The day dawned, and there remained nothing of the late beautiful village of Chérkos. Death and desolation had spread to the very gates of the capital, and the rocky ridge1 was covered with a dark mass of the Galla host. But the plains were too miry to support the weight of man and horse; and after an ineffectual attempt from one or two small parties, the cloud of war settled again upon the scene of slaughter2.
Frightful3 indeed was the sight which met the gaze of the Amhára, as they took their position in front of the plundered4 village on the frowning scarp of the ravine. The opposite crags were studded with the mangled5 bodies of their murdered compatriots. Men, women, and children, had been ruthlessly sacrificed, and the thousand favoured inhabitants of a pleasant abode6 now lay stark7 and weltering among the rocks, where the strength of the fierce pagan had hurled8 them. The heaving of an arm here and there evinced that the spark of life still remained in some; but the chasm9 was impassable to the foot of man, and the wolf and hyaena lay undisturbed, gorged10 and glutted11 after their reeking12 festival.
The sun shone brightly for the few days following the appearance of the heathen host, and the surface of the muddy meadow had recovered its wonted consistency13. Both parties were anxious for the combat which was to decide the question of supremacy14, for both were equally hard-pressed for the means of subsistence. With their usual reckless indifference15 to the future, the Galla had wasted the country, and rioted in its destruction. The supplies brought to the royal camp were nearly exhausted16; and the king, galled17 by the presence of the rebellious18 array within sight of his capital, having now succeeded in assembling a much superior force, resolved upon giving battle on the morrow.
Prayers and psalms19 had been recited the livelong night—vows were made at every shrine20 in the kingdom—and the ark of the cathedral of Saint Michael had been transported from Ankóber under a canopy21 of red cloth, to shed its holy influence over the Christian22 army. At an early hour the king, under the shade of the velvet23 umbrellas, surrounded by his chiefs, nobles, and high-priests, and preceded by kettle-drums and wind instruments, issued from the palace gateway24, and with his band of matchlock-men, took up a position about a mile from the town.
During the night, detachments had been steadily25 moving from every direction to this fixed26 point. Column after column streamed through the valley, or poured down the sloping hill; and as the day broke, the warriors27 of Amhára formed a deep line of horse and foot on either side of the monarch29, one narrow plain and the river Chácha alone separating them from the enemy. Nor were the Galla in any way slow to take their station, bristling30 in a dark front along the opposite ridge, where the tall figure of the rebel was distinctly to be observed, marshalling his wild forces for the coming fray31.
The battle commenced by repeated discharges from the king’s gunmen; but the distance was too great for execution, and a shout of derision answered each impotent volley. The gigantic Tunkaiye first pressed forward to the close encounter, and the cavaliers of Shoa were not slow in following his example, for many fought under the eyes of their wives and children—all for the honour of the king, and the glory of true religion.
Down came the pagan host like the rushing blast, and the stones flew far under the clatter32 of their hoofs33. But they were fiercely met by the long-bladed spears of the Amhára, and every inch of ground was for once stoutly35 contested. The roar of the foaming36 cataract37, which thundered within fifty yards of the battle-field, was lost in the hoarse38 yells which rung through the air. The rocky bed proved for a time the scene of slaughter, and the turbid39 waters receiving numbers of dying and wounded wretches40, hurried them to eternity41. At length, each individual singling out his foe42, the contest assumed the confused appearance of a chance medley43. The sharp lance met with little opposition44 from the cotton robe; and deprived of other weapons. Christian and Galla, grappling stoutly together, fought with sword and knife, and in the fury of the moment, and in the excitement of the struggle, many rolled over the frowning scarp, clinging tightly together in the last embrace of death.
Medóko and his gallant45 sons were everywhere in the thickest of the fight. His shout, rising high over the storm, animated46 the faint-hearted, and his presence roused to new life and exertion47 the successful partisan48. Many of the Amhára bands were already reeling from the repeated shock of the wild riders of the Háwash, when suddenly, in the very heat of the action, a large body of warriors, clothed in black mantles49, and armed with long heavy spears, rushed down the hill on foot, and, prostrating50 themselves as they passed the royal umbrellas, descended51 fresh into the arena52. The fierce inhabitants of Mans had sped to the rescue from their hereditary53 estates, and their savage54 ferocity and reckless bravery was well known throughout the land. The relations and the household retainers of the rebel attempted to breast the storm, but they were scattered55 like autumnal leaves before the angry blast; and the chief arrived to the succour only to behold56 the spot strewed57 with the bodies of his stoutest58 partisans59, and to witness his beloved son, the youthful Hailoo, sink before his eyes, transfixed by a dozen spear-blades. A panic seized the pagans; and, dismayed and broken-hearted, they fled tumultuously in every direction.
In vain Medóko performed the most incredible acts of valour—his voice had now lost its charm; and, crippled by a wound in his shoulder—his proud heart swelling60 with indignation—he at length perceived that the fortune of the day was not to be retrieved61. Cutting his way single-handed through the squadrons of the enemy, he also gave the loose rein62 to his horse, and scoured63 over the hills.
The sun had reached the meridian64 when the hot pursuit commenced, and the arm of vengeance65 was not stayed until long after his sinking below the western horizon. Every Amhára spear was dripping in blood to the haft. The stain of gore66 was on every cheek, and as the weary warrior28 returned from the massacre67, the chest of his jaded68 war-steed was ornamented69 with the cloth of the accursed Gentile, whose body he had left to the fangs70 of the wild beast.
After galloping71 for some miles with the few chiefs who had escaped from the fatal field, a short halt was allowed to refresh the horses, and Medóko proclaimed his intention of accompanying the party no further. Asylum72 and assistance were offered in vain; the stout34 heart of the rebel had been quelled73 by the late heavy loss he had sustained, and for a time at least he bowed to the power of the monarch of Shoa. Short was the moment allowed for the explanation, and after a hurried parting and a hope for better days, the band mounted and pressed on.
Medóko and his surviving son Chára, now commenced the more difficult undertaking74 of threading their path back again among the advancing Amhára; but a perfect knowledge of the localities enabled them to take advantage of every hill and hollow. After many weary hours of anxiety they passed the capital undiscovered, and urging their horses to speed, took the road to Ankóber. The Beréza was swollen75 and unfordable, but their gallant steeds successfully breasted the rushing waters. The king’s watchmen had left their cold posts, in order to take shelter from the cutting blast, before the riders swept down the rocky defile76 of the Chaka, towards the wooded sides of Mamrat; and long ere the voice of the brotherhood77 had risen in the matin chant, the rebels had been formally admitted to sanctuary78, and were safely reposing79 in the sacred monastery80 of Affaf Woira.
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1 ridge | |
n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭 | |
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2 slaughter | |
n.屠杀,屠宰;vt.屠杀,宰杀 | |
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3 frightful | |
adj.可怕的;讨厌的 | |
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4 plundered | |
掠夺,抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5 mangled | |
vt.乱砍(mangle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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6 abode | |
n.住处,住所 | |
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7 stark | |
adj.荒凉的;严酷的;完全的;adv.完全地 | |
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8 hurled | |
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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9 chasm | |
n.深坑,断层,裂口,大分岐,利害冲突 | |
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10 gorged | |
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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11 glutted | |
v.吃得过多( glut的过去式和过去分词 );(对胃口、欲望等)纵情满足;使厌腻;塞满 | |
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12 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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13 consistency | |
n.一贯性,前后一致,稳定性;(液体的)浓度 | |
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14 supremacy | |
n.至上;至高权力 | |
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15 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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16 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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17 galled | |
v.使…擦痛( gall的过去式和过去分词 );擦伤;烦扰;侮辱 | |
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18 rebellious | |
adj.造反的,反抗的,难控制的 | |
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19 psalms | |
n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 );圣诗;圣歌;(中的) | |
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20 shrine | |
n.圣地,神龛,庙;v.将...置于神龛内,把...奉为神圣 | |
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21 canopy | |
n.天篷,遮篷 | |
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22 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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23 velvet | |
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的 | |
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24 gateway | |
n.大门口,出入口,途径,方法 | |
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25 steadily | |
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 | |
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26 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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27 warriors | |
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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28 warrior | |
n.勇士,武士,斗士 | |
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29 monarch | |
n.帝王,君主,最高统治者 | |
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30 bristling | |
a.竖立的 | |
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31 fray | |
v.争吵;打斗;磨损,磨破;n.吵架;打斗 | |
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32 clatter | |
v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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33 hoofs | |
n.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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35 stoutly | |
adv.牢固地,粗壮的 | |
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36 foaming | |
adj.布满泡沫的;发泡 | |
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37 cataract | |
n.大瀑布,奔流,洪水,白内障 | |
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38 hoarse | |
adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的 | |
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39 turbid | |
adj.混浊的,泥水的,浓的 | |
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40 wretches | |
n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 );可怜的人;恶棍;坏蛋 | |
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41 eternity | |
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 | |
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42 foe | |
n.敌人,仇敌 | |
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43 medley | |
n.混合 | |
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44 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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45 gallant | |
adj.英勇的,豪侠的;(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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46 animated | |
adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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47 exertion | |
n.尽力,努力 | |
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48 partisan | |
adj.党派性的;游击队的;n.游击队员;党徒 | |
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49 mantles | |
vt.&vi.覆盖(mantle的第三人称单数形式) | |
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50 prostrating | |
v.使俯伏,使拜倒( prostrate的现在分词 );(指疾病、天气等)使某人无能为力 | |
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51 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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52 arena | |
n.竞技场,运动场所;竞争场所,舞台 | |
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53 hereditary | |
adj.遗传的,遗传性的,可继承的,世袭的 | |
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54 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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55 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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56 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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57 strewed | |
v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 );散落于;点缀;撒满 | |
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58 stoutest | |
粗壮的( stout的最高级 ); 结实的; 坚固的; 坚定的 | |
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59 partisans | |
游击队员( partisan的名词复数 ); 党人; 党羽; 帮伙 | |
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60 swelling | |
n.肿胀 | |
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61 retrieved | |
v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 );恢复;寻回;检索(储存的信息) | |
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62 rein | |
n.疆绳,统治,支配;vt.以僵绳控制,统治 | |
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63 scoured | |
走遍(某地)搜寻(人或物)( scour的过去式和过去分词 ); (用力)刷; 擦净; 擦亮 | |
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64 meridian | |
adj.子午线的;全盛期的 | |
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65 vengeance | |
n.报复,报仇,复仇 | |
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66 gore | |
n.凝血,血污;v.(动物)用角撞伤,用牙刺破;缝以补裆;顶 | |
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67 massacre | |
n.残杀,大屠杀;v.残杀,集体屠杀 | |
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68 jaded | |
adj.精疲力竭的;厌倦的;(因过饱或过多而)腻烦的;迟钝的 | |
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69 ornamented | |
adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70 fangs | |
n.(尤指狗和狼的)长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 );(蛇的)毒牙;罐座 | |
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71 galloping | |
adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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72 asylum | |
n.避难所,庇护所,避难 | |
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73 quelled | |
v.(用武力)制止,结束,镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74 undertaking | |
n.保证,许诺,事业 | |
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75 swollen | |
adj.肿大的,水涨的;v.使变大,肿胀 | |
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76 defile | |
v.弄污,弄脏;n.(山间)小道 | |
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77 brotherhood | |
n.兄弟般的关系,手中情谊 | |
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78 sanctuary | |
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区 | |
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79 reposing | |
v.将(手臂等)靠在某人(某物)上( repose的现在分词 ) | |
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80 monastery | |
n.修道院,僧院,寺院 | |
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