Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 "I had spent the day fishing," Jackson said, wishing he could take all these kids back to that day. It was last June. The birds had come back from their winter getaways. Moose calves, fox kits, bear cubs, and baby rabbits were scampering around the forest with their mothers.

“我花了一天的时间钓鱼，”杰克逊说，希望他能把所有这些孩子带回到那一天。 那是去年6月。鸟儿已经结束了它们的冬季假期。 小驼鹿、小狐狸、小熊和小兔子都跟着妈妈在森林里蹦蹦跳跳。

"On the way back to the cabin, I climbed up onto a high ridge that overlooked the valley." That view popped into Jackson's mind—the endless green forest, the bright sparkle of the river, how the snow-topped mountains looked as if they were wearing diamond crowns. "When I got to the top, I looked down. And right below me, maybe fifteen feet down, was a pack of wolves." The kids all gasped. "A whole pack!" Mary said. "I'd pee my pants if I saw a wolf pack," Chris said. Leonor elbowed him. "That's gross." "Sorry!" Chris said. "It's true!" Jackson understood why most people would be scared. Wolves were fierce predators—fast and tough, with jaws strong enough to bite through bones. But Jackson shook his head.

“在回小屋的路上，我爬上了一个可以俯瞰山谷的高山脊。” 杰克逊的脑海里突然出现了这样的景象：一望无际的绿色森林，闪闪发光的河流，白雪覆盖的山脉看起来就像戴着钻石王冠。 “当我到达山顶时，我往下看。 就在我下面，大概十五英尺深的地方，有一群狼。” 孩子们都倒吸了一口气。“一整包！”玛丽说。 “如果我看到狼群，我会尿裤子的，”克里斯说。 利奥诺用肘撞了他一下。“这是恶心。” “对不起!”克里斯说。“这是真的!”杰克逊理解为什么大多数人会害怕。 狼是凶猛的掠食者——速度快、身体强壮，下颚足以咬穿骨头。 但是杰克逊摇了摇头。

"Wolves don't usually bother with humans," Jackson explained. At least not in the summer, when there was plenty of food. "Plus, I was up on those rocks—they couldn't get up there. And there was a strong wind blowing toward me. I could smell the wolves, but they couldn't pick up my scent." Jackson could see the wolves so clearly. The pups scampered around, tackling one another, rolling in the mud like furry little wrestlers. The grown-ups lounged in the sun like they didn't have a worry in the world. "And then, out of nowhere, this huge grizzly came crashing out of the woods." "Yikes!" Chris yelped. For a second, Jackson wondered if he should stop. Was this too scary for them? "Go on!" Nora said, and the others nodded. Guess not. "The bear was massive," Jackson said. "I'd say it had to weigh a thousand pounds."

“狼通常不会打扰人类，”杰克逊解释说。 至少在食物充足的夏天不会。 “另外，我在那些岩石上——他们爬不上去。 有一股强风向我吹来。 我能闻到狼群的气味，但它们闻不到我的气味。” 杰克逊能清楚地看到狼群。 幼崽们四处蹦蹦跳跳，互相攻击，像毛茸茸的小摔跤手一样在泥里打滚。 大人们懒洋洋地躺在阳光下，好像他们在这个世界上没有任何烦恼。 “然后，不知从哪里冒出来，一只巨大的灰熊从树林里冲了出来。” “呀! !”克里斯在吠。有那么一瞬间，杰克逊想知道他是否应该停下来。 这对他们来说太可怕了吗？ “继续!”诺拉说，其他人点了点头。 猜不是。“这只熊很大，”杰克逊说。 “我想它一定有一千磅重。”

He remembered how the bear's muscles had rippled under its fur. "Grizzlies are way bigger and stronger than wolves," Jackson pointed out. "One swipe of a grizzly's paw can crack a skull, or slice open a wolf's belly." "That's gotta hurt!" Chris said with a wince. "Poor wolves!" Mary cried. "But here's the thing," Jackson said, lowering his voice. It surprised him that the kids were so interested. "Wolves don't fight alone. They fight as a pack. They stick together." He described how the grizzly went after one wolf, and how the other wolves came up behind the bear. "They growled and snarled and snapped at the bear's legs. They stood their ground, protecting one another." "Did it work?" Nora asked.

他记得那只熊的肌肉在它的皮毛下起了涟漪。 “灰熊比狼更大更强壮，”杰克逊指出。 “灰熊的爪子一挥就能敲碎头骨，或者切开狼的肚子。” “那一定很痛！”克里斯皱着眉头说。 “可怜的狼!”玛丽哭了。 “但事情是这样的，”杰克逊压低声音说。 孩子们如此感兴趣使他感到惊讶。 “狼不会单独战斗。 它们成群结队地战斗。它们粘在一起。” 他描述了灰熊如何追赶一只狼，以及其他狼如何紧跟在熊后面。 他们咆哮着，咆哮着，咬着熊的腿。 他们坚守阵地，互相保护。” “管用吗？”诺拉问道。

Jackson nodded. "The grizzly gave up eventually. It ran into the woods." "The wolves win!" Chris cried out, raising his arms. All the kids smiled. "That was a really amazing story, Jackson," Leonor said. "Better than a movie," Mary agreed.

杰克逊点头。灰熊最终放弃了。 它跑进了树林。”“狼队赢了！”克里斯举起双臂喊道。 所有的孩子都笑了。“这真是一个了不起的故事，杰克逊，”莱昂诺说。 “比看电影好，”玛丽同意道。

Jackson sat back and took a deep breath. He was glad the kids liked his story. But he'd never talked so much in one day in his entire life. He could use some peace and quiet. Except at recess the kids wanted to play hide-and-seek. "Chris is it!" Nora shouted. Jackson played for a while. But as the kids were scattered around hiding behind piles of snow, Jackson realized this was his chance to steal some time for himself. He hurried all the way around the back of the school, far from the playground. He squeezed himself behind a shed and sat down. Finally, some peace. "You're a good hider," Leonor said when the bell rang and Jackson finally came out of his spot. The rest of the afternoon crept along. By three o'clock, Jackson's head was pounding. He

杰克逊坐了下来，深吸了一口气。 他很高兴孩子们喜欢他的故事。 但他从来没有在一天内说过这么多话。 他需要一些平和和安静。 除了课间休息，孩子们想玩捉迷藏。 “就是克里斯！”诺拉喊道。 杰克逊弹了一会儿。 但当孩子们四散躲在成堆的雪后时，杰克逊意识到这是他为自己偷点时间的机会。 他一路急匆匆地绕到学校后面，远离操场。 他挤到棚子后面坐了下来。 终于有了一些安宁。“你是一个很好的隐藏者，”当铃声响起，杰克逊终于从他的位置出来时，莱昂诺说。 下午剩下的时间慢慢过去了。 到了三点钟，杰克逊的头开始砰砰直响。 他