牛津書蟲系列 黑駿馬 8 Earlshall Park

8 Earlshall Park

8 沙爾伯爵莊園

I lived at Birtwick Park for three happy years，but then changes came.Our mistress was often ill and the doctor advised her to go and live in a warm country for two or three years.Everyone was very sorry，but the master immediately started making arrangements to leave England.

我在伯特威克莊園過了快樂的3年，然后變故來了。我們的女主人經(jīng)常生病，醫(yī)生建議她去一個(gè)溫暖的國家呆兩三年。每個(gè)人都很難過，但是主人立刻著手安排離開英國。

John did his work silently and sadly，and Joe didn't sing any more.Then we heard that the master had sold Ginger and me to an old friend of his，Lord Gray.Merrylegs was given to the neighbour，Mr Blomefield，and Joe was employed to look after him.John was offered several good jobs but he wanted to wait and look around.

約翰沉默而難過地做他的事，喬也不再唱歌了。接著我們聽說主人把金兒和我賣給了他的一個(gè)老朋友，格雷勛爵。樂腿兒給了鄰居布勞姆菲爾德家，喬被雇去照料他。主人給約翰找了好幾個(gè)好工作，然而他想再等等看。

'I want to train young horses，'he told the master.

“我想訓(xùn)練年輕的馬，”他告訴主人說。

'I cannot think of anyone more suitable for that work than you，John，'said the master.'If I can help you in any way，write to me.'

“我簡直想不出別人有誰比你更適合這工作，約翰，”主人說，“如果有什么地方需要我?guī)椭?，給我寫信。”

The next morning，John took Ginger and me to Earlshall Park where Lord Gray lived.There was a very fine house and lots of stables.John asked for Mr York，who was going to be our new driver.

第二天一早，約翰把我和金兒帶到格雷勛爵住的沙爾伯爵莊園。那兒有一幢非常漂亮的大房子和許多馬廄。約翰找了約克先生，他是我們的新車夫。

Mr York was a good-looking man of about forty，with a voice that expected to be obeyed.He called a groom to take us to our boxes，then invited John to have a drink with him.We were taken to a pleasant stable and put in boxes next to one another，then we were groomed and fed.Half an hour later，John and Mr York came to see us.

約克先生約四十歲，長相英俊，語氣中含有權(quán)威感。他叫一個(gè)馬夫帶我們?nèi)ヱR廄，然后請約翰去喝一杯。我們被帶到一個(gè)漂亮的馬廄，欄廂互相挨著，然后洗了澡，吃了飯。半小時(shí)以后，約翰和約克先生來看我們。

Mr York looked at us carefully.'Is there anything you want to mention about them，Mr Manly?'he said.

約克先生仔細(xì)地看著我們。“曼利先生，關(guān)于他們您還有什么要交待的嗎?”

'I don't believe there's a better pair of horses in the coun-try，'said John，'but they're not alike.The black one has the most perfect temper I've ever known.The other was badly treated before she came to us，but has grown better-tempered in the last three years.We've never used a bearing rein with either of them.'

“在這一帶您找不到比他們更棒的兩匹馬了，”約翰說，“但是他們并不相同。黑色的這匹是我所見過的馬中脾氣最好的。另一匹來我們這兒以前，曾受過虐待，但是這3年脾氣也變好了。我對他們從不用繩套。”

'They'll wear one here，'said York.'Lady Gray follows the fashion，and if her horses are not reined up tight，she doesn't like it.'

“在這兒他們得戴上，”約克說，“格雷夫人緊跟潮流，如果她的馬不被緊緊地勒住，她會不喜歡的。”

'I'm sorry to hear that，'said John.He came to pat each of us for the last time.I held my face close to him，which was all I could do to say goodbye.And then he was gone，and I have never seen him since.

“真遺憾，”約翰說。他走上前來最后一次挨個(gè)拍了拍我們。我把臉湊近他，我只能這樣道再見了。然后他走了，從那以后我再也沒見過他。

Lord Gray came to look at us the next day and seemed pleased.He heard what John had said about us.'Keep an eye on the mare，'he said to York.'Don't make the bearing rein too tight at first，and I'll mention it to my wife.'

格雷勛爵第二天來看我們，他好像挺高興。他聽了約翰對我們的描述。“對母馬注意點(diǎn)兒，”他對約克說，“一上來別把繩套勒得太緊，我也會對太太說的。”

In the afternoon，we were harnessed to the carriage and La-dy Gray came out and looked at us.She was a tall，proud-look-ing woman and did not look pleased，but she said nothing and got into the carriage.

下午，我們被套上車，格雷夫人出來看了看我們。她是一個(gè)高高的、表情傲慢的女人，看上去不是很高興，但她沒吱聲就鉆進(jìn)了馬車。

The bearing rein annoyed me but did not pull my head any higher than I was used to carrying it.I was worried about Gin- ger，but she seemed quite happy.

繩套弄得我挺煩，不過倒沒把我的頭拉高到不舒服的地步。我為金兒擔(dān)心，但她看上去倒還開心。

But the next afternoon when Lady Gray came down the steps，she said，'York，you must put those horses'heads higher;they don't look nice.'

可是第二天下午格雷夫人走下臺階時(shí)說：“約克，你必須把馬頭弄得高一點(diǎn)兒，他們看上去可不好看。”

'I'm sorry，my Lady，'said York，'but they have not been reined up for three years.But if it pleases you，I can take them up a little more.'

“對不起，夫人，”約克說，“可是他們有3年沒被勒過了。不過如果您喜歡這樣，我會讓他們抬高一點(diǎn)兒的。”

'Do that，'she said.

“那就抬高吧，”她說。

That day we had to pull the carriage up a steep hill.I want-ed to put my head forward to make the work easier，but I couldn't.

那天我們得拉車爬一座很陡的小山。我想探頭向前使勁，可是做不到。

'Now you can see what it's like，'said Ginger，when we came back.'If it doesn't get any worse，I shall say nothing.But I won't have the rein pulled up tight!'

“現(xiàn)在你知道這滋味了吧，”回來時(shí)，金兒對我說，“如果不會更糟，那我就什么也不表示，但是我可不愿被韁繩緊緊地勒起來!”

Each day the bearing reins were shortened a little more;then one day Lady Gray came out later than usual and said，'York，when will you get those horses'heads up?Pull them up at once，and let's have no arguing.'

每天繩套都勒得更緊一點(diǎn)兒。然后有一天，格雷太太出來得比平時(shí)晚，她說：“約克，你什么時(shí)候才能讓馬抬起頭來?立刻拉起來，別再爭論了。”

York came to me first and made the rein very tight.Then he went to Ginger.But the moment he took off the rein in order to shorten it，she stood up on her back legs.York and the groom could not control her.She kicked herself out of the car-riage and fell down，kicking me on the leg as she went.York sat on her head to keep her still and shouted，'Let the black horse out!Undo the carriage!Cut the harness! '

約克先過來把我的繩套勒得非常緊，然后他走向金兒。可是他剛一拆下繩套，準(zhǔn)備縮短，金兒便后腿直立起來。約克和馬夫控制不住她。她從車?yán)飹昝摮鰜?，摔倒在地，其間還踢了我的腿一下。約克騎在她頭上讓她動彈不得，并喊道：“把黑馬弄出來，卸下馬車，把繩子砍斷!”

The groom cut me out of the harness and hurried me back to my box，then ran back to York.I was angry and my leg hurt，and I felt that I wanted to kick the first person who came near me.

馬夫砍斷繩子，把我趕回圍欄，然后跑回約克那兒，我很生氣，腿也疼，這時(shí)誰靠近我，我就想踢誰。

Soon after，Ginger was led in by two grooms.York was with her and came to look at me.

很快，金兒被兩個(gè)馬夫牽進(jìn)來。約克和她一道進(jìn)來，他過來看我。

'I knew those bearing reins would cause trouble，'he said to himself.He saw where I had been kicked and washed the place gently with hot water to help the pain.

“我就知道那些繩套會惹麻煩，”他自言自語。他看著我被踢傷的地方，并用熱水輕輕地沖洗傷口，以止住疼痛。

Lord Gray was angry when he heard what had happened.He blamed York for taking orders from the mistress，and York said that he would take orders only from Lord Gray himself from now on.But things went on the same as before，except that Ginger was never put into the carriage again.I pulled it with a horse called Max who was used to the tight rein.But those four months pulling Lady Gray's carriage were terrible.The sharp bit cut into my tongue and mouth，the rein hurt my neck and made it difficult to breathe，and I felt tired and very miserable.

格雷勛爵聽說這事后很生氣。他責(zé)備約克聽了女主人的話。約克說今后他只聽格雷勛爵一人的命令。但是一切如常。只是金兒不再被套上馬車了。我和另一匹挺習(xí)慢繩套的叫馬格斯的馬一起拉車?？墒?，給格雷太太拉車的4個(gè)月真是糟透了。鋒利的嚼口切進(jìn)我的舌頭和嘴巴，繩套勒傷了我的脖子，我呼吸困難，疲憊不堪，境況悲慘。

In the spring，Lord Gray and some of his family went up to London and took York with them.Two daughters remained at the Hall.Lady Harriet never went out in the carriage，and Lady Anne preferred riding on horseback with her brother or cousins.She chose me for her horse and I enjoyed these rides，sometimes with Ginger，sometimes with Lizzie，a horse liked by the young gentlemen.

春天，格雷勛爵和家人去倫敦，約克隨行。兩個(gè)女兒留在家里。哈麗埃特小姐從不坐車出行，安小姐則最喜歡和兄弟們騎馬出游。她挑我做她的坐騎，我也喜歡這種游玩，有時(shí)和金兒一起，有時(shí)和麗奇一起。年輕的先生們喜歡騎麗奇。

There was a gentleman called Blantyre staying at the Hall，who always rode Lizzie and was so pleased with her that Lady Anne wanted to try her.

有一個(gè)年輕人，叫布蘭太爾，他留在大宅里。他一直非常喜歡騎麗奇，引得安小姐也想試試。

'I don't advise it，'said Blantyre.'She's too easily fright-ened for a lady to ride.'

“你最好別騎，”布蘭太爾說，“她太容易受驚嚇了，不適合小姐騎。”

'My dear cousin，'said Lady Anne，laughing，'I've been rid-ing horses since I was a baby and have followed the hounds many times.Now，help me up.'

“親愛的表哥，”安小姐大笑著說，“我還是小寶寶時(shí)就開始騎馬了，還參加過許多次打獵。來，幫我上馬。”

So Blantyre helped her into the saddle，then climbed on me.Just as we were moving off，Lady Harriet asked for a message to be taken to Dr Ashley in the village.

布蘭太爾只好幫她跨上馬鞍，然后他騎上我。正當(dāng)我們要出發(fā)時(shí)，哈麗埃特小姐來請我們帶一封信給住在村子里的阿什萊大夫。

The village was about two kilometres away，and the doctor's house was the last one in it.Blantyre got off to open the gate for Lady Anne but she said，'I'll wait here for you.'

村子在兩公里以外，醫(yī)生的房子在盡頭。布蘭太爾下馬去為安小姐開門，可是她說：“我在這兒等你。”

He went off and we waited.

他就一個(gè)人去了，我們在原地等著。

There was a field with an open gate on the opposite side of the road，and at that moment some young horses came trotting out.They were wild and excited，and there was a boy behind them，waving a large whip.Suddenly，one of the young horses ran across the road，and banged into Lizzie's back legs.She gave a violent kick，nearly unseating Lady Anne，and immedi-ately galloped away at full speed.

路對面有一塊田地，大門是敞開的，有一些年青的馬小跑著撒歡兒。他們野性十足，神情興奮，有一個(gè)男孩揮舞著長鞭跟在后面。突然一匹馬跑過公路，撞著了麗奇的后腿。她猛地尥了個(gè)蹶子，險(xiǎn)些把安小姐掀下來，然后立刻開始全速狂奔。

I gave a loud neigh for help and made a noise with my feet until Mr Blantyre came running out of the doctor's house.He saw Lizzie and Lady Anne，now far away down the road，and quickly jumped into the saddle，and we raced after them.

我長嘶了一聲，并用腳刨地發(fā)出聲音，直到布蘭太爾先生從醫(yī)生家里跑出來。他看見了麗奇和安小姐，她們現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)在路的盡頭了。他立刻跳上馬鞍，我們追了過去。

For about two kilometres the road was straight，then it turned to the right before becoming two roads.Long before we came to the bend，Lady Anne was out of sight.Which way had she gone?A woman was in her garden，looking up the road.'Which way?'shouted Blantyre.

有兩公里的路是直的，然后右轉(zhuǎn)，再分岔。我們離轉(zhuǎn)彎還很遠(yuǎn)時(shí)，已經(jīng)看不到安了。她走了哪條路呢?一個(gè)婦女站在她的花園中，抬頭看著大道。“哪條路?”布蘭太爾喊道。

'To the right!'cried the woman.

“右邊!”婦女喊。

Away we went，up the right-hand road.We saw her for a moment，then she was gone again round another bend.Several times we saw her，but lost her again.Then we came to some rough land，very uneven and full of holes in the ground-the worst possible place for galloping.

我們轉(zhuǎn)向右邊的路。又看見她了，但接著她又在另一個(gè)彎道處消失了。有好幾次我們看見了她，接著又看不見了。后來我們來到一片坑坑洼洼的地帶，非常不平坦，地面上還有許多坑——是最不適合于疾馳的地方。

On this open ground we could now see Lady Anne clearly，her long hair flying out behind her in the wind，and slowly we began to catch up.There was a wide ditch ahead and I was sure it would stop them，but without a pause Lizzie jumped it—and fell.

在這片開闊地帶，我們現(xiàn)在又能清楚地看到安小姐了，她的長發(fā)在背后飄揚(yáng)在風(fēng)中。慢慢地，我們趕了上去。前方有一條很寬的壕溝，我肯定那溝能截住他們，可是麗奇停也沒停就跳了過去，然后摔倒在地上。

I cleared the ditch and landed safely.Lady Anne was lying on the ground，not moving.Blantyre jumped down beside her and called her name，but there was no reply.Her face was white and her eyes were closed.

我躍過壕溝并安全著地。安小姐躺在地上一動不動。布蘭太爾跳下馬蹲在她身旁叫著她的名字，可是沒有回應(yīng)。她臉色蒼白，雙眼緊閉。

'Annie，dear Annie，do speak!'he cried.

“安妮，親愛的安妮，說話呀!”他喊著。

There were two men cutting grass close by and they saw Lizzie galloping away without a rider and came across.

近處有兩個(gè)男人正在割草，他們看見背上無人的麗奇跑掉了，忙趕了過來。

'Can you ride?'Blantyre asked one of them.

“你會騎馬嗎?”布蘭太爾問其中的一個(gè)。

'I'm not a good horseman，sir，'he said.'But I'll do my best.'

“我騎得不好，先生。”他說，“但我會盡力的。”

'Ride this horse to the doctor's and ask him to come imme-diately，then go on to the Hall，'said Blantyre.'Tell them all you know and ask them to send a carriage.'

“騎這匹馬去醫(yī)生那兒，叫他馬上來，然后再去大宅，”布蘭太爾說，“告訴他們你看到的一切，讓他們帶輛馬車來。”

The man climbed into my saddle and we galloped off.I tried not to shake him about too much，and he soon discovered that he needed no whip.

那人上了我的鞍，我們就飛奔而去。我盡量不使他搖晃得太厲害，他也很快發(fā)現(xiàn)對我根本不需用鞭子。

There was a lot of excitement at the Hall when they heard what happened.I was put into my box，the saddle and bridle were taken off and a cloth was thrown over me.

家里的人聽說了發(fā)生的事情，都非常震驚。我被帶回馬廄，馬鞍和籠頭被卸了下來，一塊布扔了過來蓋在我身上。

Two days later，Blantyre came and patted me.

兩天后，布蘭太爾過來拍了拍我。

'You did well，'he said.'I'm sure you knew Annie was in danger.She must ride only you from now on.'

“你干得不錯(cuò)，”他說，“我敢肯定當(dāng)時(shí)你知道安妮有危險(xiǎn)。從今往后只許她騎你。”

From this I knew that my young mistress was out of danger and would soon be able to ride again.

從這話我判斷出我年輕的女主人已經(jīng)脫離了危險(xiǎn)，而且很快就可以騎馬了。