36 deposit your ash in the small Japanese tray on the bamboo table which stands at your left elbow."
All this he boomed forth37 like a professor addressing his class. He had swung round his revolving38 chair so as to face me, and he sat all puffed39 out like an enormous bull-frog, his head laid back and his eyes half-covered by supercilious40 lids. Now he suddenly turned himself sideways, and all I could see of him was tangled41 hair with a red, protruding42 ear. He was scratching about among the litter of papers upon his desk. He faced me presently with what looked like a very tattered43 sketch44-book in his hand.
"I am going to talk to you about South America," said he. "No comments if you please. First of all, I wish you to understand that nothing I tell you now is to be repeated in any public way unless you have my express permission. That permission will, in all human probability, never be given. Is that clear?"
"It is very hard," said I. "Surely a judicious45 account----"
He replaced the notebook upon the table.
"That ends it," said he. "I wish you a very good morning."
"No, no!" I cried. "I submit to any conditions. So far as I can see, I have no choice."
"None in the world," said he.
"Well, then, I promise."
"Word of honor?"
"Word of honor."
He looked at me with doubt in his insolent46 eyes.
"After all, what do I know about your honor?" said he.
"Upon my word, sir," I cried, angrily, "you take very great liberties! I have never been so insulted in my life."
He seemed more interested than annoyed at my outbreak.
"Round-headed," he muttered. "Brachycephalic, gray-eyed, black-haired, with suggestion of the negroid. Celtic, I presume?"
"I am an Irishman, sir."
"Irish Irish?"
"Yes, sir."
"That, of course, explains it. Let me see; you have given me your promise that my confidence will be respected? That confidence, I may say, will be far from complete. But I am prepared to give you a few indications which will be of interest. In the first place, you are probably aware that two years ago I made a journey to South America--one which will be classical in the scientific history of the world? The object of my journey was to verify some conclusions of Wallace and of Bates, which could only be done by observing their reported facts under the same conditions in which they had themselves noted47 them. If my expedition had no other results it would still have been noteworthy, but a curious incident occurred to me while there which opened up an entirely48 fresh line of inquiry49.
"You are aware--or probably, in this half-educated age, you are not aware--that the country round some parts of the Amazon is still only partially50 explored, and that a great number of tributaries51, some of them entirely uncharted, run into the main river. It was my business to visit this little-known back-country and to examine its fauna52, which furnished me with the materials for several chapters for that great and monumental work upon zoology53 which will be my life's justification54. I was returning, my work accomplished55, when I had occasion to spend a night at a small Indian village at a point where a certain tributary--the name and position of which I withhold56--opens into the main river. The natives were Cucama Indians, an amiable57 but degraded race, with mental powers hardly superior to the average Londoner. I had effected some cures among them upon my way up the river, and had impressed them considerably58 with my personality, so that I was not surprised to find myself eagerly awaited upon my return. I gathered from their signs that someone had urgent need of my medical services, and I followed the chief to one of his huts. When I entered I found that the sufferer to whose aid I had been summoned had that instant expired. He was, to my surprise, no Indian, but a white man; indeed, I may say a very white man, for he was flaxen-haired and had some characteristics of an albino. He was clad in rags, was very emaciated59, and bore every trace of prolonged hardship. So far as I could understand the account of the natives, he was a complete stranger to them, and had come upon their village through the woods alone and in the last stage of exhaustion60.
"The man's knapsack lay beside the couch, and I examined the contents. His name was written upon a tab within it--Maple White, Lake Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. It is a name to which I am prepared always to lift my hat. It is not too much to say that it will rank level with my own when the final credit of this business comes to be apportioned61.
"From the contents of the knapsack it was evident that this man had been an artist and poet in search of effects. There were scraps62 of verse. I do not profess8 to be a judge of such things, but they appeared to me to be singularly wanting in merit. There were also some rather commonplace pictures of river scenery, a paint-box, a box of colored chalks, some brushes, that curved bone which lies upon my inkstand, a volume of Baxter's `Moths and Butterflies,' a cheap revolver, and a few cartridges63. Of personal equipment he either had none or he had lost it in his journey. Such were the total effects of this strange American Bohemian.
"I was turning away from him when I observed that something projected from the front of his ragged64 jacket. It was this sketch-book, which was as dilapidated then as you see it now. Indeed, I can assure you that a first folio of Shakespeare could not be treated with greater reverence than this relic65 has been since it came into my possession. I hand it to you now, and I ask you to take it page by page and to examine the contents."
He helped himself to a cigar and leaned back with a fiercely critical pair of eyes, taking note of the effect which this document would produce.
I had opened the volume with some expectation of a revelation, though of what nature I could not imagine. The first page was disappointing, however, as it contained nothing but the picture of a very fat man in a pea-jacket, with the legend, "Jimmy Colver on the Mail-boat," written beneath it. There followed several pages which were filled with small sketches66 of Indians and their ways. Then came a picture of a cheerful and corpulent ecclesiastic67 in a shovel68 hat, sitting opposite a very thin European, and the inscription69: "Lunch with Fra Cristofero at Rosario." Studies of women and babies accounted for several more pages, and then there was an unbroken series of animal drawings with such explanations as "Manatee70 upon Sandbank," "Turtles and Their Eggs," "Black Ajouti under a Miriti Palm"--the matter disclosing some sort of pig-like animal; and finally came a double page of studies of long-snouted and very unpleasant saurians. I could make nothing of it, and said so to the Professor.
"Surely these are only crocodiles?"
"Alligators71! Alligators! There is hardly such a thing as a true crocodile in South America. The distinction between them----"
"I meant that I could see nothing unusual--nothing to justify72 what you have said."
"Try the next page," said he.
I was still unable to sympathize. It was a full-page sketch of a landscape roughly tinted74 in color--the kind of painting which an open-air artist takes as a guide to a future more elaborate effort. There was a pale-green foreground of feathery vegetation, which sloped upwards75 and ended in a line of cliffs dark red in color, and curiously76 ribbed like some basaltic formations which I have seen. They extended in an unbroken wall right across the background. At one point was an isolated77 pyramidal rock, crowned by a great tree, which appeared to be separated by a cleft78 from the main crag. Behind it all, a blue tropical sky. A thin green line of vegetation fringed the summit of the ruddy cliff.
"Well?" he asked.
"It is no doubt a curious formation," said I "but I am not geologist79 enough to say that it is wonderful."
"Wonderful!" he repeated. "It is unique. It is incredible. No one on earth has ever dreamed of such a possibility. Now the next."
I turned it over, and gave an exclamation80 of surprise. There was a full-page picture of the most extraordinary creature that I had ever seen. It was the wild dream of an opium81 smoker82, a vision of delirium83. The head was like that of a fowl84, dhe body that of a bloated lizard85, the trailing tail was furnished with upwardturned spikes86, and the curved back was edged with a high serrated fringe, which looked like a dozen cocks' wattles placed behind each other. In front of this creature was an absurd mannikin, or dwarf87, in human form, who stood staring at it.
"Well, what do you think of that?" cried the Professor, rubbing his hands with an air of triumph.
"It is monstrous88--grotesque."
"But what made him draw such an animal?"
"Trade gin, I should think."
"Oh, that's the best explanation you can give, is it?"
"Well, sir, what is yours?"
"The obvious one that the creature exists. That is actually sketched89 from the life."
I should have laughed only that I had a vision of our doing another Catharine-wheel down the passage.
"No doubt," said I, "no doubt," as one humors an imbecile. "I confess, however," I added, "that this tiny human figure puzzles me. If it were an Indian we could set it down as evidence of some pigmy race in America, but it appears to be a European in a sun-hat."
The Professor snorted like an angry buffalo90. "You really touch the limit," said he. "You enlarge my view of the possible. Cerebral91 paresis! Mental inertia92! Wonderful!"
He was too absurd to make me angry. Indeed, it was a waste of energy, for if you were going to be angry with this man you would be angry all the time. I contented93 myself with smiling wearily. "It struck me that the man was small," said I.
"Look here!" he cried, leaning forward and dabbing94 a great hairy sausage of a finger on to the picture. "You see that plant `ehind the animal; I suppose you thought it was a dandelion or a Brussels sprout--what? Well, it is a vegetable ivory palm, and they run to about fifty or sixty feet. Don't you see that the man is put in for a purpose? He couldn't really have stood in front of that brute and lived to draw it. He sketched himself in to give a scale of heights. He was, we will say, over five feet high. The tree is ten times bigger, which is what one would expect."
"Good heavens!" I cried. "Then you think the beast was---- Why, Charing95 Cross station would hardly make a kennel96 for such a brute!"
"Apart from exaggeration, he is certainly a well-grown specimen97," said the Professor, complacently98.
"But," I cried, "surely the whole experience of the human race is not to be set aside on account of a single sketch"--I had turned over the leaves and ascertained99 that there was nothing more in the book--"a single sketch by a wandering American artist who may have done it under hashish, or in the delirium of fever, or simply in order to gratify a freakish imagination. You can't, as a man of science, defend such a position as that."
For answer the Professor took a book down from a shelf.
"This is an excellent monograph100 by my gifted friend, Ray Lankester!" said he. "There is an illustration here which would interest you. Ah, yes, here it is! The inscription beneath it runs: `Probable appearance in life of the Jurassic Dinosaur101 Stegosaurus. The hind5 leg alone is twice as tall as a full-grown man.' Well, what do you make of that?"
He handed me the open book. I started as I looked at the picture. In this reconstructed animal of a dead world there was certainly a very great resemblance to the sketch of the unknown artist.
"That is certainly remarkable," said I.
"But you won't admit that it is final?"
"Surely it might be a coincidence, or this American may have seen a picture of the kind and carried it in his memory. It would be likely to recur102 to a man in a delirium."
"Very good," said the Professor, indulgently; "we leave it at that. I will now ask you to look at this bone." He handed over the one which he had already described as part of the dead man's possessions. It was about six inches long, and thicker than my thumb, with some indications of dried cartilage at one end of it.
"To what known creature does that bone belong?" asked the Professor.
I examined it with care and tried to recall some halfforgotten knowledge.
"It might be a very thick human collar-bone," I said.
My companion waved his hand in contemptuous deprecation.
"The human collar-bone is curved. This is straight. There is a groove103 upon its surface showing that a great tendon played across it, which could not be the case with a clavicle."
"Then I must confess that I don't know what it is."
"You need not be ashamed to expose your ignorance, for I don't suppose the whole South Kensington staff could give a name to it." He took a little bone the size of a bean out of a pill-box. "So far as I am a judge this human bone is the analogue104 of the one which you hold in your hand. That will give you some idea of the size of the creature. You will observe from the cartilage that this is no fossil specimen, but recent. What do you say to that?"
"Surely in an elephant----"
"Don't! Don't talk of elephants in South America. Even in these days of Board schools----"
"Well, I interrupted, "any large South American animal--a tapir, for example."
"You may take it, young man, that I am versed106 in the elements of my business. This is not a conceivable bone either of a tapir or of any other creature known to zoology. It belongs to a very large, a very strong, and, by all analogy, a very fierce animal which exists upon the face of the earth, but has not yet come under the notice of science. You are still unconvinced?"
"I am at least deeply interested."
"Then your case is not hopeless. I feel that there is reason lurking107 in you somewhere, so we will patiently grope round for it. We will now leave the dead American and proceed with my narrative108. You can imagine that I could hardly come away from the Amazon without probing deeper into the matter. There were indications as to the direction from which the dead traveler had come. Indian legends would alone have been my guide, for I found that rumors109 of a strange land were common among all the riverine tribes. You have heard, no doubt, of Curupuri?"
"Never."
"Curupuri is the spirit of the woods, something terrible, something malevolent110, something to be avoided. None can describe its shape or nature, but it is a word of terror along the Amazon. Now all tribes agree as to the direction in which Curupuri lives. It was the same direction from which the American had come. Something terrible lay that way. It was my business to find out what it was."
"What did you do?" My flippancy111 was all gone. This massive man compelled one's attention and respect.
"I overcame the extreme reluctance112 of the natives--a reluctance which extends even to talk upon the subject--and by judicious persuasion113 and gifts, aided, I will admit, by some threats of coercion114, I got two of them to act as guides. After many adventures which I need not describe, and after traveling a distance which I will not mention, in a direction which I withhold, we came at last to a tract35 of country which has never been described, nor, indeed, visited save by my unfortunate predecessor115. Would you kindly look at this?"
He handed me a photograph--half-plate size.
"The unsatisfactory appearance of it is due to the fact," said he, "that on descending116 the river the boat was upset and the case which contained the undeveloped films was broken, with disastrous117 results. Nearly all of them were totally ruined--an irreparable loss. This is one of the few which partially escaped. This explanation of deficiencies or abnormalities you will kindly accept. There was talk of faking. I am not in a mood to argue such a point."
The photograph was certainly very off-colored. An unkind critic might easily have misinterpreted that dim surface. It was a dull gray landscape, and as I gradually deciphered the details of it I realized that it represented a long and enormously high line of cliffs exactly like an immense cataract118 seen in the distance, with a sloping, tree-clad plain in the foreground.
"I believe it is the same place as the painted picture," said I.
"It is the same place," the Professor answered. "I found traces of the fellow's camp. Now look at this."
It was a nearer view of the same scene, though the photograph was extremely defective119. I could distinctly see the isolated, tree-crowned pinnacle120 of rock which was detached from the crag.
"I have no doubt of it at all," said I.
"Well, that is something gained," said he. "We progress, do we not? Now, will you please look at the top of that rocky pinnacle? Do you observe something there?"
"An enormous tree."
"But on the tree?"
"A large bird," said I.
He handed me a lens.
"Yes," I said, peering through it, "a large bird stands on the tree. It appears to have a considerable beak121. I should say it was a pelican122."
"I cannot congratulate you upon your eyesight," said the Professor. "It is not a pelican, nor, indeed, is it a bird. It may interest you to know that I succeeded in shooting that particular specimen. It was the only absolute proof of my experiences which I was able to bring away with me."
"You have it, then?" Here at last was tangible123 corroboration124.
"I had it. It was unfortunately lost with so much else in the same boat accident which ruined my photographs. I clutched at it as it disappeared in the swirl125 of the rapids, and part of its wing was left in my hand. I was insensible when washed ashore126, but the miserable127 remnant of my superb specimen was still intact; I now lay it before you."
From a drawer he produced what seemed to me to be the upper portion of the wing of a large bat. It was at least two feet in length, a curved bone, with a membranous129 veil beneath it.
"A monstrous bat!" I suggested.
"Nothing of the sort," said the Professor, severely130. "Living, as I do, in an educated and scientific atmosphere, I could not have conceived that the first principles of zoology were so little known. Is it possible that you do not know the elementary fact in comparative anatomy131, that the wing of a bird is really the forearm, while the wing of a bat consists of three elongated132 fingers with membranes134 between? Now, in this case, the bone is certainly not the forearm, and you can see for yourself that this is a single membrane133 hanging upon a single bone, and therefore that it cannot belong to a bat. But if it is neither bird nor bat, what is it?"
My small stock of knowledge was exhausted135.
"I really do not know," said I.
He opened the standard work to which he had already referred me.
"Here," said he, pointing to the picture of an extraordinary flying monster, "is an excellent reproduction of the dimorphodon, or pterodactyl, a flying reptile136 of the Jurassic period. On the next page is a diagram of the mechanism137 of its wing. Kindly compare it with the specimen in your hand."
A wave of amazement passed over me as I looked. I was convinced. There could be no getting away from it. The cumulative138 proof was overwhelming. The sketch, the photographs, the narrative, and now the actual specimen--the evidence was complete. I said so--I said so warmly, for I felt that the Professor was an ill-used man. He leaned back in his chair with drooping139 eyelids140 and a tolerant smile, basking141 in this sudden gleam of sunshine.
"It's just the very biggest thing that I ever heard of!" said I, though it was my journalistic rather than my scientific enthusiasm that was roused. "It is colossal142. You are a Columbus of science who has discovered a lost world. I'm awfully143 sorry if I seemed to doubt you. It was all so unthinkable. But I understand evidence when I see it, and this should be good enough for anyone."
The Professor purred with satisfaction.
"And then, sir, what did you do next?"
"It was the wet season, Mr. Malone, and my stores were exhausted. I explored some portion of this huge cliff, but I was unable to find any way to scale it. The pyramidal rock upon which I saw and shot the pterodactyl was more accessible. Being something of a cragsman, I did manage to get half way to the top of that. From that height I had a better idea of the plateau upon the top of the crags. It appeared to be very large; neither to east nor to west could I see any end to the vista144 of green-capped cliffs. Below, it is a swampy145, jungly region, full of snakes, insects, and fever. It is a natural protection to this singular country."
"Did you see any other trace of life?"
"No, sir, I did not; but during the week that we lay encamped at the base of the cliff we heard some very strange noises from above."
"But the creature that the American drew? How do you account for that?"
"We can only suppose that he must have made his way to the summit and seen it there. We know, therefore, that there is a way up. We know equally that it must be a very difficult one, otherwise the creatures would have come down and overrun the surrounding country. Surely that is clear?"
"But how did they come to be there?"
"I do not think that the problem is a very obscure one," said the Professor; "there can only be one explanation. South America is, as you may have heard, a granite146 continent. At this single point in the interior there has been, in some far distant age, a great, sudden volcanic147 upheaval148. These cliffs, I may remark, are basaltic, and therefore plutonic. An area, as large perhaps as Sussex, has been lifted up en bloc149 with all its living contents, and cut off by perpendicular150 precipices151 of a hardness which defies erosion from all the rest of the continent. What is the result? Why, the ordinary laws of Nature are suspended. The various checks which influence the struggle for existence in the world at large are all neutralized152 or altered. Creatures survive which would otherwise disappear. You will observe that both the pterodactyl and the stegosaurus are Jurassic, and therefore of a great age in the order of life. They have been artificially conserved153 by those strange accidental conditions."
"But surely your evidence is conclusive154. You have only to lay it before the proper authorities."
"So in my simplicity155, I had imagined," said the Professor, bitterly. "I can only tell you that it was not so, that I was met at every turn by incredulity, born partly of stupidity and partly of jealousy156. It is not my nature, sir, to cringe to any man, or to seek to prove a fact if my word has been doubted. After the first I have not condescended157 to show such corroborative158 proofs as I possess. The subject became hateful to me--I would not speak of it. When men like yourself, who represent the foolish curiosity of the public, came to disturb my privacy I was unable to meet them with dignified159 reserve. By nature I am, I admit, somewhat fiery160, and under provocation161 I am inclined to be violent. I fear you may have remarked it."
I nursed my eye and was silent.
"My wife has frequently remonstrated162 with me upon the subject, and yet I fancy that any man of honor would feel the same. To-night, however, I propose to give an extreme example of the control of the will over the emotions. I invite you to be present at the exhibition." He handed me a card from his desk. "You will perceive that Mr. Percival Waldron, a naturalist163 of some popular repute, is announced to lecture at eight-thirty at the Zoological Institute's Hall upon `The Record of the Ages.' I have been specially164 invited to be present upon the platform, and to move a vote of thanks to the lecturer. While doing so, I shall make it my business, with infinite tact128 and delicacy165, to throw out a few remarks which may arouse the interest of the audience and cause some of them to desire to go more deeply into the matter. Nothing contentious166, you understand, but only an indication that there are greater deeps beyond. I shall hold myself strongly in leash167, and see whether by this self-restraint I attain168 a more favorable result."
"And I may come?" I asked eagerly.
"Why, surely," he answered, cordially. He had an enormously massive genial169 manner, which was almost as overpowering as his violence. His smile of benevolence170 was a wonderful thing, when his cheeks would suddenly bunch into two red apples, between his half-closed eyes and his great black beard. "By all means, come. It will be a comfort to me to know that I have one ally in the hall, however inefficient171 and ignorant of the subject he may be. I fancy there will be a large audience, for Waldron, though an absolute charlatan172, has a considerable popular following. Now, Mr. Malone, I have given you rather more of my time than I had intended. The individual must not monopolize173 what is meant for the world. I shall be pleased to see you at the lecture to-night. In the meantime, you will understand that no public use is to be made of any of the material that I have given you."
"But Mr. McArdle--my news editor, you know--will want to know what I have done."
"Tell him what you like. You can say, among other things, that if he sends anyone else to intrude174 upon me I shall call upon him with a riding-whip. But I leave it to you that nothing of all this appears in print. Very good. Then the Zoological Institute's Hall at eight-thirty to-night." I had a last impression of red cheeks, blue rippling175 beard, and intolerant eyes, as he waved me out of the room.
收听单词发音 |
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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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enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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unduly
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| adv.过度地，不适当地 | |
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rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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profess
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| v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰 | |
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revering
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的现在分词 ) | |
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brawling
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| n.争吵，喧嚷 | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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12
penance
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| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
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13
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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14
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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15
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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16
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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18
carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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19
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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20
bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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21
coalition
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| n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合 | |
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22
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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23
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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24
badinage
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| n.开玩笑，打趣 | |
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25
fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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26
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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27
resounding
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| adj. 响亮的 | |
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28
narcotics
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| n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒 | |
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29
reverence
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|
| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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30
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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31
opportune
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| adj.合适的，适当的 | |
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32
justifiable
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| adj.有理由的，无可非议的 | |
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33
protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
glimmering
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|
| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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35
tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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36
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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37
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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38
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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39
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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40
supercilious
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|
| adj.目中无人的，高傲的；adv.高傲地；n.高傲 | |
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41
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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42
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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43
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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44
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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45
judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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46
insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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47
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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48
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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49
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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50
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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51
tributaries
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| n. 支流 | |
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52
fauna
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| n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系 | |
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53
zoology
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| n.动物学，生态 | |
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54
justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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55
accomplished
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|
| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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56
withhold
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| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
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57
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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58
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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59
emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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60
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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61
apportioned
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| vt.分摊，分配（apportion的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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62
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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63
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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64
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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65
relic
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| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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66
sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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67
ecclesiastic
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| n.教士，基督教会；adj.神职者的，牧师的，教会的 | |
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68
shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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69
inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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70
manatee
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| n.海牛 | |
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71
alligators
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| n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 ) | |
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72
justify
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|
| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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73
serenely
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| adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地 | |
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74
tinted
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| adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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75
upwards
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|
| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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76
curiously
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|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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77
isolated
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|
| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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78
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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79
geologist
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| n.地质学家 | |
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80
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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81
opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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82
smoker
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| n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室 | |
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83
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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84
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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85
lizard
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| n.蜥蜴，壁虎 | |
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86
spikes
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|
| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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87
dwarf
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|
| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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88
monstrous
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|
| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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89
sketched
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|
| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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90
buffalo
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|
| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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91
cerebral
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|
| adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的 | |
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92
inertia
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|
| adj.惰性，惯性，懒惰，迟钝 | |
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93
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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94
dabbing
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| 石面凿毛，灰泥抛毛 | |
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95
charing
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|
| n.炭化v.把…烧成炭，把…烧焦( char的现在分词 )；烧成炭，烧焦；做杂役女佣 | |
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96
kennel
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| n.狗舍，狗窝 | |
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97
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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98
complacently
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|
| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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99
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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100
monograph
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| n.专题文章，专题著作 | |
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101
dinosaur
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| n.恐龙 | |
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102
recur
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| vi.复发，重现，再发生 | |
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103
groove
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| n.沟，槽；凹线，（刻出的）线条，习惯 | |
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104
analogue
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| n.类似物；同源语 | |
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105
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106
versed
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| adj. 精通，熟练 | |
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107
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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108
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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109
rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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110
malevolent
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| adj.有恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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111
flippancy
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| n.轻率；浮躁；无礼的行动 | |
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112
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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113
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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114
coercion
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| n.强制，高压统治 | |
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115
predecessor
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| n.前辈，前任 | |
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116
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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117
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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118
cataract
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| n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障 | |
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119
defective
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| adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的 | |
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120
pinnacle
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| n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰 | |
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121
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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122
pelican
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| n.鹈鹕，伽蓝鸟 | |
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123
tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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124
corroboration
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| n.进一步的证实，进一步的证据 | |
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125
swirl
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| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
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126
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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127
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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128
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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129
membranous
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| adj.膜的，膜状的 | |
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130
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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131
anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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132
elongated
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| v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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133
membrane
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| n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸 | |
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134
membranes
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| n.（动物或植物体内的）薄膜( membrane的名词复数 )；隔膜；（可起防水、防风等作用的）膜状物 | |
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135
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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136
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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137
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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138
cumulative
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| adj.累积的，渐增的 | |
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139
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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140
eyelids
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|
| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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basking
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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144
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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swampy
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| adj.沼泽的，湿地的 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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148
upheaval
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| n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱 | |
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149
bloc
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| n.集团；联盟 | |
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perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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152
neutralized
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| v.使失效( neutralize的过去式和过去分词 )；抵消；中和；使（一个国家）中立化 | |
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153
conserved
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| v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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157
condescended
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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corroborative
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| adj.确证（性）的，确凿的 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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160
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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161
provocation
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| n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因 | |
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remonstrated
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| v.抗议( remonstrate的过去式和过去分词 )；告诫 | |
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naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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contentious
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| adj.好辩的，善争吵的 | |
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leash
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| n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住 | |
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168
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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169
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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171
inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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172
charlatan
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| n.骗子；江湖医生；假内行 | |
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173
monopolize
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| v.垄断，独占，专营 | |
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174
intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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