Strange Sounds.--A Night Attack.--Kennedy and Joe in the Tree.--Two Shots.--"Help! help!"--Reply in French.--The Morning.--The Missionary1. --The Plan of Rescue.
The night came on very dark. The doctor had not been able to reconnoitre the country. He had made fast to a very tall tree, from which he could distinguish only a confused mass through the gloom.
As usual, he took the nine-o'clock watch, and at midnight Dick relieved him.
"Keep a sharp lookout2, Dick!" was the doctor's good-night injunction.
"Is there any thing new on the carpet?"
"No; but I thought that I heard vague sounds below us, and, as I don't exactly know where the wind has carried us to, even an excess of caution would do no harm."
"You've probably heard the cries of wild beasts."
"No! the sounds seemed to me something altogether different from that; at all events, on the least alarm don't fail to waken us."
"I'll do so, doctor; rest easy."
After listening attentively3 for a moment or two longer, the doctor, hearing nothing more, threw himself on his blankets and went asleep.
The sky was covered with dense4 clouds, but not a breath of air was stirring; and the balloon, kept in its place by only a single anchor, experienced not the slightest oscillation.
Kennedy, leaning his elbow on the edge of the car, so as to keep an eye on the cylinder5, which was actively6 at work, gazed out upon the calm obscurity; he eagerly scanned the horizon, and, as often happens to minds that are uneasy or possessed7 with preconceived notions, he fancied that he sometimes detected vague gleams of light in the distance.
At one moment he even thought that he saw them only two hundred paces away, quite distinctly, but it was a mere8 flash that was gone as quickly as it came, and he noticed nothing more. It was, no doubt, one of those luminous9 illusions that sometimes impress the eye in the midst of very profound darkness.
Kennedy was getting over his nervousness and falling into his wandering meditations10 again, when a sharp whistle pierced his ear.
Was that the cry of an animal or of a night-bird, or did it come from human lips?
Kennedy, perfectly11 comprehending the gravity of the situation, was on the point of waking his companions, but he reflected that, in any case, men or animals, the creatures that he had heard must be out of reach. So he merely saw that his weapons were all right, and then, with his night-glass, again plunged12 his gaze into space.
It was not long before he thought he could perceive below him vague forms that seemed to be gliding13 toward the tree, and then, by the aid of a ray of moonlight that shot like an electric flash between two masses of cloud, he distinctly made out a group of human figures moving in the shadow.
The adventure with the dog-faced baboons14 returned to his memory, and he placed his hand on the doctor's shoulder.
The latter was awake in a moment.
"Silence!" said Dick. "Let us speak below our breath."
"Has any thing happened?"
"Yes, let us waken Joe."
The instant that Joe was aroused, Kennedy told him what he had seen.
"Those confounded monkeys again!" said Joe.
"Possibly, but we must be on our guard."
"Joe and I," said Kennedy, "will climb down the tree by the ladder."
"And, in the meanwhile," added the doctor, "I will take my measures so that we can ascend15 rapidly at a moment's warning."
"Agreed!"
"Let us go down, then!" said Joe.
"Don't use your weapons, excepting at the last extremity16! It would be a useless risk to make the natives aware of our presence in such a place as this."
Dick and Joe replied with signs of assent17, and then letting themselves slide noiselessly toward the tree, took their position in a fork among the strong branches where the anchor had caught.
For some moments they listened minutely and motionlessly among the foliage18, and ere long Joe seized Kenedy's hand as he heard a sort of rubbing sound against the bark of the tree.
"Don't you hear that?" he whispered.
"Yes, and it's coming nearer."
"Suppose it should be a serpent? That hissing19 or whistling that you heard before--"
"No! there was something human in it."
"I'd prefer the savages20, for I have a horror of those snakes."
"The noise is increasing," said Kennedy, again, after a lapse22 of a few moments.
"Yes! something's coming up toward us--climbing."
"Keep watch on this side, and I'll take care of the other."
"Very good!"
There they were, isolated23 at the top of one of the larger branches shooting out in the midst of one of those miniature forests called baobab-trees. The darkness, heightened by the density24 of the foliage, was profound; however, Joe, leaning over to Kennedy's ear and pointing down the tree, whispered:
"The blacks! They're climbing toward us."
The two friends could even catch the sound of a few words uttered in the lowest possible tones.
Joe gently brought his rifle to his shoulder as he spoke25.
"Wait!" said Kennedy.
Some of the natives had really climbed the baobab, and now they were seen rising on all sides, winding26 along the boughs27 like reptiles28, and advancing slowly but surely, all the time plainly enough discernible, not merely to the eye but to the nostrils29, by the horrible odors of the rancid grease with which they bedaub their bodies.
Ere long, two heads appeared to the gaze of Kennedy and Joe, on a level with the very branch to which they were clinging.
"Attention!" said Kennedy. "Fire!"
The double concussion30 resounded31 like a thunderbolt and died away into cries of rage and pain, and in a moment the whole horde32 had disappeared.
But, in the midst of these yells and howls, a strange, unexpected--nay what seemed an impossible--cry had been heard! A human voice had, distinctly, called aloud in the French language--
"Help! help!"
Kennedy and Joe, dumb with amazement33, had regained34 the car immediately.
"Did you hear that?" the doctor asked them.
"Undoubtedly35, that supernatural cry, 'A moi! a moi!' comes from a Frenchman in the hands of these barbarians36!"
"A traveller."
"A missionary, perhaps."
"Poor wretch37!" said Kennedy, "they're assassinating38 him--making a martyr39 of him!"
The doctor then spoke, and it was impossible for him to conceal40 his emotions.
"There can be no doubt of it," he said; "some unfortunate Frenchman has fallen into the hands of these savages. We must not leave this place without doing all in our power to save him. When he heard the sound of our guns, he recognized an unhoped-for assistance, a providential interposition. We shall not disappoint his last hope. Are such your views?"
"They are, doctor, and we are ready to obey you."
"Let us, then, lay our heads together to devise some plan, and in the morning we'll try to rescue him."
"But how shall we drive off those abominable41 blacks?" asked Kennedy.
"It's quite clear to me, from the way in which they made off, that they are unacquainted with fire-arms. We must, therefore, profit by their fears; but we shall await daylight before acting42, and then we can form our plans of rescue according to circumstances."
"The poor captive cannot be far off," said Joe, "because--"
"Help! help!" repeated the voice, but much more feebly this time.
"The savage21 wretches43!" exclaimed Joe, trembling with indignation. "Suppose they should kill him to-night!"
"Do you hear, doctor," resumed Kennedy, seizing the doctor's hand. "Suppose they should kill him to-night!"
"It is not at all likely, my friends. These savage tribes kill their captives in broad daylight; they must have the sunshine."
"Now, if I were to take advantage of the darkness to slip down to the poor fellow?" said Kennedy.
"And I'll go with you," said Joe, warmly.
"Pause, my friends--pause! The suggestion does honor to your hearts and to your courage; but you would expose us all to great peril44, and do still greater harm to the unfortunate man whom you wish to aid."
"Why so?" asked Kennedy. "These savages are frightened and dispersed45: they will not return."
"Dick, I implore46 you, heed47 what I say. I am acting for the common good; and if by any accident you should be taken by surprise, all would be lost."
"But, think of that poor wretch, hoping for aid, waiting there, praying, calling aloud. Is no one to go to his assistance? He must think that his senses deceived him; that he heard nothing!"
"We can reassure48 him, on that score," said Dr. Ferguson --and, standing49 erect50, making a speaking-trumpet of his hands, he shouted at the top of his voice, in French: "Whoever you are, be of good cheer! Three friends are watching over you."
A terrific howl from the savages responded to these words--no doubt drowning the prisoner's reply.
"They are murdering him! they are murdering him!" exclaimed Kennedy. "Our interference will have served no other purpose than to hasten the hour of his doom51. We must act!"
"But how, Dick? What do you expect to do in the midst of this darkness?"
"Oh, if it was only daylight!" sighed Joe.
"Well, and suppose it were daylight?" said the doctor, in a singular tone.
"Nothing more simple, doctor," said Kennedy. "I'd go down and scatter52 all these savage villains53 with powder and ball!"
"And you, Joe, what would you do?"
"I, master? why, I'd act more prudently54, maybe, by telling the prisoner to make his escape in a certain direction that we'd agree upon."
"And how would you get him to know that?"
"By means of this arrow that I caught flying the other day. I'd tie a note to it, or I'd just call out to him in a loud voice what you want him to do, because these black fellows don't understand the language that you'd speak in!"
"Your plans are impracticable, my dear friends. The greatest difficulty would be for this poor fellow to escape at all--even admitting that he should manage to elude55 the vigilance of his captors. As for you, my dear Dick, with determined56 daring, and profiting by their alarm at our fire-arms, your project might possibly succeed; but, were it to fail, you would be lost, and we should have two persons to save instead of one. No! we must put ALL the chances on OUR side, and go to work differently."
"But let us act at once!" said the hunter.
"Perhaps we may," said the doctor, throwing considerable stress upon the words.
"Why, doctor, can you light up such darkness as this?"
"Who knows, Joe?"
"Ah! if you can do that, you're the greatest learned man in the world!"
The doctor kept silent for a few moments; he was thinking. His two companions looked at him with much emotion, for they were greatly excited by the strangeness of the situation. Ferguson at last resumed:
"Here is my plan: We have two hundred pounds of ballast left, since the bags we brought with us are still untouched. I'll suppose that this prisoner, who is evidently exhausted57 by suffering, weighs as much as one of us; there will still remain sixty pounds of ballast to throw out, in case we should want to ascend suddenly."
"How do you expect to manage the balloon?" asked Kennedy.
"This is the idea, Dick: you will admit that if I can get to the prisoner, and throw out a quantity of ballast, equal to his weight, I shall have in nowise altered the equilibrium58 of the balloon. But, then, if I want to get a rapid ascension, so as to escape these savages, I must employ means more energetic than the cylinder. Well, then, in throwing out this overplus of ballast at a given moment, I am certain to rise with great rapidity."
"That's plain enough."
"Yes; but there is one drawback: it consists in the fact that, in order to descend59 after that, I should have to part with a quantity of gas proportionate to the surplus ballast that I had thrown out. Now, the gas is precious; but we must not haggle60 over it when the life of a fellow-creature is at stake."
"You are right, sir; we must do every thing in our power to save him."
"Let us work, then, and get these bags all arranged on the rim61 of the car, so that they may be thrown overboard at one movement."
"But this darkness?"
"It hides our preparations, and will be dispersed only when they are finished. Take care to have all our weapons close at hand. Perhaps we may have to fire; so we have one shot in the rifle; four for the two muskets62; twelve in the two revolvers; or seventeen in all, which might be fired in a quarter of a minute. But perhaps we shall not have to resort to all this noisy work. Are you ready?"
"We're ready," responded Joe.
The sacks were placed as requested, and the arms were put in good order.
"Very good!" said the doctor. "Have an eye to every thing. Joe will see to throwing out the ballast, and Dick will carry off the prisoner; but let nothing be done until I give the word. Joe will first detach the anchor, and then quickly make his way back to the car."
Joe let himself slide down by the rope; and, in a few moments, reappeared at his post; while the balloon, thus liberated63, hung almost motionless in the air.
In the mean time the doctor assured himself of the presence of a sufficient quantity of gas in the mixing-tank to feed the cylinder, if necessary, without there being any need of resorting for some time to the Buntzen battery. He then took out the two perfectly-isolated conducting-wires, which served for the decomposition64 of the water, and, searching in his travelling-sack, brought forth65 two pieces of charcoal66, cut down to a sharp point, and fixed67 one at the end of each wire.
His two friends looked on, without knowing what he was about, but they kept perfectly silent. When the doctor had finished, he stood up erect in the car, and, taking the two pieces of charcoal, one in each hand, drew their points nearly together.
In a twinkling, an intense and dazzling light was produced, with an insupportable glow between the two pointed68 ends of charcoal, and a huge jet of electric radiance literally69 broke the darkness of the night.
"Oh!" ejaculated the astonished friends.
"Not a word!" cautioned the doctor.
奇怪的嘈杂声——夜袭——肯尼迪和乔在树上——两声枪响——“快来人哪！”——用法语回答——清晨——传教士——营救计划
夜里伸手不见五指，博士没有能确认出他们是在什么地区。气球羁留在一棵大树的上空。 黑暗中，博士依稀辨出模糊的树团。根据往常的习惯，他值从9点开始的这一班。午夜时，肯尼迪来替换他。
“肯尼迪，你要多留点神，注意观察。”
“怎么，有什么新鲜事吗？”
“没有。不过，我还是认为下面有模模糊糊的嘈杂声。我现在不太清楚风把我们带到了哪儿。多加小心总没坏处。”
“你听到的也许是哪种野兽的叫声吧？”
“绝对不是！我觉得完全是另一码事。总之，哪怕有一点不对劲，你也要马上叫醒我们。”
“你放心好了。”
博士不放心地再一次认真听了听，什么动静也没有，于是，他钻进被窝，很快睡着了。
天上乌云密布，但空气中没有一丝风。“维多利亚号”尽管只靠一只锚固定着，仍一动不动地悬在树的上空。
肯尼迪倚着吊篮，照看着冒着火焰的氢氧喷嘴，同时，不断打量这寂静的夜空。他使劲往地上察看，心里忐忑不安，总有种预感，好像有什么事要发生；有时，眼前似乎闪现几丝模糊不清的光亮； 一时间，他甚至相信自己清清楚楚地看到了200步开外的地方有一丝微光出现，可是只闪了一下，之后，再也没有了；他心里犯嘀咕，肯定是在这伸手不见五指的黑暗中待久了，眼睛产生了错觉。肯尼迪稳了稳神，又狐疑不定地注视着黑暗。就在这时，一声尖锐的呼啸声传到了他的耳中。
“是野兽的叫声，还是知更鸟的啼声？人的嘴里能发出这种声音？”
肯尼迪明白情况十分严重，正准备叫醒同伴。但是，转而一想，不管是人还是兽，这会儿还离得远着呢。他着手检查了一遍身边的武器，然后，目光警惕地又观察起附近的动静。时间不长，他觉得隐隐约约看见下面有些模糊的黑影正向他们的这棵大树悄悄逼近，借着云缝中透下的一缕月光，他清楚地认出一群物体正在黑暗中移动。他立即想起了碰到狒狒的事，便转过身来推推博士的肩膀。博士马上醒了。
“轻点儿，我们小点声。”肯尼迪压低声音道。
“出什么事了吗？”
“是的，我们把乔叫醒再说。”
乔一起身，猎人立即把自己刚才看见的事讲给了他们听。
“又是那种该死的猴子？”乔半信半疑。
“有可能。不过，不管是什么，我们都必须防着些。”
“我和乔顺着绳梯下到树上去等着。”肯尼迪说。
“那好。趁这段时间，我把一切收拾妥当。我们说走就走，气球随时可以很快飞起来。”博士又说。
“行，就这么定了。”
“我们下吧。”乔说。
“注意，不到万不得已，你们千万别开枪。在这种地方，我们如果叫人知道了，可没什么好处。”
肯尼迪和乔点头作答。他们无声无息地悄悄沿着绳梯下到树上，然后，立即在勾住锚的大树杈上占据好了有利位置。他们隐身在茂密的树叶中一声不吭，动也不动地认真听了几分钟。这时，响起某种东西摩擦树皮的沙沙声。乔一把抓住苏格兰人的手，说：
“您听见没有？”
“听见了。是什么东西在靠近。”
“会不会是条蟒蛇？您有一次无意中发现过这种嘘嘘声……。”
“不会！倒像是人。”
“我也宁愿是野人。那些爬行动物让我头皮发麻。”乔自言自语地说。
“声响越来越大了。”过了一会儿，肯尼迪又低低地说。
“是的！有人在往上爬。”
“你守着这边，我负责另一边。”
“好吧。”
气球停泊的这棵树是棵高大的猴面包村。一根粗壮的主枝从茂密的枝叶中笔直伸出。肯尼迪和乔就待在这根树枝上。稠密的树叶使周围更加黑暗。不过目光敏锐的乔还是辨清了来人。他凑到肯尼迪的耳旁，指着树的下部，说：
“黑人。”
这时，几句低低的交谈声甚至传到了两位旅行家的耳朵里。乔端起了枪。
“等一下。”肯尼迪说。
一些野人当真在爬猴面包树。他们不知道是怎么从四周突然冒出来的，一个个像蛇一样悄悄地往树枝上爬，虽然动作缓慢，但非常稳当。尽管小心翼翼，动作隐蔽，然而，他们身上那股恶臭的油脂味，仍使他们露出了马脚。
时候不久，在另一根几乎与肯尼迪和乔藏身的地方一样高的树枝上露出了两个脑袋。
“注意，开火！”肯尼迪吩咐。
刹时间，寂静的黑夜里响起两声炸雷般的枪响，紧接着，听到有人发出痛苦的哀叫。眨眼的功夫，所有的黑人全不见了踪影。
可是，在这哀嚎中，竟然响起了一种奇怪的呼喊声。简直出乎意料，让人不可思议！有个人明明白白地在用法语高喊：
“快来人哪！救救我！”
肯尼迪和乔全惊呆了。他们立即爬回吊篮。
“你们听见了吗？”见他们回来，博士忙问。
“清清楚楚！这神奇的喊声是：快来人哪！救救我！”
“看来有位法国人落到这些野蛮人手中了。”
“一位旅行家吗？”
“也许是一位传教士。”
“不幸的家伙。”猎人叫了一声。“他们正折磨他，杀死他呢！”
博士也掩饰不住自己激动的心情，说：
“相信准是这么回事。一位无辜的法国人落到了这些野蛮人的手中。不想尽办法把他救出来，我们决不离开这里。听到我们的枪声，他肯定已经意识到意外的救星来了，这种干涉是天意，所以，我们不能让他的这最后一线希望落空。你们同意我的意见吗？”
“完全同意。这也正是我们的想法。弗格森，我们随时听候你的吩咐。”
“那么，我们来想想办法吧，这样天一亮，我们就能下手，争取把他救出来。”
“可是，我们怎么赶开那些可恨的黑鬼呢？”肯尼迪问。
“从刚才把他们吓跑的情况来看，我认为，他们显然不认识发火的武器，因此，我们应该好好利用他们的恐惧心理。不过，必须等到天亮再行动，况且，我们还要根据地形考虑营救计划。”
“这个不幸的可怜人不会离得太远，因为……”乔说。
“快来人哪！救救我！”呼喊声又响了起来，但声音弱了些。
“这些野蛮的家伙！”心急如焚的乔叫道，“可是，如果他们今天晚上把他给杀了，怎么办？”
“你听到了，弗格森。”肯尼迪抓住弗格森博士的手，问，“他们会不会今天晚上把他杀了？”
“这不大可能，朋友们。据我所知，那些野蛮的部落一般都是在大白天里杀他们的囚犯，因为，他们需要太阳！”
“我利用黑夜偷偷地靠近那个不幸的人，怎么样？”
“我陪你去，肯尼迪先生！”
“得了，得了，朋友们！我知道你们心灵高尚，勇敢无畏，说到做到，但是，你们的做法会使我们大家都非常危险，而且，还会使我们想救的人受到更大的伤害。”
“为什么？”肯尼迪问，“那些黑人已经害怕跑走了呀。他们不会再来了！”
“肯尼迪，求求你，听我的吧。我这样做是为了大家的安全。万一你不小心让他们抓去，就一切全完了！”
“但是，那位可怜的人正等待着，希望我们去救他呢！可是，他却得不到任何回答！没人来救他！他一定以为是自己产生了错觉，以为什么也没听见……！”
“我们可以让他放心。”
弗格森说完，站起了身。他在黑暗中，把手合成喇叭状，用法语全力高喊：
“不管您是谁，不要绝望！有三位朋友在关心您呢！”
话音未落，立刻招来一阵可怕的喊叫声。毫无疑问，那位可怜人的答话被盖住了。
“他们在杀他祭神。他们要杀死他啦！”肯尼迪叫道，“我们的干涉，只不过是加速了他的死期罢了。必须马上动手！”
“怎么，肯尼迪？天这么黑，你打算怎么干？”
“哦！真该死！要是天亮了该多好！”乔懊丧地说。
“那么，如果天亮了，你准备怎么做？”博士用一种奇怪的语气问。
“弗格森，再简单不过了。”猎人回答说，“我下去，开枪把这些恶棍赶跑不就完了。”
“你呢，乔？”弗格森又问乔。
“我嘛，主人，我会干得谨慎些，设法通知法国人，让他知道往哪个方向逃。”
“你打算怎么告诉他往哪个方向逃呢？”
“用我在飞行中抓住的这只箭。我在上面系个纸条，或者用更简单的办法，到时候扯开嗓门向他喊就行了，反正黑人听不懂我们的话。”
“诸位朋友，你们的办法都行不通。对这位要逃命的不幸人来说，最大的困难在于设法骗过那些要杀他的人，使他们放松警惕，否则他是逃不出来的，就是出来了，也难说不被杀死。至于你，亲爱的肯尼迪，你想利用你的无比勇敢和武器对他们造成恐惧心理来救人。你的计划或许能成功，可是，如果失败，连你也完了。到那时，我们要救的就不是一个，而是两个了。不行！我们必须采取别的办法，要使一切条件都对我们有利。”
“如果这样，最好马上动手。”猎人建议。
“也许吧！”弗格森重重地回答。
“可是，主人，您又怎么能驱散这片黑暗呢？”
“等着瞧吧，乔！”
“啊！要是您做了这么件了不起的事，我马上宣布您是世界上顶顶有学问的科学家。”
博士沉默了一会儿，似乎在思考什么。两位同伴都激动地望着他。这种非同寻常的局面使他们深受刺激，两人觉得连气都喘不过来了。不大一会儿，弗格森又开口了：
“我的计划是这样：我们有200斤压载物，因为我们带的沙袋从未动过。我想，这位俘虏肯定被折磨得骨瘦如柴了，他的体重最多与我们的差不多。带上他后，如果需要上升得快些，我们仍然还要扔掉60斤左右的压载物。”
“你到底打算怎么做？”肯尼迪问。
“肯尼迪，是这样：你好好想想，假如我最终把这位囚犯救了上来，并且把与他的体重相等的压载物扔掉，那么就没有改变气球的平衡；可是，如果为了躲避这群黑人，想使气球升快些的话，就必须运用比氢氧喷嘴加热更直接的办法；所以必要时，扔下这些剩余的压载物，肯定我们会一下子飞起来。”
“这是明摆着的！”
“对。但是这个计划有一点小问题，那就是以后降落时，我必须把按比例与我扔掉的压载物相等的氢气放掉。当然，气球里的氢气对我们来说是很珍贵的，但是当关系到救一个人的性命时，也就不能惋惜放掉些气了。”
“你说的对，弗格森，为了救人，我们应该不惜牺牲一切！”
“那好，我们动手吧。把沙袋摆到吊篮边上，要能一下子扔下去。”
“可是，天这么黑，怎么……？”
“黑暗正好可以掩护我们的准备工作。而且等我们干完活，黑夜也该过去了。注意把所有的枪放在我们伸手就能拿到的地方，很可能要开枪。我们的马枪放一枪，两只猎枪放4枪， 两只手枪放12枪，总共17枪。就是说，我们可以在15秒内打出去17枪。当然，或许我们不需要放这么多枪。你们准备好了吗？”
“准备好了。”乔回答。
沙袋摆得整整齐齐，武器也装好了弹药。
“很好。”博士说，“密切注意周围的动静。乔，你负责扔沙袋；肯尼迪，你来救人。但愿我发出命令之前什么事也别发生。乔，你先下去把锚取下来，然后马上回到吊篮来，越快越好。”
乔立即顺着锚索滑下去，几分钟后返了回来。恢复自由后的气球仍然悬在空中，几乎一动不动。
趁这段时间，博士检查了混合箱里是不是有足够的气需要时能供上氢氧喷嘴用；这样，短时间内就不必消耗本生电池了；之后，他把两根分开放的导线从水箱中拉出。这两根线是分解水用的；接着，他翻了翻旅行包，从中掏出两截尖头碳棒，分别接在每根导线的顶端。
两位朋友迷惑不解地看着他做这一切，但什么话也没说。博士作好布置后，直起身站到吊篮中间。他每只手拿起一根碳棒，然后，把它们的顶端往一起一碰。
两根碳棒之间突然火花一闪，发出了一道强烈耀眼的光芒。一束巨大的电光霎时划破黑暗的夜空。
“唉呀，主人！”乔大吃一惊。
“别说话！”博士低语道。
收听单词发音 |
1
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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cylinder
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| n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸 | |
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actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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meditations
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| 默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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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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gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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baboons
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| n.狒狒( baboon的名词复数 ) | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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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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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage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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22
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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density
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| n.密集，密度，浓度 | |
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25
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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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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31
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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38
assassinating
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| v.暗杀( assassinate的现在分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏 | |
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39
martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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40
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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41
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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42
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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43
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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44
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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45
dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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46
implore
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| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
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47
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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48
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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49
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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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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51
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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52
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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53
villains
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| n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼 | |
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54
prudently
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| adv. 谨慎地，慎重地 | |
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55
elude
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| v.躲避，困惑 | |
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56
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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57
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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58
equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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59
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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60
haggle
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| vi.讨价还价，争论不休 | |
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61
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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62
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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63
liberated
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| a.无拘束的，放纵的 | |
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64
decomposition
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| n. 分解, 腐烂, 崩溃 | |
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65
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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66
charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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67
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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68
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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69
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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