3 The Shooting 射击

3 The Shooting
‘Well, my darling,’ said Mr Fox. ‘What shall it be tonight?’
‘I think we’ll have duck tonight,’ said Mrs Fox.
‘Bring us two fat ducks, if you please. One for you and me, and one for the children.’
‘Ducks it shall be!’ said Mr Fox. ‘Bunce’s best!’
‘Now do be careful,’ said Mrs Fox.
‘My darling,’ said Mr Fox, ‘I can smell those goons a mile away. I can even smell one from theother. Boggis gives off a filthy¹ stink² of rotten chicken-skins. Bunce reeks³ of goose-livers, and as forBean, the fumes⁴ of apple cider hang around him like poisonous gases.’
‘Yes, but just don’t get careless,’ said Mrs Fox. ‘You know they’ll be waiting for you, all three ofthem.’
‘Don’t you worry about me,’ said Mr Fox. ‘I’ll see you later.’
But Mr Fox would not have been quite so cocky had he known exactly where the three farmerswere waiting at that moment. They were just outside the entrance to the hole, each one crouchingbehind a tree with his gun loaded. And what is more, they had chosen their positions very carefully,making sure that the wind was not blowing from them towards the fox’s hole. In fact, it was blowingin the opposite direction. There was no chance of them being ‘smelled out’.
Mr Fox crept up the dark tunnel to the mouth of his hole. He poked⁵ his long handsome face outinto the night air and sniffed⁶ once.
He moved an inch or two forward and stopped.
He sniffed again. He was always especially careful when coming out from his hole.
He inched forward a little more. The front half of his body was now in the open.
His black nose twitched⁷ from side to side, sniffing⁸ and sniffing for the scent⁹ of danger. He foundnone, and he was just about to go trotting¹⁰ forward into the wood when he heard or thought he heard atiny noise, a soft rustling¹¹ sound, as though someone had moved a foot ever so gently through a patchof dry leaves.
Mr Fox flattened¹² his body against the ground and lay very still, his ears pricked¹³. He waited a longtime, but he heard nothing more.
‘It must have been a field-mouse,’ he told himself, ‘or some other small animal.’
He crept a little further out of the hole . . . then further still. He was almost right out in the opennow. He took a last careful look around. The wood was murky¹⁴ and very still. Somewhere in the skythe moon was shining.
Just then, his sharp night-eyes caught a glint of something bright behind a tree not far away. It wasa small silver speck¹⁵ of moonlight shining on a polished surface. Mr Fox lay still, watching it. Whaton earth was it? Now it was moving. It was coming up and up . . . Great heavens! It was the barrel ofa gun! Quick as a whip, Mr Fox jumped back into his hole and at that same instant the entire woodseemed to explode around him. Bang-bang! Bang-bang! Bang-bang!
The smoke from the three guns floated upward in the night air. Boggis and Bunce and Bean cameout from behind their trees and walked towards the hole.
‘Did we get him?’ said Bean.
One of them shone a flashlight on the hole, and there on the ground, in the circle of light, half inand half out of the hole, lay the poor tattered¹⁶ bloodstained remains¹⁷ of . . . a fox’s tail. Bean picked itup. ‘We got the tail but we missed the fox,’ he said, tossing the thing away.
‘Dang and blast!’ said Boggis. ‘We shot too late. We should have let fly the moment he poked hishead out.’
‘He won’t be poking¹⁸ it out again in a hurry,’ Bunce said.
Bean pulled a flask¹⁹ from his pocket and took a swig of cider. Then he said, ‘It’ll take three days atleast before he gets hungry enough to come out again. I’m not sitting around here waiting for that.
Let’s dig him out.’
‘Ah,’ said Boggis. ‘Now you’re talking sense. We can dig him out in a couple of hours. We knowhe’s there.’
‘I reckon there’s a whole family of them down that hole,’ Bunce said.
‘Then we’ll have the lot,’ said Bean. ‘Get the shovels²⁰!’

3　射击
“哎，亲爱的，”狐狸先生说，“今天晚上吃什么呢？”
“我想咱们今晚就吃鸭子吧。”狐狸太太说，“如果你愿意的话，就弄两只肥鸭来，咱们两个吃一只，孩子们吃一只。”
“就吃鸭子吧！”狐狸先生说，“邦斯的鸭子是最好的！”
“那可要小心呀。”狐狸太太说。
“亲爱的，”狐狸先生说，“我在一英里之外就能闻到那些蠢货的气味。我甚至能通过气味分辨出他们谁是谁。博吉斯身上散发出的是烂鸡皮的恶臭味，邦斯带着一身鹅肝的臭气，而比恩呢，上上下下都被一股苹果酒的气味团团包围着，那简直像是有毒气体。”
“是啊，不过千万不要大意呀，”狐狸太太说，“你知道他们三个是会在那儿等着你的。”
“别为我担心，”狐狸先生说，“回头见。”不过，要是狐狸先生弄明白此时此刻那三个饲养场主正在什么地方等着他的话，他就不会这么过分地自以为是了。他们就躲在洞穴入口的外边，每个人蹲在一棵树的后面，手里端着上满了子弹的枪。除此之外，他们所处的位置也都是经过精心挑选的，以确保他们的气味不会被风吹向狐狸的洞里，而是被吹往相反的方向。他们的气味是无法被狐狸闻出来的。
狐狸先生匍匐着身子，沿着黑暗的地道爬到洞口。他把自己那张英俊的长脸伸到外边，在夜晚的空气中嗅了嗅。
他每向前挪动一两英寸，便停下来。
他又嗅了嗅。每当他从洞里出来的时候，他总是特别小心。
他又向前移动了一点。现在，他的前半个身子已经从洞里出来了。
他那黑色的鼻子不停地向两侧翕动着，翻来覆去地嗅着危险的气味。他什么也没有发现。他正要奔向前方的树林时，突然听到，或者说是感觉到一点声音。那是轻微的沙沙声，好像是什么人在一堆干树叶中轻轻地移动了一下脚。
狐狸先生的身子紧紧地贴着地面，一动不动，两只耳朵竖了起来。他等了好长时间，但没有再听到什么声音。
“那一定是一只田鼠，”他自言自语道，“或者是别的什么小动物。”
他又向洞外爬出了一点儿……然后又爬出了一点儿。他现在差不多整个身子都露在外边了。他小心翼翼地向四周看了最后一眼。树林里一片漆黑，静悄悄的。月亮在天空中的某个地方闪闪发光。
就在这时，他那双敏锐的、在黑夜中也能看见东西的眼睛，瞥见了离他不远的一棵树后面有个亮东西。那是月光照在某个表面光亮的东西上而被反射出来的一个银色小光斑。狐狸先生一动不动地趴在地上看着它。那到底是什么东西呢？现在它动起来了。它一点一点地抬高……天哪！那是一根枪管！狐狸先生飞快地跳起来回头钻进自己的洞里，就在这一瞬间，他周围的整个森林里仿佛炸开了锅。砰砰！砰砰！砰砰！
从三支枪管里发出的烟雾在夜空中向上飘去。博吉斯、邦斯和比恩从他们藏身的树后面出来，向洞口走去。
“我们打中他了吗？”比恩说。
他们之中的一个人用手电筒照着洞口。在手电筒照到的一圈光亮中，只见地上有一截血迹斑斑、残破不堪的……狐狸尾巴。比恩把它拾了起来。“我们得到了尾巴，却没逮住狐狸。”他说着，把这东西扔到一边去了。
“妈的，真该死！”博吉斯说道，“我们的枪开得太晚了。我们该在他一探头的时候就开枪。”
“那样他就再也不会把头探出来了。”邦斯说道。
比恩从口袋里掏出一个小酒瓶，喝了一大口苹果酒。然后他说：“至少要用三天的时间，才会饿得他再出来。我可不想坐在这里等着他。咱们把他挖出来吧。”
“啊哈，”博吉斯说，“你说得有道理。我们可以花几个小时的时间把他挖出来。我们知道他在那儿呢。”
“我估计，他们全家都住在那个洞里。”邦斯说道。
“那我们可要走运了，”比恩说，“去拿铁锹来！”

1 filthy   

adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
• You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

2 stink   

vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭

参考例句：

• The stink of the rotten fish turned my stomach.腐烂的鱼臭味使我恶心。
• The room has awful stink.那个房间散发着难闻的臭气。

3 reeks   

n.恶臭( reek的名词复数 )v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的第三人称单数 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象）

参考例句：

• His statement reeks of hypocrisy. 他的话显然很虛伪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His manner reeks prosperity. 他的态度表现得好象有钱的样子。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

5 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；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

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 twitched   

vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
• The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着，像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 sniffing   

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

参考例句：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

10 trotting   

小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。
• Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳，小马开始慢跑起来。

11 rustling   

n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的

参考例句：

• the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
• the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声

12 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

13 pricked   

刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。

14 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

15 speck   

n.微粒，小污点，小斑点

参考例句：

• I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
• The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗，一星星云彩也没有。

16 tattered   

adj.破旧的，衣衫破的

参考例句：

• Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
• Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

18 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

19 flask   

n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱

参考例句：

• There is some deposit in the bottom of the flask.这只烧杯的底部有些沉淀物。
• He took out a metal flask from a canvas bag.他从帆布包里拿出一个金属瓶子。

20 shovels   

n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份

参考例句：

• workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
• In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天，我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句