And then there came to me a sudden realization6 of the predicament in which I had placed myself. I was entirely within the power of the savage7 man whose skiff I had stolen. Still clinging to the spear I looked into his face to find him scrutinizing8 me intently, and there we stood for some several minutes, each clinging tenaciously9 to the weapon the while we gazed in stupid wonderment at each other.
What was in his mind I do not know, but in my own was merely the question as to how soon the fellow would recommence hostilities10.
Presently he spoke11 to me, but in a tongue which I was unable to translate. I shook my head in an effort to indicate my ignorance of his language, at the same time addressing him in the bastard12 tongue that the Sagoths use to converse13 with the human slaves of the Mahars.
"What do you want of my spear?" he asked.
"Only to keep you from running it through me," I replied.
"I would not do that," he said, "for you have just saved my life," and with that he released his hold upon it and squatted15 down in the bottom of the skiff.
"Who are you," he continued, "and from what country do you come?"
I too sat down, laying the spear between us, and tried to explain how I came to Pellucidar, and wherefrom, but it was as impossible for him to grasp or believe the strange tale I told him as I fear it is for you upon the outer crust to believe in the existence of the inner world. To him it seemed quite ridiculous to imagine that there was another world far beneath his feet peopled by beings similar to himself, and he laughed uproariously the more he thought upon it. But it was ever thus. That which has never come within the scope of our really pitifully meager16 world-experience cannot be—our finite minds cannot grasp that which may not exist in accordance with the conditions which obtain about us upon the outside of the insignificant17 grain of dust which wends its tiny way among the bowlders of the universe—the speck18 of moist dirt we so proudly call the World.
So I gave it up and asked him about himself. He said he was a Mezop, and that his name was Ja.
"Who are the Mezops?" I asked. "Where do they live?"
He looked at me in surprise.
"I might indeed believe that you were from another world," he said, "for who of Pellucidar could be so ignorant! The Mezops live upon the islands of the seas. In so far as I ever have heard no Mezop lives elsewhere, and no others than Mezops dwell upon islands, but of course it may be different in other far-distant lands. I do not know. At any rate in this sea and those near by it is true that only people of my race inhabit the islands.
"We are fishermen, though we be great hunters as well, often going to the mainland in search of the game that is scarce upon all but the larger islands. And we are warriors19 also," he added proudly. "Even the Sagoths of the Mahars fear us. Once, when Pellucidar was young, the Sagoths were wont20 to capture us for slaves as they do the other men of Pellucidar, it is handed down from father to son among us that this is so; but we fought so desperately21 and slew22 so many Sagoths, and those of us that were captured killed so many Mahars in their own cities that at last they learned that it were better to leave us alone, and later came the time that the Mahars became too indolent even to catch their own fish, except for amusement, and then they needed us to supply their wants, and so a truce23 was made between the races. Now they give us certain things which we are unable to produce in return for the fish that we catch, and the Mezops and the Mahars live in peace.
"The great ones even come to our islands. It is there, far from the prying24 eyes of their own Sagoths, that they practice their religious rites25 in the temples they have builded there with our assistance. If you live among us you will doubtless see the manner of their worship, which is strange indeed, and most unpleasant for the poor slaves they bring to take part in it."
As Ja talked I had an excellent opportunity to inspect him more closely. He was a huge fellow, standing26 I should say six feet six or seven inches, well developed and of a coppery red not unlike that of our own North American Indian, nor were his features dissimilar to theirs. He had the aquiline27 nose found among many of the higher tribes, the prominent cheek bones, and black hair and eyes, but his mouth and lips were better molded. All in all, Ja was an impressive and handsome creature, and he talked well too, even in the miserable28 makeshift language we were compelled to use.
During our conversation Ja had taken the paddle and was propelling the skiff with vigorous strokes toward a large island that lay some half-mile from the mainland. The skill with which he handled his crude and awkward craft elicited29 my deepest admiration30, since it had been so short a time before that I had made such pitiful work of it.
As we touched the pretty, level beach Ja leaped out and I followed him. Together we dragged the skiff far up into the bushes that grew beyond the sand.
"We must hide our canoes," explained Ja, "for the Mezops of Luana are always at war with us and would steal them if they found them," he nodded toward an island farther out at sea, and at so great a distance that it seemed but a blur31 hanging in the distant sky. The upward curve of the surface of Pellucidar was constantly revealing the impossible to the surprised eyes of the outer-earthly. To see land and water curving upward in the distance until it seemed to stand on edge where it melted into the distant sky, and to feel that seas and mountains hung suspended directly above one's head required such a complete reversal of the perceptive32 and reasoning faculties33 as almost to stupefy one.
No sooner had we hidden the canoe than Ja plunged34 into the jungle, presently emerging into a narrow but well-defined trail which wound hither and thither35 much after the manner of the highways of all primitive36 folk, but there was one peculiarity37 about this Mezop trail which I was later to find distinguished38 them from all other trails that I ever have seen within or without the earth.
It would run on, plain and clear and well defined to end suddenly in the midst of a tangle39 of matted jungle, then Ja would turn directly back in his tracks for a little distance, spring into a tree, climb through it to the other side, drop onto a fallen log, leap over a low bush and alight once more upon a distinct trail which he would follow back for a short distance only to turn directly about and retrace40 his steps until after a mile or less this new pathway ended as suddenly and mysteriously as the former section. Then he would pass again across some media which would reveal no spoor, to take up the broken thread of the trail beyond.
As the purpose of this remarkable41 avenue dawned upon me I could not but admire the native shrewdness of the ancient progenitor42 of the Mezops who hit upon this novel plan to throw his enemies from his track and delay or thwart43 them in their attempts to follow him to his deep-buried cities.
To you of the outer earth it might seem a slow and tortuous44 method of traveling through the jungle, but were you of Pellucidar you would realize that time is no factor where time does not exist. So labyrinthine45 are the windings46 of these trails, so varied47 the connecting links and the distances which one must retrace one's steps from the paths' ends to find them that a Mezop often reaches man's estate before he is familiar even with those which lead from his own city to the sea.
In fact three-fourths of the education of the young male Mezop consists in familiarizing himself with these jungle avenues, and the status of an adult is largely determined48 by the number of trails which he can follow upon his own island. The females never learn them, since from birth to death they never leave the clearing in which the village of their nativity is situated49 except they be taken to mate by a male from another village, or captured in war by the enemies of their tribe.
After proceeding50 through the jungle for what must have been upward of five miles we emerged suddenly into a large clearing in the exact center of which stood as strange an appearing village as one might well imagine.
Large trees had been chopped down fifteen or twenty feet above the ground, and upon the tops of them spherical51 habitations of woven twigs52, mud covered, had been built. Each ball-like house was surmounted53 by some manner of carven image, which Ja told me indicated the identity of the owner.
Horizontal slits54, six inches high and two or three feet wide, served to admit light and ventilation. The entrances to the house were through small apertures55 in the bases of the trees and thence upward by rude ladders through the hollow trunks to the rooms above. The houses varied in size from two to several rooms. The largest that I entered was divided into two floors and eight apartments.
All about the village, between it and the jungle, lay beautifully cultivated fields in which the Mezops raised such cereals, fruits, and vegetables as they required. Women and children were working in these gardens as we crossed toward the village. At sight of Ja they saluted56 deferentially57, but to me they paid not the slightest attention. Among them and about the outer verge58 of the cultivated area were many warriors. These too saluted Ja, by touching59 the points of their spears to the ground directly before them.
Ja conducted me to a large house in the center of the village—the house with eight rooms—and taking me up into it gave me food and drink. There I met his mate, a comely60 girl with a nursing baby in her arms. Ja told her of how I had saved his life, and she was thereafter most kind and hospitable61 toward me, even permitting me to hold and amuse the tiny bundle of humanity whom Ja told me would one day rule the tribe, for Ja, it seemed, was the chief of the community.
We had eaten and rested, and I had slept, much to Ja's amusement, for it seemed that he seldom if ever did so, and then the red man proposed that I accompany him to the temple of the Mahars which lay not far from his village. "We are not supposed to visit it," he said; "but the great ones cannot hear and if we keep well out of sight they need never know that we have been there. For my part I hate them and always have, but the other chieftains of the island think it best that we continue to maintain the amicable62 relations which exist between the two races; otherwise I should like nothing better than to lead my warriors amongst the hideous63 creatures and exterminate64 them—Pellucidar would be a better place to live were there none of them."
I wholly concurred65 in Ja's belief, but it seemed that it might be a difficult matter to exterminate the dominant66 race of Pellucidar. Thus conversing67 we followed the intricate trail toward the temple, which we came upon in a small clearing surrounded by enormous trees similar to those which must have flourished upon the outer crust during the carboniferous age.
Here was a mighty68 temple of hewn rock built in the shape of a rough oval with rounded roof in which were several large openings. No doors or windows were visible in the sides of the structure, nor was there need of any, except one entrance for the slaves, since, as Ja explained, the Mahars flew to and from their place of ceremonial, entering and leaving the building by means of the apertures in the roof.
"But," added Ja, "there is an entrance near the base of which even the Mahars know nothing. Come," and he led me across the clearing and about the end to a pile of loose rock which lay against the foot of the wall. Here he removed a couple of large bowlders, revealing a small opening which led straight within the building, or so it seemed, though as I entered after Ja I discovered myself in a narrow place of extreme darkness.
"We are within the outer wall," said Ja. "It is hollow. Follow me closely."
The red man groped ahead a few paces and then began to ascend69 a primitive ladder similar to that which leads from the ground to the upper stories of his house. We ascended70 for some forty feet when the interior of the space between the walls commenced to grow lighter71 and presently we came opposite an opening in the inner wall which gave us an unobstructed view of the entire interior of the temple.
The lower floor was an enormous tank of clear water in which numerous hideous Mahars swam lazily up and down. Artificial islands of granite72 rock dotted this artificial sea, and upon several of them I saw men and women like myself.
"What are the human beings doing here?" I asked.
"Wait and you shall see," replied Ja. "They are to take a leading part in the ceremonies which will follow the advent73 of the queen. You may be thankful that you are not upon the same side of the wall as they."
Scarcely had he spoken than we heard a great fluttering of wings above and a moment later a long procession of the frightful74 reptiles75 of Pellucidar winged slowly and majestically76 through the large central opening in the roof and circled in stately manner about the temple.
There were several Mahars first, and then at least twenty awe-inspiring pterodactyls—thipdars, they are called within Pellucidar. Behind these came the queen, flanked by other thipdars as she had been when she entered the amphitheater at Phutra.
Three times they wheeled about the interior of the oval chamber77, to settle finally upon the damp, cold bowlders that fringe the outer edge of the pool. In the center of one side the largest rock was reserved for the queen, and here she took her place surrounded by her terrible guard.
All lay quiet for several minutes after settling to their places. One might have imagined them in silent prayer. The poor slaves upon the diminutive78 islands watched the horrid79 creatures with wide eyes. The men, for the most part, stood erect80 and stately with folded arms, awaiting their doom81; but the women and children clung to one another, hiding behind the males. They are a noble-looking race, these cave men of Pellucidar, and if our progenitors82 were as they, the human race of the outer crust has deteriorated83 rather than improved with the march of the ages. All they lack is opportunity. We have opportunity, and little else.
Now the queen moved. She raised her ugly head, looking about; then very slowly she crawled to the edge of her throne and slid noiselessly into the water. Up and down the long tank she swam, turning at the ends as you have seen captive seals turn in their tiny tanks, turning upon their backs and diving below the surface.
Nearer and nearer to the island she came until at last she remained at rest before the largest, which was directly opposite her throne. Raising her hideous head from the water she fixed84 her great, round eyes upon the slaves. They were fat and sleek85, for they had been brought from a distant Mahar city where human beings are kept in droves, and bred and fattened87, as we breed and fatten86 beef cattle.
The queen fixed her gaze upon a plump young maiden88. Her victim tried to turn away, hiding her face in her hands and kneeling behind a woman; but the reptile, with unblinking eyes, stared on with such fixity that I could have sworn her vision penetrated89 the woman, and the girl's arms to reach at last the very center of her brain.
Slowly the reptile's head commenced to move to and fro, but the eyes never ceased to bore toward the frightened girl, and then the victim responded. She turned wide, fear-haunted eyes toward the Mahar queen, slowly she rose to her feet, and then as though dragged by some unseen power she moved as one in a trance straight toward the reptile, her glassy eyes fixed upon those of her captor. To the water's edge she came, nor did she even pause, but stepped into the shallows beside the little island. On she moved toward the Mahar, who now slowly retreated as though leading her victim on. The water rose to the girl's knees, and still she advanced, chained by that clammy eye. Now the water was at her waist; now her armpits. Her fellows upon the island looked on in horror, helpless to avert90 her doom in which they saw a forecast of their own.
The Mahar sank now till only the long upper bill and eyes were exposed above the surface of the water, and the girl had advanced until the end of that repulsive91 beak92 was but an inch or two from her face, her horror-filled eyes riveted93 upon those of the reptile.
Now the water passed above the girl's mouth and nose—her eyes and forehead all that showed—yet still she walked on after the retreating Mahar. The queen's head slowly disappeared beneath the surface and after it went the eyes of her victim—only a slow ripple94 widened toward the shores to mark where the two vanished.
For a time all was silence within the temple. The slaves were motionless in terror. The Mahars watched the surface of the water for the reappearance of their queen, and presently at one end of the tank her head rose slowly into view. She was backing toward the surface, her eyes fixed before her as they had been when she dragged the helpless girl to her doom.
And then to my utter amazement95 I saw the forehead and eyes of the maiden come slowly out of the depths, following the gaze of the reptile just as when she had disappeared beneath the surface. On and on came the girl until she stood in water that reached barely to her knees, and though she had been beneath the surface sufficient time to have drowned her thrice over there was no indication, other than her dripping hair and glistening96 body, that she had been submerged at all.
Again and again the queen led the girl into the depths and out again, until the uncanny weirdness97 of the thing got on my nerves so that I could have leaped into the tank to the child's rescue had I not taken a firm hold of myself.
Once they were below much longer than usual, and when they came to the surface I was horrified98 to see that one of the girl's arms was gone—gnawed completely off at the shoulder—but the poor thing gave no indication of realizing pain, only the horror in her set eyes seemed intensified99.
The next time they appeared the other arm was gone, and then the breasts, and then a part of the face—it was awful. The poor creatures on the islands awaiting their fate tried to cover their eyes with their hands to hide the fearful sight, but now I saw that they too were under the hypnotic spell of the reptiles, so that they could only crouch100 in terror with their eyes fixed upon the terrible thing that was transpiring101 before them.
Finally the queen was under much longer than ever before, and when she rose she came alone and swam sleepily toward her bowlder. The moment she mounted it seemed to be the signal for the other Mahars to enter the tank, and then commenced, upon a larger scale, a repetition of the uncanny performance through which the queen had led her victim.
Only the women and children fell prey102 to the Mahars—they being the weakest and most tender—and when they had satisfied their appetite for human flesh, some of them devouring103 two and three of the slaves, there were only a score of full-grown men left, and I thought that for some reason these were to be spared, but such was far from the case, for as the last Mahar crawled to her rock the queen's thipdars darted105 into the air, circled the temple once and then, hissing106 like steam engines, swooped107 down upon the remaining slaves.
There was no hypnotism here—just the plain, brutal108 ferocity of the beast of prey, tearing, rending109, and gulping110 its meat, but at that it was less horrible than the uncanny method of the Mahars. By the time the thipdars had disposed of the last of the slaves the Mahars were all asleep upon their rocks, and a moment later the great pterodactyls swung back to their posts beside the queen, and themselves dropped into slumber111.
"I thought the Mahars seldom, if ever, slept," I said to Ja.
"They do many things in this temple which they do not do elsewhere," he replied. "The Mahars of Phutra are not supposed to eat human flesh, yet slaves are brought here by thousands and almost always you will find Mahars on hand to consume them. I imagine that they do not bring their Sagoths here, because they are ashamed of the practice, which is supposed to obtain only among the least advanced of their race; but I would wager112 my canoe against a broken paddle that there is no Mahar but eats human flesh whenever she can get it."
"Why should they object to eating human flesh," I asked, "if it is true that they look upon us as lower animals?"
"It is not because they consider us their equals that they are supposed to look with abhorrence113 upon those who eat our flesh," replied Ja; "it is merely that we are warm-blooded animals. They would not think of eating the meat of a thag, which we consider such a delicacy114, any more than I would think of eating a snake. As a matter of fact it is difficult to explain just why this sentiment should exist among them."
"I wonder if they left a single victim," I remarked, leaning far out of the opening in the rocky wall to inspect the temple better. Directly below me the water lapped the very side of the wall, there being a break in the bowlders at this point as there was at several other places about the side of the temple.
My hands were resting upon a small piece of granite which formed a part of the wall, and all my weight upon it proved too much for it. It slipped and I lunged forward. There was nothing to save myself and I plunged headforemost into the water below.
Fortunately the tank was deep at this point, and I suffered no injury from the fall, but as I was rising to the surface my mind filled with the horrors of my position as I thought of the terrible doom which awaited me the moment the eyes of the reptiles fell upon the creature that had disturbed their slumber.
As long as I could I remained beneath the surface, swimming rapidly in the direction of the islands that I might prolong my life to the utmost. At last I was forced to rise for air, and as I cast a terrified glance in the direction of the Mahars and the thipdars I was almost stunned115 to see that not a single one remained upon the rocks where I had last seen them, nor as I searched the temple with my eyes could I discern any within it.
For a moment I was puzzled to account for the thing, until I realized that the reptiles, being deaf, could not have been disturbed by the noise my body made when it hit the water, and that as there is no such thing as time within Pellucidar there was no telling how long I had been beneath the surface. It was a difficult thing to attempt to figure out by earthly standards—this matter of elapsed time—but when I set myself to it I began to realize that I might have been submerged a second or a month or not at all. You have no conception of the strange contradictions and impossibilities which arise when all methods of measuring time, as we know them upon earth, are non-existent.
I was about to congratulate myself upon the miracle which had saved me for the moment, when the memory of the hypnotic powers of the Mahars filled me with apprehension116 lest they be practicing their uncanny art upon me to the end that I merely imagined that I was alone in the temple. At the thought cold sweat broke out upon me from every pore, and as I crawled from the water onto one of the tiny islands I was trembling like a leaf—you cannot imagine the awful horror which even the simple thought of the repulsive Mahars of Pellucidar induces in the human mind, and to feel that you are in their power—that they are crawling, slimy, and abhorrent117, to drag you down beneath the waters and devour104 you! It is frightful.
But they did not come, and at last I came to the conclusion that I was indeed alone within the temple. How long I should be alone was the next question to assail118 me as I swam frantically119 about once more in search of a means to escape.
Several times I called to Ja, but he must have left after I tumbled into the tank, for I received no response to my cries. Doubtless he had felt as certain of my doom when he saw me topple from our hiding place as I had, and lest he too should be discovered, had hastened from the temple and back to his village.
I knew that there must be some entrance to the building beside the doorways120 in the roof, for it did not seem reasonable to believe that the thousands of slaves which were brought here to feed the Mahars the human flesh they craved121 would all be carried through the air, and so I continued my search until at last it was rewarded by the discovery of several loose granite blocks in the masonry122 at one end of the temple.
A little effort proved sufficient to dislodge enough of these stones to permit me to crawl through into the clearing, and a moment later I had scurried123 across the intervening space to the dense124 jungle beyond.
Here I sank panting and trembling upon the matted grasses beneath the giant trees, for I felt that I had escaped from the grinning fangs125 of death out of the depths of my own grave. Whatever dangers lay hidden in this island jungle, there could be none so fearsome as those which I had just escaped. I knew that I could meet death bravely enough if it but came in the form of some familiar beast or man—anything other than the hideous and uncanny Mahars.
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1
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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crimsoning
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| 变为深红色（crimson的现在分词形式） | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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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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8
scrutinizing
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的现在分词 ) | |
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tenaciously
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| 坚持地 | |
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hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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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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bastard
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| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
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converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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jargon
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| n.术语，行话 | |
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squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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prying
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| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
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rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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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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aquiline
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| adj.钩状的，鹰的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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elicited
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| 引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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perceptive
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| adj.知觉的，有洞察力的，感知的 | |
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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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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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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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37
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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38
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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39
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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40
retrace
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| v.折回；追溯，探源 | |
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41
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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42
progenitor
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| n.祖先，先驱 | |
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43
thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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44
tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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45
labyrinthine
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| adj.如迷宫的；复杂的 | |
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46
windings
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| （道路、河流等）蜿蜒的，弯曲的( winding的名词复数 )； 缠绕( wind的现在分词 )； 卷绕； 转动（把手） | |
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47
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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48
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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49
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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50
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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51
spherical
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| adj.球形的；球面的 | |
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52
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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53
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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54
slits
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| n.狭长的口子，裂缝( slit的名词复数 )v.切开，撕开( slit的第三人称单数 )；在…上开狭长口子 | |
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55
apertures
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| n.孔( aperture的名词复数 )；隙缝；（照相机的）光圈；孔径 | |
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56
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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57
deferentially
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| adv.表示敬意地，谦恭地 | |
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58
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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59
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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60
comely
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| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
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61
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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62
amicable
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| adj.和平的，友好的；友善的 | |
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63
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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64
exterminate
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| v.扑灭，消灭，根绝 | |
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65
concurred
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| 同意（concur的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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66
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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67
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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68
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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69
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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70
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
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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72
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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73
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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74
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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75
reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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76
majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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77
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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78
diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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79
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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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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81
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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82
progenitors
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| n.祖先( progenitor的名词复数 )；先驱；前辈；原本 | |
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83
deteriorated
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| 恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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84
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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85
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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86
fatten
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| v.使肥，变肥 | |
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87
fattened
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| v.喂肥( fatten的过去式和过去分词 )；养肥（牲畜）；使（钱）增多；使（公司）升值 | |
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88
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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89
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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90
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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91
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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92
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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93
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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94
ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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95
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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96
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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97
weirdness
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| n.古怪，离奇，不可思议 | |
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98
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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99
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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100
crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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101
transpiring
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的现在分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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102
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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103
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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104
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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105
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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106
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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107
swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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108
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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109
rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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110
gulping
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的现在分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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111
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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112
wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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113
abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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114
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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115
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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116
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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117
abhorrent
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| adj.可恶的，可恨的，讨厌的 | |
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118
assail
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| v.猛烈攻击，抨击，痛斥 | |
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119
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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120
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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121
craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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122
masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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123
scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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124
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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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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