此后几天；我和阿黄都迅速地复原起来。我们对阿花都感到困惑不解，一直在观察着它的动静。
All day and all night，Spot went on in the sameway： she walked and she bellowed. She walked in awide circle that brought her quite close to the cabinabout two times a day and then took her so far into
阿花还是老样子，它整天整夜不停地走着，吼叫着。她兜着大圈子来回走着，一天大约两次走到离木屋很近的地方，然后又走进很远
the hills that we could only just hear her. Shewalked with her head down. Her walking got slowerand her bellowing weaker as she got weaker. Butshe never stopped.
很远的山里去。我们只能隐约地听到它的声音，它耷拉着脑袋走着，随着身子越来越虚弱，它走得越来越慢，吼叫声也越来越微弱。但是，它从来没有停下来过。
When the bull came，he was worse，and a lotmore dangerous. He came two or three days later. Iwas sitting out in the dog run at the time. I’d gotout to a chair beside Old Yeller，where I could sitand scratch him under his chewed - off ear. That’swhere he liked to be scratched most. Mama was inthe kitchen cooking dinner. Lisbeth and Little Arlisshad gone off to the creek below the spring toplay with the pup and to fish. I could see them runningand laughing along the bank.
当那头公牛来时，它的情况更糟糕，也更危险。公牛是两三天以后来的。那时，我正坐在外面的跑狗道那儿。我坐在阿黄旁边的一只椅子上，一边用手在它那只被咬掉的耳朵根那儿给它搔痒，那是它最喜欢别人给它搔痒的地方。妈妈在厨房里烧饭，丽丝贝和小阿里斯在山泉下那条小溪边钓鱼，和小狗嬉耍。我能看到他们在岸边跑着、笑着。
Then I heard this heavy sound and turned towatch a bull come out of the bushes. He was thered bull，the one that got lifted into the cart the dayof the fight. But he didn’t walk like any bull I’dever seen before. He walked with his head hanginglow and wobbling. He fell about as if he couldn’tsee where he was going. He walked head on into atree，just as if the tree wasn’t there，and fell to hisknees when he hit it.He rolled to his feet and cameon，grunting as he made his way towards thespring.
接着，我听到一种笨重的脚步声，回头一看，只见一头公牛从树丛里走了出来。那是一头红牛，就是上次斗牛时被它的对手挑起来掉进大车里的那头牛。但我从来没有见过任何一头公牛象它那样走路。它的头垂得低低的，摇撼晃晃地走着。
它跌跌撞撞好象搞不清楚自己在往哪儿走。它一头撞到一棵树上，好象那里根本就没有树一样，自己撞倒了，翻了个身又站了起米，继续前进，嘴里呼噜着朝山泉走去。
That was when，for the first time since we’d
就是这个时候，阿黄从它的牛
brought him home，Old Yeller got up from his cowhide bed. He’d been lying beside me，taking nonotice of the sight or the sound of the bull. I thinkthe wind must have changed and brought him thesmell of the bull. It seemed to tell him for sure whatI was still only beginning to wonder.
皮床上站了起来，这也是它自从我们把它带回家养伤以来第一次站起来。原来它一直躺在我的身旁，对公牛视若无睹，对它的吼叫声也是充耳不闻。想来一定是风向转了，使它闻到了公牛的气味。看来，这种味道已使它对那件我只不过刚刚开始疑虑的事确信无疑了。
He got up with a fierce growl. He moved towardsthe bull，so weak that he could only juststand. His lips were lifted and his teeth werebared. His hair stood up angrily along the back ofhis neck and shoulders.
阿黄凶猛地嗥叫一声，站了起来，向公牛走去，因为它的身体是如此虚弱，只不过刚刚能站住脚。它的嘴翘了起来，露出了牙齿，颈上和背上的毛都愤怒地竖了起来。
Watching him，I had a prickly feeling at theback of my own neck. I’d seen him like that before，but only when there was the greatest danger.
Never while just facing a bull.
看着它这副样子，使我顿时感到毛骨悚然。以前我也见过它这副架势，不过那只是在面临极大危险的时候才如此，对一头公牛可从来没有这样过。
I knew，then，that Mama and I had been foolingourselves. Up till now，we hadn”t wanted to facethe facts. We’d kept hoping that Spot would getbetter from whatever was wrong with her. Mama andLisbeth had saved Spot’s calf by letting it suck anothercow.
于是，我知道我和妈妈一直在自欺欺人。直到那时我们还不愿正视现实。我们一直希望阿花能从它生的那种怪病中恢复过来。妈妈和丽丝贝让阿花的小牛去吃另一头牛的奶，以免把它饿死。
Now I knew that Spot wouldn”t get well，andthis bull wouldn’t either. I knew they were bothdeadly sick with rabies. Old Yeller had smelled现在我知道阿花不会好了，这头公牛也不会好了。我知道它们都患了狂犬病，而且都已病入膏肓。
that sickness in this bull and somehow he knewhow dangerous it was.
阿黄已经闻出这头公牛所生的是什么病，而且知道这种病有多么危险。
I thought of Lisbeth and Little Arliss down atthe spring. I got out of my chair，calling for Mamaas I did so.“Mama ！”I said.“Bring me my gun，Ma -ma ！”
我想起了在泉边的丽丝贝和小阿里斯。我一面从椅子上站起来，一面叫唤着妈妈。“妈妈！”我喊道，“把我的枪拿来，妈妈！”
Mama came hurrying to the door.“Wha t is it，Tra vis ？”she wanted to know.
妈妈急急忙忙来到门口。“怎么啦，特拉维斯？”她想知道发生了什么事。
“Tha t bull！”Isaid.“He”s ma d with rabie s a nd he”
s going s tra ight towa rds Lisbe th a nd Little Arlis s .”
“那头公牛！”我说，“它患了狂犬病。现在它正朝着丽丝贝和小阿里斯走去。”
Mama took one look and said，“Oh，my Lord！”
in a very low voice. She didn’t wait to get me mygun or anything else. She just tore off to the creek，shouting to Lisbeth and Little Arliss to run，toclimb a tree，to do anything to get away from thebull.
妈妈看了一眼，用非常低微的声音说了声：“啊，我的上帝！”她没等给我去拿枪或者别的什么东西，就急急匆匆向河边奔去，一边跑一边高声喊叫着丽丝贝和小阿里斯，要他们快跑，快点爬到树上去或者随便想个什么办法躲开这头公牛。
I called after her，telling her to wait，to give mea chance to shoot the bull. I don’t think she everheard me. The bull tried to turn on her，tripped，andwent to his knees. Then he was back on his feet againas Mama went flying past. He went straight forher. He’d have got her，too，if the sickness hadn’tmade his legs too wobbly. This time，when he fell，his nose went into the ground，and he just lay
我在后面喊她，要她等一等，让我想办法用枪把公牛打死。我想她根本没有听到我的话。那头公牛朝她扑去，它绊了一下，摔倒在地。当妈妈从它身边飞跑过去的时候，它又爬了起来，并径直向她扑去。要不是它的病使它腿摇摇摆摆走不稳的话，它也许早就追上妈妈了。这一次它摔了个嘴啃泥，只能躺在那
there，too weak to try to get up again. 儿；它已经虚弱得爬不起来了。
By this time，Old Yeller was there，barking atthe bull. He was keeping out of the bull’s reach，but ready to eat him alive if he ever came to hisfeet again.
这时候，阿黄到了那儿，冲着公牛吠叫。它站在公牛够不着它的地方；但是，如果公牛再站起来，阿黄就要准备把它活吞了。
I didn’t wait to see any more. I went and gotmy gun. I walked slowly down to where I couldn’tmiss and shot the red bull between the eyes.
我没有再看下去，我进屋去把枪拿出来，慢慢地走到一个能够有把握击中它的地方，一枪打在它的脑门上。