"By the blood of Issus, I believe they will hold!" screamed one warrior to another.
"And if they do not hold may the spirits of our ancestors reward the brave warriors21 upon the Vanator," replied another of those upon the roof of the palace, "for it will not be long from the moment her cables part before her crew dons the leather of the dead; but yet, Tanus, I believe they will hold. Give thanks at least that we did not sail before the tempest fell, since now each of us has a chance to live."
"Yes," replied Tanus, "I should hate to be abroad today upon the stoutest22 ship that sails the Barsoomian sky."
It was then that Gahan the Jed appeared upon the roof. With him were the balance of his own party and a dozen warriors of Helium. The young chief turned to his followers23.
"I sail at once upon the Vanator," he said, "in search of Tara of Helium who is thought to have been carried away upon a one-man flier by the storm. I do not need to explain to you the slender chances the Vanator has to withstand the fury of the tempest, nor will I order you to your deaths. Let those who wish remain behind without dishonor. The others will follow me," and he leaped for the rope ladder that lashed24 wildly in the gale.
The first man to follow him was Tanus and when the last reached the deck of the cruiser there remained upon the palace roof only the twelve warriors of Helium, who, with naked swords, had taken the posts of the Gatholians at the moorings.
Not a single warrior who had remained aboard the Vanator would leave her now.
"I expected no less," said Gahan, as with the help of those already on the deck he and the others found secure lashings. The commander of the Vanator shook his head. He loved his trim craft, the pride of her class in the little navy of Gathol. It was of her he thought—not of himself. He saw her lying torn and twisted upon the ochre vegetation of some distant sea-bottom, to be presently overrun and looted by some savage25, green horde26. He looked at Gahan.
"Are you ready, San Tothis?" asked the jed.
"All is ready."
"Then cut away!"
Word was passed across the deck and over the side to the Heliumetic warriors below that at the third gun they were to cut away. Twelve keen swords must strike simultaneously27 and with equal power, and each must sever13 completely and instantly three strands28 of heavy cable that no loose end fouling29 a block bring immediate30 disaster upon the Vanator.
Boom! The voice of the signal gun rolled down through the screaming wind to the twelve warriors upon the roof. Boom! Twelve swords were raised above twelve brawny shoulders. Boom! Twelve keen edges severed31 twelve complaining moorings, clean and as one.
The Vanator, her propellors whirling, shot forward with the storm. The tempest struck her in the stern as with a mailed fist and stood the great ship upon her nose, and then it caught her and spun32 her as a child's top spins; and upon the palace roof the twelve men looked on in silent helplessness and prayed for the souls of the brave warriors who were going to their death. And others saw, from Helium's lofty landing stages and from a thousand hangars upon a thousand roofs; but only for an instant did the preparations stop that would send other brave men into the frightful34 maelstrom35 of that apparently36 hopeless search, for such is the courage of the warriors of Barsoom.
But the Vanator did not fall to the ground, within sight of the city at least, though as long as the watchers could see her never for an instant did she rest upon an even keel. Sometimes she lay upon one side or the other, or again she hurtled along keel up, or rolled over and over, or stood upon her nose or her tail at the caprice of the great force that carried her along. And the watchers saw that this great ship was merely being blown away with the other bits of debris37 great and small that filled the sky. Never in the memory of man or the annals of recorded history had such a storm raged across the face of Barsoom.
And in another instant was the Vanator forgotten as the lofty, scarlet38 tower that had marked Lesser39 Helium for ages crashed to ground, carrying death and demolition40 upon the city beneath. Panic reigned42. A fire broke out in the ruins. The city's every force seemed crippled, and it was then that The Warlord ordered the men that were about to set forth43 in search of Tara of Helium to devote their energies to the salvation44 of the city, for he too had witnessed the start of the Vanator and realized the futility45 of wasting men who were needed sorely if Lesser Helium was to be saved from utter destruction.
Shortly after noon of the second day the storm commenced to abate46, and before the sun went down, the little craft upon which Tara of Helium had hovered47 between life and death these many hours drifted slowly before a gentle breeze above a landscape of rolling hills that once had been lofty mountains upon a Martian continent. The girl was exhausted48 from loss of sleep, from lack of food and drink, and from the nervous reaction consequent to the terrifying experiences through which she had passed. In the near distance, just topping an intervening hill, she caught a momentary49 glimpse of what appeared to be a dome50-capped tower. Quickly she dropped the flier until the hill shut it off from the view of the possible occupants of the structure she had seen. The tower meant to her the habitation of man, suggesting the presence of water and, perhaps, of food. If the tower was the deserted51 relic52 of a bygone age she would scarcely find food there, but there was still a chance that there might be water. If it was inhabited, then must her approach be cautious, for only enemies might be expected to abide53 in so far distant a land. Tara of Helium knew that she must be far from the twin cities of her grandfather's empire, but had she guessed within even a thousand haads of the reality, she had been stunned54 by realization55 of the utter hopelessness of her state.
Keeping the craft low, for the buoyancy tanks were still intact, the girl skimmed the ground until the gently-moving wind had carried her to the side of the last hill that intervened between her and the structure she had thought a man-built tower. Here she brought the flier to the ground among some stunted56 trees, and dragging it beneath one where it might be somewhat hidden from craft passing above, she made it fast and set forth to reconnoiter. Like most women of her class she was armed only with a single slender blade, so that in such an emergency as now confronted her she must depend almost solely57 upon her cleverness in remaining undiscovered by enemies. With utmost caution she crept warily58 toward the crest59 of the hill, taking advantage of every natural screen that the landscape afforded to conceal60 her approach from possible observers ahead, while momentarily she cast quick glances rearward lest she be taken by surprise from that quarter.
She came at last to the summit, where, from the concealment61 of a low bush, she could see what lay beyond. Beneath her spread a beautiful valley surrounded by low hills. Dotting it were numerous circular towers, dome-capped, and surrounding each tower was a stone wall enclosing several acres of ground. The valley appeared to be in a high state of cultivation62. Upon the opposite side of the hill and just beneath her was a tower and enclosure. It was the roof of the former that had first attracted her attention. In all respects it seemed identical in construction with those further out in the valley—a high, plastered wall of massive construction surrounding a similarly constructed tower, upon whose gray surface was painted in vivid colors a strange device. The towers were about forty sofads in diameter, approximately forty earth-feet, and sixty in height to the base of the dome. To an Earth man they would have immediately suggested the silos in which dairy farmers store ensilage for their herds63; but closer scrutiny64, revealing an occasional embrasured opening together with the strange construction of the domes65, would have altered such a conclusion. Tara of Helium saw that the domes seemed to be faced with innumerable prisms of glass, those that were exposed to the declining sun scintillating66 so gorgeously as to remind her suddenly of the magnificent trappings of Gahan of Gathol. As she thought of the man she shook her head angrily, and moved cautiously forward a foot or two that she might get a less obstructed67 view of the nearer tower and its enclosure.
As Tara of Helium looked down into the enclosure surrounding the nearest tower, her brows contracted momentarily in frowning surprise, and then her eyes went wide in an expression of incredulity tinged68 with horror, for what she saw was a score or two of human bodies—naked and headless. For a long moment she watched, breathless; unable to believe the evidence of her own eyes—that these grewsome things moved and had life! She saw them crawling about on hands and knees over and across one another, searching about with their fingers. And she saw some of them at troughs, for which the others seemed to be searching, and those at the troughs were taking something from these receptacles and apparently putting it in a hole where their necks should have been. They were not far beneath her—she could see them distinctly and she saw that there were the bodies of both men and women, and that they were beautifully proportioned, and that their skin was similar to hers, but of a slightly lighter69 red. At first she had thought that she was looking upon a shambles70 and that the bodies, but recently decapitated, were moving under the impulse of muscular reaction; but presently she realized that this was their normal condition. The horror of them fascinated her, so that she could scarce take her eyes from them. It was evident from their groping hands that they were eyeless, and their sluggish71 movements suggested a rudimentary nervous system and a correspondingly minute brain. The girl wondered how they subsisted72 for she could not, even by the wildest stretch of imagination, picture these imperfect creatures as intelligent tillers of the soil. Yet that the soil of the valley was tilled was evident and that these things had food was equally so. But who tilled the soil? Who kept and fed these unhappy things, and for what purpose? It was an enigma73 beyond her powers of deduction74.
The sight of food aroused again a consciousness of her own gnawing75 hunger and the thirst that parched76 her throat. She could see both food and water within the enclosure; but would she dare enter even should she find means of ingress? She doubted it, since the very thought of possible contact with these grewsome creatures sent a shudder77 through her frame.
Then her eyes wandered again out across the valley until presently they picked out what appeared to be a tiny stream winding78 its way through the center of the farm lands—a strange sight upon Barsoom. Ah, if it were but water! Then might she hope with a real hope, for the fields would give her sustenance79 which she could gain by night, while by day she hid among the surrounding hills, and sometime, yes, sometime she knew, the searchers would come, for John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom, would never cease to search for his daughter until every square haad of the planet had been combed again and again. She knew him and she knew the warriors of Helium and so she knew that could she but manage to escape harm until they came, they would indeed come at last.
She would have to wait until dark before she dare venture into the valley, and in the meantime she thought it well to search out a place of safety nearby where she might be reasonably safe from savage beasts. It was possible that the district was free from carnivora, but one might never be sure in a strange land. As she was about to withdraw behind the brow of the hill her attention was again attracted to the enclosure below. Two figures had emerged from the tower. Their beautiful bodies seemed identical with those of the headless creatures among which they moved, but the newcomers were not headless. Upon their shoulders were heads that seemed human, yet which the girl intuitively sensed were not human. They were just a trifle too far away for her to see them distinctly in the waning80 light of the dying day, but she knew that they were too large, they were out of proportion to the perfectly81 proportioned bodies, and they were oblate in form. She could see that the men wore some manner of harness to which were slung82 the customary long-sword and short-sword of the Barsoomian warrior, and that about their short necks were massive leather collars cut to fit closely over the shoulders and snugly83 to the lower part of the head. Their features were scarce discernible, but there was a suggestion of grotesqueness84 about them that carried to her a feeling of revulsion.
The two carried a long rope to which were fastened, at intervals85 of about two sofads, what she later guessed were light manacles, for she saw the warriors passing among the poor creatures in the enclosure and about the right wrist of each they fastened one of the manacles. When all had been thus fastened to the rope one of the warriors commenced to pull and tug86 at the loose end as though attempting to drag the headless company toward the tower, while the other went among them with a long, light whip with which he flicked87 them upon the naked skin. Slowly, dully, the creatures rose to their feet and between the tugging88 of the warrior in front and the lashing8 of him behind the hopeless band was finally herded89 within the tower. Tara of Helium shuddered90 as she turned away. What manner of creatures were these?
Suddenly it was night. The Barsoomian day had ended, and then the brief period of twilight91 that renders the transition from daylight to darkness almost as abrupt92 as the switching off of an electric light, and Tara of Helium had found no sanctuary93. But perhaps there were no beasts to fear, or rather to avoid—Tara of Helium liked not the word fear. She would have been glad, however, had there been a cabin, even a very tiny cabin, upon her small flier; but there was no cabin. The interior of the hull94 was completely taken up by the buoyancy tanks. Ah, she had it! How stupid of her not to have thought of it before! She could moor2 the craft to the tree beneath which it rested and let it rise the length of the rope. Lashed to the deck rings she would then be safe from any roaming beast of prey95 that chanced along. In the morning she could drop to the ground again before the craft was discovered.
As Tara of Helium crept over the brow of the hill down toward the valley, her presence was hidden by the darkness of the night from the sight of any chance observer who might be loitering by a window in the nearby tower. Cluros, the farther moon, was just rising above the horizon to commence his leisurely96 journey through the heavens. Eight zodes later he would set—a trifle over nineteen and a half Earth hours—and during that time Thuria, his vivacious97 mate, would have circled the planet twice and be more than half way around on her third trip. She had but just set. It would be more than three and a half hours before she shot above the opposite horizon to hurtle, swift and low, across the face of the dying planet. During this temporary absence of the mad moon Tara of Helium hoped to find both food and water, and gain again the safety of her flier's deck.
She groped her way through the darkness, giving the tower and its enclosure as wide a berth98 as possible. Sometimes she stumbled, for in the long shadows cast by the rising Cluros objects were grotesquely99 distorted though the light from the moon was still not sufficient to be of much assistance to her. Nor, as a matter of fact, did she want light. She could find the stream in the dark, by the simple expedient100 of going down hill until she walked into it and she had seen that bearing trees and many crops grew throughout the valley, so that she would pass food in plenty ere she reached the stream. If the moon showed her the way more clearly and thus saved her from an occasional fall, he would, too, show her more clearly to the strange denizens101 of the towers, and that, of course, must not be. Could she have waited until the following night conditions would have been better, since Cluros would not appear in the heavens at all and so, during Thuria's absence, utter darkness would reign41; but the pangs102 of thirst and the gnawing of hunger could be endured no longer with food and drink both in sight, and so she had decided103 to risk discovery rather than suffer longer.
Safely past the nearest tower, she moved as rapidly as she felt consistent with safety, choosing her way wherever possible so that she might take advantage of the shadows of the trees that grew at intervals and at the same time discover those which bore fruit. In this latter she met with almost immediate success, for the very third tree beneath which she halted was heavy with ripe fruit. Never, thought Tara of Helium, had aught so delicious impinged upon her palate, and yet it was naught104 else than the almost tasteless usa, which is considered to be palatable105 only after having been cooked and highly spiced. It grows easily with little irrigation and the trees bear abundantly. The fruit, which ranks high in food value, is one of the staple106 foods of the less well-to-do, and because of its cheapness and nutritive value forms one of the principal rations33 of both armies and navies upon Barsoom, a use which has won for it a Martian sobriquet107 which, freely translated into English, would be, The Fighting Potato. The girl was wise enough to eat but sparingly, but she filled her pocket-pouch with the fruit before she continued upon her way.
Two towers she passed before she came at last to the stream, and here again was she temperate108, drinking but little and that very slowly, contenting herself with rinsing109 her mouth frequently and bathing her face, her hands, and her feet; and even though the night was cold, as Martian nights are, the sensation of refreshment110 more than compensated111 for the physical discomfort112 of the low temperature. Replacing her sandals she sought among the growing track near the stream for whatever edible113 berries or tubers might be planted there, and found a couple of varieties that could be eaten raw. With these she replaced some of the usa in her pocket-pouch, not only to insure a variety but because she found them more palatable. Occasionally she returned to the stream to drink, but each time moderately. Always were her eyes and ears alert for the first signs of danger, but she had neither seen nor heard aught to disturb her. And presently the time approached when she felt she must return to her flier lest she be caught in the revealing light of low swinging Thuria. She dreaded114 leaving the water for she knew that she must become very thirsty before she could hope to come again to the stream. If she only had some little receptacle in which to carry water, even a small amount would tide her over until the following night; but she had nothing and so she must content herself as best she could with the juices of the fruit and tubers she had gathered.
After a last drink at the stream, the longest and deepest she had allowed herself, she rose to retrace115 her steps toward the hills; but even as she did so she became suddenly tense with apprehension116. What was that? She could have sworn that she saw something move in the shadows beneath a tree not far away. For a long minute the girl did not move—she scarce breathed. Her eyes remained fixed117 upon the dense118 shadows below the tree, her ears strained through the silence of the night. A low moaning came down from the hills where her flier was hidden. She knew it well—the weird119 note of the hunting banth. And the great carnivore lay directly in her path. But he was not so close as this other thing, hiding there in the shadows just a little way off. What was it? It was the strain of uncertainty120 that weighed heaviest upon her. Had she known the nature of the creature lurking121 there half its menace would have vanished. She cast quickly about her in search of some haven122 of refuge should the thing prove dangerous.
Again arose the moaning from the hills, but this time closer. Almost immediately it was answered from the opposite side of the valley, behind her, and then from the distance to the right of her, and twice upon her left. Her eyes had found a tree, quite near. Slowly, and without taking her eyes from the shadows of that other tree, she moved toward the overhanging branches that might afford her sanctuary in the event of need, and at her first move a low growl123 rose from the spot she had been watching and she heard the sudden moving of a big body. Simultaneously the creature shot into the moonlight in full charge upon her, its tail erect124, its tiny ears laid flat, its great mouth with its multiple rows of sharp and powerful fangs125 already yawning for its prey, its ten legs carrying it forward in great leaps, and now from the beast's throat issued the frightful roar with which it seeks to paralyze its prey. It was a banth—the great, maned lion of Barsoom. Tara of Helium saw it coming and leaped for the tree toward which she had been moving, and the banth realized her intention and redoubled his speed. As his hideous126 roar awakened127 the echoes in the hills, so too it awakened echoes in the valley; but these echoes came from the living throats of others of his kind, until it seemed to the girl that Fate had thrown her into the midst of a countless128 multitude of these savage beasts.
Almost incredibly swift is the speed of a charging banth, and fortunate it was that the girl had not been caught farther in the open. As it was, her margin129 of safety was next to negligible, for as she swung nimbly to the lower branches the creature in pursuit of her crashed among the foliage130 almost upon her as it sprang upward to seize her. It was only a combination of good fortune and agility131 that saved her. A stout branch deflected132 the raking talons133 of the carnivore, but so close was the call that a giant forearm brushed her flesh in the instant before she scrambled134 to the higher branches.
Baffled, the banth gave vent9 to his rage and disappointment in a series of frightful roars that caused the very ground to tremble, and to these were added the roarings and the growlings and the moanings of his fellows as they approached from every direction, in the hope of wresting135 from him whatever of his kill they could take by craft or prowess. And now he turned snarling136 upon them as they circled the tree, while the girl, huddled137 in a crotch above them, looked down upon the gaunt, yellow monsters padding on noiseless feet in a restless circle about her. She wondered now at the strange freak of fate that had permitted her to come down this far into the valley by night unharmed, but even more she wondered how she was to return to the hills. She knew that she would not dare venture it by night and she guessed, too, that by day she might be confronted by even graver perils138. To depend upon this valley for sustenance she now saw to be beyond the pale of possibility because of the banths that would keep her from food and water by night, while the dwellers139 in the towers would doubtless make it equally impossible for her to forage140 by day. There was but one solution of her difficulty and that was to return to her flier and pray that the wind would waft141 her to some less terrorful land; but when might she return to the flier? The banths gave little evidence of relinquishing142 hope of her, and even if they wandered out of sight would she dare risk the attempt? She doubted it.
Hopeless indeed seemed her situation—hopeless it was.
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2
moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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3
mooring
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| n.停泊处；系泊用具，系船具；下锚v.停泊，系泊（船只）(moor的现在分词) | |
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4
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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5
bespoke
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| adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求 | |
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6
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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7
corroborative
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| adj.确证（性）的，确凿的 | |
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8
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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9
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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10
meteoric
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| adj.流星的，转瞬即逝的，突然的 | |
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11
prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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12
pennants
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| n.校旗( pennant的名词复数 )；锦标旗；长三角旗；信号旗 | |
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13
sever
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| v.切开，割开；断绝，中断 | |
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14
titanic
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| adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的 | |
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15
brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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16
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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17
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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18
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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19
moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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20
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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21
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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22
stoutest
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| 粗壮的( stout的最高级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的 | |
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23
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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24
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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25
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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horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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27
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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28
strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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29
fouling
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| n.（水管、枪筒等中的）污垢v.使污秽( foul的现在分词 )；弄脏；击球出界；（通常用废物）弄脏 | |
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30
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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31
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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34
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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35
maelstrom
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| n.大乱动；大漩涡 | |
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36
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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38
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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39
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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40
demolition
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| n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹 | |
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41
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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42
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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43
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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44
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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45
futility
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| n.无用 | |
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46
abate
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| vi.(风势，疼痛等)减弱，减轻，减退 | |
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47
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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48
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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49
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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50
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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51
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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52
relic
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| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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53
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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54
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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55
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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56
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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57
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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58
warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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59
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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60
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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61
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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62
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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63
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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64
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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65
domes
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| n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场 | |
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66
scintillating
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| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
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67
obstructed
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| 阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止 | |
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68
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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70
shambles
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| n.混乱之处；废墟 | |
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71
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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72
subsisted
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| v.（靠很少的钱或食物）维持生活，生存下去( subsist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73
enigma
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| n.谜，谜一样的人或事 | |
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74
deduction
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| n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎 | |
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75
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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76
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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77
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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78
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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79
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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80
waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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81
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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82
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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83
snugly
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| adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地 | |
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84
grotesqueness
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85
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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86
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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87
flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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88
tugging
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| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
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89
herded
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| 群集，纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 )； 放牧； （使）向…移动 | |
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90
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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91
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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93
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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94
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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95
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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96
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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97
vivacious
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| adj.活泼的，快活的 | |
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98
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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99
grotesquely
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| adv. 奇异地,荒诞地 | |
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100
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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101
denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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102
pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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103
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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104
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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105
palatable
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| adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的 | |
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106
staple
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| n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类 | |
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107
sobriquet
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| n.绰号 | |
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108
temperate
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| adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的 | |
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109
rinsing
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| n.清水，残渣v.漂洗( rinse的现在分词 )；冲洗；用清水漂洗掉（肥皂泡等）；（用清水）冲掉 | |
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110
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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111
compensated
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| 补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款） | |
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112
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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113
edible
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| n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的 | |
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114
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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115
retrace
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| v.折回；追溯，探源 | |
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116
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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117
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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118
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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119
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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120
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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121
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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122
haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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123
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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124
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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125
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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126
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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127
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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128
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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129
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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130
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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131
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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132
deflected
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| 偏离的 | |
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133
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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134
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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135
wresting
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| 动词wrest的现在进行式 | |
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136
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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137
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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138
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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139
dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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140
forage
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| n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻 | |
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141
waft
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| v.飘浮，飘荡；n.一股；一阵微风；飘荡 | |
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142
relinquishing
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的现在分词 )； 放弃 | |
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