CHAPTER III PREPARATION FOR THE ENEMY

 When the father had finished eating, Lodrix fed the horses, the sheep, and the goats that were waiting outside for their dinner.

 

The mother threw the bones of the deer into the lake, through the trap-door, and laid the skin in the sun to dry.

 

When he had made sure that everything was secure and had sent Lodrix with a message to one of the Lake-Dwellers, the chief lay down on a skin to sleep.

 

Lodrix hurried off to do his father’s bidding.

 

He was to say that the drawbridge must not be put down for several days, for they were afraid the Bear people might enter their village.

 

As the chief’s son entered the hut where he was to leave his message, he saw a little baby.

 

 

The baby was tied by a long cord to one of the blocks of wood to keep her from falling through the trap-door.

 

He told the baby’s father what the chief had said and then went toward the child, who stretched out her little hands to him.

 

Lodrix loved babies and was glad to play with this little one.

 

He took her to the trap-door, keeping tight hold of her hand. Then he took a basket made of rushes and lowered it, through the opening, into the lake.

 

The baby clapped her hands with glee as she saw the little fish squirming in the basket when Lodrix drew it up.

 

Lodrix laughed, too, because the little baby was happy.

 

The baby’s sister, who sat grinding¹ grain in the stone mortar², looked up and smiled at the happy children.

 

Even the mother smiled as she worked busily at the loom³, where she was weaving coarse cloth from threads of flax which the Lake-Dwellers had raised on the shore of the lake.

 

At sunset Lodrix said, “good-by” and started for home.

 

On his way the beautiful clear moon seemed to speak to him.

 

 

Lodrix stopped a moment and prayed to it; prayed that his people might be safe from their enemies on the land.

 

As he walked along, he spoke⁴ to many people who were anxiously watching the opposite shore.

 

They were straining their eyes for the first glimpse of the people on the land, because they feared that at nightfall these enemies might come again.

 

Lodrix wished to join in the watch, but he was only a little boy and the chief said that he must stay at home with his mother.

1 grinding   

adj.磨的，磨擦的，碾的v.磨碎，嚼碎( grind的现在分词 )；旋转开动；压迫，折磨

参考例句：

• The powerful lords were guilty of grinding the villagers under their heels. 那些大领主的罪过是以权势欺压村民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This old mill has been grinding away for over 50 years. 50多年来，这间老磨坊一直在磨粮食。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

3 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。