I. THE STRANGE VOICE

LISTEN!” It was Jimmy Skunk¹ speaking. He had just met Peter Rabbit halfway² down the Crooked³ Little Path just where the moonlight was brightest. But he did not need to tell Peter to listen. Peter was listening,-listening with all his might. He was sitting up very straight, and his long ears were turned in the direction of the strange sound. Just then it came again, a sound such as neither Peter Rabbit nor Jimmy Skunk had ever heard before. Peter's teeth began to chatter⁴.

 

“Wha—wha—what is it?” he whispered.

 

“I don't know, unless it is Hooty the Owl⁵ gone crazy,” replied Jimmy.

 

“No,” said Peter, “it isn't Hooty the Owl. Hooty never could make such a noise as that.”

 

“Maybe it's Dippy the Loon⁶. I've heard him on the Big River, and he sounds just as if he had gone crazy,” replied Jimmy.

 

“No,” said Peter, looking behind him nervously⁷. “No, it isn't Dippy the Loon, for Dippy never leaves the water, and that voice came from the Green Meadows. I wouldn't be surprised—” Peter didn't finish, for just then the strange voice sounded again, and it was nearer than before. Never had the Green Meadows or the Green Forest heard anything like it. It sounded something like Hooty the Owl, and Dippy the Loon, and two or three little dogs howling all together, and there was something in the sound that made cold chills run up and down Peter Rabbit's backbone⁸. He crept a little closer to Jimmy Skunk.

 

“I believe it is Farmer Brown's boy and some of his friends laughing and shouting together,” said Jimmy.

 

“No, it isn't! Farmer Brown's boy and his friends can make some dreadful noises but nothing so dreadful as that. It makes me afraid, Jimmy Skunk,” said Peter.

 

“Pooh! You're afraid of your own shadow!” replied Jimmy Skunk, who isn't afraid of much of anything. “Let's go down there and find out what it is.”

 

Peter's big eyes grew rounder than ever with fright at the very thought. “D-d-don't you think of such a thing, Jimmy Skunk I D-d-don't y-y-you think of such a thing!” he chattered⁹. “I know it's something terrible. Oh, dear! I wish I were safe at home in the dear Old Briar-patch.”

 

Again sounded the strange voice, or was it voices? It seemed sometimes as if there were two or three together. Then again it sounded like only one. Each time Peter Rabbit crept a little closer to Jimmy Skunk. Pretty soon even Jimmy began to feel a little uneasy.

 

“I'm going home,” said he suddenly.

 

“I want to, but I don't dare to,” said Peter, shaking all over with fright.

 

“Pooh! Any one who can run as fast as you can ought not to be afraid,” said Jimmy. “But if you really are afraid, you can come up to my house.”

 

“Oh, thank you, Jimmy Skunk. I believe I will come sit on your doorstep if you don't mind.”

So together they went up to Jimmy Skunk's house, and sat on his doorstep in the moonlight, and listened to the strange voice all the long night; and then, when he saw Old Mother West Wind coming down from the Purple Hills in the early dawn, Peter Rabbit became courageous¹⁰ enough to start for his home in the dear Old Briar-patch.

该作者其它作品
《Thornton W. Burgess》

 

1 skunk   

n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥

参考例句：

• That was a rotten thing to do, you skunk!那种事做得太缺德了，你这卑鄙的家伙！
• The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked.受到攻击时臭鼬会发出一种难闻的气味。

2 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

3 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

4 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。

5 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

6 loon   

n.狂人

参考例句：

• That guy's a real loon.那个人是个真正的疯子。
• Everyone thought he was a loon.每个人都骂他神经。

7 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

8 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

9 chattered   

（人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤

参考例句：

• They chattered away happily for a while. 他们高兴地闲扯了一会儿。
• We chattered like two teenagers. 我们聊着天，像两个十多岁的孩子。

10 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。