吹小号的天鹅 第105期:比林斯(8)

"The Trumpeter Swan was almost extinct," said thegame warden.

“号手天鹅也快灭绝了，”这个执法官说，

"People kept shooting them, like this crazystorekeeper. But now they are making a comeback."

“因为人们不断地朝他们开枪，就像这位疯狂的店主一样。不过现在他们正在开始重返家园。”

The storekeeper glared at the warden.

这个店主瞪了执法官一眼。

"I'll say they're making a comeback," he said.

“我刚准备说起他们正在重返家园这件事呢，”他说，

"The swan that was just here came back to Billings with four thousand four hundred and twentydollars and seventy-eight cents and gave it all to me.

“刚才这只带着四千四百二十美元七十八美分并将其全数交给我的天鹅就是刚刚回到比林斯的。

I call that making a very good comeback.

我把这称为一次非常令人满意的重返。

I can't imagine where he got all that money. It's a mighty funny thing."

我简直想不出他是从哪儿把这些钱都弄到手的。这是一件非常有意思的事情。”

The storekeeper went back into his music store, the policeman went back to the station house,

那个店主走回他的乐器店，那个警察回到了警察局，

the judge went back to the courthouse, the game warden walked off down the street toward thehospital,

那个法官回到了法院，那个狩猎法执行官沿街往医院走去，

and Alfred Gore, who was still thirsty, continued his journey to the candy store.

那个还是感到渴的艾尔弗雷德·戈尔，继续走在去那家糖果店的路上。

All the rest of the people wandered away.

剩下的人也全都走开了。

At the hospital, the old cob lay peacefully in bed thinking beautiful thoughts.

在医院里，老雄天鹅正静静地躺在病床上想着美事儿。

He felt thankful to be alive and relieved to be out of debt.

他觉得能活下来真该谢天谢地，也为自己能从债务中解脱出来而感到欣慰。

It was getting dark. Many of the patients in the hospital were asleep already.

天在渐渐黑下来。医院里的很多病人都已经睡了。

A nurse came into the cob's room to open his window.

一个护士来到雄天鹅的病房，打开了他的窗子。

When she came back a few minutes later to take the cob's temperature and give him a backrub, the bed was empty--the room was deserted.

几分钟后，当她回来准备给雄天鹅量体温和擦背时，病床空了--病房里已经空空如也了。

The cob had jumped out of the window, spread his broad wings, and headed for home throughthe cold night sky.

雄天鹅早已跳出窗户，拍动着他那双宽大的翅膀，穿过凉爽的夜空往家飞去了。

He flew all night, crossed the mountains, and arrived home soon after daylight, where his wifewas waiting for him.

他飞了一整夜，越过了无数的高山，在天亮后不久才飞到了家，他的妻子正在那里等着他呢。