21 在陆地上的两天(8)
Birds of paradise! I exclaimed.
无双鸟，无双鸟！我喊。
Order Passeriforma, pision Clystomora, Conseil replied.
燕雀目，直一肠亚目。康塞尔回答。
Partridge family? Ned Land asked.
鹤鹄科吗?尼德·兰问。
I doubt it, Mr. Land. Nevertheless, I'm counting on your dexterity to catch me one of these delightful representatives of tropical nature!
我想不是，尼德·兰师傅。不过我要靠您的好手段，把这种热带出产的最美丽可一爱一的东西打下一只来！
I'll give it a try, professor, though I'm handier with a harpoon than a rifle.
我试试，教授，虽然我用惯了鱼叉，使一槍一要差一些。
Malaysians, who do a booming business in these birds with the Chinese, ha一ve various methods for catching them that we couldn't use. Sometimes they set snares on the tops of the tall trees that the bird of paradise prefers to inhabit. At other times they capture it with a tenacious glue that paralyzes its movements. They will even go so far as to poison the springs where these fowl habitually drink. But in our case, all we could do was fire at them on the wing, which left us little chance of getting one. And in truth, we used up a good part of our ammunition in vain.
这种乌是马来亚人对中国人的一宗重要贸易；马来亚人用种种不同的方法来捕捉这种鸟，但我们都不能使用。他们或者把罗网安放在无双鸟喜欢居住的高树顶上，或者使用强力的雀胶，使它们粘上不能动。他们甚至于把毒一药一投到这些鸟经常去喝的泉水中。至于我们现在，只有在它们飞翔时进行射击这一种办法。我们很少有机会可以击中它们。果然我们确实白费了一些弹一药一。
Near eleven o'clock in the morning, we cleared the lower slopes of the mountains that form the island's center, and we still hadn't bagged a thing. Hunger spurred us on. The hunters had counted on consuming the proceeds of their hunting, and they had miscalculated. Luckily, and much to his surprise, Conseil pulled off a right-and-left shot and insured our breakfast. He brought down a white pigeon and a ringdove, which were briskly plucked, hung from a spit, and roasted over a blazing fire of deadwood. While these fascinating animals were cooking, Ned prepared some bread from the artocarpus. Then the pigeon and ringdove were devoured to the bones and declared excellent. Nutmeg, on which these birds habitually gorge themselves, sweetens their flesh and makes it delicious eating.
到十一点左右，我们已经走过了构成这岛中心的第：层山脉，可是仍然毫无所得。腹中作响，饥饿煎熬着我们。打猎人相信自己打猎一定有成果，可是错了，一点猎物也得不到。很幸运，康塞尔开了两一槍一，完全出于意外地获得了午餐的猎物。他打下一只白鸽和一只山鸠。急忙把它们拔掉羽一毛一，挂在叉子上，放在燃点起来的干木头的旺火上烤着。当烤炙这些很有意味的动物的时候，尼德·兰就调理着面包果。一会儿，白鸽和山鸠连骨头都被吃得一精一光，大家都说很好吃。这些鸟惯常吃很多的肉一豆寇，因此它们的肉像加了香料一般，成为一盘又青又好吃的莱。