9 Ghosts in the Forest

CHAPTER 9 Ghosts in the Forest Hawkeye covered their tracks to make it harder for Magua to find them. After they had been walking for a long time, he moved aside some large tree branches and cut a path through a briar bush. Then he led them to an old cabin. The roof had all but fallen in, but the walls were sound. Cora and Alice hesitantly stepped down from their horses, afraid of going inside such a rundown place. "Wouldn't it be better if we stayed hidden in

鹰眼遮住了他们的踪迹，让马瓜更难找到他们。 他们走了很长一段时间后，他移开一些大树枝，在荆棘丛中开辟了一条路。 然后他把他们带到一间旧小屋。 屋顶几乎塌了，但墙壁完好无损。 科拉和爱丽丝犹豫地下了马，害怕进入这样一个破旧的地方。 “如果我们躲在

the woods?" Duncan asked. "Oh, very few know of this house. We are safe here," Hawkeye answered, and told the group about a great battle that had been fought there years ago. When Cora and Alice heard the story, they were afraid to sit on a field where such a battle had been fought, but Hawkeye assured them that there was no chance the ghosts would bother them! Then the Mohicans and Hawkeye got to work. They made beds for Cora and Alice from grass and leaves, and covered up the roof with chestnut shoots. Soon, both girls were sleeping soundly in a small corner of the old cabin. Duncan sat beside them at the ready, but Hawkeye said, "Get some rest. Let Chingachgook be the eyes for tonight." Duncan started to say no, but Hawkeye insisted. Soon, everyone but Chingachgook closed their eyes. Chingachgook sat up straight

树林里?”邓肯问。“哦，很少有人知道这所房子。 我们在这里很安全。”鹰眼回答，并告诉大家多年前在这里发生的一场伟大的战斗。 当科拉和爱丽丝听到这个故事时，他们不敢坐在曾经发生过这样一场战斗的战场上，但鹰眼向他们保证，鬼魂不会打扰他们的！然后莫希干人和鹰眼人开始工作。 他们用草和树叶为科拉和爱丽丝做了床，用栗子芽盖住了屋顶。 很快，两个女孩都在旧木屋的一个小角落里睡得很香。 邓肯坐在他们旁边准备，但鹰眼说：“休息一下。 让Chingachgook成为今晚的眼睛。” 邓肯想说不，但鹰眼坚持。 很快，除了Chingachgook，所有人都闭上了眼睛。 钦加古坐直了

and did not move a muscle. He saw and heard everything: an owl, a whip-poor-will, even the small critters running about on the forest floor. At last, Chingachgook shook Duncan's shoulder and said quietly, "It's time to go." Duncan nodded. "I'll wake Cora, Alice, and David." "We're already up," Alice said sweetly, "and we're ready to go." "I didn't want to fall asleep," Duncan said. "After leading you into so much danger, I swore to myself that I would not truly rest until you were safe." Alice smiled and said, "You are a good man, Duncan. Thank you." "Shhh!" Hawkeye said. "The Mohicans hear something." Duncan crept forward with Hawkeye to see what was happening. "I see the tracks of a man!" Hawkeye said. "It's Magua! He must have found our trail."

一动也不动。 他什么都看见了，什么都听见了：一只猫头鹰，一只鞭子，甚至还有在森林地面上跑来跑去的小动物。 最后，Chingachgook摇了摇邓肯的肩膀，平静地说：“该走了。” 邓肯点点头。“我去叫醒科拉、爱丽丝和大卫。” “我们已经起来了，”爱丽丝甜蜜地说，“我们准备出发了。” “我不想睡着，”邓肯说。 “在把你带入如此危险的境地之后，我对自己发誓，在你安全之前，我不会真正休息。” 爱丽丝笑着说：“你是个好人，邓肯。 谢谢你。”“嘘!”鹰眼说。 “莫希干人听到了什么。” 邓肯和鹰眼一起爬上前去看看发生了什么事。 “我看到了一个人的足迹！”鹰眼说。 “这是马褂!他一定发现了我们的踪迹。”

Hawkeye ordered Duncan to put the horses in the old cabin. They would have to take cover there. Within minutes, the group was crouched and hiding inside. They heard voices outside. Duncan, Hawkeye, and the Mohicans gazed through the slats in the cabin walls and saw twenty Hurons standing around talking. Branches cracked as they moved around the cabin. Just as they were about to come into the house, the Hurons stopped. They had seen the signs of the earlier battle! There were scars on the trees from tomahawk strikes, broken arrows, and marks where bullets had hit the ground. Magua and his men were frightened by what they saw and quickly retreated. Soon, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of their footsteps moving farther away from the cabin. Hawkeye waited until it was safe and then led the group outside.

鹰眼命令邓肯把马放在老木屋里。 他们必须在那里找掩护。 几分钟之内，这群人就蹲在里面躲了起来。 他们听到外面有说话声。 邓肯、鹰眼和莫希干人透过船舱墙壁的板条向外望去，看到二十个休伦人站在一起聊天。 他们在小屋周围走动时，树枝折断了。 他们刚要进屋子，休伦人就站住了。 他们已经看到了早些时候战斗的迹象！树上有战斧袭击留下的伤痕，有折断的箭，还有子弹击中地面留下的痕迹。 马瓜和他的手下被眼前的景象吓坏了，迅速撤退。 很快，唯一能听到的就是他们远离小屋的脚步声。 鹰眼一直等到安全了，才把队伍带到了外面。

No one said a word as they made their escape. Finally they came to the banks of a small stream. Hawkeye took off his moccasins and motioned for Duncan and David to do the same. They stepped into the water and walked along the bed of the brook, leaving no trail at all. They led the girls on their horses silently through the water, covering their tracks as soon as they stepped back onto the hard ground. The path they took now led them into the mountains. Hawkeye stopped and said, "There could be an entire army of men just beyond here, if the French have advanced as I think they would." "Are we close to Fort William Henry?" Duncan asked. "We are still a long, weary distance away," Hawkeye responded. "We need to hurry," Duncan said. "I would imagine the battle between the French and the English will soon be underway. They'll be

他们逃跑时谁也没说一句话。 最后，他们来到了一条小溪的岸边。 鹰眼脱下他的鹿皮鞋，示意邓肯和大卫也脱下来。 他们走进水里，沿着河床走，一点痕迹也没有留下。 他们默默地牵着骑马的女孩们穿过水面，一踏上坚硬的地面，就把他们的踪迹掩盖起来。 他们现在走的那条路把他们带进了山里。 鹰眼停了下来，说：“如果法国人像我想的那样前进的话，在这后面可能会有一整支军队。” “我们离威廉·亨利堡近吗？”邓肯问。 “我们还有很长很长的路要走，”鹰眼回答。 “我们得快点了，”邓肯说。 “我可以想象，法国人和英国人之间的战斗很快就会打响。 他们会

fighting all around the fort." "We can't continue in this direction, then. We don't want to walk into the middle of a battle," Hawkeye said. "We need to go through the mountains and come up from the other direction." Duncan nodded in agreement, and the party was soon on its way. They moved slowly. It was dark and the path was rocky. A winding road took them up through the hills. At last, daylight broke through the darkness. Hawkeye took hold of the horses and helped Cora and Alice down. Then he let the animals go, telling them to be safe and eat well. "Have we no more use for them?" Duncan asked. "Look for yourself," Hawkeye said. "We can see Montcalm's camp from here." They were standing on a hill about a thousand feet above the camp. From there they could see Fort William Henry in the distance. Around the

堡垒周围都在打仗。” “那么，我们不能再往这个方向走了。 我们不想走进战斗的中间，”鹰眼说。 “我们需要穿过山脉，从另一个方向上来。” 邓肯点头表示同意，这群人很快就上路了。 他们走得很慢。天很黑，路上布满岩石。 一条蜿蜒的路带他们上山。 最后，白昼冲破了黑暗。 鹰眼拉住马，扶着科拉和爱丽丝下来。 然后他让动物们走了，告诉他们注意安全，吃好。 “难道我们不再需要它们了吗？”邓肯问。 “你自己去找吧。”鹰眼说。 “我们从这里可以看到蒙特卡姆的营地。” 他们站在营地上方约一千英尺的一座小山上。 从那里他们可以看到远处的威廉·亨利堡。 在