Chapter18 The Tall Indian 高个子印第安人-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《草原小屋Little House on the Prairie》下

Chapter 18 The Tall Indian IN THOSE three days the norther had howled and screeched across the prairie till it blew itself out.Now the sun was warm and the wind was mild,but there was a feeling of autumn in the air. Indians came riding on the path that passed so close to the house. They went by as though it were not there. They were thin and brown and bare.They rode their little ponies without saddle2 or bridle3.They sat up straight on the naked ponies and did not look to right or left.But their black eyes glittered. Laura and Mary backed against the house and looked up at them. And they saw red-brown skin bright against the blue sky,and scalplocks wound with colored string,and feathers quivering.The Indians'faces were like the red-brown wood that Pa had carved to make a bracket for Ma. “I thought that trail⑤was an old one they didn't use any more,”Pa said."I wouldn't have built the house so close to it if I'd known it's a highroado.” Jack hated Indians,and Ma said she didn't blame him.She said,"I declare,Indians are getting so thick around here that I can't look up ·266 18 高个子印第安人 ①screech/skri:tj/ 发出尖锐的声音 强劲北风时而怒号，时而呼啸，在大草原上肆 虐3天以后，停息了。太阳暖洋洋的，风也柔和 了。不过让人感到有一种秋天的萧瑟气氛。 印第安人骑着马在靠房子很近的路上走来，他 们直接走过去了，如入无人之境。 他们都身体清瘦，褐色皮肤，赤条条的。他们 ②saddle'sed/n鞍 骑着小马，不用马鞍和笼头，直挺挺地骑在光马背 ③bridle /braidl/n.马 勒，缰绳 上，丝毫不左顾右盼。但他们那双黑眼睛闪闪发光。 劳拉和玛丽背靠房子站着，抬头看着他们。他 们红褐色的皮肤在蓝天的映衬下格外明亮，留在头 顶上的一簇头发系着彩色线绳，插在上面的羽毛迎 ④bracket/"braekit/n. 风颤动。印第安人的脸庞就像爸爸为妈妈雕刻的、 支架 做托架的那种红褐色的木头。 trail /trell/n.踪迹， 爸爸说：“我以为这条小路是他们不再用的一 小径 条老路，如果我知道这是他们通行的大路，就不会 6 highroad /'hairaud/ n大路 把房子盖得离它这么近了。” 杰克讨厌印第安人，妈妈说，她不责怪它。她 说：“我说怪了，这么多印第安人在这周围来来往 ·267· Little House on the Prairie without seeing one..” As she spoke she looked up,and there stood an Indian.He stood in the doorway,looking at them,and they had not heard a sound. “Goodness!”Ma gasped2 Silently Jack jumped at the Indian.Pa caught him by the collar3, just in time.The Indian hadn't moved;he stood as still as if Jack hadn't been there at all. “How!”he said to Pa. Pa held onto Jack and replied,“How！”He dragged Jack to the bedpost and tied him there.While he was doing it,the Indian came in and squatted down by the fire. Then Pa squatted down by the Indian,and they sat there,friendly but not saying a word,while Ma finished cooking dinner. Laura and Mary were close together and quiet on their bed in the corner.They couldn't take their eyes from that Indian.He was so still that the beautiful eagle-feathers in his scalplock didn't stir.Only his bare chest and the leanness under his ribs5 moved a little to his breathing. He wore fringed leather leggings,and his moccasins were covered with beads. Ma gave Pa and the Indian their dinners on two tin plates,and they ate silently.Then Pa gave the Indian some tobacco for his pipe.They filled their pipes,and they lighted the tobacco with coals from the fire, and they silently smoked until the pipes were empty. All this time nobody had said anything.But now the Indian said something to Pa.Pa shook his head and said,"No speak." A while longer they all sat silent.Then the Indian rose up and went away without a sound. “My goodness gracious!”Ma said. ·268· 草原小屋【 往，只要我抬头就没有看不见他们的时候。” 妈妈正说着一抬头，眼前就站着一个印第安人。 他站在门道里看着他们，他们竟然没有听到一点响动。 ①goodness/'godnis/ .天哪 “天啊！”妈妈倒吸了一口凉气。 ②gasp/ga:sp/.喘 气，喘息 杰克不声不响地冲向那个印第安人。刹那间，爸 ③collar /kpla/n.衣领 爸一个箭步跨过去，抓住它的项圈。那个印第安人没 有动弹；他一动不动地站着，就好像杰克根本没有出 现一样。“哈！”他对爸爸说。爸爸抓着杰克回答道： “哈！”他用力把杰克拉过去拴在床腿上。就在爸爸拴 狗的功夫，那个印第安人自己走进来，坐在炉火旁。 然后，爸爸坐在那个印第安人旁边，他们坐在 那儿，很友好地呆着，但一句话也没说，这时，妈 妈做好了午饭。 劳拉和玛丽靠在一起，静静地坐在屋角她们自 己的床上。她们一直盯着那个印第安人。他一动不 动，连那簇头发上插着的漂亮的老鹰羽毛都纹丝不 leanness /li:nnis/n. 瘦 动。只有那赤裸裸的胸脯和肋骨下的肌肉随着呼吸 ⑤rb/rb/.助骨 微微起动。他穿着带穗的皮革裹腿，鹿皮软鞋上缀 满了五颜六色的珠子。 妈妈用两只马口铁盘子给爸爸和那个印第安人盛 ⑥pipe /patp/n.管，烟 了午饭，他们默默地吃着。吃完饭，爸爸给那个印第 斗 安人烟叶抽，他们装满各自的烟斗，用炉子里的炭火 点着，默默无言地抽啊抽啊，直到把烟斗抽空为止。 这期间一直没有人说话，鸦雀无声。但这会儿， 那个印第安人对爸爸说了些什么。爸爸摇摇头说： “不会说。” 他们默然相对，坐了好长时间。之后，那个印 第安人站起来，悄无声息地走了。 ⑦gracious/'greifas/a. 亲切的，高尚的 “啊哟，我的老天爷哪！”妈妈说。 ·269· Little House on the Prairie Laura and Mary ran to the window.They saw the Indian's straight back,riding away on a pony.He held a gun across his knees,its ends stuck out on either side of him. Pa said that Indian was no common trash.He guessed by the scalplock that he was an Osage2. “Unless I miss my guess,”Pa said,“that was French he spoke.I wish I had picked up some of that lingo" “Let Indians keep themselves to themselves,”said Ma,“and we will do the same.I don't like Indians around underfoot4." Pa told her not to worry. “That Indian was perfectly friendly,”he said.“And their camps, clown among the bluffs are peaceable 5 enough.If we treat them well and watch Jack,we won't have any trouble." The very next morning,when Pa opened the door to go to the stable,Laura saw Jack standing in the Indian trail.He stood stiff,his back bristled,and all his teeth showed.Before him in the path the tall Indian sat on his pony. Indian and pony were still as still.Jack was telling them plainly that he would spring if they moved.Only the eagle feathers that stood up from the Indian's scalplock were waving and spinning in the wind. When the Indian saw Pa,he lifted his gun and pointed it straight at Jack. Laura ran to the door,but Pa was quicker.He stepped between Jack and that gun,and he reached down and grabbed Jack by the collar.He dragged Jack out of the Indian's way,and the Indian rode on,along the trail. Pa stood with his feet wide apart,his hands in his pockets,and watched the Indian riding farther and farther away across the prairie. “That was a darned9 close call”Pa said.“Well,it's his path.An ·270· 草原小屋【 劳拉和玛丽跑到窗口。她们看到那个印第安人 挺着脊背，骑着小马走了。一支枪横放在他的膝 上，枪的两头露在身子的两侧。 ①trash /traef/元.废物， 爸爸说，那个印第安人不是个普通人。从他留 垃圾 ②Osage 在头顶上的那一簇头发推测，他是一个奥赛治人。 /au'seid3,'aoseid3/ n奥色治人 爸爸说：“如果我没猜错的话，他说的是法语。 ③lingo /l0g3U/n.语 我要是能学会几句外国话就好了。”妈妈说：“让 言，术语 underfoot /'Anda'fut/ 印第安人在他们自己的圈子里活动。我们就和我们 ad.在脚下面 的人打交道。我不喜欢印第安人和咱们搅和在一 起。”爸爸让她别担心。“那个印第安人还是很友 好的，”他说，“再说他们的营地扎在土崖中也挺 ⑤peaceable"pi:s3bl/ 平静。如果我们以礼相待，并且看住杰克，就不会 a.安静的，和平的 有什么麻烦。” 就在第二天早上，爸爸打开房门去马厩的时候， 劳拉看见杰克正站在印第安人来往的小路上。直挺 ⑥bristle/brIs/y.竖 起（毛发） 挺地站着，背上的毛倒立着，牙齿全露在外面。那 个高个子印第安人骑着小马站在它前面。 ①plainly'pleinl/ad. 印第安人和小马静静地站着。杰克明白地告诉 明白地 他们，如果他们敢往前迈一步，它立刻就冲上去。 ⑧spin/spn/.旋转 双方对峙着。只有印第安人头发上竖立的老鹰羽毛 在风中飘动摇摆。 当那个印第安人看到爸爸的时候，他举起枪瞄 准了杰克。劳拉急忙跑到门口，但爸爸的动作更 快。他跨步站在杰克和枪之间，弯腰抓住杰克的项 圈，拖开它，给印第安人让路。那个印第安人骑着 马沿小路走了。 ⑨darned/da:ndla.非 爸爸叉着双腿站在那里，两只手插进兜里，望 常 0 close call n.侥幸脱 着那个印第安人穿过大草原，走向远处。 险，死里迷生 “这真是太危险了！”爸爸对杰克说，“唉，这 ·271· Little House on the Prairie Indian trail,long before we came." He drove an iron ring into a log of the house wall,and he chained Jack to it.After that,Jack was always chained.He was chained to the house in the daytime,and at night he was chained to the stable door,because horse-thieves were in the country now.They had stolen Mr.Edwards'horses. Jack grew crosser and crosser because he was chained.But it could not be helped.He would not admit that the trail was the Indians'trail,he thought it belonged to Pa.And Laura knew that something terrible would happen if Jack hurt an Indian. Winter was coming now.The grasses were a dull color under a dull sky.The winds wailed as if they were looking for something they could not find.Wild animals were wearing their thick winter fur5,and Pa set his traps in the creek bottoms.Every day he visited them.and every day he went hunting.Now that the nights were freezing cold,he shot deer for meat.He shot wolves and foxes for their fur,and his traps caught beaver⑦and muskrat⑧and mink⑨. He stretched the skins on the outside of the house and carefully tacked them there,to dry.In the evenings he worked the dried skins b etween his hands to make them soft,and he added them to the bundle in the corner.Every day the bundle of furs grew bigger. Laura loved to stroke the thick fur of red foxes.She liked the brown,soft fur of beaver,too,and the shaggy wolf's fur.But best of all she loved the silky mink.Those were all furs that Pa saved to trade next spring in Independence.Laura and Mary had rabbit-skin caps,and Pa's cap was muskrat. One day when Pa was hunting,two Indians came.They came into the house,because Jack was chained. Those Indians were dirty and scowling and mean.They acted as if ·272· 草原小屋【 是他的路，咱们来之前，早就是印第安人的小路。” ①iron/'alan/u.铁 爸爸在房子墙壁的圆木上钉了一个铁环，把杰 ②1og/1pg/n.圆木 ③chain /tfein/.用铁 克用链子拴在铁环上。从此以后，杰克经常被拴 链锁住 着。白天，它被拴在房子墙上，晚上拴在马厩门 上。因为最近这周围有马贼，他们偷走了爱德华兹 先生的几匹马。 ④cross a.生气的 杰克因为整日被拴着，变得越来越暴躁。但是又 不得不这么做。它不承认那条小路是印第安人的路， 它认为那条小路是属于爸爸的。可是，劳拉知道，如 果杰克咬伤一个印第安人，将发生可怕的事儿。 冬天来临了。灰蒙蒙的天空下，草丛变成了黯 淡的颜色。风悲悲戚戚地吹着，仿佛在寻找什么东 ⑤fur/f3:ln.毛皮 西而得不到。野兽穿上了厚厚的冬日皮毛，爸爸在 ⑥trap /rap/n.图套， 陷阱 河边低地设下了捕兽夹子。他每天去查看这些夹 子，每天都去打猎。现在晚上冷得结冰了，他打了 beaver/bi:va/n.海 鹿肉来吃。他还猎取狼和狐狸，要它们的皮毛，捕 狸 兽夹子捕到了海狸、麝鼠和貂。 ⑧muskrat/mAskraet/. n动/麝鼠 他把这些动物皮铺展在房子外面的墙上，仔细 ⑨mink/m0k/n.貂 地钉上，晾干。到晚上闲下来了，他用两只手揉搓 bundle /'bandl/n. 这些干皮子，使它们变柔软，然后放进墙角那一捆 捆，束 皮子里。那捆皮毛与日俱增。 劳拉爱抚摩红狐的厚墩墩的皮毛。她也喜欢海 心shaggy∫eg/a.毛 狸棕色、柔软的皮毛和蓬松的狼皮。不过，她最喜 发蓬松的 爱的还是像丝一样光滑的貂皮。爸爸积攒下这些皮 毛，等到明年开春，拿到独立镇去卖。劳拉和玛丽 都有兔皮帽子，爸爸的帽子是麝鼠皮做的。 一天，爸爸出去打猎，两个印第安人来了。因 为杰克被拴着，他们径直走进了屋子。 那两个印第安人浑身肮脏，面目狰狞，行为卑 ·273· Little House on the Prairie the house belonged to them.One of them looked through Ma's cupboard and took all the cornbread.The other took Pa's tobacco-pouch.They looked at the pegs where Pa's gun belonged.Then one of them picked up the bundle of furs. Ma held Baby Carrie in her arms,and Mary and Laura stood close to her.They looked at that Indian taking Pa's furs.They couldn't do anything to stop him. He carried them as far as the door.Then the other Indian said something to him.They made harsh sounds at each other in their throats,and he dropped the furs.They went away. Ma sat down.She hugged Mary and Laura close to her and Laura felt Ma's heart beating. “Well,”Ma said,smiling,“T'm thankful they didn't take the plow2 and seeds.” Laura was surprised.She asked,"What plow?" "The plow and all our seeds for next year are in that bundle of furs,”said Ma. When Pa came home they told him about those Indians,and he looked sober3.But he said that all was well that ended well. That evening when Mary and Laura were in bed,Pa played his ·274· 草原小屋【 劣。他们进来以后的作为，就好像这房子是他们自 己的似的；其中一个翻遍了妈妈的橱柜，拿走了所 有的玉米面包。另一个拿走了爸爸的烟叶袋子，他 们看了看爸爸放枪的桩子。接着，其中一个抱起了 那捆皮毛。 妈妈抱着小卡里，玛丽和劳拉紧靠妈妈站着。 她们眼睁睁地看着那个印第安人拿走爸爸积攒的皮 毛，却不能去阻止他们。 那个印第安人抱着皮毛走到门口，另一个印第 安人对他说了些什么，他们俩的喉咙里都向对方发 出了刺耳的声音，结果那个人扔下了皮毛。他们扬 长而去。 妈妈颓然坐下。她把玛丽和劳拉拉在身边，劳 拉感觉到妈妈的心脏在跳。 “没事了，”妈妈微笑着说，“谢天谢地，他们 没拿走犁和种子。” 劳拉听了妈妈的话感到很惊奇，她问：“什么 ①harsh /ha:j/a.粗糙 犁？” 的，刺耳的，严厉的 “犁和咱们明年所有的种子都放在那捆皮毛里。” 妈妈说。 爸爸回来以后，她们把那两个印第安人的所作 ②plow /plau/n.犁 所为，一五一十地告诉了他，爸爸听了表情挺严 肃。但他说，结果好就一切都好。 那天晚上，玛丽和劳拉睡了以后，爸爸拉起了 小提琴。妈妈坐在摇椅里摇晃着，把小卡里贴在她 的胸前，随着提琴轻轻地唱了起来： ③sober /sauba/a.清 醒的，稳重的 “美丽的阿尔法兰塔， 一个印第安姑娘 ·275·