名著·汤姆叔叔的小屋 - 第16节


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  你要明白,"山姆说,"艾迪,等会儿赫利老爷的马使性子蹦跳起来,我们可是要去帮他的--是的,我们要帮他一把。"山姆和艾迪把头往后一仰,放纵地低笑着,然后又高兴地手舞足蹈起来。

   At this instant, Haley appeared on the verandah. Somewhat mollified by certain cups of very good coffee, he came out smiling and talking, in tolerably restored humor. Sam and Andy, clawing for certain fragmentary palm-leaves, which they were in the habit of considering as hats, flew to the horseposts, to be ready to "help Mas'r."

  此时,赫利出现在门廊上。喝完几杯好咖啡,他心情平静了许多,说笑着走了出未。山姆和艾迪随手抓了几张棕榈叶--他们常把那叶子当作帽子,急忙跑到马桩边,做好准备来帮助赫利。

   Sam's palm-leaf had been ingeniously disentangled from all pretensions to braid, as respects its brim; and the slivers starting apart, and standing upright, gave it a blazing air of freedom and defiance, quite equal to that of any Fejee chief; while the whole brim of Andy's being departed bodily, he rapped the crown on his head with a dexterous thump, and looked about well pleased, as if to say, "Who says I haven't got a hat?"

  山姆把棕榈叶整理好,他灵巧的手把叶子弄得有边有沿,叶梗片片直立,看上去显得那样的自由而傲慢,简直可以和斐济酋长的帽子相媲美。艾迪的帽沿脱落了,他把帽子往头上戴去,洋洋自得地回头说,"谁说我没有帽子?"

   "Well, boys," said Haley, "look alive now; we must lose no time.""

  哎,孩子们,"赫利说,"我们不能再浪费时间了。"

   "Not a bit of him, Mas'r!" said Sam, putting Haley's rein in his hand, and holding his stirrup, while Andy was untying the other two horses."

  不会浪费时间的,老爷!"说着,山姆把缰绳交给赫利,替他扶着马镫,艾迪则忙着去解开那两匹马。

  赫利一碰马鞍,那小马突然跳了起来,猛地把主人甩出好几英尺,赫利四脚朝天地摔在了草地上。山姆怒喝着马,想来拉马缰绳,没想到棕榈叶划到了马的眼睛,这更加刺激了它那狂乱的神经。它猛然把山姆掀翻在地,粗声喘了几口气,然后便朝着远方草地处跑去。此时,艾迪也不失时机地放开了比利和杰瑞,这两匹小马就跟着那匹惊马跑走了,后面,艾迪喊叫着催马追去。草地上乱作一团,山姆和艾迪追赶着小马,狗也在狂吠着,麦克、莫迪、法尼和其他小孩子都跳出来凑热闹,他们兴奋地跑着、拍着手,使劲叫个不停。

   Haley's horse, which was a white one, and very fleet and spirited, appeared to enter into the spirit of the scene with great gusto; and having for his coursing ground a lawn of nearly half a mile in extent, gently sloping down on every side into indefinite woodland, he appeared to take infinite delight in seeing how near he could allow his pursuers to approach him, and then, when within a hand's breadth, whisk off with a start and a snort, like a mischievous beast as he was and career far down into some alley of the wood-lot. Nothing was further from Sam's mind than to have any one of the troop taken until such season as should seem to him most befitting,--and the exertions that he made were certainly most heroic. Like the sword of Coeur De Lion, which always blazed in the front and thickest of the battle, Sam's palm-leaf was to be seen everywhere when there was the least danger that a horse could be caught; there he would bear down full tilt, shouting, "Now for it! cotch him! cotch him!" in a way that would set everything to indiscriminate rout in a moment.

  赫利的马是匹活泼、迅捷的白马,看起来它似乎很陶醉于这种撒欢儿状态。它的脚下是一块差不多方圆半英里的通向森林的草地,草地朝四方蔓延倾斜着。小白马似乎惬意于让追赶它的人追上来,但等到他们追近时,它却喷着长气,恶作剧似地蹦跳着飞奔入一条林径。山姆只想等到最恰当的时机再把马抓住,所以他并不着急,--不过他还是表现英勇。只要那匹马有被抓住的危险,他便把棕榈叶伸到它的面前,那根棕榈叶就像狮子王的利剑一样,全身心地在前方和战斗最激烈处为大家开路。他大喊道,"赶快!快抓住它!抓住它!"好像他要在眨眼间将一切都降伏似的。

   Haley ran up and down, and cursed and swore and stamped miscellaneously. Mr. Shelby in vain tried to shout directions from the balcony, and Mrs. Shelby from her chamber window alternately laughed and wondered,--not without some inkling of what lay at the bottom of all this confusion.

  赫利不时奔跑着,嘴里在不停地诅咒着,气得直跺脚。希尔比先生站在阳台上,徒劳地指挥着大家。希尔比太太坐在卧室前,似乎猜到了引起混乱的原因,于是她时而大笑着,时而惊讶地赞叹着。

   At last, about twelve o'clock, Sam appeared triumphant, mounted on Jerry, with Haley's horse by his side, reeking with sweat, but with flashing eyes and dilated nostrils, showing that the spirit of freedom had not yet entirely subsided.

  最后,直到十二点,山姆才骑着杰瑞回来,旁边跟着赫利那匹马。那匹马浑身是汗,眼睛不时眨动着,大张着鼻孔,展现出它那并未消退的野性。

   "He's cotched!" he exclaimed, triumphantly. "If 't hadn't been for me, they might a bust themselves, all on 'em; but I cotched him!""

  我抓到它了!"山姆胜利地宣告着,"如果没有我,它们还不知道要折腾到何时呢。但我还是抓住它们了。"

  你!"赫利咆哮着,"如果没你,这一切是不会发生的。"

   "Lord bless us, Mas'r," said Sam, in a tone of the deepest concern, "and me that has been racin' and chasin' till the sweat jest pours off me!""

  愿上帝保佑你,"山姆无限关心地说,"我一直都在努力追赶它们,你看我浑身是汗。"

   "Well, well!" said Haley, "you've lost me near three hours, with your cursed nonsense. Now let's be off, and have no more fooling.""

  别再说了,算了!"赫利说,"真是胡闹,你耽误了我三个小时。现在别再添乱了,我们出发吧。"

   "Why, Mas'r," said Sam, in a deprecating tone, "I believe you mean to kill us all clar, horses and all. Here we are all just ready to drop down, and the critters all in a reek of sweat. Why, Mas'r won't think of startin' on now till arter dinner. Mas'rs' hoss wants rubben down; see how he splashed hisself; and Jerry limps too; don't think Missis would be willin' to have us start dis yer way, no how. Lord bless you, Mas'r, we can ketch up, if we do stop. Lizy never was no great of a walker.""

  老爷!"山姆不赞成地说道,"我看你是想杀死我们这些人和那可怜的马儿。我们都快被累倒了,马也是大汗淋漓。咳,你不认为我们应该吃完饭再走吗?你的马也需要冲洗一下。瞧它身上的泥土!另外,杰瑞的腿也有点跛。我想太太是不会同意我们这样出发的。老爷,上帝保佑你,只要歇一会儿,我们会追上她的,莉兹不善于走路。"

   Mrs. Shelby, who, greatly to her amusement, had overheard this conversation from the verandah, now resolved to do her part. She came forward, and, courteously expressing her concern for Haley's accident, pressed him to stay to dinner, saying that the cook should bring it on the table immediately.

  听到这番话,门廊边的希尔比太太暗自高兴,便决定自己出面调解一番。她很礼貌地走上前,对赫利的损失表示了关心并挽留他吃午饭后走,说厨房会把饭菜很快准备好。

  仔细考虑了一番后,赫利勉强去了客厅。走在他后面的山姆诡秘地眨了眨眼,然后悠闲地牵马到马厩去了。

   "Did yer see him, Andy? _did_ yer see him? and Sam, when he had got fairly beyond the shelter of the barn, and fastened the horse to a post. "O, Lor, if it warn't as good as a meetin', now, to see him a dancin' and kickin' and swarin' at us. Didn't I hear him? Swar away, ole fellow (says I to myself ); will yer have yer hoss now, or wait till you cotch him? (says I). Lor, Andy, I think I can see him now." And Sam and Andy leaned up against the barn and laughed to their hearts' content."

  看到没,艾迪?看到他那样子了吗?"山姆边把马拴在马厩里的木桩上边说,"噢,天啊!他那指手画脚、不停咒骂的样子真像在举行祈祷会。难道我会听不到?骂吧,老混蛋(我对自己说):你现在要那匹马吗?还是你要把它亲自抓回来?艾迪,我现在依然记得他的样子。"山姆和艾迪背靠马厩,大声说笑着。

   "Yer oughter seen how mad he looked, when I brought the hoss up. Lord, he'd a killed me, if he durs' to; and there I was a standin' as innercent and as humble.""

  你该看看当我把马牵回来时,他那发疯的样子。老天爷,他真想杀死我,如果可能的话。而我却假装谦卑和无辜地站在那里。"

   "Lor, I seed you," said Andy; "an't you an old hoss, Sam?""

  是的,我看到了,"艾迪说,"你干这事真是个老手。"

   "Rather specks I am," said Sam; "did yer see Missis up stars at the winder? I seed her laughin'.""

  也没有什么,"山姆说,"你看到太太站在窗前看着我们了吗?我看见她在笑。"

  我相信她在笑。只是我当时忙于奔跑,所以没看见。"艾迪说。

   "Well, yer see," said Sam, proceeding gravely to wash down Haley's pony, "I 'se 'quired what yer may call a habit _o' bobservation_, Andy. It's a very 'portant habit, Andy; and I 'commend yer to be cultivatin' it, now yer young. Hist up that hind foot, Andy. Yer see, Andy, it's _bobservation_ makes all de difference in niggers. Didn't I see which way the wind blew dis yer mornin'? Didn't I see what Missis wanted, though she never let on? Dat ar's bobservation, Andy. I 'spects it's what you may call a faculty. Faculties is different in different peoples, but cultivation of 'em goes a great way.""

  你要明白,"山姆边说着边认真地冲洗着赫利的马。"我已养成了你所谓的'见机行事'的习惯。艾迪,这很重要。你还年轻,我建议你应使自己具备这种习惯。艾迪,把马的后腿抬起来。你要知道,是否具有这种习惯对黑人是很重要的。我今天早晨不就先察看了风向吗?我看透了太太的心思,虽然她没明白地告诉我。艾迪,这就叫察言观色。这点,你也可以称为能力。人的能力因人而异,但培养还是会有很大作用的。"

   "I guess if I hadn't helped your bobservation dis mornin', yer wouldn't have seen your way so smart," said Andy."

  我想,如果不是我帮你'察言观色',你今天早晨是不会把事儿办得那么漂亮的。"艾迪说。

   "Andy," said Sam, "you's a promisin' child, der an't no manner o' doubt. I thinks lots of yer, Andy; and I don't feel no ways ashamed to take idees from you. We oughtenter overlook nobody, Andy, cause the smartest on us gets tripped up sometimes. And so, Andy, let's go up to the house now. I'll be boun' Missis'll give us an uncommon good bite, dis yer time.""

  艾迪,"山姆说,"你是个很有前途的孩子,这是不容置疑的。我很看重你。我不会以从你那儿得到启发为耻的。即使最聪明的人也难免犯错误,所以我们不要看不起他人。好了,我们回大宅去吧,太太一定为我们准备了许多好吃的。"

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名著·汤姆叔叔的小屋 - 第16节