Chapter 9 THE BLACKSMITH TELLS A TALE

Chapter 9 THE BLACKSMITH TELLS A TALE
　　'Well,' began Julian, 'we went riding on Mystery Moor¹ yesterday, and for one thing we'd like to knowif there is any reason for the curious name. Was there ever a mystery on that moor?'
　　'Oh, there be plenty of mysteries away there,' said Old Ben. 'People lost and never come back again,noises that no one could find the reason of...'
　　'What kind of noises?' said Anne, curiously².
　　'Ah now, when I were a boy, I spent nights up on that moor,' said old Ben, solemnly, 'and the noisesthat went on there! Screeches⁴ and howls and the like, and moans and the sweep of big wings...'
　　'Well, all that might have been owls⁵ and foxes and things like that,' said Dick. 'I've heard a barn-owlgive a screech³ just over my head which made me nearly jump out of my skin. If I hadn't known it wasan owl⁶ I'd have run for miles!'
　　Ben grinned and his face ran into a score of creases⁷ and wrinkles.
　　'Why is it called Mystery Moor?' persisted Julian. 'Is it a very old name?'
　　'When my Grandad was a boy it were called Misty⁸ Moor,' said the old blacksmith, remembering.
　　'See, Misty, not Mystery. And that were because of the sea-fogs that came stealing in from the coast,and lay heavy on the moor, so that no man could see his hand in front of his face. Yes, I've been lostin one of them mists, and right scared I was too. It swirled⁹ round me like a live thing, and touched meall over with its cold damp fingers.'
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　　'How horrid¹⁰!' said Anne with a shiver. 'What did you do?'
　　'Well, first I ran for my life,' said Ben, getting out his pipe and looking into the empty bowl. 'I ranover heather and into gorse. I fell a dozen times, and all the time the mist was feeling me with itsdamp fingers, trying to get me, that's what the old folk used to say of that mist, it was always trying toget you!'
　　'Still, it was only a mist,' said George, feeling that the old man was exaggerating. 'Does it still comeover the moor?'
　　'Oh ay,' said Ben, ramming¹¹ some tobacco into his pipe. 'Autumn's the time, but it comes sudden-likeat any moment of the year. I've knowed it come at the end of a fine summer's day, creeping instealthy-like, and my, if you don't happen to see it soon enough, it gets you!'
　　'What do you mean, it gets you?' said George.
　　'Well, it may last for days,' said old Ben. 'And if you're lost on them moors¹², you're lost proper, andyou never come back. Ah, smile if you like, young sir, but I knows!' He went off into memories oflong ago, looking down at his pipe. 'Let's see now, there was old Mrs. Banks, who went bilberry-picking with her basket on a summer's afternoon, and no one ever heard of her again, after the mistcame down. And there was young Victor who played truant¹³ and went off to the moors, and the mistgot him too.'
　　'I can see we'd better watch out for the mist if we go riding there,' said Dick. 'This is the first I'veheard of it.'
　　'Yes. You keep your eyes skinned,' said old Ben. 'Look away to the coast-side and watch there, that'swhere it comes from. But there baint many mists nowadays, I don't know for why. No, now I think onit, there haven't been a mist, not a proper wicked one, for nigh on three years.'
　　'What I'd like to know is why was the name changed to Mystery Moor,' said Henry. 'I can understandits being called Misty Moor, but now everyone calls it Mystery, not Misty.'
　　'Well now, that must have been about seventy years ago, when I were a bit of a boy,' said Ben,lighting his pipe and puffing¹⁵ hard. He was enjoying himself. He didn't often get such an interestedaudience as this, five of them, including a dog who sat and listened too!
　　'That was when the Bartle Family built the little railway over the moor,' he began, and stopped at theexclamations of his five listeners.
　　'Ah! We wanted to know about that!'
　　'Oh! You know about the railway then!'
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　　'Do go on!'
　　The blacksmith seemed to get some trouble with his pipe and pulled at it for an exasperatingly¹⁶ longtime. George wished she was a horse and could stamp her foot impatiently!
　　'Well, the Bartle Family was a big one,' said Ben at last. 'All boys, but for one ailing¹⁷ little girl.
　　Big strong fellows they were, I remember them well. I was scared of them, they were so free withtheir fists. Well, one of them, Dan, found a mighty¹⁸ good stretch of sand out there on the moor...'
　　'Oh yes, we thought there might have been a sand- quarry¹⁹,' said Anne. Ben frowned at theinterruption.
　　'And as there were nine or ten good strong Bartles, they reckoned to make a fine do of it,' said Ben.
　　'They got wagons²⁰ and they went to and from the quarry they dug, and they sold their sand for milesaround, good, sharp sand it were...'
　　'We saw some,' said Henry. 'But what about the rails?'
　　'Don't hurry him,' said Dick, with a frown.
　　'They made a mort of money,' said Ben, remembering. 'And they set to work and built a little railwayto carry an injin and trucks to the quarry and back, to save labour. My, my, that were a nine days'
　　wonder, that railway! Us youngsters used to follow the little injin, puffing along, and it were thelonging of us all to drive it. But we never did. Them Bartles kept a big stick, each one of them, andthey whipped the hide off any boy that got too near them. Fierce they were, and quarrelsome.'
　　'Why did the railway fall into ruin?' asked Julian. 'The rails are all overgrown with heather and grassnow. You can hardly see them.'
　　'Well, now we come to that there Mystery you keep on about,' said Ben, taking an extra big puff¹⁴ at hispipe. 'Them Bartles fell foul²¹ of the gypsies up on the moor...'
　　'Oh, were there gypsies on the moor then?' said Dick. 'There are some now!'
　　'Oh ay, there's always been gypsies on the moor, long as I can remember,' said the blacksmith.
　　'Well, it's said them gypsies quarrelled with the Bartles, and it wasn't hard to do that, most peopledid! And the gypsies pulled up bits of the line, here and there, and the little injin toppled over andpulled the trucks with it.'
　　The children could quite well imagine the little engine puffing along, coming to the damaged railsand falling over. What a to-do there must have been up on the moor then!
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　　'The Bartles weren't ones to put up with a thing like that,' said Ben, 'so they set about to drive all thegypsies off the moor, and they swore that if so much as one caravan²² went there, they'd set fire to itand chase the gypsies over to the coast and into the sea!'
　　'They must have been a fierce family,' said Anne.
　　'You're right there,' said Ben. 'All nine or ten of them were big upstanding men, with great shaggyeyebrows that almost hid their eyes, and loud voices. Nobody dared to cross them. If they did, they'dhave the whole family on their door-step with sticks. They ruled this place, they did, and my, theywere hated! Us children ran off as soon as we saw one coming round a corner.'
　　'What about the gypsies? Did the Bartles manage to drive them off the moor?' asked George,impatiently.
　　'Now you let me go my own pace,' said Ben, pointing at her with his pipe. 'You want a Bartle afteryou, young sir, that's what you want!' He thought she was a boy, of course. He did something to hispipe and made them all wait a little. Julian winked²³ at the others. He liked this old fellow with hislong, long memories.
　　'Now, you can't cross the gypsies for long,' said Ben, at last. 'That's a fact, you can't. And one day allthem Bartles disappeared and never came back home. No, not one of them. All that was left of thefamily was little lame²⁴ Agnes, their sister.'
　　Everyone exclaimed in surprise and old Ben looked round with satisfaction. Ah, he could tell a story,he could!
　　'But whatever happened?' said Henry.
　　'Well, no one rightly knows,' said Ben. 'It happened in a week when the mist came swirling²⁵ over themoors and blotted²⁶ everything out. Nobody went up there except the Bartles, and they were safebecause all they had to do was to follow their railway lines there and back. They went up to thequarry each day the mist was there, and worked the same as usual. Nothing stopped them Bartlesfrom working!'
　　He paused and looked round at his listeners. He dropped his voice low, and all five of the childrenfelt little shivers up their backs.
　　'One night somebody in the village saw twenty or more gypsy caravans²⁷ slinking through the villageat dead of night,' said Ben. 'Up on the moor they went in the thick mist. Mebbe they followed therailway; nobody knows. And next morning, up to the quarry went the Bartles as usual, swallowed upin the mist.'
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　　He paused again. 'And they never came back,' he said. 'No, not one of them. Never heard of again!'
　　'But what happened?' said George.
　　'Search-parties were sent out when the mist cleared,' said old Ben. 'But never one of the Bartles didthey find, alive or dead. Never a one! And they didn't find any gypsy caravans either. They'd all comecreeping back the next night, and passed through the village like shadows. I reckon them gypsies setupon the Bartles in the mist that day, fought them and defeated them, and took them and threw themover the cliffs into the roaring sea!'
　　'How horrible!' said Anne, feeling sick.
　　'Don't worrit yourself!' said the blacksmith. 'It all happened a mort of time ago, and there wasn't manythat mourned them Bartles, I can tell you. Funny thing was, their weakly little sister, Agnes, she livedto be a hale old woman of ninety-six, and only died a few years ago! And to think them strong fiercebrothers of hers went all together like that!'
　　'It's a most interesting story, Ben,' said Julian. 'So Misty Moor became Mystery Moor then, did it?
　　And nobody ever really found out what happened, so the mystery was never solved. Didn't anyonework the railway after that, or get the sand?'
　　'No, not a soul,' said Ben. 'We was all scared, you see, and young Agnes, she said the railway and thetrucks and injin could rot, for all she cared. I never dared to go near them after that. It was a long timebefore anyone but the gypsies set foot on Misty Moor again. Now it's all forgotten, the tale of theBartles, but them gypsies still remember, I've no doubt! They've got long memories, they have.'
　　'Do you know why they come to Mystery Moor every so often?' asked Dick.
　　'No. They come and they go,' said Ben. 'They've their own queer ways. They don't belong anywhere,them folk. What they do on the moor is their own business, and I wouldn't want to poke²⁸ my nose intoit. I'd remember them old Bartles, and keep away!'
　　A voice came from inside the smithy, where Jim, the blacksmith's grandson, had been shoeing thehorses. 'Grandad! You stop jabbering²⁹ away there, and let the children come and talk to me!
　　I've shod nearly all the horses.'
　　Ben laughed. 'You go along,' he said to the children. 'I know you like to be in there and see the sparksfly, and the shoes made. I've wasted your time, I have, telling you long-ago things. You 43go along into the smithy. And just you remember two things - watch out for that mist, and keep awayfrom the gypsies on the moor!'

1 moor   

n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊

参考例句：

• I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
• There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。

2 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

3 screech   

n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音

参考例句：

• He heard a screech of brakes and then fell down. 他听到汽车刹车发出的尖锐的声音,然后就摔倒了。
• The screech of jet planes violated the peace of the afternoon. 喷射机的尖啸声侵犯了下午的平静。

4 screeches   

n.尖锐的声音( screech的名词复数 )v.发出尖叫声( screech的第三人称单数 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫

参考例句：

• The boy's screeches brought his mother. 男孩的尖叫声招来了他母亲。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The woman's screeches brought the police. 这个妇女的尖叫声招来了警察。 来自辞典例句

5 owls   

n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 creases   

（使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的第三人称单数 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹

参考例句：

• She smoothed the creases out of her skirt. 她把裙子上的皱褶弄平。
• She ironed out all the creases in the shirt. 她熨平了衬衣上的所有皱褶。

8 misty   

adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的

参考例句：

• He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。
• The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。

9 swirled   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。
• The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。

10 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

11 ramming   

n.打结炉底v.夯实（土等）( ram的现在分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• They are ramming earth down. 他们在夯实泥土。 来自辞典例句
• Father keeps ramming it down my throat that I should become a doctor. 父亲一直逼我当医生。 来自辞典例句

12 moors   

v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• the North York moors 北约克郡的漠泽
• They're shooting grouse up on the moors. 他们在荒野射猎松鸡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 truant   

n.懒惰鬼，旷课者；adj.偷懒的，旷课的，游荡的；v.偷懒，旷课

参考例句：

• I found the truant throwing stones in the river.我发现那个逃课的学生在往河里扔石子。
• Children who play truant from school are unimaginative.逃学的孩子们都缺乏想像力。

14 puff   

n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气

参考例句：

• He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。
• They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。

15 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 exasperatingly   

参考例句：

• But I found the saving exasperatingly slow. 但是我发现这么节约慢得令人恼怒。 来自辞典例句
• Goertz found the IRA exasperatingly amateur. 戈尔兹发现爱尔兰共和国军非常缺乏实战经验。 来自辞典例句

17 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

18 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

19 quarry   

n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找

参考例句：

• Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
• This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。

20 wagons   

n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车

参考例句：

• The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
• They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。

21 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

22 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。

23 winked   

v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。
• He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

24 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。

25 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

26 blotted   

涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干

参考例句：

• She blotted water off the table with a towel. 她用毛巾擦干桌上的水。
• The blizzard blotted out the sky and the land. 暴风雪铺天盖地而来。

27 caravans   

（可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队）

参考例句：

• Old-fashioned gypsy caravans are painted wooden vehicles that are pulled by horses. 旧式的吉卜赛大篷车是由马拉的涂了颜色的木质车辆。
• Old-fashioned gypsy caravans are painted wooden vehicles. 旧时的吉普赛大篷车是涂了颜色的木质车辆。

28 poke   

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：

• We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
• Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。

29 jabbering   

v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴

参考例句：

• What is he jabbering about now? 他在叽里咕噜地说什么呢？
• He was jabbering away in Russian. 他叽里咕噜地说着俄语。 来自《简明英汉词典》