006 建造树屋

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When we reached the grove of trees, I was amazed by the trees' great size and unusual appearance

当我们到达那片树林时，我被这些树的巨大尺寸和奇特外观惊呆了。

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" A house up there will be the safest and most charming home in the world," I said

“在上面建一座房子，会是世界上最安全、最迷人的家，”我说。

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" I knew you'd like it," said my wife

“我就知道你会喜欢，”我妻子说。

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" Now I think we should prepare a meal."

“现在我想我们该准备一顿饭了。”

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Ernest started fetching large, flat stones for a fireplace while Franz gathered wood

欧内斯特开始去搬大而扁平的石头来搭灶台，弗朗茨则去捡木柴。

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" What kind of trees do you think these are?" asked Ernest

“你觉得这些是什么树？”欧内斯特问。

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" They must be mangroves or wild figs

“它们肯定是红树或者野生无花果树。

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I've heard of their great height and strange curving roots," I replied

我听说过它们极高，还长着奇特的弯曲根，”我回答。

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Just then little Franz came up with a large bundle of sticks

就在这时，小弗朗茨抱着一大捆树枝过来了。

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He was happily chewing something

他正开心地嚼着什么东西。

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" Oh, Mother, this is so good!" he said

“哦，妈妈，这个好好吃呀！”他说。

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" What are you eating?" she cried in alarm

“你在吃什么？”她大吃一惊，大声问道。

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" It's probably poisonous. Spit it out right now!"

“这很可能有毒。马上吐出来！”

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" Where did you find this?"

“你这是从哪儿找到的？”

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I bent down and saw what appeared to be a half-chewed fig

我弯下腰，看到了一颗像是被嚼了一半的无花果。

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" There are thousands of them in the grass over there," said Franz

“那边的草丛里有成千上万颗呢。”弗兰兹说。

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" These do appear to be fig trees, but you must never eat anything without showing it to me first. Promise?" I asked him

“这些看起来确实是无花果树，但你必须保证，任何东西都要先给我看过才能吃，好吗？”我问他。

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Franz nodded in agreement

弗兰兹点了点头答应了。

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After we ate, our first task was to make a rope ladder with wood steps

吃过饭后，我们的第一项任务就是做一个带木踏板的绳梯。

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The older boys and I went to the beach to gather wood while Franz stayed behind with my wife

我和大一点的儿子们去海滩收集木材，弗兰兹则和我妻子一起留了下来。

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She started making harnesses for the cow and donkey

她开始为牛和驴制作套具。

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We soon had the ladder fastened securely to the tree above and the ground below

很快就把梯子牢牢地固定在了上面的树上和下面的地面上。

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" I want to climb up first!" cried Jack." Please, Father."

"我想第一个爬上去！"杰克喊道。"求您了，父亲。"

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" No, Father," said Ernest." I should because — "

"不，父亲，"欧内斯特说，"应该是我，因为——"

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" I'm the oldest," Fritz interrupted him to remind us

"我最大，"弗里茨打断他的话提醒我们。

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" Jack will have the honor," I said," because he asked so nicely."

"杰克将拥有这份荣耀，"我说，"因为他请求得如此礼貌。"

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Jack quickly sprang to the top of the ladder

杰克迅速跃至梯子顶端。

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" Three cheers for the nest!" he exclaimed

"为我们的巢穴欢呼三声！"他喊道。

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I gave Fritz a rope to take up, and then Ernest and I followed him on the ladder

我把一根绳子递给弗里茨让他带上去，随后欧内斯特和我跟着他爬上了梯子。

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" Send up the pulley," I called to my wife as I dangled the rope next to the ladder

"把滑轮送上来，"我一边将绳子垂在梯子旁一边向妻子喊道。

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She tied the pulley to the rope, and I hauled it up

她把滑轮系在绳子上，我把它吊了上去。

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Then I fastened it to a branch overhead so it would be ready for the next day's work

然后我把它固定在头顶的树枝上，为第二天的工作做好准备。

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We awoke early the next morning

第二天一早我们就醒了。

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My wife milked the goats and cow while the boys and I fed the animals

我妻子去挤山羊和奶牛的奶，我和孩子们喂养其他动物。

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After that we went down to the beach to collect more wood for our house

之后，我们去海滩收集更多建房子用的木材。

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We harnessed the cow and donkey to the larger beams and dragged the rest ourselves

我们把奶牛和驴套在较大的梁木上，其余的我们自己拖。

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Fritz and I then climbed the tree to finish the preparations

接着，弗里兹和我爬上树，去完成准备工作。

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We cut many branches to clear a living space

我们砍掉许多树枝，清理出一片生活空间。

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But we left a few on which to hang our hammocks

但我们留了几根，用来挂吊床。

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Higher up, we kept some branches to support a sailcloth roof

在更高处，我们保留了一些树枝，用来支撑帆布屋顶。

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My wife fastened the boards to the rope, and I used the pulley to haul them up

妻子把木板系在绳子上，我用滑轮把它们拉了上来。

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Fritz and I arranged the boards to make a smooth, solid floor

我和弗里茨把木板排列好，铺成了平整坚实的地板。

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Then we built two walls

然后我们建了两面墙。

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Our house was now enclosed on three sides because the great trunk formed a wall behind us

我们的房子现在三面都围起来了，因为巨大的树干在我们身后形成了一面墙。

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We left the front open to let in the fresh sea breeze

我们让前面敞开着，好让清新的海风吹进来。

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After attaching the sailcloth roof, our next job was to haul up our hammocks and hang them

装好帆布屋顶后，我们接下来的工作是把吊床拉上来挂好。

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We had been working all day, but a few hours of sunlight remained

我们干了一整天，不过还有几个小时的阳光。

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Using the last of the wood, we made a table and benches

我们用剩下的木头做了一张桌子和几条长凳。

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Finally Fritz and I, exhausted, threw ourselves on the grass

最后，我和弗里茨筋疲力尽，一头倒在草地上。

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My wife arranged supper on our new table

妻子在我们新做的桌子上摆好了晚饭。

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We were just finishing supper when the pig appeared

我们刚吃完晚饭，那头猪就出现了。

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My wife gave it all the milk that was left

妻子把剩下的牛奶都给了它。

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" The milk will be sour before morning in this heat," she said

“这么热，牛奶到早上就会变酸的，”她说。

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" You're right," I said

“你说得对，”我说。

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" The next time Fritz and I visit the wreck, we'll try to bring back a butter churn."

“下次我和弗里茨去沉船的时候，我们想办法带一个搅乳器回来。”

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" Must you really return to that dreadful wreck?" My wife shuddered

“你们真的还要回到那艘可怕的沉船上去吗？”妻子打了个寒颤。

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" You have no idea how anxious I am when you're there."

“你不知道你们在那儿的时候我有多担心。”

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" We must go back, but not tomorrow," I told her

“我们得回去，但不是明天，”我告诉她。

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" Come, it's getting late. Time for sleep."

“来吧，天晚了，该睡觉了。”

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We lit our watch fires to keep away any wild animals

我们点起了守夜的火堆，好赶走野兽。

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Fritz, Ernest, and Jack climbed up the ladder in a moment

弗里茨、欧内斯特和杰克一下子就爬上了梯子。

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Mother followed very cautiously

妈妈非常小心地跟了上去。

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Although she had wanted to build this nest, she hesitated at the idea of sleeping so far off the ground

虽然她一直想建这个巢，但一想到要睡在离地面这么高的地方，她还是犹豫了。

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When she was safely in the house, I took little Franz on my back

等她安全进了屋子，我把小弗朗茨背在背上。

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I released the fasteners that held the lower end of the ladder to the ground

我松开了固定梯子下端在地上的扣件。

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With the ladder swinging to and fro, we slowly went up, leaving the dogs below

梯子来回晃荡着，我们慢慢爬了上去，把狗留在了下面。