Tembu， the boy， opened his eyes in the dark.

男孩坦布在黑暗中睁开眼睛。

There was no moon that night， and the deathly stillness of the surrounding jungle was broken only occasionally by the cry of a cicada. Sometimes from far off came the hollow hammering of a woodpecker. Or the grunt of a wild boar could be heard.

那天夜里没有月亮，周围的丛林一片死寂，只有偶尔传来一声蝉鸣。有时从远处传来啄木鸟空洞的啄木声，或者也能听到野猪的哼哼声。

Baldeo， the watchman， was awake. He stretched himself， slowly unwinding the heavy shawl. It was close on midnight and the chilly air made him shiver. The station was a small shack backed by heavy jungle.

守夜人巴尔代奥醒了。他伸了伸懒腰，慢慢地解开厚披巾。快到午夜了，寒冷的空气让他直打哆嗦。车站是个小木屋，屋后是茂密的丛林。

Baldeo was responsible for signaling whether or not the tunnel was clear of obstruction， and his hand-worked signal stood before the entrance. At night it was his duty to see that the lamp was burning， and that the overland mail passed through safely.

巴尔代奥负责发信号通知隧道是否畅通无阻，他的手工信号装置立在入口处。到了晚上，他有责任确保灯亮着，确保陆路邮车安全通过。

“Shall I come too， Father？” asked Tembu sleepily， still lying huddled in a corner of the hut.

“我也去吗，爸爸？”坦布仍然蜷缩在小屋的一个角落里，睡意朦胧地问道。

“No， it is cold tonight. Do not get up.”

“不，今晚很冷。不要起来。”

Tembu， who was twelve， did not always sleep with his father at the station， for he had also to help in the home， where his mother and small sister were usually alone. They lived in a small tribal village on the outskirts of the forest， about three miles from the station.

12岁的坦布不经常跟父亲一起在车站睡觉，因为他也得在家里帮忙——他的母亲和妹妹通常都是单独在家里。他们住在森林外围的一个部落小村里，离车站大约三英里。

Baldeo groped for his lamp in the darkness， then fumbled about in search of matches. When he had produced a light， he left the hut. Tembu had fallen asleep again.

巴尔代奥在黑暗中摸索着他的灯，然后摸寻火柴。他点亮灯，离开小屋。坦布又倒头睡着了。

Baldeo wondered whether the lamp on the signal post was still alight. Gathering his shawl closer about him， he stumbled on. He longed to get back to his warm corner in the hut.

巴尔代奥不知道信号灯是不是还亮着。他裹紧披巾，继续跌跌撞撞地走着。他渴望回到小屋温暖的角落。

The eeriness of the place was increased by the neighboring hills which overhung the main line threateningly. On entering the cutting1 with its sheer rock walls towering high above the rails， Baldeo could not help thinking about the wild animals he might encounter. He had heard many tales of the famous tunnel tiger， a man-eater.

周遭山峦如猛兽般俯压着铁路干线，使这个地方更加阴森可怖。当进入崖壁高耸于铁轨之上的路堑时，巴尔代奥不禁想到他可能会遇到的野兽。他听说过那只著名的隧道食人虎的许多故事。

There had， of course， been panthers.

当然，还有黑豹。

Baldeo walked confidently. Like his forefathers， he carried a small axe. With it， he could cut down a tree neatly.

巴尔代奥走得很自信。