霍比特人：Roast Mutton 烤羊腿

ROAST MUTTON

烤羊腿

Up jumped Bilbo, and putting on his dressing-gown went into the dining-room. There he saw nobody, but all the signs of a large and hurried breakfast. There was a fearful mess in the room, and piles of unwashed crocks in the kitchen. Nearly every pot and pan he possessed seemed to have been used. The washing-up was so dismally real that Bilbo was forced to believe the party of the night before had not been part of his bad dreams, as he had rather hoped. Indeed he was really relieved after all to think that they had all gone without him, and without bothering to wake him up (“but with never a thank-you” he thought); and yet in a way he could not help feeling just a trifle disappointed. The feeling surprised him.

比尔博腾地跳了起来，穿上晨衣，来到饭厅。饭厅里空无一人，但可以看得出来有过一顿丰盛然而却是匆忙的早餐。屋子里乱得一塌糊涂，厨房里堆着没有洗的餐具。他所拥有的每个锅子和罐子似乎都被用过了。接下来的清洗工作凄惨而又真切，让他终于确信昨晚的派对不是他噩梦的一部分，尽管他心里是如此盼望的。一想到这伙人没有带上他就走了，而且一点也没有想要叫醒他的意思(“可连一声谢都没有。”他想道)，他真的感到如释重负;然而不知怎的，他又忍不住略略感到有点失落。这种感觉让他大吃一惊。

“Don’t be a fool, Bilbo Baggins!” he said to himself, “thinking of dragons and all that outlandish nonsense at your age!” So he put on an apron, lit fires, boiled water, and washed up. Then he had a nice little breakfast in the kitchen before turning out the dining-room. By that time the sun was shining; and the front door was open, letting in a warm spring breeze. Bilbo began to whistle loudly and to forget about the night before. In fact he was just sitting down to a nice little second breakfast in the dining-room by the open window, when in walked Gandalf.

“别犯傻，比尔博·巴金斯!”他自言自语道，“都这把年纪了，还去想什么恶龙和那些稀奇古怪的冒险!”于是他穿上围裙，点上火，烧了开水，把所有的餐具都给洗了。然后，他在厨房里好好用了顿精致的早餐才离开了饭厅。这时，屋外的阳光一片灿烂，前门敞开着，吹进一阵阵温暖的春风。比尔博开始大声吹起口哨，快要忘记昨晚的事情了。事实上，当甘道夫走进来的时候，他刚在饭厅坐下，对着敞开的窗户，准备再吃第二顿精致的早餐。

“My dear fellow,” said he, “whenever are you going to come? What about an early start?—and here you are having breakfast, or whatever you call it, at half past ten! They left you the message, because they could not wait.”

“我亲爱的朋友，”甘道夫说，“你到底准备什么时候来啊?你不是还说要‘早点动身’吗?--可现在，你看看，都已经十点半了，你却还在吃早餐!他们给你留了纸条后走了，因为他们已经等不及了。”

“What message?” said poor Mr. Baggins all in a fluster.

“什么纸条?”可怜的巴金斯先生慌张地问道。

“Great Elephants!” said Gandalf, “you are not at all yourself this morning—you have never dusted the mantelpiece!”

“天哪!”甘道夫说，“你今天早上可真是不在状态啊你竟然没有打扫壁炉!”

“What’s that got to do with it? I have had enough to do with washing up for fourteen!”

“这和纸条又有什么关系?光是清洗十四个人的餐具就够我忙活的了!”

“If you had dusted the mantelpiece, you would have found this just under the clock,” said Gandalf, handing Bilbo a note (written, of course, on his own note-paper).

“如果你打扫了壁炉，就会在钟下面发现这个。”甘道夫递给比尔博一张纸条(当然是用比尔博自己的便条纸写的)。

This is what he read:

纸上是这样写的：

“Thorin and Company to Burglar Bilbo greeting! For your hospitality our sincerest thanks, and for your offer of professional assistance our grateful acceptance. Terms: cash on delivery, up to and not exceeding one fourteenth of total profits (if any); all travelling expenses guaranteed in any event; funeral expenses to be defrayed by us or our representatives, if occasion arises and the matter is not otherwise arranged for.

索林和大伙儿向飞贼比尔博问好!对您的款待我们谨献上最诚挚的感谢，我们也满怀谢意地接受您为我们提供的专业协助。我们给予您的条件如下：事成即付的酬金，数额不超过全部获利(如果有)的十四分之一;全部旅途花费，无论事成与否;如您不幸亡故，丧葬费用会由我们或我们的代表承担，若我们亡故，您无须承担我们的丧葬费用。

“Thinking it unnecessary to disturb your esteemed repose, we have proceeded in advance to make requisite preparations, and shall await your respected person at the Green Dragon Inn, Bywater, at 11 a.m. sharp. Trusting that you will be punctual, we have the honour to remain

由于我们认为没有必要打搅您宝贵的睡眠，所以我们提前动身以进行必要的准备，并将在傍水路的绿龙客栈恭候您大驾光临。请务必于十一点整抵达，我们相信您会守时的。

“ Yours deeply,

您最忠诚的朋友

“ Thorin & Co.”

索林和伙伴们敬上

“That leaves you just ten minutes. You will have to run,” said Gandalf.

“只剩十分钟，你得跑着去了。”甘道夫说。

“But—,” said Bilbo.

“可是”比尔博说。

“No time for it,” said the wizard.

“这个来不及说了。”巫师说。

“But—,” said Bilbo again.

“可是”比尔博又说。

“No time for that either! Off you go!”

“那个也来不及说了!快给我走!”

To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick or any money, or anything that he usually took when he went out; leaving his second breakfast half-finished and quite unwashed-up, pushing his keys into Gandalf’s hands, and running as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across The Water, and then on for a mile or more.

比尔博直到自己生命的尽头都不记得自己当时是怎么做出下面这一切的：他出了门，没戴帽子、没带手杖、没带钱，没带任何平常出门会带的东西。第二顿早餐才吃了一半就扔在那里，碗盘也没洗;他把钥匙朝甘道夫手里一塞，就用他那双毛毛脚所能达到的最快速度飞奔了起来，跑过街道，跑过大磨坊，越过小河，接着又跑了有一哩多。

Very puffed he was, when he got to Bywater just on the stroke of eleven, and found he had come without a pocket-handkerchief!

等他上气不接下气，好不容易在钟敲十一响时赶到傍水路，这才发现自己竟然连手帕都没带上一条!

“Bravo!” said Balin who was standing at the inn door looking out for him.

“真棒!”站在客栈门口观望他的巴林为他喝彩道。

Just then all the others came round the corner of the road from the village. They were on ponies, and each pony was slung about with all kinds of baggages, packages, parcels, and paraphernalia. There was a very small pony, apparently for Bilbo.

此时，其他人也都从村庄大路的拐角冒了出来。他们一个个都骑着小马，每个小马背上还驮着各式各样的行李、包裹和各种随身用具。其中还有一匹非常矮的小马，显然是给比尔博留的。

“Up you two get, and off we go!” said Thorin.

“你们两个赶快上马，我们马上出发!”索林说。

“I’m awfully sorry,” said Bilbo, “but I have come without my hat, and I have left my pocket-handkerchief behind, and I haven’t got any money. I didn’t get your note until after 10.45 to be precise.”

“我实在很抱歉，”比尔博说，“可我忘了戴帽子，手帕也落在家里了，身上连一毛钱都没有。准确地说，我是在十点四十五分才看到你们的留言的。”

“Don’t be precise,” said Dwalin, “and don’t worry! You will have to manage without pocket-handkerchiefs, and a good many other things, before you get to the journey’s end. As for a hat, I have got a spare hood and cloak in my luggage.”

“没必要那么精确，”杜瓦林说，“也没必要担心!这趟旅程你只能不用手帕和许多其他东西了。至于帽子嘛!我的行李里面还有一套多余的斗篷和兜帽。”

That’s how they all came to start, jogging off from the inn one fine morning just before May, on laden ponies; and Bilbo was wearing a dark-green hood (a little weather-stained) and a dark-green cloak borrowed from Dwalin. They were too large for him, and he looked rather comic. What his father Bungo would have thought of him, I daren’t think. His only comfort was he couldn’t be mistaken for a dwarf, as he had no beard.

就这样，在五月即将到来前的一个晴朗的早晨，他们慢慢骑着装满行李的小马，一齐踏上了旅程。比尔博戴着从杜瓦林那里借来的一顶深绿色的兜帽(有些破旧)和深绿色斗篷。这两样东西对他来说都太大了些，让他显得相当滑稽。他老爸邦果见了他这副模样会作何感想，可是让人连想都不敢想。惟一让他感到舒服的地方是，至少人们不会把他误认成矮人，因为他没有留胡子。

They had not been riding very long, when up came Gandalf very splendid on a white horse. He had brought a lot of pocket-handkerchiefs, and Bilbo’s pipe and tobacco. So after that the party went along very merrily, and they told stories or sang songs as they rode forward all day, except of course when they stopped for meals. These didn’t come quite as often as Bilbo would have liked them, but still he began to feel that adventures were not so bad after all.

他们骑了没多久，就碰上了甘道夫威风凛凛地骑着大白马而来。他带来了很多的手帕，还有比尔博的烟斗和烟草。因此在那之后，这一伙人赶起路来就都心情畅快了，一路上都在说着故事，唱着歌，只有停下来用餐的时候才会稍稍中断一下。虽然停下来用餐的次数不像比尔博希望的那么频繁，但他还是开始慢慢觉得，冒险其实并不是那么糟糕的。

At first they had passed through hobbit-lands, a wide respectable country inhabited by decent folk, with good roads, an inn or two, and now and then a dwarf or a farmer ambling by on business. Then they came to lands where people spoke strangely, and sang songs Bilbo had never heard before. Now they had gone on far into the Lone-lands, where there were no people left, no inns, and the roads grew steadily worse. Not far ahead were dreary hills, rising higher and higher, dark with trees. On some of them were old castles with an evil look, as if they had been built by wicked people. Everything seemed gloomy, for the weather that day had taken a nasty turn. Mostly it had been as good as May can be, can be, even in merry tales, but now it was cold and wet. In the Lone-lands they had been obliged to camp when they could, but at least it had been dry.

一开始他们经过的是霍比特人的土地，这是一片开阔的、值得受人尊敬的乡野，居民都是些正直而又体面的人，道路平整，点缀着一两间客栈，间或会遇到一位从容赶路的矮人或是农夫。接着，一行人来到了说陌生语言的区域，人们唱的歌谣也是比尔博之前从未听到过的。再接着他们就深入到了野地，这里没有住户，没有客栈，道路的情况也越来越糟。前方不远处是阴郁的山丘，因着树木而呈现出黢黑的颜色，山势也变得越来越高起来。有些山丘上有古旧的城堡，它们那邪恶的外表让人觉得仿佛是由邪恶的人们所建造的。那天的天气突然变得很是糟糕，让一切看上去都显得十分阴郁。大多数时候，这里的天气都像明媚的五月该有的那样，美好得简直像老旧的快乐传说，但现在却是又湿又冷的。在野地行路时，他们虽然有时必须要露营，但至少天气是干燥的。

“To think it will soon be June!” grumbled Bilbo, as he splashed along behind the others in a very muddy track. It was after tea-time; it was pouring with rain, and had been all day; his hood was dripping into his eyes, his cloak was full of water; the pony was tired and stumbled on stones; the others were too grumpy to talk. “And I’m sure the rain has got into the dry clothes and into the food-bags,” thought Bilbo. “Bother burgling and everything to do with it! I wish I was at home in my nice hole by the fire, with the kettle just beginning to sing!” It was not the last time that he wished that!

“这鬼天气，就像快到六月了一样。”比尔博一边跟在其他人身后在一条满是泥浆的道路上啪嗒啪嗒地走着，一边嘴里嘟囔道。这会儿已经过了下午茶的时间，天上下着滂沱大雨，而且从早上一直下到现在。雨水从兜帽上滴进他的眼睛里，斗篷也湿透了。小马非常疲倦，在石头路上蹒跚而行，其他人也都垂头耷脑地懒得说话。“我敢肯定，这雨水一定已经渗进了干衣服里面，还流进了我们装食物的袋子。”比尔博在心中思忖，“我干吗要跟人家来趟飞贼什么的浑水!真希望我这会儿是在自己美妙的洞府家中，坐在壁炉旁边，听着水壶咕嘟咕嘟开始滚的声音!”这可不是他最后一次许下这种愿望!

Still the dwarves jogged on, never turning round or taking any notice of the hobbit. Somewhere behind the grey clouds the sun must have gone down, for it began to get dark as they went down into a deep valley with a river at the bottom. Wind got up, and willows along its banks bent and sighed. Fortunately the road went over an ancient stone bridge, for the river, swollen with the rains, came rushing down from the hills and mountains in the north.

矮人们依旧慢慢地朝前走着，没有谁回过头来注意一下霍比特人。在满天乌云的背后，太阳肯定已经落下去了，因为天色开始变得昏暗。他们此时正在走向一个深深的山谷，有一条小河在谷底流淌。风势紧了起来，河堤上的柳树弯下了腰，在风中发出叹息。绵绵淫雨令小河的水涨了起来，从北方的大山和丘陵间奔流而下，幸亏路上有一座古老的石桥，不然他们还真不知道该怎么过河呢。

It was nearly night when they had crossed over. The wind broke up the grey clouds, and a wandering moon appeared above the hills between the flying rags. Then they stopped, and Thorin muttered something about supper, “and where shall we get a dry patch to sleep on?” Not until then did they notice that Gandalf was missing. So far he had come all the way with them, never saying if he was in the adventure or merely keeping them company for a while. He had eaten most, talked most, and laughed most. But now he simply was not there at all!

过完小河后，天已经快黑透了。风势强劲，把山冈上空的乌云吹得如破布般飞散，露出一轮仿似在闲庭信步的月亮。这时大伙儿停了下来，索林嘟噜嘟噜地说了几句有关晚餐的事情，“而且哪里能找到干的地方睡觉呢?” 这时，他们才发现甘道夫失踪了。虽说他已经和他们走了这一路，可他其实根本没提过他是要和他们一起冒险呢，还是只是暂时和他们搭伴行路。他吃得最多，说得最多，笑得也最多，可现在却连影子都不见了!

“Just when a wizard would have been most useful, too,” groaned Dori and Nori (who shared the hobbit’s views about regular meals, plenty and often).

“偏巧就赶在最需要巫师的时候……”多瑞和诺瑞哀嚎道。(他俩在用餐要有规律这点上和霍比特人有着相同的看法，都主张多食多餐。)

They decided in the end that they would have to camp where they were. They moved to a clump of trees, and though it was drier under them, the wind shook the rain off the leaves, and the drip, drip, was most annoying. Also the mischief seemed to have got into the fire. Dwarves can make a fire almost anywhere out of almost anything, wind or no wind; but they could not do it that night, not even Oin and Gloin, who were specially good at it.

最终大家决定就地宿营。他们来到一丛树木之间，虽说树下面稍微要干一点，但风会把雨从叶子上刮落，滴滴答答的很是恼人。连火似乎也和他们捣起蛋来，若在平时，矮人们不管有风没风，几乎能用任何东西生出一堆火来，可这天晚上却怎么也不行，即便是最擅长生火的欧因和格罗因也束手无策。

Then one of the ponies took fright at nothing and bolted. He got into the river before they could catch him; and before they could get him out again, Fili and Kili were nearly drowned, and all the baggage that he carried was washed away off him. Of course it was mostly food, and there was mighty little left for supper, and less for breakfast.

这时，有匹小马突然无缘无故地受了惊吓，冲了出去。大家还没来得及拦住，它就冲进了河里。大伙儿好不容易把它拽出水面，菲力和奇力还差点淹死，小马背上驮着的行李全都被水冲走了。真是怕什么来什么，那匹小马驮的主要是食物，这下子，晚餐就吃不到什么东西了，第二天的早餐就更别提了。

There they all sat glum and wet and muttering, while Oin and Gloin went on trying to light the fire, and quarrelling about it. Bilbo was sadly reflecting that adventures are not all pony-rides in May-sunshine, when Balin, who was always their look-out man, said: “There’s a light over there!” There was a hill some way off with trees on it, pretty thick in parts. Out of the dark mass of the trees they could now see a light shining, a reddish comfortable-looking light, as it might be a fire or torches twinkling.

大家一身透湿，无比郁闷地坐在地上，口中骂骂咧咧。欧因和格罗因还在试着生火，一边还相互斗着嘴。比尔博在伤心懊悔，冒险并不如他想像那样，尽是在五月阳光下骑着小马的快乐旅程。这时，总是担任警戒与瞭望的巴林突然大喊起来：“那边有光!”不远处有座长着树木的小山丘，有些地方树木长得相当浓密，从树木构成的大片黑暗之中，他们可以清楚地看见有一点光芒在闪耀，那是一点红色的、温暖的光芒，似乎是一团营火，又像是几支火把在摇曳。

When they had looked at it for some while, they fell to arguing. Some said “no” and some said “yes”. Some said they could but go and see, and anything was better than little supper, less breakfast, and wet clothes all the night.

他们盯着亮光看了一会儿，便开始争论起来。有些人说“没有”，有些人说“有”，有些人说只能去看了才知道，反正不管怎样，都比吃着少得可怜的晚餐、想着明早更少的早餐，而且一整夜穿着湿衣服干坐着要好。

Others said: “These parts are none too well known, and are too near the mountains. Travellers seldom come this way now. The old maps are no use: things have changed for the worse and the road is unguarded. They have seldom even heard of the king round here, and the less inquisitive you are as you go along, the less trouble you are likely to find.” Some said: “After all there are fourteen of us.” Others said: “Where has Gandalf got to?” This remark was repeated by everybody. Then the rain began to pour down worse than ever, and Oin and Gloin began to fight.

有人反对说：“我们对这附近不熟，而且这里也太靠近大山了，现在旅人都很少走这条路。旧地图根本没用：一切都变了，变得更糟糕，道路也没人守护。他们没见过这里有什么国王，甚至连听也没怎么听说过。在这里行路，你越少问东问西，就越不会惹麻烦。” 又有些人反驳说：“再怎么说我们也有十四个人哪!”还有人问：“甘道夫到底上哪儿去了?”所有人都把这个问题重复了一遍。这时，雨势突然比之前更猛了，欧因和格罗因则索性打了起来。

That settled it. “After all we have got a burglar with us,” they said; and so they made off, leading their ponies (with all due and proper caution) in the direction of the light. They came to the hill and were soon in the wood. Up the hill they went; but there was no proper path to be seen, such as might lead to a house or a farm; and do what they could they made a deal of rustling and crackling and creaking (and a good deal of grumbling and dratting), as they went through the trees in the pitch dark.

他们这一打倒让大家停止了争论。“别忘了我们身边还有一个飞贼!”大家说道，于是他们匆匆开拔，牵着小马，尽可能小心谨慎地往亮光的方向走去。他们来到山脚下，不久就走进了丛林中。他们朝山丘上走去，但却看不到一条像样的道路，就是有可能会通向一所房子或一处农庄的那种。他们在一片漆黑的树林中勉力前行，一路上弄出不少窸窸窣窣、噼里啪啦、嘎吱嘎吱的声响，当然也少不了咕咕哝哝和骂骂咧咧。

Suddenly the red light shone out very bright through the tree-trunks not far ahead.

突然，从不远处的树干间闪出了非常耀眼的红光。

“Now it is the burglar’s turn,” they said, meaning Bilbo. “You must go on and find out all about that light, and what it is for, and if all is perfectly safe and canny,” said Thorin to the hobbit. “Now scuttle off, and come back quick, if all is well. If not, come back if you can! If you can’t, hoot twice like a barn-owl and once like a screech-owl, and we will do what we can.”

“现在该轮到我们的飞贼露一手了。”大家说的是比尔博，“你得去弄清楚这光亮是怎么回事，有什么目的，再看看是否一切都很安全。”索林对霍比特人说：“快去!如果没情况，就快点回来;如果有情况，就拼了命回来!如果回不来，就学两声谷仓猫头鹰叫，再学一声长耳猫头鹰叫，我们会尽力而为的。”

Off Bilbo had to go, before he could explain that he could not hoot even once like any kind of owl any more than fly like a bat. But at any rate hobbits can move quietly in woods, absolutely quietly. They take a pride in it, and Bilbo had sniffed more than once at what he called “all this dwarvish racket,” as they went along, though I don’t suppose you or I would have noticed anything at all on a windy night, not if the whole cavalcade had passed two feet off. As for Bilbo walking primly towards the red light, I don’t suppose even a weasel would have stirred a whisker at it. So, naturally, he got right up to the fire—for fire it was—without disturbing anyone. And this is what he saw.

比尔博只好迈步前去侦察了，他原本还想说明一下，无论哪种猫头鹰，他连一声都不会叫，可想想也就作罢了。好在不管怎样，霍比特人天生就能够在森林中悄无声息地移动，他们对此是相当自豪的。在和矮人们一起赶路的时候，比尔博曾经不止一次地抱怨过“矮人们就喜欢弄出那么大的响动”，其实像你我这样的普通人，哪怕有整队人马从离我们只有两呎远的地方通过，在刮大风的晚上估计也什么都听不见。比尔博一步步向那点红光走去，他发出的响动恐怕连黄鼠狼听见了都不会抖一下胡须。因此，他一路顺利地来到了火光跟前--这光亮果然是火-- 一个人也没有惊动。以下就是他所见到的。

Three very large persons sitting round a very large fire of beech-logs. They were toasting mutton on long spits of wood, and licking the gravy off their fingers. There was a fine toothsome smell. Also there was a barrel of good drink at hand, and they were drinking out of jugs. But they were trolls. Obviously trolls. Even Bilbo, in spite of his sheltered life, could see that: from the great heavy faces of them, and their size, and the shape of their legs, not to mention their language, which was not drawing-room fashion at all, at all.

三个身形非常高大的人，围坐在一个榉木燃起的特大火堆旁，正用长长的木棍叉着羊腿在火上烤，一边还舔着手指间流下的肉汁。空气中飘散着令人垂涎的香味儿。他们身边摆着一桶好酒，这些家伙都用酒壶对着嘴在喝。可这些家伙其实是食人妖，一看就知道是食人妖。即使是平时不大出远门的比尔博也能够看出来：从它们肥硕的脑袋、它们的个头儿、它们腿的形状，全都能看得出来，更别提它们的语言了，那根本不是人们在客厅里使用的文明语言。

“Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and blimey, if it don’t look like mutton again tomorrer,” said one of the trolls.

“昨天吃羊腿，今天吃羊腿，奶奶的，明天该不会还是吃羊腿吧!”一个食人妖说道。

“Never a blinking bit of manflesh have we had for long enough,” said a second. “What the ’ell William was a-thinkin’ of to bring us into these parts at all, beats me—and the drink runnin’ short, what’s more,” he said jogging the elbow of William, who was taking a pull at his jug.

“已经好久连屁大一块人肉都没吃过了。”第二个食人妖说，“妈妈的，威廉不知道到底在想什么，把我们带到这种鬼地方来，真他妈想不通--而且酒也不够喝了。”他用手肘捅了捅正在大口喝酒的威廉。

William choked. “Shut yer mouth!” he said as soon as he could. “Yer can’t expect folk to stop here for ever just to be et by you and Bert. You’ve et a village and a half between yer, since we come down from the mountains. How much more d’yer want? And time’s been up our way, when yer’d have said ‘thank yer Bill’ for a nice bit o’ fat valley mutton like what this is.” He took a big bite off a sheep’s leg he was roasting, and wiped his lips on his sleeve.

威廉被他捅得呛了一口酒。“闭上你的鸟嘴!”等他回过气来之后，他立刻说道：“你个蠢东西，难道你以为会有人留在这里，乖乖等着你和伯特来吃吗?自打我们从山上下来之后，你们俩已经吃掉了一个半村子的人了，难道还嫌不够吗?我们的运气已经不错了，我替你们弄来了这么肥美的羊肉，你个狗东西应该说声‘谢谢你，威尔’才对。”说罢，他狠狠地从在烤的山羊腿上咬了一口肉下来，用袖子抹了抹嘴。

Yes, I am afraid trolls do behave like that, even those with only one head each. After hearing all this Bilbo ought to have done something at once. Either he should have gone back quietly and warned his friends that there were three fair-sized trolls at hand in a nasty mood, quite likely to try roasted dwarf, or even pony, for a change; or else he should have done a bit of good quick burgling. A really first-class and legendary burglar would at this point have picked the trolls’ pockets—it is nearly always worth while, if you can manage it—, pinched the very mutton off the spits, purloined the beer, and walked off without their noticing him. Others more practical but with less professional pride would perhaps have stuck a dagger into each of them before they observed it. Then the night could have been spent cheerily.

是的，食人妖一般来说都是这副德性，即使那些只有一颗头的家伙也是如此。比尔博在听完这一切之后，本该立刻有所举动的。他要么悄悄地跑回去警告朋友，说那里有三只高大的食人妖，心情相当不好，可能会想要烤矮人甚至小马来换换口味;要么他可以身手敏捷地干些飞贼的勾当。一个真正一流的、能成为传奇的飞贼，会在这个时候从食人妖身边顺走点东西--只要能办得到，这样做几乎总是颇有价值的--比如把羊腿从烤肉叉上摘下来，偷走他们的啤酒，再神不知鬼不觉地溜走。如果更实际一点，不那么讲究飞贼的职业声誉的话，还可以在它们察觉之前，把三个食人妖一人一刀给结果了，这样大家就可以开开心心地度过这一晚了。

Bilbo knew it. He had read of a good many things he had never seen or done. He was very much alarmed, as well as disgusted; he wished himself a hundred miles away, and yet—and yet somehow he could not go straight back to Thorin and Company emptyhanded. So he stood and hesitated in the shadows. Of the various burglarious proceedings he had heard of picking the trolls’ pockets seemed the least difficult, so at last he crept behind a tree just behind William.

这些比尔博都知道。有许多事情，他虽然没有亲眼见过，亲自做过，但都从书里读到过。眼前的景象既令他感到惊恐，又令他感到恶心。他真希望自己此时此刻是在几百哩之外，但是--不管怎样他不能就这样空着手就回去见索林和伙伴们。他直起身子，在暗影中踌躇了片刻。在他听过的形形色色的飞贼故事中，从食人妖的口袋里偷东西似乎是最不费力的，于是他静悄悄地潜到威廉身后的大树后面。

Bert and Tom went off to the barrel. William was having another drink. Then Bilbo plucked up courage and put his little hand in William’s enormous pocket. There was a purse in it, as big as a bag to Bilbo. “Ha!” thought he, warming to his new work as he lifted it carefully out, “this is a beginning!”

伯特和汤姆起身来到酒桶边，威廉又倒了一壶酒正在喝着。这时比尔博鼓起勇气，将小手伸进威廉的超大口袋中。那里面有个钱包，对比尔博来说大得就像个提包。“哈!”他小心翼翼地把钱包往外掏，一边觉得自己正在对这种新工作渐渐进入状态，“这才只是开始呢!”

It was! Trolls’ purses are the mischief, and this was no exception. “’Ere, ’oo are you?” it squeaked, as it left the pocket; and William turned round at once and grabbed Bilbo by the neck, before he could duck behind the tree.

这的确只是开始而已!食人妖的钱包是会祸害人的，这个也不例外。“呃，你是谁啊?”钱包一离开口袋，就用尖尖的声音叫了起来，威廉马上转过身来，还不等比尔博躲入树后，就一把抓住了他的脖子。

“Blimey, Bert, look what I’ve copped!” said William.

“天哪，伯特，来看看我抓到啥了!”威廉说道。

“What is it?” said the others coming up. “Lumme, if I knows! What are yer?”

“这是什么东西?”另两个食人妖走了过来。“哎呀呀，这我可不认识!哎，你是啥玩意儿?”

“Bilbo Baggins, a bur—a hobbit,” said poor Bilbo, shaking all over, and wondering how to make owl-noises before they throttled him.

“比尔博·巴金斯，我是个飞呃--霍比特人。”可怜的比尔博浑身筛糠般地抖着，脑子里拼命在想，怎样才能在自己被这些食人妖掐死之前发出猫头鹰的叫声来。

“A burrahobbit?” said they a bit startled. Trolls are slow in the uptake, and mighty suspicious about anything new to them.

“飞蛾霍比特人?”他们有些惊讶地说。食人妖的理解力相当迟钝，对任何新事物总是疑神疑鬼的。

“What’s a burrahobbit got to do with my pocket, anyways?” said William.

“可飞蛾霍比特人跟我的口袋又有什么关系呢?”威廉问道。

“And can yer cook ’em?” said Tom.

“你知道他们怎么个吃法吗?”汤姆问。

“Yer can try,” said Bert, picking up a skewer.

“试试不就行啦。”伯特说着就拿起了烤肉的钎子。

“He wouldn’t make above a mouthful,” said William, who had already had a fine supper, “not when he was skinned and boned.”

“这么小一个人儿，等剥了皮去了骨，还不够塞牙缝的呢。”说这话的威廉已经酒足饭饱了。

“P’raps there are more like him round about, and we might make a pie,” said Bert. “Here you, are there any more of your sort a-sneakin’ in these here woods, yer nassty little rabbit,” said he looking at the hobbit’s furry feet; and he picked him up by the toes and shook him.

“说不定附近还有像他这样的，我们可以拿来做派。”伯特说，“嘿，这周围的林子里还有没有像你这样偷偷躲着的，你这只可恶的小兔子?”他边说边打量着霍比特人的毛毛脚，接着一把抓住他的脚，把他倒着拎了起来，晃了好几下。

“Yes, lots,” said Bilbo, before he remembered not to give his friends away. “No none at all, not one,” he said immediately afterwards.

“有，有很多。”说完这话，比尔博才想起不该出卖朋友。“没，没有，一个也没有。”他连忙补了一句。

“What d’yer mean?” said Bert, holding him right way up, by the hair this time.

“你这么说是什么意思?”伯特这次又抓住他的头发，把他正过来给拎着。

“What I say,” said Bilbo gasping. “And please don’t cook me, kind sirs! I am a good cook myself, and cook better than I cook, if you see what I mean. I’ll cook beautifully for you, a perfectly beautiful breakfast for you, if only you won’t have me for supper.”

“我说的是，”比尔博呼吸急促地说道，“好心的先生们，请你们千万别把我给烤了!我自己就是个好厨师，我煮的菜比我自己要好吃多了，如果你们明白我的意思。我会给你们露一手烹饪绝活的，为你们做一顿超棒的早餐，只要你们别把我当晚餐吃了就好。”

“Poor little blighter,” said William. He had already had as much supper as he could hold; also he had had lots of beer. “Poor little blighter! Let him go!”

“可怜的小讨厌鬼。”威廉说道。他已经吃撑了，又喝了很多啤酒：“可怜的小讨厌鬼!让他走吧!”

“Not till he says what he means by lots and none at all,” said Bert. “I don’t want to have me throat cut in me sleep! Hold his toes in the fire, till he talks!”

伯特说：“不行，得先搞清楚他刚才说的‘有很多’又‘一个也没有’是什么意思，我可不想在睡觉的时候喉咙被人割开!抓住他的脚趾放到火上烤，看他说不说!”

“I won’t have it,” said William. “I caught him anyway.”

“这我可不答应!”威廉说，“他可是我抓到的。”

“You’re a fat fool, William,” said Bert, “as I’ve said afore this evening.”

“你可真是个胖蠢蛋，威廉，”伯特说，“今晚之前我就这样说过，胖蠢蛋!”

“And you’re a lout!”

“你才是傻瓜呢!”

“And I won’t take that from you, Bill Huggins,” says Bert, and puts his fist in William’s eye.

“你没资格这样说我，威尔·哈金斯!”话音未落，伯特一拳就打中了威廉的眼睛。

Then there was a gorgeous row. Bilbo had just enough wits left, when Bert dropped him on the ground, to scramble out of the way of their feet, before they were fighting like dogs, and calling one another all sorts of perfectly true and applicable names in very loud voices. Soon they were locked in one another’s arms, and rolling nearly into the fire kicking and thumping, while Tom whacked at them both with a branch to bring them to their senses—and that of course only made them madder than ever.

接着局面就演变成了一场混战。比尔博虽然受了惊吓，但好歹还有点头脑，所以伯特一把他撂到地上，他还赶在他们俩一边大声用各种恰如其分的脏话辱骂对方，一边像野狗般地厮打到一起之前，赶紧从两双大脚会踩到的线路上躲开。没过多久，两个食人妖就互相扭作一团，又踢又打的差点滚进火堆中。汤姆则用树枝朝两个家伙同时打去，希望他俩能恢复理智--然而这当然只是令他们变得更加暴躁如雷。

That would have been the time for Bilbo to have left. But his poor little feet had been very squashed in Bert’s big paw, and he had no breath in his body, and his head was going round; so there he lay for a while panting, just outside the circle of firelight.

本来比尔博正好可以趁此大好时机离开，但他那双可怜的小脚被伯特的大爪子差点给捏扁了，胸口的气还没捣上来，脑袋也还晕晕乎乎的。因此，他躲在火光照不到的地方，躺在地上喘大气儿。

Right in the middle of the fight up came Balin. The dwarves had heard noises from a distance, and after waiting for some time for Bilbo to come back, or to hoot like an owl, they started off one by one to creep towards the light as quietly as they could. No sooner did Tom see Balin come into the light than he gave an awful howl. Trolls simply detest the very sight of dwarves (uncooked). Bert and Bill stopped fighting immediately, and “a sack, Tom, quick!” they said. Before Balin, who was wondering where in all this commotion Bilbo was, knew what was happening, a sack was over his head, and he was down.

就在打斗进行得如火如荼的时候，巴林赶来了。矮人们隔了一段距离就听见了这里的吵闹声，在等了一段时间，既没等到比尔博回来，也没听到像猫头鹰的叫声之后，他们便一个接一个地悄悄朝火光摸了过来。汤姆一看见巴林出现在光亮中，立刻发出一声可怕的咆哮。食人妖一看到矮人的样子就讨厌(特别是没煮熟的)。伯特和威尔马上停止了打斗，大喊着：“拿袋子，汤姆，快!”巴林正在这一团骚乱中寻找着比尔博，还没等他弄清楚到底是怎么一回事，一个袋子便从天而降，接着他就给撂倒在了地上。

“There’s more to come yet,” said Tom, “or I’m mighty mistook. Lots and none at all, it is,” said he. “No burrahobbits, but lots of these here dwarves. That’s about the shape of it!”

“如果我没猜错的话，还会有更多要来呢。”汤姆说，“很多又一个也没有，肯定就是这个意思。飞蛾霍比特人‘没有’，矮人‘有很多’。应该就是这么回事。”

“I reckon you’re right,” said Bert, “and we’d best get out of the light.”

“我想你是对的。”伯特说，“我们最好躲到火光照不到的地方去。”

And so they did. With sacks in their hands, that they used for carrying off mutton and other plunder, they waited in the shadows. As each dwarf came up and looked at the fire, and the spilled jugs, and the gnawed mutton, in surprise, pop! went a nasty smelly sack over his head, and he was down. Soon Dwalin lay by Balin, and Fili and Kili together, and Dori and Nori and Ori all in a heap, and Oin and Gloin and Bifur and Bofur and Bombur piled uncomfortably near the fire.

于是他们就这样做了。三个食人妖手中拿着原先用来装羊肉和其他抢来东西的袋子，在暗影中守候着。每当有哪个矮人走过来看火堆，看地上翻倒的酒壶，看啃过的羊腿时，突然便会有一个臭烘烘的袋子“噗--”地罩住他的头，把他撂倒在地。很快，杜瓦林就躺到了巴林身边，菲力和奇力装在同一个袋子里，多瑞、诺瑞和欧瑞则叠成一堆，欧因、格罗因、比弗、波弗和邦伯最不舒服，因为他们被堆在火堆旁。

“That’ll teach ’em,” said Tom; for Bifur and Bombur had given a lot of trouble, and fought like mad, as dwarves will when cornered.

“这是给他们一个教训!”汤姆说，因为比弗和邦伯像矮人陷入绝境时都会做的那样拼死抵抗，给他们惹了不少麻烦。

Thorin came last—and he was not caught unawares. He came expecting mischief, and didn’t need to see his friends’ legs sticking out of sacks to tell him that things were not all well. He stood outside in the shadows some way off, and said: “What’s all this trouble? Who has been knocking my people about?”

索林是最后一个，而他没有像其他矮人那样毫无察觉就着了道。他来的时候就预料到会有危险，不需要看见朋友的脚从袋子里面伸出来，就知道事情有点不对劲。他站在有一段距离的阴影中说：“这是怎么回事?是谁把我的人都给打倒了?”

“It’s trolls!” said Bilbo from behind a tree. They had forgotten all about him. “They’re hiding in the bushes with sacks,” said he.

“是食人妖!”比尔博躲在树后面喊道。大家都已经忘记了他的存在。“他们正拿着袋子躲在灌木丛里呢!”他说。

“O! are they?” said Thorin, and he jumped forward to the fire, before they could leap on him. He caught up a big branch all on fire at one end; and Bert got that end in his eye before he could step aside. That put him out of the battle for a bit. Bilbo did his best. He caught hold of Tom’s leg—as well as he could, it was thick as a young tree-trunk—but he was sent spinning up into the top of some bushes, when Tom kicked the sparks up in Thorin’s face.

“哦，是吗?”索林说完，不等食人妖来得及向他扑来，便一个箭步跳到火堆跟前，抓起一根燃着火的大树枝挥舞起来。伯特来不及跳开，被树枝戳中了眼睛，暂时退出了战斗。比尔博尽了全力来帮忙，他拼命抓住汤姆树桩般的大粗腿，但汤姆抡起一脚把火烬朝索林脸上踢去，这一踢就把比尔博甩上了灌木的枝梢。

Tom got the branch in his teeth for that, and lost one of the front ones. It made him howl, I can tell you. But just at that moment William came up behind and popped a sack right over Thorin’s head and down to his toes. And so the fight ended. A nice pickle they were all in now: all neatly tied up in sacks, with three angry trolls (and two with burns and bashes to remember) sitting by them, arguing whether they should roast them slowly, or mince them fine and boil them, or just sit on them one by one and squash them into jelly; and Bilbo up in a bush, with his clothes and his skin torn, not daring to move for fear they should hear him.

汤姆只顾了踢，却不料牙齿挨了索林一树枝，被打掉了一颗大门牙。这家伙发出一声惊天动地的怒号。可就在此时，威廉从后面扑了过来，用袋子套住了索林的头，把他撂倒，战斗于是就结束了。现在，矮人们的处境可是都很不妙了：他们全都给结结实实地捆在了袋子里，身边坐着三名愤怒的食人妖(其中两个家伙身上有烧伤或挨打的伤口，让他们难以忘记)，争论着是该把他们慢慢烤来吃，还是把他们剁得细细的煮来吃，或者是坐到他们身上，把他们挨个儿压成肉饼?比尔博栖身在一丛灌木的顶梢，衣服被撕破，身上也破了好些口子。他吓得不敢动，惟恐被食人妖听见。

It was just then that Gandalf came back. But no one saw him. The trolls had just decided to roast the dwarves now and eat them later—that was Bert’s idea, and after a lot of argument they had all agreed to it.

直到这时甘道夫才赶了回来，不过没有人看见他。食人妖刚刚作出决定，先把矮人们烤熟，待会儿再来吃他们--这是伯特的点子，经过了好一番争论之后，三个家伙终于达成了一致。

“No good roasting ’em now, it’d take all night,” said a voice. Bert thought it was William’s.

“现在烤不好，要花一整夜呢。”有个声音说。伯特以为那是威廉的声音。

“Don’t start the argument all over again, Bill,” he said, “or it will take all night.”

“威尔，不要再吵了，”他说，“不然又要耗上一整夜。”

“Who’s a-arguing?” said William, who thought it was Bert that had spoken.

“谁--谁要跟你吵?”威廉以为刚刚说话的是伯特。

“You are,” said Bert.

“你。”伯特说。

“You’re a liar,” said William; and so the argument began all over again. In the end they decided to mince them fine and boil them. So they got a great black pot, and they took out their knives.

“你瞎说。”威廉顶了回去。这样一来，之前的争论又重新开始了。最后，他们决定把这些矮人剁得细细的煮来吃。于是他们找来了一个大黑锅，接着就掏出了刀子。

“No good boiling ’em! We ain’t got no water, and it’s a long way to the well and all,” said a voice. Bert and William thought it was Tom’s.

“煮着吃不好!我们又没水，要想找到水井什么的得走好远。”一个声音说。伯特和威廉以为这是汤姆的声音。

“Shut up!” said they, “or we’ll never have done. And yer can fetch the water yerself, if yer say any more.”

“闭嘴!”他们说，“不然这事儿就永远干不成了。你要是再说一句，就自己去拿水。”

“Shut up yerself!” said Tom, who thought it was William’s voice. “Who’s arguing but you, I’d like to know.”

“你们才闭嘴哩!”汤姆觉得那是威廉的声音，“我倒想知道，除了你之外还有谁在吵架?”

“You’re a booby,” said William.

“你个呆子!”威廉开口骂道。

“Booby yerself!” said Tom.

“你自己才呆呢!”汤姆回了一句。

And so the argument began all over again, and went on hotter than ever, until at last they decided to sit on the sacks one by one and squash them, and boil them next time.

于是争吵又从头开始，而且比之前还要激烈，最后好不容易，他们才都同意坐到袋子上，把他们挨个儿压成肉饼，下次再来煮他们。

“Who shall we sit on first?” said the voice.

“先坐哪一个呢?”那个声音说。

“Better sit on the last fellow first,” said Bert, whose eye had been damaged by Thorin. He thought Tom was talking.

“最好先坐最后那个家伙。”伯特说，他的眼睛刚刚才被索林弄伤。他以为说话的是汤姆。

“Don’t talk to yerself!” said Tom. “But if you wants to sit on the last one, sit on him. Which is he?”

“不要自言自语!”汤姆说，“不过你要是想坐最后那个家伙，就去吧。到底是哪个呢?”

“The one with the yellow stockings,” said Bert.

“就是那个穿黄袜子的家伙。”伯特说。

“Nonsense, the one with the grey stockings,” said a voice like William’s.

“胡说，是那个穿灰袜子的。”一个有点像是威廉的声音说道。

“I made sure it was yellow,” said Bert.

“我敢肯定是黄的。”伯特说。

“Yellow it was,” said William.

“的确是黄的。”威廉说。

“Then what did yer say it was grey for?” said Bert.

“那你为什么说是灰的呢?”伯特不满地问道。

“I never did. Tom said it.”

“我从来没说过，是汤姆说的。”

“That I never did!” said Tom. “It was you.”

“我才没说过呢!”汤姆急道，“是你!”

“Two to one, so shut yer mouth!” said Bert.

“两票对一票，闭上你的臭嘴!”伯特说。

“Who are you a-talkin’ to?” said William.

“你在跟谁说话呢?”威廉问。

“Now stop it!” said Tom and Bert together. “The night’s gettin’ on, and dawn comes early. Let’s get on with it!”

“住嘴!”汤姆和伯特齐声说道。“夜晚都快到头了，再一会儿天就要亮啦，咱们还是继续干活儿吧!”

“Dawn take you all, and be stone to you!” said a voice that sounded like William’s. But it wasn’t. For just at that moment the light came over the hill, and there was a mighty twitter in the branches. William never spoke for he stood turned to stone as he stooped; and Bert and Tom were stuck like rocks as they looked at him. And there they stand to this day, all alone, unless the birds perch on them; for trolls, as you probably know, must be underground before dawn, or they go back to the stuff of the mountains they are made of, and never move again. That is what had happened to Bert and Tom and William.

“曙光会照到你们所有人，将你们化作岩石!”一个有点像威廉的声音说道。但那不是威廉的声音，因为就在那一刻，晨光越过山丘，树梢间传来大声的叽叽喳喳的鸟鸣。威廉再也没有机会开口说话，因为他就站在那里变成了石头，保持着被晨光照到时的姿势。而汤姆和伯特则变成石头定在那里，眼睛还在看着威廉。直到今日，这三个食人妖还是孤孤单单地矗立在那边，只有鸟儿偶尔在它们头上停留。因为你们或许知道，对于食人妖来说，必须在天亮前遁入地下，否则它们就会变回成制造它们所用的原料岩石。这就是伯特、汤姆和威廉的下场。

“Excellent!” said Gandalf, as he stepped from behind a tree, and helped Bilbo to climb down out of a thorn-bush. Then Bilbo understood. It was the wizard’s voice that had kept the trolls bickering and quarrelling, until the light came and made an end of them.

“好极了!”甘道夫从树后面走了出来，又帮着比尔博从一株长满荆刺的灌木上爬了下来。这时，比尔博才明白，原来是巫师用自己的声音让食人妖们彼此吵闹不休，直到天光降临，给了它们一个了断。

The next thing was to untie the sacks and let out the dwarves. They were nearly suffocated, and very annoyed: they had not at all enjoyed lying there listening to the trolls making plans for roasting them and squashing them and mincing them. They had to hear Bilbo’s account of what had happened to him twice over, before they were satisfied.

接下来要做的事就是解开袋子，把矮人们放出来。他们都给憋坏了，心情也给弄得糟糕透顶：他们一点也不喜欢躺在那里听食人妖讨论是要煮他们、压扁他们还是把他们剁碎。他们逼着比尔博把发生在他身上的事情解释了两遍，气才稍稍有点平。

“Silly time to go practising pinching and pocket-picking,” said Bombur, “when what we wanted was fire and food!”

“想练偷东西也不挑个好时候，”邦伯说，“我们当时想要的只是火和食物而已!”

“And that’s just what you wouldn’t have got of those fellows without a struggle, in any case,” said Gandalf. “Anyhow you are wasting time now. Don’t you realize that the trolls must have a cave or a hole dug somewhere near to hide from the sun in? We must look into it!”

“就算换了这两样东西，他们也不会太太平平地奉上。”甘道夫说，“你们现在可是在浪费时间了。食人妖总想着要躲避阳光，所以在它们出没之处的附近一定会有洞穴或是挖出来的地洞，你们难道没想到吗?我们一定得仔细找找!”

They searched about, and soon found the marks of trolls’ stony boots going away through the trees. They followed the tracks up the hill, until hidden by bushes they came on a big door of stone leading to a cave. But they could not open it, not though they all pushed while Gandalf tried various incantations.

他们在四周搜索着，很快发现了这些食人妖通往树丛的石头脚印。他们沿着脚印往山上爬，最后发现掩藏在灌木丛中的一扇通往岩洞的石门。但即使他们全体都用尽吃奶的力气推，甘道夫也尝试了各种各样的咒语，却就是打不开这道石门。

“Would this be any good?” asked Bilbo, when they were getting tired and angry. “I found it on the ground where the trolls had their fight.” He held out a largish key, though no doubt William had thought it very small and secret. It must have fallen out of his pocket, very luckily, before he was turned to stone.

“不知道这个有没有用?”比尔博提出这个问题的时候，矮人们已经又累又气了，“我是在食人妖打架那里的地上找到这东西的。”说着他拿出一把大钥匙，尽管威廉一定觉得这是一把很小、很不容易发现的钥匙。很幸运的是，这把钥匙在他变成石头之前从他口袋中掉了出来。

“Why on earth didn’t you mention it before?” they cried. Gandalf grabbed it and fitted it into the keyhole. Then the stone door swung back with one big push, and they all went inside. There were bones on the floor and a nasty smell was in the air; but there was a good deal of food jumbled carelessly on shelves and on the ground, among an untidy litter of plunder, of all sorts from brass buttons to pots full of gold coins standing in a corner. There were lots of clothes, too, hanging on the walls—too small for trolls, I am afraid they belonged to victims—and among them were several swords of various makes, shapes, and sizes. Two caught their eyes particularly, because of their beautiful scabbards and jewelled hilts.

“你干吗不早说?”大家齐声喊道。甘道夫抓过钥匙，插进钥匙孔中，再用力一推，石门便向后打开了，大家一起进了石洞。石洞的地上有很多的白骨，空气中飘着一股难闻的味道。不过架子上、地上倒是胡乱堆放着许多食物。石洞中到处散乱着掠夺来的财物，从黄铜扣子到堆在一个角落里的装满金币的坛子，形形色色，应有尽有。墙壁上还挂着很多衣服--对食人妖来说明显太小，多半是从那些被害人身上扒下来的--在这些衣物之间，还有各种款式、形状和尺寸的剑，其中两把特别吸引他们的目光，因为它们拥有美丽的剑鞘和镶嵌着宝石的剑柄。

Gandalf and Thorin each took one of these; and Bilbo took a knife in a leather sheath. It would have made only a tiny pocket-knife for a troll, but it was as good as a short sword for the hobbit.

甘道夫和索林各自拿了一把，比尔博则拿了一把带鞘的刀子。这对食人妖来说大概只能算是装在口袋里的小刀，但对霍比特人来说却已经可以算得上是短剑了。

“These look like good blades,” said the wizard, half drawing them and looking at them curiously. “They were not made by any troll, nor by any smith among men in these parts and days; but when we can read the runes on them, we shall know more about them.”

“像是好剑哪。”巫师将剑从鞘中拔出一半，好奇地打量着，“这不是食人妖自己做的，也不是这一带的人类工匠现在能够制作出的。等我们把上面的如尼文解读出来，应该可以知道更多它们的来历。”

“Let’s get out of this horrible smell!” said Fili. So they carried out the pots of coins, and such food as was untouched and looked fit to eat, also one barrel of ale which was still full. By that time they felt like breakfast, and being very hungry they did not turn their noses up at what they had got from the trolls’ larder. Their own provisions were very scanty. Now they had bread and cheese, and plenty of ale, and bacon to toast in the embers of the fire.

“快走吧，我可不想再闻这股臭味儿了!”菲力说。于是大家把一坛坛金币搬了出去，接着是那些没被食人妖碰过，看着还能吃的食物，还有一桶依然是满满的麦芽酒。这时他们才觉得该吃早餐了，由于每个人都已经饿得前胸贴了后背，所以大家抓过从食人妖洞里得来的食物就狼吞虎咽地吃了起来，连头都不曾抬过一下。他们自己原先准备下的粮食已经所剩无几了，现在一下子又有了面包和奶酪、一大桶麦芽酒，还有可以放在营火的余烬里烤的火腿。

After that they slept, for their night had been disturbed; and they did nothing more till the afternoon. Then they brought up their ponies, and carried away the pots of gold, and buried them very secretly not far from the track by the river, putting a great many spells over them, just in case they ever had the chance to come back and recover them. When that was done, they all mounted once more, and jogged along again on the path towards the East.

吃完以后大伙儿便睡下了，因为刚刚过去的一晚上一直都在折腾。这一觉一睡就睡到了下午。醒过来之后，他们牵过小马，装上一坛坛金币，将它们运到离小道不远的河边，非常隐密地埋了起来，还对这批财宝施了很多的魔法，为的是万一将来他们还有命回来时，能重新找到这些财宝。忙活完之后，他们又全都再次上马，继续沿着山路向东方慢慢行去。

“Where did you go to, if I may ask?” said Thorin to Gandalf as they rode along.

“我能否问一下你之前去了哪儿?”索林在和甘道夫策马并行时问道。

“To look ahead,” said he.

“去前面探了探。”甘道夫回答。

“And what brought you back in the nick of time?”

“是什么让你在千钧一发的时候赶回来了呢?”

“Looking behind,” said he.

“又回头探了探。”他不紧不慢地说。

“Exactly!” said Thorin; “but could you be more plain?”

“你说得倒轻巧!”索林道，“但你可以说得更清楚一点吗?”

“I went on to spy out our road. It will soon become dangerous and difficult. Also I was anxious about replenishing our small stock of provisions. I had not gone very far, however, when I met a couple of friends of mine from Rivendell.”

“我去前面探路，因为不用多久前方的道路就将变得危险而又艰难了。此外，我还操心着要补充一下我们带的那一点点给养。不过我没走出多远，就遇上了几个从幽谷来的朋友。”

“Where’s that?” asked Bilbo.

“那是什么地方?”比尔博问道。

“Don’t interrupt!” said Gandalf. “You will get there in a few days now, if we’re lucky, and find out all about it. As I was saying I met two of Elrond’s people. They were hurrying along for fear of the trolls. It was they who told me that three of them had come down from the mountains and settled in the woods not far from the road: they had frightened everyone away from the district, and they waylaid strangers.

“别插嘴!”甘道夫说，“如果我们运气好的话，再走几天就能到那儿了，到了你就自然会知道那是什么地方。我刚才说到，我碰到了两个埃尔隆德的人，他们因为害怕食人妖，所以正在匆忙赶路。就是他们告诉我说，有三个食人妖从山上跑了下来，在离大路不远的森林里面住了下来，它们不仅把这附近的人都给吓跑了，还攻击过路的旅人。

“I immediately had a feeling that I was wanted back. Looking behind I saw a fire in the distance and made for it. So now you know. Please be more careful, next time, or we shall never get anywhere!”

“我立刻就感到我必须回来。我朝后一看，看见远处有火光，就向着火光赶了回来。现在知道怎么回事了吧。拜托你们下次务必小心一点，不然我们哪儿都到不了!”

“Thank you!” said Thorin.

“谢谢你!”索林由衷地说道。