Chapter XV - The Two Men Bölüm XV - İki Adam

The girls need have had no fears. Le ragazze non dovevano temere nulla. The youth in the boat seemed to know what he was doing. He was pulling up the anchor rope now, and a moment later he had the grapple in his scow. Stava tirando su la corda dell'ancora e un attimo dopo aveva il rampino nella sua lancia. Then he let his craft slip down stream until he was below the Gem and in a position to tow it. Poi lasciò che la sua imbarcazione scivolasse lungo la corrente fino a trovarsi sotto la Gemma e in grado di trainarla.

As he did this there was a swirl in the water just above him, and a queerly-shaped body half arose, falling back with a splash. Mentre lo faceva, si sentì un vortice nell'acqua proprio sopra di lui e un corpo dalla forma strana si sollevò per metà, ricadendo con un tonfo.

The girls had a glimpse of something like a seal, with a queer head, not unlike that of a small hippopotamus. Le ragazze intravidero qualcosa di simile a una foca, con una testa strana, non diversa da quella di un piccolo ippopotamo.

"Look!" cried Mollie. "That was no alligator! What in the world is it?" "That's a manatee—a sea-cow, some folks call 'em!" "Quello è un lamantino, una mucca di mare, come la chiamano alcuni!". answered the ragged youth, as he poled his boat toward them, towing the Gem . "They're harmless, but I had to shoot this one to make him let go. "Sono innocui, ma ho dovuto sparare a questo per farlo andare via. I didn't hurt him much. Non gli ho fatto molto male. I never see one so far inland as this, though. Tuttavia, non ne ho mai visto uno così lontano nell'entroterra. I'll have your boat there in a minute." "Don't hurry," said Betty kindly. "Non avere fretta", disse Betty gentilmente. "As long as she's safe we are all right. "Finché lei è al sicuro siamo a posto. It's awfully kind of you to get her for us. È molto gentile da parte tua prenderla per noi. We thought an alligator had her." "It was rather queer," said the ragged youth. "È stato piuttosto strano", ha detto il giovane cencioso. "I never see a boat towed by a manatee before. I'll be ashore in a minute." He was poling his scow over toward the girls, towing their boat in, aided by the current. Stava remando con la sua lancia verso le ragazze, trainando la loro barca con l'aiuto della corrente. A little later he had leaped ashore with the rope, pulling the anchor after him. Poco dopo era balzato a riva con la corda, tirando l'ancora dietro di sé.

"We're a thousand times obliged to you!" exclaimed Mollie, impulsively. esclamò Mollie, impulsivamente. "We never should have known what to do without our boat. We're from Bentonville." "Yes? That's quite a ways down." È un bel po' di strada da fare". The youth, in spite of his rags, had a good-looking face and a pleasant manner. Il giovane, nonostante gli stracci, aveva un bel viso e un modo di fare piacevole. He seemed restless and afraid, and was constantly glancing about him, as though in fear of seeing someone or something he did not care to encounter. Sembrava inquieto e spaventato e si guardava continuamente intorno, come se temesse di vedere qualcuno o qualcosa che non voleva incontrare.

"Would you—I mean, can we do anything for you?" "Possiamo fare qualcosa per lei?". half stammered Betty. balbettò Betty. She wanted to offer him money, but she did not quite know how he would accept it. Voleva offrirgli del denaro, ma non sapeva come l'avrebbe accettato. "If you are going down stream," she went on, "we could take you as far as we are going. "Se state scendendo lungo la corrente", proseguì, "potremmo portarvi fino a dove stiamo andando noi. If you would come with us, perhaps——" "Oh, no, I couldn't think of it!" the youth cried—cried out in very fear, it seemed to Mollie, who was observing him narrowly. il giovane gridò - gridò in preda alla paura, sembrò a Mollie, che lo stava osservando attentamente. "I must go on—go on alone. I am going for help!" Vado a chiedere aiuto!". "For help!" exclaimed Betty. "What is the trouble? Perhaps we can help you. We are from Mr. Stonington's orange grove, and if we told him you needed help——" Veniamo dall'aranceto del signor Stonington, e se gli dicessimo che avete bisogno di aiuto...". "No, no!" interrupted the youth, glancing about him nervously. "It isn't that kind of help. I am trying to help someone else. I—I can't tell you. But I must be getting on. Ma devo andare avanti. And will you do me a favor?" he asked suddenly.

"Of course!" cried Betty. "We will be only too glad to, since you did so much for us. "Ne saremo felici, visto che avete fatto tanto per noi. Only for you our boat might be far up the river now. Solo per voi la nostra barca potrebbe essere già lontana dal fiume. What can we do for you?" "Don't tell anyone you saw me," begged the youth, earnestly. "There are those who would stop me—take me back where I came from. "C'è chi vorrebbe fermarmi, riportarmi da dove sono venuto. They are after me—they may be below me, trying to head me off. Mi stanno inseguendo, forse sono sotto di me e stanno cercando di fermarmi. If you meet them—meet any rough-looking men who ask for me—don't tell them about me. Don't set them after me, please." Non fateli inseguire da me, per favore". "You may be sure we will not!" exclaimed Betty, warmly. esclamò Betty, con calore. "Are you from——" "Sei di..." "Please don't ask me!" he exclaimed. "It is so much easier to throw them off the trail if you really know nothing. "È molto più facile mandarli fuori strada se non si sa nulla. So don't question me." "Very well, we won't. "Molto bene, non lo faremo. But if you are escaping, perhaps you need money——" "No, I have some, thank you," and he showed a small roll of bills. "No, ne ho un po', grazie", e mostrò un piccolo rotolo di banconote. "He gave it to me," and he seemed to indicate, by a nod, someone farther up the stream. "Me l'ha data lui", e sembrò indicare, con un cenno, qualcuno più in là nel torrente. "Then do you think you will be all right?" asked Mollie. Amy and Grace had taken no part in the talk. They seemed to be content to look at the strange youth who had rendered the outdoor girls such a service. Sembravano accontentarsi di guardare lo strano giovane che aveva reso un tale servizio alle ragazze all'aperto.

"Oh, yes, I'll be all right," was the answer, but the ragged youth looked about him apprehensively. "Oh, sì, me la caverò", fu la risposta, ma il giovane cencioso si guardò intorno con apprensione. "I must be getting on now, after help—for him. "Devo andare avanti, dopo averlo aiutato. Don't say you saw me—don't tell them anything about me." "We won't," promised Betty. "You may rely on us." "Potete contare su di noi". "Thank you—good-bye!" He stepped into his skiff and quickly poled out from shore, dropping down with the current. Salì sul suo skiff e si allontanò rapidamente dalla riva, scendendo con la corrente. The girls gazed after him for a moment. Strangely had he come into their lives, and as strangely gone out, without revealing his identity. And he had done them such a service, too.

"Well, we have our boat back," remarked Betty, with a sigh of thankfulness. "I wonder what possessed that sea cow to swim off with it?" "Mi chiedo che cosa abbia spinto quella mucca di mare a nuotare via con essa". "Probably it was only an accident," said Mollie. "Well, we certainly have had a day of it. "Beh, di certo abbiamo avuto una giornata di lavoro. Now let's get back before anything else happens. Gracious, how swiftly he is poling along!" Santo cielo, come sta andando veloce!". She pointed to the youth, who was almost out of sight at a bend in the river.

"He wants to get away from those who are after him," observed Grace. "Vuole allontanarsi da coloro che gli danno la caccia", osservò Grace. "I wonder if he is a desperate criminal?" "Mi chiedo se sia un criminale disperato". "He didn't look at all like a criminal," spoke Amy. "I think he had a nice face." "He wasn't bad looking," admitted Betty. "Non era male", ammise Betty. "Poor fellow, he was very nervous, though." "And no wonder—meeting four girls at once!" "E non c'è da stupirsi: incontrare quattro ragazze in una volta sola!". laughed Mollie.

"What shall we do if we meet those men who are after him?" asked Grace. "I shall be so frightened!" "We won't meet them!" "Non li incontreremo!" declared Betty. "If we do we need not speak to them. "Se lo facciamo, non dobbiamo parlare con loro. But if they insist we can say truthfully that we don't know who that young fellow was, nor where he went." "He's out of sight now, at all events," spoke Amy. "In ogni caso, ora è fuori dalla vista", disse Amy. "I wonder whom he is going to get help for? "Mi domando per chi ha intenzione di farsi aiutare? I wish he had told us more." Vorrei che ci avesse detto di più". "I don't," answered Betty, promptly. "Non lo so", rispose Betty, prontamente. "The less we know the less we can tell if any men question us. "Meno sappiamo e meno possiamo dire se qualche uomo ci interroga. Now let's get aboard and get back. Ora saliamo a bordo e torniamo indietro. No more manatees for me!" Niente più lamantini per me!". The Gem was none the worse for her queer tow, and soon, with the girls aboard, was dropping down stream again. La Gemma non era affatto peggiorata per il suo strano traino e presto, con le ragazze a bordo, stava scendendo di nuovo lungo la corrente. The strange youth was not in sight, even when the turn of the river was made, but he may have poled off into one of the many little bayous, or tributary streams, that joined the main one. Lo strano giovane non era in vista nemmeno quando il fiume aveva svoltato, ma forse si era buttato in uno dei tanti piccoli bayous, o torrenti affluenti, che si uniscono a quello principale.

"I'm glad he's out of sight," murmured Grace. "If those men should come after him——" She stopped suddenly, and stared ahead. There, coming around a turn in the river, was a small motor boat containing two men, who, at the sight of the Gem , headed directly for her, at the same time indicating by gestures that they wished to speak to those aboard. Lì, dopo una curva del fiume, c'era una piccola barca a motore con due uomini che, alla vista della Gemma, si diressero direttamente verso di lei, indicando allo stesso tempo con dei gesti che volevano parlare con chi era a bordo.