柳林風聲：The Wild Wood 野林

The Mole had long wanted to make the acquaintance of the Badger. He seemed, by all accounts, to be such an important personage and, though rarely visible, to make his unseen influence felt by everybody about the place. But whenever the Mole mentioned his wish to the Water Rat he always found himself put off. ‘It’s all right,’ the Rat would say. ‘Badger’ll turn up some day or other—he’s always turning up—and then I’ll introduce you. The best of fellows! But you must not only take him AS you find him, but WHEN you find him.’

鼴鼠早就想結識獾，各方面的消息都說，獾是個頂頂了不起的人物，雖然很少露面，卻總讓方圓一帶所有的居民無形中都受到他的影響?？墒敲慨旪B鼠向河鼠提到這個愿望，河鼠就推三阻四，總是說：“沒問題，獾總有一天會來的——他經(jīng)常出來——到那時我一定把你介紹給他，真是個頂呱呱的好人哪!不過你不能去找他，而是要在適當?shù)臅r候遇上他。”

‘Couldn’t you ask him here dinner or something?’ said the Mole.

“能不能邀他來這里——吃頓便飯什么的?”鼴鼠問。

‘He wouldn’t come,’ replied the Rat simply. ‘Badger hates Society, and invitations, and dinner, and all that sort of thing.’

“他不會來的，”河鼠簡單地說。“獾最討厭社交活動，請客吃飯一類的事。”

‘Well, then, supposing we go and call on HIM?’ suggested the Mole.

“那，要是咱們專門去拜訪他呢?”鼴鼠提議。

‘O, I’m sure he wouldn’t like that at ALL,’ said the Rat, quite alarmed. ‘He’s so very shy, he’d be sure to be offended. I’ve never even ventured to call on him at his own home myself, though I know him so well. Besides, we can’t. It’s quite out of the question, because he lives in the very middle of the Wild Wood.’

“那個，咳，我敢斷定他絕不會喜歡的，”河鼠驚恐地說。“他這人很怕羞，那樣做，一定會惹惱他的。連我自己都從沒去他家拜訪過，雖說我同他是老相識了。再說，咱們也去不了呀。這事根本辦不到，因為他是住在野林的正中央。”

‘Well, supposing he does,’ said the Mole. ‘You told me the Wild Wood was all right, you know.’

“那又怎么著?”鼴鼠說，“你不是說過，野林并沒什么問題嗎?”

‘O, I know, I know, so it is,’ replied the Rat evasively. ‘But I think we won’t go there just now. Not JUST yet. It’s a long way, and he wouldn’t be at home at this time of year anyhow, and he’ll be coming along some day, if you’ll wait quietly.’

“嗯，是的，是的，是沒什么問題，”河鼠躲躲閃閃地說。“不過我想，咱們現(xiàn)在還是不去的好，這會兒別去。路遠著哩，況且，在這個季節(jié)，他也不在家。你只管安心等著，總有一天他會來的。”

The Mole had to be content with this. But the Badger never came along, and every day brought its amusements, and it was not till summer was long over, and cold and frost and miry ways kept them much indoors, and the swollen river raced past outside their windows with a speed that mocked at boating of any sort or kind, that he found his thoughts dwelling again with much persistence on the solitary grey Badger, who lived his own life by himself, in his hole in the middle of the Wild Wood.

鼴鼠只好耐心等待，可是獾一直沒來。他們每天都玩得很開心。夏天過去很久了，天氣變冷，冰霜雨雪，泥濘的道路，使他倆長時間耽留在屋內(nèi)。窗外湍急奔流而過的漲滿的河水，也像在嘲笑，阻攔他們乘船出游。這時，鼴鼠才又一味惦念那只孤孤單單的灰獾，想到他在野林正中的洞穴內(nèi)，獨自一人過日子，多孤寂啊。

In the winter time the Rat slept a great deal, retiring early and rising late. During his short day he sometimes scribbled poetry or did other small domestic jobs about the house; and, of course, there were always animals dropping in for a chat, and consequently there was a good deal of story-telling and comparing notes on the past summer and all its doings.

冬令時節(jié)，河鼠很貪睡，早早就上床，遲遲才起來。在短短的白天，他有時胡亂編些詩歌，或者在屋里干點零星家務事。當然，時不時總有些動物來串門聊天，因此，談了不少有關春夏的趣聞軼事，互通消息和意見。

Such a rich chapter it had been, when one came to look back on it all! With illustrations so numerous and so very highly coloured! The pageant of the river bank had marched steadily along, unfolding itself in scene-pictures that succeeded each other in stately procession. Purple loosestrife arrived early, shaking luxuriant tangled locks along the edge of the mirror whence its own face laughed back at it. Willow-herb, tender and wistful, like a pink sunset cloud, was not slow to follow. Comfrey, the purple hand-in-hand with the white, crept forth to take its place in the line; and at last one morning the diffident and delaying dog-rose stepped delicately on the stage, and one knew, as if string-music had announced it in stately chords that strayed into a gavotte, that June at last was here. One member of the company was still awaited; the shepherd-boy for the nymphs to woo, the knight for whom the ladies waited at the window, the prince that was to kiss the sleeping summer back to life and love. But when meadow-sweet, debonair and odorous in amber jerkin, moved graciously to his place in the group, then the play was ready to begin.

當他們回顧夏天的一切時，就感到，那是多么絢麗多彩的一章啊!那里面有許多五色繽紛的插圖。大河兩岸，一支盛裝的游行隊伍在不停地莊嚴行進，展示出一場跟著一場富麗堂皇的景觀。紫色的珍珠菜最先登場，抖開它那亂絲般豐美的秀發(fā)，垂掛在鏡面般的河水邊沿，鏡中的臉，又沖它自己微笑。婀娜多姿的柳蘭，猶如桃色的晚霞，緊跟著也上場了。雛菊，紫的和白的手牽著手，悄悄鉆了上來，在隊列中占取了一席地位。最后，在一個早晨，羞怯的野薔薇姍姍來遲，輕盈地步上舞臺。這時，就像弦樂以它輝煌的和弦轉入一曲加沃特，向人們宣告，六月終于來到了。但是，戲班子里還缺一個角色沒有到齊，那就是水仙女所追求的牧羊少年，閨秀們憑窗盼望的騎士，用親吻喚醒沉睡的夏天的生命和愛情的王子。當身穿琥珀色緊身背心的笑靨菊，溫文爾雅，芳香撲鼻，步履優(yōu)美地登上舞臺時，好戲就開場了。

And what a play it had been! Drowsy animals, snug in their holes while wind and rain were battering at their doors, recalled still keen mornings, an hour before sunrise, when the white mist, as yet undispersed, clung closely along the surface of the water; then the shock of the early plunge, the scamper along the bank, and the radiant transformation of earth, air, and water, when suddenly the sun was with them again, and grey was gold and colour was born and sprang out of the earth once more. They recalled the languorous siesta of hot mid-day, deep in green undergrowth, the sun striking through in tiny golden shafts and spots; the boating and bathing of the afternoon, the rambles along dusty lanes and through yellow cornfields; and the long, cool evening at last, when so many threads were gathered up, so many friendships rounded, and so many adventures planned for the morrow. There was plenty to talk about on those short winter days when the animals found themselves round the fire; still, the Mole had a good deal of spare time on his hands, and so one afternoon, when the Rat in his arm-chair before the blaze was alternately dozing and trying over rhymes that wouldn’t fit, he formed the resolution to go out by himself and explore the Wild Wood, and perhaps strike up an acquaintance with Mr. Badger.

那是怎樣的一出戲啊!當凄風冷雨拍打著門窗時，睡眼惺松的動物們安逸地躲在洞穴里，回想著日出前依舊凜冽的凌晨。那時，白蒙蒙的霧靄還沒散去，緊緊地貼在水面。然后，灰色化成了金色，大地重又呈現(xiàn)出繽紛的色澤。動物們體驗到早春下水的刺激，沿著河岸奔突跳躍的歡愉，感到大地、空氣和水都變得光輝奪目。他們回想起夏日炎熱的正午，在灌木叢的綠蔭下昏昏然午睡，陽光透過濃蔭，灑下小小的金色斑點;回想起午后的劃船和游泳，沿著塵土飛揚的小徑，穿越黃澄澄的田野，漫無目的地遨游;又回想起那長長的涼爽的黃昏，各路人馬全都會齊，交流著友情，共同籌劃明天新的歷險。冬日的白晝是很短的，動物們圍爐閑話時，可談的話題多著哩?？墒?，鼴鼠還是有大量的空閑時間。于是，有一天下午，當河鼠坐在圈椅上，對著一爐熊熊的火，時而打盹，時而編些不成韻的詩，鼴鼠便暗下決心，獨自出門去探訪那座野林，說不定碰巧還能結識上獾先生哩。

It was a cold still afternoon with a hard steely sky overhead, when he slipped out of the warm parlour into the open air. The country lay bare and entirely leafless around him, and he thought that he had never seen so far and so intimately into the insides of things as on that winter day when Nature was deep in her annual slumber and seemed to have kicked the clothes off. Copses, dells, quarries and all hidden places, which had been mysterious mines for exploration in leafy summer, now exposed themselves and their secrets pathetically, and seemed to ask him to overlook their shabby poverty for a while, till they could riot in rich masquerade as before, and trick and entice him with the old deceptions. It was pitiful in a way, and yet cheering— even exhilarating. He was glad that he liked the country undecorated, hard, and stripped of its finery. He had got down to the bare bones of it, and they were fine and strong and simple. He did not want the warm clover and the play of seeding grasses; the screens of quickset, the billowy drapery of beech and elm seemed best away; and with great cheerfulness of spirit he pushed on towards the Wild Wood, which lay before him low and threatening, like a black reef in some still southern sea.

那是一個寒冷靜謐的下午，鼴鼠悄悄溜出暖融融的客廳，來到屋外。頭頂上的天空如同純鋼似地發(fā)著青光。四周的曠野光禿禿，沒有一片樹葉。他覺得，他從來沒有看得這樣遠，這樣透徹。因為，大自然進入了她一年一度的酣睡，仿佛在睡夢中蹬掉了她全身的衣著。矮樹林、小山谷、亂石坑，還有各種隱蔽的地方，在草木蔥蘢的夏天，曾是可供他探險的神秘莫測的寶地，現(xiàn)在卻把它們自身和它們包藏的秘密裸露無遺，似乎在乞求他暫時忽視它們的破敗貧瘠，直到來年再一次戴上它們花里胡哨的假面具，狂歌亂舞，用老一套的手法作弄他，瞞哄他。從某方面說是怪可憐的，可還是使他高興，甚至使他興奮。他喜歡這剝?nèi)チ巳A麗衣妝不加修飾的質(zhì)樸的原野。他能夠深深地進入大地的裸露的筋骨，那是美好、強健、純樸的。他不要那暖融融的苜蓿，不要那輕輕搖擺的結籽的青草。山楂樹籬的屏風，山毛櫸和榆樹的綠浪翻滾的帷幕，最好離得遠遠的。他歡歡喜喜地朝著野林快步前進。野林正橫亙在他前面，黑壓壓，怪嚇人的，像隆起在平靜的南海里的一排暗礁。

There was nothing to alarm him at first entry. Twigs crackled under his feet, logs tripped him, funguses on stumps resembled caricatures, and startled him for the moment by their likeness to something familiar and far away; but that was all fun, and exciting. It led him on, and he penetrated to where the light was less, and trees crouched nearer and nearer, and holes made ugly mouths at him on either side. Everything was very still now. The dusk advanced on him steadily, rapidly, gathering in behind and before; and the light seemed to be draining away like flood-water.

剛進野林時，并沒有什么東西令他驚恐?？葜υ谀_下斷裂，噼啪作響，橫倒的樹干磕絆他的腿，樹樁上長出的菌像漫畫中的怪臉，乍看嚇他一跳，因為它們酷似某種又熟悉又遙遠的東西，可又怪有趣，使他興奮不已。它們逗引他一步步往前走，進入了林中幽暗的深處。樹越來越密，兩邊的洞穴，沖他張開丑陋的大口。前面后面，暮色迅速地逼攏來，包圍了他;天光像落潮般地退走了。

Then the faces began.

就在這時，開始出現(xiàn)了各種鬼臉。

It was over his shoulder, and indistinctly, that he first thought he saw a face; a little evil wedge-shaped face, looking out at him from a hole. When he turned and confronted it, the thing had vanished.

鬼瞼出現(xiàn)在他肩后，他一開始模模糊糊覺得看到了一張面孔：一張歹毒的楔形小臉，從一個洞口向他窺望。他回過頭來正對它看時，那東西卻倏忽不見了。

He quickened his pace, telling himself cheerfully not to begin imagining things, or there would be simply no end to it. He passed another hole, and another, and another; and then—yes!--no!--yes! certainly a little narrow face, with hard eyes, had flashed up for an instant from a hole, and was gone. He hesitated—braced himself up for an effort and strode on. Then suddenly, and as if it had been so all the time, every hole, far and near, and there were hundreds of them, seemed to possess its face, coming and going rapidly, all fixing on him glances of malice and hatred: all hard-eyed and evil and sharp.

他加快了腳步，關照自己千萬別胡思亂想，要不然，幻象就會沒完沒了。他走過一個又一個洞口。是的!——不是!——是的!肯定是有一張尖尖的小臉，一對惡狠狠的眼睛，在一個洞里閃了一下，又沒了。他遲疑了一下，又壯著膽子，強打精神往前走?？墒峭蝗婚g，遠遠近近幾百個洞里都鉆出一張臉，忽而顯現(xiàn)，忽而消失，所有的眼睛都兇狠、邪惡、銳利，一齊用惡毒、敵對的眼光盯住他。

If he could only get away from the holes in the banks, he thought, there would be no more faces. He swung off the path and plunged into the untrodden places of the wood.

他想，要是能離開土坡上的那些洞穴，就不會再看到面孔了。他拐了一個彎，離開小徑，朝林中沓無人跡的地方走去。

Then the whistling began.

接著，開始出現(xiàn)了哨音。

Very faint and shrill it was, and far behind him, when first he heard it; but somehow it made him hurry forward. Then, still very faint and shrill, it sounded far ahead of him, and made him hesitate and want to go back. As he halted in indecision it broke out on either side, and seemed to be caught up and passed on throughout the whole length of the wood to its farthest limit. They were up and alert and ready, evidently, whoever they were! And he—he was alone, and unarmed, and far from any help; and the night was closing in.

乍聽到時，那聲音很微弱，很尖細，在他身后很遠很遠的地方響起，不知怎的卻促使他急急朝前趕。然后，仍舊很微弱很尖細的哨音，都在他前面很遠很遠的地方響起，使他踟躕不前，想退回去。正當他猶豫不決站著不動時，哨音突然在他兩側響起來，像是一聲接一聲傳遞過去，穿過整座樹林，直到最遠的邊緣。不管那是些什么東西，它們顯然都警覺起來，準備好迎敵?？伤麉s孤單一人，赤手空拳，孤立無援。而黑夜，已經(jīng)迫近了。

Then the pattering began.

然后，他聽到了啪嗒啪嗒的聲音。

He thought it was only falling leaves at first, so slight and delicate was the sound of it. Then as it grew it took a regular rhythm, and he knew it for nothing else but the pat-pat-pat of little feet still a very long way off. Was it in front or behind? It seemed to be first one, and then the other, then both. It grew and it multiplied, till from every quarter as he listened anxiously, leaning this way and that, it seemed to be closing in on him. As he stood still to hearken, a rabbit came running hard towards him through the trees. He waited, expecting it to slacken pace, or to swerve from him into a different course. Instead, the animal almost brushed him as it dashed past, his face set and hard, his eyes staring. ‘Get out of this, you fool, get out!’ the Mole heard him mutter as he swung round a stump and disappeared down a friendly burrow.

起初，他以為那只不過是落葉聲，因為聲音很輕很細。后來，聲音漸漸響了，而且發(fā)出一種有規(guī)律的節(jié)奏。他明白了，這不是別的，只能是小腳爪踩在地上發(fā)出的啪嗒聲，不過聲音離得還遠。到底是在前面還是在后面?開頭像在前面，過后又像在后面，再后來像前后都有。他焦慮不安地時而聽聽這邊，時而聽聽那邊，聲音變得越來越響，越來越雜亂，從四面八方朝他逼攏。他站著不動，側耳傾聽。突然，一只兔子穿過樹林朝他奔來。他等著，指望兔子放慢腳步，或者拐向別處?？墒?，兔子從他身邊沖過，幾乎擦到了他身上，他臉色陰沉，瞪著眼睛、“滾開，你這個笨蛋，滾!”兔子繞過一個樹樁時，鼴鼠聽到他這樣咕嚕了一聲，然后便鉆進鄰近一個洞穴，不見了。

The pattering increased till it sounded like sudden hail on the dry leaf-carpet spread around him. The whole wood seemed running now, running hard, hunting, chasing, closing in round something or— somebody? In panic, he began to run too, aimlessly, he knew not whither. He ran up against things, he fell over things and into things, he darted under things and dodged round things. At last he took refuge in the deep dark hollow of an old beech tree, which offered shelter, concealment—perhaps even safety, but who could tell? Anyhow, he was too tired to run any further, and could only snuggle down into the dry leaves which had drifted into the hollow and hope he was safe for a time. And as he lay there panting and trembling, and listened to the whistlings and the patterings outside, he knew it at last, in all its fullness, that dread thing which other little dwellers in field and hedgerow had encountered here, and known as their darkest moment—that thing which the Rat had vainly tried to shield him from—the Terror of the Wild Wood!

腳步聲越來越響，如同驟落的冰雹，打在他四周的枯枝敗葉上。整座樹林仿佛都在奔跑，拼命狂奔，追逐，四下里包抄圍捕什么東西，也許是什么人?他驚恐萬狀，撒腿就跑，漫無目的不明方向地亂跑。他忽而撞上什么東西，忽而摔倒在什么東西上，忽而落到什么東西里，忽而從什么東西下面竄過，忽而又繞過什么東西。末了，他在一株老山毛櫸樹下一個深深的黑洞里找到了庇護所。這個洞給了他隱蔽藏身處——說不定還能給他安全，可誰又說得準呢?反正，他實在太累，再也跑不動了。他只能蜷縮在被風刮到洞里的枯葉里，希望能暫時避避難、他躺在那里，大口喘氣，渾身哆嗦，聽著外面的哨聲和腳步聲，他終于恍然大悟。原來，其他的田間和籬下的小動物最害怕見到的那種可怕的東西，河鼠曾煞費苦心防止他遇上的那種可怕的東西，就是——野林的恐怖!

Meantime the Rat, warm and comfortable, dozed by his fireside. His paper of half-finished verses slipped from his knee, his head fell back, his mouth opened, and he wandered by the verdant banks of dream-rivers. Then a coal slipped, the fire crackled and sent up a spurt of flame, and he woke with a start. Remembering what he had been engaged upon, he reached down to the floor for his verses, pored over them for a minute, and then looked round for the Mole to ask him if he knew a good rhyme for something or other.

這當兒，河鼠正暖和舒服地坐在爐邊打盹兒。那頁完成了一半的詩稿從膝上滑落下來，他頭向后仰，嘴張著，正徜徉在夢河里碧草如茵的河岸。這時，一塊煤骨碌下來，爐火噼啪一聲，竄出一股火苗，把他驚醒了。他想起剛才在干什么，忙從地上撿起詩稿，冥思苦想了一陣，然后回過頭來找鼴鼠，想向他請教一個恰當?shù)捻嵞_什么的。

But the Mole was not there.

可鼴鼠不在。

He listened for a time. The house seemed very quiet. Then he called ‘Moly!’ several times, and, receiving no answer, got up and went out into the hall.

他連喊了幾聲“鼴兒!”沒人回答，他只得站起來，走到門廳里。

The Mole’s cap was missing from its accustomed peg. His goloshes, which always lay by the umbrella-stand, were also gone.

鼴鼠慣常掛帽子的鉤子上，不見了帽子。那雙一向放在傘架旁的靴子，也不翼而飛。

The Rat left the house, and carefully examined the muddy surface of the ground outside, hoping to find the Mole’s tracks. There they were, sure enough. The goloshes were new, just bought for the winter, and the pimples on their soles were fresh and sharp. He could see the imprints of them in the mud, running along straight and purposeful, leading direct to the Wild Wood.

河鼠走出屋子，仔細觀察泥濘的地面，希望找到鼴鼠的足跡。足跡找到了，沒錯。他的靴子是新買來準備過冬的，所以后跟上的小突起輪廓清晰。河鼠看到泥地上靴子的印痕，目的明確，徑直奔野林的方向而去。

The Rat looked very grave, and stood in deep thought for a minute or two. Then he re-entered the house, strapped a belt round his waist, shoved a brace of pistols into it, took up a stout cudgel that stood in a corner of the hall, and set off for the Wild Wood at a smart pace.

河鼠神情嚴肅，站著沉思了一兩分鐘。隨后他轉身進屋，將一根皮帶系在腰間，往皮帶上插幾把手槍，又從大廳的一角抄起一根粗棒，撒腿朝野林走去。

It was already getting towards dusk when he reached the first fringe of trees and plunged without hesitation into the wood, looking anxiously on either side for any sign of his friend. Here and there wicked little faces popped out of holes, but vanished immediately at sight of the valorous animal, his pistols, and the great ugly cudgel in his grasp; and the whistling and pattering, which he had heard quite plainly on his first entry, died away and ceased, and all was very still. He made his way manfully through the length of the wood, to its furthest edge; then, forsaking all paths, he set himself to traverse it, laboriously working over the whole ground, and all the time calling out cheerfully, ‘Moly, Moly, Moly! Where are you? It’s me—it’s old Rat!’

他走到林邊的第一排樹時，天色已經(jīng)昏暗下來，他毫不猶豫地徑直鉆進樹林，焦急地東張西望，看有沒有朋友的蹤跡。到處都有不懷好意的小臉，從洞口探頭探腦向外張望，可一看到這位威風凜凜的動物，看到他的那排手槍，還有緊挨在他手里的兇神惡煞的大棒，就立刻隱沒了。剛進林子時分明聽到的哨聲和腳步聲也都消逝了，止息了，一切又都歸于寧靜。他果敢地穿過整座樹林，一直走到盡頭，然后，撇開所有的小徑，橫穿樹林，仔細搜索整個林區(qū)，同時不停地大聲呼叫：“鼴兒，鼴兒，鼴兒!你在哪?我來啦——鼠兒來啦!”

He had patiently hunted through the wood for an hour or more, when at last to his joy he heard a little answering cry. Guiding himself by the sound, he made his way through the gathering darkness to the foot of an old beech tree, with a hole in it, and from out of the hole came a feeble voice, saying ‘Ratty! Is that really you?’

他在樹林里耐心搜索了大約一個多小時，末了，他聽到一聲細微的回答，不禁大喜。他循著聲音的方向，穿過越來越濃的黑暗，來到一株老山毛櫸樹腳下。從樹下的一個洞里，傳出一個微弱的聲音，說：“鼠兒!真的是你嗎?”

The Rat crept into the hollow, and there he found the Mole, exhausted and still trembling. ‘O Rat!’ he cried, ‘I’ve been so frightened, you can’t think!’

河鼠爬到洞里，找到了精疲力盡渾身發(fā)抖的鼴鼠。“哎呀，鼠啊!”他喊道，“可把我嚇壞了，你簡直想象不到!”

‘O, I quite understand,’ said the Rat soothingly. ‘You shouldn’t really have gone and done it, Mole. I did my best to keep you from it. We river-bankers, we hardly ever come here by ourselves. If we have to come, we come in couples, at least; then we’re generally all right. Besides, there are a hundred things one has to know, which we understand all about and you don’t, as yet. I mean passwords, and signs, and sayings which have power and effect, and plants you carry in your pocket, and verses you repeat, and dodges and tricks you practise; all simple enough when you know them, but they’ve got to be known if you’re small, or you’ll find yourself in trouble. Of course if you were Badger or Otter, it would be quite another matter.’

“噢，我完全能理解，”河鼠撫慰他說。“你真的不該來，不該這么干，鼴鼠。我曾極力勸阻你的。我們河邊動物從不單獨上這兒來。要來的話，起碼也得找個伴同行，才不會有問題。而且，來以前你必須學會上百種竅門兒，那些我們都懂，可你不懂。我指的是有效的口令、暗號、口訣，衣兜里還要帶上裝備，要反復背誦某些詩句，經(jīng)常練習逃避方法和巧技。你學會了，就全都很簡單。作為小動物，你必須學會這些，否則就會遇到麻煩。當然啰，假如你是獾或者是水獺，那就另當別論了。

‘Surely the brave Mr. Toad wouldn’t mind coming here by himself, would he?’ inquired the Mole.

“那，勇敢的蟾蜍先生，他該不怕獨自來這里吧?”鼴鼠問。

‘Old Toad?’ said the Rat, laughing heartily. ‘He wouldn’t show his face here alone, not for a whole hatful of golden guineas, Toad wouldn’t.’

“老蟾?”河鼠哈哈大笑。“他獨自一個，才不會在這里露面哩，哪怕你給他整整一帽子的金幣，他蟾蜍也不會來的。”

The Mole was greatly cheered by the sound of the Rat’s careless laughter, as well as by the sight of his stick and his gleaming pistols, and he stopped shivering and began to feel bolder and more himself again.

聽到河鼠那爽朗的笑聲，看到他手中的大棒和亮閃閃的手槍，鼴鼠大受鼓舞。他不再發(fā)抖，膽子也壯了，情緒也恢復了。

‘Now then,’ said the Rat presently, ‘we really must pull ourselves together and make a start for home while there’s still a little light left. It will never do to spend the night here, you understand. Too cold, for one thing.’

“現(xiàn)在，”河鼠當下說，“咱們真的必須打起精神，趁天還有一絲絲亮，趕回家去。在這兒過夜是萬萬不行的，你明白。至少是，太冷了。”

‘Dear Ratty,’ said the poor Mole, ‘I’m dreadfully sorry, but I’m simply dead beat and that’s a solid fact. You MUST let me rest here a while longer, and get my strength back, if I’m to get home at all.’

“親愛的鼠兒，”可憐的鼴鼠說，“實在對不起，可我真是累壞了，確確實實是累垮了。你得讓我在這兒多歇會兒，恢復一下體力，才談得到走回家去。”

‘O, all right,’ said the good-natured Rat, ‘rest away. It’s pretty nearly pitch dark now, anyhow; and there ought to be a bit of a moon later.’

“那好，”和善的河鼠說，“那就歇著吧。反正天已差不多全黑了，待會兒，該有點月光了。”

So the Mole got well into the dry leaves and stretched himself out, and presently dropped off into sleep, though of a broken and troubled sort; while the Rat covered himself up, too, as best he might, for warmth, and lay patiently waiting, with a pistol in his paw.

于是鼴鼠深深鉆進枯樹葉，伸開四肢，不一會就睡著了，盡管睡得時斷時續(xù)，驚悸不安。河鼠為了取暖，也盡量把身子捂得嚴實些，一只爪子握著手槍，躺著耐心等待。

When at last the Mole woke up, much refreshed and in his usual spirits, the Rat said, ‘Now then! I’ll just take a look outside and see if everything’s quiet, and then we really must be off.’

鼴鼠終于醒來，精神好多了，恢復了平日的情緒。河鼠說：“好啦!我先去外面瞅瞅，看是不是平安無事，然后咱們真該開步走啦。”

He went to the entrance of their retreat and put his head out. Then the Mole heard him saying quietly to himself, ‘Hullo! hullo! here—is—a—go!’

河鼠來到洞口，探頭向外望。鼴鼠聽見他輕聲自言自語說：“嗬，嗬，麻煩啦!”

‘What’s up, Ratty?’ asked the Mole.

“出什么事兒，鼠兒?”鼴鼠問。

‘SNOW is up,’ replied the Rat briefly; ‘or rather, DOWN. It’s snowing hard.’

“出雪啦，”河鼠簡短地回答;“就是說，下雪啦。雪下得可沖哪。”

The Mole came and crouched beside him, and, looking out, saw the wood that had been so dreadful to him in quite a changed aspect. Holes, hollows, pools, pitfalls, and other black menaces to the wayfarer were vanishing fast, and a gleaming carpet of faery was springing up everywhere, that looked too delicate to be trodden upon by rough feet. A fine powder filled the air and caressed the cheek with a tingle in its touch, and the black boles of the trees showed up in a light that seemed to come from below.

鼴鼠也鉆出來，蹲在他身旁。他向外望去，只見那座曾經(jīng)嚇得他失魂落魄的樹林，完全變了樣。洞穴、坑洼、池塘、陷阱，以及其他一些恐嚇過路人的東西，統(tǒng)統(tǒng)迅速消失了。一層晶瑩閃光的仙毯，蒙蓋了整個地面，這仙毯看上去太纖巧了，粗笨的腳都不忍往上踩。漫天飄灑著細細的粉末，碰到臉上，癢癢的，怪舒服。黝黑的樹干，仿佛被一片來自地下的光照亮，顯得清晰異常。

‘Well, well, it can’t be helped,’ said the Rat, after pondering. ‘We must make a start, and take our chance, I suppose. The worst of it is, I don’t exactly know where we are. And now this snow makes everything look so very different.’

“唉，唉，沒辦法，”河鼠想了一會說。“我看，咱們還是出發(fā)，碰碰運氣吧。糟糕的是，我辨不清咱們的方位。這場雪，使一切都改了模樣。”

It did indeed. The Mole would not have known that it was the same wood. However, they set out bravely, and took the line that seemed most promising, holding on to each other and pretending with invincible cheerfulness that they recognized an old friend in every fresh tree that grimly and silently greeted them, or saw openings, gaps, or paths with a familiar turn in them, in the monotony of white space and black tree-trunks that refused to vary.

確實如此。鼴鼠簡直認不出，這就是原來那座樹林了。不過，他們還是勇敢地上路了。他們選擇了一條看似最有把握的路線，互相攙扶著，裝出一副所向無敵的興沖沖的樣子，每遇見一株陰森沉默的新樹，就認作是一位老相識，或者面對那白茫茫的一片雪野和千篇一律的黑色樹干，都硬裝作是看到了熟悉的空地、豁口或通道。

An hour or two later—they had lost all count of time—they pulled up, dispirited, weary, and hopelessly at sea, and sat down on a fallen tree-trunk to recover their breath and consider what was to be done. They were aching with fatigue and bruised with tumbles; they had fallen into several holes and got wet through; the snow was getting so deep that they could hardly drag their little legs through it, and the trees were thicker and more like each other than ever. There seemed to be no end to this wood, and no beginning, and no difference in it, and, worst of all, no way out.

約莫過了一兩個鐘頭——他們已完全失去了時間概念——他們停了下來，又沮喪，又倦乏，又迷惘，在一根橫倒的樹干上坐了下來，喘口氣，考慮下一步該怎么辦。他們已累得渾身酸痛，摔得皮破血流;他們好幾次掉進洞里，弄得渾身濕透。雪已經(jīng)積得很厚很厚，小小的腿幾乎拔不出來。樹越來越稠密，也越來越難以區(qū)分。樹林仿佛無邊無際，沒有盡頭，也沒有差別，最糟的是，沒有一條走出樹林的路。

‘We can’t sit here very long,’ said the Rat. ‘We shall have to make another push for it, and do something or other. The cold is too awful for anything, and the snow will soon be too deep for us to wade through.’ He peered about him and considered. ‘Look here,’ he went on, ‘this is what occurs to me. There’s a sort of dell down here in front of us, where the ground seems all hilly and humpy and hummocky. We’ll make our way down into that, and try and find some sort of shelter, a cave or hole with a dry floor to it, out of the snow and the wind, and there we’ll have a good rest before we try again, for we’re both of us pretty dead beat. Besides, the snow may leave off, or something may turn up.’

“咱們不能久坐，”河鼠說。“得再加把勁，采取點別的措施。天太冷了，雪很快就會積得更深，咱們趟不過去了。”他朝四周張望，想了一陣，接著說：“瞧，我想到這么一個辦法：前面有一塊谷地，那兒有許多小山包、小丘岡。咱們?nèi)ツ莾赫乙惶庪[蔽的地方，一個有干地面的洞穴什么的，避避風雪。咱們先在那兒好好休息一陣子，再想法走出樹林。咱們都累得夠嗆了。再說，雪說不定會停下來，或者會出現(xiàn)什么別的情況。”

So once more they got on their feet, and struggled down into the dell, where they hunted about for a cave or some corner that was dry and a protection from the keen wind and the whirling snow. They were investigating one of the hummocky bits the Rat had spoken of, when suddenly the Mole tripped up and fell forward on his face with a squeal.

于是，他們又站起來，踉踉蹌蹌走下谷地，去尋找一個山洞，或者一個干燥的角落，可以抵擋刺骨的寒風和飛旋的雪。正當他們在察看河鼠提到的一個小山包時，鼴鼠突然尖叫一聲，臉朝下摔了個嘴啃泥。

‘O my leg!’ he cried. ‘O my poor shin!’ and he sat up on the snow and nursed his leg in both his front paws. ‘Poor old Mole!’ said the Rat kindly.

“哎喲，我的腿!”他喊道。“哎喲，我可憐的小腿!”他翻身坐在地上，用兩只前爪抱住一條腿。

‘You don’t seem to be having much luck to-day, do you? Let’s have a look at the leg. Yes,’ he went on, going down on his knees to look, ‘you’ve cut your shin, sure enough. Wait till I get at my handkerchief, and I’ll tie it up for you.’

“可憐的老鼴!”河鼠關切地說，“今兒個你好像不大走運，是不是?讓我瞧瞧你的腿。”他雙膝跪下來看。“是啊，你的小腿受傷了，沒錯。等等，讓我找出手帕來給你包上。”

‘I must have tripped over a hidden branch or a stump,’ said the Mole miserably. ‘O, my! O, my!’

“我一定是被一根埋在雪里的樹枝或樹樁絆倒了，”鼴鼠慘兮兮地說。“哎喲!哎喲!”

‘It’s a very clean cut,’ said the Rat, examining it again attentively. ‘That was never done by a branch or a stump. Looks as if it was made by a sharp edge of something in metal. Funny!’ He pondered awhile, and examined the humps and slopes that surrounded them.

“傷口很整齊，”河鼠再一次仔細檢查他的腿。“絕不會是樹枝或樹樁劃破的?？雌饋淼瓜袷潜皇裁翠h利的金屬家伙劃的。怪事!”他沉吟了一會，觀察著周圍一帶的山包和坡地。

‘Well, never mind what done it,’ said the Mole, forgetting his grammar in his pain. ‘It hurts just the same, whatever done it.’

“噢，管它是什么干的，”鼴鼠說，痛得連語法都顧不上了。“不管是什么劃的，反正一樣痛。”

But the Rat, after carefully tying up the leg with his handkerchief, had left him and was busy scraping in the snow. He scratched and shovelled and explored, all four legs working busily, while the Mole waited impatiently, remarking at intervals, ‘O, COME on, Rat!’

可是，河鼠用手帕仔細包好他的傷腿后，就撂下他，忙著在雪里挖起來。他又刨又鏟又掘，四只腿忙個不停，而鼴鼠在一旁不耐煩地等著，時不時插上一句：“唉，河鼠，算了吧!”

Suddenly the Rat cried ‘Hooray!’ and then ‘Hooray-oo-ray-oo-ray-oo-ray!’ and fell to executing a feeble jig in the snow.

突然，河鼠一聲喊：“啊哈!”跟著又是一連串的“啊哈——啊哈——啊哈——啊哈!”他竟在雪地里跳起舞來。

‘What HAVE you found, Ratty?’ asked the Mole, still nursing his leg.

“鼠兒，你找到什么啦?”鼴鼠問，他還在抱著自己的腿。

‘Come and see!’ said the delighted Rat, as he jigged on.

“快來看哪!”心花怒放的河鼠說，一邊還跳著舞。

The Mole hobbled up to the spot and had a good look.‘Well,’ he said at last, slowly, ‘I SEE it right enough. Seen the same sort of thing before, lots of times. Familiar object, I call it. A door-scraper! Well, what of it? Why dance jigs around a door-scraper?’

鼴鼠一瘸一拐地走過去，看了又看。好半晌，他慢吞吞地說：“唔，我瞧得真真切切。這類東西以前也見過，見得多啦。我管它叫家常物品。只不過是一只大門口的刮泥器!有什么了不起?干嗎圍著一只刮泥器跳舞?”

‘But don’t you see what it MEANS, you—you dull-witted animal?’ cried the Rat impatiently.

“難道你還不明白這意味著什么嗎?你呀，你這個呆瓜!”河鼠不耐煩地喊道。

‘Of course I see what it means,’ replied the Mole. ‘It simply means that some VERY careless and forgetful person has left his door-scraper lying about in the middle of the Wild Wood, JUST where it’s SURE to trip EVERYBODY up. Very thoughtless of him, I call it. When I get home I shall go and complain about it to—to somebody or other, see if I don’t!’

“我當然明白啦，”鼴鼠回答說。“這只不過說明，有個粗心大意愛忘事的家伙，把自家門前的刮泥器丟在了野林中央，不偏不倚就扔在什么人都會給絆倒的地方。我說，這家伙也太缺德了。等我回到家時，我非向——向什么人——告他一狀不可，等著瞧吧!”

‘O, dear! O, dear!’ cried the Rat, in despair at his obtuseness. ‘Here, stop arguing and come and scrape!’ And he set to work again and made the snow fly in all directions around him.

“天哪!天哪!”看到鼴鼠這么遲鈍不開竅，河鼠無可奈何地喊道。“好啦，別斗嘴了，快來和我一道刨吧!”他又動手干了起來，掘得四周雪粉飛濺。

After some further toil his efforts were rewarded, and a very shabby door-mat lay exposed to view.

又苦干了一陣子，他的努力終見成效，一塊破舊的擦腳墊露了出來。

‘There, what did I tell you?’ exclaimed the Rat in great triumph.

“瞧.我說什么來著?”河鼠洋洋得意地歡呼起來。

‘Absolutely nothing whatever,’ replied the Mole, with perfect truthfulness. ‘Well now,’ he went on, ‘you seem to have found another piece of domestic litter, done for and thrown away, and I suppose you’re perfectly happy. Better go ahead and dance your jig round that if you’ve got to, and get it over, and then perhaps we can go on and not waste any more time over rubbish-heaps. Can we EAT a doormat? or sleep under a door-mat? Or sit on a door-mat and sledge home over the snow on it, you exasperating rodent?’

“什么也不是，”鼴鼠一本正經(jīng)地說。“好吧，你像是又發(fā)現(xiàn)了一件家用雜物，用壞了被扔掉的，我想你一定開心得很。要是你想圍著它跳舞，那就快跳，跳完咱們好趕路，不再為這些破爛垃圾浪費時間啦。一塊擦腳墊，能當飯吃嗎?能當毯子蓋著睡覺嗎?能當雪橇坐上滑回家嗎?你這個叫人惱火的嚙齒動物!”

‘Do—you—mean—to—say,’ cried the excited Rat, ‘that this door-mat doesn’t TELL you anything?’

“你當真認為，”興奮的河鼠喊道，“這塊擦腳墊不能說明任何問題嗎?”

‘Really, Rat,’ said the Mole, quite pettishly, ‘I think we’d had enough of this folly. Who ever heard of a door-mat TELLING anyone anything? They simply don’t do it. They are not that sort at all. Door-mats know their place.’

“真是，河鼠，”鼴鼠煩躁地說，“我認為，這套荒唐游戲，咱們已經(jīng)玩夠了。誰又聽說過，一塊擦腳墊能說明什么問題?擦腳墊是不會說什么的。它們根本不是那種貨色。擦腳墊懂得自己的身份。”

‘Now look here, you—you thick-headed beast,’ replied the Rat, really angry, ‘this must stop. Not another word, but scrape—scrape and scratch and dig and hunt round, especially on the sides of the hummocks, if you want to sleep dry and warm to-night, for it’s our last chance!’

“你聽著——你這個呆瓜，”河鼠回答說，他真的火了。“別再跟我來這一套!一句話也甭說，只管刨——刨，挖，掘，找，特別是在小山包四周找。要是你今晚想有個干干爽爽暖暖和和的地方睡上一覺，這就是最后的機會!”

The Rat attacked a snow-bank beside them with ardour, probing with his cudgel everywhere and then digging with fury; and the Mole scraped busily too, more to oblige the Rat than for any other reason, for his opinion was that his friend was getting light-headed.

河鼠沖他們身邊的一處雪坡發(fā)起猛攻，用他的粗棒到處捅，又發(fā)瘋似地挖著。鼴鼠也忙著刨起來，不為別的，只為討好河鼠，因為他相信，他的朋友頭腦有點發(fā)瘋了。

Some ten minutes’ hard work, and the point of the Rat’s cudgel struck something that sounded hollow. He worked till he could get a paw through and feel; then called the Mole to come and help him. Hard at it went the two animals, till at last the result of their labours stood full in view of the astonished and hitherto incredulous Mole.

苦干了約十分鐘光景，河鼠的棍棒敲到了什么東西，發(fā)出空洞的聲音。又刨了一陣，可以伸進一只爪子去摸了。他叫鼴鼠過來幫忙。兩只動物一齊努力，終于，他們的勞動成果赫然出現(xiàn)在眼前，把一直持懷疑態(tài)度的鼴鼠驚得目瞪口呆。

In the side of what had seemed to be a snow-bank stood a solid-looking little door, painted a dark green. An iron bell-pull hung by the side, and below it, on a small brass plate, neatly engraved in square capital letters, they could read by the aid of moonlight MR. BADGER.

就在看去像是一個雪坡的旁邊，立著一扇漆成墨綠色的堅實的小門。門邊掛著鈴繩的鐵環(huán)，鈴繩下有一塊小小的黃銅牌子，牌子上，用工整的楷書清晰地刻著幾個字，借著月光，可以辨認出是：獾先生

The Mole fell backwards on the snow from sheer surprise and delight. ‘Rat!’ he cried in penitence, ‘you’re a wonder! A real wonder, that’s what you are. I see it all now! You argued it out, step by step, in that wise head of yours, from the very moment that I fell and cut my shin, and you looked at the cut, and at once your majestic mind said to itself, “Door-scraper!” And then you turned to and found the very door-scraper that done it! Did you stop there? No. Some people would have been quite satisfied; but not you. Your intellect went on working. “Let me only just find a door-mat,” says you to yourself, “and my theory is proved!” And of course you found your door-mat. You’re so clever, I believe you could find anything you liked. “Now,” says you, “that door exists, as plain as if I saw it. There’s nothing else remains to be done but to find it!” Well, I’ve read about that sort of thing in books, but I’ve never come across it before in real life. You ought to go where you’ll be properly appreciated. You’re simply wasted here, among us fellows. If I only had your head, Ratty----‘

鼴鼠又驚又喜，仰面倒在了雪地上。“河鼠!”他懊悔地喊道，“你真了不起!你呀你，實在是了不起!現(xiàn)在我全明白了!打一開頭，打從我摔傷了腿的那一刻起，你就用你那聰明的頭腦，一步一步琢磨出個道理來。一看我的傷口，你那個頂刮刮的腦子馬上就對自己說：‘是刮泥器劃破的!’跟著你就去找，果然找到了那只刮泥器!你是不是就此打住呢?換了別人，就會滿足了，可你不。你繼續(xù)運用你的智慧。你對自己說：‘要是再找到一塊擦腳墊，我的推理就得到了證實!’擦腳墊果然找到了。你太聰明了，我相信，凡是你想找到的，你都能找到。‘好啦，’你說，‘明擺著，這兒一定有一扇門，下面要做的，只是把門找出來就行啦!’嗯，這種事，我只在書本上讀到過，在生活中可從沒遇到過。你應該到那種能大顯身手的地方去。呆在我們這伙人當中，你簡直大材小用了。我要是有你那么一副頭腦就好了。鼠兒——”

‘But as you haven’t,’ interrupted the Rat, rather unkindly, ‘I suppose you’re going to sit on the snow all night and TALK Get up at once and hang on to that bell-pull you see there, and ring hard, as hard as you can, while I hammer!’

“既然你沒有，”河鼠毫不客氣地打斷他的話頭，“那你是不是要通宵達旦坐在雪地里嘮叨個沒完?快起來，瞧見那根鈴繩嗎?使勁拉，有多大勁就使多大勁，我來砸門!”

While the Rat attacked the door with his stick, the Mole sprang up at the bell-pull, clutched it and swung there, both feet well off the ground, and from quite a long way off they could faintly hear a deep-toned bell respond.

在河鼠用他的棒子敲門時，鼴鼠一躍而起，一把抓住鈴繩，兩腳離地，整個身子吊在繩子上晃蕩。老遠老遠，他們隱隱聽到一陣低沉的鈴聲響了起來。