2 Snow

CHAPTER 2 Snow As the days went by, other dogs came, in crates and at the ends of ropes, some quietly, and some barking and growling as he had come; and, one and all, he watched them accept the rule of the man in the red sweater. Now and again other men—strangers—came into the place where Buck and the other dogs were being held. They talked excitedly to the man in the red sweater and asked him about different dogs, how strong they were, and how much they cost. Then the strangers took one or more of the dogs

随着时间的流逝，其他的狗也来了，有的关在板条箱里，有的拴在绳子末端，有的安静地叫着，有的像它一样咆哮着；而且，他看着他们一个个地接受了那个穿红毛衣的人的统治。 不时有陌生人来到巴克和其他狗被关押的地方。 他们兴奋地和穿红毛衣的人交谈，问他关于不同的狗，它们有多强壮，它们的价格是多少。 然后陌生人带走了一只或多只狗

away with them. Buck wondered where they went, for they never came back. He felt scared not knowing what happened to the dogs after they left, and he was glad each time when he was not sold. Then one day Buck was chosen by a small man named Perrault. Perrault worked for the Canadian government. His job was to deliver mail in the Arctic North, and he knew the kind of dog he needed for the job and would pay well for it. Perrault was excited when he saw Buck, and he asked the man in the red sweater how much he would cost. "Three hundred, and that's a special price for you, Perrault, you being a good customer and all," said the man in the red sweater. Then with a smile he continued, "I've been saving this one especially for you. His name is Buck and he's a fierce one all right. Just the kind of dog you need to get the job done."

把他们带走。巴克不知道他们去了哪里，因为他们再也没有回来。 不知道狗离开后会发生什么，他感到害怕，但每次他没有被卖掉时，他都很高兴。 有一天，一个叫佩诺特的小个子男人选中了巴克。 佩诺特为加拿大政府工作。 他的工作是在北极地区投递邮件，他知道他需要什么样的狗来完成这项工作，并且愿意付很高的薪水。 佩诺特看到巴克时很兴奋，他问穿红毛衣的人他要花多少钱。 “三百，这对你来说是特价，佩诺特，你是个好顾客，”穿红毛衣的人说。 然后他笑着继续说：“我特意为你留了这个。 他的名字叫巴克，他是一个凶猛的家伙。 正是你需要的那种狗来完成工作。”

Perrault grinned. Considering that the price of dogs had gone up so much recently because of the gold rush, it was a fair price for such a fine dog. With his long experience, Perrault knew dogs like an expert, and when he looked at Buck he could tell that he was one in a thousand—"Or maybe one in ten thousand," he said quietly. Buck saw Perrault give money to the man in the red sweater. Then Buck and another dog named Curly, a good-natured Newfoundland, were led away by Perrault. Curly and Buck left Seattle on a ship called the Narwhal. They were taken below by Perrault and given to a large man named Francois. These men were new to Buck, and even though he did not like them, he was able to respect them. He learned that Perrault and Francois were fair and calm and that both men knew a great deal about how to handle dogs.

波瑞特咧嘴一笑。考虑到最近由于淘金热，狗的价格上涨了很多，对于这样一条好狗来说，这个价格是合理的。 佩诺特有长期的经验，对狗了如指掌，当他看着巴克时，他能看出他是千挑一的——“也许是万里挑一的，”他平静地说。 巴克看见佩诺特把钱给了穿红毛衣的人。 然后巴克和另一条名叫卷毛的狗，一条脾气很好的纽芬兰犬，被佩诺特带走了。 科利和巴克乘坐一艘名为“独角鲸号”的船离开了西雅图。 他们被佩诺特带到楼下，交给了一个名叫弗朗索瓦斯的大个子。 这些人对巴克来说是新来的，尽管他不喜欢他们，但他能够尊重他们。 他了解到佩诺特和弗朗索瓦斯都很公正、冷静，而且两人都很懂得如何驾驭狗。

Between decks on the Narwhal, Buck and Curly met two other dogs. One of them was a big, snow-white dog. He seemed friendly, but he had a way of smiling that meant he was really thinking up some mean trick. Once, he even stole from Buck's food. As Buck chased him, Francois got the food away from the dog first, and gave it back to Buck. Theother dog Buck and Curly met wanted to be left alone. Dave was his name, and he just ate and slept, or yawned between times and took an interest in nothing, not even when the Narwhal crossed rough waters and rolled from side to side. When Buck and Curly got excited and scared, Dave only raised his head. He looked like he was annoyed. He glanced at Buck and Curly, yawned, and went to sleep again. Many days and nights passed, and Buck noticed the weather was growing colder each day. One morning, the ship was quiet, and all

在“独角鲸”号的甲板间，巴克和科利遇到了另外两条狗。 其中有一只雪白的大狗。 他看起来很友好，但他的微笑意味着他真的在想什么卑鄙的诡计。 有一次，他甚至偷了巴克的食物。 巴克追赶他时，弗朗索瓦斯先从狗手里抢过食物，还给了巴克。 巴克和科利遇到的另一只狗不想被打扰。 他的名字叫戴夫，他只是吃着睡着，偶尔打个哈欠，对什么都不感兴趣，甚至当独角鲸号穿过汹涌的海面，左右翻滚时也不感兴趣。 当巴克和科利又兴奋又害怕时，戴夫只是抬起头。 他看起来很生气。 他看了一眼巴克和卷毛，打了个哈欠，又睡着了。 许多个日夜过去了，巴克注意到天气一天比一天冷。 一天早晨，船上很安静

the dogs became excited. They all knew a change was coming. Francois put them all on leashes and brought them on deck. At his first step on the cold ground, Buck's feet sank into white mushy stuff, very much like mud. He jumped back with a snort. More of this white stuff was falling through the air. He shook himself, but more of it fell on him. He sniffed it curiously, and then licked some up on his tongue. It burned his tongue a little bit, and in the next instant it was gone. This puzzled him. He tried it again, with the same results. The other dogs and people who watched this laughed at him, and he felt embarrassed. But he did not know why. It was the first time he had ever seen snow. The snow was not all that Buck had to master. Buck's first day on Dyea Beach was a nightmare. There was a new shock and surprise every hour. He felt like he had been taken from a civilized society and thrown

狗变得兴奋起来。他们都知道变化即将到来。 弗朗索瓦斯把他们都拴上皮带，带到甲板上。 巴克刚踏上冰冷的地面，他的脚就陷进了白色的糊状的东西里，很像泥。 他哼了一声，跳了回去。 更多的白色物质从空中落下。 他抖了抖身子，但更多的东西落在他身上。 他好奇地闻了闻，然后在舌头上舔了一些。 它灼烧了他的舌头，但很快就消失了。 这使他迷惑不解。他又试了一次，结果还是一样。 其他看到这一幕的狗和人都嘲笑他，他感到很尴尬。 但他不知道为什么。这是他第一次看到雪。 巴克要掌握的不仅仅是雪。 巴克在戴亚海滩的第一天是一场噩梦。 每小时都有新的震惊和惊喜。 他觉得自己像是从文明社会中被带走扔出去的

into a primitive world. Here there was no sun-filled, lazy life, like the one he had at Judge Miller's place, with nothing to do but loaf around and be bored. Here there was no peace, no rest—not a moment's safety. All around him was confusion and action, and at every moment there was danger. He had to be alert all the time. These dogs and men were not like the ones he had known in the past. These were dangerous, and the only law they knew was the law of rope and fang.

进入一个原始的世界。这里没有像他在米勒法官家那样阳光普照的懒散生活，除了游手好闲和无聊无事可做。 这里没有安宁，没有休息——没有片刻的安全。 他的周围是混乱和行动，每时每刻都有危险。 他必须时刻保持警惕。 这些狗和人与他过去所认识的不一样了。 这是很危险的，他们唯一知道的法则就是绳子和獠牙的法则。