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Later in the morning we made preparations for a barbecue. A fire was kindled at the bottom of a deep hole in the ground, big sticks were laid crosswise at the top, and meat was hung from them and turned on spits. Around the fire squatted negroes, driving away the flies with long branches. The savoury odour of the meat made me hungry long before the tables were set.
天亮以后，我们就忙着为野外烧烤做准备。我们在一个深深的土坑里燃起篝火，把大的柴枝架在火堆顶部，然后再把肉挂在上面炙烤，于是肉咝咝地冒着烟，诱人的香味在空气中弥漫。火堆周围蹲坐着一圈黑人，他们不停地用长树枝驱赶着飞蛾。不等餐桌布置好，香喷喷的味道就令我饥肠辘辘了。
When the bustle and excitement of preparation was at its height, the hunting party made its appearance, struggling in by twos and threes, the men hot and weary, the horses covered with foam, and the jaded hounds panting and dejected--and not a single kill! Every man declared that he had seen at least one deer, and that the animal had come very close; but however hotly the dogs might pursue the game, however well the guns might be aimed, at the snap of the trigger there was not a deer in sight. They had been as fortunate as the little boy who said he came very near seeing a rabbit—he saw his tracks. The party soon forgot its disappointment, however, and we sat down, not to venison, but to a tamer feast of veal and roast pig.
就在忙碌而兴奋的准备工作达到高潮时，狩猎晚会也开始登场了。猎手们疲惫不堪，但热情不减。马儿们大汗淋漓，口吐白沫；那些老马则气喘吁吁，垂头丧气——因为一头猎物都没有打到！每个人都声称自己至少见到了一头鹿，而且曾经距离猎物非常近，然而不管那些猎犬是多么尽忠职守，猎人的枪口瞄得是多么地准确无误，偏偏就在扣动扳机的一刹那，鹿儿倏忽不见了。讲述狩猎经过时，他们幸福得像个小男孩。小男孩不是经常说，他曾近距离地看到了一只兔子——他还看到了兔子的足迹。无论结果怎样，失望的情绪很快就被晚会的欢笑驱散了。我们围坐在一起，根本不提野味的事。总之，我们仍会好好地享受小牛肉和烤乳猪这类家庭美食。
One summer I had my pony at Fern Quarry. I called him Black Beauty, as I had just read the book, and he resembled his namesake in every way, from his glossy black coat to the white star on his forehead. I spent many of my happiest hours on his back. Occasionally, when it was quite safe, my teacher would let go the leading-rein, and the pony sauntered on or stopped at his sweet will to eat grass or nibble the leaves of the trees that grew beside the narrow trail.
那年夏天，我把我的小马驹也带到了弗恩采石场。我管它叫“黑美人”，这是我刚刚读过的一本书的名字。我的小马“人如其名”，从他油光闪亮的黑色“外套”，到他额头的白色星形，无不俊朗非凡。我在他背上度过了最快乐的时光。有时候，在保证安全的前提下，我的老师也会松开缰绳，于是我的小马驹就会悠闲地在林中漫步，兴之所至，他还会停下来吃草，或者是啃食路边小树的叶子。
On mornings when I did not care for the ride, my teacher and I would start after breakfast for a ramble in the woods, and allow ourselves to get lost amid the trees and vines, with no road to follow except the paths made by cows and horses. Frequently we came upon impassable thickets which forced us to take a roundabout way. We always returned to the cottage with armfuls of laurel, goldenrod, ferns and gorgeous swamp-flowers such as grow only in the South.
当我不想在早上骑马的时候，我和我的老师就会在早餐后去森林里散步。我们让自己完全迷失在藤萝绿树之间，除了被牛儿马儿踩出的小径，我们无路可寻。因此，那些拦住去路的灌木丛常常迫使我们迂回行进。总之，我们最终会满载而归地回到小屋，我们的怀里抱满了大束的月桂树枝、一枝黄花、蕨菜和只有在南方才有的沼泽花卉。
Sometimes I would go with Mildred and my little cousins to gather persimmons. I did not eat them; but I loved their fragrance and enjoyed hunting for them in the leaves and grass. We also went nutting, and I helped them open the chestnut burrs and break the shells of hickory-nuts and walnuts--the big, sweet walnuts!
有时候，我也会和米尔德莱德，还有我的小表妹们一起去摘柿子。我并不吃它们，但是我喜欢闻柿子的香味，喜欢在树叶间和草地上搜索果实的感觉。我们还去采集坚果，而且，我会帮她们剥开栗子的刺皮，或者敲开核桃和山胡桃的硬壳——那些核桃又大又香甜！
At the foot of the mountain there was a railroad, and the children watched the trains whiz by. Sometimes a terrific whistle brought us to the steps, and Mildred told me in great excitement that a cow or a horse had strayed on the track. About a mile distant there was a trestle spanning a deep gorge. It was very difficult to walk over, the ties were wide apart and so narrow that one felt as if one were walking on knives. I had never crossed it until one day Mildred, Miss Sullivan and I were lost in the woods, and wandered for hours without finding a path.
山脚下有一条铁路，我们这些孩子会看着火车呼啸而过。吓人的汽笛声常常会把我们吸引到台阶上。米尔德莱德兴奋地告诉我，有一头牛或者一匹马还在铁轨上游荡呢。铁路沿线大约一英里之外的深谷中，横跨着一座高架桥。你很难从那里通过，峡谷很宽，桥梁极窄，走在上面就像行走在刀刃上。我从来没有去过那里。直到有一天，米尔德莱德、苏立文小姐和我在森林里迷了路，我们转了好几个小时都没有找到一条回家的路。
Suddenly Mildred pointed with her little hand and exclaimed, "There's the trestle!" We would have taken any way rather than this; but it was late and growing dark, and the trestle was a short cut home. I had to feel for the rails with my toe; but I was not afraid, and got on very well, until all at once there came a faint "puff, puff" from the distance.
突然，米尔德莱德指着前方惊叫起来：“那儿有一座高架桥！”我知道，走任何一条路都比走那条路强；但是此时天色渐晚，高架桥是离家最近的通道。于是，我不得不用脚尖探索着桥栏行走。我一点都不害怕，而且感觉良好。走着走着，从远处隐隐约约地传来一阵阵咝咝声。
"I see the train!" cried Mildred, and in another minute it would have been upon us had we not climbed down on the crossbraces while it rushed over our heads. I felt the hot breath from the engine on my face, and the smoke and ashes almost choked us. As the train rumbled by, the trestle shook and swayed until I thought we should be dashed to the chasm below. With the utmost difficulty we regained the track. Long after dark we reached home and found the cottage empty; the family were all out hunting for us.
“我看见火车了！”米尔德莱德喊道。如果我们不爬到下面的桥桁上，那么一分钟后，火车就会冲我们迎面驶来。当时，我能够感觉到火车头的蒸汽弥漫在四周，烟雾和灰尘几乎令我们窒息。当火车从我们身边隆隆驶过时，铁桥也被震得晃动起来，我想我们很可能会掉进脚下的深谷里。费了好一番周折，我们总算又回到了铁轨上。到家时天早已经黑了，小屋里阒无一人，原来家人们全都出去找我们了。
