There were no porters within reach of Hauptmann Schneider so he vented7 his Prussian spleen upon the askaris nearest at hand, yet with greater circumspection8 since these men bore loaded rifles—and the three white men were alone with them in the heart of Africa.
Ahead of the hauptmann marched half his company, behind him the other half—thus were the dangers of the savage9 jungle minimized for the German captain. At the forefront of the column staggered two naked savages10 fastened to each other by a neck chain. These were the native guides impressed into the service of Kultur and upon their poor, bruised11 bodies Kultur's brand was revealed in divers12 cruel wounds and bruises13.
Thus even in darkest Africa was the light of German civilization commencing to reflect itself upon the undeserving natives just as at the same period, the fall of 1914, it was shedding its glorious effulgence14 upon benighted15 Belgium.
It is true that the guides had led the party astray; but this is the way of most African guides. Nor did it matter that ignorance rather than evil intent had been the cause of their failure. It was enough for Hauptmann Fritz Schneider to know that he was lost in the African wilderness16 and that he had at hand human beings less powerful than he who could be made to suffer by torture. That he did not kill them outright17 was partially18 due to a faint hope that they might eventually prove the means of extricating19 him from his difficulties and partially that so long as they lived they might still be made to suffer.
The poor creatures, hoping that chance might lead them at last upon the right trail, insisted that they knew the way and so led on through a dismal20 forest along a winding21 game trail trodden deep by the feet of countless22 generations of the savage denizens23 of the jungle.
Here Tantor, the elephant, took his long way from dust wallow to water. Here Buto, the rhinoceros24, blundered blindly in his solitary25 majesty26, while by night the great cats paced silently upon their padded feet beneath the dense27 canopy28 of overreaching trees toward the broad plain beyond, where they found their best hunting.
It was at the edge of this plain which came suddenly and unexpectedly before the eyes of the guides that their sad hearts beat with renewed hope. Here the hauptmann drew a deep sigh of relief, for after days of hopeless wandering through almost impenetrable jungle the broad vista29 of waving grasses dotted here and there with open park like woods and in the far distance the winding line of green shrubbery that denoted a river appeared to the European a veritable heaven.
The Hun smiled in his relief, passed a cheery word with his lieutenant, and then scanned the broad plain with his field glasses. Back and forth30 they swept across the rolling land until at last they came to rest upon a point near the center of the landscape and close to the green-fringed contours of the river.
"We are in luck," said Schneider to his companions. "Do you see it?"
The lieutenant, who was also gazing through his own glasses, finally brought them to rest upon the same spot that had held the attention of his superior.
"Yes," he said, "an English farm. It must be Greystoke's, for there is none other in this part of British East Africa. God is with us, Herr Captain."
"We have come upon the English schweinhund long before he can have learned that his country is at war with ours," replied Schneider. "Let him be the first to feel the iron hand of Germany."
"Let us hope that he is at home," said the lieutenant, "that we may take him with us when we report to Kraut at Nairobi. It will go well indeed with Herr Hauptmann Fritz Schneider if he brings in the famous Tarzan of the Apes as a prisoner of war."
Schneider smiled and puffed31 out his chest. "You are right, my friend," he said, "it will go well with both of us; but I shall have to travel far to catch General Kraut before he reaches Mombasa. These English pigs with their contemptible32 army will make good time to the Indian Ocean."
It was in a better frame of mind that the small force set out across the open country toward the trim and well-kept farm buildings of John Clayton, Lord Greystoke; but disappointment was to be their lot since neither Tarzan of the Apes nor his son was at home.
Lady Jane, ignorant of the fact that a state of war existed between Great Britain and Germany, welcomed the officers most hospitably33 and gave orders through her trusted Waziri to prepare a feast for the black soldiers of the enemy.
Far to the east, Tarzan of the Apes was traveling rapidly from Nairobi toward the farm. At Nairobi he had received news of the World War that had already started, and, anticipating an immediate34 invasion of British East Africa by the Germans, was hurrying homeward to fetch his wife to a place of greater security. With him were a score of his ebon warriors36, but far too slow for the ape-man was the progress of these trained and hardened woodsmen.
When necessity demanded, Tarzan of the Apes sloughed37 the thin veneer38 of his civilization and with it the hampering39 apparel that was its badge. In a moment the polished English gentleman reverted40 to the naked ape man.
His mate was in danger. For the time, that single thought dominated. He did not think of her as Lady Jane Greystoke, but rather as the she he had won by the might of his steel thews, and that he must hold and protect by virtue41 of the same offensive armament.
It was no member of the House of Lords who swung swiftly and grimly through the tangled42 forest or trod with untiring muscles the wide stretches of open plain—it was a great he ape filled with a single purpose that excluded all thoughts of fatigue43 or danger.
Little Manu, the monkey, scolding and chattering44 in the upper terraces of the forest, saw him pass. Long had it been since he had thus beheld45 the great Tarmangani naked and alone hurtling through the jungle. Bearded and gray was Manu, the monkey, and to his dim old eyes came the fire of recollection of those days when Tarzan of the Apes had ruled supreme46, Lord of the Jungle, over all the myriad47 life that trod the matted vegetation between the boles of the great trees, or flew or swung or climbed in the leafy fastness upward to the very apex48 of the loftiest terraces.
And Numa, the lion, lying up for the day close beside last night's successful kill, blinked his yellow-green eyes and twitched49 his tawny50 tail as he caught the scent51 spoor of his ancient enemy.
Nor was Tarzan senseless to the presence of Numa or Manu or any of the many jungle beasts he passed in his rapid flight towards the west. No particle had his shallow probing of English society dulled his marvelous sense faculties52. His nose had picked out the presence of Numa, the lion, even before the majestic53 king of beasts was aware of his passing.
He had heard noisy little Manu, and even the soft rustling54 of the parting shrubbery where Sheeta passed before either of these alert animals sensed his presence.
But however keen the senses of the ape-man, however swift his progress through the wild country of his adoption55, however mighty56 the muscles that bore him, he was still mortal. Time and space placed their inexorable limits upon him; nor was there another who realized this truth more keenly than Tarzan. He chafed57 and fretted58 that he could not travel with the swiftness of thought and that the long tedious miles stretching far ahead of him must require hours and hours of tireless effort upon his part before he would swing at last from the final bough59 of the fringing forest into the open plain and in sight of his goal.
Days it took, even though he lay up at night for but a few hours and left to chance the finding of meat directly on his trail. If Wappi, the antelope60, or Horta, the boar, chanced in his way when he was hungry, he ate, pausing but long enough to make the kill and cut himself a steak.
Then at last the long journey drew to its close and he was passing through the last stretch of heavy forest that bounded his estate upon the east, and then this was traversed and he stood upon the plain's edge looking out across his broad lands towards his home.
At the first glance his eyes narrowed and his muscles tensed. Even at that distance he could see that something was amiss. A thin spiral of smoke arose at the right of the bungalow61 where the barns had stood, but there were no barns there now, and from the bungalow chimney from which smoke should have arisen, there arose nothing.
Once again Tarzan of the Apes was speeding onward62, this time even more swiftly than before, for he was goaded63 now by a nameless fear, more product of intuition than of reason. Even as the beasts, Tarzan of the Apes seemed to possess a sixth sense. Long before he reached the bungalow, he had almost pictured the scene that finally broke upon his view.
Silent and deserted64 was the vine-covered cottage. Smoldering65 embers marked the site of his great barns. Gone were the thatched huts of his sturdy retainers, empty the fields, the pastures, and corrals. Here and there vultures rose and circled above the carcasses of men and beasts.
It was with a feeling as nearly akin66 to terror as he ever had experienced that the ape-man finally forced himself to enter his home. The first sight that met his eyes set the red haze67 of hate and bloodlust across his vision, for there, crucified against the wall of the living-room, was Wasimbu, giant son of the faithful Muviro and for over a year the personal bodyguard68 of Lady Jane.
The overturned and shattered furniture of the room, the brown pools of dried blood upon the floor, and prints of bloody69 hands on walls and woodwork evidenced something of the frightfulness70 of the battle that had been waged within the narrow confines of the apartment. Across the baby grand piano lay the corpse71 of another black warrior35, while before the door of Lady Jane's boudoir were the dead bodies of three more of the faithful Greystoke servants.
The door of this room was closed. With drooping72 shoulders and dull eyes Tarzan stood gazing dumbly at the insensate panel which hid from him what horrid73 secret he dared not even guess.
Slowly, with leaden feet, he moved toward the door. Gropingly his hand reached for the knob. Thus he stood for another long minute, and then with a sudden gesture he straightened his giant frame, threw back his mighty shoulders and, with fearless head held high, swung back the door and stepped across the threshold into the room which held for him the dearest memories and associations of his life. No change of expression crossed his grim and stern-set features as he strode across the room and stood beside the little couch and the inanimate form which lay face downward upon it; the still, silent thing that had pulsed with life and youth and love.
No tear dimmed the eye of the ape-man, but the God who made him alone could know the thoughts that passed through that still half-savage brain. For a long time he stood there just looking down upon the dead body, charred75 beyond recognition, and then he stooped and lifted it in his arms. As he turned the body over and saw how horribly death had been meted76 he plumbed77, in that instant, the uttermost depths of grief and horror and hatred78.
Nor did he require the evidence of the broken German rifle in the outer room, or the torn and blood-stained service cap upon the floor, to tell him who had been the perpetrators of this horrid and useless crime.
For a moment he had hoped against hope that the blackened corpse was not that of his mate, but when his eyes discovered and recognized the rings upon her fingers the last faint ray of hope forsook79 him.
In silence, in love, and in reverence80 he buried, in the little rose garden that had been Jane Clayton's pride and love, the poor, charred form and beside it the great black warriors who had given their lives so futilely81 in their mistress' protection.
At one side of the house Tarzan found other newly made graves and in these he sought final evidence of the identity of the real perpetrators of the atrocities82 that had been committed there in his absence.
Here he disinterred the bodies of a dozen German askaris and found upon their uniforms the insignia of the company and regiment83 to which they had belonged. This was enough for the ape-man. White officers had commanded these men, nor would it be a difficult task to discover who they were.
Returning to the rose garden, he stood among the Hun trampled84 blooms and bushes above the grave of his dead—with bowed head he stood there in a last mute farewell. As the sun sank slowly behind the towering forests of the west, he turned slowly away upon the still-distinct trail of Hauptmann Fritz Schneider and his blood-stained company.
His was the suffering of the dumb brute—mute; but though voiceless no less poignant85. At first his vast sorrow numbed86 his other faculties of thought—his brain was overwhelmed by the calamity87 to such an extent that it reacted to but a single objective suggestion: She is dead! She is dead! She is dead! Again and again this phrase beat monotonously88 upon his brain—a dull, throbbing89 pain, yet mechanically his feet followed the trail of her slayer90 while, subconsciously91, his every sense was upon the alert for the ever-present perils92 of the jungle.
Gradually the labor93 of his great grief brought forth another emotion so real, so tangible94, that it seemed a companion walking at his side. It was Hate—and it brought to him a measure of solace95 and of comfort, for it was a sublime96 hate that ennobled him as it has ennobled countless thousands since—hatred for Germany and Germans. It centered about the slayer of his mate, of course; but it included everything German, animate74 or inanimate. As the thought took firm hold upon him he paused and raising his face to Goro, the moon, cursed with upraised hand the authors of the hideous97 crime that had been perpetrated in that once peaceful bungalow behind him; and he cursed their progenitors98, their progeny99, and all their kind the while he took silent oath to war upon them relentlessly100 until death overtook him.
There followed almost immediately a feeling of content, for, where before his future at best seemed but a void, now it was filled with possibilities the contemplation of which brought him, if not happiness, at least a surcease of absolute grief, for before him lay a great work that would occupy his time.
Stripped not only of all the outward symbols of civilization, Tarzan had also reverted morally and mentally to the status of the savage beast he had been reared. Never had his civilization been more than a veneer put on for the sake of her he loved because he thought it made her happier to see him thus. In reality he had always held the outward evidences of so-called culture in deep contempt. Civilization meant to Tarzan of the Apes a curtailment101 of freedom in all its aspects—freedom of action, freedom of thought, freedom of love, freedom of hate. Clothes he abhorred—uncomfortable, hideous, confining things that reminded him somehow of bonds securing him to the life he had seen the poor creatures of London and Paris living. Clothes were the emblems102 of that hypocrisy103 for which civilization stood—a pretense104 that the wearers were ashamed of what the clothes covered, of the human form made in the semblance105 of God. Tarzan knew how silly and pathetic the lower orders of animals appeared in the clothing of civilization, for he had seen several poor creatures thus appareled in various traveling shows in Europe, and he knew, too, how silly and pathetic man appears in them since the only men he had seen in the first twenty years of his life had been, like himself, naked savages. The ape-man had a keen admiration106 for a well-muscled, well-proportioned body, whether lion, or antelope, or man, and it had ever been beyond him to understand how clothes could be considered more beautiful than a clear, firm, healthy skin, or coat and trousers more graceful107 than the gentle curves of rounded muscles playing beneath a flexible hide.
In civilization Tarzan had found greed and selfishness and cruelty far beyond that which he had known in his familiar, savage jungle, and though civilization had given him his mate and several friends whom he loved and admired, he never had come to accept it as you and I who have known little or nothing else; so it was with a sense of relief that he now definitely abandoned it and all that it stood for, and went forth into the jungle once again stripped to his loin cloth and weapons.
The hunting knife of his father hung at his left hip108, his bow and his quiver of arrows were slung109 across his shoulders, while around his chest over one shoulder and beneath the opposite arm was coiled the long grass rope without which Tarzan would have felt quite as naked as would you should you be suddenly thrust upon a busy highway clad only in a union suit. A heavy war spear which he sometimes carried in one hand and again slung by a thong110 about his neck so that it hung down his back completed his armament and his apparel. The diamond-studded locket with the pictures of his mother and father that he had worn always until he had given it as a token of his highest devotion to Jane Clayton before their marriage was missing. She always had worn it since, but it had not been upon her body when he found her slain111 in her boudoir, so that now his quest for vengeance112 included also a quest for the stolen trinket.
Toward midnight Tarzan commenced to feel the physical strain of his long hours of travel and to realize that even muscles such as his had their limitations. His pursuit of the murderers had not been characterized by excessive speed; but rather more in keeping with his mental attitude, which was marked by a dogged determination to require from the Germans more than an eye for an eye and more than a tooth for a tooth, the element of time entering but slightly into his calculations.
Inwardly as well as outwardly Tarzan had reverted to beast and in the lives of beasts, time, as a measurable aspect of duration, has no meaning. The beast is actively113 interested only in NOW, and as it is always NOW and always shall be, there is an eternity114 of time for the accomplishment115 of objects. The ape-man, naturally, had a slightly more comprehensive realization116 of the limitations of time; but, like the beasts, he moved with majestic deliberation when no emergency prompted him to swift action.
Having dedicated117 his life to vengeance, vengeance became his natural state and, therefore, no emergency, so he took his time in pursuit. That he had not rested earlier was due to the fact that he had felt no fatigue, his mind being occupied by thoughts of sorrow and revenge; but now he realized that he was tired, and so he sought a jungle giant that had harbored him upon more than a single other jungle night.
Dark clouds moving swiftly across the heavens now and again eclipsed the bright face of Goro, the moon, and forewarned the ape-man of impending118 storm. In the depth of the jungle the cloud shadows produced a thick blackness that might almost be felt—a blackness that to you and me might have proven terrifying with its accompaniment of rustling leaves and cracking twigs119, and its even more suggestive intervals120 of utter silence in which the crudest of imaginations might have conjured121 crouching122 beasts of prey123 tensed for the fatal charge; but through it Tarzan passed unconcerned, yet always alert. Now he swung lightly to the lower terraces of the overarching trees when some subtle sense warned him that Numa lay upon a kill directly in his path, or again he sprang lightly to one side as Buto, the rhinoceros, lumbered124 toward him along the narrow, deep-worn trail, for the ape-man, ready to fight upon necessity's slightest pretext125, avoided unnecessary quarrels.
When he swung himself at last into the tree he sought, the moon was obscured by a heavy cloud, and the tree tops were waving wildly in a steadily126 increasing wind whose soughing drowned the lesser127 noises of the jungle. Upward went Tarzan toward a sturdy crotch across which he long since had laid and secured a little platform of branches. It was very dark now, darker even than it had been before, for almost the entire sky was overcast128 by thick, black clouds.
Presently the man-beast paused, his sensitive nostrils129 dilating130 as he sniffed131 the air about him. Then, with the swiftness and agility132 of a cat, he leaped far outward upon a swaying branch, sprang upward through the darkness, caught another, swung himself upon it and then to one still higher. What could have so suddenly transformed his matter-of-fact ascent133 of the giant bole to the swift and wary134 action of his detour135 among the branches? You or I could have seen nothing—not even the little platform that an instant before had been just above him and which now was immediately below—but as he swung above it we should have heard an ominous136 growl137; and then as the moon was momentarily uncovered, we should have seen both the platform, dimly, and a dark mass that lay stretched upon it—a dark mass that presently, as our eyes became accustomed to the lesser darkness, would take the form of Sheeta, the panther.
In answer to the cat's growl, a low and equally ferocious138 growl rumbled139 upward from the ape-man's deep chest—a growl of warning that told the panther he was trespassing140 upon the other's lair141; but Sheeta was in no mood to be dispossessed. With upturned, snarling142 face he glared at the brown-skinned Tarmangani above him. Very slowly the ape-man moved inward along the branch until he was directly above the panther. In the man's hand was the hunting knife of his long-dead father—the weapon that had first given him his real ascendancy143 over the beasts of the jungle; but he hoped not to be forced to use it, knowing as he did that more jungle battles were settled by hideous growling144 than by actual combat, the law of bluff145 holding quite as good in the jungle as elsewhere—only in matters of love and food did the great beasts ordinarily close with fangs146 and talons147.
"Stealer of balus!" he cried. The panther rose to a sitting position, his bared fangs but a few feet from the ape-man's taunting149 face. Tarzan growled150 hideously151 and struck at the cat's face with his knife. "I am Tarzan of the Apes," he roared. "This is Tarzan's lair. Go, or I will kill you."
Though he spoke152 in the language of the great apes of the jungle, it is doubtful that Sheeta understood the words, though he knew well enough that the hairless ape wished to frighten him from his well-chosen station past which edible153 creatures might be expected to wander sometime during the watches of the night.
Like lightning the cat reared and struck a vicious blow at his tormentor154 with great, bared talons that might well have torn away the ape-man's face had the blow landed; but it did not land—Tarzan was even quicker than Sheeta. As the panther came to all fours again upon the little platform, Tarzan un-slung his heavy spear and prodded155 at the snarling face, and as Sheeta warded156 off the blows, the two continued their horrid duet of blood-curdling roars and growls157.
Goaded to frenzy158 the cat presently determined159 to come up after this disturber of his peace; but when he essayed to leap to the branch that held Tarzan he found the sharp spear point always in his face, and each time as he dropped back he was prodded viciously in some tender part; but at length, rage having conquered his better judgment160, he leaped up the rough bole to the very branch upon which Tarzan stood. Now the two faced each other upon even footing and Sheeta saw a quick revenge and a supper all in one. The hairless ape-thing with the tiny fangs and the puny161 talons would be helpless before him.
The heavy limb bent162 beneath the weight of the two beasts as Sheeta crept cautiously out upon it and Tarzan backed slowly away, growling. The wind had risen to the proportions of a gale163 so that even the greatest giants of the forest swayed, groaning164, to its force and the branch upon which the two faced each other rose and fell like the deck of a storm-tossed ship. Goro was now entirely165 obscured, but vivid flashes of lightning lit up the jungle at brief intervals, revealing the grim tableau166 of primitive167 passion upon the swaying limb.
Tarzan backed away, drawing Sheeta farther from the stem of the tree and out upon the tapering168 branch, where his footing became ever more precarious169. The cat, infuriated by the pain of spear wounds, was overstepping the bounds of caution. Already he had reached a point where he could do little more than maintain a secure footing, and it was this moment that Tarzan chose to charge. With a roar that mingled170 with the booming thunder from above he leaped toward the panther, who could only claw futilely with one huge paw while he clung to the branch with the other; but the ape-man did not come within that parabola of destruction. Instead he leaped above menacing claws and snapping fangs, turning in mid-air and alighting upon Sheeta's back, and at the instant of impact his knife struck deep into the tawny side. Then Sheeta, impelled171 by pain and hate and rage and the first law of Nature, went mad. Screaming and clawing he attempted to turn upon the ape-thing clinging to his back. For an instant he toppled upon the now wildly gyrating limb, clutched frantically172 to save himself, and then plunged173 downward into the darkness with Tarzan still clinging to him. Crashing through splintering branches the two fell. Not for an instant did the ape-man consider relinquishing174 his death-hold upon his adversary175. He had entered the lists in mortal combat and true to the primitive instincts of the wild—the unwritten law of the jungle—one or both must die before the battle ended.
Sheeta, catlike, alighted upon four out-sprawled feet, the weight of the ape-man crushing him to earth, the long knife again imbedded in his side. Once the panther struggled to rise; but only to sink to earth again. Tarzan felt the giant muscles relax beneath him. Sheeta was dead. Rising, the ape-man placed a foot upon the body of his vanquished176 foe177, raised his face toward the thundering heavens, and as the lightning flashed and the torrential rain broke upon him, screamed forth the wild victory cry of the bull ape.
Having accomplished178 his aim and driven the enemy from his lair, Tarzan gathered an armful of large fronds179 and climbed to his dripping couch. Laying a few of the fronds upon the poles he lay down and covered himself against the rain with the others, and despite the wailing180 of the wind and the crashing of the thunder, immediately fell asleep.
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trudged
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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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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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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butts
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| 笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂 | |
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vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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circumspection
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| n.细心，慎重 | |
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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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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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effulgence
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| n.光辉 | |
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benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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extricating
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| v.使摆脱困难，脱身( extricate的现在分词 ) | |
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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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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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rhinoceros
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| n.犀牛 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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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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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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33
hospitably
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| 亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地 | |
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34
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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35
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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36
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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37
sloughed
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| v.使蜕下或脱落( slough的过去式和过去分词 )；舍弃；除掉；摒弃 | |
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38
veneer
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| n.(墙上的)饰面，虚饰 | |
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39
hampering
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 ) | |
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40
reverted
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| 恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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41
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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42
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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43
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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44
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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45
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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46
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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47
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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48
apex
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| n.顶点，最高点 | |
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49
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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50
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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51
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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52
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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53
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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54
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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55
adoption
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| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
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56
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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57
chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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58
fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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59
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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60
antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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61
bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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62
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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63
goaded
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| v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人 | |
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64
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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65
smoldering
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 ) | |
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66
akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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67
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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68
bodyguard
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| n.护卫，保镖 | |
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69
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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70
frightfulness
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| 可怕； 丑恶； 讨厌； 恐怖政策 | |
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71
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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72
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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73
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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74
animate
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| v.赋于生命，鼓励；adj.有生命的，有生气的 | |
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75
charred
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| v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦 | |
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76
meted
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| v.（对某人）施以，给予（处罚等）( mete的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77
plumbed
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| v.经历( plumb的过去式和过去分词 )；探究；用铅垂线校正；用铅锤测量 | |
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78
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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79
forsook
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| forsake的过去式 | |
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80
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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81
futilely
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| futile（无用的）的变形； 干 | |
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82
atrocities
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| n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪 | |
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83
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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84
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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85
poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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86
numbed
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| v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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87
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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88
monotonously
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| adv.单调地，无变化地 | |
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89
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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90
slayer
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|
| n. 杀人者，凶手 | |
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91
subconsciously
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| ad.下意识地，潜意识地 | |
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92
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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93
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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94
tangible
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|
| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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95
solace
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| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
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96
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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97
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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98
progenitors
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| n.祖先( progenitor的名词复数 )；先驱；前辈；原本 | |
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99
progeny
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| n.后代，子孙；结果 | |
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100
relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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101
curtailment
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| n.缩减，缩短 | |
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102
emblems
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| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
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103
hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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104
pretense
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| n.矫饰，做作，借口 | |
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105
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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106
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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107
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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108
hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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109
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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110
thong
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| n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带 | |
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111
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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112
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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113
actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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114
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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115
accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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116
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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117
dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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118
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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119
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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120
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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121
conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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122
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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123
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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124
lumbered
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| 砍伐（lumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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125
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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126
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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127
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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128
overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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129
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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130
dilating
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| v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的现在分词 ) | |
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131
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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132
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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133
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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134
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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135
detour
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| n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道 | |
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136
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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137
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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138
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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139
rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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140
trespassing
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| [法]非法入侵 | |
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141
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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142
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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143
ascendancy
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| n.统治权，支配力量 | |
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144
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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145
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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146
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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147
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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148
braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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149
taunting
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| 嘲讽( taunt的现在分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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150
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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151
hideously
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| adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地 | |
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152
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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153
edible
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| n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的 | |
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154
tormentor
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| n. 使苦痛之人, 使苦恼之物, 侧幕 =tormenter | |
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155
prodded
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| v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
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warded
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| 有锁孔的，有钥匙榫槽的 | |
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157
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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158
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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161
puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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163
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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164
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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165
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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166
tableau
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| n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面） | |
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167
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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168
tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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169
precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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170
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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171
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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172
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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173
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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174
relinquishing
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的现在分词 )； 放弃 | |
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175
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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176
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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178
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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179
fronds
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| n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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180
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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