At length the buffaloes turned into a green brake on the river bank, while the horses dashed up a narrow defile of the hills, with their pursuers close at their heels. Beatte passed several of them, having fixed his eye upon a fine Pawnee horse, that had his ears slit and saddle-marks upon his back. He pressed him gallantly, but lost him in the woods.
最后,水牛逃入了河岸边的一片树林,而野马却都跑入了一条峡谷中,猎人们紧追不舍。比尔特超过了几匹马,并将目标锁定在一匹波尼马身上,竖起耳朵,随时准备猎杀。他紧追不舍,但是却在树林中跟丢了。
Among the wild horses was a fine black mare, which, in scrambling up the defile, tripped and fell. A young ranger sprang from his horse and seized her by the mane and muzzle. Another ranger dismounted, and came to his assistance. The mare struggled fiercely, kicking and biting, and striking with her fore feet; but a noose was slipped over her head, and her struggles were in vain.
野马群中有一匹好看的黑色母马,它在峡谷中奔逃时滑倒在地上。一个年轻从马上跳下,抓住母马的鬃毛和鼻口。另一个骑兵也下马来帮忙。母马激烈地反抗,双腿乱踢,用嘴乱咬,并用前蹄进行踢打;但是它头上已经被套上绳索,所以它的挣扎也是徒劳。
It was some time, however, before she gave over rearing and plunging and lashing out with her feet on every side. The two rangers then led her along the valley by two strong lariats, which enabled them to keep at a sufficient distance on each side to be out of the reach of her hoofs; and whenever she struck out in one direction, she was jerked in the other. In this way her spirit was gradually subdued.
但是,他们花了好一会儿才将它的双脚套住。随后两个骑兵用一根坚固的套索牵着它沿着山谷走,这样它们就能保持足够距离不被它踢到;无论它想从哪一边挣脱,都会被另一边紧紧拉住。最后终于将它驯服。
As to Tonish, who had marred the whole scheme by his precipitancy, he had been more successful than he deserved, having managed to catch a beautiful cream-coloured colt, about seven months old, that had not had strength to keep up with its companions. The mercurial little Frenchman was beside himself with exultation. It was amusing to see him with his prize. The colt would rear and kick, and struggle to get free, when Tonish would take it round the neck, wrestle with it, jump on its back, and cut as many antics as a monkey with a kitten.
至于托尼斯,由于他的急躁轻率而毁掉了整个计划。但是他却有了意外收获,他抓住了一匹淡黄色的小马,这匹小马大概只有七个月大,所以没能跟上大队伍逃跑。小巧灵活的法国人却在旁边乐个不停。托尼斯得到猎物时的反应令人发笑。小马也会乱踢乱踹,挣扎着想要逃脱,而托尼斯则抱着它的脖子,时而和它玩摔跤,时而跳到小马的背上,就像一只猴子在戏弄一只小猫,滑稽不已。
Nothing surprised me more, however, than to witness how soon these poor animals, thus taken from the unbounded freedom of the prairie, yielded to the dominion of man. In the course of two or three days the mare and colt went with the lead horses, and became quite docile.
最让我惊讶的是,这些可怜的动物从在大草原上的无拘无束到对人类的主宰服服帖帖仅用了那么一点时间。过了两三天,母马和小马就安安静静地跟着领头那只马,变得服服帖帖。