ST. LOUIS OF TEXAS.
The Fort.—Misery1 and Dejection.—Energy of La Salle: his Journey of Exploration.—Adventures and Accidents.—The Buffalo2.—Duhaut.—Indian Massacre3.—Return Of La Salle.—A New Calamity4.—A Desperate Resolution.—Departure for Canada.—Wreck6 of the "Belle7."—Marriage.—Sedition.—Adventures Of la Salle's Party.—The Cenis.—The Camanches.—The Only Hope.—The Last Farewell.
Of what avail to plant a colony by the mouth of a petty Texan river? The Mississippi was the life of the enterprise, the condition of its growth and of its existence. Without it, all was futile8 and meaningless,—a folly9 and a ruin. Cost what it might, the Mississippi must be found.
But the demands of the hour were imperative10. The hapless colony, cast ashore11 like a wreck on the sands of Matagorda Bay, must gather up its shattered resources and recruit its exhausted12 strength, before it essayed anew its pilgrimage to the "fatal river." La Salle during his explorations had found a spot which he thought well fitted for a temporary establishment. It was on the river which he named the [Pg 392] La Vache,[301] now the Lavaca, which enters the head of Matagorda Bay; and thither13 he ordered all the women and children, and most of the men, to remove; while the rest, thirty in number, remained with Joutel at the fort near the mouth of the bay. Here they spent their time in hunting, fishing, and squaring the logs of drift-wood which the sea washed up in abundance, and which La Salle proposed to use in building his new station on the Lavaca. Thus the time passed till midsummer, when Joutel received orders to abandon his post, and rejoin the main body of the colonists14. To this end, the little frigate15 "Belle" was sent down the bay. She was a gift from the King to La Salle, who had brought her safely over the bar, and regarded her as a main-stay of his hopes. She now took on board the stores and some of the men, while Joutel with the rest followed along shore to the post on the Lavaca. Here he found a state of things that was far from cheering. Crops had been sown, but the drought and the cattle had nearly destroyed them. The colonists were lodged16 under tents and hovels; and the only solid structure was a small square enclosure of pickets17, in which the gunpowder18 and the brandy were stored. The site was good, a rising ground by the river; but there was no wood within the distance of a league, and no horses or oxen to drag it. Their work must be done by men. Some felled and squared the timber; and others dragged it by main force over the [Pg 393] matted grass of the prairie, under the scorching19 Texan sun. The gun-carriages served to make the task somewhat easier; yet the strongest men soon gave out under it. Joutel went down to the first fort, made a raft and brought up the timber collected there, which proved a most seasonable and useful supply. Palisades and buildings began to rise. The men labored20 without spirit, yet strenuously21; for they labored under the eye of La Salle. The carpenters brought from Rochelle proved worthless; and he himself made the plans of the work, marked out the tenons and mortises, and directed the whole.[302]
MISERY AND DEJECTION.
Death, meanwhile, made withering22 havoc23 among his followers24; and under the sheds and hovels that shielded them from the sun lay a score of wretches25 slowly wasting away with the diseases contracted at St. Domingo. Of the soldiers enlisted26 for the expedition by La Salle's agents, many are affirmed to have spent their lives in begging at the church doors of Rochefort, and were consequently incapable27 of discipline. It was impossible to prevent either them or the sailors from devouring28 persimmons and other wild fruits to a destructive excess. Nearly all fell ill; and before the summer had passed, the graveyard29 had more than thirty tenants30.[303] The bearing of La Salle did not aid to raise the drooping31 spirits of his [Pg 394] followers. The results of the enterprise had been far different from his hopes; and, after a season of flattering promise, he had entered again on those dark and obstructed32 paths which seemed his destined33 way of life. The present was beset34 with trouble; the future, thick with storms. The consciousness quickened his energies; but it made him stern, harsh, and often unjust to those beneath him.
Joutel was returning to camp one afternoon with the master-carpenter, when they saw game; and the carpenter went after it. He was never seen again. Perhaps he was lost on the prairie, perhaps killed by Indians. He knew little of his trade, but they nevertheless had need of him. Le Gros, a man of character and intelligence, suffered more and more from the bite of the snake received in the marsh35 on Easter Day. The injured limb was amputated, and he died. La Salle's brother, the priest, lay ill; and several others among the chief persons of the colony were in the same condition.
Meanwhile, the work was urged on. A large building was finished, constructed of timber, roofed with boards and raw hides, and divided into apartments for lodging36 and other uses. La Salle gave the new establishment his favorite name of Fort St. Louis, and the neighboring bay was also christened after the royal saint.[304] The scene was not without [Pg 395] its charms. Towards the southeast stretched the bay with its bordering meadows; and on the northeast the Lavaca ran along the base of green declivities. Around, far and near, rolled a sea of prairie, with distant forests, dim in the summer haze39. At times, it was dotted with the browsing40 buffalo, not yet scared from their wonted pastures; and the grassy41 swells43 were spangled with the flowers for which Texas is renowned44, and which now form the gay ornaments45 of our gardens.
LA SALLE'S EXPLORATIONS.
And now, the needful work accomplished46, and the colony in some measure housed and fortified47, its indefatigable48 chief prepared to renew his quest of the "fatal river," as Joutel repeatedly calls it. Before his departure he made some preliminary explorations, in the course of which, according to the report of his brother the priest, he found evidence that the Spaniards had long before had a transient establishment at a spot about fifteen leagues from Fort St. Louis.[305]
[Pg 396]
LIFE AT THE FORT.
It was the last day of October when La Salle set out on his great journey of exploration. His brother Cavelier, who had now recovered, accompanied him with fifty men; and five cannon50-shot from the fort saluted51 them as they departed. They were lightly equipped; but some of them wore corselets made of staves, to ward38 off arrows. Descending52 the Lavaca, they pursued their course eastward53 on foot along the margin54 of the bay, while Joutel remained in command of the fort. It was two leagues above the mouth of the river; and in it were thirty-four persons, including three Récollet friars, a number of women and girls from Paris, and two young orphan55 daughters of one Talon56, a Canadian, who had lately died. Their live-stock consisted of some hogs57 and a litter of eight pigs, which, as Joutel does not forget to inform us, passed their time in wallowing in the ditch of the palisade; a cock and hen, with a young family; and a pair of goats, which, in a temporary dearth58 of fresh meat, were sacrificed to the needs of the invalid59 Abbé Cavelier. Joutel suffered no man to lie idle. The blacksmith, having no anvil60, was supplied with a cannon as a substitute. Lodgings61 were built for the women and girls, and separate lodgings for the men. A small chapel62 was afterwards added, and the whole was fenced with a [Pg 397] palisade. At the four corners of the house were mounted eight pieces of cannon, which, in the absence of balls, were loaded with bags of bullets.[306] Between the palisades and the stream lay a narrow strip of marsh, the haunt of countless63 birds; and at a little distance it deepened into pools full of fish. All the surrounding prairies swarmed64 with game,—buffalo, deer, hares, turkeys, ducks, geese, swans, plover65, snipe, and grouse66. The river supplied the colonists with turtles, and the bay with oysters67. Of these last, they often found more than they wanted; for when in their excursions they shoved their log canoes into the water, wading68 shoeless through the deep, tenacious69 mud, the sharp shells would cut their feet like knives; "and what was worse," says Joutel, "the salt water came into the gashes70, and made them smart atrociously."
He sometimes amused himself with shooting alligators72. "I never spared them when I met them near the house. One day I killed an extremely large one, which was nearly four feet and a half in girth, and about twenty feet long." He describes with accuracy that curious native of the southwestern plains, the "horned frog," which, deceived by its uninviting appearance, he erroneously supposed to be venomous. "We had some of our animals bitten by snakes; among the others, a bitch that had belonged to the [Pg 398] deceased Sieur le Gros. She was bitten in the jaw73 when she was with me, as I was fishing by the shore of the bay. I gave her a little theriac [an antidote74 then in vogue], which cured her, as it did one of our sows, which came home one day with her head so swelled75 that she could hardly hold it up. Thinking it must be some snake that had bitten her, I gave her a dose of the theriac mixed with meal and water." The patient began to mend at once. "I killed a good many rattle-snakes by means of the aforesaid bitch, for when she saw one she would bark around him, sometimes for a half hour together, till I took my gun and shot him. I often found them in the bushes, making a noise with their tails. When I had killed them, our hogs ate them." He devotes many pages to the plants and animals of the neighborhood, most of which may easily be recognized from his description.
THE BUFFALO.
With the buffalo, which he calls "our daily bread," his experiences were many and strange. Being, like the rest of the party, a novice77 in the art of shooting them, he met with many disappointments. Once, having mounted to the roof of the large house in the fort, he saw a dark moving object on a swell42 of the prairie three miles off; and rightly thinking that it was a herd78 of buffalo, he set out with six or seven men to try to kill some of them. After a while, he discovered two bulls lying in a hollow; and signing to the rest of his party to keep quiet, he made his approach, gun in hand. The bulls presently jumped [Pg 399] up, and stared through their manes at the intruder. Joutel fired. It was a close shot; but the bulls merely shook their shaggy heads, wheeled about, and galloped79 heavily away. The same luck attended him the next day. "We saw plenty of buffalo. I approached several bands of them, and fired again and again, but could not make one of them fall." He had not yet learned that a buffalo rarely falls at once, unless hit in the spine80. He continues: "I was not discouraged; and after approaching several more bands,—which was hard work, because I had to crawl on the ground, so as not to be seen,—I found myself in a herd of five or six thousand, but, to my great vexation, I could not bring one of them down. They all ran off to the right and left. It was near night, and I had killed nothing. Though I was very tired, I tried again, approached another band, and fired a number of shots; but not a buffalo would fall. The skin was off my knees with crawling. At last, as I was going back to rejoin our men, I saw a buffalo lying on the ground. I went towards it, and saw that it was dead. I examined it, and found that the bullet had gone in near the shoulder. Then I found others dead like the first. I beckoned82 the men to come on, and we set to work to cut up the meat,—a task which was new to us all." It would be impossible to write a more true and characteristic sketch83 of the experience of a novice in shooting buffalo on foot. A few days after, he went out again, with Father Anastase Douay; approached a [Pg 400] bull, fired, and broke his shoulder. The bull hobbled off on three legs. Douay ran in his cassock to head him back, while Joutel reloaded his gun; upon which the enraged84 beast butted85 at the missionary87, and knocked him down. He very narrowly escaped with his life. "There was another missionary," pursues Joutel, "named Father Maxime Le Clerc, who was very well fitted for such an undertaking88 as ours, because he was equal to anything, even to butchering a buffalo; and as I said before that every one of us must lend a hand, because we were too few for anybody to be waited upon, I made the women, girls, and children do their part, as well as him; for as they all wanted to eat, it was fair that they all should work." He had a scaffolding built near the fort, and set them to smoking buffalo meat, against a day of scarcity89.[307]
RETURN OF DUHAUT.
Thus the time passed till the middle of January; when late one evening, as all were gathered in the principal building, conversing90 perhaps, or smoking, or playing at cards, or dozing91 by the fire in homesick dreams of France, a man on guard came in to report that he had heard a voice from the river. They all went down to the bank, and descried92 a man in a canoe, who called out, "Dominic!" This was the name of the younger of the two brothers Duhaut, who was one of Joutel's followers. As the canoe [Pg 401] approached, they recognized the elder, who had gone with La Salle on his journey of discovery, and who was perhaps the greatest villain93 of the company. Joutel was much perplexed94. La Salle had ordered him to admit nobody into the fort without a pass and a watchword. Duhaut, when questioned, said that he had none, but told at the same time so plausible95 a story that Joutel no longer hesitated to receive him. As La Salle and his men were pursuing their march along the prairie, Duhaut, who was in the rear, had stopped to mend his moccasins, and when he tried to overtake the party, had lost his way, mistaking a buffalo-path for the trail of his companions. At night he fired his gun as a signal, but there was no answering shot. Seeing no hope of rejoining them, he turned back for the fort, found one of the canoes which La Salle had hidden at the shore, paddled by night and lay close by day, shot turkeys, deer, and buffalo for food, and, having no knife, cut the meat with a sharp flint, till after a month of excessive hardship he reached his destination. As the inmates96 of Fort St. Louis gathered about the weather-beaten wanderer, he told them dreary97 tidings. The pilot of the "Belle," such was his story, had gone with five men to sound along the shore, by order of La Salle, who was then encamped in the neighborhood with his party of explorers. The boat's crew, being overtaken by the night, had rashly bivouacked on the beach without setting a guard; and as they slept, a band of Indians had rushed in [Pg 402] upon them, and butchered them all. La Salle, alarmed by their long absence, had searched along the shore, and at length found their bodies scattered98 about the sands and half-devoured99 by wolves.[308] Well would it have been, if Duhaut had shared their fate.
Weeks and months dragged on, when, at the end of March, Joutel, chancing to mount on the roof of one of the buildings, saw seven or eight men approaching over the prairie. He went out to meet them with an equal number, well armed; and as he drew near recognized, with mixed joy and anxiety, La Salle and some of those who had gone with him. His brother Cavelier was at his side, with his cassock so tattered100 that, says Joutel, "there was hardly a piece left large enough to wrap a farthing's worth of salt. He had an old cap on his head, having lost his hat by the way. The rest were in no better plight101, for their shirts were all in rags. Some of them carried loads of meat, because M. de la Salle was afraid that we might not have killed any buffalo. We met with great joy and many embraces. After our greetings were over, M. de la Salle, seeing Duhaut, asked me in an angry tone how it was that [Pg 403] I had received this man who had abandoned him. I told him how it had happened, and repeated Duhaut's story. Duhaut defended himself, and M. de la Salle's anger was soon over. We went into the house, and refreshed ourselves with some bread and brandy, as there was no wine left."[309]
LA SALLE'S ADVENTURES.
La Salle and his companions told their story. They had wandered on through various savage102 tribes, with whom they had more than one encounter, scattering103 them like chaff104 by the terror of their fire-arms. At length they found a more friendly band, and learned much touching105 the Spaniards, who, they were told, were universally hated by the tribes of that country. It would be easy, said their informants, to gather a host of warriors106 and lead them over the Rio Grande; but La Salle was in no condition for attempting conquests, and the tribes in whose alliance he had trusted had, a few days before, been at blows with him. The invasion of New Biscay must be postponed107 to a more propitious108 day. Still advancing, he came to a large river, which he at first mistook for the Mississippi; and building a fort of palisades, he left here several of his men.[310] The fate of these unfortunates does not appear. He [Pg 404] now retraced109 his steps towards Fort St. Louis, and, as he approached it, detached some of his men to look for his vessel110, the "Belle," for whose safety, since the loss of her pilot, he had become very anxious.
On the next day these men appeared at the fort, with downcast looks. They had not found the "Belle" at the place where she had been ordered to remain, nor were any tidings to be heard of her. From that hour, the conviction that she was lost possessed111 the mind of La Salle. Surrounded as he was, and had always been, with traitors112, the belief now possessed him that her crew had abandoned the colony, and made sail for the West Indies or for France. The loss was incalculable. He had relied on this vessel to transport the colonists to the Mississippi, as soon as its exact position could be ascertained113; and thinking her a safer place of deposit than the fort, he had put on board of her all his papers and personal baggage, besides a great quantity of stores, ammunition114, and tools.[311] In truth, she was of the last necessity to the unhappy exiles, and their only resource for escape from a position which was fast becoming desperate.
La Salle, as his brother tells us, now fell dangerously ill,—the fatigues115 of his journey, joined to the effects upon his mind of this last disaster, having overcome his strength, though not his fortitude116. "In truth," writes the priest, "after the loss of the [Pg 405] vessel which deprived us of our only means of returning to France, we had no resource but in the firm guidance of my brother, whose death each of us would have regarded as his own."[312]
DEPARTURE FOR CANADA.
La Salle no sooner recovered than he embraced a resolution which could be the offspring only of a desperate necessity. He determined117 to make his way by the Mississippi and the Illinois to Canada, whence he might bring succor118 to the colonists, and send a report of their condition to France. The attempt was beset with uncertainties119 and dangers. The Mississippi was first to be found, then followed through all the perilous120 monotony of its interminable windings121 to a goal which was to be but the starting-point of a new and not less arduous122 journey. Cavelier his brother, Moranget his nephew, the friar Anastase Douay, and others to the number of twenty, were chosen to accompany him. Every corner of the magazine was ransacked123 for an outfit124. Joutel generously gave up the better part of his wardrobe to La Salle and his two relatives. Duhaut, who had saved his baggage from the wreck of the "Aimable," was required to contribute to the necessities of the party; and the scantily-furnished chests of those who had died were used to supply the wants of the living. Each man labored with needle and awl81 to patch his failing garments, or supply their place with buffalo or deer skins. On the twenty-second of April, after [Pg 406] mass and prayers in the chapel, they issued from the gate, each bearing his pack and his weapons, some with kettles slung125 at their backs, some with axes, some with gifts for Indians. In this guise126, they held their way in silence across the prairie; while anxious eyes followed them from the palisades of St. Louis, whose inmates, not excepting Joutel himself, seem to have been ignorant of the extent and difficulty of the undertaking.[313]
WRECK OF THE "BELLE."
"On May Day," he writes, "at about two in the afternoon, as I was walking near the house, I heard a voice from the river below, crying out several times, Qui vive? Knowing that the Sieur Barbier had gone that way with two canoes to hunt buffalo, I thought that it might be one of these canoes coming back with meat, and did not think much of the matter till I heard the same voice again. I answered, Versailles, which was the password I had given the Sieur Barbier, in case he should come back in the night. But, as I was going towards the bank, I heard other voices which I had not heard for a long time. I recognized among the rest that of M. Chefdeville, which made me fear that some disaster had happened. I ran down to the bank, and my first greeting was to ask what had become of the 'Belle.' [Pg 407] They answered that she was wrecked127 on the other side of the bay, and that all on board were drowned except the six who were in the canoe; namely, the Sieur Chefdeville, the Marquis de la Sablonnière, the man named Teissier, a soldier, a girl, and a little boy."[314]
From the young priest Chefdeville, Joutel learned the particulars of the disaster. Water had failed on board the "Belle"; a boat's crew of five men had gone in quest of it; the wind rose, their boat was swamped, and they were all drowned. Those who remained had now no means of going ashore; but if they had no water, they had wine and brandy in abundance, and Teissier, the master of the vessel, was drunk every day. After a while they left their moorings, and tried to reach the fort; but they were few, weak, and unskilful. A violent north wind drove them on a sand-bar. Some of them were drowned in trying to reach land on a raft. Others were more successful; and, after a long delay, they found a stranded128 canoe, in which they made their way to St. Louis, bringing with them some of La Salle's papers and baggage saved from the wreck.
These multiplied disasters bore hard on the spirits of the colonists; and Joutel, like a good commander as he was, spared no pains to cheer them. "We did what we could to amuse ourselves and drive away care. I encouraged our people to dance and sing in the evenings; for when M. de la Salle was among [Pg 408] us, pleasure was often banished129. Now, there is no use in being melancholy130 on such occasions. It is true that M. de la Salle had no great cause for merry-making, after all his losses and disappointments; but his troubles made others suffer also. Though he had ordered me to allow to each person only a certain quantity of meat at every meal, I observed this rule only when meat was rare. The air here is very keen, and one has a great appetite. One must eat and act, if he wants good health and spirits. I speak from experience; for once, when I had ague chills, and was obliged to keep the house with nothing to do, I was dreary and down-hearted. On the contrary, if I was busy with hunting or anything else, I was not so dull by half. So I tried to keep the people as busy as possible. I set them to making a small cellar to keep meat fresh in hot weather; but when M. de la Salle came back, he said it was too small. As he always wanted to do everything on a grand scale, he prepared to make a large one, and marked out the plan." This plan of the large cellar, like more important undertakings131 of its unhappy projector132, proved too extensive for execution, the colonists being engrossed133 by the daily care of keeping themselves alive.
MATRIMONY.
A gleam of hilarity134 shot for an instant out of the clouds. The young Canadian, Barbier, usually conducted the hunting-parties; and some of the women and girls often went out with them, to aid in cutting up the meat. Barbier became enamoured of one of [Pg 409] the girls; and as his devotion to her was the subject of comment, he asked Joutel for leave to marry her. The commandant, after due counsel with the priests and friars, vouchsafed135 his consent, and the rite37 was duly solemnized; whereupon, fired by the example, the Marquis de la Sablonnière begged leave to marry another of the girls. Joutel, the gardener's son, concerned that a marquis should so abase136 himself, and anxious at the same time for the morals of the fort, which La Salle had especially commended to his care, not only flatly refused, but, in the plenitude of his authority, forbade the lovers all further intercourse137.
Father Zenobe Membré, superior of the mission, gave unwilling138 occasion for further merriment. These worthy139 friars were singularly unhappy in their dealings with the buffalo, one of which, it may be remembered, had already knocked down Father Anastase. Undeterred by his example, Father Zenobe one day went out with the hunters, carrying a gun like the rest. Joutel shot a buffalo, which was making off, badly wounded, when a second shot stopped it, and it presently lay down. The father superior thought it was dead; and, without heeding140 the warning shout of Joutel, he approached, and pushed it with the butt86 of his gun. The bull sprang up with an effort of expiring fury, and, in the words of Joutel, "trampled141 on the father, took the skin off his face in several places, and broke his gun, so that he could hardly manage to get away, and remained [Pg 410] in an almost helpless state for more than three months. Bad as the accident was, he was laughed at nevertheless for his rashness."
The mishaps142 of the friars did not end here. Father Maxime Le Clerc was set upon by a boar belonging to the colony. "I do not know," says Joutel, "what spite the beast had against him, whether for a beating or some other offence; but, however this may be, I saw the father running and crying for help, and the boar running after him. I went to the rescue, but could not come up in time. The father stooped as he ran, to gather up his cassock from about his legs; and the boar, which ran faster than he, struck him in the arm with his tusks144, so that some of the nerves were torn. Thus, all three of our good Récollet fathers were near being the victims of animals."[315]
In spite of his efforts to encourage them, the followers of Joutel were fast losing heart. Father Maxime Le Clerc kept a journal, in which he set down various charges against La Salle. Joutel got possession of the paper, and burned it on the urgent entreaty145 of the friars, who dreaded146 what might ensue, should the absent commander become aware of the aspersions cast upon him. The elder Duhaut fomented147 the rising discontent of the colonists, played the demagogue, told them that La Salle would never return, and tried to make himself their leader. Joutel detected the mischief148, and, with a lenity which he afterwards deeply regretted, contented149 [Pg 411] himself with a rebuke150 to the offender151, and words of reproof152 and encouragement to the dejected band.
ADVENTURES OF THE TRAVELLERS.
He had caused the grass to be cut near the fort, so as to form a sort of playground; and here, one evening, he and some of the party were trying to amuse themselves, when they heard shouts from beyond the river, and Joutel recognized the voice of La Salle. Hastening to meet him in a wooden canoe, he brought him and his party to the fort. Twenty men had gone out with him, and eight had returned. Of the rest, four had deserted153, one had been lost, one had been devoured by an alligator71; and the others, giving out on the march, had probably perished in attempting to regain154 the fort. The travellers told of a rich country, a wild and beautiful landscape,—woods, rivers, groves155, and prairies; but all availed nothing, and the acquisition of five horses was but an indifferent return for the loss of twelve men.
After leaving the fort, they had journeyed towards the northeast, over plains green as an emerald with the young verdure of April, till at length they saw, far as the eye could reach, the boundless156 prairie alive with herds157 of buffalo. The animals were in one of their tame or stupid moods; and they killed nine or ten of them without the least difficulty, drying the best parts of the meat. They crossed the Colorado on a raft, and reached the banks of another river, where one of the party, named Hiens, a German of [Pg 412] Würtemberg, and an old buccaneer, was mired158 and nearly suffocated159 in a mud-hole. Unfortunately, as will soon appear, he managed to crawl out; and, to console him, the river was christened with his name. The party made a bridge of felled trees, on which they crossed in safety. La Salle now changed their course, and journeyed eastward, when the travellers soon found themselves in the midst of a numerous Indian population, where they were feasted and caressed160 without measure. At another village they were less fortunate. The inhabitants were friendly by day and hostile by night. They came to attack the French in their camp, but withdrew, daunted161 by the menacing voice of La Salle, who had heard them approaching through the cane-brake.
La Salle's favorite Shawanoe hunter, Nika, who had followed him from Canada to France, and from France to Texas, was bitten by a rattlesnake; and, though he recovered, the accident detained the party for several days. At length they resumed their journey, but were stopped by a river, called by Douay, "La Rivière des Malheurs." La Salle and Cavelier, with a few others, tried to cross on a raft, which, as it reached the channel, was caught by a current of marvellous swiftness. Douay and Moranget, watching the transit162 from the edge of the cane-brake, beheld163 their commander swept down the stream, and vanishing, as it were, in an instant. All that day they remained with their companions on the bank, lamenting164 in despair for the loss of their guardian165 [Pg 413] angel, for so Douay calls La Salle.[316] It was fast growing dark, when, to their unspeakable relief, they saw him advancing with his party along the opposite bank, having succeeded, after great exertion166, in guiding the raft to land. How to rejoin him was now the question. Douay and his companions, who had tasted no food that day, broke their fast on two young eagles which they knocked out of their nest, and then spent the night in rueful consultation167 as to the means of crossing the river. In the morning they waded168 into the marsh, the friar with his breviary in his hood76 to keep it dry, and hacked169 among the canes170 till they had gathered enough to make another raft; on which, profiting by La Salle's experience, they safely crossed, and rejoined him.
Next, they became entangled171 in a cane-brake, where La Salle, as usual with him in such cases, took the lead, a hatchet172 in each hand, and hewed173 out a path for his followers. They soon reached the villages of the Cenis Indians, on and near the river Trinity,—a tribe then powerful, but long since extinct. Nothing could surpass the friendliness174 of their welcome. The chiefs came to meet them, bearing the calumet, and followed by warriors in shirts of embroidered175 deer-skin. Then the whole village swarmed out like bees, gathering176 around the [Pg 414] visitors with offerings of food and all that was precious in their eyes. La Salle was lodged with the great chief; but he compelled his men to encamp at a distance, lest the ardor177 of their gallantry might give occasion of offence. The lodges178 of the Cenis, forty or fifty feet high, and covered with a thatch179 of meadow-grass, looked like huge bee-hives. Each held several families, whose fire was in the middle, and their beds around the circumference180. The spoil of the Spaniards was to be seen on all sides,—silver lamps and spoons, swords, old muskets181, money, clothing, and a bull of the Pope dispensing182 the Spanish colonists of New Mexico from fasting during summer.[317] These treasures, as well as their numerous horses, were obtained by the Cenis from their neighbors and allies the Camanches, that fierce prairie banditti who then, as now, scourged183 the Mexican border with their bloody184 forays. A party of these wild horsemen was in the village. Douay was edified185 at seeing them make the sign of the cross in imitation of the neophytes of one of the Spanish missions. They enacted186, too, the ceremony of the mass; and one of them, in his rude way, drew a sketch of a picture he had seen in some church which he had pillaged187, wherein the friar plainly recognized the Virgin188 weeping at the foot of the cross. They invited the French to join them on a raid into New Mexico; and they spoke189 with contempt, as their tribesmen will speak to this day, of the Spanish [Pg 415] creoles, saying that it would be easy to conquer a nation of cowards who make people walk before them with fans to cool them in hot weather.[318]
Soon after leaving the Cenis villages, both La Salle and his nephew Moranget were attacked by fever. This caused a delay of more than two months, during which the party seem to have remained encamped on the Neches, or possibly the Sabine. When at length the invalids190 had recovered sufficient strength to travel, the stock of ammunition was nearly spent, some of the men had deserted, and the condition of the travellers was such that there seemed no alternative but to return to Fort St. Louis. This they accordingly did, greatly aided in their march by the horses bought from the Cenis, and suffering no very serious accident by the way,—excepting the loss of La Salle's servant, Dumesnil, who was seized by an alligator while attempting to cross the Colorado.
DEJECTION.
The temporary excitement caused among the colonists by their return soon gave place to a dejection bordering on despair. "This pleasant land," writes Cavelier, "seemed to us an abode191 of weariness and a perpetual prison." Flattering themselves with the delusion192, common to exiles of every kind, that they were objects of solicitude193 at home, they watched daily, with straining eyes, for an approaching sail. Ships, indeed, had ranged the coast to seek them, but with no friendly intent. Their thoughts dwelt, [Pg 416] with unspeakable yearning195, on the France they had left behind, which, to their longing143 fancy, was pictured as an unattainable Eden. Well might they despond; for of a hundred and eighty colonists, besides the crew of the "Belle," less than forty-five remained. The weary precincts of Fort St. Louis, with its fence of rigid196 palisades, its area of trampled earth, its buildings of weather-stained timber, and its well-peopled graveyard without, were hateful to their sight. La Salle had a heavy task to save them from despair. His composure, his unfailing equanimity197, his words of encouragement and cheer, were the breath of life to this forlorn company; for though he could not impart to minds of less adamantine temper the audacity198 of hope with which he still clung to the final accomplishment199 of his purposes, the contagion200 of his hardihood touched, nevertheless, the drooping spirits of his followers.[319]
TWELFTH NIGHT.
The journey to Canada was clearly their only hope; and, after a brief rest, La Salle prepared to renew the attempt. He proposed that Joutel should this time be of the party; and should proceed from Quebec to France, with his brother Cavelier, to solicit194 succors201 for the colony, while he himself [Pg 417] returned to Texas. A new obstacle was presently interposed. La Salle, whose constitution seems to have suffered from his long course of hardships, was attacked in November with hernia. Joutel offered to conduct the party in his stead; but La Salle replied that his own presence was indispensable at the Illinois. He had the good fortune to recover, within four or five weeks, sufficiently202 to undertake the journey; and all in the fort busied themselves in preparing an outfit. In such straits were they for clothing, that the sails of the "Belle" were cut up to make coats for the adventurers. Christmas came, and was solemnly observed. There was a midnight mass in the chapel, where Membré, Cavelier, Douay, and their priestly brethren stood before the altar, in vestments strangely contrasting with the rude temple and the ruder garb203 of the worshippers. And as Membré elevated the consecrated204 wafer, and the lamps burned dim through the clouds of incense205, the kneeling group drew from the daily miracle such consolation206 as true Catholics alone can know. When Twelfth Night came, all gathered in the hall, and cried, after the jovial207 old custom, "The King drinks," with hearts, perhaps, as cheerless as their cups, which were filled with cold water.
THE LAST FAREWELL.
On the morrow, the band of adventurers mustered208 for the fatal journey.[320] The five horses, bought by [Pg 418] La Salle of the Indians, stood in the area of the fort, packed for the march; and here was gathered the wretched remnant of the colony,—those who were to go, and those who were to stay behind. These latter were about twenty in all,—Barbier, who was to command in the place of Joutel; Sablonnière, who, despite his title of marquis, was held in great contempt;[321] the friars, Membré and Le Clerc,[322] and the priest Chefdeville, besides a surgeon, soldiers, laborers209, seven women and girls, and several children, doomed210, in this deadly exile, to wait the issues of the journey, and the possible arrival of a tardy211 succor. La Salle had made them a last address, delivered, we are told, with that winning air which, though alien from his usual bearing, seems to have been at times a natural expression of this unhappy man.[323] It was a bitter parting, one of sighs, tears, and embracings,—the farewell of those on whose souls had sunk a heavy boding212 that they would never [Pg 419] meet again.[324] Equipped and weaponed for the journey, the adventurers filed from the gate, crossed the river, and held their slow march over the prairies beyond, till intervening woods and hills shut Fort St. Louis forever from their sight.
FOOTNOTES:
[301] Called by Joutel, Rivière aux B?ufs.
[302] Joutel, Journal Historique, 108; Relation (Margry, iii. 174); Procès Verbal fait au poste de St. Louis, le 18 Avril, 1686.
[303] Joutel, Journal Historique, 109. Le Clerc, who was not present, says a hundred.
[304] The Bay of St. Louis, St. Bernard's Bay, or Matagorda Bay,—for it has borne all these names,—was also called Espiritu Santo Bay by the Spaniards, in common with several other bays in the Gulf213 of Mexico. An adjoining bay still retains the name.
[305] Cavelier, in his report to the minister, says: "We reached a large village, enclosed with a kind of wall made of clay and sand, and fortified with little towers at intervals214, where we found the arms of Spain engraved215 on a plate of copper216, with the date of 1588, attached to a stake. The inhabitants gave us a kind welcome, and showed us some hammers and an anvil, two small pieces of iron cannon, a small brass217 culverin, some pike-heads, some old sword-blades, and some books of Spanish comedy; and thence they guided us to a little hamlet of fishermen, about two leagues distant, where they showed us a second stake, also with the arms of Spain, and a few old chimneys. All this convinced us that the Spaniards had formerly218 been here." (Cavelier, Relation du Voyage que mon frère entreprit pour découvrir l'embouchure du fleuve de Missisipy.) The above is translated from the original draft of Cavelier, which is in my possession. It was addressed to the colonial minister, after the death of La Salle. The statement concerning the Spaniards needs confirmation219.
[306] Compare Joutel with the Spanish account in Carta en que se da noticia de un viaje hecho á la Bahia de Espíritu Santo y de la poblacion que tenian ahi los Franceses; Coleccion de Varios Documentos, 25.
[307] For the above incidents of life at Fort St. Louis, see Joutel, Relation (Margry, iii. 185-218, passim). The printed condensation220 of the narrative221 omits most of these particulars.
[308] Joutel, Relation (Margry, iii. 206). Compare Le Clerc, ii. 296. Cavelier, always disposed to exaggerate, says that ten men were killed. La Salle had previously222 had encounters with the Indians, and punished them severely223 for the trouble they had given his men. Le Clerc says of the principal fight: "Several Indians were wounded, a few were killed, and others made prisoners,—one of whom, a girl of three or four years, was baptized, and died a few days after, as the first-fruit of this mission, and a sure conquest sent to heaven."
[309] Joutel, Relation (Margry, iii. 219).
[310] Cavelier says that he actually reached the Mississippi; but, on the one hand, the abbé did not know whether the river in question was the Mississippi or not; and, on the other, he is somewhat inclined to mendacity. Le Clerc says that La Salle thought he had found the river. According to the Procès Verbal of 18 April, 1686, "il y arriva le 13 Février." Joutel says that La Salle told him "qu'il n'avoit point trouvé sa rivière."
[311] Procès Verbal fait au poste de St. Louis, le 18 Avril, 1686.
[312] Cavelier, Relation du Voyage pour découvrir l'Embouchure du Fleuve de Missisipy.
[313] Joutel, Journal Historique, 140; Anastase Douay in Le Clerc, ii. 303; Cavelier, Relation. The date is from Douay. It does not appear, from his narrative, that they meant to go farther than the Illinois. Cavelier says that after resting here they were to go to Canada. Joutel supposed that they would go only to the Illinois. La Salle seems to have been even more reticent224 than usual.
[314] Joutel, Relation (Margry, iii. 226).
[315] Joutel, Relation (Margry, iii. 244, 246.
[316] "Ce f?t une desolation extrême pour nous tous qui desesperions de revoir jamais nostre Ange tutélaire, le Sieur de la Salle.... Tout225 le jour se passa en pleurs et en larmes."—Douay in Le Clerc, ii. 315.
[317] Douay in Le Clerc, ii. 321; Cavelier, Relation.
[318] Douay in Le Clerc, ii. 324, 325.
[319] "L'égalité d'humeur du Chef rassuroit tout le monde; et il trouvoit des resources à tout par5 son esprit qui relevoit les espérances les plus abatues."—Joutel, Journal Historique, 152.
"Il seroit difficile de trouver dans l'Histoire un courage plus intrepide et plus invincible226 que celuy du Sieur de la Salle dans les évenemens contraires; il ne f?t jamais abatu, et il espéroit toujours avec le secours du Ciel de venir à bout49 de son entreprise malgré tous les obstacles qui se présentoient."—Douay in Le Clerc, ii. 327.
[320] I follow Douay's date, who makes the day of departure the seventh of January, or the day after Twelfth Night. Joutel thinks it was the twelfth of January, but professes227 uncertainty228 as to all his dates at this time, as he lost his notes.
[321] He had to be kept on short allowance, because he was in the habit of bargaining away everything given to him. He had squandered229 the little that belonged to him at St. Domingo, in amusements "indignes de sa naissance," and in consequence was suffering from diseases which disabled him from walking. (Procès Verbal, 18 Avril, 1686.)
[322] Maxime le Clerc was a relative of the author of L'établissement de la Foi.
[323] "Il fit une Harangue230 pleine d'éloquence et de cet air engageant qui luy estoit si naturel: toute la petite Colonie y estoit presente et en f?t touchée jusques aux larmes, persuadée de la nécessité de son voyage et de la droiture de ses intentions."—Douay in Le Clerc, ii, 330.
[324] "Nous nous separames les uns des autres, d'une manière si tendre et si triste qu'il sembloit que nous avions tous le secret pressentiment que nous ne nous reverrions jamais."—Joutel, Journal Historique, 158.
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1
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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par
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| n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的 | |
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6
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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11
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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12
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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13
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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14
colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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15
frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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16
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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17
pickets
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| 罢工纠察员( picket的名词复数 ) | |
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18
gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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19
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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20
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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strenuously
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| adv.奋发地，费力地 | |
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22
withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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23
havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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25
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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26
enlisted
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| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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27
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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28
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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29
graveyard
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| n.坟场 | |
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30
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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31
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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32
obstructed
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| 阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止 | |
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33
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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35
marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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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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39
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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40
browsing
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| v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息 | |
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41
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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42
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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43
swells
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| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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44
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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45
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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46
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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47
fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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48
indefatigable
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| adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的 | |
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49
bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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50
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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51
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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52
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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53
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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54
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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55
orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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56
talon
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| n.爪；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物 | |
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57
hogs
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| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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58
dearth
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| n.缺乏，粮食不足，饥谨 | |
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59
invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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60
anvil
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| n.铁钻 | |
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61
lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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62
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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63
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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64
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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65
plover
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| n.珩，珩科鸟，千鸟 | |
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66
grouse
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| n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦 | |
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67
oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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68
wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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69
tenacious
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| adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的 | |
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70
gashes
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| n.深长的切口（或伤口）( gash的名词复数 )v.划伤，割破( gash的第三人称单数 ) | |
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71
alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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72
alligators
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| n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 ) | |
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73
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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74
antidote
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| n.解毒药，解毒剂 | |
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75
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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76
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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77
novice
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| adj.新手的，生手的 | |
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78
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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79
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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80
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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81
awl
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| n.尖钻 | |
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82
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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84
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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85
butted
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| 对接的 | |
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86
butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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87
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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88
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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89
scarcity
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| n.缺乏，不足，萧条 | |
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90
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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91
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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92
descried
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| adj.被注意到的，被发现的，被看到的 | |
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93
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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94
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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95
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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96
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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97
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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98
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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99
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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100
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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101
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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102
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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103
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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104
chaff
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| v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳 | |
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105
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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106
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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107
postponed
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| vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） | |
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108
propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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109
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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110
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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111
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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112
traitors
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| 卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人 | |
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113
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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114
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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115
fatigues
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| n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服 | |
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116
fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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117
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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118
succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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119
uncertainties
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| 无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物 | |
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120
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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121
windings
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| （道路、河流等）蜿蜒的，弯曲的( winding的名词复数 )； 缠绕( wind的现在分词 )； 卷绕； 转动（把手） | |
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122
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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123
ransacked
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| v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
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124
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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125
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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126
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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127
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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128
stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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129
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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130
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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131
undertakings
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| 企业( undertaking的名词复数 )； 保证； 殡仪业； 任务 | |
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132
projector
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| n.投影机，放映机，幻灯机 | |
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133
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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134
hilarity
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| n.欢乐；热闹 | |
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135
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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136
abase
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| v.降低，贬抑 | |
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137
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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138
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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139
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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140
heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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141
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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142
mishaps
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| n.轻微的事故，小的意外( mishap的名词复数 ) | |
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143
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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144
tusks
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| n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头 | |
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145
entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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146
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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147
fomented
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| v.激起，煽动（麻烦等）( foment的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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148
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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149
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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150
rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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151
offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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152
reproof
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| n.斥责，责备 | |
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153
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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154
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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155
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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156
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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157
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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158
mired
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| abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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159
suffocated
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| （使某人）窒息而死( suffocate的过去式和过去分词 )； （将某人）闷死； 让人感觉闷热； 憋气 | |
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160
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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161
daunted
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| 使（某人）气馁，威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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162
transit
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| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
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163
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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164
lamenting
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| adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
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165
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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166
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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167
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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168
waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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169
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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170
canes
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| n.（某些植物，如竹或甘蔗的）茎( cane的名词复数 )；（用于制作家具等的）竹竿；竹杖 | |
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171
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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172
hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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173
hewed
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| v.（用斧、刀等）砍、劈( hew的过去式和过去分词 )；砍成；劈出；开辟 | |
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174
friendliness
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| n.友谊，亲切，亲密 | |
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175
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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176
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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177
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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178
lodges
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| v.存放( lodge的第三人称单数 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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179
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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180
circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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181
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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182
dispensing
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| v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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183
scourged
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| 鞭打( scourge的过去式和过去分词 )； 惩罚，压迫 | |
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184
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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185
edified
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| v.开导，启发( edify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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186
enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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187
pillaged
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| v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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188
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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189
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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190
invalids
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| 病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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191
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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192
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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193
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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194
solicit
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| vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意) | |
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195
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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196
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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197
equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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198
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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199
accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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200
contagion
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| n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延 | |
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201
succors
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| n.救助，帮助（尤指需要时）( succor的名词复数 )v.给予帮助( succor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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202
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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203
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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204
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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205
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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206
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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207
jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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208
mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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209
laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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210
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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211
tardy
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| adj.缓慢的，迟缓的 | |
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212
boding
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| adj.凶兆的，先兆的n.凶兆，前兆，预感v.预示，预告，预言( bode的现在分词 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待 | |
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213
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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214
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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215
engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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216
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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217
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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218
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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219
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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220
condensation
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| n.压缩，浓缩；凝结的水珠 | |
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221
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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222
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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223
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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224
reticent
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| adj.沉默寡言的；言不如意的 | |
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225
tout
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| v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱 | |
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226
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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227
professes
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| 声称( profess的第三人称单数 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉 | |
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228
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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229
squandered
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| v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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230
harangue
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| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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