He was in the highest of spirits; the nearer he came to the field the more determined13 he was to show fight to the rabbits should they combine to drive him from it. The thought never entered his head that any other creatures would intervene between him and his feast, much less that before he could reach the feeding-ground he would be turned into a terror-stricken fugitive14; yet so it proved.
On, on he sped until he reached the pasture adjoining the clover; he was within a stone’s throw of the gate when he heard the patter of feet on the other side of the hedge; his curiosity was aroused, and he stood still to see the creatures pass the gap a dozen yards to his rear. He expected to view a troop of rats, of which he had met many in the standing15 corn; to his horror it proved to be a family of polecats, moving so slowly in single file that, though there were only six in all, he thought the procession would never come to an end. All peered through the gap; the last actually stopped and scrutinised the leveret, but concluding that he was one of the many stones that littered the ground, galloped16 off after the others. It was a narrow escape, for had the leveret raised head or ears he must have been recognised and have drawn7 the bloodthirsty crew upon him.
The sight of the polecats had so frightened him that he was incapable17 of movement; it was some minutes before he had sufficiently18 recovered to continue on his way. Near the gate he stopped and looked back, and once more after entering the field, but without seeing a sign of the enemy. Then he cast his eyes vaguely19 over the field, the goal of his longing. Not a rabbit was to be seen; the patch of uncut clover looked most tempting20. Did he hasten to nibble21 the succulent leaves? Not at all: he never went near them; he moved away, urged by the impulse to put as great a distance as possible between himself and the polecats, for he felt sure they would follow his trail. All at once he broke into a panic-stricken flight, and kept it up as far as the barley22-field, which had been cut in his absence. On the hedge by the tit’s deserted23 nest he stood and listened with ears erect24. He expected to hear the whimpering chorus that he had once heard in the valley below, the cry that would confirm his fears. But there was no sound, not even a slight rustling25 of the medlar leaves. The silence, however, brought him no comfort. It could not dispel26 the dread27 which kept him wandering aimlessly about the oatfield like a thing awaiting its doom28; so that he must have wasted half an hour before leaving by the gate at the lower corner and galloping29 across the long meadow where some bullocks glared at him as he sped past. In the small enclosure beyond he stopped to nibble one of the turnips30 growing there, but so nervous was he that the pigeon drinking at the woodland pool does not raise its head more often than he. His eyes are directed to the spot on the hedge where he had passed; for he is sure that the polecats before now have struck his trail.
His apprehension31 proved correct. The polecats had happened on his line amongst the furze above the mill-pool, and run it in the right direction from the first. More than once the mother, conscious of the wide circuit made by a hare, was on the point of abandoning the trail; but the sight of her kittens revelling32 in the scent33 got the better of her judgment34 and induced her to keep on. She led her young at the utmost speed they were capable of maintaining, arresting her steps only to scan each field she came to, in the hope of seeing and being seen by the hare, who she knew would be paralysed at the sight of her. She never dreamt that the hare had already seen her and was under the spell of her influence; though the knowledge could not have hastened the pursuit, inasmuch as the kittens were hurrying on as fast as their legs could carry them.
The distance that separated the hunters from the quarry35 was not great. When they entered the clover the leveret was only just leaving the oats; when they were crossing the barley stubble he was still nibbling36 the turnips; but he gained after that. For while the polecats were busy working out the tortuous37 line in the oats he forged ahead and gained High Down, where he busied himself in laying a most intricate maze38. He moved hither and thither39 criss-crossing the trail incessantly40, knowing that his life depended on its intricacy. It was well that he was thoroughly41 absorbed in his task, for had he stopped and listened he could hardly have failed to hear the shrill42 cry of his pursuers as they bounded across the long meadow. On gaining the hedge-top they stood scrutinising the rows of turnips as if they expected to see the game there; and very odd they looked standing side by side on their hind43 legs, their eyes shining like glow-worms. But the quarry was nowhere to be seen, so presently mother and kittens leapt to the ground and resumed the full cry, which they kept up over the undulating field beyond, round the edge of the swamp, and below the pair of haggard thorns between which the pack passed.
Meanwhile the leveret, his task well done, was on the point of leaving the downs. He was perhaps a score yards from the gate when the cry he had been so long expecting fell on his ears and rendered him all but helpless. Some hares would have lain down and awaited their fate; others would have squealed44 and hastened it; but the leveret’s courage was high, and, stifling45 the cry which sought for utterance46, he battled as best he could against the paralysing weakness that assailed47 him, and dragged himself yard by yard towards the gate. Suddenly the cry ceased: the polecats had come on the maze, and in silence devoted48 themselves to the business of unravelling49 it. With the cessation of the blood-curdling chorus the leveret’s power gradually returned; he drew farther and farther away, seemingly all uncertain as to his goal. At one moment he headed for the form on the hedge; at another for the mound50 where he had sat once or twice when the wind was northerly; but in the end he set his face for the form by the pool, and to this direction he kept. The polecats, maddened by the delay, had been displaying a feverish51 energy in their attempt to discover the true line. Each worked independently of the other, and not a kitten looked to the mother for guidance. Theirs was indeed a difficult task: no pack of harriers would have accomplished52 it without aid of man; yet the wildlings, with a persistence53 that would not be denied, after two hours’ search succeeded in recovering the line by which the leveret had left the field.
Strangely enough the discovery was made by the smallest of the litter, who, after raising the cry of “found,” sat on his haunches and gazed about him, as if he expected to view the game. He continued to sit even after his mother had taken up the trail, but presently fell into his place at the end of the long file and joined in the full-tongued chorus. Increased speed now marked the pursuit. The pack was running for blood, and running as they knew against time, for night was yielding to the grey dawn. Already the cocks were crowing, and soon a farm boy was heard calling the cows. At other times the polecats would have stopped, perhaps slunk away to cover; now they gave no heed54, no more indeed than to the ruddy sky that told of the coming sun. True that, save for the occasional cry of a kitten, they had ceased their whimperings; otherwise they behaved as if it were the dead of night, going from corner to corner of even the biggest fields, and when at last they came to the mill-lane, following it with a daring that wild creatures rarely display.
The miller’s wife caught sight of the polecat as it leapt from the wall, and then watched the spring of kitten after kitten till she was almost tongue-tied with amazement55. At last she screamed out: “Zekiah, Zekiah, there’s a passel of fitchers under the window; they’re running something, I’m sure they are. Wust ’ee, jump out and mob them, thee lie-abed, they’ll take no notice of a woman.” Whereupon the miller sprang out of bed, thrust his head through the open window, and shouted: “Ah, you bold, imprent varmints, ah! . . . you stinking56 old night-trade. Be off wi’ ’ee. Ah! ah! ah!”
Heedless of the rating, the pack made for the bank of the pool and found another maze awaiting them there. This discouraged the kittens, as their movements showed. But their mother knew that this maze was the hare’s last ruse57, that he was squatting58 near; and surely she must have communicated this knowledge to her young, or why should they have suddenly thrown off their lethargy and displayed the almost fiendish activity they did? In an instant the bank was alive with their undulating forms. They darted59 in and out amongst the sedge; they swam the ditch and twisted about amongst the stems of the withies; again and again they gathered at the spot where the Squire60 had first stood to fish; for from there the leveret, by a long leap, had gained the pool and swum to the opposite bank. It was the sheet of water that had decided61 him to make for the form amidst the rushes, and there he was sitting, motionless and helpless.
Luckily he could see nothing of the black, restless creatures, not even their arched backs or raised heads; but the smell of their rank bodies polluted the air, so he knew they were there defiling62 with their presence the sweet tranquillity63 of the scene. The absence of all trace of scent near the water, however, baffled the polecats. They could not trace the hare beyond the take-off place, and the clouded water where he had stirred the mud in the shallows contained no message for them.
The growing light was beginning to cause uneasiness to the band; nevertheless one of them proceeded to draw the farther bank; it was the tiny fellow who had recovered the line on High Down. Twice he approached the edge of the pool as if he intended to swim to the other side, but withdrew, made along the bank, crossed at the inflow and at once began questing amongst the rushes. Nearer and nearer he came to the helpless prey64, was indeed close on it when the magpie, returning to the thorn by the withies, espied65 him and forthwith set up the most irritating and persistent66 chatter67. The polecat was greatly disconcerted by the mobbing of the bird, and presently, unable to endure the insults longer, leapt at it where it fluttered just beyond his reach. Maddened by failure he kept on springing at the black-and-white pest till he came to the hatch, up which he climbed to the cross-piece and, careless of both hare and bird, sat there listening to the miller, who was now abroad.
The footfall of the miller and the noise he made in pulling the faggots out of the furze-rick caused the polecat little disquietude; but the moment Zekiah began whistling “Pop goes the Weasel,” he leapt to the sward and bounded after his mother, already in full retreat with the rest of the litter, towards a deserted quarry where she had decided to pass the rest of the day.
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1
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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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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withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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8
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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hawthorn
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| 山楂 | |
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crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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11
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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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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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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15
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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16
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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17
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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18
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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19
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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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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barley
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| n.大麦，大麦粒 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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29
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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30
turnips
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| 芜青( turnip的名词复数 )； 芜菁块根； 芜菁甘蓝块根； 怀表 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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32
revelling
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| v.作乐( revel的现在分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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33
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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nibbling
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| v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的现在分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬 | |
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tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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40
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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41
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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42
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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43
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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44
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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45
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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46
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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47
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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48
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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49
unravelling
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| 解开，拆散，散开( unravel的现在分词 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚 | |
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50
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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51
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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52
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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53
persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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54
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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55
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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56
stinking
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| adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透 | |
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57
ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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58
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；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。 | |
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59
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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60
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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61
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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62
defiling
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| v.玷污( defile的现在分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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63
tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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64
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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65
espied
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| v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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