10 The Battle Rages

CHAPTER 10 The Battle Rages The soldiers at Fort William Henry were brave, but they were also in trouble. Montcalm's men were everywhere: in the forests, around the camp, and near the water. General Munro had sent word to Webb and the soldiers of Fort Edward to send reinforcements —but they were still nowhere to be found. The general feared the worst, especially after he learned that the troops had been sent out to fight Montcalm at the same time that Cora and Alice

威廉·亨利堡的士兵们很勇敢，但他们也陷入了困境。 蒙特卡姆的人无处不在：在森林里，在营地周围，在水边。 门罗将军已经传话给韦布和爱德华堡的士兵，让他们派遣援军，但他们仍然无处可寻。 将军担心会发生最坏的情况，尤其是当他得知科拉和爱丽丝同时被派往蒙特卡姆的时候

had left. Anything could have happened to them. Duncan had been fighting for four days. Now he was standing in a lookout tower next to the lake. The shooting had temporarily stopped and both sides were taking a rest. Duncan looked across the river and saw a French officer leading Hawkeye to the fort. The scout was clearly not happy to have been caught. As Duncan climbed down from the tower, he saw Cora and Alice. They looked happy and well-rested, much better than the last time he had seen them! "Duncan!" Alice said. "We've been expecting you! Why haven't you come to see us?" Duncan blushed when Alice spoke directly to him. He hadn't seen her in a couple of days, and she looked as beautiful as ever. He stammered for a moment until Cora rescued him. "What she means to say is thank-you for all that you've done," Cora said. "Our father would also very much like to thank you!"

已经离开了。他们什么事都可能发生。 邓肯已经战斗了四天。 现在他站在湖边的瞭望塔上。 射击暂时停止，双方都在休息。 邓肯朝河对岸望去，看见一名法国军官领着鹰眼向堡垒走去。 侦察员显然不高兴被抓住了。 当邓肯从塔上爬下来时，他看到了科拉和爱丽丝。 他们看起来很高兴，休息得很好，比他上次见到他们时好多了！“邓肯!”爱丽丝说。 “我们一直在等你！”你为什么不来看我们呢？”当爱丽丝直接对邓肯说话时，他脸红了。 他已经好几天没见到她了，她看起来还是和以前一样漂亮。 他结结巴巴地说了一会儿，直到科拉救了他。 “她想说的是感谢你所做的一切，”科拉说。 “我们的父亲也非常感谢你！”

"I'm on my way to see your father now," Duncan said, "to see where I am to be stationed next. But it was a pleasure to see you both. You look well, Alice." With that, he smiled and waved as he ran off. General Munro was waiting for Duncan when he arrived. "Ah," Munro said, "Duncan, I was just going to call for you. I see the French have caught your guide. What was his name? Hawkeye?" "Yes, and I did see that, sir," Duncan said. "Montcalm sent him to us, but kept the letter he was carrying." "A letter, sir?" "Yes," Munro answered. "After Hawkeye brought you all back to me with such skill, I employed him to carry a letter to General Webb. Hawkeye was on his way back with the general's reply. But now Montcalm has the letter, which means that he knows what's happened to the soldiers from Fort Edward."

“我现在要去见你父亲，”邓肯说，“看看我接下来要驻扎在哪里。 但很高兴见到你们俩。 你气色不错，爱丽丝。”说完，他微笑着挥了挥手，跑开了。 邓肯到达时，门罗将军正在等他。 “啊，”门罗说，“邓肯，我正想叫你呢。 我看到法国人抓住了你的向导。 他叫什么名字？鹰眼?”“是的，我确实看到了，先生，”邓肯说。 “蒙卡姆把他送到我们这儿来了，但留下了他带着的那封信。” “一封信，先生？”“是的，”门罗回答。 “在鹰眼如此熟练地把你们都带回来给我之后，我让他给韦勃将军送一封信。 鹰眼带着将军的答复在回来的路上。 但现在蒙卡姆拿到了那封信，这意味着他知道爱德华堡士兵的遭遇了。”

"We are in trouble, sir, if they do not come," Duncan said. "Yes," Munro agreed. "We most certainly are. Montcalm has offered to meet with me. I'm sending you in my place. I want you to find out what he knows." Duncan nodded. "I understand, sir, and I will not let you down." He and General Munro talked for a long while about the meeting. Finally Duncan left the fort. He carried a white flag with him as a sign of peace, so he could pass into the battlefield and not get hurt. Duncan entered Commander Montcalm's tent and saw Magua sitting there. He gasped, and then stood tall, just like a soldier should. Montcalm was a strong and noble-looking man. "I was expecting General Munro," he said. "But I see that you, too, are an officer." Duncan bowed and explained that he had been granted permission to talk for General Munro.

“先生，如果他们不来，我们就有麻烦了。”邓肯说。 “是的，”门罗同意了。“我们当然是。 蒙特卡姆提出要和我见面。 我派你代替我。 我要你查出他知道些什么。” 邓肯点点头。“我明白，先生，我不会让你失望的。” 他和门罗将军就这次会面谈了很久。 最后，邓肯离开了堡垒。 他随身带着一面白旗作为和平的象征，这样他就可以进入战场而不受伤。 邓肯走进蒙特卡姆司令的帐篷，看见马瓜坐在那里。 他喘着气，然后站得高高的，就像一个士兵应该做的那样。 蒙特卡姆是个强壮而高贵的人。 “我在等门罗将军，”他说。 “但我看得出来，你也是一名军官。” 邓肯鞠了一躬，解释说他已获准代表门罗将军发言。

He and Montcalm spoke for quite a while about the battle. Finally the general asked, "Are you going to surrender?" "Have you found our army so easy to defeat these last five days?" Duncan replied. "I'm sure surrender is not necessary." Montcalm nodded his head at Magua. "He will fight long and hard." Duncan shivered as he remembered all that it had taken to get to Fort William Henry. Montcalm asked again, "So, you will surrender?" "I am afraid not, sir," Duncan answered. "And if you will not give us back the letter intended for General Munro, you really give us little choice but to continue the fight." "I understand your position," Commander Montcalm said, "but I want to hear it from General Munro himself." Duncan nodded and left Montcalm's tent.

他和蒙特卡姆谈了很长时间关于战斗的事。 最后，将军问道：“你们准备投降吗？”“在过去的五天里，你觉得我们的军队很容易被打败吗？”邓肯说。 “我相信投降是没有必要的。” 蒙特卡姆朝马瓜点了点头。 “他会长期艰苦地战斗。” 邓肯想起到威廉·亨利堡所经历的一切，不禁打了个寒颤。 蒙特卡姆又问：“那么，你会投降吗？”“恐怕不行，先生，”邓肯回答。 “如果你不把寄给门罗将军的信还给我们，那我们就别无选择了，只能继续战斗。” “我理解你的立场，”蒙特卡姆司令说，“但我想听门罗将军亲口说。” 邓肯点点头，离开了蒙特卡姆的帐篷。

Under the banner of his white flag, he made his way quickly back to Fort William Henry. When he got back to the fort, Duncan went directly to General Munro's home. Cora and Alice were both there and were happy to see him. "Ah, you've returned," the general said. "Come on, Alice," Cora said as she stood up. "Let's make our way to the other room." Duncan nodded as the girls left the room, then he stood in the doorway and waited for Munro to speak. The general stood up and paced about the room. When he finally spoke, he did not ask about Duncan's meeting with Montcalm. Instead, he said, "They are both excellent girls. I know you wanted to speak to me about them, and now you have the chance."

在白旗的旗帜下，他迅速回到了威廉·亨利堡。 邓肯回到堡垒后，直接去了门罗将军的家。 科拉和爱丽丝都在那里，见到他很高兴。 “啊，你回来了。”将军说。 “来吧，爱丽丝。”科拉说着站了起来。 “我们到另一个房间去吧。” 当女孩们离开房间时，邓肯点了点头，然后站在门口等着门罗说话。 将军站起来，在房间里踱来踱去。 当他最后开口说话时，他没有问邓肯和蒙特卡姆会面的事。 相反，他说：“她们都是优秀的女孩。 我知道你想跟我谈谈他们，现在你有机会了。”