I never cared especially for feuds², believing them to be even more overrated products of our country than grapefruit, scrapple, or honeymoons³. Nevertheless, if I may be allowed, I will tell you of an Indian Territory feud¹ of which I was press-agent, camp-follower, and inaccessory during the fact.

I was on a visit to Sam Durkee's ranch⁴, where I had a great time falling off unmanicured ponies⁵ and waving my bare hand at the lower jaws⁶ of wolves about two miles away. Sam was a hardened person of about twenty- five, with a reputation for going home in the dark with perfect equanimity⁷, though often with reluctance⁸.

Over in the Creek⁹ Nation was a family bearing the name of Tatum. I was told that the Durkees and Tatums had been feuding¹⁰ for years. Several of each family had bitten the grass, and it was expected that more Nebuchadnezzars would follow. A younger generation of each family was growing up, and the grass was keeping pace with them. But I gathered that they had fought fairly; that they had not lain in cornfields and aimed at the division of their enemies' suspenders in the back -- partly, perhaps, because there were no cornfields, and nobody wore more than one suspender. Nor had any woman or child of either house ever been harmed. In those days -- and you will find it so yet -- their women were safe.

Sam Durkee had a girl. (If it were an all-fiction magazine that I expect to sell this story to, I should say, "Mr. Durkee rejoiced in a fiancée.") Her name was Ella Baynes. They appeared to be

点击收听单词发音  

1 feud
n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇
参考例句：
How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？ The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

2 feuds
n.长期不和，世仇( feud的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Quarrels and feuds between tribes became incessant. 部落间的争吵、反目成仇的事件接连不断。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史 There were feuds in the palace, no one can deny. 宫里也有斗争，这是无可否认的。 来自辞典例句

3 honeymoons
蜜月( honeymoon的名词复数 )； 短暂的和谐时期； 蜜月期； 最初的和谐时期
参考例句：
I suppose all honeymoons are more or less alike. 我想所有的蜜月多多少少都是相似的。 Honeymoons are stupid things. 蜜月是乏味的事情。

4 ranch
n.大牧场，大农场
参考例句：
He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。 The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

5 ponies
矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑
参考例句：
They drove the ponies into a corral. 他们把矮种马赶进了畜栏。 She has a mania for ponies. 她特别喜欢小马。

6 jaws
n.口部；嘴
参考例句：
The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

7 equanimity
n.沉着，镇定
参考例句：
She went again,and in so doing temporarily recovered her equanimity.她又去看了戏，而且这样一来又暂时恢复了她的平静。 The defeat was taken with equanimity by the leadership.领导层坦然地接受了失败。

8 reluctance
n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿
参考例句：
The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。 He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

9 creek
n.小溪，小河，小湾
参考例句：
He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。 People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

10 feuding
vi.长期不和（feud的现在分词形式）
参考例句：
Riccardo and Cafiero had been feuding so openly that the whole town knew about it. 里卡多和卡菲埃罗一直公开地闹别扭，全城的人都知道此事。 来自辞典例句 The two families have been feuding with each other for many generations. 这两个家族有好多代的世仇了。 来自互联网

11 devoted
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。 We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

12 lessen
vt.减少，减轻；缩小
参考例句：
Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。 They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

13 gallop
v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展
参考例句：
They are coming at a gallop towards us.他们正朝着我们飞跑过来。 The horse slowed to a walk after its long gallop.那匹马跑了一大阵后慢下来缓步而行。

14 courageous
adj.勇敢的，有胆量的
参考例句：
We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。 He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

15 inquiries
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听
参考例句：
He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。 I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 crocheted
v.用钩针编织( crochet的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Mom and I crocheted new quilts. 我和妈妈钩织了新床罩。 来自辞典例句 Aunt Paula crocheted a beautiful blanket for the baby. 宝拉婶婶为婴孩编织了一条美丽的毯子。 来自互联网

17 incompetent
adj.无能力的，不能胜任的
参考例句：
He is utterly incompetent at his job.他完全不能胜任他的工作。 He is incompetent at working with his hands.他动手能力不行。

18 wagon
n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车
参考例句：
We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。 The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

19 alleged
a.被指控的，嫌疑的
参考例句：
It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。 alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

20 waxy
adj.苍白的；光滑的
参考例句：
Choose small waxy potatoes for the salad.选些个头小、表皮光滑的土豆做色拉。 The waxy oil keeps ears from getting too dry.这些蜡状耳油可以保持耳朵不会太干燥。

21 retailed
vt.零售（retail的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
She retailed the neighbours' activities with relish. 她饶有兴趣地对邻居们的活动说三道四。 The industrial secrets were retailed to a rival concern. 工业秘密被泄露给一家对立的公司。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 elongated
v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Modigliani's women have strangely elongated faces. 莫迪里阿尼画中的妇女都长着奇长无比的脸。 A piece of rubber can be elongated by streching. 一块橡皮可以拉长。 来自《用法词典》

23 pal
n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友
参考例句：
He is a pal of mine.他是我的一个朋友。 Listen,pal,I don't want you talking to my sister any more.听着，小子，我不让你再和我妹妹说话了。

24 oration
n.演说，致辞，叙述法
参考例句：
He delivered an oration on the decline of family values.他发表了有关家庭价值观的衰退的演说。 He was asked to deliver an oration at the meeting.他被邀请在会议上发表演说。

25 impairing
v.损害，削弱( impair的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Carbon monoxide is definitely capable of impairing cardiovascular function. 一氧化碳确实能损害心血管机能。 来自辞典例句 Could it be effected without impairing his reputation as well as his fortune? 他能否不损害他的声誉和财富而办到这一点呢？ 来自辞典例句

26 atmospheric
adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的
参考例句：
Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。 Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

27 twig
n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解
参考例句：
He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。 The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。

28 pony
adj.小型的；n.小马
参考例句：
His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。 They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

29 reined
勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理
参考例句：
Then, all of a sudden, he reined up his tired horse. 这时，他突然把疲倦的马勒住了。 The officer reined in his horse at a crossroads. 军官在十字路口勒住了马。

30 vendetta
n.世仇，宿怨
参考例句：
For years he pursued a vendetta against the Morris family.多年来他一直在寻求向莫里斯家族报世仇。 She conducted a personal vendetta against me.她对我有宿仇。

31 hissed
发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对
参考例句：
Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过？ The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。

32 melodramas
情节剧( melodrama的名词复数 )
参考例句：
It was the operatic version of the Chinese costume melodramas so loved by television audiences. 这是电视观众最喜爱的一个中国故事的歌剧版本。

33 lament
n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹
参考例句：
Her face showed lament.她的脸上露出悲伤的样子。 We lament the dead.我们哀悼死者。

34 afterward
adv.后来；以后
参考例句：
Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。 Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

35 etiquette
n.礼仪，礼节；规矩
参考例句：
The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。 According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

36 reprehensible
adj.该受责备的
参考例句：
Lying is not seen as being morally reprehensible in any strong way.人们并不把撒谎当作一件应该大加谴责的事儿。 It was reprehensible of him to be so disloyal.他如此不忠，应受谴责。

37 mole
n.胎块；痣；克分子
参考例句：
She had a tiny mole on her cheek.她的面颊上有一颗小黑痣。 The young girl felt very self- conscious about the large mole on her chin.那位年轻姑娘对自己下巴上的一颗大痣感到很不自在。

38 solely
adv.仅仅，唯一地
参考例句：
Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。 The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

39 plunging
adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降
参考例句：
War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

40 hearty
adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的
参考例句：
After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。 We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

41 momentary
adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的
参考例句：
We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。 I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

42 calculus
n.微积分；结石
参考例句：
This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。 After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

43 forth
adv.向前；向外，往外
参考例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。 He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

44 eastward
adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部
参考例句：
The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。 The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。

45 hoofs
n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
The stamp of the horse's hoofs on the wooden floor was loud. 马蹄踏在木头地板上的声音很响。 来自辞典例句 The noise of hoofs called him back to the other window. 马蹄声把他又唤回那扇窗子口。 来自辞典例句

46 nags
n.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的名词复数 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的第三人称单数 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责
参考例句：
The trouble nags at her. 那件麻烦事使她苦恼不已。 来自辞典例句 She nags at her husBand aBout their lack of money. 她抱怨丈夫没钱。 来自互联网

47 prospect
n.前景，前途；景色，视野
参考例句：
This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。 The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

48 sufficiently
adv.足够地，充分地
参考例句：
It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。 The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

49 overdid
v.做得过分( overdo的过去式 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度
参考例句：
We overdid the meat and it didn't taste good. 我们把肉煮得太久，结果味道不好了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He overdid and became extremely tired. 他用力过猛，感到筋疲力尽。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

50 anecdotes
n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 )
参考例句：
amusing anecdotes about his brief career as an actor 关于他短暂演员生涯的趣闻逸事 He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman. 他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

51 fugitives
n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Three fugitives from the prison are still at large. 三名逃犯仍然未被抓获。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Members of the provisional government were prisoners or fugitives. 临时政府的成员或被捕或逃亡。 来自演讲部分

52 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

53 cuffs
n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
a collar and cuffs of white lace 带白色蕾丝花边的衣领和袖口 The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。

54 adorning
修饰，装饰物
参考例句：
Many have gems adorning their foreheads, and gold bands on their arms. 许多人在前额上挂着宝石，手臂上戴着金饰。 The commandments, or rules, are like pure white pearls adorning the wearer. （喻）戒律洁白，可以庄严人身，好像晶莹可爱的宝珠。

55 avenger
n. 复仇者
参考例句：
"Tom Sawyer, the Black Avenger of the Spanish Main. “我乃西班牙海黑衣侠盗，汤姆 - 索亚。 Avenger's Shield-0.26 threat per hit (0.008 threat per second) 飞盾-0.26仇恨每击（0.08仇恨每秒）

56 killing
n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财
参考例句：
Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。 Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

57 melancholy
n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的
参考例句：
All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。 He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

58 herd
n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起
参考例句：
She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。 He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

59 eluded
v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到
参考例句：
The sly fox nimbly eluded the dogs. 那只狡猾的狐狸灵活地躲避开那群狗。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 The criminal eluded the police. 那个罪犯甩掉了警察的追捕。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

60 prancing
v.（马）腾跃( prance的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The lead singer was prancing around with the microphone. 首席歌手手执麦克风，神气地走来走去。 The King lifted Gretel on to his prancing horse and they rode to his palace. 国王把格雷特尔扶上腾跃着的马，他们骑马向天宫走去。 来自辞典例句

61 monotonous
adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的
参考例句：
She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。 His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

62 curtailed
v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Spending on books has been severely curtailed. 购书开支已被大大削减。 Their public health programme had to be severely curtailed. 他们的公共卫生计划不得不大大收缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

63 postpone
v.延期，推迟
参考例句：
I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。 She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

64 precipitating
adj.急落的，猛冲的v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的现在分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀
参考例句：
Precipitating electrode plate is a key part in electrostatic precipitation equipment. 静电收尘板是静电收尘设备中的关键部件。 来自互联网 The precipitation bond adopts a sloped tube to enhance the precipitating efficiency. 沉淀池采用斜管，提高了沉降效率。 来自互联网

65 oblivious
adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的
参考例句：
Mother has become quite oblivious after the illness.这次病后，妈妈变得特别健忘。 He was quite oblivious of the danger.他完全没有察觉到危险。

66 resonant
adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的
参考例句：
She has a resonant voice.她的嗓子真亮。 He responded with a resonant laugh.他报以洪亮的笑声。

67 quarry
n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找
参考例句：
Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。 This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。

68 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

69 technically
adv.专门地，技术上地
参考例句：
Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。 The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。