There had to be a king and queen, of course. —
当然必须有一位国王和王后。 —

The king was a terrible old man who wore six-shooters and spurs, and shouted in such a tremendous voice that the rattlers on the prairie would run into their holes under the prickly pear. —
国王是个可怕的老人，身穿六连发枪和马刺，声音如此之大，大草原上的响尾蛇都会冲进仙人掌下的洞穴里去。 —

Before there was a royal family they called the man “Whispering Ben.” When he came to own 50, 000 acres of land and more cattle than he could count, they called him O’Donnell “the Cattle King.”
在有皇家家族之前，他们称这个人为“低语本”。当他拥有了5万亩土地和无以计数的牛群后，他们称他为奥唐奈“牧场之王”。

The queen had been a Mexican girl from Laredo. —
王后是一个来自拉雷多的墨西哥女孩。 —

She made a good, mild, Colorado-claro wife, and even succeeded in teaching Ben to modify his voice sufficiently while in the house to keep the dishes from being broken. —
她是一个好妻子，温和而善良，甚至成功地教育本学会在家里温和地说话，以免打碎碗碟。 —

When Ben got to be king she would sit on the gallery of Espinosa Ranch and weave rush mats. —
当本成为国王时，她会坐在埃斯皮诺萨牧场的阳台上编织草垫。 —

When wealth became so irresistible and oppressive that upholstered chairs and a centre table were brought down from San Antone in the wagons, she bowed her smooth, dark head, and shared the fate of the Danae.
当财富变得如此诱人和压迫人时，娇软的椅子和一张中心桌子被从圣安东尼奥运来的马车送下来时，她低着光滑的黑发，与丹妮一同遭到了命运的共享。

To avoid lese-majeste you have been presented first to the king and queen. —
为了避免亵渎皇室，你必须先向国王和皇后敬献。 —

They do not enter the story, which might be called “The Chronicle of the Princess, the Happy Thought, and the Lion that Bungled his Job.”
他们没有出现在故事中，这个故事可以被称为《公主、快乐的想法和搞砸任务的狮子的编年史》。

Josefa O’Donnell was the surviving daughter, the princess. —
何塞法·奥唐奈尔是唯一幸存的女儿， —

From her mother she inherited warmth of nature and a dusky, semi-tropic beauty. —
也就是公主。她从母亲那里继承了温情和半热带的美丽。 —

From Ben O’Donnell the royal she acquired a store of intrepidity, common sense, and the faculty of ruling. —
从本·奥唐奈尔王子那里，她获得了勇敢、常识和统治的能力。 —

The combination was one worth going miles to see. —
这个组合极其令人值得一见。 —

Josefa while riding her pony at a gallop could put five out of six bullets through a tomato-can swinging at the end of a string. —
何塞法骑着她的小马以全速奔跑时，可以将一个挂在绳子上摇摆的番茄罐打中六个里的五个。 —

She could play for hours with a white kitten she owned, dressing it in all manner of absurd clothes. —
她可以花几个小时与她拥有的一只小白猫玩耍，给它穿各种傻傻的衣服。 —

Scorning a pencil, she could tell you out of her head what 1545 two-year-olds would bring on the hoof, at $8.50 per head. —
她厌恶用铅笔，她可以在脑子里告诉你1545个两岁小牛的每个带有$8.50的价格。 —

Roughly speaking, the Espinosa Ranch is forty miles long and thirty broad–but mostly leased land. —
粗略而言，埃斯皮诺萨农场长四十英里，宽三十英里 - 但主要是租赁的土地。 —

Josefa, on her pony, had prospected over every mile of it. —
约瑟法骑着她的小马，展望过每一英里。 —

Every cow-puncher on the range knew her by sight and was a loyal vassal. —
牧场上的每个牛仔都能认出她，并且忠诚地侍奉她。 —

Ripley Givens, foreman of one of the Espinosa outfits, saw her one day, and made up his mind to form a royal matrimonial alliance. —
里普利·吉文斯是埃斯皮诺萨牧场之一的管家，有一天他看到了她，决定与她成婚。 —

Presumptuous? —
傲慢吗？ —

No. In those days in the Nueces country a man was a man. —
不，那个时代在纽塞斯县，男子汉就是男子汉。 —

And, after all, the title of cattle king does not presuppose blood royalty. —
而且，牛王的头衔并不意味着血统上的王族。 —

Often it only signifies that its owner wears the crown in token of his magnificent qualities in the art of cattle stealing.
通常它只表示其主人以他在偷牛艺术方面的卓越品质为荣。

One day Ripley Givens rode over to the Double Elm Ranch to inquire about a bunch of strayed yearlings. —
有一天，里普利·吉文斯骑马去度询问一群迷路的一岁以下的小牛。 —

He was late in setting out on his return trip, and it was sundown when he struck the White Horse Crossing of the Nueces. —
他在返回的路上走得很晚，当他到达纽塞斯的白马渡口时，太阳已经落山了。 —

From there to his own camp it was sixteen miles. —
从那里到他自己的营地有十六英里。 —

To the Espinosa ranch it was twelve. —
到埃斯皮诺萨牧场有十二英里。 —

Givens was tired. He decided to pass the night at the Crossing.
吉文斯很累。他决定在渡口过夜。

There was a fine water hole in the river-bed. —
在河床上有一个漂亮的水坑。 —

The banks were thickly covered with great trees, undergrown with brush. —
河岸上长满了茂密的大树，丛林中还有灌木丛。 —

Back from the water hole fifty yards was a stretch of curly mesquite grass–supper for his horse and bed for himself. —
离水坑有五十码远的地方是一片杂乱的匍匐草地——给他的马吃的晚餐，给他自己当床铺。 —

Givens staked his horse, and spread out his saddle blankets to dry. —
吉文斯系住马，摊开马鞍毯晾晒。 —

He sat down with his back against a tree and rolled a cigarette. —
他背靠着一棵树坐下，卷了一支烟。 —

From somewhere in the dense timber along the river came a sudden, rageful, shivering wail. —
河岸上茂密的树林中，忽然传来一声狂怒而颤抖的哭声。 —

The pony danced at the end of his rope and blew a whistling snort of comprehending fear. —
马抽动着绳子，嘶鸣着表达出了害怕的理解。 —

Givens puffed at his cigarette, but he reached leisurely for his pistol-belt, which lay on the grass, and twirled the cylinder of his weapon tentatively. —
吉文斯呼吸着烟，但轻松地伸手去拿放在草地上的皮带枪，不确定地旋转着弹柱。 —

A great gar plunged with a loud splash into the water hole. —
一条巨大的鱼躯闪亮地扑入水坑中， —

A little brown rabbit skipped around a bunch of catclaw and sat twitching his whiskers and looking humorously at Givens. —
溅起一声巨响。一只小棕兔绕过一丛猫爪草，坐在那里扭动着胡须，滑稽地望着吉文斯。 —

The pony went on eating grass.
马继续吃着草。

It is well to be reasonably watchful when a Mexican lion sings soprano along the arroyos at sundown. —
当墨西哥的狮子在河谷间高声唱着女高音时，保持适度警觉是明智的。 —

The burden of his song may be that young calves and fat lambs are scarce, and that he has a carnivorous desire for your acquaintance.
他的歌声可能意味着年轻的小牛和肥美的羔羊稀缺，同时表达了他对你的食肉欲望。

In the grass lay an empty fruit can, cast there by some former sojourner. —
草地上躺着一个被一些前来居住的人丢弃的空罐头。 —

Givens caught sight of it with a grunt of satisfaction. —
盖文斯满意地看到了它。 —

In his coat pocket tied behind his saddle was a handful or two of ground coffee. —
他的上衣口袋后绑着两把或者更多的研磨过的咖啡豆。 —

Black coffee and cigarettes! —
浓黑的咖啡和香烟！ —

What ranchero could desire more?
还有什么牧场主会更想要的呢？

In two minutes he had a little fire going clearly. —
两分钟后，他明亮地生起了一小堆火。 —

He started, with his can, for the water hole. —
他带着罐子向水坑走去。 —

When within fifteen yards of its edge he saw, between the bushes, a side-saddled pony with down-dropped reins cropping grass a little distance to his left. —
当他靠近水坑距离15码处时，他在灌木丛间看到了一个用鞍座悬垂的马，它在离他稍远的地方吃草。 —

Just rising from her hands and knees on the brink of the water hole was Josefa O’Donnell. —
就在她双膝跪在水坑边缘时，何塞法·奥唐内尔刚起身。 —

She had been drinking water, and she brushed the sand from the palms of her hands. —
她刚喝完水，正在从手掌上拂去沙土。 —

Ten yards away, to her right, half concealed by a clump of sacuista, Givens saw the crouching form of the Mexican lion. —
距离她十码远，在她右侧，被一丛细叶草完全遮住，吉文斯看见了墨西哥狮子屈膝的身影。 —

His amber eyeballs glared hungrily; —
它琥珀色的眼珠贪婪地发亮， —

six feet from them was the tip of the tail stretched straight, like a pointer’s. —
距离它们仅六英尺处有一根尾巴末端笔直地伸展着，就像指示犬一样。 —

His hind-quarters rocked with the motion of the cat tribe preliminary to leaping.
它的后腿随着猫科动物跳跃的动作扭动着。

Givens did what he could. —
吉文斯尽了他的全力。 —

His six-shooter was thirty-five yards away lying on the grass. —
他的六发左轮手枪在三十五码外躺在草地上。 —

He gave a loud yell, and dashed between the lion and the princess.
他大声喊叫，冲向狮子和公主之间。

The “rucus,” as Givens called it afterward, was brief and somewhat confused. —
“混乱”，如吉文斯事后称之，是短暂而有些混乱的。 —

When he arrived on the line of attack he saw a dim streak in the air, and heard a couple of faint cracks. —
当他赶到攻击线时，他看到了一道模糊的线条在空中，听到了几声微弱的砰砰声。 —

Then a hundred pounds of Mexican lion plumped down upon his head and flattened him, with a heavy jar, to the ground. —
然后，墨西哥狮子的上百磅重量突然落在他的头上，使他猛然摔倒在地。 —

He remembered calling out: —
他记得自己喊道： —

“Let up, now–no fair gouging!” and then he crawled from under the lion like a worm, with his mouth full of grass and dirt, and a big lump on the back of his head where it had struck the root of a water-elm. —
“别逞能了，现在——不要耍赖！”然后他像蠕虫一样从狮子下爬出来，嘴里满是草和泥土，脑袋后面还有一个被树根撞伤的大包。 —

The lion lay motionless. Givens, feeling aggrieved, and suspicious of fouls, shook his fist at the lion, and shouted: —
狮子一动不动。吉文斯感到受委屈，他怀疑是否犯规，他朝狮子摇了摇拳头，大声喊道：“我再和你摔一次，赌二十美元——”然后他恢复了镇静。 —

“I’ll rastle you again for twenty–” and then he got back to himself.
约瑟法站在原地，静静地给她镶有银的.38口径手枪装上子弹。这并不是一次难打的枪击。

Josefa was standing in her tracks, quietly reloading her silver- mounted .38. It had not been a difficult shot. —
狮子的头比一个挂在绳子末端的西红柿罐更容易瞄准。 —

The lion’s head made an easier mark than a tomato-can swinging at the end of a string. —
她的嘴角和深邃的眼睛上有着令人恼怒、挑逗和发疯的微笑。 —

There was a provoking, teasing, maddening smile upon her mouth and in her dark eyes. —
那个本来想解救她的骑士感到失败的火焰已经燃烧到他的灵魂。这是他的机会，他曾经梦寐以求的机会； —

The would-be-rescuing knight felt the fire of his fiasco burn down to his soul. —
肯定有笑话无声地在树林里的羊男身上发生。 —

Here had been his chance, the chance that he had dreamed of; —
—

and Momus, and not Cupid, had presided over it. —
这位骑士对于现场搞笑的Momus, —

The satyrs in the wood were, no doubt, holding their sides in hilarious, silent laughter. —
而非丘比特对此持冷嘲热讽的态度，让他的失败感更加深刻。 —

There had been something like vaudeville–say Signor Givens and his funny knockabout act with the stuffed lion.
就好像有个类似歌舞杂耍的节目，比如赛尼奥·吉文斯先生和他带着假狮子的滑稽秀。

“Is that you, Mr. Givens?” said Josefa, in her deliberate, saccharine contralto. —
“是你吗，吉文斯先生？”何塞法用她缓慢、甜蜜的中音说道。 —

“You nearly spoilt my shot when you yelled. —
“你刚才叫得那么大声，差点儿毁了我的镜头。 —

Did you hurt your head when you fell?”
你摔倒时头疼了吗？”

“Oh, no,” said Givens, quietly; “that didn’t hurt.” He stooped ignominiously and dragged his best Stetson hat from under the beast. —
“哦，不，”吉文斯平静地说，“摔倒没事。”他屈身出丑地从兽身下拖出了他的最好的斯泰森礼帽。 —

It was crushed and wrinkled to a fine comedy effect. —
它被压坏了，皱巴巴的，效果很滑稽。 —

Then he knelt down and softly stroked the fierce, open-jawed head of the dead lion.
然后，他跪下轻轻抚摸着那只死狮子凶猛、张着大嘴的头部。

“Poor old Bill!” he exclaimed mournfully.
“可怜的老比尔！”他悲伤地呼喊道。

“What’s that?” asked Josefa, sharply.
“什么？”何塞法尖锐地问道。

“Of course you didn’t know, Miss Josefa,” said Givens, with an air of one allowing magnanimity to triumph over grief. —
“当然你不知道，约瑟法小姐，”吉文斯说，充满了让大度战胜悲伤的气息。 —

“Nobody can blame you. I tried to save him, but I couldn’t let you know in time.”
“没人能怪你。我努力想救他，但是我不能及时让你知道。”

“Save who?”
“救谁？”

“Why, Bill. I’ve been looking for him all day. You see, he’s been our camp pet for two years. —
“哦，比尔。我整天都在找他。你知道，他已经成为我们营地的宠物两年了。” —

Poor old fellow, he wouldn’t have hurt a cottontail rabbit. —
可怜的老家伙，他连一只棉尾兔都不会伤害。 —

It’ll break the boys all up when they hear about it. —
当男孩们听到这件事时，他们会非常伤心的。 —

But you couldn’t tell, of course, that Bill was just trying to play with you.”
但当然你不能说比尔只是想跟你玩玩而已。

Josefa’s black eyes burned steadily upon him. —
约瑟法的黑眼睛在他身上持续地燃烧着。 —

Ripley Givens met the test successfully. —
里普利·吉文斯成功地通过了这个考验。 —

He stood rumpling the yellow-brown curls on his head pensively. —
他若有所思地拨弄着头上的黄褐色卷发。 —

In his eye was regret, not unmingled with a gentle reproach. —
他的眼中带着遗憾，但并不缺乏温和的责备。 —

His smooth features were set to a pattern of indisputable sorrow. —
他平滑的面容上刻上了无可争辩的悲伤。 —

Josefa wavered.
约瑟法犹豫了。

“What was your pet doing here?” she asked, making a last stand. “There’s no camp near the White Horse Crossing.”
“你的宠物在这里做什么？”她问道，最后坚守立场。“白马渡口附近没有营地。”

“The old rascal ran away from camp yesterday,” answered Givens readily. —
“这个老家伙昨天从营地里逃出来的，” 吉文斯毫不犹豫地回答道。 —

“It’s a wonder the coyotes didn’t scare him to death. —
“奇怪的是，郎狼们居然没有把他吓死。 —

You see, Jim Webster, our horse wrangler, brought a little terrier pup into camp last week. —
你看，我们的马夫吉姆·韦伯斯特上周带了一只小猎犬进营地。 —

The pup made life miserable for Bill–he used to chase him around and chew his hind legs for hours at a time. —
这只小狗总是让比尔的生活变得艰难-他会追着他跑，咬他的后腿几个小时。 —

Every night when bedtime came Bill would sneak under one of the boy’s blankets and sleep to keep the pup from finding him. —
每天晚上睡觉时，比尔会偷偷爬进男孩们的毯子下面睡觉，以防止小狗找到他。 —

I reckon he must have been worried pretty desperate or he wouldn’t have run away. —
我认为他肯定很担心才会如此绝望地离开。 —

He was always afraid to get out of sight of camp.”
他总是害怕离开营地的视线范围。

Josefa looked at the body of the fierce animal. —
约瑟法注视着那只凶猛动物的尸体。 —

Givens gently patted one of the formidable paws that could have killed a yearling calf with one blow. —
吉文斯轻轻拍了一下那只能一击杀死一头小牛的恐怖爪子。 —

Slowly a red flush widened upon the dark olive face of the girl. —
慢慢地，红晕在那个深灰色面孔的表面扩散开来。 —

Was it the signal of shame of the true sportsman who has brought down ignoble quarry? —
这是一个耻辱的信号吗？真正的猎人捕杀了卑鄙的猎物？ —

Her eyes grew softer, and the lowered lids drove away all their bright mockery.
她的眼神变得温柔起来，低垂的眼皮驱散了所有明亮的嘲笑。

“I’m very sorry,” she said humbly; —
“对不起，”她谦卑地说， —

“but he looked so big, and jumped so high that–”
“但是他看起来很大，一跳就跳得很高，所以……”

“Poor old Bill was hungry,” interrupted Givens, in quick defence of the deceased. —
“可怜的比尔饿了，” 吉文斯急忙为已故的人辩护。 —

“We always made him jump for his supper in camp. —
“我们总是让他在营地里为晚餐跳舞。 —

He would lie down and roll over for a piece of meat. —
他会躺下然后翻滚一下就能得到一块肉。 —

When he saw you he thought he was going to get something to eat from you.”
当他看到你时，他以为能从你这里得到点吃的。”

Suddenly Josefa’s eyes opened wide.
突然，Josefa睁大了眼睛。

“I might have shot you!” she exclaimed. —
“我可能射中你了！”她大叫道。 —

“You ran right in between. —
“你冲进来了。” —

You risked your life to save your pet! —
你冒着生命危险来救你的宠物！ —

That was fine, Mr. Givens. —
这很好，Givens先生。 —

I like a man who is kind to animals.”
我喜欢对动物友善的男人。

Yes; there was even admiration in her gaze now. After all, there was a hero rising out of the ruins of the anti-climax. The look on Givens’s face would have secured him a high position in the S.P.C.A.
是的，现在她的目光中甚至带有钦佩之情。毕竟，在这个受挫折的情况中，有一个英雄正在崛起。Givens的脸上的表情会让他在动物保护协会里获得高职位。

“I always loved ‘em,” said he; “horses, dogs, Mexican lions, cows, alligators–”
“我一直都喜欢它们，”他说，“马、狗、墨西哥狮子、牛、鳄鱼——”

“I hate alligators,” instantly demurred Josefa; —
“我讨厌鳄鱼，”Josefa立刻反驳道，“爬来爬去， —

“crawly, muddy things!”
泥泞的东西！”

“Did I say alligators?” said Givens. —
“我说鳄鱼吗？”Givens说。 —

“I meant antelopes, of course.”
“我当然是说羚羊。”

Josefa’s conscience drove her to make further amends. —
Josefa的良心命令她作进一步补偿。 —

She held out her hand penitently. —
她懊悔地伸出手。 —

There was a bright, unshed drop in each of her eyes.
她的眼睛里有一颗明亮的未流下的泪珠。

“Please forgive me, Mr. Givens, won’t you? I’m only a girl, you know, and I was frightened at first. —
“请原谅我，Givens先生，好吗？你知道我只是个女孩，一开始我很害怕。 —

I’m very, very sorry I shot Bill. You don’t know how ashamed I feel. —
对于我射中Bill，我真的非常非常抱歉。你不知道我有多么感到羞愧。 —

I wouldn’t have done it for anything.”
我宁愿什么都不做也不会这样做的。”

Givens took the proffered hand. —
Givens接过了伸出的手。 —

He held it for a time while he allowed the generosity of his nature to overcome his grief at the loss of Bill. At last it was clear that he had forgiven her.
他握着手，同时让自己天性中的慷慨战胜了对Bill的失去带来的悲伤。最后，他明确表示已经原谅了她。

“Please don’t speak of it any more, Miss Josefa. —
“请不要再提了，Josefa小姐。 —

‘Twas enough to frighten any young lady the way Bill looked. —
Bill的样子足以吓坏任何年轻女士。 —

I’ll explain it all right to the boys.”
我会向其他人解释清楚的。”

“Are you really sure you don’t hate me?” Josefa came closer to him impulsively. —
“你真的确定你不恨我吗？” Josefa情不自禁地走近了他。 —

Her eyes were sweet–oh, sweet and pleading with gracious penitence. —
她的眼睛是那样甜蜜-噢，伴随着亲切的悔过。 —

“I would hate anyone who would kill my kitten. —
“如果有人杀了我的小猫，我会恨他的。 —

And how daring and kind of you to risk being shot when you tried to save him! —
你敢于冒着被枪击的风险试图拯救它，真是勇敢而善良！” —

How very few men would have done that!” Victory wrested from defeat! —
多少男人会这样做！从失败中获得胜利！ —

Vaudeville turned into drama! Bravo, Ripley Givens!
杂耍变成了戏剧！太棒了，Ripley Givens！

It was now twilight. Of course Miss Josefa could not be allowed to ride on to the ranch-house alone. —
此刻正值黄昏时分。当然不能让Josefa小姐独自一人骑向牧场。 —

Givens resaddled his pony in spite of that animal’s reproachful glances, and rode with her. —
尽管那匹马不满地瞪着眼睛，Givens重新给它装上鞍，陪着她骑向目的地。 —

Side by side they galloped across the smooth grass, the princess and the man who was kind to animals. —
并肩而驰, 公主和一个善待动物的男子穿越着平滑的草地。 —

The prairie odours of fruitful earth and delicate bloom were thick and sweet around them. —
茂盛的土地和精致的花香在他们周围弥漫着, 甜蜜而浓郁。 —

Coyotes yelping over there on the hill! No fear. And yet–
那边的山丘上传来丛林狼的嗥叫！但是并没有恐惧。然而-

Josefa rode closer. A little hand seemed to grope. Givens found it with his own. —
Josefa骑得更近了。一个小手似乎在摸索。Givens用自己的手找到了它。 —

The ponies kept an even gait. —
小马保持着平稳的步伐。 —

The hands lingered together, and the owner of one explained:
两只手相互交错，其中的一个主人解释道：

“I never was frightened before, but just think! —
“我以前从来没有害怕过，但是想想！ —

How terrible it would be to meet a really wild lion! —
遇到真正的野生狮子会有多可怕！可怜的比尔！ —

Poor Bill! I’m so glad you came with me!”
我很庆幸你和我一起来！”

O’Donnell was sitting on the ranch gallery.
O’Donnell坐在牧场的门廊上。

“Hello, Rip!” he shouted–“that you?”
“嘿，Rip！”他大喊一声，“是你吗？”

“He rode in with me,” said Josefa. —
“他和我一起来的。”Josefa说， —

“I lost my way and was late.”
“我走丢了，所以迟到了。”

“Much obliged,” called the cattle king. “Stop over, Rip, and ride to camp in the morning.”
“非常感谢。”牛王喊道，“Rip，留下来，明天一起骑到营地。”

But Givens would not. He would push on to camp. —
但是Givens不愿意。他要继续向营地推进。 —

There was a bunch of steers to start off on the trail at daybreak. —
明天早上有一群牛要起程。 —

He said good-night, and trotted away.
他道了晚安，然后小跑着离开了。

An hour later, when the lights were out, Josefa, in her night-robe, came to her door and called to the king in his own room across the brick-paved hallway:
大约一个小时后，当灯光熄灭时，何塞法穿着睡袍来到她的门口，在砖铺的走廊上呼唤着在对面自己的房间里的国王：

“Say, pop, you know that old Mexican lion they call the ‘Gotch-eared Devil’–the one that killed Gonzales, Mr. Martin’s sheep herder, and about fifty calves on the Salado range? —
“喂，老爸，你知道那只叫做‘有刺耳朵的恶魔’的老墨西哥狮子吗？它杀死了冈萨雷斯，马丁先生的牧羊人，在萨拉多地区还杀了大约五十头小牛。 —

Well, I settled his hash this afternoon over at the White Horse Crossing. —
嗯，我今天下午在白马渡口解决了它。当它跳跃时， —

Put two balls in his head with my .38 while he was on the jump. —
我用我的0.38手枪给它的头中放了两颗子弹。 —

I knew him by the slice gone from his left ear that old Gonzales cut off with his machete. —
我是通过它左耳上被冈萨雷斯用大砍刀割下的那一片来认出它的。 —

You couldn’t have made a better shot yourself, daddy.”
你就好像亲自开了一枪一样了不起，老爹。”

“Bully for you!” thundered Whispering Ben from the darkness of the royal chamber.
“为你高兴！”威士瓦宾·本从王室的黑暗中咆哮出声。