血字的研究 45沙漠中的旅客(3)（在线收听）

"How is it now?" he answered anxiously, for she was still rubbing the tousy golden curls which covered the back of her head.

"现在怎么样了？"他焦急地问道，因为她还在揉着脑后的蓬乱的金黄色头发。

"Kiss it and make it well," she said, with perfect gravity, showing the injured part up to him.

"你吻吻这里就好了，"她认真地说，并且就把头上碰着的地方指给他看，

"That's what mother used to do. Where's mother?"

"妈妈总是这样做的。妈妈哪里去了？"

"Mother's gone. I guess you'll see her before long."

"妈妈已经走了。我想你不久就会见到她了"

"Gone, eh!" said the little girl.

小女孩说："什么，走了吗？

"Funny, she didn't say good-bye; she 'most always did if she was just goin' over to auntie's for tea, and now she's been away three days.

真奇怪，她还没有和我说再见呢。她以前每次到姑母家吃茶去的时候总要说一声的。可是这回她都走了三天了。

Say, it's awful dry, ain't it? Ain't there no water nor nothing to eat?"

喂，嘴干得要命，是不是？难道这里吃的喝的都没有吗？"

"No, there ain't nothing, dearie. You'll just need to be patient awhile, and then you'll be all right.

"没有，什么也没有，亲爱的。只要你暂时忍一忍，过一会儿就会好的。

Put your head up ag'in me like that, and then you'll feel bullier.

你把头靠在我身上，啊，就这样你就会舒服些了。

It ain't easy to talk when your lips is like leather, but I guess I'd best let you know how the cards lie. What's that you've got?"

我的嘴唇也干得象皮革一样了，说话都有些费劲儿，但是我想我还是把真实情况告诉你吧。你手里拿的什么？"

"Pretty things! fine things!" cried the little girl enthusiastically, holding up two glittering fragments of mica. "When we goes back to home I'll give them to brother Bob."

小女孩拿起两块云母石片给他看，高兴地说："多漂亮啊！真好！回家我就把它送给小弟弟鲍伯。"

"You'll see prettier things than them soon," said the man confidently. "You just wait a bit. I was going to tell you though–you remember when we left the river?"

大人确信不疑地说："不久你就会看到比这更漂亮的东西了。等一会儿。刚才我正要告诉你，你还记得咱们离开那条河的情形吗？"

"Oh, yes."

"哦，记得。"

"Well, we reckoned we'd strike another river soon, d'ye see. But there was somethin' wrong; compasses, or map, or somethin', and it didn't turn up.

"好，当时咱们估计不久就会再碰到另一条河。明白吗？可是不知道什么东西出了毛病。是罗盘呢，还是地图，或是别的什么出了毛病，以后就再也没有找到河了。

Water ran out. Just except a little drop for the likes of you, and–and– –"

水喝完了，只剩下一点点，留给象你这样的孩子们喝。后来——后来——"

"And you couldn't wash yourself," interrupted his companion gravely, staring up at his grimy visage.

"你连脸都不能洗了，"他的小伙伴严肃地说，打断了他的话头。同时，她抬起头来望着他那张肮脏的脸。

"No, nor drink. And Mr. Bender, he was the fust to go, and then Indian Pete, and then Mrs. McGregor, and then Johnny Hones, and then, dearie, your mother."

"不但不能洗脸，连喝的也没有了。后来本德先生第一个走了，随后是印第安人品特，接着就是麦克格瑞哥太太、江尼·宏斯，再后，亲爱的，就是你的妈妈了。"

"Then mother's a deader too," cried the little girl, dropping her face in her pinafore and sobbing bitterly.

"这么说，妈妈也死了。"小女孩哭着说，一面用围嘴蒙着脸，痛哭起来。

"Yes, they all went except you and me. Then I thought there was some chance of water in this direction, so I heaved you over my shoulder and we tramped it together.

"对了，他们都走了，只剩下你和我。后来我想也许这边可能找到水。于是我就把你背在肩上，咱们两个人就一步一步地前进。

It don't seem as though we've improved matters. There's an almighty small chance for us now!"

看来情形还是没有好转。咱们现在活下去的希望很小了！"

"Do you mean that we are going to die too?" asked the child, checking her sobs, and raising her tear-stained face.

孩子停止了哭声，仰起淌满泪水的脸问道，"你是说咱们也要死了吗？"

"I guess that's about the size of it."

"我想大概是到了这个地步了。"

"Why didn't you say so before?" she said, laughing gleefully. "You gave me such a fright. Why, of course, now as long as we die we'll be with mother again."

小女孩开心地笑着说："为什么你刚才不早点说呢？你吓了我一大跳。你看，不是吗，只要咱们也死了，咱们就能又和妈妈在一起了。"

"Yes, you will, dearie."

"对，一定能，小宝贝儿。"

"And you too. I'll tell her how awful good you've been.

"你也会见到她的。我要告诉妈妈，你待我太好了。

I'll bet she meets us at the door of heaven with a big pitcher of water, and a lot of buckwheat cakes, hot, and toasted on both sides, like Bob and me was fond of. How long will it be first?"

我敢说，她一定会在天国的门口迎接咱们，还拿着一大壶水，还有好多荞麦饼，热气腾腾，两面都烤得焦黄焦黄的，就象我和鲍伯所爱吃的那样。可是咱们还要多久才能死呢？"

"I don't know–not very long." The man's eyes were fixed upon the northern horizon.

"我不知道...不会太久了。"这时，大人一面说着，一面凝视着北方的地平线。