木偶奇遇記：Chapter 14

"Dear, oh, dear! When I come to think of it," said the Marionette to himself, as he once more set out on his journey, "we boys are really very unlucky. Everybody scolds us, everybody gives us advice, everybody warns us. If we were to allow it, everyone would try to be father and mother to us; everyone, even the Talking Cricket. Take me, for example. Just because I would not listen to that bothersome Cricket, who knows how many misfortunes may be awaiting me! Assassins indeed! At least I have never believed in them, nor ever will. To speak sensibly, I think assassins have been invented by fathers and mothers to frighten children who want to run away at night. And then, even if I were to meet them on the road, what matter? I'll just run up to them, and say, 'Well, signori, what do you want? Remember that you can't fool with me! Run along and mind your business.' At such a speech, I can almost see those poor fellows running like the wind. But in case they don't run away, I can always run myself..."

“說真?zhèn)€的，”木偶一面重新上路，一面自言自語說，“我們這種可憐孩子多倒霉!人人都罵我們，人人都教訓我們，人人都要我們這樣做那樣做。人人都一開口就自以為是我們的爸爸，自以為是我們的老師。人人都這樣，連那樣會說話的蟋蟀也這樣?？催@會兒，就因為我沒聽這只討厭蟋蟀的啰哩啰嗦，它就說我不知道要遇到多少災難!我還要遇到殺人的強盜呢!還好我不相信有什么殺人強盜，從來就不相信。依我看，殺人強盜全是那些做爸爸的想出來，嚇唬嚇唬夜里想出去的孩子的，就算我真在路上碰到他們，難道我會害怕他們嗎，我根本不怕，我要走到他們面前，對他們叫著說：‘殺人強盜先生，你們要把我怎么樣?記住吧，可別跟我開玩笑!去你們的吧，別開口了!’我這番話說得那么絕，那些倒霉的殺人強盜啊，我好像已經看見他們了，他們像陣風似地逃走啦。萬一他們兇神惡煞，偏不逃走呢?那有什么，我逃走就是了，事情不就結了嗎……”

Pinocchio was not given time to argue any longer, for he thought he heard a slight rustle among the leaves behind him.

可皮諾喬沒能把他那套大道理說完，因為就在這時候，他好像聽見后面樹葉子沙沙響，很輕很輕的，

He turned to look and behold, there in the darkness stood two big black shadows, wrapped from head to foot in black sacks. The two figures leaped toward him as softly as if they were ghosts.

他回頭一看，就看見黑地里有兩個難看的黑影，這是兩個人，全身用裝炭的口袋套著，踮起腳尖一跳一跳地緊緊追來，活像兩個鬼怪。

"Here they come!" Pinocchio said to himself, and, not knowing where to hide the gold pieces, he stuck all four of them under his tongue.

“他們真在這里!”皮諾喬心里說了一聲。他不知把四個金幣藏到哪兒好，一下子把它們藏到了嘴里，正好塞在舌頭底下。

He tried to run away, but hardly had he taken a step, when he felt his arms grasped and heard two horrible, deep voices say to him:

接著他想逃走?？墒莿傔~腿，就覺得胳膊給抓住，聽到兩個翁聲甕氣的可怕聲音對他說：

"Your money or your life!"

“要錢還是要命!”

On account of the gold pieces in his mouth, Pinocchio could not say a word, so he tried with head and hands and body to show, as best he could, that he was only a poor Marionette without a penny in his pocket.

皮諾喬沒法回答，因為嘴里塞著金幣。他做了成千個怪臉、成千個手勢，要讓對方——他們從口袋上眼睛的地方那兩個小窟窿里望出來——明白，他是個窮木偶，口袋里連一個銅子兒也沒有。

"Come, come, less nonsense, and out with your money!" cried the two thieves in threatening voices.

“拿出來拿出來!別裝傻了，把錢拿出來!”兩個強盜且威嚇的口氣大叫。

Once more, Pinocchio's head and hands said, "I haven't a penny."

木偶用頭和手表示：“沒錢。”

"Out with that money or you're a dead man," said the taller of the two Assassins.

“不把錢拿出來就要你的命，”高的那個殺入強盜說。

"Dead man," repeated the other.

“要你的命!”另一個跟著又說了一遍。

"And after having killed you, we will kill your father also."

“要了你的命，還要你父親的命!”

"Your father also!"

“還要你父親的命!”

"No, no, no, not my Father!" cried Pinocchio, wild with terror; but as he screamed, the gold pieces tinkled together in his mouth.

“別別別，別要我可憐爸爸的命!”皮諾喬發(fā)急地大叫，可他這么一叫，嘴里的金幣就丁丁當當響起來了。

"Ah, you rascal! So that's the game! You have the money hidden under your tongue. Out with it!"

“哈哈，騙子!原來你把錢藏在舌頭底下?馬上吐出來!”

But Pinocchio was as stubborn as ever.

皮諾喬硬挺住!

"Are you deaf? Wait, young man, we'll get it from you in a twinkling!"

“哈哈，你裝聾子?你等著吧，我們這就想辦法讓你吐出來!”

One of them grabbed the Marionette by the nose and the other by the chin, and they pulled him unmercifully from side to side in order to make him open his mouth. All was of no use. The Marionette's lips might have been nailed together. They would not open.

真的，他們一個抓住他的鼻子尖，一個撳他的下巴，動手粗暴地又扳又弄，一個扳這里，一個弄那里，要逼他把嘴張開?？墒菦]用。木偶的嘴像黏在一塊，釘在一起。

In desperation the smaller of the two Assassins pulled out a long knife from his pocket, and tried to pry Pinocchio's mouth open with it. Quick as a flash, the Marionette sank his teeth deep into the Assassin's hand, bit it off and spat it out. Fancy his surprise when he saw that it was not a hand, but a cat's paw.

于是矮的那個拔出一把很大的刀子，想用它做杠桿或者鑿子，插到他的上下嘴唇之間，可皮諾喬快得像閃電，一口把它的手咬斷了，接著把咬下來的手吐出來。諸位想象一下他有多么驚奇吧，因為他吐在地上的不是人的手，而是一只貓的爪子。

Encouraged by this first victory, he freed himself from the claws of his assailers and, leaping over the bushes along the road, ran swiftly across the fields. His pursuers were after him at once, like two dogs chasing a hare.

皮諾喬旗開得勝，膽子大了。他掙脫殺人強盜的爪子，跳過路旁的樹叢，開始在田野上逃走。那兩名殺人強盜緊緊追來，像兩條貓追一只野兔。其中一名殺人強盜因為失去了一只爪子，就用獨腳追，天知道他是怎么跑的。

After running seven miles or so, Pinocchio was well-nigh exhausted. Seeing himself lost, he climbed up a giant pine tree and sat there to see what he could see. The Assassins tried to climb also, but they slipped and fell.

跑了十五公里左右，皮諾喬跑不動了。這時他眼看自己沒救了，就順著最高的一棵松樹的樹干爬上去，坐在一個枝頭上。兩個殺人強盜也打算跟著爬上樹，可是爬到一半，叭噠就掉在地上，手腳的皮都擦破了。

Far from giving up the chase, this only spurred them on. They gathered a bundle of wood, piled it up at the foot of the pine, and set fire to it. In a twinkling the tree began to sputter and burn like a candle blown by the wind. Pinocchio saw the flames climb higher and higher. Not wishing to end his days as a roasted Marionette, he jumped quickly to the ground and off he went, the Assassins close to him, as before.

可它們還不死心，撿來一小捆干柴，堆在松樹腳下，點著了。說時遲那時快，松樹開始熊熊燒起來，像風吹著的蠟燭。皮諾喬看見火焰越燒越高，不想最后變成一只烤鴿子，于是猛地一跳，打枝頭上跳下來，重新又胞，穿過田野和葡萄園。兩個殺入強盜在后面緊追，一步也不拉下。

Dawn was breaking when, without any warning whatsoever, Pinocchio found his path barred by a deep pool full of water the color of muddy coffee. What was there to do? With a "One, two, three!" he jumped clear across it. The Assassins jumped also, but not having measured their distance well -- splash!!! -- they fell right into the middle of the pool. Pinocchio who heard the splash and felt it, too, cried out, laughing, but never stopping in his race:

這時天已經開始亮，他們還是追個不停。皮諾喬一下子給一條溝擋住了去路。這條溝又寬又深，滿是臟水，顏色像牛奶咖啡。怎么辦?“一，二，三!”木偶叫著，猛跑兩步，一跳就跳到了溝那一邊。兩個殺人強盜跟著也跳，可是沒算準距離，卜龍通!……落到溝里去了。皮諾喬聽到他們落水和水濺起來的聲音，哈哈大笑，一面跑一面叫：

"A pleasant bath to you, signori!"

“祝你們痛痛快快洗個澡，殺人的先生們!”

He thought they must surely be drowned and turned his head to see. But there were the two somber figures still following him, though their black sacks were drenched and dripping with water.

他料想他們一準淹死了，可回頭一看，只見他們兩個依然在他后面追，身上還是套著他們的麻袋，嘩嘩地淌著水，活像兩個漏了底的筐子。