It would have been strange if the white man of peripatetic7 mood had not found his way to this Eden of the eastern seas. Within ten minutes of my landing I was greeted by a score of “beachcombers” gathered in the black shade under the portico8 of a large government building. In garb9, they were men of means. It costs nothing worth mentioning to keep spotless the jacket and trousers of thinnest cotton that make up the wardrobe of the Indias. More than their sun-baked faces, their listless movements and ingrown indolence betrayed them as “vags.” Those of the band who were not stretched out at full length on the flagging of the veranda11 dangled12 their feet from the encircling railing or leaned against the massive pillars, puffing13 lazily at pipe or cigarette. On the greensward below, two natives sat on their heels before portable stands, rising now and then to pour out a glass of tea for the “comber” who tossed a Ceylon cent at their feet.
Theoretically, the party had gathered to seek employment. The morning hour, since time immemorial, had called the exiles together in the shade of the shipping14 office to lay in wait for any stranger, the “cut of whose jib” stamped him as a captain. “Shipping,” however, was dull. Imbued15 with the habit, “the boys” continued to gather, but into their drowsy16 yarning17 rarely intruded18 the fear of being driven forth19 from this island paradise.
Now and again some energetic member of the band rose to peer 252through the open door of the shipping office; yet retreated hastily, for a roar as of an angry bull was the invariable greeting from within. When courage came, I ventured to glance inside. A burly Englishman, as nearly naked as a mild sense of propriety20 permitted, lay on his back in a reclining chair, on the arm of which he threw a mass of typewritten sheets every half-minute, to mop up the perspiration21 that poured down his rotund face and hairy chest in spite of the heavy velvet22 punkahs that swung slowly back and forth above him.
“Shippin’ master,” volunteered a recumbent Irishman behind me. “But divil a man dast disturb ’im. If you valy your loife, kape out of ’is soight.”
At noonday the office closed. The beachcombers wandered languidly away to some other shaded spot, and seeking refuge from the equatorial sun in a neighboring park, I dreamed away my first day’s freedom from the holly-stone. A native runner roused me towards nightfall and thrust into my hands a card setting forth the virtues23 of “The Original and Well-Recognized Sailors’ Boarding House of Colombo, under Proprietorship25 of C. D. Almeida.” It was a two-story building in the native quarter of Pettah, of stone floor, but otherwise of the lightest wooden material. The dining-room, in the center of the establishment, boasted no roof. Narrow, windowless chambers26 of the second story, facing this open space, housed the seafaring guests.
Almeida, the proprietor24, was a Singhalese of purest caste. His white silk jacket was modestly decorated with red braid and glistening28 brass29 buttons. Beneath the folds of a skirt of gayest plaid peeped feet that had never known the restraint of shoes, the toes of which stood out staunchly independent one from another. For all his occupation he clung stoutly31 to the symbols of his social superiority—tiny pearl earrings32 and a huge circle comb of celluloid. Fate had been unkind to Almeida. Though his fellow-countrymen, with rarely an exception, boasted thick tresses of long, raven-tinted hair, the boarding master was well nigh bald. His gray and scanty33 locks did little more than streak34 his black scalp, and the art of a lifetime of hair dressing35 could not make the knob at the back of his head larger than a hickory nut. Obviously no circle comb could sit in position so insecure; at intervals36 as regular as the ticking of his great silver watch, that of Almeida dropped on the ground behind him. Wherever he moved, there slunk at his heels a native urchin37 who had known no other task in many a month than that of restoring to its place the ornament38 of caste.
An outrigger canoe and an outdoor laundry in Colombo, Ceylon
Road-repairers of Ceylon. Highway between Colombo and Kandy
253The simple formality of signing a promise-to-pay made me a guest. Four white men and as many black leaned their elbows on the unplaned table, awaiting the evening meal. In an adjoining grotto39, two natives were stumbling over each other around a kettle and a fire of fagots. Both were clothed in the scantiest40 of breechclouts. Now and then they squatted42 on their smoothly43 polished heels, scratched savagely44 at some portion of their scrawny bodies, and sprang up again to plunge46 both hands into the kettle.
In due time the mess grew too hot for stirring. The pair resumed their squat41 and burst forth in a dreadful chatter48 of falsetto voices. Then fell ominous49 silence. Suddenly the cooks dashed into the smoke that veiled the entrance to the cave, and, flinging themselves upon the caldron, dragged it forth into the dining-room. The senior scooped51 out handfuls of steaming rice and filled our plates. The younger returned to the smoky cavern52 and laid hold on a smaller pot that contained a curry53 of chopped fish. Besides these two delicacies54, there were bananas in abundance and a chettie of water, brackish55, discolored and lukewarm.
Having distributed heavy pewter spoons among the guests, the cooks filled a battered56 basin with rice and, dropping on their haunches, thrust the food into their mouths with both hands. The blazing fagots turned to dying embers, the wick that floated in a bottle of oil lighted up a bare corner of the table, and the rising moon, falling upon the naked figures, cast weird57 shadows across the uneven58 floor.
Almeida took his leave. The dropping of his comb sounded twice or thrice between the dining-room and the street, and the patter of his bare feet mingled59 with the whisper of the night outside. I laid my head on a hand as a sign of sleepiness, and a cook led the way to the second story and into one of the narrow rooms. It was furnished with three wooden tables of Dachshund legs. From two pegs60 in the wall hung several diaphanous61 tropical garments, the property of my unknown roommates. I inquired for my bed; but the cook spoke62 no English, and I sat down on the nearest table to await a more communicative mortal.
A long hour afterward63 two white men stumbled up the stairs, the first carrying a candle high above his head. He was lean and sallow, 254gray-haired and clean shaven, with something in his manner that spoke of better days. His companion was a burly, tow-headed Swede.
“Oho! Ole,” grinned the older man; “here’s a new bunkie. Why don’t you turn in, mate?”
“Haven’t found my bed yet,” I answered.
“Your bed!” cried the newcomer, “Why, damn it, man, you’re sitting on it.”
I followed the example of the pair in reducing my attire64 to the regulation coolie costume and, turning my bundled clothing into a pillow, sweated out the night.
Over the tea, bananas, and cakes of ground cocoanut that made up the Almeida breakfast, I exchanged yarns65 with my companions of the night. The Swede was merely a sailor; the older man a less commonplace being. He was an Irishman named John Askins, a master of arts of Dublin University and a civil engineer by profession. Twenty years before, an encroaching asthma67 had driven him from his native island. In his wanderings through every tropical country under British rule, he had picked up a fluent use of half the dialects of the east, from the clicking Kaffir to the guttural tongue of Kabul. Not by choice was Askins, M. A., a vagabond. Periodically, however, employment failed him and he fell, as now, into the ranks of those who listened open-mouthed—when he chose to abandon the slang of “the road” and the forecastle—to his professorial diction.
Brief as was my acquaintance with Ceylon, I had already discovered two possible openings to the wage-earning class. The first was to join the police force. Half the European officers of Colombo had once been beachcombers. Between them and our band existed a liaison68 so close that the misdemeanors of “the boys” were rarely punished, and more than one white castaway was housed surreptitiously in the barracks on Slave Island. I had no hesitancy, therefore, in applying for information to the Irishman whose beat embraced the cricket-ground separating Pettah from the European quarter.
He painted the life in uniform in glowing colors. His salary was fifty rupees a month. No princely income, surely, for bear in mind that it takes three rupees to make a dollar. The “graft,” too, he admitted sadly, was next to nothing. Yet he supported a wife—a white one, at that, strange to say—and three children, kept several servants, owned a house of his own, and increased his bank account 255on every pay day. Ludicrous, you know, is the cost of living in Ceylon.
I hurried eagerly away to the office of the superintendent69 of police. An awkward squad70 of white recruits was sprinkling with perspiration the green before the government bungalow71, from which a servant emerged to inquire my errand. The alacrity72 with which I was admitted to the inner sanctum aroused within me visions of myself in uniform that were by no means dispelled73 by the hasty examination to which the superintendent subjected me.
“Yes! Yes!” he broke in, before I had answered his last question; “I think we can take you on all right. By the way, what part of the country are you from? You’ll be from Yorkshire side, I take it?”
“United States.”
“A-oh! You don’t say so? An American! Really, you don’t look it, you know. What a shame! Had a beat all picked out for you. But as an American you’d better go to the Philippines and apply on the force there. We can’t give you anything in Ceylon or India, don’t you know. Awfully74 sorry. Good day.”
None but a man ignorant of the ways of the Far East could have conceived my second scheme in one sleepless75 night. It was suggested by the fact that, in earlier years, I had, as the Englishman puts it, “gone in for” cross-country running. Returning to Almeida’s, I soon picked up a partner for the projected enterprise. He was a young and lanky76 Englishman, who, though he had never indulged in athletic77 sports, was certain that in eluding78 for a decade the police of four continents he had developed a record-breaking stride.
In a shady corner of Gordon Gardens we arranged the details of our plan, which was—why not admit it at once?—to become ’rickshaw runners. The hollow-chested natives who plied79 this equestrian80 vocation81 leased their vehicles from the American consul82. That official surely would be glad to rent the two fine, new carriages that stood idle in his establishment. The license83 would cost little. Cloth slippers84 that sold for a few cents in the bazaars85 would render us as light-footed as our competitors. We could not, of course, offer indiscriminate service. Half the population of Colombo would have swept down upon us, clamoring for the unheard-of honor of riding behind a sahib. But nothing would be easier than to hang above our licenses86 the announcement, “for white men only.”
“By thunder,” enthused the Briton, as we turned out into the sunlight 256once more, “it’s a new scheme all right, absolutely unique. It’s sure to attract attention mighty87 quick.”
It did. So quickly, in fact, that had there been a white policeman within call when we broached88 the subject to the American consul, we should have found lodging89 at once in two nicely padded chambers of the city hospital.
“Did you two lunatics,” shrieked90 my fellow-countryman, from behind the protecting bulwark91 of his desk, “ever hear of Caste? Would the Europeans patronize you? You bet they would—with a fine coat of tar92 and feathers! You’d need it, too, for those long, slim knives the runners carry. Of all the idiotic94 schemes! Why, you—you—don’t you know that’s a crime—or, if it isn’t, the governor would make it one in about ten minutes. Go lie in the shade somewhere until you get your senses—if you’ve got one!”
Years ago, I came to the conclusion that the day of the enterprising young man is past. But it was cruel of the consul to put the matter so baldly. Luckily, the Englishman possessed95 four cents or we should have been denied the bitter joy of drowning our grief and dissolving our partnership96 in a glass of arrack.
From the distance of the western world the rate in Almeida’s boarding house—a half rupee a day—does not seem exorbitant97. It was, however. In the native restaurants that abounded98 in Colombo, one could live on half that amount; and as for lodging—what utter foolishness to pay for the privilege of sleeping on a short-legged table when the ground was so much softer? No sooner, therefore, had a pawnbroker99 of Pettah appraised100 my useless winter garments at two rupees than I paid my bill at the “Original Boarding House” and became resident at large.
On the edge of the native section stood an eating shop that had won the patronage101 of half the beachcombers in the city. It was a low, thatched shanty103, constructed, like its neighbors, chiefly of bamboo. The front wall—unless the canvas curtain that warded104 off the blazing sunshine be reckoned such—was all doorway105, before which stood a platform heaped high with multicolored tropical fruits.
A dozen white men bawled106 out a greeting as I pushed aside the curtain and crowded into a place on one of the creaking benches around the table. At the entrance stood the proprietor, guarding a home-made safe, and smiling so vociferously107 upon whomever added to its contents that his circle comb rose and fell with the exertion108. Plainly in sight of the yawning customers, in a smoke-choked back 257room, two chocolate-colored cooks, who had evidently divided between them a garment as large as a lady’s handkerchief, toiled109 over a long row of kettles.
The dinner was table d’h?te, and cost four cents. A naked boy set before me a heaping plate of rice, four bananas, a glass of tea, and six small dishes of curried110 vegetables, meat, and shrimps111. The time had come when I must learn, like my companions, to dispense112 with table utensils113. I began the first lesson by following the movements of my fellow-guests. Each dug in the center of his mound114 of rice a hole of the size of a coffee-cup. Into this he dumped the curries115 one after another and buried them by pushing in the sides of the excavation116. The interment finished, he fell upon the mess with both hands, and mixed the ingredients as the “board-bucker” mixes concrete—by shoveling it over and over.
Let no one fancy that the Far East has no etiquette117 of the table. It was the height of ill-breeding, for example, to grasp a handful of food and eat it from the open palm. Obviously, the Englishman beside me had received careful Singhalese training. Without bending a joint118 of his hand, he plunged119 it into the mixture before him, drew his fingers closely together, and, thrusting his hand to the base of the thumb into his mouth, sucked off the food by taking a long, quick breath.
I imitated him, gasped120, choked, and clutched at the bench with both hands, while the tears ran in rivulets122 down my cheeks. ’Twas my introduction to the curries of Ceylon. A mouthful of cayenne pepper would have tasted like ice cream in comparison. The stuff was so calorific—in chillies, not in temperature—that it burned my fingers.
“Hot, Yank?” grinned the Englishman. “That’s what all the lads finds ’em when they first get out here. In a week they’ll be just right. In a month you’ll be longin’ for Madras where they make ’em ’otter.”
The dinner over, the guests threw under their feet the food that remained; washed their fingers, surreptitiously, of course, in a chettie of drinking water; and sauntered out into the starlit night. Across the way lay the cricket ground of Colombo, a twelve-acre field, silent and deserted123. While the policeman yawned at the far end of his beat, I scrambled124 over the bamboo fence, and, choosing a spot where the grass was not entirely126 worn off, went to bed. The proverbial white elephant was never more of a burden than my kodak had become. Hitherto, I had easily concealed127 it in a pocket of my corduroy 258coat. Now my entire wardrobe could have been packed inside the apparatus128, and wherever I wandered I was forced to lug129 the thing under one arm, like a pet poodle, wrapped in a ragged50 cover that deceived the covetous130 as to its real value. By night it served as pillow, and so fixed131 a habit had its possession become, that I ran no more risk of leaving it behind than of going away without my cap.
The grassy132 slope was as soft as a mattress133, the tepid134 night breeze just the right covering. I quickly fell asleep. A feeling, as of someone close at hand, aroused me. Slowly I opened my eyes. Within a foot of me, his naked body glistening in the moonlight, crouched135 a coolie. I bounded to my feet. But the native was quicker than I. With a leap that would have done credit to a kangaroo, he shot suddenly into the air, landed noiselessly on his bare feet some three yards away, and, before I could take a step in his direction, was gone.
Midnight, certainly, had passed. The flanking streets were utterly136 deserted. Not a light shone in the long rows of shops. Only the ceaseless chanting of myriads137 of insects tempered the stillness of the night. I drew a cord from my pocket, tied one end to the kodak and another to a wrist, and lay down again. The precaution was wisely taken. A tug139 at my arm awakened140 me a second time and, as I started up, a black rascal141, closely resembling my first visitor, scampered142 away across the playground. Dawn was drawing a thin gray line on the black canvas of night. I left my bed unmade and wandered away into the city.
Before the sun was high I had found employment. A resident in the Cinnamon Gardens had advertised for a carpenter, and for the three days following I superintended the labors143 of a band of coolies in laying a hardwood floor in his bungalow. During that period, a rumor144, spreading among the beachcombers, aroused them to new wakefulness. Colombo was soon to be visited by a circus! It was not that the mixed odor of sawdust and pink lemonade appealed greatly to “the boys.” But tradition whispered that the annual show would bring employment to more than one whose curry and rice advanced with laggard145 steps.
Dropping in at Almeida’s when my task was ended, I found Askins agog146 with news of the coming spectacle.
“She’ll be here in a week or ten days,” he cried, gayly. “That means a few dibs a day for some of us. For circuses must have white men. Niggers won’t do. That’s our game, Franck. Just lay low and 259when she blows in, we’ll swoop147 down on the supe and get our cognoms on the pay roll.
“Or say!” he went on, in more excited tones. “Better still! You won’t need to lie idle meantime, either. An idea strikes me. Remember the arrack shop where the two stokers set us up a bottle of fire-water the other day? Well, just across the street is the Salvation148 Army. Now you waltz down to the meeting there to-night and get converted. They’ll hand you down a swell149 white uniform, put you right in a good hash-house, and throw a few odd grafts150 in your way. All you’ll have to do’ll be to baste151 a drum or something of the kind twice a day, and you can have quite a few chips tucked away by the time the circus comes.”
“Good scheme,” I answered, “but I’ve got a few chips tucked away now, and if she isn’t due for ten days that will give me time for a jaunt152 into the interior of the island.”
“Well, it’s a ramble125 worth making,” admitted the Irishman, “but look out for the sun, and be sure you’re on hand again for the big show.”
The city of Colombo is well spread out. Though I set off early next morning, it was nearly noon when I crossed the Victoria bridge at Grand Pass and struck the open country. Great was the contrast between the Ceylon of my imagination and the reality. A riot of tropical vegetation spread out on every hand; in the dense153 shadows swarmed154 naked humans uncountable. But jungle was there none, neither wild men, nor savage45 beasts. Every acre was producing for the use of man. The highway was wide, well-built as in Europe, close flanked on either side by thick forests of towering palm trees. Here and there, bands of coolies repaired the roadway, or fought back the aggressive vegetation with ax-like knives. Clumsy, broad-wheeled bullock carts, in appearance like our “prairie schooners,” creaked by behind humped oxen ambling155 seaward at a snail’s pace. Under his protecting roof, made, not of canvas, as the first glimpse suggested, but of thousands of leaves sewn together, the scrawny driver grinned cheerily and mumbled156 some strange word of greeting. Even the heat was less infernal than I had anticipated. The glare of sunshine was dazzling; a wrist uncovered for a moment was burned red as with a branding-iron; my face shown browner in the mirror of each passing stream; but often are the sun’s rays more debilitating157 on a summer day at home.
In the forest the slim bamboo and the broad-leafed banana tree 260abounded; but the cocoanut palm predominated. In every grove158, prehensile159 coolies, armed with heavy knives, walked up the slender trunks, and, hiding themselves in the tuft of leaves sixty feet above, chopped off the nuts in clusters of three. One could have recited a poem between the moment of their launching and the time when they struck the soft, spongy earth, to rebound160 high into the air. ’Tis a national music, the dull, muffled161 thump162 of cocoanuts, as reminiscent, ever after, of dense, tropical forests as the tinkle163 of the donkey bell of Spain, or the squawk of the water wheel of Egypt.
I stepped aside from the highway in the mid-afternoon, and lay down on a grassy slope under shielding palms. A crackling of twigs164 drew my attention, and, catching165 sight of a pair of eyes filled with mute wonder, I nodded reassuringly166. A native, dressed in a ribbon and a tangle167 of oily hair, stepped from behind a great drooping168 banana leaf and advanced with faltering169 steps. Behind him emerged a score of men and boys, as heavily clothed as the leader; and the band, smiling like a company of ballet dancers en scène, moved forward hesitatingly, halting frequently to exchange signs of mutual170 encouragement. Their timidity was in strange contrast to the boisterous171 or menacing attitude of the Arab. One felt that a harsh word or a gesture of annoyance172 would have sent these deferential173 country-folk scampering174 away through the forest. A white man, whatever his station in life, is a tin god in Ceylon.
With a simultaneous gurgle of greeting, the natives squatted in a semicircle at the foot of the knoll175 on which I lay, as obsequious176 in manner as loyal subjects come to do homage177 to their cannibal king. We chatted, intelligibly178 if not glibly179, in the language of signs. My pipe aroused great curiosity. When it had burned out, I turned it over to the leader. He passed it on to his companions, each and all of whom, to my horror, tested the strange thing by thrusting the stem halfway180 down his throat and sucking fiercely at it. Even when they had examined every other article in my knapsack, my visitors were not content, and implored181 me with tears in their eyes to give them leave to open my kodak. I distracted their attention by a careful inspection182 of their tools and betel-nut pouches183. With truly Spanish generosity184 they insisted on presenting me with every article that I asked to see; and then sneaked185 round behind me to carry off the gift while I was examining another.
I rose to continue my way, but the natives burst out in vigorous protest, and, despatching three youths on some unknown errand, 261dropped again on their haunches and fell to preparing new chews of betel-nut. The emissaries soon returned, one carrying a jack10-fruit, another a bunch of bananas, and the third swinging three green cocoanuts by the rope-like stem. The leader laid the gifts, one after another, at my feet. Two men armed with jungle knives sprang forward, and while one hacked186 at the adamantine jack-fruit, the other caught up a cocoanut, chopped off the top with one stroke, and invited me to drink. The milk—the national beverage187 of Ceylon—was cool and refreshing188, but the meat of the green nut as inedible189 as a leather strap190. The jack-fruit, of the size and appearance of a water melon, was split at last into longitudinal slices. These, in turn, split sidewise into dozens of segments not unlike those of the orange, each one containing a large, kidney-shaped stone. The meat itself was white, coarse-grained, and rather tasteless. The bananas were smaller, but more savory191 than those of the West Indies. When I had sampled each of the gifts, I distributed them among the donators, and turned down to the highway.
It is easy to account for the vagabond’s fondness for tropical lands. He loves to strut192 about among reverential black men in all the glory of a white skin; it flatters him astonishingly to have native policemen and soldiers draw up at attention and salute193 as he passes; he adores, of course, the lazy indolence of the East. But all these things are as nothing compared with his one great advantage over his brother in northern lands. He escapes the terror of the coming night. Only he who has roamed penniless through a colder world can know this dread47; how, like an oppressive cloud, rising on the horizon of each new day, it casts its gloom over every niggardly194 atom of good fortune. In the north one must have shelter. Other things which the world calls necessities the vagrant195 may do without, but the night will not be put off like hunger and thirst. In the tropics? In Ceylon? Bah! What is night but a more comfortable day? If it grows too dark for tramping, one lies down in the bed under his feet and rises, refreshed, with the new dawn.
From my forest lodging bordering the twenty-first mile post, I set out on the second day’s tramp before the country people were astir. The highway, bursting forth from the encircling palm trees now and then, stalked across a small, rolling plain. Villages rose with every mile, rambling196, two-row hamlets of bamboo, where elbow room was ample. Between them, isolated197 thatched cottages peeped from beneath the trees. Here were none of the densely-packed collections of 262human stys so general in Italy and the land of the Arab; for Ceylon, four centuries tributary198 to Europe, knows not the fear of marauding bands.
As the sun climbed higher, grinning groups of rustics199 pattered by, the men beclouted, the women clad in a short skirt and a shorter waist, between which glistened200 ten inches or more of velvety201 brown skin. Hunger and thirst come often in the tropics, but never was highway more liberally stocked with food and drink. Half the houses displayed for sale the fruits of the surrounding forest, and tea and cocoanut cakes could be had anywhere. On a bamboo pedestal before every hovel, however wretched, stood an earthenware202 chettie of water, beside which hung as a drinking-vessel the half of a cocoanut-shell; commonly slimy and moss-grown. Great was the joy of every family whose hut I entered—silent joy, generally, for the unhoped-for honor of welcoming a white man left one and all, from the half-naked wife to the babe in arms—no household lacked the latter—speechless with awe203 and veneration204. They are charming children, these smiling brown people, and industrious205, though moving always after the languid manner of the tropical zone.
Bathing is the national hobby of Ceylon. Never a stream crawling under the highway but was alive with splashing natives. Mothers, plodding207 along the route, halted at every rivulet121 to roll a banana leaf into a cone-shaped bucket and pour uncounted gallons of water on their sputtering208 infants, crouched naked on the bank of the stream. Travelers on foot or by bullock cart took hourly dips en route. The husbandman abandoned his tilling at frequent intervals to plunge into the nearest water hole. His wife, instead of calling on her neighbors, met them at the brook209 and, turned mermaid210, gossiped in cool and comfort. The men, subjected only to a loin cloth, gave no heed211 to their clothing. The women, wound from knees to armpits in gossamer-like sheets of snowy white, emerged from their aquatic212 couches and, turning themselves round and round in the blazing sunshine like spitted fowls213 over a fire, marched homeward in dry garments.
With the third day the landscape changed. The slightly rolling lowlands of the coast gave way to tea-clad foothills, heralding214 the mountains of the interior. The highway, mounting languidly, offered noonday vista215 of the ranges that have won for Ceylon the title of “Switzerland of the tropics.” Here were none of the rugged216 peaks and crags of the Alps nor the barren wilderness217 of Palestine. Endless, to the north and south, hovering218 in a sea-blue haze219, stretched rolling mountains, thick clothed in prolific vegetation. Unaggressive, effeminate they seemed, compared with northern highlands; summits and slopes a succession of graceful220 curves, with never an angular stroke, hills plump of contour, like Ruben’s figures.
Singhalese ladies wear only a skirt and a short waist, between which several inches of brown skin are visible
A Singhalese woman rarely misses an opportunity to give her children a bath
263Try as I would, I had not succeeded in making my daily expenditures221 since leaving the coast more than ten cents. Near the summit of the route I paused at an amateur shop by the wayside. It was a pathetic little hovel, built of rubbish picked up in the forest. A board, stretched like a counter across the open doorway, was heavily laden222 with bananas. Near at hand a plump, brown matron, in abbreviated223 skirt and a waist little more than neckerchief, was spreading out grain—with her feet—on a long grass mat. Unfortunately, the list of Singhalese words that I had jotted224 down at the dictation of Askins lacked the all-important term “how much.” I pointed225 at the fruit and tossed a coin on the counter. It was a copper226 piece, worth one and three-fourths cents; enough, surely, for the purchase of a half-dozen bananas. The matron approached, picked up the coin gingerly, and, turning it over and over in her hand, stared at me with wide-open eyes. Had I been niggardly in my offer? I was thrusting a hand into my pocket for another copper, when the female, motioning to me to open my knapsack, dropped into it three dozen bananas, hesitated, and, assuming the air of one whose conscience is master of his cupidity227, added a fourth cluster.
A furlong beyond, in a shaded elbow of the route, I turned to the task of lightening my burden. Small success would have crowned my efforts but for the arrival of a fellow-wayfarer. He was a man of fifty or sixty, blacker of skin than the Singhalese. A ten-yard strip of cloth, of a pattern in which two-inch stripes of white and brilliant red alternated, was wrapped round his waist and fell to his knees. Over his head was folded a sheet of orange hue228. In either hand he carried a bundle, wrapped in cloth and tied with green vines. The upper half of his face was that of meekness229 personified; the rest was covered with such a beard as one might swear by, deeply streaked230 with gray.
Painfully he limped to the roadside, and squatted on his heels in the edge of the shade. By every token he was “on the road.”
“Have a bite, Jack?” I invited, pushing the fruit towards him.
A child’s voice squeaked231 within him. Gravely he rose to his feet to express his gratitude232 in every known posture233 of the human figure except that of standing234 on his head. That formality over, he fell to with a will—and both hands—so willingly in fact that, with never a 264pause nor a choke, he made way with twenty-eight bananas. Small wonder if he would have slept a while in the edge of the shade after so noteworthy a feat93.
I rose to plod206 on, however, and he would not be left behind,—far behind, that is. Reiterated235 solicitations could not induce him to walk beside me; he pattered always two paces in the rear, too mindful of his own inferiority to march abreast236 with a sahib. From the gestures and gasps237 that my questions drew forth, I gathered that he was a yogi, a holy man—temporarily at least—bound on a pilgrimage to some shrine238 in the mountains. Two hours beyond our meeting, he halted at a branch road, knelt in the highway, and, ere I had divined his intention, imprinted239 a sonorous240 kiss on the top of one of my Nazarene slippers. Only my dexterity241 saved the other. He stood up slowly, almost sadly, as one grieved to part from good company—or bananas, shook the dust of the route from his beard, and, turning into the forest-throttled byway, was gone.
Night, striding over the mountains in the seven-league boots he wears in the tropics, playfully laid hand on me just at the entrance to the inn of the Sign of the Palm Tree. The landlord demanded no fee; the far-off howling of dogs lulled242 me to sleep. With dawn, I was off once more. Sunrise waved his greeting over the leafy crests243 of the Peradiniya Gardens, and her European residents, lolling in their church-bound ’rickshaws, stared at my entrance into the ancient city of Kandy.
Centuries ago, this mountain-girdled metropolis244 of the interior was the seat of the native king. To-day, the monarch245 of Ceylon is a bluff246 Englishman, housed within sight of the harbor of Colombo in a stone mansion247 more appropriate to Regent’s Row than to this land of swaying palm trees. The descendant of the native dynasty still holds his mock court in the capital of his forefathers248, struggling against the encroachment249 of trousers and cravats250 and the wiles251 of courtiers stoop-shouldered with the wisdom of Oxford252 and Cambridge. But his duties have narrowed down to that of upholding the ancestral religion. For Kandy is a holy city. Buddhists253, not merely of Ceylon but of India and the equatorial islands, make pilgrimage to its ancient shrine. Long before the coming of the Nazarene, tradition whispers, there was found in Burma one of the teeth of Gautama, the Enlightened One. How it came to be picked up thus far from the burial place of the Wandering Prince is as inexplicable254 as the discovery of splinters of the true Cross in strange and sundry255 regions far distant from Calvary. Be that as it may, a rich embassy from the king of Burma bore the relic256 to this egg-shaped island, and over it was erected257 the celebrated259 “Temple of the Tooth.”
The woman who sold me the bananas
The thatch102 roof at the roadside, under which I slept on the second night of my tramp to Kandy
265It is a time-worn structure of gray stone, simple in architecture from the view point of the Orient, set in a lotus grove on the shores of a crystal-clear lake. Mindful of the assaults that I had more than once provoked by entering a house of worship in the East, I contented260 myself with a circuit of its double, crenelated walls and a peep up the broad steps that led to the interior.
The keeper of the inn to which fate assigned me had two sons, who, thanks to the local mission-school, spoke fluent English. The older was a youth of fifteen. In the West he would have been rated a child. Here he was accepted as a man, to whom the problems of life had already taken form. Our conversation turned naturally to the subject of religion; naturally, because that subject is always first and foremost in the East. His religion sets for the Oriental his place in the community; it tells him what work he shall do all the days of his life, what his children and his children’s children shall do. According to the dictates261 of his faith he eats or refrains from eating, he seeks repose262 or watches out the night, he greets his fellow-beings or shuns263 them like dogs. Society is honey-combed with sects138 and creeds264 and castes. Every man wears some visible symbol of his religion, and before all else he scrutinizes265 the sign of caste of any stranger with whom he comes in contact. No secondary matter, nor something to be aired once a week, is a man’s religion in the East. It stalks at his heels as relentlessly266 as his shadow at noonday.
“I suppose,” I was saying, soon after the son of the innkeeper had broached this unavoidable topic, “I suppose that, as you have been educated in a Protestant school, you are a Christian267?”
The youth eyed me for a moment with noncommittal gravity.
“May I know,” he asked in reply—to change the subject, I fancied—“whether you are a missionary268?”
“On the contrary,” I protested, “I am a sailor.”
“Because,” he went on, “one must know to whom one speaks. I am a Christian always—when I am in school or talking to missionaries269.
“There are many religions in the world, and surely that of the white man is a good religion. We learn much more that is useful in the schools of the Christians270 than in our own. But, my friend,” he leaned forward with the earnestness of one who is about to disclose a great secret, 266“there is but one true religion. He who is seeking the true religion—if you are seeking the true religion, you will find it right here in our island of Ceylon.”
It comes ever back to that. Hordes271 of missionaries may flock to the “heathen” lands, bulky reports anent the thousands who have been “gathered into the fold” may rouse the charity of the pious272 at home; yet in moments of sober earnest, when, in the words of Askins, “it comes to a show-down,” the convert beyond seas is a stout30 champion of the faith of his ancestors.
“Many people,” continued my informant, “nearly all the people of Ceylon who would learn from the Christians, who are hungry and poor, or who would have work, pretend the religion of the white man. For we receive more, the teachers are our better friends if we tell them we are Christians. And surely we do the right in saying so? We wish all to please the missionaries and we have no other way to do; for it gives them much pleasure to have many converts. Have you, I wonder,” he concluded, “visited our Temple of the Tooth.”
“Outside,” I answered. “Are sahibs allowed to enter?”
“Surely!” cried the youth, “The Buddhists have not exclusion273. We are joyed to have white men in our temples. To-night, we are having a service very important in the Temple of the Tooth. With my uncle, who keeps the cloth-shop across the way, I shall go. Will you not forget your religion and honor us by coming?”
“Certainly,” I answered.
Two flaring274 torches threw fantastic shadows over the chattering275 throng276 of Singhalese that bore us bodily up the broad stairway to the sacred shrine. In the outer temple, at the top of the flight, surged a maudlin277 multitude around a dozen booths devoted278 to the sale of candles, bits of cardboard, and the white lotus-flower sacred to Gautama, the Buddha279. Above the sharp-pitched roar of the faithful sounded the incessant280 rattle281 of copper coins. The smallest child, the most ragged mendicant282, struggled against the human stream that would have swept him into the inner temple, until he had bought or begged a taper283 or flower to lay in the lap of his favorite statue. From every nook and corner, the effigy284 of the Enlightened One, defying in posture the laws of anatomy285, surveyed the scene with sad serenity286.
Singhalese infants are very sturdy during the first years.
The yogi who ate twenty-eight of the bananas at a sitting.
Of all the throng, I alone was shod. I dropped my slippers at the landing, and, half expecting a stern command to remove my socks, advanced into the brighter light of the interior. A whisper rose beside me and swelled287 in volume as it passed quickly from mouth to mouth:—“Sahib! 267sahib!” I had dreaded288 lest my coming should precipitate289 a riot, but Buddha himself, arriving thus unannounced, could not have won more boisterous welcome. The worshipers swept down upon me, shrieking290 their hospitality. Several thrust into my hands newly purchased blossoms, another—strange action, it seemed then, in a house of worship—pressed upon me a badly-rolled cigar of native make; from every side came candles and matches. At the tinkle of a far-off bell the natives fell back, leaving a lane for our passing. Two saffron-robed priests, smiling and salaaming291 at every step, advanced to meet me and led the way to a balcony overlooking the lake.
In the semi-darkness of a corner squatted, in scanty breechclouts and ample turbans, three natives,—low-caste coolies, no doubt, to whom fell the menial tasks within the temple inclosure; for before each sat what appeared to be a large basket. I took station near them with my attendant priests, and awaited “the service very important.”
Suddenly the cornered trio, each grasping in either hand a weapon reminiscent of a footpad’s billy, stretched their hands high above their heads and brought them down with a crash that would have startled a less phlegmatic292 sahib out of all sanity293. What I had taken for baskets were tom-toms! Without losing a single beat, the drummers began, with the third or fourth stroke, to blow lustily on long pipes from which issued a plaintive294 wailing295. I spoke no more with my interpreter. For the “musicians,” having pressed into service every soundwave lingering in the vicinity, monopolized296 them during the ensuing two hours. Two simple rules govern the production of Singhalese music: first, make as much noise as possible all the time; second, to heighten the effect, make more.
Puffing serenely297 at my stogie, I marched with the officiating monks298, who had given me place of honor in their ranks, from one shrine to another. Behind us surged a murmuring, self-prostrating multitude. No one sat during the service, and there was nothing resembling a sermon. The priests addressed themselves only to the dreamy-eyed Buddhas299, and craved300 boons301 or chanted their gratitude for former favors in a rising and falling monotone in which I caught, now and then, the rhythm and rhyme of poetry.
It was late when the service ended. The boiler-factory music ceased as suddenly as it had begun, the worshipers poured forth into the soft night, and I was left alone with my guides and a dozen priests.
“See,” whispered the intermittent302 Christian. “You are honored. The head man of the temple comes.”
268An aged303 friar, emerging from an inner shrine, drew near slowly. In outward appearance, he was an exact replica304 of the surrounding priests. A brilliant yellow robe was his only garment. His head was shaven; his arms, right shoulder and feet, bare.
Having joined the group, he studied me a moment in silence, then addressed me in the native tongue.
“He is asking,” explained my interpreter, “if you are liking305 to see the sacred tooth?”
I bowed my thanks. The high priest led the way to the innermost shrine of the temple, a chamber27 in arrangement not unlike the holy sepulchre in the church of that name in Jerusalem. In the center of the vault306 he halted, and, imitated in every movement by the attendant priests and my guide, fell on his knees, and, muttering a prayer each time, touched his forehead to the pavement thrice.
Erect258 once more, he drew from the tabernacle before him a gold casket of the size of a ditty-box. From it he took a second, a bit smaller, and handed the first to one of his companions. From the second he drew a third, from the third a fourth. The process was repeated until nearly every subordinate priest held a coffer, some fantastically wrought307, some inlaid with precious stones. With the opening of every third box all those not already burdened fell on their knees and repeated their first genuflections. There appeared at last the innermost receptacle, not over an inch each way, and set with diamonds and rubies308. Its sanctity required more than the usual number of prostrations and murmured incantations. Carefully the superior opened it, and disclosed to view a tooth, yellow with age, which, assuredly, never grew in any human mouth. Each of the party admired the molar in turn, but even the high priest took care not to touch it. The fitting together of the box of boxes required as much mummery as its disintegration309.
The ceremony was ended at last, the tabernacle locked, and we passed on to inspect other places of interest. Among them was the temple library, famous throughout the island. It contained four books. Two of these—and they were thumb-worn—were in English,—recent works of Theosophists. For the priests of Buddha, far from being the ignorant and superstitious310 creatures of Western fancy, are often liberal-minded students of every phase of the world’s religions. Printed volumes, however, did not constitute the real library. On the shelves around the walls were thousands of metal tablets, two feet long, a fourth as wide, and an inch thick, covered on both sides with the hieroglyphics311 of Ceylon. When I had handled several of these, and heard a priest read one in a mournful, sing-song chant, like the falling of water at a distance, I acknowledged myself content and turned with my guides toward the door.
Central Ceylon. Making roof-tiles. The sun is the only kiln312
The priests of the “Temple of the Tooth” in Kandy, who were my guides during my stay in the city
269The high priest followed us into the outer temple. During all the evening he had addressed me only through an interpreter. As I paused to pick up my slippers, however, he salaamed313 gravely and spoke once more, this time, to my utter amazement314, in faultless English.
“White men,” ran his speech, “often join the true religion. There are many who are priests of Buddha in Burma, and some in Ceylon. They are much honored.”
“You see,” explained the son of the innkeeper, as we wended our way through the silent bazaars, “he did not wish that you should at first know that he speaks English. He has done you great honor by asking you to become a priest; for so he meant. But often come white men to the temple and mock all that is brought to see, making, many times, very cruel jokes, and he who is close to Buddha waited to see. You have not done so. Therefore are you honored.”
We mounted to the second story of the inn and, stripped naked, lay down on our charpoys—native beds consisting of a strip of canvas stretched on a frame. But it was long before I fell asleep; for the youth, seeing it his clear duty, harangued315 me long and ungrammatically from the neighboring darkness on the virtues of the “true religion.”
Somehow the impression gained ground rapidly among the residents of Kandy that the white man who had attended the Sunday evening service contemplated316 joining the yellow-robed ascetics317 at the Temple of the Tooth. Just where the rumor had its birth I know not. Belike the mere66 fact that I had turned none of the rites318 to jest had won me favor. Or was it that my garb marked me as one more likely to attain319 Nirvana than the bestarched Europeans whose levity320 so grieved him who was “close to Buddha”?
At any rate, the rumor grew like the cornstalk in Kansas. With the morning sun came pious shopkeepers to fawn321 upon me. Before I had breakfasted, two temple priests, their newly-shaven heads and faces shining under their brightly-colored parasols like polished brass, called at the inn and invited me to a stroll through the market place. Never an excursion did I make in Kandy or its environs without at least a pair of saffron-garbed companions. That I should find a ready welcome in the temple a hundred natives assured me, the priests by veiled hints, the laymen322 more openly. They were moved, perhaps, by 270a no more altruistic323 motive324 than a desire to have on exhibition in the local monastery325 a white priest. But to their credit be it said that no suggestion of a material inducement crept into their arguments.
“Buddhism,” ran their plea, “is the true religion. The mere fact that it has many more followers326 than any other religion proves that, does it not? And the doctrine327 of the Enlightened One embraces every anomaly of humanity—even white men. Only those who accept it can hope for future happiness. Even if you are not yet convinced of its truth, why not accept it now and run no risk of future perdition?”
Surely, the most conscientious328 of Christian missionaries never attempted proselytism less underhandedly.
My escape from Kandy savored329 of strategy, but I reached the station unchallenged, and, exchanging my last two rupees for a ticket to Colombo, established myself in a third-class compartment330. It was already occupied by a native couple more gifted with offspring than attire. Barely had I settled down to study Singhalese domestic life at close range, however, when a mighty uproar331 burst out near at hand. A half-breed in the uniform of a guard raced across the platform, and, thrusting his head into the compartment, poured forth on my apparently332 unoffending companions a torrent333 of incomprehensible words. Had he denounced me as a victim of the plague? Plainly the family was greatly frightened. The father sprang wildly to his feet and attempted to clutch a half-dozen unwieldy bundles in a painfully inadequate334 number of hands. The wife, no less terrified, raked together from floor and benches as many naked urchins335, in assorted336 sizes, but entangled337, in her haste, the legs of her lord and master, and sent him sprawling338 among his howling descendants. With a sizzling oath, the trainman snatched open the door and, springing inside, tumbled baggage, infants, and parents unceremoniously out upon the platform. Still bellowing339, he drove the trembling wretches340 to another compartment; a party of well-dressed natives took possession of the recently vacated benches; and we were off.
That self-congratulatory attitude common to traveling salesmen the world over betrayed the caste of my new companions. All of them spoke English, and, eager to air their accomplishments341, lost no time in engaging me in conversation. Marvelous was the information and the variations of my mother tongue that assailed342 me from all sides. It is with difficulty that one refrains from “stuffing” these vainglorious343, yet childish fellows and it was evident that some other European 271had already yielded to the temptation. But my astonishment344 at the treatment of the exiled family had by no means subsided345.
“Will some of you chaps tell me,” I interrupted, “why the guard ordered those other natives out of here, and then let you in?”
The drummers glared at me a moment in silence, looked at each other, and turned to stare out of the windows. Most grossly, evidently, had I insulted them. But even an insult cannot keep an Oriental long silent. The travelers fidgeted in their seats, nudged each other, and focused their stare once more upon me.
“Know you, sir,” said the most portly of the group, with severe countenance346, “know you that those were base coolies, who are not allowed to ride in the same compartment with white gentlemen. We,” and the brass buttons of his embroidered347 jacket struggled to perform their office, “are high-caste Singhalese, sir. Therefore may we ride with sahibs.”
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1
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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prolific
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| adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的 | |
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kaleidoscopic
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| adj.千变万化的 | |
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jumbled
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| adj.混乱的；杂乱的 | |
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underlying
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| adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的 | |
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unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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peripatetic
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| adj.漫游的，逍遥派的，巡回的 | |
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8
portico
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| n.柱廊，门廊 | |
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9
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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dangled
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| 悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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13
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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shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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yarning
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| vi.讲故事（yarn的现在分词形式） | |
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intruded
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| n.侵入的，推进的v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的过去式和过去分词 )；把…强加于 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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proprietorship
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| n.所有（权）；所有权 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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28
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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earrings
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| n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子 | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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urchin
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| n.顽童；海胆 | |
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ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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grotto
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| n.洞穴 | |
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40
scantiest
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| adj.（大小或数量）不足的，勉强够的( scanty的最高级 ) | |
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41
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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42
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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43
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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45
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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46
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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47
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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48
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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49
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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50
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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51
scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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52
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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53
curry
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| n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革 | |
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54
delicacies
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| n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到 | |
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55
brackish
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| adj.混有盐的；咸的 | |
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56
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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57
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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58
uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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59
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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60
pegs
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| n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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61
diaphanous
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| adj.(布)精致的，半透明的 | |
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62
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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63
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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64
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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65
yarns
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| n.纱( yarn的名词复数 )；纱线；奇闻漫谈；旅行轶事 | |
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66
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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67
asthma
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| n.气喘病，哮喘病 | |
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68
liaison
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| n.联系，（未婚男女间的）暖昧关系，私通 | |
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69
superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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70
squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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71
bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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72
alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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73
dispelled
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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75
sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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76
lanky
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| adj.瘦长的 | |
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77
athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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78
eluding
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的现在分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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79
plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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80
equestrian
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| adj.骑马的；n.马术 | |
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81
vocation
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| n.职业，行业 | |
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82
consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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83
license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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84
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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85
bazaars
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| （东方国家的）市场( bazaar的名词复数 )； 义卖； 义卖市场； （出售花哨商品等的）小商品市场 | |
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86
licenses
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| n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 ) | |
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87
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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88
broached
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| v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体 | |
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89
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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90
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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91
bulwark
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| n.堡垒，保障，防御 | |
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92
tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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93
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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94
idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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95
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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96
partnership
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| n.合作关系，伙伴关系 | |
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97
exorbitant
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| adj.过分的；过度的 | |
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98
abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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99
pawnbroker
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| n.典当商，当铺老板 | |
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100
appraised
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| v.估价( appraise的过去式和过去分词 )；估计；估量；评价 | |
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101
patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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102
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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103
shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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104
warded
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| 有锁孔的，有钥匙榫槽的 | |
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105
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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106
bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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107
vociferously
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| adv.喊叫地，吵闹地 | |
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108
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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109
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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110
curried
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| adj.加了咖喱（或咖喱粉的），用咖哩粉调理的 | |
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111
shrimps
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| n.虾，小虾( shrimp的名词复数 )；矮小的人 | |
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112
dispense
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| vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施 | |
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113
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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114
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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115
curries
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| n.咖喱食品( curry的名词复数 ) | |
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116
excavation
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| n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地 | |
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117
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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118
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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119
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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120
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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121
rivulet
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| n.小溪，小河 | |
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122
rivulets
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| n.小河，小溪( rivulet的名词复数 ) | |
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123
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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124
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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125
ramble
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| v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延 | |
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126
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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127
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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128
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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129
lug
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| n.柄，突出部，螺帽；(英）耳朵；（俚）笨蛋；vt.拖，拉，用力拖动 | |
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130
covetous
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| adj.贪婪的，贪心的 | |
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131
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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132
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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133
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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134
tepid
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| adj.微温的，温热的，不太热心的 | |
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135
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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136
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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137
myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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138
sects
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| n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 ) | |
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139
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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140
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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141
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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142
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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143
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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144
rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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145
laggard
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| n.落后者；adj.缓慢的，落后的 | |
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146
agog
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| adj.兴奋的，有强烈兴趣的； adv.渴望地 | |
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147
swoop
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| n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击 | |
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148
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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149
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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150
grafts
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| 移植( graft的名词复数 )； 行贿； 接穗； 行贿得到的利益 | |
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151
baste
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| v.殴打，公开责骂 | |
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152
jaunt
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| v.短程旅游；n.游览 | |
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153
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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154
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 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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155
ambling
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| v.（马）缓行( amble的现在分词 )；从容地走，漫步 | |
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156
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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157
debilitating
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| a.使衰弱的 | |
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158
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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159
prehensile
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| adj.（足等）适于抓握的 | |
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160
rebound
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| v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回 | |
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161
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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162
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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163
tinkle
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| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
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164
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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165
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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166
reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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167
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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168
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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169
faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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170
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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171
boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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172
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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173
deferential
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| adj. 敬意的，恭敬的 | |
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174
scampering
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的现在分词 ) | |
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175
knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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176
obsequious
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| adj.谄媚的，奉承的，顺从的 | |
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177
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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178
intelligibly
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| adv.可理解地，明了地，清晰地 | |
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179
glibly
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| adv.流利地，流畅地；满口 | |
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180
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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181
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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182
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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183
pouches
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| n.（放在衣袋里或连在腰带上的）小袋( pouch的名词复数 )；（袋鼠等的）育儿袋；邮袋；（某些动物贮存食物的）颊袋 | |
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184
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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185
sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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186
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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187
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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188
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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189
inedible
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| adj.不能吃的，不宜食用的 | |
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190
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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191
savory
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| adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的 | |
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192
strut
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| v.肿胀，鼓起；大摇大摆地走；炫耀；支撑；撑开；n.高视阔步；支柱，撑杆 | |
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193
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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194
niggardly
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| adj.吝啬的，很少的 | |
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195
vagrant
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| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
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196
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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197
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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198
tributary
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| n.支流；纳贡国；adj.附庸的；辅助的；支流的 | |
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199
rustics
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| n.有农村或村民特色的( rustic的名词复数 )；粗野的；不雅的；用粗糙的木材或树枝制作的 | |
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200
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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201
velvety
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| adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的 | |
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202
earthenware
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| n.土器，陶器 | |
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203
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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204
veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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205
industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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206
plod
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| v.沉重缓慢地走，孜孜地工作 | |
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207
plodding
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| a.proceeding in a slow or dull way | |
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208
sputtering
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| n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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209
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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210
mermaid
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| n.美人鱼 | |
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211
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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212
aquatic
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| adj.水生的，水栖的 | |
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213
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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214
heralding
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| v.预示( herald的现在分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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215
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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216
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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217
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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218
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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219
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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220
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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221
expenditures
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| n.花费( expenditure的名词复数 )；使用；（尤指金钱的）支出额；（精力、时间、材料等的）耗费 | |
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222
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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223
abbreviated
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| adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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224
jotted
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| v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下 | |
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225
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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226
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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227
cupidity
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| n.贪心，贪财 | |
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228
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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229
meekness
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| n.温顺，柔和 | |
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230
streaked
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|
| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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231
squeaked
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|
| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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232
gratitude
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|
| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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233
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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234
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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235
reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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236
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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237
gasps
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| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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238
shrine
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|
| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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239
imprinted
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| v.盖印（imprint的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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240
sonorous
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|
| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
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241
dexterity
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|
| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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242
lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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243
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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244
metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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245
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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246
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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247
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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248
forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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249
encroachment
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| n.侵入，蚕食 | |
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250
cravats
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| n.（系在衬衫衣领里面的）男式围巾( cravat的名词复数 ) | |
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251
wiles
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| n.（旨在欺骗或吸引人的）诡计，花招；欺骗，欺诈( wile的名词复数 ) | |
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252
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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253
Buddhists
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|
| n.佛教徒( Buddhist的名词复数 ) | |
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254
inexplicable
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|
| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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255
sundry
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|
| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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256
relic
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|
| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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257
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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258
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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259
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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260
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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261
dictates
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| n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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262
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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263
shuns
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| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的第三人称单数 ) | |
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264
creeds
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| （尤指宗教）信条，教条( creed的名词复数 ) | |
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265
scrutinizes
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的第三人称单数 ) | |
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266
relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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267
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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268
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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269
missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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270
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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271
hordes
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| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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272
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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273
exclusion
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| n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行 | |
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274
flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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275
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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276
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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277
maudlin
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| adj.感情脆弱的，爱哭的 | |
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278
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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279
Buddha
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| n.佛；佛像；佛陀 | |
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280
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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281
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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282
mendicant
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| n.乞丐；adj.行乞的 | |
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283
taper
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| n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小 | |
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284
effigy
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| n.肖像 | |
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285
anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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286
serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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287
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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288
dreaded
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|
| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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289
precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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290
shrieking
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|
| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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291
salaaming
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| 行额手礼( salaam的现在分词 ) | |
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292
phlegmatic
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|
| adj.冷静的，冷淡的，冷漠的，无活力的 | |
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293
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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294
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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295
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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296
monopolized
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|
| v.垄断( monopolize的过去式和过去分词 )；独占；专卖；专营 | |
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297
serenely
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| adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地 | |
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298
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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299
Buddhas
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| n.佛，佛陀，佛像( Buddha的名词复数 ) | |
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300
craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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301
boons
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| n.恩惠( boon的名词复数 )；福利；非常有用的东西；益处 | |
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302
intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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303
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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304
replica
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| n.复制品 | |
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305
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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306
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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307
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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308
rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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309
disintegration
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| n.分散，解体 | |
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310
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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311
hieroglyphics
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| n.pl.象形文字 | |
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312
kiln
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| n.（砖、石灰等）窑，炉；v.烧窑 | |
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313
salaamed
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| 行额手礼( salaam的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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314
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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315
harangued
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| v.高谈阔论( harangue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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316
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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317
ascetics
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| n.苦行者，禁欲者，禁欲主义者( ascetic的名词复数 ) | |
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318
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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319
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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320
levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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321
fawn
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| n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承 | |
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322
laymen
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| 门外汉，外行人( layman的名词复数 )； 普通教徒（有别于神职人员） | |
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323
altruistic
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| adj.无私的，为他人着想的 | |
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324
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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325
monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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326
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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327
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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328
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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329
savored
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| v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的过去式和过去分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝 | |
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330
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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331
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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332
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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333
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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335
urchins
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| n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆 | |
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336
assorted
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| adj.各种各样的，各色俱备的 | |
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337
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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338
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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339
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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340
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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341
accomplishments
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| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
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342
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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343
vainglorious
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| adj.自负的；夸大的 | |
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344
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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345
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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346
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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347
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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