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3 The wild animal
3 野性
The wild animal was strong in Buck， and as he travelled across the snow， it grew stronger and stronger．
巴克身上有著強烈的野性。當他在雪野上奔跑時，這野性也就越來越強烈。
And as Buck grew stronger， he hated Spitz more and more， although he was careful never to start a fight．
在他日益強壯的同時，雖然他加倍小心不挑起爭端，他對斯皮茲的仇恨也與日俱增。
But Spitz was always showing his teeth to Buck， trying to start a fight．
但是斯皮茲卻常常對著巴克齜牙咧嘴，試圖找碴打架。
And Buck knew that if he and Spitz fought， one of them would die．
巴克心中很清楚，兩犬相爭，必有一死。
The fight almost happened one night when they stopped by Lake Laberge．
一天晚上，當他們停駐在雷伯格湖畔的時候，一場惡戰一觸即發。
There was heavy snow and it was very cold．
那里天寒地凍，積雪深厚。
The lake was frozen and Francois， Perrault， and the dogs had to spend the night on the ice， under a big rock．
湖面凍住了，弗朗索瓦斯、佩諾特和狗們不得不在冰上的一個巨巖下過夜。
Buck had made a warm hole in the snow and was sorry to leave it to get his piece of fish．
巴克在雪下為自己做了一個暖和的洞穴，這使他很不情愿起身去吃掉自己的那份魚。
But when he had eaten． and returned to his hole， he found Spitz in it．
但當他吃完回到洞里時，發現斯皮茲已經占據了那里。
Buck had tried not to fight Spitz be－fore， but this was too much．
以前，巴克總是避免同斯皮茲沖突。但這一次卻忍無可忍，
He attacked him angrily．
他憤怒地進攻了。
Spitz was surprised． He knew Buck was big， but he didn’ t know he was so wild．
斯皮茲吃了一驚。他知道巴克個頭高大，卻未料到他這樣兇猛。
Francois was surprised too， and guessed why Buck was angry． ‘Go on Buck！’ he shouted．
弗朗索瓦斯也驚呆了，他猜到了巴克為什么生氣。“上，巴克！”他喊道，
‘Fight him， the dirty thief！’
“教訓教訓他，這下流坯。”
Spitz was also ready to fight， and the two dogs circled one another， looking for the chance to jump in．
斯皮茲做好了迎戰的準備。兩條狗一個接一個地兜著圈子，尋找出擊的機會。
But suddenly there was a shout from Perrault， and they saw eighty or a hundred dogs around the sledge．
但是突然，佩諾特叫了起來。然后他們看見有80到100多條狗圍上了雪撬。
The dogs came from an Indian village，and they were searching for the food that they could smell on the sledge．
這些狗來自一個印第安村落，他們在找食物時嗅到了雪撬。
Perrault and Francois tried to fight them off with their clubs，
佩諾特和弗朗索瓦斯試圖用木棍嚇退他們，
but the dogs， made crazy by the smell of the food，showed their teeth and fought back．
但是那些狗被食物的氣味刺激地發了瘋，他們露出牙齒進行反擊。
Buck had never seed dogs like these．
巴克從未看見過這樣的狗。
They were all skin and bone， but hunger made them fight like wild things．
他們瘦骨嶙峋，但是饑餓使他們如野獸一樣兇猛。
Three of them attacked Buck and in seconds his head and legs were bad－ly bitten．
其中3條狗進攻巴克。不過幾秒鐘，他的頭和腿就受了重傷。
Dave and Sol-leks stood side by side，covered in blood，fighting bravely．
戴夫和索拉克斯并肩作戰，浴血奮斗。
Joe and Pike jumped on one dog，and Pike broke its neck with one bite．
喬和派克撲倒了一條狗。派克一口咬開了他的脖子，
Buck caught another dog by the neck and tasted blood．
巴克咬住了另一條狗的脖子，嘗到了鮮血的滋味。
He threw himself on the next one，and then felt teeth in his own neck．
他又撲向另一個，卻覺得自己的脖子被咬住了，
It was Spitz，attacking him from the side．
那是斯皮茲從邊上偷襲他。
Perrault and Francois came to help with clubs， but then they had to run back to save the food ．
佩諾特和弗朗索瓦斯手拿木棍來幫忙。但他們不得不跑回去看管食物。
It was safer for the nine sledge－dogs to run away across the lake．
對于這9條拉雪撬的狗來說，從湖上逃開更安全些。
Several of them were badly hurt， and they spent an unhappy night hiding among the tress．
因為其中幾個已受了重傷。他們在樹林中藏身，度過了一個不快的夜晚。
At first light they returned to the sledge and found Perrault and Francois tired and angry．
在黎明第一道曙光中，他們回到了雪撬上，發現佩諾特和弗朗索瓦斯疲憊不堪，怒火中燒，
Half their food was gone．
他們一半食物都沒有了。
The Indian dogs had even eaten one of Perrault's shoes．
那群印第安狗甚至吃掉了佩諾特的一只鞋子。
Francois looked at his dogs unhappily．
弗朗索瓦斯悲傷地看著他的狗。
‘Ah， my friends，’he said softly，‘Perhaps those bites will make you ill．
“唉，我的朋友們，”他輕聲說道，“這些傷口可能會讓你們難受的。
What do you think， Perrault？’
你說呢，佩諾特？”
Perrault said nothing．
佩諾特一言不發。
They still had six hundred kilometres to travel，
他們仍然還有600公里路，
and he hoped very much that his sledge－dogs had not caught rabies from the Indian dogs．
他不希望自己的狗從印第安狗那里染上狂犬病。
The harness was torn and damaged and it was two hours before they were moving，
挽具也被扯得七零八落。他們花了兩個小時才起程趕路。
travelling slowly and painfully over the most difficult country that they had been in．
在他們旅途中最艱難的國度中緩慢而艱難地跋涉。
The Thirty Mile River was not frozen．
“30里河”沒有結冰，
It ran too fast to freeze．
因為它的流速太快了。
They spent six days trying to find a place to cross， and every step was dangerous for dogs and men．
他們花了6天工夫企圖找到一處過河的地方——每一步對于人和狗來說都險象環生。
Twelve times they found ice bridges across the river， and Perrault walked carefully onto them， holding a long piece of wood．
12次他們都發現了河上的冰橋，佩諾特小心翼翼地走上去，手持一塊木板，
And twelve times he fell through a bridge and was saved by the piece of wood， which caught on the sides of the hole．
12次他都跌了下來，幸而有木板的邊緣撐住冰洞。佩諾特才得以生還。
But the temperature was 45° below zero， and each time Perrault fell into the water， he had to light a fire to dry and warm himself．
但是由于氣溫下降到零下45℃，所以佩諾特每次落水，都不得不生火烤干自己。
Once，the sledge fell through the ice， with Dave and Buck， and they were covered in ice by the time Perrault and Francois pulled them out of the river．
一次，雪撬連帶著戴夫，巴克一同跌到冰層下。當佩諾特和弗朗索瓦斯把他們救上來時，他們從頭到腳都結了冰。
Again， a fire was needed to save them．
他們不得不再次生火取暖。
Another time， Spitz and the dogs in front fell through the ice—Buck and Dave and Francois at the sledge had to pull backwards．
又一次，斯皮茲和前面的狗跌入了冰里——巴克、戴夫和雪撬上的弗朗索瓦斯不得不費力把他們拽回來，
That day they travelled only four hundred metres．
那天他們只走了400米。
When they got to the Hootalinqua and good ice， Buck and the other dogs were very， very tired．
當他們到達呼塔林格時，冰層很厚，巴克和其余的狗已經筋疲力竭了。
But they were late， so Perrault made them run faster．
可是由于他們已經耽誤了，所以佩諾特驅趕他們跑得更快一些。
In three days they went a hun－dred and eighty kilometres and reached the Five Fingers．
3天時間里，他們趕了180公里路，抵達一個叫“五指”的地方。
The other dogs had hard feet from years of pulling sledges，but Buck's feet were still soft from his easy life down south．
別的狗由于長年拉雪橇，腳上已經磨出了繭子。但巴克的腳卻由于在南方舒適的生活而非常嬌嫩；
