At length the buffaloes turned into a green brake on the river bank, while the horses dashed up a narrow defile of the hills, with their pursuers close at their heels. Beatte passed several of them, having fixed his eye upon a fine Pawnee horse, that had his ears slit and saddle-marks upon his back. He pressed him gallantly, but lost him in the woods.
最后，水牛逃入了河岸邊的一片樹林，而野馬卻都跑入了一條峽谷中，獵人們緊追不舍。比爾特超過了幾匹馬，并將目標鎖定在一匹波尼馬身上，豎起耳朵，隨時準備獵殺。他緊追不舍，但是卻在樹林中跟丟了。
Among the wild horses was a fine black mare, which, in scrambling up the defile, tripped and fell. A young ranger sprang from his horse and seized her by the mane and muzzle. Another ranger dismounted, and came to his assistance. The mare struggled fiercely, kicking and biting, and striking with her fore feet; but a noose was slipped over her head, and her struggles were in vain.
野馬群中有一匹好看的黑色母馬，它在峽谷中奔逃時滑倒在地上。一個年輕從馬上跳下，抓住母馬的鬃毛和鼻口。另一個騎兵也下馬來幫忙。母馬激烈地反抗，雙腿亂踢，用嘴亂咬，并用前蹄進行踢打；但是它頭上已經被套上繩索，所以它的掙扎也是徒勞。
It was some time, however, before she gave over rearing and plunging and lashing out with her feet on every side. The two rangers then led her along the valley by two strong lariats, which enabled them to keep at a sufficient distance on each side to be out of the reach of her hoofs; and whenever she struck out in one direction, she was jerked in the other. In this way her spirit was gradually subdued.
但是，他們花了好一會兒才將它的雙腳套住。隨后兩個騎兵用一根堅固的套索牽著它沿著山谷走，這樣它們就能保持足夠距離不被它踢到；無論它想從哪一邊掙脫，都會被另一邊緊緊拉住。最后終于將它馴服。
As to Tonish, who had marred the whole scheme by his precipitancy, he had been more successful than he deserved, having managed to catch a beautiful cream-coloured colt, about seven months old, that had not had strength to keep up with its companions. The mercurial little Frenchman was beside himself with exultation. It was amusing to see him with his prize. The colt would rear and kick, and struggle to get free, when Tonish would take it round the neck, wrestle with it, jump on its back, and cut as many antics as a monkey with a kitten.
至于托尼斯，由于他的急躁輕率而毀掉了整個計劃。但是他卻有了意外收獲，他抓住了一匹淡黃色的小馬，這匹小馬大概只有七個月大，所以沒能跟上大隊伍逃跑。小巧靈活的法國人卻在旁邊樂個不停。托尼斯得到獵物時的反應令人發笑。小馬也會亂踢亂踹，掙扎著想要逃脫，而托尼斯則抱著它的脖子，時而和它玩摔跤，時而跳到小馬的背上，就像一只猴子在戲弄一只小貓，滑稽不已。
Nothing surprised me more, however, than to witness how soon these poor animals, thus taken from the unbounded freedom of the prairie, yielded to the dominion of man. In the course of two or three days the mare and colt went with the lead horses, and became quite docile.
最讓我驚訝的是，這些可憐的動物從在大草原上的無拘無束到對人類的主宰服服帖帖僅用了那么一點時間。過了兩三天，母馬和小馬就安安靜靜地跟著領頭那只馬，變得服服帖帖。
評論
打印
