The 1)Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

The 1)Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

By Mark Twain
Read by Marsh 1 McCandless

In 2)compliance 2 with the request of a friend of mine, who wrote me from the East, I called on good-natured, 3)garrulous 3 old Simon Wheeler, and inquired after my friend’s friend, Leonidas W. Smiley, as requested to do, and I 4)hereunto 5)append the result.

I found Simon Wheeler dozing 4 comfortably by the bar-room stove of the 6)dilapidated 7)tavern 5 in the 8)decayed mining camp of Angel’s.

“9)Rev 6. Leonidas W. H’m, Reverend Le—well, there was a 10)feller here once by the name of Jim Smiley; but any way, he was the curiousest man about always betting on anything that turned up you ever see, if he could get anybody to bet on the other side; and if he couldn’t he’d change sides. If there was a horse-race, you’d find him 11)flush or you’d find him 12)busted at the end of it; if there was a dog-fight, he’d bet on it; if there was a cat-fight, he’d bet on it; if there was a chicken-fight, he’d bet on it; why, if there was two birds setting on a fence, he would bet you which one would fly first. If he even see a 13)straddle-bug start to go anywheres, he would bet you how long it would take him to get to—to wherever he was going to, and if you took him up, he would foller that straddle-bug to Mexico but what he would find out where he was bound for and how long he was on the road.

“He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal’lated to educate him; and so he never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump. And you bet you he did learn him, too.

“Well, Smiley kep’t the beast in a little 14)lattice box, and he used to fetch him down town sometimes and lay for a bet. One day a feller—a stranger in the camp, he was—come acrost him with his box, and says:

“‘What might it be that you’ve got in the box?’

“And Smiley says, 15)sorter indifferent-like, ‘It might be a parrot, or it might be a 16)canary, maybe, but it ain’t—it’s only just a frog.’

“And the feller took it, and looked at it careful, and turned it round this way and that, and says, ‘H’m—so ’tis. Well, what’s he good for?’

“’Well,’ Smiley says, easy and careless, ‘he’s good enough for one thing, I should judge—he can 17)outjump any frog in Calaveras County.’

“The feller took the box again, and took another long, particular look, and give it back to Smiley, and says, very deliberate, ‘Well,’ he says, ‘I don’t see no p’ints about that frog that’s any better’n any other frog.’

“‘Maybe you don’t,’ Smiley says. ‘Anyways, I’ve got my opinion and I’ll resk forty dollars that he can outjump any frog in Calaveras County.’

“And the feller studied a minute, and then says, kinder sad like, ‘Well, I’m only a stranger here, and I ain’t got no frog; but if I had a frog, I’d bet you.’

“And then Smiley says, ‘That’s all right—that’s all right—if you’ll hold my box a minute, I’ll go and get you a frog.’ And so the feller took the box, and put up his forty dollars along with Smiley’s, and set down to wait.

“So he set there a good while thinking and thinking to hisself, and then he got the frog out and prized his mouth open and took a teaspoon 8 and filled him full of 18)quail 9 shot—filled him pretty near up to his chin—and set him on the floor. Smiley he went to the 19)swamp and 20)slopped around in the mud for a long time, and finally he ketched a frog, and fetched him in, and give him to this feller, and says:

“‘Now, if you’re ready, set him alongside of 21)Dan’l, with his 22)forepaws just even with Dan’l’s, and I’ll give the word.’ Then he says, ‘One—two—three—git!’ and him and the feller touched up the frogs from behind, and the new frog 23)hopped off lively, but Dan’l give a 24)heave, and hysted up his shoulders—so—like a Frenchman, but it warn’t no use—he couldn’t 25)budge 11; he was planted as solid as a church, and he couldn’t no more 26)stir than if he was 27)anchored out. Smiley was a good deal surprised, and he was disgusted too, but he didn’t have no idea what the matter was, of course.

“The feller took the money and started away. Smiley he stood scratching his head and looking down at Dan’l a long time, and at last he says, ‘I do wonder what in the nation that frog throw’d off for—I wonder if there ain’t something the matter with him—he ’pears to look mighty 12 28)baggy 13, somehow.’ And he ketched Dan’l by the nap of the neck, and 29)hefted him, and says, ‘Why blame my cats if he don’t weigh five pound!’ and turned him upside down and he 30)belched out a double handful of shot. And then he see how it was, and he was the maddest man—he set the frog down and took out after that feller, but he never ketched him. And—”

[Here Simon Wheeler heard his name called from the front yard, and got up to see what was wanted.] But, by your leave, I did not think that a continuation of the history of the 31)enterprising 32)vagabond Jim Smiley would be likely to afford me much information concerning the Rev. Leonidas W. Smiley, and so I started away.

注释：
1) notorious [nEu5tC:riEs] a. 声名狼籍的
2) compliance [kEm5plaiEns] n. 依从，顺从
3) garrulous [5^ArulEs] a. 饶舌的，多嘴的
4) hereunto [7hiErQn5tU:] ad. 迄今
5) append [E5pend] v. 附上，添上
6) dilapidated [di5lApi7deitid] a. 毁坏的，荒废的
7) tavern [5tAvE:n] n. 酒馆，客栈
8) decayed [di5keid] a. 烂了的，朽了的
9) Rev. 即reverend [5revErEnd] a. （常大写，用于牧师等的名字前表示尊敬）牧师的；值得尊敬的
10) feller [5felE] n. （方言）同fellow，意思是“男人，家伙”
11) flush [flQF] v. （脸）发红
12) bust 7 [bQst] v. 破产；崩溃，失败
13) straddle-bug [5strAdl bQg] n. （口语）屎壳郎
14) lattice [5lAtis] n. 格子；格构式窗、门等
15) sorter [5sC:tE] 即口语sort of
16) canary [kE5nZEri] n. 金丝雀
17) outjump [7aut5dVQmp] v. 比……跳得高（或远）
18) quail [kweil] n. 鹌鹑
19) swamp [swCmp] n. 沼泽，湿地
20) slop [slCp] v. 在泥浆或融雪中走
21) Dan’l 是斯迈利给自己的青蛙起的名字
22) forepaw [5fC:pC:] n. （动物的）前脚，前蹄
23) hop 10 [hRp] v. （鸟，蛙等）跳跃
24) heave [hi:v] n. （用力）举
25) budge [bQdV] v. 移动
26) stir [stE:] v. （尤指轻微地）动
27) anchor [5ANkE] v. 抛锚；固着
28) baggy [5bA^i] a. 肿胀的；松垂的
29) heft [heft] v. 举起
30) belch 14 [beltF] v. 打嗝；喷出
31) enterprising [5entEpraiziN] a. 有事业心的，有进取心的
32) vagabond [5vA^EbEnd] n. 浪子，懒汉

卡拉维拉斯县驰名的跳蛙

一个朋友从东部来了信，我遵照他的嘱咐去拜访了好脾气、爱絮叨的西蒙·惠勒，打听我朋友的朋友利奥尼达斯·W·斯迈利的下落。这件受人之托的事究竟结果如何，我来做个交代。
我见到西蒙·威勒的时候，他正在荒废的矿山屯子安吉尔那家破旧的酒馆里，在酒吧间的火炉旁边舒舒服服地打盹。
“利奥尼达斯神父，嗯，利奥神——嗯，这里从前倒是有过一个叫吉姆·斯迈利的人；可是不管怎么样，这儿再也找不出一个比他更奇怪的人了。无论碰到什么事情，只要能找到一个人在对方下赌注，他就和人家赌上了；如果人家要换一边下赌注，他也乐意。要是碰上赛马，收场的时候他不是赢得满满当当，就是输得一干二净；如果斗的是狗，他赌；斗的是猫，他赌；斗的是鸡，他还赌；嘿，就算有两只鸟落在篱笆上，他也要跟你赌哪一只先飞。要是他看见一只屎克螂朝哪里开步走，他就跟你赌它多久才能到——不论到哪儿都行；只要你接茬，哪怕是去墨西哥，他也会跟着那只屎克螂，看看它到底去不去那儿，路上得花多长时间。
“有一天，他逮着一只青蛙带回家去，说是要好好训一训；足足有三个月，他什么事都不干，光呆在后院里头教那只青蛙蹦高。果不其然，他把青蛙给训出来了。
“斯迈利拿一只小笼子装着那青蛙，时不时地带着它逛大街、设赌局。有一天，一个汉子——是个外乡人——到屯子里来，正碰上斯迈利提着青蛙笼子，就问：
“‘你那笼子里头装的是什么呀？’
“斯迈利爱理不理地说：‘它也许该是只鹦鹉，也许呢，该是只雀儿；可它偏不是——它是一只青蛙。’
“那汉子拿过笼子，转过来转过去，细细地瞅，说：‘嗯——原来是只青蛙，它有什么特别的呀？’
“‘噢，’斯迈利不紧不慢地说，‘它就有一样看家的本事，要叫我说——它比这卡拉维拉斯县里的哪一只青蛙蹦得都高。’
“那汉子又拿过笼子，再仔仔细细地看了好半天，才还给斯迈利，不慌不忙地说，‘是嘛，’他说，‘我怎么没瞧出来这只青蛙比别的青蛙能好到哪儿去。’
“‘你也许瞧不出来，’斯迈利说，‘别管你怎么看，我心里有数，我赌四十美元，就赌这青蛙比卡拉维拉斯县随便哪一只青蛙都蹦得高。’
“那汉子琢磨了一会儿，有点儿犯难：‘呃，这儿我人生地不熟的，也没带着青蛙；要是我有一只青蛙，准跟你赌。’
“这时候斯迈利说：‘好办——好办——只要你替我把这笼子拿一小会儿，我这就去给你逮一只来。’就这样，那汉子拿着笼子，把他的四十美元和斯迈利的四十美元放在一起，坐下等着。
“这汉子坐在那儿想来想去，想了好一会儿，然后从笼子里头把青蛙拿出来，扒开它的嘴，接着掏出一把小勺来，给青蛙灌了一肚子打鹌鹑的弹子——一直灌到齐了青蛙的下巴颏——然后把青蛙放到地上。斯迈利呢，他上洼地的烂泥里头稀里哗啦趟了一气，到底逮住只青蛙。他把青蛙抓回来，交给那汉子说：
“‘行了，你要是准备好了，就把它跟丹尼尔并排摆着，把它的前爪跟丹尼尔的放齐了，我喊口令。’然后他就喊：‘一——二——三——蹦！’他和那汉子从后边轻轻戳了戳那两只青蛙，那只新来的青蛙蹦得特有劲，可是丹尼尔吸了一口气，光耸肩膀——就这样——像法国人似的。它压根动不了，跟生了根一样，像座教堂似的岿然不动，连挪挪地方都办不到，就像抛了锚。斯迈利既纳闷，又恼火；当然啦，说什么他也想不通这到底是怎么一档子事。
“那汉子拿起钱就走。斯迈利呢，他站在那儿挠着头，低着头盯着丹尼尔看了好一会儿，最后说：‘真闹不明白这青蛙怎么栽了——闹不明白它犯了什么毛病——不知怎么搞的，看起来，它肚子胀得不轻。’他揪着丹尼尔脖子上的皮，把青蛙拿起来掂了掂，说：‘它要没五磅重才怪呢！’他把青蛙头朝下，结果青蛙吐出满满两大把弹子来。斯迈利这才明白过来，他气得发疯，放下青蛙就去追那汉子，可再也追不上了。然后——
（这时候，西蒙·惠勒听见前院有人喊他的名字，就站起来去看找他有什么事。）不过，对不住了您呐，我想，再往下听赌劲十足吉姆·斯迈利的故事，也打听不到利奥尼达斯·W·斯迈利神父消息呀，于是我拔腿就走了。