经典科幻文学:《 基本上无害 Mostly Harmless》 第9章3

This at least had gained her attention. She looked round at him suspiciously, but, being half blind, had difficulty finding him in the blurred and rocky landscape.

这话至少引起了她的注意。她疑神疑鬼地朝他这边扫了一眼，不过由于视力问题，要想在一堆模模糊糊的石头中间找到他恐怕有些困难。

He waved, helpfully. ‘Hello!’ he called.

阿瑟很帮忙的挥挥手。“哈喽！”他喊道。

At last she spotted him, grunted to herself and turned back to whacking flies.

她终于发现了他，然后自顾自地哼了哼，转身继续拍苍蝇。

It was horribly apparent from the way that currents of air moved when she did, that the major source of the smell was in fact her. The drying bladders, the festering bodies and the noxious potage may all have been making violent contributions to the atmosphere, but the major olfactory presence was the woman herself.

如今事情已经很明白了，根据她拍苍蝇时流动的情况判断，那股怪味主要来源是她无疑。晒在太阳底下的膀胱，溃烂的尸体，再加上腐败的肉汤，它们对空气质量可能都有不小的贡献，但最主要的嗅觉冲击就是那个女人自己。

She got another good thwack at a fly. It smacked against the rock and dribbled its insides down it in what she clearly regarded, if she could see that far, as a satisfactory manner.

她又完成了一次漂亮的打击。苍蝇啪嗒一声撞扁在石头上。它的内脏流得到处都是，那模样准能让她满意——只要她看得到那么远的话。

Unsteadily, Arthur got to his feet and brushed himself down with a fistful of dried grass. He didn’t know what else to do by way of announcing himself. He had half a mind just to wander off again, but felt awkward about leaving a pile of his vomit in front of the entrance to the woman’s home. He wondered what to do about it. He started to pluck up more handsful of the scrubby dried grass that was to be found here and there. He was worried, though, that if he ventured nearer to the vomit he might simply add to it rather than clear it up. Just as he was debating with himself as to what the right course of action was he began to realise that she was at last saying something to him.

阿瑟晃晃悠悠地爬起来，扯了一把干草擦擦衣服。他不知道自己还能怎么吸引对方的注意。他简直想干脆晃到别处去算了，可又觉得在人家家门口吐了一摊，就这么拍拍屁股走人实在有些不好意思。他琢磨了半天接下来该怎么办。他看见地上零零星星地长着几从干草，于是过去把它们收集起来。但他还是有些担心——如果再靠近自己吐出来的那些东西，他很可能不但没法把它们清理掉，反而会增加它们的数量。他开始跟自己讨论下一步的行动计划，却意识到对方终于开始跟他讲话了。

‘I beg your pardon?’ he called out.

“请问，您说什么来着？”他大声问。

‘I said, can I help you?’ she said, in a thin, scratchy voice, that he could only just hear.

“我说，有什么可以帮忙的吗？”她的声音又细又刺耳，阿瑟只能勉强听清。

‘Er, I came to ask your advice,’ he called back, feeling a bit ridiculous.

“呃，我来寻求您的建议。”他喊回去，觉得自己有点傻。