But presently we came upon a district where shattered walls still raised their crumbling4 tops in sad silence above the grass-grown sepulchers5 of their fallen fellows. Softened6 and mellowed7 by ancient ivy8 stood these sentinels of sorrow, their scarred faces still revealing the rents and gashes9 of shrapnel and of bomb.
Contrary to our expectations, we found little indication that lions in any great numbers laired in this part of ancient London. Well-worn pathways, molded by padded paws, led through the cavernous windows or doorways10 of a few of the ruins we passed, and once we saw the savage11 face of a great, black-maned lion scowling12 down upon us from a shattered stone balcony.
We followed down the bank of the Thames after we came upon it. I was anxious to look with my own eyes upon the famous bridge, and I guessed, too, that the river would lead me into the part of London where stood Westminster Abbey and the Tower.
Realizing that the section through which we had been passing was doubtless outlying, and therefore not so built up with large structures as the more centrally located part of the old town, I felt sure that farther down the river I should find the ruins larger. The bridge would be there in part, at least, and so would remain the walls of many of the great edifices14 of the past. There would be no such complete ruin of large structures as I had seen among the smaller buildings.
But when I had come to that part of the city which I judged to have contained the relics15 I sought I found havoc16 that had been wrought17 there even greater than elsewhere.
At one point upon the bosom18 of the Thames there rises a few feet above the water a single, disintegrating19 mound1 of masonry20. Opposite it, upon either bank of the river, are tumbled piles of ruins overgrown with vegetation.
These, I am forced to believe, are all that remain of London Bridge, for nowhere else along the river is there any other slightest sign of pier21 or abutment.
Rounding the base of a large pile of grass-covered debris22, we came suddenly upon the best preserved ruin we had yet discovered. The entire lower story and part of the second story of what must once have been a splendid public building rose from a great knoll23 of shrubbery and trees, while ivy, thick and luxuriant, clambered upward to the summit of the broken walls.
In many places the gray stone was still exposed, its smoothly24 chiseled25 face pitted with the scars of battle. The massive portal yawned, somber26 and sorrowful, before us, giving a glimpse of marble halls within.
The temptation to enter was too great. I wished to explore the interior of this one remaining monument of civilization now dead beyond recall. Through this same portal, within these very marble halls, had Gray and Chamberlin and Kitchener and Shaw, perhaps, come and gone with the other great ones of the past.
I took Victory's hand in mine.
"Come!" I said. "I do not know the name by which this great pile was known, nor the purposes it fulfilled. It may have been the palace of your sires, Victory. From some great throne within, your forebears may have directed the destinies of half the world. Come!"
I must confess to a feeling of awe28 as we entered the rotunda29 of the great building. Pieces of massive furniture of another day still stood where man had placed them centuries ago. They were littered with dust and broken stone and plaster, but, otherwise, so perfect was their preservation30 I could hardly believe that two centuries had rolled by since human eyes were last set upon them.
Through one great room after another we wandered, hand in hand, while Victory asked many questions and for the first time I began to realize something of the magnificence and power of the race from whose loins she had sprung.
Splendid tapestries31, now mildewed32 and rotting, hung upon the walls. There were mural paintings, too, depicting33 great historic events of the past. For the first time Victory saw the likeness34 of a horse, and she was much affected35 by a huge oil which depicted36 some ancient cavalry37 charge against a battery of field guns.
In other pictures there were steamships38, battleships, submarines, and quaint39 looking railway trains—all small and antiquated40 in appearance to me, but wonderful to Victory. She told me that she would like to remain for the rest of her life where she could look at those pictures daily.
From room to room we passed until presently we emerged into a mighty41 chamber27, dark and gloomy, for its high and narrow windows were choked and clogged42 by ivy. Along one paneled wall we groped, our eyes slowly becoming accustomed to the darkness. A rank and pungent43 odor pervaded44 the atmosphere.
We had made our way about half the distance across one end of the great apartment when a low growl45 from the far end brought us to a startled halt.
Straining my eyes through the gloom, I made out a raised dais at the extreme opposite end of the hall. Upon the dais stood two great chairs, highbacked and with great arms.
The throne of England! But what were those strange forms about it?
Victory gave my hand a quick, excited little squeeze.
"The lions!" she whispered.
Yes, lions indeed! Sprawled46 about the dais were a dozen huge forms, while upon the seat of one of the thrones a small cub47 lay curled in slumber48.
As we stood there for a moment, spellbound by the sight of those fearsome creatures occupying the very thrones of the sovereigns of England, the low growl was repeated, and a great male rose slowly to his feet.
His devilish eyes bored straight through the semi-darkness toward us. He had discovered the interloper. What right had man within this palace of the beasts? Again he opened his giant jaws49, and this time there rumbled50 forth51 a warning roar.
Instantly eight or ten of the other beasts leaped to their feet. Already the great fellow who had spied us was advancing slowly in our direction. I held my rifle ready, but how futile52 it appeared in the face of this savage horde53.
The foremost beast broke into a slow trot54, and at his heels came the others. All were roaring now, and the din3 of their great voices reverberating55 through the halls and corridors of the palace formed the most frightful56 chorus of thunderous savagery57 imaginable to the mind of man.
And then the leader charged, and upon the hideous58 pandemonium59 broke the sharp crack of my rifle, once, twice, thrice. Three lions rolled, struggling and biting, to the floor. Victory seized my arm, with a quick, "This way! Here is a door," and a moment later we were in a tiny antechamber at the foot of a narrow stone staircase.
Up this we backed, Victory just behind me, as the first of the remaining lions leaped from the throne room and sprang for the stairs. Again I fired, but others of the ferocious60 beasts leaped over their fallen fellows and pursued us.
The stairs were very narrow—that was all that saved us—for as I backed slowly upward, but a single lion could attack me at a time, and the carcasses of those I slew61 impeded62 the rushes of the others.
At last we reached the top. There was a long corridor from which opened many doorways. One, directly behind us, was tight closed. If we could open it and pass into the chamber behind we might find a respite63 from attack.
The remaining lions were roaring horribly. I saw one sneaking64 very slowly up the stairs toward us.
"Try that door," I called to Victory. "See if it will open."
She ran up to it and pushed.
"Turn the knob!" I cried, seeing that she did not know how to open a door, but neither did she know what I meant by knob.
I put a bullet in the spine65 of the approaching lion and leaped to Victory's side. The door resisted my first efforts to swing it inward. Rusted66 hinges and swollen67 wood held it tightly closed. But at last it gave, and just as another lion mounted to the top of the stairway it swung in, and I pushed Victory across the threshold.
Then I turned to meet the renewed attack of the savage foe68. One lion fell in his tracks, another stumbled to my very feet, and then I leaped within and slammed the portal to.
A quick glance showed me that this was the only door to the small apartment in which we had found sanctuary69, and, with a sigh of relief, I leaned for a moment against the panels of the stout70 barrier that separated us from the ramping71 demons72 without.
Across the room, between two windows, stood a flat-topped desk. A little pile of white and brown lay upon it close to the opposite edge. After a moment of rest I crossed the room to investigate. The white was the bleached73 human bones—the skull74, collar bones, arms, and a few of the upper ribs75 of a man. The brown was the dust of a decayed military cap and blouse. In a chair before the desk were other bones, while more still strewed76 the floor beneath the desk and about the chair. A man had died sitting there with his face buried in his arms—two hundred years ago.
Beneath the desk were a pair of spurred military boots, green and rotten with decay. In them were the leg bones of a man. Among the tiny bones of the hands was an ancient fountain pen, as good, apparently77, as the day it was made, and a metal covered memoranda78 book, closed over the bones of an index finger.
I picked up the metal covered memoranda book. Its pages were rotten and stuck together. Only here and there was a sentence or a part of a sentence legible. The first that I could read was near the middle of the little volume:
"His majesty80 left for Tunbridge Wells today, he ... jesty was stricken ... terday. God give she does not die ... am military governor of Lon ..."
And farther on:
"It is awful ... hundred deaths today ... worse than the bombardm ..."
Nearer the end I picked out the following:
"I promised his maj ... e will find me here when he ret ... alone."
The most legible passage was on the next page:
"Thank God we drove them out. There is not a single ... man on British soil today; but at what awful cost. I tried to persuade Sir Phillip to urge the people to remain. But they are mad with fear of the Death, and rage at our enemies. He tells me that the coast cities are packed ... waiting to be taken across. What will become of England, with none left to rebuild her shattered cities!"
And the last entry:
"... alone. Only the wild beasts ... A lion is roaring now beneath the palace windows. I think the people feared the beasts even more than they did the Death. But they are gone, all gone, and to what? How much better conditions will they find on the continent? All gone—only I remain. I promised his majesty, and when he returns he will find that I was true to my trust, for I shall be awaiting him. God save the King!"
That was all. This brave and forever nameless officer died nobly at his post—true to his country and his king. It was the Death, no doubt, that took him.
Some of the entries had been dated. From the few legible letters and figures which remained I judge the end came some time in August, 1937, but of that I am not at all certain.
The diary has cleared up at least one mystery that had puzzled me not a little, and now I am surprised that I had not guessed its solution myself—the presence of African and Asiatic beasts in England.
Acclimated81 by years of confinement82 in the zoological gardens, they were fitted to resume in England the wild existence for which nature had intended them, and once free, had evidently bred prolifically83, in marked contrast to the captive exotics of twentieth century Pan-America, which had gradually become fewer until extinction84 occurred some time during the twenty-first century.
The palace, if such it was, lay not far from the banks of the Thames. The room in which we were imprisoned85 overlooked the river, and I determined86 to attempt to escape in this direction.
To descend87 through the palace was out of the question, but outside we could discover no lions. The stems of the ivy which clambered upward past the window of the room were as large around as my arm. I knew that they would support our weight, and as we could gain nothing by remaining longer in the palace, I decided88 to descend by way of the ivy and follow along down the river in the direction of the launch.
Naturally I was much handicapped by the presence of the girl. But I could not abandon her, though I had no idea what I should do with her after rejoining my companions. That she would prove a burden and an embarrassment89 I was certain, but she had made it equally plain to me that she would never return to her people to mate with Buckingham.
I owed my life to her, and, all other considerations aside, that was sufficient demand upon my gratitude90 and my honor to necessitate91 my suffering every inconvenience in her service. Too, she was queen of England. But, by far the most potent92 argument in her favor, she was a woman in distress—and a young and very beautiful one.
And so, though I wished a thousand times that she was back in her camp, I never let her guess it, but did all that lay within my power to serve and protect her. I thank God now that I did so.
With the lions still padding back and forth beyond the closed door, Victory and I crossed the room to one of the windows. I had outlined my plan to her, and she had assured me that she could descend the ivy without assistance. In fact, she smiled a trifle at my question.
Swinging myself outward, I began the descent, and had come to within a few feet of the ground, being just opposite a narrow window, when I was startled by a savage growl almost in my ear, and then a great taloned93 paw darted94 from the aperture95 to seize me, and I saw the snarling96 face of a lion within the embrasure.
Releasing my hold upon the ivy, I dropped the remaining distance to the ground, saved from laceration only because the lion's paw struck the thick stem of ivy.
The creature was making a frightful racket now, leaping back and forth from the floor at the broad window ledge97, tearing at the masonry with his claws in vain attempts to reach me. But the opening was too narrow, and the masonry too solid.
Victory had commenced the descent, but I called to her to stop just above the window, and, as the lion reappeared, growling98 and snarling, I put a .33 bullet in his face, and at the same moment Victory slipped quickly past him, dropping into my upraised arms that were awaiting her.
The roaring of the beasts that had discovered us, together with the report of my rifle, had set the balance of the fierce inmates99 of the palace into the most frightful uproar100 I have ever heard.
I feared that it would not be long before intelligence or instinct would draw them from the interiors and set them upon our trail, the river. Nor had we much more than reached it when a lion bounded around the corner of the edifice13 we had just quitted and stood looking about as though in search of us.
Following, came others, while Victory and I crouched101 in hiding behind a clump102 of bushes close to the bank of the river. The beasts sniffed103 about the ground for a while, but they did not chance to go near the spot where we had stood beneath the window that had given us escape.
Presently a black-maned male raised his head, and, with cocked ears and glaring eyes, gazed straight at the bush behind which we lay. I could have sworn that he had discovered us, and when he took a few short and stately steps in our direction I raised my rifle and covered him. But, after a long, tense moment he looked away, and turned to glare in another direction.
I breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Victory. I could feel her body quiver as she lay pressed close to me, our cheeks almost touching104 as we both peered through the same small opening in the foliage105.
I turned to give her a reassuring106 smile as the lion indicated that he had not seen us, and as I did so she, too, turned her face toward mine, for the same purpose, doubtless. Anyway, as our heads turned simultaneously107, our lips brushed together. A startled expression came into Victory's eyes as she drew back in evident confusion.
As for me, the strangest sensation that I have ever experienced claimed me for an instant. A peculiar108, tingling109 thrill ran through my veins110, and my head swam. I could not account for it.
Naturally, being a naval111 officer and consequently in the best society of the federation112, I have seen much of women. With others, I have laughed at the assertions of the savants that modern man is a cold and passionless creation in comparison with the males of former ages—in a word, that love, as the one grand passion, had ceased to exist.
I do not know, now, but that they were more nearly right than we have guessed, at least in so far as modern civilized113 woman is concerned. I have kissed many women—young and beautiful and middle aged114 and old, and many that I had no business kissing—but never before had I experienced that remarkable115 and altogether delightful116 thrill that followed the accidental brushing of my lips against the lips of Victory.
The occurrence interested me, and I was tempted117 to experiment further. But when I would have essayed it another new and entirely118 unaccountable force restrained me. For the first time in my life I felt embarrassment in the presence of a woman.
What further might have developed I cannot say, for at that moment a perfect she-devil of a lioness, with keener eyes than her lord and master, discovered us. She came trotting119 toward our place of concealment120, growling and baring her yellow fangs121.
I waited for an instant, hoping that I might be mistaken, and that she would turn off in some other direction. But no—she increased her trot to a gallop122, and then I fired at her, but the bullet, though it struck her full in the breast, didn't stop her.
Screaming with pain and rage, the creature fairly flew toward us. Behind her came other lions. Our case looked hopeless. We were upon the brink123 of the river. There seemed no avenue of escape, and I knew that even my modern automatic rifle was inadequate124 in the face of so many of these fierce beasts.
To remain where we were would have been suicidal. We were both standing125 now, Victory keeping her place bravely at my side, when I reached the only decision open to me.
Seizing the girl's hand, I turned, just as the lioness crashed into the opposite side of the bushes, and, dragging Victory after me, leaped over the edge of the bank into the river.
I did not know that lions are not fond of water, nor did I know if Victory could swim, but death, immediate126 and terrible, stared us in the face if we remained, and so I took the chance.
At this point the current ran close to the shore, so that we were immediately in deep water, and, to my intense satisfaction, Victory struck out with a strong, overhand stroke and set all my fears on her account at rest.
But my relief was short-lived. That lioness, as I have said before, was a veritable devil. She stood for a moment glaring at us, then like a shot she sprang into the river and swam swiftly after us.
Victory was a length ahead of me.
"Swim for the other shore!" I called to her.
I was much impeded by my rifle, having to swim with one hand while I clung to my precious weapon with the other. The girl had seen the lioness take to the water, and she had also seen that I was swimming much more slowly than she, and what did she do? She started to drop back to my side.
"Go on!" I cried. "Make for the other shore, and then follow down until you find my friends. Tell them that I sent you, and with orders that they are to protect you. Go on! Go on!"
But she only waited until we were again swimming side by side, and I saw that she had drawn127 her long knife, and was holding it between her teeth.
"Do as I tell you!" I said to her sharply, but she shook her head.
The lioness was overhauling128 us rapidly. She was swimming silently, her chin just touching the water, but blood was streaming from between her lips. It was evident that her lungs were pierced.
She was almost upon me. I saw that in a moment she would take me under her forepaws, or seize me in those great jaws. I felt that my time had come, but I meant to die fighting. And so I turned, and, treading water, raised my rifle above my head and awaited her.
Victory, animated129 by a bravery no less ferocious than that of the dumb beast assailing130 us, swam straight for me. It all happened so swiftly that I cannot recall the details of the kaleidoscopic131 action which ensued. I knew that I rose high out of the water, and, with clubbed rifle, dealt the animal a terrific blow upon the skull, that I saw Victory, her long blade flashing in her hand, close, striking, upon the beast, that a great paw fell upon her shoulder, and that I was swept beneath the surface of the water like a straw before the prow132 of a freighter.
Still clinging to my rifle, I rose again, to see the lioness struggling in her death throes but an arm's length from me. Scarcely had I risen than the beast turned upon her side, struggled frantically133 for an instant, and then sank.
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1
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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mounds
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| 土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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sepulchers
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| n.坟墓，墓穴( sepulcher的名词复数 )；圣物置放处v.埋葬( sepulcher的第三人称单数 ) | |
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6
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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7
mellowed
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| （使）成熟( mellow的过去式和过去分词 )； 使色彩更加柔和，使酒更加醇香 | |
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ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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gashes
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| n.深长的切口（或伤口）( gash的名词复数 )v.划伤，割破( gash的第三人称单数 ) | |
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doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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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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scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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disintegrating
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| v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的现在分词 ) | |
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masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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chiseled
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| adj.凿刻的，轮廓分明的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 ) | |
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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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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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rotunda
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| n.圆形建筑物；圆厅 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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tapestries
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| n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 ) | |
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mildewed
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| adj.发了霉的，陈腐的，长了霉花的v.（使）发霉，（使）长霉( mildew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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depicting
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| 描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述 | |
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likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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steamships
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| n.汽船，大轮船( steamship的名词复数 ) | |
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39
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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antiquated
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| adj.陈旧的，过时的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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42
clogged
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| （使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞 | |
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43
pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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44
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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46
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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47
cub
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| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
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48
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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49
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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50
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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51
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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52
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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53
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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54
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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55
reverberating
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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56
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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57
savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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58
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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59
pandemonium
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| n.喧嚣，大混乱 | |
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60
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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61
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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62
impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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64
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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65
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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66
rusted
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| v.（使）生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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68
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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69
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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71
ramping
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| 土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯 | |
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72
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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73
bleached
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| 漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的 | |
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74
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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76
strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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77
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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78
memoranda
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| n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式 | |
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lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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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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81
acclimated
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| v.使适应新环境，使服水土服水土，适应( acclimate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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prolifically
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| adv.多产地，丰富地 | |
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84
extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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87
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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88
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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necessitate
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| v.使成为必要，需要 | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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taloned
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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95
aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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96
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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ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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98
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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99
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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100
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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101
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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102
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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103
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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104
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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105
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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106
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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107
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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108
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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109
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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110
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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111
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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112
federation
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| n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会 | |
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113
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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114
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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115
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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116
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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117
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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118
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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119
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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120
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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121
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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122
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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123
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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124
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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125
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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126
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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127
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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128
overhauling
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| n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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129
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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130
assailing
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| v.攻击( assail的现在分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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131
kaleidoscopic
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| adj.千变万化的 | |
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132
prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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133
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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