Chapter12 The Children are Carried Off孩子们被抓走了-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《彼得潘Peter Pan》

Chapter 12 The Children are Carried Off The pirate attack had been a complete surprise:a sure proof that the unscrupulous Hook had conducted it improperly,for to surprise redskins fairly is beyond the wit of the white man. By all the unwritten laws of savage warfare it is always the redskin who attacks,and with the wiliness of his race he does it just before the dawn,at which time he knows the courage of the whites to be at its lowest ebb.The white men have in the meantime made a rude stockade on the summit of yonder undulating ground,at the foot of which a stream runs;for it is destruction to be too far from water.There they await the onslaught,the inexperienced ones clutching their revolvers and treading on twigs,but the old hands sleeping tranquilly until just before the dawn.Through the long black night the savage scouts wriggle,snakelike,among the grass without stirring a blade.The brushwood closes behind them as silently as sand into which a mole has dived.Not a sound is to be heard,save when they give vent to a wonderful imitation of the lonely call of the coyote.The cry is answered by other braves;and some of them do it even better than the coyotes",who are not very good at it.So the chill hours wear on,and the long suspense is horribly trying to the paleface who has to live through it for the first time;but to the trained hand those ghastly calls and still ghastlier silences are but an intimation of how the night is marching. That this was the usual procedure was so well known to Hook that in disregarding it he cannot be excused on the plea of ignorance. The Piccaninnies,on their part,trusted implicitly to his honour,and their ·192· 第十二章孩子们被抓走了 海盗的袭击完全出乎大家的意料，这足以证明无良 D unscrupulous [An'skru:p- 的胡克做事有多么不择手段。因为偷袭印第安人的做法 jlhs]a.不择手段的 白人可干不出来 据所有野蛮民族战争不成文的规定，战斗中最先进 ②warfare'wo:feo]m.战争 ③wiliness['wailinis]n.狡 攻的一方总是印第安人。印第安人非常狡猾，会在黎明 猾 前出击，因为他们知道白人的士气在这个时候最低落。 ④at one's lowest ebb处于 白人一般会在山地的最高处筑起一道简陋的屏障。山脚 低潮 ⑤stockade{sto'keid]m.围栏 下会有一条小河经过，远离水源意味着无法生存。他们 ⑥summit'sAmit)n.顶点 就在那里等待印第安人的猛攻，缺乏经验的新兵握着 7undulating ['Andjo letin]a. 枪，踩着树枝走来走去：而有经验的老手则放心大胆地 起伏的 8 onslaught ['onslo:t]n. 一觉睡到天亮。在漫长的黑夜里，印第安人的侦察兵像 攻 草丛里的蛇一样穿行，匍匐前进，将草丛梢无声息地撇 revolver [ri'volva]n左轮 在身后，就像鼹鼠一声不响地钻入沙地一样，他们只是 手枪 ④scout[skaut]n,侦察兵 偶尔发出几声孤独的狼嚎，模仿得像极了。这叫声会得 到自己人的回应，一些印第安人模仿的狼叫比不大会叫 的真狼叫得更像。大家就这样慢慢地熬过寒夜，整夜的 重coyote[kai'utin.郊狼 恐惧使那些第一次经历这些的白人感到尤其难熬，但对 那些经验十足的老手来说，恐怖的狼嚎以及阴森无比的 paleface ['peilfeis]n.白种 人 寂静都只不过是在宜告黑夜来临。 胡克对这一切非常清楚。如果他对此视而不见，我 们可不能以为他对此无知而原凉他， 印第安人坚信胡克会恪守自己的原则。因此他们 Bplea [pli的n.托辞 ·193· Chapter 12 The Children are Carried Off whole action of the night stands out in marked contrast to his.They left nothing undone that was consistent with the reputation of their tribe.With that alertness of the senses which is at once the marvel and despair of civilised peoples, they knew that the pirates were on the island from the moment one of them trod on a dry stick;and in an incredibly short space of time the coyote cries began. Every foot of ground between the spot where Hook had landed his forces and the home under the trees was stealthily examined by braves wearing their moccasins with the heels in front.They found only one hillock with a stream at its base,so that Hook had no choice;here he must establish himself and wait for just before the dawn.Everything being thus mapped out with almost diabolical cunning,the main body of the redskins folded their blankets around them,and in the phlegmaticmanner that is to them the pearl of manhood squatted above the childrens home,awaiting the cold moment when they should deal pale death. Here dreaming,though wide-awake,of the exquisite tortures to which they were to put him at break of day,those confiding savages were found by the treacherous Hook.From the accounts afterwards supplied by such of the scouts as escaped the carnage,he does not seem even to have paused at the rising ground,though it is certain that in that grey light he must have seen it: no thought of waiting to be attacked appears from first to last to have visited his subtle mind;he would not even hold off till the night was nearly spent;on he pounded with no policy but to fall to.What could the bewildered scouts do,masters as they were of every warlike artifice save this one,but trot helplessly after him,exposing themselves fatally to view,the while they gave pathetic utterance to the coyote cry. Around the brave Tiger Lily were a dozen of her stoutest warriors,and they suddenly saw the perfidious pirates bearing down upon them.Fell from their eyes then the film through which they had looked at victory.No more would they torture at the stake.For them the happy hunting-grounds was now.They knew it;but as their fathers"sons they acquitted themselves.Even then they had time to gather in a phalanx that would have been hard to break had they risen quickly,but this they were forbidden to do by the traditions of their race. It is written that the noble savage must never express surprise in the presence of ·194· 第十二章 孩子们被抓走了 整个夜间行动计划与胡克的恰恰相反。关乎部落荣誉的 事情，他们一件不落地完成了。他们的灵锐程度让文明 人吃惊、自叹不如。海盗哪怕踩到一根枯枝，他们都能 ①marvel[ma:valn.令人 吃惊的事物 立刻知晓海盗已经上岸。他们即刻就开始用狼嚎传递消 息。不论是胡克和他的同伙儿登岛，还是地下之家，每 一寸土地上发生的事都逃不过穿着脚跟朝前的鹿皮鞋的 印第安人勇士的限睛。海盗们只发现了一个小山丘和从 2incredibly [in'kredablil ad. 小丘脚下流过的小河，胡克没有别的选择，只能在这里 难以置信地 扎营等待天明。精明的印第安人把一切调查清楚之后， ③stealthily['steleili]ad.暗 地里 主力部队就卷起毯子，在地面冷静地守护着孩子们的 ④moccasin ['mokasin]m.软 家，等待残酷时刻的到来，拼死一战。 皮平底鞋 印第安人虽然醒着，却一直在做白日梦。他们幻想 ⑤hillock[hilak]n.小丘 diabolical [daia'bolikl]a. 着在黎明时刻严刑拷打胡克，然而这些野蛮人反倒被胡 极其恶劣的 克发现了。后来据一位从这场屠杀中逃脱的印第安侦察 7 phlegmatic [fleg'maetik]a. 兵所说，胡克根本没有在那个小山丘停留，尽管当时夜 冷静的 8 squat[skwg蹲守 色深沉，但胡克肯定看到了那个小丘。面对印第安人的 攻击，胡克从来没想过坐以待毙，他甚至没有耐心等待 即将过去的黑夜。他的策略是先下手为强。印第安侦察 treacherous ['tretforas]a. 奸诈的 兵尽管精通多种战术，但是没有料到胡克会用这一招， carnage[ka:nidn.屠杀 只能无可奈何地跟在海盗们的后面，当他们发出狼嚎的 时候不幸暴露了自己。 最勇猛的十二个印第安勇士守护在勇敢的莉莉公 主身边，他们突然发现狡猾的海盗向他们袭来。刚刚他 们还在做着胜利的美梦，现在从眼前消失得无影无踪。 artifice[a:tifis]n.策略 眼下，想在木桩上折磨胡克是不可能了，现在应该是在 迎trot[trot,快步跑 战场上痛快地厮杀的时候。印第安勇士们很清楚应该做 什么，但是他们是印第安人的后代。他们本来可以及时 组成方阵，这样海盗们将很难突破他们的防线。但是按 照印第安人的传统，高贵的印第安人在遇到白人时不能 perfidious[p3 fidios】a.背 信弃义的 惊慌失措。因此，尽管印第安人们突然看到海盗出现， ⑧acquit[okwit)v表现 0 phalanx ['faelaenks]n. 阵 ·195· Chapter 12 The Children are Carried Off the white.Thus terrible as the sudden appearance of the pirates must have been to them,they remained stationary for a moment,not a muscle moving;as if the foe had come by invitation.Then,indeed,the tradition gallantly upheld2,they seized their weapons,and the air was torn with the war-cry;but it was now too late. It is no part of ours to describe what was a massacre rather than a fight. Thus perished many of the flower of the Piccaninny tribe.Not all unavenged did they die,for with Lean Wolf fell Alf Mason,to disturb the Spanish Main no more;and among others who bit the dust were Geo.Scourie,Chas.Turley,and the Alsatian Foggerty.Turley fell to the tomahawk of the terrible Panther,who ultimately cut a way through the pirates with Tiger Lily and a small remnant of the tribe. To what extent Hook is to blame for his tactics on this occasion is for the historian to decide.Had he waited on the rising ground till the proper hour he and his men would probably have been butchered;and in judging him it is only fair to take this into account.What he should perhaps have done was to acquaint his opponents that he proposed to follow a new method.On the other hand this,as destroying the element of surprise,would have made his strategy of no avail,so that the whole question is beset with difficulties.One cannot at least withhold a reluctant admiration for the wit that had conceived so bold a scheme,and the fell genius with which it was carried out. What were his own feelings about himself at that triumphant moment? Fain would his dogs have known,as breathing heavily and wiping their cutlasses,they gathered at a discreet distance from his hook,and squinted through their ferreteyes at this extraordinary man.Elation must have been in his heart,but his face did not reflect it:ever a dark and solitary enigma,he stood aloof from his followers in spirit as in substance. The night's work was not yet over,for it was not the redskins he had come out to destroy;they were but the bees to be smoked,so that he should get at the honey.It was Pan he wanted,Pan and Wendy and their band,but chiefly Pan. Peter was such a small boy that one tends to wonder at the mans hatred of him.True he had flung Hook's arm to the crocodile;but even this and the increased insecurity of life to which it led,owing to the crocodile's pertinacity,hardly account for a vindictiveness so relentless and malignant.The truth is that ·196· 第十二章孩子们被抓走了 仍然表现得非常淡定自若，站在原地纹丝不动，看起来 ①stationary['steifanri]a.静 像是敌人应邀而来。在勇敢地遵守惯例之后，勇士们才 止不动的 拿起武器，发出威震天际的呐喊声，但是一切都为时已 ②uphold[p'hould]维护 晚。 与其说这是一场战斗，倒不如说是一场大屠杀。很 ③massacre[maesaka]n.大 多皮卡尼尼部落的勇士都在这场战斗中牺牲了。不过， 居杀 unavenged [Ans'vend3d]a. 他们也并非白白送命。那个绰号叫瘦狼的海盗阿尔夫· 未得雪耻的 梅森死了，西班牙海岸再也不会受到他的侵扰了。还有 乔治·斯库利，查理·托利和阿尔塞人福格蒂等海盗也 都命丧黄泉。托利死在一只可怕的猎豹的斧头下。最 场remnant['remn3nt)n.幸 后，猎豹和莉莉公主以及印第安少数残余部队杀出了海 存者 盗的重围，逃了出去。 这次战斗中，胡克的战略都有哪些失误还是留给历 史学家去评判吧。如果他驻扎在小丘那里等待合适的时 ⑥butcher ['butfa]g屠杀 间再开战，他和他的手下很可能全都一命鸣呼了，要公 ⑦acquaint[okweint]g使. 允地评价他的指挥表现，必须考虑到这一点。也许，他 熟悉 应该预先通知对手他要采取新的策略，不过，如果那样 的话，就达不到出其不意的目的了，他的战略计划就会 落空。因此，这个问题是很难下结论。然而，尽管我们 ⑧avail[a'veil)n.效用 sbeset[bi'sct包围 不情愿承认，但是他能构想出这样大胆的计划，实在是 才智过人，让人不佩服他都不行。 在这个胜利的时刻，胡克是怎么评价自己的呢？ 连他的手下都不知道。他们一个个气喘吁吁地擦着刀， oain[fein]a.乐意的 远远地躲开他的那只铁爪，偷偷地观察这个怪人。胡克 ①squint[skwint]斜视 心里一定很开心，不过脸上不会表现出来。无论在精神 2 ferret[feri)a.爱窥探的 上，还是实际上，他和他的手下都很疏离，他在大家心 目中一直是个阴暗而孤独的谜。 8 enigma [i'nigm3]n.谜 substance ['sAbstans]n. 不过，今夜的任务还没有结束，胡克的目的并不是 质 杀印第安人。那些印第安人只是被烟熏走的蜜蜂，他真 正要得到的是蜂蜜。他的目标是彼得·潘还有温迪他们 这一伙。最首要的当然是彼得·潘。 pertinacity [,po:ti'naesati] 让人着实不解的是，彼得不过是一个小男孩，胡克 ”.顽固 为什么那么恨他。彼得确实曾经把胡克的一条胳膊扔给 relentless[ri'lentlas】a.不 了鳄鱼，并且由于鳄鱼对胡克穷追不舍，胡克的生命安 懈的 malignant [mo'lignont]a. 全越发没有保证，这都是事实。不过，即便如此也不能 恶毒的 解释胡克为何要如此狠毒无情地进行报复。其实，真正 ·197· Chapter 12 The Children are Carried Off there was a something about Peter which goaded the pirate captain to frenzy It was not his courage,it was not his engaging appearance,it was not-. There is no beating about the bush,for we know quite well what it was,and have got to tell.It was Peter's cockiness. This had got on Hook's nerves;it made his iron claw twiteh,and at night it disturbed him like an insect.While Peter lived,the tortured man felt that he was a lion in a cage into which a sparrow had come. The question now was how to get down the trees,or how to get his dogs down.He ran his greedy eyes over them,searching for the thinnest ones.They wriggled uncomfortably,for they knew that he would not scruple to ram them down with poles. In the meantime,what of the boys?We have seen them at the first clang of weapons,turned as it were into stone figures,open-mouthed,all appealing with outstretched arms to Peter;and we return to them as their mouths close,and their arms fall to their sides.The pandemonium above has ceased almost as suddenly as it arose,passed like a fierce gust of wind;but they know that in the passing it has determined their fate. Which side had won? The pirates,listening avidly at the mouths of the trees,heard the question put by every boy,and alas,they also heard Peter's answer. "If the redskins have won,"he said,"they will beat the tom-tom;it is always their sign of victory." Now Smee had found the tom-tom,and was at that moment sitting on it."You will never hear the tom-tom again,"he muttered,but inaudibly of course,for strict silence had been enjoined.To his amazement Hook signed to him to beat the tom-tom;and slowly there came to Smee an understanding of the dreadful wickedness of the order.Never,probably,had this simple man admired Hook so much. Twice Smee beat upon the instrument,and then stopped to listen gleefully. “The tom-tom,”the miscreants heard Peter cry;“an Indian victory! The doomed children answered with a cheer that was music to the black ·198· 第十二章 孩子们被抓走了 ①goad[goud]v.刺激 的原因是，彼得身上的某种气质快把胡克折磨疯了。这 ②frenzy['frenzi]n.狂乱 种气质不是彼得的勇敢，不是他那招人喜爱的模样，不 是…用不着乱猜了，我们其实都很清楚那是什么，直 说吧，是彼得的傲气。 正是这种傲气不断地折磨着胡克的神经，气得他铁 ③twitch[wi明g颤动 钩直颤。它就像夜里的一只虫子，扰得他不得安宁。只 要彼得活着，胡克就觉得自己像是一头关在笼子里的狮 ④sparrow['sparou]n.麻雀 子，被彼得这只飞进笼子里的麻雀捉弄。 眼下，胡克面对的难题是如何钻进树洞。更进一步 讲，是怎样把他的手下塞进树洞。他用贪婪的眼睛扫视 S scruple ['skru:pl]顾虑 着他的部下，想找一个最瘦小的人。他的手下不安地扭 ⑥rmm[remg猛推 动着身子，因为他们知道，胡克恨不得用棍子把他们桶 下树洞去。 这时候，孩子们怎样了？听到第一声交火的声音， 他们吓得石化了，张着嘴，伸出手臂向彼得求助。现在 回过头来，只见他们闭上了嘴巴，垂下了手臂。地面上 ⑦pandemonium[,pando' mouniom]n.喧器 的喧嚣声突然间停止了，跟初起时一样突然，像是一阵 狂风刮过去了。不过，他们都明白，他们的命运也已经 注定了。 谁赢了？ ⑧avidly[evidli]ad.热切 地 海盗趴在洞口屏息倾听着下面的动静，他们听到每 个孩子都在问这个问题。不幸的是，他们也听到了彼得 ⑨tom-tom['omtom]n.手鼓 的回答。 “要是印第安人得胜了，”彼得说，“他们会敲起 战鼓。那是他们胜利的信号。” inaudibly [in'o:dablil ad. 斯密已经找到那只战鼓了，这会儿他正坐在鼓上。 听不到地 “你们再也别想听到鼓声了。”斯密低声说，当然了别 enjoin[in'd3oink命令 人听不到他说什么，因为胡克禁止任何人发出声音。可 让斯密惊讶的是，胡克冲他示意，叫他击鼓。过了好一 会儿，斯密才明白这个命令有多么阴险毒辣。他是个头 脑简单的人，之前从没如此敬佩过胡克。 斯密的鼓敲了两遍，然后停下来得意地听着地下的 反应。 “是咚咚的鼓声，”海盗听见彼得喊道，“印第安 人获胜了！” 这些不幸的孩子们报以一阵欢呼。这欢呼声在地面 ·199· Chapter 12 The Children are Carried Off hearts above,and almost immediately they repeated their good-byes to Peter. This puzzled the pirates,but all their other feelings were swallowed by a base delight that the enemy were about to come up the trees.They smirked at each other and rubbed their hands.Rapidly and silently Hook gave his orders:one man to each tree,and the others to arrange themselves in a line two yards apart. ·200· 第十二章孩子们被抓走了 上的一群黑心强盗听来像是音乐。之后，他们听到孩子 们挨个儿向彼得告别。海盗们觉得莫名其妙，不过他们 所有的情绪都被喜悦占据了，因为他们的敌人就要从树 ①smirk[smo:k],得意地笑 洞里爬上来了。他们互相对视着，阴险地笑着，摩拳擦 掌。胡克悄悄地传令：一人把守一个树洞，其余的人排 成一队，隔两码站一个人。 ·201·