Chapter 3 Part 1
‘Well, my darling (親愛的),
what shall it be
tonight?’
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‘I think we’ll have
duck tonight,’
said Mrs Fox.
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‘Bring us two fat ducks,
if you please.
One for you and me,
and one for the children.’
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‘Ducks it shall be!’
said Mr Fox.
‘Bunce’s best!’
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‘Now do be careful,’
said Mrs Fox.
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‘My darling (親愛的),’
said Mr Fox,
‘I can smell (聞到) those goons (蠢貨)
a mile away (一英里外).
I can even smell (聞到)
one from the other.
Boggis gives off (散發)
a filthy (骯髒的) stink (臭味)
of rotten (腐爛的) chicken-skins.
Bunce reeks (散發惡臭)
of goose-livers (鵝肝).
And as for Bean,
the fumes (氣味)
of apple cider
hang around (圍繞著) him
like poisonous (有毒的) gases (氣體).’
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‘Yes, but just
don’t get careless (粗心的),’
said Mrs Fox.
‘You know they’ll be waiting
for you,
all three of them.’
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‘Don’t you worry
about me,’
said Mr Fox.
‘I’ll see you later.’
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But Mr Fox
would not have been
quite so cocky (自大的)
had he known
exactly
where the three farmers
were waiting
at that moment.
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They were
just outside
the entrance (入口)
to the hole,
each one of them
crouching (蹲伏)
behind a tree
with his gun
loaded (上膛的).
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And what is more,
they had chosen
their positions (位置)
very carefully (小心地),
making sure
that the wind
was not blowing
from them
towards the fox’s hole.
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In fact,
it was blowing
in the opposite direction (相反方向).
There was no chance
of them
being smelled out (被聞到).
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Mr Fox
crept (悄悄移動) up
the dark tunnel (地道)
to the mouth (出口)
of his hole.
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He poked (探出)
his long
handsome (英俊的) face
out
into the night air
and sniffed (嗅)
once.
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He moved
an inch (一英寸)
or two forward
and stopped.
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He sniffed (嗅) again.
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He was always
especially (特別地) careful
when coming out
from his hole.
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He inched (一點一點移動) forward
a little more.
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The front half
of his body
was now
in the open (在外面).
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His black nose
twitched (抽動)
from side to side,
sniffing (嗅)
and sniffing
for the scent (氣味)
of danger.
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He found none,
and he was just
about to go
trotting (小跑) forward
into the wood
when he heard
or thought he heard
a tiny noise,
a soft rustling (沙沙聲) sound,
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as though
someone had moved
a foot
ever so gently (非常輕輕地)
through a patch (一片)
of dry leaves.
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Mr Fox
flattened (壓低)
his body
against the ground
and lay very still (一動也不動),
his ears
pricked (豎起).
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He waited
a long time,
but he heard
nothing more.
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‘It must have been
a field-mouse (田鼠),’
he told himself,
‘or some other
small animal.’
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He crept (悄悄移動)
a little further
out of the hole
… then further still.
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He was almost
right out
in the open (在外面) now.
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He took
a last
careful look
around.
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The wood
was murky (陰暗的)
and very still.
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Somewhere
in the sky
the moon
was shining.
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Just then,
his sharp night-eyes
caught (看見)
a glint (閃光)
of something bright
behind a tree
not far away.
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It was
a small silver speck (小點)
of moonlight
shining
on a polished (光滑的) surface.
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Mr Fox
lay still,
watching it.
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What on earth (到底是什麼)
was it?
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Now it was moving.
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It was coming
up
and up.
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Great heavens (天啊)!
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It was the barrel (槍管)
of a gun!
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Quick as a whip (非常快),
Mr Fox
jumped back
into his hole
and at that same instant (就在那一刻)
the entire wood
seemed to explode (爆炸)
around him.
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Bang! Bang-bang!
Bang-bang-bang!
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The smoke
from the three guns
floated (飄) upward
in the night air.
Chapter 3 Part 2
Boggis and Bunce
and Bean
came out
from behind their trees
and walked
towards the hole.
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‘Did we get him?’
said Bean.
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One of them
shone (照亮)
a flashlight (手電筒)
on to the hole,
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and there
on the ground,
in the circle (圈) of light,
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half in
and half out
of the hole,
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lay (躺著)
the poor
tattered (破爛的)
bloodstained (沾滿血的) remains (殘骸)
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of …
a fox’s tail.
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Bean
picked it up.
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‘We got the tail
but we missed (沒打中)
the fox,’
he said,
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tossing (丟開)
the thing
away.
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‘Dang and blast (真該死)!’
said Boggis.
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‘We shot
too late (太晚了).’
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‘We should have
let fly (立刻開槍)
the moment
he poked (探出)
his head out.’
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‘He won’t be
poking it out
again
in a hurry (短時間內),’
Bunce said.
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Bean
pulled a flask (酒瓶)
from his pocket
and took a swig (喝一大口)
of cider.
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Then he said,
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‘It’ll take
three days
at least (至少)
before he gets
hungry enough
to come out again.’
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‘I’m not
sitting around (閒坐著)
here
waiting for that.’
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‘Let’s dig him out (把他挖出來).’
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‘Ah,’
said Boggis.
‘Now you’re talking sense (這才像話).’
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‘We can dig him out
in a couple of hours (幾個小時內).’
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‘We know
he’s there.’
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‘I reckon (我認為)
there’s a whole family
of them
down that hole,’
Bunce said.
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‘Then we’ll have
the lot (全部),’
said Bean.
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‘Get the shovels (鏟子)!’
The End