Notes

(1)    out on the range: on the range far away from towns and cities

(2)    they had to be taken in to market: the cows had to be driven to market

(3)    It was no good: It wouldn’t be wise.

(4)    On the trail: On the track followed by cattle to the market

(5)    The tail board of the waggon made a good shelf: The back part of the waggon could open outwards so it served very well as a shelf.

(6)    to take cattle on the trail: to drive the herd to market

(7)    railway cars: (BrE) train carriages

(8)    The cattle will also arrive fresh and fat where they would have become tired and thin: The cattle will be fresh and fat when they arrive at the (market) place whereas they would have become tired and thin if they had been taken on the trail.

Translation

1.       The cattle had to be driven along in large herd to the towns where they were needed.

必须把大批的牛群赶到需要它们的城镇去。

2.       The cattle were rounded up, and those to be sent away were kept together.

先把牛群集拢，然后把要赶到城镇去的牛关在一起。

3.       Cows which tried to get away were made to go back to the herd.

把要走散的牛赶回到牛群里去。

4.       A cowboy could be thrown from his horse and trampled to death in a stampede.

如果牛群惊跑，牛仔可能会从马背上掉下来，活活被踩死。

5.       But when the time came to sell the cows, there were no buyers out on the range — they had to be taken in to market.

到了贩牛季节，他们又不得不将牛群赶到市场出售，因为没有买主会到牧场来。

6.       In the early days it was a hard job getting the cows to the markets where they were killed.

在早期，把牛群赶到市场上去屠宰是一项非常艰苦的工作。

7.       Hundreds or maybe thousands of cattle were taken on the trail.

上百头或甚至上千头的牛被驱赶上路。

8.       All this time the cowboys worked in the saddle and slept on the hard ground. They began work as the sun rose and they were on their horses for many hours day after day.

在整个旅途中，牛仔们白天骑在马背上，夜间露宿荒野。他们日出而作，长途跋涉，日以继夜地赶路。

9.       Cows were lost through sickness and accidents; perhaps a rain storm caused a river to flood so that the herd could not cross; Indians sometimes attacked.

牛的数量会因疾病和事故而减少；也许一场暴雨引发的洪水会阻止牛群通行；印第安人有时也会来袭击。

10.   The cows would become so frightened or wild that they would rush away before the men could stop them.

牛群会因惊恐而四处逃窜，而牛仔们却来不及阻拦。

11.   During the day the herd was moved along at a slow, steady pace.

在白天，牛群以缓慢稳定的速度前进。

12.   It was no good killing them on the ranges because there were no lorries or railways to carry the meat.

在牧场上宰杀牛是无用的，因为那里没有卡车和火车来运输牛肉。

There/It is no use/good + 动名词 表示“……是无用的”，如：

e.g. It’s no use offering to help when it is too late.

事后帮忙，无济于事。

e.g. There’s no use asking her — she doesn’t know anything.

问她毫无用处——她什么都不知道。

13.The cattle will arrive fresh and fat where they would have become tired and thin.

牛被运到市场时依然生气勃勃，膘肥肉厚，而再也不象过去沿途驱赶时那样筋疲力尽，骨瘦如柴。

where(=whereas)

where可用来表示对比，即“而”，其意思与whereas，while相同，但不如whereas那么常用。如：

e.g. They want a house, where we would rather live in a flat.

他们要一座房子，而我们宁愿住在一套公寓里。