Uno Harva, quoted by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a ThousandFacesFiver lay on the earth floor of the burrow1. Outside, the downs were still in theintense, bright heat of noon. The dew and gossamer2 had dried early from thegrass and by midmorning the finches had fallen silent. Now, along the lonelyexpanses of wiry turf, the air wavered. On the footpath3 that led past the warren,bright threads of light -- watery4, a mirage5 -- trickled7 and glittered across theshortest, smoothest grass. From a distance the trees along the edge of the beechhanger appeared full of great, dense8 shadows, impenetrable to the dazzled eye.
The only sound was the "Zip, zip" of the grasshoppers9, the only scent10 that of thewarm thyme.
In the burrow, Fiver slept and woke uneasily through the heat of the day,fidgeting and scratching as the last traces of moisture dried out of the earth abovehim. Once, when a trickle6 of powdery soil fell from the roof, he leaped out of sleepand was in the mouth of the run before he came to himself and returned to wherehe had been lying. Each time he woke, he remembered the loss of Hazel andsuffered once more the knowledge that had pierced him as the shadowy, limpingrabbit disappeared in the first light of morning on the down. Where was thatrabbit now? Where had it gone? He began to follow it among the tangled11 paths ofhis own thoughts, over the cold, dew-wet ridge12 and down into the dawn mist ofthe fields below.
The mist swirled13 round Fiver as he crept through thistles and nettles14. Now hecould no longer see the limping rabbit ahead. He was alone and afraid, yetperceiving old, familiar sounds and smells -- those of the field where he was born.
The thick weeds of summer were gone. He was under the bare ash boughs15 and theflowering blackthorn of March. He was crossing the brook16, going up the slopetoward the lane, toward the place where Hazel and he had come upon the noticeboard. Would the board still be there? He looked timidly up the slope. The viewwas blotted17 with mist, but as he neared the top he saw a man busy over a pile oftools -- a spade, a rope and other, smaller implements18, the use of which he didnot know. The notice board lay flat on the ground. It was smaller than heremembered and fixed19 to a single, long, square post, sharpened at the further endto put into the earth. The surface of the board was white, just as he had seen itbefore, and covered with the sharp black lines like sticks. Fiver came hesitantlyup the slope and stopped close to the man, who stood looking down into a deep,narrow hole sunk in the ground at his feet. The man turned to Fiver with the kindof amiability20 that an ogre might show to a victim whom they both know that hewill kill and eat as soon as it suits him to do so.
"Ah! An' what am I doin', eh?" asked the man.
"What are you doing?" answered Fiver, staring and twitching21 with fear.
"I'm just putt'n up this 'ere ol' board," said the man. "And I s'pose you wants t'
know what for, eh?""Yes," whispered Fiver.
"It's fer that there old 'Azel," said the man. "On'y where 't'is, see, we got t' putup a bit of a notice, like, on 'is account. And what d'you reckon it says, eh?""I don't know," said Fiver. "How -- how can a board say anything?""Ah, but it do, see?" replied the man. "That's where we knows what you don't.
That's why we kills you when we 'as a mind to. Now, you wants take a good lookat that there board and then very likely you'll know more 'n what you knowsnow."In the livid, foggy twilight22, Fiver stared at the board. As he stared, the blacksticks flickered23 on the white surface. They raised their sharp, wedge-shaped littleheads and chattered24 together like a nestful of young weasels. The sound, mockingand cruel, came faintly to his ears, as though muffled25 by sand or sacking. "Inmemory of Hazel-rah! In memory of Hazel-rah! In memory of Hazel-rah! Ha haha ha ha ha!""Well, that's where 't'is, see?" said the man. "And I've got t'ang 'im up on this'ere board. That's t' say, soon's I gets it stood up proper. Same as you'd 'ang upjay, like, or old stoat. Ah! Gon' 'ang 'im up.""No!" cried Fiver. "No, you shan't!""On'y I ain't got 'im, see?" went on the man. "That's why I can't get done. Ican't 'ang 'im up, 'cos 'e've gone down th' bloody26 'ole, that's where 'e've gone. 'E'vegone down th' bloody 'ole, just when I'd got 'n lined an' all, and I can't get 'n out."Fiver crept up to the man's boots and peered into the hole. It was circular, acylinder of baked earthenware27 that disappeared vertically28 into the ground. Hecalled, "Hazel! Hazel!" Far down in the bole, something moved and he was aboutto call again. Then the man bent29 down and hit him between the ears.
Fiver was struggling in a thick cloud of earth, soft and powdery. Someone wassaying, "Steady, Fiver, steady!" He sat up. There was soil in his eyes, his ears andnostrils. He could not smell. He shook himself and said, "Who is it?""It's Blackberry. I came to see how you were. It's all right; a bit of the roof'sfallen, that's all. There've been falls all over the warren today -- it's the heat.
Anyway, it woke you from a nightmare, if I know anything. You were thrashingabout and calling out for Hazel. You poor old chap! What a miserable30 thing it is tohave happened! We must try to bear it as best we can. We've all got to stoprunning one day, you know. They say Frith knows all the rabbits, every one.""Is it evening?" asked Fiver.
"Not yet, no. But it's a fair time after ni-Frith. Holly31 and the others have comeback, you know. Strawberry's very ill and they haven't any does with them -- notone. Everything's as bad as it could be. Holly's still asleep -- he was completelyexhausted. He said he'd tell us what happened this evening. When we told himabout poor Hazel, he said -- Fiver, you're not listening. I expect you'd rather Ikept quiet.""Blackberry," said Fiver, "do you know the place where Hazel was shot?""Yes, Bigwig and I went and looked at the ditch before we came away. But youmustn't--""Could you go there with me now?""Go back there? Oh, no. It's a long way, Fiver, and what would be the good?
The risk, and this fearful heat, and you'd only make yourself wretched.""Hazel isn't dead," said Fiver.
"Yes, the men took him away. Fiver, I saw the blood.""Yes, but you didn't see Hazel, because he isn't dead. Blackberry, you must dowhat I ask.""You're asking too much.""Then I shall have to go alone. But what I'm asking you to do is to come andsave Hazel's life."When at last Blackberry had reluctantly given in and they had set out down thehill, Fiver went almost as fast as though he were running for cover. Again andagain he urged Blackberry to make haste. The fields were empty in the glare.
Every creature bigger than a bluebottle was sheltering from the heat. When theyreached the outlying sheds beside the lane, Blackberry began to explain how heand Bigwig had gone back to search; but Fiver cut him short.
"We have to go up the slope, I know that: but you must show me the ditch."The elms were still. There was not the least sound in the leaves. The ditch wasthick with cow parsley, hemlock32 and long trails of green-flowering bryony.
Blackberry led the way to the trampled33 patch of nettles and Fiver sat still amongthem, sniffing34 and looking about him in the silence. Blackberry watched himdisconsolately. A faint breath of wind stole across the fields and a blackbird beganto sing from somewhere beyond the elms. At last Fiver began to move along thebottom of the ditch. The insects buzzed round his ears and suddenly a little cloudof flies flew up, disturbed from a projecting stone. No, not a stone. It was smoothand regular -- a circular lip of earthenware. The brown mouth of a drain, stainedblack at the lower edge by a thin, dried thread of blood: of rabbit's blood.
"The bloody hole!" whispered Fiver. "The bloody hole!"He peered into the dark opening. It was blocked. Blocked by a rabbit. That wasplain to be smelled. A rabbit whose faint pulse could just be heard, magnified inthe confined tunnel.
"Hazel?" said Fiver.
Blackberry was beside him at once. "What is it, Fiver?""Hazel's in that hole," said Fiver, "and he's alive."
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1
burrow
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| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
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gossamer
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| n.薄纱，游丝 | |
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footpath
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| n.小路，人行道 | |
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4
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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mirage
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景 | |
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6
trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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7
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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8
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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grasshoppers
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| n.蚱蜢( grasshopper的名词复数 )；蝗虫；蚂蚱；（孩子）矮小的 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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11
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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12
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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13
swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
nettles
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| n.荨麻( nettle的名词复数 ) | |
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15
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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16
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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17
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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18
implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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19
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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amiability
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| n.和蔼可亲的，亲切的，友善的 | |
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twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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23
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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25
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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26
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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earthenware
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| n.土器，陶器 | |
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28
vertically
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| adv.垂直地 | |
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29
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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30
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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31
holly
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| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
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32
hemlock
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| n.毒胡萝卜，铁杉 | |
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33
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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34
sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；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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