"For once I was the Hero"
Lord John Roxton was right when he thought that some specially1 toxic2 quality might lie in the bite of the horrible creatures which had attacked us. On the morning after our first adventure upon the plateau, both Summerlee and I were in great pain and fever, while Challenger's knee was so bruised3 that he could hardly limp. We kept to our camp all day, therefore, Lord John busying himself, with such help as we could give him, in raising the height and thickness of the thorny4 walls which were our only defense5. I remember that during the whole long day I was haunted by the feeling that we were closely observed, though by whom or whence I could give no guess.
So strong was the impression that I told Professor Challenger of it, who put it down to the cerebral6 excitement caused by my fever. Again and again I glanced round swiftly, with the conviction that I was about to see something, but only to meet the dark tangle7 of our hedge or the solemn and cavernous gloom of the great trees which arched above our heads. And yet the feeling grew ever stronger in my own mind that something observant and something malevolent8 was at our very elbow. I thought of the Indian superstition9 of the Curupuri--the dreadful, lurking10 spirit of the woods--and I could have imagined that his terrible presence haunted those who had invaded his most remote and sacred retreat.
That night (our third in Maple11 White Land) we had an experience which left a fearful impression upon our minds, and made us thankful that Lord John had worked so hard in making our retreat impregnable. We were all sleeping round our dying fire when we were aroused--or, rather, I should say, shot out of our slumbers12--by a succession of the most frightful13 cries and screams to which I have ever listened. I know no sound to which I could compare this amazing tumult14, which seemed to come from some spot within a few hundred yards of our camp. It was as ear-splitting as any whistle of a railway-engine; but whereas the whistle is a clear, mechanical, sharp-edged sound, this was far deeper in volume and vibrant15 with the uttermost strain of agony and horror. We clapped our hands to our ears to shut out that nerve-shaking appeal. A cold sweat broke out over my body, and my heart turned sick at the misery16 of it. All the woes17 of tortured life, all its stupendous indictment18 of high heaven, its innumerable sorrows, seemed to be centered and condensed into that one dreadful, agonized19 cry. And then, under this high-pitched, ringing sound there was another, more intermittent20, a low, deep-chested laugh, a growling21, throaty gurgle of merriment which formed a grotesque23 accompaniment to the shriek24 with which it was blended. For three or four minutes on end the fearsome duet continued, while all the foliage25 rustled26 with the rising of startled birds. Then it shut off as suddenly as it began. For a long time we sat in horrified27 silence. Then Lord John threw a bundle of twigs28 upon the fire, and their red glare lit up the intent faces of my companions and flickered29 over the great boughs30 above our heads.
"What was it?" I whispered.
"We shall know in the morning," said Lord John. "It was close to us--not farther than the glade31."
"We have been privileged to overhear a prehistoric32 tragedy, the sort of drama which occurred among the reeds upon the border of some Jurassic lagoon33, when the greater dragon pinned the lesser34 among the slime," said Challenger, with more solemnity than I had ever heard in his voice. "It was surely well for man that he came late in the order of creation. There were powers abroad in earlier days which no courage and no mechanism35 of his could have met. What could his sling36, his throwing-stick, or his arrow avail him against such forces as have been loose to-night? Even with a modern rifle it would be all odds37 on the monster."
"I think I should back my little friend," said Lord John, caressing38 his Express. "But the beast would certainly have a good sporting chance."
Summerlee raised his hand.
"Hush39!" he cried. "Surely I hear something?"
From the utter silence there emerged a deep, regular pat-pat. It was the tread of some animal--the rhythm of soft but heavy pads placed cautiously upon the ground. It stole slowly round the camp, and then halted near our gateway40. There was a low, sibilant rise and fall--the breathing of the creature. Only our feeble hedge separated us from this horror of the night. Each of us had seized his rifle, and Lord John had pulled out a small bush to make an embrasure in the hedge.
"By George!" he whispered. "I think I can see it!"
I stooped and peered over his shoulder through the gap. Yes, I could see it, too. In the deep shadow of the tree there was a deeper shadow yet, black, inchoate41, vague--a crouching42 form full of savage43 vigor44 and menace. It was no higher than a horse, but the dim outline suggested vast bulk and strength. That hissing45 pant, as regular and full-volumed as the exhaust of an engine, spoke46 of a monstrous47 organism. Once, as it moved, I thought I saw the glint of two terrible, greenish eyes. There was an uneasy rustling48, as if it were crawling slowly forward.
"I believe it is going to spring!" said I, cocking my rifle.
"Don't fire! Don't fire!" whispered Lord John. "The crash of a gun in this silent night would be heard for miles. Keep it as a last card."
"If it gets over the hedge we're done," said Summerlee, and his voice crackled into a nervous laugh as he spoke.
"No, it must not get over," cried Lord John; "but hold your fire to the last. Perhaps I can make something of the fellow. I'll chance it, anyhow."
It was as brave an act as ever I saw a man do. He stooped to the fire, picked up a blazing branch, and slipped in an instant through a sallyport which he had made in our gateway. The thing moved forward with a dreadful snarl49. Lord John never hesitated, but, running towards it with a quick, light step, he dashed the flaming wood into the brute's face. For one moment I had a vision of a horrible mask like a giant toad's, of a warty50, leprous skin, and of a loose mouth all beslobbered with fresh blood. The next, there was a crash in the underwood and our dreadful visitor was gone.
"I thought he wouldn't face the fire," said Lord John, laughing, as he came back and threw his branch among the faggots.
"You should not have taken such a risk!" we all cried.
"There was nothin' else to be done. If he had got among us we should have shot each other in tryin' to down him. On the other hand, if we had fired through the hedge and wounded him he would soon have been on the top of us--to say nothin' of giving ourselves away. On the whole, I think that we are jolly well out of it. What was he, then?"
Our learned men looked at each other with some hesitation51.
"Personally, I am unable to classify the creature with any certainty," said Summerlee, lighting52 his pipe from the fire.
"In refusing to commit yourself you are but showing a proper scientific reserve," said Challenger, with massive condescension53. "I am not myself prepared to go farther than to say in general terms that we have almost certainly been in contact to-night with some form of carnivorous dinosaur54. I have already expressed my anticipation55 that something of the sort might exist upon this plateau."
"We have to bear in mind," remarked Summerlee, that there are many prehistoric forms which have never come down to us. It would be rash to suppose that we can give a name to all that we are likely to meet."
"Exactly. A rough classification may be the best that we can attempt. To-morrow some further evidence may help us to an identification. Meantime we can only renew our interrupted slumbers."
"But not without a sentinel," said Lord John, with decision. "We can't afford to take chances in a country like this. Two-hour spells in the future, for each of us."
"Then I'll just finish my pipe in starting the first one," said Professor Summerlee; and from that time onwards we never trusted ourselves again without a watchman.
In the morning it was not long before we discovered the source of the hideous56 uproar57 which had aroused us in the night. The iguanodon glade was the scene of a horrible butchery. From the pools of blood and the enormous lumps of flesh scattered58 in every direction over the green sward we imagined at first that a number of animals had been killed, but on examining the remains59 more closely we discovered that all this carnage came from one of these unwieldy monsters, which had been literally60 torn to pieces by some creature not larger, perhaps, but far more ferocious61, than itself.
Our two professors sat in absorbed argument, examining piece after piece, which showed the marks of savage teeth and of enormous claws.
"Our judgment62 must still be in abeyance," said Professor Challenger, with a huge slab63 of whitish-colored flesh across his knee. "The indications would be consistent with the presence of a saber-toothed tiger, such as are still found among the breccia of our caverns64; but the creature actually seen was undoubtedly65 of a larger and more reptilian66 character. Personally, I should pronounce for allosaurus."
"Or megalosaurus," said Summerlee.
"Exactly. Any one of the larger carnivorous dinosaurs67 would meet the case. Among them are to be found all the most terrible types of animal life that have ever cursed the earth or blessed a museum." He laughed sonorously68 at his own conceit69, for, though he had little sense of humor, the crudest pleasantry from his own lips moved him always to roars of appreciation70.
"The less noise the better," said Lord Roxton, curtly71. "We don't know who or what may be near us. If this fellah comes back for his breakfast and catches us here we won't have so much to laugh at. By the way, what is this mark upon the iguanodon's hide?"
On the dull, scaly72, slate-colored skin somewhere above the shoulder, there was a singular black circle of some substance which looked like asphalt. None of us could suggest what it meant, though Summerlee was of opinion that he had seen something similar upon one of the young ones two days before. Challenger said nothing, but looked pompous73 and puffy, as if he could if he would, so that finally Lord John asked his opinion direct.
"If your lordship will graciously permit me to open my mouth, I shall be happy to express my sentiments," said he, with elaborate sarcasm74. I am not in the habit of being taken to task in the fashion which seems to be customary with your lordship. I was not aware that it was necessary to ask your permission before smiling at a harmless pleasantry."
It was not until he had received his apology that our touchy75 friend would suffer himself to be appeased76. When at last his ruffled77 feelings were at ease, he addressed us at some length from his seat upon a fallen tree, speaking, as his habit was, as if he were imparting most precious information to a class of a thousand.
"With regard to the marking," said he, "I am inclined to agree with my friend and colleague, Professor Summerlee, that the stains are from asphalt. As this plateau is, in its very nature, highly volcanic78, and as asphalt is a substance which one associates with Plutonic forces, I cannot doubt that it exists in the free liquid state, and that the creatures may have come in contact with it. A much more important problem is the question as to the existence of the carnivorous monster which has left its traces in this glade. We know roughly that this plateau is not larger than an average English county. Within this confined space a certain number of creatures, mostly types which have passed away in the world below, have lived together for innumerable years. Now, it is very clear to me that in so long a period one would have expected that the carnivorous creatures, multiplying unchecked, would have exhausted79 their food supply and have been compelled to either modify their flesh-eating habits or die of hunger. This we see has not been so. We can only imagine, therefore, that the balance of Nature is preserved by some check which limits the numbers of these ferocious creatures. One of the many interesting problems, therefore, which await our solution is to discover what that check may be and how it operates. I venture to trust that we may have some future opportunity for the closer study of the carnivorous dinosaurs."
"And I venture to trust we may not," I observed.
The Professor only raised his great eyebrows80, as the schoolmaster meets the irrelevant81 observation of the naughty boy.
"Perhaps Professor Summerlee may have an observation to make," he said, and the two savants ascended82 together into some rarefied scientific atmosphere, where the possibilities of a modification83 of the birth-rate were weighed against the decline of the food supply as a check in the struggle for existence.
That morning we mapped out a small portion of the plateau, avoiding the swamp of the pterodactyls, and keeping to the east of our brook84 instead of to the west. In that direction the country was still thickly wooded, with so much undergrowth that our progress was very slow.
I have dwelt up to now upon the terrors of Maple White Land; but there was another side to the subject, for all that morning we wandered among lovely flowers--mostly, as I observed, white or yellow in color, these being, as our professors explained, the primitive85 flower-shades. In many places the ground was absolutely covered with them, and as we walked ankle-deep on that wonderful yielding carpet, the scent86 was almost intoxicating87 in its sweetness and intensity88. The homely89 English bee buzzed everywhere around us. Many of the trees under which we passed had their branches bowed down with fruit, some of which were of familiar sorts, while other varieties were new. By observing which of them were pecked by the birds we avoided all danger of poison and added a delicious variety to our food reserve. In the jungle which we traversed were numerous hard-trodden paths made by the wild beasts, and in the more marshy90 places we saw a profusion91 of strange footmarks, including many of the iguanodon. Once in a grove92 we observed several of these great creatures grazing, and Lord John, with his glass, was able to report that they also were spotted93 with asphalt, though in a different place to the one which we had examined in the morning. What this phenomenon meant we could not imagine.
We saw many small animals, such as porcupines94, a scaly ant-eater, and a wild pig, piebald in color and with long curved tusks95. Once, through a break in the trees, we saw a clear shoulder of green hill some distance away, and across this a large dun-colored animal was traveling at a considerable pace. It passed so swiftly that we were unable to say what it was; but if it were a deer, as was claimed by Lord John, it must have been as large as those monstrous Irish elk96 which are still dug up from time to time in the bogs97 of my native land.
Ever since the mysterious visit which had been paid to our camp we always returned to it with some misgivings98. However, on this occasion we found everything in order.
That evening we had a grand discussion upon our present situation and future plans, which I must describe at some length, as it led to a new departure by which we were enabled to gain a more complete knowledge of Maple White Land than might have come in many weeks of exploring. It was Summerlee who opened the debate. All day he had been querulous in manner, and now some remark of Lord John's as to what we should do on the morrow brought all his bitterness to a head.
"What we ought to be doing to-day, to-morrow, and all the time," said he, "is finding some way out of the trap into which we have fallen. You are all turning your brains towards getting into this country. I say that we should be scheming how to get out of it."
"I am surprised, sir," boomed Challenger, stroking his majestic99 beard, "that any man of science should commit himself to so ignoble100 a sentiment. You are in a land which offers such an inducement to the ambitious naturalist101 as none ever has since the world began, and you suggest leaving it before we have acquired more than the most superficial knowledge of it or of its contents. I expected better things of you, Professor Summerlee."
"You must remember," said Summerlee, sourly, "that I have a large class in London who are at present at the mercy of an extremely inefficient102 locum tenens. This makes my situation different from yours, Professor Challenger, since, so far as I know, you have never been entrusted103 with any responsible educational work."
"Quite so," said Challenger. "I have felt it to be a sacrilege to divert a brain which is capable of the highest original research to any lesser object. That is why I have sternly set my face against any proffered104 scholastic105 appointment."
"For example?" asked Summerlee, with a sneer106; but Lord John hastened to change the conversation.
"I must say," said he, "that I think it would be a mighty107 poor thing to go back to London before I know a great deal more of this place than I do at present."
"I could never dare to walk into the back office of my paper and face old McArdle," said I. (You will excuse the frankness of this report, will you not, sir?) "He'd never forgive me for leaving such unexhausted copy behind me. Besides, so far as I can see it is not worth discussing, since we can't get down, even if we wanted."
"Our young friend makes up for many obvious mental lacunae by some measure of primitive common sense, remarked Challenger. "The interests of his deplorable profession are immaterial to us; but, as he observes, we cannot get down in any case, so it is a waste of energy to discuss it."
"It is a waste of energy to do anything else," growled108 Summerlee from behind his pipe. "Let me remind you that we came here upon a perfectly109 definite mission, entrusted to us at the meeting of the Zoological Institute in London. That mission was to test the truth of Professor Challenger's statements. Those statements, as I am bound to admit, we are now in a position to endorse110. Our ostensible111 work is therefore done. As to the detail which remains to be worked out upon this plateau, it is so enormous that only a large expedition, with a very special equipment, could hope to cope with it. Should we attempt to do so ourselves, the only possible result must be that we shall never return with the important contribution to science which we have already gained. Professor Challenger has devised means for getting us on to this plateau when it appeared to be inaccessible112; I think that we should now call upon him to use the same ingenuity113 in getting us back to the world from which we came."
I confess that as Summerlee stated his view it struck me as altogether reasonable. Even Challenger was affected114 by the consideration that his enemies would never stand confuted if the confirmation115 of his statements should never reach those who had doubted them.
"The problem of the descent is at first sight a formidable one," said he, "and yet I cannot doubt that the intellect can solve it. I am prepared to agree with our colleague that a protracted116 stay in Maple White Land is at present inadvisable, and that the question of our return will soon have to be faced. I absolutely refuse to leave, however, until we have made at least a superficial examination of this country, and are able to take back with us something in the nature of a chart."
Professor Summerlee gave a snort of impatience117.
"We have spent two long days in exploration," said he, "and we are no wiser as to the actual geography of the place than when we started. It is clear that it is all thickly wooded, and it would take months to penetrate118 it and to learn the relations of one part to another. If there were some central peak it would be different, but it all slopes downwards119, so far as we can see. The farther we go the less likely it is that we will get any general view."
It was at that moment that I had my inspiration. My eyes chanced to light upon the enormous gnarled trunk of the gingko tree which cast its huge branches over us. Surely, if its bole exceeded that of all others, its height must do the same. If the rim22 of the plateau was indeed the highest point, then why should this mighty tree not prove to be a watchtower which commanded the whole country? Now, ever since I ran wild as a lad in Ireland I have been a bold and skilled tree-climber. My comrades might be my masters on the rocks, but I knew that I would be supreme120 among those branches. Could I only get my legs on to the lowest of the giant off-shoots, then it would be strange indeed if I could not make my way to the top. My comrades were delighted at my idea.
"Our young friend," said Challenger, bunching up the red apples of his cheeks, "is capable of acrobatic exertions121 which would be impossible to a man of a more solid, though possibly of a more commanding, appearance. I applaud his resolution."
"By George, young fellah, you've put your hand on it!" said Lord John, clapping me on the back. "How we never came to think of it before I can't imagine! There's not more than an hour of daylight left, but if you take your notebook you may be able to get some rough sketch122 of the place. If we put these three ammunition123 cases under the branch, I will soon hoist124 you on to it."
He stood on the boxes while I faced the trunk, and was gently raising me when Challenger sprang forward and gave me such a thrust with his huge hand that he fairly shot me into the tree. With both arms clasping the branch, I scrambled125 hard with my feet until I had worked, first my body, and then my knees, onto it. There were three excellent off-shoots, like huge rungs of a ladder, above my head, and a tangle of convenient branches beyond, so that I clambered onwards with such speed that I soon lost sight of the ground and had nothing but foliage beneath me. Now and then I encountered a check, and once I had to shin up a creeper for eight or ten feet, but I made excellent progress, and the booming of Challenger's voice seemed to be a great distance beneath me. The tree was, however, enormous, and, looking upwards126, I could see no thinning of the leaves above my head. There was some thick, bush-like clump127 which seemed to be a parasite128 upon a branch up which I was swarming129. I leaned my head round it in order to see what was beyond, and I nearly fell out of the tree in my surprise and horror at what I saw.
A face was gazing into mine--at the distance of only a foot or two. The creature that owned it had been crouching behind the parasite, and had looked round it at the same instant that I did. It was a human face--or at least it was far more human than any monkey's that I have ever seen. It was long, whitish, and blotched with pimples130, the nose flattened131, and the lower jaw132 projecting, with a bristle133 of coarse whiskers round the chin. The eyes, which were under thick and heavy brows, were bestial134 and ferocious, and as it opened its mouth to snarl what sounded like a curse at me I observed that it had curved, sharp canine135 teeth. For an instant I read hatred136 and menace in the evil eyes. Then, as quick as a flash, came an expression of overpowering fear. There was a crash of broken boughs as it dived wildly down into the tangle of green. I caught a glimpse of a hairy body like that of a reddish pig, and then it was gone amid a swirl137 of leaves and branches.
"What's the matter?" shouted Roxton from below. "Anything wrong with you?"
"Did you see it?" I cried, with my arms round the branch and all my nerves tingling138.
"We heard a row, as if your foot had slipped. What was it?"
I was so shocked at the sudden and strange appearance of this ape-man that I hesitated whether I should not climb down again and tell my experience to my companions. But I was already so far up the great tree that it seemed a humiliadion to return without having carried out my mission.
After a long pause, therefore, to recover my breath and my courage, I continued my ascent139. Once I put my weight upon a rotten branch and swung for a few seconds by my hands, but in the main it was all easy climbing. Gradually the leaves thinned around me, and I was aware, from the wind upon my face, that I had topped all the trees of the forest. I was determined140, however, not to look about me before I had reached the very highest point, so I scrambled on until I had got so far that the topmost branch was bending beneath my weight. There I settled into a convenient fork, and, balancing myself securely, I found myself looking down at a most wonderful panorama141 of this strange country in which we found ourselves.
The sun was just above the western sky-line, and the evening was a particularly bright and clear one, so that the whole extent of the plateau was visible beneath me. It was, as seen from this height, of an oval contour, with a breadth of about thirty miles and a width of twenty. Its general shape was that of a shallow funnel142, all the sides sloping down to a considerable lake in the center. This lake may have been ten miles in circumference143, and lay very green and beautiful in the evening light, with a thick fringe of reeds at its edges, and with its surface broken by several yellow sandbanks, which gleamed golden in the mellow144 sunshine. A number of long dark objects, which were too large for alligators145 and too long for canoes, lay upon the edges of these patches of sand. With my glass I could clearly see that they were alive, but what their nature might be I could not imagine.
From the side of the plateau on which we were, slopes of woodland, with occasional glades146, stretched down for five or six miles to the central lake. I could see at my very feet the glade of the iguanodons, and farther off was a round opening in the trees which marked the swamp of the pterodactyls. On the side facing me, however, the plateau presented a very different aspect. There the basalt cliffs of the outside were reproduced upon the inside, forming an escarpment about two hundred feet high, with a woody slope beneath it. Along the base of these red cliffs, some distance above the ground, I could see a number of dark holes through the glass, which I conjectured147 to be the mouths of caves. At the opening of one of these something white was shimmering148, but I was unable to make out what it was. I sat charting the country until the sun had set and it was so dark that I could no longer distinguish details. Then I climbed down to my companions waiting for me so eagerly at the bottom of the great tree. For once I was the hero of the expedition. Alone I had thought of it, and alone I had done it; and here was the chart which would save us a month's blind groping among unknown dangers. Each of them shook me solemnly by the hand.
But before they discussed the details of my map I had to tell them of my encounter with the ape-man among the branches.
"He has been there all the time," said I.
"How do you know that?" asked Lord John.
"Because I have never been without that feeling that something malevolent was watching us. I mentioned it to you, Professor Challenger."
"Our young friend certainly said something of the kind. He is also the one among us who is endowed with that Celtic temperament149 which would make him sensitive to such impressions."
"The whole theory of telepathy----" began Summerlee, filling his pipe.
"Is too vast to be now discussed," said Challenger, with decision. "Tell me, now," he added, with the air of a bishop150 addressing a Sunday-school, "did you happen to observe whether the creature could cross its thumb over its palm?"
"No, indeed."
"Had it a tail?"
"No."
"Was the foot prehensile151?"
"I do not think it could have made off so fast among the branches if it could not get a grip with its feet."
"In South America there are, if my memory serves me--you will check the observation, "rofessor Summerlee--some thirty-six species of monkeys, but the anthropoid152 ape is unknown. It is clear, however, that he exists in this country, and that he is not the hairy, gorilla-like variety, which is never seen out of Africa or the East." (I was inclined to interpolate, as I looked at him, that I had seen his first cousin in Kensington.) "This is a whiskered and colorless type, the latter characteristic pointing to the fact that he spends his days in arboreal153 seclusion154. The question which we have to face is whether he approaches more closely to the ape or the man. In the latter case, he may well approximate to what the vulgar have called the `missing link.' The solution of this problem is our immediate155 duty."
"It is nothing of the sort," said Summerlee, abruptly156. "Now that, through the intelligence and activity of Mr. Malone" (I cannot help quoting the words), "we have got our chart, our one and only immediate duty is to get ourselves safe and sound out of this awful place."
"The flesh-pots of civilization," groaned157 Challenger.
"The ink-pots of civilization, sir. It is our task to put on record what we have seen, and to leave the further exploration to others. You all agreed as much before Mr. Malone got us the chart."
"Well," said Challenger, "I admit that my mind will be more at ease when I am assured that the result of our expedition has been conveyed to our friends. How we are to get down from this place I have not as yet an idea. I have never yet encountered any problem, however, which my inventive brain was unable to solve, and I promise you that to-morrow I will turn my attention to the question of our descent." And so the matter was allowed to rest.
But that evening, by the light of the fire and of a single candle, the first map of the lost world was elaborated. Every detail which I had roughly noted158 from my watch-tower was drawn159 out in its relative place. Challenger's pencil hovered160 over the great blank which marked the lake.
"What shall we call it?" he asked.
"Why should you not take the chance of perpetuating161 your own name?" said Summerlee, with his usual touch of acidity162.
"I trust, sir, that my name will have other and more personal claims upon posterity," said Challenger, severely163. "Any ignoramus can hand down his worthless memory by imposing164 it upon a mountain or a river. I need no such monument."
Summerlee, with a twisted smile, was about to make some fresh assault when Lord John hastened to intervene.
"It's up to you, young fellah, to name the lake," said he. "You saw it first, and, by George, if you choose to put `Lake Malone' on it, no one has a better right."
"By all means. Let our young friend give it a name," said Challenger.
"Then, said I, blushing, I dare say, as I said it, "let it be named Lake Gladys."
"Don't you think the Central Lake would be more descriptive?" remarked Summerlee.
"I should prefer Lake Gladys."
Challenger looked at me sympathetically, and shook his great head in mock disapproval165. "Boys will be boys," said he. "Lake Gladys let it be."
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toxic
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bruised
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thorny
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defense
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cerebral
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tangle
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malevolent
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superstition
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lurking
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maple
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slumbers
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frightful
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tumult
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15
vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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16
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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17
woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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18
indictment
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| n.起诉；诉状 | |
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19
agonized
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| v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦 | |
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20
intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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21
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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22
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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23
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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24
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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25
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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26
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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28
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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29
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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31
glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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32
prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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33
lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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34
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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35
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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36
sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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37
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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38
caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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39
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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40
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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41
inchoate
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| adj.才开始的，初期的 | |
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42
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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43
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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44
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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45
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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46
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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47
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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48
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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49
snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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50
warty
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| adj.有疣的，似疣的；瘤状 | |
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51
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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52
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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53
condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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54
dinosaur
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| n.恐龙 | |
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55
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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56
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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57
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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58
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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59
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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60
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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61
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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62
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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63
slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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64
caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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65
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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66
reptilian
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| adj.（像）爬行动物的；（像）爬虫的；卑躬屈节的；卑鄙的n.两栖动物；卑劣的人 | |
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67
dinosaurs
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| n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西 | |
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68
sonorously
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| adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；堂皇地；朗朗地 | |
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69
conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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70
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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71
curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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72
scaly
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| adj.鱼鳞状的；干燥粗糙的 | |
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73
pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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74
sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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75
touchy
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| adj.易怒的；棘手的 | |
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76
appeased
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| 安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
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77
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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78
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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79
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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80
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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81
irrelevant
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| adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的 | |
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82
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83
modification
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| n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻 | |
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84
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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85
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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86
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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87
intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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88
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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89
homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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90
marshy
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| adj.沼泽的 | |
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91
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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92
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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93
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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94
porcupines
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| n.豪猪，箭猪( porcupine的名词复数 ) | |
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95
tusks
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| n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头 | |
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96
elk
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| n.麋鹿 | |
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97
bogs
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| n.沼泽，泥塘( bog的名词复数 )；厕所v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的第三人称单数 )；妨碍，阻碍 | |
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98
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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99
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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100
ignoble
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| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
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101
naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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102
inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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103
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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104
proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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105
scholastic
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| adj.学校的，学院的，学术上的 | |
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106
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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107
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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108
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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109
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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110
endorse
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| vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意 | |
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111
ostensible
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| adj.(指理由)表面的，假装的 | |
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112
inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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113
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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114
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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115
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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116
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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117
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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118
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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119
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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120
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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121
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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122
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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123
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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124
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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125
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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126
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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127
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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128
parasite
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| n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客 | |
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129
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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130
pimples
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| n.丘疹，粉刺，小脓疱( pimple的名词复数 ) | |
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131
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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132
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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133
bristle
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| v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发 | |
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134
bestial
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| adj.残忍的；野蛮的 | |
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135
canine
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| adj.犬的，犬科的 | |
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136
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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137
swirl
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| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
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138
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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139
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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140
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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141
panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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142
funnel
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| n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集 | |
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143
circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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144
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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145
alligators
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| n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 ) | |
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146
glades
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| n.林中空地( glade的名词复数 ) | |
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147
conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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148
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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149
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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150
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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151
prehensile
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| adj.（足等）适于抓握的 | |
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152
anthropoid
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| adj.像人类的，类人猿的；n.类人猿；像猿的人 | |
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153
arboreal
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| adj.树栖的；树的 | |
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154
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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155
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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156
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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157
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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158
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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159
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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160
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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161
perpetuating
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| perpetuate的现在进行式 | |
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162
acidity
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| n.酸度，酸性 | |
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163
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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164
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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165
disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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