评论
打印
We had not gone half over the plain when we began to hear the wolves howl in the wood on our left in a frightful manner,
我们在那片平川地上还没走上一半的路，就听到左边森林里此起彼落的狼叫声，令人胆颤心惊。
and presently after we saw about a hundred coming on directly towards us, all in a body, and most of them in a line, as regularly as an army drawn up by experienced officers.
不一会儿，就看见上百只狼一窝蜂向我们扑来。那些狼都排成单行，就像一位有经验的军官带领的部队一样整齐。
I scarce knew in what manner to receive them, but found to draw ourselves in a close line was the only way; so we formed in a moment;
我简直不知道如何对付它们。结果，我认为最好的办法是我们互相靠拢，排成一行。于是，我们马上照此行事。
but that we might not have too much interval, I ordered that only every other man should fire, and that the others, who had not fired, should stand ready to give them a second volley immediately, if they continued to advance upon us;
为了不致使火力中断太久，我下令只许一半人开枪，另一半人作好准备；如果第一排枪响过后，狼群继续向我们冲来，就开第二排枪；
and then that those that had fired at first should not pretend to load their fusees again, but stand ready, every one with a pistol, for we were all armed with a fusee and a pair of pistols each man; so we were, by this method, able to fire six volleys, half of us at a time;
同时，在开第二排枪时，开第一排枪的一半人，不要忙于装长枪，而是应该抽出手枪，作好准备。因为我们每人身上都有一支长枪和两支手枪。用这种办法，我们可以连续开六排枪，每次有一半人开枪。
however, at present we had no necessity; for upon firing the first volley, the enemy made a full stop, being terrified as well with the noise as with the fire.
然而，当时还没有必要这样做。放出第一排枪之后，敌人就给枪声和火光吓坏了，马上停止了前进。
Four of them being shot in the head, dropped; several others were wounded, and went bleeding off, as we could see by the snow.
有四条狼被打中头部，倒了下来；另外有几条受了伤，鲜血淋淋地跑掉了。这在雪地上可以看得一清二楚。
I found they stopped, but did not immediately retreat; whereupon, remembering that I had been told that the fiercest creatures were terrified at the voice of a man, I caused all the company to halloo as loud as they could;
我发现，狼群停止了攻击，但没有后退。这时，我忽然记起有人说过，最凶猛的野兽听见人的声音也会害怕。于是我就叫大家拼命呐喊。
and I found the notion not altogether mistaken; for upon our shout they began to retire and turn about.
这个办法果然很有效。我们一喊，狼群就开始后退，掉头跑掉了。
I then ordered a second volley to be fired in their rear, which put them to the gallop, and away they went to the woods. This gave us leisure to charge our pieces again;
我又下令朝它们背后开了一排枪。这样一来，它们才撒腿跑回树林里去了。这时，我们才有时间重新给枪装弹。
and that we might lose no time, we kept going; but we had but little more than loaded our fusees, and put ourselves in readiness, when we heard a terrible noise in the same wood on our left, only that it was farther onward, the same way we were to go.
同时，我们抓紧时间继续前进。可是，我们刚装好枪准备上路时，又从左边原来的那座树林里传出了可怕的嚎叫声。这一次狼群离我们较远，但却在我们去路的正前方。
The night was coming on, and the light began to be dusky, which made it worse on our side; but the noise increasing, we could easily perceive that it was the howling and yelling of those hellish creatures;
黑夜来临了，光线变得暗淡起来。这对我们更加不利。叫声越来越响，我们不难辩别出，那是恶狼的嚎叫。
and on a sudden we perceived three troops of wolves, one on our left, one behind us, and one in our front, so that we seemed to be surrounded with them:
突然，出现了两三群狼。一群在我们左边，一群在我们后边，还有一群在我们前面，看样子已经把我们包围起来了。
however, as they did not fall upon us, we kept our way forward, as fast as we could make our horses go, which, the way being very rough, was only a good hard trot.
我们见狼群并没有向我们进攻，就催马继续前进。可是路很难走，只能让马小跑着。
In this manner, we came in view of the entrance of a wood, through which we were to pass, at the farther side of the plain;
跑着跑着，便看见远处有一个森林的入口，我们非得穿过那片树林，才能走到尽头。
but we were greatly surprised, when coming nearer the lane or pass, we saw a confused number of wolves standing just at the entrance.
当我们走进那林间小道时，只见那路口站着数不胜数的狼，不禁大吃一惊。
On a sudden, at another opening of the wood, we heard the noise of a gun, and looking that way, out rushed a horse, with a saddle and a bridle on him, flying like the wind, and sixteen or seventeen wolves after him, full speed:
突然，在树林的另一个入口处，我们听见一声枪响。向左边一看，只见一匹马从树林里冲出来，一阵风似地向前飞奔。马上的马勒马鞍均完好无损。同时有十六、七只狼，飞快地在后面追着。
the horse had the advantage of them; but as we supposed that he could not hold it at that rate, we doubted not but they would get up with him at last: no question but they did.
当然，马要比狼跑得快得多，它把狼群远远地丢在后面。可是，问题是那匹马不可能支持太久，最后必然会给狼群追上。
But here we had a most horrible sight; for riding up to the entrance where the horse came out, we found the carcasses of another horse and of two men, devoured by the ravenous creatures;
正当此时，我们又看到了一幅可怕的景象。当我们催马走近那匹马奔出来的路口时，见到了一匹马和两个人的尸骸，毫无疑问是给狼咬死吃掉的。
and one of the men was no doubt the same whom we heard fire the gun, for there lay a gun just by him fired off; but as to the man, his head and the upper part of his body was eaten up.
其中一个人身边还丢看一支枪，枪是放过的，所以一定就是刚才开枪的人。现在，他的头和上半身都已给狼吃掉了。
This filled us with horror, and we knew not what course to take; but the creatures resolved us soon, for they gathered about us presently, in hopes of prey; and I verily believe there were three hundred of them.
看到这副惨状，我们都不禁心惊肉跳，不知如何办才好。但那群野兽不久就逼得我们不得不采取行动。这时，狼群已把我们包围，想以我们一行人马果腹。我相信，一共有三百来只。
It happened, very much to our advantage, that at the entrance into the wood, but a little way from it, there lay some large timber?trees, which had been cut down the summer before, and I suppose lay there for carriage.
值得庆幸的是，在离树林入口处不远，正好堆着一大批木料，大概是夏天采伐下来堆在那里预备运走的。
I drew my little troop in among those trees, and placing ourselves in a line behind one long tree, I advised them all to alight, and keeping that tree before us for a breastwork, to stand in a triangle, or three fronts, enclosing our horses in the centre.
这对我们的行动非常有利。我把我这一小队人马开到那堆木料后面那儿有一根木头特别长，我就把队伍在那根长木头后面一字排开。我让大家都下马，把那根长木头当作胸墙，站成一个三角形或三边形的阵线，把我们的马围在中央。
We did so, and it was well we did; for never was a more furious charge than the creatures made upon us in this place.
我们这样做了，而且也幸亏这样做了。因为这群饿狼向我们发动了攻击，其凶猛程度在狼害为患的当地也是罕见的。
They came on with a growling kind of noise, and mounted the piece of timber, which, as I said, was our breastwork, as if they were only rushing upon their prey;
它们嚎叫着向我们扑来，窜上了那根长木头。前面我已提到，我们以此长木头作为胸墙。它们的目的只有一个，就是扑向猎物。
and this fury of theirs, it seems, was principally occasioned by their seeing our horses behind us.
从它们的行动判断，其目标主要是我们身后的那些马匹。
I ordered our men to fire as before, every other man; and they took their aim so sure that they killed several of the wolves at the first volley;
我命令队伍像上次那样分两批开火，一人隔一人放枪。他们都瞄得很准。第一排子弹开出去，就打死了好几只狼。
but there was a necessity to keep a continual firing, for they came on like devils, those behind pushing on those before.
可是，我们不得不连续开火。这批恶狼犹如恶魔一样，前仆后继，不知死活向前猛冲。
When we had fired a second volley of our fusees, we thought they stopped a little, and I hoped they would have gone off, but it was but a moment, for others came forward again;
第二排枪放完后，我们以为狼群暂时停止了进攻，我也希望它们已经逃走。但一会儿，后面的狼又冲上来了。
so we fired two volleys of our pistols; and I believe in these four firings we had killed seventeen or eighteen of them, and lamed twice as many, yet they came on again.
我们又放了两排手枪子弹。这样，我们一共放了四排枪。我相信，至少打死了十七、八只狼，打伤的大约多一倍。可是，它们还是蜂拥而来。
