Ch7-Jingle Bells

CHAPTER SEVEN Jingle Betts "Mmm, delicious!" said Annie. She and Jack slurped down the hot soup. As they chewed the salty soda crackers, they watched the dogs breathe peacefully in their sleep. "Do most Alaskans have sled dogs?" asked Annie. "Many do," said Ed, resting in his armchair near the fire. "But the day is coming when dogs won't be used much anymore, except for racing. I can see it happening already. Small planes will get better and better and take over the long trips. Cars

第七章叮叮当“嗯，真好吃！”安妮说。 她和杰克一口吞下热汤。 他们一边嚼着咸苏打饼干，一边看着狗狗在睡梦中平静地呼吸。 “大多数阿拉斯加人都养雪橇狗吗？”安妮问。 “很多人都喜欢，”艾德说，他坐在火炉旁的扶手椅上休息。 “但除了比赛外，狗不再被大量使用的日子即将到来。 我能看到它已经发生了。 小型飞机将变得越来越好，并接管长途旅行。 汽车

will improve, and roads, too. Soon enough, we'll have vehicles that go through deep snow in no time." "That's good in a way," said Jack. "It'll help medicine travel faster." "But it's sad, too," said Annie. "I'm with you, missy," said Ed, looking at the sleeping dogs. "Breaks the heart of an old-timer like me. People have used sled dogs for hundreds of years in this territory. I myself have known many brave dogs during my lifetime." "Do you know Balto?" said Jack. "Gunnar Kaasen's dog? We've heard of him." "Sure do," said Ed. "Balto is the best lead dog in Alaska, along with Togo, Leonhard Seppala's dog. Both Togo and Balto have stopped here on runs with Seppala and Kaasen." "What's Balto like?" asked Annie. "Ahh, that dog loves to run a trail," said Ed. "Loves it more than any dog I ever saw. Great strength and lots of courage. Big shaggy black dog. Beautiful to watch because of his spirit."

道路也会改善。 很快，我们就会有能够在厚厚的积雪中行驶的车辆。” “从某种意义上说，这是好事，”杰克说。 “这将帮助药物更快地传播。” “但也很悲伤，”安妮说。 “我和你在一起，小姐。”艾德看着熟睡的狗说。 “让我这样的老前辈心碎了。 在这片土地上，人们使用雪橇犬已有数百年的历史。 我一生中就认识很多勇敢的狗。” “你认识巴尔图吗？”杰克问。 “加纳·卡森的狗？”我们听说过他。” “当然，”艾德说。Balto和Leonhard Seppala的狗Togo是阿拉斯加最好的领队犬。 多哥和巴尔托与塞帕拉和卡森都曾在这里停留过。” “巴尔图是什么样的人？”安妮问。 “啊，那只狗喜欢跑小路，”埃德说。 “比我见过的任何狗都爱它。 强大的力量和勇气。 又大又毛茸茸的黑狗。因为他的精神，看起来很美。”

Annie smiled. "I'd like to meet him." "Annie has a special way with dogs," Jack explained. "With all animals, really," said Annie. Ed smiled at her. "Alaskans are real respectful of animals, too," he said. "We wouldn't have survived a minute without 'em. People here have learned to use all the gifts this frozen world can give." "Like what?" asked Jack. "Well, the socks I just gave you are made of sheep's wool," said Ed. "The parkas that are drying over there are made of squirrel fur. We all wear sealskin pants and reindeer boots and fox fur hats. I wear moose skin and caribou skin and rabbit fur. The medicine headed for Nome is wrapped in bear hide. The medicine itself is made from horse serum." "What's serum?" said Jack. "The blood of a horse," said Ed. "It has antitoxins to kill diphtheria."

安妮笑了。“我想见见他。” “安妮对狗很有一套，”杰克解释说。 “和所有的动物一起，真的。”安妮说。 艾德对她笑了笑。“阿拉斯加人也很尊重动物，”他说。 “没有他们，我们一分钟也活不下去。 这里的人们已经学会了利用这个冰冻世界所能给予的所有天赋。” “比如什么？”杰克问。“嗯，我刚才给你的袜子是羊毛做的，”艾德说。 “那边正在晾干的派克大衣是用松鼠毛做的。 我们都穿着海豹皮裤子和驯鹿皮靴，戴着狐皮帽子。 我穿驼鹿皮、驯鹿皮和兔毛。 运往诺姆的药品用熊皮包裹着。 这种药本身就是由马血清制成的。” “血清是什么？”杰克问。 “马的血，”艾德说。 “它含有杀死白喉的抗毒素。”

"Wow," said Annie. "So Alaskans get gifts from"—she held up one finger after another —"sheep, squirrels, seals, reindeer, foxes, moose, caribou, rabbits, bears, horses…" "And dogs," said Jack, finishing his milk. "And dogs, of course," said Annie. "And fish and whales and birds of the air. All creatures," said Ed. "So everything's connected," said Annie. "That's right," said Ed, nodding. "Eventually it all becomes one thing…the people, the land, the animals, the sea, and the air—it becomes Alaska." "Cool," said Jack. The three of them stared for a long moment at the dogs. Some of the huskies paddled the air with their paws, as if they were dreaming about running over the trail. Ed yawned, and his eyes started to close. A moment later, his head drooped forward, and he was snoring. Jack quietly put down his spoon. He tiptoed to the stove and grabbed his fur boots. They were

“哇，”安妮说。“所以阿拉斯加人从——”她一个接一个地举起手指——“羊、松鼠、海豹、驯鹿、狐狸、驼鹿、驯鹿、兔子、熊、马……”“还有狗，”杰克喝完牛奶说。 “当然还有狗，”安妮说。 “还有鱼、鲸鱼和空中的鸟儿。 所有的生物。”艾德说。“所以一切都是有联系的，”安妮说。 “没错，”艾德点点头说。 “最终，这一切都变成了一个东西……人、土地、动物、海洋和空气——它变成了阿拉斯加。” “酷，”杰克说。他们三个盯着狗看了好一会儿。 一些哈士奇用爪子拍打着空气，好像在梦想着在小径上奔跑。 艾德打了个哈欠，眼睛开始闭上。 过了一会儿，他的头向前耷拉着，打起鼾来。 杰克悄悄地放下勺子。 他蹑手蹑脚地走到火炉前，抓起皮靴。 他们是

dry, but his socks were still damp. So he pulled the boots over the big pair of socks Ed had given him. "It's time to head to Solomon," he whispered to Annie. "We have to finish what we came here to do." Annie nodded. Ed snored loudly as Jack and Annie silently pulled on their fur parkas. They grabbed their mittens and slipped over to the dogs and gently woke them. The dogs jumped to their feet. Even though there were whines and yips, Ed kept snoring. "Thanks, Ed," Jack whispered to the sleeping man. "Yeah, thanks for being so nice to us and the dogs," whispered Annie. Then, very quietly, she led the team out of the log cabin. Jack followed, closing the door behind them. Outside, the wind and snow were blowing wildly. Jack and Annie pulled off their mittens long enough to harness the team. They nimbly hooked the dogs to tug lines, neck lines, and the towline.

干了，但他的袜子还是湿的。 于是他把靴子套在埃德给他的那双大袜子上。 “是时候去所罗门了，”他低声对安妮说。 “我们必须完成我们来这里的目的。” 安妮点点头。当杰克和安妮默默地穿上他们的毛皮大衣时，埃德鼾声大作。 他们抓起连指手套，溜到狗身边，轻轻地叫醒了它们。 狗跳了起来。 尽管有呜咽声和嘶叫声，埃德还是不停地打鼾。 “谢谢你，爱德。”杰克低声对睡着的人说。 “是啊，谢谢你对我们和狗狗们这么好。”安妮小声说。 然后，她悄悄地带领队伍走出了小木屋。 杰克跟在后面，随手关上了门。 外面，狂风大作，大雪纷飞。 杰克和安妮脱下手套的时间足够长，足以驾驭这支队伍。 他们敏捷地把狗钩在牵引绳、颈绳和拖绳上。

"Ready?" Jack shouted above the wind. "I hope Ed doesn't worry about us when he wakes up!" Annie shouted back. "Oh, man. I just thought of something," said Jack. "What?" "Stardust!" said Jack. "For Ed!" "Yes!" said Annie. Leaving the dogs waiting for a moment, she and Jack hurried back to the cabin,

“准备好了吗?”杰克在风中喊道。 “我希望艾德醒来时不要为我们担心！”安妮喊道。 “哦,人。“我刚想到一件事，”杰克说。 “什么?”“星尘！”杰克说。 “艾德!”“是的！”安妮说。 让狗等了一会儿，她和杰克匆匆回到小屋，