Till Little Arliss got into that bear fight，I supposeI’d thought of him in the way most boys thinkof their little brothers. I liked him all right，but Ididn’t have much time for him. He was always playingin our drinking - water and getting in the wayof my chopper and screaming his head off and throwingstones，and it seemed to me a lot to have toput up with.
在小阿里斯和熊搏斗之前，我想我对他的看法同大多数男孩对他们的小弟弟的看法是一样的。不错，我喜欢他，可是我不大有功夫和他玩耍。他老是在我们的饮用水里玩，老是在我劈柴的时候碍手碍脚，老是死命地怪声尖叫，扔石头。在我看来，好多事我都不得不忍着点儿。
But that day when I saw him in the spring，helpless against the bear，taught me to know that Iloved him as much as I did Mama and Papa，perhapsin some ways even a bit more.
但是那天当我看到他在泉水里孤立无援地面对着那头大熊时，才使我意识到我就象爱爸爸妈妈那样地爱着他，可能在某些方面还要更爱他一些呢。
And so it was that I came to love the dog thatsaved him.
正是由于这种原因，我渐渐地爱上了救他命的那只狗了。
After that，I couldn’t do enough for Old Yeller.
What if he was a big ugly meat - stealing dog？
What if he did fall over and yell blue murder everytime I gave him a cross look？ What if he had run
从那以后，我总觉得对阿黄真是报答不尽。即使它是一头既大又丑的偷肉吃的狗，这又有什么关系呢？ 每次我对它发火时，即使它往
off when he should have helped with the fightingbulls？ He’d fought and saved Little Arliss when Icouldn’t have done it，and that was enough for me.
地上一躺，大声狂吠，这又怎么样呢？ 即使在该帮我们对付那头打架的公牛时，它却逃之夭夭，这又怎么样呢？ 只要看看在我无法搭救小阿里斯的时刻它却奋力搏斗，救了他的命，对我来说这就足够了。
I petted him till he was wagging all over toshow how happy he was. I felt mean about how I’dtreated him，and did everything I could to let himknow. I washed and greased his hair till it shone，and that night after dark，when he stole into bedwith me and Little Arliss，I let him sleep there andnever said a word about it to Mama.
我爱抚地拍着它，直到它摇头摆尾表示它是多么的欢乐。我为以往亏待过它而感到惭愧，而且尽力要让它知道我的这种心情。我把它的毛洗刷得干干净净的，还抹上一层油，使其闪闪发光。那天晚上天黑以后，它偷偷地爬上床来跟我和小阿里斯睡在一起时，我就让它睡在那儿。关于这件事，我一直瞒着妈妈，连一个字也没说过。
I took him and Little Arliss squirrel - huntingnext day. It was the first time I’d ever taken LittleArliss on any kind of hunt. He was so noisy and sillythat I always thought he’d frighten off the game.
第二天，我带着它和小阿里斯一起去捕松鼠。这是我开天辟地第一次带了小阿里斯去狩猎。因为他傻里傻气，唧唧喳喳，所以我总觉得他会把猎物全给吓跑的。
As it turned out，he was just as noisy and silly asI’d thought. He’d follow after us，keeping quiet as I’
d told him to，till he saw something like a pretty butterfly.
Then he’d give a loud yell and go chasing afterthe butterfly. He wouldn’t be able to catch it for himself，so then he’d yell at me to come and help him.
When I wouldn’t come，he’d yell still louder.
事实证明他确实象我想象的那样傻气，那样罗唆。开始他一直象我嘱咐他那样静悄悄地跟在我们后面一声不响，后来看到一只象蝴蝶那样漂亮的东西就叫嚷起来，并去追赶它了。他一个人抓不到，就高声地喊我去帮忙。我不去，他就嚷得更凶了。
With so much noise going on，I knew we’dfrighten all the game right out of the country. Andwe did，all but the squirrels. They took to the treeswhere they would hide from us. But I saw whichtree one squirrel went up. So I put some of Arliss’snoise to good use.
我知道这样的大声喧闹，会把野地里所有的猎物都给吓跑的。我们确实把除了松鼠以外的所有动物都给吓跑了。这些松鼠逃到树上，躲在我们看不见的地方。但是我看到了一只松鼠爬上哪棵树，所以我巧妙地利用了阿里斯的喧闹声。
I sent him in a circle round the tree，beating onthe grass and bushes with a stick，while I stoodwaiting. Soon the squirrel was watching Little Arlissand not noticing me. He kept going round the treeto keep it between him and Little Arliss. When hecame round my side I shot him out of the tree withthe first shot.
我要他绕着那棵树团团转，一面用棒头敲打周围的野草和小树，我自己则站在那儿守候着。不久，那只松鼠就只盯住了小阿里斯看而不再注意我了。它也不停地绕着那棵树打转转，让这棵树挡在它和小阿里斯之间。当它绕到我站着的一边时，我一枪就把它打了下来。
After that，Old Yeller caught on to what gamewe were after. He went to work trailing and treeingthe squirrels that Little Arliss was frightening. In notime I’d shot five，more than enough to make us agood squirrel fry for supper.
在这以后，阿黄也明白了我们在玩什么花招。它开始盯住了被小阿里斯吓出来的那些松鼠并且把它们赶上树。不一会儿，我就打到了五只松鼠，吃一顿炸松鼠当晚餐是绰绰有余的了。
As it turned out，we did have more than enoughsquirrel fry for supper. Old Yeller didn”t seem towant any. He licked the meat and wagged his shorttail，but he wouldn’t eat more than a bite or two.
事实证明，我们晚餐的炸松鼠确实是绰绰有余。阿黄似乎一点儿也不想吃。它舐舐肉，摇摇它那条短尾巴，最多只尝那么一两口。
We were surprised，Mama and I，and when wethought back we remembered that he hadn’t eatenanything we’d given him for some days. Yet he was
我们--我和妈妈--都感到十分奇怪。回想起来，我们记得它已经有好几天没吃我们给它的东西
fat and his hair was shiny as it he was a dog eatingthree big meals a day.
了。可是，它还是胖乎乎的，皮毛熠熠生光，好象它每天都享受三顿丰盛的饭菜似的。
Mama said，“If I didn’t know be tte r ，I’d s a y tha tdog wa s e a ting e ggs.But I’m ge tting more e ggs tha nI ha ve a t a ny time s ince la s t a utumn ，so it c a n”t bee ggs tha t he”s s te a ling.”
妈妈说，“要不是我了解情况，我一定会说它是吃鸡蛋长大的。可是打从去年秋天起，我们的鸡蛋比以往任何时候都要多。所以，它偷吃的不可能是鸡蛋。”
Well，we didn”t think any more about whatOld Yeller was living on. Not，that is，till the dayBud Searcy looked in at the cabin to see how wewere getting on.
后来，我们没有再去多想阿黄究竟是怎样生活的。也就是说，直到那天巴德·塞西到木屋来看望我们过得怎样以前，我们没再多去想它。
Bud Searcy was a red - faced man with a fatmiddle. He liked calling on the settlers. He wouldsit and talk about hard times and wait for somebodyto ask him to dinner.
巴德· 塞西是个挺着大肚子，脸膛红通通的人。他喜欢串门子，老爱坐在那儿，谈论着世道的艰难，等待别人请他吃饭。
I didn’t like him much，and my family didn’teither. Mama said the other men left him behindwith the women and children while they were drivingthe cows because if he went with them they’dnever get there. They would have had to spend somuch time calling on everybody and eating withthem.
我不大喜欢他，我们家里的人也都如此。妈妈说男人们赶着牛群进城去而把他留下来和妇女、孩子们待在一块儿，其原因就是如果他跟着大伙一块儿去，那么他们怎么也到不了目的地，他们将不得不花大量的时间去走东家串西家，到处吃饭聚餐。
But he did have a little white - haired granddaughterthat I sort of liked. She was eleven and notlike most girls. She would hang around and watchwhat boys did，like showing how high they could
不过，我倒是有点儿喜欢他那个长着一头浅发的小孙女。她今年十一岁，和大多数的女孩子不一样。
她总爱站在一旁观看男孩子们玩
climb in a tree or how far they could throw a stoneor how fast they could swim or how well they couldshoot.But she never wanted to boss things. She justwent along too and didn’t say much，and the onlything I had against her was her eyes. They were bigbrown eyes and very pretty to look at. But when shelooked at me she seemed to be seeing right throughme as if she saw everything I was thinking. That alwaysmade me jumpy，so if I didn’t have to I neverlooked straight at her.
耍，看他们显示自己爬树爬得有多高，扔石块扔得有多远，游泳游得有多快或者打枪打得有多准。不过，她从来也不想当指挥棒，只是和大伙儿呆在一起，不大多讲话。我对她唯一不满的是她那双眼睛。那是一对棕色的大眼睛，看上去很美。
但是当她着我的时候，似乎一直看到我的心底，好象看清了我所想的一切。这总使我心神不宁，所以除非万不得已，我从来不正视她。
