One morning the deep quiet was torn apart by the barking of dogs.
It was an incessant3, hurried barking that drove its way quickly through the forest, a sharp, curt4 and belligerent5 yapping that made him sound insane.
In the chamber6 under the fallen beech7 trunk Bambi raised his head and looked at the elder who was lying next to him.
The elder answered Bambi’s look. “It’s nothing, nothing that need concern us.”
The two of them nonetheless listened.
They lay in their chamber, they had the old beech trunk as a protective roof over them, icy draughts8 were kept out by the height of the snow, and the tangle9 of bushes hid them like a dense10 grid11 from any spying eye.
The barking came nearer, angry, breathless, heated. It could only have been a small dog.
It came ever nearer. Now they could hear the gasping12 for breath at twice the speed, and through the angry barking they heard a gentle growling13, as if from pain. Bambi became uneasy, but the elder again said, “It’s nothing that need concern us.”
They remained still and quiet in the warmth of their chamber, peering out to see what was happening outside.
The rustling14 in the twigs15 came ever nearer, snow fell from the boughs16 as they were suddenly run past, a dust of snow was kicked up from the ground.
Now it was possible to see who was coming.
Through snow and bushes, through roots and twigs there came, jumping and creeping and sliding, the old fox.
Immediately after him the dog broke through. It was a very small dog on short legs.
One of the fox’s front legs was broken and just above the break his fur was ripped open. He held the broken leg high up in front of him, blood was spurting17 from his wounds, his breath was wheezy, his eyes were staring far ahead because of his horror and the efforts he was having to make. He was beside himself with terror and panic, he was confused and exhausted18. He swung round in a swiping movement, which startled the dog so that he stepped back a few paces.
The fox sat down on his hind19 legs. He could go no further. He held the shot foreleg up in a way that was pitiful, his mouth was open, sucking in his cheeks he spat20 at the dog.
He, though, was not quiet for a moment. His high, shrill21 voice now became fuller and deeper. “Here!” he shouted. Here! Here he is! Here! Here! Here!” He was not shouting at the fox, at that moment he was not speaking to him at all but was clearly calling to somebody else who was still a long way away.
Bambi and the elder were both aware that it was Him whom the dog was calling.
The fox knew it too. The blood was now gushing22 down from his breast and into the snow and built up a gently steaming, scarlet23 stain on the icy-white layer.
The fox seemed to be having a mild fit. His shattered foreleg had no strength in it and it sank down, but when it touched the cold snow a burning pain shot through it. Arduously24, he raised it up and held it, jittering25, in the air in front of him.
“Leave me alone ...” he began to say. “Leave me alone ...”. He spoke26 quietly and imploringly27. He was very dull and disheartened.
“No! No! No!” the dog threw back at him in a malevolent28 howl.
“I beg of you ...” said the fox, “I can’t go any further ... I’ve had it .. just let me go ... let me go home ... at least let me die in peace ...”
“No! No! No!” the dog howled.
The fox begged him even harder. “But we’re related ...” he lamented29, “we’re almost brothers ... let me go home ... let me die among my own folk ... we ... we’re almost brothers ... you and me ...”.
“No! No! No!” the dog said excitedly.
Now the fox sat upright. His lovely pointed30 snout sank down to his bloodied31 breast, his eyes rose up and stared at the dog right into his face . In a quite different voice, in control of himself, sad and bitter, he snarled32, “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself ...? You traitor33!”
“No! No! No!” the dog yelled.
The fox, however went on. “You turncoat ... you defector!” His lacerated body became stiff with hatred34 and contempt. “You’re just His henchman,” he hissed35. “You miserable36 ... you seek us out where He couldn’t find us ... you persecute37 us in places that He can’t get to ... you turn us in ..., and all of us are your relatives ... you turn me in, and you and I are nearly brothers ... and you just stand there ...are you not ashamed of yourself?”
Suddenly many loud, new voices were heard around them.
“Defector!” spat the polecat.
Shrill hisses41 and screeches42 came out from all the trees and bushes, and from the air came the screeching43 of the crows, “henchman!” All had hurried close, all had listened to the quarrel from the trees above or from a safe hiding place on the ground. The disgust expressed by the fox released the old, bitter disgust that they all felt, and the blood steaming in sight of them on the snow made them furious and made them lose all their reserve.
The dog looked around him. “You!” he called. “What do you want? What do you know about it? What are you talking about? All o’ you belong to ‘Im, just like I belong to ‘Im! But me ... well I love ‘Im, I pray to ‘Im! I serve ‘Im! But you, you don’t know that ‘E’s in charge ‘ere. You’re pitiful you are, you can’t rebel against ‘Im? ‘E’s the almighty44! ‘E’s above all of us! Ev’rything you’ve got comes from ‘Im! E’vrything that grows and lives, it all comes from ‘Im.” The dog was shaking in his outrage45.
“Traitor!” the squirrel screamed.
“Yes!” hissed the fox. “You’re a traitor. Nobody but you ... you’re the only one ...!”
They danced about in self-righteous anger. “I’m the only one ...? You liar46! D’you think there aren’t loads and loads of others who are with ‘Im ...? The ‘orse ... the cows ... the lamb ... the chickens ... and some of all of you, all your species, there are loads who are with ‘Im, who pray to ‘im ... and serve ‘Im!”
The dog could control himself no longer and hurled48 himself at the fox’s throat. A snarling49, spitting, gasping bundle, wild and whirring they rolled in the snow, snapping at each other, hair flew up, snow flew up, fine drops of blood flew up. But the fox was not able to maintain the fight for long. After just a few seconds he lay there on his back, showed his pale belly50, twitched51, stretched himself out, and died.
The dog shook him a few more times, then dropped him into the churned up snow, stood there with his legs wide apart and once more called out in a full, deep voice, “There! There! There he is!”
The others were disgusted and fled away in all directions.
“Horrible ...” said Bambi in his chamber to the elder.
“Worst of all,” the elder replied, “is that they believe in what the dog just said. They believe it, they live a life full of fear, they hate Him and they hate themselves ... and they kill themselves for his sake.”
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收听单词发音
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1
croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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magpie
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| n.喜欢收藏物品的人，喜鹊，饶舌者 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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belligerent
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| adj.好战的，挑起战争的；n.交战国，交战者 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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beech
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| n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的 | |
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draughts
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| n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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grid
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| n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅 | |
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gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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14
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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16
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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17
spurting
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| （液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的现在分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺； 溅射 | |
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18
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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21
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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22
gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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23
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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24
arduously
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| adv.费力地，严酷地 | |
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25
jittering
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| v.紧张不安，战战兢兢( jitter的现在分词 ) | |
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26
spoke
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| 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 | |
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imploringly
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| adv. 恳求地, 哀求地 | |
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malevolent
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| adj.有恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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lamented
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| adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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bloodied
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| v.血污的( bloody的过去式和过去分词 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的 | |
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32
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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33
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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35
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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36
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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persecute
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| vt.迫害，虐待；纠缠，骚扰 | |
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38
magpies
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| 喜鹊（magpie的复数形式） | |
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39
screeched
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| 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 | |
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40
squealed
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
hisses
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| 嘶嘶声( hiss的名词复数 ) | |
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42
screeches
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| n.尖锐的声音( screech的名词复数 )v.发出尖叫声( screech的第三人称单数 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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43
screeching
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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44
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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45
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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46
liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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47
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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48
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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49
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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50
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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51
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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