Ch8-Night Riders

CHAPTER EIGHT Night Riders Stars twinkled in the night sky. Jack and Annie were quiet for a long time. Then Annie gently rubbed the horse's neck and said, "Hey, Buddy, let's go for a ride. Want to?" The stallion stood very still for a moment. Jack wondered if the horse understood. But then he raised his head.

第八章夜骑士星星在夜空中闪烁。 杰克和安妮沉默了很长时间。 然后安妮轻轻地揉了揉马的脖子说：“嘿，巴迪，我们去兜风吧。 想要吗?”那匹种马一动不动地站了一会儿。 杰克不知道马是否明白。 但随后他抬起了头。

YES. "Great. You go first," Annie said to Jack. Jack grabbed a handful of the horse's mane. Buddy didn't move. He didn't snort or balk. Jack took a couple of short steps and pushed off the ground. As if he had springs on his feet, he gracefully vaulted onto the horse's back. Jack reached out his hand. Annie took it. Then, as smoothly as a gymnast, she pushed off the ground and leapt onto the horse's back behind Jack. Jack and Annie settled comfortably into place, balancing themselves. Jack felt as if he'd lived on the back of a stallion all his life. He grabbed Buddy's mane again and held on tightly. He gripped with his legs and leaned forward and whispered, "Let's go." The stallion stamped the ground. Then he started walking slowly forward. Jack and Annie moved in perfect rhythm with his step. When they came to the gate of the riding ring, Jack pushed it open with his foot. The stallion pranced out of the ring. Soon his hooves were crunching lightly over the pebble

是。“好了。你先走，”安妮对杰克说。 杰克抓起一把马的鬃毛。 巴迪没有动。他没有哼一声，也没有退缩。 杰克走了两小步，离开了地面。 他就像脚上有弹簧一样，优雅地跳上了马背。 杰克伸出手。 安妮拿了。然后，她像体操运动员一样平稳地离开地面，跳到杰克身后的马背上。 杰克和安妮舒舒服服地坐好，保持着平衡。 杰克觉得自己好像一辈子都骑在一匹骏马的背上。 他又抓住巴迪的鬃毛，紧紧抓住。 他紧紧抓住双腿，身体前倾，小声说：“我们走吧。” 那匹公马跺着地面。 然后他开始慢慢向前走。 杰克和安妮跟随着他的脚步走得很有节奏。 当他们来到马场的大门时，杰克用脚把门推开了。 那匹公马跃出了赛场。 不久，他的蹄子在鹅卵石上轻轻踏过

path leading down to the square. The town was quiet under a blanket of stars. Market stalls had shut down for the night. Merchants, craftsmen, and shoppers had gone home. When the stallion reached the square, a warm wind urged him forward. He quickened his gait and began to trot. Jack and Annie moved in time with his steps: one-two, one-two, one-two. The stallion picked up speed, until he began to canter. Jack and Annie moved in time to a different, smoother rhythm: one-two-three, onetwo-three. Jack felt as if they were all dancing together. When the stallion came to the wide road that led from the square, he began to gallop. He took long, swinging strides, until his hooves barely touched the ground. Jack had the feeling that his legs had become one with the horse's legs, his breath had become one with the horse's breath, his skin had become one with the horse's skin. Buddy ran on, unafraid of the dark. He galloped along the dirt road, passing the moonlit military

通往广场的小路。 在星光的笼罩下，小镇一片宁静。 市场摊位晚上都关门了。 商人、工匠和购物者都回家了。 当骏马到达广场时，一股暖风驱使他向前。 他加快脚步，开始小跑起来。 杰克和安妮随着他的脚步及时移动：一二，一二，一二。 那匹种马加快了速度，直到开始慢跑。 杰克和安妮以一种不同的、更流畅的节奏及时移动：一二三，一二三。 杰克觉得他们好像都在一起跳舞。 当那匹公马来到从广场通向宽阔的道路上时，它开始飞奔起来。 他迈着长长的、摇摆的步子，直到他的蹄子几乎没碰到地面。 杰克有一种感觉，他的腿和马的腿融为一体了，他的呼吸和马的呼吸融为一体了，他的皮肤和马的皮肤融为一体了。 巴迪继续往前跑，不怕黑。 他沿着土路疾驰，穿过月光下的军队

field where the king's army was still drilling for war. The stallion kept galloping. He passed meadows where sheep and cows slept under the stars. He passed quiet farmhouses and barking dogs. As Buddy galloped lightly over the countryside, Jack and Annie knew how to sit evenly and how to breathe deeply. They knew when to lean forward and when to shift their weight back. If they wanted Buddy to slow down or speed up or turn, they only had to shift their bodies slightly, and the horse seemed to understand. Buddy soon left the road and started over a grassy field. Jack couldn't see what was ahead, but he trusted the horse's instincts. He trusted his own, too. He felt completely safe. When Buddy jumped over narrow ravines, Jack knew how to relax his body and cling to the horse's mane. When Buddy splashed through swamps and marshes, Jack knew how to stay centered on the horse's back.

国王的军队还在这里为战争操练。 那匹种马不停地疾驰。 他经过牧场，牛群和羊群在星空下熟睡。 他经过安静的农舍和狂吠的狗。 当巴迪在乡间轻快地疾驰时，杰克和安妮知道如何均匀地坐着，如何深呼吸。 他们知道什么时候该向前倾，什么时候该向后倾。 如果他们想让巴迪减速、加速或转弯，他们只需要稍微移动一下身体，马似乎也能理解。 巴迪很快离开大路，向一片草地走去。 杰克看不清前方是什么，但他相信马的直觉。 他也相信自己的孩子。他感到十分安全。 当巴迪跳过狭窄的峡谷时，杰克知道如何放松自己的身体，抓住马的鬃毛。 当巴迪溅起水花穿过沼泽和沼泽时，杰克知道如何保持在马背的中心。

All through the night, Jack, Annie, and Buddy traveled over the countryside. When the horse finally slowed down to a steady walk, Jack began to grow sleepy. He rested his head on Buddy's neck. Jack heard frogs croaking in the wet reeds and crickets chirping in the dry grass. His body rocked as Buddy's hooves tapped over the hard, cracked earth, through olive groves and rocky fields. He closed his eyes…. "Jack." Annie nudged him from behind. "What?" Jack asked in a daze. "Wake up." "What?" Jack opened his eyes. The sun was up. In the rosy dawn, Buddy was ambling along the wide dirt road that led back to town. Sheep had risen to their feet and were grazing on dewy grass. A cool breeze blew by Jack's face. It smelled of open fields and damp woolly lambs. "Guess what?" said Annie. "Our hour was up a long time ago."

整个晚上，杰克、安妮和巴迪在乡间旅行。 当马终于慢下来平稳地行走时，杰克开始犯困了。 他把头靠在巴迪的脖子上。 杰克听到青蛙在潮湿的芦苇中呱呱叫，蟋蟀在干燥的草地上唧唧叫。 当巴迪的蹄子踏过坚硬裂裂的土地，穿过橄榄树林和岩石田时，他的身体摇摇晃晃。 他闭上眼睛....“杰克”。 安妮从后面推了他一下。 “什么?”杰克发呆地问。 “醒醒。”“什么?”杰克睁开眼睛。 太阳升起来了。在玫瑰色的黎明，巴迪沿着通往镇上的宽阔土路漫步。 羊已经站起来，正在沾着露水的草地上吃草。 一阵凉风吹过杰克的脸。 它散发着开阔的田野和湿羊毛羊羔的味道。 “你猜怎么着？”安妮说。“我们的时间早就结束了。”