Apparently8 less cautious was the hunted thing moving even as silently as the lion a hundred paces ahead of the tawny9 carnivore, for instead of skirting the moon-splashed natural clearings it passed directly across them, and by the tortuous10 record of its spoor it might indeed be guessed that it sought these avenues of least resistance, as well it might, since, unlike its grim stalker, it walked erect11 upon two feet—it walked upon two feet and was hairless except for a black thatch12 upon its head; its arms were well shaped and muscular; its hands powerful and slender with long tapering13 fingers and thumbs reaching almost to the first joint14 of the index fingers. Its legs too were shapely but its feet departed from the standards of all races of men, except possibly a few of the lowest races, in that the great toes protruded15 at right angles from the foot.
Pausing momentarily in the full light of the gorgeous African moon the creature turned an attentive16 ear to the rear and then, his head lifted, his features might readily have been discerned in the moonlight. They were strong, clean cut, and regular—features that would have attracted attention for their masculine beauty in any of the great capitals of the world. But was this thing a man? It would have been hard for a watcher in the trees to have decided17 as the lion's prey18 resumed its way across the silver tapestry19 that Luna had laid upon the floor of the dismal20 jungle, for from beneath the loin cloth of black fur that girdled its thighs21 there depended a long hairless, white tail.
In one hand the creature carried a stout22 club, and suspended at its left side from a shoulder belt was a short, sheathed23 knife, while a cross belt supported a pouch24 at its right hip25. Confining these straps26 to the body and also apparently supporting the loin cloth was a broad girdle which glittered in the moonlight as though encrusted with virgin27 gold, and was clasped in the center of the belly28 with a huge buckle29 of ornate design that scintillated30 as with precious stones.
Closer and closer crept Numa, the lion, to his intended victim, and that the latter was not entirely31 unaware32 of his danger was evidenced by the increasing frequency with which he turned his ear and his sharp black eyes in the direction of the cat upon his trail. He did not greatly increase his speed, a long swinging walk where the open places permitted, but he loosened the knife in its scabbard and at all times kept his club in readiness for instant action.
Forging at last through a narrow strip of dense33 jungle vegetation the man-thing broke through into an almost treeless area of considerable extent. For an instant he hesitated, glancing quickly behind him and then up at the security of the branches of the great trees waving overhead, but some greater urge than fear or caution influenced his decision apparently, for he moved off again across the little plain leaving the safety of the trees behind him. At greater or less intervals34 leafy sanctuaries35 dotted the grassy36 expanse ahead of him and the route he took, leading from one to another, indicated that he had not entirely cast discretion37 to the winds. But after the second tree had been left behind the distance to the next was considerable, and it was then that Numa walked from the concealing38 cover of the jungle and, seeing his quarry39 apparently helpless before him, raised his tail stiffly erect and charged.
Two months—two long, weary months filled with hunger, with thirst, with hardships, with disappointment, and, greater than all, with gnawing40 pain—had passed since Tarzan of the Apes learned from the diary of the dead German captain that his wife still lived. A brief investigation41 in which he was enthusiastically aided by the Intelligence Department of the British East African Expedition revealed the fact that an attempt had been made to keep Lady Jane in hiding in the interior, for reasons of which only the German High Command might be cognizant.
In charge of Lieutenant42 Obergatz and a detachment of native German troops she had been sent across the border into the Congo Free State.
Starting out alone in search of her, Tarzan had succeeded in finding the village in which she had been incarcerated43 only to learn that she had escaped months before, and that the German officer had disappeared at the same time. From there on the stories of the chiefs and the warriors44 whom he quizzed, were vague and often contradictory45. Even the direction that the fugitives46 had taken Tarzan could only guess at by piecing together bits of fragmentary evidence gleaned47 from various sources.
Sinister48 conjectures49 were forced upon him by various observations which he made in the village. One was incontrovertible proof that these people were man-eaters; the other, the presence in the village of various articles of native German uniforms and equipment. At great risk and in the face of surly objection on the part of the chief, the ape-man made a careful inspection50 of every hut in the village from which at least a little ray of hope resulted from the fact that he found no article that might have belonged to his wife.
Leaving the village he had made his way toward the southwest, crossing, after the most appalling51 hardships, a vast waterless steppe covered for the most part with dense thorn, coming at last into a district that had probably never been previously52 entered by any white man and which was known only in the legends of the tribes whose country bordered it. Here were precipitous mountains, well-watered plateaus, wide plains, and vast swampy53 morasses55, but neither the plains, nor the plateaus, nor the mountains were accessible to him until after weeks of arduous56 effort he succeeded in finding a spot where he might cross the morasses—a hideous57 stretch infested58 by venomous snakes and other larger dangerous reptiles60. On several occasions he glimpsed at distances or by night what might have been titanic61 reptilian62 monsters, but as there were hippopotami, rhinoceri, and elephants in great numbers in and about the marsh63 he was never positive that the forms he saw were not of these.
When at last he stood upon firm ground after crossing the morasses he realized why it was that for perhaps countless64 ages this territory had defied the courage and hardihood of the heroic races of the outer world that had, after innumerable reverses and unbelievable suffering penetrated65 to practically every other region, from pole to pole.
From the abundance and diversity of the game it might have appeared that every known species of bird and beast and reptile59 had sought here a refuge wherein they might take their last stand against the encroaching multitudes of men that had steadily66 spread themselves over the surface of the earth, wresting67 the hunting grounds from the lower orders, from the moment that the first ape shed his hair and ceased to walk upon his knuckles68. Even the species with which Tarzan was familiar showed here either the results of a divergent line of evolution or an unaltered form that had been transmitted without variation for countless ages.
Too, there were many hybrid70 strains, not the least interesting of which to Tarzan was a yellow and black striped lion. Smaller than the species with which Tarzan was familiar, but still a most formidable beast, since it possessed71 in addition to sharp saber-like canines72 the disposition73 of a devil. To Tarzan it presented evidence that tigers had once roamed the jungles of Africa, possibly giant saber-tooths of another epoch74, and these apparently had crossed with lions with the resultant terrors that he occasionally encountered at the present day.
The true lions of this new, Old World differed but little from those with which he was familiar; in size and conformation they were almost identical, but instead of shedding the leopard75 spots of cubhood, they retained them through life as definitely marked as those of the leopard.
Two months of effort had revealed no slightest evidence that she he sought had entered this beautiful yet forbidding land. His investigation, however, of the cannibal village and his questioning of other tribes in the neighborhood had convinced him that if Lady Jane still lived it must be in this direction that he seek her, since by a process of elimination76 he had reduced the direction of her flight to only this possibility. How she had crossed the morass54 he could not guess and yet something within seemed to urge upon him belief that she had crossed it, and that if she still lived it was here that she must be sought. But this unknown, untraversed wild was of vast extent; grim, forbidding mountains blocked his way, torrents78 tumbling from rocky fastnesses impeded79 his progress, and at every turn he was forced to match wits and muscles with the great carnivora that he might procure80 sustenance81.
Time and again Tarzan and Numa stalked the same quarry and now one, now the other bore off the prize. Seldom however did the ape-man go hungry for the country was rich in game animals and birds and fish, in fruit and the countless other forms of vegetable life upon which the jungle-bred man may subsist82.
Tarzan often wondered why in so rich a country he found no evidences of man and had at last come to the conclusion that the parched83, thorn-covered steppe and the hideous morasses had formed a sufficient barrier to protect this country effectively from the inroads of mankind.
After days of searching he had succeeded finally in discovering a pass through the mountains and, coming down upon the opposite side, had found himself in a country practically identical with that which he had left. The hunting was good and at a water hole in the mouth of a canyon84 where it debouched upon a tree-covered plain Bara, the deer, fell an easy victim to the ape-man's cunning.
It was just at dusk. The voices of great four-footed hunters rose now and again from various directions, and as the canyon afforded among its trees no comfortable retreat the ape-man shouldered the carcass of the deer and started downward onto the plain. At its opposite side rose lofty trees—a great forest which suggested to his practiced eye a mighty85 jungle. Toward this the ape-man bent86 his step, but when midway of the plain he discovered standing87 alone such a tree as best suited him for a night's abode88, swung lightly to its branches and, presently, a comfortable resting place.
Here he ate the flesh of Bara and when satisfied carried the balance of the carcass to the opposite side of the tree where he deposited it far above the ground in a secure place. Returning to his crotch he settled himself for sleep and in another moment the roars of the lions and the howlings of the lesser89 cats fell upon deaf ears.
The usual noises of the jungle composed rather than disturbed the ape-man but an unusual sound, however imperceptible to the awakened90 ear of civilized92 man, seldom failed to impinge upon the consciousness of Tarzan, however deep his slumber93, and so it was that when the moon was high a sudden rush of feet across the grassy carpet in the vicinity of his tree brought him to alert and ready activity. Tarzan does not awaken91 as you and I with the weight of slumber still upon his eyes and brain, for did the creatures of the wild awaken thus, their awakenings would be few. As his eyes snapped open, clear and bright, so, clear and bright upon the nerve centers of his brain, were registered the various perceptions of all his senses.
Almost beneath him, racing94 toward his tree was what at first glance appeared to be an almost naked white man, yet even at the first instant of discovery the long, white tail projecting rearward did not escape the ape-man. Behind the fleeing figure, escaping, came Numa, the lion, in full charge. Voiceless the prey, voiceless the killer95; as two spirits in a dead world the two moved in silent swiftness toward the culminating tragedy of this grim race.
Even as his eyes opened and took in the scene beneath him—even in that brief instant of perception, followed reason, judgment96, and decision, so rapidly one upon the heels of the other that almost simultaneously97 the ape-man was in mid-air, for he had seen a white-skinned creature cast in a mold similar to his own, pursued by Tarzan's hereditary98 enemy. So close was the lion to the fleeing man-thing that Tarzan had no time carefully to choose the method of his attack. As a diver leaps from the springboard headforemost into the waters beneath, so Tarzan of the Apes dove straight for Numa, the lion; naked in his right hand the blade of his father that so many times before had tasted the blood of lions.
A raking talon99 caught Tarzan on the side, inflicting100 a long, deep wound and then the ape-man was on Numa's back and the blade was sinking again and again into the savage101 side. Nor was the man-thing either longer fleeing, or idle. He too, creature of the wild, had sensed on the instant the truth of the miracle of his saving, and turning in his tracks, had leaped forward with raised bludgeon to Tarzan's assistance and Numa's undoing102. A single terrific blow upon the flattened skull103 of the beast laid him insensible and then as Tarzan's knife found the wild heart a few convulsive shudders104 and a sudden relaxation105 marked the passing of the carnivore.
Leaping to his feet the ape-man placed his foot upon the carcass of his kill and, raising his face to Goro, the moon, voiced the savage victory cry that had so often awakened the echoes of his native jungle.
As the hideous scream burst from the ape-man's lips the man-thing stepped quickly back as in sudden awe106, but when Tarzan returned his hunting knife to its sheath and turned toward him the other saw in the quiet dignity of his demeanor107 no cause for apprehension108.
For a moment the two stood appraising109 each other, and then the man-thing spoke110. Tarzan realized that the creature before him was uttering articulate sounds which expressed in speech, though in a language with which Tarzan was unfamiliar111, the thoughts of a man possessing to a greater or less extent the same powers of reason that he possessed. In other words, that though the creature before him had the tail and thumbs and great toes of a monkey, it was, in all other respects, quite evidently a man.
The blood, which was now flowing down Tarzan's side, caught the creature's attention. From the pocket-pouch at his side he took a small bag and approaching Tarzan indicated by signs that he wished the ape-man to lie down that he might treat the wound, whereupon, spreading the edges of the cut apart, he sprinkled the raw flesh with powder from the little bag. The pain of the wound was as nothing to the exquisite112 torture of the remedy but, accustomed to physical suffering, the ape-man withstood it stoically and in a few moments not only had the bleeding ceased but the pain as well.
In reply to the soft and far from unpleasant modulations of the other's voice, Tarzan spoke in various tribal113 dialects of the interior as well as in the language of the great apes, but it was evident that the man understood none of these. Seeing that they could not make each other understood, the pithecanthropus advanced toward Tarzan and placing his left hand over his own heart laid the palm of his right hand over the heart of the ape-man. To the latter the action appeared as a form of friendly greeting and, being versed77 in the ways of uncivilized races, he responded in kind as he realized it was doubtless intended that he should. His action seemed to satisfy and please his new-found acquaintance, who immediately fell to talking again and finally, with his head tipped back, sniffed114 the air in the direction of the tree above them and then suddenly pointing toward the carcass of Bara, the deer, he touched his stomach in a sign language which even the densest115 might interpret. With a wave of his hand Tarzan invited his guest to partake of the remains116 of his savage repast, and the other, leaping nimbly as a little monkey to the lower branches of the tree, made his way quickly to the flesh, assisted always by his long, strong sinuous117 tail.
The pithecanthropus ate in silence, cutting small strips from the deer's loin with his keen knife. From his crotch in the tree Tarzan watched his companion, noting the preponderance of human attributes which were doubtless accentuated118 by the paradoxical thumbs, great toes, and tail.
He wondered if this creature was representative of some strange race or if, what seemed more likely, but an atavism. Either supposition would have seemed preposterous119 enough did he not have before him the evidence of the creature's existence. There he was, however, a tailed man with distinctly arboreal120 hands and feet. His trappings, gold encrusted and jewel studded, could have been wrought121 only by skilled artisans; but whether they were the work of this individual or of others like him, or of an entirely different race, Tarzan could not, of course, determine.
His meal finished, the guest wiped his fingers and lips with leaves broken from a nearby branch, looked up at Tarzan with a pleasant smile that revealed a row of strong white teeth, the canines of which were no longer than Tarzan's own, spoke a few words which Tarzan judged were a polite expression of thanks and then sought a comfortable place in the tree for the night.
The earth was shadowed in the darkness which precedes the dawn when Tarzan was awakened by a violent shaking of the tree in which he had found shelter. As he opened his eyes he saw that his companion was also astir, and glancing around quickly to apprehend6 the cause of the disturbance122, the ape-man was astounded123 at the sight which met his eyes.
The dim shadow of a colossal124 form reared close beside the tree and he saw that it was the scraping of the giant body against the branches that had awakened him. That such a tremendous creature could have approached so closely without disturbing him filled Tarzan with both wonderment and chagrin125. In the gloom the ape-man at first conceived the intruder to be an elephant; yet, if so, one of greater proportions than any he had ever before seen, but as the dim outlines became less indistinct he saw on a line with his eyes and twenty feet above the ground the dim silhouette126 of a grotesquely127 serrated back that gave the impression of a creature whose each and every spinal128 vertebra grew a thick, heavy horn. Only a portion of the back was visible to the ape-man, the rest of the body being lost in the dense shadows beneath the tree, from whence there now arose the sound of giant jaws129 powerfully crunching130 flesh and bones. From the odors that rose to the ape-man's sensitive nostrils131 he presently realized that beneath him was some huge reptile feeding upon the carcass of the lion that had been slain132 there earlier in the night.
As Tarzan's eyes, straining with curiosity, bored futilely133 into the dark shadows he felt a light touch upon his shoulder, and, turning, saw that his companion was attempting to attract his attention. The creature, pressing a forefinger134 to his own lips as to enjoin135 silence, attempted by pulling on Tarzan's arm to indicate that they should leave at once.
Realizing that he was in a strange country, evidently infested by creatures of titanic size, with the habits and powers of which he was entirely unfamiliar, the ape-man permitted himself to be drawn136 away. With the utmost caution the pithecanthropus descended137 the tree upon the opposite side from the great nocturnal prowler, and, closely followed by Tarzan, moved silently away through the night across the plain.
The ape-man was rather loath138 thus to relinquish139 an opportunity to inspect a creature which he realized was probably entirely different from anything in his past experience; yet he was wise enough to know when discretion was the better part of valor140 and now, as in the past, he yielded to that law which dominates the kindred of the wild, preventing them from courting danger uselessly, whose lives are sufficiently141 filled with danger in their ordinary routine of feeding and mating.
As the rising sun dispelled142 the shadows of the night, Tarzan found himself again upon the verge69 of a great forest into which his guide plunged143, taking nimbly to the branches of the trees through which he made his way with the celerity of long habitude and hereditary instinct, but though aided by a prehensile144 tail, fingers, and toes, the man-thing moved through the forest with no greater ease or surety than did the giant ape-man.
It was during this journey that Tarzan recalled the wound in his side inflicted145 upon him the previous night by the raking talons146 of Numa, the lion, and examining it was surprised to discover that not only was it painless but along its edges were no indications of inflammation, the results doubtless of the antiseptic powder his strange companion had sprinkled upon it.
They had proceeded for a mile or two when Tarzan's companion came to earth upon a grassy slope beneath a great tree whose branches overhung a clear brook147. Here they drank and Tarzan discovered the water to be not only deliciously pure and fresh but of an icy temperature that indicated its rapid descent from the lofty mountains of its origin.
Casting aside his loin cloth and weapons Tarzan entered the little pool beneath the tree and after a moment emerged, greatly refreshed and filled with a keen desire to breakfast. As he came out of the pool he noticed his companion examining him with a puzzled expression upon his face. Taking the ape-man by the shoulder he turned him around so that Tarzan's back was toward him and then, touching148 the end of Tarzan's spine149 with his forefinger, he curled his own tail up over his shoulder and, wheeling the ape-man about again, pointed150 first at Tarzan and then at his own caudal appendage151, a look of puzzlement upon his face, the while he jabbered152 excitedly in his strange tongue.
The ape-man realized that probably for the first time his companion had discovered that he was tailless by nature rather than by accident, and so he called attention to his own great toes and thumbs to further impress upon the creature that they were of different species.
The fellow shook his head dubiously153 as though entirely unable to comprehend why Tarzan should differ so from him but at last, apparently giving the problem up with a shrug154, he laid aside his own harness, skin, and weapons and entered the pool.
His ablutions completed and his meager155 apparel redonned he seated himself at the foot of the tree and motioning Tarzan to a place beside him, opened the pouch that hung at his right side taking from it strips of dried flesh and a couple of handfuls of thin-shelled nuts with which Tarzan was unfamiliar. Seeing the other break them with his teeth and eat the kernel156, Tarzan followed the example thus set him, discovering the meat to be rich and well flavored. The dried flesh also was far from unpalatable, though it had evidently been jerked without salt, a commodity which Tarzan imagined might be rather difficult to obtain in this locality.
As they ate Tarzan's companion pointed to the nuts, the dried meat, and various other nearby objects, in each instance repeating what Tarzan readily discovered must be the names of these things in the creature's native language. The ape-man could but smile at this evident desire upon the part of his new-found acquaintance to impart to him instructions that eventually might lead to an exchange of thoughts between them. Having already mastered several languages and a multitude of dialects the ape-man felt that he could readily assimilate another even though this appeared one entirely unrelated to any with which he was familiar.
So occupied were they with their breakfast and the lesson that neither was aware of the beady eyes glittering down upon them from above; nor was Tarzan cognizant of any impending157 danger until the instant that a huge, hairy body leaped full upon his companion from the branches above them.
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1
sinewy
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| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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4
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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6
apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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8
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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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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12
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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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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attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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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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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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tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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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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sheathed
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| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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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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hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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straps
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| n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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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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buckle
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| n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲 | |
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scintillated
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| v.（言谈举止中）焕发才智( scintillate的过去式和过去分词 )；谈笑洒脱；闪耀；闪烁 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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sanctuaries
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| n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所 | |
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grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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39
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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40
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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41
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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42
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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43
incarcerated
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| 钳闭的 | |
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44
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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45
contradictory
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| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
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46
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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47
gleaned
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| v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗 | |
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48
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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49
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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50
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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51
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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52
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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53
swampy
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| adj.沼泽的，湿地的 | |
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54
morass
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| n.沼泽，困境 | |
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55
morasses
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| n.缠作一团( morass的名词复数 )；困境；沼泽；陷阱 | |
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56
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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57
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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58
infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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59
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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60
reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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61
titanic
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| adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的 | |
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62
reptilian
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| adj.（像）爬行动物的；（像）爬虫的；卑躬屈节的；卑鄙的n.两栖动物；卑劣的人 | |
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63
marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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64
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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65
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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66
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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67
wresting
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| 动词wrest的现在进行式 | |
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68
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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69
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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70
hybrid
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| n.(动，植）杂种，混合物 | |
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71
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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72
canines
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| n.犬齿( canine的名词复数 )；犬牙；犬科动物 | |
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73
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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74
epoch
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| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
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75
leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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76
elimination
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| n.排除，消除，消灭 | |
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77
versed
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| adj. 精通，熟练 | |
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78
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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79
impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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81
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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82
subsist
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| vi.生存，存在，供养 | |
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83
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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84
canyon
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| n.峡谷，溪谷 | |
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85
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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86
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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87
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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88
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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89
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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90
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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91
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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92
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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93
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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94
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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95
killer
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| n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者 | |
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96
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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97
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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98
hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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99
talon
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| n.爪；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物 | |
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100
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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101
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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102
undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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103
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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104
shudders
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| n.颤动，打颤，战栗( shudder的名词复数 )v.战栗( shudder的第三人称单数 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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105
relaxation
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| n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐 | |
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106
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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107
demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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108
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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109
appraising
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| v.估价( appraise的现在分词 )；估计；估量；评价 | |
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110
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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111
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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112
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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113
tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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114
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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115
densest
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| 密集的( dense的最高级 )； 密度大的； 愚笨的； （信息量大得）难理解的 | |
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116
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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117
sinuous
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| adj.蜿蜒的，迂回的 | |
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118
accentuated
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| v.重读( accentuate的过去式和过去分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于 | |
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119
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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120
arboreal
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| adj.树栖的；树的 | |
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121
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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122
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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123
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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124
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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125
chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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126
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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127
grotesquely
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| adv. 奇异地,荒诞地 | |
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128
spinal
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| adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的 | |
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129
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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130
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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131
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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132
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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133
futilely
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| futile（无用的）的变形； 干 | |
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134
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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135
enjoin
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| v.命令；吩咐；禁止 | |
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136
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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137
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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138
loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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139
relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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140
valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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141
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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142
dispelled
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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143
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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144
prehensile
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| adj.（足等）适于抓握的 | |
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145
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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146
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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147
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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148
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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149
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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150
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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151
appendage
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| n.附加物 | |
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152
jabbered
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| v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的过去式和过去分词 )；急促兴奋地说话 | |
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153
dubiously
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| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
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154
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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155
meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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156
kernel
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| n.(果实的)核，仁；(问题)的中心，核心 | |
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157
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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