XIV ANTLERS

 Although Nimble had lost his horns he managed to go through the winter without missing them as much as he had expected. And in time he had almost forgotten the pair of spikes¹ that he had worn on his head the summer before. Then, one day, he made a great discovery. He found that new horns were sprouting³ to take the place of those that he had lost!

 

"Now I can have some mock battles again—when my horns get long enough," he thought. And then he stopped short. What if the Spike² Horns of the year before had no more horns? If they were hornless they certainly wouldn't care to take part in any mock battles.

 

Nimble's fears were soon set at rest. His old playmates soon let him know that they were all going to have new horns too.

 

And then, a little later, Nimble made another great discovery. He was looking into a pool one morning when he saw something that gave him huge delight. His new horns were not like last year's horns. He beheld⁴, mirrored in the water, a handsome pair of Y-shaped antlers, each with two points!

 

"Hurrah⁵!" he cried. "I'll make those Spike Horns feel like hiding themselves again."

 

He had expected to have a pleasant time showing his new antlers to his old friends. When he met Dodger⁶ the Deer, Nimble called to him: "See what I've got! Antlers! Two points!"

 

 

"Ho!" said Dodger. "So have I got antlers. And they have two points, too."

 

Nimble had been so interested in his own horns that he hadn't looked at Dodger's. And now when he gazed at them he saw that they were like his.

 

"What about the rest of the Spike Horns?" Nimble asked Dodger. "Have they——"

 

"Yes, they have!" Dodger interrupted. "I tell you, 'two-pointers' are common this season."

 

"So there aren't any more Spike Horns!" said Nimble somewhat sadly.

 

"Oh, yes! Plenty!" Dodger answered. "But they're an entirely⁷ new crop. They were fawns⁸ last year."

 

When he heard that bit of news Nimble felt happier. And as soon as he parted from Dodger the Deer he went and found some of the new Spike Horns and showed them his wonderful two-point antlers.

 

But somehow they didn't seem at all impressed. They were too much taken up with their own spikes to pay any attention to Nimble.

 

"Anyhow," he said to himself, "we 'two-pointers' can have some good mock battles together."

 

And they did. They had mock battles that became famous all around Blue Mountain. And of all the "two-pointers" that lived in that neighborhood, Nimble and his friend Dodger the Deer were known as the best sham-fighters. They could look fiercer and act angrier than any of their young friends. And the way they tore into each other was almost enough to frighten you, if you had seen them.

 

Old Mr. Crow said it was worth flying a mile to watch one of their set-tos.

 

 该作者的其它作品

《The Tale of Timothy Turtle》
《The Tale of Miss Kitty Cat》
《The Tale of Solomon Owl》

1 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

3 sprouting   

v.发芽( sprout的现在分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• new leaves sprouting from the trees 树上长出的新叶
• They were putting fresh earth around sprouting potato stalks. 他们在往绽出新芽的土豆秧周围培新土。 来自名作英译部分

4 beheld   

v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence. 他从未见过这样的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. 灵魂在逝去的瞬间的镜子中看到了自己的模样。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

5 hurrah   

int.好哇，万岁，乌拉

参考例句：

• We hurrah when we see the soldiers go by.我们看到士兵经过时向他们欢呼。
• The assistants raised a formidable hurrah.助手们发出了一片震天的欢呼声。

6 dodger   

n.躲避者；躲闪者；广告单

参考例句：

• They are tax dodgers who hide their interest earnings.他们是隐瞒利息收入的逃税者。
• Make sure she pays her share she's a bit of a dodger.她自己的一份一定要她付清--她可是有点能赖就赖。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 fawns   

n.（未满一岁的）幼鹿( fawn的名词复数 )；浅黄褐色；乞怜者；奉承者v.（尤指狗等）跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的第三人称单数 )；巴结；讨好

参考例句：

• He fawns on anyone in an influential position. 他向一切身居要职的人谄媚。 来自辞典例句
• The way Michael fawns on the boss makes heave. 迈克讨好老板的样子真叫我恶心。 来自互联网