The beaters—there were twenty-three of them, in white smocks—had but just driven the birds into a patch of gorse, and were now circling to the opposite side that they might drive down toward the guns. Lord Greystoke was quite as excited as he ever permitted himself to become. There was an exhilaration in the sport that would not be denied. He felt his blood tingling3 through his veins4 as the beaters approached closer and closer to the birds. In a vague and stupid sort of way Lord Greystoke felt, as he always felt upon such occasions, that he was experiencing a sensation somewhat akin6 to a reversion to a prehistoric7 type—that the blood of an ancient forbear was coursing hot through him, a hairy, half-naked forbear who had lived by the hunt.
And far away in a matted equatorial jungle another Lord Greystoke, the real Lord Greystoke, hunted. By the standards which he knew, he, too, was vogue—utterly vogue, as was the primal8 ancestor before the first eviction9. The day being sultry, the leopard10 skin had been left behind. The real Lord Greystoke had not two guns, to be sure, nor even one, neither did he have a smart loader; but he possessed12 something infinitely13 more efficacious than guns, or loaders, or even twenty-three beaters in white smocks—he possessed an appetite, an uncanny woodcraft, and muscles that were as steel springs.
Later that day, in England, a Lord Greystoke ate bountifully of things he had not killed, and he drank other things which were uncorked to the accompaniment of much noise. He patted his lips with snowy linen14 to remove the faint traces of his repast, quite ignorant of the fact that he was an impostor and that the rightful owner of his noble title was even then finishing his own dinner in far-off Africa. He was not using snowy linen, though. Instead he drew the back of a brown forearm and hand across his mouth and wiped his bloody15 fingers upon his thighs16. Then he moved slowly through the jungle to the drinking place, where, upon all fours, he drank as drank his fellows, the other beasts of the jungle.
As he quenched18 his thirst, another denizen19 of the gloomy forest approached the stream along the path behind him. It was Numa, the lion, tawny20 of body and black of mane, scowling21 and sinister22, rumbling23 out low, coughing roars. Tarzan of the Apes heard him long before he came within sight, but the ape-man went on with his drinking until he had had his fill; then he arose, slowly, with the easy grace of a creature of the wilds and all the quiet dignity that was his birthright.
Numa halted as he saw the man standing24 at the very spot where the king would drink. His jaws25 were parted, and his cruel eyes gleamed. He growled26 and advanced slowly. The man growled, too, backing slowly to one side, and watching, not the lion's face, but its tail. Should that commence to move from side to side in quick, nervous jerks, it would be well to be upon the alert, and should it rise suddenly erect27, straight and stiff, then one might prepare to fight or flee; but it did neither, so Tarzan merely backed away and the lion came down and drank scarce fifty feet from where the man stood.
Tomorrow they might be at one another's throats, but today there existed one of those strange and inexplicable28 truces29 which so often are seen among the savage30 ones of the jungle. Before Numa had finished drinking, Tarzan had returned into the forest, and was swinging away in the direction of the village of Mbonga, the black chief.
It had been at least a moon since the ape-man had called upon the Gomangani. Not since he had restored little Tibo to his grief-stricken mother had the whim31 seized him to do so. The incident of the adopted balu was a closed one to Tarzan. He had sought to find something upon which to lavish32 such an affection as Teeka lavished33 upon her balu, but a short experience of the little black boy had made it quite plain to the ape-man that no such sentiment could exist between them.
The fact that he had for a time treated the little black as he might have treated a real balu of his own had in no way altered the vengeful sentiments with which he considered the murderers of Kala. The Gomangani were his deadly enemies, nor could they ever be aught else. Today he looked forward to some slight relief from the monotony of his existence in such excitement as he might derive34 from baiting the blacks.
It was not yet dark when he reached the village and took his place in the great tree overhanging the palisade. From beneath came a great wailing35 out of the depths of a near-by hut. The noise fell disagreeably upon Tarzan's ears—it jarred and grated. He did not like it, so he decided37 to go away for a while in the hopes that it might cease; but though he was gone for a couple of hours the wailing still continued when he returned.
With the intention of putting a violent termination to the annoying sound, Tarzan slipped silently from the tree into the shadows beneath. Creeping stealthily and keeping well in the cover of other huts, he approached that from which rose the sounds of lamentation38. A fire burned brightly before the doorway39 as it did before other doorways40 in the village. A few females squatted41 about, occasionally adding their own mournful howlings to those of the master artist within.
The ape-man smiled a slow smile as he thought of the consternation42 which would follow the quick leap that would carry him among the females and into the full light of the fire. Then he would dart43 into the hut during the excitement, throttle44 the chief screamer, and be gone into the jungle before the blacks could gather their scattered45 nerves for an assault.
Many times had Tarzan behaved similarly in the village of Mbonga, the chief. His mysterious and unexpected appearances always filled the breasts of the poor, superstitious46 blacks with the panic of terror; never, it seemed, could they accustom47 themselves to the sight of him. It was this terror which lent to the adventures the spice of interest and amusement which the human mind of the ape-man craved48. Merely to kill was not in itself sufficient. Accustomed to the sight of death, Tarzan found no great pleasure in it. Long since had he avenged49 the death of Kala, but in the accomplishment50 of it, he had learned the excitement and the pleasure to be derived51 from the baiting of the blacks. Of this he never tired.
It was just as he was about to spring forward with a savage roar that a figure appeared in the doorway of the hut. It was the figure of the wailer52 whom he had come to still, the figure of a young woman with a wooden skewer53 through the split septum of her nose, with a heavy metal ornament54 depending from her lower lip, which it had dragged down to hideous56 and repulsive57 deformity, with strange tattooing58 upon forehead, cheeks, and breasts, and a wonderful coiffure built up with mud and wire.
A sudden flare59 of the fire threw the grotesque60 figure into high relief, and Tarzan recognized her as Momaya, the mother of Tibo. The fire also threw out a fitful flame which carried to the shadows where Tarzan lurked61, picking out his light brown body from the surrounding darkness. Momaya saw him and knew him. With a cry, she leaped forward and Tarzan came to meet her. The other women, turning, saw him, too; but they did not come toward him. Instead they rose as one, shrieked62 as one, fled as one.
Momaya threw herself at Tarzan's feet, raising supplicating63 hands toward him and pouring forth64 from her mutilated lips a perfect cataract65 of words, not one of which the ape-man comprehended. For a moment he looked down upon the upturned, frightful66 face of the woman. He had come to slay67, but that overwhelming torrent68 of speech filled him with consternation and with awe69. He glanced about him apprehensively70, then back at the woman. A revulsion of feeling seized him. He could not kill little Tibo's mother, nor could he stand and face this verbal geyser. With a quick gesture of impatience71 at the spoiling of his evening's entertainment, he wheeled and leaped away into the darkness. A moment later he was swinging through the black jungle night, the cries and lamentations of Momaya growing fainter in the distance.
It was with a sigh of relief that he finally reached a point from which he could no longer hear them, and finding a comfortable crotch high among the trees, composed himself for a night of dreamless slumber72, while a prowling lion moaned and coughed beneath him, and in far-off England the other Lord Greystoke, with the assistance of a valet, disrobed and crawled between spotless sheets, swearing irritably73 as a cat meowed beneath his window.
As Tarzan followed the fresh spoor of Horta, the boar, the following morning, he came upon the tracks of two Gomangani, a large one and a small one. The ape-man, accustomed as he was to questioning closely all that fell to his perceptions, paused to read the story written in the soft mud of the game trail. You or I would have seen little of interest there, even if, by chance, we could have seen aught. Perhaps had one been there to point them out to us, we might have noted74 indentations in the mud, but there were countless75 indentations, one overlapping76 another into a confusion that would have been entirely77 meaningless to us. To Tarzan each told its own story. Tantor, the elephant, had passed that way as recently as three suns since. Numa had hunted here the night just gone, and Horta, the boar, had walked slowly along the trail within an hour; but what held Tarzan's attention was the spoor tale of the Gomangani. It told him that the day before an old man had gone toward the north in company with a little boy, and that with them had been two hyenas78.
Tarzan scratched his head in puzzled incredulity. He could see by the overlapping of the footprints that the beasts had not been following the two, for sometimes one was ahead of them and one behind, and again both were in advance, or both were in the rear. It was very strange and quite inexplicable, especially where the spoor showed where the hyenas in the wider portions of the path had walked one on either side of the human pair, quite close to them. Then Tarzan read in the spoor of the smaller Gomangani a shrinking terror of the beast that brushed his side, but in that of the old man was no sign of fear.
At first Tarzan had been solely80 occupied by the remarkable81 juxtaposition82 of the spoor of Dango and Gomangani, but now his keen eyes caught something in the spoor of the little Gomangani which brought him to a sudden stop. It was as though, finding a letter in the road, you suddenly had discovered in it the familiar handwriting of a friend.
"Go-bu-balu!" exclaimed the ape-man, and at once memory flashed upon the screen of recollection the supplicating attitude of Momaya as she had hurled83 herself before him in the village of Mbonga the night before. Instantly all was explained—the wailing and lamentation, the pleading of the black mother, the sympathetic howling of the shes about the fire. Little Go-bu-balu had been stolen again, and this time by another than Tarzan. Doubtless the mother had thought that he was again in the power of Tarzan of the Apes, and she had been beseeching84 him to return her balu to her.
Yes, it was all quite plain now; but who could have stolen Go-bu-balu this time? Tarzan wondered, and he wondered, too, about the presence of Dango. He would investigate. The spoor was a day old and it ran toward the north. Tarzan set out to follow it. In places it was totally obliterated85 by the passage of many beasts, and where the way was rocky, even Tarzan of the Apes was almost baffled; but there was still the faint effluvium which clung to the human spoor, appreciable86 only to such highly trained perceptive87 powers as were Tarzan's.
It had all happened to little Tibo very suddenly and unexpectedly within the brief span of two suns. First had come Bukawai, the witch-doctor—Bukawai, the unclean—with the ragged55 bit of flesh which still clung to his rotting face. He had come alone and by day to the place at the river where Momaya went daily to wash her body and that of Tibo, her little boy. He had stepped out from behind a great bush quite close to Momaya, frightening little Tibo so that he ran screaming to his mother's protecting arms.
But Momaya, though startled, had wheeled to face the fearsome thing with all the savage ferocity of a she-tiger at bay. When she saw who it was, she breathed a sigh of partial relief, though she still clung tightly to Tibo.
"I have come," said Bukawai without preliminary, "for the three fat goats, the new sleeping mat, and the bit of copper88 wire as long as a tall man's arm."
"I have no goats for you," snapped Momaya, "nor a sleeping mat, nor any wire. Your medicine was never made. The white jungle god gave me back my Tibo. You had nothing to do with it."
"But I did," mumbled89 Bukawai through his fleshless jaws. "It was I who commanded the white jungle god to give back your Tibo."
Momaya laughed in his face. "Speaker of lies," she cried, "go back to your foul90 den2 and your hyenas. Go back and hide your stinking91 face in the belly92 of the mountain, lest the sun, seeing it, cover his face with a black cloud."
"I have come," reiterated93 Bukawai, "for the three fat goats, the new sleeping mat, and the bit of copper wire the length of a tall man's arm, which you were to pay me for the return of your Tibo."
"It was to be the length of a man's forearm," corrected Momaya, "but you shall have nothing, old thief. You would not make medicine until I had brought the payment in advance, and when I was returning to my village the great, white jungle god gave me back my Tibo—gave him to me out of the jaws of Numa. His medicine is true medicine—yours is the weak medicine of an old man with a hole in his face."
"I have come," repeated Bukawai patiently, "for the three fat—" But Momaya had not waited to hear more of what she already knew by heart. Clasping Tibo close to her side, she was hurrying away toward the palisaded village of Mbonga, the chief.
And the next day, when Momaya was working in the plantain field with others of the women of the tribe, and little Tibo had been playing at the edge of the jungle, casting a small spear in anticipation94 of the distant day when he should be a full-fledged warrior95, Bukawai had come again.
Tibo had seen a squirrel scampering96 up the bole of a great tree. His childish mind had transformed it into the menacing figure of a hostile warrior. Little Tibo had raised his tiny spear, his heart filled with the savage blood lust97 of his race, as he pictured the night's orgy when he should dance about the corpse98 of his human kill as the women of his tribe prepared the meat for the feast to follow.
But when he cast the spear, he missed both squirrel and tree, losing his missile far among the tangled99 undergrowth of the jungle. However, it could be but a few steps within the forbidden labyrinth100. The women were all about in the field. There were warriors101 on guard within easy hail, and so little Tibo boldly ventured into the dark place.
Just behind the screen of creepers and matted foliage102 lurked three horrid103 figures—an old, old man, black as the pit, with a face half eaten away by leprosy, his sharp-filed teeth, the teeth of a cannibal, showing yellow and repulsive through the great gaping104 hole where his mouth and nose had been. And beside him, equally hideous, stood two powerful hyenas—carrion105-eaters consorting106 with carrion.
Tibo did not see them until, head down, he had forced his way through the thickly growing vines in search of his little spear, and then it was too late. As he looked up into the face of Bukawai, the old witch-doctor seized him, muffling107 his screams with a palm across his mouth. Tibo struggled futilely109.
A moment later he was being hustled110 away through the dark and terrible jungle, the frightful old man still muffling his screams, and the two hideous hyenas pacing now on either side, now before, now behind, always prowling, always growling111, snapping, snarling113, or, worst of all, laughing hideously114.
To little Tibo, who within his brief existence had passed through such experiences as are given to few to pass through in a lifetime, the northward115 journey was a nightmare of terror. He thought now of the time that he had been with the great, white jungle god, and he prayed with all his little soul that he might be back again with the white-skinned giant who consorted116 with the hairy tree men. Terror-stricken he had been then, but his surroundings had been nothing by comparison with those which he now endured.
The old man seldom addressed Tibo, though he kept up an almost continuous mumbling117 throughout the long day. Tibo caught repeated references to fat goats, sleeping mats, and pieces of copper wire. "Ten fat goats, ten fat goats," the old Negro would croon over and over again. By this little Tibo guessed that the price of his ransom118 had risen. Ten fat goats? Where would his mother get ten fat goats, or thin ones, either, for that matter, to buy back just a poor little boy? Mbonga would never let her have them, and Tibo knew that his father never had owned more than three goats at the same time in all his life. Ten fat goats! Tibo sniffled. The putrid119 old man would kill him and eat him, for the goats would never be forthcoming. Bukawai would throw his bones to the hyenas. The little black boy shuddered120 and became so weak that he almost fell in his tracks. Bukawai cuffed121 him on an ear and jerked him along.
After what seemed an eternity122 to Tibo, they arrived at the mouth of a cave between two rocky hills. The opening was low and narrow. A few saplings bound together with strips of rawhide123 closed it against stray beasts. Bukawai removed the primitive124 door and pushed Tibo within. The hyenas, snarling, rushed past him and were lost to view in the blackness of the interior. Bukawai replaced the saplings and seizing Tibo roughly by the arm, dragged him along a narrow, rocky passage. The floor was comparatively smooth, for the dirt which lay thick upon it had been trodden and tramped by many feet until few inequalities remained.
The passage was tortuous125, and as it was very dark and the walls rough and rocky, Tibo was scratched and bruised126 from the many bumps he received. Bukawai walked as rapidly through the winding127 gallery as one would traverse a familiar lane by daylight. He knew every twist and turn as a mother knows the face of her child, and he seemed to be in a hurry. He jerked poor little Tibo possibly a trifle more ruthlessly than necessary even at the pace Bukawai set; but the old witch-doctor, an outcast from the society of man, diseased, shunned128, hated, feared, was far from possessing an angelic temper. Nature had given him few of the kindlier characteristics of man, and these few Fate had eradicated129 entirely. Shrewd, cunning, cruel, vindictive130, was Bukawai, the witch-doctor.
Frightful tales were whispered of the cruel tortures he inflicted131 upon his victims. Children were frightened into obedience132 by the threat of his name. Often had Tibo been thus frightened, and now he was reaping a grisly harvest of terror from the seeds his mother had innocently sown. The darkness, the presence of the dreaded133 witch-doctor, the pain of the contusions, with a haunting premonition of the future, and the fear of the hyenas combined to almost paralyze the child. He stumbled and reeled until Bukawai was dragging rather than leading him.
Presently Tibo saw a faint lightness ahead of them, and a moment later they emerged into a roughly circular chamber134 to which a little daylight filtered through a rift135 in the rocky ceiling. The hyenas were there ahead of them, waiting. As Bukawai entered with Tibo, the beasts slunk toward them, baring yellow fangs136. They were hungry. Toward Tibo they came, and one snapped at his naked legs. Bukawai seized a stick from the floor of the chamber and struck a vicious blow at the beast, at the same time mumbling forth a volley of execrations. The hyena79 dodged138 and ran to the side of the chamber, where he stood growling. Bukawai took a step toward the creature, which bristled139 with rage at his approach. Fear and hatred140 shot from its evil eyes, but, fortunately for Bukawai, fear predominated.
Seeing that he was unnoticed, the second beast made a short, quick rush for Tibo. The child screamed and darted141 after the witch-doctor, who now turned his attention to the second hyena. This one he reached with his heavy stick, striking it repeatedly and driving it to the wall. There the two carrion-eaters commenced to circle the chamber while the human carrion, their master, now in a perfect frenzy142 of demoniacal rage, ran to and fro in an effort to intercept144 them, striking out with his cudgel and lashing145 them with his tongue, calling down upon them the curses of whatever gods and demons146 he could summon to memory, and describing in lurid147 figures the ignominy of their ancestors.
Several times one or the other of the beasts would turn to make a stand against the witch-doctor, and then Tibo would hold his breath in agonized148 terror, for never in his brief life had he seen such frightful hatred depicted149 upon the countenance150 of man or beast; but always fear overcame the rage of the savage creatures, so that they resumed their flight, snarling and bare-fanged, just at the moment that Tibo was certain they would spring at Bukawai's throat.
At last the witch-doctor tired of the futile108 chase. With a snarl112 quite as bestial151 as those of the beast, he turned toward Tibo. "I go to collect the ten fat goats, the new sleeping mat, and the two pieces of copper wire that your mother will pay for the medicine I shall make to bring you back to her," he said. "You will stay here. There," and he pointed152 toward the passage which they had followed to the chamber, "I will leave the hyenas. If you try to escape, they will eat you."
He cast aside the stick and called to the beasts. They came, snarling and slinking, their tails between their legs. Bukawai led them to the passage and drove them into it. Then he dragged a rude lattice into place before the opening after he, himself, had left the chamber. "This will keep them from you," he said. "If I do not get the ten fat goats and the other things, they shall at least have a few bones after I am through." And he left the boy to think over the meaning of his all-too-suggestive words.
When he was gone, Tibo threw himself upon the earth floor and broke into childish sobs153 of terror and loneliness. He knew that his mother had no ten fat goats to give and that when Bukawai returned, little Tibo would be killed and eaten. How long he lay there he did not know, but presently he was aroused by the growling of the hyenas. They had returned through the passage and were glaring at him from beyond the lattice. He could see their yellow eyes blazing through the darkness. They reared up and clawed at the barrier. Tibo shivered and withdrew to the opposite side of the chamber. He saw the lattice sag36 and sway to the attacks of the beasts. Momentarily he expected that it would fall inward, letting the creatures upon him.
Wearily the horror-ridden hours dragged their slow way. Night came, and for a time Tibo slept, but it seemed that the hungry beasts never slept. Always they stood just beyond the lattice growling their hideous growls154 or laughing their hideous laughs. Through the narrow rift in the rocky roof above him, Tibo could see a few stars, and once the moon crossed. At last daylight came again. Tibo was very hungry and thirsty, for he had not eaten since the morning before, and only once upon the long march had he been permitted to drink, but even hunger and thirst were almost forgotten in the terror of his position.
It was after daylight that the child discovered a second opening in the walls of the subterranean155 chamber, almost opposite that at which the hyenas still stood glaring hungrily at him. It was only a narrow slit156 in the rocky wall. It might lead in but a few feet, or it might lead to freedom! Tibo approached it and looked within. He could see nothing. He extended his arm into the blackness, but he dared not venture farther. Bukawai never would have left open a way of escape, Tibo reasoned, so this passage must lead either nowhere or to some still more hideous danger.
To the boy's fear of the actual dangers which menaced him—Bukawai and the two hyenas—his superstition157 added countless others quite too horrible even to name, for in the lives of the blacks, through the shadows of the jungle day and the black horrors of the jungle night, flit strange, fantastic shapes peopling the already hideously peopled forests with menacing figures, as though the lion and the leopard, the snake and the hyena, and the countless poisonous insects were not quite sufficient to strike terror to the hearts of the poor, simple creatures whose lot is cast in earth's most fearsome spot.
And so it was that little Tibo cringed not only from real menaces but from imaginary ones. He was afraid even to venture upon a road that might lead to escape, lest Bukawai had set to watch it some frightful demon143 of the jungle.
But the real menaces suddenly drove the imaginary ones from the boy's mind, for with the coming of daylight the half-famished hyenas renewed their efforts to break down the frail158 barrier which kept them from their prey159. Rearing upon their hind11 feet they clawed and struck at the lattice. With wide eyes Tibo saw it sag and rock. Not for long, he knew, could it withstand the assaults of these two powerful and determined160 brutes162. Already one corner had been forced past the rocky protuberance of the entrance way which had held it in place. A shaggy forearm protruded163 into the chamber. Tibo trembled as with ague, for he knew that the end was near.
Backing against the farther wall he stood flattened164 out as far from the beasts as he could get. He saw the lattice give still more. He saw a savage, snarling head forced past it, and grinning jaws snapping and gaping toward him. In another instant the pitiful fabric165 would fall inward, and the two would be upon him, rending166 his flesh from his bones, gnawing167 the bones themselves, fighting for possession of his entrails.
* * *
Bukawai came upon Momaya outside the palisade of Mbonga, the chief. At sight of him the woman drew back in revulsion, then she flew at him, tooth and nail; but Bukawai threatening her with a spear held her at a safe distance.
"Where is my baby?" she cried. "Where is my little Tibo?"
Bukawai opened his eyes in well-simulated amazement168. "Your baby!" he exclaimed. "What should I know of him, other than that I rescued him from the white god of the jungle and have not yet received my pay. I come for the goats and the sleeping mat and the piece of copper wire the length of a tall man's arm from the shoulder to the tips of his fingers." "Offal of a hyena!" shrieked Momaya. "My child has been stolen, and you, rotting fragment of a man, have taken him. Return him to me or I shall tear your eyes from your head and feed your heart to the wild hogs169."
Bukawai shrugged170 his shoulders. "What do I know about your child?" he asked. "I have not taken him. If he is stolen again, what should Bukawai know of the matter? Did Bukawai steal him before? No, the white jungle god stole him, and if he stole him once he would steal him again. It is nothing to me. I returned him to you before and I have come for my pay. If he is gone and you would have him returned, Bukawai will return him—for ten fat goats, a new sleeping mat and two pieces of copper wire the length of a tall man's arm from the shoulder to the tips of his fingers, and Bukawai will say nothing more about the goats and the sleeping mat and the copper wire which you were to pay for the first medicine."
"Ten fat goats!" screamed Momaya. "I could not pay you ten fat goats in as many years. Ten fat goats, indeed!"
"Ten fat goats," repeated Bukawai. "Ten fat goats, the new sleeping mat and two pieces of copper wire the length of—"
Momaya stopped him with an impatient gesture. "Wait!" she cried. "I have no goats. You waste your breath. Stay here while I go to my man. He has but three goats, yet something may be done. Wait!"
Bukawai sat down beneath a tree. He felt quite content, for he knew that he should have either payment or revenge. He did not fear harm at the hands of these people of another tribe, although he well knew that they must fear and hate him. His leprosy alone would prevent their laying hands upon him, while his reputation as a witch-doctor rendered him doubly immune from attack. He was planning upon compelling them to drive the ten goats to the mouth of his cave when Momaya returned. With her were three warriors—Mbonga, the chief, Rabba Kega, the village witch-doctor, and Ibeto, Tibo's father. They were not pretty men even under ordinary circumstances, and now, with their faces marked by anger, they well might have inspired terror in the heart of anyone; but if Bukawai felt any fear, he did not betray it. Instead he greeted them with an insolent171 stare, intended to awe them, as they came and squatted in a semi-circle before him.
"Where is Ibeto's son?" asked Mbonga.
"How should I know?" returned Bukawai. "Doubtless the white devil-god has him. If I am paid I will make strong medicine and then we shall know where is Ibeto's son, and shall get him back again. It was my medicine which got him back the last time, for which I got no pay."
"I have my own witch-doctor to make medicine," replied Mbonga with dignity.
Bukawai sneered172 and rose to his feet. "Very well," he said, "let him make his medicine and see if he can bring Ibeto's son back." He took a few steps away from them, and then he turned angrily back. "His medicine will not bring the child back—that I know, and I also know that when you find him it will be too late for any medicine to bring him back, for he will be dead. This have I just found out, the ghost of my father's sister but now came to me and told me."
Now Mbonga and Rabba Kega might not take much stock in their own magic, and they might even be skeptical173 as to the magic of another; but there was always a chance of something being in it, especially if it were not their own. Was it not well known that old Bukawai had speech with the demons themselves and that two even lived with him in the forms of hyenas! Still they must not accede174 too hastily. There was the price to be considered, and Mbonga had no intention of parting lightly with ten goats to obtain the return of a single little boy who might die of smallpox175 long before he reached a warrior's estate.
"Wait," said Mbonga. "Let us see some of your magic, that we may know if it be good magic. Then we can talk about payment. Rabba Kega will make some magic, too. We will see who makes the best magic. Sit down, Bukawai."
"The payment will be ten goats—fat goats—a new sleeping mat and two pieces of copper wire the length of a tall man's arm from the shoulder to the ends of his fingers, and it will be made in advance, the goats being driven to my cave. Then will I make the medicine, and on the second day the boy will be returned to his mother. It cannot be done more quickly than that because it takes time to make such strong medicine."
"Make us some medicine now," said Mbonga. "Let us see what sort of medicine you make."
"Bring me fire," replied Bukawai, "and I will make you a little magic."
Momaya was dispatched for the fire, and while she was away Mbonga dickered with Bukawai about the price. Ten goats, he said, was a high price for an able-bodied warrior. He also called Bukawai's attention to the fact that he, Mbonga, was very poor, that his people were very poor, and that ten goats were at least eight too many, to say nothing of a new sleeping mat and the copper wire; but Bukawai was adamant176. His medicine was very expensive and he would have to give at least five goats to the gods who helped him make it. They were still arguing when Momaya returned with the fire.
Bukawai placed a little on the ground before him, took a pinch of powder from a pouch177 at his side and sprinkled it on the embers. A cloud of smoke rose with a puff178. Bukawai closed his eyes and rocked back and forth. Then he made a few passes in the air and pretended to swoon. Mbonga and the others were much impressed. Rabba Kega grew nervous. He saw his reputation waning179. There was some fire left in the vessel180 which Momaya had brought. He seized the vessel, dropped a handful of dry leaves into it while no one was watching and then uttered a frightful scream which drew the attention of Bukawai's audience to him. It also brought Bukawai quite miraculously181 out of his swoon, but when the old witch-doctor saw the reason for the disturbance182 he quickly relapsed into unconsciousness before anyone discovered his faux pas.
Rabba Kega, seeing that he had the attention of Mbonga, Ibeto, and Momaya, blew suddenly into the vessel, with the result that the leaves commenced to smolder183, and smoke issued from the mouth of the receptacle. Rabba Kega was careful to hold it so that none might see the dry leaves. Their eyes opened wide at this remarkable demonstration184 of the village witch-doctor's powers. The latter, greatly elated, let himself out. He shouted, jumped up and down, and made frightful grimaces185; then he put his face close over the mouth of the vessel and appeared to be communing with the spirits within.
It was while he was thus engaged that Bukawai came out of his trance, his curiosity finally having gotten the better of him. No one was paying him the slightest attention. He blinked his one eye angrily, then he, too, let out a loud roar, and when he was sure that Mbonga had turned toward him, he stiffened186 rigidly187 and made spasmodic movements with his arms and legs.
"I see him!" he cried. "He is far away. The white devil-god did not get him. He is alone and in great danger; but," he added, "if the ten fat goats and the other things are paid to me quickly there is yet time to save him."
Rabba Kega had paused to listen. Mbonga looked toward him. The chief was in a quandary188. He did not know which medicine was the better. "What does your magic tell you?" he asked of Rabba Kega.
"I, too, see him," screamed Rabba Kega; "but he is not where Bukawai says he is. He is dead at the bottom of the river."
At this Momaya commenced to howl loudly.
Tarzan had followed the spoor of the old man, the two hyenas, and the little black boy to the mouth of the cave in the rocky ca?on between the two hills. Here he paused a moment before the sapling barrier which Bukawai had set up, listening to the snarls189 and growls which came faintly from the far recesses190 of the cavern191.
Presently, mingled192 with the beastly cries, there came faintly to the keen ears of the ape-man, the agonized moan of a child. No longer did Tarzan hesitate. Hurling193 the door aside, he sprang into the dark opening. Narrow and black was the corridor; but long use of his eyes in the Stygian blackness of the jungle nights had given to the ape-man something of the nocturnal visionary powers of the wild things with which he had consorted since babyhood.
He moved rapidly and yet with caution, for the place was dark, unfamiliar194 and winding. As he advanced, he heard more and more loudly the savage snarls of the two hyenas, mingled with the scraping and scratching of their paws upon wood. The moans of a child grew in volume, and Tarzan recognized in them the voice of the little black boy he once had sought to adopt as his balu.
There was no hysteria in the ape-man's advance. Too accustomed was he to the passing of life in the jungle to be greatly wrought195 even by the death of one whom he knew; but the lust for battle spurred him on. He was only a wild beast at heart and his wild beast's heart beat high in anticipation of conflict.
In the rocky chamber of the hill's center, little Tibo crouched196 low against the wall as far from the hunger-crazed beasts as he could drag himself. He saw the lattice giving to the frantic197 clawing of the hyenas. He knew that in a few minutes his little life would flicker198 out horribly beneath the rending, yellow fangs of these loathsome199 creatures.
Beneath the buffetings of the powerful bodies, the lattice sagged200 inward, until, with a crash it gave way, letting the carnivora in upon the boy. Tibo cast one affrighted glance toward them, then closed his eyes and buried his face in his arms, sobbing201 piteously.
For a moment the hyenas paused, caution and cowardice202 holding them from their prey. They stood thus glaring at the lad, then slowly, stealthily, crouching203, they crept toward him. It was thus that Tarzan came upon them, bursting into the chamber swiftly and silently; but not so silently that the keen-eared beasts did not note his coming. With angry growls they turned from Tibo upon the ape-man, as, with a smile upon his lips, he ran toward them. For an instant one of the animals stood its ground; but the ape-man did not deign204 even to draw his hunting knife against despised Dango. Rushing in upon the brute161 he grasped it by the scruff of the neck, just as it attempted to dodge137 past him, and hurled it across the cavern after its fellow which already was slinking into the corridor, bent205 upon escape.
Then Tarzan picked Tibo from the floor, and when the child felt human hands upon him instead of the paws and fangs of the hyenas, he rolled his eyes upward in surprise and incredulity, and as they fell upon Tarzan, sobs of relief broke from the childish lips and his hands clutched at his deliverer as though the white devil-god was not the most feared of jungle creatures.
When Tarzan came to the cave mouth the hyenas were nowhere in sight, and after permitting Tibo to quench17 his thirst in the spring which rose near by, he lifted the boy to his shoulders and set off toward the jungle at a rapid trot206, determined to still the annoying howlings of Momaya as quickly as possible, for he shrewdly had guessed that the absence of her balu was the cause of her lamentation.
"He is not dead at the bottom of the river," cried Bukawai. "What does this fellow know about making magic? Who is he, anyway, that he dare say Bukawai's magic is not good magic? Bukawai sees Momaya's son. He is far away and alone and in great danger. Hasten then with the ten fat goats, the—"
But he got no further. There was a sudden interruption from above, from the branches of the very tree beneath which they squatted, and as the five blacks looked up they almost swooned in fright as they saw the great, white devil-god looking down upon them; but before they could flee they saw another face, that of the lost little Tibo, and his face was laughing and very happy.
And then Tarzan dropped fearlessly among them, the boy still upon his back, and deposited him before his mother. Momaya, Ibeto, Rabba Kega, and Mbonga were all crowding around the lad trying to question him at the same time. Suddenly Momaya turned ferociously207 to fall upon Bukawai, for the boy had told her all that he had suffered at the hands of the cruel old man; but Bukawai was no longer there—he had required no recourse to black art to assure him that the vicinity of Momaya would be no healthful place for him after Tibo had told his story, and now he was running through the jungle as fast as his old legs would carry him toward the distant lair208 where he knew no black would dare pursue him.
Tarzan, too, had vanished, as he had a way of doing, to the mystification of the blacks. Then Momaya's eyes lighted upon Rabba Kega. The village witch-doctor saw something in those eyes of hers which boded209 no good to him, and backed away.
"So my Tibo is dead at the bottom of the river, is he?" the woman shrieked. "And he's far away and alone and in great danger, is he? Magic!" The scorn which Momaya crowded into that single word would have done credit to a Thespian210 of the first magnitude. "Magic, indeed!" she screamed. "Momaya will show you some magic of her own," and with that she seized upon a broken limb and struck Rabba Kega across the head. With a howl of pain, the man turned and fled, Momaya pursuing him and beating him across the shoulders, through the gateway211 and up the length of the village street, to the intense amusement of the warriors, the women, and the children who were so fortunate as to witness the spectacle, for one and all feared Rabba Kega, and to fear is to hate.
Thus it was that to his host of passive enemies, Tarzan of the Apes added that day two active foes212, both of whom remained awake long into the night planning means of revenge upon the white devil-god who had brought them into ridicule213 and disrepute, but with their most malevolent214 schemings was mingled a vein5 of real fear and awe that would not down.
Young Lord Greystoke did not know that they planned against him, nor, knowing, would have cared. He slept as well that night as he did on any other night, and though there was no roof above him, and no doors to lock against intruders, he slept much better than his noble relative in England, who had eaten altogether too much lobster215 and drank too much wine at dinner that night.
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1
Vogue
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| n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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8
primal
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| adj.原始的；最重要的 | |
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eviction
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| n.租地等的收回 | |
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leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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13
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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14
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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15
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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16
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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17
quench
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| vt.熄灭，扑灭；压制 | |
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18
quenched
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| 解（渴）( quench的过去式和过去分词 )； 终止（某事物）； （用水）扑灭（火焰等）； 将（热物体）放入水中急速冷却 | |
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19
denizen
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| n.居民，外籍居民 | |
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20
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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21
scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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22
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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23
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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24
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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25
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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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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27
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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28
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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29
truces
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| 休战( truce的名词复数 )； 停战（协定）； 停止争辩（的协议）； 中止 | |
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30
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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31
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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32
lavish
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| adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍 | |
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33
lavished
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| v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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35
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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36
sag
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| v.下垂，下跌，消沉；n.下垂，下跌，凹陷，[航海]随风漂流 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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lamentation
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| n.悲叹，哀悼 | |
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39
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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40
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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41
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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42
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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43
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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44
throttle
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| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
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45
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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46
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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47
accustom
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| vt.使适应，使习惯 | |
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48
craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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49
avenged
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| v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复 | |
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50
accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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51
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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52
wailer
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| 哀悼者，恸哭者 | |
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53
skewer
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| n.（烤肉用的）串肉杆；v.用杆串好 | |
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54
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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55
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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56
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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57
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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58
tattooing
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| n.刺字，文身v.刺青，文身( tattoo的现在分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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59
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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61
lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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62
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
supplicating
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| v.祈求，哀求，恳求( supplicate的现在分词 ) | |
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64
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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cataract
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| n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障 | |
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66
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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67
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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68
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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69
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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apprehensively
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| adv.担心地 | |
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71
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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72
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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73
irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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75
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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76
overlapping
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| adj./n.交迭（的） | |
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77
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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78
hyenas
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| n.鬣狗( hyena的名词复数 ) | |
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hyena
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| n.土狼，鬣狗 | |
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80
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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81
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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82
juxtaposition
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| n.毗邻，并置，并列 | |
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83
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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84
beseeching
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| adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 ) | |
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85
obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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86
appreciable
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| adj.明显的，可见的，可估量的，可觉察的 | |
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87
perceptive
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| adj.知觉的，有洞察力的，感知的 | |
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88
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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89
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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90
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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91
stinking
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| adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透 | |
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92
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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93
reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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94
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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95
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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96
scampering
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的现在分词 ) | |
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97
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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98
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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99
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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100
labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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101
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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102
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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103
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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104
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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105
carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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106
consorting
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| v.结伴( consort的现在分词 )；交往；相称；调和 | |
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107
muffling
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| v.压抑，捂住( muffle的现在分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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108
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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109
futilely
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| futile（无用的）的变形； 干 | |
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110
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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111
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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112
snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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113
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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114
hideously
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| adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地 | |
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115
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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116
consorted
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| v.结伴( consort的过去式和过去分词 )；交往；相称；调和 | |
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117
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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118
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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119
putrid
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| adj.腐臭的；有毒的；已腐烂的；卑劣的 | |
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120
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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121
cuffed
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| v.掌打，拳打( cuff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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122
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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123
rawhide
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| n.生牛皮 | |
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124
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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125
tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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126
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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127
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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128
shunned
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| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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129
eradicated
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| 画着根的 | |
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130
vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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131
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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132
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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133
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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134
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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135
rift
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| n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入 | |
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136
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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137
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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138
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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139
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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140
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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141
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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142
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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143
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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144
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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145
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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146
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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147
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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148
agonized
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| v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦 | |
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149
depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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150
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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151
bestial
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| adj.残忍的；野蛮的 | |
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152
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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153
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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154
growls
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的第三人称单数 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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155
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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156
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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157
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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158
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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159
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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160
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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161
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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162
brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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163
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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164
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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165
fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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166
rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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167
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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168
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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169
hogs
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| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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170
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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171
insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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172
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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173
skeptical
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| adj.怀疑的，多疑的 | |
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174
accede
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| v.应允，同意 | |
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175
smallpox
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| n.天花 | |
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176
adamant
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| adj.坚硬的，固执的 | |
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177
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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178
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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179
waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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180
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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181
miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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182
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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183
smolder
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| v.无火焰地闷烧；n.焖烧，文火 | |
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184
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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185
grimaces
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| n.（表蔑视、厌恶等）面部扭曲，鬼脸( grimace的名词复数 )v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的第三人称单数 ) | |
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186
stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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187
rigidly
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| adv.刻板地，僵化地 | |
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188
quandary
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| n.困惑，进迟两难之境 | |
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189
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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190
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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191
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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192
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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193
hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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194
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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195
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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196
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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197
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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198
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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199
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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200
sagged
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| 下垂的 | |
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201
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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202
cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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203
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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204
deign
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| v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事) | |
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205
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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206
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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207
ferociously
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| 野蛮地，残忍地 | |
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208
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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209
boded
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| v.预示，预告，预言( bode的过去式和过去分词 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待 | |
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210
thespian
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| adj.戏曲的；n.演员；悲剧演员 | |
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211
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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212
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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213
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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214
malevolent
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| adj.有恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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lobster
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| n.龙虾，龙虾肉 | |
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