Chapter3 Camp on the High Prairie 草原宿营-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《草原小屋Little House on the Prairie》上

Chapter 3 Camp on the High Prairie PA MADE camp as usual.First,he unhitched and unharnessed Pet and Patty,and he put them on their picket-lines.Picket-lines were long ropes fastened to iron pegs3 driven into the ground.The pegs were called picket pins5.When horses were on picket-lines they could eat all the grass that the long ropes would let them reach.But when Pet and Patty were put on them,the first thing they did was to lie down and roll back and forth and over.They rolled till the feeling of the harness was all gone from their backs. While Pet and Patty were rolling,Pa pulled all the grass from a large,round space of ground.There was old,dead grass at the roots of the green grass,and Pa would take no chance of setting the prairie on fire.If fire once started in that dry under-grass,it would sweep that whole country bare and black.Pa said,"Best be on the safe side,it saves trouble in the end." When the space was clear of grass,Pa laid a handful of dry grass in its center.From the creek bottoms he brought an armful of twigs and dead wood.He laid small twigs and larger twigs and then the wood on the handful of dry grass,and he lighted the grass.The fire ·034· 3 草原宿营 ①unhitch/'an'htj/v 解开绳子 爸爸像往常一样扎营。他先给皮特和帕蒂松套， ②unharness 卸了车，然后给它们套上拴马索。拴马索就是系在 /An'ha:nIs/v.解下 马具 钉入地面的铁桩上的长绳子，桩子叫作拴马桩。马 ③peg /peg/n.钉 套上拴马索的时候，可以吃到长绳子范围以内所有 ④picket/'prkt/n.尖 木桩 的草。但是皮特和帕蒂在套上拴马索以后第一件要 ⑤pin /pin/n大头针 干的事，就是卧下来前后左右打滚，一直滚到对背 上套具的感觉全部消失为止。 在皮特和帕蒂打滚的时候，爸爸去拔野草，拔 成一大圆块空地。绿草根上残存着枯死的干草， 爸爸不会冒险在草原上点火。一旦干草着了火， 大火就会蔓延，把这块地方烧成光秃秃的一片黑。 爸爸说：“最好是谨慎些，小心谨慎可以免灾 ⑥sweep /swi:p/.扫 除 祸。” 场地清除干净以后，爸爸在场地中央放好一堆 干草。他又到河边低地去弄来一大抱干枝枯木。他 handful/haendful/n 一把 先在干草上放上小的和大点的干枝，然后放上木 armful /'a:mfol/n. 头。他把干草点着。火焰在圆形的空地上欢快地燃 一抱之量 ⑨twig /twig/n.小枝 烧起来，发出劈劈啪啪的响声，空地上光秃秃的， ·035· Little House on the Prairie crackled merrily inside the ring of bare ground that it couldn't get out of. Then Pa brought water from the creek,while Mary and Laura helped Ma get supper.Ma measured coffee beans into the coffee-mill and Mary ground 3 them.Laura filled the coffeepot with the water Pa brought,and Ma set the pot in the coals.She set the iron bake-oven in the coals,too. While it heated,she mixed cornmeal and salt with water and patted it into little cakes.She greased5 the bake-oven with a pork-rind,laid the cornmeal cakes in it,and put on its iron cover.Then Pa raked more coals over the cover,while Ma sliced fat salt pork.She fried the slices in the iron spider.The spider had short legs to stand,on in the coals,and that was why it was called a spider.If it had had no legs,it would have been only a frying pan. The coffee boiled,the cakes baked,the meat fried,and they all smelled so good that Laura grew hungrier and hungrier. Pa set the wagon-seat near the fire.He and Ma sat on it.Mary and Laura sat on the wagon tongue.Each of them had a tin plate,and a steel knife and a steel fork with white bone handles.Ma had a tin cup and Pa had a tin cup,and Baby Carrie had a little one all her own,but Mary and Laura had to share their tin cup.They drank water.They could not drink coffee until they grew up. While they were eating supper the purple shadows closed around the camp fire.The vast prairie was dark and still.Only the wind moved stealthily through the grass,and the large,low stars hung glittering from the great sky. The camp fire was cosy in the big,chill darkness.The slices of pork were crisp and fat,the corncakes were good.In the dark beyond the wagon,Pet and Patty were eating,too.They bit off bites of grass with sharply crunching sounds. ·036· 草原小屋【 ①crackle /'kraek业u. 所以火焰不会蔓延。 发劈啪声 接着，爸爸从河里打来水，玛丽和劳拉帮 ②mill/mil/n磨粉机 着妈妈做晚饭。妈妈把咖啡豆放进咖啡磨，玛 ③ground /graond/v. 打磨 丽磨咖啡，劳拉把爸爸打来的水装入咖啡壶， 妈妈把壶坐在炭火上，把烤炉也放到了炭火上。 妈妈趁烤炉加热时用水和盐和玉米面，把面拍 成一小块一小块的饼。她用猪肉皮擦润烤炉，然后 ④oven /'Avan/n.烤炉 把玉米饼放进去，盖上铁盖。接着，爸爸用铁铲往 ⑤grease /gri::s/v.涂脂 烤炉盖上又加了一些炭火，妈妈把咸肥肉切成片， 她在三脚锅里煎肉片。这锅有几根短腿可支在炭火 上，这就是为什么叫它三脚锅的原因。如果没有 腿，它就只是一个平底锅了。 咖啡煮开了，饼烤成了，肉片也煎完了，闻起 来喷香喷香，劳拉垂涎欲滴。 爸爸把马车上的坐垫拿来放到营火旁边。他和 rake /reik/.用耙子 妈妈坐在上面。玛丽和劳拉坐在辕杆上。他们每人 ⑦wagon tongue辕杆 都有一个马口铁盘子，一把带白色骨柄的刀叉。妈 妈和爸爸都有马口铁的杯子，小卡里有专用的小杯 子，而玛丽和劳拉则合用一个马口铁杯子。她们喝 白水，长成大人后才能喝咖啡。 在他们吃晚饭的时候，营火四周围有一圈紫色 的影子。浩瀚的草原黑漆漆静悄俏的。只有风在草 丛中悄悄移动，大颗大颗的星星低低地挂在无边无 stealthily /'steloil/ 际的天空，散发着光芒。 ad.暗地里 ⑨hung /hAn/vbl.吊， 在漆黑而寒冷的昏暗中，营火使人感到暖洋洋 挂 的，很舒服。肉片又脆又肥，玉米饼喷香可口。皮 0cosy/"kaUz/a.舒 特和帕蒂也在马车远处黑暗中吃草，吃草时发出嘎 适的 吱嘎吱的咀嚼声。 crisp /krisp/a.脆的 “我们要在这儿扎营一两天，”爸爸说，“也许 我们要在这儿呆下去。这里的土地肥沃，河边低地 ·037· Little House on the Prairie “We'll camp here a day or two,”said Pa.“Maybe we'll stay here. There's good land,timber in the bottoms,plenty of game-everything a man could want.What do you say,Caroline?" "We might go farther and fare worse,"Ma replied. “Anyway,I'll look around tomorrow,”Pa said.“T'll take my gun and get us some good fresh meat." He lighted his pipe with a hot coal,and stretched out his legs comfortably.The warm,brown smell of tobacco smoke mixed with the warmth of the fire.Mary yawned,and slid off the wagon tongue to sit on the grass.Laura yawned,too.Ma quickly washed the tin plates,the tin cups,the knives and forks.She washed the bake-oven and the spider, and rinsed3 the dish-cloth. For an instant she was still,listening to the long,wailing howl from the dark prairie.They all knew what it was.But that sound always ran cold up Laura's backbone and crinkled over the back of her head. Ma shook the dish-cloth,and then she walked into the dark and spread the cloth on the tall grass to dry.When she came back Pa said: "Wolves.Half a mile away,I'd judge.Well,where there's deer there will be wolves.I wish-" ·038· 草原小屋【 上有木材，还有许多野味一总之，人所需要的样 ①timber /timba n.木 样都有。你说呢，卡罗琳？” 材 “再走可能不如这儿，知足常乐吧。”妈妈回答道。 爸爸说：“无论如何，明天我要去周围找找， 我要带着枪去打点上等鲜肉来。” 他用一块烧红的炭火点着他的烟斗，舒适地伸 开双腿。温暖、棕色的烟草味和营火的暖气融成一 ②stretch/stretf/v.伸 展 体。玛丽打着哈欠，从马车辕杆上滑下来坐到了草 ③rinse/rins/以清 水冲洗 地上。劳拉也打起哈欠。妈妈麻利地刷洗马口铁盘 子、马口铁杯子、刀叉，然后她刷烤炉和三脚锅， 最后洗涤洗碗布。 她停了一会儿，一动不动，倾听着从黑暗的草 原传来的嚎叫声，那声音既长又尖。他们都知道那 ④wail/we/.悲叹 是什么声音。但那声音总使劳拉的脊梁骨发冷，在 ⑤howl/haul/u.狂吠 她的后脑沙沙作响。 ⑥crinkle /krmkl使 妈妈甩着洗碗布，走到暗处，把布摊在高大的野 变皱 草上晾干。她回来时爸爸说：“是狼。我估计，在半 英里外。嗯，哪里有鹿，哪里就有狼。我希望” 他没说出他希望什么，但劳拉知道。他希望杰 ·039 Little House on the Prairie He didn't say what he wished,but Laura knew.He wished Jack were there.When wolves howled in the Big Woods,Laura had always known that Jack would not let them hurt her.A lump swelled hard in her throat and her nose smarted 3.She winked fast and did not cry.That wolf,or perhaps another wolf,howled again. “Bedtime for little girls！!”Ma said,cheerfully.Mary got up and turned around so that Ma could unbutton her.But Laura jumped up and stood still.She saw something.Deep in the dark beyond the firelight,two green lights were shining near the ground.They were eyes. Cold ran up Laura's backbone,her scalp5 crinkled,her hair stood up.The green lights moved;one winked out,then the other winked out, then both shone steadily,coming nearer.Very rapidly they were coming nearer. “Look,Pa,look!”Laura said.“A wolf!" Pa did not seem to move quickly,but he did.In an instant he took his gun out of the wagon and was ready to fire at those green eyes.The eyes stopped coming.They were still in the dark,looking at him. "It can't be a wolf.Unless it's a mad wolf,"Pa said.Ma lifted Mary into the wagon.“And it's not that,.”said Pa.“Listen to the horses.” Pet and Patty were still biting off bits of grass. “A lynx?”said Ma. “Or a coyote⑧？”Pa picked up a stick⑨of wood;he shouted,and threw it.The green eyes went close to the ground,as if the animal crouched to spring.Pa held the gun ready,The creature did not move. "Don't,Charles,"Ma said.But Pa slowly walked toward those eyes.And slowly along the ground the eyes crawled toward him.Laura could see the animal in the edge of the dark.It was a tawny animal and brindled Then Pa shouted and Laura screamed. ·040· 草原小屋【 克在。过去，每当狼在大森林里嚎叫时，劳拉就知 道杰克不会让狼伤害她。她的嗓子发哽，鼻子酸 ①lump /lAmp/h.块状 痛。她拼命地眨眼，但没有哭。那只狼，或许是另 ②swell /swel/y.增大 ③smat/sma:t/刺 一只狼，又叫了。 痛 “小姑娘们上床啦！”妈妈愉快地说。玛丽站起 来转过身，这样妈妈可以给她解扣子。但劳拉跳起 来，然后一动不动地站住了。她看到了什么东西。 ④unbutton"An'bAtn/ 业解开…的钮扣 在火光远处的黑暗深处，靠近地面，有两道绿光在 闪闪发亮。这两点绿光是眼睛。 劳拉的脊梁骨直冒冷气，她的头皮发绉，头发 ⑤scalp/skalp/n.头 皮 竖了起来。那绿光点移动着，一个暗了下来，接 着，另一个也暗了，随后两个点又沉稳地闪出光 亮。光亮很快地靠近了。 “看，爸爸，看”劳拉说，“一只狼” 爸爸似乎没有迅速行动，但实际上他行动迅速。他 ⑥fire /fala/.开枪 立即从马车里拿出枪，准备向那两只绿眼睛开枪。那对 眼睛没向前移动。它们在黑暗中一动不动，看着他。 爸爸说：“不会是狼。除非它是一只疯狼。”妈 妈把玛丽举起放到马车里。“不是，”爸爸说， “听听马的动静。”皮特和帕蒂还在静静地吃草。 ①ynx /links/n.猞猁 “是一只猞猁？”妈妈说。 coyote ko1aut,-'t/i.小N “或许是一只小狼？”爸爸捡起一根木棍，他喊 狼 ⑨ick/stik/n.枝 叫着把那木棍扔过去。绿眼晴紧紧地贴向地面，好 0crouch /'krautf/v. 像那只动物要蹲下去再跳起来。爸爸端起枪等着。 蹲下 ⑩creature/'kni:tja/n 那动物却一动不动。 生物 “不要，查尔斯。”妈妈说。可是，爸爸已慢慢 2 tawny /'to:n/a.黄 地走向那对眼睛。那眼晴却贴着地面慢慢地向他匍 褐色的 3 brindle /'brmdl/n. 匐移近。劳拉能从黑暗的边缘看到那只动物。那是 斑纹 一只黄褐色的动物，身上有斑点。这时，爸爸叫喊 ·041· Little House on the Prairie The next thing she knew she was trying to hug a jumping,panting, wriggling Jack,who lapped her face and hands with his warm wet tongue.She couldn't hold him.He leaped and wriggled from her to Pa to Ma and back to her again. “Wel,I'm beat”Pa said. “So am I,”said Ma.“But did you have to wake the baby?”She rocked Carrie in her arms,hushing her. Jack was perfectly well.But soon he lay down close to Laura and sighed a long sigh.His eyes were red with tiredness,and all the under part of him was caked with mud.Ma gave him a cornmeal cake and he licked it and wagged politely,but he could not eat.He was too tired. “No telling how long he kept swimming,”Pa said..“Nor how far he was carried downstream before he landed."And when at last he reached them,Laura called him a wolf,and Pa threatened to shoot him. But Jack knew they didn't mean it.Laura asked him,"You knew we didn't mean it,didn't you,Jack ?Jack wagged his stump of a tail; he knew. It was past bedtime.Pa chained Pet and Patty to the feed-box at the back of the wagon and fed them their corn.Carrie slept again,and Ma helped Mary and Laura undress.She put their long nightgowns over their heads while they stuck their arms into the sleeves.They buttoned the neckbands themselves,and tied the strings of their nightcaps beneath their chins.Under the wagon Jack wearily turned around three times,and lay down to sleep. In the wagon Laura and Mary said their prayers and crawled into their little bed.Ma kissed them good night. On the other side of the canvas,Pet and Patty were eating their comn. When Patty whooshed into the feed-box,the whoosh was right at ·042· 草原小屋【 起来，劳拉也尖声大叫。 ①lap /laep/.舔 她知道接下去要干什么；她拼命地去拥抱活蹦 ②leap/li:pl,跳跃 乱跳、气喘吁吁、摇头摆尾的杰克。杰克用它那温 ③somebody is beat.想 暖而湿润的舌头去舔劳拉的脸和手。她没能抱住 错了 它。它蹦着，跳着，挣脱了劳拉跑到爸爸那儿，妈 妈那儿，又回到劳拉身旁。 ④hush /hAf安静 爸爸说：“咳，我想错了” “我也是，”妈妈说，“不过，你有必要把孩子吵 醒吗？”她一边摇着怀里的卡里，一边使她安睡下去。 杰克非常正常。但是很快地它就躺在劳拉身旁 ⑤wg/weg.摇摆 了，它长长地出了一口气。它的眼晴因为疲倦发红 了，下身沾满了泥土。妈妈给了它一个玉米饼，它舔 downstream /'dauns 了舔，有礼貌地摇着尾巴，但没有吃。它太累了。 tri:mlad下游地 (⑦threaten/retn/,威 爸爸说：“不知道它游于多久，也不知道它上岸 胁 前被冲到下游有多远。”而且，在它最后赶上他们时， mean /mi:n,min/v. 劳拉把它当做狼，爸爸还威胁它要开枪打死它。 想要 但是杰克知道他们并不是要打死它。劳拉问它： “你知道我们不是要打死你对吗，杰克？”杰克摇着 秃尾巴，它知道。 已经过了上床的时间。爸爸把皮特和帕蒂拴在 のundress/'An'dres/u 使脱衣服 马车后面的饲料槽旁，给它们加上玉米饲料。卡里 0nightgown 又睡了，妈妈帮玛丽和劳拉脱衣服。她给她们从头 'nait gaon/n睡衣 aD neckband /'nekbaen 上套进长长的睡衣，她们把胳膊伸进袖子，自己把 d/n衬衫领子 领圈扣上，然后在下巴底下系好睡帽的带子。杰克 疲乏地在马车下面转了3圈，躺下睡觉了。 玛丽和劳拉在马车里作祈祷，然后蜷缩着上了 她们的小床。妈妈亲吻她们并道晚安。 在车篷的另一边，皮特和帕蒂在吃玉米。帕蒂 whoosh /(h )wof/v. 飞快地移动 喀嚓喀嚓地在饲料槽吃料时，劳拉立即听到了它的 ·043·