英國語文第五冊(雙語):印第安人的陷阱(3)

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The steel-trap used by the Indians is very similar to the ordinary rat-trap of England, with this difference, that it is a little larger, is destitute of teeth, and has two springs in place of one. A chain is attached to one of the springs, for the purpose of fixing a weight to the trap, so that the animal caught may not be able to drag it far from the place where it has been set. The track in the snow enables the hunter to find his trap again. It is generally so set that the jaws, when spread out flat, are exactly on a level with the snow.

印第安人使用的鐵制的陷阱和常見的英格蘭捕鼠夾很相似，略微不同之處在于，它的尺寸稍微大一些，沒有齒，而是用兩個彈簧來代替。其中一個彈簧上連著一根鏈子，目的是為了固定加到圈套上的重量，這樣的話，被抓到的動物就不可能拖著它跑太遠了。雪中的軌跡可以幫助獵人再次找到自己設(shè)的陷阱。當(dāng)捕獵夾的口被打開時，正好和雪面平齊，獵人們通常就這樣設(shè)置陷阱。

The chain and weight are both hid, and a thin layer of snow is spread on the top of the trap. The bait (which generally consists of chips of a frozen partridge, rabbit, or fish) is then scattered around in every direction; and, with the exception of this, nothing distinguishes the spot.

鏈子和砝碼都要隱藏起來，只在夾子上面鋪上一層薄雪。誘餌（通常是冷凍的松雞和兔子的肉片，或者是幾片魚肉等組成）被分散的撒在不同方向上；除此之外，周圍再也沒有其他可辨認的東西。

Foxes, beavers, wolves, lynxes, and other animals, are caught in this way, sometimes by a fore-leg, sometimes by a hind-leg, sometimes by two legs at once, and occasionally by the nose. Of all these ways the Indians prefer catching by two legs, as there is then not the slightest possibility of the animal escaping.

狐貍、海貍、狼、山貓以及其他動物等，都是這樣被捉住的，它們有時是前腳被夾住，有時是后腳被夾住，有時兩條腿同時被抓住，偶爾也有被夾住鼻子的。在這些所有被抓的方式中，印第安人最喜歡的是捉住動物的兩只腳了，因為這樣一來落入陷阱的動物們幾乎不可能逃跑了。

When foxes are caught by one leg, they often eat it off close to the trap, and escape on the other three! I have frequently seen this happen; and I once saw a fox caught which had evidently escaped in this way, as one of its legs was gone and the stump healed up and covered again with hair. When they are caught by the nose they are almost sure to escape, unless taken out of the trap very soon,as their snouts are so sharp or wedge-like that they can pull them from between the jaws of the trap without much difficulty.

當(dāng)狐貍的一只腳被夾住時，它們常常會咬斷被套住的那只腳，然后用其他三條腿逃走！我常?？吹竭@種情況；有一次，我曾經(jīng)看到一只被抓的狐貍顯然就是用這種方式逃走的，雖然一條腿沒有了，但是其傷口很快就愈合了，而且還長出了毛發(fā)。如果狐貍被夾住了鼻子，除非很快得把它們從狩獵夾中取出來，否則基本上它們肯定會逃走，因為它們的鼻子呈現(xiàn)尖尖的楔子型，可以不費勁的把下顎從夾子里拖出來。

Having described this machine, we shall now rejoin the Indian, whom we left on his way to his next trap. There he goes, moving swiftly over the snow, mile after mile, as if he could not feel fatigue; turning aside now and then to visit a trap, and giving a short grunt when nothing is in it; or killing the animal when caught, and tying it on the sledge.

介紹完這個設(shè)備后，我們現(xiàn)在要重新回到印第安人身上了，他已經(jīng)走向了下一個陷阱。他動作敏捷地走在雪地上，一英里接著一英里的走了很長一段的路，似乎根本不覺得疲勞；他時不時轉(zhuǎn)向這邊，轉(zhuǎn)向那邊，到各處檢查他布下的陷阱，如果夾子里什么也沒有，他就會低聲咕噥幾聲；如果有動物被捉住，他就撿起來綁在雪橇上。

Toward midnight, however, he begins to walk more cautiously, examines the priming of his gun, and moves the axe in his belt, as if he expected to meet some enemy suddenly. The fact is, that close to where he now stands are two traps which he set in the morning close to each other, for the purpose of catching one of the formidable coast wolves.

快到午夜了，然而，他開始更加小心的前行，檢查了獵槍上的火藥，挪動了一下腰帶上的斧頭，似乎預(yù)料到會發(fā)生什么突然襲擊似的。事實上，就在他站的這個地方，早上他設(shè)下兩個相距很近的陷阱，用以捕捉可怕的海岸狼。