美国小学英语教材6:第16课 森林恐怖之王(5)

 　　We began to glance over our shoulders rather cautiously. 我们谨慎地观察着周边情况。

　　Only fifteen minutes more in which it would be possible to shoot, I thought, glancing at my wrist watch. 我看了一下表，再过15分钟就没法打猎了。

　　It was just five forty-five. I was at the blind, peering through the peephole at Herbert's side, 现在是5点45分，我们在黑暗中，我通过哈波特边上的窥视镜向外看，

　　and Herbert was directly behind me, sitting down. There was a feeling in the air that the day was done. 哈波特就在我后面坐着，空气中弥漫着一种感觉，这一天过去了。

　　And then, as I looked out, realizing that every moment was slipping by 我向外看，发现每分每秒都在远离我们，

　　bearing away forever the chances it might have held. I saw something. 机会正在远离我们，这时我看到了什么东西。

　　Out of the wall of distant shadows came a gleam of gold and black, 在远处的黑影中，我看到金色和黑色在闪烁，

　　vivid as lightning against the green, and the tiger walked out of the jungle! 在绿色的映衬下十分耀眼，老虎从森林里走出！

　　Never in my life had I seen such a picture. Elephants by moonlight, lions at dawn, gorillas¹ at blazing noon I had seen, 我这一生从未见过这样的画面，月光下的大象，黎明时分的狮子，耀眼午后的大猩猩，

　　but nothing was ever so beautiful and so glorious as that tiger walking out of his jungle. 但没有什么可以与老虎走出森林相媲美，这太壮观了。

　　He was everything that was wild and savage², lordly and sinister³. 它看起来非常凶猛，凶神恶煞。

　　For a moment I could imagine I was dreaming. 那时我在想我是不是在做梦。

　　He stood clearly outlined against the background of the forest, and he looked enormous. 它在森林的大背景下，四肢非常清晰，他看起来硕大无比。

　　The great striped roundness of him was like a barrel. 圆形斑纹看起来像枪管。

　　Then he moved, and seemed to flow along the ground, nearer and nearer. 之后他移动了，似乎像流水般移动，越来越近，越来越近。

　　He stopped, and looked up at our bush. I could hardly breathe. 他停下了，抬头向我们这里看去，我无法呼吸。

　　If he should take alarm! He stared with a threatening look; 他是不是警惕起来了，他突然出现了威胁的目光，

　　then, as if satisfied, he turned his head toward the dead buffalo⁴ and walked over toward it. 之后心满意足的，他朝着死水牛的方向走去。

　　Then I dared let the leaf go back into place while I turned to Herbert behind me. 随后，我勇敢地将叶子放回原处，转过身冲着我身后的哈波特。

　　My lips formed Tiger here and over Herbert's face came a look of deepest pity. 我的嘴唇出现了“老虎”一词的形状，而哈波特表现出了深深的同情。

　　Poor girl he thought. She has dreamed tigers and she has looked for tigers and now she thinks she is seeing them! 他一定在想可怜的姑娘，她一直在想着老虎，一直在找寻老虎，而如今她以为她看到了。

　　Then his face changed. He rose, and I moved to his side as he stepped forward to his place. 之后他的脸色变了，他站起来，回到他的位置，我也走到他身边。

　　Noiselessly we lifted the leaves over our peepholes and raised our guns to fill the opening. 无声地，我们掀起了遮挡窥视镜的叶子，抬起枪对准那片空地。

1 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

3 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

4 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。