“So， so.” said Pete， conservatively. “Grub give out twice. Wind scattered the cattle， and weve had to rake the brush for forty mile. I need a new coffeepot. And the mosquitos is some more hellishhellish adj.地狱般的 than common.”
“马马虎虎。”彼得谨慎地说，“粮食断了两次。大风把牛群给吹散了，我们只得在方圆四十英里内细细搜索。我需要一个新咖啡壶。这里的蚊子比普通的凶。”
“The boys—all well？”
“弟兄们——都好吗？”
Pete was no optimist. Besides， inquiries concerning the health of cowpunchers were not only superfluoussuperfluous adj.多余的， 过剩的， 过量的， but bordered on flaccidity. It was not like the boss to make them.
彼得不是生性乐观的人。此外，问起牧童们的健康不仅是多余，而且近乎婆婆妈妈。问这种话的不像是头儿。
“Whats left of em dont miss no calls to grub，” the cook conceded.
“剩下来的人不会错过一顿饭。”厨师说。
“Whats left of em？” repeated Raidler in a husky voice. Mechanically he began to look around for McGuires grave. He had in his mind a white slab such as he had seen in the Alabama churchyard. But immediately he knew that was foolish.
“剩下来的人？”雷德勒厉声学了一遍。他不由自主地开始四下找寻麦圭尔的坟墓。他以为这儿也有像他在阿拉巴马墓地看到的那样一块白色墓碑。但是他随即觉得这种想法太傻了。
“Sure，” said Pete， “whats left. Cow camps change in two months. Somes gone.”
“不错，”彼得说，“剩下来的人。两个月来，营地常常移动；有的走了。”
Raidler nerved himself.“That—chap—I sent along—McGuire—did—he—”
雷德勒鼓起勇气问道：“我派来的——那个——麦圭尔——他有没有——？”
“Say，” interrupted Pete， rising with a chunk of corn bread in each hand， “that was a dirty shame， sending that poor， sick kid to a cow camp. A doctor that couldnt tell he was graveyardgraveyard n.墓地 meat ought to be skinned with a cinch buckle. Game as he was， too—its a scandal among snakeslemme tell you what he done. First night in camp the boys started to initiate him in the leather breeches degree. Ross Hargis busted him one swipe with his chaparreras， and what do you reckon the poor child did？ Got up， the little skeeter， and licked Ross. Licked Ross Hargis. Licked him good. Hit him plenty and everywhere and hard. Rossd just get up and pick out a fresh place to lay down on agin.
“嘿，”彼得双手各拿着一只玉米面包站了起来，打断了他的话，“太丢人啦，把那个可怜的、害病的小伙子派到牧牛营来。看不出他一只脚已经踏进棺材里的医师，真应该用马肚带的扣子剥他的皮。他也真是那么倔强——说来真丢人——让我告诉你他干了些什么。第一晚，营地里的弟兄们着手教他牧童的规矩；罗斯·哈吉斯抽了他一下屁股，你知道那可怜的孩子怎么啦？那小子站起来，揍了罗斯。揍了罗斯·哈斯。狠狠地揍了他。揍得他又凶又很。浑身都揍遍了。罗斯只不过是爬起来，换个地方又躺下罢了。
Then that McGuire goes off there and lays down with his head in the grass and bleeds. A hemridge they calls it. He lays there eighteen hours by the watch， and they cant budgebudge v.移动 him. Then Ross Hargis， who loves any man who can lick him， goes to work and damns the doctors from Greenland to Poland Chiny， and him and Green Branch Johnson they gets McGuire into a tent， and spells each other feedin him chopped raw meat and whisky.
接着，麦圭尔自己也倒在地上。脸埋在草里，不停地咯血。他们说是内出血。他一躺就是十八个钟头，怎么也不能动他一动。罗斯·哈吉斯喜欢能揍他的人，他把格陵兰到波兰支那的都骂遍了，又着手想办法，他同“绿枝”约翰逊把麦圭尔拖到一个营帐里，轮流喂他吃剁碎的生牛肉和威士忌。
But it looks like the kid aint got no appetiteappetite n.食欲， 胃口， 欲望， 爱好 to git well， for they misses him from the tent in the night and finds him rooting in the grass， and likewise a drizzledrizzle n.细雨 v.下毛毛雨 falling. “Gwan，” he says， “lemme go and die like I wanter. He said I was a liar and a fake and I was playing sick. Lemme alone.”
但是，那个孩子仿佛不想活了，晚上他请出营帐，躺在草地里，那时候还下着细雨。“走啦，”他说，“让我称自己的心意死吧。他说我撒谎，说我是骗子，说我诈骗。别来理睬我。”
“Two weeks，” went on the cook， “he laid around， not noting nobody， and then—”
“他就这么躺了两个星期，”厨师说，“连人都认不清，于是——”
A sudden thunder filled the air， and a score of galloping centaurscentaur n.［希神］人首马身的怪物， 半人马座 crashed through the brush into camp.
突然响起一阵雷鸣似的声音，二十来个骑手风驰电掣地闯过丛林，来到营地。
“Illustrious rattlesnakes！” exclaimed Pete， springing all ways at once， “Heres the boys come， and Im an assassinated man if supper aint ready in three minutes.”
“天哪！”彼得嚷道，立刻手忙脚乱起来，“弟兄们来啦，晚饭不在三分钟之内弄好，他们就会宰了我。”
But Raidler saw only one thing. A little， brownfaced， grinning chap， springing from his saddle in the full light of the fire. McGuire was not like that， and yet—
但是雷德勒只注意到一件事。一个矮小的，棕色脸盘，笑嘻嘻的家伙翻下马鞍，站在火光前面。他样子不像麦圭尔，可是——
In another instant the cattleman was holding him by the hand and shoulder.
转眼之间，牧场主已经拉住他的手和肩膀。
“Son， son， how goes it？” was all he found to say.
“老弟，老弟，你怎么啦？”他只说出了这么一句话。
“Close to the ground， says you，” shouted McGuire， crunching Raidlers fingers in a grip of steel， “and dats where I found it—health and strength， and tumbled to what a cheap skate I been acting. Tanks fer kicking me out， old man. And—say！ de jokes on dat croaker， aint it？ I looked through the window and see him playing tag on dat Dago kids solar plexus.”
“你叫我接近土地，”麦圭尔响亮地说，他那钢钳一般的手几乎把雷德勒的指头都捏碎了，“我就在那儿找到了健康和力量，并且领悟到我过去是多么卑鄙。多谢你把我赶出去，老兄。还有——喂！这个笑话是那大夫闹的，是吗？我在窗外看见他在那个南欧人的太阳神经丛上乱敲。”
“You son of a tinker，” growled the cattleman， “whynt you talk up and say the doctor never examined you？”
“你这小子，”牧场主嚷道，“当时你干吗不说医师根本没有替你检查过？”
“Ah—gwan！” said McGuire， with a flash of his old asperityasperity n.严酷， 粗暴， 刻薄 ，“nobody cant bluff me. You never ask me. You made your spielspiel n.演说， 故事， 饶舌 v.喋喋不休地高谈阔论， 演奏音乐， and you throwed me out， and I let it go at dat. And， say， friend， dischanging cows is outer sight. Dis is de whitest bunch of sports I ever travelled with. Youll let me stay， wont yer， old man？”
“——算了吧！”麦圭尔以前那种粗鲁的态度又冒出来一会儿，“谁也唬不了我。你从来没有问过我。你既然话已出口， 把我赶了出去，我也就认了。喂，朋友，赶牛的玩意儿真够意思。 我生平交的朋友当中，要算营地上的这批人最好了。你会让我待下去的，是吗，老兄？”
Raidler looked wonderingly toward Ross Hargis.
雷德勒询问似的看看罗斯·哈吉斯。
“That cussed little runtrunt n.发育不全的矮小动物， 矮子，” remarked Ross tenderly， “is the Jodartinest hustler—and the hardest hitter in anybodys cow camp.”
“那个浑小子，”罗斯亲切地说，“是任何一个牧牛营地里最大胆，最起劲的人——打起架来也最厉害。”