A Girl with a Seal
Katrine sank below the surface of the icy waters, then took hold of one of Selik’s flippers and pulled him under with her. At first the pup stayed close by, cautious of the unknown expanse of ocean. Then instinct took control and Selik shot off, twisting and turning, amazing Katrine with his speed and grace. She marveled, too, that he could remain underwater for minutes at a time. As an adult, he would be able to stay submerged1 up to 20 minutes and swim at 20 miles per hour.
By five weeks, Selik had learned to eat whole fish -- but only if Katrine pushed their head first into his mouth. Since the growing seal polished off2 nine or ten fish a day, Katrine and her father were kept busy angling3. It was time to nudge4 Selik toward catching fish on his own.
At Einarsen’s suggestion, Berge set up a large plastic tank that Katrine filled with seawater. Then she dumped in a bucketful of plump5 live salmon, picked Selik up and plopped him in too. At first he tried to chase all the fish at once, darting from one to another. When he finally snagged6 one, he couldn’t figure out what to do. So he let it go.
Selik was growing stronger every day. “Let’s take him offshore and see how he handles currents,” Katrine told her father.
The sea was unusually choppy7 when they took the pup to the rocky islet where they had found him almost two months earlier. Selik didn’t seem to mind. He draped8 his front flippers over the bow and peered ahead eagerly as the boat slapped against the waves.
Katrine clambered9 ashore on the islet with Selik in her arms. But he was in trouble as soon as she launched him into the water. He was being tossed around dangerously by the crashing waves. Because a seal’s skull is its most vulnerable part, Katrine worried that Selik’s head would be bashed10 against the rocks. She tried to call him back, but in vain. Helplessly, Katrine watched the seal struggle in the surf for almost an hour.
Finally, in one lucky moment, Selik caught a breaker11 and rode it onto the ledge12. Katrine grabbed a flipper before the wave could wash him out again. She hugged him with relief. “Oh Selik,” she said. “We almost lost you. I guess you have some more growing to do before we try that again.”
At 2.5 months Selik weighed over 100 pounds, nearly half his adult weight. Katrine could no longer pick him up. He had learned to handle the waves, yet he still hadn’t mastered fishing.
Suddenly, in mid-September, Selik began showing signs of his wild heritage. Swimming in tight circles one afternoon in the fish tank, he snagged a salmon as he did countless times before. But this time, instead of letting it go, he flipped it and swallowed its head first. He looked flabbergasted13 -- and pleased. Katrine was exultant14. “He did it, Papa! He finally caught his own dinner.” It was a bittersweet moment, however, for Katrine knew their time together was drawing to a close.
There was one final step in the education of Selik -- catching fish in the sea, where his prey could escape. Katrine and Berge rigged15 a net across the mouth of the cove where Selik had learned to swim. Then Katrine dropped in live fish. The seal nabbed one, then another, as if he’d been doing it all along. Katrine now knew that Selik was almost ready to go.
On a late September afternoon, Katrine and Berge removed the net. Holding back tears, Katrine reminded herself that this was the goal she’d been working toward. “Go on, Selik,” she urged. “You’re as ready as you’ll ever be.”
Even with the last barrier to freedom gone, Selik paddled in slow circles near Katrine’s dangling feet, brushing against her. Finally Berge pushed him with his rubber boot, propelling him away from shore. Selik hesitated, then swam slowly toward the open sea, pausing several times to look back. When his head was only a small dot in the distance, Katrine and Berge watched him duck16 beneath the surface and disappear.
Katrine lingered on the rock, hoping for a final glimpse. “Come, Katrine,” her father urged gently. “Let’s go so he’s not tempted to return. You should be very proud.”
Katrine climbed to the top of the hill behind the house, tears streaming. She pulled her blue parka17 tightly around her and gazed out over the sea. Only when the sun sank beneath the horizon did she cease her vigil18. “Good-bye, Selik,” she called, looking out over the darkening water one last time.
(The end)
注释：
1. submerged [sEb5m\:dVd] a. 潜在水下的，浸没的
2. polish off [口]（飞快地）吃（或喝）完
3. angle [5ANgl] vi. 钓鱼，垂钓
4. nudge [nQdV] vt. 推进，刺激
5. plump [plQmp] a. （肉类食物）多肉的，（动物、植物果实）长得圆滚滚的
6. snag [snAg] vt. [美]抓住（机会等）
7. choppy [5tFCpi] a. （海洋等）波浪滔滔的
8. drape [dreip] vt. 使随便地悬挂，使松松地垂下
9. clamber [5klAmbE(r)] vi. （费劲地）爬，攀登
10. bash [bAF] vt. 猛击，猛撞
11. breaker [5breikE(r)] n. （在海滩或岩石上溅开的）碎浪，浪花
12. ledge [ledV] n. （近海岸的）暗礁，岸边礁，岩礁
13. flabbergast [5flAbEgB:st] vt. [口]使大吃一惊，使目瞪口呆
14. exultant [ig5zQltEnt] a. 狂喜的，欢腾的
15. rig [rig] vt. [口]（尤指就地取材而）草草构筑，临时架起
16. duck [dQk] vi. （鸭子似的）突然扎入水中
17. parka [5pB:kE] n. （连风帽的）毛皮风雪大衣，派克大衣
18. vigil [5vidVil] n. [宗]（祈祷）守夜
