They were building boats to sail up the lake when the ice melted in the spring.

他们正在制造小船准备着春天冰雪消融时过河。

Buck made his hole in the snow and slept well,

巴克挖了一个雪洞,美美地睡了一觉,

but was woken up very early and harnessed to the sledge.

但他很早就被叫起来套上挽具拉雪撬。

The first day they had travelled on snow that had been hardened by many sledges and they covered sixty kilometres.

第一天,他们在雪地里奔波,雪已经被数百个雪撬碾过,压得结结实实的,他们赶了60公里路。

But the next day, and for days afterwards, they were on new snow.

但是第二天和以后的日子里,他们在新雪上奔跑。

The work was harder and they went slowly.

这工作非常辛苦,他们进程缓慢。

Usually, Perrault went in front,on snowshoes, flattening the snow a little for the dogs.

通常是由佩诺特穿着雪地靴走在前面,为狗把雪地踏得平实一些。

Francois stayed by the sledge.

弗朗索瓦斯呆在雪撬上,

Sometimes the two men changed places, but there were many small lakes and rivers,

有时他们调换一下。但佩诺特对付冰比较在行,

and Perrault understood ice better.

而路上有许多小湖泊和河流。

He always knew when the ice across a river was very thin.

他总是知道什么时候河上的冰层最薄。

Day after day Buck pulled in his harness.

巴克日复一日地拉着雪撬。

They started in the morning before it was light,

他们天不亮就起程,

and they stopped in the evening after dark, ate a piece of fish,

直走到日落西山才停下来,吃一点鱼,

and went to sleep in their holes under the snow.

然后钻到雪洞里睡觉。

Buck was always hungry.

巴克总是吃不饱。

Francois gave him 750 grams of dried fish a day, and it was never enough.

弗朗索瓦斯一天喂给他750克干鱼,但他仍然不够吃。

The other dogs were given only 500 grams;

其余的狗每天只能得到500克鱼吃;

they were smaller and could stay dive on less food.

他们体型较小,进食少一些仍可以生存。