Chapter 57

It was Richard Parker who calmed me down. It is the ironyof this story that the one who scared me witless to start withwas the very same who brought me peace, purpose, I daresay even wholeness.
He was looking at me intently. After a time I recognized thegaze. I had grown up with it. It was the gaze of a contentedanimal looking out from its cage or pit the way you or I wouldlook out from a restaurant table after a good meal, when thetime has come for conversation and people-watching. Clearly,Richard Parker had eaten his fill of hyena¹ and drunk all therainwater he wanted. No lips were rising and falling, no teethwere showing, no growling² or snarling⁵ was coming from him.
He was simply taking me in, observing me, in a manner thatwas sober but not menacing. He kept twitching⁶ his ears andvarying the sideways turn of his head. It was all so, well,catlike. He looked like a nice, big, fat domestic cat, a450-pound tabby.
He made a sound, a snort from his nostrils⁷. I pricked⁸ upmy ears. He did it a second time. I was astonished. Prusfen?
Tigers make a variety of sounds. They include a number ofroars and growls⁹, the loudest of these being most likely thefull-throated aaonh, usually made during the mating season bymales and oestrous females. It's a cry that travels far and wide,and is absolutely petrifying¹⁰ when heard close up. Tigers gowoof when they are caught unawares, a short, sharpdetonation of fury that would instantly make your legs jump upand run away if they weren't frozen to the spot. When theycharge, tigers put out throaty, coughing roars. The growl³ theyuse for purposes of threatening has yet another guttural quality.
And tigers hiss¹¹ and snarl⁴, which, depending on the emotionbehind it, sounds either like autumn leaves rustling¹² on theground, but a little more resonant¹³, or, when it's an infuriatedsnarl, like a giant door with rusty¹⁴ hinges slowly opening – inboth cases, utterly¹⁵ spine-chilling. Tigers make other sounds too.
They grunt¹⁶ and they moan. They purr, though not asmelodiously or as frequently as small cats, and only as theybreathe out. (Only small cats purr breathing both ways. It isone of the characteristics that distinguishes big cats from smallcats. Another is that only big cats can roar. A good thing thatis. I'm afraid the popularity of the domestic cat would dropvery quickly if little kitty could roar its displeasure.) Tigers evengo meow, with an inflection similar to that of domestic cats,but louder and in a deeper range, not as encouraging to oneto bend down and pick them up. And tigers can be utterly,majestically silent, that too.
I had heard all these sounds growing up. Except forprusten. If I knew of it, it was because Father had told meabout it. He had read descriptions of it in the literature. But hehad heard it only once, while on a working visit to the MysoreZoo, in their animal hospital, from a young male being treatedfor pneumonia¹⁷. Prusten is the quietest of tiger calls, a puffthrough the nose to express friendliness¹⁸ and harmlessintentions.
Richard Parker did it again, this time with a rolling of thehead. He looked exactly as if he were asking me a question.
I looked at him, full of fearful wonder. There being noimmediate threat, my breath slowed down, my heart stoppedknocking about in my chest, and I began to regain¹⁹ my senses.
I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realizedthis necessity. It was not a question of him or me, but of himand me. We were, literally²⁰ and figuratively, in the same boat.
We would live – or we would die – together. He might bekilled in an accident, or he could die shortly of natural causes,but it would be foolish to count on such an eventuality. Morelikely the worst would happen: the simple passage of time, inwhich his animal toughness would easily outlast²¹ my humanfrailty. Only if I tamed him could I possibly trick him into dyingfirst, if we had to come to that sorry business.
But there's more to it. I will come clean. I will tell you asecret: a part of me was glad about Richard Parker. A part ofme did not want Richard Parker to die at all, because if hedied I would be left alone with despair, a foe²² even moreformidable than a tiger. If I still had the will to live, it wasthanks to Richard Parker. He kept me from thinking too muchabout my family and my tragic²³ circumstances. He pushed meto go on living. I hated him for it, yet at the same time I wasgrateful. I am grateful. It's the plain truth: without RichardParker, I wouldn't be alive today to tell you my story.
I looked around at the horizon. Didn't I have here a perfectcircus ring, inescapably round, without a single corner for himto hide in? I looked down at the sea. Wasn't this an idealsource of treats with which to condition him to obey? I noticeda whistle hanging from one of the life jackets. Wouldn't thismake a good whip with which to keep him in line? What wasmissing here to tame Richard Parker? Time? It might be weeksbefore a ship sighted me. I had all the time in the world.
Resolve? There's nothing like extreme need to give you resolve.
Knowledge? Was I not a zookeeper's son? Reward? Was thereany reward greater than life? Any punishment worse thandeath? I looked at Richard Parker. My panic was gone. Myfear was dominated. Survival was at hand.
Let the trumpets²⁴ blare. Let the drums roll. Let the showbegin. I rose to my feet. Richard Parker noticed. The balancewas not easy. I took a deep breath and shouted, "Ladies andgentlemen, boys and girls, hurry to your seats! Hurry, hurry.
You don't want to be late. Sit down, open your eyes, openyour hearts and prepare to be amazed. Here it is, for yourenjoyment and instruction, for your gratification and edification,the show you've been waiting for all your life, THE GREATESTSHOW ON EARTH! Are you ready for the miracle of it? Yes?
Well then: they are amazingly adaptable²⁵. You've seen them infreezing, snow-covered temperate²⁶ forests. You've seen them indense, tropical monsoon²⁷ jungles. You've seen them in sparse,semi-arid scrublands. You've seen them in brackish²⁸ mangroveswamps. Truly, they would fit anywhere. But you've never seenthem where you are about to see them now! Ladies andgentlemen, boys and girls, without further ado, it is mypleasure and honour to present to you: THE PIPATEL,INDO-CANADIAN,TRANS-PACIFIC, FLOATINGCIRCUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE!
TREEEEEE!
TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE!"I had an effect on Richard Parker. At the very first blow ofthe whistle he cringed and he snarled²⁹. Ha! Let him jump intothe water if he wanted to! Let him try!
"TREEEEEE.‘ TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE.' TREEEEEE!
TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE!"He roared and he clawed the air. But he did not jump. Hemight not be afraid of the sea when he was driven mad byhunger and thirst, but for the time being it was a fear I couldrely on.
"TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE!
TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE!"He backed off and dropped to the bottom of the boat. Thefirst training session was over. It was a resounding³⁰ success. Istopped whistling and sat down heavily on the raft, out ofbreath and exhausted³¹.
And so it came to be:
Plan Number Seven: Keep Him Alive.

1 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。

2 growling   

n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼

参考例句：

• We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
• The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡，聚集在一起发牢骚。

3 growl   

v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣

参考例句：

• The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫，尾巴也跟着摇摆。
• The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。

4 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。

5 snarling   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• "I didn't marry you," he said, in a snarling tone. “我没有娶你，"他咆哮着说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• So he got into the shoes snarling. 于是，汤姆一边大喊大叫，一边穿上了那双鞋。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

6 twitching   

n.颤搐

参考例句：

• The child in a spasm kept twitching his arms and legs. 那个害痉挛的孩子四肢不断地抽搐。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My eyelids keep twitching all the time. 我眼皮老是跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 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。

8 pricked   

刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。

9 growls   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的第三人称单数 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• The dog growls at me. 狗向我狂吠。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The loudest growls have echoed around emerging markets and commodities. 熊嚎之声响彻新兴的市场与商品。 来自互联网

10 petrifying   

v.吓呆，使麻木( petrify的现在分词 )；使吓呆，使惊呆；僵化

参考例句：

• I found the climb absolutely petrifying. 我觉得这次爬山太吓人了。 来自柯林斯例句

11 hiss   

v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满

参考例句：

• We can hear the hiss of air escaping from a tire.我们能听到一只轮胎的嘶嘶漏气声。
• Don't hiss at the speaker.不要嘘演讲人。

12 rustling   

n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的

参考例句：

• the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
• the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声

13 resonant   

adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的

参考例句：

• She has a resonant voice.她的嗓子真亮。
• He responded with a resonant laugh.他报以洪亮的笑声。

14 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

15 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

16 grunt   

v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝

参考例句：

• He lifted the heavy suitcase with a grunt.他咕噜着把沉重的提箱拎了起来。
• I ask him what he think,but he just grunt.我问他在想什麽，他只哼了一声。

17 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

18 friendliness   

n.友谊，亲切，亲密

参考例句：

• Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
• His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。

19 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

20 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

21 outlast   

v.较…耐久

参考例句：

• The great use of life is to spend it doing something that will outlast it.人生的充分利用就是为争取比人生更长久的东西而度过一生。
• These naturally dried flowers will outlast a bouquet of fresh blooms.这些自然风干的花会比一束鲜花更加持久。

22 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

23 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

24 trumpets   

喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花

参考例句：

• A wreath was laid on the monument to a fanfare of trumpets. 在响亮的号角声中花圈被献在纪念碑前。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

25 adaptable   

adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的

参考例句：

• He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人，很快就将学会这种工作。
• The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。

26 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。

27 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

28 brackish   

adj.混有盐的；咸的

参考例句：

• Brackish waters generally support only a small range of faunas.咸水水域通常只能存活为数不多的几种动物。
• The factory has several shallow pools of brackish water.工厂有几个浅的咸水池。

29 snarled   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• The dog snarled at us. 狗朝我们低声吼叫。
• As I advanced towards the dog, It'snarled and struck at me. 我朝那条狗走去时，它狂吠着向我扑来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 resounding   

adj. 响亮的

参考例句：

• The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。
• He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。

31 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。