rot, verminate, become infested with vermin

to jump, spur

of a wound to be infested

join the dots, establish the linkage, discover the clues

extremely hard

adamant, rude

The chain of events

to suffer distress or hardship

being strict

address in harsh words

flames of a fire to pick up

a kind of ornament

chains, fetters

beam cracking, beam or roof beam cracking (which is seems to be ominous)

To keep a strict watch.