By Henry Lawson
Macquarie the shearer had met with an accident。To tell the truth，he had been in a drunken row at a wayside shanty，from which he had escaped with three fractured ribs，a cracked head，and various minor abrasions。His dog，Tally，had been a sober but savage participator in the drunken row，and had escaped with a broken leg。Macquarie afterwards shouldered his swag and staggered and struggled along the track ten miles to the Union Town hospital。Lord knows how he did it。He didn't exactly know himself。Tally limped behind all the way，on three legs。
The doctors examined the man's injuries and were surprised at his endurance。Even doctors are surprised sometimes-though they don't always show it。Of course they would take him in，but they objected to Tally。Dogs were not allowed on the premises。
“You will have to turn that dog out。”they said to the shearer，as he sat on the edge of a bed。
Macquarie said nothing。
“We cannot allow dogs about the place，my man。”said the doctor in a louder tone，thinking the man was deaf。
“Tie him up in the yard then。”
“No。He must go out。Dogs are not permitted on the grounds。”
Macquarie rose slowly to his feet，shut his agony behind his set teeth，painfully buttoned his shirt over his hairy chest，took up his waistcoat，and staggered to the corner where the swag lay。
“What are you going to do？”they asked。
“You ain't going to let my dog stop？”
“No。It's against the rules。There are no dogs allowed on premises。”
He stooped and lifted his swag，but the pain was too great，and he leaned back against the wall。
“Come，come now！man alive！”exclaimed the doctor，impatiently，“You must be mad。You know you are not in a fit state to go out。Let the wardsman help you to undress。”
“No！”said Macquarie。“No。If you won't take my dog in you don't take me。He's got a broken leg and wants fixing up just-just as much as-as I do。If I'm good enough to come in，he's good enough-and-and better。”
He paused awhile，breathing painfully，and then went on。
“That-that there old dog of mine has follered me faithful and true，these twelve long hard and hungry years。He's about-about the only thing that ever cared whether I lived or fell and rotted on the cursed track。”
He rested again；then he continued：“That-that there dog was pupped on the track。”he said，with a sad sort of a smile。“I carried him for months in a billy，and afterwards on my swag when he knocked up……And the old slut-his mother-she'd foller along quite contented-and sniff the billy now and again-just to see if he was all right……She follered me for God knows how many years。She follered me till she was blind-and for a year after。She follered me till she could crawl along through the dust no longer，and-and then I killed her，because I couldn't leave her behind alive！”
He rested again。
“And this here old dog。”he continued，touching Tally's upturned nose with his knotted fingers，“this here old dog has follered me for-for ten years；through floods and droughts，through fair times and-and hard-mostly hard；and kept me from going mad when I had no mate nor money on the lonely track；and watched over me for weeks when I was drunk-drugged and poisoned at the cursed shanties；and saved my life more than once，and got kicks and curses very often for thanks；and forgave me for it all；and-and fought for me。He was the only living thing that stood up for me against that crawling push of curs when they set onto me at the shanty back yonder-and he left his mark on some of them too；and-and so did I。”
He took another spell。
Then he drew in his breath，shut his teeth hard，shouldered his swag，stepped into the doorway，and faced round again。
The dog limped out of the corner and looked up anxiously。
“That there dog。”said Macquarie to the hospital staff in general，“is a better dog than I'm a man-or you too，it seems-and a better Christian。He's been a better mate to me than I ever was to any man-or any man to me。He's watched over me；kep'me from getting robbed many a time；fought for me；saved my life and took drunken kicks and curses for thanks-and forgave me。He's been a true，straight，honest，and faithful mate to me-and I ain't going to desert him now。I ain't going to kick him out in the road with a broken leg。I-Oh，my God！my back！”
He groaned and lurched forward，but they caught him，slipped off the swag，and laid him on a bed。
Half an hour later the shearer was comfortably fixed up。
“Where's my dog！”he asked，when he came to himself。
“Oh，the dog's all right。”said the nurse，rather impatiently，“Don't bother。The doctor's setting his leg out in the yard。”
剪羊毛工麦格理遇上了麻烦。事实是，他在路边的小酒馆里喝得烂醉，嘴里骂骂咧咧，和酒馆里面的人发生激烈的争吵，随后争吵又演变成一场打斗，最后，他从酒馆里面逃出来，三根肋骨被打断，头像裂开了似的疼痛，身上还有数不清的擦伤、碰伤。麦格理在酒馆喝酒的时候，他的狗塔利蹲在一边，滴酒未沾。酒馆里的人一哄而上打麦格理的时候，塔利疯了似的扑上去，非常凶猛。塔利跟着他一起逃出来，也被打断了一只腿，只能用三条腿走路。后来，麦格理扛起行李卷，忍受着疼痛，沿着那条通向联合城镇医院的小路，一步一摇地走去。小路距离医院十里路。天知道他是怎么走到医院的！就连他自己也完全说不清楚是怎么到了医院的。塔利拖着三条腿，一瘸一拐地跟在他后面。
医院里的医生们检查了这个男人的伤势，都为他的忍耐力感到吃惊。即便是医生们，有时也会对重伤病人的伤势感到吃惊，可是他们往往不表露出来。医生们当然会收治他，但他们拒绝接收塔利。原因是，狗不允许进入医院。
“你得把那条狗弄出去。”他们对坐在床沿上的麦格理说。
麦格理什么也没有说。
“伙计，我们这里不允许狗到处跑！”医生看他没有反应，以为他是个聋子，于是又大声地说了一句。
“那就把他拴在院子里吧。”
“不行。他必须出去。狗不许呆在院子里。”
麦格理慢慢地站起来，咬紧牙关，竭尽全力不在医生面前露出痛苦的神色。他忍着痛系上衬衫扣子，盖住了长着浓密寒毛的前胸，又拿起背心，然后摇摇晃晃地朝着放行李的角落走去。
“你要干什么？”医生们不约而同地问。
“你们不是不让我的狗留在这里吗？”
“对。因为留下你的狗就违反了医院的规定。医院里不允许有狗。”
他弯下腰，拿起行李卷，可是却感到剧烈的疼痛，不由得身子向后一仰，靠在墙上。
“哎，哎！你看你！你这个人！”医生大叫起来，很是不耐烦。“你一定疯了。你知道，你现在这个样子，是不能走出医院的。让护理人员帮你把衣服脱掉吧。”
“不！”麦格理回答。“我不！如果你们不让我的狗留下，也就不要给我治伤。他断了一条腿，需要包扎，这就……就跟我一样。如果我够格，可以住进医院，那么他也够格……而且更应当留在这儿。”
他停顿了一会儿，痛苦地喘息着，然后又接着说下去。
“那只……在那边的……我的那条狗，十二年了，一直对我忠心耿耿。十二年里，我们日子难捱，总是忍饥挨饿，他始终诚心诚意地跟着我。他几乎是……几乎是唯一关心、在乎我的伙伴了。无论我是活着，还是倒下、腐烂在那条该死的小路上，都只有他会在意。”
他又停顿了一会儿，然后接着说道：“那只……在那边的我的狗是在那条小路上出生的。”同时，脸上露出凄惨的笑容。“我把他放在一个烧水用的圆筒形铁罐里，一连几个月都是这样。后来，他长大了，小铁罐里盛不下他了，我就把他放在我的行李卷里，带着他四处漂泊……而那只老母狗——他的妈妈——总是一路跟在后面，心满意足——还时不时地用鼻子闻闻小铁罐——只是想看看自己的孩子是否一切都好……天知道，她跟着我有多少年了！她跟着我，一直跟到自己老了，老到眼睛都变瞎了——还又跟了一年。她跟着我，跟到自己在地上再也爬不动！最后，还是我下狠心杀死了她，因为我不能把她活活丢下！”
他又停顿了一会儿。
然后，他吸了一口气，使劲咬了一下牙，扛起行李卷，迈步走向走廊，又扭过身，四下里寻找他的狗。
狗一瘸一拐地从角落里走出来，看着自己的主人，样子非常急切。
“站在那边的那只狗，”麦格理对医院里的全体医护人员说，“比我这个人……好像也比你们……都要高尚。他更……更仁慈、文明。他一直是我最好的伙伴。他跟我非常亲密。我跟任何人之间，或者任何人跟我之间，都从来没有像我们两个之间这么亲密过。他一直在关心我，照顾我；多少次，因为有他，我才避免了被抢劫的命运；为了我，他敢于冲上去和别人搏斗；他救过我的命，得到的却是我——这个可恶的醉汉的一顿拳打脚踢，还有一连串咒骂——然而，他一点也不计较，还是对我好。在我看来，他是真诚、正直、忠实、有道德的伙伴——所以，眼下我绝不会丢下他不管。何况，他还拖着一条断腿，我不会一脚把他踢出去。我——哎呀，我的背！”
他呻吟了一声，终于支持不住，身体突然向前倾斜，幸亏医院里的人及时将他扶住，才没有摔倒在地。人们从他肩上取下行李卷，扶着他躺到一张床上。
半小时后，这位剪毛工已经包扎完毕，包扎得很舒服。一从麻醉中苏醒过来，他就连忙问道：“我的狗呢？”
“喔，那只狗很好，”护士不耐烦地回答。“你用不着担心。医生正在院子里给他治腿呢。”
鹦鹉学舌
关于作者Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson（亨利·劳森），澳大利亚小说家和诗人。劳森1867年出生于新南威尔士格伦费尔金矿区的一个小镇上。他的父亲是挪威人，母亲是英国人，他们1866年移居澳洲，全家过着艰难的生活。劳森很早就开始发表诗歌、散文和小说，出版过诗集In The Days Where The World Was Wide（《在海阔天空的日子里》）、短篇小说集While The Billy Bolls（《当罐里的水沸腾的时候》）等。作家的著名作品The Drover's Wife（《赶羊人的妻子》）是澳大利亚最优秀的短篇小说之一，发表于1892年，塑造了在一个澳洲丛林环境里生活的坚强女性的典型形象。
亨利·劳森是澳大利亚第一个最伟大的作家，澳大利亚文学的奠基人之一，他的作品重在描绘澳大利亚人民的生活图景，体现出了澳洲本土文化特色和独有的风格。1922年作家去世，澳大利亚为他举行了国葬。
牛角挂书
New Words
shanty n。（美）棚屋；下等酒馆；海员号子vi。居住于小棚屋
abrasion n。（皮肤等的）擦伤；磨损
lurch n。突然倾斜；蹒跚；挫折vi。倾斜；蹒跚vt。击败
on the swag在旅行中
swag it[主澳大利亚、新西兰英语]携带行囊
foller 应该是follow，此处为麦格理不规范的说法。
T
猴老师有话说
est Yourself
下面是关于row的几个短语和句子，写出其含义。
1.an unholy row
2.get into a row
3.Hold your row！
4.make（或raise，kick up）a row
5.What's the row？
Keys：
1.[口语]一场大吵大闹
2.受斥责，挨骂
3.[俚语]别吵！住口！
4.大吵大闹；引起骚；闹事；发出喧闹声
5.[口语]什么事吵吵闹闹？怎么回事儿？
