Tarzan smiled as he recalled Sheeta's great rage, his frantic7 efforts to free himself from the entangling8 strands10, his uncanny screams that were part hate, part anger, part terror. He smiled in retrospection at the discomfiture11 of his enemy, and in anticipation12 of another day as he added an extra strand9 to his new rope.
This would be the strongest, the heaviest rope that Tarzan of the Apes ever had fashioned. Visions of Numa, the lion, straining futilely14 in its embrace thrilled the ape-man. He was quite content, for his hands and his brain were busy. Content, too, were his fellows of the tribe of Kerchak, searching for food in the clearing and the surrounding trees about him. No perplexing thoughts of the future burdened their minds, and only occasionally, dimly arose recollections of the near past. They were stimulated16 to a species of brutal17 content by the delectable18 business of filling their bellies19. Afterward20 they would sleep—it was their life, and they enjoyed it as we enjoy ours, you and I—as Tarzan enjoyed his. Possibly they enjoyed theirs more than we enjoy ours, for who shall say that the beasts of the jungle do not better fulfill21 the purposes for which they are created than does man with his many excursions into strange fields and his contraventions of the laws of nature? And what gives greater content and greater happiness than the fulfilling of a destiny?
As Tarzan worked, Gazan, Teeka's little balu, played about him while Teeka sought food upon the opposite side of the clearing. No more did Teeka, the mother, or Taug, the sullen22 sire, harbor suspicions of Tarzan's intentions toward their first-born. Had he not courted death to save their Gazan from the fangs and talons of Sheeta? Did he not fondle and cuddle the little one with even as great a show of affection as Teeka herself displayed? Their fears were allayed23 and Tarzan now found himself often in the role of nursemaid to a tiny anthropoid—an avocation24 which he found by no means irksome, since Gazan was a never-failing fount of surprises and entertainment.
Just now the apeling was developing those arboreal25 tendencies which were to stand him in such good stead during the years of his youth, when rapid flight into the upper terraces was of far more importance and value than his undeveloped muscles and untried fighting fangs. Backing off fifteen or twenty feet from the bole of the tree beneath the branches of which Tarzan worked upon his rope, Gazan scampered26 quickly forward, scrambling27 nimbly upward to the lower limbs. Here he would squat28 for a moment or two, quite proud of his achievement, then clamber to the ground again and repeat. Sometimes, quite often in fact, for he was an ape, his attention was distracted by other things, a beetle29, a caterpillar30, a tiny field mouse, and off he would go in pursuit; the caterpillars31 he always caught, and sometimes the beetles32; but the field mice, never.
Now he discovered the tail of the rope upon which Tarzan was working. Grasping it in one small hand he bounced away, for all the world like an animated33 rubber ball, snatching it from the ape-man's hand and running off across the clearing. Tarzan leaped to his feet and was in pursuit in an instant, no trace of anger on his face or in his voice as he called to the roguish little balu to drop his rope.
Straight toward his mother raced Gazan, and after him came Tarzan. Teeka looked up from her feeding, and in the first instant that she realized that Gazan was fleeing and that another was in pursuit, she bared her fangs and bristled34; but when she saw that the pursuer was Tarzan she turned back to the business that had been occupying her attention. At her very feet the ape-man overhauled35 the balu and, though the youngster squealed36 and fought when Tarzan seized him, Teeka only glanced casually37 in their direction. No longer did she fear harm to her first-born at the hands of the ape-man. Had he not saved Gazan on two occasions?
Rescuing his rope, Tarzan returned to his tree and resumed his labor38; but thereafter it was necessary to watch carefully the playful balu, who was now possessed39 to steal it whenever he thought his great, smooth-skinned cousin was momentarily off his guard.
But even under this handicap Tarzan finally completed the rope, a long, pliant40 weapon, stronger than any he ever had made before. The discarded piece of his former one he gave to Gazan for a plaything, for Tarzan had it in his mind to instruct Teeka's balu after ideas of his own when the youngster should be old and strong enough to profit by his precepts41. At present the little ape's innate42 aptitude43 for mimicry44 would be sufficient to familiarize him with Tarzan's ways and weapons, and so the ape-man swung off into the jungle, his new rope coiled over one shoulder, while little Gazan hopped45 about the clearing dragging the old one after him in childish glee.
As Tarzan traveled, dividing his quest for food with one for a sufficiently46 noble quarry47 whereupon to test his new weapon, his mind often was upon Gazan. The ape-man had realized a deep affection for Teeka's balu almost from the first, partly because the child belonged to Teeka, his first love, and partly for the little ape's own sake, and Tarzan's human longing48 for some sentient49 creature upon which to expend50 those natural affections of the soul which are inherent to all normal members of the GENUS HOMO. Tarzan envied Teeka. It was true that Gazan evidenced a considerable reciprocation51 of Tarzan's fondness for him, even preferring him to his own surly sire; but to Teeka the little one turned when in pain or terror, when tired or hungry. Then it was that Tarzan felt quite alone in the world and longed desperately52 for one who should turn first to him for succor53 and protection.
Taug had Teeka; Teeka had Gazan; and nearly every other bull and cow of the tribe of Kerchak had one or more to love and by whom to be loved. Of course Tarzan could scarcely formulate54 the thought in precisely55 this way—he only knew that he craved56 something which was denied him; something which seemed to be represented by those relations which existed between Teeka and her balu, and so he envied Teeka and longed for a balu of his own.
He saw Sheeta and his mate with their little family of three; and deeper inland toward the rocky hills, where one might lie up during the heat of the day, in the dense57 shade of a tangled58 thicket59 close under the cool face of an overhanging rock, Tarzan had found the lair60 of Numa, the lion, and of Sabor, the lioness. Here he had watched them with their little balus—playful creatures, spotted61 leopard62-like. And he had seen the young fawn63 with Bara, the deer, and with Buto, the rhinoceros64, its ungainly little one. Each of the creatures of the jungle had its own—except Tarzan. It made the ape-man sad to think upon this thing, sad and lonely; but presently the scent65 of game cleared his young mind of all other considerations, as catlike he crawled far out upon a bending limb above the game trail which led down to the ancient watering place of the wild things of this wild world.
How many thousands of times had this great, old limb bent66 to the savage form of some blood-thirsty hunter in the long years that it had spread its leafy branches above the deep-worn jungle path! Tarzan, the ape-man, Sheeta, the panther, and Histah, the snake, it knew well. They had worn smooth the bark upon its upper surface.
Today it was Horta, the boar, which came down toward the watcher in the old tree—Horta, the boar, whose formidable tusks67 and diabolical69 temper preserved him from all but the most ferocious70 or most famished71 of the largest carnivora.
But to Tarzan, meat was meat; naught72 that was edible73 or tasty might pass a hungry Tarzan unchallenged and unattacked. In hunger, as in battle, the ape-man out-savaged the dreariest74 denizens75 of the jungle. He knew neither fear nor mercy, except upon rare occasions when some strange, inexplicable76 force stayed his hand—a force inexplicable to him, perhaps, because of his ignorance of his own origin and of all the forces of humanitarianism77 and civilization that were his rightful heritage because of that origin.
So today, instead of staying his hand until a less formidable feast found its way toward him, Tarzan dropped his new noose about the neck of Horta, the boar. It was an excellent test for the untried strands. The angered boar bolted this way and that; but each time the new rope held him where Tarzan had made it fast about the stem of the tree above the branch from which he had cast it.
As Horta grunted78 and charged, slashing79 the sturdy jungle patriarch with his mighty81 tusks until the bark flew in every direction, Tarzan dropped to the ground behind him. In the ape-man's hand was the long, keen blade that had been his constant companion since that distant day upon which chance had directed its point into the body of Bolgani, the gorilla82, and saved the torn and bleeding man-child from what else had been certain death.
Tarzan walked in toward Horta, who swung now to face his enemy. Mighty and muscled as was the young giant, it yet would have appeared but the maddest folly83 for him to face so formidable a creature as Horta, the boar, armed only with a slender hunting knife. So it would have seemed to one who knew Horta even slightly and Tarzan not at all.
For a moment Horta stood motionless facing the ape-man. His wicked, deep-set eyes flashed angrily. He shook his lowered head.
"Mud-eater!" jeered84 the ape-man. "Wallower in filth85. Even your meat stinks86, but it is juicy and makes Tarzan strong. Today I shall eat your heart, O Lord of the Great Tusks, that it shall keep savage that which pounds against my own ribs87."
Horta, understanding nothing of what Tarzan said, was none the less enraged89 because of that. He saw only a naked man-thing, hairless and futile13, pitting his puny90 fangs and soft muscles against his own indomitable savagery91, and he charged.
Tarzan of the Apes waited until the upcut of a wicked tusk68 would have laid open his thigh92, then he moved—just the least bit to one side; but so quickly that lightning was a sluggard93 by comparison, and as he moved, he stooped low and with all the great power of his right arm drove the long blade of his father's hunting knife straight into the heart of Horta, the boar. A quick leap carried him from the zone of the creature's death throes, and a moment later the hot and dripping heart of Horta was in his grasp.
His hunger satisfied, Tarzan did not seek a lying-up place for sleep, as was sometimes his way, but continued on through the jungle more in search of adventure than of food, for today he was restless. And so it came that he turned his footsteps toward the village of Mbonga, the black chief, whose people Tarzan had baited remorselessly since that day upon which Kulonga, the chief's son, had slain94 Kala.
A river winds close beside the village of the black men. Tarzan reached its side a little below the clearing where squat the thatched huts of the Negroes. The river life was ever fascinating to the ape-man. He found pleasure in watching the ungainly antics of Duro, the hippopotamus95, and keen sport in tormenting96 the sluggish97 crocodile, Gimla, as he basked98 in the sun. Then, too, there were the shes and the balus of the black men of the Gomangani to frighten as they squatted99 by the river, the shes with their meager100 washing, the balus with their primitive101 toys.
This day he came upon a woman and her child farther down stream than usual. The former was searching for a species of shellfish which was to be found in the mud close to the river bank. She was a young black woman of about thirty. Her teeth were filed to sharp points, for her people ate the flesh of man. Her under lip was slit102 that it might support a rude pendant of copper103 which she had worn for so many years that the lip had been dragged downward to prodigious104 lengths, exposing the teeth and gums of her lower jaw105. Her nose, too, was slit, and through the slit was a wooden skewer106. Metal ornaments107 dangled108 from her ears, and upon her forehead and cheeks; upon her chin and the bridge of her nose were tattooings in colors that were mellowed109 now by age. She was naked except for a girdle of grasses about her waist. Altogether she was very beautiful in her own estimation and even in the estimation of the men of Mbonga's tribe, though she was of another people—a trophy110 of war seized in her maidenhood111 by one of Mbonga's fighting men.
Her child was a boy of ten, lithe112, straight and, for a black, handsome. Tarzan looked upon the two from the concealing113 foliage114 of a near-by bush. He was about to leap forth115 before them with a terrifying scream, that he might enjoy the spectacle of their terror and their incontinent flight; but of a sudden a new whim116 seized him. Here was a balu fashioned as he himself was fashioned. Of course this one's skin was black; but what of it? Tarzan had never seen a white man. In so far as he knew, he was the sole representative of that strange form of life upon the earth. The black boy should make an excellent balu for Tarzan, since he had none of his own. He would tend him carefully, feed him well, protect him as only Tarzan of the Apes could protect his own, and teach him out of his half human, half bestial117 lore118 the secrets of the jungle from its rotting surface vegetation to the high tossed pinnacles119 of the forest's upper terraces.
* * *
Tarzan uncoiled his rope, and shook out the noose. The two before him, all ignorant of the near presence of that terrifying form, continued preoccupied120 in the search for shellfish, poking121 about in the mud with short sticks.
Tarzan stepped from the jungle behind them; his noose lay open upon the ground beside him. There was a quick movement of the right arm and the noose rose gracefully122 into the air, hovered123 an instant above the head of the unsuspecting youth, then settled. As it encompassed124 his body below the shoulders, Tarzan gave a quick jerk that tightened125 it about the boy's arms, pinioning126 them to his sides. A scream of terror broke from the lad's lips, and as his mother turned, affrighted at his cry, she saw him being dragged quickly toward a great white giant who stood just beneath the shade of a near-by tree, scarcely a dozen long paces from her.
With a savage cry of terror and rage, the woman leaped fearlessly toward the ape-man. In her mien127 Tarzan saw determination and courage which would shrink not even from death itself. She was very hideous128 and frightful129 even when her face was in repose130; but convulsed by passion, her expression became terrifyingly fiendish. Even the ape-man drew back, but more in revulsion than fear—fear he knew not.
Biting and kicking was the black she's balu as Tarzan tucked him beneath his arm and vanished into the branches hanging low above him, just as the infuriated mother dashed forward to seize and do battle with him. And as he melted away into the depth of the jungle with his still struggling prize, he meditated131 upon the possibilities which might lie in the prowess of the Gomangani were the hes as formidable as the shes.
Once at a safe distance from the despoiled132 mother and out of earshot of her screams and menaces, Tarzan paused to inspect his prize, now so thoroughly133 terrorized that he had ceased his struggles and his outcries.
The frightened child rolled his eyes fearfully toward his captor, until the whites showed gleaming all about the irises134.
"I am Tarzan," said the ape-man, in the vernacular135 of the anthropoids. "I will not harm you. You are to be Tarzan's balu. Tarzan will protect you. He will feed you. The best in the jungle shall be for Tarzan's balu, for Tarzan is a mighty hunter. None need you fear, not even Numa, the lion, for Tarzan is a mighty fighter. None so great as Tarzan, son of Kala. Do not fear."
But the child only whimpered and trembled, for he did not understand the tongue of the great apes, and the voice of Tarzan sounded to him like the barking and growling137 of a beast. Then, too, he had heard stories of this bad, white forest god. It was he who had slain Kulonga and others of the warriors138 of Mbonga, the chief. It was he who entered the village stealthily, by magic, in the darkness of the night, to steal arrows and poison, and frighten the women and the children and even the great warriors. Doubtless this wicked god fed upon little boys. Had his mother not said as much when he was naughty and she threatened to give him to the white god of the jungle if he were not good? Little black Tibo shook as with ague.
"Are you cold, Go-bu-balu?" asked Tarzan, using the simian140 equivalent of black he-baby in lieu of a better name. "The sun is hot; why do you shiver?"
Tibo could not understand; but he cried for his mamma and begged the great, white god to let him go, promising141 always to be a good boy thereafter if his plea were granted. Tarzan shook his head. Not a word could he understand. This would never do! He must teach Go-bu-balu a language which sounded like talk. It was quite certain to Tarzan that Go-bu-balu's speech was not talk at all. It sounded quite as senseless as the chattering142 of the silly birds. It would be best, thought the ape-man, quickly to get him among the tribe of Kerchak where he would hear the Mangani talking among themselves. Thus he would soon learn an intelligible143 form of speech.
Tarzan rose to his feet upon the swaying branch where he had halted far above the ground, and motioned to the child to follow him; but Tibo only clung tightly to the bole of the tree and wept. Being a boy, and a native African, he had, of course, climbed into trees many times before this; but the idea of racing144 off through the forest, leaping from one branch to another, as his captor, to his horror, had done when he had carried Tibo away from his mother, filled his childish heart with terror.
Tarzan sighed. His newly acquired balu had much indeed to learn. It was pitiful that a balu of his size and strength should be so backward. He tried to coax145 Tibo to follow him; but the child dared not, so Tarzan picked him up and carried him upon his back. Tibo no longer scratched or bit. Escape seemed impossible. Even now, were he set upon the ground, the chance was remote, he knew, that he could find his way back to the village of Mbonga, the chief. Even if he could, there were the lions and the leopards146 and the hyenas147, any one of which, as Tibo was well aware, was particularly fond of the meat of little black boys.
So far the terrible white god of the jungle had offered him no harm. He could not expect even this much consideration from the frightful, green-eyed man-eaters. It would be the lesser149 of two evils, then, to let the white god carry him away without scratching and biting, as he had done at first.
As Tarzan swung rapidly through the trees, little Tibo closed his eyes in terror rather than look longer down into the frightful abysses beneath. Never before in all his life had Tibo been so frightened, yet as the white giant sped on with him through the forest there stole over the child an inexplicable sensation of security as he saw how true were the leaps of the ape-man, how unerring his grasp upon the swaying limbs which gave him hand-hold, and then, too, there was safety in the middle terraces of the forest, far above the reach of the dreaded150 lions.
And so Tarzan came to the clearing where the tribe fed, dropping among them with his new balu clinging tightly to his shoulders. He was fairly in the midst of them before Tibo spied a single one of the great hairy forms, or before the apes realized that Tarzan was not alone. When they saw the little Gomangani perched upon his back some of them came forward in curiosity with upcurled lips and snarling153 mien.
An hour before little Tibo would have said that he knew the uttermost depths of fear; but now, as he saw these fearsome beasts surrounding him, he realized that all that had gone before was as nothing by comparison. Why did the great white giant stand there so unconcernedly? Why did he not flee before these horrid154, hairy, tree men fell upon them both and tore them to pieces? And then there came to Tibo a numbing155 recollection. It was none other than the story he had heard passed from mouth to mouth, fearfully, by the people of Mbonga, the chief, that this great white demon156 of the jungle was naught other than a hairless ape, for had not he been seen in company with these?
Tibo could only stare in wide-eyed horror at the approaching apes. He saw their beetling157 brows, their great fangs, their wicked eyes. He noted158 their mighty muscles rolling beneath their shaggy hides. Their every attitude and expression was a menace. Tarzan saw this, too. He drew Tibo around in front of him.
"This is Tarzan's Go-bu-balu," he said. "Do not harm him, or Tarzan will kill you," and he bared his own fangs in the teeth of the nearest ape.
"It is a Gomangani," replied the ape. "Let me kill it. It is a Gomangani. The Gomangani are our enemies. Let me kill it."
"Go away," snarled159 Tarzan. "I tell you, Gunto, it is Tarzan's balu. Go away or Tarzan will kill you," and the ape-man took a step toward the advancing ape.
The latter sidled off, quite stiff and haughty160, after the manner of a dog which meets another and is too proud to fight and too fearful to turn his back and run.
Next came Teeka, prompted by curiosity. At her side skipped little Gazan. They were filled with wonder like the others; but Teeka did not bare her fangs. Tarzan saw this and motioned that she approach.
"Tarzan has a balu now," he said. "He and Teeka's balu can play together."
"It is a Gomangani," replied Teeka. "It will kill my balu. Take it away, Tarzan."
Tarzan laughed. "It could not harm Pamba, the rat," he said. "It is but a little balu and very frightened. Let Gazan play with it."
Teeka still was fearful, for with all their mighty ferocity the great anthropoids are timid; but at last, assured by her great confidence in Tarzan, she pushed Gazan forward toward the little black boy. The small ape, guided by instinct, drew back toward its mother, baring its small fangs and screaming in mingled162 fear and rage.
Tibo, too, showed no signs of desiring a closer acquaintance with Gazan, so Tarzan gave up his efforts for the time.
During the week which followed, Tarzan found his time much occupied. His balu was a greater responsibility than he had counted upon. Not for a moment did he dare leave it, since of all the tribe, Teeka alone could have been depended upon to refrain from slaying163 the hapless black had it not been for Tarzan's constant watchfulness165. When the ape-man hunted, he must carry Go-bu-balu about with him. It was irksome, and then the little black seemed so stupid and fearful to Tarzan. It was quite helpless against even the lesser of the jungle creatures. Tarzan wondered how it had survived at all. He tried to teach it, and found a ray of hope in the fact that Go-bu-balu had mastered a few words of the language of the anthropoids, and that he could now cling to a high-tossed branch without screaming in fear; but there was something about the child which worried Tarzan. He often had watched the blacks within their village. He had seen the children playing, and always there had been much laughter; but little Go-bu-balu never laughed. It was true that Tarzan himself never laughed. Upon occasion he smiled, grimly, but to laughter he was a stranger. The black, however, should have laughed, reasoned the ape-man. It was the way of the Gomangani.
Also, he saw that the little fellow often refused food and was growing thinner day by day. At times he surprised the boy sobbing166 softly to himself. Tarzan tried to comfort him, even as fierce Kala had comforted Tarzan when the ape-man was a balu, but all to no avail. Go-bu-balu merely no longer feared Tarzan—that was all. He feared every other living thing within the jungle. He feared the jungle days with their long excursions through the dizzy tree tops. He feared the jungle nights with their swaying, perilous167 couches far above the ground, and the grunting168 and coughing of the great carnivora prowling beneath him.
Tarzan did not know what to do. His heritage of English blood rendered it a difficult thing even to consider a surrender of his project, though he was forced to admit to himself that his balu was not all that he had hoped. Though he was faithful to his self-imposed task, and even found that he had grown to like Go-bu-balu, he could not deceive himself into believing that he felt for it that fierce heat of passionate169 affection which Teeka revealed for Gazan, and which the black mother had shown for Go-bu-balu.
The little black boy from cringing170 terror at the sight of Tarzan passed by degrees into trustfulness and admiration171. Only kindness had he ever received at the hands of the great white devil-god, yet he had seen with what ferocity his kindly172 captor could deal with others. He had seen him leap upon a certain he-ape which persisted in attempting to seize and slay164 Go-bu-balu. He had seen the strong, white teeth of the ape-man fastened in the neck of his adversary173, and the mighty muscles tensed in battle. He had heard the savage, bestial snarls174 and roars of combat, and he had realized with a shudder175 that he could not differentiate176 between those of his guardian177 and those of the hairy ape.
He had seen Tarzan bring down a buck178, just as Numa, the lion, might have done, leaping upon its back and fastening his fangs in the creature's neck. Tibo had shuddered179 at the sight, but he had thrilled, too, and for the first time there entered his dull, Negroid mind a vague desire to emulate180 his savage foster parent. But Tibo, the little black boy, lacked the divine spark which had permitted Tarzan, the white boy, to benefit by his training in the ways of the fierce jungle. In imagination he was wanting, and imagination is but another name for super-intelligence.
Imagination it is which builds bridges, and cities, and empires. The beasts know it not, the blacks only a little, while to one in a hundred thousand of earth's dominant181 race it is given as a gift from heaven that man may not perish from the earth.
While Tarzan pondered his problem concerning the future of his balu, Fate was arranging to take the matter out of his hands. Momaya, Tibo's mother, grief-stricken at the loss of her boy, had consulted the tribal182 witch-doctor, but to no avail. The medicine he made was not good medicine, for though Momaya paid him two goats for it, it did not bring back Tibo, nor even indicate where she might search for him with reasonable assurance of finding him. Momaya, being of a short temper and of another people, had little respect for the witch-doctor of her husband's tribe, and so, when he suggested that a further payment of two more fat goats would doubtless enable him to make stronger medicine, she promptly183 loosed her shrewish tongue upon him, and with such good effect that he was glad to take himself off with his zebra's tail and his pot of magic.
When he had gone and Momaya had succeeded in partially184 subduing185 her anger, she gave herself over to thought, as she so often had done since the abduction of her Tibo, in the hope that she finally might discover some feasible means of locating him, or at least assuring herself as to whether he were alive or dead.
It was known to the blacks that Tarzan did not eat the flesh of man, for he had slain more than one of their number, yet never tasted the flesh of any. Too, the bodies always had been found, sometimes dropping as though from the clouds to alight in the center of the village. As Tibo's body had not been found, Momaya argued that he still lived, but where?
Then it was that there came to her mind a recollection of Bukawai, the unclean, who dwelt in a cave in the hillside to the north, and who it was well known entertained devils in his evil lair. Few, if any, had the temerity186 to visit old Bukawai, firstly because of fear of his black magic and the two hyenas who dwelt with him and were commonly known to be devils masquerading, and secondly187 because of the loathsome188 disease which had caused Bukawai to be an outcast—a disease which was slowly eating away his face.
Now it was that Momaya reasoned shrewdly that if any might know the whereabouts of her Tibo, it would be Bukawai, who was in friendly intercourse189 with gods and demons190, since a demon or a god it was who had stolen her baby; but even her great mother love was sorely taxed to find the courage to send her forth into the black jungle toward the distant hills and the uncanny abode191 of Bukawai, the unclean, and his devils.
Mother love, however, is one of the human passions which closely approximates to the dignity of an irresistible192 force. It drives the frail193 flesh of weak women to deeds of heroic measure. Momaya was neither frail nor weak, physically194, but she was a woman, an ignorant, superstitious195, African savage. She believed in devils, in black magic, and in witchcraft196. To Momaya, the jungle was inhabited by far more terrifying things than lions and leopards—horrifying, nameless things which possessed the power of wreaking197 frightful harm under various innocent guises199.
From one of the warriors of the village, whom she knew to have once stumbled upon the lair of Bukawai, the mother of Tibo learned how she might find it—near a spring of water which rose in a small rocky ca?on between two hills, the easternmost of which was easily recognizable because of a huge granite200 boulder201 which rested upon its summit. The westerly hill was lower than its companion, and was quite bare of vegetation except for a single mimosa tree which grew just a little below its summit.
These two hills, the man assured her, could be seen for some distance before she reached them, and together formed an excellent guide to her destination. He warned her, however, to abandon so foolish and dangerous an adventure, emphasizing what she already quite well knew, that if she escaped harm at the hands of Bukawai and his demons, the chances were that she would not be so fortunate with the great carnivora of the jungle through which she must pass going and returning.
The warrior139 even went to Momaya's husband, who, in turn, having little authority over the vixenish lady of his choice, went to Mbonga, the chief. The latter summoned Momaya, threatening her with the direst punishment should she venture forth upon so unholy an excursion. The old chief's interest in the matter was due solely202 to that age-old alliance which exists between church and state. The local witch-doctor, knowing his own medicine better than any other knew it, was jealous of all other pretenders to accomplishments203 in the black art. He long had heard of the power of Bukawai, and feared lest, should he succeed in recovering Momaya's lost child, much of the tribal patronage204 and consequent fees would be diverted to the unclean one. As Mbonga received, as chief, a certain proportion of the witch-doctor's fees and could expect nothing from Bukawai, his heart and soul were, quite naturally, wrapped up in the orthodox church.
But if Momaya could view with intrepid205 heart an excursion into the jungle and a visit to the fear-haunted abode of Bukawai, she was not likely to be deterred206 by threats of future punishment at the hands of old Mbonga, whom she secretly despised. Yet she appeared to accede207 to his injunctions, returning to her hut in silence.
She would have preferred starting upon her quest by day-light, but this was now out of the question, since she must carry food and a weapon of some sort—things which she never could pass out of the village with by day without being subjected to curious questioning that surely would come immediately to the ears of Mbonga.
So Momaya bided208 her time until night, and just before the gates of the village were closed, she slipped through into the darkness and the jungle. She was much frightened, but she set her face resolutely209 toward the north, and though she paused often to listen, breathlessly, for the huge cats which, here, were her greatest terror, she nevertheless continued her way staunchly for several hours, until a low moan a little to her right and behind her brought her to a sudden stop.
With palpitating heart the woman stood, scarce daring to breathe, and then, very faintly but unmistakable to her keen ears, came the stealthy crunching210 of twigs211 and grasses beneath padded feet.
All about Momaya grew the giant trees of the tropical jungle, festooned with hanging vines and mosses212. She seized upon the nearest and started to clamber, apelike, to the branches above. As she did so, there was a sudden rush of a great body behind her, a menacing roar that caused the earth to tremble, and something crashed into the very creepers to which she was clinging—but below her.
Momaya drew herself to safety among the leafy branches and thanked the foresight213 which had prompted her to bring along the dried human ear which hung from a cord about her neck. She always had known that that ear was good medicine. It had been given her, when a girl, by the witch-doctor of her town tribe, and was nothing like the poor, weak medicine of Mbonga's witch-doctor.
All night Momaya clung to her perch152, for although the lion sought other prey214 after a short time, she dared not descend215 into the darkness again, for fear she might encounter him or another of his kind; but at daylight she clambered down and resumed her way.
Tarzan of the Apes, finding that his balu never ceased to give evidence of terror in the presence of the apes of the tribe, and also that most of the adult apes were a constant menace to Go-bu-balu's life, so that Tarzan dared not leave him alone with them, took to hunting with the little black boy farther and farther from the stamping grounds of the anthropoids.
Little by little his absences from the tribe grew in length as he wandered farther away from them, until finally he found himself a greater distance to the north than he ever before had hunted, and with water and ample game and fruit, he felt not at all inclined to return to the tribe.
Little Go-bu-balu gave evidences of a greater interest in life, an interest which varied216 in direct proportion to the distance he was from the apes of Kerchak. He now trotted217 along behind Tarzan when the ape-man went upon the ground, and in the trees he even did his best to follow his mighty foster parent. The boy was still sad and lonely. His thin, little body had grown steadily218 thinner since he had come among the apes, for while, as a young cannibal, he was not overnice in the matter of diet, he found it not always to his taste to stomach the weird219 things which tickled220 the palates of epicures221 among the apes.
His large eyes were very large indeed now, his cheeks sunken, and every rib15 of his emaciated222 body plainly discernible to whomsoever should care to count them. Constant terror, perhaps, had had as much to do with his physical condition as had improper223 food. Tarzan noticed the change and was worried. He had hoped to see his balu wax sturdy and strong. His disappointment was great. In only one respect did Go-bu-balu seem to progress—he readily was mastering the language of the apes. Even now he and Tarzan could converse224 in a fairly satisfactory manner by supplementing the meager ape speech with signs; but for the most part, Go-bu-balu was silent other than to answer questions put to him. His great sorrow was yet too new and too poignant225 to be laid aside even momentarily. Always he pined for Momaya—shrewish, hideous, repulsive226, perhaps, she would have been to you or me, but to Tibo she was mamma, the personification of that one great love which knows no selfishness and which does not consume itself in its own fires.
As the two hunted, or rather as Tarzan hunted and Go-bu-balu tagged along in his wake, the ape-man noticed many things and thought much. Once they came upon Sabor moaning in the tall grasses. About her romped227 and played two little balls of fur, but her eyes were for one which lay between her great forepaws and did not romp161, one who never would romp again.
Tarzan read aright the anguish228 and the suffering of the huge mother cat. He had been minded to bait her. It was to do this that he had sneaked229 silently through the trees until he had come almost above her, but something held the ape-man as he saw the lioness grieving over her dead cub230. With the acquisition of Go-bu-balu, Tarzan had come to realize the responsibilities and sorrows of parentage, without its joys. His heart went out to Sabor as it might not have done a few weeks before. As he watched her, there rose quite unbidden before him a vision of Momaya, the skewer through the septum of her nose, her pendulous231 under lip sagging232 beneath the weight which dragged it down. Tarzan saw not her unloveliness; he saw only the same anguish that was Sabor's, and he winced233. That strange functioning of the mind which sometimes is called association of ideas snapped Teeka and Gazan before the ape-man's mental vision. What if one should come and take Gazan from Teeka. Tarzan uttered a low and ominous234 growl136 as though Gazan were his own. Go-bu-balu glanced here and there apprehensively235, thinking that Tarzan had espied236 an enemy. Sabor sprang suddenly to her feet, her yellow-green eyes blazing, her tail lashing80 as she cocked her ears, and raising her muzzle237, sniffed238 the air for possible danger. The two little cubs239, which had been playing, scampered quickly to her, and standing88 beneath her, peered out from between her forelegs, their big ears upstanding, their little heads cocked first upon one side and then upon the other.
With a shake of his black shock, Tarzan turned away and resumed his hunting in another direction; but all day there rose one after another, above the threshold of his objective mind, memory portraits of Sabor, of Momaya, and of Teeka—a lioness, a cannibal, and a she-ape, yet to the ape-man they were identical through motherhood.
It was noon of the third day when Momaya came within sight of the cave of Bukawai, the unclean. The old witch-doctor had rigged a framework of interlaced boughs240 to close the mouth of the cave from predatory beasts. This was now set to one side, and the black cavern241 beyond yawned mysterious and repellent. Momaya shivered as from a cold wind of the rainy season. No sign of life appeared about the cave, yet Momaya experienced that uncanny sensation as of unseen eyes regarding her malevolently242. Again she shuddered. She tried to force her unwilling243 feet onward244 toward the cave, when from its depths issued an uncanny sound that was neither brute245 nor human, a weird sound that was akin198 to mirthless laughter.
With a stifled246 scream, Momaya turned and fled into the jungle. For a hundred yards she ran before she could control her terror, and then she paused, listening. Was all her labor, were all the terrors and dangers through which she had passed to go for naught? She tried to steel herself to return to the cave, but again fright overcame her.
Saddened, disheartened, she turned slowly upon the back trail toward the village of Mbonga. Her young shoulders now were drooped247 like those of an old woman who bears a great burden of many years with their accumulated pains and sorrows, and she walked with tired feet and a halting step. The spring of youth was gone from Momaya.
For another hundred yards she dragged her weary way, her brain half paralyzed from dumb terror and suffering, and then there came to her the memory of a little babe that suckled at her breast, and of a slim boy who romped, laughing, about her, and they were both Tibo—her Tibo!
Her shoulders straightened. She shook her savage head, and she turned about and walked boldly back to the mouth of the cave of Bukawai, the unclean—of Bukawai, the witch-doctor.
Again, from the interior of the cave came the hideous laughter that was not laughter. This time Momaya recognized it for what it was, the strange cry of a hyena148. No more did she shudder, but she held her spear ready and called aloud to Bukawai to come out.
Instead of Bukawai came the repulsive head of a hyena. Momaya poked248 at it with her spear, and the ugly, sullen brute drew back with an angry growl. Again Momaya called Bukawai by name, and this time there came an answer in mumbling249 tones that were scarce more human than those of the beast.
"It is Momaya," replied the woman; "Momaya from the village of Mbonga, the chief.
"What do you want?"
"I want good medicine, better medicine than Mbonga's witch-doctor can make," replied Momaya. "The great, white, jungle god has stolen my Tibo, and I want medicine to bring him back, or to find where he is hidden that I may go and get him."
"Who is Tibo?" asked Bukawai.
Momaya told him.
"Bukawai's medicine is very strong," said the voice. "Five goats and a new sleeping mat are scarce enough in exchange for Bukawai's medicine."
"Two goats are enough," said Momaya, for the spirit of barter251 is strong in the breasts of the blacks.
The pleasure of haggling252 over the price was a sufficiently potent253 lure254 to draw Bukawai to the mouth of the cave. Momaya was sorry when she saw him that he had not remained within. There are some things too horrible, too hideous, too repulsive for description—Bukawai's face was of these. When Momaya saw him she understood why it was that he was almost inarticulate.
Beside him were two hyenas, which rumor255 had said were his only and constant companions. They made an excellent trio—the most repulsive of beasts with the most repulsive of humans.
"Two fat goats and a sleeping mat." Momaya raised her bid; but Bukawai was obdurate257. He stuck for the five goats and the sleeping mat for a matter of half an hour, while the hyenas sniffed and growled258 and laughed hideously259. Momaya was determined260 to give all that Bukawai asked if she could do no better, but haggling is second nature to black barterers, and in the end it partly repaid her, for a compromise finally was reached which included three fat goats, a new sleeping mat, and a piece of copper wire.
"Come back tonight," said Bukawai, "when the moon is two hours in the sky. Then will I make the strong medicine which shall bring Tibo back to you. Bring with you the three fat goats, the new sleeping mat, and the piece of copper wire the length of a large man's forearm."
"I cannot bring them," said Momaya. "You will have to come after them. When you have restored Tibo to me, you shall have them all at the village of Mbonga."
Bukawai shook his head.
"I will make no medicine," he said, "until I have the goats and the mat and the copper wire."
Momaya pleaded and threatened, but all to no avail. Finally, she turned away and started off through the jungle toward the village of Mbonga. How she could get three goats and a sleeping mat out of the village and through the jungle to the cave of Bukawai, she did not know, but that she would do it somehow she was quite positive—she would do it or die. Tibo must be restored to her.
Tarzan coming lazily through the jungle with little Go-bu-balu, caught the scent of Bara, the deer. Tarzan hungered for the flesh of Bara. Naught tickled his palate so greatly; but to stalk Bara with Go-bu-balu at his heels, was out of the question, so he hid the child in the crotch of a tree where the thick foliage screened him from view, and set off swiftly and silently upon the spoor of Bara.
Tibo alone was more terrified than Tibo even among the apes. Real and apparent dangers are less disconcerting than those which we imagine, and only the gods of his people knew how much Tibo imagined.
He had been but a short time in his hiding place when he heard something approaching through the jungle. He crouched261 closer to the limb upon which he lay and prayed that Tarzan would return quickly. His wide eyes searched the jungle in the direction of the moving creature.
What if it was a leopard that had caught his scent! It would be upon him in a minute. Hot tears flowed from the large eyes of little Tibo. The curtain of jungle foliage rustled262 close at hand. The thing was but a few paces from his tree! His eyes fairly popped from his black face as he watched for the appearance of the dread151 creature which presently would thrust a snarling countenance263 from between the vines and creepers.
And then the curtain parted and a woman stepped into full view. With a gasping264 cry, Tibo tumbled from his perch and raced toward her. Momaya suddenly started back and raised her spear, but a second later she cast it aside and caught the thin body in her strong arms.
Crushing it to her, she cried and laughed all at one and the same time, and hot tears of joy, mingled with the tears of Tibo, trickled265 down the crease266 between her naked breasts.
Disturbed by the noise so close at hand, there arose from his sleep in a near-by thicket Numa, the lion. He looked through the tangled underbrush and saw the black woman and her young. He licked his chops and measured the distance between them and himself. A short charge and a long leap would carry him upon them. He flicked267 the end of his tail and sighed.
A vagrant268 breeze, swirling269 suddenly in the wrong direction, carried the scent of Tarzan to the sensitive nostrils270 of Bara, the deer. There was a startled tensing of muscles and cocking of ears, a sudden dash, and Tarzan's meat was gone. The ape-man angrily shook his head and turned back toward the spot where he had left Go-bu-balu. He came softly, as was his way. Before he reached the spot he heard strange sounds—the sound of a woman laughing and of a woman weeping, and the two which seemed to come from one throat were mingled with the convulsive sobbing of a child. Tarzan hastened, and when Tarzan hastened, only the birds and the wind went faster.
And as Tarzan approached the sounds, he heard another, a deep sigh. Momaya did not hear it, nor did Tibo; but the ears of Tarzan were as the ears of Bara, the deer. He heard the sigh, and he knew, so he unloosed the heavy spear which dangled at his back. Even as he sped through the branches of the trees, with the same ease that you or I might take out a pocket handkerchief as we strolled nonchalantly down a lazy country lane, Tarzan of the Apes took the spear from its thong271 that it might be ready against any emergency.
Numa, the lion, did not rush madly to attack. He reasoned again, and reason told him that already the prey was his, so he pushed his great bulk through the foliage and stood eyeing his meat with baleful, glaring eyes.
Momaya saw him and shrieked272, drawing Tibo closer to her breast. To have found her child and to lose him, all in a moment! She raised her spear, throwing her hand far back of her shoulder. Numa roared and stepped slowly forward. Momaya cast her weapon. It grazed the tawny273 shoulder, inflicting274 a flesh wound which aroused all the terrific bestiality of the carnivore, and the lion charged.
Momaya tried to close her eyes, but could not. She saw the flashing swiftness of the huge, oncoming death, and then she saw something else. She saw a mighty, naked white man drop as from the heavens into the path of the charging lion. She saw the muscles of a great arm flash in the light of the equatorial sun as it filtered, dappling, through the foliage above. She saw a heavy hunting spear hurtle through the air to meet the lion in midleap.
Numa brought up upon his haunches, roaring terribly and striking at the spear which protruded275 from his breast. His great blows bent and twisted the weapon. Tarzan, crouching276 and with hunting knife in hand, circled warily277 about the frenzied278 cat. Momaya, wide-eyed, stood rooted to the spot, watching, fascinated.
In sudden fury Numa hurled279 himself toward the ape-man, but the wiry creature eluded280 the blundering charge, side-stepping quickly only to rush in upon his foe281. Twice the hunting blade flashed in the air. Twice it fell upon the back of Numa, already weakening from the spear point so near his heart. The second stroke of the blade pierced far into the beast's spine282, and with a last convulsive sweep of the fore-paws, in a vain attempt to reach his tormentor283, Numa sprawled284 upon the ground, paralyzed and dying.
Bukawai, fearful lest he should lose any recompense, followed Momaya with the intention of persuading her to part with her ornaments of copper and iron against her return with the price of the medicine—to pay, as it were, for an option on his services as one pays a retaining fee to an attorney, for, like an attorney, Bukawai knew the value of his medicine and that it was well to collect as much as possible in advance.
The witch-doctor came upon the scene as Tarzan leaped to meet the lion's charge. He saw it all and marveled, guessing immediately that this must be the strange white demon concerning whom he had heard vague rumors285 before Momaya came to him.
Momaya, now that the lion was past harming her or hers, gazed with new terror upon Tarzan. It was he who had stolen her Tibo. Doubtless he would attempt to steal him again. Momaya hugged the boy close to her. She was determined to die this time rather than suffer Tibo to be taken from her again.
Tarzan eyed them in silence. The sight of the boy clinging, sobbing, to his mother aroused within his savage breast a melancholy286 loneliness. There was none thus to cling to Tarzan, who yearned287 so for the love of someone, of something.
At last Tibo looked up, because of the quiet that had fallen upon the jungle, and saw Tarzan. He did not shrink.
"Tarzan," he said, in the speech of the great apes of the tribe of Kerchak, "do not take me from Momaya, my mother. Do not take me again to the lair of the hairy, tree men, for I fear Taug and Gunto and the others. Let me stay with Momaya, O Tarzan, God of the Jungle! Let me stay with Momaya, my mother, and to the end of our days we will bless you and put food before the gates of the village of Mbonga that you may never hunger."
Tarzan sighed.
"Go," he said, "back to the village of Mbonga, and Tarzan will follow to see that no harm befalls you."
Tibo translated the words to his mother, and the two turned their backs upon the ape-man and started off toward home. In the heart of Momaya was a great fear and a great exultation288, for never before had she walked with God, and never had she been so happy. She strained little Tibo to her, stroking his thin cheek. Tarzan saw and sighed again.
"For Teeka there is Teeka's balu," he soliloquized; "for Sabor there are balus, and for the she-Gomangani, and for Bara, and for Manu, and even for Pamba, the rat; but for Tarzan there can be none—neither a she nor a balu. Tarzan of the Apes is a man, and it must be that man walks alone."
Bukawai saw them go, and he mumbled through his rotting face, swearing a great oath that he would yet have the three fat goats, the new sleeping mat, and the bit of copper wire.
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收听单词发音
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1
frayed
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| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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2
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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3
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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5
noose
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| n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑 | |
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6
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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7
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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8
entangling
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| 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的现在分词 ) | |
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9
strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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10
strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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11
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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12
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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13
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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futilely
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| futile（无用的）的变形； 干 | |
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rib
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| n.肋骨，肋状物 | |
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stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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18
delectable
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| adj.使人愉快的；美味的 | |
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19
bellies
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| n.肚子( belly的名词复数 )；腹部；（物体的）圆形或凸起部份；腹部…形的 | |
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20
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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21
fulfill
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| vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意 | |
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22
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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allayed
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| v.减轻，缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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avocation
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| n.副业，业余爱好 | |
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arboreal
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| adj.树栖的；树的 | |
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26
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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28
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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29
beetle
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| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
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30
caterpillar
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| n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫 | |
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caterpillars
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| n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带 | |
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beetles
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| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
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33
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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35
overhauled
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| v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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36
squealed
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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38
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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39
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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40
pliant
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| adj.顺从的；可弯曲的 | |
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41
precepts
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| n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 ) | |
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42
innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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43
aptitude
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| n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资 | |
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44
mimicry
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| n.（生物）拟态，模仿 | |
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45
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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46
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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47
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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48
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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49
sentient
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| adj.有知觉的，知悉的；adv.有感觉能力地 | |
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50
expend
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| vt.花费，消费，消耗 | |
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51
reciprocation
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| n.互换 | |
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52
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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53
succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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54
formulate
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| v.用公式表示；规划；设计；系统地阐述 | |
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55
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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56
craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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57
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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58
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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59
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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60
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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61
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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62
leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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63
fawn
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| n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承 | |
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64
rhinoceros
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| n.犀牛 | |
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65
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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66
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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67
tusks
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| n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头 | |
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68
tusk
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| n.獠牙，长牙，象牙 | |
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69
diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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70
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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71
famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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72
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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73
edible
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| n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的 | |
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74
dreariest
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| 使人闷闷不乐或沮丧的( dreary的最高级 )； 阴沉的； 令人厌烦的； 单调的 | |
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75
denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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76
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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77
humanitarianism
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| n.博爱主义；人道主义；基督凡人论 | |
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78
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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79
slashing
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| adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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80
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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81
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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82
gorilla
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| n.大猩猩，暴徒，打手 | |
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83
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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84
jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
filth
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| n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥 | |
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86
stinks
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| v.散发出恶臭( stink的第三人称单数 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透 | |
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87
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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88
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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89
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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90
puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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91
savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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92
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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93
sluggard
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| n.懒人；adj.懒惰的 | |
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94
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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95
hippopotamus
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| n.河马 | |
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96
tormenting
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| 使痛苦的，使苦恼的 | |
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97
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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98
basked
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的过去式和过去分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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99
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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100
meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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101
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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102
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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103
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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104
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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105
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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106
skewer
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| n.（烤肉用的）串肉杆；v.用杆串好 | |
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107
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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108
dangled
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| 悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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109
mellowed
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| （使）成熟( mellow的过去式和过去分词 )； 使色彩更加柔和，使酒更加醇香 | |
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110
trophy
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| n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品 | |
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111
maidenhood
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| n. 处女性, 处女时代 | |
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112
lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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113
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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114
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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115
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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116
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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117
bestial
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| adj.残忍的；野蛮的 | |
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118
lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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119
pinnacles
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| 顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 )； 顶点； 尖顶； 小尖塔 | |
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120
preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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121
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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122
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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123
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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124
encompassed
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| v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 )；包围；包含；包括 | |
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125
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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126
pinioning
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的现在分词 ) | |
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127
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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128
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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129
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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130
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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131
meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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132
despoiled
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| v.掠夺，抢劫( despoil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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133
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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134
irises
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| n.虹( iris的名词复数 )；虹膜；虹彩；鸢尾（花） | |
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135
vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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136
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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137
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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138
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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139
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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140
simian
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| adj.似猿猴的；n.类人猿，猴 | |
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141
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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142
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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143
intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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144
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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145
coax
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| v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取 | |
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146
leopards
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| n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移 | |
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147
hyenas
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| n.鬣狗( hyena的名词复数 ) | |
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148
hyena
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| n.土狼，鬣狗 | |
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149
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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150
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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151
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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152
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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153
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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154
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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155
numbing
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| adj.使麻木的，使失去感觉的v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的现在分词 ) | |
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156
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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157
beetling
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| adj.突出的，悬垂的v.快速移动( beetle的现在分词 ) | |
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158
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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159
snarled
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| 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 | |
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160
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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161
romp
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| n.欢闹；v.嬉闹玩笑 | |
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162
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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163
slaying
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| 杀戮。 | |
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164
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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165
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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166
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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167
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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168
grunting
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| 咕哝的，呼噜的 | |
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169
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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170
cringing
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| adj.谄媚，奉承 | |
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171
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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172
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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173
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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174
snarls
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| n.（动物的）龇牙低吼( snarl的名词复数 )；愤怒叫嚷（声）；咆哮（声）；疼痛叫声v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的第三人称单数 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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175
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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176
differentiate
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| vi.(between)区分；vt.区别；使不同 | |
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177
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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178
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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179
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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180
emulate
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| v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿 | |
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181
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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182
tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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183
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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184
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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185
subduing
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| 征服( subdue的现在分词 )； 克制； 制服； 色变暗 | |
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186
temerity
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| n.鲁莽，冒失 | |
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187
secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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188
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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189
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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190
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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191
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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192
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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193
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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194
physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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195
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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196
witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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197
wreaking
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| 诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 ) | |
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198
akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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199
guises
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| n.外观，伪装( guise的名词复数 )v.外观，伪装( guise的第三人称单数 ) | |
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200
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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201
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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202
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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203
accomplishments
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| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
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204
patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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205
intrepid
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| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
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206
deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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207
accede
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| v.应允，同意 | |
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208
bided
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| v.等待，停留( bide的过去式 )；居住；等待；面临 | |
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209
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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210
crunching
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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211
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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212
mosses
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| n. 藓类, 苔藓植物 名词moss的复数形式 | |
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213
foresight
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| n.先见之明，深谋远虑 | |
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214
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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215
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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216
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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217
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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218
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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219
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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220
tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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221
epicures
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| n.讲究饮食的人( epicure的名词复数 ) | |
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222
emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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223
improper
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| adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的 | |
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224
converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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225
poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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226
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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227
romped
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| v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜 | |
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228
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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229
sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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230
cub
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| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
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231
pendulous
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| adj.下垂的；摆动的 | |
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232
sagging
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| 下垂[沉，陷]，松垂，垂度 | |
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233
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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234
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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235
apprehensively
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| adv.担心地 | |
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236
espied
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| v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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237
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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238
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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239
cubs
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| n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 ) | |
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240
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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241
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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242
malevolently
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243
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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244
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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245
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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246
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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247
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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248
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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249
mumbling
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的现在分词 ) | |
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250
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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251
barter
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| n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易 | |
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252
haggling
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| v.讨价还价( haggle的现在分词 ) | |
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253
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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254
lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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255
rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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256
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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257
obdurate
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| adj.固执的，顽固的 | |
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258
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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259
hideously
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| adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地 | |
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260
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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261
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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262
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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263
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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264
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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265
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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266
crease
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| n.折缝，褶痕，皱褶；v.(使)起皱 | |
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267
flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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268
vagrant
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| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
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269
swirling
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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270
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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271
thong
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| n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带 | |
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272
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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273
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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274
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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275
protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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276
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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277
warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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278
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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279
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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280
eluded
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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281
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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282
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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283
tormentor
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| n. 使苦痛之人, 使苦恼之物, 侧幕 =tormenter | |
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284
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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285
rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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286
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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287
yearned
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| 渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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288
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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