Presently she heard a queer little squeakynoise that sounded like "Squeak, Squeak, Squeak!!! Oh Little Black Mingo, help me or I shall be drowned." She got up and looked to see what was calling, and she saw a bush coming floating down the river with something wriggling and scrambling about in it, and as it came near she saw that it was a Mongoose that was in the bush. So she waded out as far as she could, and caught hold of the bush and pulled it in, and the poor Mongoose crawled up her arm on to her shoulder, and she carried him to shore.突然,她聽到一陣奇怪的聲音,像是在吱吱叫著說"哦,小明戈,快救救我吧,我要淹死了!". 她站起身來,想看看是什麼在叫,她看到一個從河中飄過來的灌木叢,上面好像有什麼東西在蠕動著爬行,當灌木叢靠近時,她看到灌木叢裡有一隻貓鼬. 於是她儘可能靠近河邊,抓住了灌木叢,並將其拉向自己,可憐的貓鼬因此順著她的手臂爬到了她的肩膀上,然後她把貓鼬帶到了岸上.
12
When they got to shore the Mongoose shook himself, and Little Black Mingo wrung out her petticoat, and so they both very soon got dry.他們上岸後,貓鼬搖了搖自己,小明戈擰了擰自己的裙子,他們倆很快就幹了.
The Mongoose then began to poke about for something to eat, and very soon he found the great big pile of Mugger's eggs. "Oh, joy!" said he, "what's this?"貓鼬探著身子想要找吃的,他很快就發現了那一堆鱷魚蛋. 他說"哈哈,真好! 看我發現了什麼好吃的?"
"Those are Mugger's eggs," said Little Black Mingo.小明戈說:"那是沼澤鱷的蛋."
13
"I'm not afraid of Muggers!" said the Mongoose; and he sat down and began to crack the eggs, and eat the little muggers as they came out. And he threw the shellsinto the water, so that the old Mugger should not see that any one had been eating them. But he was careless, and he left one eggshell on the edge, and he was hungry and he ate so many that the pile got much smaller, and when the old Mugger came back he saw at once that some one had been meddling with them.貓鼬說他不怕沼澤鱷,然後就坐了下來,開始敲鱷魚蛋,然後吃掉從裡面跑出來的小鱷魚. 然後他還把蛋殼扔進了水裡,這樣老鱷魚就不會看到有人在偷吃他的蛋了. 但是他很粗心,不小心在岸邊留了一個蛋殼,並且他非常的餓,因此他吃了很多蛋,以至於蛋堆變得越來越小了. 當老鱷魚回來後,他立刻就看出來有人偷吃了他的蛋.
14
So he ran to Little Black Mingo, and said, "How dare you eat my eggs?"於是他跑到小明戈跟前,說:"你怎麼敢吃我的蛋?"
"Indeed, indeed I didn't," said Little Black Mingo."我發誓,不是我吃的!" 小明戈說.
"Then who could it have been?" said the Mugger, and he ran back to the eggs as fast as he could, and sure enough when he got back he found the Mongoose had eaten a whole lot more!!沼澤鱷說"不是你會是誰?" 然後他儘可能快地又回到了蛋堆旁,當他回來後發現貓鼬吃了他更多的蛋!
Then he said to himself, "I must stay beside my eggs till they are hatched into little muggers, or the Mongoose will eat them all." So he curled himself into a ring round the eggs and went to sleep.然後他對自己說:"我必須待在我的蛋旁邊,直到他們全部孵化成小鱷魚,否則貓鼬會把他們全部吃掉的." 於是他捲起身子護著蛋,然後就睡著了.
15
But while he was asleep the Mongoose came to eat some more of the eggs, and ate as many as he wanted, and when the Mugger woke this time, oh! what a rage he was in, for there were only six eggs left! He roared so loud that all the little muggers inside the shells gnashed their teeth, and tried to roar too.但是,當他睡著時,貓鼬又跑來吃了他更多的蛋,而他醒來後,就只剩下六個蛋了! 他大聲咆哮著,對貓鼬恨得咬牙切齒,蛋中的小鱷魚亦是如此.
16
Then he said, "I know what I'll do, I'll fetch Little Black Mingo's big chatty and cover my eggs with that, then the Mongoose won't be able to get at them." So he swam across to the shore, and fetched the dhobi's big chatty, and covered the eggs with it. "Now, you wicked little Mongoose, come and eat my eggs if you can," said he, and he went off quite proud and happy.然後他說:"我知道我該怎麼辦了,我將拿來小明戈的大水缸,蓋住我的蛋,然後貓鼬將無法吃到他們了." 於是他遊到了河岸,拿來了洗衣工的大水缸,蓋住了他的蛋. 他說:"現在,你這個邪惡的小貓鼬,有種再來偷吃我的蛋啊." 他對自己的主意感到非常的自豪和高興.
17
By and by the Mongoose came back, and he was terribly disappointed when he found the eggs all covered with the big chatty.後來貓鼬又回來了,當他發現所有蛋都被大缸蓋住時,他感到非常失望.
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So he ran off to Little Black Mingo, and asked her to help him, and Little Black Mingo came and took the big chatty off the eggs, and the Mongoose ate them every one.於是他跑到了小明戈跟前,請她幫他,小明戈過來把蓋住蛋的大缸掀開了,然後貓鼬把那六個蛋全部吃掉了.
19
"Now," said he, "there will be no little muggers to make a feast for tomorrow."他說:"這下,明天就不會有小鱷魚來參加盛宴了."
"No," said Little Black Mingo, "but the Mugger will eat me all by himself I am afraid.""不,"小明戈說,"但是,恐怕沼澤鱷一個人就會把我全部吃掉."
"No he won't," said the Mongoose, "for we will sail away together in the big chatty before he comes back."貓鼬說:"不,他不會的,因為在他回來之前,我們將坐著大缸一起離開了這裡."
So he climbed on to the edge of the chatty, and Little Black Mingo pushed the chatty out into the water, and then she clamberedinto it and paddled with her two hands as hard as she could, and the big chatty just sailed beautifully.於是,他爬進了大缸,小明戈將大缸推入水中,然後她也爬了進去,然後使盡全力用兩隻手划水,他們的大缸在水中航行的很順利.
20
So they got across safely, and Little Black Mingo filled the chatty half full of water and took it on her head, and they went up the bank together.就這樣,他們安全地跨過了河,然後小明戈給大缸裝了一半的水,將其放在了頭上,然後他們就一起上了岸.
21
But when the Mugger came back, and found only empty egg-shellshe was fearfully angry. He roared and he raged, and he howled and he yelled, till the whole island shook, and his tears ran down his cheeks and pattered on the sand like rain.但是沼澤鱷回來後,他發現了自己僅剩的六個蛋也變成了蛋殼,他極度生氣,他咆哮著,憤怒著,吼叫著,大喊著,整個小島都因他的憤怒而顫抖,他的眼淚順著臉頰流了下來,啪嗒著沙灘,就像下雨一樣.
22
So he started to chase Little Black Mingo and the Mongoose, and he swam across the river as fast as ever he could, and when he was half way across he saw them landing, and as he landed they hurried overthe first ridge.於是,他開始追小明戈和貓鼬,他以最快的速度遊過河,當他遊過一半時,他看到他們正好著陸,而當他著陸時,他們已經翻過了第一個坡.
So he raced after them, but they ran, and just before he caught them they got into the house, and banged the door in his face. Then they shut all the windows, so he could not get in anywhere.於是他又在陸地上追趕他們,但是就在他快要抓住他們的時候,他們跑進了屋裡,用力關上了門. 然後他們關上了所有的窗戶,所以他無法進入屋子.
"All right," said he, "you will have to come out some time, and then I will catch you both, and eat you up.""好吧,"他說,"你們早晚會出來,一旦你們出來,我就抓住你們,然後把你們全部吃掉."
So he hid behind the back of the house and waited.於是,他躲在屋子後面,等待著.
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Now Black Noggy was just coming home from the bazaarwith a tin of kerosene on her head, and a box of matches in her hand. And when he saw her the Mugger rushed out and gobbled her up, kerosene tin, matches and all!!!就在這時,諾吉趕集回來了,她的頭上頂著一罐煤油,手裡拿著一盒火柴. 當沼澤鱷看到諾吉的時候,沼澤鱷衝了出來,一口把她吞了,還把煤油罐和火柴以及其他的東西也吞了!!!
24
When Black Noggy found herself in the Mugger's dark inside, she wanted to see where she was, so she felt for the match-boxand took out a match and lit it. But the Mugger's teeth had made holes in the kerosene tin, so that the flame of the match caught the kerosene, and BANG!! The kerosene exploded, and blew the old Mugger and Black Noggy into little bits.
當諾吉在沼澤鱷的肚子裡清醒過來後,她想看看自己在哪裡,於是她摸了摸火柴盒,掏出一根火柴點燃了它. 但是沼澤鱷的牙齒在煤油罐上打了個洞,於是火柴點燃了煤油罐,只聽砰地一聲,煤油罐在沼澤鱷的肚子裡爆炸了,然後把他們炸成了碎片.
25
At the fearful noise Little Black Mingo and the Mongoose came running out, and there they found Black Noggy and the old Mugger all blown to bits.聽到爆炸聲後,小明戈和貓鼬跑出了屋子,他們發現沼澤鱷和諾吉都被炸成了碎片.
26
So Little Black Mingo and the Mongoose got the nice little house for their very own, and there they lived happy ever after. And Little Black Mingo got the Mugger's head for her seat, and the Mongoose got Black Noggy's handkerchieffor his. But he was so wee he used to put it on the Mugger's nose, and there they sat, and had their tea every evening.就這樣,小明戈和貓鼬得到了諾吉這間漂亮的房子,從此以後過上了幸福快樂的生活. 小明戈坐在沼澤鱷的頭上,而貓鼬則坐在鋪了手帕的諾吉的鼻子上. 他們每天都會這樣坐著,然後每天晚上都會喝茶.
27
注釋:
a tin of: 一聽; 一罐;a horrid cross old woman: 一個可怕易怒的老女人scold her every day: 每天都刁難她beat her with a stick: 用手杖打她chatty: /tti/; [a]愛閒聊的;非正式的; [ex]本文中指罐子;mugger: /mɡ(r)/; [n]行兇搶劫者,偷襲搶劫者;澤鱷<產於非洲>;hiding under the very bank she was standing on: 這裡的 very 不是非常的意思,而是 恰恰,正好,就是 的意思Oh! please don't eat me up, great big Mugger. % 哦,偉大的沼澤鱷,請不要吃掉我.a huge pile of eggs: 一大堆鱷魚蛋gobbled her up: 一口把她吞掉了blown to bits: 炸成碎片waddled off: 搖搖擺擺的走了crack the eggs: 磕蛋paddled with her two hands: 用手划水gnashed their teeth: 氣的咬牙切齒are hatched into: 孵化成wriggling and scrambling: 扭動著爬行bazaar: /bzɑ(r)/; [n]集市;市場;義賣市場; [+]pl/bazaars;catch fish: /kt f/; [x]抓魚,捕魚;caught hold of : [x]抓住;擁有;clambered: /klmb(r)/; [vi]攀登,爬上;[vt]爬,攀登;[n]攀登,爬上;crawled up: /krl p/; [x]爬上; 爬到;dhobi: /'db/; [n]男洗衣工<等於dhobie>;egg-shells: /eɡ el/; [n]卵殼,蛋殼;handkerchief: /hktf/; [n]手帕;頭巾,圍巾;hurried over: [x]趕緊辦完;kerosene: /kersin/; [n]煤油,火油;match-box: /mtbks/; [x]火柴盒;meddle: /medl/; [v]幹涉,管閒事,幹預他人之事;瞎搞,亂弄; [+]pt/meddled,pp/meddled,pr/meddling,s3/meddles;meddling with: /medl w/; [x]瞎弄;亂動;mongoose: /mɡus/; [n]貓鼬;獴狐猴<等於mongoose lemur>;overtake: /vtek/; [vt]趕上;壓倒;突然來襲;[vi]超車;petticoat: /petkt/; [n]襯裙;裙子;[a]女性的; [+]pl/petticoats;poked: /pk/; [v]撥弄;伸出;戳出;rushed out: /r at/; [x]衝出;突然出現;匆匆趕製;shells: /elz/; [n]貝殼<shell的複數>;[v]脫殼<shell的第三人稱單數形式>;squeaky: /skwiki/; [a]嘎吱作響的; [+]er/squeakier,est/squeakiest;stuck out: /stk at/; [x]突出;堅持;醒目;waded out: /wed at/; [x]跋涉;wee: /wi/; [a]極小的;微量的;[n]小便,排尿;