THAT NIGHT, as most of our ranks dozed¹, I got together the twenty brave men who would sneak² into the castle.

There was Odo and Alphonse from our town, Alois and four of his best from Morrisaey. For the rest, we chose strong-hearted men we could trust, who would not back down from killing³ with their bare hands.

One by one, they arrived before my fire, wondering, why were they here?

How do you intend to take this castle with us, Alois asked, when you can't make a dent⁴ in it with a thousand men?

We'll have to take it without a dent, I said. I know a way inside. Come with me now or go back to sleep.

We armed ourselves with swords and knives. Father Leo blessed us with a prayer. I handed him the lance. On the chance that I don't return.

Are you ready, then? I looked around at the men. I clasped each of their hands. Say good-bye to your friends. Pray we see them on the other side.

Are we talking about Heaven? Odo asked.

I was speaking of the wall, I said, and faked a laugh.

Under the cover of night, we crept away from the campsites and out behind the hutted settlements and narrow streets that clung to the city walls. Torches lit up the defenses above us, lookouts⁵ peering for signs of life. We crouched⁶ in the shadow of the wall.

Odo tapped my shoulder. So, Hugh, this ever been done before?

What?

People like us, bondmen, rising against their liege.

A group of farmers rose against the duke of Bourges, I said.

The smith seemed satisfied. We crept a little farther. He tapped me again. So, how'd it turn out for them?

I pressed my back against the wall. I think they were slaughtered⁷ to a man.

Oh. The big smith grunted⁸. His face turned white.

I mussed his shaggy hair. They were discovered talking under the walls. Now shush!

点击收听单词发音  

1 dozed
v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄，昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐，便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 sneak
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行
参考例句：
He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。 I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

3 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。

4 dent
n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展
参考例句：
I don't know how it came about but I've got a dent in the rear of my car.我不知道是怎么回事，但我的汽车后部有了一个凹痕。 That dent is not big enough to be worth hammering out.那个凹陷不大，用不着把它锤平。

5 lookouts
n.寻找（ 某人/某物）( lookout的名词复数 )；是某人（自己）的问题；警戒；瞭望台
参考例句：
Lookouts were spotted all along the coast. 沿海岸都布置了监视哨。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 Lookouts and leadsmen in bulky life jackets stumbled and slipped after him. 监视哨和测深员穿着饱鼓鼓的救生衣，跌跌撞撞地跟在他后面。 来自辞典例句

6 crouched
v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。 The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

7 slaughtered
v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 grunted
（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说
参考例句：
She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。 She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

9 crook
v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处)
参考例句：
He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.我骂他骗子，他要我向他认错。 She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow.她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。

10 reeked
v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的过去式和过去分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象）
参考例句：
His breath reeked of tobacco. 他满嘴烟臭味。 His breath reeked of tobacco. 他满嘴烟臭味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 stagnant
adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的
参考例句：
Due to low investment,industrial output has remained stagnant.由于投资少，工业生产一直停滞不前。 Their national economy is stagnant.他们的国家经济停滞不前。

12 putrid
adj.腐臭的；有毒的；已腐烂的；卑劣的
参考例句：
To eat putrid food is liable to get sick.吃了腐败的食物容易生病。 A putrid smell drove us from the room.一股腐臭的气味迫使我们离开这房间。

13 terrain
n.地面，地形，地图
参考例句：
He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。 He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

14 unleash
vt.发泄，发出；解带子放开
参考例句：
They hope to create allies to unleash against diseases,pests,and invasive species.他们希望创造出一些新群体来对付疾病、害虫和一些有侵害性的物种。 Changing water levels now at times unleash a miasma of disease from exposed sewage.如今，大坝不时地改变水位，从暴露的污水释放出了疾病瘴气。

15 warriors
武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )
参考例句：
I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。 The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

16 spotted
adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的
参考例句：
The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。 Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

17 concealed
a.隐藏的，隐蔽的
参考例句：
The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。 I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

18 scurried
v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She said goodbye and scurried back to work. 她说声再见，然后扭头跑回去干活了。 It began to rain and we scurried for shelter. 下起雨来，我们急忙找地方躲避。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 dense
a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的
参考例句：
The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。