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CHAPTER I.
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The following curious history was related to me by a chance railway acquaintance. He was a gentleman more than seventy years of age, and his thoroughly1 good and gentle face and earnest and sincere manner imprinted2 the unmistakable stamp of truth upon every statement which fell from his lips. He said:
You know in what reverence3 the royal white elephant of Siam is held by the people of that country. You know it is sacred to kings, only kings may possess it, and that it is, indeed, in a measure even superior to kings, since it receives not merely honor but worship. Very well; five years ago, when the troubles concerning the frontier line arose between Great Britain and Siam, it was presently manifest that Siam had been in the wrong. Therefore every reparation was quickly made, and the British representative stated that he was satisfied and the past should be forgotten. This greatly relieved the King of Siam, and partly as a token of gratitude4, but partly also, perhaps, to wipe out any little remaining vestige5 of unpleasantness which England might feel toward him, he wished to send the Queen a present—the sole sure way of propitiating6 an enemy, according to Oriental ideas. This present ought not only to be a royal one, but transcendently royal. Wherefore, what offering could be so meet as that of a white elephant? My position in the Indian civil service was such that I was deemed peculiarly worthy7 of the honor of conveying the present to her Majesty8. A ship was fitted out for me and my servants and the officers and attendants of the elephant, and in due time I arrived in New York harbor and placed my royal charge in admirable quarters in Jersey9 City. It was necessary to remain awhile in order to recruit the animal's health before resuming the voyage.
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1
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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imprinted
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| v.盖印(imprint的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏,尊敬,尊严;Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称;v.尊敬,敬畏,崇敬 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激,感谢 | |
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vestige
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| n.痕迹,遗迹,残余 | |
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propitiating
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| v.劝解,抚慰,使息怒( propitiate的现在分词 ) | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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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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jersey
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| n.运动衫 | |
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calamities
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| n.灾祸,灾难( calamity的名词复数 );不幸之事 | |
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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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celebrated
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| adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员,监察员,视察员 | |
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warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密,保密,隐蔽 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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systematically
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| adv.有系统地 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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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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apex
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| n.顶点,最高点 | |
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tusks
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| n.(象等动物的)长牙( tusk的名词复数 );獠牙;尖形物;尖头 | |
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jewelry
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| n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的,后部的 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖,隐瞒 | |
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pals
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| n.朋友( pal的名词复数 );老兄;小子;(对男子的不友好的称呼)家伙 | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的,机警的,小心的 | |
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concealing
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| v.隐藏,隐瞒,遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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pickpocket
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| n.扒手;v.扒窃 | |
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novice
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| adj.新手的,生手的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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succinct
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| adj.简明的,简洁的 | |
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illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的,列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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steamship
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| n.汽船,轮船 | |
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depots
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| 仓库( depot的名词复数 ); 火车站; 车库; 军需库 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人 | |
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vigilantly
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| adv.警觉地,警惕地 | |
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cipher
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| n.零;无影响力的人;密码 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地,敏捷地 | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的,平和的 | |
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