(单词翻译:单击)
Having the run of the place meant I could explore the woods on the other side of the fence, or run down and play in the pond, or do just about anything I pleased.
在这个地方，我可以探索栅栏另一边的树林，也可以跑下去在池塘里玩耍，或者做任何我喜欢的事情。
I mostly stuck close to the house, though,
不过，我大部分时间都待在房子附近，
because Grandma seemed to be cooking delicious meals almost every minute of every day
因为奶奶似乎每时每刻都在做美味的饭菜
and needed me to be on hand to taste her concoctions to make sure they were acceptable.
她需要我亲自品尝她做的东西，确保食物的味道。
I was glad to do my part.
我很乐意完成我的这部分工作。
The boy liked to put me in the front of the rowboat and push it out in the pond, drop a worm into the water, and pull out a small, wriggling fish for me to bark at.
这个男孩喜欢把我放在小船的前面，然后把小船推到池塘里，把一条虫子扔进水里，再拉出一条甩动的小鱼，我每次都会对着那鱼狂叫。
He would then let it go.
然后他就会把鱼扔回去。
“It’s too little, Bailey,” he always said, “but one of these days we’ll catch a big one; you watch.”
“太小了，贝利，”他总是这样说，“但总有一天我们会抓到一条大的。你等着瞧吧。”
Eventually I discovered (much to my disappointment) that the Farm had a cat, a black one, who lived in an old, collapsing building called the barn.
后来，我发现(令我非常失望的是)农场里有一只猫，一只黑色的猫，它住在一幢即将倒塌的旧房子里，那房子叫谷仓。
She always watched me, crouched in the darkness, whenever I took it into my head to go in there and try to sniff her out.
每当我把头伸进去想进去闻一下她时，她总是看着我，在黑暗中蜷缩着。。
This cat seemed afraid of me and therefore was a major improvement over Smokey, just like everything at this place.
这只猫似乎很怕我，这可比斯莫基强多了，就像这个地方比之前的一切都好很多一样。
And one day I thought I saw the black cat in the woods and took off in hot pursuit, though she was waddling slowly and,
有一天，我以为我在树林里看到了那只黑猫，于是我拔腿就追，不过它倒是摇摇摆摆地慢慢走着，
as I got closer, revealed that she was something else entirely, a whole new animal, with white stripes down her black body.
当我走近时，发现她根本不是那只黑猫，而是一个全新的动物，它黑色的身体上有白色的条纹。
Delighted, I barked at her, and she turned and gave me a solemn look, her fluffy black tail held high up in the air.
我高兴地朝她叫了一声，她转过身来冷冷地看了我一眼，蓬松的黑尾巴高高地翘在空中。
She wasn’t running, which I figured meant she wanted to play,
她没有跑，我想这就意味着她想和我一起玩，
but when I jumped in to paw at her, the animal did a most curious thing, turning away from me, her tail still in the air.
但当我扑过去时，它却做了一件非常奇怪的事，它转过身去，尾巴还翘在空中。
The next thing I knew, a plume of horrid smell enveloped my nose, stinging my eyes and lips.
接下来，，一股可怕的气味笼罩着我，我的眼睛和嘴都感到无比的刺痛。
Blinded, yelping, I retreated, wondering what in the world had just happened.
我睁不开眼，嚎叫着往后退，不知道刚才到底发生了什么事。
