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美人李婉
"The sun sinks，Canim，and the heat of the day is gone！"
“太阳落下了，卡尼姆，热气也散了！”
So called Li Wan to the man whose head was hidden beneath the squirrel—skin robe，but she called softly，as though divided between the duty of waking him and the fear of him awake. For she was afraid of this big husband of hers，who was like unto none of the men she had known. The moose—meat sizzled uneasily，and she moved the frying—pan to one side of the red embers. As she did so she glanced warily at the two Hudson Bay dogs dripping eager slaver from their scarlet tongues and following her every movement. They were huge，hairy fellows，crouched to leeward in the thin smoke—wake of the fire to escape the swarming myriads of mosquitoes. As Li Wan gazed down the steep to where the Klondike flung its swollen flood between the hills，one of the dogs bellied its way forward like a worm，and with a deft，catlike stroke of the paw dipped a chunk of hot meat out of the pan to the ground. But Li Wan caught him from out the tail of her eye，and he sprang back with a snap and a snarl as she rapped him over the nose with a stick of firewood.
李婉对一个把头埋在松鼠皮袍下的男人这样说道，但她说得很轻，好像有义务把他叫醒却又害怕他会醒来似的。因为她害怕她身材魁梧的大丈夫，他和她认识的其他男人都不一样。驼鹿肉不稳定地吱吱作响，于是她把煎锅往红色余火的边上挪了挪。她边做着边警惕地扫了那两条哈得孙湾狗一眼，只见它们紧盯着她的一举一动，鲜红舌头急不可耐地滴着口水。它们是那种体型高大、多毛的动物，蜷伏在背风处借着火堆发出的薄烟来躲避成群的蚊子。李婉向斜坡下望去，克朗代克河高涨的河水从两山间流过，一只狗像蠕虫一般向前爬行，爪子像猫一样把一大块滚烫的肉掏到了地上。但是李婉用余光看到了它，它啪地跳了回去，厉声咆哮起来，因为李婉用一根柴火棒敲了一下它的鼻子。
"Nay，Olo，" she laughed，recovering the meat without removing her eye from him. "Thou art ever hungry，and for that thy nose leads thee into endless troubles. "
“不许这样，欧乐。” 她大笑着把肉放了回去，眼睛依旧看着那条狗。 “你总是饿，所以你的鼻子给你带来了无尽的麻烦。”
But the mate of Olo joined him，and together they defied the woman. The hair on their backs and shoulders bristled in recurrent waves of anger，and the thin lips writhed and lifted into ugly wrinkles，exposing the flesh—tearing fangs，cruel and menacing. Their very noses serrulated and shook in brute passion，and they snarled as the wolves snarl，with all the hatred and malignity of the breed impelling them to spring upon the woman and drag her down.
可是欧乐的伙伴加入了它，和它一起挑战这个女人。一阵阵的愤怒使它们背上和肩上的毛发都竖了起来，它们薄薄的嘴唇扭动着，耸起难看的皱褶，露出能把肉撕碎的尖牙，又凶残又吓人。它们的鼻子呈锯齿状，残暴地抖动着，他们像狼一样咆哮，犬族的仇恨和狠毒驱使它们跳向李婉，把她拖倒在地。
"And thou，too，Bash，fierce as thy master and never at peace with the hand that feeds thee！This is not thy quarrel，so that be thine！and that！"
“还有你，巴什，和你的主人一样残忍，并且从不和喂养你的人和平相处！争吵和你无关，那个给你了！还有那个！”
As she cried，she drove at them with the firewood，but they avoided the blows and refused to retreat. They separated and approached her from either side，crouching low and snarling. Li Wan had struggled with the wolf—dog for mastery from the time she toddled among the skin—bales of the teepee，and she knew a crisis was at hand. Bash had halted，his muscles stiff and tense for the spring；Olo was yet creeping into striking distance.
她呼喊着，用柴火驱赶它们，但是他们躲过了袭击，不肯后退。它们两个分开，从两边接近她，伏向地面，还咆哮着。从李婉在圆锥形帐篷里一摞摞皮毛中间蹒跚的时候，她就在和狼狗争夺统治权，她明白眼前是一个危机。巴什停了下来，它为前扑的动作绷紧了肌肉，而欧乐正要爬到攻击距离以内。
Grasping two blazing sticks by the charred ends，she faced the brutes. The one held back，but Bash sprang，and she met him in mid—air with the flaming weapon. There were sharp yelps of pain and swift odors of burning hair and flesh as he rolled in the dirt and the woman ground the fiery embers into his mouth. Snapping wildly，he flung himself sidewise out of her reach and in a frenzy of fear scrambled for safety. Olo，on the other side，had begun his retreat，when Li Wan reminded him of her primacy by hurling a heavy stick of wood into his ribs. Then the pair retreated under a rain of firewood，and on the edge of the camp fell to licking their wounds and whimpering by turns and snarling.
她握住两根烧着的棍子烧焦的那一头，面对着这两个畜生。一条狗后退了，可是巴什跳了起来，她在半空中用这个燃烧的武器击中了它。巴什在土里打滚，空气中立刻传来痛苦的狺狺声，还有毛肉燃烧的味道，李婉将余火未尽的小木块塞到它嘴里了。它大声地叫着，快速转到李婉够不着的边侧，极为害怕地爬着以求安全。另一侧，欧乐已经开始向后撤，李婉抄起一根木头，重重地扔到它的肋骨上，提醒它这里谁做主。接着，在柴火接二连三的攻击下，那两只狗趴在帐篷边，一会儿舔舔伤口，一会儿呜咽咆哮。
Li Wan blew the ashes off the meat and sat down again. Her heart had not gone up a beat，and the incident was already old，for this was the routine of life. Canim had not stirred during the disorder，but instead had set up a lusty snoring.
李婉把肉上的灰吹掉，然后坐了下来。她心情一点波动都没有，这件事已经过去，生活就是如此。刚才混乱的时候，卡尼姆动也没动，相反，他大声地打着鼾。
"Come，Canim！" she called. "The heat of the day is gone，and the trail waits for our feet. "
“起来，卡尼姆！” 她叫道， “白天的热气已经散了，咱们该启程了。”
The squirrel—skin robe was agitated and cast aside by a brown arm. Then the man's eyelids fluttered and drooped again.
松鼠皮袍子动了动，一条棕色的胳膊把它掀到了一边。接着，那个男人的眼皮动了一下又合上了。
"His pack is heavy，" she thought， "and he is tired with the work of the morning. "
“他的包很重，” 她想， “而且早上的活计把他累坏了。”
A mosquito stung her on the neck，and she daubed the unprotected spot with wet clay from a ball she had convenient to hand. All morning，toiling up the divide and enveloped in a cloud of the pests，the man and woman had plastered themselves with the sticky mud，which，drying in the sun，covered their faces with masks of clay. These masks，broken in divers places by the movement of the facial muscles，had constantly to be renewed，so that the deposit was irregular of depth and peculiar of aspect.
一只蚊子叮在她脖子上，她顺手从附近拿起一个泥球，糊在没有湿泥保护的地方。整个早上，两人都在分水岭吃力地赶路，周围一大群虫子，浑身涂满了粘土，太阳下一晒，他们的脸上就像糊了一层粘土面具。这些面具随着面部肌肉的活动而裂开，需要不时地重新抹上泥土，因而厚度不均、不同角度有其各异的模样。
Li Wan shook Canim gently but with persistence till he roused and sat up. His first glance was to the sun，and after consulting the celestial timepiece he hunched over to the fire and fell—to ravenously on the meat. He was a large Indian fully six feet in height，deep—chested and heavy—muscled，and his eyes were keener and vested with greater mental vigor than the average of his kind. The lines of will had marked his face deeply，and this，coupled with a sternness and primitiveness，advertised a native indomitability，unswerving of purpose，and prone，when thwarted，to sullen cruelty.
李婉不停地轻推着卡尼姆，直到他醒过来坐起身。他先是扫了一眼太阳，依照天空计时器估摸着时间的早晚，接着弓着背向火边狼吞虎咽地吃起肉来。他是一个高大的印第安人，足足有六英尺那么高，胸膛结实，肌肉发达，比起其他印第安人，他的目光更有神，他的头脑更有活力。意志力在他的脸上留下深刻的痕迹，还有一种严厉和原始的气质，昭示着天生不屈的性格和坚定的意志，而一旦遭受失败时，就容易郁郁寡欢、愠怒残暴。
"To—morrow，Li Wan，we shall feast. " He sucked a marrow—bone clean and threw it to the dogs. "We shall have flapjacks fried in bacon grease，and sugar，which is more toothsome—"
“李婉，咱们明天大吃一顿。” 他吸干了一根骨头的髓液，然后把骨头扔给了狗。 “咱们用猪油煎甜燕麦饼，加点糖，会更好吃——”
"Flapjacks？" she questioned，mouthing the word curiously.
“甜燕麦饼？” 她问道，好奇地说出这个词。
"Ay，" Canim answered with superiority； "and I shall teach you new ways of cookery. Of these things I speak you are ignorant，and of many more things besides. You have lived your days in a little corner of the earth and know nothing. But I，" —he straightened himself and looked at her pridefully，— "I am a great traveller，and have been all places，even among the white people，and I am versed in their ways，and in the ways of many peoples. I am not a tree，born to stand in one place always and know not what there be over the next hill；for I am Canim，the Canoe，made to go here and there and to journey and quest up and down the length and breadth of the world. "
“是的。” 卡尼姆得意地回答， “我还会教你一些新做法。我说，你对我说的这些事一无所知，还有很多其他的事情你也不知道呢。你一直生活在地球的一个小角落里，什么都不知道。而我，” ——他直了直身子，骄傲地望向她—— “我是一个伟大的旅行者，哪儿都去过，还和白人一块儿呆过，我熟悉他们的做事方法，还了解很多其他民族。我不是一棵树，生来就只站在一个地方，不知道山那边是什么；我是卡尼姆，一条独木舟，天生就要到处游历、上下求索、四处探寻。”
She bowed her head humbly. "It is true. I have eaten fish and meat and berries all my days and lived in a little corner of the earth. Nor did I dream the world was so large until you stole me from my people and I cooked and carried for you on the endless trails. " She looked up at him suddenly. "Tell me，Canim，does this trail ever end？"
她恭顺地点点头。 “没错。以前我一直呆在地球的一个小角落里，整日吃的都是鱼、肉和浆果。我也从来没想过世界是这么大，直到你把我从我的族人中偷走，之后在这没有尽头的旅途中，我为你做饭、背行李。” 她突然抬头看他。 “告诉我，卡尼姆，这旅途有尽头吗？”
"Nay，" he answered. "My trail is like the world；it never ends. My trail is the world，and I have travelled it since the time my legs could carry me，and I shall travel it until I die. My father and my mother may be dead，but it is long since I looked upon them，and I do not care. My tribe is like your tribe. It stays in the one place—which is far from here，—but I care naught for my tribe，for I am Canim，the Canoe！"
“没有。” 他答道， “我的旅途就像是这世界，无穷无尽。我的旅途就是世界，从我会走的那天起，我就在旅行，而我会一直旅行下去直到我死。我很久没去看我的父母了，他们也许已经死了，可是我不在乎。我的部落和你的一样。它停留在一个地方——离这里很远的地方——不过不关心，因为我是卡尼姆，一条独木舟！”
"And must I，Li Wan，who am weary，travel always your trail until I die？"
“我已经很累了，我还必须跟随你的足迹一直到死吗？”
"You，Li Wan，are my wife，and the wife travels the husband's trail wheresoever it goes. It is the law. And were it not the law，yet would it be the law of Canim，who is lawgiver unto himself and his. "
“李婉，你是我的妻子，妻子无论在哪里都要追随丈夫的脚步。这是法。如果它不是法律的规定，那也是卡尼姆的规矩，卡尼姆为他自己和他的所有物制定法律。”
She bowed her head again，for she knew no other law than that man was the master of woman.
她又点了点头，因为她只知道一个法，就是男人是女人的主人。
"Be not in haste，" Canim cautioned her，as she began to strap the meagre camp outfit to her pack. "The sun is yet hot，and the trail leads down and the footing is good. "
“但是别着急，” 卡尼姆提醒她，因为她已经开始把简陋的帐篷用具捆起来放进背包里， “太阳的热气还没散呢，而且咱们走的是下坡路，位置也不错。”
She dropped her work obediently and resumed her seat.
她顺从地丢下工作，又坐了回去。
Canim regarded her with speculative interest. "You do not squat on your hams like other women，" he remarked.
卡尼姆饶有兴趣地打量着她。 “你不像别的女人那样蹲坐在腿上。” 他说道。
"No，" she answered. "It never came easy. It tires me，and I cannot take my rest that way. "
“是的，” 她答道， “那样一点也不舒服。让我觉得很累，而且我没法那样歇着。”
"And why is it your feet point not straight before you？"
“那为什么不把脚往前伸直呢？”
"I do not know，save that they are unlike the feet of other women. "
“不知道，也许我的脚和其他女人的脚长得不一样吧。”
A satisfied light crept into his eyes，but otherwise he gave no sign.
他的眼中闪过一丝满意的神情，但仅此而已，他没有任何其他的表示。
"Like other women，your hair is black；but have you ever noticed that it is soft and fine，softer and finer than the hair of other women？"
“你的头发像其他女人一样是黑色的；但是你有没有注意到它很柔软光滑，比其他女人的要软要光滑？”
"I have noticed，" she answered shortly，for she was not pleased at such cold analysis of her sex—deficiencies.
“我注意到了。” 她回答得很短，她不高兴他如此冷酷地计算自己缺乏哪些女性特点。
"It is a year，now，since I took you from your people，" he went on， "and you are nigh as shy and afraid of me as when first I looked upon you. How does this thing be？"
“我把你从你的族人中偷走已经一年了，” 他接着说， “而你也没有当初我第一眼看见你时那么害羞和怕我了。怎么会变成这样？”
Li Wan shook her head. "I am afraid of you，Canim，you are so big and strange. And further，before you looked upon me even，I was afraid of all the young men. I do not know……I cannot say……only it seemed，somehow，as though I should not be for them，as though……"
李婉摇摇头。 “我怕你，卡尼姆，你这么高大，这么奇怪。而且，见到你之前，我就害怕所有的青年男子。我不知道……我说不清……不知怎么，只是觉得好像我不属于他们似的，好像……”
"Ay，" he encouraged，impatient at her faltering.
“嗯，” 他催促她说，对她的吞吞吐吐有点不耐烦。
"As though they were not my kind. "
“好像他们不是我中意的那种人。”
"Not your kind？" he demanded slowly. "Then what is your kind？"
“不是你中意的那种人？” 他一个字一个字地问道。 “那你中意什么样的人？”
"I do not know，I……" She shook her head in a bewildered manner. "I cannot put into words the way I felt. It was strangeness in me. I was unlike other maidens，who sought the young men slyly. I could not care for the young men that way. It would have been a great wrong，it seemed，and an ill deed. "
“我不知道，我……” 她困惑地摇摇头。 “我说不出来自己的感觉。我觉得我自己很奇怪。其他女孩总是工于心计地找男人，可我却不像她们那样。我无法用那种方式关注青年男子。好像那样的行为很不正当，是一种不好的行为似的。”
"What is the first thing you remember？" Canim asked with abrupt irrelevance.
“你最早的记忆是什么？” 卡尼姆突然打断她，转移到别的话题上。
"Pow—Wah—Kaan，my mother. "
“我妈妈，宝华芹。”
"And naught else before Pow—Wah—Kaan？"
“在宝华芹之前再不记得别人了吗？”
"Naught else. "
“不记得了。”
But Canim，holding her eyes with his，searched her secret soul and saw it waver.
可是卡尼姆死盯着她的眼睛，搜寻着她隐秘的灵魂，察觉到她的灵魂在颤抖。
"Think，and think hard，Li Wan！" he threatened.
“想想，好好想想，李婉！” 他威胁道。
She stammered，and her eyes were piteous and pleading，but his will dominated her and wrung from her lips the reluctant speech.
她支支吾吾，眼神里满是可怜和乞求，可是他的意志掌控着她，逼她说出她不想说的话。
"But it was only dreams，Canim，ill dreams of childhood，shadows of things not real，visions such as the dogs，sleeping in the sun—warmth，behold and whine out against. "
“可那只是梦，卡尼姆，儿时的噩梦，不真实的幻影，就像狗儿们在温暖的太阳下打盹时看到并对着吠叫的幻像。”
"Tell me，" he commanded， "of the things before Pow—Wah—Kaan，your mother. "
“告诉我，” 他命令道， “你妈妈宝华芹之前的事情。”
"They are forgotten memories，" she protested. "As a child I dreamed awake，with my eyes open to the day，and when I spoke of the strange things I saw I was laughed at，and the other children were afraid and drew away from me. And when I spoke of the things I saw to Pow—Wah—Kaan，she chided me and said they were evil；also she beat me. It was a sickness，I believe，like the falling—sickness that comes to old men；and in time I grew better and dreamed no more. And now……I cannot remember" —she brought her hand in a confused manner to her forehead— "they are there，somewhere，but I cannot find them，only……"
“我已经不记得了。” 她抗议道。 “小时候，我总是睁着眼做白日梦，当我说起那些稀奇古怪的事情时，我发现别人会笑话我，然后其他孩子都害怕我，不理我。而当我把自己看见的事情告诉宝华芹时，她训斥我，说那些都是邪恶的，她还打我。我觉得，那是一种病，就像老人们会衰弱生病一样。很快，我就恢复了，再也不做梦了。而现在……我都记不得了” ——她迷茫地把手举到额头前—— “它们在这儿，某个地方，可是我找不到了，只有……”
"Only，" Canim repeated，holding her.
“只有。” 卡尼姆握着她，重复说道。
"Only one thing. But you will laugh at its foolishness，it is so unreal. "
“只有一件事。不过你会笑话我愚蠢的，那太不真实了。”
"Nay，Li Wan. Dreams are dreams. They may be memories of other lives we have lived. I was once a moose. I firmly believe I was once a moose，what of the things I have seen in dreams，and heard. "
“不，李婉。梦就是梦。它们也许是我们前世的记忆。我曾经是一只驼鹿。我在梦里的所闻所见，让我坚信以前我就是一只驼鹿。”
Strive as he would to hide it，a growing anxiety was manifest，but Li Wan，groping after the words with which to paint the picture，took no heed.
虽然他努力地想要掩饰，但脸上还是渐渐地露出了些许焦虑，可是李婉正在脑海里苦苦找寻词语来形容自己的梦境，并没注意到他的表情。
"I see a snow—tramped space among the trees，" she began， "and across the snow the sign of a man where he has dragged himself heavily on hand and knee. And I see，too，the man in the snow，and it seems I am very close to him when I look. He is unlike real men，for he has hair on his face，much hair，and the hair of his face and head is yellow like the summer coat of the weasel. His eyes are closed，but they open and search about. They are blue like the sky，and look into mine and search no more. And his hand moves，slow，as from weakness，and I feel……"
“在树林里我看见一片白雪覆盖的空地，” 她开始讲了， “在雪地上一个男人模样的东西，他手脚并用地使劲爬。我还看见了那个雪里的男人，而且在我看他的时候，我似乎离他很近。他不像是真正的人，因为他的脸上有毛，很重的毛发，他脸上和头上的毛发是黄色的，就像鼬鼠在夏天时皮毛的颜色。他的眼睛一开始是合着的，后来他又睁开眼，四处搜寻。那双眼睛和天空一样蓝，当我们四目相对时，他停止了搜寻。他的手挪动着，很慢，好像是因为虚弱，而且我感到……”
"Ay，" Canim whispered hoarsely. "You feel—？"
“嗯，” 卡尼姆嘶哑地低声说， "你感到——？"
"No！no！" she cried in haste. "I feel nothing. Did I say 'feel' ？I did not mean it. It could not be that I should mean it. I see，and I see only，and that is all I see—a man in the snow，with eyes like the sky，and hair like the weasel. I have seen it many times，and always it is the same—a man in the snow—"
“不！不！” 她急忙大叫。 “我什么都没感觉到。我刚才说 ‘感到’ 了么？我不是这个意思。那不是我想说的意思。我看到，只是看到，我只看到这些——一个男人在雪地里，眼珠如天空一样蓝，头发像鼬鼠一样黄。我梦见了很多次，总是同样的场景——一个男人在雪地里——”
"And do you see yourself？" he asked，leaning forward and regarding her intently. "Do you ever see yourself and the man in the snow？"
“你看见你自己了吗？” 他问道，身子前倾，专注地看着她。 “你有没有见过自己和那个男人一起在雪地里？”
"Why should I see myself？Am I not real？"
“为什么我应该看见自己？难道我不是个真人吗？”
His muscles relaxed and he sank back，an exultant satisfaction in his eyes which he turned from her so that she might not see.
他的肌肉放松了下来，向后躺去，眼中闪现出一种欣喜和满意的神情，他背过身，好不让李婉看见。
"I will tell you，Li Wan，" he spoke decisively； "you were a little bird in some life before，a little moose—bird，when you saw this thing，and the memory of it is with you yet. It is not strange. I was once a moose，and my father's father afterward became a bear—so said the shaman，and the shaman cannot lie. Thus，on the Trail of the Gods we pass from life to life，and the gods know only and understand. Dreams and the shadows of dreams be memories，nothing more，and the dog，whining asleep in the sun—warmth，doubtless sees and remembers things gone before. Bash，there，was a warrior once. I do firmly believe he was once a warrior. "
“我告诉你，李婉，” 他坚定地说， “你看到这件事的时候，你正处于你的前世，那时你是一只小鸟，一只小驼鹿鸟，所以你才会一直记得。这并不奇怪。我以前是一只驼鹿，我的爷爷后来变成了一只熊——萨满是这么说的，他是不会撒谎的。于是，我们在众神的轨道中轮回，只有众神知晓和理解其中的原委。梦和梦的幻影不过是记忆，温暖的阳光下于睡梦中狺狺的狗，无疑也看见和记起了从前的事情。那边的巴什，以前是一名战士。我坚信他以前是一名战士。”
Canim tossed a bone to the brute and got upon his feet. "Come，let us begone. The sun is yet hot，but it will get no cooler. "
卡尼姆向那畜生扔了一块骨头，然后站起身。 “来，咱们动身吧。虽然阳光还很烈，但是一会儿也凉快不了多少。”
"And these white people，what are they like？" Li Wan made bold to ask.
“那么那些白人，他们长什么样？” 李婉壮着胆子问道。
"Like you and me，" he answered， "only they are less dark of skin. You will be among them ere the day is dead. "
“就像你我一样，” 他答道， “只是肤色白一点。天黑之前，你就可以见到他们了。”
Canim lashed the sleeping—robe to his one—hundred—and—fifty—pound pack，smeared his face with wet clay，and sat down to rest till Li Wan had finished loading the dogs. Olo cringed at sight of the club in her hand，and gave no trouble when the bundle of forty pounds and odd was strapped upon him. But Bash was aggrieved and truculent，and could not forbear to whimper and snarl as he was forced to receive the burden. He bristled his back and bared his teeth as she drew the straps tight，the while throwing all the malignancy of his nature into the glances shot at her sideways and backward. And Canim chuckled and said， "Did I not say he was once a very great warrior？"
卡尼姆把睡袍塞进他那150磅重的背包里，往脸上糊满湿粘土，然后就坐下来休息，等李婉把狗套好。欧乐看到她手中的棍子就害怕，李婉毫不费劲就给它套上了40多磅重的包裹。可是巴什愤愤不平，气势汹汹，李婉把担子压到它身上时，它竟然忍不住呜咽咆哮起来。李婉拉紧绳索的时候，它便竖起了背上的毛，还露出牙齿，向李婉身后和旁边扫视，把天性中的邪恶全都表现出来了。卡尼姆咯咯地笑了，说道， “我不是说过它曾经是一名非常伟大的战士吗？”
"These furs will bring a price，" he remarked as he adjusted his head—strap and lifted his pack clear of the ground. "A big price. The white men pay well for such goods，for they have no time to hunt and are soft to the cold. Soon shall we feast，Li Wan，as you have feasted never in all the lives you have lived before. "
“这些毛皮能值点钱。” 他边说边调整自己头上的带子，把背包从地上拎了起来。 “值个好价钱。白人会给个好价钱的，因为他们没有时间打猎，也不禁冻。我们马上能大吃一顿了，李婉，你几辈子都不会见过这么多好吃的。”
She grunted acknowledgment and gratitude for her lord's condescension，slipped into the harness，and bent forward to the load.
她嘟囔了一下表示承认，以及对她主人屈尊俯就表示感谢，然后钻进挽具，身体前倾负起行李。
"The next time I am born，I would be born a white man，" he added，and swung off down the trail which dived into the gorge at his feet.
“下一次出生的时候，我要做个白人。” 他加了一句，顺着一条通向脚下山谷的小路走了下去。
The dogs followed close at his heels，and Li Wan brought up the rear. But her thoughts were far away，across the Ice Mountains to the east，to the little corner of the earth where her childhood had been lived. Ever as a child，she remembered，she had been looked upon as strange，as one with an affliction. Truly she had dreamed awake and been scolded and beaten for the remarkable visions she saw，till，after a time，she had outgrown them. But not utterly. Though they troubled her no more waking，they came to her in her sleep，grown woman that she was，and many a night of nightmare was hers，filled with fluttering shapes，vague and meaningless. The talk with Canim had excited her，and down all the twisted slant of the divide she harked back to the mocking fantasies of her dreams.
狗紧跟在他身后，而李婉则跟在最后头。但是她的思绪飘得很远，穿过冰山去了东方，去了那个她儿时生活过的角落。她记得，在她还是孩子的时候，人们就觉得她很奇怪，有点毛病。她的确做过白日梦，还因为看到一些不同寻常的幻影而被训斥和殴打，直到过了一段时间，她长大成熟，不再做梦。但不是完全不做。虽然它们不再在她醒着的时候烦扰她，可是它们却来到了她的梦中。成年后，她总是做恶梦，梦里都是飘动的轮廓，模糊又没有意义。和卡尼姆的谈话激起了她的回忆，在分水岭歪歪斜斜的沟壑里，她重新回到了梦中那些嘲弄人的幻想中。
"Let us take breath，" Canim said，when they had tapped midway the bed of the main creek.
“咱们歇会儿吧。” 卡尼姆说，那时他们正走到了一条主流的河床中间。
He rested his pack on a jutting rock，slipped the head—strap，and sat down. Li Wan joined him，and the dogs sprawled panting on the ground beside them. At their feet rippled the glacial drip of the hills，but it was muddy and discolored，as if soiled by some commotion of the earth.
他把背包放在一块突起的石头上，松开头上的带子，坐了下来。李婉也跟着他坐了下来，狗则趴在旁边的土地上喘气。在他们的脚下，山峦上冰川的融水泛着涟漪，可这水很污浊，好像被大地的喧闹弄脏了似的。
"Why is this？" Li Wan asked.
“怎么会这样？” 李婉问道。
"Because of the white men who work in the ground. Listen！" He held up his hand，and they heard the ring of pick and shovel，and the sound of men's voices. "They are made mad by gold，and work without ceasing that they may find it. Gold？It is yellow and comes from the ground，and is considered of great value. It is also a measure of price. "
“因为在这里工作的白人。你听！” 他举起他的手，他们听到镐和铁锹的声音，还有人说话的声音。 “他们都疯了，为了挖到金子不停地工作。金子？金子是黄色的，来自于大地，人们认为它的价值很高。它也是一种价格单位。”
But Li Wan's roving eyes had called her attention from him. A few yards below and partly screened by a clump of young spruce，the tiered logs of a cabin rose to meet its overhanging roof of dirt. A thrill ran through her，and all her dream—phantoms roused up and stirred about uneasily.
可是李婉环顾四周，注意力不再集中在他身上。下面几英里处，一小片云杉的掩映之下，一座座圆木做成的小屋，立起来迎接在它上面高悬的泥土房顶。她突然感到一阵激动，所有的幻影都浮现出来，不安地骚动着。
"Canim，" she whispered in an agony of apprehension. "Canim，what is that？"
“卡尼姆。” 她痛苦地轻声叫着。 “卡尼姆，那是什么？”
"The white man's teepee，in which he eats and sleeps. "
“白人的帐篷，是他们吃饭睡觉的地方。”
She eyed it wistfully，grasping its virtues at a glance and thrilling again at the unaccountable sensations it aroused. "It must be very warm in time of frost，" she said aloud，though she felt that she must make strange sounds with her lips.
她渴望地看着那木屋，一下就明白了它的好处，那些无法言喻的感受又令她激动起来。 “霜冻的时候，那里面肯定很暖和。” 她大声地说，虽然她觉得自己发出的声音肯定十分奇怪。
She felt impelled to utter them，but did not，and the next instant Canim said， "It is called a cabin. "
她忍不住要叫出那小屋的名字，可是她没说，而卡尼姆随即说道： “这叫小木屋。”
Her heart gave a great leap. The sounds！the very sounds！She looked about her in sudden awe. How should she know that strange word before ever she heard it？What could be the matter？And then with a shock，half of fear and half of delight，she realized that for the first time in her life there had been sanity and significance in the promptings of her dreams.
她的心猛地跳了一下。小木屋！就是小木屋！她突然惶恐地望向四周。她从没听过这个奇怪的词，那她是怎么知道的呢？这是怎么回事？接着，震惊之下，带着恐惧和兴奋，她此生第一次意识到她的梦的启示是理性和有意义的。
"Cabin. " she repeated to herself. "Cabin. " An incoherent flood of dream—stuff welled up and up till her head was dizzy and her heart seemed bursting. Shadows，and looming bulks of things，and unintelligible associations fluttered and whirled about，and she strove vainly with her consciousness to grasp and hold them. For she felt that there，in that welter of memories，was the key of the mystery；could she but grasp and hold it，all would be clear and plain—
“小木屋，” 她对着自己重复道， “小木屋。” 不连续的梦境不停地往上涌，直到她觉得头晕目眩，心好像要炸开了。阴影、不断靠近的事物、莫名其妙的联想在飘动回旋，她徒劳地努力用意识抓住它们。因为她觉得在那里，那些混乱的记忆中，有那个谜团的关键；只要她能抓住这个关键，一切都将变得清晰明白——
O Canim！O Pow—Wah—Kaan！O shades and shadows，what was that？
哦，卡尼姆！哦，宝华芹！哦，全是阴影和幻影，是什么东西呢？
She turned to Canim，speechless and trembling，the dream—stuff in mad，overwhelming riot. She was sick and fainting，and could only listen to the ravishing sounds which proceeded from the cabin in a wonderful rhythm.
她转向卡尼姆，浑身颤抖，一句话也说不出来，那些梦幻疯狂而又迷乱，压在心头。她感到头晕想吐，只能听到木屋里传来令人陶醉的美妙节奏。
"Hum，fiddle，" Canim vouchsafed.
“嗯，是小提琴。” 卡尼姆肯定地说。
But she did not hear him，for in the ecstasy she was experiencing，it seemed at last that all things were coming clear. Now！now！she thought. A sudden moisture swept into her eyes，and the tears trickled down her cheeks. The mystery was unlocking，but the faintness was overpowering her. If only she could hold herself long enough！If only—but the landscape bent and crumpled up，and the hills swayed back and forth across the sky as she sprang upright and screamed， "Daddy！Daddy！" Then the sun reeled，and darkness smote her，and she pitched forward limp and headlong among the rocks.