"I've just seen poor old Barnes," said Dr. Conolly, as he came on deck and joined us. "He's had a nasty time during the storm, and what I was afraid of has come about. He shows symptoms of blood-poisoning, and I must operate at once."
"Poor fellow! Poor fellow!" ejaculated my father. "I suppose he'll pull through?"
"He has a fighting chance, but you can rely upon me to do my very best. We must perform the operation on deck; so will you give orders for the awning5 to be rigged, and a screen placed athwart ship. We have plenty of fresh water, I think?"
"Yes, plenty. I'll have the awning rigged at once."
This news startled me, for when last I saw the wounded man he seemed on the fair road to recovery. But no time was to be lost. The awning was rigged, a rough table placed on the fo'c'sle, and a bucket of water, an array of surgical6 instruments (which the doctor had bought during our stay at Malta), and boxes of surgical dressing7 and linen8 completed the hasty preparations.
The divers were told to divest9 themselves of their diving-suits, and, after selecting three men to assist the doctor, my father ordered the rest away in the whaler, giving them instructions to sound carefully between the ledge11 of rocks and the shore, though this was merely an excuse to clear the ship during the actual operation.
Presently Barnes was brought on deck on a rough stretcher, the task of getting him through the fore-hatch proving one of great difficulty to the bearers and painful to the patient. They laid him on the table, and a nauseating12 smell that reminded me forcibly of old Dr. Trenoweth's surgery at Fowey seemed to fill the air.
"Clear out of this, Reggie!" said my Uncle Herbert peremptorily13. "Go below and read a book, or do something. This is no place for you."
I went, but my thoughts were full of the poor sufferer lying on deck. Even the saloon reeked14 of the sickening odour, while through the open skylight I could hear every sound: the short, quick orders of the doctor, the splashing of the water, the convulsive movements of the insensible patient, the clatter16 of the instruments and even the sharp, rasping noise of the saw, and finally the distressing17 groans18 of the man as he recovered consciousness.
Then I heard the signal for the whaler, and presently the sound of the oars19 splashing alongside.
"Come along, my boy," exclaimed my father; "we are going off to the wreck20." Gladly I left the cabin and got into the boat. Barnes still remained on deck, a bed being prepared for him under a square of canvas formed into a small tent. Dr. Conolly remained with his patient, but my father and uncle went in the whaler.
"There's a place where we can land, just on the other side of the wreck," said the bos'n; "but it's an awkward job."
This indeed it seemed, for the side of the newly made island was as steep and as smooth as polished rock, save for a few crevices21 and longitudinal cracks, so far apart as to be useless for climbing. A few strokes, however, brought us to the spot indicated by the bos'n, where the shattered bows of the "San Philipo" almost overhung the cliff. Here a flight of natural steps led up to within fifteen feet of the summit, but the whole of that fifteen feet was as smooth as a sheet of glass.
"Another fifty feet and the old hooker would have tumbled over the edge," observed the bos'n. "The whole place is one mass of ups and downs. Do you know, sir, that between the 'Fortuna' and the little reef astern of her—the new one, I mean—we found the bottom at a hundred fathoms22, and between the reef and the shore, where there used to be from four to six fathoms, we found as much as sixty?"
"It's been a most tremendous upheaval23," replied my father; "and I'm not surprised at anything after this. However, the question is: How are we to land?
"That's what I was thinking of, sir," replied Wilkins, knitting his brow. "How would bending the whaler's anchor on to a line and heaving it up do?"
"I am afraid that throwing up a twenty-four-pound anchor to a height of over twenty feet would be beyond the strength of most of us," observed my uncle, with a smile.
"Then heave the line over the wreck."
"The lead-line would not be strong enough to bear a man," objected my father. "The only thing to be done is to get a spar—the yard of our square-sail, for instance."
"A couple of young trees would do better, I'm thinking," said the bos'n. "We've plenty of lashing15 in the boat, and a ladder could be knocked up in a jiffey."
"The very thing, Mr. Wilkins. Make for the shore as fast as you can."
The whaler's bow grounded on the beach, and, making our way with difficulty through the debris24 that lined the seaward side of the grove25, we selected a couple of young palm-trees. These were felled and cut to lengths of twenty feet, and the rungs firmly fastened, making a serviceable ladder. This we towed behind the boat, and on landing on the rock we scaled the perpendicular26 height with comparative ease.
The ladder was then hauled up and placed against the towering, weed-covered sides of the "San Philipo," and, led by my father, we all ascended27 and gained the deck of the wreck.
"Be careful, sir," cautioned the bos'n; "the deck may be rotten in places."
"All right, Mr. Wilkins," replied my father. "I see the divers have been hard at work, for the waist has practically been cleared."
But before attempting to go below, my father made his way aft, and, clambering cautiously over the successive breaks of the tiers of decks, reached the towering poop. Here the stump1 of the mizzen-mast still projected a couple of feet above the deck, while a litter of rotten rope trailed across the poop from the mizzen chains, and a rusty28 mass of iron alone remained to denote what had at one time been the three poop lanterns.
It was not, however, to this scene of desolation that my father's attention was directed. From the commanding position we had, for the first time, a complete view of the results of the upheaval, and to our consternation30 we found that the lagoon31 was converted into a land-locked sheet of water, huge rocks forming a massive semi-circular barrier from shore to shore. The "Fortuna" was a prisoner, and, to all intents and purposes, seemed doomed32 to lie within the lagoon till she rotted and sank at her moorings.
The original entrance had, as I have already mentioned, been closed up by lofty masses of rock, while throughout the whole length of the newly formed reef there was not, as far as we could see, any part less than twenty feet above the level of high water.
For several minutes my father stood looking at the scene with absolute dejection written on his face. It seemed as if all his hopes were shattered at one blow.
"Cheer up, old fellow," said his brother sympathetically, though he, too, was keenly alive to the extent of our misfortune. "It might be worse; we've got the yacht intact, the treasure under our feet, and, what is more, our lives have been miraculously33 preserved."
"Our lives, 'tis true. But what is the use of the treasure when the yacht is hopelessly imprisoned34?"
"There's a saying, 'Don't holler till you're out of the wood'; it could have very well been added: 'Don't cry till you've tried to find a way out'; so don't worry till we've made a careful exploration of the reef. I suppose people at home have read a report in the daily papers before now, a telegram from Professor Milne to the effect that a great seismic35 disturbance36 has been recorded, the probable area affected37 being approximately eleven thousand miles away."
"Oh, yes," replied my father, with a slight suspicion of sarcasm38. "Imagine the interest it causes to the majority of the British Public; but, so long as his pocket isn't touched, the average man doesn't care, even if half the surface of the globe is turned upside down; but let a cat or a dog scratch up his front garden——"
"Oh, for pity's sake stop moralizing. Let's make a start and explore the ship. See, the men have already nearly cleared away the mud from the main hatch."
Before long my father had shaken off his depression and was hard at work clearing the weed and sand. The hatches were forced open with crowbars, and we had our first view of the main deck. Considering the time the vessel39 had lain at the bottom of the sea, the amount of dirt and sand that had worked its way between decks was remarkably40 small; but on descending41 the ladder it seemed as if we were in a broad, low-roofed cave.
Through the gun-ports, now festooned with seaweed, the sunlight filtered, causing a thick, nauseating mist to rise from the sodden42 timbers; while on the starboard side was a tangled43 collection of timber and iron, the remains44 of the ship's ordnance45, all the iron guns having been reduced to a softness resembling plumbago; but eight pieces of brass46 ordnance still retained their original appearance, save for the discoloration caused by the action of the salt water.
"Let's see what there is in the cabins aft," said Uncle Herbert, making for a half-open door; "I suppose no one brought a lantern?—it's pitch dark."
Even as he spoke47 the door creaked and moved slowly inwards, while a strange rustling48 noise was heard in the alley-way. Jumping backwards49, my uncle raised an axe50 that he was carrying, and assumed a defensive51 attitude, while the rest of us, in breathless expectancy52, awaited developments.
Again the shuffling53 noise was repeated, and out of the darkness projected a long, greenish hued54, repulsive-looking object, terminating in a pair of formidable nippers, and in another moment a gigantic crab55, fully10 five feet across its shell, shambled out of the gloom, turned partly over on its side to pass the doorway56, and made straight for us.
"Call yourself a Cornishman, and afraid of a crab!" exclaimed my father as my uncle turned and ran for safety.
But it was not a cause for jest. One of the men stabbed at the creature with a crowbar, but, seizing the iron between its formidable claws, the monster wrenched57 it from the man's grasp, nearly throwing him to the deck. Another struck a heavy blow with an axe, but the steel seemed to have no effect upon the tough armour58 of the brute59's shell, and it was clear that a man would stand little chance if caught by those powerful nippers.
"Hack60 off his legs!" shouted the bos'n, and, snatching an axe from one of the seamen61, he put all his strength into a powerful cut at the creature's leg. The steel bit deeply into the member, but, before the bos'n could withdraw the axe, the crab spun62 round, swept the bos'n off his feet, and made for its prostrate63 antagonist64, who, wedged against the ship's side, had no chance of escape. But before the hideous65 brute could accomplish its object, Lord, the quartermaster, made a bound, and alighted on its shell, and with his axe dealt two smashing blows at the creature's eyes. This interference caused the crab to swerve66 from its purpose, and, raising itself, threw the quartermaster to keep company with the bos'n.
Taking advantage of the raised position of the brute, my father fired three shots in quick succession from his revolver straight into its head, and, having had more than it cared about, the crab retreated for its den29, but, before it reached the doorway, it stopped, gave a few convulsive struggles, and fell dead, a thin stream of pale-coloured blood trickling67 over the slimy decks into the debris on the lee side.
"Hot work while it lasted," remarked my father, ejecting the three empty cylinders68 and reloading his revolver. "Move the thing out of the way, and let's explore the cabins. I hope there are no more of that sort, though."
One of the men had returned with a lantern from the whaler, and by its aid we began our tour of the cabins and state-rooms. There were multitudes of crabs69, large and small, though none approaching in size the one we had killed; several small cuttlefish70 squirmed in the mud that was ankle-deep on the floors; while overhead the mouldering71 beams were alive with immense worms, gliding72 in and out of the innumerable tunnels they had eaten in the timbers.
Most of the cabin doors were locked, but so rotten was the woodwork that a kick was sufficient to demolish73 them. The first five or six were practically empty, though one contained a number of brass-hilted swords, all in a more or less rust-eaten condition. At length we came to one over which were the letters "...apitan."
"This ought to contain something worth having, being the captain's," remarked my uncle, bursting open the door. Compared with the rest of the cabins this apartment was large and well-lighted, the stern window being fairly free from the trailing weeds.
Rotting curtains still hung from the walls; furniture that for nearly two centuries had floated against the once-gilded ceiling had fallen in utter confusion on the mud-covered floor, while there was the usual scurrying74 of swarms75 of shell-fish, as they sought shelter in the darker recesses76 of the room. In the centre stood two massive chests, bound with iron, and to these my father hastened, ignoring the crabs that impeded77 his footsteps.
"Hurry up with the crowbar!" he exclaimed excitedly, and, inserting the iron bar underneath78 the lid, he put his whole strength into the task of prizing open one of the chests.
With all his powerful efforts the lid defied him, and, calling the bos'n to his aid, both of them bent79 to the stout80 lever. The wood creaked and groaned81, yet neither did the chest move nor did the lid fly open.
"There's weight in it!" exclaimed the bos'n, wiping his heated brow. "If we are not careful the whole box of tricks will fall through into the hold."
"Yes, we must look out for that," replied my father; "already the floor seems to be giving."
"More than the lid does, I'm thinking," assented82 the bos'n. "We must try what a sledge-hammer and wedges will do." This meant sending back to the "Fortuna"; so, while the whaler was away, we continued our exploration of the cabin. There were three silver images, blackened by sea-water, several gold and silver-mounted sword-hilts, a drawer full of gold coins, bearing dates between 1590 and 1701, tankards and plates of precious metal, and several securely sealed bottles, containing, as we afterwards found, wine.
"Ah! now we can tackle the chests," exclaimed Uncle Herbert, as the men returned with a sledge-hammer and a regular armoury of cold chisels83. "This one first."
A few heavy blows and the lid flew open; then, by the aid of the crowbar, the work was completed, and the lid went back with a loud creaking sound. The chest was filled to the brim with small bars of solid gold.
"Hurrah84, my lads!" shouted my father in his excitement. "This alone will repay us. You can take it from me that once we get this safely home, every man of the crew will be able to live in comfort till the end of his days."
A rousing cheer greeted this announcement; then, closing the lid, my father directed the men to burst open the other chest.
This we found to contain mostly silk-stuffs, all, of course, utterly85 spoiled by age and sea-water; but at the bottom was a complete set of Church plate, made of gold and blazing with precious stones.
"Some cathedral in Spain is the poorer by this," remarked Uncle Herbert, holding up a massive chalice86 to the glassless stern window and allowing the light to play on the dazzling stones. "What do you propose to do, Howard? I don't think we can rest at ease till the whole of this stuff is safely aboard the 'Fortuna.'"
"Neither can we. We'll explore the hold now, and directly afterwards we'll begin to tranship the contents of the chests."
"We must lose no time, then, for it will take the rest of the day."
A hasty examination of the hold showed us that the silver cargo87 of the "San Philipo" was no myth; the ballast was composed of solid silver "pigs."
"We'll return to the 'Fortuna' now," decided88 my father. "You, Herbert, had better superintend the shifting of the contents of the chests. Tomorrow, if all's well, we'll tackle the silver, and, if the gig's repaired, four men and the bos'n can explore the reef."
点击收听单词发音
1 stump | |
n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走 | |
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2 berth | |
n.卧铺,停泊地,锚位;v.使停泊 | |
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3 divers | |
adj.不同的;种种的 | |
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4 descend | |
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降 | |
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5 awning | |
n.遮阳篷;雨篷 | |
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6 surgical | |
adj.外科的,外科医生的,手术上的 | |
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7 dressing | |
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 | |
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8 linen | |
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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9 divest | |
v.脱去,剥除 | |
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10 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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11 ledge | |
n.壁架,架状突出物;岩架,岩礁 | |
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12 nauseating | |
adj.令人恶心的,使人厌恶的v.使恶心,作呕( nauseate的现在分词 ) | |
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13 peremptorily | |
adv.紧急地,不容分说地,专横地 | |
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14 reeked | |
v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的过去式和过去分词 );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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15 lashing | |
n.鞭打;痛斥;大量;许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 );煽动;紧系;怒斥 | |
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16 clatter | |
v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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17 distressing | |
a.使人痛苦的 | |
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18 groans | |
n.呻吟,叹息( groan的名词复数 );呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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19 oars | |
n.桨,橹( oar的名词复数 );划手v.划(行)( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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20 wreck | |
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难 | |
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21 crevices | |
n.(尤指岩石的)裂缝,缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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22 fathoms | |
英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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23 upheaval | |
n.胀起,(地壳)的隆起;剧变,动乱 | |
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24 debris | |
n.瓦砾堆,废墟,碎片 | |
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25 grove | |
n.林子,小树林,园林 | |
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26 perpendicular | |
adj.垂直的,直立的;n.垂直线,垂直的位置 | |
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27 ascended | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28 rusty | |
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的 | |
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29 den | |
n.兽穴;秘密地方;安静的小房间,私室 | |
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30 consternation | |
n.大为吃惊,惊骇 | |
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31 lagoon | |
n.泻湖,咸水湖 | |
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32 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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33 miraculously | |
ad.奇迹般地 | |
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34 imprisoned | |
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35 seismic | |
a.地震的,地震强度的 | |
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36 disturbance | |
n.动乱,骚动;打扰,干扰;(身心)失调 | |
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37 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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38 sarcasm | |
n.讥讽,讽刺,嘲弄,反话 (adj.sarcastic) | |
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39 vessel | |
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
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40 remarkably | |
ad.不同寻常地,相当地 | |
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41 descending | |
n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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42 sodden | |
adj.浑身湿透的;v.使浸透;使呆头呆脑 | |
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43 tangled | |
adj. 纠缠的,紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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44 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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45 ordnance | |
n.大炮,军械 | |
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46 brass | |
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 | |
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47 spoke | |
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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48 rustling | |
n. 瑟瑟声,沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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49 backwards | |
adv.往回地,向原处,倒,相反,前后倒置地 | |
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50 axe | |
n.斧子;v.用斧头砍,削减 | |
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51 defensive | |
adj.防御的;防卫的;防守的 | |
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52 expectancy | |
n.期望,预期,(根据概率统计求得)预期数额 | |
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53 shuffling | |
adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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54 hued | |
有某种色调的 | |
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55 crab | |
n.螃蟹,偏航,脾气乖戾的人,酸苹果;vi.捕蟹,偏航,发牢骚;vt.使偏航,发脾气 | |
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56 doorway | |
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 | |
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57 wrenched | |
v.(猛力地)扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 );扭伤;使感到痛苦;使悲痛 | |
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58 armour | |
(=armor)n.盔甲;装甲部队 | |
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59 brute | |
n.野兽,兽性 | |
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60 hack | |
n.劈,砍,出租马车;v.劈,砍,干咳 | |
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61 seamen | |
n.海员 | |
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62 spun | |
v.纺,杜撰,急转身 | |
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63 prostrate | |
v.拜倒,平卧,衰竭;adj.拜倒的,平卧的,衰竭的 | |
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64 antagonist | |
n.敌人,对抗者,对手 | |
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65 hideous | |
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
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66 swerve | |
v.突然转向,背离;n.转向,弯曲,背离 | |
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67 trickling | |
n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 );淌;使)慢慢走;缓慢移动 | |
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68 cylinders | |
n.圆筒( cylinder的名词复数 );圆柱;汽缸;(尤指用作容器的)圆筒状物 | |
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69 crabs | |
n.蟹( crab的名词复数 );阴虱寄生病;蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 ) | |
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70 cuttlefish | |
n.乌贼,墨鱼 | |
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71 mouldering | |
v.腐朽( moulder的现在分词 );腐烂,崩塌 | |
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72 gliding | |
v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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73 demolish | |
v.拆毁(建筑物等),推翻(计划、制度等) | |
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74 scurrying | |
v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 ) | |
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75 swarms | |
蜂群,一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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76 recesses | |
n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 );(工作或业务活动的)中止或暂停期间;学校的课间休息;某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 );将(墙)做成凹形,在(墙)上做壁龛;休息,休会,休庭 | |
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77 impeded | |
阻碍,妨碍,阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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78 underneath | |
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面 | |
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79 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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81 groaned | |
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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82 assented | |
同意,赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83 chisels | |
n.凿子,錾子( chisel的名词复数 );口凿 | |
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84 hurrah | |
int.好哇,万岁,乌拉 | |
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85 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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86 chalice | |
n.圣餐杯;金杯毒酒 | |
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87 cargo | |
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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88 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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