But there was soon to steal upon the unsuspecting creatures a frost which exceeded in severity any visitation of cold that even the old marshman had witnessed. It set in whilst the cubs10 were yet blind, and on the second night the water near the nest was frozen thick enough to bear the otter’s weight, as were also the shallows near the bar, for he landed on the ice there to eat his supper. Before many days passed, strings11 of wild-fowl arrived, causing great rejoicing to the otters, who, far from regarding them as harbingers of famine, foresaw an agreeable change in their usual fish diet. Nor had they occasion to look with apprehension12 on the gradual encroachment13 of the ice, inasmuch as the breathing-holes which they made and kept open enabled them to range as freely as before the frost. Of course, they had to bring their prey to the open water; but for the trouble this gave them they found some compensation in the convenient landing-place afforded by the edge of the ice, which was soon dotted with the remains14 of their repasts. Moreover, the great sheet of ice served them as a playground when they were weary of gambolling15 in the mere, and on it they cut mad capers16 which held the mallard, widgeon, and teal at gaze.
Protected by their thick coats the creatures enjoyed the biting cold, and the cubs, cuddled together in the cosy17 nest, suffered no ill effects from its rigour. The pike, like the otters, revelled18 in the frost; but the tench, and the eels that had not gone to sea, felt its pinch, and the bream forsook19 their usual feeding-grounds. Where these gregarious20 fish had betaken themselves the otters never knew, but the eels and tench buried themselves in the mud and gave much trouble in the capture. Still, disagreeable though the process was, both these fish were to be had by patient searching in the ooze—at least, it was so at first; then the ground ice, which had gripped the stems of the weeds, spread and spread as the cold increased, until it formed an impenetrable layer over most of the bed of the mere. This followed on the withdrawal21 of the sea-fish to the warmer depths of the offing, inaccessible22 to the otters, which were thus caused no little uneasiness.
It was the closing of the breathing-holes however a few days later that seriously alarmed them, all but costing the dog-otter his life; for, never dreaming that he would be unable to reopen them at will as heretofore and get the air he needed, he made without misgiving23 for the best hunting-ground, far in beneath the ice-field, and after capturing a pike, swam unconcernedly to the nearest vent-hole. A single bump of his head, hitherto sufficient, failing to break the crust, he delivered two more blows in quick succession; and when these proved of no effect, he saw his danger, and hurried to the next vent-hole, hard by a frozen-in trimmer. One blow, and only one, did he give; then he dropped the pike, and with lightning-like strokes of his powerful hind-legs made for the open water. It was a race for life, and he knew it. His lungs ached for want of air; again and again in the next few seconds—seconds that seemed hours—he was on the point of opening his mouth and throat to find an impossible relief, but he forbore, holding on his desperate way, till presently he shot from under the ice-roof and drew breath again in the frosty air. He had escaped drowning, but only to be confronted the very next night with difficulties even more aggravated24.
The cold had then reached its greatest intensity25. The marshman was conscious of its severity as he sat by the fire, listening to the honking26 of the geese and the trumpeting27 of the swans—rare sounds, that were music to the aged28 wild-fowler, and kept him to the chimney-corner later than his wont29. Yet at daybreak he was at his lattice to get a view of the overnight arrivals. To his amazement30, not a living thing could he see. He rubbed the pane31, he rubbed his eyes, and looked again; then he realized—what he had never seen before—that the mere was completely frozen. Despite the depth of the water, the current, and the restless movements of the wild-fowl, the frost had had its way; the vast sheet was one continuous field of steel-blue ice. The otters had witnessed the sealing of the mere, had watched the ducks, geese and swans take wing and melt into the night, before they realized their desperate situation; then, had the cubs been able to travel, they would at once have turned their back on the marshland, as the wild-fowl had done, and made across country for the salmon32 river, where fish crowded the spawning-beds. But as yet the cubs could only sprawl33, and to carry them over the miles of moorland that lay between or to attempt to reach it by way of the sea and the estuary35 was out of the question; they had no choice but to stay and face the famine that threatened.
As yet they had not suffered at all; indeed, they had caught more fish than they needed, and for their leavings the hill-foxes regularly visited the ice. Amongst them was a poor, half-starved vixen, who, along with the otters, witnessed the ice meet across the strait of open water. Thin as she was, her lot was preferable to that of the otter, with cubs wholly dependent on her; for it seemed impossible to support them unless the frost should soon relent.
Shut off from the mere and the stream that fed it, the night after the closing of the ice the otters turned to the land and quested wherever cover afforded prospect36 of finding prey. They threaded the reeds and furze-brake, they drew the two osier-beds and tussocky ground between them, but met with nothing save a few dead starlings, from whose sorry skeletons they turned away, hungry though they were. On the next night the hard-set creatures made their way along the stream until they came to the solitary37 homestead in the heart of the western moor34. There they left the ice, clambered up the high bank, and climbed the farmyard wall to the cart-shed, where, standing38 on their hind-legs, they examined the crannies in the wall for snails39, but found none. Coming out, they skirted the pigsty40, passed between an alder-tree and the lighted window, and just as they rounded the corner of the house, found themselves almost face to face with a white cat. Savage41 tom though he was, he never thought of fighting. In a twinkling he was in full retreat, with both otters at his heels. The male was the faster, and he pressed the cat very closely across the small garden in front of the house, through a gap in the wall, and along the strip of field at the side. He must have overtaken it before reaching the gate had not the cat suddenly swerved42 and gained a couple of feet, maintaining the lead until it passed through the hole in the stable door at the upper end of the farmyard. The otter followed. Scarcely were they out of sight when the female otter came up the yard on their scent43, and also passed in through the aperture44 at the foot of the door. A fearful spitting ensued, and immediately the cat reappeared with the male so close behind that his nose all but touched the big fluffed-out brush. At a desperate pace both sped over the frozen dung-heap towards the alder-tree; the cat swarmed45 up, despite the efforts of the otter to seize it, and from its safe perch46 amongst the topmost branches sat looking down at both otters, from whose nostrils47 the breath issued like jets of steam. Presently the blazing up of the furze fire within drew the eyes of the otters to the window, and when a shadow fell on the blind they slunk away, followed the rude cart-track to the boundary of the farm, and struck straight across the moor in the direction of the Liddens.
A bitter wind swept the waste, but they held on in the teeth of it, crossed the frozen pools, and headed for the mere. On reaching it the female otter made straight for the nest, where she lay oppressed with the dread48 of famine, till fatigue49 had its way and sleep made her deaf to the plaints of her unfed cubs. At dusk she and her mate foraged51 alongshore and found a few limpets, on which they managed to keep themselves and the whelps from starving until the supply failed. Then the little mother, driven to extremity52, dulled the gnawing53 pangs54 of hunger with seaweed.
To the famine under which parents and whelps were wasting was presently added the outlawed55 creature’s most treacherous56 enemy—a fall of snow. It began one morning soon after they had sought their couches, and did not cease until a thick covering lay on the marsh9 and on the hills about it. That night the otters again foraged along the coast, but nothing passed their lips save a few more limpets and a little water from the runnel which still trickled57 in the cave behind the clitter. Yet, distressed58 as they were, they rolled and gambolled59 on the snow in the heart of the mere, whence the tell-tale trails diverged60, ready to betray their whereabouts to the first comer. Some hours later, however, more snow fell, obliterating61 the tracks, and spreading a coverlet over mother and young where they slumbered62 in the deep nest. The mother’s light sleep was broken by the creaking of the windlass over the well and the quacking63 of the marshman’s ducks, but both sounds, under the muffling64 effect of the snow, seemed to come from far beyond the cottage. The quacking of the ducks was so tantalizing65 to the famished66 creature that she actually left the nest and, with just the arch of her back showing above the snow, stole towards the spot whence the noise proceeded. On and on she forged her way, and actually advanced to within gunshot of the duck-house. Then her courage failed her, and caused her to retreat along the furrow67 she had made.
She was afoot again at early nightfall, joined her mate and followed him to the shore. After they had fished far and wide to no purpose she turned to him with a distracted look that meant, ‘Whither now?’ For answer he shifted his gaze from her face towards the cottage; and when, after some hesitation68, he moved towards it, she understood, and took her place at his heels. They passed very near the nest—near enough indeed to catch, despite the loud rustling69 of the reeds, the plaints of the cubs. On hearing the pitiful cries, the mother, her maternal70 instincts stirred, quickened her pace in a succession of leaps that gave her the lead, which she maintained until the sight of the cottage brought her to a standstill and her mate to her side; then, with their necks raised like little watch-towers, their keen eyes reconnoitred the enemy’s dwelling71. Nobody stirred, no light showed; the whistling wind favoured them; all seemed propitious72, and they drew near the duck-house. Within a few yards of the door they suddenly halted, turning their heads towards the cottage. But it was a needless alarm; the noise that scared them was only the scraping of the wall by the branch of a medlar-tree. The instant they discovered the cause of their hesitation they stepped forward, and put their noses to the crack at the bottom of the door. The scent of the birds within nearly drove the starving creatures mad. But how were they to get at them? Though only a wooden partition separated them from the savoury prey, it was enough. They never thought of biting through it; to crawl under or dig their way in was impossible, and the aperture at the top seemed out of their reach. Nevertheless, this opening was their only chance of entrance; and frantic73 were the efforts they made to obtain a hold on the top of the door. More than once the otter all but succeeded; had his claws been long and sharp instead of short and blunted, he would have got a footing and probably an entry. But the door rattled74 and creaked with their futile75 attempts, and the noise, with the quacking of the terror-stricken ducks, reached the ears of the marshman as he lay listening to the gale76. Old and stiff though he was, it was the work of a moment to jump out of bed, open the lattice, and shout at the top of his voice. At the sound the guilty creatures stole away in the direction of the big osier-bed; yet their lot was so desperate that when they neared the furze-rick the little mother stopped and looked back. Despite her dread of the marshman, she would have returned to the duck-house had her mate been willing; but whilst she stood he kept on, and presently she followed and overtook him. It was with weary steps they plodded77 forward, hopeless as two otters can be. Whither could they turn? Not to the hills, whence even a polecat had come to the marsh to forage50; not to the cliffs nor inshore waters; they knew them only too well. And so with no goal to make for, the luckless creatures passed into the night.
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1
otter
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| n.水獭 | |
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hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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eels
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| abbr. 电子发射器定位系统（=electronic emitter location system） | |
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migration
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| n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙 | |
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otters
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| n.（水）獭( otter的名词复数 )；獭皮 | |
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toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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cubs
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| n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 ) | |
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strings
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| n.弦 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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encroachment
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| n.侵入，蚕食 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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gambolling
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| v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的现在分词 ) | |
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capers
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| n.开玩笑( caper的名词复数 )；刺山柑v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的第三人称单数 ) | |
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cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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19
forsook
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| forsake的过去式 | |
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gregarious
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| adj.群居的，喜好群居的 | |
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withdrawal
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| n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销 | |
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inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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aggravated
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| 使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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26
honking
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| v.（使）发出雁叫似的声音，鸣（喇叭），按（喇叭）( honk的现在分词 ) | |
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27
trumpeting
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| 大声说出或宣告（trumpet的现在分词形式） | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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31
pane
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| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
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32
salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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sprawl
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| vi.躺卧，扩张，蔓延；vt.使蔓延；n.躺卧，蔓延 | |
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moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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estuary
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| n.河口，江口 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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39
snails
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| n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 ) | |
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40
pigsty
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| n.猪圈，脏房间 | |
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41
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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42
swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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45
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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46
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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47
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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48
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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49
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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50
forage
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| n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻 | |
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51
foraged
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| v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西） | |
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52
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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53
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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outlawed
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| 宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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57
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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gambolled
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| v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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diverged
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| 分开( diverge的过去式和过去分词 )； 偏离； 分歧； 分道扬镳 | |
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61
obliterating
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| v.除去( obliterate的现在分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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63
quacking
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| v.（鸭子）发出嘎嘎声( quack的现在分词 ) | |
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64
muffling
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| v.压抑，捂住( muffle的现在分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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tantalizing
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| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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furrow
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| n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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69
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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70
maternal
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| adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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plodded
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| v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作） | |
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