PETYA AND DOLOHOV, after dressing¹ up in French uniforms and shakoes, rode to the clearing from which Denisov had looked at the French camp, and coming out of the wood, descended² into the hollow in the pitch darkness. When they had ridden downhill, Dolohov bade the Cossacks accompanying him to wait there, and set off at a smart trot³ along the road towards the bridge. Petya, faint with excitement, trotted⁴ along beside him.

“If we are caught, I won't be taken alive. I have a pistol,” whispered Petya.

“Don't speak Russian,” said Dolohov, in a rapid whisper, and at that moment they heard in the dark the challenge: “Who goes there?” and the click of a gun.

The blood rushed into Petya's face, and he clutched at his pistol.

“Uhlans of the Sixth Regiment⁵,” said Dolohov, neither hastening nor slackening his horse's pace.

The black figure of a sentinel stood on the bridge.

“The password?”

Dolohov reined⁶ in his horse, and advanced at a walking pace.

“Tell me, is Colonel Gerard here?” he said.

“Password?” repeated the sentinel, making no reply and barring their way.

“When an officer makes his round, sentinels don't ask him for the password …” cried Dolohov, suddenly losing his temper and riding straight at the sentinel. “I ask you, is the colonel here?”

And not waiting for an answer from the sentinel, who moved aside, Dolohov rode at a walking pace uphill.

Noticing the black outline of a man crossing the road, Dolohov stopped the man, and asked where the colonel and officers were. The man, a soldier with a sack over his shoulder, stopped, came close up to Dolohov's horse, stroking it with his hand, and told them in a simple and friendly way that the colonel and the officers were higher up the hill, on the right, in the courtyard of the farm, as he called the little manor-house.

After going further along the road, from both sides of which they heard French talk round the camp-fires, Dolohov turned into the yard of the manor-house. On reaching the gate, he dismounted and walked towards a big, blazing fire, round which several men were sitting, engaged in loud conversation. There was something boiling in a cauldron on one side, and a soldier in a peaked cap and blue coat, kneeling in the bright glow of the fire, was stirring it with his ramrod.

点击收听单词发音  

1 dressing
n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料
参考例句：
Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。 The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

2 descended
a.为...后裔的，出身于...的
参考例句：
A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。 The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

3 trot
n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧
参考例句：
They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。 The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。

4 trotted
小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句：
She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。 Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

5 regiment
n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制
参考例句：
As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活，所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。 They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。

6 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。

7 spoke
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
参考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 smothered
（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制
参考例句：
He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。 The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。

9 squatted
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。
参考例句：
He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 brigands
n.土匪，强盗( brigand的名词复数 )
参考例句：
They say there are brigands hiding along the way. 他们说沿路隐藏着土匪。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The brigands demanded tribute from passing vehicles. 土匪向过往车辆勒索钱财。 来自辞典例句

11 battalion
n.营；部队；大队(的人)
参考例句：
The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。 At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

12 battalions
n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍
参考例句：
God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 corpses
n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The living soldiers put corpses together and burned them. 活着的战士把尸体放在一起烧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

14 elicited
引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Threats to reinstate the tax elicited jeer from the Opposition. 恢复此项征税的威胁引起了反对党的嘲笑。 The comedian's joke elicited applause and laughter from the audience. 那位滑稽演员的笑话博得观众的掌声和笑声。

15 longing
n.（for）渴望
参考例句：
Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。 His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。