Bald—Face光脸熊

Jack London submitted this story to nearly a dozen periodicals before giving it to the Aegis. Bald—Face is a bear yarn about a side—hill grizzly whose down—hill—side legs are twice as long as the uphill—side legs.

在把这个故事投给安吉斯之前，杰克·伦敦已经向大约十几家期刊投了稿。《光脸熊》是个关于山坡灰熊的故事，这种熊的后腿比前腿长一倍。

"Talkin 'of bear—"

“说起熊——”

The Klondike King paused meditatively, and the group on the hotel porch hitched their chairs up closer.

克朗代克的国王顿了一下，若有所思，旅馆门廊里的人们急忙把椅子拉近了些。

"Talkin 'of bear, " he went on, now up in the Northern Country there are various kinds. On the Little Pelly, for instance, they come down that thick in the summer to feed on the salmon that you can't get an Indian or white man to go nigher than a day's journey to the place. And up in the Rampart Mountains there's a curious kind of bear called the' side—hill grizzly.’ That's because he's traveled on the side—hills ever since the Flood, and the two legs on the down—hill side are twice as long as the two on the up—hill. And he can out—run a jack rabbit when he gets steam up. Dangerous? Catch you? Bless you, no. All a man has to do is to circle down the hill and run the other way. You see, that throws mister bear's long legs up the hill and the short ones down. Yes, he's a mighty peculiar creature, but that wasn't what I started in to tell about.

“说起熊，” 他接着说道， “现在北方有各种各样的熊。比如，就在这小小的佩利河上，到了夏天，它们密密麻麻地来到河边，捕食河里的大麻哈鱼。在距离此地一天行程的范围内，你看不见一个印第安人或者白人敢靠近。而兰帕特山上有一种奇特的熊，叫 ‘山坡灰熊’ 。它之所以被叫做山坡灰熊，是因为自灭世洪水以来，它就在山坡上游走，后腿比前腿长一倍。它要是恼了，跑得比长耳大野兔还快。可怕吧？它逮住过你吗？上帝保佑，希望没有。你只需要沿着另一条路绕着山坡向下跑就行了。你瞧，这样就使熊先生突然成了长腿在上、短腿在下了。没错，它是个强大而又奇怪的家伙，但这不是我开头想说的。”

"They've got another kind of bear up on the Yukon, and his legs are all right, too. He's called the bald—face grizzly, and he's jest as big as he is bad. It's only the fool white men that think of hunting him. Indians got too much sense. But there's one thing about the bald—face that a man has to learn: he never gives the trail to mortal creature. If you see him comin’, and you value your skin, you get out of his path. If you don't, there's bound to be trouble. If the bald—face met Jehovah Himself on the trail, he'd not give him an inch. O. he's a selfish beggar, take my word for it. But I had to learn all this. Didn't know anything about bear when I went into the country, exceptin 'when I was a youngster I'd seen a heap of cinnamons and that little black kind. And they was nothin' t o be scared at.

“在育空河还有一种熊，腿倒是正常的。这种熊叫光脸灰熊，又大又厉害。只有愚蠢的白人才想着要猎杀它。印第安人可理智多了。但关于光脸熊，有一点你得记住：它绝不会给活物让路。要是你看见它过来了，要是你还疼惜自己的皮肉，你就得给它让路。不然的话，你肯定就有麻烦了。就算是在路上碰见耶和华本人，光脸熊也不会让一英寸。哦，它是个自私的家伙，相信我的话。可我不得不知道这些。来村子之前，我对熊一无所知，只是在孩童时代见过一大群黄褐色的动物，还有那种小的黑色的动物。那些动物倒没什么可怕的。”

"Well, after we'd got settled down on our claim, I went up on the hill lookin 'for a likely piece of birch to make an ax—handle out of. But it was pretty hard to find the right kind, and I kept a—goin' and kept a—goin 'for nigh on two hours. Wasn't in no hurry to make my choice, you see, for I was headin' down to the Forks, where I was goin 't o borrow a log—bit from Old Joe Gee. When I started, I'd put a couple of sour—dough biscuits and some sow—belly in my pocket in case I might get hungry. And I' m tellin 'you that lunch came in right handy before I was done with it.

“我们在申请的土地上安定下来后，我上山去找一块合适的桦木做斧头柄。可是找块合适的很不容易，我就一直找，找了快两个钟头。你看，我急于想找到一块，因为我正朝福克斯走去，在那儿我可以管老乔·吉借块木头。动身时，我往口袋里装了两块酵头饼干，还有一些肥腊肉，我怕自己会饿。告诉你，我没把它们吃完就到了午餐时间，这些刚好派上用场。”

"Bime—by I hit upon the likeliest little birch saplin’, right in the middle of a clump of jack pine. Jest as I raised my hand—ax I happened to cast my eyes down the hill. There was a big bear comin 'up, swingin' along on all fours, right in my direction. It was a bald—face, but little I knew then about such kind.

“不久以后，我偶然发现了一个再合适不过的小桦木苗，就长在一丛加拿大短叶松当中。我正要抡起斧头去砍时，恰巧看了一眼山下。一只大熊正往山上爬呢，它四脚着地，大摇大摆，直冲我的方向过来了。那是一只光脸熊，可那时候我对这种熊一点也不了解。”

Jest watch me scare him, 'I says to myself, and I stayed out of sight in the trees.

“ ‘看我吓吓它。’ 我心想。于是我躲到了树林里。”

"Well, I waited till he was about a hundred feet off, then out I runs into the open.

“一直等它爬出大约一百英尺远，我才跑到空地上。”

Oof! oof! 'I hollered at him, expectin' t o see him turn tail like chain lightning.

“ ‘嗷！嗷！’ 我对着它大叫，以为它会像链状闪电似的跑掉呢。”

"Turn tail? He jest throwed up his head for one good look and came a comin '.

“跑掉？它一抬头，看好了就朝我冲来了。”

Oof! oof! 'I hollered, louder' n ever. But he jest came a comin’.

“ ‘嗷！嗷！’ 我叫的声音更大了。可它还是冲过来了。”

Consarn you! 'I says to myself, gettin' mad. 'I'll make you jump the trail.

“ ‘你自己找的！’ 我恼怒地想道， ‘我会叫你滚到山涧里。”

"So I grabs my hat, and wavin 'and hollerin' starts down the trail to meet him. A big sugar pine had gone down in a windfall and lay about breast high. I stops jest behind it, old bald—face comin 'all the time. It was jest then that fear came to me. I yelled like a Comanche Indian as he raised up to come over the log, and fired my hat full in his face. Then I lit out.

“于是我抓起帽子，一边挥舞着帽子，一边呼喊着，顺着小路迎了上去。一大棵兰伯氏松被风刮倒了，大约齐胸高，就拦在路上。我在树后边停了下来，但老光脸熊还是直冲了过来。那时我才觉得害怕。它站起来想越过树干，我像科曼切族印第安人那样呼喊着，一把把帽子扔到它脸上。紧接着我撒腿就跑。”

"Say! I rounded the end of that log and put down the hill at a two—twenty clip, old bald—face reachin 'for me at every jump. At the bottom was a broad, open flat, quarter of a mile to timber and full of nigger—heads. I knew if ever I slipped I was a goner, but I hit only the high places till you couldn't a—seen my trail for smoke. And the old devil snortin' along hot after me. Midway across, he reached for me, jest strikin' t he heel of my moccasin with his claw. Tell you I was doin 'some tall thinkin' jest then. I knew he had the wind of me and I could never make the brush, so I pulled my little lunch out of my pocket and dropped it on the fly.

“哎呀！我绕过树就往山下跑，跑得像220码竞速一样快，老光脸熊还是步步紧跟。山下是块宽敞开阔的平地，距离树林四分之一英里，地上满是黑礁砾。我知道我要是脚一滑就完了，可我只到了山顶，然后就消失在了烟雾中。这只恶魔一样的老光脸熊喘着粗气，愤怒地紧追着我。它半路伸出爪子抓我，正抓到我软帮鹿皮鞋的后跟。告诉你，我那时候脑子可不慢。我知道它占了上风，我绝不可能获胜，所以我从口袋里掏出不多的午餐，扔到了空中。”

"Never looked back till I hit the timber, and then he was mouthing the biscuits in a way which wasn't nice to see, considerin 'how close he'd been to me. I never slacked up. No, sir! Jest kept hittin' t he trail for all there was in me. But jest as I came around a bend, heelin' it right lively I tell you, what'd I see in middle of the trail before me, and comin 'my way, but another bald—face!

“我一直跑到树林里才回头去看，那时它正嚼着饼干，样子不太雅观。大家想想它离我有多么近。我没松一口气。真的没有，诸位！我只是一个劲地跑，这是我唯一想的事。但我刚来到转弯处，告诉你，我真的刚转了弯就看见，眼前路中间，朝着我的方向，又来了一只光脸熊！”

Whoof! 'he says when he spotted me, and he came a—runnin.

“ ‘嗷！’ 它看到我，大吼一声，接着就冲了过来。”

"Instanter I was about and hittin' t he back trail twice as fast as I'd come. The way this one was puffin 'after me, I'd clean forgot all about the other bald—face. First thing I knew I seen him mosying along kind of easy, wonderin' most likely what had become of me, and if I tasted as good as my lunch. Say! when he seen me he looked real pleased. And then he came a—jumpin 'for me.

“我立马往回跑，跑得比来的时候还要快一倍。这只光脸熊喘着气，在后面追我，这样子让我完全忘了还有另一只。我知道的第一件事是，我看到它似乎在悠闲地散步，很可能在想我是怎么了，我是不是和我的午饭一样好吃。哎呀！它看到我时，看起来真高兴。接着它就向我冲了过来。”

Whoof! 'he says.

“ ‘嗷！’ 它嚎叫着。”

Whoof! 'says the one behind me.

“ ‘嗷！’ 我身后的那只也嚎叫着。”

"Bang I goes, slap off the trail sideways, a—plungin 'and a—clawin through the brush like a wild man. By this time I was clean crazed; thought the whole country was full of bald—faces. Next thing I knows—whop, I comes up against something in a tangle of wild blackberry bushes. Then that something hits me a slap and closes in on me. Another bald—face! And then and there I knew I was gone for sure. But I made up to die game, and of all the rampin' and roarin 'and rippin' and tearin 'you ever see, that was the worst.

“我一下子跳到路边，藏在灌木丛里，四肢着地，就像个野人那样。那时我完全疯了，以为整个村子都是光脸熊。我知道的第二件事是——我在野生黑莓丛里突然撞到了什么东西。那个东西扇了我一巴掌，接着就向我靠近。又一只光脸熊！当时当地，我断定自己肯定完了。可我下定决心拼到底，最糟糕的不过就是，你会看到熊暴跳着、嚎叫着把我扯了。”

My God! O. my wife! 'it says. And I looked and it was a man I was hammering into kingdom come.

“ ‘我的上帝！哦，天哪！’ 那个东西说道。我一看，原来我撞上的是个人，天国啊。”

Thought you was a bear, 'says I.

“ ‘我还以为你是熊呢。’ 我对他说。”

"He kind of caught his breath and looked at me. Then he says, 'Same here. "

“他稍稍喘了一口气，看看我。然后他说道： ‘我也以为你是熊呢。”

"Seemed as though he'd been chased by a bald—face, too, and had hid in the blackberries. So that's how we mistook each other.

“看来他也被一只光脸熊追赶，躲在黑莓丛中。我们就这样误会了彼此。”

"But by that time the racket on the trail was something terrible, and we didn't wait to explain matters. That afternoon we got Joe Gee and some rifles and came back loaded for bear. Mebbe you won't believe me, but when we got to the spot, there was the two bald—faces lyin 'dead. You see, when I jumped out, they came together, and each refused to give trail to the other. So they fought it out.

“可那时路上喧闹得厉害，我们没时间解释刚才发生的事情。当天下午我们就和乔·吉一块儿，带着几只来复枪，做好了充分准备回去杀熊。也许你不会相信，可当我们回到那里时，那两只光脸熊都躺在地上死了。你知道，我跳到路边后，它们就碰到了一起，谁也不肯给谁让路。于是它们就打算决一雌雄。”

"Talkin 'of bear. As I was sayin"

“说起熊，正像我说的那样——”