amend
make revisions to
“For the hunter,”
amended Whitney.
sensuous
taking delight in beauty
Rainsford, reclining in a steamer chair, indolently2 puffed on his favorite brier.3 The
sensuous drowsiness of the night was on him.
taint
place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
“One superstitious sailor can
taint the whole ship’s company with his fear.”
ripple
a small wave on the surface of a liquid
There was no sound in the night as Rainsford sat there but the muffled throb of the engine that drove the yacht swiftly through the darkness, and the swish and
ripple of the wash of the propeller.
tangible
perceptible by the senses especially the sense of touch
Sometimes I think evil is a
tangible thing—with wavelengths, just as sound and light have.
amended
modified for the better
“For the hunter,”
amended Whitney.
abrupt
exceedingly sudden and unexpected
“It’s so dark,” he thought, “that I could sleep without closing my eyes; the night would be my eyelids—”
An
abrupt sound startled him.
expert
a person with special knowledge who performs skillfully
Off to the right he heard it, and his ears,
expert in such matters, could not be mistaken.
philosopher
a specialist in the investigation of existence and knowledge
“You’re a big-game hunter, not a
philosopher.
suggest
make a proposal; declare a plan for something
“Cannibals?”
suggested Rainsford.
yard
enclosed land around a house or other building
“Nor four
yards,” admitted Rainsford.
observe
watch attentively
“Perhaps the jaguar does,”
observed Whitney.
crew
an organized group of workmen
Didn’t you notice that the
crew’s nerves seemed a bit jumpy today?”
mental
involving the mind or an intellectual process
What I felt was a—a
mental chill, a sort of sudden dread.”
mention
make reference to
“They were a bit strange, now you
mention it.
weather
atmospheric conditions including temperature, precipitation
“This hot
weather is making you soft, Whitney.
captain
the leader of a group of people
Even
Captain Nielsen—”
“Yes, even that tough-minded old Swede, who’d go up to the devil himself and ask him for a light.