3. Kaa’s hunting
3. 卡阿打猎
Bagheera and Kaa were also watching that cloud. They were now outside the city walls, but they knew they had to be careful. There were only two of them, and there were hundreds of monkeys.
巴希拉和崩尼也在注视着那片云。他们此刻身处城墙之外，但他们知道必须小心行事。他们只有两个，而猴子却有成百上千只。
They are over there by that house, talking about the boy,’ said Bagheera. ‘When the cloud hides the moon, I will attack them.’
“他们在那边那所房子旁，正在谈论那个男孩，”巴希拉说，“当云遮住月亮时，我就向他们发动攻击。”
I will go to the higher ground at the west wall,’ Kaa said, ‘and come down the hill very fast. Good hunting!’
“我要去西墙的高地上，”崩尼说，“然后飞快地冲下山坡。狩猎顺利！”
The black panther ran quickly to the crowds of monkeys and started hitting, right and left, as hard as he could. The monkeys screamed angrily, but then one of them shouted, ‘There is only one here! Kill him! Kill!’ And a crowd of monkeys jumped on Bagheera, biting and pulling.
那只黑豹迅速冲向猴群，左右开弓，用尽全力挥击。猴子们愤怒地尖叫着，但随后其中一只大喊：“这里只有一个！杀了他！杀！”一群猴子扑向巴希拉，又咬又扯。
Another group pulled Mowgli up a wall and pushed him over. He fell down into a dark room which had no doors or windows, and he could not get out. ‘Stay there,’ shouted the monkeys, ‘until we have killed your friend. And then we will play with you, if the snakes leave you alive.’
另一群猴子把莫格利拽上墙头推了过去。他掉进一间没有门窗的黑屋子里，无法逃脱。“待在那里，”猴子们喊道，“直到我们杀了你的朋友。然后我们会跟你玩，如果蛇没把你咬死的话。”
Mowgli heard hissing sounds in the darkness around him. ‘We are of one blood, you and I,’ he said, quickly giving the Snakes’ Call.
莫格利听到周围黑暗中有嘶嘶声。“我们是一家人，你和我，”他迅速发出蛇族的召唤语。
Sssss,’ the snakes replied. ‘We will not bite you, but stand still, Little Brother, because your feet can hurt us.’
“嘶嘶，”蛇群回答，“我们不会咬你，但站着别动，小兄弟，因为你的脚会伤到我们。”
Mowgli stood very still and listened to the fight around Bagheera. For the first time ever, the big panther was fighting for his life. Then Mowgli remembered something. There was a big tank of water near one of the buildings.
莫格利一动不动地站着，听着巴希拉周围的打斗声。这是那只大豹子第一次为了活命而战斗。然后莫格利想起了什么。其中一座建筑物附近有一个大水塘。
Go to the tank, Bagheera! Get to the water!’
“去水塘，巴希拉！去水里！”
Bagheera heard and he knew that Mowgli was safe. Suddenly he felt stronger and he pulled himself slowly to the tank, fighting against the crowds of monkeys.
巴希拉听到了，并知道莫格利是安全的。他突然感到力气大增，一边与猴群搏斗，一边慢慢向水塘挪去。
Then Baloo came running in from the jungle, shouting, ‘Bagheera, I am here!’ At once the monkeys jumped on him, and the bear started to hit them with his great strong arms. Mowgli heard a splash when Bagheera jumped into the tank. The monkeys were afraid of water and could not follow him there. But they stood all round the sides, ready to jump on him if he tried to get out and help Baloo.
这时，巴鲁从丛林中跑来，大喊：“巴希拉，我来啦！”猴子们立刻扑向他，熊开始用他强壮的臂膀击打它们。莫格利听到巴希拉跳进水塘的声音。猴子们怕水，无法跟着进去。但他们围在四周，准备一旦他试图出来帮助巴鲁就扑上去。
And where was Kaa all this time? It was a hard climb up to the west wall, and Kaa moved carefully over the stones. Now he came down the hill very quickly, hungry and wanting to kill. Kaa was ten metres long, heavy and strong. He went silently into the crowd of monkeys around Baloo, and he did not need to hit twice.
那么崩尼一直都在哪儿呢？爬上西墙非常艰难，崩尼小心翼翼地爬过石头。现在他飞快地冲下山坡，饥饿且渴望杀戮。崩尼有十米长，沉重而强壮。他无声地钻入巴鲁周围的猴群中，而且不需要击打第二次。
When they are very young, monkeys are told about Kaa, the silent thief who can kill the strongest monkey. All monkeys are afraid of Kaa. Now they ran, with shouts of ‘It’s Kaa! Run! Run!’
猴子们很小的时候就听说过崩尼，那个能杀死最强壮猴子的无声盗贼。所有猴子都害怕崩尼。现在他们尖叫着“是崩尼！快跑！快跑！”四散奔逃。
Then Kaa opened his mouth for the first time and spoke one long hissing word. The monkeys were suddenly silent and still, and nothing moved in the city.
然后崩尼第一次张开嘴，说出一个长长的嘶嘶声单词。猴子们突然变得鸦雀无声、一动不动，城里没有任何东西在移动。
Bagheera pulled himself out of the tank. ‘Get the man-cub out and let us go,’ he said. ‘I can’t fight any more. And the monkeys will attack us again.’
巴希拉从水塘里爬了出来。“把人崽弄出来，我们走，”他说，“我再也打不动了。猴子们还会再来攻击我们的。”
They will not move until I tell them to move,’ said Kaa.
“在我说让他们动之前，他们是不会动的。”崩尼说。
We must thank you, Kaa. We could not do it without you,’ said Baloo.
“我们必须谢谢你，崩尼。没有你我们做不到。”巴鲁说。
I am happy to help. Where is the man-cub?’ said Kaa.
“我很乐意帮忙。人崽在哪里？”崩尼问。
Here! In this room, but I cannot get out.’
“在这儿！在这个房间里，但我出不去。”
Take him away,’ called the snakes around Mowgli. ‘He dances around too much and he will stand on us.’
“把他带走，”莫格利周围的蛇喊道，“他蹦蹦跳跳的，会踩到我们的。”
Stand back, man-cub,’ said Kaa. ‘I will break the wall.’
“退后，人崽，”崩尼说，“我要撞破墙。”
With two metres of his heavy body off the ground, Kaa hit the wall very hard, five or six times. A hole opened, and Mowgli jumped quickly through it. He ran and put his arms around Baloo and Bagheera.
崩尼将两米长的沉重身躯高高抬起，狠狠地撞击墙壁五六次。墙上破开了一个洞，莫格利迅速钻了出去。他跑过去，用双臂抱住巴鲁和巴希拉。
Are you hurt?’ asked Baloo.
“你受伤了吗？”巴鲁问。
Not much,’ said Mowgli, ‘but the Bandar-log have hurt you badly, my friends.’
“没大碍，”莫格利说，“但猴子们把你们伤得很重，我的朋友们。”
It is nothing,’ said Baloo. ‘But you must thank Kaa. He has done much for you tonight.’
“这不算什么，”巴鲁说，“但你必须谢谢崩尼。他今晚为你做了很多。”
Mowgli turned and saw the head of the great python.
莫格利转过身，看到了那条巨蟒的头。
So this is the man-cub,’ said Kaa. ‘He is like the Bandar-log, but not the same. Be careful, man-cub, that I do not make a mistake when I am hunting monkeys.’
“原来这就是人崽，”崩尼说，“他像猴子，但又不一样。小心点，人崽，当我在猎杀猴子时，别让我搞错了。”
We are of one blood, you and I,’ Mowgli answered. ‘You have given me my life tonight. When I kill, it will be for you if you are hungry.’
“我们是一家人，你和我，”莫格利回答，“你今晚救了我的命。当我打猎时，如果饿了，我会为你捕猎。”
Well spoken,’ said Baloo.
“说得很好，”巴鲁说。
You are brave, young man,’ said Kaa, ‘and you speak well. Now go with your friends. The moon is going down. You must not see what will happen here next.’
“你很勇敢，年轻人，”崩尼说，“而且口才不错。现在和你的朋友们走吧。月亮要落山了。你不该看到接下来这里会发生什么。”
Slowly, never hurrying, Kaa went softly out in front of the lines of sitting monkeys and began to dance. His head moved from right to left, and his long body turned this way and that way, making circles that changed every second.
慢慢地，从不匆忙，崩尼轻柔地游走到静坐的猴群前方，开始起舞。他的头从右摇到左，长长的身躯扭来扭去，每秒钟都在画出变化的圆圈。
Baloo and Bagheera stood and could not move. Mowgli watched, and did not understand.
巴鲁和巴希拉站着，无法移动。莫格利看着，却并不明白。
Bandar-log,’ said the deep voice of Kaa at last. ‘Can you move?’
“猴子们，”崩尼低沉的声音终于响起，“你们能动吗？”
Without a word from you, Kaa, we cannot move.’
“没有你的话，崩尼，我们动不了。”
Come nearer to me,’ said Kaa.
“靠近我一点，”崩尼说。
The lines of monkeys came nearer, and Baloo and Bagheera walked forward, too.
猴群的队伍靠了过去，巴鲁和巴希拉也向前走了。
Nearer,’ hissed Kaa, and they all moved forward again.
“再近一点，”崩尼嘶嘶地说，他们又都向前挪了挪。
Mowgli put his hands on Baloo and Bagheera to get them away, and the two animals woke up.
莫格利把手放在巴鲁和巴希拉身上想把他们拉开，两只动物这才清醒过来。
Keep your hand on me, Mowgli,’ whispered Bagheera, ‘or I will go back to Kaa, and walk into his mouth.’
“把你的手放在我身上，莫格利，”巴希拉低声说，“否则我会走回崩尼那里，走进他的嘴里。”
It’s only old Kaa dancing,’ said Mowgli. ‘Let us go.’ And the three of them went away into the jungle.
“这只是老崩尼在跳舞，”莫格利说，“我们走吧。”于是他们三个走进了丛林。
A python’s dance is dangerous to watch,’ said Baloo, ‘even for us. Kaa will have good hunting tonight.’
“蟒蛇的舞蹈看不得，”巴鲁说，“对我们来说也一样。崩尼今晚会有一次很好的狩猎。”
And now, Mowgli,’ said Bagheera angrily. ‘Baloo and I have fought hard for you. The monkeys have bitten us and pulled us and hit us. And all this, man-cub, was because you played with the Bandar-log.’
“现在，莫格利，”巴希拉生气地说，“巴鲁和我为了你拼命搏斗。猴子们咬我们、扯我们、打我们。而这一切，人崽，都是因为你跟猴子们玩。”
It is true,’ said Mowgli sadly. ‘I am a bad man-cub.’
“是真的，”莫格利难过地说，“我是个坏人崽。”
The Law of the Jungle says we must punish you,’ said Bagheera. Baloo was happy that Mowgli was safe and with them again, but he could not speak against the Law.
“丛林法则说我们必须惩罚你，”巴希拉说。巴鲁很高兴莫格利平安无事又回到了他们身边，但他不能违背法则。
It is right to punish me,’ said Mowgli. ‘I did wrong.’
“惩罚我是对的，”莫格利说，“我做错了。”
Bagheera hit him, very softly for a panther, but very heavily for a little boy. Mowgli did not cry.
巴希拉打了他，对于一只豹子来说很轻，但对于一个小男孩来说却很重。莫格利没有哭。
Now,’ said Bagheera, ‘jump on my back, Little Brother, and we will go home.’
“现在，”巴希拉说，“跳到我背上来，小兄弟，我们回家。”
One of the good things about Jungle Law is that, after you are punished, the matter is finished.
丛林法则的好处之一就是，惩罚过后，事情就结束了。
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