Chapter 47

The day broke, humid and overcast¹, with the wind warmand the sky a dense² blanket of grey clouds that looked likebunched-up, dirty cotton sheets. The sea had not changed. Itheaved the lifeboat up and down in a regular motion.
The zebra was still alive. I couldn't believe it. It had atwo-foot-wide hole in its body, a fistula like a freshly eruptedvolcano, spewed half-eaten organs glistening³ in the light orgiving off a dull, dry shine, yet, in its strictly⁴ essential parts, itcontinued to pump with life, if weakly. Movement was confinedto a tremor⁵ in the rear leg and an occasional blinking of theeyes. I was horrified⁶. I had no idea a living being could sustainso much injury and go on living.
The hyena⁷ was tense. It was not settling down to its nightof rest despite the daylight. Perhaps it was a result of taking inso much food; its stomach was grossly dilated⁸. Orange Juicewas in a dangerous mood too. She was fidgeting and showingher teeth.
I stayed where I was, curled up near the prow⁹. I was weakin body and in soul. I was afraid I would fall into the water ifI tried to balance on the oar¹⁰.
The zebra was dead by noon. It was glassy-eyed and hadbecome perfectly¹¹ indifferent to the hyena's occasional assaults.
Violence broke out in the afternoon. Tension had risen to anunbearable level. The hyena was yipping. Orange Juice wasgrunting and making loud lip-smacking noises. All of a suddentheir complaining fused and shot up to top volume. The hyenajumped over the remains¹² of the zebra and made for OrangeJuice.
I believe I have made clear the menace of a hyena. It wascertainly so clear in my mind that I gave up on Orange Juice'slife before she even had a chance to defend it. Iunderestimated her. I underestimated her grit¹³.
She thumped¹⁵ the beast on the head. It was somethingshocking. It made my heart melt with love and admiration¹⁶ andfear. Did I mention she was a former pet, callously¹⁷ discardedby her Indonesian owners? Her story was like that of everyinappropriate pet. It goes something like this: The pet is boughtwhen it is small and cute. It gives much amusement to itsowners. Then it grows in size and in appetite. It reveals itselfincapable of being house-trained. Its increasing strength makesit harder to handle. One day the maid pulls the sheet from itsnest because she has decided¹⁸ to wash it, or the son jokinglypinches a morsel¹⁹ of food from its hands – over some suchseemingly small matter, the pet flashes its teeth in anger andthe family is frightened. The very next day the pet finds itselfbouncing at the back of the family Jeep in the company of itshuman brothers and sisters. A jungle is entered. Everyone inthe vehicle finds it a strange and formidable place. A clearing iscome to. It is briefly²⁰ explored. All of a sudden the Jeep roarsto life and its wheels kick up dirt and the pet sees all the onesit has known and loved looking at it from the back window asthe Jeep speeds away. It has been left behind. The pet doesnot understand. It is as unprepared for this jungle as itshuman siblings²¹ are. It waits around for their return, trying toquell the panic rising in it. They do not return. The sun sets.
Quickly it becomes depressed²² and gives up on life. It dies ofhunger and exposure in the next few days. Or is attacked bydogs.
Orange Juice could have been one of these forlorn pets.
Instead she ended up at the Pondicherry Zoo. She remainedgentle and unaggressive her whole life. I have memories fromwhen I was a child of her never-ending arms surrounding me,her fingers, each as long as my whole hand, picking at myhair. She was a young female practising her maternal²³ skills. Asshe matured into her full wild self, I observed her at adistance. I thought I knew her so well that I could predict herevery move. I thought I knew not only her habits but also herlimits. This display of ferocity, of savage²⁴ courage, made merealize that I was wrong. All my life I had known only a partof her.
She thumped the beast on the head. And what a thump¹⁴ itwas. The beast's head hit the bench it had just reached,making such a sharp noise, besides splaying its front legs flatout, that I thought surely either the bench or its jaw²⁵ or bothmust break. The hyena was up again in an instant, every hairon its body as erect²⁶ as the hairs on my head, but its hostilitywasn't quite so kinetic²⁷ now. It withdrew. I exulted²⁸. OrangeJuice's stirring defence brought a glow to my heart.
It didn't last long.
An adult female orang-utan cannot defeat an adult malespotted hyena. That is the plain empirical truth. Let it becomeknown among zoologists²⁹. Had Orange Juice been a male, hadshe loomed³⁰ as large on the scales as she did in my heart, itmight have been another matter. But portly and overfed thoughshe was from living in the comfort of a zoo,even so she tipped the scales at barely 110 pounds. Femaleorang-utans are half the size of males. But it is not simply aquestion of weight and brute³¹ strength. Orange Juice was farfrom defenceless. What it comes down to is attitude andknowledge. What does a fruit eater know about killing³²? Wherewould it learn where to bite, how hard, for how long? Anorang-utan may be taller, may have very strong and agile³³ armsand long canines³⁴, but if it does not know how to use these asweapons, they are of little use. The hyena, with only its jaws³⁵,will overcome the ape because it knows what it wants and howto get it.
The hyena came back. It jumped on the bench and caughtOrange Juice at the wrist before she could strike. Orange Juicehit the hyena on the head with her other arm, but the blowonly made the beast snarl³⁶ viciously. She made to bite, but thehyena moved faster. Alas³⁷, Orange Juice's defence lackedprecision and coherence³⁸. Her fear was something useless thatonly hampered³⁹ her. The hyena let go of her wrist and expertlygot to her throat.
Dumb with pain and horror, I watched as Orange Juicethumped the hyena ineffectually and pulled at its hair while herthroat was being squeezed by its jaws. To the end shereminded me of us: her eyes expressed fear in such ahumanlike way, as did her strained whimpers. She made anattempt to climb onto the tarpaulin⁴⁰. The hyena violently shookher. She fell off the bench to the bottom of the lifeboat, thehyena with her. I heard noises but no longer saw anything.
I was next. That much was clear to me. With some difficultyI stood up. I could hardly see through the tears in my eyes. Iwas no longer crying because of my family or because of myimpending death. I was far too numb⁴¹ to consider either. I wascrying because I was exceedingly tired and it was time to getrest.
I advanced over the tarpaulin. Though tautly⁴² stretched at theend of the boat, it sagged⁴³ a little in the middle; it made forthree or four toilsome, bouncy steps. And I had to reach overthe net and the rolled-up tarpaulin. And these efforts in alifeboat that was constantly rolling. In the condition I was in, itfelt like a great trek⁴⁴. When I laid my foot on the middle crossbench, its hardness had an invigorating effect on me, as if Ihad just stepped on solid ground. I planted both my feet onthe bench and enjoyed my firm stand. I was feeling dizzy, butsince the capital moment of my life was coming up thisdizziness only added to my sense of frightened sublimity⁴⁵. Iraised my hands to the level of my chest – the weapons Ihad against the hyena. It looked up at me. Its mouth was red.
Orange Juice lay next to it, against the dead zebra. Her armswere spread wide open and her short legs were folded togetherand slightly turned to one side. She looked like a simian⁴⁶ Christon the Cross. Except for her head. She was beheaded. Theneck wound was still bleeding. It was a sight horrible to theeyes and killing to the spirit. Just before throwing myself uponthe hyena, to collect myself before the final struggle, I lookeddown.
Between my feet, under the bench, I beheld⁴⁷ Richard Parker'shead. It was gigantic. It looked the size of the planet Jupiter tomy dazed senses. His paws were like volumes ofEncyclopaedia Britannica.
I made my way back to the bow and collapsed⁴⁸.
I spent the night in a state of delirium⁴⁹. I kept thinking I hadslept and was awaking after dreaming of a tiger.

1 overcast   

adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天

参考例句：

• The overcast and rainy weather found out his arthritis.阴雨天使他的关节炎发作了。
• The sky is overcast with dark clouds.乌云满天。

2 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

3 glistening   

adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

4 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

5 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

6 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

7 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。

8 dilated   

adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes dilated with fear. 她吓得瞪大了眼睛。
• The cat dilated its eyes. 猫瞪大了双眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 prow   

n.(飞机)机头，船头

参考例句：

• The prow of the motor-boat cut through the water like a knife.汽艇的船头像一把刀子劈开水面向前行驶。
• He stands on the prow looking at the seadj.他站在船首看着大海。

10 oar   

n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行

参考例句：

• The sailors oar slowly across the river.水手们慢慢地划过河去。
• The blade of the oar was bitten off by a shark.浆叶被一条鲨鱼咬掉了。

11 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 grit   

n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
• I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。

14 thump   

v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声

参考例句：

• The thief hit him a thump on the head.贼在他的头上重击一下。
• The excitement made her heart thump.她兴奋得心怦怦地跳。

15 thumped   

v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Dave thumped the table in frustration . 戴夫懊恼得捶打桌子。
• He thumped the table angrily. 他愤怒地用拳捶击桌子。

16 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

17 callously   

参考例句：

• Sri Lanka has callously ignored calls for a humanitarian cease-fire. 斯里兰卡无情地忽视人道停火的呼吁。 来自互联网
• The pendulum ticks callously, heartlessly. 这是谁的遗训？ 来自互联网

18 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

19 morsel   

n.一口，一点点

参考例句：

• He refused to touch a morsel of the food they had brought.他们拿来的东西他一口也不吃。
• The patient has not had a morsel of food since the morning.从早上起病人一直没有进食。

20 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

21 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

22 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

23 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

24 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

25 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

26 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

27 kinetic   

adj.运动的；动力学的

参考例句：

• There exist many sources of energy both potential and kinetic.存在着许多势能和动能的能源。
• The kinetic theory of gases is the best known example.气体动力学理论就是最有名的例子。

28 exulted   

狂喜，欢跃( exult的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The people exulted at the victory. 人们因胜利而欢腾。
• The people all over the country exulted in the success in launching a new satellite. 全国人民为成功地发射了一颗新的人造卫星而欢欣鼓舞。

29 zoologists   

动物学家( zoologist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Zoologists refer barnacles to Crustanceans. 动物学家把螺蛳归入甲壳类。
• It is now a source of growing interest for chemists and zoologists as well. 它现在也是化学家和动物学家愈感兴趣的一个所在。

30 loomed   

v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
• The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

32 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

33 agile   

adj.敏捷的，灵活的

参考例句：

• She is such an agile dancer!她跳起舞来是那么灵巧！
• An acrobat has to be agile.杂技演员必须身手敏捷。

34 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

35 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。

36 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。

37 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

38 coherence   

n.紧凑；连贯；一致性

参考例句：

• There was no coherence between the first and the second half of the film.这部电影的前半部和后半部没有连贯性。
• Environmental education is intended to give these topics more coherence.环境教育的目的是使这些课题更加息息相关。

39 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

40 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。

41 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

42 tautly   

adv.绷紧地；紧张地； 结构严谨地；紧凑地

参考例句：

• The rope was tautly stretched. 绳子拉得很紧。 来自互联网

43 sagged   

下垂的

参考例句：

• The black reticule sagged under the weight of shapeless objects. 黑色的拎包由于装了各种形状的东西而中间下陷。
• He sagged wearily back in his chair. 他疲倦地瘫坐到椅子上。

44 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

45 sublimity   

崇高，庄严，气质高尚

参考例句：

• It'suggests no crystal waters, no picturesque shores, no sublimity. 这决不会叫人联想到晶莹的清水，如画的两岸，雄壮的气势。
• Huckleberry was filled with admiration of Tom's facility in writing, and the sublimity of his language. 对汤姆流利的书写、响亮的内容，哈克贝利心悦诚服。

46 simian   

adj.似猿猴的；n.类人猿，猴

参考例句：

• Ada had a wrinkled,simian face.埃达有一张布满皱纹、长得像猿猴的脸。
• Curiosity is the taproot of an intellectual life,the most valuable of our simian traits.好奇是高智生命的根源，也是我们类人猿特征中最有价值的部分。

47 beheld   

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

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence. 他从未见过这样的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. 灵魂在逝去的瞬间的镜子中看到了自己的模样。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

48 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

49 delirium   

n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋

参考例句：

• In her delirium, she had fallen to the floor several times. 她在神志不清的状态下几次摔倒在地上。
• For the next nine months, Job was in constant delirium.接下来的九个月，约伯处于持续精神错乱的状态。