《风语河岸柳》第6章 癞蛤蟆地冒险经历(3)

So far everything was going well for Toad¹.

到目前为止，一切都很顺利。

The train hurried through the night, taking him away from the hateful prison.

火车穿过黑夜向前奔驰，带他远离了这可憎的牢狱。

But Toad's luck didn't last for long.

但癞蛤蟆的好运没有维持多久。

There came a moment when the engine-driver put his head out of the window and looked back.

有那么一会儿，司机将他的头伸出窗外，向后看了看。

'That's strange, 'he said. 'There's a train behind us, coming up very fast.

这很奇怪，他说，我们后面有辆火车，开得飞快。

I can see it in the moonlight. I think they're chasing² us! I wonder what…'And then the engine-driver gave Toad a long hard look.

我能借着月光看见它，我想他们是在追赶我们！我想知道…然后司机把不解的眼光盯在癞蛤蟆的脸上。

So Toad had to tell the true story of his crime³ and his escape.

癞蛤蟆不得不告诉他自己是怎样犯罪的，又是怎样逃出来的。

The engine-driver looked very serious.

司机看起来很严肃，

He thought for a bit, then said, 'I don't like policemen telling me what to do.

他略想了一下，然后说：我不喜欢警察告诉我该怎么做。

And I don't like to see an animal crying.

我也不喜欢看动物哭。

So cheer up, Toad! This is what we'll do. In a mile or two the train goes through a wood.

振作起来，癞蛤螟！这才是我们该做的。

I'll slow down there, and you'll be able to jump off the train and get away in the dark. '

过一、二英里，火车要经过一片树林。到那儿我会把速度放慢，你就可以跳下火车趁天黑逃走。

Half an hour later both trains had disappeared into the night, and Toad was hiding under some dead leaves in the middle of a strange wood.

半小时后，两辆火车都消失在夜幕里。癞蛤蟆藏在一片陌生树林中的一些落叶下面。

There, he fell asleep and didn't open his eyes again until early morning.

他躺在那儿不知不觉就睡着了，直到第二天清晨才睁开眼睛。

He woke up cold and hungry-but still free!

他又冷又饿—但仍是自由的！

His next adventure was with a barge⁴ on a canal⁵.

他的下一个冒险经历是在运河的一条驳船上。

He had walked out of the wood and found a road, which after a while began to run along the side of a canal.

他走出树林看见了一条路，这条路延伸到一条运河边，他便沿着运河向前跑着。

Toad liked the idea of getting a free ride, so when he saw the barge coming along the canal, he quickly jumped from the canal bank on to the end of the barge.

癞蛤蟆喜欢上了搭便车，因此当他看见一条驳船沿河开来时，他毫不犹豫地从河岸跳到船尾。

Then the barge-woman turned and saw him. Toad was ready with his story.

刚巧船婆转过身看见了他，癞蛤蟆又开始讲他的故事。

1 toad   

n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆

参考例句：

• Both the toad and frog are amphibian.蟾蜍和青蛙都是两栖动物。
• Many kinds of toad hibernate in winter.许多种蟾蜍在冬天都会冬眠。

2 chasing   

n.雕镂术，雕刻工作；车螺丝；抛光；螺旋板

参考例句：

• My dog likes chasing rabbits. 我的狗喜欢追捕兔子。
• The children were having fun, chasing each other's shadows. 孩子们追逐着彼此的影子，玩得很开心。

3 crime   

n.犯罪，罪行，罪恶

参考例句：

• You'll have to pay for your crime.你得为你的罪行付出代价。
• Crime in our big cities is on the increase.在我们大城市里犯罪率正在增长。

4 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

5 canal   

n.运河；水道；管；沟渠；vt.开运河

参考例句：

• South America is joined to North America by a canal.南美洲和北美洲由一条运河连在一起。
• The ship is sailing towards Europe through the Suez Canal.这条船正通过苏伊士运河驶往欧洲。