Chapter 16. The Fire

Later on in the evening a traveler's horse was brought in by the second hostler, and while he was cleaning him a young man with a pipe in his mouth lounged into the stable to gossip. 傍晚晚些时候，第二个马夫牵来一匹旅人的马，当他正在给马打扫卫生时，一个嘴里叼着烟斗的年轻人懒洋洋地走进马厩闲聊。 "I say, Towler," said the hostler, "just run up the ladder into the loft and put some hay down into this horse's rack, will you? “我说，托勒，”店主说，“快跑上梯子，进入阁楼，把一些干草放到马架上，好吗？ only lay down your pipe." "All right," said the other, and went up through the trapdoor; and I heard him step across the floor overhead and put down the hay. “好吧，”另一个说着穿过活板门走了上去。我听到他跨过头顶的地板放下干草。 James came in to look at us the last thing, and then the door was locked. 詹姆斯进来最后看了我们一眼，然后门就被锁上了。

I cannot say how long I had slept, nor what time in the night it was, but I woke up very uncomfortable, though I hardly knew why. I got up; the air seemed all thick and choking. I heard Ginger coughing and one of the other horses seemed very restless; it was quite dark, and I could see nothing, but the stable seemed full of smoke, and I hardly knew how to breathe.

The trapdoor had been left open, and I thought that was the place it came through. 活板门一直开着，我想那是它穿过的地方。 I listened, and heard a soft rushing sort of noise and a low crackling and snapping. 我侧耳倾听，听到一种轻柔的轰鸣声和低沉的噼啪声和噼啪声。 I did not know what it was, but there was something in the sound so strange that it made me tremble all over. The other horses were all awake; some were pulling at their halters, others stamping.

At last I heard steps outside, and the hostler who had put up the traveler's horse burst into the stable with a lantern, and began to untie the horses, and try to lead them out; but he seemed in such a hurry and so frightened himself that he frightened me still more. 终于，我听到外面有脚步声，放过旅人马的马夫提着灯笼冲进马厩，开始解开马匹，想把它们牵出来。但他似乎很匆忙，把自己吓坏了，更让我害怕了。 The first horse would not go with him; he tried the second and third, and they too would not stir. 第一匹马不肯跟他走；他试了第二个和第三个，但它们也纹丝不动。 He came to me next and tried to drag me out of the stall by force; of course that was no use. 他接着来到我身边，想强行把我拖出摊位；当然那是没有用的。 He tried us all by turns and then left the stable. 他轮流试了我们所有人，然后离开了马厩。

No doubt we were very foolish, but danger seemed to be all round, and there was nobody we knew to trust in, and all was strange and uncertain. 毫无疑问，我们非常愚蠢，但危险似乎无处不在，我们认识的人中没有任何人可以信任，一切都是陌生和不确定的。 The fresh air that had come in through the open door made it easier to breathe, but the rushing sound overhead grew louder, and as I looked upward through the bars of my empty rack I saw a red light flickering on the wall. 从敞开的门进来的新鲜空气让我呼吸更顺畅，但头顶的急促声越来越大，当我透过空架子的栏杆向上看时，我看到墙上闪烁着红光。 Then I heard a cry of "Fire!" outside, and the old hostler quietly and quickly came in; he got one horse out, and went to another, but the flames were playing round the trapdoor, and the roaring overhead was dreadful. 外面，老主人悄悄地很快进来了。他牵出一匹马，又换了另一匹马，但活板门周围火光四起，头顶上的咆哮声可怕极了。

The next thing I heard was James' voice, quiet and cheery, as it always was. "Come, my beauties, it is time for us to be off, so wake up and come along." “来吧，我的美女们，我们该走了，醒醒过来吧。” I stood nearest the door, so he came to me first, patting me as he came in.

"Come, Beauty, on with your bridle, my boy, we'll soon be out of this smother." “来吧，美人，带上你的缰绳，我的孩子，我们很快就会摆脱这种窒息。” It was on in no time; then he took the scarf off his neck, and tied it lightly over my eyes, and patting and coaxing he led me out of the stable. 很快就打开了；然后他解下脖子上的围巾，轻轻地系在我的眼睛上，边拍边哄边带我出了马厩。 Safe in the yard, he slipped the scarf off my eyes, and shouted, "Here somebody! take this horse while I go back for the other." 牵着这匹马，我回去取另一匹马。” A tall, broad man stepped forward and took me, and James darted back into the stable. I set up a shrill whinny as I saw him go. 当我看到他离开时，我发出了刺耳的嘶嘶声。 Ginger told me afterward that whinny was the best thing I could have done for her, for had she not heard me outside she would never have had courage to come out. 金杰后来告诉我，嘶嘶声是我能为她做的最好的事情，因为如果她在外面没有听到我的声音，她就永远没有勇气出来。

There was much confusion in the yard; the horses being got out of other stables, and the carriages and gigs being pulled out of houses and sheds, lest the flames should spread further. 院子里一片混乱。马匹从其他马厩里搬出来，马车和马车从房屋和棚子里拉出来，以免火势进一步蔓延。 On the other side the yard windows were thrown up, and people were shouting all sorts of things; but I kept my eye fixed on the stable door, where the smoke poured out thicker than ever, and I could see flashes of red light; presently I heard above all the stir and din a loud, clear voice, which I knew was master's: 另一边院子的窗户都竖起来了，人们在大喊大叫。但我的眼睛一直盯着马厩的门，那里冒出的烟比以往任何时候都浓，我能看到红光闪烁。不久，我首先听到一阵骚动和嘈杂声，一个响亮、清晰的声音，我知道那是主人的声音： "James Howard! James Howard! Are you there?" There was no answer, but I heard a crash of something falling in the stable, and the next moment I gave a loud, joyful neigh, for I saw James coming through the smoke leading Ginger with him; she was coughing violently, and he was not able to speak. 没有人回答，但我听到马厩里有什么东西掉落的声音，下一刻我发出一声响亮而快乐的嘶鸣，因为我看到詹姆斯带着金杰穿过浓烟；她剧烈咳嗽，他说不出话来。

"My brave lad!" said master, laying his hand on his shoulder, "are you hurt?" James shook his head, for he could not yet speak.

"Ay," said the big man who held me; "he is a brave lad, and no mistake." "And now," said master, "when you have got your breath, James, we'll get out of this place as quickly as we can," and we were moving toward the entry, when from the market-place there came a sound of galloping feet and loud rumbling wheels. “现在，”主人说，“等你喘口气了，詹姆斯，我们会尽快离开这个地方，”我们正朝入口走去，这时从市场传来一个奔跑的脚步声和隆隆的车轮声。 "'Tis the fire-engine! “‘是消防车！ the fire-engine!" shouted two or three voices, "stand back, make way!" ”两三个声音喊道：“后退，让路！ and clattering and thundering over the stones two horses dashed into the yard with a heavy engine behind them. 两匹马在石头上哗啦哗啦地雷鸣般地冲进院子里，身后拖着沉重的机器。 The firemen leaped to the ground; there was no need to ask where the fire was--it was rolling up in a great blaze from the roof. 消防员跳到地上；不用问哪里着火了——大火从屋顶上滚了上来。

We got out as fast as we could into the broad quiet market-place; the stars were shining, and except the noise behind us, all was still. 我们尽快下车，进入宽阔安静的市场。星星在闪闪发光，除了我们身后的喧闹声，一切都静止了。 Master led the way to a large hotel on the other side, and as soon as the hostler came, he said, "James, I must now hasten to your mistress; I trust the horses entirely to you, order whatever you think is needed," and with that he was gone. 主人带路到了另一边的一家大旅馆，主人一来就说：“詹姆斯，我现在必须赶紧去找你的女主人，我把马匹完全交给你，你认为需要什么就吩咐什么， "说完他就走了。 The master did not run, but I never saw mortal man walk so fast as he did that night.

There was a dreadful sound before we got into our stalls--the shrieks of those poor horses that were left burning to death in the stable--it was very terrible! 在我们进到我们的马厩之前，有一种可怕的声音——那些被留在马厩里被烧死的可怜的马的尖叫声——非常可怕！ and made both Ginger and me feel very bad. We, however, were taken in and well done by. 然而，我们被带入并做得很好。

The next morning the master came to see how we were and to speak to James. 第二天早上，师父来看我们过得如何，并与詹姆斯交谈。 I did not hear much, for the hostler was rubbing me down, but I could see that James looked very happy, and I thought the master was proud of him. 我没有听到太多声音，因为店主在责备我，但我可以看到詹姆斯看起来很高兴，我觉得主人为他感到骄傲。 Our mistress had been so much alarmed in the night that the journey was put off till the afternoon, so James had the morning on hand, and went first to the inn to see about our harness and the carriage, and then to hear more about the fire. 我们的女主人在晚上非常惊慌，以至于行程被推迟到下午，所以詹姆斯早上就在手边，先去客栈看看我们的挽具和马车，然后再听听更多关于火。 When he came back we heard him tell the hostler about it. At first no one could guess how the fire had been caused, but at last a man said he saw Dick Towler go into the stable with a pipe in his mouth, and when he came out he had not one, and went to the tap for another. 起初没有人猜到火是怎么引起的，但最后一个人说他看到迪克·托勒嘴里叼着一根烟斗走进马厩，当他出来时却没有烟斗，于是他走到水龙头旁取水。其他。 Then the under hostler said he had asked Dick to go up the ladder to put down some hay, but told him to lay down his pipe first. 然后，下级马夫说他让迪克上梯子放下一些干草，但让他先放下烟斗。 Dick denied taking the pipe with him, but no one believed him. I remember our John Manly's rule, never to allow a pipe in the stable, and thought it ought to be the rule everywhere. 我记得我们约翰·曼利的规矩，绝不允许在马厩里放烟斗，我认为这应该成为所有地方的规矩。 James said the roof and floor had all fallen in, and that only the black walls were standing; the two poor horses that could not be got out were buried under the burnt rafters and tiles. 詹姆斯说屋顶和地板都塌了，只有黑墙还在。两匹出不来的可怜马，被埋在烧焦的椽瓦下。