But he thought he was going to have a terrible time to keep all those foolish young muskrats3, who were scuttling4 round in the marsh5 trying to start their spring love affairs, from doing it. He forgot that everything around the place where Tommy had set it still smelled of the little boy and his dog. So not another beast dared come near it.
Chaik the Jay and Chewee the Chickadee stole a few beakfuls, but Nibble knew Doctor Muskrat wouldn’t mind that. And he wanted company. So he told them all about how Tommy had caught the doctor and let him go again. And how Tommy had thrown away the trap.
Chaik raised and lowered his crest6, just as we sometimes do our eyebrows7, when we’re puzzled about anything. “He was lucky,” Chaik said. “I’ve seen beasts suffer in a trap for whole days before they died. And I never heard of any before that got out of one alive. I believe that human is queer. Sometimes I think he’s trying to think the way we woods folk do.”
“I know it,” chimed in Chewee. “When it was so terribly cold I was having an awful time. The ice had frozen over the cones8 so I couldn’t even pick a living among the pine trees. And do you know what he did? He tied a big lump of fat pork away out on the end of a springy branch, so that fat house cat couldn’t reach it. Just for me! Wasn’t that clever” And he began hopping9 about in the excited way he has whenever he gets to talking.
“Well, he most certainly is trying to make friends with us,” Nibble observed. “Only catching10 us in traps isn’t a very comfortable way of doing it. You fellows will have to help me convince Doctor Muskrat.”
Help! He needed it. It was two whole days before the doctor poked12 his head out of the hole where Watch had smashed the crumbly ice. The wise old beast wasn’t using his front door any more.
“Come on,” called Nibble cheerfully. “See what Tommy Peele left you to say he was sorry he bit you.”
“Not I,” growled13 the doctor. “I’ve had enough of his jaws14.” He spread out his paddle paw. The good roots he stores in his medicine chest had nearly healed it, but his little toe was gone. “I’m going to move away as soon as I can travel.”
“Don’t do that,” pleaded Nibble. “If he bit your foot you certainly bit his. Now he doesn’t mean ever to use those jaws again. He threw them into that very hole.”
Pop! Down went the doctor to have a look. And his face was mighty15 surprised when it popped up again. “It’s the truth!” he said. “Those jaws are biting the mud. We needn’t worry so long as we can keep an eye on them. Nibble, I’ll just dip a whisker into that present Tommy Peele left for me!”
And he liked the meal quite as well as Nibble had—better, in fact. “I tell you what, Nibble,” he said as he stopped for breath, “this was mighty thoughtful of that Man. Now I wonder if he knew that I couldn’t dig or swim with my paw hurting me, because his paw was hurting him? I hope not.”
And that was very nice of him, because it was all Tommy’s fault in the beginning. Tommy had deliberately16 set that trap.
Chaik the Jay swallowed such a big beakful of meal that he had to crane his neck over it; then he blinked very seriously because Nibble was giggling17 at him. “Do you s’pose we could all trust Tommy the way Nibble can if we all were friends with him?” he demanded.
“Hm!” sniffed19 old Doctor Muskrat a bit gruffly, “that sounds very well from you birds. You have wings so you can fly away from him.”
“Certainly,” Chaik retorted, “but I’ve never seen him swim.”
“Hmm, hmm!” the doctor snorted again. And he hitched20 himself on his three sound legs over to a big stone that had grown warm in the sun and spread himself out flat like a small furry21 rug. He meant to think it over. But he felt so comfortable and full that he fell into a snooze.
Nibble was snoozing, too, snuggled up beside him, but he awoke when he heard Tommy’s tall rubber boots splattering through the slush. His father had put a patch on the hole, when he was mending an automobile22 tire, so it was as good as ever. Nibble nudged the doctor and then hurried over to greet Tommy, jumping the splashiest puddles23 and pattering right through the little ones because he didn’t want his friend to think Chaik and Chewee were the only ones who’d take the trouble. And Tommy took an ear of corn out of his pocket and shared it between them.
Then Tommy ordered Watch to stay back while he tried to speak to Doctor Muskrat. And the old doctor didn’t flash right into the water—as he really meant to. He sat up, holding his poor paw in front of him, and squinted24 his eyes to get a good look at the little boy. He didn’t even jump when Tommy laid down the other ear of corn, nor when Watch came sneaking25 disobediently up behind him because he wanted to poke11 his nose into what was going on. For Tommy caught him by the fur and pointed26 that inquisitive27 nose straight at the doctor. “There,” he ordered, “take a good smell so you’ll know him again. That’s my muskrat!”
And Nibble was so pleased he took a leap and kicked his furry heels so high that Tommy laughed at him. “You’re safe! You’re safe!” he rejoiced. “Isn’t it almost worth being caught for?”
And Doctor Muskrat considered his sore paw and then he considered the little boy. And he looked very thoughtful.
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1
nibble
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| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
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muskrat
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| n.麝香鼠 | |
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muskrats
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| n.麝鼠（产于北美，毛皮珍贵）( muskrat的名词复数 ) | |
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4
scuttling
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| n.船底穿孔，打开通海阀（沉船用）v.使船沉没( scuttle的现在分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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cones
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| n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒 | |
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hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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poke
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| n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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12
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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13
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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giggling
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
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18
chirped
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| 鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的过去式 ) | |
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19
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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20
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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furry
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| adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的 | |
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automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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puddles
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| n.水坑， （尤指道路上的）雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 ) | |
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24
squinted
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| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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25
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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