English Original
I only had Dad's account of what happened next, as it was out of sight from the window. He was firmly of the opinion that Bill had bitten off more than he could chew, and that Bingo was about to do the same. Dad took up a safe position, looking over our wall, and saw Bingo preparing to attack.
Bill wagged his famous index finger at the dog. "You're not biting me, sirree. You come over here and I'll just fetch you one." Here, Bill revealed a gnarled stick, about three feet long. He didn't wield it aggressively but held it at his side. This seemed to stir Bingo into a decision, and he lunged forward with a hoarse, throaty snarl.
There was confusion about what happened between Bingo's aggressive lurch and his sudden acquiescence. Bill later said he thought the dog glimpsed the stick and had second thoughts, but my father disagreed.
"That dog was headed for Bill's leg, as sure as eggs is eggs. He'd made his move! Fully committed!" Here, my dad raised his eyebrows for emphasis and reached for a football simile. "Look, it was like a goalkeeper who dives full stretch across the goalmouth to stop a shot. He can't go backwards. If he misreads the ball, he has to watch it float in—right?"
I had to agree, having seen a succession of Port Vale goalkeepers do exactly that.
"Right! That's what the dog did, only it stopped in mid-flight. I'm telling you—as sure as if it hit a wall. Stopped dead, turned round, and left Bill alone."
When he heard Bill's account of the stick saving him, Dad shook his head vigorously. "Absolutely not. The stick was what made the dog go for him in the first place!"
If you listened to Dad, Bingo had somehow stopped dead in the air. The dog then became almost cowed, wagging his tail uncertainly and licking his chops in the way dogs do when caught digging up flower beds—his ears flat, his eyes peering up from his lowered head, this time in uncertainty.
中文翻译
接下来发生的事，我只有父亲的描述，因为从窗户看不到院子里的那个角落。他坚信比尔是自不量力，而宾果也即将如此。父亲找了个安全的位置，从墙头望过去，看到宾果正准备攻击。
比尔对着狗摇晃着他那著名的手指。“你可别想咬我，先生。你过来，我就给你来一下。”这时，比尔亮出了一根约三英尺长、粗糙多节的棍子。他并没有咄咄逼人地挥舞它，只是把它握在身侧。这似乎促使宾果下了决心，它向前猛扑，同时发出一声嘶哑低沉的咆哮。
在宾果凶猛地扑向比尔和它突然的默许顺从之间发生了什么，有些混乱。比尔后来说，他认为狗瞥见了棍子，改变了主意，但我父亲不同意，后来也这么告诉我。
“那只狗绝对是冲着比尔的腿去的。它已经行动了！全力以赴！”说到这里，父亲扬起眉毛寻求认同，并用了一个足球的比喻。“看，这就像一个守门员为了扑救射门而全力横身飞向球门。他不能后退。如果他判断错了球路，就只能眼睁睁看着球飘进去——对吧？”
我不得不表示同意，毕竟我看过一连串波特维尔队的守门员就是这么做的。
“对！那只狗就是那样，只是它在半空中停住了。我告诉你——就像撞上了一堵墙一样肯定。猛地停住，然后转身，不再理会比尔。”
当他听到比尔说是棍子救了他时，父亲用力地摇头。“绝对不是。那根棍子才是让狗一开始就冲他去的缘故！”
如果你听信父亲的说法，宾果不知怎么就在空中猛地停住了。随后，狗变得几乎畏缩起来，不确定地摇着尾巴，舔着嘴巴，就像狗在刨花坛被抓到时那样——耳朵紧贴脑袋，眼睛从低垂的脑袋向上窥视，这次的低垂是因为不确定。