Chapter 46

Clouds that gathered where ships were supposed to appear,and the passing of the day, slowly did the job of unbendingmy smile. It is pointless to say that this or that night was theworst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose fromthat I've made none the champion. Still, that second night atsea stands in my memory as one of exceptional suffering,different from the frozen anxiety of the first night in being amore conventional sort of suffering, the broken-down kindconsisting of weeping and sadness and spiritual pain, anddifferent from later ones in that I still had the strength toappreciate fully¹ what I felt. And that dreadful night waspreceded by a dreadful evening.
I noticed the presence of sharks around the lifeboat. Thesun was beginning to pull the curtains on the day. It was aplacid explosion of orange and red, a great chromaticsymphony, a colour canvas of supernatural proportions, truly asplendid Pacific sunset, quite wasted on me. The sharks weremakos – swift, pointy-snouted predators² with long, murderousteeth that protruded³ noticeably from their mouths. They wereabout six or seven feet long, one was larger still. I watchedthem anxiously. The largest one came at the boat quickly, as ifto attack, its dorsal⁴ fin⁵ rising out of the water by severalinches, but it dipped below just before reaching us and glidedunderfoot with fearsome grace. It returned, not coming so closethis time, then disappeared. The other sharks paid a longervisit, coming and going at different depths, some in plain sightat hand's reach below the surface of the water, others deeperdown. There were other fish too, big and small, colourful,differently shaped. I might have considered them more closelyhad my attention not been drawn⁶ elsewhere: Orange Juice'shead came into sight.
She turned and brought her arm onto the tarpaulin⁷ in amotion that imitated exactly the way you or I would bring outan arm and place it on the back of the chair next to our ownin a gesture of expansive relaxation⁸. But such was clearly nother disposition⁹. Bearing an expression profoundly sad andmournful, she began to look about, slowly turning her headfrom side to side. Instantly the likeness¹⁰ of apes lost its amusingcharacter. She had given birth at the zoo to two young ones,strapping males five and eight years old that were her – andour – pride. It was unmistakably these she had on her mindas she searched over the water, unintentionally mimicking¹¹ whatI had been doing these last thirty-six hours. She noticed meand expressed nothing about it. I was just another animal thathad lost everything and was vowed¹² to death. My moodplummeted.
Then, with only a snarl¹³ for notice, the hyena¹⁴ went amok. Ithadn't moved from its cramped¹⁵ quarters all day. It put itsfront legs on the zebra's side, reached over and gathered afold of skin in its jaws¹⁶. It pulled roughly. A strip of hide cameoff the zebra's belly¹⁷ like gift-wrap paper comes off a gift, in asmooth-edged swath, only silently, in the way of tearing skin,and with greater resistance. Immediately blood poured forth¹⁸ likea river. Barking, snorting and squealing¹⁹, the zebra came to lifeto defend itself. It pushed on its front legs and reared its headin an attempt to bite the hyena, but the beast was out ofreach. It shook its good hind²⁰ leg, which did no more thanexplain the origin of the previous night's knocking: it was thehoof beating against the side of the boat. The zebra's attemptsat self-preservation only whipped the hyena into a frenzy²¹ ofsnarling and biting. It made a gaping²² wound in the zebra'sside. When it was no longer satisfied with the reach it hadfrom behind the zebra, the hyena climbed onto its haunches. Itstarted pulling out coils of intestines²³ and other viscera. Therewas no order to what it was doing. It bit here, swallowedthere, seemingly overwhelmed by the riches before it. Afterdevouring half the liver, it started tugging²⁴ on the whitish,balloon-like stomach bag. But it was heavy, and with thezebra's haunches being higher than its belly – and blood beingslippery – the hyena started to slide into its victim. It plungedhead and shoulders into the zebra's guts²⁵, up to the knees ofits front legs. It pushed itself out, only to slide back down. Itfinally settled in this position, half in, half out. The zebra wasbeing eaten alive from the inside.
It protested with diminishing vigour²⁶. Blood started coming outits nostrils²⁷. Once or twice it reared its head straight up, as ifappealing to heaven – the abomination of the moment wasperfectly expressed.
Orange Juice did not view these doings indifferently. Sheraised herself to her full height on her bench. With herincongruously small legs and massive torso, she looked like arefrigerator on crooked²⁸ wheels. But with her giant arms riftedin the air, she looked impressive. Their span was greater thanher height – one hand hung over the water, the other reachedacross the width of the lifeboat nearly to the opposite side. Shepulled back her lips, showing off enormous canines²⁹, and beganto roar. It was a deep, powerful, huffing roar, amazing for ananimal normally as silent as a giraffe. The hyena was asstartled as I was by the outburst. It cringed and retreated. Butnot for long. After an intense stare at Orange Juice, the hairson its neck and shoulders stood up and its tail rose straight inthe air. It climbed back onto the dying zebra. There, blooddripping from its mouth, it responded to Orange Juice in kind,with a higher-pitched roar. The two animals were three feetapart, wide-open jaws directly facing. They put all their energiesinto their cries, their bodies shaking with the effort. I could seedeep down the hyena's throat. The Pacific air, which until aminute before had been carrying the whistling and whisperingof the sea, a natural melody I would have called soothing³⁰ hadthe circumstances been happier, was all at once filled with thisappalling noise, like the fury of an all-out battle, with theear-splitting firing of guns and cannons³¹ and the thunderousblasts of bombs. The hyena's roar filled the higher range ofwhat my ears could hear, Orange Juice's bass³² roar filled thelower range, and somewhere in between I could hear the criesof the helpless zebra. My ears were full. Nothing more, not onemore sound, could push into them and be registered.
I began to tremble uncontrollably. I was convinced the hyenawas going to lunge at Orange Juice.
I could not imagine that matters could get worse, but theydid. The zebra snorted some of its blood overboard. Secondslater there was a hard knock against the boat, followed byanother. The water began to churn around us with sharks.
They were searching for the source of the blood, for the foodso close at hand. Their tail fins³³ flashed out of the water, theirheads swung out. The boat was hit repeatedly. I was not afraidwe would capsize – I thought the sharks would actually punchthrough the metal hull³⁴ and sink us.
With every bang the animals jumped and looked alarmed,but they were not to be distracted from their main business ofroaring in each other's faces. I was certain the shouting matchwould turn physical. Instead it broke off abruptly³⁵ after a fewminutes. Orange Juice, with huffs and lip-smacking noises,turned away, and the hyena lowered its head and retreatedbehind the zebra's butchered body. The sharks, finding nothing,stopped knocking on the boat and eventually left. Silence fell atlast.
A foul³⁶ and pungent³⁷ smell, an earthy mix of rust³⁸ andexcrement, hung in the air. There was blood everywhere,coagulating to a deep red crust. A single fly buzzed about,sounding to me like an alarm bell of insanity³⁹. No ship, nothingat all, had appeared on the horizon that day, and now the daywas ending. When the sun slipped below the horizon, it wasnot only the day that died and the poor zebra, but my familyas well. With that second sunset, disbelief gave way to pain andgrief. They were dead; I could no longer deny it. What a thingto acknowledge in your heart! To lose a brother is to losesomeone with whom you can share the experience of growingold, who is supposed to bring you a sister-in-law and niecesand nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and giveit new branches. To lose your father is to lose the one whoseguidance and help you seek, who supports you like a treetrunk supports its branches. To lose your mother, well, that islike losing the sun above you. It is like losing – I'm sorry, Iwould rather not go on. I lay down on the tarpaulin and spentthe whole night weeping and grieving, my face buried in myarms. The hyena spent a good part of the night eating.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 protruded   

v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The child protruded his tongue. 那小孩伸出舌头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The creature's face seemed to be protruded, because of its bent carriage. 那人的脑袋似乎向前突出，那是因为身子佝偻的缘故。 来自英汉文学

4 dorsal   

adj.背部的，背脊的

参考例句：

• His dorsal fin was down and his huge pectorals were spread wide.它的脊鳍朝下耷拉着，巨大的胸鳍大张着。
• The shark's dorsal fin was cut off by the fisherman.鲨鱼的背鳍被渔夫割了下来。

5 fin   

n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼

参考例句：

• They swim using a small fin on their back.它们用背上的小鳍游动。
• The aircraft has a long tail fin.那架飞机有一个长长的尾翼。

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 tarpaulin   

n.涂油防水布，防水衣，防水帽

参考例句：

• The pool furniture was folded,stacked,and covered with a tarpaulin.游泳池的设备都已经折叠起来，堆在那里，还盖上了防水布。
• The pool furniture was folded,stacked,and covered with a tarpaulin.游泳池的设备都已经折叠起来，堆在那里，还盖上了防水布。

8 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

9 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

10 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

11 mimicking   

v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的现在分词 )；酷似

参考例句：

• She's always mimicking the teachers. 她总喜欢模仿老师的言谈举止。
• The boy made us all laugh by mimicking the teacher's voice. 这男孩模仿老师的声音，逗得我们大家都笑了。 来自辞典例句

12 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

13 snarl   

v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮

参考例句：

• At the seaside we could hear the snarl of the waves.在海边我们可以听见波涛的咆哮。
• The traffic was all in a snarl near the accident.事故发生处附近交通一片混乱。

14 hyena   

n.土狼，鬣狗

参考例句：

• African hyena noted for its distinctive howl.非洲鬣狗，以其特别的嚎叫而闻名。
• The hyena's public image is not aided by its ridiculous appearance.鬣狗滑稽的外表无助于改善它在公众心中的形象。

15 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

16 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

17 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

18 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

19 squealing   

v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Pigs were grunting and squealing in the yard. 猪在院子里哼哼地叫个不停。
• The pigs were squealing. 猪尖叫着。

20 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

21 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

22 gaping   

adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

24 tugging   

n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉，样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他，一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句

25 guts   

v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠

参考例句：

• I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净，我只需烧一下即可。
• Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 vigour   

（=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力

参考例句：

• She is full of vigour and enthusiasm.她有热情，有朝气。
• At 40,he was in his prime and full of vigour.他40岁时正年富力强。

27 nostrils   

鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
• The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

28 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

29 canines   

n.犬齿( canine的名词复数 )；犬牙；犬科动物

参考例句：

• For example, the teeth are more primitive. There are large canines and unusually shaped incisors. 譬如，牙齿更为原始，有大的犬齿和非常合适的门齿。 来自辞典例句
• Well-to-canines can attend doggy daycare centers while their owners work. 富人家的狗在主人上班的时候可以去狗狗托管中心。 来自互联网

30 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

31 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

33 fins   

[医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌

参考例句：

• The level of TNF-α positively correlated with BMI,FPG,HbA1C,TG,FINS and IRI,but not with SBP and DBP. TNF-α水平与BMI、FPG、HbA1C、TG、FINS和IRI呈显著正相关，与SBP、DBP无相关。 来自互联网
• Fins are a feature specific to fish. 鱼鳍是鱼类特有的特征。 来自辞典例句

34 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

35 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

36 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

37 pungent   

adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a pungent style.文章写得泼辣。
• Its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hideouts.它的刺激性气味会令恐怖分子窒息，迫使他们从藏身地点逃脱出来。

38 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

39 insanity   

n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐

参考例句：

• In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
• He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。