Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21 The boys all waited. John's heart pounded. And then it appeared from the bushes: An enormous… frog. It looked at them with its bulging eyes. "Croak!" They all cracked up and watched the frog hop away.

孩子们都等着。 约翰的心怦怦直跳。然后它从灌木丛中出现了：一只巨大的……青蛙。 它用凸出的眼睛看着他们。 “死!”他们都笑了，看着青蛙跳走了。

And now it was getting late, and time to head home. "We'll be back for you, King Rattler!" Peter shouted. They headed back to the pond, shoulders bumping, smiling and joking as they limped along. They said their good-byes and John made his way back toward his farm. He breathed in the smell of new grass and fresh dirt. Soon he and Pa would be planting their wheat field. If their crop was a good one, they'd have enough money to start building a real house, made of wood. With two rooms — practically a castle compared to the soddy.

现在已经很晚了，该回家了。 “我们会回来救你的，响尾蛇国王！”彼得喊道。 他们一瘸一拐地朝池塘走去，撞着肩膀，笑着开玩笑。 他们道了别，约翰回到了他的农场。 他吸进了新草和新土的气味。 很快他和爸爸就要种麦田了。 如果他们的收成好，他们就有足够的钱开始建造一座真正的木头房子。 有两个房间，和小屋相比简直就是一座城堡。

There would be more work than ever as they readied their field. John thought nervously about what the spring and summer could bring. Thunderstorms. Hail. Prairie fires. Funnel clouds. Grasshoppers. Dakota was a harsh land. But they were staying here, at least for now.

当他们准备好自己的领域时，将会有比以往更多的工作。 约翰紧张地想着春天和夏天会发生什么。 雷暴。冰雹。草原火灾。 漏斗云。蚱蜢。 达科他是一片贫瘠的土地。但他们住在这里，至少目前是这样。

Ma and Pa had talked about leaving, in those terrible weeks after the blizzard. John had heard them whispering softly at night, when they thought he was asleep. That storm had terrified his parents. They'd been so desperate to find John and Franny that Pa had gone out into the storm. He'd realized his mistake right away; within five steps Pa was completely lost in the white swirl. He stumbled blindly. And then he heard a bell clanging over the roaring wind. It was Ma, standing in the doorway, leading him home. Leave or stay, leave or stay. Ma and Pa weren't sure what to do. They'd poured every cent — and their hearts — into this farm. And what would they do back in Chicago? Pa had left his job. How would they pay for an apartment? How would they buy food? They couldn't plant a wheat field in Chicago. Their neighbors in the city had never visited with pies and eggs and jars of jelly. This would be their one and only chance to own a farm.

在暴风雪过后那可怕的几个星期里，爸爸妈妈曾说过要离开。 约翰在夜里听到他们轻声细语，当时他们以为他睡着了。 那场暴风雨吓坏了他的父母。 他们拼命想找到约翰和弗兰妮，所以爸爸跑到暴风雨中去了。 他立刻意识到了自己的错误；不到五步，爸爸就完全消失在白色的漩涡中了。 他盲目地跌跌撞撞。然后他听到一阵钟声在呼啸的风中叮当作响。 是妈妈，站在门口，领他回家。 离开或留下，离开或留下。 爸爸妈妈不知道该怎么办。 他们把每一分钱和他们的心都倾注在这个农场上。 他们回到芝加哥会怎么做？ 爸爸已经辞职了。他们怎么付得起房租？ 他们怎么买食物？他们不能在芝加哥种麦田。 他们城里的邻居从来没有带着馅饼、鸡蛋和果酱来过。 这将是他们拥有一个农场的唯一机会。

And so finally, Ma and Pa decided to stay put. And John was glad. Because how could he leave the guys? There would be more storms ahead, John knew. But somehow they'd all made it through the blizzard. Whatever was coming, they would face it. Maybe that's what it meant to be a pioneer. John was about halfway home when something caught his eye, maybe twenty feet to the side. It was a snake. A massive snake. John stopped breathing. Could it be? It was King Rattler! The giant snake was stretched out in the grass. His diamond skin gleamed. His tongue flickered in and out. Moving very slowly, John lifted Pa's rifle. He took aim at the giant snake.

所以最后，爸爸妈妈决定留下来。 约翰就欢喜了。因为他怎么能离开他们呢？ 约翰知道，前面还会有更多的暴风雨。 但不管怎样，他们都挺过了暴风雪。 无论发生什么，他们都要面对。 也许这就是开拓者的意义所在。 约翰正要回家的半路上，一个东西引起了他的注意，大概在旁边二十英尺的地方。 那是一条蛇。一条巨大的蛇。 约翰停止了呼吸。是吗？ 是响尾蛇国王！那条巨蛇伸展在草地上。 他钻石般的皮肤闪闪发光。他的舌头忽隐忽现。 约翰慢慢地举起爸爸的步枪。 他瞄准那条巨蛇。

Imagine what the guys would say when he brought them the rattle! John put his finger on the trigger. He steadied himself. King Rattler didn't move. And lying there, he actually didn't look that fierce. He looked like a very old snake trying to soak up some last rays of sun. John wondered: How long had that big snake been on this land? A very long time. Longer than any of them. Suddenly it seemed wrong to John, that this old snake would be gone. He lowered the gun and walked quickly away. They'd have to think of a different present for Miss Ruell. John walked a mile more, his feet aching. Finally he saw their soddy in the distance. He spotted Ma digging in her garden, getting it ready

想象一下，当他把拨浪鼓带来时，那些家伙会说些什么！约翰把手指放在扳机上。 他稳住了自己。拉特勒国王没有动。 他躺在那里，看起来并不那么凶狠。 他看起来像一条很老的蛇，试图吸收最后的阳光。 约翰想知道：那条大蛇在这片土地上呆了多久了？ 很长一段时间。比任何一个都长。 突然间，约翰觉得这条老蛇走了是不对的。 他放下枪，迅速走开了。 他们得想个不同的礼物送给鲁埃尔小姐。 约翰又走了一英里，脚疼得厉害。 最后，他看到了他们在远处的住所。 他看见妈妈在她的花园里挖土，准备好了