Sanders took nothing for granted when he accounted for native peoples. These tribes of his possessed1 an infinite capacity for unexpectedness—therein lay at once their danger and their charm. For one could neither despair at their sin nor grow too confidently elated at their virtue2, knowing that the sun which went down on the naughtiness of the one and the dovelike placidity3 of the other, might rise on the smouldering sacrificial fires in the streets of the blessed village, and reveal the folk of the incorrigible4 sitting at the doors of their huts, dust on head, hands outspread in an agony of penitence5.
Yet it seemed that the people of Kiko were models of deportment, thrift6, and intelligence, and that the gods had given them beautiful natures. Kiko, a district of the Lower Isisi, is separated from all other tribes and people by the Kiko on the one side, the Isisi River on the other, and on the third by clumps7 of forest land set at irregular intervals8 in the Great Marsh9.
Kiko proper stretches from the marsh to the tongue of land at the confluence10 of the Kiko and Isisi, in the shape of an irregular triangle.
To the eastward11, across the Kiko River, are the unruly N'gombi tribes; to the westward12, on the farther bank of the big river, are the Akasava; and the Kiko people enjoy an immunity13 from sudden attack, which is due in part to its geographical14 position, and in part to the remorseless activities of Mr. Commissioner15 Sanders.
"It seems to me," he said, "that we are children. For our crops have failed because of the floods, and the thieving Ochori have driven the game into their own country. Now, across the river are the Kiko people, and they have reaped an oat harvest; also, there is game in plenty. Must we sit and starve whilst the Kiko swell17 with food?"
A fair question, though the facts were not exactly stated, for the N'gombi were lazy, and had sown late; also the game was in their forest for the searching, but, as the saying is, "The N'gombi hunts from his bed and seeks only cooked meats."
One night the N'gombi stole across the river and fell upon Kiko city, establishing themselves masters of the country.
There was a great palaver, which was attended by the chief and headman of the Kiko.
"Henceforward," said the N'gombi king—Tigilini was his name—"you are as slaves to my people, and if you are gentle and good and work in the fields you shall have one-half of all you produce, for I am a just man, and very merciful. But if you rebel, I will take you for my sport."
Lest any misunderstanding should exist, he took the first malcontent19, who was a petty chief of a border village, and performed his programme.
This man had refused tribute, and was led, with roped hands, before the king, all headmen having been summoned to witness the happening.
The rebel was bound with his hands behind him, and was ordered to kneel. A young sapling was bent21 over, and one end of a native rope was fixed22 to its topmost branches, and the other about his neck. The tree was slowly released till the head of the offender23 was held taut24.
"Now!" said the king, and his executioner struck off the head, which was flung fifty yards by the released sapling.
It fell at the feet of Mr. Commissioner Sanders, who, with twenty-five Houssas and a machine gun, had just landed from the Zaire.
Sanders was annoyed; he had travelled three days and four nights with little sleep, and he had a touch of fever, which made him irritable25.
He walked into the village and interrupted an eloquent26 address on the obligations of the conquered, which the N'gombi thief thought it opportune27 to deliver.
He stopped half-way through his speech, and lost a great deal of interest in the proceedings28 as the crowd divided to allow of Sanders's approach.
"Lord," said Tigilini, that quick and subtle man, "you have come at a proper time, for these people were in rebellion against your lordship, and I have subdued29 them. Therefore, master, give me rewards as you gave to Bosambo of the Ochori."
Sanders gave nothing save a brief order, and his Houssas formed a half circle about the hut of the king—Tigilini watching the manoeuvre30 with some apprehension31.
"If," he said graciously. "I have done anything which your lordship thinks I should not have done, or taken that which I should not have taken, I will undo32 and restore."
"There is a body." He pointed34 to the stained and huddled35 thing on the ground. "There, by the path, is a head. Now, you shall put the head to that body and restore life."
They carried the king away, and no man ever saw his face again, and it is a legend that Tigilini, the king, is everlastingly38 chained to the hind20 leg of M'shimba M'shamba, the green devil of the Akasava. If the truth be told, Tigilini went no nearer to perdition than the convict prison at Sierra Leone, but the legend is not without its value as a deterrent39 to ambitious chiefs.
Sanders superintended the evacuation of the Kiko, watched the crestfallen40 N'gombi retire to their own lands, and set up a new king without fuss or ceremony. And the smooth life of the Kiko people ran pleasantly as before.
They tilled the ground and bred goats and caught fish. From the marsh forest, which was their backland, they gathered rubber and copal, and this they carried by canoe to the mouth of the river and sold.
So they came to be rich, and even the common people could afford three wives.
Sanders was very wise in the psychology41 of native wealth. He knew that people who grew rich in corn were dangerous, because corn is an irresponsible form of property, and had no ramifications42 to hold in check the warlike spirit of its possessors.
He knew, too, that wealth in goats, in cloth, in brass43 rods, and in land was a factor for peace, because possessions which cannot be eaten are ever a steadying influence in communal44 life.
Sanders was a wise man. He was governed by certain hard and fast rules, and though he was well aware that failure in any respect to grapple with a situation would bring him a reprimand, either because he had not acted according to the strict letter of the law, or because he "had not used his discretion45" in going outside that same inflexible46 code, he took responsibility without fear.
It was left to his discretion as to what part of the burden of taxation47 individual tribes should bear, and on behalf of his government he took his full share of the Kiko surplus, adjusting his demands according to the measure of the tribe's prosperity.
Three years after the enterprising incursion of the N'gombi, he came to the Kiko country on his half-yearly visit.
In the palaver house of the city he listened to complaints, as was his custom.
He sat from dawn till eight o'clock in the morning, and after the tenth complaint he turned to the chief of the Kiko, who sat at his side.
"Chief," he said, with that air of bland48 innocence49 which would have made men used to his ways shake in their tracks, "I observe that all men say one thing to me—that they are poor. Now this is not the truth."
"I am in your hands," said the chief diplomatically; "also my people, and they will pay taxation though they starve."
Sanders saw things in a new light.
"It seems," he said, addressing the serried50 ranks of people who squatted51 about, "that there is discontent in your stomachs because I ask you for your taxes. We will have a palaver on this."
"Lord," he said dramatically, "justice!"
"Kwai!" cried the people in chorus.
"Justice!" said the headman. "For you, Sandi, are very cruel and harsh. You take and take and give us nothing, and the people cry out in pain."
He paused, and Sanders nodded.
"Go on," he said.
"Corn and fish, gum and rubber, we give you," said the spokesman; "and when we ask whither goes this money, you point to the puc-a-puc[#] and your soldiers, and behold55 we are mocked. For your puc-a-puc comes only to take our taxes, and your soldiers to force us to pay."
[#] Steamer.
Again the applauding murmur rolled.
"So we have had a palaver," said the headman, "and this we have said among ourselves: 'Let Sandi remit56 one-half our taxes; these we will bring in our canoes to the Village-by-the-Big-Water, for we are honest men, and let Sandi keep his soldiers and his puc-a-puc for the folk of the Isisi and the Akasava and the N'gombi, for these are turbulent and wicked people.'"
"Kwai!"
It was evidently a popular movement, and Sanders smiled behind his hand.
"As for us," said the headman, "we are peaceable folk, and live comfortably with all nations, and if any demand of us that we shall pay tribute, behold it will be better to give freely than to pay these taxes."
Sanders listened in silence, then he turned to the chief.
"It shall be as you wish," he said, "and I will remit one half of your taxation—the palaver is finished."
He went on board the Zaire that night and lay awake listening to the castanets of the dancing women—the Kiko made merry to celebrate the triumph of their diplomacy57.
Sanders left next day for the Isisi, having no doubt in his mind that the news of his concession58 had preceded him. So it proved, for at Lukalili no sooner had he taken his place in the speech-house than the chief opened the proceedings.
"Lord Sandi," he began, "we are poor men, and our people cry out against taxation. Now, lord, we have thought largely on this matter, and this say the people: 'If your lordship would remit one-half our taxes we should be happy, for this puc-a-puc'——"
Sanders waved him down.
"Chiefs and people," he said, "I am patient, because I love you. But talk to me more about taxation and about puc-a-pucs, and I will find a new chief for me, and you will wish that you had never been born."
After that Sanders had no further trouble.
He came to the Ochori, and found Bosambo, wholly engrossed59 with his new baby, but ripe for action.
"Bosambo," said the Commissioner, after he had gingerly held the new-comer and bestowed60 his natal61 present, "I have a story to tell you."
He told his story, and Bosambo found it vastly entertaining.
Five days later, when Sanders was on his way home, Bosambo with ten picked men for paddlers, came sweeping62 up the river, and beached at Kiko city.
He was greeted effusively63; a feast was prepared for him, the chief's best hut was swept clean.
"Lord Bosambo," said the Kiko chief, when the meal was finished, "I shall have a sore heart this night when you are gone."
"I am a kind man," said Bosambo, "so I will not go to-night, for the thought of your sorrow would keep sleep from my eyes."
"Lord," said the chief hastily, "I am not used to sorrow, and, moreover, I shall sleep heavily, and it would be shameful64 if I kept you from your people, who sigh like hungry men for your return."
"That is true," said Bosambo, "yet I will stay this night, because my heart is full of pleasant thoughts for you."
"If you left to-night," said the embarrassed chief, "I would give you a present of two goats."
"Goats," said Bosambo, "I do not eat, being of a certain religious faith——"
"Salt I will give you also," said the chief.
"I stay to-night," said Bosambo emphatically; "to-morrow I will consider the matter."
The next morning Bosambo went to bathe in the river, and returned to see the chief of the Kiko squatting65 before the door of his hut, vastly glum66.
"Ho, Cetomati!" greeted Bosambo, "I have news which will gladden your heart."
A gleam of hope shone in the chief's eye.
"Chief," said Bosambo acidly, "if that be good news to you, I go. And woe68 to you and your people, for I am a proud man, and my people are also proud. Likewise, they are notoriously vengeful."
"Lord," he said humbly70, "my words are twisted, for, behold, all this night I have spent mourning in fear of losing your lordship. Now, tell me your good news that I may rejoice with you."
"This is my news, O king!" he said. "Whilst I bathed I beheld72, far away, certain Ochori canoes, and I think they bring my councillors. If this be so, I may stay with you for a long time—rejoice!"
He groaned more when the canoes arrived bringing reinforcements to Bosambo—ten lusty fighting men, terribly tall and muscular.
He groaned undisguisedly when the morrow brought another ten, and the evening some twenty more.
There are sayings on the river which are uncomplimentary to the appetites of the Ochori.
Thus: "Men eat to live fat, but the Ochori live to eat." And: "One field of corn will feed a village for a year, ten goats for a month, and an Ochori for a day."
Certainly Bosambo's followers74 were excellent trenchermen. They ate and they ate and they ate; from dawn till star time they alternated between the preparation of meals and their disposal. The simple folk of the Kiko stood in a wondering circle about them and watched in amazement75 as their good food vanished.
"I see we shall starve when the rains come," said the chief in despair.
He sent an urgent canoe to Sanders, but Sanders was without sympathy.
"Go to your master," he said to the envoy76, "telling him that all these things are his palaver. If he does not desire the guests of his house, let him turn them away, for the land is his, and he is chief."
Cold comfort for Cetomati this, for the Ochori sat in the best huts, eating the best foods, finding the best places at the dance-fires.
The king called a secret palaver of his headmen.
"These miserable77 Ochori thieves ruin us," he said. "Are we men or dogs? Now, I tell you, my people and councillors, that to-morrow I send Bosambo and his robbers away, though I die for it!"
"Lord," said one, "in the times of cala-cala the Kiko folk were very fierce and bloody79; perchance if we rouse the people with our eloquence80 they are still fierce and bloody."
"I do not think," he said, "that the Kiko people are as fierce and bloody as at one time, for we have had many fat years. What I know, O friend, is that the Ochori are very fierce indeed, and Bosambo has killed many men."
He screwed up his courage through the night, and in the morning put it to the test.
Bosambo, in his most lordly way, had ordered a big hunting, and he and his men were assembling in the village street when the king and his councillors approached.
"Lord," said the king mildly, "I have that within me which I must tell."
"Say on," said Bosambo.
"Now, I love you, Bosambo," said the chief, "and the thought that I must speed you on your way—with presents—is very sad to me."
"Yet lord," said the desperate chief, "I must, for my people are very fierce with me that I keep you so long within our borders. Likewise, there is much sickness, and I fear lest you and your beautiful men also become sick, and die."
"Only one man in all the world, chief," said Bosambo, speaking with deliberation, "has ever put such shame upon me—and, king, that man—where is he?"
The king of the Kiko did not say, because he did not know. He could guess—oh, very well he could guess!—and Bosambo's next words justified83 his guesswork.
"He is dead," said Bosambo solemnly. "I will not say how he died, lest you think I am a boastful one, or whose hand struck him down, for fear you think vainly—nor as to the manner of his dying, for that would give you sorrow!"
"I say no evil words," said Bosambo, "for I am, as you know, the brother-in-law of Sandi, and it would give him great grief. I say nothing, O little king!"
With a lofty wave of his hand he strode away, and, gathering85 his men together, he marched them to the beach.
It was in vain that the chief of the Kiko had stored food in enormous quantities and presents in each canoe, that bags of salt were evenly distributed amongst the paddlers.
Bosambo, it is true, did not throw them back upon the shore, but he openly and visibly scorned them. The king, standing18 first on one foot and then on the other, in his anxiety and embarrassment86, strove to give the parting something of a genial87 character, but Bosambo was silent, forbidding, and immensely gloomy.
"Lord," said the chief, "when shall my heart again be gladdened at the sight of your pretty face?"
"Who knows?" said Bosambo mysteriously. "Who can tell when I come, or my friends! For many men love me—Isisi, N'gombi, Akasava, Bongindi, and the Bush people."
He stepped daintily into his canoe.
"I tell you," he said, wagging a solemn forefinger88, "that whatever comes to you, it is no palaver of mine; whoever steals quietly upon you in the night, it will not be Bosambo—I call all men to witness this saying."
And with this he went.
There was a palaver that night, where all men spoke at once, and the Kiko king did not more than bite his nails nervously. It was certain that attack would come.
"Let us meet them boldly," said the one who had beforetime rendered such advice. "For in times of cala-cala the Kiko folk were fierce and bloody people."
Whatever they might have been once, there was no spirit of adventure abroad then, and many voices united to call the genius who had suggested defiance89 a fool and worse.
All night long the Kiko stood a nation in arms.
Once the hooting90 of a bird sent them scampering91 to their huts with howls of fear; once a wandering buffalo92 came upon a quaking picket93 and scattered94 it. Night after night the fearful Kiko kept guard, sleeping as they could by day.
They saw no enemy; the suspense95 was worse than the vision of armed warriors96. A messenger went to Sanders about the fears and apprehensions97 of the people, but Sanders was callous98.
"If any people attack you, I will come with my soldiers, and for every man of you who dies, I will kill one of your enemies."
"Lord," said the messenger, none other than the king's son, "if we are dead, we care little who lives or dies. Now, I ask you, master, to send your soldiers with me, for our people are tired and timid."
The messenger returned to his dismal100 nation—Sanders at the time was never more than a day's journey from the Kiko—and a sick and weary people sat down in despair to await the realisation of their fears.
They might have waited throughout all eternity101, for Bosambo was back in his own city, and had almost forgotten them, and Isisi and the Akasava, regarding them for some reason as Sanders' urglebes, would have no more thought of attacking them than they would have considered the possibility of attacking Sanders; and as for the N'gombi, they had had their lesson.
Thus matters stood when the Lulungo people, who live three days beyond the Akasava, came down the river looking for loot and trouble.
The Lulungo people are an unlovable race; "a crabbed102, bitter, and a beastly people," Sanders once described them in his wrath103.
For two years the Lulungo folk had lain quiet, then, like foraging104 and hungry dogs, they took the river trail—six canoes daubed with mud and rushes.
They found hospitality of a kind in the fishing villages, for the peaceable souls who lived therein fled at the first news of the visitation.
They came past the Ochori warily105 keeping to midstream. Time was when the Ochori would have supplied them with all their requirements, but nowadays these men of Bosambo's snapped viciously.
"None the less," said Gomora, titular106 chief of the Lulungo, to his headmen, "since we be so strong the Ochori will not oppose us—let two canoes paddle to land."
The long boats were detached from the fleet and headed for the beach. A shower of arrows fell short of them, and they turned back.
The Isisi country they passed, the Akasava they gave the widest of berths107 to, for the Lulungo folk are rather cruel than brave, better assassins than fighting men, more willing to kill coldly than in hot blood. They went lurching down the river, seizing such loot as the unprotected villages gave them.
It was a profitless expedition.
"Now we will go to Kiko," said Gomora; "for these people are very rich, and, moreover, they are fearful. Speak to my people, and say that there shall be no killing108, for that devil Sandi hates us, and he will incite109 the tribes against us, as he did in the days of my father."
They waited till night had fallen, and then, under the shadow of the river bank, they moved silently upon their prey110.
"We will frighten them," confided111 Gomora; "and they will give us what we ask; then we will make them swear by Iwa that they will not speak to Sandi—it will be simple."
The Lulungo knew the Kiko folk too well, and they landed at a convenient place, making their way through the strip of forest without the display of caution which such a manoeuvre would have necessitated112 had it been employed against a more warlike nation.
Sanders, hurrying down stream, his guns swung out and shotted for action, his armed Houssas sitting in the bow of the steamer, met two canoes, unmistakably Lulungo.
He circled and captured them. In one was Gomora, a little weak from loss of blood, but more bewildered.
"Lord," he said bitterly, "all this world is changed since you have come; once the Ochori were meat for me and my people, being very timorous113. Then by certain magic they became fierce fighters. And now, lord, the Kiko folk, who, up and down the river, are known for their gentleness, have become like devils."
Sanders waited, and the chief went on:
"Last night we came to the Kiko, desiring to rest with them, and in the dark of the forest they fell upon us, with great screaming; and, behold! of ten canoes these men are all I have left, for the Kiko were waiting for our coming."
He looked earnestly at Sanders.
"Tell me, lord," he said, "what magic do white men use to make warriors from cowards?"
"That is not for your knowing," said Sanders diplomatically; "yet you should put this amongst the sayings of your people, 'Every rat fights in his hole, and fear is more fierce than hate.'"
He went on to Kiko city, arriving in time to check an expedition, for the Kiko, filled with arrogance114 at their own powers, were assembling an army to attack the Ochori.
"Often have I told," said the chief, trembling with pride, "that the Kiko were terrible and bloody—now, lord, behold! In the night we slew115 our oppressors, for the spirit of our fathers returned to us, and our enemies could not check us."
"Excellent!" said Sanders in the vernacular116. "Now I see an end to all taxation palaver, for, truly, you do not desire my soldiers nor the puc-a-puc. Yet, lest the Lulungo folk return—for they are as many as the sands of the river—I will send fighting men to help you."
"Lord you are as our father and mother," said the gratified chief.
"Therefore I will prevail upon Bosambo, whose heart is now sore against you, to come with his fighting tribes to sit awhile at your city."
"Lord," he said, speaking under stress of emotion, "we are a poor people, yet we may pay your lordship full taxes, for in the end I think it would be cheaper than Bosambo and his hungry devils."
"So I think!" said Sanders.
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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placidity
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| n.平静，安静，温和 | |
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incorrigible
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| adj.难以纠正的，屡教不改的 | |
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penitence
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| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
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thrift
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| adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约 | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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marsh
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confluence
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| n.汇合，聚集 | |
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eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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immunity
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| n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权 | |
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geographical
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| adj.地理的；地区(性)的 | |
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commissioner
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| n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员 | |
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palaver
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swell
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standing
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malcontent
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hind
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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offender
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taut
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irritable
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eloquent
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opportune
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proceedings
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subdued
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manoeuvre
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apprehension
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undo
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| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
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hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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35
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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36
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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37
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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38
everlastingly
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| 永久地，持久地 | |
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39
deterrent
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| n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的 | |
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40
crestfallen
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| adj. 挫败的，失望的，沮丧的 | |
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41
psychology
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| n.心理，心理学，心理状态 | |
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42
ramifications
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| n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 ) | |
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43
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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44
communal
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| adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的 | |
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45
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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46
inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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47
taxation
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| n.征税，税收，税金 | |
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48
bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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49
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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50
serried
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| adj.拥挤的；密集的 | |
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51
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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52
litigant
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| n.诉讼当事人；adj.进行诉讼的 | |
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53
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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54
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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55
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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56
remit
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| v.汇款，汇寄；豁免（债务），免除（处罚等） | |
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57
diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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58
concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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59
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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60
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61
natal
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| adj.出生的，先天的 | |
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62
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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63
effusively
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| adv.变溢地，热情洋溢地 | |
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64
shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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65
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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66
glum
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| adj.闷闷不乐的，阴郁的 | |
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pointedly
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| adv.尖地，明显地 | |
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68
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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appeased
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| 安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
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72
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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73
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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74
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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76
envoy
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| n.使节，使者，代表，公使 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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79
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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81
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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83
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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84
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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85
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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86
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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88
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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89
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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90
hooting
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的现在分词 )； 倒好儿； 倒彩 | |
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scampering
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的现在分词 ) | |
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92
buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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93
picket
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| n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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95
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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96
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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97
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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98
callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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99
remitted
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| v.免除（债务），宽恕( remit的过去式和过去分词 )；使某事缓和；寄回，传送 | |
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100
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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101
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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102
crabbed
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| adj.脾气坏的；易怒的；（指字迹）难辨认的；（字迹等）难辨认的v.捕蟹( crab的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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103
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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104
foraging
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| v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西） | |
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105
warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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106
titular
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| adj.名义上的，有名无实的；n.只有名义（或头衔）的人 | |
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107
berths
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| n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位 | |
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108
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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109
incite
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| v.引起，激动，煽动 | |
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110
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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111
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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112
necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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113
timorous
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| adj.胆怯的，胆小的 | |
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114
arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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115
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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116
vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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117
noxious
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| adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的 | |
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118
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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