IT must a been close on to one o'clock when we got below the island at last, and the raft did seem to go mighty¹ slow. If a boat was to come along we was going to take to the canoe and break for the Illinois shore; and it was well a boat didn't come, for we hadn't ever thought to put the gun in the canoe, or a fishing-line, or anything to eat. We was in ruther too much of a sweat to think of so many things. It warn't good judgment² to put EVERYTHING on the raft.

If the men went to the island I just expect they found the camp fire I built, and watched it all night for Jim to come. Anyways, they stayed away from us, and if my building the fire never fooled them it warn't no fault of mine. I played it as low down on them as I could.

When the first streak³ of day began to show we tied up to a towhead in a big bend on the Illinois side, and hacked⁴ off cottonwood branches with the hatchet⁵, and covered up the raft with them so she looked like there had been a cave-in in the bank there. A towhead is a sandbar that has cottonwoods on it as thick as harrow-teeth.

We had mountains on the Missouri shore and heavy timber on the Illinois side, and the channel was down the Missouri shore at that place, so we warn't afraid of anybody running across us. We laid there all day, and watched the rafts and steamboats spin down the Missouri shore, and up-bound steamboats fight the big river in the middle. I told Jim all about the time I had jabbering⁶ with that woman; and Jim said she was a smart one, and if she was to start after us herself she wouldn't set down and watch a camp fire -- no, sir, she'd fetch a dog. Well, then, I said, why couldn't she tell her husband to fetch a dog? Jim said he bet she did think of it by the time the men was ready to start, and he believed they must a gone up-town to get a dog and so they lost all that time, or else we wouldn't be here on a towhead sixteen or seventeen mile below the village -- no, indeedy, we would be in that same old town again. So I said I didn't care what was the reason they didn't get us as long as they didn't.

When it was beginning to come on dark we

点击收听单词发音  

1 mighty
adj.强有力的；巨大的
参考例句：
A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。 The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

2 judgment
n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见
参考例句：
The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。 He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

3 streak
n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动
参考例句：
The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。 Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

4 hacked
生气
参考例句：
I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。 I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

5 hatchet
n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀
参考例句：
I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。 Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

6 jabbering
v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴
参考例句：
What is he jabbering about now? 他在叽里咕噜地说什么呢？ He was jabbering away in Russian. 他叽里咕噜地说着俄语。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 poked
v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交
参考例句：
She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。 His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 thicket
n.灌木丛，树林
参考例句：
A thicket makes good cover for animals to hide in.丛林是动物的良好隐蔽处。 We were now at the margin of the thicket.我们现在已经来到了丛林的边缘。

9 planks
（厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点
参考例句：
The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。 We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。

10 snug
adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房
参考例句：
He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。 She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。

11 sloppy
adj.邋遢的，不整洁的
参考例句：
If you do such sloppy work again,I promise I'll fail you.要是下次作业你再马马虎虎，我话说在头里，可要给你打不及格了。 Mother constantly picked at him for being sloppy.母亲不断地批评他懒散。

12 chilly
adj.凉快的，寒冷的
参考例句：
I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。 I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

13 fixed
adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的
参考例句：
Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？ Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

14 chuckle
vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑
参考例句：
He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。 I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。

15 ashore
adv.在(向)岸上，上岸
参考例句：
The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。 He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

16 bluffs
恐吓( bluff的名词复数 )； 悬崖； 峭壁
参考例句：
Two steep limestone bluffs rise up each side of the narrow inlet. 两座陡峭的石灰石断崖耸立在狭窄的入口两侧。 He bluffs his way in, pretending initially to be a dishwasher and then later a chef. 他虚张声势的方式，假装最初是一个洗碗机，然后厨师。

17 wreck
n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难
参考例句：
Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。 No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

18 wrack
v.折磨；n.海草
参考例句：
Periodic crises wrack the capitalist system,and they grow in size and duration.周期性的危机破坏着资本主义制度，这种危机的规模在扩大，时间在延长。 The wrack had begun to stink as it rotted in the sun.海草残骸在阳光下腐烂，开始变臭了。

19 rummaging
翻找，搜寻( rummage的现在分词 )； 海关检查
参考例句：
She was rummaging around in her bag for her keys. 她在自己的包里翻来翻去找钥匙。 Who's been rummaging through my papers? 谁乱翻我的文件来着？

20 grumbled
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声
参考例句：
He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。 The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

21 sneaking
a.秘密的，不公开的
参考例句：
She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。 She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走，躲开采访者。

22 fend
v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开
参考例句：
I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。 He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

23 wail
vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸
参考例句：
Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。 One of the small children began to wail with terror.小孩中的一个吓得大哭起来。

24 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。 They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

25 skunk
n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥
参考例句：
That was a rotten thing to do, you skunk!那种事做得太缺德了，你这卑鄙的家伙！ The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked.受到攻击时臭鼬会发出一种难闻的气味。

26 slanted
有偏见的； 倾斜的
参考例句：
The sun slanted through the window. 太阳斜照进窗户。 She had slanted brown eyes. 她有一双棕色的丹凤眼。

27 berth
n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊
参考例句：
She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。 They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。

28 ledge
n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁
参考例句：
They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。 Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。

29 rustle
v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声
参考例句：
She heard a rustle in the bushes.她听到灌木丛中一阵沙沙声。 He heard a rustle of leaves in the breeze.他听到树叶在微风中发出的沙沙声。

30 scrambled
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞
参考例句：
Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》