The noise in the dock is maddening. The Customs, the police, the health-officers, all mob the voyager with undreamed-of formalities, such as a paper to be signed declaring that he has but one watch and one scarf-pin, and that their value is in proportion to the wearer's fortune. Then, again, the dispersal of the luggage, which must be fished out at another spot amid the yelling horde6 of coolies who rush at[Pg 4] the trunks and use the portmanteaus as missiles, till at last we are in the street.
Under the blinding sunshine reflected from the whitewashed8 houses, an incredibly mixed crowd, squeezed against the railings of the custom-house wharf9, stands staring at the new arrivals. Natives, naked but for a narrow loin-cloth rolled about their hips4; Parsees in long white tunics10, tight white trousers, and on their heads hideous11 low square caps of dark wax-cloth, pursuing the stranger with offers of money-changing; Hindoos, clad in thin bright silk, and rolls of light-hued muslin on their head; English soldiers, in white helmets, two of whom stare at me fixedly13, and exclaim that, "By Jo', Eddy14 has missed this steamer!"
There are closed carriages, victorias, vehicles with a red canopy15 drawn16 by oxen, the shafts17 set at an angle. The drivers bawl18, shout to the porters, fight for the fare with their whips, while, overhead, kites and hawks19 wheel incessantly21, uttering a plaintive22 cry.
Along the roads of beaten earth, between tall plastered houses, a tramway runs. In the shopfronts the motley display suggests a curiosity shop, and the goods have a look of antiquity23 under the thick layer of dust that lies on everything. It is[Pg 5] only in the heart of the city, in the "Fort," that the shops and houses have a European stamp.
Opposite the hotel, beyond the tennis club, is a sort of no-man's-land, where carriages are housed under tents. Natives dust and wash and wipe down the carriages in the sun, which is already very hot; and the work done, and the carriages under cover, out come swarms24 of little darkies, like ants, who squall and run about among the tents till sunset.
Further off, under the banyan25 trees, is the sepoys' camp; they have been turned out of barracks on account of the plague; and flashing here and there among the dark, heavy verdure there lies the steely level of motionless ocean.
In the English quarter of Bombay the houses are European: Government House, the post office, the municipal buildings—perfect palaces surrounded by gardens; and close by, straw sheds sheltering buffaloes27, or tents squatted28 down on common land; and beyond the paved walks are beaten earth and huge heaps of filth29, over which hover30 the birds of prey31 and the crows.
A large building of red and white stone, with spacious arcades32 and a central dome33, as vast as a cathedral, stands at the angle of two avenues—the[Pg 6] railway terminus; and a great market of iron and glass—Crawford Market. Here are mountains of fruit, greenery, and vegetables of every colour and every shade of lustre34; and a flower garden divides the various market sheds, where little bronze coolies, in white, scarcely clad, sell oranges and limes.
At the end of the garden are the bird sellers, their little cages packed full of parrots, minahs, and bulbuls; and tiny finches, scarcely larger than butterflies, hang on the boughs35 of ebony trees and daturas in bloom.
In the native town the houses are lower and closer together, without gardens between. Down the narrow streets, between booths and shops, with here and there a white mosque36 where gay-coloured figures are worshipping, or polychrome temples where bonzes are drumming on deafening37 gongs, run tramways, teams of oxen, whose drivers shriek38 and shout, and hackney cabs, jingling39 and rattling40. Among the vehicles there moves a compact crowd of every race and every colour: tall Afghans, in dingy41 white garments, leading Persian horses by the bridle42 for sale, and crying out the price; bustling44 Parsees; naked Somalis, their heads shaven and their[Pg 7] oiled black skins reeking45 of a sickening mixture of lotus and pepper; fakirs, with wild, unkempt hair, their faces and bodies bedaubed with saffron and the thread of the "second birth" across their bare breast; Burmese, with yellow skins and long eyes, dressed in silks of the brightest pink; Mongolians, in dark-hued satin tunics embroidered46 with showy colours and gold thread.
There are women, too, in the throng47 of men, but fewer in number. Parsee ladies, draped in light sarees of pale-hued muslin bordered with black, which shroud48 them entirely49, being drawn closely over the narrow skirt, crossed several times over the bosom50, and thrown over the right shoulder to cover the head and fall lightly on the left shoulder. Hindoo women, scarcely clothed in red stuff, faded in places to a strong pink; a very skimpy bodice, the chol, embroidered with silk and spangles, covers the bust43, leaving the arms and bosom free; a piece of thin cotton stuff, drawn round the legs and twisted about the waist, covers the shoulders and head, like a shawl. On their wrists and ankles are silver bangles; they have rings on their fingers and toes, broad necklaces with pendants, earrings51, and a sort of stud of gold or copper52, with coloured stones, through the left nostril53. They go barefoot, pliant[Pg 8] forms avoiding the jostling of the crowd, and carrying on their head a pile of copper pots one above another, shining like gold, and scarcely held by one slender arm with its bangles glittering in the sun. The tinkle54 of the nanparas on their ankles keeps time with their swinging and infinitely55 graceful56 gait, and a scent57 of jasmine and sandal-wood is wafted58 from their light raiment. Moslem59 women, wrapped from head to foot in sacks of thick white calico, with a muslin blind over their eyes, toddle60 awkwardly one behind the other, generally two or three together. Native children beg, pursuing the passenger under the very feet of the horses; their sharp voices louder than the hubbub62 of shouts, bells, and gongs, which exhausts and stultifies63, and finally intoxicates64 the brain.
Everything seems fused in a haze65 under the sun, as it grows hotter and hotter, and in that quivering atmosphere looks like a mass in which red and white predominate, with the persistent66 harmony of motion of the swaying, barefooted crowd.
The air is redolent of musk67, sandal-wood, jasmine, and the acrid68 smell of the hookahs smoked by placid69 old men sitting in the shadow of their doors.
The ground here and there is stained with large pink patches of a disinfectant, smelling of chlorine,[Pg 9] strewn in front of the house where anyone lies dead. And this of itself is enough to recall to mind the spectre of the plague that is decimating Bombay; in this excitement, this turmoil70 of colour and noise, we had forgotten it.
Shops of the same trade are found in rows; carpenters joining their blocks, and workmen carving71 ornaments72 with very simple tools—clumsy tools—which they use with little, timid, persistent taps. Further on, coppersmiths are hammering the little pots which are to be seen in everybody's hands; under the shade of an awning73 stretched over the tiny booth, the finished vessels75, piled up to the roof, shed a glory over the half-naked toilers who bend over their anvils76, perpetually making jars of a traditional pattern, used for ablutions. There are two men at work in each shop, three at most, and sometimes an old man who sits smoking with half-closed eyes.
In a very quiet little alley77, fragrant78 of sandal-wood, men may be seen in open stalls printing patterns with primitive79 wooden stamps, always the same, on very thin silk, which shrinks into a twisted cord reduced to nothing when it is stretched out to dry.
Here are carvers of painted wooden toys—red[Pg 10] and green dolls, wooden balls, nests of little boxes in varied80 and vivid colours.
Far away, at the end of the bazaar81, in a street where no one passes, are the shoemakers' booths littered with leather parings; old cases or petroleum82 tins serve as seats. Among the workmen swarm children in rags, pelting83 each other with slippers84.
And, quite unexpectedly, as we turned a corner beyond the coppersmiths' alley, we came on a row of tea-shops, displaying huge and burly china jars. Chinamen, in black or blue, sat at the shop doors in wide, stiff armchairs, their fine, plaited pigtail hanging over the back, while they awaited a customer with a good-humoured expression of dull indifference85.
After breakfast a party of jugglers appeared in front of the hotel; they performed on a little carpet spread under the shade of a banyan tree. Acrobatic tricks first, human ladders, feats86 of strength; then nutmegs were made to vanish and reappear; and finally they conjured87 away each other in turn, in little square hampers88 that they stabbed with knives to prove that there was nobody inside;[Pg 11] and to divert the spectators' attention at critical moments they beat a tom-tom and played a shrill89 sort of bagpipe90.
The jugglers being gone, a boy, to gain alms, opened a round basket he was carrying, and up rose a serpent, its hood91 raised in anger, and hissing92 with its tongue out.
After him came another little Hindoo, dragging a mongoose, very like a large weasel with a fox's tail. He took a snake out of a bag, and a battle began between the two brutes93, each biting with all its might; the sharp teeth of the mongoose tried to seize the snake's head, and the reptile94 curled round the mongoose's body to bite under the fur. At last the mongoose crushed the serpent's head with a fierce nip, and instantly a hawk20 flew down from a tree and snatched away the victim.
By noon, under the torrid blaze which takes the colour out of everything, exhaustion95 overpowers the city. Vehicles are rare; a few foot-passengers try to find a narrow line of shade close to the houses, and silence weighs on everything, broken only by the buzzing of flies, the strident croak96 of birds of prey.
[Pg 12]
Along Back Bay lies the Malabar Hill, a promontory97 where the fashionable world resides in bungalows98 built in the midst of gardens. Palm trees spread their crowns above the road, and on the rocks which overhang the path ferns of many kinds are grown by constant watering. The bungalows, square houses of only one storey, surrounded by wide verandahs, and covered in with a high, pointed99 roof, which allows the air to circulate above the ceilings, stand amid clumps100 of bougainvillea and flowering jasmine, and the columnar trunks of coco-palms, date trees, baobabs and areca palms, which refresh them with shade.
The gardens are overgrown with exuberant101 tropical vegetation: orchids102, daturas hung with their scented103 purple bells, gardenias104 and creepers; and yet what the brother of a London friend, on whom I am calling, shows me with the greatest pride, are a few precious geraniums, two real violets, and a tiny patch of thickly-grown lawn of emerald hue12.
Colaba is the port; the docks, with tall houses between the enormous warehouses105. The silence is appalling106; windows, doors—all are closed. Only a few coolies hurry by in the white sunshine, with[Pg 13] handkerchiefs over their mouths to protect them against the infection in these streets, whence came the plague which stole at first through the suburbs, nearer and nearer to the heart of the city, driving the maddened populace before it.
One morning a quantity of dead rats were found lying on the ground; next some pigeons and fowls107. Then a man died of a strange malady108—an unknown disease, and then others, before it was known that they were even ill. A little fever, a little swelling109 under the arm, or in the throat, or on the groin—and in forty-eight hours the patient was dead. The mysterious disease spread and increased; every day the victims were more and more numerous; an occult and treacherous110 evil, come none knew whence. At first it was attributed to some dates imported from Syria, to some corn brought from up-country; the dates were destroyed, the corn thrown into the sea, but the scourge111 went on and increased, heralded112 by terror and woe113.
At Mazagoon, one of the suburbs of Bombay, behold114 a Parsee wedding.
The bridegroom sits awaiting his guests, in his garden all decorated with arches and arbours, and[Pg 14] starred with white lanterns. An orchestra is playing, hidden in a shrubbery.
Presently all the company is assembled, robed in long white tunics. The bridegroom, likewise dressed in white, has a chain of flowers round his neck; orchids, lilies, and jasmine, falling to his waist. In one hand he holds a bouquet115 of white flowers, in the other a coco-nut. A shawl, neatly116 folded, hangs over one arm.
Over the gate and the door of the house light garlands, made of single flowers threaded like beads117, swing in the breeze and scent the air.
Servants carrying large trays offer the company certain strange little green parcels: a betel-leaf screwed into a cone118 and fastened with a clove119, containing a mixture of spices and lime, to be chewed after dinner to digest the mass of food you may see spread out in the tables in the dining-room.
Then follow more trays with tufts of jasmine stuck into the heart of a pink rose; and as the guest takes one of these bouquets120 the servant sprinkles first the flowers and then him with rose-water.
Shortly before sunset the dastour arrives—the high priest—in white, with a white muslin turban[Pg 15] instead of the wax-cloth cap worn by other Parsees.
The crimson121 sky seen above the tall coco-palms turns to pink, to pale, vaporous blue, to a warm grey that rapidly dies away, and almost suddenly it is night.
Then an elder of the family deliberately122 lights the first fire—a lamp hanging in the vestibule; and as soon as they see the flame the High Dastour and all those present bow in adoration123 with clasped hands. The bridegroom and the priest go into the house and have their hands and faces washed; then, preceded by the band and followed by all the guests, they proceed to the home of the bride.
There, again, they all sit down in the garden. The same little packets of betel, only wrapped in gold leaf, are offered to the company, and bunches of chrysanthemum124 sprinkled with scent.
Then, two and two, carrying on their shoulders heavy trays piled with presents, women mount the steps of the house, the bridegroom standing125 at the bottom. The bride's mother comes forth126 to meet them in a dress of pale-coloured China crape covered with a fine white saree. She waves her closed hand three times over the gifts, and then, opening it, throws rice on the ground. This action[Pg 16] she repeats with sugar and sweetmeats, and finally with a coco-nut. And each time she empties her hand a naked boy appears from heaven knows where, gathers up what she flings on the ground, and vanishes again, lost at once in the shadows of the garden.
At last the bridegroom goes up the steps. The mother-in-law repeats the circular wave of welcome over the young man's head with rice and sugar and an egg and a coco-nut; then she takes the garland, already somewhat faded, from his neck, and replaces it by another twined of gold thread and jasmine flowers, with roses at regular intervals127. She also changes his bouquet, and receives the coco-nut her son-in-law has carried in his hand.
In the midst of a large room crowded with women in light-hued sarees, the bridegroom takes his seat between two tables, on which are large trays of rice. Facing him is a chair, and one is occupied by the bride, who is brought in by a party of girls. She is scarcely fourteen, all in white; on her head is a veil of invisibly fine muslin ten folds thick; it enfolds her in innocence128, and is crowned with sprays of myrtle blossom.
The ceremony now begins. The dastour chants his prayers, throwing handfuls of rice all the time[Pg 17] over the young couple. A sheet is held up between the two, and a priest twines129 a thread about the chair. At the seventh turn the sheet is snatched away, and the bride and bridegroom, with a burst of laughter, fling a handful of rice at each other.
All the guests press forward, ceasing their conversation, which has sometimes drowned the voice of the dastour, to ask which of the two threw the rice first—a very important question it would seem.
The two chairs are now placed side by side, and the priest goes on chanting his prayers to a slow measure, in a nasal voice that is soon lost again in the chatter130 of the bystanders. Rice is once more shed over the couple, and incense131 is burnt in a large bronze vessel74, the perfume mingling132 with that of the jasmine wreaths on the walls.
Then the procession, with music, makes its way back to the bridegroom's house. On the threshold the priest says one more short prayer over the bowed heads of the newly-married couple, and at last the whole party go into the room, where the guests take their places at the long tables.
Under each plate, a large square cut out of a banana leaf serves as a finger-napkin. Innumerable are the dishes of sweetmeats made with ghee (clarified butter), the scented ices, the highly-coloured[Pg 18] bonbons133; while the young couple walk round the rooms, and hang garlands of flowers about the necks of the feasters.
Outside the night is moonless, deep blue. Venus seems quite close to us, shining with intense brightness, and the jasmines scent the air, softly lighted by the lanterns which burn out one by one.
In the evening, at the railway terminus, there was a crush of coolies packed close up to the ticket-office of the third-class, and holding out their money. Never tired of trying to push to the front, they all shouted at once, raising their hands high in the air and holding in their finger-tips one or two shining silver rupees. Those who at last succeeded in getting tickets slipped out of the crowd, and sang and danced; others who had found it absolutely impossible to get anything retired134 into corners, and groaned135 aloud.
In the middle of the station groups of women and children squatted on the flagstones, their little bundles about them of red and white rags, and copper pots looking like gold; a huddled136 heap of misery137, in this enormous hall of palatial138 proportions, handsomely decorated with sculptured marble.
[Pg 19]
They were all flying from the plague, which was spreading, and emptying the bazaars139 and workshops. The Exchange being closed, trade was at a standstill, and the poor creatures who were spared by the pestilence140 were in danger of dying of hunger.
When the gate to the platform was opened there was a stampede, a fearful rush to the train; then the cars, once filled, were immediately shut on the noisy glee of those who were going.
At the last moment some porters, preceded by two sowars in uniform and holding pikes, bore a large palankin, hermetically closed, to the door of a first-class carriage, and softly set it down. The carriage was opened for a moment: I could see within a party of women-servants, shrouded141 in white muslin, who were preparing a couch. An old negress handed out to the porters a large sheet, which they held over the palankin, supporting it in such a way as to make a covered passage screening the carriage door. There was a little bustle142 under the sheet—the end was drawn in, and the sheet fell over the closed door.
The last train gone, all round the station there was quite a camp of luckless natives lying on the ground, wrapped in white cotton, and sleeping under the stars, so as to be nearer to-morrow to the train[Pg 20] which, perhaps, might carry them away from the plague-stricken city.
In a long narrow bark, with a pointed white sail—a bunder-boat—we crossed the roads to Elephanta, the isle143 of sacred temples. Naked men, with no garment but the langouti, or loin-cloth, navigated144 the boat. They climbed to the top of the mast, clinging to the shrouds145 with their toes, if the least end of rope was out of gear, hauled the sail up and down for no reason at all, and toiled146 ridiculously, with a vain expenditure147 of cries and action, under the glaring sky that poured down on us like hot lead.
After an hour's passage we reached the island, which is thickly planted with fine large trees.
A flight of regular steps, hewn in the rock, under the shade of banyans and bamboos, all tangled148 with flowering creepers, leads straight up to the temple. It is a vast hall, dug out of granite149 and supported by massive columns, with capitals of a half-flattened spheroidal shape—columns which, seen near, seem far too slender to support the immense mass of the mountain that rises sheer above the cave under a curtain of hanging creepers. The temple opens[Pg 21] to the north, and a very subdued150 light—like the light from a painted window—filtering through the ficus branches, lends solemnity and enhanced beauty to this titanic151 architecture.
The walls are covered with bas-reliefs carved in the rock, the roof adorned152 with architraves of stone in infinite repetition of the same designs. The stone is grey, varied here and there with broad, black stains, and in other spots yellowish, with pale gold lights. Some of the sculpture remains153 still intact. The marriage of Siva and Parvati; the bride very timid, very fragile, leaning on the arm of the gigantic god, whose great height is crowned with a monumental tiara. Trimurti, a divinity with three faces, calm, smiling, and fierce—the symbol of Siva, the creator, the god of mercy, and of wrath154. In a shadowed corner an elephant's head stands out—Ganesa, the god of wisdom, in the midst of a circle of graceful, slender, life-like figures of women. Quite at the end of the hall, two caryatides, tall and elegant, suggest lilies turned to women. In the inner sanctuary155, a small edifice156, with thick stone walls pierced with tiny windows that admit but a dim light, stands the lingam, a cylinder157 of stone crowned with scarlet158 flowers that look like flames in the doubtful light; and in deeper darkness,[Pg 22] under a stone canopy, another such idol159, hardly visible. The Brahman priests are constantly engaged in daubing all the statues of these divinities with fresh crimson paint, and the votaries160 of Siva have a spot of the same colour in the middle of the forehead. Two lions, rigid161 in a hieratic attitude, keep guard over the entrance to a second temple, a good deal smaller and open to the air, beyond a courtyard, and screened with an awning of creepers.
In the atmosphere floated a pale blue smoke, rising from a heap of weeds that some children were burning, a weird162 sort of incense, acrid and aromatic163, fading against the too-blue sky.
As we went down to the shore a whole swarm of little dark boys wanted to sell scarabs, rattans, birds' nests shaped like pockets, and dream-flowers, gathered from the creepers on the temples; large almond-scented lilies, and hanging bunches of the ebony-tree flowers, so fragile in texture164 and already faded in the sun, but exhaling165 till evening a faint perfume of verbena and lemon.
As we returned the wind had fallen, and the men rowed. The moon rose pale gold, and in the distance, in the violet haze, the lights of Bombay mingled167 with the stars. The boatmen's[Pg 23] chant was very vague, a rocking measure on ascending168 intervals.
Afternoon, in the bazaar, in the warm glow of the sinking sun, wonderfully quiet. No sound but that of some workmen's tools; no passers-by, no shouting of voices, no bargaining. A few poor people stand by the stalls and examine the goods, but the seller does not seem to care. Invisible guzlas vibrate in the air, and the piping invitation of a moollah falls from the top of a minaret169.
Then, suddenly, there was a clatter170 of tom-toms, and rattling of castanets, a Hindoo funeral passing by. The dead lay stretched on a bier, his face painted and horrible, a livid grin between the dreadful scarlet cheeks, covered with wreaths of jasmine and roses. A man walking before the corpse172 carried a jar of burning charcoal173 to light the funeral pile. Friends followed the bier, each bringing a log of wood, to add to the pyre as a last homage174 to the dead.
A Mohammedan funeral now. The body was in a coffin175, covered with red stuff, sparkling with gold thread. The bearers and mourners chanted an almost cheerful measure, as they marched very slowly to the[Pg 24] burial-ground by the seaside, where the dead rest under spreading banyans and flowering jasmine.
Then a Parsee woman stopped my servant to ask him if I were a doctor.
"A doctor? I cannot say," replied Abibulla, "but the sahib knows many things." The woman's eyes entreated176 me. Would I not come? it would comfort the sick man, and help him, perhaps, to die easily if the gods would not spare him.
At the door of the house the sick man's wife was washing a white robe, in which he would be dressed for the grave on the morrow. The nearest relation of the dying must always wash his garment, and the woman, knowing that her husband had the plague and was doomed177, as she was required by ritual to prepare for the burial while her husband was yet living, wore a look of mute and tearless resignation that terrified me.
The plague-stricken man lay on a low bed struggling with anguish178; large drops of sweat stood on his face, his throat was wrapped in wet bandages, and he spoke179 with difficulty, as in a dream.
"Pané, sahib!"—"Water, sir!"
Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep at once, and so would he sleep till the end.
[Pg 25]
Out of doors, meanwhile, one funeral procession almost trod on the heels of the last; at the latest gleam of day, and out towards the west, above the Field of Burning, a broad red cloud filled all one quarter of the sky.
In the heart of Girgaum, one of the suburbs of Bombay, at the end of a street, under a large areca palm an old man was selling grain and rice in open baskets. A whole flight of bickering180 sparrows settled on his merchandise, and he looked at them with happy good humour without scaring them away.
In the town a zebu cow was trotting181 along with an air of business. To avoid a vehicle she jumped on to the footpath182 and went her way along the flagstones, and every Hindoo that she passed patted her buttock and then touched his forehead with the same hand with great reverence183.
Outside Bombay, at the end of an avenue of tamarind trees, between hedges starred with lilac and pink, we came to Pinjerapoor, the hospital for animals. Here, in a sanded garden dotted with shrubs184 and flowers, stand sheds in which sick cows, horses and buffaloes are treated and cared for.[Pg 26] In another part, in a little building divided into compartments185 by wire bars, poor crippled dogs whined186 to me as I passed to take them away. Hens wandered about on wooden legs; and an ancient parrot, in the greatest excitement, yelled with all his might; he was undergoing treatment to make his lost feathers grow again, his hideous little black body being quite naked, with its large head and beak187. In an open box, overhung with flowering jasmine, an Arab horse was suspended to the beams of the roof; two keepers by his side waved long white horsehair fans to keep away the flies. A perfect crowd of servants is employed in the care of the animals, and the litter is sweet and clean.
At Byculla in the evening we went to Grant Road, the haunt of the street beauties, where the gambling-houses are. At the open windows under the lighted lamps were coarsely-painted women dressed in gaudy188 finery. In the entries were more of such women, sitting motionless in the attitude of idols189; some of them real marvels—thin, slender bronze limbs scarcely veiled in dark, transparent190 gauze, gold rings round their neck and arms, and heavy nanparas on their ankles.
[Pg 27]
One of them was standing against a curtain of black satin embroidered with gold; muslin that might have been a spider's web hardly cast a mist over her sheenless skin, pale, almost white against the glistening191 satin and gold, all brightly lighted up. With a large hibiscus flower in her hand she stood in a simple attitude, like an Egyptian painting, then moved a little, raising or lowering an arm, apparently192 not seeing the passers-by who gazed at her—lost in a dream that brought a strange green gleam to her dark eyes.
Japanese girls, too, in every possible hue, with piles of tinsel and flowers above their little flat faces all covered with saffron and white paint; little fidgeting parrakeets flitting from window to window, and calling to the people in the street in shrill, nasal tones.
In booths between these houses, the gamblers, standing round a board with numbered holes, were watching the ball as it slowly spun193 round, hit the edge, seemed to hesitate, and at last fell into one of the cups. Four-anna pieces, ten-rupee notes—anything will serve as a stake for the Hindoo ruffian in a starched194 shirt-front, low waistcoat and white tie, above the dhouti that hangs over his bare legs; or for the half-tipsy soldier and sailor,[Pg 28] the cautious Parsee who rarely puts down a stake, or the ragged195 coolie who has come to tempt196 fortune with his last silver bit.
All alike were fevered from the deafening music of harmoniums and tom-toms performing at the back of each gambling-booth—a din7 that drowned shouts of glee and quarrelling.
Turning out of this high street blazing with lamps, were dens26 of prostitution, and dark, cut-throat alleys197.
Then a quiet little street. Our guide paused in front of a whitewashed house. An old woman came out, and with many salaams198 and speeches of welcome led us into a large, low room.
Here, one by one, in came the nautch-girls, dancers. Robed in stiff sarees, their legs encumbered199 with very full trousers, they stood extravagantly200 upright, their arms away from their sides and their hands hanging loosely. At the first sound of the tambourines201, beaten by men who squatted close to the wall, they began to dance; jumping forward on both feet, then backward, striking their ankles together to make their nanparas ring, very heavy anklets weighing on their feet, bare with silver toe-rings. One of them spun on and on for a[Pg 29] long time, while the others held a high, shrill note—higher, shriller still; then suddenly everything stopped, the music first, then the dancing—in the air, as it were—and the nautch-girls, huddled together like sheep in a corner of the room, tried to move us with the only three English words they knew, the old woman repeating them; and as finally we positively202 would not understand, the jumping and idiotic203 spinning and shouts began again in the heated air of the room.
"Nautch-girls for tourists, like Europeans," said my Indian servant Abibulla. "Can-can dancing-girls," he added, with an air of triumph at having shown me a wonder.
>At the top of Malabar Hill, in a garden with freshly raked walks and clumps of flowers edged with pearl-shells, stand five limewashed towers, crowned with a living battlement of vultures: the great Dokma, the Towers of Silence, where the Parsees are laid after death, "as naked as when they came into the world and as they must return to nothingness," to feed the birds of prey, which by the end of a few hours leave nothing of the body but the bones, to bleach204 in the sun and be scorched[Pg 30] to dust that is soon carried down to the sea by the first rains of the monsoon205.
One of these towers, smaller than the others, and standing apart at the end of the garden, is used for those who have committed suicide. The bearers of the dead dwell in a large yellow house roofed with zinc206. There they live, apart from the world, never going down to Bombay but to fetch a corpse and bring it up to the vultures, nor daring to mingle166 with the living till after nine days of purification.
In another building is the hall where the dastours say the last prayers over the dead in the presence of the relations; the body is then stripped in a consecrated207 chamber208 and abandoned to the mysteries of the tower.
On the great banyan trees in the garden, and on every palm, torpid209 vultures sit in the sun, awaiting the meal that will come with the next funeral procession.
Far away a murmur210 is heard, a long-drawn chant, suddenly arousing the birds; they flap their wings, stretch themselves clumsily, and then fly towards one of the towers.
We could see the procession coming straight up a hollow ravine from the valley to the Dokma, a path that none but Parsees are allowed to tread;[Pg 31] eight bearers in white, the bier also covered with white, and, far behind, the relations and friends of the dead, all robed in white, two and two, each pair holding between them a square of white stuff in sign of union. They came very slowly up the steps of the steep ascent211 with a measured chant, in muffled212 tones, on long-drawn vowels213. And from the surrounding trees, from far and near, with a great flutter of wings, the vultures flew to meet the corpse, darkening the sky for a moment.
In the evening, as I again went past the Towers of Silence, the palm trees were once more crowded with sleeping birds gorged214 with all the food sent them by the plague. On the other side of Back Bay, above the Field of Burning, a thick column of smoke rose up, red in the last beams of the crimson sun.
In the silence of a moonless night nine o'clock struck from the great tower of the Law Courts—a pretty set of chimes, reminding me of Bruges or Antwerp; and when the peal215 had died away a bugle216 in the sepoys' quarters took up the strain of the chimes, only infinitely softer, saddened to a minor217 key and to a slower measure; while in the distance[Pg 32] an English trumpet218, loud and clear, sounded the recall in counterpart.
Outside the town the carriage went on for a long time through a poverty-stricken quarter, and past plots of ground dug out for the erection of factories. Fragile flowers, rose and lilac, bloomed in the shade of banyans and palm trees. Hedges of jasmine and bougainvillea, alternating with rose trees, scented the air. Then we came to Parel, a suburb where, in a spacious enclosure, stands the hospital for infectious diseases. It is a lofty structure of iron, the roof and walls of matting, which is burnt when infected with microbes, and which allows the free passage of the air. In spite of the heat outside it was almost cool in these shady halls.
All the sick were sudras, Hindoos of the lowest caste. All the rest, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisiyas, would rather die at home, uncared for, than endure the promiscuous219 mixture of caste at the hospital, and contact with their inferiors. Even the sudras are but few. There is an all-pervading dread171 of a hospital, fostered by Indian bone-setters and sorcerers, stronger even than the fear of the pestilence; the people hide themselves to die, like[Pg 33] wounded animals, and their relations will not speak of an illness for fear of seeing anybody belonging to them taken to the hospital.
All the sufferers lay on thin mattresses220 spread on low camp beds; they were all quiet, torpid in the sleep of fever. The doctor showed them to me, one after another; there was nothing distressing222 to be seen in their naked bodies lying under a sheet. Some, indeed, had dressings223 under the arm, or on the groin. One, who had just been brought in, had a large swelling above the hip3, a gland224 which was lanced to inject serum225.
This, then, is the malady of the appalling name—the Plague—hardened glands226 in the throat or under the arm; the disease that gives its victim fever, sends him to sleep, exhausts, and infallibly kills him.
In the ward61 we had just passed through there were none but convalescents or favourable227 cases. At the further end of the room a boy, fearfully emaciated228, so thin that his body, lying in the hollow of the mattress221, was hardly visible under the covering, was asleep as we approached. He had come from one of the famine districts, and in escaping from one scourge had come to where the other had clutched him. The doctor touched him on the[Pg 34] shoulder, and he opened his great splendid eyes. The awakening229 brought him gladness, or perhaps it was the end of his dream, for he had the happy look of a contented230 child, shook his shaven head waggishly231, and the single corkscrew lock at the top, and was asleep again instantly.
In the further room were four sufferers past all hope: one in the anguish of delirium232 that made him cry out the same words again and again, in a hoarse233 voice that was growing fainter. He was held by two attendants. Another lay with chattering234 teeth; a third was struggling violently, hidden under his coverlet; the fourth seemed unconscious, apathetic235.
Not far from the great hospital, in huts of bamboo and matting, some Hindoos were isolated236, who refused to be attended by any but native doctors, or to take anything but simples. An old man lay there who had a sort of stiff white paste applied237 to the swellings under his arms. He, too, was delirious238, and watched us go by with a vague, stupefied glare—eyes that were already dead.
In another hut was a woman, brought hither yesterday with her husband, who had died that morning. She had an exquisite239, long, pale face and blue-black hair. On her arms were many[Pg 35] bangles, and gold earrings glittered in her ears. For a moment she opened her large gazelle-like eyes, and then with a very sad little sigh turned to the wall, making her trinkets rattle240. She was still dressed in her blue choli. A striped coverlet had been thrown over her; by her bed she had a whole set of burnished241 copper pans and canisters. Charmingly pretty, and not yet exhausted242 by the disease, which only declared itself yesterday, she was sleeping quietly, more like a being in a storybook than a plague-stricken creature, who must infallibly die on the morrow under the incapable243 treatment of the Hindoo "bone-setter."
And then we came away from this hospital, where no sister of charity, no woman even, had brought some little consolation244 or the kindliness245 of a smile to these dying creatures, whose wandering or frantic246 black eyes haunted me.
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1
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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2
steamships
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| n.汽船，大轮船( steamship的名词复数 ) | |
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3
hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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5
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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8
whitewashed
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| 粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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tunics
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| n.（动植物的）膜皮( tunic的名词复数 )；束腰宽松外衣；一套制服的短上衣；（天主教主教等穿的）短祭袍 | |
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11
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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12
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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13
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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14
eddy
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| n.漩涡，涡流 | |
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15
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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16
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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17
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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18
bawl
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| v.大喊大叫，大声地喊，咆哮 | |
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19
hawks
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| 鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物 | |
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20
hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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21
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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22
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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23
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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24
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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25
banyan
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| n.菩提树，榕树 | |
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26
dens
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| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
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27
buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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28
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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29
filth
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| n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥 | |
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30
hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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31
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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32
arcades
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| n.商场( arcade的名词复数 )；拱形走道（两旁有商店或娱乐设施）；连拱廊；拱形建筑物 | |
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33
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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34
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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35
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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36
mosque
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| n.清真寺 | |
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37
deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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38
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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39
jingling
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| 叮当声 | |
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40
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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41
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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42
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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43
bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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44
bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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45
reeking
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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46
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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47
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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48
shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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49
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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50
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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51
earrings
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| n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子 | |
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52
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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53
nostril
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| n.鼻孔 | |
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54
tinkle
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| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
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55
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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56
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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57
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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58
wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59
Moslem
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| n.回教徒，穆罕默德信徒；adj.回教徒的，回教的 | |
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60
toddle
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| v.（如小孩）蹒跚学步 | |
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61
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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62
hubbub
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| n.嘈杂；骚乱 | |
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63
stultifies
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| v.使成为徒劳，使变得无用( stultify的第三人称单数 ) | |
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64
intoxicates
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| 使喝醉（intoxicate的第三人称单数形式） | |
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65
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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66
persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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67
musk
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| n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫 | |
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68
acrid
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| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
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69
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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70
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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71
carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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72
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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73
awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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74
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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75
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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76
anvils
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| n.（铁）砧( anvil的名词复数 )；砧骨 | |
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77
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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78
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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79
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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80
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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81
bazaar
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| n.集市，商店集中区 | |
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82
petroleum
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| n.原油，石油 | |
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83
pelting
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| 微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的 | |
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84
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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85
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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86
feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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87
conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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88
hampers
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的第三人称单数 ) | |
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89
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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90
bagpipe
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| n.风笛 | |
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91
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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92
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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93
brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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94
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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95
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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96
croak
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| vi.嘎嘎叫，发牢骚 | |
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97
promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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98
bungalows
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| n.平房( bungalow的名词复数 )；单层小屋，多于一层的小屋 | |
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99
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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100
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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101
exuberant
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| adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的 | |
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102
orchids
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| n.兰花( orchid的名词复数 ) | |
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103
scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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104
gardenias
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| n.栀子属植物，栀子花( gardenia的名词复数 ) | |
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105
warehouses
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| 仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 ) | |
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106
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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107
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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108
malady
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| n.病，疾病(通常做比喻) | |
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109
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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110
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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111
scourge
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| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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112
heralded
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| v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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113
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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114
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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115
bouquet
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| n.花束，酒香 | |
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116
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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117
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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118
cone
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| n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果 | |
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119
clove
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| n.丁香味 | |
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120
bouquets
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| n.花束( bouquet的名词复数 )；（酒的）芳香 | |
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121
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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122
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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123
adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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124
chrysanthemum
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| n.菊，菊花 | |
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125
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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126
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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127
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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128
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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129
twines
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| n.盘绕( twine的名词复数 )；麻线；捻；缠绕在一起的东西 | |
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130
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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131
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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132
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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133
bonbons
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| n.小糖果( bonbon的名词复数 ) | |
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134
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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135
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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136
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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137
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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138
palatial
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| adj.宫殿般的，宏伟的 | |
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139
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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140
pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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141
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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142
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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143
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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144
navigated
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的过去式和过去分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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145
shrouds
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| n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 )；寿衣；遮蔽物；覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 )；保密 | |
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146
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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147
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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148
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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149
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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150
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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151
titanic
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| adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的 | |
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152
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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153
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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154
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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155
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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156
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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157
cylinder
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| n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸 | |
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158
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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159
idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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160
votaries
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| n.信徒( votary的名词复数 )；追随者；（天主教）修士；修女 | |
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161
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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162
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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163
aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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164
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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165
exhaling
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的现在分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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166
mingle
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| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
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167
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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168
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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169
minaret
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| n.（回教寺院的）尖塔 | |
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170
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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171
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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172
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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173
charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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174
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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175
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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176
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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177
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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178
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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179
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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180
bickering
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| v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁 | |
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181
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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182
footpath
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| n.小路，人行道 | |
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183
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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184
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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185
compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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186
whined
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| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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187
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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188
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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189
idols
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| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
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190
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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191
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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192
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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193
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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194
starched
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| adj.浆硬的，硬挺的，拘泥刻板的v.把（衣服、床单等）浆一浆( starch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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195
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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196
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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197
alleys
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| 胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径 | |
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198
salaams
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| （穆斯林的）额手礼，问安，敬礼( salaam的名词复数 ) | |
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199
encumbered
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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200
extravagantly
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| adv.挥霍无度地 | |
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201
tambourines
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| n.铃鼓，手鼓( tambourine的名词复数 )；（鸣声似铃鼓的）白胸森鸠 | |
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202
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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203
idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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204
bleach
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| vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂 | |
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205
monsoon
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| n.季雨，季风，大雨 | |
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206
zinc
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| n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌 | |
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207
consecrated
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| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
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208
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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209
torpid
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| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
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210
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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211
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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212
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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213
vowels
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| n.元音，元音字母( vowel的名词复数 ) | |
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214
gorged
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| v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的过去式和过去分词 )；作呕 | |
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215
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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216
bugle
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| n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集 | |
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217
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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218
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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219
promiscuous
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| adj.杂乱的，随便的 | |
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220
mattresses
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| 褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 ) | |
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221
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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222
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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223
dressings
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| n.敷料剂；穿衣( dressing的名词复数 )；穿戴；（拌制色拉的）调料；（保护伤口的）敷料 | |
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224
gland
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| n.腺体，(机)密封压盖，填料盖 | |
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serum
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| n.浆液，血清，乳浆 | |
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glands
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| n.腺( gland的名词复数 ) | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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231
waggishly
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| adv.waggish（滑稽的，诙谐的）的变形 | |
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232
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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234
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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235
apathetic
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| adj.冷漠的，无动于衷的 | |
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236
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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237
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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238
delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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239
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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240
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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241
burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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242
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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243
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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244
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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245
kindliness
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| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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