03-01-02-野性的呼唤 [12]
’asked Hal．
‘No，the ice is too thin．It's much too dangerous，answered Thornton．
‘People have told us that before，’laughed Hal，‘but we got here with no problems．’
‘Only somebody very stupid would cross the White River here，’said Thornton．
‘That's what you think，’said Hal．‘But we've got to get to Dawson．’He pickd up his whip．‘Come on，Buck！Get up now！Let's go！’
Thornton went on working．He had warned them，but he knew he couldn't stop these stupid men from going on．
But Buck didn't get up．Sol-leks stood up slowly，then Teek and Joe，and finally Pike．But Buck stayed where he was．The whip came down on him again and again．Thornton started to speak，then stopped，and began to walk up and down．
Hal now put down his whip and started to hit Buck with a club．But Buck had decided not to get up．He had felt thin ice under his feet all day and he saw thin ice in front of him．The club hit him again and again，but Buck felt almost nothing．
Then suddenly， with a wild cry，John Thornton jumped on Hal，throwing him backwards．Mercedes screamed．
‘If you hit that dog again，I’11 kill you，’Thornton shouted．
‘He's my dog，’Hal replied．There was blood on his face．‘Get out of my way，or I’11 hit you，too．I'm going to Dawson．’
Thornton stood between Hal and Buck and did not move．Hal took out his long knife，but Thornton knocked it out of his hand．Mercedes screamed again．Then Thornton picked up Hal's knife and cut Buck out of the harness．
Hal didn't want to fight，and Buck was not worth fighting for；he was nearly dead． Hal started the sledge and went down towards the river．Buck lifted his head and watched the sledge move away．Pike was leading，and Joe，Teek and Sol－leks were behind him．Hal was walking in front of the sledge and Mercedes was riding on it；Charles was walking behind．
As Buck watched，Thornton felt his body with gentle hands，searching for broken bones．Buck was very thin，very tired and very weak，but Thornton didn't think he was going to die．Then both dog and man watched the sledge as it went slowly out on to the ice in the middle of the river．Suddenly the back of the sledge went down and the front went up into the air． Mercedes screamed，and Charles turned and took one step back． Then a big piece of ice broke off，and dogs，sledge and people disappeared；there was only a big hole in the ice．
John Thornton and Buck looked at one another．
‘You poor thing，’said John Thornton，and Buck licked his hand．
■ 5 更艰苦的工作
离开道桑镇30天后，队伍回到了斯开格威。他们筋疲力尽。巴克瘦得只剩下50公斤，别的狗也是瘦骨伶仃。
他们并没有生病，只是需要一个长长的休息。但是在斯开格威还有堆积如山的信等着运到北方。所以人们买了更强壮的狗，以前的狗因为对工作没有用，被卖掉了。
两个美国人，哈尔和查尔斯，连同挽具买下了巴克和他的队伍。查尔斯大约40岁左右，浅色的头发，有一双水汪汪的蓝眼睛。哈尔20岁上下，皮带上别着一把闪光的大枪和一把大刀。这两样东西比任何东西都能显示他的幼稚。这两个人显然对北方和它艰苦危险的生活茫然无知。
他们把狗带回凌乱的帐篷，有一个女人正等在那里。她是查尔斯的妻子，哈尔的姐姐，叫玛尔赛蒂。
巴克冷眼瞧着他们拆掉帐篷，把所有的东西都放到雪撬上。他们不懂得如何把东西有条理地安置好。而且更糟的是，每一次刚把东西放到雪撬上，玛尔赛蒂就动手移开它。所以他们常常不得不把东西搬下来重新开始。
3个男人走上前看到这情景，笑了起来。
“你们放在雪撬上的东西太沉了，”其中一个人说道，“你们干嘛不把帐篷留在斯开格威？”
“没有帐篷我们怎么活下去呢？”玛尔赛蒂问道，向空中伸出双手。
“春天来了，天气不会再冷啦。”
“我可不能没有帐篷。”她答道，帮着查尔斯和哈尔搬着最后几只箱子。
“你那些东西装的不太稳当吧？”另一个人说。
“这为什么呢？”查尔斯问。
“哦，顶头太重了。你想你的狗拉这么多东西吃得消吗？”
“他们当然拉得动。”哈尔说。雪撬已经准备起程。“来，狗，拉车。”他喊道。
狗使出全身的力气拉，但雪撬纹丝未动。
“懒东西！”哈尔叫着，抡起了鞭子。
然尔玛尔赛蒂制止了他，“哦，哈尔，别这样！”她哭叫道，夺过鞭子。“可怜的狗。你必须发誓从此要善待他们，不然我就呆在这儿不走了。”
“你懂什么，”哈尔回答，“别管我。狗都是犯懒的，你必须鞭打它们。这道理人人皆知，不信你问问那些人。”
玛尔赛蒂转身去看围观的人。
“他们太累了，如果你真想知道答案的话，”一个人说。“他们干的太苦了，着实需要休息一下。”
“休息？”哈尔笑道。“这些蠢狗只是犯懒。”
现在玛尔赛蒂认为她弟弟是对的。“别听那人的，”她说。“你驾驭我们的狗，你觉得怎么好就怎么办。”
于是哈尔对狗抡起了鞭子。他们拉呀拉呀，但是雪撬仍然原地不动。正当哈尔抽打狗的时候，玛尔赛蒂又制止了他，然后她用手搂住巴克。
“你这可怜的，可怜的宝贝，”她说，“你为什么不使劲拉呢——这样没有人会打你了。”
其中一个观望的人又说话了，“我可不愿管你们，”他说，“但我认为狗太可怜了。雪撬冻到雪地上了，你必须把冰砸开，从一边向另一边推雪撬可以破冰。”
哈尔又试了一次，但这一次他终于把雪撬下的冰弄破了，沉重的雪撬慢慢地开始移动。巴克和他的队伍艰难地在鞭打下拉着雪撬，100米之后他们不得不拐到另一条街上去。拉着头重脚轻的雪撬是很难转弯的，何况哈尔又不是个赶车的好手。转弯时，雪撬向一边倾斜，把一些包裹和箱子扔到了街上，但狗并未停住脚。雪撬此时不再那么沉重，而他们拉起来容易多了。鞭答激怒了他们，他们开始奔跑。哈尔叫着“停下”，但狗却继续在斯开格威跑着，其余的行李也随着他们的奔跑纷纷掉下来。
人们帮着拉住狗，捡起街上掉落的行李。他们还告诉这些人如果他们想到达道桑，他们需要多一倍的狗，而行李必须减半。哈尔和查尔斯返回营地，开始检查行李，扔掉多余的东西。帐篷，毯子和碟子被拿了下来。玛尔赛蒂哭喊起来，她大部分衣服也被扔掉了。最后他们结束时，玛尔赛蒂仍然在哭泣。路上仍然有许多行李，而雪撬上的东西仍然太多。
然后查尔斯和哈尔跑出去买了6条狗，现在他们有14条狗。但是这些新狗并不是真正的拉雪撬的狗，他们不知道如何工作。查尔斯和哈尔给他们套上挽具，但巴克却无法教他们如何拉雪撬。于是有了
‘No，the ice is too thin．It's much too dangerous，answered Thornton．
‘People have told us that before，’laughed Hal，‘but we got here with no problems．’
‘Only somebody very stupid would cross the White River here，’said Thornton．
‘That's what you think，’said Hal．‘But we've got to get to Dawson．’He pickd up his whip．‘Come on，Buck！Get up now！Let's go！’
Thornton went on working．He had warned them，but he knew he couldn't stop these stupid men from going on．
But Buck didn't get up．Sol-leks stood up slowly，then Teek and Joe，and finally Pike．But Buck stayed where he was．The whip came down on him again and again．Thornton started to speak，then stopped，and began to walk up and down．
Hal now put down his whip and started to hit Buck with a club．But Buck had decided not to get up．He had felt thin ice under his feet all day and he saw thin ice in front of him．The club hit him again and again，but Buck felt almost nothing．
Then suddenly， with a wild cry，John Thornton jumped on Hal，throwing him backwards．Mercedes screamed．
‘If you hit that dog again，I’11 kill you，’Thornton shouted．
‘He's my dog，’Hal replied．There was blood on his face．‘Get out of my way，or I’11 hit you，too．I'm going to Dawson．’
Thornton stood between Hal and Buck and did not move．Hal took out his long knife，but Thornton knocked it out of his hand．Mercedes screamed again．Then Thornton picked up Hal's knife and cut Buck out of the harness．
Hal didn't want to fight，and Buck was not worth fighting for；he was nearly dead． Hal started the sledge and went down towards the river．Buck lifted his head and watched the sledge move away．Pike was leading，and Joe，Teek and Sol－leks were behind him．Hal was walking in front of the sledge and Mercedes was riding on it；Charles was walking behind．
As Buck watched，Thornton felt his body with gentle hands，searching for broken bones．Buck was very thin，very tired and very weak，but Thornton didn't think he was going to die．Then both dog and man watched the sledge as it went slowly out on to the ice in the middle of the river．Suddenly the back of the sledge went down and the front went up into the air． Mercedes screamed，and Charles turned and took one step back． Then a big piece of ice broke off，and dogs，sledge and people disappeared；there was only a big hole in the ice．
John Thornton and Buck looked at one another．
‘You poor thing，’said John Thornton，and Buck licked his hand．
■ 5 更艰苦的工作
离开道桑镇30天后，队伍回到了斯开格威。他们筋疲力尽。巴克瘦得只剩下50公斤，别的狗也是瘦骨伶仃。
他们并没有生病，只是需要一个长长的休息。但是在斯开格威还有堆积如山的信等着运到北方。所以人们买了更强壮的狗，以前的狗因为对工作没有用，被卖掉了。
两个美国人，哈尔和查尔斯，连同挽具买下了巴克和他的队伍。查尔斯大约40岁左右，浅色的头发，有一双水汪汪的蓝眼睛。哈尔20岁上下，皮带上别着一把闪光的大枪和一把大刀。这两样东西比任何东西都能显示他的幼稚。这两个人显然对北方和它艰苦危险的生活茫然无知。
他们把狗带回凌乱的帐篷，有一个女人正等在那里。她是查尔斯的妻子，哈尔的姐姐，叫玛尔赛蒂。
巴克冷眼瞧着他们拆掉帐篷，把所有的东西都放到雪撬上。他们不懂得如何把东西有条理地安置好。而且更糟的是，每一次刚把东西放到雪撬上，玛尔赛蒂就动手移开它。所以他们常常不得不把东西搬下来重新开始。
3个男人走上前看到这情景，笑了起来。
“你们放在雪撬上的东西太沉了，”其中一个人说道，“你们干嘛不把帐篷留在斯开格威？”
“没有帐篷我们怎么活下去呢？”玛尔赛蒂问道，向空中伸出双手。
“春天来了，天气不会再冷啦。”
“我可不能没有帐篷。”她答道，帮着查尔斯和哈尔搬着最后几只箱子。
“你那些东西装的不太稳当吧？”另一个人说。
“这为什么呢？”查尔斯问。
“哦，顶头太重了。你想你的狗拉这么多东西吃得消吗？”
“他们当然拉得动。”哈尔说。雪撬已经准备起程。“来，狗，拉车。”他喊道。
狗使出全身的力气拉，但雪撬纹丝未动。
“懒东西！”哈尔叫着，抡起了鞭子。
然尔玛尔赛蒂制止了他，“哦，哈尔，别这样！”她哭叫道，夺过鞭子。“可怜的狗。你必须发誓从此要善待他们，不然我就呆在这儿不走了。”
“你懂什么，”哈尔回答，“别管我。狗都是犯懒的，你必须鞭打它们。这道理人人皆知，不信你问问那些人。”
玛尔赛蒂转身去看围观的人。
“他们太累了，如果你真想知道答案的话，”一个人说。“他们干的太苦了，着实需要休息一下。”
“休息？”哈尔笑道。“这些蠢狗只是犯懒。”
现在玛尔赛蒂认为她弟弟是对的。“别听那人的，”她说。“你驾驭我们的狗，你觉得怎么好就怎么办。”
于是哈尔对狗抡起了鞭子。他们拉呀拉呀，但是雪撬仍然原地不动。正当哈尔抽打狗的时候，玛尔赛蒂又制止了他，然后她用手搂住巴克。
“你这可怜的，可怜的宝贝，”她说，“你为什么不使劲拉呢——这样没有人会打你了。”
其中一个观望的人又说话了，“我可不愿管你们，”他说，“但我认为狗太可怜了。雪撬冻到雪地上了，你必须把冰砸开，从一边向另一边推雪撬可以破冰。”
哈尔又试了一次，但这一次他终于把雪撬下的冰弄破了，沉重的雪撬慢慢地开始移动。巴克和他的队伍艰难地在鞭打下拉着雪撬，100米之后他们不得不拐到另一条街上去。拉着头重脚轻的雪撬是很难转弯的，何况哈尔又不是个赶车的好手。转弯时，雪撬向一边倾斜，把一些包裹和箱子扔到了街上，但狗并未停住脚。雪撬此时不再那么沉重，而他们拉起来容易多了。鞭答激怒了他们，他们开始奔跑。哈尔叫着“停下”，但狗却继续在斯开格威跑着，其余的行李也随着他们的奔跑纷纷掉下来。
人们帮着拉住狗，捡起街上掉落的行李。他们还告诉这些人如果他们想到达道桑，他们需要多一倍的狗，而行李必须减半。哈尔和查尔斯返回营地，开始检查行李，扔掉多余的东西。帐篷，毯子和碟子被拿了下来。玛尔赛蒂哭喊起来，她大部分衣服也被扔掉了。最后他们结束时，玛尔赛蒂仍然在哭泣。路上仍然有许多行李，而雪撬上的东西仍然太多。
然后查尔斯和哈尔跑出去买了6条狗，现在他们有14条狗。但是这些新狗并不是真正的拉雪撬的狗，他们不知道如何工作。查尔斯和哈尔给他们套上挽具，但巴克却无法教他们如何拉雪撬。于是有了