14 I Am On the Track

Chapter 14 IN WHICH I Am On the Track I run down the street, vault over the bridge railing, and climb down the abutment to the creek. I take off my moccasins and, wading into the cool water, splash upstream toward Alice's camp. I'm a tug-of-war inside. I want to look for Frightful with all my heart, and with all my heart I want to find Alice. But the battle, my head says, is already won. I've got to find Alice. Some things become clear as I run. Frightful was stolen from me. And Bate, who must be that blueand- brown-eyed man, is going to sell her to Skri at Beaver Corners. Hacking is just a code word that means Bate has birds to sell. What isn't clear is Alice's situation. Did the two men find her? Did they harm her? I run faster. With the beginning of twilight darkening the falls, I splash up to Alice's camp.

第十四章 寻迹追踪 我沿街道奔跑，跃过桥栏杆，爬下桥台来到小溪边 我脱掉鹿皮软鞋，踏入清凉溪水，哗啦哗啦朝上游爱丽丝的营地走去 我的内心像在拔河 我一心一意想找惊惊，也一心一意想找到爱丽丝 可我的大脑告诉我，这场较量早就分出胜负了 我必须先找到爱丽丝 我跑着跑着，不少事情都清晰了起来 惊惊是从我这里被偷走的 那个贝特，肯定就是那只蓝眼一只棕眼的男人，他要把惊惊卖给比弗角的斯克里 “哈金”只是暗号，意思是贝特手上有鸟要卖 说不准的是爱丽丝现在的处境 那两个男人找到她了吗 他们伤害她了吗 我跑得更快了 暮色渐渐染暗瀑布，我哗啦走到了爱丽丝的营地

She should be here, but she's not. Where is she? Feeling prickles of fear running over my skin, I crawl into her stone home and sit down. I am paralyzed. I can't seem to act. I don't know what to do. Should I wait? Or should I get the police? In anguish I roll over and bury my face in her rabbit-fur pillow. It crackles. I snatch it up and find a letter. Crawling out on the ledge, my hands trembling, I lay a small pile of pine needles and twigs, then, taking out my flint and steel, strike a spark and start a fire. As the flame flares up, my heart thumps like a plumping mill. Why is she writing me a letter? That's not part of On the Track. She must be in trouble. I unfold a sheet of paper with the Monroe Poland China Farm crest on it and see it is dated this morning. The letter was here when I arrived before noon, but since I didn't lie down on the pillow I didn't find it. "Hi, Sam," I read. "Isn't this fun?" Fun? Are you crazy? I am worried to death about you, Alice, and you think this is fun. Don't you know that dangerous men are around you? I hold the letter closer to the fire and read on.

她本该在这里，可她不在 她去哪里了 恐惧的战栗爬遍我的全身，我爬进她的石屋坐下 我整个人僵住了 我好像根本没法动弹 我不知道该做什么 我该在这里等吗 还是我该去找警察 我痛苦地翻过身，把脸埋进她的兔毛枕头里 枕头发出沙沙声 我一把抓过枕头，发现了一封信 我爬到外面岩架上，双手抖个不停，堆了一小堆松针细枝，拿出火石钢片打火花生了火 火苗窜起时，我的心脏砰砰跳得像捣米机 她为什么要给我留一封信呢 这可不是寻迹计划里该有的内容 她一定是遇到麻烦了 我展开一张印着门罗波中猪农场徽章的纸，看到信日期是今天早上 我中午前就到这儿了，可我没躺枕头上，所以没发现这封信 我读到：“嗨，山姆” “这不是很有趣吗” 有趣 你疯了吗 爱丽丝，我都担心死你了，你居然觉得这很有趣 你难道不知道危险的坏人就在你身边吗 我把信往火边凑得更近，继续往下读

"There were falconers here in the woods. I saw them. They left about an hour ago, soon after the nice woodland coyote killed one of their birds. "I have some good news for you. But I can no longer wait for you to get here to tell you. You're too pokey. I'm off to the Helderberg Escarpment." She's gone. She departed after the men left the woods and before they came up the creek. She's all right. Maybe they didn't even see her. I breathe a sigh of relief and read on. "There's a leaf bag of hickory nuts on the ledge above the bed. Help yourself. The coyote has puppies under the rhododendron bush by the old mill. Let's get a coyote puppy; they're adorable. Signed, "Your friend, Alice Van Rensselaer. Ha. Wasn't it fun having everyone bow and scrape because they thought you were a Van Rensselaer? People-clues work when you give them to nice people like Mr. and Mrs. Van Sandtford and Hanni. Hanni's neat. Alice."

“林子里来了一群训鹰人 我看到他们了 他们大约一小时前离开，走后没多久，那只友善的林狼咬死了他们一只鸟 “我有一个好消息告诉你 可我不能等你过来再告诉你了 你太慢腾腾了 我出发去海尔德伯格断崖了” 她走了 她在那帮男人离开树林后、他们往小溪上游走之前就离开了 她没事 说不定他们根本没看见她 我松了一口气，继续往下读 “石床上方的岩架上有一袋子山核桃 随便吃 老磨坊边杜鹃花丛下，狼妈妈生了小狼崽 我们去抓一只小狼崽吧，它们超可爱的 署名：“你的朋友，爱丽丝·范·伦斯勒” 呵 大家都毕恭毕敬，就因为他们以为你是范·伦斯勒家的人，这不好玩吗 我们给人们的暗示很管用，尤其是放在范桑德特夫妇和汉妮这样的好人身上 汉妮人很好 爱丽丝”

I groan and smile at the same time. "You're impossible." Now that I know she's all right I'm angry at her. I haven't got time for her little games with sun compasses, pigs, Van Rensselaers, and coyotes. I've got a sawmill to tend and food to gather for the winter. Alice, will you ever grow up and think of someone besides yourself? But I am on the move. Alice is safe. I should have known when I saw that eight-hundred-foot drop off the Helderberg Escarpment that she was headed for that falls from the moment she left her tree house. Now, to go to Beaver Corners and get my beloved falcon back. I stamp out the fire, bury the charred twigs, and sprinkle the burned spot with dirt. As the full moon comes over the tips of the hemlocks in the east and the sun goes down in the west, I climb down the falls and splash toward the bridge.

我一边叹气一边忍不住笑了 “你真让人没办法” 现在我知道她没事了 我还是很生她的气 我可没时间陪她玩这些小把戏：太阳罗盘、猪、范·伦斯勒还有狼崽 我还要照管锯木厂，收集过冬的食物 爱丽丝，你什么时候才能长大，多想想别人呀 但我还是继续出发了 爱丽丝是安全的 我早就该想到，她离开树屋那一刻就肯定是去海尔德伯格断崖了，那地方可有八百英尺深呢 现在，我要去比弗角把我心爱的猎鹰找回来 我踩灭火堆，埋掉烧焦的细枝，在烧过的地方撒上土 东边铁杉树梢上升起满月，西边太阳落下山，我爬下瀑布，哗啦哗啦朝桥走去

A dark mass to my left attracts my attention; something dull in texture is floating on the surface of the darkening stream. I wade to it. "Oh, no," I wail. It's the mother coyote. That's what the men were going to do when they headed up the creek, kill the coyote. They came back to seek revenge. Near the mother floats a puppy, and I can look no more. These men are cruel—and they have Frightful. I splash down the creek, climb to the bridge, and put on my moccasins. I don't even glance at the gristmill, but go straight to the restaurant. The evening diners, a well-dressed group, are chatting and waiting to be served. I walk as casually as I can to the kitchen, where Mr. Milo is checking a dish in the oven. "Mr. Milo," I say, trying to be calm. "Where's the police station?" "There's no police station in Rensselaerville," he says. "Why? What's up?" "Two men are about to sell my falcon to an agent for an Arab sheik. They're at Beaver Corners near

我左侧一团黑影吸引了我的注意，渐渐变暗的溪面上飘着一块质感粗糙的东西 我蹚水朝它走去 “哦，不，”我哀嚎道 是狼妈妈 那帮男人往小溪上游走就是为了这个，杀了这只狼 他们回来报仇了 狼妈妈旁边飘着一只小狼崽，我不忍心再看下去 这些男人太残忍了——而且惊惊还在他们手上 我哗啦哗啦顺小溪往下走，爬回桥穿上我的鹿皮鞋 我连看都没看谷磨坊一眼，径直朝餐馆走去 晚上来用餐的是一群穿着体面的客人，他们正聊天等着上菜 我尽量若无其事地走到厨房，迈洛先生正在检查烤箱里的菜 “迈洛先生，”我尽量让自己保持平静 “警察局在哪里” “伦斯勒维尔这儿没有警察局，”他说 “怎么了” “出什么事了” “有两个男人要把我的猎鹰卖给阿拉伯酋长的代理人 他们现在就在比弗角附近

East Berne and should be arrested. It's a felony to hold endangered species, and it must be worse to sell them." "The nearest police are about twenty miles from here in Altamont," Mr. Milo says, his eyes wide. "I'll call Scan Conklin, our conservation officer. He's been staying in town. He can make arrests." Mr. Milo dials his number and gets no answer. "Good," I say. "He and Bando must have gone to Beaver Corners." "Anything I can do?" Mr. Milo asks. "My buyer is going there in the morning to purchase red raspberries from a farm. He can give you a ride." "No, thanks," I say. "It's only about twelve miles and there's a full moon tonight. I'm on my way." "Suit yourself," he says and I hurry off. At the last streetlight on the road out of town, I take out the map with the Helderberg Escarpment on it. Alice is probably already there. I study the contours and names. Most likely she's near the Indian Ladder where Outlet Falls plunges off the cliff. Miss Turner said that once the Indians felled a tree against the escarpment. The stumps of its

东伯恩应该被逮捕。 私藏濒危物种是重罪，贩卖他们更是罪加一等。" "最近的警察局在奥尔塔蒙特，离这儿差不多二十英里，"迈洛先生睁大眼睛说道。 "我给我们的护林员斯坎·康克林打电话。 他这会儿就在镇上。 他能来抓人。" 迈洛先生拨了号码，没人接听。 "太好了，"我说。 "他和班多肯定一起去比弗科纳斯了。" "有什么我能帮忙的吗？" 迈洛先生问道。 "我的买家明天早上会去那儿的农场收红树莓。 他可以载你过去。" "不用了，谢谢，"我说。 "一共才十二英里左右，而且今晚是满月。 我这就出发。" "随你便，"他说完，我便匆匆出发了。 在出镇道路的最后一盏路灯旁，我拿出那张标着赫尔德伯格悬崖的地图。 爱丽丝大概已经到那儿了。 我仔细研究了上面的等高线和地名。 她很可能待在奥特莱特瀑布冲崖而下的印第安梯附近。 特纳小姐说，从前印第安人曾在悬崖边砍倒过一棵树。 它的树桩