11 I Become Royalty

Chapter 11 IN WHICH I Become Royalty Alice is not at Manorkill Falls. I was certain she would be. Bando and I climbed the steep gorge to the top, searching every cave and ledge along the ascent, and found no sign of her or her pig, no clues to say that they were here. "If Alice," Bando says as we stand on the rim of the gorge, "was in search of a beautiful waterfall, she should be right here where I am." The water roars and tumbles below us, sending up a soft spray that nurtures mosses and maidenhair ferns where it falls. "But she's not," I say. "And I don't think she will be." "Why?" he asks. "Pigs don't care about views and water music. No sensible pig, and Crystal is a sensible pig as we

第十一章 我成了贵族 爱丽丝不在马诺基尔瀑布。 我本来十分确定她会在这儿。 我和班多爬上陡峭的峡谷顶端，一路上搜遍了每一个洞穴和岩架，都没找到她和她的猪，也没有任何她们来过这儿的线索。 “如果爱丽丝是来找漂亮瀑布的，”我们站在峡谷边缘时班多说，“那她就该待在我站的这个地方呀。” 水流在我们脚下轰鸣翻涌，溅起轻柔水雾，滋养了落点处长出的苔藓和掌叶铁线蕨。 “可她不在这儿。”我说。 “而且我觉得她根本不会来这儿。” “为什么呀？”他问。 猪才不在乎风景和叮咚水声呢。 懂事的猪都不会来，克丽丝朵是我们认识的懂事的猪，就我们

well know, is going to let anyone, not even Alice, lead her up to this place. Federal Hill is one thing, but Crystal would need pitons for this ascent," I say, looking at all the watercress available for dinner. "That's right. But where is she then?" Bando asks, not really expecting me to answer. Rather, he looks for an answer himself by taking out the map of Schoharie county, which we're in, and the map of Albany county, which we're coming to, and spreading them contiguously. As for me, I've given up trying to think like Alice for the day, and turn to a job I know I can do. I dig a beetle larva out of a decaying log and put it on a thornbush fishhook I made and tied to a fine cord of deer tendon. Then, taking off my moccasins, I wade into the cold water and cast into a pool below a submerged log. A dragonfly skims over the surface, his crystal wings reflecting the sunlight. Wop! I yank, and hook a large trout. Playing it carefully so it won't break my line as it darts from side to side, I concentrate on dinner. After a lively battle, I land the fish.

都清楚，它才不会容许任何人——哪怕是爱丽丝——带它爬上这种地方。 去联邦山还好说，但想爬上这里，克丽丝朵都得用上岩钉才行呀，”我说，看着满坑满谷能当晚餐的水田芥。 “没错。 那她到底在哪儿呢？” 班多问道，其实没真指望我回答。 他转而自己找答案，拿出我们现在所在的斯科哈里县地图，还有我们接下来要去的奥尔巴尼县地图，把两张图拼在了一起。 至于我，今天我已经不想猜爱丽丝的想法了，转头去做我肯定能做好的事。 我从朽木里掏出一只甲虫幼虫，穿在我做好的荆棘鱼钩上，再绑到鹿筋搓成的细鱼线上。 接着我脱掉鹿皮便鞋，踩进冰凉的水里，把钓线抛进一块沉木下方的水潭中。 一只蜻蜓掠过水面，水晶般的翅膀反射着闪闪阳光。 啪！ 我猛地一扯，钓住了一条大鳟鱼。 鳟鱼东窜西跳，我小心遛鱼防止鱼线扯断，一门心思都在这顿晚餐上。 一番激烈搏斗后，我把鱼拖上了岸。

Bando is still bent over the maps. I clean the trout and wrap it in May-apple leaves, then dig a hole in the earth and build a fire. When the coals are hot, I push them into the hole, place the fish on them, and cover all with leaves, then soil. "There's a farm at the bottom of the gorge," Bando says as I brush the dirt off my hands and sit down beside him. "There aren't many around. The land's too steep." "Hmmm," I say, trying to think like my sister. "Let's go there and ask the farmer if she's been by for corn." "Let's not ask people and get them all stirred up. We know she's all right, but they won't. They'll call the police and we don't want that." "I'm going to ask, anyway," I say. "I think those stones at John Burroughs" home meant change of plans as well as change of direction." "Why do you think that?" "Because that's the first time she's used a plain old pathfinder's sign. She wanted to be sure that message was seen. Furthermore, she signed it with an acorn so I'd make no mistake about who laid the stones.

班多还弯着腰对着地图研究。 我把鳟鱼处理干净，包在盾叶鬼臼叶子里，接着在地上挖了个坑生起火。 木炭烧红后，我把炭推进坑，放上鱼，盖满叶子，最后填上土。 “峡谷底部有个农场，”我拍掉手上泥土坐到他身边时，班多开口说道。 “这附近没多少人家。 地势太陡了。” “唔，”我一边说，一边试着像姐姐那样思考。 “我们去那儿问问农夫，她有没有来过要玉米。” “我们别去问当地人，免得把大家都惊动了。 我们知道她没事，但他们不会放心。 他们会报警，我们可不想闹出这种事。” “不管怎样我都要去问，”我说。 “我觉得约翰·巴勒斯家的石标不仅代表改变方向，还代表改变计划。” “你为什么这么觉得？” 因为这是她第一次用这种纯粹的探路者标记。 她就是要确保我们能看到这个信息。 而且，她还用橡果做了标记，我肯定不会认错摆石头的人。

"And," I go on, still trying to think like Alice, "I've got a hunch she's left the change of plans with a person. Once we talked about how we might leave clues with people if we ever got off the mountain. It's like her to try it, so I'm going to take a chance and speak to that farmer. He's the only one around for miles, and since she's not at this falls, she's doing something radically different." "I still don't think you should," Bando says as I serve him the fish on a nice thin slab of slate, garnished with watercress and crisp daylily roots. "But maybe you're right." We find a log and sit down. A woodthrush sings. His song sounds like water spilling down the rocks in a cool, dark forest. As I listen, I thank Alice in spite of myself. Were it not for her, I would not be hearing that glorious song on top of this magnificent gorge. Bando eats and goes back to the maps. "Look at this, Sam," he says brightly. He is feeling better with sweet trout in his belly. "There's got to be some granddaddy of a waterfall at the Helderberg Escarpment. A large stream runs right

“而且，”我接着顺着爱丽丝的思路想，“我有种预感，她把改计划的消息留给了某个人。 我们之前聊过，如果我们下了山，就可以把线索托付给当地人。 这就是她会做的事，所以我打算碰碰运气，去找那个农夫问问。 几英里内只有他一户人家，既然她不在这个瀑布，就说明她肯定改了计划。” “我还是觉得你不该去，”我把盛在薄石板上，配着水田芥和脆萱草根的烤鱼端给班多时，他说道。 “不过也许你是对的。” 我们找到一根圆木坐了下来。 一只歌鸲在唱歌。 它的歌声听起来就像凉水顺着岩石淌进阴凉幽暗的森林。 我听着歌声，不由自主地感谢起爱丽丝。 要不是她，我根本不会在壮观的峡谷顶上听到这么美妙的歌声。 班多吃完，又回去研究地图了。 “山姆，你看，”他兴致勃勃地说。 吃了鲜美的鳟鱼，他舒服多了。 “海尔德伯格崖肯定有一个超大的瀑布， 一条大河正好径直

off the edge of that eight-hundred-foot cliff." I get down on my knees and look. "Wow!" I say. "I'll bet Alice is going there." I study the map. "And there are fields and farms nearby for Crystal. I think we're on Alice's brain wave now." "Let's go," Bando says. "I'd like to see the goshawks." He packs his belongings, and we start the long descent to the bottom of the gorge. About an hour later we are standing in the enormous rock bowl that holds the reservoir. The sun has just gone down. "Where's the farm?" I ask. "Up the road about half a mile on the right." I start off. "Hold on," Bando says. "I really don't like this idea, so I'll let you go alone to ask about Alice." "You're not coming?" "I'll meet you later. Zella asked me to give her a call if I got the chance." He shifts his packbasket. "West Conesville is about half a mile from here. Since it'll soon be dark and we can't go on, this looks like a good time to telephone her."

从八百英尺高的悬崖边流下去啦。” 我跪下来凑近看。 “哇！” 我说。 “我敢打赌爱丽丝去那儿了。” 我仔细研究了地图。 “而且附近还有农田和农场，刚好适合克丽丝朵。 我觉得我们现在跟上爱丽丝的思路啦。” “我们走吧，”班多说。 “我想去看看苍鹰。” 他收拾好行李，我们开始走长长的下山路，前往峡谷底部。 大约一小时后，我们站在了水库所在的巨大岩盆里。 太阳刚刚下山。 “农场在哪儿？” 我问。 “沿着路往上走半英里，就在右手边。” 我出发往前走。 “等等，”班多说。 “我实在不赞成这个主意，所以我让你自己一个人去问爱丽丝的事。” “你不来吗？” “我们之后见。 泽拉让我有机会就给她打个电话。 他挪了挪自己的背篮。 “西康斯维尔离这儿差不多半英里， 反正天很快就要黑了，我们也没法继续赶路，现在正好给她打电话。”

"All right," I say reluctantly. "Where shall we meet?" "I saw a rural cemetery on the map about a mile beyond the farm. Make camp and I'll meet you there." "When?" "I'm not sure. Don't wait up for me." As I approach the farm, I slow down to study the situation I'm walking into. The land is well tended, the buildings strong and freshly painted. This is reassuring, because these things speak of a hardworking farmer, and hardworking farmers are usually sincere people. The ones I know have no time for pretense. They answer yes or no. I trust this farmer will do likewise when I ask if he's seen Alice. The farmhouse is very old. It has two small low windows on the second floor, and the clapboard is slightly wider than the boards on houses today. I glance at the corncrib as I pass it and hope that Alice did not help herself to a meal for Crystal. I scold myself for thinking this. I tuck my shirt in my jeans and, combing my hair with a teasel-weed head I found near the corncrib,

“好吧。”我不情愿地说。 “我们在哪儿碰面？” “我在地图上看到农场往外一英里左右有一处乡村墓地。 你们先扎营，我去那儿找你们。” “什么时候？” “我也说不准。 不用等我了。” 我快走到农场时，放慢脚步，打量着我要进入的这片地方。 田地打理得很好，房屋结实牢固，还刚刷过新漆。 这让我放下心来，这些细节说明农场主是个勤快人，勤快人通常都很诚恳。 我认识的这类人根本没功夫装模作样。 他们说话一是一，二是二。 我相信我问他有没有见过爱丽丝时，他也会实话实说。 这栋农舍已经有些年头了。 二楼有两扇又小又矮的窗户，墙板也比现在房子用的木板宽一点。 我经过玉米仓时瞟了一眼，心里盼着爱丽丝没随便拿东西给克里斯特尔当饭吃。 我骂自己怎么会这么想。 我把衬衫塞进牛仔裤，还用在玉米仓旁找到的蓟花头梳了梳头发，