In five minutes we were on our way. Dee led me straight to the hole by the spring. He took from his pocket a ball of stout cord and tied the free end to the middle of his pole.
五分钟后,我们就上路了。迪领着我径直来到泉眼旁边的洞口处。他从衣袋里掏出一团结实的鱼线,把没拴鱼钩的一头拴到鱼竿的中间。
I'm about ready, he said.
“我马上就准备好了,”他说。
Go to it, boy, I said.
“动手吧,小伙子我说。
Don't you want to try? he asked.
“你不想试一下吗?”他问。
No, I answered, "King Solomon is your fish. I just want to see him."
“不,我答道,“所罗门王是你的鱼,我只是想看看他。”
I can show it to you if you'll climb the bluff.
“如果你能攀上崖壁,我就能让你看到他。”
We crossed over to a ledge of the bluff. There we sat down. The river was about ten feet below us. It was shaded by the ridge behind us—all but a narrow strip along the opposite bank.
我们穿过泉眼,登上一块突出的岩壁,坐了下来。河水就在我们脚下约十英尺远的地方,被我们背后的岩脊遮着——看上去只有沿着对面河岸的狭窄的一条。
Do you see that log there? Dee asked, pointing toward the sunny strip of water.
“你看见那边的那根原木了吗?”迪指着被阳光照亮的那片水面问我。
Yes, I replied.
“看见了,”我回答道。
That's where King Solomon lives, Dee said. "And he won't let other bass come around it. Watch."
“所罗门王就住在那儿,”迪说,“而且他不会让其他鲈鱼靠近那儿。快看。”
Dee broke off a piece of limestone and thumbed it into the stream. I wasn't prepared for what happened. An underlying limb detached itself from the log and shot like a torpedo to the spot where the piece of rock had struck the water. I saw fins parrying, a bulldog jaw champing, and two bulging eyes glaring upward. At last I was looking upon King Solomon in all his glory.
迪弄碎一块石灰石,然后用拇指将它弹入水中。我还没来得及弄清楚是怎么回事。一个潜在水中的树干从原木下面分离出来,就像鱼雷一样射向刚才石子落水的地方。我看到鱼鳍划开水面,牛头犬似的嘴巴急不可耐地咀嚼着,两只圆鼓鼓的眼晴向上瞪着,我终于目睹了所罗门王的风采。
That's him, Dee said quietly. "Don't you want to try for him while I go and get my bait?"
“那就是他,”迪悄声说,“我去拿鱼饵,你不想先来试着钓一下他吗?”
Do I? I almost shouted with joy. Shaking with excitement, I cast the line, and miraculously managed to place the lure where I aimed it—three feet to the rear of King Solomon.
“我试试?”我高兴得差点喊出来。我激动得手有些发抖,把线抛了出去,并且奇迹般地把鱼饵投到了我瞄准的地方——在所罗门王背后三英尺远的地方。