书城童书义犬阿黄
3938300000002

第2章

当天晚上它就死了,我哭了一个星期。爸爸想安慰我,说他马上再给我弄一只狗,但是我不要。一想到另一只狗要来代替贝尔,我就气得要命。

And I still felt the same about it. All I wanted now was a horse.

关于这件事的想法,我至今未变。现在我想要的只是一匹马。

The trail I followed led along the bank of Birdsong Creek. The bushes were white with flowers,and smelling sweet. I came to our spring where clear cold water came out from a rock. The water

我脚下的那条小路沿着鸟鸣河畔向前伸展。灌木丛中开满了白色的鲜花,清香扑鼻。我来到我们的那个泉边,清澈冰凉的泉水从岩缝

poured down into a small pool. There in the pool,up to his ears in the water,stood Little Arliss. Right in our drinking - water.

里流出,注入底下的一个小池子里。小池里站着小阿里斯,泉水一直没到他耳根。他就站在我们的饮用水中。

I said,“Arlis s !You g e t out of tha t wa te r .”

我喊道:“阿里斯,你给我出来!”

Arliss turned and put out his tongue at me.

阿里斯回过头来,朝我吐了吐舌头。

“I’ll ta ke a s tic k to you !”I shouted.

“我要拿棍子来揍你了!”我喊道。

All he did was put out his tongue at me again,and splash water towards me.

他只是又冲着我吐了吐舌头,还朝我泼水。

I got out my knife and cut a hard green branch. I took off all the leaves and then headed for him.

我拿出小刀,削下一根结实的绿树枝,把上面的叶子扯个精光,然后朝他走去。

Arliss was frightened. He came out of the pool fast,knocking water all over his clothes on the bank. He went running to the cabin screaming as loud as he could. He made so much noise you’d have thought the Comanches were taking his scalp.

阿里斯害怕了。他赶紧从池子里跑出来,溅得岸上的衣服全是水。他扯开嗓子尖声叫喊着朝木屋跑去。他喊声震天,你会以为科曼契人正在剥他的头皮呢。

Mama heard him and came rushing out of the cabin. She saw Little Arlliss running. She saw me following after him with a stick in one hand and his clothes in the other. She called out to me.

妈妈听到了他的叫喊,从屋里冲了出来。她看到小阿里斯在前面跑,我一手拿着树枝,一手提着他的衣服在后面追,就冲着我嚷了起来。

“Tra vis ,”she said,“wha t on e a rth ha ve you done to your little brothe r?”

“特拉维斯,”她喊道,“你究竟把小弟弟怎么了?”

I said,“Nothing ye t. But if he d oe sn”t ke e p out of our drinking wa te r I’m going to thra sh him bla ck

我说:“现在还没有对他怎么样。以是如果他再要泡在我们的饮用水

a nd blue.

里,我就要把他打得鼻青眼肿了。”

That”s what Papa always told Little Arliss when he caught him in the pool. I thought that if I was taking Papa’s place I might as well talk like him.

这是爸爸撞见阿里斯泡在水池子里时常讲的那句话。我想如果我要代替爸爸的位置的话,那我也可以象他那样讲话。

Mama looked hard at me for a minute. I thought she was going to tell me I was getting too big for my pants. She has told me that lots of times. But this time she didn’t She just smiled suddenly,took Little Arliss by the ear and held on. He began yelling and jumping up and down,and trying to pull away,but she held on till I got there with his clothes.“Look he re young s quirre l,”she told him. “You’d be tte r lis te n to your big brothe r Tra vis if you wa nt to ke e p out of trouble.”Then she made him go and sit still for a while in the dog run.

妈妈狠狠地瞅了我一眼。我想她要训我了,说我自以为了不起。她已经多次这样说过我。但这回她倒没这样说。她突然笑了笑,一把揪住了阿里斯的耳朵不放。阿里斯开始哭喊起来,乱蹦乱跳想要挣脱,可是妈妈就是揪着不放,一直等到我提着阿里斯的衣服走到跟前才松手。“你可留点儿神,小疯子!”她训斥他,“假如你不想找麻烦的活,就乖乖地听你哥哥特拉维斯的话。” 然后,她叫他走开,罚他在跑狗道那儿坐一会儿不许动弹。

Little Arliss sat in the dog run and was sorry for himself while I got water from the spring. When I went to cut wood for Mama,though,Little Arliss left the dog run to come and watch me work. He stood,as he always did,just where the hips from my axe would be most likely to fly up and hit him in the eye. I said,“You’d be tte r be at it to the hous e you little s c amp!”And he did too. Just as I’d told him. Without even putting out his tongue at me this time.

我从泉边打水回来的时候,小阿里斯垂头丧气地坐在那儿。可是当我去为妈妈劈柴的时候,他就从跑狗道那儿走过来看我干活了。他站在那个老地方,斧头下飞溅的木片十分容易击中他的眼睛。我说: “你这个小淘气,还不赶快到屋子那边去!”他按照我的话赶紧躲开。这次居然没有朝我吐舌头。

And he sat right there till Mama called us to dinner.

他就坐在那儿,直到妈妈叫我们去吃饭才离开。