the thousands that began the fight, there were only five left

standing. These now rushed from different parts of the field,



and, meeting in the middle of it, clashed their swords, and

struck at each other's hearts as fiercely" target="_blank" title="ad.凶猛地，残忍地">fiercely as ever.



"Cadmus," said the voice again, "bid those five warriors

sheathe their swords. They will help you to build the city."



Without hesitating an instant, Cadmus stepped forward, with the

aspect of a king and a leader, and extending his drawn sword



amongst them, spoke to the warriors in a stern and commanding

voice.



"Sheathe your weapons!" said he.

And forthwith, feeling themselves bound to obey him, the five



remaining sons of the dragon's teeth made him a military salute

with their swords, returned them to the scabbards, and stood



before Cadmus in a rank, eyeing him as soldiers eye their

captain, while awaiting the word of command.



These five men had probably sprung from the biggest of the

dragon's teeth, and were the boldest and strongest of the whole



army. They were almost giants indeed, and had good need to be

so, else they never could have lived through so terrible a



fight. They still had a very furious look, and, if Cadmus

happened to glance aside, would glare at one another, with fire



flashing out of their eyes. It was strange, too, to observe how

the earth, out of which they had so lately grown, was



incrusted, here and there, on their bright breastplates, and

even, begrimed their faces; just as you may have seen it



clinging to beets and carrots, when pulled out of their native

soil. Cadmus hardly knew whether to consider them as men, or



some odd kind of vegetable; although, on the whole, he

concluded that there was human nature in them, because they



were so fond of trumpets and weapons, and so ready to shed

blood.



They looked him earnestly" target="_blank" title="ad.认真地；急切地">earnestly in the face, waiting for his next

order, and evidently desiring no other employment than to



follow him from one battlefield to another, all over the wide

world. But Cadmus was wiser than these earth-born creatures,



with the dragon's fierceness" target="_blank" title="n.凶恶，残忍">fierceness in them, and knew better how to

use their strength and hardihood.



"Come!" said he. "You are sturdy fellows. Make yourselves

useful! Quarry some stones with those great swords of yours,



and help me to build a city."

The five soldiers grumbled a little, and muttered that it was



their business to overthrow cities, not to build them up. But

Cadmus looked at them with a stern eye, and spoke to them in a



tone of authority, so that they knew him for their master, and

never again thought of disobeying his commands. They set to



work in good earnest, and toiled so diligently, that, in a very

short time, a city began to make its appearance. At first, to



be sure, the workmen showed a quarrelsome disposition. Like

savage beasts, they would doubtless have done one another a



mischief, if Cadmus had not kept watch over them, and quelled

the fierce old serpent that lurked in their hearts, when he saw



it gleaming out of their wild eyes. But, in course of time,

they got accustomed to honest labor, and had sense enough to



feel that there was more true enjoyment in living at peace, and

doing good to one's neighbor, than in striking at him with a



two-edged sword. It may not be too much to hope that the rest

of mankind will by and by grow as wise and peaceable as these



five earth-begrimed warriors, who sprang from the dragon's

teeth.



And now the city was built, and there was a home in it for each

of the workmen. But the palace of Cadmus was not yet erected,



because they had left it till the last, meaning to introduce

all the new improvements of architecture, and make it very



commodious, as well as stately and beautiful. After finishing

the rest of their labors, they all went to bed betimes, in



order to rise in the gray of the morning, and get at least the

foundation of the edifice laid before nightfall. But, when



Cadmus arose, and took his way towards the site where the

• thither [´ðiðə] ad.到那里 a.那边的 (初中英语单词)


• beheld [bi´held] behold的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


• immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)


• dragon [´drægən] n.龙 (初中英语单词)


• fountain [´fauntin] n.泉水；源泉；根源 (初中英语单词)


• thirst [θə:st] n.渴，口渴；渴望 (初中英语单词)


• neighboring [´neibəriŋ] a.邻近的；接壤的 (初中英语单词)


• monster [´mɔnstə] n.怪物 a.大得异常的 (初中英语单词)


• appetite [´æpitait] n.欲望；食欲 (初中英语单词)


• enormous [i´nɔ:məs] a.巨大地，很，极 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• victim [´viktim] n.牺牲者；受害者 (初中英语单词)


• destruction [di´strʌkʃən] n.破坏，毁灭 (初中英语单词)


• tremendous [tri´mendəs] a.可怕的；巨大的 (初中英语单词)


• thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)


• perish [´periʃ] v.灭亡；消灭；(使)死去 (初中英语单词)


• likewise [´laikwaiz] ad.同样地；也，又 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• marvelous [´mɑ:viləs] (=marvellous) a.奇异的 (初中英语单词)


• multitude [´mʌltitju:d] n.大群(批)；众多 (初中英语单词)


• countenance [´kauntinəns] n.面部表情；脸色；面容 (初中英语单词)


• abundant [ə´bʌndənt] a.丰富的；充分的 (初中英语单词)


• harvest [´hɑ:vist] n.&v.收获；收割 (初中英语单词)


• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)


• fortunate [´fɔ:tʃənət] a.幸运的，侥幸的 (初中英语单词)


• warrior [´wɔriə] n.勇士，战士 (初中英语单词)


• weapon [´wepən] n.武器；斗争手段 (初中英语单词)


• helmet [´helmit] n.钢盔 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• confusion [kən´fju:ʒən] n.混乱(状态)；骚乱 (初中英语单词)


• victory [´viktəri] n.胜利，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• mischief [´mistʃif] n.伤害；故障；调皮 (初中英语单词)


• wicked [´wikid] a.邪恶的；不道德的 (初中英语单词)


• whereas [weər´æz] conj.鉴于；因此；而 (初中英语单词)


• fiercely [´fiəsli] ad.凶猛地，残忍地 (初中英语单词)


• furious [´fjuəriəs] a.狂怒的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)


• vegetable [´vedʒtəbəl] a.&n.蔬菜(的)；植物 (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)


• employment [im´plɔimənt] n.工作；职业；雇用 (初中英语单词)


• earnest [´ə:nist] a.认真的 n.认真；诚恳 (初中英语单词)


• diligently [´dilidʒəntli] ad.勤奋地 (初中英语单词)


• disposition [,dispə´ziʃən] n.安排；性情；倾向 (初中英语单词)


• doubtless [´dautlis] ad.无疑地；大概，多半 (初中英语单词)


• fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)


• striking [´straikiŋ] a.显著的，明显的 (初中英语单词)


• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)


• serpent [´sə:pənt] n.大毒蛇；阴险的人 (高中英语单词)


• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)


• quench [kwentʃ] v.熄灭；平息；压制 (高中英语单词)


• gateway [´geit-wei] n.入口；通道；途径 (高中英语单词)


• melancholy [´melənkəli] n.忧郁 a.忧郁的 (高中英语单词)


• solitary [´sɔlitəri] a.独居的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)


• monstrous [´mɔnstrəs] a.怪异的；庞大的 (高中英语单词)


• brightly [´braitli] ad.明亮地；聪明地 (高中英语单词)


• continually [kən´tinjuəli] ad.不断地，频繁地 (高中英语单词)


• memorable [´memərəbəl] a.难忘的；重大的 (高中英语单词)


• strewn [stru:n] strew的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• forthwith [fɔ:θ´wið] ad.立刻 (高中英语单词)


• sprung [sprʌŋ] spring的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• earnestly [´ə:nistli] ad.认真地；急切地 (高中英语单词)


• sturdy [´stə:di] a.坚强的；坚定的 (高中英语单词)


• quarry [´kwɔri] n.(采)石场；猎物 (高中英语单词)


• overthrow [´əuvəθrəu] n.推翻；打倒 (高中英语单词)


• enjoyment [in´dʒɔimənt] n.享受；愉快；乐趣 (高中英语单词)


• peaceable [´pi:səbl] a.和平的；安静的 (高中英语单词)


• architecture [´ɑ:kitektʃə] n.建筑术；建筑学 (高中英语单词)


• stately [´steitli] a.庄严的，雄伟的 (高中英语单词)


• weariness [wiərinis] n.疲倦；厌烦 (英语四级单词)


• pilgrimage [´pilgrimidʒ] n.朝圣；远游；人生历程 (英语四级单词)


• mouthful [´mauθful] n.一口；少量 (英语四级单词)


• abominable [ə´bɔminəbəl] a.可憎的；极坏的 (英语四级单词)


• drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)


• wretch [retʃ] n.不幸的人；卑鄙的人 (英语四级单词)


• sorrowful [´sɔrəuful] a.悲伤的，使人伤心的 (英语四级单词)


• befallen [bi´fɔ:lən] befall的过去分词 (英语四级单词)


• seeming [´si:miŋ] a.表面上的 n.外观 (英语四级单词)


• brazen [´breizən] a.黄铜制的；无耻的 (英语四级单词)


• asunder [ə´sʌndə] a.分开地；零散地 (英语四级单词)


• workmen [´wə:kmen] n.workman的复数 (英语四级单词)


• edifice [´edifis] n.大厦；(知识的)体系 (英语四级单词)


• horribly [´hɔrəbli] ad.恐怖地 (英语六级单词)


• smitten [´smitn] smite的过去分词 (英语六级单词)


• battlefield [´bætlfi:ld] n.战场 (英语六级单词)


• fierceness [´fiəsnis] n.凶恶，残忍 (英语六级单词)


• betimes [bi´taimz] ad.早；准时；不久以后 (英语六级单词)


• nightfall [´nait,fɔ:l] n.黄昏；傍晚 (英语六级单词)