Gonzalo Pizarro’s Expedition. — Passage Across The Mountains. — Discovers The Napo. — Incredible Sufferings. — Orellana Sails Down The Amazon. — Despair Of The Spaniards. — The Survivors1 Return To Quito.
1540–1542.
Gonzalo Pizarro received the news of his appointment to the government of Quito with undisguised pleasure; not so much for the possession that it gave him of this ancient Indian province, as for the field that it opened for discovery towards the east, — the fabled2 land of Oriental spices, which had long captivated the imagination of the Conquerors4. He repaired to his government without delay, and found no difficulty in awakening5 a kindred enthusiasm to his own in the bosoms6 of his followers8. In a short time, he mustered9 three hundred and fifty Spaniards, and four thousand Indians. One hundred and fifty of his company were mounted, and all were equipped in the most thorough manner for the undertaking10. He provided, moreover, against famine by a large stock of provisions, and an immense drove of swine which followed in the rear 1
1 Herrera, Hist. General, dec. lib. 8, cap. 6, 7. — Garcilasso, Com Real., Parte 2, lib. 3, cap. 2. — Zarate, Conq. del Peru, lib. 4, cap. 1, 2. — Gomara, Hist. de las Ind., cap. 143. — Montesinos, Annales, ano 1539.
Historians differ as to the number of Gonzalo’s forces, — of his men, his horses, and his hogs11. The last, according to Herrera, amounted to no less than 5000; a goodly supply of bacon for so small a troop, since the Indians, doubtless, lived on parched12 corn, coca, which usually formed their only support on the longest journeys.]
It was the beginning of 1540, when he set out on this celebrated13 expedition. The first part of the journey was attended with comparatively little difficulty, while the Spaniards were yet in the land of the Incas; for the distractions14 of Peru had not been felt in this distant province, where the simple people still lived as under the primitive15 sway of the Children of the Sun. But the scene changed as they entered the territory of Quixos, where the character of the inhabitants, as well as of the climate, seemed to be of another description. The country was traversed by lofty ranges of the Andes, and the adventurers were soon entangled16 in their deep and intricate passes. As they rose into the more elevated regions, the icy winds that swept down the sides of the Cordilleras benumbed their limbs, and many of the natives found a wintry grave in the wilderness17. While crossing this formidable barrier, they experienced one of those tremendous earthquakes which, in these volcanic18 regions, so often shake the mountains to their base. In one place, the earth was rent asunder19 by the terrible throes of Nature, while streams of sulphurous vapor20 issued from the cavity, and a village with some hundreds of houses was precipitated21 into the frightful22 abyss! 2
2 Zarate states the number with precision at five hundred houses. “Sobrevino vn tan gran Terremoto, con3 temblor, i tempestad de Agua, i Relampagos, i Raios, i grandes Truenos, que abriendose la Tierra por muchas partes, se hundieron quinientas Casas.” (Conq. del Peru, lib. 4, cap. 2.) There is nothing so satisfactory to the mind of the reader as precise numbers; and nothing so little deserving of his confidence.
On descending24 the eastern slopes, the climate changed; and, as they came on the lower level, the fierce cold was succeeded by a suffocating25 heat, while tempests of thunder and lightning, rushing from out the gorges26 of the sierra, poured on their heads with scarcely any intermission day or night, as if the offended deities27 of the place were willing to take vengeance28 on the invaders29 of their mountain solitudes31. For more than six weeks the deluge32 continued unabated, and the forlorn wanderers, wet, and weary with incessant33 toil34, were scarcely able to drag their limbs along the soil broken up and saturated35 with the moisture. After some months of toilsome travel, in which they had to cross many a morass36 and mountain stream, they at length reached Canelas, the Land of Cinnamon. 3 They saw the trees bearing the precious bark, spreading out into broad forests; yet, however valuable an article for commerce it might have proved in accessible situations, in these remote regions it was of little worth to them. But, from the wandering tribes of savages37 whom they had occasionally met in their path, they learned that at ten days’ distance was a rich and fruitful land abounding38 with gold, and inhabited by populous39 nations. Gonzalo Pizarro had already reached the limits originally proposed for the expedition. But this intelligence renewed his hopes, and he resolved to push the adventure farther. It would have been well for him and his followers, had they been content to return on their footsteps.
3 Canela is the Spanish for cinnamon.]
Continuing their march, the country now spread out into broad savannas40 terminated by forests, which, as they drew near, seemed to stretch on every side to the very verge41 of the horizon. Here they beheld42 trees of that stupendous growth seen only in the equinoctial regions. Some were so large, that sixteen men could hardly encompass43 them with extended arms! 4 The wood was thickly matted with creepers and parasitical44 vines, which hung in gaudy-colored festoons from tree to tree, clothing them in a drapery beautiful to the eye, but forming an impenetrable network. At every step of their way, they were obliged to hew45 open a passage with their axes, while their garments, rotting from the effects of the drenching46 rains to which they had been exposed, caught in every bush and bramble, and hung about them in shreds47. 5 Their provisions, spoiled by the weather, had long since failed, and the live stock which they had taken with them had either been consumed or made their escape in the woods and mountain passes. They had set out with nearly a thousand dogs, many of them of the ferocious48 breed used in hunting down the unfortunate natives. These they now gladly killed, but their miserable49 carcasses furnished a lean banquet for the famishing travellers; and, when these were gone, they had only such herbs and dangerous roots as they could gather in the forest. 6
4 This, allowing six feet for the spread of a man’s arms, would be about ninety-six feet in circumference50, or thirty-two feet in diameter; larger, probably, than the largest tree known in Europe. Yet it falls short of that famous giant of the forests mentioned by M. de Humboldt as still flourishing in the intendancy of Oaxaca, which, by the exact measurement of a traveller in 1839, was found to be a hundred and twelve feet in circumference at the height of four feet from the ground. This height may correspond with that of the measurement taken by the Spaniards. See a curious and learned article on Forest-trees in No. 124 of the North American Review.]
5 The dramatist Molina, in his play of “Las Amazonas en las Indias,” has devoted51 some dozen columns of redondillas to an account of the sufferings of his countrymen in the expedition to the Amazon. The poet reckoned confidently on the patience of his audience. The following verses describe the miserable condition to which the Spaniards were reduced by the incessant rains.
“Sin que el Sol en este tiempo
Su cara ver nos permita,
Ni las nubes taberneras
Cessen de echamos encima
Dilubios inagotables,
Que hasta el alma nos bautizan.
Cayeron los mas enfermos,
Porque las ropas podridas
Con el eterno agua va,
Nos dexo en las carnes vivas.”
6 Capitulacion con Orellana, Ms. — Pedro Pizarro, Descub. y Conq., Ms. — Gomara, Hist. de las Ind., cap. 143. — Zarate, Conq. del Peru, lib. 4, cap. 2. — Herrera, Hist. General, dec. 6, lib. 8, cap. 6, 7. — Garcilasso, Com. Real., Parte 2, lib. 3, cap. 2.
The last writer obtained his information, as he tells us, from several who were present in the expedition. The reader may be assured that it has lost nothing is coming through his hands.]
At length the way-worn company came on a broad expanse of water formed by the Napo, one of the great tributaries52 of the Amazon, and which, though only a third or fourth rate river in America, would pass for one of the first magnitude in the Old World. The sight gladdened their hearts, as, by winding53 along its banks, they hoped to find a safer and more practicable route. After traversing its borders for a considerable distance, closely beset54 with thickets55 which it taxed their strength to the utmost to overcome, Gonzalo and his party came within hearing of a rushing noise that sounded like subterranean56 thunder. The river, lashed57 into fury, tumbled along over rapids with frightful velocity58, and conducted them to the brink59 of a magnificent cataract60, which, to their wondering fancies, rushed down in one vast volume of foam61 to the depth of twelve hundred feet! 7 The appalling62 sounds which they had heard for the distance of six leagues were rendered yet more oppressive to the spirits by the gloomy stillness of the surrounding forests. The rude warriors63 were filled with sentiments of awe64. Not a bark dimpled the waters. No living thing was to be seen but the wild tenants65 of the wilderness, the unwieldy boa, and the loathsome66 alligator67 basking68 on the borders of the stream. The trees towering in wide-spread magnificence towards the heavens, the river rolling on in its rocky bed as it had rolled for ages, the solitude30 and silence of the scene, broken only by the hoarse69 fall of waters, or the faint rustling70 of the woods, — all seemed to spread out around them in the same wild and primitive state as when they came from the hands of the Creator.
7 “Al cabo de este largo71 camino hallaron que el rio hazia vn salto de una pena de mas de dozientas bracas de alto: que hazia tan gran ruydo, que lo oyeron mas de seys leguas antes que llegassen a el.” (Garcilasso, Com. Real., Parte 2, nb. 3, cap. 3.) I find nothing to confirm or to confute the account of this stupendous cataract in later travellers, not very numerous in these wild regions. The alleged72 height of the falls, twice that of the great cataract of the Tequendama in the Bogota, as measured by Humboldt, usually esteemed73 the highest in America, is not so great as that of some of the cascades74 thrown over the precipices75 in Switzerland. Yet the estimates of the Spaniards, who, in the gloomy state of their feelings, were doubtless keenly alive to impressions of the sublime76 and the terrible, cannot safely be relied on.]
For some distance above and below the falls, the bed of the river contracted so that its width did not exceed twenty feet. Sorely pressed by hunger, the adventurers determined77, at all hazards, to cross to the opposite side, in hopes of finding a country that might afford them sustenance78. A frail79 bridge was constructed by throwing the huge trunks of trees across the chasm80, where the cliffs, as if split asunder by some convulsion of nature, descended81 sheer down a perpendicular82 depth of several hundred feet. Over this airy causeway the men and horses succeeded in effecting their passage with the loss of a single Spaniard, who, made giddy by heedlessly looking down, lost his footing and fell into the boiling surges below.
Yet they gained little by the exchange. The country wore the same unpromising aspect, and the river-banks were studded with gigantic trees, or fringed with impenetrable thickets. The tribes of Indians, whom they occasionally met in the pathless wilderness, were fierce and unfriendly, and they were engaged in perpetual skirmishes with them. From these they learned that a fruitful country was to be found down the river at the distance of only a few days’ journey, and the Spaniards held on their weary way, still hoping and still deceived, as the promised land flitted before them, like the rain bow, receding83 as they advanced.
At length, spent with toil and suffering, Gonzalo resolved to construct a bark large enough to transport the weaker part of his company and his baggage. The forests furnished him with timber; the shoes of the horses which had died on the road or been slaughtered84 for food, were converted into nails; gum distilled85 from the trees took the place of pitch, and the tattered86 garments of the soldiers supplied a substitute for oakum. It was a work of difficulty; but Gonzalo cheered his men in the task, and set an example by taking part in their labors87. At the end of two months a brigantine was completed, rudely put together, but strong and of sufficient burden to carry half the company, — the first European vessel88 that ever floated on these inland waters.
Gonzalo gave the command to Francisco de Orellana, a cavalier from Truxillo, on whose courage and devotion to himself he thought he could rely. The troops now moved forward, still following the descending course of the river, while the brigantine kept alongside; and when a bold promontory89 or more impracticable country intervened, it furnished timely aid by the transportation of the feebler soldiers. In this way they journeyed, for many a wearisome week, through the dreary90 wilderness on the borders of the Napo. Every scrap91 of provisions had been long since consumed. The last of their horses had been devoured92. To appease93 the gnawings of hunger, they were fain to eat the leather of their saddles and belts. The woods supplied them with scanty94 sustenance, and they greedily fed upon toads95, serpents, and such other reptiles96 as they occasionally found. 8
8 “Yeruas y rayzes, y fruta siluestre, sapos, y culebras, y otras malas sauandijas, si las auia por aquellas montanas que todo les hazia buen estomago a los Espanoles; que peor les yua con la falta de cosas tan viles.” Garcilasso, Com. Real., Parte 2, lib. 3, cap. 4 — Capitulacion con Orellana, Ms — Herrera, Hist. General, dec. 6, lib. 8, cap. 7. — Zarate, Conq. del Peru, lib. 4, cap. 3, 4. — Gomara, Hist. de las Ind., cap. 143.]
They were now told of a rich district, inhabited by a populous nation, where the Napo emptied into a still greater river that flowed towards the east. It was, as usual, at the distance of several days’ journey; and Gonzalo Pizarro resolved to halt where he was and send Orellana down in his brigantine to the confluence97 of the waters to procure98 a stock of provisions, with which he might return and put them in condition to resume their march. That cavalier, accordingly, taking with him fifty of the adventurers, pushed off into the middle of the river, where the stream ran swiftly, and his bark, taken by the current, shot forward with the speed of an arrow, and was soon out of sight. Days and weeks passed away, yet the vessel did not return; and no speck99 was to be seen on the waters, as the Spaniards strained their eyes to the farthest point, where the line of light faded away in the dark shadows of the foliage100 on the borders. Detachments were sent out, and, though absent several days, came back without intelligence of their comrades. Unable longer to endure this suspense101, or, indeed, to maintain themselves in their present quarters, Gonzalo and his famishing followers now determined to proceed towards the junction102 of the rivers. Two months elapsed before they accomplished103 this terrible journey, — those of them who did not perish on the way, — although the distance probably did not exceed two hundred leagues; and they at length reached the spot so long desired, where the Napo pours its tide into the Amazon, that mighty104 stream, which, fed by its thousand tributaries, rolls on towards the ocean, for many hundred miles, through the heart of the great continent, — the most majestic105 of American rivers.
But the Spaniards gathered no tidings of Orellana, while the country, though more populous than the region they had left, was as little inviting106 in its aspect, and was tenanted by a race yet more ferocious. They now abandoned the hope of recovering their comrades, who they supposed must have miserably107 perished by famine or by the hands of the natives. But their doubts were at length dispelled108 by the appearance of a white man wandering half-naked in the woods, in whose famine-stricken countenance109 they recognized the features of one of their countrymen. It was Sanchez de Vargas, a cavalier of good descent, and much esteemed in the army. He had a dismal110 tale to tell.
Orellana, borne swiftly down the current of the Napo, had reached the point of its confluence with the Amazon in less than three days; accomplishing in this brief space of time what had cost Pizarro and his company two months. He had found the country altogether different from what had been represented; and, so far from supplies for his country men, he could barely obtain sustenance for himself. Nor was it possible for him to return as he had come, and make head against the current of the river; while the attempt to journey by land was an alternative scarcely less formidable. In this dilemma111, an idea flashed across his mind. It was to launch his bark at once on the bosom7 of the Amazon, and descend23 its waters to its mouth. He would then visit the rich and populous nations that, as report said, lined its borders, sail out on the great ocean, cross to the neighbouring isles112, and return to Spain to claim the glory and the guerdon of discovery. The suggestion was eagerly taken up by his reckless companions, welcoming any course that would rescue them from the wretchedness of their present existence, and fired with the prospect115 of new and stirring adventure, — for the love of adventure was the last feeling to become extinct in the bosom of the Castilian cavalier. They heeded116 little their unfortunate comrades, whom they were to abandon in the wilderness! 9
9 This statement of De Vargas was confirmed by Orellana, as appears from the language of the royal grant made to that cavalier on his return to Castile. The document is preserved entire in the Munoz collection of Mss.
“Haviendo vos ido con ciertos companeros un rio abajo a buscar comida, con la corriente fuistes metidos por el dicho rio mas de 200 leguas donde no pudistes dar la buelta e por esta necesidad e por la mucha noticia que tuvistes de la grandeza e riqueza de la tierra, posponiendo vuestro peligro, sin interes ninguno por servir a S. M. os aventurastes a saber lo que havia en aquellas provincias, e ansi descubristes e hallastes grandes poblaciones.” Capitulacion con Orellana, Ms.]
This is not the place to record the circumstances of Orellana’s extraordinary expediton. expedition. He succeeded in his enterprise. But it is marvellous that he should have escaped shipwreck117 in the perilous118 and unknown navigation of that river. Many times his vessel was nearly dashed to pieces on its rocks and in its furious rapids; 10 and he was in still greater peril119 from the warlike tribes on its borders, who fell on his little troop whenever he attempted to land, and followed in his wake for miles in their canoes. He at length emerged from the great river; and, once upon the sea, Orellana made for the isle113 of Cubagua; thence passing over to Spain, he repaired to court, and told the circumstances of his voyage, — of the nations of Amazons whom he had found on the banks of the river, the El Dorado which report assured him existed in the neighbourhood, and other marvels120, — the exaggeration rather than the coinage of a credulous121 fancy. His audience listened with willing ears to the tales of the traveller; and in an age of wonders, when the mysteries of the East and the West were hourly coming to light, they might be excused for not discerning the true line between romance and reality. 11
10 Condamine, who, in 1743, went down the Amazon, has often occasion to notice the perils122 and perplexities in which he was involved in the navigation of this river, too difficult, as he says, to be undertaken without the guidance of a skilful123 pilot. See his Relation Abregee d’un Voyage fait dans l’Interieur de l’Amerique Meridionale. (Maestricht, 1778.)]
11 It has not been easy to discern the exact line in later times, with all the lights of modern discovery. Condamine, after a careful investigation124, considers that there is good ground for believing in the existence of a community of armed women, once living somewhere in the neighbourhood of the Amazon, though they have now disappeared. It would be hard to disprove the fact, but still harder, considering the embarrassments125 in perpetuating126 such a community, to believe it. Voyage dans l’Amerique Meridionale, p. 99, et seq.]
He found no difficulty in obtaining a commission to conquer and colonize127 the realms he had discovered. He soon saw himself at the head of five hundred followers, prepared to share the perils and the profits of his expedition. But neither he, nor his country, was destined128 to realize these profits. He died on his outward passage, and the lands washed by the Amazon fell within the territories of Portugal. The unfortunate navigator did not even enjoy the undivided honor of giving his name to the waters he had discovered. He enjoyed only the barren glory of the discovery, surely not balanced by the iniquitous129 circumstances which attended it. 12
12 “His crime is, in some measure, balanced by the glory of having ventured upon a navigation of near two thousand leagues, through unknown nations, in a vessel hastily constructed, with green timber, and by very unskilful hands, without provisions, without a compass, or a pilot.” (Robertson, America, (ed. London, 1796,) vol. III. p. 84.) The historian of America does not hold the moral balance with as unerring a hand as usual, in his judgment130 of Orellana’s splendid enterprise. No success, however splendid, in the language of one, not too severe a moralist,
“Can blazon131 evil deeds or consecrate132 a crime.”
One of Orellana’s party maintained a stout133 opposition134 to his proceedings135, as repugnant both to humanity and honor. This was Sanchez de Vargas and the cruel commander was revenged on him by abandoning him to his fate in the desolate136 region where he was now found by his countrymen. 13
13 An expedition more remarkable137 than that of Orellana was performed by a delicate female, Madame Godin, who, in 1769, attempted to descend the Amazon in an open boat to its mouth. She was attended by seven persons, two of them her brothers, and two her female domestics. The boat was wrecked138, and Madame Godin, narrowly escaping with her life, endeavoured with her party to accomplish the remainder of her journey on foot. She saw them perish, one after another, of hunger and disease, till she was left alone in the howling wilderness. Still, like Milton’s lady in Comus, she was permitted to come safely out of all these perils, and, after unparalleled sufferings, falling in with some friendly Indians, she was conducted by them to a French settlement. Though a young woman, it will not be surprising that the hardships and terrors she endured turned her hair perfectly139 white. The details of the extraordinary story are given in a letter to M. de la Condamine by her husband, who tells them in an earnest, unaffected way that engages our confidence. Voyage dans l’Amerique Meridionale, p. 329, et seq.
The Spaniards listened with horror to the recital140 of Vargas, and their blood almost froze in their veins141 as they saw themselves thus deserted142 in the heart of this remote wilderness, and deprived of their only means of escape from it. They made an effort to prosecute143 their journey along the banks, but, after some toilsome days, strength and spirits failed, and they gave up in despair!
Then it was that the qualities of Gonzalo Pizarro, as a fit leader in the hour of despondency and danger, shone out conspicuous144. To advance farther was hopeless. To stay where they were, without food or raiment, without defence from the fierce animals of the forest and the fiercer natives, was impossible. One only course remained; it was to return to Quito. But this brought with it the recollection of the past, of sufferings which they could too well estimate, — hardly to be endured even in imagination. They were now at least four hundred leagues from Quito, and more than a year had elapsed since they had set out on their painful pilgrimage. How could they encounter these perils again! 14
14 Garcilasso, Com. Real., Parte 2, lib. 3, cap. 5. — Herrera, Hist. General dec. 6, lib. 8, cap. 8. — Zarate, Conq. del Peru, lib. 4, cap. 5. — Gomara, Hist. de las Ind., cap. 143.
One must not expect from these wanderers in the wilderness any exact computation of time or distance, destitute145, as they were, of the means of making a correct observation of either.]
Yet there was no alternative. Gonzalo endeavoured to reassure146 his followers by dwelling147 on the invincible148 constancy they had hitherto displayed; adjuring149 them to show themselves still worthy150 of the name of Castilians. He reminded them of the glory they would for ever acquire by their heroic achievement, when they should reach their own country. He would lead them back, he said, by another route, and it could not be but that they should meet somewhere with those abundant regions of which they had os so often heard. It was something, at least, that every step would take them nearer home; and as, at all events, it was clearly the only course now left, they should prepare to meet it like men. The spirit would sustain the body; and difficulties encountered in the right spirit were half vanquished151 already!
The soldiers listened eagerly to his words of promise and encouragement. The confidence of their leader gave life to the desponding. They felt the force of his reasoning, and, as they lent a willing ear to his assurances, the pride of the old Castilian honor revived in their bosoms, and every one caught somewhat of the generous enthusiasm of their commander. He was, in truth, entitled to their devotion. From the first hour of the expedition, he had freely borne his part in its privations. Far from claiming the advantage of his position, he had taken his lot with the poorest soldier; ministering to the wants of the sick, cheering up the spirits of the desponding, sharing his stinted152 allowance with his famished153 followers, bearing his full part in the toil and burden of the march, ever showing himself their faithful comrade, no less than their captain. He found the benefit of this conduct in a trying hour like the present.
I will spare the reader the recapitulation of the sufferings endured by the Spaniards on their retrograde march to Quito. They took a more northerly route than that by which they had approached the Amazon; and, if it was attended with fewer difficulties, they experienced yet greater distresses154 from their greater inability to overcome them. Their only nourishment155 was such scanty fare as they could pick up in the forest, or happily meet with in some forsaken156 Indian settlement, or wring157 by violence from the natives. Some sickened and sank down by the way, for there was none to help them. Intense misery158 had made them selfish; and many a poor wretch114 was abandoned to his fate, to die alone in the wilderness, or, more probably, to be devoured, while living, by the wild animals which roamed over it.
At length, in June, 1542, after somewhat more than a year consumed in their homeward march, the way-worn company came on the elevated plains in the neighbourhood of Quito. But how different their aspect from that which they had exhibited on issuing from the gates of the same capital, two years and a half before, with high romantic hope and in all the pride of military array! Their horses gone, their arms broken and rusted159, the skins of wild animals instead of clothes hanging loosely about their limbs, their long and matted locks streaming wildly down their shoulders, their faces burned and blackened by the tropical sun, their bodies wasted by famine and sorely disfigured by scars, — it seemed as if the charnel-house had given up its dead, as, with uncertain step, they glided160 slowly onwards like a troop of dismal spectres! More than half of the four thousand Indians who had accompanied the expedition had perished, and of the Spaniards only eighty, and many of these irretrievably broken in constitution, returned to Quito. 15
15 Pedro Pizarro, Descub. y Conq., Ms. — Zarate, Conq. del Peru, lib. 4, cap. 5. — Gomara, Hist. de las Ind., cap. 143. — Garcilasso, Com. Real., Parte 2, lib. 3, cap. 15. — Herrera, Hist. General, dec. 7, lib. 3, cap. 14.
The last historian, in dismissing his account of the expedition, passes a panegyric161 on the courage and constancy of his countrymen, which we must admit to be well deserved.
“Finalmente, Goncalo Picarro entro en el Quito, triunfando del valor162, i sufrimiento, i de la constancia, recto, e immutable163 vigor164 del animo, pues Hombres Humanos no se hallan haver tanto sufrido ni padecido tantas desventuras.’ Ibid., ubi supra.]
The few Christian165 inhabitants of the place, with their wives and children, came out to welcome their countrymen. They ministered to them all the relief and refreshment166 in their power; and, as they listened to the sad recital of their sufferings, they mingled167 their tears with those of the wanderers. The whole company then entered the capital, where their first act — to their credit be it mentioned — was to go in a body to the church, and offer up thanksgivings to the Almighty168 for their miraculous169 preservation170 through their long and perilous pilgrimage. 16 Such was the end of the expedition to the Amazon; an expedition which, for its dangers and hardships, the length of their duration, and the constancy with which they were endured, stands, perhaps, unmatched in the annals of American discovery.
16 Zarate, Conq. del Peru, lib. 4, cap. 5.]
收听单词发音 |
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survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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fabled
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| adj.寓言中的，虚构的 | |
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con
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| n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的 | |
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conquerors
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| 征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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bosoms
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| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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bosom
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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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mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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undertaking
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hogs
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| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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celebrated
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distractions
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| n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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19
asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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20
vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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21
precipitated
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| v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀 | |
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22
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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23
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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24
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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25
suffocating
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| a.使人窒息的 | |
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26
gorges
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| n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕 | |
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deities
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| n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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30
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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31
solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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32
deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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33
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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34
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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35
saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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36
morass
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| n.沼泽，困境 | |
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37
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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38
abounding
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| adj.丰富的，大量的v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
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39
populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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40
savannas
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| n.（美国东南部的）无树平原( savanna的名词复数 )；（亚）热带的稀树大草原 | |
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41
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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42
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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43
encompass
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| vt.围绕，包围；包含，包括；完成 | |
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44
parasitical
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| adj. 寄生的(符加的) | |
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45
hew
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| v.砍；伐；削 | |
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46
drenching
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| n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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47
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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49
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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50
circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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51
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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52
tributaries
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| n. 支流 | |
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53
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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54
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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55
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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56
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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57
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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58
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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59
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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60
cataract
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| n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障 | |
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61
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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62
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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63
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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64
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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65
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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66
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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67
alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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68
basking
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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69
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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70
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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71
largo
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| n.广板乐章；adj.缓慢的，宽广的；adv.缓慢地，宽广地 | |
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72
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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73
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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74
cascades
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| 倾泻( cascade的名词复数 )； 小瀑布（尤指一连串瀑布中的一支）； 瀑布状物； 倾泻（或涌出）的东西 | |
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75
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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76
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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77
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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78
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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79
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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80
chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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81
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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82
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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83
receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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84
slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
distilled
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| adj.由蒸馏得来的v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )；从…提取精华 | |
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86
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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87
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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88
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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89
promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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90
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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91
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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92
devoured
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| 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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93
appease
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| v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足 | |
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94
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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95
toads
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
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96
reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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97
confluence
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| n.汇合，聚集 | |
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98
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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99
speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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100
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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101
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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102
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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103
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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104
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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105
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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106
inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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107
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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108
dispelled
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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109
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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110
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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111
dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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112
isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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113
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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114
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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115
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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116
heeded
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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117
shipwreck
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| n.船舶失事，海难 | |
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118
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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119
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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120
marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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121
credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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122
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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123
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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124
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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125
embarrassments
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| n.尴尬( embarrassment的名词复数 )；难堪；局促不安；令人难堪或耻辱的事 | |
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126
perpetuating
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| perpetuate的现在进行式 | |
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127
colonize
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| v.建立殖民地，拓殖；定居，居于 | |
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128
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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129
iniquitous
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| adj.不公正的；邪恶的；高得出奇的 | |
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130
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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131
blazon
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| n.纹章，装饰；精确描绘；v.广布；宣布 | |
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132
consecrate
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| v.使圣化，奉…为神圣；尊崇；奉献 | |
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134
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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135
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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136
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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137
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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138
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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139
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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141
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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142
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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143
prosecute
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| vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官 | |
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144
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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145
destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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146
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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147
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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148
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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149
adjuring
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| v.（以起誓或诅咒等形式）命令要求( adjure的现在分词 )；祈求；恳求 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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151
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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152
stinted
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| v.限制，节省（stint的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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153
famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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154
distresses
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| n.悲痛( distress的名词复数 )；痛苦；贫困；危险 | |
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155
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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156
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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157
wring
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| n.扭绞；v.拧，绞出，扭 | |
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158
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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159
rusted
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| v.（使）生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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161
panegyric
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| n.颂词，颂扬 | |
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162
valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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163
immutable
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| adj.不可改变的，永恒的 | |
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164
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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165
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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167
mingled
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| 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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168
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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169
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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170
preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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