They told stories of their wonderful feats with fowl, fish and quadruped—how many wild ducks and turkeys they had shot, what "savage trout" they had caught, and how they had bagged the craftiest foxes, outwitted the most clever 'possums and overtaken the fleetest deer, until I thought that surely the lion, the tiger, the bear and the rest of the wild tribe would not be able to stand before these wily hunters. "To-morrow to the chase!" was their good-night shout as the circle of merry friends broke up for the night. The men slept in the hall outside our door, and I could feel the deep breathing of the dogs and the hunters as they lay on their improvised beds.
他們講述打鳥、釣魚和捕獵的過人本事——比如,他們射殺了多少野鴨和火雞,他們如何打撈兇蠻的鮭魚,如何誘捕狡猾的狐貍,如何同聰明的負鼠斗智,如何追趕動作迅捷的馴鹿。我想,在這些老謀深算的獵手面前,像獅子、老虎、熊和其余的野生動物恐怕都要遭殃了。當三五成群的好兄弟們散去的時候,“明天去捕獵”的叫喊聲成了他們道晚安的告別語。男人們都睡在門外的走廊里,而且,我能感覺到獵人和他們的狗兒熟睡后深沉的鼻息聲。
At dawn I was awakened by the smell of coffee, the rattling of guns, and the heavy footsteps of the men as they strode about, promising themselves the greatest luck of the season. I could also feel the stamping of the horses, which they had ridden out from town and hitched under the trees, where they stood all night, neighing loudly, impatient to be off. At last the men mounted, and, as they say in the old songs, away went the steeds with bridles ringing and whips cracking and hounds racing ahead, and away went the champion hunters "with hark and whoop and wild halloo!"
黎明時分,我被咖啡的味道、獵槍的撞擊,還有男人們沉重的腳步聲吵醒了。我知道,他們正大步走出房子,去尋找狩獵季節的好運氣。我還能感覺到馬蹄踏地的震動,它們被拴在遠離城鎮的樹下。站了一整夜后,馬兒們高聲嘶鳴,迫不及待地想脫離束縛。終于,男人們爬上了馬背,就像老歌里吟唱的那樣,他們策馬揚鞭,在獵犬的簇擁下奔向戰場;他們為贏得狩獵冠軍而呼聲四起,響徹云霄!
Later in the morning we made preparations for a barbecue. A fire was kindled at the bottom of a deep hole in the ground, big sticks were laid crosswise at the top, and meat was hung from them and turned on spits.
天亮以后,我們就忙著為野外燒烤做準備。我們在一個深深的土坑里燃起篝火,把大的柴枝架在火堆頂部,然后再把肉掛在上面炙烤,于是肉咝咝地冒著煙,誘人的香味在空氣中彌漫。