LA had breakfasted the following morning, and had sent Dooth with food for Tarzan, when there came to her a young priestess, who was the sister of Oah. Even before the girl had spoken La knew that she was an emissary from Cadj, and that the treachery of which Dooth had warned her was already under way. The girl was ill at ease and quite evidently frightened, for she was young and held in high revere2 the queen whom she had good reason to know was all-powerful, and who might even inflict3 death upon her if she so wished. La, who had already determined4 upon a plan of action that she knew would be most embarrassing to Cadj and his conspirators5, waited in silence for the girl to speak. But it was some time before the girl could muster6 up her courage or find a proper opening. Instead, she spoke1 of many things that had no bearing whatsoever7 upon her subject, and La, the High Priestess, was amused at her discomfiture8.
“It is not often,” said La, “that the sister of Oah comes to the apartments of her queen unless she is bidden. I am glad to see that she at last realizes the service that she owes to the High Priestess of the Flaming God.”
“I come,” said the girl, at last, speaking almost as one who has learned a part, “to tell you that I have overheard that which may be of interest to you, and which I am sure that you will be glad to hear.”
“I overheard Cadj speaking with the lesser11 priests,” the girl continued, “and I distinctly heard him say that he would be glad if the ape-man escaped, as that would relieve you, and Cadj as well, of much embarrassment12. I thought that La, the queen, would be glad to know this, for it is known by all of us that La has promised friendship to the ape-man, and therefore does not wish to sacrifice him upon the altar of the Flaming God.”
“My duty is plain to me,” replied La, in a haughty13 voice, “and I do not need Cadj nor any hand-maiden to interpret it to me. I also know the prerogatives14 of a High Priestess, and that the right of sacrifice is one of them. For this reason I prevented Cadj from sacrificing the stranger. No other hand than mine may offer his heart’s blood to the Flaming God, and upon the third day he shall die beneath my knife upon the altar of our temple.”
The effect of these words upon the girl were precisely15 what La had anticipated. She saw disappointment and chagrin16 written upon the face of Cadj’s messenger, who now had no answer, for her instructions had not foreseen this attitude upon the part of La. Presently the girl found some lame18 pretext19 upon which to withdraw, and when she had left the presence of the High Priestess, La could scarcely restrain a smile. She had no intention of sacrificing Tarzan, but this, of course, the sister of Oah did not know. So she returned to Cadj and repeated as nearly as she could recall it, all that La had said to her. The High Priest was much chagrined20, for his plan had been now, not so much to encompass21 the destruction of Tarzan as to lead La into the commission of an act that would bring upon her the wrath22 of the priests and people of Opar, who, properly instigated23, would demand her life in expiation24. Oah, who was present when her sister returned, bit her lips, for great was her disappointment. Never before had she seen so close at hand the longed-for possibility of becoming High Priestess. For several minutes she paced to and fro in deep thought, and then, suddenly, she halted before Cadj.
“La loves this ape-man,” she said, “and even though she may sacrifice him, it is only because of fear of her people. She loves him still—loves him better, Cadj, than she has ever loved you. The ape-man knows it, and trusts her, and because he knows it there is a way. Listen, Cadj, to Oah. We will send one to the ape-man who shall tell him that she comes from La, and that La has instructed her to lead him out of Opar and set him free. This one shall lead him into our ambush25 and when he is killed we shall go, many of us, before La, and accuse her of treachery. The one who led the ape-man from Opar shall say that La ordered her to do it, and the priests and the people will be very angry, and then you shall demand the life of La. It will be very easy and we shall be rid of both of them.”
“Good!” exclaimed Cadj. “We shall do this thing at dawn upon the morrow, and before the Flaming God goes to his rest at night he shall look upon a new High Priestess in Opar.”
That night Tarzan was aroused from his sleep by a sound at one of the doors of his prison cell. He heard the bolt slipped back and the door creak slowly open upon its ancient hinges. In the inky darkness he could discern no presence, but he heard the stealthy movement of sandaled feet upon the concrete floor, and then, out of the darkness, his name was whispered, in a woman’s voice.
“I am here,” he replied. “Who are you and what do you want of Tarzan of the Apes?”
“Your life is in danger,” replied the voice. “Come, follow me.”
“Who sent you?” demanded the ape-man, his sensitive nostrils26 searching for a clue to the identity of the nocturnal visitor, but so heavily was the air laden27 with the pungent28 odor of some heavy perfume with which the body of the woman seemed to have been anointed, that there was no distinguishing clue by which he might judge as to whether she was one of the priestesses he had known upon the occasion of his former visits to Opar, or an entire stranger to him.
“La sent me,” she said, “to lead you from the pits of Opar to the freedom of the outside world beyond the city’s walls.” Groping in the darkness she finally found him. “Here are your weapons,” she said, handing them to him, and then she took his hand, turned and led him from the dungeon29, through a long, winding30, and equally black corridor, down flights of age-old concrete steps, through passages and corridors, opening and closing door after door that creaked and groaned31 upon rusty32 hinges. How far they traveled thus, and in what direction, Tarzan could not guess. He had gleaned33 enough from Dooth, when the latter brought him his food, to believe that in La he had a friend who would aid him, for Dooth had told him that she had saved him from Cadj when the latter had discovered him unconscious in the deserted34 boma of the Europeans who had drugged and left him. And so, the woman having said that she came from La, Tarzan followed her willingly. He could not but recall Jane’s prophecy of the evils that he might expect to befall him should he persist in undertaking35 this third trip to Opar, and he wondered if, after all, his wife was right, that he should never again escape from the toils36 of the fanatical priests of the Flaming God. He had not, of course, expected to enter Opar, but there seemed to hang over the accursed city a guardian37 demon38 that threatened the life of whosoever dared approach the forbidden spot or wrest39 from the forgotten treasure vaults40 a portion of their great hoard41.
For more than an hour his guide led him through the Stygian darkness of underground passages, until, ascending42 a flight of steps they emerged into the center of a clump43 of bushes, through which the pale light of the moon was barely discernible. The fresh air, however, told him that they had reached the surface of the ground, and now the woman, who had not spoken a word since she had led him from his cell, continued on in silence, following a devious44 trail that wound hither and thither45 in an erratic46 fashion through a heavy forest choked with undergrowth, and always upward.
From the location of the stars and moon, and from the upward trend of the trail, Tarzan knew that he was being led into the mountains that lie behind Opar—a place he had never thought of visiting, since the country appeared rough and uninviting, and not likely to harbor game such as Tarzan cared most to hunt. He was already surprised by the nature of the vegetation, for he had thought the hills barren except for stunted47 trees and scraggy bush. As they continued upon their way, climbing ever upward, the moon rose higher in the heavens, until its soft light revealed more clearly to the keen eyes of the ape-man the topography of the country they were traversing, and then it was that he saw they were ascending a narrow, thickly wooded gorge48, and he understood why the heavy vegetation had been invisible from the plain before Opar. Himself naturally uncommunicative, the woman’s silence made no particular impression upon Tarzan. Had he had anything to say he should have said it, and likewise he assumed that there was no necessity for her speaking unless there was some good reason for speaking, for those who travel far and fast have no breath to waste upon conversation.
The eastern stars were fading at the first hint of coming dawn when the two scrambled49 up a precipitous bank that formed the upper end of the ravine, and came out upon comparatively level ground. As they advanced the sky lightened, and presently the woman halted at the edge of a declivity50, and as the day broke Tarzan saw below him a wooded basin in the heart of the mountain, and, showing through the trees at what appeared to be some two or three miles distant, the outlines of a building that glistened51 and sparkled and scintillated52 in the light of the new sun. Then he turned and looked at his companion, and surprise and consternation53 were writ17 upon his face, for standing54 before him was La, the High Priestess of Opar.
“You?” he exclaimed. “Now indeed will Cadj have the excuse that Dooth said he sought to put you out of the way.”
“He will never have the opportunity to put me out of the way,” replied La, “for I shall never return to Opar.”
“Never return to Opar!” he exclaimed, “then where are you going? Where can you go?”
“I am going with you,” she replied. “I do not ask that you love me. I only ask that you take me away from Opar and from the enemies who would slay55 me. There was no other way. Manu, the monkey, overheard them plotting, and he came to me and told me all that they would do. Whether I saved you or sacrificed you, it had all been the same with me. They were determined to do away with me, that Oah might be High Priestess and Cadj king of Opar. But I should not have sacrificed you, Tarzan, under any circumstances, and this, then, seemed the only way in which we might both be saved. We could not go to the north or the west across the plain of Opar for there Cadj has placed warriors56 in ambush to waylay57 you, and though you be Tarzan and a mighty58 fighter, they would overwhelm you by their very numbers and slay you.”
“But where are you leading me?” asked Tarzan.
“I have chosen the lesser of two evils; in this direction lies an unknown country, filled for us Oparians with legends of grim monsters and strange people. Never has an Oparian ventured here and returned again to Opar. But if there lives in all the world a creature who could win through this unknown valley, it be you, Tarzan of the Apes.”
“But if you know nothing of this country, or its inhabitants,” demanded Tarzan, “how is it that you so well know the trail that leads to it?”
“We well know the trail to the summit, but that is as far as I have ever been before. The great apes and the lions use this trail when they come down into Opar. The lions, of course, cannot tell us where it leads, and the great apes will not, for usually we are at war with them. Along this trail they come down into Opar to steal our people, and upon this trail we await to capture them, for often we offer a great ape in sacrifice to the Flaming God, or rather that was our former custom, but for many years they have been too wary59 for us, the toll60 being upon the other side, though we do not know for what purpose they steal our people, unless it be that they eat them. They are a very powerful race, standing higher than Bolgani, the gorilla61, and infinitely62 more cunning, for, as there is ape blood in our veins63, so is there human blood in the veins of these great apes that dwell in the valley above Opar.”
“Why is it, La, that we must pass through this valley in order to escape from Opar? There must be some other way.”
“There is no other way, Tarzan of the Apes,” she replied. “The avenues across the valley are guarded by Cadj’s people. Our only chance of escape lies in this direction, and I have brought you along the only trail that pierces the precipitous cliffs that guard Opar upon the south. Across or around this valley we must go in an attempt to find an avenue across the mountain and down upon the other side.”
The ape-man stood gazing down into the wooded basin below them, his mind occupied with the problems of the moment. Had he been alone he would not have come this way, for he was sufficiently64 confident of his own prowess to believe that he might easily have crossed the valley of Opar in comparative safety, regardless of Cadj’s plans to the contrary. But he was not alone. He had now to think of La, and he realized that in her efforts to save him she had placed him under a moral obligation which he might not disregard.
To skirt the basin, keeping as far as possible from the building, which he could see in the distance, seemed the wisest course to pursue, since, of course, his sole purpose was to find a way across the mountain and out of this inhospitable country. But the glimpses he caught of the edifice65, half concealed66 as it was amid the foliage67 of great trees, piqued68 his curiosity to such an extent that he felt an almost irresistible69 urge to investigate. He did not believe that the basin was inhabited by other than wild beasts, and he attributed the building which he saw to the handiwork of an extinct or departed people, either contemporaneous with the ancient Atlantians who had built Opar or, perhaps, built by the original Oparians themselves, but now forgotten by their descendants. The glimpses which he caught of the building suggested such size and magnificence as might belong to a palace.
The ape-man knew no fear, though he possessed71 to a reasonable extent that caution which is inherent in all wild beasts. He would not have hesitated to pit his cunning and his prowess against the lower orders, however ferocious72 they might be, for, unlike man, they could not band together to his undoing73. But should men elect to hunt him in numbers he knew that a real danger would confront him, and that, in the face of their combined strength and intelligence, his own might not avail him. There was little likelihood, however, he reasoned, that the basin was inhabited by human beings. Doubtless closer investigation74 of the building he saw would reveal that it was but a deserted ruin, and that the most formidable foes75 he would encounter would be the great apes and the lions. Of neither of these had he any fear; with the former it was even reasonable to imagine that he might establish amicable76 relations. Believing as he did that he must look for egress77 from the basin upon its opposite side, it was only natural that he should wish to choose the most direct route across the basin. Therefore his inclinations78 to explore the valley were seconded by considerations of speed and expediency79.
“Come,” he said to La, and started down the declivity which led into the basin in the direction of the building ahead of them.
“You are not going that way?” she cried in astonishment80.
“Why not?” he said. “It is the shortest way across the valley, and in so far as I can judge our trail over the mountains is more likely to lie in that direction than elsewhere.”
“But I am afraid,” she said. “The Flaming God alone knows what hideous81 dangers lurk82 in the depths of that forest below us.”
“Only Numa and the Mangani,” he said. “Of these we need have no fear.”
“You fear nothing,” she said, “but I am only a woman.”
“We can die but once,” replied Tarzan, “and that once we must die. To be always fearing, then, would not avert83 it, and would make life miserable84. We shall go the short way, then, and perhaps we shall see enough to make the risk well worth while.”
They followed a well-worn trail downward among the brush, the trees increasing in both size and number as they approached the floor of the basin, until at last they were walking beneath the foliage of a great forest. What wind there was was at their back, and the ape-man, though he moved at a swinging walk, was constantly on the alert. Upon the hard-packed earth of the trail there were few signs to indicate the nature of the animals that had passed to and fro, but here and there the spoor of a lion was in evidence. Several times Tarzan stopped and listened, often he raised his head and his sensitive nostrils dilated85 as he sought for whatever the surrounding air might hold for him.
“I think there are men in this valley,” he said presently. “For some time I have been almost positive that we are being watched. But whoever is stalking us is clever beyond words, for it is only the barest suggestion of another presence that I can scent86.”
La looked about apprehensively87 and drew close to his side. “I see no one,” she said, in a low voice.
“Nor I,” he replied. “Nor can I catch any well-defined scent spoor, yet I am positive that someone is following us. Someone or something that trails by scent, and is clever enough to keep its scent from us. It is more than likely that, whatever it is, it is passing through the trees, at a sufficient height to keep its scent spoor always above us. The air is right for that, and even if he were up wind from us we might not catch his scent at all. Wait here, I will make sure,” and he swung lightly into the branches of a nearby tree and swarmed88 upward with the agility89 of Manu, the monkey. A moment later he descended90 to the girl’s side.
“I was right,” he said, “there is someone, or something, not far off. But whether it is man or Mangani I cannot say, for the odor is a strange one to me, suggesting neither, yet both. But two can play at that game. Come!” And he swung the girl to his shoulder and a moment later had carried her high into the trees. “Unless he is close enough to watch us, which I doubt,” he said, “our spoor will be carried over his head and it will be some time before he can pick it up again, unless he is wise enough to rise to a higher level.”
La marveled at the strength of the ape-man as he carried her easily from tree to tree, and at the speed with which he traversed the swaying, leafy trail. For half an hour he continued onward91, and then quite suddenly he stopped, poised92 high upon a swaying bough93.
“Look!” he said, pointing ahead and below them. Looking in the direction that he indicated the girl saw through the leafy foliage a small, heavily stockaded compound, in which were some dozen huts that immediately riveted95 her surprised attention, nor no less was the ape-man’s curiosity piqued by what he glimpsed vaguely96 through the foliage. Huts they evidently were, but they seemed to be moving to and fro in the air, some moving gently backward and forward, while others jumped up and down in more or less violent agitation97. Tarzan swung to a nearer tree and descended to a sturdy branch, to which he lowered La from his shoulder. Then he crept forward stealthily, the girl following, for she was, in common with the other Oparians, slightly arboreal98. Presently they reached a point where they could see plainly the village below them, and immediately the seeming mystery of the dancing huts was explained.
They were of the bee-hive type, common to many African tribes, and were about seven feet in diameter by six or seven in height, but instead of resting on the ground, each hut was suspended by a heavy hawser-like grass rope to a branch of one of the several giant trees that grew within the stockade94. From the center of the bottom of each hut trailed another lighter99 rope. From his position above them Tarzan saw no openings in any of the huts large enough to admit the body of a man, though there were several openings four or five inches in diameter in the sides of each hut about three feet above the floor. Upon the ground, inside the compound, were several of the inhabitants of the village, if the little collection of swinging houses could be dignified100 by such a name. Nor were the people any less strange to Tarzan than their peculiar101 domiciles. That they were negroes was evident, but of a type entirely102 unfamiliar103 to the ape-man. All were naked, and without any ornamentation whatsoever other than a few daubs of color, placed apparently104 at random105 upon their bodies. They were tall, and very muscular appearing, though their legs seemed much too short and their arms too long for perfect symmetry, while their faces were almost bestial106 in contour, their jaws107 being exaggeratedly prognathous while above their beetling108 brows there was no forehead, the skull109 running back in an almost horizontal plane to a point.
As Tarzan stood looking at them he saw another descend70 one of the ropes that dangled110 from the bottom of a hut, and immediately he understood the purpose of the ropes and the location of the entrances to the dwellings111. The creatures squatting112 about upon their haunches were engaged in feeding. Several had bones from which they were tearing the uncooked flesh with their great teeth, while others ate fruit and tubers. There were individuals of both sexes and of various ages, from childhood to maturity113, but there was none that seemed very old. They were practically hairless, except for scraggy, reddish brown locks upon their heads. They spoke but seldom and then in tones which resembled the growling114 of beasts, nor once, while Tarzan watched them, did he see one laugh or even smile, which, of all their traits, rendered them most unlike the average native of Africa. Though Tarzan’s eyes searched the compound carefully he saw no indication of cooking utensils115 or of any fire. Upon the ground about them lay their weapons, short javelin-like spears and a sort of battle-ax with a sharpened, metal blade. Tarzan of the Apes was glad that he had come this way, for it had permitted him to see such a type of native as he had not dreamed existed—a type so low that it bordered closely upon the brute116. Even the Waz-dons and Ho-dons of Pal-ul-don were far advanced in the scale of evolution compared to these.
As he looked at them he could not but wonder that they were sufficiently intelligent to manufacture the weapons they possessed, which he could see, even at a distance, were of fine workmanship and design. Their huts, too, seemed well and ingeniously made, while the stockade which surrounded the little compound was tall, strong, and well-built, evidently for the purpose of safeguarding them against the lions which infested117 the basin.
As Tarzan and La watched these people they became presently aware of the approach of some creature from their left, and a moment later they saw a man similar to those of the compound swing from a tree that overhung the stockade and drop within. The others acknowledged his coming with scarce more than indifferent glances. He came forward and, squatting among them, appeared to be telling them of something, and though Tarzan could not hear his words he judged from his gestures and the sign language which he used to supplement his meager118 speech, that he was telling his fellows of the strange creatures he had seen in the forest a short time before, and the ape-man immediately judged that this was the same whom he had been aware was following them and whom he had successfully put off the scent. The narration119 evidently excited them, for some of them arose, and leaping up and down with bent120 knees, slapped their arms against their sides grotesquely121. The expressions upon their faces scarcely changed, however, and after a moment each squatted122 down again as he had been before.
It was while they were thus engaged that there echoed through the forest a loud scream that awakened123 in the mind of the ape-man many savage124 memories.
“Bolgani,” he whispered to La.
Presently they saw him, swinging down the jungle trail toward the compound. A huge gorilla, but such a gorilla as Tarzan of the Apes had never looked on before. Of almost gigantic stature126, the creature was walking erect127 with the stride of a man, not ever once touching128 his knuckles129 to the ground. His head and face were almost those of a gorilla, and yet there was a difference, as Tarzan could note as the creature came nearer—it was Bolgani, with the soul and brain of a man—nor was this all that rendered the creature startling and unique. Stranger perhaps than aught else was the fact that it wore ornaments130—and such ornaments! Gold and diamonds sparkled against its shaggy coat, above its elbows were numerous armlets and there were anklets upon its legs, while from a girdle about its middle there depended before and behind a long narrow strip that almost touched the ground and which seemed to be entirely constructed of golden spangles set with small diamonds. Never before had John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, seen such a display of barbaric finery, nor even amidst the jewels of Opar such a wealth of priceless stones.
Immediately after the hideous scream had first broken the comparative silence of the forest, Tarzan had noticed its effects upon the inmates131 of the compound. Instantly they had arisen to their feet. The women and children scurried132 behind the boles of the trees or clambered up the ropes into their swinging cages, while some of the men advanced to what Tarzan now saw was the gate of the compound. Outside this gate the gorilla halted and again raised his voice, but this time in speech rather than his hideous scream.
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1
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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2
revere
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| vt.尊崇，崇敬，敬畏 | |
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inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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conspirators
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| n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
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6
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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7
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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8
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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9
interrogated
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| v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
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10
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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prerogatives
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| n.权利( prerogative的名词复数 )；特权；大主教法庭；总督委任组成的法庭 | |
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15
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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chagrined
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| adj.懊恼的，苦恼的v.使懊恼，使懊丧，使悔恨( chagrin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
encompass
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| vt.围绕，包围；包含，包括；完成 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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instigated
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| v.使（某事物）开始或发生，鼓动( instigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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expiation
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| n.赎罪，补偿 | |
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ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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32
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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33
gleaned
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| 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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34
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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35
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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36
toils
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| 网 | |
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37
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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38
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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39
wrest
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| n.扭，拧，猛夺；v.夺取，猛扭，歪曲 | |
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40
vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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41
hoard
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| n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积 | |
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42
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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43
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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44
devious
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| adj.不坦率的，狡猾的；迂回的，曲折的 | |
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45
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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46
erratic
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| adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的 | |
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47
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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48
gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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49
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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50
declivity
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| n.下坡，倾斜面 | |
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51
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
scintillated
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| v.（言谈举止中）焕发才智( scintillate的过去式和过去分词 )；谈笑洒脱；闪耀；闪烁 | |
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53
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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54
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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55
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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56
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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57
waylay
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| v.埋伏，伏击 | |
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58
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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59
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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60
toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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61
gorilla
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| n.大猩猩，暴徒，打手 | |
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62
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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63
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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64
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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65
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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66
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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67
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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68
piqued
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| v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心） | |
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69
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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70
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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71
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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72
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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73
undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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74
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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75
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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76
amicable
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| adj.和平的，友好的；友善的 | |
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77
egress
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| n.出去；出口 | |
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78
inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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79
expediency
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| n.适宜；方便；合算；利己 | |
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80
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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81
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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82
lurk
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| n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏 | |
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83
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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84
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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85
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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87
apprehensively
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| adv.担心地 | |
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88
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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89
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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90
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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91
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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92
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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93
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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94
stockade
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| n.栅栏，围栏；v.用栅栏防护 | |
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95
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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96
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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97
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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98
arboreal
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| adj.树栖的；树的 | |
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99
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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100
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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101
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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102
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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103
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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104
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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105
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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106
bestial
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| adj.残忍的；野蛮的 | |
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107
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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108
beetling
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| adj.突出的，悬垂的v.快速移动( beetle的现在分词 ) | |
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109
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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110
dangled
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| 悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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111
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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112
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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113
maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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114
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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115
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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116
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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117
infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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118
meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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119
narration
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| n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体 | |
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120
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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121
grotesquely
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| adv. 奇异地,荒诞地 | |
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122
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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123
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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124
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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125
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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126
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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127
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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128
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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129
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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130
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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131
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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132
scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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