abysmal
very bad; without hope; terrible
barbarism
savagery
deter
restrain; resist
elixir
delicious drink; healthful drink
four bits
fifty cents
hard-pan
rock layer
hell-bent
determined; stubborn; unstoppable
indecipherable
impossible to read; puzzling
intermeshed
intermingled; mixed
jailbird
prisoner
mare
female horse
marksman
expert shooter
mend
fix; repair; sew
outskirts
immediately outside
paradox
contradiction; irony
pummeled
beaten
quarter-section
small area of land
regiment
troop of soldiers
salinas
salt
san Quentin
prison
sanctuary
safe place
six bits
seventy-five cents
syphilis
venereal disease
taciturn
quiet; instrospective
tallow
fat used for candles
thunderhead
dark cloud
timshel
Hebrew verb meaning "thou mayest"
translucent
semi-transparent; limited ability to see
two bits
a quarter
unkempt
untidy; dirty; disheveled
weathered
survived; aged
weltschmertz
painful world; depression; melancholia
