In the heart of the mountain range of Garra Gorphoo stood a large Galla hamlet—for it has been since visited in wrath1 by the monarch—situated in one of those sweet locations which the children of nature delight to select. The deep valley is thickly clothed with the most luxuriant cultivation2, and its sides rise in a gentle slope, throwing out a succession of verdant3 terraces, teeming4 with herbs and wild flowers. On one of these stood the village of Mundeeda, the residence of Goma, the great chief of the Abitchu. A bright green sward extended far in front, and the steep mountain that rises behind afforded shelter from the bleak5 blast of winter. A sparkling brook6, after dashing in tiny cascades7 down the craggy face, glides8 away in a quiet course over the enamelled meadow, until lost in the grove10 of dark junipers which rest on the side of a grassy11 knoll12, where the sacrifice was performed in honour of the deities13, and where the listless heathen was wont14 to dream away the hours of idleness.
The tenements15, although low and rudely constructed of stakes and mud, were warm and commodious16; and the numerous posts which rose from the clay floor to support the thatch17, served as a resting-place for shields, and spears, and crooked18 swords, which now imparted to the interior the semblance19 of an extensive armoury. Every thing was in a state of utter confusion and uproar20. Large droves of wild shaggy horses, and clusters of fiery21 savages22 were grouped on the plain outside. The ringing shout of the warrior24 mingled25 with the neigh of his war-steed, and the din26 and the clatter27 of household avocations28 resounded29 from the interior of every hut. To add to the bustle30, the Galla females were running from house to house, with their long raven31 tresses streaming over their bare shoulders; whilst their short leather petticoats, with embroidered32 flounces, displayed the well-shaped limbs and the graceful33 form, for which the tribe are so justly famed.
In every nook large earthen jars, and wicker baskets, filled with grain, were stored in readiness to supply the demands for food, as each tribe poured in to the general gathering34 of the clans35. Black eyes peered wildly over the grinding-mill and the cauldron; and the merry laugh at the novel appearance of the motley throng36, with the suppressed scream of delight from the timid maiden37, arose frequently from the dark corners of the hovels. Preparations were making for hospitality on the most extensive scale. A successful foray had that very morning returned laden39 with spoil, and the king of the Amhára had for once amply supplied the table of his revolted lieges.
Crowded around the cheerful blaze of a fierce fire that was crackling in the centre of the largest building, sat a score of persons, who were beguiling40 the time until the entertainment should be ready, by discussing the daring escape of Medóko, and the success which would assuredly attend the movement of the morrow. The dress of the greater number of these men was the usual cotton cloth, black and soiled with the grease of years; but the accumulated massive ivory rings upon the arm, the ostrich-feather floating over matted locks, and the spoils of the lion and the leopard41 dangling42 over the back, proclaimed the presence of the chieftains of the land. Their gaunt frames and supple43 limbs betokened44 a life of activity and endurance, and their restless eyes gleamed over the fire with all the quick suspicion of the savage23.
The black bull-hide formed the only covering to the host of attendants that thronged45 behind their respective lords, and a few Amhára robes flaunted46 in white and crimson47, amidst the sombre vestments of the Galla group. But Medóko and his sons, in stature48 above all their compeers, appeared in the full costume of the Christian49 warriors50 of Efát.
Decked in silver gauntlets and armlets, with the graceful akodáma hanging in glittering clusters over their manly51 brows, the master-spirits of the scene were easily to be distinguished52. The usual robe of peace had been well replaced by the skin of the tawny53 lion, which nearly reached the ground. Fastened on one side around the sinewy54 throat, it allowed full freedom to the right arm, and only partially55 concealed56 the rich silk vest, and loose kilt-like trowsers, which hung barely to the knee.
The kindling57 fuel of insurrection had indeed been well fanned—ancient wrongs were fully58 brought to mind, and vengeance59 was liberally promised. Few were there present who had not suffered either in person or in property, from the midnight appearance of the Christian despot. Hereditary60 feud61 and quarrel had therefore been laid aside on the soul-inspiring words of the chief, and the weapons had been eagerly seized in a common cause, at the thoughts of the devastation62 which ever marked the bloody63 track of the Amhára host.
These Galla tribes dwell with their horses in boundless64 prairies, engaged, some in the cultivation of the fruitful soil, and others in the pasturage of their numerous flocks, but all are ever ready on the moment to mount for the battle or the foray. Baggage and hospital are unknown to the wild array, and rations38 are found when required among the plundered65 herds66 of the enemy. A scrip of tobacco forms the only luxury in camp. A greasy67 cloth enfolds by day and night the body of each brawny68 savage. Lance, and sword, and shield, complete his equipment; and the hardy69 host, leader and partisan70, sleep without cover on the cold bare ground.
The wild hordes71 from the boundless plains of the Háwash, under the gigantic Wodage Girmé, first poured in their warriors. The depths of the Moolo Fálada forests next swelled72 the numbers, and the heights of Entótto and Sequála had completed the rebel force, eager for spoil and for revenge, which was ready to cover the land with desolation on the morrow.
The sacrifice to the Great Spirit had been that afternoon performed by the priest with every favourable73 result, and the preparations for the feast of departure were now completed. Bullocks and sheep were slaughtered74 by the score on the green meadow, and beside each carcass an abundance of bread and beer were deposited for the impatient guests, who immediately grouped around the food, and with keen knives commenced the attack. A long wicker table had been placed in the centre of the largest apartment, and deep earthen vessels75, filled with thick pepper soup, were ranged in double line down the middle, whilst cakes of every description thickly covered the surface. The chief took his station at the top, and the guests were squatted76 on their hams on either side. Slave boys, on their knees, supported huge jars of sour beer, and the females, perched upon adjoining bedsteads, were ready to dole77 out the more potent78 liquor.
The steam of the bowls, containing a decoction of fowls79, red pepper, onions, and grease, together with the more offensive effluvia from fifty rancid heads and as many unwashed persons, were endured with the most stoical indifference80; and the feeble light of a few tapers81 that glimmered82 faintly through the smoke, was just sufficient to reveal the rows of eager faces in earnest preparation, and the gleam of the sharp teeth whetting83 for the entertainment.
The hum of voices in low conversation ceased on the moment, when the host, dipping a fragment of bread into one of the large bowls, dropped the savoury morsel84 into his elevated mouth. Every hand forthwith felt its way to the provender85, and the loud smacking86 of satisfied lips succeeded the suppressed chatter87 of tongues. Servants, bending over the guests, amply supplied their wants, by tearing the bread with their hands, and after a plunge88 into the porridge, consigning89 the dripping morsel to the first empty fingers that were protruded90. No fork or spoon graced the festive91 board. No conversation now enlivened the scene. All sat like silent wolves engaged in a plentiful92 repast, considering that one thing at a time was sufficient for man.
The delicate raw meat was next introduced, and the dismembered limbs of sheep and oxen were placed as a dessert upon the groaning93 board. The servants threw themselves upon the flesh, and drawing their long crooked knives from their girdles, cut and hacked94 the bloody joints95 into small squares, which were received from their fingers, and bolted with the greatest satisfaction, until nature cried enough. Then commenced the deep carouse96. Horn after horn was drained. The presiding deities over the liquor jars were unceasingly employed in serving out their contents, and as the brain reeled under the influence of strong old mead9, the words of contempt burst from every lip. “Who is the King of Shoa, that he should trample97 upon men braver than himself? Here is our protector and avenger98. Medóko is our leader, and he alone shall be our king!” But the uproar, which for a time rose wildly from the hut, gradually died away as the horn was carried with a more unsteady hand to the mouth. Warrior after warrior stretched himself to sleep beside the cleanly picked relics99 of his reeking100 feast; and chief after chief, staggering a few paces from the table, drew his garment over his head, and resigned himself to a heavy slumber101.
点击收听单词发音
1 wrath | |
n.愤怒,愤慨,暴怒 | |
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2 cultivation | |
n.耕作,培养,栽培(法),养成 | |
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3 verdant | |
adj.翠绿的,青翠的,生疏的,不老练的 | |
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4 teeming | |
adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 );到处都是;(指水、雨等)暴降;倾注 | |
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5 bleak | |
adj.(天气)阴冷的;凄凉的;暗淡的 | |
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6 brook | |
n.小河,溪;v.忍受,容让 | |
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7 cascades | |
倾泻( cascade的名词复数 ); 小瀑布(尤指一连串瀑布中的一支); 瀑布状物; 倾泻(或涌出)的东西 | |
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8 glides | |
n.滑行( glide的名词复数 );滑音;音渡;过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
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9 mead | |
n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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10 grove | |
n.林子,小树林,园林 | |
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11 grassy | |
adj.盖满草的;长满草的 | |
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12 knoll | |
n.小山,小丘 | |
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13 deities | |
n.神,女神( deity的名词复数 );神祗;神灵;神明 | |
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14 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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15 tenements | |
n.房屋,住户,租房子( tenement的名词复数 ) | |
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16 commodious | |
adj.宽敞的;使用方便的 | |
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17 thatch | |
vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部;n.茅草(屋) | |
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18 crooked | |
adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的 | |
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19 semblance | |
n.外貌,外表 | |
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20 uproar | |
n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸 | |
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21 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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22 savages | |
未开化的人,野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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23 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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24 warrior | |
n.勇士,武士,斗士 | |
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25 mingled | |
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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26 din | |
n.喧闹声,嘈杂声 | |
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27 clatter | |
v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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28 avocations | |
n.业余爱好,嗜好( avocation的名词复数 );职业 | |
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29 resounded | |
v.(指声音等)回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 );产生回响;(指某处)回荡着声音 | |
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30 bustle | |
v.喧扰地忙乱,匆忙,奔忙;n.忙碌;喧闹 | |
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31 raven | |
n.渡鸟,乌鸦;adj.乌亮的 | |
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32 embroidered | |
adj.绣花的 | |
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33 graceful | |
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的 | |
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34 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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35 clans | |
宗族( clan的名词复数 ); 氏族; 庞大的家族; 宗派 | |
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36 throng | |
n.人群,群众;v.拥挤,群集 | |
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37 maiden | |
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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38 rations | |
定量( ration的名词复数 ); 配给量; 正常量; 合理的量 | |
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39 laden | |
adj.装满了的;充满了的;负了重担的;苦恼的 | |
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40 beguiling | |
adj.欺骗的,诱人的v.欺骗( beguile的现在分词 );使陶醉;使高兴;消磨(时间等) | |
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41 leopard | |
n.豹 | |
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42 dangling | |
悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口 | |
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43 supple | |
adj.柔软的,易弯的,逢迎的,顺从的,灵活的;vt.使柔软,使柔顺,使顺从;vi.变柔软,变柔顺 | |
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44 betokened | |
v.预示,表示( betoken的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45 thronged | |
v.成群,挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46 flaunted | |
v.炫耀,夸耀( flaunt的过去式和过去分词 );有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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47 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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48 stature | |
n.(高度)水平,(高度)境界,身高,身材 | |
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49 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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50 warriors | |
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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51 manly | |
adj.有男子气概的;adv.男子般地,果断地 | |
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52 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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53 tawny | |
adj.茶色的,黄褐色的;n.黄褐色 | |
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54 sinewy | |
adj.多腱的,强壮有力的 | |
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55 partially | |
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲 | |
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56 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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57 kindling | |
n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式 | |
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58 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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59 vengeance | |
n.报复,报仇,复仇 | |
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60 hereditary | |
adj.遗传的,遗传性的,可继承的,世袭的 | |
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61 feud | |
n.长期不和;世仇;v.长期争斗;世代结仇 | |
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62 devastation | |
n.毁坏;荒废;极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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63 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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64 boundless | |
adj.无限的;无边无际的;巨大的 | |
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65 plundered | |
掠夺,抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66 herds | |
兽群( herd的名词复数 ); 牧群; 人群; 群众 | |
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67 greasy | |
adj. 多脂的,油脂的 | |
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68 brawny | |
adj.强壮的 | |
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69 hardy | |
adj.勇敢的,果断的,吃苦的;耐寒的 | |
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70 partisan | |
adj.党派性的;游击队的;n.游击队员;党徒 | |
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71 hordes | |
n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 );部落 | |
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72 swelled | |
增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情) | |
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73 favourable | |
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的 | |
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74 slaughtered | |
v.屠杀,杀戮,屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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75 vessels | |
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 squatted | |
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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77 dole | |
n.救济,(失业)救济金;vt.(out)发放,发给 | |
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78 potent | |
adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的 | |
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79 fowls | |
鸟( fowl的名词复数 ); 禽肉; 既不是这; 非驴非马 | |
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80 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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81 tapers | |
(长形物体的)逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 ); 微弱的光; 极细的蜡烛 | |
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82 glimmered | |
v.发闪光,发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83 whetting | |
v.(在石头上)磨(刀、斧等)( whet的现在分词 );引起,刺激(食欲、欲望、兴趣等) | |
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84 morsel | |
n.一口,一点点 | |
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85 provender | |
n.刍草;秣料 | |
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86 smacking | |
活泼的,发出响声的,精力充沛的 | |
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87 chatter | |
vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战 | |
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88 plunge | |
v.跳入,(使)投入,(使)陷入;猛冲 | |
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89 consigning | |
v.把…置于(令人不快的境地)( consign的现在分词 );把…托付给;把…托人代售;丟弃 | |
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90 protruded | |
v.(使某物)伸出,(使某物)突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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91 festive | |
adj.欢宴的,节日的 | |
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92 plentiful | |
adj.富裕的,丰富的 | |
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93 groaning | |
adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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94 hacked | |
生气 | |
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95 joints | |
接头( joint的名词复数 ); 关节; 公共场所(尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所) (非正式); 一块烤肉 (英式英语) | |
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96 carouse | |
v.狂欢;痛饮;n.狂饮的宴会 | |
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97 trample | |
vt.踩,践踏;无视,伤害,侵犯 | |
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98 avenger | |
n. 复仇者 | |
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99 relics | |
[pl.]n.遗物,遗迹,遗产;遗体,尸骸 | |
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100 reeking | |
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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101 slumber | |
n.睡眠,沉睡状态 | |
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