Chapter 31. A Humbug 第 31 章。

My master was not immediately suited, but in a few days my new groom came. He was a tall, good-looking fellow enough; but if ever there was a humbug in the shape of a groom Alfred Smirk was the man. 他是个高大英俊的小伙子。但是如果有一个骗子以新郎的形式出现的话，阿尔弗雷德·斯米尔克就是这个人。 He was very civil to me, and never used me ill; in fact, he did a great deal of stroking and patting when his master was there to see it. 他对我很有礼貌，从不虐待我。事实上，当他的主人在场时，他会进行大量的抚摸和拍打。 He always brushed my mane and tail with water and my hoofs with oil before he brought me to the door, to make me look smart; but as to cleaning my feet or looking to my shoes, or grooming me thoroughly, he thought no more of that than if I had been a cow. 在把我带到门口之前，他总是用水刷刷我的鬃毛和尾巴，用油刷刷我的蹄子，让我看起来很漂亮。但是至于清洁我的脚、检查我的鞋子，或者彻底地梳理我的毛发，他都没有多想，就好像我是一头母牛一样。 He left my bit rusty, my saddle damp, and my crupper stiff. 他让我的钻头生锈了，我的马鞍潮湿了，我的臀部僵硬了。

Alfred Smirk considered himself very handsome; he spent a great deal of time about his hair, whiskers and necktie, before a little looking-glass in the harness-room. When his master was speaking to him it was always, "Yes, sir; yes, sir"--touching his hat at every word; and every one thought he was a very nice young man and that Mr. Barry was very fortunate to meet with him. I should say he was the laziest, most conceited fellow I ever came near. Of course, it was a great thing not to be ill-used, but then a horse wants more than that. I had a loose box, and might have been very comfortable if he had not been too indolent to clean it out. He never took all the straw away, and the smell from what lay underneath was very bad; while the strong vapors that rose made my eyes smart and inflame, and I did not feel the same appetite for my food. 他从来没有把所有的稻草都拿走，下面的东西散发出难闻的气味。升起的浓烈水汽让我的眼睛又痛又痛，我对食物的胃口也大不如前。

One day his master came in and said, "Alfred, the stable smells rather strong; should not you give that stall a good scrub and throw down plenty of water?" 一天，他的主人进来说：“阿尔弗雷德，马厩的味道很重，你不应该好好擦洗一下那个马厩，并洒下大量的水吗？” "Well, sir," he said, touching his cap, "I'll do so if you please, sir; but it is rather dangerous, sir, throwing down water in a horse's box; they are very apt to take cold, sir. “好吧，先生，”他说着摸了摸自己的帽子，“如果您愿意，我会这样做的，先生；但是，向马的马槽里泼水是相当危险的；他们很容易感冒，先生. I should not like to do him an injury, but I'll do it if you please, sir." 我不想伤害他，但如果您愿意，我会做的，先生。” "Well," said his master, "I should not like him to take cold; but I don't like the smell of this stable. Do you think the drains are all right?" 你觉得下水道还好吗？” "Well, sir, now you mention it, I think the drain does sometimes send back a smell; there may be something wrong, sir." “好吧，先生，既然您这么说了，我想下水道有时确实会回味，可能是出了什么问题，先生。” "Then send for the bricklayer and have it seen to," said his master. “那就叫瓦匠来修吧，”他的主人说。 "Yes, sir, I will." The bricklayer came and pulled up a great many bricks, but found nothing amiss; so he put down some lime and charged the master five shillings, and the smell in my box was as bad as ever. 瓦匠来了，拉了很多砖，但没有发现任何问题。于是他放下一些酸橙，收了主人五先令，我的箱子里的气味还是一如既往的难闻。 But that was not all: standing as I did on a quantity of moist straw my feet grew unhealthy and tender, and the master used to say: 但这还不是全部：就像我站在一堆潮湿的稻草上一样，我的脚变得不健康和柔软，师傅常说：

"I don't know what is the matter with this horse; he goes very fumble-footed. “我不知道这匹马怎么了；他走得很笨拙。 I am sometimes afraid he will stumble." 我有时担心他会绊倒。” "Yes, sir," said Alfred, "I have noticed the same myself, when I have exercised him." “是的，先生，”阿尔弗雷德说，“当我锻炼他时，我自己也注意到了同样的情况。” Now the fact was that he hardly ever did exercise me, and when the master was busy I often stood for days together without stretching my legs at all, and yet being fed just as high as if I were at hard work. This often disordered my health, and made me sometimes heavy and dull, but more often restless and feverish. 这常常扰乱我的健康，使我有时感到沉重和迟钝，但更多的时候是焦躁不安和发烧。 He never even gave me a meal of green food or a bran mash, which would have cooled me, for he was altogether as ignorant as he was conceited; and then, instead of exercise or change of food, I had to take horse balls and draughts; which, beside the nuisance of having them poured down my throat, used to make me feel ill and uncomfortable. 他甚至从来没有给我吃过一顿绿色食物或麦麸泥，这会让我感到凉爽，因为他既自负又无知；然后，我不得不吃马球和草药，而不是运动或改变食物。除了让它们倒在我的喉咙里很烦人之外，过去常常让我感到恶心和不舒服。

One day my feet were so tender that, trotting over some fresh stones with my master on my back, I made two such serious stumbles that, as he came down Lansdown into the city, he stopped at the farrier's, and asked him to see what was the matter with me. 有一天，我的脚太软了，我背着我的主人在一些新鲜的石头上小跑，我跌跌撞撞地摔了两次，当他从兰斯敦进城时，他在蹄铁匠那里停下来，让他看看有什么是我的问题。 The man took up my feet one by one and examined them; then standing up and dusting his hands one against the other, he said:

"Your horse has got the 'thrush', and badly, too; his feet are very tender; it is fortunate that he has not been down. “你的马得了‘鹅口疮’，而且很严重，它的脚很软，还好它没有倒下。 I wonder your groom has not seen to it before. 我想知道你的新郎以前没看过。 This is the sort of thing we find in foul stables, where the litter is never properly cleaned out. 这是我们在肮脏的马厩里发现的那种东西，那里的垃圾从来没有被正确清理过。 If you will send him here to-morrow I will attend to the hoof, and I will direct your man how to apply the liniment which I will give him." 如果你明天把他送到这里，我会照看蹄子，我会指导你的人如何涂抹我给他的搽剂。” The next day I had my feet thoroughly cleansed and stuffed with tow soaked in some strong lotion; and an unpleasant business it was. 第二天，我的脚被彻底清洗干净，并用浸有强效乳液的丝束填充；这是一件不愉快的事情。

The farrier ordered all the litter to be taken out of my box day by day, and the floor kept very clean. 马蹄铁匠一天天下令把我箱子里的垃圾都搬走，地板保持得很干净。 Then I was to have bran mashes, a little green food, and not so much corn, till my feet were well again. 然后我要吃麦麸糊、一点绿色食物，不要吃太多玉米，直到我的脚恢复健康。 With this treatment I soon regained my spirits; but Mr. Barry was so much disgusted at being twice deceived by his grooms that he determined to give up keeping a horse, and to hire when he wanted one. I was therefore kept till my feet were quite sound, and was then sold again. 因此，我被留下，直到我的脚完全好了，然后又被卖掉了。