吹小號的天鵝 第52期:救援(3)

While everybody was making suggestions,

在大家紛紛獻計的時候，

Sam Beaver walked quietly to his tent.

薩姆·比弗悄悄地向他的帳篷走去。

He returned in a few minutes with a long pole anda piece of fishline.

幾分鐘后他帶著一根長竿和一段釣線走了回來。

Sam tied one end of the fishline to the pole.

他把釣線的一頭栓在竿上。

Then he tied a slipknot in the other end of the lineand formed a noose.

接著他又在釣線的另一頭打了個活結，做成一個套索。

Then he climbed to the roof of the porch and asked the other boys not to get too close to theskunk.

然后他爬到帳篷頂上，同時要求別的男孩們別離那只臭鼬太近。

The skunk all this time was blundering around, blindly bumping into things.

這段時間里，這只臭鼬一直在到處亂闖，在各種東西上瞎撞。

It was a pitiful sight.

真是一副可憐相。

Sam, holding his pole, waited patiently on the roof.

薩姆握著他的竿子，耐心地在篷頂等。

He looked like a fisherman waiting for a bite.

他看上去就像個等魚咬鉤的漁夫。

When the skunk wandered close to the building,

當這只臭鼬闖到帳篷附近時，

Sam reached over, dangled the noose in front of the skunk,

薩姆探出身子，把套索垂到臭鼬面前，

slipped the noose around the can, and gave a jerk.

讓它套到那個罐頭盒子上，

The noose tightened, and the can came off.

然后再猛地一拉。套索收緊了，罐頭盒子被拽了下來。

As it did so, the skunk turned around and squirted

罐頭盒子剛被拉下，臭鼬就轉身放起臭氣來

right at Mr. Brickle, who jumped back, stumbled, and fell.

正好沖著布里克先生，他忙往后跳，卻被絆了個大跟斗。

All the boys danced around, holding their noses.

所有的男孩子都在周圍捏著鼻子蹦起來。

The skunk ran off into the woods.

臭鼬跑進了森林。

Mr. Brickle got up and dusted himself off.

布里克先生站起來，撣了撣身上的土。

The air smelled strong of skunk.

空氣中有種特別濃的臭味兒。

Mr. Brickle smelled, too.

布里克先生也聞到了。

"Congratulations, Sam!" said Mr.Brickle.

“恭喜你，薩姆!”布里克先生說，

"You have aided a wild creature and have given Camp Kookooskoos a delicious dash of wildperfume.

“你救了一只野獸，又給夏令營增添了一種美妙的野獸氣息。

I'm sure we'll all remember this malodorous event for a long time to come.

我相信我們都會久久地記住這一臭氣薰天的事件的。

I don't see how we can very well forget it."

我想不出我們怎么能一下子忘記它。”

"Ko-hoh!" cried Louis, lifting his trumpet.

“吭—嗬!”路易斯舉起他的小號吹起來。

The lake echoed with the sound.

湖上蕩起了回聲。

The air was heavy with the rich, musky smell of skunk.

空中仍然有臭鼬散出的強烈麝香味。

The boys danced and danced, holding their noses.

男孩們還在捏著鼻子蹦個不停。

Some of them held their stomachs and pretended to throw up.

他們中的一些人捂住肚子在那里假裝嘔吐。

Then Mr. Brickle announced it was time for the morning swim.

這時布里克先生宣布該去晨游了。

"A swim will clear the air," he said, as he walked away toward his cottage to change his clothes.

“游泳能沖去這氣味，”他說著，走向他的小屋，去換衣服了。