Sometimes the animals plunged, losing their foothold; nevertheless, they gallantly breasted the current, and inch by inch worked their way to a point about six feet below Gilbert.
有时马踩空，失去平衡；尽管如此，他们仍勇敢地面对洪水，一寸寸地来到了距离吉尔伯特六英尺的地方。
It seemed impossible to approach nearer.
不可能更靠近了。
"Can you swim?" asked the man.
“你还能游吗？”那个人说。
Gilbert shook his head. "Throw me the end of Roger's bridle!" he then cried.
吉尔伯特摇了摇头。“扔给我罗杰的缰绳！”他大喊道。
The man unbuckled the bridle and threw it, keeping the end of the rein in his hand.
那个人解开马的缰绳，扔了过来。
Gilbert tried to grasp it, but his hands were too numb.
吉尔伯特试图抓住另一端，可他的手麻木了。
He managed, however, to get one arm and his head through the opening, and relaxed his hold on the log.
最后他终于让一只胳膊和头穿过缰绳的圆孔，放开了一直抱着的树干。
A plunge, and the man had him by the collar.
向前一跨步，那个人抓住了他的衣领。
He felt himself lifted by a strong arm and laid across Roger's saddle.
他感到一只强有力的手把他提了起来，放到了罗杰的鞍子上。
With his failing strength and stiff limbs, it was no slight task to get into place;
由于他力气丧失，手脚麻木，坐稳可不容易；
and the return, though less laborious to the horses, was equally dangerous, because Gilbert was scarcely able to support himself without help.
回程不那么费力，也同样危险，因为如果没人帮忙，吉尔伯特无法坐稳。
"You're safe now," said the man, when they reached the bank, "but it's a downright mercy of God that you're alive!"
“你现在安全了，”到河岸时那个人说，“全是上帝的怜悯，你还活着！”
The other horseman joined them, and they rode slowly across the flooded meadow.
另一个骑手走过来，他们缓慢骑过低洼地。
They had both thrown their cloaks around Gilbert, and carefully steadied him in the saddle, one on each side.
他们都把外衣给吉尔伯特披上，一边一个，小心地扶着他。
He was too much exhausted to ask how they had found him, or whither they were taking him,—too numb for curiosity, almost for gratitude.
他太疲劳了，无法询问他们是如何找到他的，要到哪儿去——身体都冻麻木了，顾不上好奇和表达感激之情。
"Here's your savior!" said one of the men, patting Roger's shoulder.
“这是你的救命恩人！”一个骑手拍着罗杰的肩说，
It was through him that we found you. Do you wish to know how?
我们是通过他找到你的。想知道怎么回事吗？
Well—about three o'clock it was, maybe a little earlier, maybe a little later, my wife woke me up.
好的——大约三点钟的时候，或许更早或更晚一点，我的妻子叫醒我，
Do you hear that? she said.
说，“听到了吗？”
