The pilgrimage was about to "noon"; and with Duke and Jenny pulling bravely, making their best showing, the Limited skirted the line, while good-naturedly replying to the various welcomes.
Pretty soon the road ahead was blocked, as the overlanders spread right and left to cook and eat dinner.
"Let's drive off to the side, yonder, Terry," bade Harry10. "That looks like a good spot near to that 'Root Hog11 or Die' outfit12."
"How are you, boys?" greeted the proprietor13 of the "Root Hog or Die" wagon4. "We're most of us from Ohio. Where are you from?"
"From the Big Blue Valley, Kansas Territory, farther east," answered Harry.
"We came by the stage trail," added Terry.
"I see. Well, we took a vote and decided14 on the Republican Valley, and a hard time we've had, but here we are. What do you say to cooking our dinner on the one fire, and we'll swap15 notes?"
He seemed to be an extraordinarily16 well-spoken man, notwithstanding his untrimmed beard and rough garb18. Was a college professor, as happened, in Ohio; and was going to the mountains for his health as well as to make a fortune. So here he was, with his wife and little girl, accompanying a lot of other Ohio people.
Leaving Duke and Jenny to graze a little while longer, after dinner the "boys from the Big Blue" strolled about, to inspect other outfits19 and exchange information. The noon camp was rather quiet, with the men and women and children resting or finishing their dishes; but back down the trail there appeared to be a commotion—as of people gathering20 around a wagon from which a man was making a speech.
"Come on. We might as well see all the sights on the way," bade Harry.
The speech-maker's back was toward them. Terry figured that if he talked as rapidly as he flourished his arms, his speech would soon be ended for lack of words. However, the words were still flowing strong. Something in the loud tone, and the gestures, and the long unkempt black hair, and the high thick shoulders in the ragged21 shirt, and the greasy22 slouch hat, struck Terry as familiar.
"Pine Knot Ike!" he exclaimed.
"The very man—our valued acquaintance and fellow citizen, Ike Chubbers, 'half wild hoss and half grizzly23 b'ar,'" chuckled24 Harry. "We'll stand off and listen to his discourse25."
They halted on the edge of the little throng26, from where they could view Ike's hairy profile as, beating the air with his fists, above the up-turned gaping27 faces, he delivered his harangue28.
"I air the only man who ever roped an' rid an alligator29 in its native swamps," he was proclaiming, and already he was quite hoarse30. "I air the only man who fit off five hunderd of the wust savage31 Injuns that roam these hyar plains, an' killed nigh every one of 'em. Gentlemen an' feller citizens: Look at this hyar bar'l. Count the bullet-holes." And by main force Ike held aloft his whiskey barrel. It certainly was well peppered with holes. "When the savage Injuns come down on me I war alone, travelin' my peaceful way to help civilize32 the diggin's, but I war too tough to kill. Injuns make a mistake when they attack a man o' my nater, gentlemen, for I air slow to wrath33, but I air a powerful fighter when anybody, red or white, goes to twist my tail. I air a ring-tail twister myself, gentlemen. So I tells my bulls to charge them Injuns, an' I forts myself behind this bar'l an' opens up with my pill-slingers. We fit for a runnin' mile, until this bar'l war as you see it now, gents, an' what Injuns warn't dead had fired all their shots an' skeedaddled. Then I gets out an' cuts off the head of the chief of 'em all, an' puts it in the bar'l, an' hyar it is on exhibition. The head complete of a real, native wild Injun, ladies an' gents—the actual head of old Roarin' Buffler, big chief o' the combined Sioux, Kiowa, Cheyenne an' 'Rapaho nations, most o' who air still layin' out thar on the desolate34 plains, sculped by my own hands. Old Roarin' Buffler hisself put seven holes in this bar'l 'fore2 his head went in. The head air nicely pickled an' perfectly35 natteral, ladies an' gents; an' for the privilege o' seein' it I ax only a small collection. Will you kindly36 cirkilate my hat, an' be keerful not to take out more'n you drop in."
Whereupon, having handed down his battered37 slouch hat, Ike paused, wiped his face with a dirty bandanna38, and seated himself upon his scarred barrel.
"He put every hole in that with his own revolver, I bet you!" whispered Terry. "The old fraud!"
"A convenient way of drinking the whiskey," murmured Harry. "If the barrel wasn't his, he can claim the Indians did it, you know."
"Well, we can tell him about the first hole, all right," scolded the indignant Terry. "And so can other people."
"Now for the head," invited Harry.
The hat had been returned to Ike, who eyed the contents doubtfully, shook them over, and stowed them in his pocket with a scowl39.
"Six bits air a mighty40 measley sum to pay for the privilege an' eddication o' seein' the actual head o' the biggest, fiercest Injun who ever terrerized the West till he tuk arter the wrong pusson, but I'll show him to you, jest the same."
So saying, Ike reached into the barrel, and extracting his prize, held it up. Harry nudged Terry; staring, Terry saw, recognized, gasped41.
"Thunder Horse! Aw——"
The face of the severed43 head was assuredly the hideous44 face of Thunder Horse, the drunken Kiowa; and the hair was the Kiowa's hair.
"Thunder Horse died because of his leg, and Ike found him and cut off his head!" scoffed45 Terry. "I'm going straight to the wagon and show the whole thing up. We'll make Ike look sick—that old blow and his barrel and his 'big-chief' head!"
"No," opposed Harry. "Wait. There's no use in showing Ike up now. We'll save our ammunition46."
"Well, I'm mighty glad old Thunder Horse is gone, anyhow," observed Terry, as they went back to the cart. "He was bad medicine."
The Ohio party were starting on. So the boys from the Big Blue put Duke and Jenny to work again and fell in with the procession wending broad way up the shallow valley of the Republican.
Once every day the procession opened to give passage to the stages westward47 bound on the trail; and at last stages eastward bound, returning to Leavenworth, were met. They were assailed48 with all kinds of questions, but they brought little news of importance, and apparently49 little gold.
Many people eastward bound, ahorse or afoot, also were met.
"Turn back, every one of you," they advised. "Folks are going out faster'n they're coming in. Some of 'em don't even stop to unhitch their teams. Picks and spades are offered at fifteen cents apiece, and no takers, and the man who makes fifty cents a day is lucky."
"Look out for the man with buckskin patches on his breeches. He's the leader of the gang who's robbing the pilgrims. Remember the buckskin patches. There's no elephant—only jackasses."
Not few in the procession did turn back, especially when the water and fuel began to fail, as wider and more bare and sandy the valley became. Soon there were several marches without water at all, for the river had sunk into the sand. The choking dust floated high, the sun was burning hot. The majority of the animals were sore-footed, from the gravel52 and cactus53 and brush. Duke, who had been behaving nobly, seemed to have strained his shoulder and was limping. Jenny was gaunter than ever.
The trail had veered54 to the southwest—to strike, it was reported, some creeks55, and Cherry Creek itself.
"Yes; and wagons on it!" exclaimed Terry. "Maybe it's the Smoky Hill trail, or the people from the Santa Fe trail."
The "Root Hog or Die" professor, who tramped with them while his oxen followed of their own accord, consulted a map that he carried.
"I think they must be from the Smoky Hill route," he said.
The two lines of travel approached each other, and at evening were about to join. Terry uttered a cheer.
"I see the wheel-barrow man!" he cried. "They're the Smoky Hill crowd, all right."
"They look pretty well used up," remarked Harry. "Must have had a hard trip."
The wheel-barrow man, pushing bravely, was in the van. His barrow wobbled, and the wheel was reinforced with rawhide56, but he himself was as cheery as ever when the Big Blue outfit welcomed him.
"Yes, terrible hard trip," he acknowledged. "Some of us near died with thirst, and I hear tell that several wagons were burnt for fuel, so's to cook food and keep the folks from starving. But those of us who are left are still going."
"Same here," asserted Harry. "How far to the mountains, do you reckon?"
"Better than a hundred miles, but we'll get there."
The next day the pilgrims from the Smoky Hill trail and the pilgrims from the Republican trail traveled on together, with every eye eagerly set ahead, for the first sight of the mountains.
"I see 'em! Hooray!
"There's the land o' gold, boys!"
"Those are the Rocky Mountains! We're almost through."
"They're awful small for their size, aren't they?" quavered a woman.
They did appear so. They were like a band of low hummocky57 clouds in the western horizon. But the next morning, when the outfits climbed over a gravelly ridge58 that grew a few pines, one after another they cheered joyfully59 again. Hats were waved, sunbonnets were flourished. The mountains seemed much closer—they loomed60 grandly in a semi-circle from south to north; their crests61 were white, their slopes were green and gray.
"Where's Pike's Peak?"
Everybody wanted to know that. The "Root Hog or Die" professor consulted his map, for information.
"I rather think Pike's Peak is the last peak we see, to the south," he mused62. "That to the far north is called Long's Peak."
"Where are the diggin's, then?"
"Well, they're somewhere in between."
From the piny ridge the route descended63 along the side of a brushy valley pleasantly dotted with cottonwoods and other leafy trees, and struck the head of a creek course—and presently another trail on which, from the south, still other pilgrim outfits were hastening northward64 at best speed.
Where the trail from the east joined with this second trail from the south a signboard faced, pointing north, with the words: "Santa Fe-Salt Lake Trail. Cherry Creek Diggin's, 70 m."
"Cherry Creek at last!" affirmed Harry, that evening. "Whew, but that mountain air tastes good!"
Now this combined trail on northwest to the diggin's was a well-traveled trail indeed, deep with sand and dust. Occasionally it dipped into the creek bed, which in places was wide enough and dry enough for the teams. The mountains were on the left—distant thirty miles, declared the professor, although the greenhorns declared they were within a short walk. High rolling plains were on the right.
A few prospectors65 were encountered, already digging and washing in the creek, or scouting66 about. From the last night's camp a little bevy67 of lights could be seen, ahead—the diggin's at the mouth of the creek! During the next morning——
"There's the river! There's the Platte!" announced voices, indicating a line of cottonwoods before.
Wagons coming down from the north, by the Platte trail, also could be seen, making for a collection of tents and huts gathered near where the Cherry Creek apparently emptied into the Platte.
Much excitement reigned68 throughout the procession. The wheel-barrow man already had trundled ahead. Duke limped gamely, and Jenny kept her long ears pricked69 forward. Now it was every outfit for itself, in order to secure the best location and get to work.
In mid-afternoon the trail forked, and signs directed: "To the left for Auraria, the coming metropolis," and "Straight ahead for Denver City." Men were stationed here, beseeching70 the pilgrims to settle in Auraria, or in Denver, and make their fortunes. The men were red-faced and perspiring71 and earnest.
Auraria was the older, and on the mountain side of the creek—had the newspaper! Denver was the better built, and the more enterprising, was on the trail side of the creek and had the stage office.
"What'll we do, Harry?" panted Terry, as momentarily the Limited halted, held by the confused press in front, bombarded and undecided.
"Keep a-going straight ahead," said Harry. "That's been our program. If we don't like Denver we can cross to Auraria, but blamed if I can see much difference between 'em."
And that was true. On the flat ground along the shallow Cherry Creek lay sprawled72 an ugly collection of log huts and dingy tents and Indian tepees of buffalo73 hides, with people moving busily among them, and a host of emigrant74 wagons and animals and camps on the outskirts75. All the flat on both sides of the creek was dingy and dusty, with the brush crushed down or gleaned76 clean for forage77 and fuel.
East stretched the wide plains; west was the cottonwood timber marking the Platte River, and beyond the river, some distance, were bare hills, grayish and reddish, and behind them the real mountains, rising rocky and high until their snow crests gleamed against the sky.
Distant, a line of gold-seekers with wagons and with packs seemed to be traveling into the mountains; and down along the Platte were entering Denver, from the north, other gold-seekers, to take their places.
A hum of voices welled, filling the air with excitement.
"Shucks! Is this all there is?" complained Terry. "I don't see any city. The whole thing isn't as big as Manhattan, even."
"And not half as good-looking," added Harry.
But there was not much space for halting to criticize. The procession was pressing on, jostling, crowding—spreading out, some of it to find camping spots at once, some to drive farther on. With the cart creaking, and Duke limping badly, Jenny stumbling and grunting78, and Shep, dusty and burry, pacing soberly at the rear, the Pike's Peak Limited entered Denver City.
"Hope we see Sol," ventured Harry, as they threaded their way among the first tents, and several roofless cabins, located out where signs stuck in the bare ground proclaimed: "Denver City Town Co. Fine building lots for sale."
In front of the tent flaps, and in the cabin doorways79, men in boots, with trousers tucked in, and in flannel80 shirts, red or blue, were sitting, gazing abroad, but none of these was Sol.
Further along, the road took on the semblance81 of a street—thronged with emigrants82; booted, whiskered men in their flannel shirts, and wearing revolvers; Indians, Mexicans, oxen, and dogs.
"I don't see Sol, though," commented Terry, searching about among those faces, every one of which was strange to him.
"No, but I see plenty of men with buckskin patches on their breeches," answered Harry. "They're the old-timers, I reckon. Wonder if the name of any of 'em is Russell."
The passage of the half-buffalo and the yellow mule hitched83 tandem84 attracted considerable attention, and a volley of bantering85 remarks. But a chorus of whoops86 and a general rush made Harry and Terry glance behind.
"A stage is coming. We'd better get out of the way, hadn't we?" suggested Terry.
"Right-o!" And Harry, driving, drew aside to a clear place opposite a long one-story canvas-roofed log building which announced: "Denver House." This was the hotel.
The stage jingled87 up; and while the passengers piled out was surrounded by a jostling crowd of whiskered, red-shirted and blue-shirted and buckskin-shirted (as well as buckskin-patched) residents.
As it rolled away again, to put up for the night, Terry heard himself and Harry hailed by a familiar voice, at last.
"Well, I declare! Got through, did you—buffalo and mule and dog and all! What kind of a trip did you have?"
点击收听单词发音
1 penetrated | |
adj. 击穿的,鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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2 fore | |
adv.在前面;adj.先前的;在前部的;n.前部 | |
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3 eastward | |
adv.向东;adj.向东的;n.东方,东部 | |
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4 wagon | |
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车 | |
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5 wagons | |
n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 );铁路货车;小手推车 | |
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6 dingy | |
adj.昏暗的,肮脏的 | |
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7 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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8 mule | |
n.骡子,杂种,执拗的人 | |
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9 creek | |
n.小溪,小河,小湾 | |
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10 harry | |
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼 | |
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11 hog | |
n.猪;馋嘴贪吃的人;vt.把…占为己有,独占 | |
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12 outfit | |
n.(为特殊用途的)全套装备,全套服装 | |
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13 proprietor | |
n.所有人;业主;经营者 | |
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14 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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15 swap | |
n.交换;vt.交换,用...作交易 | |
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16 extraordinarily | |
adv.格外地;极端地 | |
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17 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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18 garb | |
n.服装,装束 | |
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19 outfits | |
n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 );一套服装;集体;组织v.装备,配置设备,供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 ) | |
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20 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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21 ragged | |
adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的 | |
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22 greasy | |
adj. 多脂的,油脂的 | |
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23 grizzly | |
adj.略为灰色的,呈灰色的;n.灰色大熊 | |
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24 chuckled | |
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25 discourse | |
n.论文,演说;谈话;话语;vi.讲述,著述 | |
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26 throng | |
n.人群,群众;v.拥挤,群集 | |
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27 gaping | |
adj.口的;张口的;敞口的;多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 );张开,张大 | |
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28 harangue | |
n.慷慨冗长的训话,言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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29 alligator | |
n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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30 hoarse | |
adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的 | |
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31 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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32 civilize | |
vt.使文明,使开化 (=civilise) | |
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33 wrath | |
n.愤怒,愤慨,暴怒 | |
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34 desolate | |
adj.荒凉的,荒芜的;孤独的,凄凉的;v.使荒芜,使孤寂 | |
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35 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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36 kindly | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
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37 battered | |
adj.磨损的;v.连续猛击;磨损 | |
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38 bandanna | |
n.大手帕 | |
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39 scowl | |
vi.(at)生气地皱眉,沉下脸,怒视;n.怒容 | |
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40 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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41 gasped | |
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要 | |
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42 alleged | |
a.被指控的,嫌疑的 | |
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43 severed | |
v.切断,断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 );断,裂 | |
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44 hideous | |
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
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45 scoffed | |
嘲笑,嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46 ammunition | |
n.军火,弹药 | |
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47 westward | |
n.西方,西部;adj.西方的,向西的;adv.向西 | |
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48 assailed | |
v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 );困扰;质问;毅然应对 | |
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49 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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50 squad | |
n.班,小队,小团体;vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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51 trudging | |
vt.& vi.跋涉,吃力地走(trudge的现在分词形式) | |
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52 gravel | |
n.砂跞;砂砾层;结石 | |
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53 cactus | |
n.仙人掌 | |
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54 veered | |
v.(尤指交通工具)改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 );(指谈话内容、人的行为或观点)突然改变;(指风) (在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向)逐渐转向;风向顺时针转 | |
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55 creeks | |
n.小湾( creek的名词复数 );小港;小河;小溪 | |
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56 rawhide | |
n.生牛皮 | |
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57 hummocky | |
adj.圆丘般的,多圆丘的;波丘地 | |
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58 ridge | |
n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭 | |
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59 joyfully | |
adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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60 loomed | |
v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近 | |
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61 crests | |
v.到达山顶(或浪峰)( crest的第三人称单数 );到达洪峰,达到顶点 | |
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62 mused | |
v.沉思,冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 );沉思自语说(某事) | |
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63 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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64 northward | |
adv.向北;n.北方的地区 | |
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65 prospectors | |
n.勘探者,探矿者( prospector的名词复数 ) | |
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66 scouting | |
守候活动,童子军的活动 | |
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67 bevy | |
n.一群 | |
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68 reigned | |
vi.当政,统治(reign的过去式形式) | |
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69 pricked | |
刺,扎,戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 ); 刺伤; 刺痛; 使剧痛 | |
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70 beseeching | |
adj.恳求似的v.恳求,乞求(某事物)( beseech的现在分词 ) | |
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71 perspiring | |
v.出汗,流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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72 sprawled | |
v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词);蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着) | |
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73 buffalo | |
n.(北美)野牛;(亚洲)水牛 | |
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74 emigrant | |
adj.移居的,移民的;n.移居外国的人,移民 | |
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75 outskirts | |
n.郊外,郊区 | |
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76 gleaned | |
v.一点点地收集(资料、事实)( glean的过去式和过去分词 );(收割后)拾穗 | |
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77 forage | |
n.(牛马的)饲料,粮草;v.搜寻,翻寻 | |
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78 grunting | |
咕哝的,呼噜的 | |
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79 doorways | |
n.门口,门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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80 flannel | |
n.法兰绒;法兰绒衣服 | |
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81 semblance | |
n.外貌,外表 | |
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82 emigrants | |
n.(从本国移往他国的)移民( emigrant的名词复数 ) | |
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83 hitched | |
(免费)搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 ); 搭便车; 攀上; 跃上 | |
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84 tandem | |
n.同时发生;配合;adv.一个跟着一个地;纵排地;adj.(两匹马)前后纵列的 | |
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85 bantering | |
adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑,说笑,逗乐( banter的现在分词 );(善意地)取笑,逗弄 | |
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86 whoops | |
int.呼喊声 | |
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87 jingled | |
喝醉的 | |
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