評論
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"How is it now?" he answered anxiously, for she was still rubbing the tousy golden curls which covered the back of her head.
"現在怎么樣了？"他焦急地問道，因為她還在揉著腦后的蓬亂的金黃色頭發。
"Kiss it and make it well," she said, with perfect gravity, showing the injured part up to him.
"你吻吻這里就好了，"她認真地說，并且就把頭上碰著的地方指給他看，
"That's what mother used to do. Where's mother?"
"媽媽總是這樣做的。媽媽哪里去了？"
"Mother's gone. I guess you'll see her before long."
"媽媽已經走了。我想你不久就會見到她了"
"Gone, eh!" said the little girl.
小女孩說："什么，走了嗎？
"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，她還沒有和我說再見呢。她以前每次到姑母家吃茶去的時候總要說一聲的。可是這回她都走了三天了。
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？難道這里吃的喝的都沒有嗎？"
"No, there ain't nothing, dearie. You'll just need to be patient awhile, and then you'll be all right.
"沒有，什么也沒有，親愛的。只要你暫時忍一忍，過一會兒就會好的。
Put your head up ag'in me like that, and then you'll feel bullier.
你把頭靠在我身上，啊，就這樣你就會舒服些了。
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樣了，說話都有些費勁兒，但是我想我還是把真實情況告訴你吧。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."
小女孩拿起兩塊云母石片給他看，高興地說："多漂亮啊！真好！回家我就把它送給小弟弟鮑伯。"
"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?"
大人確信不疑地說："不久你就會看到比這更漂亮的東西了。等一會兒。剛才我正要告訴你，你還記得咱們離開那條河的情形嗎？"
"Oh, yes."
"哦，記得。"
"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，當時咱們估計不久就會再碰到另一條河。明白嗎？可是不知道什么東西出了毛病。是羅盤呢，還是地圖，或是別的什么出了毛病，以后就再也沒有找到河了。
Water ran out. Just except a little drop for the likes of you, and–and– –"
水喝完了，只剩下一點點，留給象你這樣的孩子們喝。后來——后來——"
"And you couldn't wash yourself," interrupted his companion gravely, staring up at his grimy visage.
"你連臉都不能洗了，"他的小伙伴嚴肅地說，打斷了他的話頭。同時，她抬起頭來望著他那張骯臟的臉。
"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."
"不但不能洗臉，連喝的也沒有了。后來本德先生第一個走了，隨后是印第安人品特，接著就是麥克格瑞哥太太、江尼·宏斯，再后，親愛的，就是你的媽媽了。"
"Then mother's a deader too," cried the little girl, dropping her face in her pinafore and sobbing bitterly.
"這么說，媽媽也死了。"小女孩哭著說，一面用圍嘴蒙著臉，痛哭起來。
"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.
"對了，他們都走了，只剩下你和我。后來我想也許這邊可能找到水。于是我就把你背在肩上，咱們兩個人就一步一步地前進。
It don't seem as though we've improved matters. There's an almighty small chance for us now!"
看來情形還是沒有好轉。咱們現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.
孩子停止了哭聲，仰起淌滿淚水的臉問道，"你是說咱們也要死了嗎？"
"I guess that's about the size of it."
"我想大概是到了這個地步了。"
"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."
小女孩開心地笑著說："為什么你剛才不早點說呢？你嚇了我一大跳。你看，不是嗎，只要咱們也死了，咱們就能又和媽媽在一起了。"
"Yes, you will, dearie."
"對，一定能，小寶貝兒。"
"And you too. I'll tell her how awful good you've been.
"你也會見到她的。我要告訴媽媽，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?"
我敢說，她一定會在天國的門口迎接咱們，還拿著一大壺水，還有好多蕎麥餅，熱氣騰騰，兩面都烤得焦黃焦黃的，就象我和鮑伯所愛吃的那樣。可是咱們還要多久才能死呢？"
"I don't know–not very long." The man's eyes were fixed upon the northern horizon.
"我不知道...不會太久了。"這時，大人一面說著，一面凝視著北方的地平線。
