bizarre
conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
They both agreed it was frightful, then made several bizarre remarks: 'Make rain and fine weather--one man--the Council--by the nose'-- bits of absurd sentences that got the better of my drowsiness, so that I had pretty near the whole of my wits about me when the uncle said, 'The climate may do away with this difficulty for you.
impudence
the trait of being rude and impertinent
Can you imagine such impudence!'
vexed
troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
'How did that ivory come all this way?' growled the elder man, who seemed very vexed.
prudence
knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress
The half-caste, who, as far as I could see, had conducted a difficult trip with great prudence and pluck, was invariably alluded to as 'that scoundrel.'
pluck
the trait of showing courage and determination
The half-caste, who, as far as I could see, had conducted a difficult trip with great prudence and pluck, was invariably alluded to as 'that scoundrel.'
sagacious
acutely insightful and wise
The manager was switching his leg with a slender twig: his sagacious relative lifted his head.
hovel
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
Sometimes we came upon a station close by the bank, clinging to the skirts of the unknown, and the white men rushing out of a tumble-down hovel, with great gestures of joy and surprise and welcome, seemed very strange--had the appearance of being held there captive by a spell.
reverberate
ring or echo with sound
The word ivory would ring in the air for a while--and on we went again into the silence, along empty reaches, round the still bends, between the high walls of our winding way, reverberating in hollow claps the ponderous beat of the stern-wheel.
foliage
the aggregate of leaves of one or more plants
But suddenly, as we struggled round a bend, there would be a glimpse of rush walls, of peaked grass-roofs, a burst of yells, a whirl of black limbs, a mass of hands clapping, of feet stamping, of bodies swaying, of eyes rolling, under the droop of heavy and motionless foliage.
gape
look with amazement
Let the fool gape and shudder--the man knows, and can look on without a wink.
acquisition
something gained
Acquisitions, clothes, pretty rags--rags that would fly off at the first good shake.
edifying
enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage improvement
He was there below me, and, upon my word, to look at him was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat, walking on his hind-legs.
impromptu
with little or no preparation or forethought
So he sweated and fired up and watched the glass fearfully (with an impromptu charm, made of rags, tied to his arm, and a piece of polished bone, as big as a watch, stuck flatways through his lower lip), while the wooded banks slipped past us slowly, the short noise was left behind, the interminable miles of silence--and we crept on, towards Kurtz.
decipher
make out the meaning of
When deciphered it said: 'Wood for you."
illegible
unable to be read
There was a signature, but it was illegible--not Kurtz--a much longer word.
opaque
not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy
Before it stopped running with a muffled rattle, a cry, a very loud cry, as of infinite desolation, soared slowly in the opaque air.
pensive
deeply or seriously thoughtful
'Eat 'im!' he said curtly, and, leaning his elbow on the rail, looked out into the fog in a dignified and profoundly pensive attitude.
farcical
broadly or extravagantly humorous
They still belonged to the beginnings of time--had no inherited experience to teach them as it were), and of course, as long as there was a piece of paper written over in accordance with some farcical law or other made down the river, it didn't enter anybody's head to trouble how they would live.
precarious
not secure; beset with difficulties
You can't breathe dead hippo waking, sleeping, and eating, and at the same time keep your precarious grip on existence.
recondite
difficult to penetrate
There were either no villages, or the people were hostile, or the director, who like the rest of us fed out of tins, with an occasional old he-goat thrown in, didn't want to stop the steamer for some more or less recondite reason.
inexorable
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
Yes; I looked at them as you would on any human being, with a curiosity of their impulses, motives, capacities, weaknesses, when brought to the test of an inexorable physical necessity.
perdition
the place or state in which one suffers eternal punishment
It's really easier to face bereavement, dishonour, and the perdition of one's soul--than this kind of prolonged hunger.
inconceivable
totally unlikely
But what made the idea of attack inconceivable to me was the nature of the noise--of the cries we had heard.
stanchion
any vertical post or rod used as a support
Over the whole there was a light roof, supported on stanchions.
abject
most unfortunate or miserable
He steered with no end of a swagger while you were by; but if he lost sight of you, he became instantly the prey of an abject funk, and would let that cripple of a steamboat get the upper hand of him in a minute.
fusillade
rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
A fusillade burst out under my feet.
confounded
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
There was no room to turn even if I had wanted to, the snag was somewhere very near ahead in that confounded smoke, there was no time to lose, so I just crowded her into the bank--right into the bank, where I knew the water was deep.
fortitude
strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity
I am, upon the whole, proud of my fortitude.
inestimable
beyond calculation or measure
I was cut to the quick at the idea of having lost the inestimable privilege of listening to the gifted Kurtz.
impalpable
incapable of being perceived by the senses, especially touch
And I heard--him--it --this voice--other voices-- all of them were so little more than voices--and the memory of that time itself lingers around me,impalpable, like a dying vibration of one immense jabber, silly, atrocious, sordid, savage, or simply mean, without any kind of sense.
eloquence
powerful and effective language
It was eloquent, vibrating with eloquence, but too high-strung, I think.
peroration
the concluding section of a rhetorical address
The peroration was magnificent, though difficult to remember, you know.
altruistic
showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others
It was very simple, and at the end of that moving appeal to every altruistic sentiment it blazed at you, luminous and terrifying, like a flash of lightning in a serene sky: 'Exterminate all the brutes!'
rudimentary
not fully developed in mature animals
He had the power to charm or frighten rudimentary souls into an aggravated witch-dance in his honour; he could also fill the small souls of the pilgrims with bitter misgivings: he had one devoted friend at least, and he had conquered one soul in the world that was neither rudimentary nor tainted with self-seeking.
indignant
angered at something unjust or wrong
Upon this they forgot Kurtz, and began to howl at me with indignant protests.
Source: https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/262704