CHAPTER 17

 They stood together in the middle of a thicket¹ in a small clearing, and Gobo told them about where he had been.

 

Their friend the hare sat there too, raised his ears in amazement² as he listened tensely and let them sink again in his awe³ at what he heard, only to raise them again immediately after.

 

The magpie⁴ squatted⁵ on the lowest twig⁶ of a young beech⁷ tree and listened in astonishment⁸. The jay sat uneasily nearby on an ash tree, sometimes screeching⁹ in his amazement.

 

A pair of pheasants they knew had found their way there with their wives and children. They craned their necks in wonderment as they listened, drew them back in, turned their heads here and there and remained speechless.

 

The squirrel bounded in and moved in a way that showed he was very excited. He soon slipped down the ground, ran up one or other tree, then leant back on his erected¹⁰ tail and showed his white breast. He continually wanted to interrupt Gobo, wanted to say something, but each time all those around him ordered him to be quiet.

 

He told them about how he had lain helpless in the snow and waited for death.

 

“It was the dogs who found me,” he said, “those dogs are terrifying. They’re absolutely the most terrifying things in the whole wide world. Their throats are full of blood, their voices are full of anger and without mercy.” He looked round at everyone there and went on. .”.. but, well ... afterwards I played with them as if we were all equal ...” He was very proud of himself. .”.. I don’t need to be scared of them any more because now we’re all good friends. Still though, when they start to get angry there’s a thumping¹¹ in my head, and my heart gets quite stiff. But they don’t always mean it in such a nasty way and, as I’ve just said, I’m their friend now ... but there’s so much power in their voices it’s horrible.” He became silent.

 

“Go on then!” Faline insisted.

 

Gobo looked at her. “Well, back then they would have torn me limb from limb ... but then He came along!”

 

Gobo paused. The others could scarcely breathe.

 

“Yes,” said Gobo. “Then He came along! He called the dogs off and they immediately became quite quiet. He called to them again and they lay motionless on the ground in front of Him. Then he lifted me up. I screamed. But he stroked me. He held me gently pressed onto his chest. He didn’t hurt me. And then He carried me off ...”

 

Faline interrupted him. “What do you mean, ‘carried you’?”

 

Gobo began to explain, in detail and with some self-importance.

 

“It’s very easy,” interjected Bambi. “Think of the squirrel, Faline, what he does when he’s holding a nut and carries it away ...”

 

Now the squirrel wanted a chance to speak at last. .”.. A cousin of mine ...” he began with enthusiasm. But the others immediately insisted, “Be quiet! Be quiet! Let Gobo carry on speaking!”

 

The squirrel had to say silent. He was cowed and bewildered, pressed his forepaws against his white breast and turned to the magpie to speak just to him. .”.. I was saying ... a cousin of mine ...”

 

But the magpie simply turned his back on him.

 

Gobo told them of marvellous things. “It’s cold outside, and the storm is howling. But indoors, with him, there’s no wind and it’s as warm as in summer.”

 

“Hach!” screeched¹² the jay.

 

“Outside, the rain is lashing¹³ down from the sky so that everything is in water. But indoors, with Him, there’s not a drop of rain and you stay dry.”

 

The pheasants twitched¹⁴ their necks up high and turned their heads.

 

“When everywhere outside was deep in snow, I was inside and nice and warm, I was even quite hot, and He gave me hay to eat, chestnuts¹⁵, potatoes, turnips¹⁶, everything I could have wished for ...”

 

“Hay?!” they all asked in one voice, astonished, incredulous, excited.

 

“Fresh, sweet hay,” Gobo repeated calmly, and looked triumphantly¹⁷ round at them.

 

The squirrel tried to squeeze in his voice. “A cousin of mine ...”

 

“Just be quiet!” the others ordered.

 

And Faline asked Gobo vigorously, “Where did He get hay from, and all those other things, in the winter?”

 

“He grows it,” answered Gobo. “Whatever he wants, he grows it, and when he wants it it’s there for him!”

 

Faline continued asking questions. “Weren’t you afraid, Gobo, all the time you were with him?”

 

Gobo thought himself very clever and grinned. “My dear Faline, I wasn’t afraid, not any more. After all, I knew He didn’t want to do anything to hurt me. Why should I have been afraid? You all think He’s very nasty, but He’s not nasty. When He likes anyone, when anyone does something for Him, He’s nice. Lovely and nice. There’s no-one in the whole wide world who could be as nice as He is ...”

 

Suddenly, as Gobo was speaking in this way, an elder emerged silently from the bushes.

 

Gobo did not notice him and continued speaking, but all the others had seen the elder and held their breath in awe of him.

 

The elder stood there without moving and watched Gobo with deep and serious eyes.

 

Gobo said, “And it wasn’t just Him, it was His children, they loved me too, and His wife and everyone. They stroked me, gave me food and played with me ...” He broke off. He had seen the elder.

 

Everyone became silent.

 

Then the elder, in his calm and authoritative¹⁸ voice, asked, “What’s that stripe on your neck?”

 

Everyone looked at him and became aware, for the first time, of the dark stripe made up of compressed and eroded¹⁹ hair that went round Gobo’s neck.

 

Gobo answered the elder uncertainly. “That ...? That’s from the collar I wore ... it’s His collar ... and ... yes, and ... and it’s a great honour to wear his collar ... it’s ...” He became confused and stammered²⁰.

 

All were silent. The elder kept a sad and piercing look on Gobo for a long time.

 

“You poor thing,” he said gently, then he turned round and was gone.

 

In the silence that followed from this disturbance²¹ the squirrel started to chatter²². “You see ... a cousin of mine was there with Him too ... He’d caught him and locked him in ... oh, for a very long time, till one day my cousin ...”

 

But no-one was listening to the squirrel.

 

They all went away.

1 thicket   

n.灌木丛，树林

参考例句：

• A thicket makes good cover for animals to hide in.丛林是动物的良好隐蔽处。
• We were now at the margin of the thicket.我们现在已经来到了丛林的边缘。

2 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

3 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

4 magpie   

n.喜欢收藏物品的人，喜鹊，饶舌者

参考例句：

• Now and then a magpie would call.不时有喜鹊的叫声。
• This young man is really a magpie.这个年轻人真是饶舌。

5 squatted   

v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。

参考例句：

• He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 twig   

n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解

参考例句：

• He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
• The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。

7 beech   

n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的

参考例句：

• Autumn is the time to see the beech woods in all their glory.秋天是观赏山毛榉林的最佳时期。
• Exasperated,he leaped the stream,and strode towards beech clump.他满腔恼怒，跳过小河，大踏步向毛榉林子走去。

8 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

9 screeching   

v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫

参考例句：

• Monkeys were screeching in the trees. 猴子在树上吱吱地叫着。
• the unedifying sight of the two party leaders screeching at each other 两党党魁狺狺对吠的讨厌情景

10 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

11 thumping   

adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持

参考例句：

• Her heart was thumping with emotion. 她激动得心怦怦直跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was thumping the keys of the piano. 他用力弹钢琴。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 screeched   

v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫

参考例句：

• She screeched her disapproval. 她尖叫着不同意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The car screeched to a stop. 汽车嚓的一声停住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 lashing   

n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The speaker was lashing the crowd. 演讲人正在煽动人群。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rain was lashing the windows. 雨急打着窗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 twitched   

vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
• The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着，像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 chestnuts   

n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 )；栗色；栗树；栗色马

参考例句：

• A man in the street was selling bags of hot chestnuts. 街上有个男人在卖一包包热栗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Talk of chestnuts loosened the tongue of this inarticulate young man. 因为栗子，正苦无话可说的年青人，得到同情他的人了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

16 turnips   

芜青( turnip的名词复数 )； 芜菁块根； 芜菁甘蓝块根； 怀表

参考例句：

• Well, I like turnips, tomatoes, eggplants, cauliflowers, onions and carrots. 噢，我喜欢大萝卜、西红柿、茄子、菜花、洋葱和胡萝卜。 来自魔法英语-口语突破（高中）
• This is turnip soup, made from real turnips. 这是大头菜汤，用真正的大头菜做的。

17 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

18 authoritative   

adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的

参考例句：

• David speaks in an authoritative tone.大卫以命令的口吻说话。
• Her smile was warm but authoritative.她的笑容很和蔼，同时又透着威严。

19 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

20 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

21 disturbance   

n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调

参考例句：

• He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
• You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。

22 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。