评论
打印
Chapter Two A Wayside Adventure
第二章 沿途遇险
It was nearly noon on the following day when Shasta was wakened by something warm and soft moving over his face.
第二天快到中午的时候，沙斯塔被一个舔他脸的热热软软的东西惊醒。
He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the long face of a horse; its nose and lips were almost touching his.
他睁开眼睛，看到一张长长的马脸，而它的鼻子和嘴唇都快贴到他脸上去了。
He remembered the exciting events of the previous night and sat up. But as he did so he groaned. "Ow, Bree," he gasped. "I'm so sore. All over. I can hardly move."
他这才想起昨晚种种惊险刺激的遭遇，于是连忙坐了起来。但他才动了一下，就忍不住发出一声呻吟。“噢，布里，”他喘着气说，“好痛喔。我全身都在发疼。根本动不了。”
"Good morning, small one," said Bree. "I was afraid you might feel a bit stiff. It can't be the falls.
“早安，小家伙，”布里说，“恐怕你会觉得肌肉有些痛。但不会是摔伤。
You didn't have more than a dozen or so, and it was all lovely, soft springy turf that must have been almost a pleasure to fall on.
你也不过摔了十多次，又全都是跌到又厚又软的美丽草地上，摔在上面简直是种享受。
And the only one that might have been nasty was broken by that gorse bush. No, it's the riding itself that comes hard at first. What about breakfast? I've had mine."
唯一摔得最严重的那次，也只是掉到一丛金雀花灌木上，绝不是摔伤。刚学骑马，难免会吃些苦头。要不要吃点儿早餐？我已经吃饱了。”
"Oh bother breakfast. Bother everything," said Shasta. "I tell you I can't move."
“我不想吃早餐，我什么都不想吃，”沙斯塔说，“我说了，我根本就动不了。”
But the horse nuzzled at him with its nose and pawed him gently with a hoof till he had to get up.
但马儿还是用鼻子顶他，并伸出一只马蹄轻轻推他，逼得他不得不站了起来。
And then he looked about him and saw where they were. Behind them lay a little copse.
他望了望四周，这才看清周遭的环境。他们背后有一小丛矮树林。
Before them the turf, dotted with white flowers, sloped down to the brow of a cliff.
他们面前的草地上点缀着白色的花朵，一直延伸到悬崖的顶端。
Far below them, so that the sound of the breaking waves was very faint, lay the sea.
在悬崖下方是一片汪洋，但距离他们十分遥远，因此只能隐约听见微弱的海浪声。
Shasta had never seen it from such a height and never seen so much of it before, nor dreamed how many colours it had.
沙斯塔这辈子从来没在这么高的地方看过海，也从未见过如此浩瀚无垠的宽阔海面，而他连做梦也想不到的是，海洋竟然可以呈现出如此丰富多变的色彩。
On either hand the coast stretched away, headland after headland, and at the points you could see the white foam running up the rocks but making no noise because it was so far off.
他往左右两边望去，全都是一片连绵不尽的海岸，海岬多得几乎数不清，你可以看到翻飞的白浪一波波地涌上礁岩，但距离太过遥远，因此完全听不见一丝声响。
There were gulls flying overhead and the heat shivered on the ground; it was a blazing day.
海鸥在天空盘旋飞舞，地上冒出蒸腾的热气，这是个炎热的晴天。
But what Shasta chiefly noticed was the air. He couldn't think what was missing, until at last he realized that there was no smell of fish in it.
但沙斯塔最先注意到的，却是这里的空气。刚开始他还搞不懂究竟有哪里不太对劲，但想了一会儿，终于明白过来，这里的空气完全没有半点儿鱼腥味。
For of course, neither in the cottage nor among the nets, had he ever been away from that smell in his life.
自他出生以来，不论是在小屋里，或是在门前补渔网，都不曾摆脱过鱼腥味。
And this new air was so delicious, and all his old life seemed so far away, that he forgot for a moment about his bruises and his aching muscles and said: "I say, Bree, didn't you say something about breakfast?"
这种新鲜的空气如此清冽甜美，过去的生活似乎已被远远抛在背后，在那一瞬间，他完全忘了身上的瘀青和酸痛的肌肉，开口问道：“对了，布里，你刚才不是说吃早餐吗？”
"Yes, I did," answered Bree. "I think you'll find something in the saddle-bags. They're over there on that tree where you hung them up last night—or early this morning, rather. "
“是呀，”布里答道，“我想你可以在鞍囊里找到一些食物。就在那儿，你昨晚把马鞍挂在那棵树上——或者应该说是今天一大早。”
They investigated the saddle-bags and the results were cheering—a meat pasty, only slightly stale, a lump of dried figs and another lump of green cheese, a little flask of wine, and some money; about forty crescents in all, which was more than Shasta had ever seen.
他们检查了鞍囊，结果令他们十分满意──一个只有一点点不新鲜的肉馅饼、一大堆无花果干和绿奶酪、一小瓶酒，另外还有一些钱；大约有四十枚克利申，沙斯塔这辈子从来没见过这么多钱。
While Shasta sat down-painfully and cautiously-with his back against a tree and started on the pasty, Bree had a few more mouthfuls of grass to keep him company.
沙斯塔坐下来，努力忍住疼痛，小心翼翼地把背靠在一棵树上，开始吃肉馅饼。布里为了陪他，也低头再多嚼了几口青草。
"Won't it be stealing to use the money?" asked Shasta.
“用这些钱算不算是偷东西啊？”沙斯塔问道。
"Oh," said the Horse, looking up with its mouth full of grass, "I never thought of that.
“喔，”塞了满嘴青草的马儿抬起头来说，“我可从来没想到这一点。
A free horse and a talking horse mustn't steal, of course. But I think it's all right. We're prisoners and captives in enemy country. That money is booty, spoil.
一头会说话的自由马儿，当然是不能去偷东西。但我想这应该没什么关系啦。我们可是困在敌国的囚犯和俘虏呀。那些钱全都是他们抢来的战利品和赃物。
Besides, how are we to get any food for you without it? I suppose, like all humans, you won't eat natural food like grass and oats." "I can't." "Ever tried?"
何况，我们要是没钱的话，要到哪儿去给你找东西吃啊？我想你就跟所有人类一样，绝对不肯吃青草和燕麦这些自然食物对吧？”“我不能。”“有没有试过？”
"Yes, I have. I can't get it down at all. You couldn't either if you were me." "You're rum little creatures, you humans," remarked Bree.
“有，我试过。就是吞不下去。你要是我的话，一定也吞不下去的。”“你们人类这种小动物还真是麻烦啊！”布里作出评论。
When Shasta had finished his breakfast (which was by far the nicest he had ever eaten), Bree said, "I think I'll have a nice roll before we put on that saddle again." And he proceeded to do so.
等沙斯塔吃完这辈子从来没吃过的这么好吃的早餐后，布里开口说：“在重新装上马鞍前，我想先在草地上好好打个滚，”他说做就做。
"That's good. That's very good," he said, rubbing his back on the turf and waving all four legs in the air. "You ought to have one too,Shasta," he snorted."It's most refreshing."
“真舒服，真是舒服死了。”他说，用背在草地上磨蹭，四脚在空中乱踢乱蹬，“你也来滚一下吧，沙斯塔，”他喷着鼻息说，“这是最佳的提神妙方。”
But Shasta burst out laughing and said, "You do look funny when you're on your back!"
但沙斯塔却忽然放声大笑道：“你四脚朝天的样子，看起来好滑稽啊！”
