The Coanza, which is one of the principal rivers of Angola, falls into the Atlantic about a hundred miles from the spot at which the "Pilgrim" was stranded7. The stream, which a few years later was crossed by Cameron on his way to Benguela, seems destined8 to become the chief highway of traffic between Angola and the interior; steamers already ply9 upon its lower waters, and probably ten years will not elapse before they perform regular service along its entire course.
Dick Sands had been quite right in searching northwards for the navigable stream he had been so anxious to find; the rivulet10 he had been following fell into the Coanza scarce a mile away, and had it not been for this unexpected attack he and his friends might reasonably have hoped to descend11 the river upon a raft, until they reached one of the Portuguese12 forts where steam vessels13 put in. But their fate was ordered otherwise.
The camp which Dick had descried14 from the ant-hill was pitched upon an eminence15 crowned by an enormous sycamore-fig, one of those giant trees occasionally found in Central Africa, of which the spreading foliage16 will shelter some five hundred men. Some of the non-fruit-bearing kind of banyan-trees formed the background of the landscape.
Beneath the shelter of the sycamore, the caravan17 which had been referred to in the conversation between Negoro and Harris had just made a halt. Torn from their villages by the agents of the slave-dealer Alvez, the large troop of natives was on its way to the market of Kazonndé, thence to be sent as occasion required either to the west coast, or to Nyangwé, in the great lake district, to be dispersed18 into Upper Egypt or Zanzibar.
Immediately on reaching the camp, the four negroes and old Nan were placed under precisely19 the same treatment as the rest of the captives. In spite of a desperate resistance, they were deprived of their weapons, and fastened two and two, one behind another, by means of a pole about six feet long, forked at each end, and attached to their necks by an iron bolt. Their arms were left free, that they might carry any burdens, and in order to prevent an attempt to escape a heavy chain was passed round their waists. It was thus in single file, unable to turn either right or left, they would have to march hundreds of miles, goaded20 along their toilsome road by the havildar's whip. The lot of Hercules seemed preferable, exposed though undoubtedly21 he would be in his flight to hunger, and to the attacks of wild beasts, and to all the perils22 of that dreary23 country. But solitude24, with its worst privations, was a thing to be envied in comparison to being in the hands of those pitiless drivers, who did not speak a word of the language of their victims, but communicated with them only by threatening gestures or by actual violence.
As a white man, Dick was not attached to any other captive. The drivers were probably afraid to subject him to the same treatment as the negroes, and he was left unfettered, but placed under the strict surveillance of a havildar. At first he felt considerable surprise at not seeing Harris or Negoro in the camp, as he could not entertain a doubt that it was at their instigation the attack had been made upon their retreat; but when he came to reflect that Mrs. Weldon, Jack25, and Cousin Benedict had not been allowed to come with them, but had been carried off in some other direction, he began to think it probable that the two rascals26 had some scheme to carry out with regard to them elsewhere.
The caravan consisted of nearly eight hundred, including about five hundred slaves of both sexes, two hundred soldiers and freebooters, and a considerable number of havildars and drivers, over whom the agents acted as superior officers.
These agents are usually of Portuguese or Arab extraction; and the cruelties they inflict27 upon the miserable28 captives are almost beyond conception; they beat them continually, and if any unfortunate slave sinks from exhaustion29, or in any way becomes unfit for the market, he is forthwith either stabbed or shot. As the result of this brutality30 it rarely happens that fifty per cent of the slaves reach their destination; some few may contrive31 to escape, and many are left as skeletons along the line of route.
Such of the agents as are Portuguese are (as it may well be imagined) of the very lowest dregs of society, outlaws32, escaped criminals, and men of the most desperate character; of this stamp were the associates of Negoro and Harris, now in the employ of José Antonio Alvez, one of the most notorious of all the slave-dealers33 of Central Africa, and of whom Commander Cameron has given some curious information.
Most frequently the soldiers who escort the captives are natives hired by the dealers, but they do not possess the entire monopoly of the forays made for the purpose of securing slaves; the native negro kings make war upon each other with this express design, and sell their vanquished34 antagonists35, men, women, and children, to the traders for calico, guns, gunpowder36 and red beads37; or in times of famine, according to Livingstone, even for a few grains of maize38.
The escort of old Alvez' caravan was an average specimen39 of these African soldiers. It was simply a horde40 of half-naked banditti, carrying old flint-locked muskets41, the barrels of which were decorated with copper42 rings. The agents are very often put to their wits' end to know how to manage them; their orders are called in question, halts are continually demanded, and in order to avert43 desertion they are frequently obliged to yield to the obstreperous44 will of their undisciplined force.
Although the slaves, both male and female, are compelled to carry burdens whilst on their march, a certain number of porters, called pagazis, is specially45 engaged to carry the more valuable merchandize, and principally the ivory. Tusks46 occasionally weigh as much as 160 lbs., and require two men to carry them to the dépôts, whence they are sent to the markets of Khartoom, Natal47, and Zanzibar. On their arrival the pagazis are paid by the dealers according to contract, which is generally either by about twenty yards of the cotton stuff known as merikani, or by a little powder, by a handful or two of cowries, by some beads, or if all these be scarce, they are paid by being allotted48 some of the slaves who are otherwise unsalable.
Among the five hundred slaves in the caravan, very few were at all advanced in years. The explanation of this circumstance was that whenever a raid is made, and a village is set on fire, every inhabitant above the age of forty is mercilessly massacred or hung upon the neighbouring trees; only the children and young adults of both sexes are reserved for the market, and as these constitute only a small proportion of the vanquished, some idea may be formed of the frightful49 depopulation which these vast districts of Equinoctial Africa are undergoing.
Nothing could be more pitiable than the condition of this miserable herd50. All alike were destitute51 of clothing, having nothing on them but a few strips of the stuff known as mbuza, made from the bark of trees; many of the women were covered with bleeding wounds from the drivers' lashes52, and had their feet lacerated by the constant friction53 of the road, but in addition to other burdens were compelled to carry their own emaciated54 children; young men, too, there were who had lost their voices from exhaustion, and who, to use Livingstone's expression, had been reduced to "ebony skeletons" by toiling55 under the yoke56 of the fork, which is far more galling57 than the galley-chain. It was a sight that might have moved the most stony-hearted, but yet there was no symptom of compassion58 on the part of those Arab and Portuguese drivers whom Cameron pronounces "worse than brutes59." [Footnote: Cameron says, "In order to obtain the fifty women of whom Alvez is the owner, ten villages, containing altogether a population of not less than 1500, were totally destroyed. A few of the inhabitants contrived60 to escape, but the majority either perished in the flames, were slain61 in defending their families, or were killed by hunger or wild beasts in the jungle.... The crimes which are perpetuated62 in Africa, by men who call themselves Christians63, seem incredible to the inhabitants of civilized64 countries. It is impossible that the government at Lisbon can be aware of the atrocities65 committed by those who boast of being subject to her flag." Tour du Monde.
N.B.-Against these assertions of Cameron, loud protestations have been made in Portugal.]
The guard over the prisoners was so strict that Dick Sands felt it would be utterly66 useless for him to make any attempt to seek for Mrs. Weldon. She and her son had doubtless been carried off by Negoro, and his heart sank when he thought of the dangers to which too probably she would be exposed. Again and again he repeated his reproaches on himself that he had ever allowed either Negoro or Harris to escape his hands. Neither Mrs. Weldon nor Jack could expect the least assistance from Cousin Benedict; the good man was barely able to consult for himself. All three of them would, he conjectured67, be conveyed to some remote district of Angola; the poor mother, like some miserable slave, would insist upon carrying her own sick son until her strength failed her, and, exhausted68 by her endurances, she sank down helpless on the way.
A prisoner, and powerless to help! the very thought was itself a torture to poor Dick. Even Dingo was gone! It would have been a satisfaction to have had the dog to send off upon the track of the lost ones. One only hope remained. Hercules still was free. All that human strength could attempt in Mrs. Weldon's behalf, Hercules would not fail to try. Perhaps, too, under cover of the night, it was not altogether improbable that the stalwart negro would mingle69 with the crowd of negroes (amongst whom his dark skin would enable him to pass unnoticed), and make his way to Dick himself; then might not the two together elude70 the vigilance of the watch? might they not follow after and overtake Mrs. Weldon in the forest? would they not perchance be able either by stealth or by force to liberate71 her, and once free they would effect an escape to the river, and finally accomplish the undertaking72 in which they had been so lamentably73 frustrated74. Such were the sanguine75 visions in which Dick permitted himself to indulge; his temperament76 overcame all tendency to despair, and kept him alive to the faintest chance of deliverance.
The next thing of importance was to ascertain77 the destination of the caravan. It was a matter of the most serious moment whether the convoy78 of slaves were going to be carried to one of the dépôts of Angola, or whether they were to be sent hundreds of miles into the interior to Nyangwe, in the heart of the great lake district that Livingstone was then exploring. To reach the latter spot would occupy some months, and to return thence to the coast, even if they should be fortunate enough to regain79 their liberty, would be a work of insuperable difficulty.
He was not long left in suspense80. Although he could not understand the half-African, half-Arab dialect that was used by the leaders of the caravan, he noticed that the word Kazonndé occurred very frequently, and knowing it as the name of an important market in the province, he naturally concluded that it was there the slaves were to be disposed of; whether for the advantage of the king of the district, or of one of the rich traders, he had no means of telling. Unless his geographical81 knowledge was at fault, he was aware that Kazonndé must be about 400 miles from S. Paul de Loanda, and consequently that it could hardly be more than 250 miles from the part of the Coanza where they were now encamped. Under favourable82 circumstances it was a journey that could not be accomplished83 in less than twelve or fourteen days, but allowing for the retarded84 progress of a caravan already exhausted by a lengthened85 march, Dick was convinced that they could not reach the place for at least three weeks.
He was most anxious to communicate to his companions in adversity his impression that they were not to be carried into the heart of the country, and began to cogitate86 whether some plan could not be devised for exchanging a few words with them.
Forked together, as it has been said, two and two, the four negroes were at the right-hand extremity87 of the camp; Bat attached to his father, Austin to Actæon. A havildar, with twelve soldiers, formed their guard. Dick, at first, was about fifty yards away from the group, but being left free to move about, contrived gradually to diminish the distance between himself and them. Tom seemed to apprehend88 his intention, and whispered a word to his companions that they should be on the look-out. Without moving they were all on their guard in a moment. Dick, careful to conceal89 his design, strolled backward with a feigned90 indifference91, and succeeded in getting so near that he might have called out and informed Tom that they were going to Kazonndé. But he was desirous of accomplishing more than this; he wanted to get an opportunity of having some conversation as to their future plans, and he ventured to approach still nearer. His heart beat high as he believed he was on the point of attaining92 his object, when all at once the havildar, becoming aware of his design, rushed upon him like a madman, summoned some soldiers, and with considerable violence sent him back to the front. Tom and the others were quickly removed to another part of the encampment.
Exasperated93 by the rough attack that was made upon him, Dick had seized the havildar's gun and broken it, almost wrenching94 it from his hands, when several soldiers simultaneously95 assailed96 him, and would have struck him down and killed him upon the spot, had not one of the chiefs, an Arab of huge stature97 and ferocious98 countenance99, interfered100 to stop them.
This Arab was the Ibn Hamish of whom Harris had spoken to Negoro. He said a few words which Dick could not understand, and the soldiers, with manifest reluctance101, relaxed their hold and retired102. It was evident that although Dick was not to be permitted to hold any communication
[Illustration: The start was made.]
with the rest of his party, orders had been given that his life was to be protected.
It was now nine o'clock, and the beating of drums and the blowing of coodoo [Footnote: Coodoo, a ruminant common in Africa.] horns gave the signal that the morning march was to be continued. Instantly chiefs, soldiers, porters, and slaves were upon their feet, and arranged themselves in their various groups with a havildar bearing a bright-coloured banner at their head.
The order was given; the start was made. A strange song was heard rising in the air. It was a song, not of the victors, but of the vanquished. The slaves were chanting an imprecation on their oppressors; and the burden of the chorus was that captured, tortured, slain-after death they would return and avenge103 their wrongs upon their murderers!
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1
swelling
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n.肿胀 | |
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tributaries
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n. 支流 | |
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overflow
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v.(使)外溢,(使)溢出;溢出,流出,漫出 | |
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4
inundation
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n.the act or fact of overflowing | |
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5
entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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watery
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adj.有水的,水汪汪的;湿的,湿润的 | |
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7
stranded
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a.搁浅的,进退两难的 | |
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destined
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adj.命中注定的;(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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ply
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v.(搬运工等)等候顾客,弯曲 | |
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10
rivulet
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n.小溪,小河 | |
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descend
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vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降 | |
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12
Portuguese
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n.葡萄牙人;葡萄牙语 | |
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vessels
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n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人 | |
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14
descried
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adj.被注意到的,被发现的,被看到的 | |
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15
eminence
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n.卓越,显赫;高地,高处;名家 | |
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foliage
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n.叶子,树叶,簇叶 | |
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caravan
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n.大蓬车;活动房屋 | |
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dispersed
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adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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19
precisely
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adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 | |
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20
goaded
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v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 );激励;(用尖棒)驱赶;驱使(或怂恿、刺激)某人 | |
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21
undoubtedly
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adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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22
perils
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极大危险( peril的名词复数 ); 危险的事(或环境) | |
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23
dreary
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adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的 | |
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24
solitude
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n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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25
jack
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n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克 | |
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rascals
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流氓( rascal的名词复数 ); 无赖; (开玩笑说法)淘气的人(尤指小孩); 恶作剧的人 | |
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27
inflict
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vt.(on)把…强加给,使遭受,使承担 | |
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28
miserable
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adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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29
exhaustion
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n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述 | |
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30
brutality
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n.野蛮的行为,残忍,野蛮 | |
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31
contrive
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vt.谋划,策划;设法做到;设计,想出 | |
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32
outlaws
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歹徒,亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 ); 逃犯 | |
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33
dealers
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n.商人( dealer的名词复数 );贩毒者;毒品贩子;发牌者 | |
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34
vanquished
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v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 );战胜;克服;抑制 | |
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antagonists
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对立[对抗] 者,对手,敌手( antagonist的名词复数 ); 对抗肌; 对抗药 | |
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36
gunpowder
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n.火药 | |
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37
beads
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n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链 | |
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maize
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n.玉米 | |
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39
specimen
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n.样本,标本 | |
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40
horde
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n.群众,一大群 | |
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41
muskets
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n.火枪,(尤指)滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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42
copper
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n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的 | |
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43
avert
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v.防止,避免;转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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obstreperous
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adj.喧闹的,不守秩序的 | |
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specially
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adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地 | |
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46
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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natal
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adj.出生的,先天的 | |
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48
allotted
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分配,拨给,摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
frightful
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adj.可怕的;讨厌的 | |
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50
herd
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n.兽群,牧群;vt.使集中,把…赶在一起 | |
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51
destitute
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adj.缺乏的;穷困的 | |
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52
lashes
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n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 );鞭子;突然猛烈的一击;急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 );煽动;紧系;怒斥 | |
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53
friction
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n.摩擦,摩擦力 | |
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54
emaciated
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adj.衰弱的,消瘦的 | |
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55
toiling
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长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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56
yoke
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n.轭;支配;v.给...上轭,连接,使成配偶 | |
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57
galling
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adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的 | |
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58
compassion
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n.同情,怜悯 | |
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59
brutes
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兽( brute的名词复数 ); 畜生; 残酷无情的人; 兽性 | |
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60
contrived
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adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的 | |
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61
slain
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杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的过去分词 ); (slay的过去分词) | |
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62
perpetuated
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vt.使永存(perpetuate的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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63
Christians
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n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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64
civilized
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a.有教养的,文雅的 | |
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65
atrocities
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n.邪恶,暴行( atrocity的名词复数 );滔天大罪 | |
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66
utterly
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adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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67
conjectured
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推测,猜测,猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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68
exhausted
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adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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69
mingle
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vt.使混合,使相混;vi.混合起来;相交往 | |
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70
elude
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v.躲避,困惑 | |
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71
liberate
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v.解放,使获得自由,释出,放出;vt.解放,使获自由 | |
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72
undertaking
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n.保证,许诺,事业 | |
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73
lamentably
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adv.哀伤地,拙劣地 | |
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74
frustrated
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adj.挫败的,失意的,泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧 | |
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75
sanguine
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adj.充满希望的,乐观的,血红色的 | |
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76
temperament
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n.气质,性格,性情 | |
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77
ascertain
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vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清 | |
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78
convoy
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vt.护送,护卫,护航;n.护送;护送队 | |
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79
regain
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vt.重新获得,收复,恢复 | |
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80
suspense
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n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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81
geographical
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adj.地理的;地区(性)的 | |
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82
favourable
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adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的 | |
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83
accomplished
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adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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84
retarded
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a.智力迟钝的,智力发育迟缓的 | |
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85
lengthened
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(时间或空间)延长,伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
cogitate
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v.慎重思考,思索 | |
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87
extremity
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n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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88
apprehend
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vt.理解,领悟,逮捕,拘捕,忧虑 | |
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89
conceal
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v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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90
feigned
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a.假装的,不真诚的 | |
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91
indifference
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n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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92
attaining
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(通常经过努力)实现( attain的现在分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) | |
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93
exasperated
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adj.恼怒的 | |
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94
wrenching
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n.修截苗根,苗木铲根(铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土)v.(猛力地)扭( wrench的现在分词 );扭伤;使感到痛苦;使悲痛 | |
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95
simultaneously
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adv.同时发生地,同时进行地 | |
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96
assailed
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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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97
stature
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n.(高度)水平,(高度)境界,身高,身材 | |
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98
ferocious
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adj.凶猛的,残暴的,极度的,十分强烈的 | |
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99
countenance
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n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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100
interfered
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v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 );调停;妨碍;干涉 | |
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101
reluctance
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n.厌恶,讨厌,勉强,不情愿 | |
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102
retired
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adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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103
avenge
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v.为...复仇,为...报仇 | |
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