[ Chapter 26 ]
Beside the well there was the ruin of an old stone wall. When I came back from my work, the next evening, I saw from some distance away my little price sitting on top of a wall, with his feet dangling. And I heard him say:
在井旁边有一堵残缺的石墙。第二天晚上我工作回来的时候,我远远地看见了小王子耷拉着双腿坐在墙上。我听见他在说话:
"Then you don't remember. This is not the exact spot."
“你怎么不记得了呢?”他说,“绝不是在这儿。”
Another voice must have answered him, for he replied to it:
大概还有另一个声音在回答他,因为他答着腔说道:
"Yes, yes! It is the right day, but this is not the place."
“没错,没错,日子是对的;但地点不是这里…”
I continued my walk toward the wall. At no time did I see or hear anyone. The little prince, however, replied once again:
我继续朝墙走去。我还是看不到,也听不见任何别人。可是小王子又回答道:
"--Exactly. You will see where my track begins, in the sand. You have nothing to do but wait for me there. I shall be there tonight."
“…那当然。你会在沙上看到我的脚印是从什么地方开始的。你在那里等着我就行了。今天夜里我去那里。”
I was only twenty metres from the wall, and I still saw nothing.
我离墙约有二十米远,可我依然什么也没有看见。
After a silence the little prince spoke again:
小王子沉默了一会又说:
"You have good poison? You are sure that it will not make me suffer too long?"
“你的毒液管用吗?你保证不会使我长时间地痛苦吗?”
I stopped in my tracks, my heart torn asunder; but still I did not understand.
我焦虑地赶上前去,但我仍然不明白是怎么回事。
"Now go away," said the little prince. "I want to get down from the wall."
“现在你去吧,我要下来了!…”小王子说。
I dropped my eyes, then, to the foot of the wall-- and I leaped into the air. There before me, facing the little prince, was one of those yellow snakes that take just thirty seconds to bring your life to an end.
于是,我也朝墙脚下看去,我吓了一跳。就在那里,一条黄蛇直起身子冲着小王子。这种黄蛇半分钟就能结果你的性命。
Even as I was digging into my pocked to get out my revolver I made a running step back. But, at the noise I made, the snake let himself flow easily across the sand like the dying spray of a fountain.
我一面赶紧掏口袋,拔出手枪,一面跑过去。可是一听到我的脚步声,蛇却象一股干涸了的水柱一样,慢慢钻进沙里去。
它不慌不忙地在石头的缝隙中钻动着,发出轻轻的金属般的响声。