It had been a close call, and I would probably not have taken such foolish chances 这是一次距离非常近的接触，要不是对奥萨的枪法有信心，

　　had it not been for my confidence in Osa’s marksmanship. 我绝对不会这么鲁莽的。她的射击能力比我强，

　　She is a better shot than I am and seldom misses her mark even under conditions that would shake the nerves of an experienced hunter. 在这种情况下，尽管是经验丰富的猎人也会气馁，而她很少失手。

　　She shoots only when the need is desperate, 不过，只有在非常需要或者在我们要为博物馆搜集一种新物种时，

　　or when we collect an unusual specimen for the museum; and of course for food when necessary. 当然还有我们急需食物的时候，她才会出手。

　　Elephant citizens of the jungle 丛林中的大象公民

　　I like elephants. They are fine citizens of the jungle. 我喜欢大象。它们是丛林中的模范公民。

　　They mind their own business, fight little among themselves, 它们只关心自己的事，相互之间很少发生争斗。

　　are intelligent in bringing up their young, and have a real sense of loyalty to the tribe. 它们在养育下一代方面很有智慧，而且对于自己的部族，它们绝对忠诚。

　　They lead a quiet family life, and never prey on other animals. 它们过着一种安静的家庭生活，从不捕食其他动物。

　　Years of work in Africa have given me a close understanding of elephant character. 多年在非洲工作的经验让我对大象的性格有颇深的了解。

　　As a rule, I don't think they live much longer than a century. Age and size give them a great dignity. 一般来说，我认为它们的寿命不会长于一个世纪。年龄和体形赋予它们很高的尊严，

　　I think the old legend that elephants are blind must come from the fact that 我觉得那个说大象是瞎子的古老传说一定是因为它们大多时候

　　they plod along much of the time as though half asleep, paying little attention to other animals. 都是拖着沉重的脚步缓慢行走，就好像睡着了似的，从不注意周遭其他动物。

　　They are so powerful that they are secure from attack and have grown careless through the years. 它们孔武有力，使得自身可以免遭其他动物的袭击，长年自由生长，从不担心周遭的威胁。

　　One day Osa asked Boculy how long elephants live. 一天，奥萨问鲍可利大象能活多久。

　　He could only say, Many years. He couldn't count far enough. 他只是说：“很多年。”他不会数数，

　　And of course he did not know. I think one hundred years is a very old age for them. 当然他也不知道。对它们来说，我觉得100岁是一个相当大的年龄了。