英国语文第三册 第72期:在锡兰捕捉野生大象

 Lesson 61 Catching¹ wild elephants in ceylon 第六十一课 在锡兰捕捉野生大象

In catching wild elephants in Ceylon, the natives choose a place near to the forest, and make a fence round it,  在锡兰捕捉野生大象，当地人选择一个附近的森林，用栅栏围起来，

each post in the fence being the trunk of a tree.  栅栏全部用树干做成。

Sometimes the space enclosed is so great that the fence extends for several miles!  有时包围的空间非常大，栅栏会延伸几英里！

The space inside the fence is called a corral. There are openings like great door-ways left in it,  栅栏内的空间称为围栏。围栏有个大的开口，就像大门一样。

by which the elephants are to get in when they come rushing towards it. 当大象冲向栅栏的时候，一定会从大门进入。

When the corral has been made ready, the elephants begin to see blazing lights all around them.  当围栏准备好之后，大象开始看到周围灯火通明。

These are the fires that the natives have made to frighten the elephants. 这些都是当地人用来吓大象点燃的火把。

The fires seem at first a long way off.  火把开始时看着挺远。

But they come nearer and nearer, until the poor elephants are hemmed² in by fires on all sides but one. 但是越来越近，直到可怜的大象被四周的大火包围。

Behind the flames are crowds of men, with white shining sticks and spears in their hands.  在火焰后面藏着一群男人，手里拿着白色闪亮的棍棒和长矛。

The men knock these sticks about, and brandish³ their spears, all the time making a great shouting noise,  男人敲打着这些棍子，挥舞长矛，在同一时间制造出巨大的呼喊声，

to frighten the elephants as much as they can. The elephants look about, to see how they can escape.  尽可能地吓唬大象。大象环顾四周，看他们如何能逃脱。

Only one way is left open, and the whole herd⁴ sets off down it with a furious rush.  只有一个地方是敞开的，整群大象带着愤怒一个劲的往外冲。

That one way leads them to the corral! As soon as they are in the corral, the natives bar up the door-ways,  这是让大象进入围栏的办法！一旦他们进入围栏，

and the poor elephants are penned in, as securely as if they were in a prison. 可怜的大象被挤在栅栏口都出不去，这时就像在监狱里一样安全了。

One by one they must be got out, and this is done with the help of tame elephants which were once caught in the corral themselves;  以前被抓进围栏的大象已经被驯服，并且会帮助其他大象一个接一个的走出去；

but since then they have been well taught, and are now quite willing to help to catch their old friends of the forest. 因为这些大象已经被驯服，他们现在十分乐意帮助森林里的老朋友。

When one of the elephants has been got out, the natives bar the door-way behind him.  当一头大象被带出来之后，当地人就关上了他们身后的门。

He rushes about in a great fury; but the tame elephants then come, one on each side of him,  这头大象很愤怒地冲向栅栏，但是被驯服的两只大象会站在他的两旁，

and stroke him with their trunks, and seem to talk to him. 用鼻子安慰他，似乎在跟他交流。

He becomes a little quieter while they are with him. By-and-by they entice⁵ him to follow them away from the corral.  在他们的陪伴下，他逐渐安静下来。由他们诱导着大象一个一个地离开畜栏。

When they come to a good strong tree they stop. The natives keep close behind,  当他们来到一颗高大的树下面时，他们停了下来。当地人紧紧跟在后面，

and contrive⁶ to slip a strong rope round one of his legs, and then to coil it round and round the tree.  并设法用粗绳子捆住他的一条腿，然后将绳子在树上缠绕几圈。

As soon as he is tied fast, his false friends leave him. He tries to follow them;  当他被捆得很紧的时候，他的朋友就离开了他。他试图跟随伙伴们；

and when he finds that he cannot, he roars, and struggles as if he would pull the tree down! 当他发现自己不能动的时候，他咆哮着，好像他要把树拽倒！

The natives soon come back, and bring him cocoa-nuts and plenty of green leaves to eat.  当地人很快就回来了，并给他很多可可坚果及绿色的叶子吃。

At first he is too angry to eat, and he tosses the cocoa-nuts about, and tramples⁷ them under his feet;  起初，他很生气而吃不下饭，他把可可坚果扔在一旁，用脚将他们踩烂；

but in spite of his rage he cannot help getting hungry.  但是尽管他很愤怒，但是还是慢慢感到很饿。

By-and-by he is glad to take all the nuts and good things the natives bring him.  渐渐地，这只大象就很乐意地吃下当地人给他的所有坚果和其他好吃的东西了。

In a few days he begins to be tame and gentle; and in a little time he can be made to do anything his master likes.  几天之后，他就开始变得驯服温顺了；过不了多久，他就会按照主人的喜好做任何事情了。

One by one the other elephants in the corral are let out and tamed in the same way. 围栏中的其他大象，也会用同样的方法一个接一个地被放出来，并慢慢被驯服。

1 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

2 hemmed   

缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围

参考例句：

• He hemmed and hawed but wouldn't say anything definite. 他总是哼儿哈儿的，就是不说句痛快话。
• The soldiers were hemmed in on all sides. 士兵们被四面包围了。

3 brandish   

v.挥舞，挥动；n.挥动，挥舞

参考例句：

• She answered with a brandish of her umbrella.她挥动着伞回答。
• Come on together! Brandish the florid youth together!一起舞动绚丽的青春吧！

4 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

5 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

6 contrive   

vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出

参考例句：

• Can you contrive to be here a little earlier?你能不能早一点来？
• How could you contrive to make such a mess of things?你怎么把事情弄得一团糟呢？

7 tramples   

踩( trample的第三人称单数 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯

参考例句：