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Abel was a shrewd, grave giant, illiterate, kind of heart, older than the other boys and with as good or better manners in the presence of ladies. There was little snobbery in the Troop. Too many of their fathers and grandfathers had come up to wealth from the small farmer class for that. Moreover, Abel was the best shot in the Troop, a real sharpshooter who could pick out the eye of a squirrel at seventy-five yards, and, too, he knew all about living outdoors, building fires in the rain, tracking animals and finding water. The Troop bowed to real worth and moreover, because they liked him, they made him an officer. He bore the honor gravely and with no untoward conceit, as though it were only his due. But the planters' ladies and the planters’ slaves could not overlook the fact that he was not born a gentleman, even if their men folks could.
艾布爾是個(gè)精明沉著的大個(gè)兒，不識(shí)字，心地和善，比別的小伙子年齡大些，在婦女面前也表現(xiàn)得較有禮貌。"營(yíng)"里很少有驕下媚上的現(xiàn)象。他們的父親和祖父大多是以小農(nóng)致富的，不會(huì)有那種勢(shì)利眼。而且艾布爾是"營(yíng)"里最好的射擊手，一桿真正的"神槍"，他能夠在７５碼外瞄準(zhǔn)一只松鼠的眼睛，也熟悉野外生活，會(huì)在雨地里生火，會(huì)捕捉野獸，會(huì)尋找水源。"營(yíng)"里很尊重有本事的人，而且由于大伙喜歡他，所以讓他當(dāng)了軍官。他嚴(yán)肅對(duì)待這種榮譽(yù)，不驕傲自大，好像這不過(guò)是他的本份。可是那些農(nóng)場(chǎng)主太太們和他們的農(nóng)奴們卻不能寬恕他并非生來(lái)就是上等人這一事實(shí)，盡管她們都做到了。
In the beginning, the Troop had been recruited exclusively from the sons of planters, a gentleman’s outfit, each man supplying his own horse, arms, equipment, uniform and body servant. But rich planters were few in the young county of Clayton, and, in order to muster a full-strength troop, it had been necessary to raise more recruits among the sons of small farmers, hunters in the backwoods, swamp trappers, Crackers and, in a very few cases, even poor whites, if they were above the average of their class.These latter young men were as anxious to fight the Yankees, should war come, as were their richer neighbors; but the delicate question of money arose.
開(kāi)始，這個(gè)"營(yíng)"只從農(nóng)場(chǎng)主的子弟中招募營(yíng)丁，因而可以說(shuō)是個(gè)上層的組織；他們每人自備馬匹、武器、裝備、制服和隨身仆人。但是有錢的農(nóng)場(chǎng)主在克萊頓這個(gè)新辟的縣畢竟很少，同時(shí)為了建立一支充實(shí)的武裝力量，便必須從小農(nóng)戶和森林地帶的獵戶、沼澤地捕獸者、山地居民，有時(shí)甚至窮白人（只要他們?cè)诒倦A級(jí)的一般水平之上）的子弟中招募更多的新兵。后一部分青年人也和他們的富裕鄰居一樣，渴望著戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)一爆發(fā)便去找北方佬，但金錢這個(gè)微妙的問(wèn)題卻隨之產(chǎn)生了。
