After the mad frobscottle party was over, Sophie settled herself again on top of the enormous
table.
‘You is feeling better now?’ asked the Big Friendly Giant.
‘Much better, thank you,’ Sophie said.
‘Whenever I is feeling a bit scrotty,’ the BFG said, ‘a few gollops of frobscottle is always
making me hopscotchy again.’
‘I must say it’s quite an experience,’ Sophie said.
‘It’s a razztwizzler,’ the BFG said. ‘It’s gloriumptious.’ He turned away and strode across the
cave and picked up his dream-catching1 net. ‘I is galloping2 off now,’ he said, ‘to catch some more
whoppsy- whiffling dreams for my collection. I is doing this every day without missing. Is you
wishing to come with me?’
‘Not me, thank you very much!’ Sophie said. ‘Not with those other giants lurking4 outside!’
‘I is snuggling you very cosy5 into the pocket of my waistcoat,’ the BFG said. ‘Then no one is
seeing you.’
Before Sophie could protest, he had picked her up off the table and popped her into the waistcoat
pocket. There was plenty of room in there. ‘Is you wishing for a little hole to peep out from?’ he
asked her.
‘There’s one here already’ she said. She had found a small hole in the pocket, and when she put
one eye close to it, she could see out very well indeed. She watched the BFG as he bent6 down and
filled his suitcase with empty glass jars. He closed the lid, picked up the suitcase in one hand, took
the pole with the net on the end in the other hand, and marched towards the entrance of the cave.
As soon as he was outside, the BFG set off across the great hot yellow wasteland where the blue
rocks lay and the dead trees stood and where all the other giants were skulking7 about.
Sophie, squatting8 low on her heels in the pocket of the leather waistcoat, had one eye glued to
the little hole. She saw the group of enormous giants about three hundred yards ahead.
‘Hold your breaths!’ the BFG whispered down to her. ‘Cross your figglers! Here we go! We is
going right past all these other giants! Is you seeing that whopping great one, the one nearest to us?’
‘I see him,’ Sophie whispered back, quivering.
‘That is the horriblest of them all. And the biggest of them all. He is called the Fleshlumpeating
Giant.’
‘I don’t want to hear about him,’ Sophie said.
‘He is fifty-four feet high,’ the BFG said softly as he jogged along. ‘And he is swolloping
human beans like they is sugar-lumps, two or three at a time.’
‘You’re making me nervous,’ Sophie said.
‘I is nervous myself,’ the BFG whispered. ‘I always gets as jumpsy as a joghopper when the
Fleshlumpeating Giant is around.’
‘Keep away from him,’ Sophie pleaded.
‘Not possible,’ the BFG answered. ‘He is galloping easily two times as quicksy as me.’
‘Shall we turn back?’ Sophie said.
‘Turning back is worse,’ the BFG said. ‘If they is seeing me running away, they is all giving
chase and throwing rocks.’
‘They would never eat you though, would they?’ Sophie asked.
‘Giants is never guzzling9 other giants,’ the BFG said. ‘They is fighting and squarreling a lot with
each other, but never guzzling. Human beans is more tasty to them.’
The giants had already spotted10 the BFG and all heads were turned, watching him as he jogged
forward. He was aiming to pass well to the right of the group.
Through her little peep-hole, Sophie saw the Fleshlumpeating Giant moving over to intercept11
them. He didn’t hurry. He just loped over casually12 to a point where the BFG would have to pass. The
others loped after him. Sophie counted nine of them altogether and she recognized the Bloodbottler in
the middle of them. They were bored. They had nothing to do until nightfall. There was an air of
menace about them as they loped slowly across the plain with long lolloping strides, heading for the
BFG.
‘Here comes the runty one!’ boomed the Fleshlumpeater. ‘Ho-ho there, runty one! Where is you
splatch-winkling away to in such a hefty hurry?’ He shot out an enormous arm and grabbed the BFG
by the hair. The BFG didn’t struggle. He simply stopped and stood quite still and said, ‘Be so kind as
to be letting go of my hair, Fleshlumpeater.’
The Fleshlumpeater released him and stepped back a pace. The other giants stood around,
waiting for the fun to start.
‘Now then, you little grobsquiffler!’ boomed the Fleshlumpeater. ‘We is all of us wanting to
know where you is galloping off to every day in the daytime. Nobody ought to be galloping off to
anywhere until it is getting dark. The human beans could easily be spotting you and starting a giant
hunt and we is not wanting that to happen, is we not?’
‘We is not!’ shouted the other giants. ‘Go back to your cave, runty one!’
‘I is not galloping to any human bean country,’ the BFG said. ‘I is going to other places.’
‘I is thinking,’ said the Fleshlumpeater, ‘that you is catching human beans and keeping them as
pets!’
‘Right you is!’ cried the Bloodbottler. ‘Just now I is hearing him chittering away to one of them
in his cave!’
‘You is welcome to go and search my cave from frack to bunt,’ the BFG answered. ‘You can go
looking into every crook13 and nanny. There is no human beans or stringy beans or runner beans or
jelly beans or any other beans in here.’
Sophie crouched14 still as a mouse inside the BFG’s pocket. She hardly dared breathe. She was
terrified she might sneeze. The slightest sound or movement would give her away. Through the tiny
peep-hole she watched the giants clustering around the poor BFG. How revolting they were! All of
them had piggy little eyes and enormous mouths with thick sausage lips. When the Fleshlumpeater
was speaking, she got a glimpse of his tongue. It was jet black, like a slab15 of black steak. Every one
of them was more than twice as tall as the BFG.
Suddenly, the Fleshlumpeater shot out two enormous hands and grabbed the BFG around the
waist. He tossed him high in the air and shouted, ‘Catch him, Manhugger!’
The Manhugger caught him. The other giants spread out quickly in a large circle, each giant
about twenty yards from his neighbour, preparing for the game they were going to play. Now the
Manhugger threw the BFG high and far, shouting ‘Catch him, Bonecruncher!’
The Bonecruncher ran forward and caught the tumbling BFG and immediately swung him up
again. ‘Catch him, Childchewer!’ he shouted.
And so it went on. The giants were playing ball with the BFG, vying16 with each other to see who
could throw him the highest. Sophie dug her nails into the sides of the pocket, trying to prevent
herself from tumbling out when she was upside down. She felt as though she were in a barrel going
over the Niagara Falls. And all the time there was the fearful danger that one of the giants would fail
to catch the BFG and he would go crashing to the ground.
‘Catch him, Meatdripper!’…
‘Catch him, Gizzardgulper!’…
‘Catch him, Maidmasher!’…
‘Catch him, Bloodbottler!’…
‘Catch him!… Catch him!… Catch him!…’
In the end, they got bored with this game. They dumped the poor BFG on the ground. He was
dazed and shattered. They gave him a few kicks and shouted, ‘Run, you little runt! Let us be seeing
how fast you is galloping!’ The BFG ran. What else could he do? The giants picked up rocks and
hurled17 them after him. He managed to dodge18 them. ‘Ruddy little runt!’ they shouted. ‘Troggy little
twit! Shrivelly little shrimp19! Mucky little midget! Squaggy little squib! Grobby little grub!’
At last the BFG got clear of them all and in another couple of minutes the pack of giants was out
of sight over the horizon. Sophie popped her head up from the pocket. ‘I didn’t like that,’ she said.
‘Phew!’ said the BFG. ‘Phew and far between! They was in a nasty crotching mood today, was
they not! I is sorry you was having such a whirlgig time.’
‘No worse than you,’ Sophie said. ‘Would they ever really hurt you?’
‘I isn’t ever trusting them,’ the BFG said.
‘How do they actually catch the humans they eat?’ Sophie asked.
‘They is usually just sticking an arm in through the bedroom window and snitching them from
their beds,’ the BFG said.
‘Like you did to me.’
‘Ah, but I isn’t eating you,’ the BFG said.
‘How else do they catch them?’ Sophie asked.
‘Sometimes,’ the BFG said, ‘they is swimmeling in from the sea like fishies with only their
heads showing above the water, and then out comes a big hairy hand and grabbles someone off the
beach.’
‘Children as well?’
‘Often chiddlers,’ the BFG said. ‘Little chiddlers who is building sandcastles on the beach. That
is who the swimmeling ones are after. Little chiddlers is not so tough to eat as old grandmamma, so
says the Childchewing Giant.’
As they talked, the BFG was galloping fast over the land. Sophie was standing20 right up in his
waistcoat pocket now and holding on to the edge with both hands. Her head and shoulders were in
the open and the wind was blowing in her hair.
‘How else do they catch people?’ she asked.
‘All of them is having their own special ways of catching the human bean,’ the BFG said. ‘The
Meatdripping Giant is preferring to pretend he is a big tree growing in the park. He is standing in the
park in the dusky evening and he is holding great big branches over his head, and there he is waiting
until some happy families is coming to have a picnic under the spreading tree. The Meatdripping
Giant is watching them as they lay out their little picnic. But in the end it is the Meatdripper who is
having the picnic.’
‘It’s too awful!’ Sophie cried.
‘The Gizzardgulping Giant is a city lover,’ the BFG went on. ‘The Gizzardgulper is lying high
up between the roofs of houses in the big cities. He is lying there snuggy as a sniggler and watching
the human beans walking on the street below, and when he sees one that looks like it has a whoppsy-
good flavour, he grabs it. He is simply reaching down and snitching it off the street like a monkey
taking a nut. He says it is nice to be able to pick and choose what you is having for your supper. He
says it is like choosing from a menu.’
‘Don’t people see him doing it?’ Sophie asked.
‘Never is they seeing him. Do not forget it is dusky-dark at this time. Also, the Gizzardgulper
has a very fast arm. His arm is going up and down quicker than squinkers.’
‘But if all these people are disappearing every night, surely there’s some sort of an outcry?’
Sophie said.
‘The world is a whopping big place,’ the BFG said. ‘It has a hundred different countries. The
giants is clever. They is careful not to be skididdling off to the same country too often. They is
always switchfiddling around.’
‘Even so… ‘ Sophie said.
‘Do not forget,’ the BFG said, ‘that human beans is disappearing everywhere all the time even
without the giants is guzzling them up. Human beans is killing21 each other much quicker than the
giants is doing it.’
‘But they don’t eat each other,’ Sophie said.
‘Giants isn’t eating each other either,’ the BFG said. ‘Nor is giants killing each other. Giants is
not very lovely, but they is not killing each other. Nor is crockadowndillies killing other
crockadowndillies. Nor is pussy-cats killing pussycats.’
‘They kill mice,’ Sophie said.
‘Ah, but they is not killing their own kind,’ the BFG said. ‘Human beans is the only animals that
is killing their own kind.’
‘Don’t poisonous snakes kill each other?’ Sophie asked. She was searching desperately22 for
another creature that behaved as badly as the human.
‘Even poisnowse snakes is never killing each other,’ the BFG said. ‘Nor is the most fearsome
creatures like tigers and rhinostossterisses. None of them is ever killing their own kind. Has you ever
thought about that?’
Sophie kept silent.
‘I is not understanding human beans at all,’ the BFG said. ‘You is a human bean and you is
saying it is grizzling and horrigust for giants to be eating human beans. Right or left?’
‘Right,’ Sophie said.
‘But human beans is squishing each other all the time,’ the BFG said. ‘They is shootling guns
and going up in aerioplanes to drop their bombs on each other’s heads every week. Human beans is
always killing other human beans.’
He was right. Of course he was right and Sophie knew it. She was beginning to wonder whether
humans were actually any better than giants. ‘Even so,’ she said, defending her own race, ‘I think it’s
rotten that those foul23 giants should go off every night to eat humans. Humans have never done them
any harm.’
‘That is what the little piggy-wig is saying every day’ the BFG answered. ‘He is saying, “I has
never done any harm to the human bean so why should he be eating me?” ’
‘Oh dear,’ Sophie said.
‘The human beans is making rules to suit themselves,’ the BFG went on. ‘But the rules they is
making do not suit the little piggy-wiggies. Am I right or left?’
‘Right,’ Sophie said.
‘Giants is also making rules. Their rules is not suiting the human beans. Everybody is making
his own rules to suit himself.’
‘But you don’t like it that those beastly giants are eating humans every night, do you?’ Sophie
asked.
‘I do not,’ the BFG answered firmly. ‘One right is not making two lefts. Is you quite cosy down
there in my pocket?’
‘I’m fine,’ Sophie said.
Then suddenly, once again, the BFG went into that magical top gear of his. He began hurtling
forward with phenomenal leaps. His speed was unbelievable. The landscape became blurred24 and
again Sophie had to duck down out of the whistling gale25 to save her head from being blown off her
shoulders. She crouched in the pocket and listened to the wind screaming past. It came knifing in
through the tiny peep-hole in the pocket and whooshed26 around her like a hurricane.
But this time the BFG didn’t stay in top gear long. It seemed as though he had had some barrier
to cross, a vast mountain perhaps or an ocean or a great desert, but having crossed it, he once again
slowed down to his normal gallop3 and Sophie was able to pop her head up and look out once more at
the view.
She noticed immediately that they were now in an altogether paler country. The sun had
disappeared above a film of vapour. The air was becoming cooler every minute. The land was flat and
treeless and there seemed to be no colour in it at all.
Every minute, the mist became thicker. The air became colder still and everything became paler
and paler until soon there was nothing but grey and white all around them. They were in a country of
swirling27 mists and ghostly vapours. There was some sort of grass underfoot but it was not green. It
was ashy grey. There was no sign of a living creature and no sound at all except for the soft thud of
the BFG’s footsteps as he hurtled on through the fog.
Suddenly he stopped. ‘We is here at last!’ he announced. He bent down and lifted Sophie from
his pocket and put her on the ground. She was still in her nightie and her feet were bare. She shivered
and stared around her at the swirling mists and ghostly vapours.
‘Where are we?’ she asked.
‘We is in Dream Country,’ the BFG said. ‘This is where all dreams is beginning.’
到梦乡去
等到狂喝了一通下气可乐,噼啊扑热闹了一番以后,索菲重新落到大桌子上面。
“你现在觉得好些了吧?”好心眼儿巨人问她。
“好多了,谢谢你。”索菲说。
“不管什么时候我觉得有点渴,”好心眼儿巨人说,“几口下气可乐总是让我重新精神起
来。”
“我必须说,这真是一次见识。”索菲说。
“这是一次狂欢,”好心眼儿巨人说,“这是了不起的。”他转身迈大步走过山洞,拿起他
的捕梦网兜。“我现在要出去了,”他说,“去捕捉更多呱呱叫的梦收藏起来。我每天这么干,
一天不缺。你想跟我一起去吗?”
“我不去,太谢谢你了!”索菲说,“其他巨人埋伏在外面,我可不敢去!”
“我可以把你舒舒服服地藏在我背心的口袋里,”好心眼儿巨人说,“这样就不会有人看到
你了。”
索菲还没来得及反对,好心眼儿巨人已经把她从桌子上抓起来,扑通一下放进了他的背
心口袋里。背心口袋很大,很宽敞。“你要有个小洞朝外面看看吗?”他问她。
“这里面已经有一个了。”她说。她已经在口袋里找到了一个小洞,她把一只眼睛靠上
去,外面的东西看得清清楚楚。她看着好心眼儿巨人弯腰把他的手提箱放满了空玻璃瓶。他
盖上手提箱,一只手把它提起来,另一只手拿起捕梦网兜,然后大踏步朝山洞口走去。
一出山洞,好心眼儿巨人就穿过热辣辣的黄色荒野,那上面是东一块西一块的大石头、
东一棵西一棵的枯树,其他巨人都躲在那里。
索菲蹲在背心口袋里,用一只眼睛盯住那个小洞。她看到那帮超大巨人离他们有三百来
码远。
“屏住气!”好心眼儿巨人低头悄悄地对她说,“但愿走运!我们这就走!我们要直接经过
这些巨人!你看到那特大的一个了吗,最靠近我们的?”
“我看见了。”索菲发着抖悄悄地回答。
“他是其中最可怕的一个。他个子最大。他叫做吃人肉块巨人。”
“这名字我连听也不要听。”索菲说。
“他有五十四英尺高。”好心眼儿巨人一边慢步走着一边轻轻地说,“他吃人豆子像吃糖块
一样,两三个一口。”
“你说得我的心怦怦跳了。”索菲说。
“我的心也在怦怦跳。”好心眼儿巨人悄悄地说,“只要吃人肉块巨人在附近,我总是心惊
胆战。”
“避开他吧。”索菲求他说。
“不可能,”好心眼儿巨人回答,“他跑起来比我快一倍。”
“我们掉转身回去好吗?”索菲说。
“掉转身回去更糟,”好心眼儿巨人说,“他们看见我逃走就要来追,还要扔石头。”
“不过他们不会吃你,对吗?”索菲问道。
“巨人不吃巨人,”好心眼儿巨人说,“他们相互之间老是争吵打架,可是从不你吃我我吃
你。对他们来说,人豆子的味道要好得多。”
那些巨人已经看到了好心眼儿巨人,所有的头都转过来看他朝前走。他原打算从这群巨
人右边溜过去。
索菲从那个小窥视孔看到,吃人肉块巨人走过来挡住了他们的去路。他走得不慌不忙,
好像无意中走到了好心眼儿巨人的必经之路上。其他巨人跟在他后面。索菲数了数,一共是
九个,她认识的那个喝血巨人也在他们中间。他们看起来十分无聊。天黑之前他们无所事
事。当他们迈大步慢慢地走过荒野、向着好心眼儿巨人走过来的时候,带来了一种危险气
氛。
“这小矮子精来了!”吃人肉块巨人轰隆轰隆地说,“嗬嗬嗬,喂,小矮子精!这么急急忙
忙的,你要上哪儿去啊?”他伸出一只巨臂,一把抓住了好心眼儿巨人的头发。好心眼儿巨人
没有挣扎,他只是停下来一动不动,说:“请放开我的头发,吃人肉块巨人。”
吃人肉块巨人放开他,退后一步。其他巨人围上来等着看热闹。
“好,你这小矮子精!”吃人肉块巨人轰隆轰隆地说,“我们大家都想知道,你每天白天都
上什么地方去了。天黑之前,谁也不该上什么地方去,人豆子会很容易发现你,开始围捕巨
人。我们可不愿意这种事发生。哥儿们,是这样吗?”
“是这样!”其他巨人大叫起来,“回到你的山洞去,你这小矮子精!”
“我可不是去人豆子的地方,”好心眼儿巨人说,“我到别的地方去。”
“我在想,”吃人肉块巨人说,“你是去抓来人豆子,把他们当宠物玩。”
“你说得对!”喝血巨人插嘴说,“刚才我听见他在山洞里跟一个人豆子嘁嘁喳喳地说个没
完!”
“欢迎你们到我的山洞里去搜个遍,”好心眼儿巨人回答说,“你们可以去把每个犄角看个
遍。那里没有人豆子,或者刀豆子,或者红花菜豆子,或者软糖豆子,或者任何豆子。”
索菲在好心眼儿巨人的口袋里一动不动地蜷缩着,像只小老鼠。她连气也不敢透。她生
怕被闻出来。最小的声音和动作都会把她泄漏出去。透过那个小窥视孔,她看到那些巨人围
住可怜的好心眼儿巨人。他们是多么令人作呕啊!他们个个长着猪猡一样的小眼睛和血盆大
口。当吃人肉块巨人说话的时候,她看到了他的舌头。这舌头墨黑一片,像一块黑牛排。这
些巨人个个都比好心眼儿巨人高出一倍。
忽然一下子,吃人肉块巨人伸出两只巨手,一把抓住好心眼儿巨人的腰。他把好心眼儿
巨人高高抛到空中,大叫道:“接住他,抱汉包巨人 [1] !”
抱汉包巨人接住了他。其他巨人散开,很快围成一个大圆圈,巨人之间相隔二十码,准
备玩抛人游戏。现在抱汉包巨人把好心眼儿巨人抛到半空,大叫着说:“接住他,嘎吱嘎吱嚼
骨头巨人!”
嘎吱嘎吱嚼骨头巨人上前一步,一把接住了打着滚下来的好心眼儿巨人,马上又把他抛
起来,“接住他,嚼孩子巨人!”他叫道。
就这么抛啊接地继续下去,这些巨人把好心眼儿巨人当球来抛,相互比赛,看谁抛得最
高。索菲把她的指甲抠到口袋的皮革里,好让自己倒过来的时候不会跌出去。她觉得自己就
像在一个滚下尼亚加拉瀑布的木桶里,万一其中一个巨人失手,接不住好心眼儿巨人,她就
会“啪嗒”落在地上。
“接住他,肉油滴滴答巨人!”
“接住他,大吃特吃内脏巨人!”
“接住他,啃姑娘巨人!”
“接住他,喝血巨人!”
“接住他……接住他……接住他……”
到后来,他们将这个游戏玩厌了,他们把可怜的好心眼儿巨人扔在地上。他头昏眼花,
一点力气都没有了。他们踢了他几脚,叫道:“跑吧,你这小矮子精!让我们看看你能跑多
快!”好心眼儿巨人只好跑起来。他有什么办法呢?那些巨人捡起石头来扔向他,他好不容易
躲开它们。“蹲洞的小呆子!”他们叫道,“煞风景的傻瓜!恼人的孬种!挨人骂的矮子精!肺
都让你气炸的废物!去你的,蛆虫!”
最后,好心眼儿巨人总算离开了他们。再一转眼,那群巨人就在地平线那头消失得无影
无踪了。索菲从口袋里探出头来,“这样胡闹我实在不喜欢。”她说。
“呸!”好心眼儿巨人说,“呸呸呸呸呸!他们今天那腔调真是坏透了,那还用说!你一直
天旋地转,我实在抱歉。”
“你更受罪。”索菲说,“他们真会伤害你吗?”
“我从来就没信任过他们。”好心眼儿巨人说。
“说真的,他们怎么捉人来吃呢?”索菲问道。
“他们通常就是把一条胳膊伸进卧室窗口,把他们从床上抓起来。”好心眼儿巨人说。
“就像你抓我那样?”
“啊,可是我不吃你。”好心眼儿巨人说。
“他们还怎样抓人呢?”索菲又问。
“有时候,”好心眼儿巨人说,“他们像鱼那样在海上游,只把脑袋露出水面,然后一只毛
茸茸的大手伸上来,把海滩上的人豆子一把抓走。”
“也抓小孩?”
“通常抓小孩,”好心眼儿巨人说,“在沙滩上玩沙子砌城堡的小小孩。游水的巨人就找小
小孩。小小孩的肉吃起来不像老奶奶的肉那么老,嚼孩子巨人是这么说的。”
他们说话的时候,好心眼儿巨人一路上飞跑。这时候索菲笔直地站在他的背心口袋里,
双手抓住口袋的边。她的头和双肩露在外面,风吹着她的头发。
“他们还怎样抓人呢?”她问道。
“他们各有各抓人豆子的特殊办法。”好心眼儿巨人说,“肉油滴滴答巨人更喜欢装作公园
里的一棵大树。在黑乎乎的晚上,他站在公园里,头顶上举着大树枝,专等快活的一家人到
树枝张开的树下来野餐。肉油滴滴答巨人看着他们把食物摆好了来个小小的聚餐。可到最
后,是肉油滴滴答巨人自己饱吃一餐。”
“太可怕了!”索菲叫道。
“大吃特吃内脏巨人最爱都市。”好心眼儿巨人说下去,“这大吃特吃内脏巨人在大都市里
高高地躺在屋顶之间。他舒舒服服地躺在那里,像一个钓鱼的人,看着人豆子们在下面的街
道上来来往往。他只要看中一个看来味道呱呱叫的,就把他抓上来。他只要把手伸下去把那
人豆子抓上来就行了,跟猴子抓一颗榛子那样。他说晚饭能挑拣东西吃再好不过了。他说,
这就跟在饭馆里看菜单点菜一样。”
“人们看不见他这样做吗?”索菲问道。
“他们从来看不见他。别忘了,这个时间天色是暗的,而且这大吃特吃内脏巨人那条胳膊
动作非常快,它下去上来快得像眼睛一眨。”
“可每天晚上有那么多人不见了,一定会引起喧嚷的吧?”索菲说。
“世界很大很大,”好心眼儿巨人说,“地球上有一百多个国家。巨人们很聪明。他们小心
着,不老是到同一个国家去,他们总是轮流着到各个国家去。”
“尽管这样……”索菲说。
“别忘了,”好心眼儿巨人说,“就算没有巨人吃人豆子,满处的人豆子也是会不见的。人
豆子你杀我我杀你,杀的比巨人吃的还要多得多。”
“可他们不你吃我我吃你。”索菲说。
“巨人们也不你吃我我吃你,”好心眼儿巨人说,“而且巨人们不你杀我我杀你。巨人们是
不可爱,可他们不你杀我我杀你。鳄鱼也不你杀我我杀你。猫也不你杀我我杀你。”
“猫杀老鼠。”索菲说。
“对,可它们不杀自己的同类,”好心眼儿巨人说,“只有人豆子这种动物杀自己的同
类。”
“毒蛇不你杀我我杀你吗?”索菲问道。她拼命挖空心思,想要找出一种和人一样行为丑
恶的动物。
“毒蛇也不自相残杀,”好心眼儿巨人说,“最凶猛的动物像老虎和犀牛也不。它们没有一
种曾经杀死过自己的同类。这一点你曾想到过吗?”
索菲保持沉默。
“我一点儿不明白人豆子。”好心眼儿巨人说,“你是一个人豆子,口口声声说巨人吃人豆
子是可恨的、可怕的,对不对?”
“对。”索菲说。
“可人豆子一直在自相残杀。”好心眼儿巨人说,“他们开枪,坐飞机在对方的头顶上扔炸
弹,每个星期都有不少。人豆子老是杀死人豆子。”
他是对的。他当然是对的,索菲知道。她开始考虑人是不是真比巨人好一点儿。“即使这
样,”她为人类辩护说,“我还是认为,那些该死的巨人每天晚上去吃人是卑劣的。人又没有
伤害他们。”
“那正是小猪猡每天说的话,”好心眼儿巨人回答说,“小猪猡说:‘我又没有伤害人,人为
什么要吃我?’”
“天哪!”索菲说。
“人豆子制定符合他们自己的规则,”好心眼儿巨人说下去,“可这些规则不能用到小猪猡
它们身上去。我说得对不对?”
“对。”索菲说。
“巨人也制定规则。他们的规则不能用到人豆子身上去。他们各自制定适用于自己的规
则。”
“可你也不赞成那些野蛮的巨人每天晚上吃人,对吗?”索菲问道。
“我不赞成。”好心眼儿巨人坚定地回答,“不能以牙还牙。你在我的口袋里还舒服吗?”
“很舒服。”索菲说。
忽然之间,好心眼儿巨人又用他的高速度奔跑起来。他开始用惊人的跳跃动作向前直
冲。他的速度叫人难以置信。景色模糊成一片,索菲又只得缩进口袋避开呼呼狂吼的风。她
蹲在口袋里听着风呼呼地吹过。风像刀那样插进口袋的小洞里,像飓风那样在她周围轰响。
可这会儿好心眼儿巨人不再用最高的速度奔跑了。他好像有什么障碍要越过,是座大
山,或者是个大洋,或者是片大沙漠。越过之后,他重新慢下来,恢复到正常速度。索菲于
是又可以把头伸出来看看外面的情形。
她一眼看到,他们这会儿是在一个更加灰暗的旷野中。太阳已经在一片雾气中不见了踪
影。温度一点儿一点儿变低。地很平,没有树木,它像是没有颜色的。
雾越来越浓。天越来越冷。一切东西变得越来越灰暗,很快,他们四周只是灰蒙蒙的一
片。他们是在充满鬼气的翻滚迷雾之中。脚下有一些草,但不是绿色的,而是灰白色的,没
有生物的迹象,除了好心眼儿巨人啪嗒啪嗒的脚步声,根本没有一丁点儿声音。
好心眼儿巨人忽然停下来。“我们终于到了!”他说。他低头把索菲从他的口袋里拿出
来,放到地上。她依旧穿着那件睡袍,光着两只脚。她浑身哆嗦着,看着周围充满鬼气的翻
滚迷雾。
“我们这是在哪里?”她问道。
“我们是在梦乡,”好心眼儿巨人说,“这是一切梦开始的地方。”
[1]希望这个名字让你想到“汉堡包”。这里的“汉”是真正的男子汉。
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1
catching
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adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住 | |
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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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3
gallop
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v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔;飞速发展 | |
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4
lurking
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潜在 | |
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5
cosy
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adj.温暖而舒适的,安逸的 | |
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6
bent
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n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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7
skulking
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v.潜伏,偷偷摸摸地走动,鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 ) | |
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8
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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9
guzzling
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v.狂吃暴饮,大吃大喝( guzzle的现在分词 ) | |
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10
spotted
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adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的 | |
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intercept
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vt.拦截,截住,截击 | |
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casually
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adv.漠不关心地,无动于衷地,不负责任地 | |
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13
crook
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v.使弯曲;n.小偷,骗子,贼;弯曲(处) | |
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14
crouched
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v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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slab
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n.平板,厚的切片;v.切成厚板,以平板盖上 | |
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vying
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adj.竞争的;比赛的 | |
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17
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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18
dodge
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v.闪开,躲开,避开;n.妙计,诡计 | |
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19
shrimp
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n.虾,小虾;矮小的人 | |
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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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21
killing
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n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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22
desperately
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adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地 | |
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23
foul
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adj.污秽的;邪恶的;v.弄脏;妨害;犯规;n.犯规 | |
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24
blurred
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v.(使)变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 );(使)难以区分;模模糊糊;迷离 | |
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25
gale
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n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等) | |
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26
whooshed
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v.(使)飞快移动( whoosh的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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swirling
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v.旋转,打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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