14 Sam Battles Bird Instincts

"If this doesn't work," he said aloud, "I'll have to feed the little eyas. That will change her whole life. "I also might be jailed for harboring an endangered species." IN WHICH Sam Battles Bird Instincts Frightful had completely panicked when Sam reached under her in the thunderous storm. She flew into the drenching rain and gained altitude, ready to strike him with all the force of her speeding body. A powerful gust of wind caught her wings and swept her upriver. Its downdraft pulled her toward the water. She fought wind and rain to get back to the bridge, but the storm was the master. She gave up and dropped into a calm eddy of air behind a bank of willows.

“要是这招不管用，”他大声说，“我就得亲自喂这只小游隼了。” 那会彻底改变她的一生。 “我窝藏濒危物种，还可能蹲监狱呢。” 本章讲述萨姆对抗鸟类本能：雷暴雨里，萨姆伸手碰到惊风身下，惊风彻底慌了神。 她一头扎进瓢泼大雨，飞上高空，准备全速冲向萨姆，用尽全力撞他。 一阵狂风卷住她的翅膀，把她刮向河流上游。 这股风的下沉气流把她往水面拽。 她顶着风雨想要回到桥上去，可暴风雨才是主宰。 她放弃了，落到柳树岸后方一块气流平稳的区域。

"Creee, creee, creee," she called from a dead stub. Lightning burned streaks in the sky, and thunder cannonaded. "Creee," she called once more, then pulled her head down between her shoulders and let the rain run off her body. Through the storm she listened for 426. She had last seen him swooping down on the man in the cherry picker. "Creee." There was no answer from 426. She waited in the willow tree until her fear subsided. It was short-lived. In moments she was quietly listening to the rain slap the leaves around her. After a long time, the deluge stopped. In less than two seconds, Frightful was back on the horizontal girder of the bridge. She walked to the wet scrape, turning under her talons so as not to injure the young. "Creee," she called. No eyas answered, nor did 426.

“叽——叽——叽——”她站在枯树桩上叫着。 闪电在天空划出亮痕，雷声轰隆隆像开炮。 “叽——”她又叫了一声，然后把头缩在肩膀中间，任雨水从身上滑走。 她在暴风雨里听着426的动静。 她最后一次见他，是他朝着高空作业车上的男人猛扑下去。 “叽——” 426没有回应。 她在柳树上等着，直到恐惧慢慢退去。 这份平静没持续多久。 没过多久，她就静静听着雨水拍打身边的树叶。 过了好一会儿，大暴雨停了。 不到两秒钟，惊风就飞回了桥的横梁上。 她走到湿乎乎的巢窝边，爪子轻轻挪动，生怕伤到雏鸟。 “叽——”她叫了一声。 没有小游隼回应，426也没有回应。

At recess Molly and Jose came splashing through big puddles to the bridge. They stood before it, looking up at the webs and the graceful bow. "The bridge has changed," Molly said. "It's dead." "Yeah," said Jose. "No peregrines. Not even a coat of red paint can make it fun again." The two walked along the bank and watched frogs jump into the river until the bell rang at the end of recess. They started back. Leon Longbridge pulled up beside them. "Listen to this," he said, waving a paper. "It's from the governor." "Read it. Read it, please," said Jose. "It's addressed to me and the students of Delhi Middle School." He began: Thank you for your many well- written letters concerning the peregrines of Delhi Bridge. I am pleased to inform you that I share your concern. Work will stop on the bridge on Route 28 until the young peregrine falcons are fledged.

下课休息时，莫莉和何塞踩过大大的水洼，溅着水花来到桥边。 他们站在桥前，抬头看着钢架结构和优美的桥拱。 “桥变了，”莫莉说。 “它死气沉沉的了。” “对啊，”何塞说。 “没有游隼了。 哪怕再刷一层红漆，它也不会像以前那样好玩了。” 两人沿着河岸走，看青蛙跳进河里，一直待到休息结束的铃声响起。 他们往回走。 利昂·朗布里奇把车停在他们身边。 “听听这个，”他挥着一张纸说。 “这是州长寄来的。” “快读啊， 快读给我们听吧，”何塞说。 “信是寄给我和德里中学的全体学生的。” 他开始读：感谢你们写了这么多封言辞诚恳的信，关心德里桥的游隼。 我很高兴告诉你们，我和你们一样关心这件事。 28号公路这座桥的工程会停工，直到小游隼们长出飞羽能飞了再开工。

Although the bridge repair is urgent, our endangered species, once gone, cannot be brought back- Therefore I have told the head of the Transportation Department of the State of New York to work on Bridge 92 at Gilboa until the little family is on wing. My administration actively protects the environment of New York State, and I am happy you are in favor of this policy. Sincerely, Governor George Marki "Too late," Molly whispered, tears in her eyes. "For lack of understanding," Leon Longbridge said, "we've lost three beautiful eyases." "Can I read the letter?" Molly asked. "I've made you a copy," Leon said, handing her a paper. "And one for you, Jose." After rereading the letter three times, Jose folded it and put it in his pocket.

虽然修桥事急，但我们的濒危物种一旦消失，就再也回不来了—— 因此我已经吩咐纽约州交通局局长，先去吉尔博修92号桥，直到这一家子小游隼能飞了再说。 我的政府积极保护纽约州的环境，很高兴你们支持这项政策。 真诚的 州长乔治·马基 “太晚了，”莫莉含着眼泪轻声说。 “就是因为当初大家不了解，”利昂·朗布里奇说，“我们失去了三只可爱的小游隼。” “我能看看这封信吗？” 莫莉问道。 “我给你复印了一份，”利昂一边说，一边递给她一张纸。 “也有你一份，何塞。” 何塞把信读了三遍，折好放进了口袋。

"We've got to catch the poachers," he said. "We've got to get the babies back." He turned hopelessly to Leon Longbridge. "How can we do that?" "The state troopers are looking for them right now," Leon said, "and the Department of Motor Vehicles is checking the ownership of all the Chevy pickups. So far nothing." Molly put the letter in her book and, without another word, walked back to school. Jose walked silently behind her. Frightful stared into her empty scrape. Restless and upset, she flew to the park, caught a pigeon, and carried it to the cupola of the courthouse. She ate and watched for 426. When she was comfortably full, she carried the remains back to the scrape and tore off an eyas bite. There were no open beaks to fill. She peered at the girder, waiting for the little falcons to thrust up their heads. They did not. She swallowed the food. Frightful did not leave the aerie. Her mothering instincts were strong. She still felt the presence of her chicks. But as the hours passed and her eyases

“我们得抓住偷猎的人，”他说。 “我们得把小游隼找回来。” 他绝望地转向利昂·朗布里奇。 “我们能怎么做呢？” “州警现在正在搜捕他们，”利昂说，车管所也在核查所有雪佛兰皮卡的车主信息。 到目前为止还没线索。” 莫莉把信夹进书里，什么也没说，走回了学校。 何塞安安静静跟在她后面。 惊风盯着空荡荡的巢窝。 她又烦躁又难过，飞到公园抓了一只鸽子，带着它落到法院的穹顶上。 她一边吃，一边等着426出现。 她吃饱之后，把剩下的带回巢窝，撕下一小块适合小游隼吃的肉。 根本没有张着嘴巴等吃的小游隼。 她盯着横梁，等着小游隼们伸出头来。 它们没有出来。 她把食物吞了下去。 惊风没有离开鸟巢。 她做母亲的本能还很强。 她依然能感觉到孩子们在身边。 可一个小时又一个小时过去，她的小游隼们

did not appear, the feeling began to fade. Without her young to inspire her, it would not take many days for the nurturing instinct to die. In the early afternoon, Frightful left the bridge and flew over the town, the river, the mountains, in wider and wider circles. Eventually she flew over 426, perched on the one hemlock on the one mountain. In seconds she was beside him. A movement below caught her eye. She tipped her head. Sam had stepped out of the tree. "Creee, creee, creee, car-reet," she called. "Frightful!" he cried joyfully. "Where are you? I hear you." He whistled and stepped back. "Oh, Frightful," he said when he saw her. "I have your little eyas. She's right here. Follow me." Sam put Oksi into his soft backpack, shouldered it, and started climbing. 426 cried out the peregrine alarm and sped off. Frightful stayed. When Sam reached the nest box, she was only ten feet above him. He held up the eyas. "Here she is. You must feed her. She's hungry."

一直没有出现，这种感觉慢慢淡了下去。 没有幼鸟需要照顾，用不了几天，抚育后代的本能就会消失。 下午刚过没多久，惊风离开桥，绕着城镇、河流、山脉飞，圈子越飞越大。 最后她飞过了426身边，426正停在一座山上唯一一棵铁杉上。 没几秒钟她就飞到了他身边。 下方的动静引起了她的注意。 她歪了歪头。 萨姆从树后面走了出来。 “叽——叽——叽——喀哩特，”她叫着。 “惊风！”他开心地喊。 “你在哪儿？ 我听见你声音了。” 他吹了声口哨，往后退了一步。 “哦，惊风，”他看见她的时候说。 “我找到你的小游隼了。 她就在这儿。 跟我来。” 萨姆把奥克西放进软软的背包，背在肩上，开始往上爬。 426发出游隼的警报声，飞快地飞走了。 惊风留了下来。 萨姆爬到巢箱的时候，她就在他头顶十英尺的地方。 他把小游隼举起来。 “她就在这儿。 你得喂她， 她饿坏了。”