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Letter 11. Algoa Bay
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Algoa Bay—Kafirs on the Coast—Difficulties Regarding Servants.
Standing1 on the shores of Algoa Bay, with the “Liverpool of South Africa”—Port Elizabeth—at my back, I attempted to realise what must have been the scene, in the memorable2 “1820,” when the flourishing city was yet unborn, when the whole land was a veritable wilderness3, and the sands on which the port now stands were covered with the tents of the “settlers.”
Some of the surroundings, thought I, are pretty much as they were in those days. The shipping4 at anchor in the offing must resemble the shipping that conveyed the emigrants5 across the sea—except, of course, these two giant steamers of the “Donald Currie” and the “union” lines. The bright blue sky, too, and the fiery6 sun are the same, and so are those magnificent “rollers,” which, rising, one scarce can tell when or where, out of a dead-calm sea, stand up for a few seconds like liquid walls, and then rush up the beach with a magnificent roar.
As I gazed, the scene was rendered still more real by the approach from seaward of a great surf-boat, similar to the surf-boats that brought the settlers from their respective ships to the shore. Such boats are still used at the port to land goods—and also passengers, when the breakers are too high to admit of their being landed in small boats at the wooden pier7. The surf-boats are bulky, broad, and flat, strongly built to stand severe hammering on the sand, and comparatively shallow at the stern, to admit of their being backed towards the beach, or hauled off to sea through the surf by means of a rope over the bow.
As the surf-boat neared the shore, I heard voices behind me, and, turning round, beheld8 a sight which sent me completely back into the 1820 days. It was a band of gentlemen in black—black from the crowns of their heads to the soles of their feet, with the exception of their lips and teeth and eyes. Here was the Simon Pure in very truth. They were so-called Red Kafirs, because of their habit of painting their bodies and blankets with red ochre. At this time the paint had been washed off, and the blankets laid aside. They were quite naked, fresh from the lands of their nativity, and
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1
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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2
memorable
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adj.值得回忆的,难忘的,特别的,显著的 | |
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3
wilderness
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n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等,荒漠 | |
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4
shipping
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n.船运(发货,运输,乘船) | |
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5
emigrants
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n.(从本国移往他国的)移民( emigrant的名词复数 ) | |
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6
fiery
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adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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7
pier
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n.码头;桥墩,桥柱;[建]窗间壁,支柱 | |
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8
beheld
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v.看,注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 );瞧;看呀;(叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现)哎哟 | |
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9
apparently
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adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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10
hideous
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adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
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11
rugged
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adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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12
annually
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adv.一年一次,每年 | |
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13
foam
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v./n.泡沫,起泡沫 | |
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14
manly
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adj.有男子气概的;adv.男子般地,果断地 | |
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15
waded
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(从水、泥等)蹚,走过,跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
toiled
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长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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17
jovial
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adj.快乐的,好交际的 | |
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18
ashore
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adv.在(向)岸上,上岸 | |
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19
possessed
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adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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20
smack
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vt.拍,打,掴;咂嘴;vi.含有…意味;n.拍 | |
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21
mighty
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adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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22
corrugated
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adj.波纹的;缩成皱纹的;波纹面的;波纹状的v.(使某物)起皱褶(corrugate的过去式和过去分词) | |
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23
bowels
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n.肠,内脏,内部;肠( bowel的名词复数 );内部,最深处 | |
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24
ascertained
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v.弄清,确定,查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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26
monotonous
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adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的 | |
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27
atlas
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n.地图册,图表集 | |
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28
esteem
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n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 | |
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29
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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30
disinterested
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adj.不关心的,不感兴趣的 | |
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31
cape
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n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风 | |
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32
procured
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v.(努力)取得, (设法)获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 );拉皮条 | |
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33
lithe
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adj.(指人、身体)柔软的,易弯的 | |
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34
eel
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n.鳗鲡 | |
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35
sable
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n.黑貂;adj.黑色的 | |
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uncommon
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adj.罕见的,非凡的,不平常的 | |
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37
severely
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adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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38
incorrigible
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adj.难以纠正的,屡教不改的 | |
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39
singes
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v.浅表烧焦( singe的第三人称单数 );(毛发)燎,烧焦尖端[边儿] | |
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40
linen
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n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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41
iniquity
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n.邪恶;不公正 | |
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hearty
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adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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Letter 10. Salem
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