【荆棘鸟】第四章 11

   帆布水袋给他们解了渴；随后他们卷起烟来。

　　离他们不远的地方，有一棵孤零零的芸香树，拉尔夫神父用烟指了指它。

　　"到那儿去睡觉吧，"地说着，解开了毯子，拾起了马鞍。

　　弗兰克跟着他走到了那棵树下，在澳大利亚的这一地区，普遍认为这是最美丽的树了。树叶浓密，呈浅绿色，树形几乎是正圆形的。叶子离地面很近，连绵羊都能轻而易举地够着，结果，每一棵芸香树的底部都像修剪过的树篱似的边缘平直。要是下起雨来，他们躲在这种树下会比躲在其它任何树下都能得到更好的庇护，因为澳大利亚树木的簇叶一般来说不如潮湿地带的树林长得稠密。

　　"弗兰克，你感到不幸福吧？"拉尔夫神父叹了口气躺下来，又卷了一支烟，问道。

　　弗兰克在离他几英尺的地方转过身来，疑虑重重地望着他。"什么是幸福呢？"

　　"眼下，你父亲和你弟弟是幸福的。可你、你母亲和你妹妹不幸福，你不喜欢澳大利亚吗？"

　　"我不喜欢这个地方。我想到悉尼去。在那儿兴许能有机会干出点名堂来。"

　　"悉尼吗？那是个藏污纳垢的地方。"拉尔夫神父笑了笑。

　　"我不在乎！在这儿，我还不是跟在新西兰一样被钉得死死的。我没法摆脱开他。"

　　"他？"

　　可是，弗兰克是无意中溜出口的，因此不愿再多说了。他躺了下来。望着头顶的树叶。

　　"你多大了，弗兰克？"

　　"二十一。"

　　"噢，这么大了！你离开过家里人吗？"

　　"没有。"

　　"你去跳过舞，交过女朋友吗？"

　　"没有。"弗兰克不想和他深谈自己的事。

　　"那他留你不会太久了。"

　　"他要把我拴到死。"

　　拉尔夫神父打了个呵欠，定下心来睡觉。"晚安，"他说道。

　　早晨，云层压得愈加低了，但是整个白天雨却没有下下来，他们把第二个围栏也清完了。从德罗海达的东北到西南有一条不高的山脊，牲畜全部都集中到了这一带的围栏里。要是小河和巴温河的水涨过河槽的话，在这里还可以找到更高一些的地面。

　　天快黑的时候，雨下来了。这时，弗兰克和神父正匆忙地往牧羊工头屋下那条河中可以涉水而过的地方紧赶着。

　　"现在担心跑垮了马是没用的！

 

Thirst was slaked¹ from a canvas water bag, then cigarettes rolled.

  A lone² wilga tree stood nearby; Father Ralph indicated it with his cigarette.

  "That's the spot to sleep," he said, unstrapping his blanket and picking up his saddle.

  Frank followed him to the tree, commonly held the most beautiful in this part of

Australia. Its leaves were dense⁴ and a pale lime green, its shape almost perfectly⁵ rounded.

The foliage⁶ grew so close to the ground that sheep could reach it easily, the result being

that every wilga bottom was mown as straight as a topiary hedge. If the rain began they

would have more shelter under it than any other tree, for Australian trees were generally

thinner of foliage than the trees of wetter lands.

  "You're not happy, Frank, are you?" Father Ralph asked, lying down with a sigh and

rolling another smoke.

  From his position a couple of feet away Frank turned to look at him suspiciously. "What's happy?"

  "At the moment, your father and brothers. But not you, not your mother, and not your

sister. Don't you like Australia?"

  "Not this bit of it. I want to go to Sydney. I might have a chance there to mak something of myself."

  "Sydney, eh? It's a den³ of iniquity⁷." Father Ralph was smiling. "I don't care! Out here

I'm stuck the same way I was in New Zealand; I can't get away from him."

  "Him?"

  But Frank had not meant to say it, and would say no more. He lay looking up at the

leaves.

  "How old are you, Frank?" "Twenty-two." "Oh, yes! Have you ever been away from your people?"

  No.

  "Have you even been to a dance, had a girlfriend?" "No." Frank refused to give him his title.

  "Then he'll not hold you much longer."

  "He'll hold me until I die."

  Father Ralph yawned, and composed himself for sleep. "Good night," he said. In the

morning the clouds were lower, but the rain held off all day and they got the second

paddock cleared. A slight ridge⁸ ran clear across Drogheda from northeast to southwest; it was in these paddocks the stock were concentrated, where they had higher ground to seek if the water rose above the escarpments of the creek⁹ and the Barwon.

  The rain began almost on nightfall, as Frank and the priest hurried at a fast trot¹⁰ toward

the creek ford¹¹ below the head stockman's house. "No use worrying about blowing them now!"

1 slaked   

v.满足( slake的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I slaked my thirst with three cans of Coke. 我喝了3罐可乐解渴。 来自辞典例句
• We returned to the barn and slaked our thirst with tea. 我们回到谷仓，饮茶解渴。 来自辞典例句

2 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

3 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

4 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

5 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

6 foliage   

n.叶子，树叶，簇叶

参考例句：

• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage.小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
• Dark foliage clothes the hills.浓密的树叶覆盖着群山。

7 iniquity   

n.邪恶；不公正

参考例句：

• Research has revealed that he is a monster of iniquity.调查结果显示他是一个不法之徒。
• The iniquity of the transaction aroused general indignation.这笔交易的不公引起了普遍的愤怒。

8 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

9 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

10 trot   

n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧

参考例句：

• They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
• The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。

11 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。