030 老马与新马

旁白 neutral

I had become good friends with Jerry's other horse, Captain

我已经和杰里的另一匹马“上尉”成了好朋友。

旁白 neutral

The noble, old war horse was good company, and I never imagined that he would leave us

这匹高贵的老战马是个好伙伴，我从没想过他会离开我们。

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And I suppose he wouldn't have, if not for the accident

我想如果不是那场事故，他也不会离开。

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I wasn't there, so I only know what I heard

我当时不在场，所以只知道听来的情况。

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It seemed that Jerry and Captain had just dropped off a customer when they heard a terrible commotion nearby

好像杰里和上尉刚送走一位乘客，就听到附近传来一阵可怕的骚动。

旁白 neutral

" Clear the way!" someone yelled." Runaway cart!"

“让开！”有人喊道。“马车失控了！”

旁白 neutral

Jerry and Captain turned to see something terrible

杰里和上尉转过身，看到了可怕的一幕。

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A cart pulled by a team of large, panicky draft horses was out of control and racing toward them!

一辆由几匹高大、受惊的役马牵引的马车失控了，正向他们冲过来！

旁白 neutral

It all happened so fast that Jerry and Captain couldn't move out of the way in time

一切发生得太快，杰里和上尉来不及躲开。

旁白 neutral

The cart crashed into them, knocking over both cab and horse

那辆马车撞上了他们，连车带马都撞翻了。

旁白 neutral

Jerry was thrown free and escaped with only bumps and bruises

杰里被甩了出去，只受了些磕碰和淤伤。

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Poor Captain wasn't so lucky

可怜的上尉就没那么幸运了。

旁白 neutral

It was a sad sight to see him limp into the stable, sore and bleeding from numerous cuts and gashes

看着他全身疼痛、多处割伤流血，一瘸一拐地走进马厩，真是令人难过。

旁白 neutral

Jerry and the vet did all they could for him, and for a while he seemed to be getting better

杰里和兽医为他尽了全力，有一阵子他好像确实在好转。

旁白 neutral

But Captain was a very old horse, and Jerry soon realized he would never be fit for cab work again

但上尉已经非常老了，杰里很快意识到，他再也没法胜任拉出租马车的工作了。

旁白 neutral

" He might recover well enough for you to sell him," the vet said

兽医说：“他或许能恢复得差不多，你可以把他卖掉。”

旁白 neutral

" He could bring a few pounds at the horse sale from someone who needs a cart horse."

“在卖马集市上，也许会有需要拉货马车的人，出几英镑买下他。”

旁白 neutral

" Absolutely not!" Jerry said firmly

“绝对不行！”杰里坚决地说。

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" I won't sell a good old friend into hard work and misery

“我不会把一位老朋友卖掉，让他去干重活、受苦受罪。

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It's much kinder to put him down here at home

让他在家里安详地离开，要善良得多。”

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That way I'll know he won't suffer anymore."

那样我就知道他再也不会受苦了。”

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The next day Jerry's son, Harry, took me to the blacksmith for some new shoes

第二天，杰里的儿子哈利带我去铁匠铺换新马掌。

旁白 neutral

When I returned, Captain was gone

等我回来时，上尉已经不在了。

旁白 neutral

I missed the old fellow a lot, and I know Jerry and his family did too

我非常想念这位老伙计，我知道杰里一家也很想念他。

旁白 neutral

But the cab had been fixed by then, and there was work to do, so Jerry began the search for a new horse

不过那时马车已经修好了，还有活儿要干，所以杰里开始寻找一匹新马。

旁白 neutral

He ran into a young man from a nobleman's stables

他偶然遇到了一位来自贵族马厩的年轻人。

旁白 neutral

That young man told him about a certain horse in his care

那位年轻人跟他说起了一匹由他照看的马。

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This horse was young and well-bred, but he'd run away with the carriage and caused an accident

这匹马年轻且血统优良，但它曾拉着马车狂奔，造成了一场事故。

旁白 neutral

This left him too blemished for a gentleman's stables so the young man had to sell him

这样一来，它身上有了瑕疵，不再适合待在绅士的马厩里，所以年轻人只好把它卖掉。

旁白 neutral

" He's not the typical cab horse," the friend warned Jerry

“它可不是那种典型的拉出租马车的马，”这位朋友提醒杰里说。

旁白 neutral

" He's young and quite spirited."

它很年轻，也挺有活力。

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" I can deal with high spirits as long as the horse isn't nasty," Jerry said

“只要这马不凶，活泼些我也能应付，”杰里说。

旁白 neutral

" He's not nasty or vicious at all," the young man said

“它一点儿也不凶，也不恶，”年轻人说。

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" In my opinion, the accident wasn't his fault

“在我看来，那次事故不是它的错。

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It was a cool day, and the horse hadn't had enough exercise that week

那天天气凉爽，那一周马的运动量不够。

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The checkrein was very tight, and the bit rather harsh

马缰绳拉得特别紧，嚼子也很硬。

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I think the combination made the horse lose his mind."

我觉得这些因素加在一起，让马失去了理智。”

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" That makes sense to me," Jerry said

“有道理，”杰里说。

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" Perhaps all he needs is some fair treatment and an honest day's work to settle him down

“也许它只需要得到公正的对待，再踏踏实实干一天活，就能平静下来。

旁白 neutral

I'll come see him tomorrow."

我明天去看看它。”

旁白 neutral

The next day the horse came home with Jerry. His name was Hotspur

第二天，那匹马跟着杰里回了家。他的名字叫霍茨波。

旁白 neutral

He was only five years old and very handsome

他才五岁，长得非常英俊。

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I greeted him as he looked around the stable

当他环顾马厩时，我向他打了个招呼。

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He answered politely, but seemed distracted

他礼貌地回应了，但似乎心不在焉。

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" It can't be true!" he said." Am I really reduced to being a humble cab horse?"

“这不可能！”他说。“我真的沦落到做一匹卑微的拉车马了吗？”

旁白 neutral

" It's not a bad life," I told him." Yes, the work can be hard

“这日子不差，”我告诉他。“是的，活儿可能会很辛苦。

旁白 neutral

But Jerry and his family are the kindest masters you could have."

但杰里和他一家人是你能遇到的最善良的主人。”

旁白 neutral

Hotspur snorted and didn't answer

霍茨波哼了一声，没有回答。

旁白 neutral

He seemed disgusted, and spent most of that first night moving around so restlessly that I couldn't sleep

他看起来很反感，第一个晚上大部分时间都焦躁不安地动来动去，弄得我也睡不着。

旁白 neutral

But after five or six hours of pulling the cab the following day, he returned to the stable seeming much quieter and more sensible

但第二天，在拉了五六个小时的车之后，他回到马厩时似乎安静、懂事多了。

旁白 neutral

Jerry spent a lot of time with him that first week, and before long they understood each other almost as well as Jerry and I did

第一个星期，杰里花了很多时间陪他，没过多久，他们彼此的了解就几乎和杰里与我一样深了。

旁白 neutral

" See?" Jerry told his son, Harry, one day

“瞧见没？”一天，杰里对儿子哈里说。

旁白 neutral

" With an easy bit in his mouth and plenty of work, our Hotspur will soon be as gentle as a lamb

“嘴里戴着轻便的嚼子，再有充足的活儿干，咱们的霍茨波很快就会像羊羔一样温顺了。

旁白 neutral

That nobleman's loss is our gain

那位贵族的损失，就是咱们的收获。

旁白 neutral

Now we have a fine, strong young horse with many good years ahead of him."

现在咱们有了一匹漂亮、强壮的好马，他往后能好好干上许多年呢。”

旁白 neutral

Even Hotspur himself seemed to agree

就连霍茨波自己似乎也同意了。

旁白 neutral

" I suppose I could have ended up in a worse place," he said that evening after we'd finished our grain

“我想我本可能落得个更糟的去处，”那天晚上吃完谷物后，他说道。

旁白 neutral

" At least here I don't have to wear that horrible checkrein

“至少在这儿，我不用戴那副可怕的勒马缰绳。

旁白 neutral

And the bit is much softer than my old one. That makes up for a lot."

而且这嚼子比我原来那副软多了。这就能弥补很多了。”

旁白 neutral

I agreed with that, of course

我当然同意这一点。

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Before long Hotspur had settled in so well that it was hard to remember what things were like without him

没过多久，霍茨波已经完全适应了，以至于很难记起没有他时是什么样子了。