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The Indians were expert hunters, and knew far more about the habits of wild animals and fish than any of the white men.
印第安人是狩獵的專家，他們比白人更知道野生動物和魚類的習性。
But fond as he was of such sport, the boy was still more fond of horses;
盡管華盛頓很喜歡狩獵，但他更喜歡騎馬；
he probably never remembered the time when he first sat astride of a pony. Certainly he began learning to ride at a very early age,
他或許從來沒有忘記他第一次跨坐在小矮馬的時刻，他很早就開始學習騎馬，
and he had no lack of good instructors, for Virginians prided themselves on their horsemanship,
他不缺少好的教練，弗吉尼亞人因他們的騎術而自豪，
and most of the planters were in the saddle from morning till night.
多數種植園經營者從早到晚騎在馬上。
Altogether, the farm on Hunting Creek was a delightful spot for a lad like Washington who loved sport and adventure,
總之，獵手溪農場是一片讓人快樂的地方，特別是對像華盛頓這樣喜歡運動和探險的人，
but it would have been a bit lonely had it not been for his brothers and sisters.
如果沒有兄弟姐妹加入，這里似乎有點孤寂。
The nearest house was far away, and there were no schools or common meeting places for children.
最近的房屋很遠，沒有供孩子上學的學校或是公共會面場所。
Fortunately, however, Washington had a sister and a brother old enough to be very companionable,
幸運的是，華盛頓有一個哥哥和姐姐，他們可以陪伴華盛頓，
and two still younger brothers who later proved excellent playmates.
還有兩個弟弟，他們后來也被證實是很好的玩伴。
Besides, in the servants' quarters there were a number of boys and girls who joined the Washington children in all their games.
此外，傭人住所有許多男孩和女孩，他們參與了華盛頓這一群孩子的所有游戲。
For five years the woods about the plantation, which was later named Mount Vernon,
五年來，這個后來被叫作弗農山莊的周邊森林
echoed with the shouts and laughter of a very merry company of youngsters.
回蕩著快樂的年輕人叫嚷和歡笑聲。
Then one day the house burned down, and the family moved to another farm on the Rappahannock River,
一天房屋被燒毀了，一家人搬到了拉帕漢諾克河的另外一處農場，
almost directly opposite the little town of Fredericksburg. This plantation, sometimes called the Ferry Farm,
幾乎對著弗雷德里克斯堡小鎮，這里的種植園被叫作費利農場，
closely resembled the others. The house was a small, plain, wooden building,
和其他的農場很類似，房子是小型不起眼的木建筑，
very simply but strongly constructed and painted a dark red. Around it lay tobacco, wheat, and corn fields,
構造很簡單，但很結實，并刷成了深紅色，周邊種植著煙草、小麥、玉米地，
surrounded, as at the other homes, with dense woods. Until he arrived at Ferry Farm, Washington had been allowed to run free,
和其他房屋一樣，周圍是茂密的森林，直到華盛頓到達費利農場才被允許自由奔跑，
without schooling of any kind, and it is doubtful if he then knew even his letters, although he was already in his eighth year.
沒有任何學校教育，值得懷疑的是盡管他已經八歲了，他是否可以看懂自己的名字。
