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3 The wild animal
3 野性
The wild animal was strong in Buck， and as he travelled across the snow， it grew stronger and stronger．
巴克身上有着强烈的野性。当他在雪野上奔跑时，这野性也就越来越强烈。
And as Buck grew stronger， he hated Spitz more and more， although he was careful never to start a fight．
在他日益强壮的同时，虽然他加倍小心不挑起争端，他对斯皮兹的仇恨也与日俱增。
But Spitz was always showing his teeth to Buck， trying to start a fight．
但是斯皮兹却常常对着巴克龇牙咧嘴，试图找碴打架。
And Buck knew that if he and Spitz fought， one of them would die．
巴克心中很清楚，两犬相争，必有一死。
The fight almost happened one night when they stopped by Lake Laberge．
一天晚上，当他们停驻在雷伯格湖畔的时候，一场恶战一触即发。
There was heavy snow and it was very cold．
那里天寒地冻，积雪深厚。
The lake was frozen and Francois， Perrault， and the dogs had to spend the night on the ice， under a big rock．
湖面冻住了，弗朗索瓦斯、佩诺特和狗们不得不在冰上的一个巨岩下过夜。
Buck had made a warm hole in the snow and was sorry to leave it to get his piece of fish．
巴克在雪下为自己做了一个暖和的洞穴，这使他很不情愿起身去吃掉自己的那份鱼。
But when he had eaten． and returned to his hole， he found Spitz in it．
但当他吃完回到洞里时，发现斯皮兹已经占据了那里。
Buck had tried not to fight Spitz be－fore， but this was too much．
以前，巴克总是避免同斯皮兹冲突。但这一次却忍无可忍，
He attacked him angrily．
他愤怒地进攻了。
Spitz was surprised． He knew Buck was big， but he didn’ t know he was so wild．
斯皮兹吃了一惊。他知道巴克个头高大，却未料到他这样凶猛。
Francois was surprised too， and guessed why Buck was angry． ‘Go on Buck！’ he shouted．
弗朗索瓦斯也惊呆了，他猜到了巴克为什么生气。“上，巴克！”他喊道，
‘Fight him， the dirty thief！’
“教训教训他，这下流坯。”
Spitz was also ready to fight， and the two dogs circled one another， looking for the chance to jump in．
斯皮兹做好了迎战的准备。两条狗一个接一个地兜着圈子，寻找出击的机会。
But suddenly there was a shout from Perrault， and they saw eighty or a hundred dogs around the sledge．
但是突然，佩诺特叫了起来。然后他们看见有80到100多条狗围上了雪撬。
The dogs came from an Indian village，and they were searching for the food that they could smell on the sledge．
这些狗来自一个印第安村落，他们在找食物时嗅到了雪撬。
Perrault and Francois tried to fight them off with their clubs，
佩诺特和弗朗索瓦斯试图用木棍吓退他们，
but the dogs， made crazy by the smell of the food，showed their teeth and fought back．
但是那些狗被食物的气味刺激地发了疯，他们露出牙齿进行反击。
Buck had never seed dogs like these．
巴克从未看见过这样的狗。
They were all skin and bone， but hunger made them fight like wild things．
他们瘦骨嶙峋，但是饥饿使他们如野兽一样凶猛。
Three of them attacked Buck and in seconds his head and legs were bad－ly bitten．
其中3条狗进攻巴克。不过几秒钟，他的头和腿就受了重伤。
Dave and Sol-leks stood side by side，covered in blood，fighting bravely．
戴夫和索拉克斯并肩作战，浴血奋斗。
Joe and Pike jumped on one dog，and Pike broke its neck with one bite．
乔和派克扑倒了一条狗。派克一口咬开了他的脖子，
Buck caught another dog by the neck and tasted blood．
巴克咬住了另一条狗的脖子，尝到了鲜血的滋味。
He threw himself on the next one，and then felt teeth in his own neck．
他又扑向另一个，却觉得自己的脖子被咬住了，
It was Spitz，attacking him from the side．
那是斯皮兹从边上偷袭他。
Perrault and Francois came to help with clubs， but then they had to run back to save the food ．
佩诺特和弗朗索瓦斯手拿木棍来帮忙。但他们不得不跑回去看管食物。
It was safer for the nine sledge－dogs to run away across the lake．
对于这9条拉雪撬的狗来说，从湖上逃开更安全些。
Several of them were badly hurt， and they spent an unhappy night hiding among the tress．
因为其中几个已受了重伤。他们在树林中藏身，度过了一个不快的夜晚。
At first light they returned to the sledge and found Perrault and Francois tired and angry．
在黎明第一道曙光中，他们回到了雪撬上，发现佩诺特和弗朗索瓦斯疲惫不堪，怒火中烧，
Half their food was gone．
他们一半食物都没有了。
The Indian dogs had even eaten one of Perrault's shoes．
那群印第安狗甚至吃掉了佩诺特的一只鞋子。
Francois looked at his dogs unhappily．
弗朗索瓦斯悲伤地看着他的狗。
‘Ah， my friends，’he said softly，‘Perhaps those bites will make you ill．
“唉，我的朋友们，”他轻声说道，“这些伤口可能会让你们难受的。
What do you think， Perrault？’
你说呢，佩诺特？”
Perrault said nothing．
佩诺特一言不发。
They still had six hundred kilometres to travel，
他们仍然还有600公里路，
and he hoped very much that his sledge－dogs had not caught rabies from the Indian dogs．
他不希望自己的狗从印第安狗那里染上狂犬病。
The harness was torn and damaged and it was two hours before they were moving，
挽具也被扯得七零八落。他们花了两个小时才起程赶路。
travelling slowly and painfully over the most difficult country that they had been in．
在他们旅途中最艰难的国度中缓慢而艰难地跋涉。
The Thirty Mile River was not frozen．
“30里河”没有结冰，
It ran too fast to freeze．
因为它的流速太快了。
They spent six days trying to find a place to cross， and every step was dangerous for dogs and men．
他们花了6天工夫企图找到一处过河的地方——每一步对于人和狗来说都险象环生。
Twelve times they found ice bridges across the river， and Perrault walked carefully onto them， holding a long piece of wood．
12次他们都发现了河上的冰桥，佩诺特小心翼翼地走上去，手持一块木板，
And twelve times he fell through a bridge and was saved by the piece of wood， which caught on the sides of the hole．
12次他都跌了下来，幸而有木板的边缘撑住冰洞。佩诺特才得以生还。
But the temperature was 45° below zero， and each time Perrault fell into the water， he had to light a fire to dry and warm himself．
但是由于气温下降到零下45℃，所以佩诺特每次落水，都不得不生火烤干自己。
Once，the sledge fell through the ice， with Dave and Buck， and they were covered in ice by the time Perrault and Francois pulled them out of the river．
一次，雪撬连带着戴夫，巴克一同跌到冰层下。当佩诺特和弗朗索瓦斯把他们救上来时，他们从头到脚都结了冰。
Again， a fire was needed to save them．
他们不得不再次生火取暖。
Another time， Spitz and the dogs in front fell through the ice—Buck and Dave and Francois at the sledge had to pull backwards．
又一次，斯皮兹和前面的狗跌入了冰里——巴克、戴夫和雪撬上的弗朗索瓦斯不得不费力把他们拽回来，
That day they travelled only four hundred metres．
那天他们只走了400米。
When they got to the Hootalinqua and good ice， Buck and the other dogs were very， very tired．
当他们到达呼塔林格时，冰层很厚，巴克和其余的狗已经筋疲力竭了。
But they were late， so Perrault made them run faster．
可是由于他们已经耽误了，所以佩诺特驱赶他们跑得更快一些。
In three days they went a hun－dred and eighty kilometres and reached the Five Fingers．
3天时间里，他们赶了180公里路，抵达一个叫“五指”的地方。
The other dogs had hard feet from years of pulling sledges，but Buck's feet were still soft from his easy life down south．
别的狗由于长年拉雪橇，脚上已经磨出了茧子。但巴克的脚却由于在南方舒适的生活而非常娇嫩；
