吹小號的天鵝 第63期:波士頓(3)

When the Swan Boat docked and the passengers gotoff, long lines of people were waiting to get aboardfor the next ride.

當天鵝游艇在碼頭靠岸，乘客們下了船之后，等著乘下一班船的人早已排成長隊了。

Business was booming. Another boat was beingmade ready, to accommodate the crowds.

生意興隆起來了。為了接待更多的游客，另一艘游船也被準備好了。

Everyone wanted to ride the Swan Boats behind areal live swan playing a trumpet.

人人都想乘坐一艘有真正的活天鵝跟在后面吹小號的游艇。

It was the biggest happening in Boston in a long time.

這可是波士頓好久未曾有過的大事。

People like strange events and queer happenings,

人人都喜歡新奇的事件和古怪的事情，

and the Swan Boat, with Louis out front leading the way, suddenly became the most popularattraction in Boston.

因此，有路易斯在前面開道的天鵝游艇，一下子變成了波士頓最時髦最吸引人的東西。

"You're hired," said the Boatman, when Louis climbed out onto the bank.

“你被雇用了，”當路易斯爬到岸上時，游艇老板說。

"With you playing the trumpet, I can double my business.

“有你在此吹小號的話，我的生意就能擴大兩倍。

I can triple it. I can quadruple it. I can quintuple it. I can...I can...I can sextoople it.

能擴大三倍。能擴大四倍。能擴大五倍。能…能…我能擴大六倍。

Anyway, I'll give you a steady job."

不管怎么說，我都要給你一個固定的工作。”

Louis lifted his slate. "What salary?" he asked.

路易斯舉起了他的石板。“薪水多少?”他問。

The Boatman gazed around at the crowds waiting to get aboard.

游艇老板盯著周圍等待乘船的游人。

"A hundred dollars a week," he said.

“一周一百美元，”他說。

"I'll pay you a hundred dollars every Saturday if you'll swim ahead of the boats and play yourhorn. Is it a deal?"

“如果你能游在船前吹你的喇叭的話，我就每星期六付你一百美元。就這么定了?”

Louis nodded his head. The man seemed pleased but puzzled.

路易斯點點頭。這個人似乎很高興，可又有些迷惑。

"If it isn't too much to ask," said the Boatman, "would you mind telling me why you're sointerested in money?"

“如果你不介意我多嘴，” 游艇老板說，“你可以告訴我你為什么對錢這么感興趣嗎?”

"Everybody is," replied Louis on his slate.

“每個人都是如此，”路易斯在他的石板上回答。

"Yeah, I know," said the Boatman. "Everybody likes money. It's a crazy world.

“是的，我知道，”游艇老板說。“人人都喜歡錢。這真是個瘋狂的世界。

But, I mean, why would a swan need money?

不過，我的意思是說，為什么一只天鵝也需要錢?你

You can get your meals just by dipping down and pulling up tasty plants at the bottom of thelake. What do you need money for?"

只要潛到水下，把湖底那些美味的植物叼出來就可以大吃一頓了。你還要錢干什么?”

Louis erased his slate. "I'm in debt," he wrote.

路易斯擦去石板上的字。“我欠著債呢，”

And he thought about his poor father who had stolen the trumpet and about the poorstorekeeper in Billings who had been robbed and whose store had been damaged.

他又寫。寫到這里他想到了他那偷了小號的可憐的父親，還有比林斯的那位其店鋪遭劫并被損壞的可憐的店主。

Louis knew he must go on earning money until he could pay off what he owed.

路易斯知道他必須繼續(xù)掙錢直到他能夠付清他的欠款為止。

"O.k.," said the Boatman, addressing the crowd, "this swan says he's in debt. All aboard for thenext ride!"

“OK，”游艇老板說著，對著人群喊起來，“這只天鵝說他欠人家錢。所有人都可以坐下一班船!”

And he began selling tickets. The Boatman owned several boats, all of them shaped like a swan.

然后他開始賣票了。游艇老板擁有好幾艘船，全都是形似天鵝的那種。

Pretty soon every boat was full and money was flowing in.

不久，每艘船上都擠滿了人，金錢也隨之滾滾而來。