美国小学英语教材6:第18课 森林恐怖之王(7)

 　　The end of a terrible killer¹ 可怕杀手的终结

　　Now we had been warned not to follow a wounded tiger, but to wait a few hours and then track him. 我们被警告不要跟踪一只受伤的老虎，要等待几小时再跟踪。

　　It was good advice, but this was a case not for advice but for action. 这是好主意，但现在需要行动而不是主意。

　　It was darkening each instant, and there was no time to waste. 天逐渐变黑，我们没时间了。

　　So down we went through that long grass, step by step, watching each side for there might be a tigress anywhere. 我们沿着长长的草行走，一步一步，观察每一边寻找雌老虎。

　　We came to the buffalo² and followed the flattened³ grass trail leading back into the jungle. 我们来到水牛的位置，沿着压平的草坪进入森林。

　　It was dim in there, but there was light enough to see. The tiger was lying stretched out, 这里光线很暗，但足可以看见，老虎伸着身子躺在那里，

　　about fifty yards from the buffalo. As we came up, he roared with fury, dying as he was. 距离水牛50码的地方，当我们走进它时，虽然它已奄奄一息，但还是低声怒吼。

　　Every night of his life he had fed on some defenseless creature, and now a sudden, 它每晚都会食用一些毫无反抗能力的动物，如今一次猛烈的，

　　sharp blow had struck him down. He had been terrible in life, and he was terrible in death. 快速的袭击击倒了它，活着让人畏惧，死时也同样如此。

　　With guns ready, we stood watching that last moment of his life, 我们举着枪，站在那里看着它生命的最后时刻，

　　keeping ourselves on guard for the possible tigress. 自己保持警戒，以防其它雌老虎。

　　The native tracker had heard the shooting from the top of the ravine where he had come out to wait for us, 当地的追踪者听到山涧上方有枪声，他早已在那里等着我们，

　　and now he and his men came stealing in to us, the tracker with his own gun alert, for he, too, feared a tigress. 如今，他和他的同伴尾随我们而来，追踪者拿着枪，他也害怕这只雌老虎。

　　When they were quite sure the tiger was dead, 当他们确定它真的死了时，

　　they all took hold of that great barrel of a body and staggered with it into the open. 他们抬起重重的尸体，摇摇晃晃地走进空地。

　　It was all the eight men could do to carry it. 所有八个人一起抬。

　　He was a huge beast, big and fat, with a gorgeous skin. One shoulder, the left, was smashed from Herbert's bullet. 它是个巨大的野兽，又大又肥，靓丽的皮毛，左边的肩膀被哈波特的子弹击碎。

　　But my shot had gone to its mark, straight through the black stripe into the backbone⁴. 我的子弹进入了它的身体，从黑色条纹进入了脊椎骨。

　　That tiger was a dead tiger the instant he fell, 老虎刚一倒地就死了，

　　yet such was his dying strength that he had pushed himself fifty yards downhill into the jungle. 但它用最后的力气下山进入森林，并走了50码。

1 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

2 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。

3 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

4 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。