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All this while no more had been seen of Snowball.
這段時間里，一直都沒有再見到斯諾鮑。
He was rumored to be hiding on one of the neighboring farms, either Foxwood or Pinchfield.
有謠傳說他躲在附近的莊園里，不是在福克斯伍德莊園就是在平徹菲爾德莊園。
Napoleon was by this time on slightly better terms with the other farmers than before.
此時，拿破侖和其他莊園的關系也比以前稍微改善了些。
It happened that there was in the yard a pile of timber which had been stacked there ten years earlier when a beech spinney was cleared.
碰巧，在莊園的場院里，有一堆十年前在清理一片櫸樹林時堆在那兒的木材。
It was well seasoned, and Whymper had advised Napoleon to sell it.
這些至今已經很合用了，于是溫普爾就建議拿破侖把它賣掉。
Both Mr. Pilkington and Mr. Frederick were anxious to buy it.
皮爾金頓先生和弗雷德里克先生都十分想買。
Napoleon was hesitating between the two, unable to make up his mind.
可拿破侖還在猶豫，拿不準賣給誰好。
It was noticed that whenever he seemed on the point of coming to an agreement with Frederick, Snowball was declared to be in hiding at Foxwood,
大家注意到，每當他似乎要和弗雷德里克先生達成協議的時候，就有謠傳說斯諾鮑正躲在福克斯伍德莊園；
while, when he inclined toward Pilkington, Snowball was said to be at Pinchfield.
而當他打算傾向于皮爾金頓時，就又有謠傳說斯諾鮑是在平徹菲爾德莊園。
Suddenly, early in the spring, an alarming thing was discovered.
初春時節，突然間有一件事震驚了莊園。
Snowball was secretly frequenting the farm by night!
說是斯諾鮑常在夜間秘密地潛入莊園！
The animals were so disturbed that they could hardly sleep in their stalls.
動物們嚇壞了，躲在窩棚里夜不能寐。
Every night, it was said, he came creeping in under cover of darkness and performed all kinds of mischief.
據說，每天晚上他都在夜幕的掩護下潛入莊園，無惡不作。
He stole the corn, he upset the milk-pails, he broke the eggs, he trampled the seedbeds, he gnawed the bark off the fruit trees.
他偷走谷子，弄翻牛奶桶，打碎雞蛋，踐踏苗圃，咬掉果樹皮。
Whenever anything went wrong it became usual to attribute it to Snowball.
不論什么時候什么事情搞糟了，通常都要推到斯諾鮑身上。
If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up, someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it.
要是一扇窗子壞了或者水道堵塞了，準有某個動物斷定這是斯諾鮑在夜間干的。
And when the key of the store-shed was lost, the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well.
儲藏棚的鑰匙丟了，所有動物都堅信是斯諾鮑給扔到井里去了。
Curiously enough, they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of meal.
奇怪的是，甚至在發現鑰匙原來是被誤放在一袋面粉底下之后，他們還是這樣堅信不移。
The cows declared unanimously that Snowball crept into their stalls and milked them in their sleep.
牛異口同聲地聲稱斯諾鮑在她們睡覺時溜進牛棚，吸了她們的奶。
The rats, which had been troublesome that winter, were also said to be in league with Snowball.
那些在冬天曾給她們帶來煩惱的老鼠，也被指責為斯諾鮑的同伙。
Napoleon decreed that there should be a full investigation into Snowball's activities.
拿破侖下令對斯諾鮑的活動進行一次全面調查。
With his dogs in attendance he set out and made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings, the other animals following at a respectful distance.
他在狗的護衛下，開始對莊園的窩棚進行一次仔細的巡回檢查，其他動物謙恭地在幾步之外尾隨著。
At every few steps Napoleon stopped and snuffed the ground for traces of Snowball's footsteps, which, he said, he could detect by the smell.
每走幾步，拿破侖就停下來，嗅一嗅地面上是否有斯諾鮑的氣味，他說他能借此分辨出斯諾鮑的蹄印。
He snuffed in every corner, in the barn, in the cow-shed, in the henhouses, in the vegetable garden, and found traces of Snowball almost everywhere.
他嗅遍了每一個角落，從大谷倉、牛棚到雞窩和蘋果園，幾乎到處都發現了斯諾鮑的蹤跡。
He would put his snout to the ground, give several deep sniffs, ad exclaim in a terrible voice.
每到一處他就把嘴伸到地上，深深地吸上幾下，便以驚異的語氣厲聲說。
