接着，它们扭成一团，摔倒在地上，结果大灰狼压在阿黄的身上，它的牙齿紧紧地咬住了阿黄的喉咙。
我的机会来了。我得射中它。阿黄是那样的虚弱，它水远也挣脱不了卡住它脖子的那只狼。
I couldn”t really see where I was aiming inthat half - light. I just had to guess，and hope for a
在这暗淡的火光中，我实在看不清我所瞄准的目标。我只得大约
hit.I squeezed the trigger. The gun banged backagainst my shoulder. There was such a long flash offire from the gun that it blinded me for a second. Icouldn’t see a thing.
摸地瞄准，希望能一枪击中。我扣了扳机，枪托朝我的肩上重重地反弹了一下，枪膛里冒出一道长长的闪光，使我一时间双目失明，什么也看不见了。
Then I heard that all the growling and bitinghad stopped. I ran fast towards the two still greyshapes lying side by side.
接着，我听到所有的嚎叫声、撕咬声都停止了。我迅速朝并排躺着的两个一动不动的灰色影子跑去。
For a second，I was sure that I’d killed OldYeller，too. Then，just as I bent over him he gave abig sort of sigh and climbed up to start licking myhands and wagging his little tail.
在开始一刹那间，我真以为我把阿黄也打死了。然而，当我俯身去看它时，它深深地换了口气，爬起来舐了舐我的手，并且摇摇它那条短尾巴。
As all the worry went out of me I had to sitdown on the ground，shaking. Mama came and satbeside me. She put one arm across my shouldersand held it there while she told me what had happened.
随着一切忧虑和担心的消失，我不由自主地瘫坐在地上，浑身颤抖。妈妈走过来坐在我的身旁，一只手臂搂住我的双肩，就这样，她向我讲述了所发生的一切。
It had taken her and Lisbeth till dark to get thewood and start the fire. Then they’d got on oldJumper and started for home. All this time they’dbeen without water and they were thirsty. Whenthey came to the crossing on Birdsong Creek，they’
d got down to drink. And while they were lyingdown drinking，the wolf came.
她和丽丝贝一起拾柴、点火，一直忙到天黑。然后，她们骑上“跳高能手”动身回家了。在整个这段时间里，她们没喝过一口水，感到口渴了。等她们来到鸟鸣河渡口，就下骡去喝水。正当她们伏下身喝水时，狼来了。
He was right on them before they knew it. Mamahappened to look up and see him as he charged
她们还没有察觉，狼已经盯上了她们。就在它向她们扑过去的一
towards them. Mama just had time to get to her feetand grab a big stick before he sprang. She hit himhard across the head and knocked him to theground. Then Old Yeller was there，laying into him.
刹那，妈妈恰巧抬起头来看到了它。
妈妈抢先跳了起来，顺手抓起一根大棒，并对准它的脑袋狠狠地一击，把它打倒在地。随后，阿黄赶到了，它冲上前去猛撕猛咬。
Mama and Lisbeth got on Jumper and went asfast as they could back to the cabin. Right afterthem came the wolf，as if he could only think ofcatching them，and nothing else. But Old Yellerfought him too hard and too fast. Yeller wasn’t bigor well enough to stop him，but he slowed him downand fought him away from Jumper and Mama andLisbeth.
妈 妈和丽丝贝跨上“跳高能手”，尽快地逃回木屋。那只狼紧紧地跟在她们后面，似乎一心一意要捉住她们。但是，阿黄向它发起了迅猛的攻击。阿黄长得不够高大，身体又没有完全恢复，所以并不能挡住这只狼，可是它却减慢了狼的速度，使它不能靠近“跳高能手”、妈妈和丽丝贝。
“He mus t h a ve be e n ma d ，son ，”Mama finished.“No ordina ry wolf would ha ve done tha t. Note ve n a big gre y wolf.”
“它准是疯了，孩子，”妈妈最后说道。“一般的狼是不会这样的。
即使是一只大灰狼也不会这样。”
“Ye s sum，”I said，“a nd it’s a good thing tha tOld Ye lle r wa s with you to ke e p him off. ”I didn”tlike to think what would have happened withoutOld Yeller.
“是的，妈妈，”我说道，“幸好阿黄和你们在一起，使它不能靠近你们。”我真不愿意去想： 如果没有阿黄，会出什么事。
Mama waited a little bit，then said in a quietvoice：“It wa s a good thing for us ，s on，but it wa sn”tgood for Old Ye lle r.”
妈妈停了一下，接着以平静的声调说：“这对我们来说是一件好事，孩子，可对阿黄来说却不是那样。”
The way she said that gave me a cold feeling atthe bottom of my stomach. I sat up straighter.
“Wha t do you me a n ？”I said.“Old Ye lle r’s a ll right.
He ma y be a bit chewe d up，but he ca n”t be ba dly
她说这话时的神态使我从心底里感到一阵寒栗。我直挺挺地坐着。“你这话什么意思？ ”我问道，“阿黄没有什么。它可能被咬了一
hurt. Look，he”s off towa rds the c a bin.”
口，但没有受重伤。你看，它走到木屋那边去了。”
Then it hit me. I saw what Mama was gettingat. I couldn’t seem to get my breath.
然 后，我恍然大悟。我明白了妈妈的意思。我好象连气都透不过来了。
I jumped to my feet，wild with fright.“But Ma -ma ！”I cried out.“Old Ye lle r’s jus t s a ve d your life ！
He”s s a ve d my life ！He”s s a ve d Little Arlis s”s life ！
We ca n”t-”
我跳起身来，简直给吓得魂不附体。“但是，妈妈！”我大声叫了起来，“阿黄刚刚救了你的命！它救了我的命！它救了小阿里斯的命！
我们不能--”
Mama got up and put her arm across my shoulderagain.“I kn ow，son ，”she said.“But he”s be e nbitte n by a ma d wolf.”
妈 妈站起来又搂住了我的肩膀。“我知道，孩子，”她说。“但是，它被那只疯狼咬了。”
I started off into the blackness of the nightwhile my mind went round and round this way andthat，like a rat trying to find its way out of a trap.
我陷入了茫茫黑夜之中，心头思绪万千，左思右想，始终理不出一个头来，就象一只企图从陷阱里逃生的老鼠。
“But，Mama ，”I said.“We do n’t know for sure .
We could wa it a nd s e e.We could tie him up or shuthim up till we know for sure ！”
“可是，妈妈，”我说道，“我们现在还不能肯定。我们可以再等等看。在把事情弄明白以前，我们可以把它先拴起来或者关起来！”
Mama broke down then. She put her head onmy shoulder and held me tight while she cried.
妈妈哭了起来。她把头靠在我的肩上，边哭，边紧紧地抱着我。
“We c a n”t ta ke a cha nc e ，s on，”she said.“Itwould be you or me or Little Arlis s or Lisbe th ne xt. I’lls hoot him if you ca n”t，but we”ve jus t got to do it. Wec a n’t ta ke th e Cha nce ！”
“孩子，我们不能存侥幸心理，”她说道。“不然的话，挨下去就要轮到你，或者我，或者小阿里斯，或者丽丝贝。如果你下不了手，找来开枪打死它。我们必须这样做，我们不能冒这个险。”
I knew then that Mama was right. We couldn’ttake the chance. And from what I’d heard therewas every chance that Old Yeller would get thesickness It was going to kill something inside me todo it ，but I knew then that I had to shoot my bigyellow dog.
我知道妈妈是对的。我们不能冒这个险。从我所听到的有关情况来看，阿黄非常可能已经染上了这种病。杀死它就是割掉我的心头肉，但是我知道，我不得不打死我的那只大黄狗。
Once I knew for sure I had to do it，I don”tthink I really felt anything. I was like a dead manwalking.
一旦我确信不得不这样做的时候，我觉得我变得麻木了，简直就象一具行尸一样。
Quickly，I left Mama and went to stand in thelight of the burning bear grass. I got my gun readyand called Old Yeller back from the cabin. I putthe nose of the gun against his head and pulled thetrigger.
我很快地离开了妈妈，走过去站在燃烧着的熊熊的火光里。我上好子弹，把阿黄从屋里叫了出来。我把枪口对准了它的头，扣动了扳机。