Section outline

  •  

    The
    Jungle
    Baby

    by

    G.E. Farrow

     Illustrated by

    E.M. & M.F. Taylor

     

    T

    There was once a little white baby boy called Bab-ba, he had bright blue eyes and golden curls, and he had a black Ayah for his nurse. She had been with Bab-ba ever since he was quite a tiny baby in long robes, and she was very fond of him. Her name was Jeejee-walla, but they just called her Ayah.::从前有个白人小男孩,名叫巴巴,他长着明亮的蓝眼睛和金色的卷发,还有一位黑人保姆。自从爸爸还是个穿着长袍的小婴儿时,她就和他在一起了,她非常喜欢他。她的名字是吉吉沃拉,但他们都叫她奶妈。

    B

    Bab-ba’s Father was an English Officer in India, and they lived in a beautiful white house on the Simla Hills, with a big verandah running all around it. Round about the verandah was a garden, and outside the garden the jungle stretched for miles and miles, and in the jungle were all sorts of beasts and birds.::爸爸是驻印度的英国军官,他们住在西姆拉山上一栋漂亮的白房子里,房子四周有一个大阳台。阳台的四周是一个花园,花园外面的丛林绵延数英里,丛林里有各种各样的野兽和鸟类。

     

    L

    Little Bab-ba used to play on the verandah with his pets, Mioux-Mioux, the cat, and Wooff-Wooff, the dog, and they both loved him very dearly. Mioux-Mioux never scratched him when he accidentally pulled her tail, although she felt very much like doing so; and Wooff-Wooff used to stand on his hind legs and perform all sorts of funny tricks to make Bab-ba laugh.::小爸爸经常和他的宠物猫Mioux-Mioux和狗Wooff-Wooff在阳台上玩耍,他们都非常喜欢他。当他不小心拉了Mioux-Mioux的尾巴时,她从来没有抓过他,尽管她很想这样做;伍夫常常用后腿站立,表演各种滑稽的把戏逗爸爸笑。

     

    E

    Every morning after breakfast Bab-ba threw bread crumbs out to the little birds on the lawn, and they used to sit in the trees and watch for him, and sing about him till he came out of the house. “Good little Bab-ba, who gives us our food,” one would sing; and “We all love little Bab-ba,” several of the others would reply from another part of the garden.::每天早上吃完早饭,爸爸就把面包屑扔给草地上的小鸟们,它们就常常坐在树上守候着爸爸,为他唱歌,直到他从房子里飞出来。“善良的小爸爸,是他给了我们食物,”有人会唱道;“我们都爱小爸爸,”其他几个孩子在花园的另一边回答。

    Mioux-Mioux used to watch them out of the corner of her eyes, but she never attempted to catch them because she knew that Bab-ba loved them; and Wooff-Wooff used to sit with his head on one side and wonder however they managed with only two legs and not four like his.::Mioux-Mioux过去常常用眼角的余光看着它们,但她从不试图抓住它们,因为她知道爸爸爱它们;伍夫——伍夫常常把头歪在一边坐着,心里纳闷,它们只有两条腿,而不像它有四条腿,是怎么做到的。

    B

    But one day when Bab-ba was feeding the birdies, the big snake Hoodo, who lived in the garden, came creeping under the verandah and tried to catch some of the birds while they were eating, but Bab-ba saw him and called out!—::但是有一天,当爸爸正在喂鸟的时候,住在花园里的大蛇胡多爬到了阳台下面,想抓住一些正在吃东西的鸟,但是爸爸看见了他,大声叫道!

    “Go away, bad Hoodo, go away!”::“走开,坏胡多,走开!”

    and his Ayah heard him and came running out to see what was the matter.::他的保姆听见了,就跑出来看看发生了什么事。

     

    W

    When she saw Hoodo, the big snake, she caught Bab-ba up in her arms and ran with him into the house, and two of the men servants came out with big sticks and beat Hoodo over the head and body till he could hardly crawl away again into his hole under a big tree in the garden.::当她看到胡多,那条大蛇,她把巴巴抱在怀里,带着他跑进了房子,两个男仆拿着大棍子出来,打胡多的头和身体,直到他几乎无法爬回花园里大树下的洞里去。

     

    N

    Now Hoodo was a very wicked snake, and was very angry about all this, and he thought and thought about it, and wondered how he could be revenged on little Bab-ba, for he put all that had occurred down to him, and so one day, after he had got better he went out into the jungle to see an old friend of his, Tig, the Tiger, and talk the matter over with him.::现在,胡多是一条非常邪恶的蛇,对这一切非常生气,他想了又想,不知道怎样才能报复小巴巴,因为他把发生的一切都归咎于自己。所以,有一天,在他好转之后,他到丛林里去看他的老朋友,老虎蒂格,和他谈谈这件事。

     

    H

    Hoodo thought that Tig the Tiger was as greedy and cruel as he was himself, and so he asked him how he would like a little white fat baby boy for his dinner, and Tig licked his lips and said, “H’M! we shall see.”::虎多觉得虎提格和他自己一样贪婪和残忍,所以他问虎提格是否愿意让一个又白又胖的小男孩当他的晚餐,虎提格舔着嘴唇说:“嗯!等着瞧吧。”

     

    T

    Then Hoodo went further into the jungle and met Prowl, the Wolf.::然后,胡多又深入丛林,遇到了狼Prowl。

    “How would you like a little fat white baby to eat?” asked Hoodo; and Prowl, the Wolf, licked his lips and said, “Ha!” and nothing else.::“你想要一个胖胖的白宝宝吃什么?”胡多问。狼Prowl舔着嘴唇说:“哈!仅此而已。

     

    A

     A little further on Hoodo met Bluf, the big brown Bear, and he asked him what he would do if he met a little fat white baby in the jungle.::再往前走了一点,胡多遇到了大棕熊布拉夫,他问布拉夫,如果他在丛林里遇到一个胖胖的小白熊,他会怎么做。

    And Bluf stood up on his hind legs, hugged himself and said, “Ough! Very nice, very nice indeed!”::布洛夫用后腿站了起来,抱住自己说:“哎呀!非常好,非常好!”

    A

    And then Poon-dah, the big wild Elephant, came crushing through the jungle, and Hoodo had to scurry out of his way, so that he didn’t get trampled upon.::接着,那头野象蓬大冲进了丛林,胡多不得不赶紧闪开,以免被它踩到。

    “How would you like a little white ——” he screamed out, but Poon-dah made a loud noise with his trunk and went on, for he didn’t converse with snakes.::“你想要一点白——”他尖叫道,但是菩大用鼻子发出一声巨响,继续往前走,因为他不和蛇说话

    Nevertheless, Hoodo was satisfied, for he said, “If Poon-dah would trample on me in passing, so he would on a little white baby if he were here;” and his wicked black beady eyes were bright and he laughed maliciously.::不过,胡多还是满意了,因为他说:“如果蒲大在路过的时候会踩到我,那么如果他在这里,他也会踩到一个小白婴儿的。”他那双邪恶的黑眼睛闪闪发亮,恶意地笑着。

    A

    After this Hoodo went home to his hole under the tree in Bab-ba’s Father’s garden, and watched and waited till Bab-ba should be quite by himself; and one day when Wooff-Wooff had gone off after a wild rabbit, and Mioux-Mioux was fast asleep in the sun, the Ayah went into the house to fetch Bab-ba’s Noah’s ark, and he was left alone on the verandah.::这之后,胡多回到了爸爸花园树下的洞里,一直守候着,直到爸爸一个人安静下来。有一天,伍尔夫去追一只野兔,米欧米欧在太阳下呼呼大睡,保姆进屋去取爸爸的诺亚方舟,他一个人留在阳台上。

    Then Hoodo came sliding out of his hole very quickly and stood before the verandah, waving his head backwards and forwards, and shooting out his little tongue, while the sun showed all the colours of the rainbow on his smooth shiny skin.::然后,胡多很快地从洞里滑了出来,站在阳台前,前后摇着头,伸出小舌头,阳光在他光滑发亮的皮肤上显示出彩虹的所有颜色。

     

    O

    "Oh, pretty Hoodo!” said Bab-ba, “but you’re naughty. Go away!”::“哦,漂亮的胡多!”爸爸说,“但你很淘气。”走开!”

    “No,” said Hoodo sweetly, “I’m not naughty, dear Bab-ba, and I know where some such beautiful flowers grow. Come with me and I’ll show you!”::“不,”胡多温柔地说,“我不淘气,亲爱的爸爸,我知道哪里长着这么美丽的花。跟我来,我指给你看!”

    “No,” said Bab-ba, shaking his head; but Hoodo continued to look at him steadily, and presently Bab-ba slid down from the verandah and came towards him.::“不,”爸爸摇着头说;但胡多还是目不转睛地盯着他,不一会儿,巴巴就从阳台上滑下来,朝他走来。

    Then Hoodo laughed and drew back quickly into the thick part of the garden, with Bab-ba running after him.::然后,胡多笑了笑,迅速退到花园茂密的地方,爸爸在后面追着他。

     

    W

    When the Ayah returned to the verandah with Bab-ba’s Noah’s Ark, and she saw his little empty chair and Mioux-Mioux asleep in the sun, she grew alarmed and ran about calling Bab-ba’s name, and wringing her hands, and Bab-ba’s Mother came out, and his Father, and they and all the servants hunted about in the garden for a very long while, but could not find any trace of him, and Mioux-Mioux woke up and wondered what all the commotion was about, and Wooff-Wooff came back without the rabbit and wondered too.::当女仆回到走廊Bab-ba的诺亚方舟,她看到他的小空椅子和Mioux-Mioux在阳光下睡觉,她都惊慌起来,跑Bab-ba打电话的名字,和扭她的手,和Bab-ba的母亲,和他的父亲,他们和所有的仆人猎杀在花园里很长时间,但他找不到任何踪迹,Mioux-Mioux醒来,想知道所有的骚动,伍夫回来时没带兔子,他也很纳闷。

     

    W

    Wooff-Wooff went over to where Mioux-Mioux was sitting, and talked the matter over with her. While they were talking, some little birds overhead called out to them to attract their attention.::伍夫走到Mioux-Mioux坐的地方,和她讨论了这件事。当他们说话的时候,头顶上有几只小鸟在叫他们,想引起他们的注意。

    “Bab-ba,” they said, “Bab-ba has followed Hoodo, the Snake, into the jungle, and he will be lost and eaten by the wild beasts unless he is brought back. Quick! Quick! Go after him! Haste!”::“巴巴,”他们说,“巴巴跟着蛇胡多进了丛林,如果不把他带回来,他就会迷路,被野兽吃掉的。快!快!去追他!匆忙!”

     

    A

    And so Wooff-Wooff ran to Bab-ba’s Father and Mother and tried to tell them.::于是,伍夫就跑到爸爸妈妈那里,想告诉他们。

    He ran backwards and forwards towards the jungle, and barked and tried to make them follow; but they wouldn’t understand, and so at last he had to set out himself to try and find him.::他朝丛林里跑来跑去,汪汪地叫着,试图让他们跟着他;但他们不理解,所以最后他不得不亲自出发去找他。

     

    N

    Now after Bab-ba had followed Hoodo a little way through the garden, the snake turned to a little path which led to a hole broken in the wall.::爸爸跟着胡多穿过花园走了一小段路后,蛇转向一条小路,小路通向墙上的一个破洞。

    “You must crawl through here,” said Hoodo, “the pretty flowers are on the other side.”::“你必须从这里爬过去,”胡多说,“美丽的花儿在另一边。”

    So Bab-ba crawled through and found himself in the jungle.::于是爸爸爬了进去,发现自己在丛林里。

     

    F

    Further on! further on!” cried Hoodo, every time Bab-ba stopped to gather any, “there are prettier ones further on.” And so Bab-ba went on and on till he came to where Tig the Tiger lay asleep in the long grass.::进一步!进一步!胡多每次停下来摘的时候都叫道,“更远的地方还有更漂亮的呢。”爸爸就这样走啊走啊,一直走到老虎躺在草丛里睡觉的地方。

    “Now’s your time,” whispered Hoodo in his ear, “here’s the little white baby for your dinner.” And Tig sprang up with a roar.::“现在是你的时候了,”胡多在他耳边低语,“这是你的小白宝宝。”提格咆哮着跳了起来。

    But Bab-ba wasn’t a bit frightened, and he only laughed, and said “what a big, big Mioux-Mioux!” And he put his arms around Tig’s neck and nestled his head in his soft fur, till Tig forgot all about his dinner, and purred with delight just like Mioux-Mioux did when she was pleased.::但是爸爸一点也不害怕,他只是笑着说:“好大好大的Mioux-Mioux!”他搂着提格的脖子,把他的头偎依在他柔软的皮毛里,直到提格完全忘记了他的晚餐,像Mioux-Mioux一样高兴地发出呼噜声。

     

    H

    Hoodo was very angry at this, and finding that Tig was making friends with Bab-ba instead of eating him up, he called Bab-ba to him and said, “Come, let us be going, or we shall be late home.” And Bab-ba kissed Tig, the Tiger, and followed Hoodo further into the jungle, till they met Prowl, the Wolf. “Here’s the little white baby,” whispered Hoodo. And Prowl said, “Ha!” and was going to spring upon him and eat him up. But Bab-ba only laughed and said, “What a big Wooff-Wooff!” and patted him on the head, and looked into his eyes so that Prowl forgot all about eating him, and licked his hands and frisked about him just as Wooff-Wooff would have done.::胡多对此非常生气,发现猛虎(Tig)正在和巴巴交朋友,而不是把他吃掉,他便召唤巴巴说:“来吧,我们走吧,否则回家就晚了。”于是,巴巴亲吻了猛虎(Tig),跟随胡多深入丛林,直到他们遇到了狼(Prowl)。“这就是那个小白宝宝,”胡多低声说。狼(Prowl)说道:“哈!”然后准备扑上去把巴巴吃掉。但巴巴只是笑了笑,说:“多么大的伍夫-伍夫!”并拍了拍狼的头,看着他的眼睛,结果狼完全忘记了要吃掉他,开始舔巴巴的手,围着他跳跃,就像伍夫-伍夫那样。

    T

    This is silly,” said Hoodo angrily. “Come away, it is near to sunset, and we must be getting home,” and he led the way to where Bluf, the big brown Bear, lived. “I’ve brought the little white baby for you,” said Hoodo. And Bluf said, “Ough! very nice, very nice indeed!” And caught Bab-ba up in his arms and hugged him.::这太愚蠢了。”胡多生气地说。“快走吧,太阳快落山了,我们该回家了。”他领着大家来到大棕熊布拉夫住的地方。“我给你带来了一个白色的小婴儿。”布拉夫说:“哎!非常好,非常好!”把爸爸抱在怀里,紧紧地抱着他。

    “Just like my Ayah does!” laughed Bab-ba, and he patted Bluf’s cheeks and kissed him, so that Bluf didn’t want to eat him at all, but only to hug him and keep him warm.::“就像我的保姆一样!”爸爸哈哈大笑,拍拍布拉夫的脸颊,亲了亲他,所以布拉夫根本不想吃他,只是想拥抱他,让他暖和一下。

    J

    Just then there was a loud trumpeting heard, and Bluf put Bab-ba down to the ground, and Hoodo slid off into the grass, hissing. “Now Poon-dah is coming and you will be trampled to death. Good-bye, little Bab-ba, I hate you!”::就在这时,传来了一声响亮的号角声,布洛夫把爸爸放在地上,胡多也滑到草地上,发出嘶嘶声。“现在彭大来了,你必被践踏致死。再见了,小爸爸,我恨你!”

    But when Poon-dah came and saw the little white baby, he remembered that he had not always been a wild elephant, but had once himself belonged to a white man, and so he picked little Bab-ba up with his trunk and placed him gently on his back.::但是,当菩达来了,看到这个小白象的时候,他想起他并不是一直都是一头野象,而是曾经属于一个白人的,所以他用鼻子把小巴巴抱起来,轻轻地放在他的背上。

     

    A

    And that’s the position in which Bab-ba’s Father found him, when at last he had understood Wooff-Wooff’s barking, and had followed him into the jungle, accompanied by some native servants armed with guns and sticks. Wooff-Wooff traced the little boy by his scent, till they came upon him riding on Poon-dah’s back.::爸爸就是这样发现他的,他终于听懂了伍夫的吠叫,跟着他进了丛林,还有几个拿着枪和棍棒的土著仆人。伍夫-伍夫根据小男孩的气味追踪他,直到他们发现他骑在蒲达夫的背上。

    And now a funny thing happened, for amongst the servants was one who had once been Poon-dah’s keeper, and Poon-dah remembered him and allowed himself to be led by him to Bab-ba’s home. And so they returned in triumph with Bab-ba and his Father on Poon-dah’s back, and good Wooff-Wooff barking and frisking by his side.::这时,一件有趣的事情发生了,因为仆人中有一个人曾经是普大的看门人,普大想起了他,就让他领着自己去了爸爸的家。于是,他们凯旋而归,爸爸和爸爸骑在蒲达夫的背上,乖伍夫在蒲达夫身边又叫又跳。

    T

    The wicked Hoodo was justly punished, for just as he was going into his hole under the tree, he met an old enemy of his, Tiv, the Mongoose, and the two fought and fought for a long while, till at last Hoodo was exhausted and stretched himself out and died, while little Tiv sat up and rubbed his paws together to clean them, and then skipped off to his new little home under Bab-ba’s verandah, where he still lives to keep away any other wicked snakes from harming him.::恶人Hoodo公正的惩罚,因为正如他进入洞在树下,他遇到了他的老对手,Tiv,猫鼬,和两个斗争和斗争了很长时间,直到最后Hoodo筋疲力尽而死,伸了个懒腰,而小Tiv,坐起来,揉了揉爪子在一起清洗,然后跳过了他的新小Bab-ba下家里的凉台上,他仍然住在哪里远离其他邪恶的蛇伤害他。