Alvez and Coïmbra were urgent in their demand that Dick should forthwith be punished by death, but Negoro whispered to them that they would assuredly be the gainers by delay, and they accordingly contented2 themselves with ordering the youth to be placed under strict supervision3.
This was the first time that Dick had set eyes upon Negoro since he had left the coast; nevertheless, so heartbroken was he at the intelligence he had just received, that he did not deign4 to address a word to the man whom he knew to be the real author of all his misery5. He cared not now what became of him.
Loaded with chains, he was placed in the dungeon6 where Alvez was accustomed to confine slaves who had been condemned7 to death for mutiny or violence. That he had no communication with the outer world gave him no concern; he had avenged8 the death of those for whose safety he had felt himself responsible, and could now calmly await the fate which he could not doubt was in store for him; he did not dare to suppose that he had been temporarily spared otherwise than that he might
[Illustration: Accompanied by Coïmbra, Alvez himself was one of the first arrivals.]
suffer the cruellest tortures that native ingenuity9 could devise. That the "Pilgrim's" cook now held in his power the boy captain he so thoroughly10 hated was warrant enough that the sternest possible measure of vengeance11 would be exacted.
Two days later, the great market, the lakoni, commenced. Although many of the principal traders were there from the interior, it was by no means exclusively a slave-mart; a considerable proportion of the natives from the neighbouring provinces assembled to dispose of the various products of the country.
Quite early the great chitoka of Kazonndé was all alive with a bustling12 concourse of little under five thousand people, including the slaves of old Alvez, amongst whom were Tom and his three partners in adversity-an item by no means inconsiderable in the dealer13's stock.
Accompanied by Coïmbra, Alvez himself was one of the first arrivals. He was going to sell his slaves in lots to be conveyed in caravans14 into the interior. The dealers15 for the most part consisted of half-breeds from Ujiji, the principal market on Lake Tanganyika, whilst some of a superior class were manifestly Arabs.
The natives that were assembled were of both sexes, and of every variety of age, the women in particular displaying an aptitude16 in making bargains that is shared by their sisters elsewhere of a lighter17 hue18; and it may be said that no market of the most civilized19 region could be characterized by greater excitement or animation20, for amongst the savages21 of Africa the customer makes his offer in equally noisy terms as the vendor22.
The lakoni was always considered a kind of fète-day; consequently the natives of both sexes, though their clothing was scanty23 in extent, made a point of appearing in a most lavish24 display of ornaments25. Their head-gear was most remarkable26. The men had their hair arranged in every variety of eccentric device; some had it divided into four parts, rolled over cushions and fastened into a chignon, or mounted in front into a bunch of tails adorned28 with red feathers; others plastered it thickly with a mixture of red mud and oil similar to that used for greasing machinery29, and formed it into cones30 or lumps, into which they inserted a medley31 of iron pins and ivory skewers32; whilst the greatest dandies had a glass bead33 threaded upon every single hair, the whole being fastened together by a tattooing34-knife driven through the glittering mass.
As a general rule, the women preferred dressing35 their hair in little tufts about the size of a cherry, arranging it into the shape of a cap, with corkscrew ringlets on each side of the face. Some wore it simply hanging down their backs, others in French fashion, with a fringe across the forehead; but every coiffure, without exception, was daubed and caked either with the mixture of mud and grease, or with a bright red extract of sandal-wood called nkola.
But it was not only on their heads that they made this extraordinary display of ornaments; the lobes36 of their ears were loaded till they reached their shoulders with a profusion37 of wooden pegs38, open-work copper39 rings, grains of maize40, or little gourds41, which served the purpose of snuff-boxes; their necks, arms, wrists, legs, and ankles were a perfect mass of brass42 and copper rings, or sometimes were covered with a lot of bright buttons. Rows of red beads43, called sames-sames, or talakas, seemed also very popular. As they had no pockets, they attached their knives, pipes and other articles to various parts of their body; so that altogether, in their holiday attire44, the rich men of the district might not inappropriately be compared to walking shrines45.
With their teeth they had all played the strangest of vagaries46; the upper and lower incisors had generally been extracted, and the others had been filed to points or carved into hooks, like the fangs47 of a rattle-snake. Their fingernails were allowed to grow to such an immoderate length as to render the hands well-nigh useless, and their swarthy skins were tattooed48 with figures of trees, birds, crescents and discs, or, not unfrequently, with those zigzag49 lines which Livingstone thinks he recognizes as resembling those observed in ancient Egyptian drawings. The tattooing is effected by means of a blue substance inserted into incisions50 previously51 made in the skin. Every child is tattooed in precisely52 the same pattern as his father before him, and thus it may always be ascertained53 to what family he belongs. Instead of carrying his armorial bearings upon his plate or upon the panels of his carriage, the African magnate wears them emblazoned on his own bosom54!
The garments that were usually worn were simply aprons55 of antelope-skins descending56 to the knees, but occasionally a short petticoat might be seen made of woven grass and dyed with bright colours. The ladies not unfrequently wore girdles of beads attached to green skirts embroidered57 with silk and ornamented58 with bits of glass or cowries, or sometimes the skirts were made of the grass cloth called lambda, which, in blue, yellow, or black, is so much valued by the people of Zanzibar.
Garments of these pretensions59, however, always indicated that the wearers belonged to the upper classes; the lower orders, such as the smaller dealers, as well as the slaves, had hardly any clothes at all.
The women commonly acted as porters, and arrived at the market with huge baskets on their backs, which they secured by means of straps60 passed across the forehead. Having deposited their loads upon the chitoka, they turned out their goods, and then seated themselves inside the empty baskets.
As the result of the extreme fertility of the country all the articles offered for sale were of a first-rate quality. There were large stores of rice, which had been grown at a profit a hundred times as great as the cost, and maize which, producing three crops in eight months, yielded a profit as large again as the rice. There were also sesame, Urua pepper stronger than Cayenne, manioc, nutmegs, salt, and palm-oil. In the market, too, were hundreds of goats, pigs and sheep, evidently of a Tartar breed, with hair instead of wool; and there was a good supply of fish and poultry61. Besides all these there was an attractive display of bright-coloured pottery62, the designs of which were very symmetrical.
In shrill63, squeaky voices, children were crying several varieties of native drinks; banana-wine, pombé, which, whatever it was, seemed to be in great demand; malofoo, a kind of beer compounded of bananas, and mead64, a mixture of honey and water, fermented65 with malt.
But the most prominent feature in the whole market was the traffic in stuffs and ivory. The pieces could be counted by thousands of the unbleached mcrikani from Salem in Massachusetts, of the blue cotton, kaniki, thirty-four inches wide, and of the checked sohari, blue and black with its scarlet66 border. More expensive than these were lots of silk diulis, with red, green, or yellow grounds, which are sold in lengths of three yards, at prices varying from seven dollars to eighty, when they are interwoven with gold.
The ivory had come from well-nigh every part of Central Africa, and was destined67 for Khartoom, Zanzibar, and Natal68, many of the merchants dealing69 in this commodity exclusively.
How vast a number of elephants must be slaughtered70 to supply this ivory may be imagined when it is remembered that over 200 tons, that is, 1,125,000 lbs., are exported annually71 to Europe. Of this, much the larger share goes to England, where the Sheffield cutlery consumes about 382,500 lbs. From the West Coast of Africa alone the produce is nearly 140 tons.
The average weight of a pair of tusks72 is 28 lbs., and the ordinary value of these in 1874 would be about 60l.; but here in Kazonndé were some weighing no less than 165 lbs., of that soft, translucent73 quality which retains its whiteness far better than the ivory from other sources.
As already mentioned, slaves are not unfrequently used as current money amongst the African traders, but the natives themselves usually pay for their goods with Venetian glass beads, of which the chalk-white are called catchokolos, the black bubulus, and the red sikunderetches. Strung in ten rows, or khetés, these beads are twisted twice round the neck, forming what is called a foondo, which is always reckoned of considerable value.
The usual measure by which they are sold is the frasilah, containing a weight of about 70 lbs. Livingstone, Cameron and Stanley always took care to be well provided with this kind of currency. In default of beads, the picé, a Zanzibar coin worth something more than a farthing, and vioon-gooas, shells peculiar74 to the East Coast, are recognized as a medium of exchange in the market. Amongst the cannibal tribes a certain value is attached to human teeth, and at the lakoni some natives might be seen wearing strings75 of teeth, the owners of which they had probably, at some previous time, devoured76. This species of currency, however, was falling rapidly into disuse.
Towards the middle of the day the excitement of the market reached its highest pitch, and the uproar77 became perfectly78 deafening79. The voices of the eager sellers mingled80 with those of indignant and overcharged customers; fights were numerous, and as there was an utter absence of any kind of police, no effort was made to restore peace or order amongst the unruly crowd.
It was just noon when Alvez gave orders that the slaves he wished to dispose of should be placed on view. Thereupon nearly two thousand unfortunates were brought forward, many of whom had been confined in the dealer's barracks for several months. Most of the stock, however, had been so carefully attended to that they were in good condition, and it was only the last batch81 that looked as if they would be improved by another month's rest; but as the demand upon the East Coast was now very large, Alvez hoped to get a good price for all, and determined82 to part with even the last arrivals for whatever sum he could obtain.
Amongst these latter, whom the havildars drove like a herd83 of cattle into the middle of the chitoka, were Tom and his three friends. They were closely chained, and rage and shame were depicted84 in their countenances85.
Bat passed a quick and scrutinizing86 gaze around him, and said to the others,-
"I do not see Mr. Dick."
Tom answered mournfully,-
"Mr. Dick will be killed, if he is not dead already. Our only hope is that we may now all be bought in one lot; it will be a consolation87 to us if we can be all together."
Tears rose to Bat's eyes as he thought of how his poor old father was likely to be sold, and carried away to wear out his days as a common slave.
The sale now commenced. The agents of Alvez proceeded to divide the slaves, men, women and children, into lots, treating them in no respect better than beasts in a cattle-market. Tom and the others were paraded about from customer to customer, an agent accompanying them to proclaim the price demanded. Strong, intelligent-looking Americans, quite different to the miserable88 creatures brought from the banks of the Zambesi and Lualaba, they at once attracted the observation of the Arab and half-breed dealers. Just as though they were examining a horse, the buyers felt their limbs, turned them round and round, looked at their teeth, and finally tested their paces by throwing a stick to a distance and making them run to fetch it.
All the slaves were subjected to similar humiliations; and ail27 alike, except the very young children, seemed deeply sensible of their degradation89. The cruelty exhibited towards them was very vile90. Coïmbra, who was half drunk, treated them with the utmost brutality91; not that they had any reason to expect any gentler dealings at the hands of the new masters who might purchase them for ivory or any other commodity. Children were torn away from their parents, husbands from their wives, brothers from sisters, and without even the indulgence of a parting word, were separated never to meet again.
The scenes that occur at such markets as this at Kazonndé are too heartrending to be described in detail.
It is one of the peculiar requirements of the slave-trade that the two sexes should have an entirely92 different destination. In fact, the dealers who purchase men never purchase women. The women, who are required to supply the Mussulman harems, are sent principally to Arab districts to be exchanged for ivory; whilst the men, who are to be put to hard labour, are despatched to the coast, East and West, whence they are exported to the Spanish colonies, or to the markets of Muscat or Madagascar.
To Tom and his friends the prospect93 of being transported to a slave colony was far better than that of being retained in some Central African province, where they could have no chance of regaining94 their liberty; and the moment, to them, was accordingly one of great suspense95.
Altogether, things turned out for them better than they dared anticipate. They had at least the satisfaction of finding that as yet they were not to be separated. Alvez, of course, had taken good care to conceal96 the origin of this exceptional lot, and their own ignorance of the language thoroughly prevented them from communicating it; but the anxiety to secure so valuable a property rendered the competition for it very keen; the bidding rose higher and higher, until at length the four men were knocked down to a rich Arab dealer, who purposed in the course of a few days to take them to Lake Tanganyika, and thence to one of the deptôs of Zanzibar.
This journey, it is true, would be for 1500 miles across the most unhealthy parts of Central Africa, through districts harassed97 by internal wars; and it seemed improbable that Tom could survive the hardships he must meet; like poor old Nan, he would succumb98 to fatigue99; but the brave fellows did not suffer themselves to fear the future, they were only too happy to be still together; and the chain that bound them one to another was felt to be easier and lighter to bear.
Their new master knew that it was for his own interest that his purchase should be well taken care of; he looked to make a substantial profit at Zanzibar, and sent them off at once to his own private barracks; consequently they saw no more of what transpired100 at Kazonndé.
点击收听单词发音
1 corpse | |
n.尸体,死尸 | |
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2 contented | |
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的 | |
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3 supervision | |
n.监督,管理 | |
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4 deign | |
v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事) | |
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5 misery | |
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
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6 dungeon | |
n.地牢,土牢 | |
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7 condemned | |
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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8 avenged | |
v.为…复仇,报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 );为…报复 | |
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9 ingenuity | |
n.别出心裁;善于发明创造 | |
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10 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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11 vengeance | |
n.报复,报仇,复仇 | |
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12 bustling | |
adj.喧闹的 | |
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13 dealer | |
n.商人,贩子 | |
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14 caravans | |
(可供居住的)拖车(通常由机动车拖行)( caravan的名词复数 ); 篷车; (穿过沙漠地带的)旅行队(如商队) | |
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15 dealers | |
n.商人( dealer的名词复数 );贩毒者;毒品贩子;发牌者 | |
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16 aptitude | |
n.(学习方面的)才能,资质,天资 | |
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17 lighter | |
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级 | |
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18 hue | |
n.色度;色调;样子 | |
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19 civilized | |
a.有教养的,文雅的 | |
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20 animation | |
n.活泼,兴奋,卡通片/动画片的制作 | |
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21 savages | |
未开化的人,野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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22 vendor | |
n.卖主;小贩 | |
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23 scanty | |
adj.缺乏的,仅有的,节省的,狭小的,不够的 | |
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24 lavish | |
adj.无节制的;浪费的;vt.慷慨地给予,挥霍 | |
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25 ornaments | |
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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26 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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27 ail | |
v.生病,折磨,苦恼 | |
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28 adorned | |
[计]被修饰的 | |
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29 machinery | |
n.(总称)机械,机器;机构 | |
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30 cones | |
n.(人眼)圆锥细胞;圆锥体( cone的名词复数 );球果;圆锥形东西;(盛冰淇淋的)锥形蛋卷筒 | |
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31 medley | |
n.混合 | |
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32 skewers | |
n.串肉扦( skewer的名词复数 );烤肉扦;棒v.(用串肉扦或类似物)串起,刺穿( skewer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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33 bead | |
n.念珠;(pl.)珠子项链;水珠 | |
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34 tattooing | |
n.刺字,文身v.刺青,文身( tattoo的现在分词 );连续有节奏地敲击;作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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35 dressing | |
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 | |
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36 lobes | |
n.耳垂( lobe的名词复数 );(器官的)叶;肺叶;脑叶 | |
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37 profusion | |
n.挥霍;丰富 | |
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38 pegs | |
n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 );挂钉;系帐篷的桩;弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 );使固定在某水平 | |
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39 copper | |
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的 | |
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40 maize | |
n.玉米 | |
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41 gourds | |
n.葫芦( gourd的名词复数 ) | |
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42 brass | |
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 | |
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43 beads | |
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链 | |
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44 attire | |
v.穿衣,装扮[同]array;n.衣着;盛装 | |
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45 shrines | |
圣地,圣坛,神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 ) | |
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46 vagaries | |
n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 );异想天开;异常行为;难以预测的情况 | |
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47 fangs | |
n.(尤指狗和狼的)长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 );(蛇的)毒牙;罐座 | |
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48 tattooed | |
v.刺青,文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 );连续有节奏地敲击;作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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49 zigzag | |
n.曲折,之字形;adj.曲折的,锯齿形的;adv.曲折地,成锯齿形地;vt.使曲折;vi.曲折前行 | |
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50 incisions | |
n.切开,切口( incision的名词复数 ) | |
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51 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
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52 precisely | |
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 | |
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53 ascertained | |
v.弄清,确定,查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54 bosom | |
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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55 aprons | |
围裙( apron的名词复数 ); 停机坪,台口(舞台幕前的部份) | |
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56 descending | |
n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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57 embroidered | |
adj.绣花的 | |
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58 ornamented | |
adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59 pretensions | |
自称( pretension的名词复数 ); 自命不凡; 要求; 权力 | |
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60 straps | |
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带 | |
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61 poultry | |
n.家禽,禽肉 | |
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62 pottery | |
n.陶器,陶器场 | |
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63 shrill | |
adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫 | |
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64 mead | |
n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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65 fermented | |
v.(使)发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 );(使)激动;骚动;骚扰 | |
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66 scarlet | |
n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的 | |
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67 destined | |
adj.命中注定的;(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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68 natal | |
adj.出生的,先天的 | |
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69 dealing | |
n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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70 slaughtered | |
v.屠杀,杀戮,屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71 annually | |
adv.一年一次,每年 | |
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72 tusks | |
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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73 translucent | |
adj.半透明的;透明的 | |
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74 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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75 strings | |
n.弦 | |
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76 devoured | |
吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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77 uproar | |
n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸 | |
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78 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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79 deafening | |
adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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80 mingled | |
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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81 batch | |
n.一批(组,群);一批生产量 | |
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82 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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83 herd | |
n.兽群,牧群;vt.使集中,把…赶在一起 | |
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84 depicted | |
描绘,描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 ); 描述 | |
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85 countenances | |
n.面容( countenance的名词复数 );表情;镇静;道义支持 | |
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86 scrutinizing | |
v.仔细检查,详审( scrutinize的现在分词 ) | |
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87 consolation | |
n.安慰,慰问 | |
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88 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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89 degradation | |
n.降级;低落;退化;陵削;降解;衰变 | |
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90 vile | |
adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的 | |
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91 brutality | |
n.野蛮的行为,残忍,野蛮 | |
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92 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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93 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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94 regaining | |
复得( regain的现在分词 ); 赢回; 重回; 复至某地 | |
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95 suspense | |
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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96 conceal | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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97 harassed | |
adj. 疲倦的,厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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98 succumb | |
v.屈服,屈从;死 | |
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99 fatigue | |
n.疲劳,劳累 | |
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100 transpired | |
(事实,秘密等)被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 ); 泄露; 显露; 发生 | |
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