They limped into the yard. The pellets under the skin of Boxer’s leg smarted painfully. He saw ahead of him the heavy labour of rebuilding the windmill from the foundations,and already in imagination he braced【v. 撑牢,站稳;(使)做好防备;把……绷紧;(使)固定,稳固(brace 的过去式及过去分词)】 himself for the task. But for the first time it occurred to him that he was eleven years old and that perhaps his great muscles were not quite what they had once been.
他们一瘸一拐地走进院子。鲍克瑟腿皮下的子弹刺痛着。他看到摆在他面前的是从地基上重建风车的繁重工作,于是在想象中,他已经准备好迎接这项任务了。但是他第一次意识到自己已经十一岁了,也许他的肌肉已经不像以前那么强壮了。
But when the animals saw the green flag flying,and heard the gun firing again—seven times it was fired in all—and heard the speech that Napoleon made,congratulating them on their conduct,it did seem to them after all that they had won a great victory. The animals slain in the battle were given a solemn funeral. Boxer and Clover pulled the wagon which served as a hearse,and Napoleon himself walked at the head of the procession. Two whole days were given over to celebrations. There were songs,speeches,and more firing of the gun,and a special gift of an apple was bestowed on every animal,with two ounces of corn for each bird and three biscuits for each dog. It was announced that the battle would be called the Battle of the Windmill,and that Napoleon had created a new decoration,the Order of the Green Banner,which he had conferred upon himself. In the general rejoicings the unfortunate affair of the bank-notes was forgotten.
但是,当动物们看到那面绿色的旗帜在飘扬,又听到枪声——一共开了七枪——又听到拿破仑对他们的行为表示祝贺的讲话时,他们似乎觉得,他们毕竟取得了巨大的胜利。在战斗中被杀的动物得到了庄严的葬礼。鲍克瑟和克拉弗拉着灵车,拿破仑走在队伍的最前面。整整两天用来庆祝。有歌声,有演说,还有更多的鸣枪,每只动物都得到了一个苹果作为特别的礼物,每只鸟得到两盎司玉米,每只狗得到三块饼干。有人宣布,这次战役将被称为风车战役,拿破仑还设立了一个新勋章——绿旗勋章,并授予了他自己。在一片欢声笑语中,钞票的不幸事件被遗忘了。