Chapitre 6 : Mounties....
Les Mounties, car c'était des Mounties, commencèrent à s'approcher du Camp enneigé. Heureusement, la neige était encore peu épaisse et ils pouvaient avancer assez rapidement. Celui qui semblait être le chef donnait quelques ordres brefs de temps en temps. Quant ils furent à une centaine de mètres du promontoire, ils s'arrêtèrent et regardèrent l'avion qui trônait au-dessus d'eux sur son piédestal .
Le Major Joseph-Marie Marquette et le Sergent François- Xavier Archambault dégagèrent un passage assez grand pour pouvoir entrer dans l'abri où il découvrirent le corps du Capitaine Jacques Ciel. Ils restèrent quelques instants près de lui et le Major ressortit pour donner ses ordres:
"Lavallée
et Bedard, vous me préparez un travois pour transporter le gars jusqu'a
l'traineau et pis vous y mettez vos froques*
d'ssus pour qu'il se rachauffe un peu, la l'air complèt'ment gelé !
Lavallée: Céti qu'y aurait un gars là en
d'sous ? tsu le connais-tsu ?
Major :-Cibouère*! Chu tanné*
d'entend' vos niaïseries! Arrêtez donc
de jâser comm' des mémères, et fâsait c'que j'vous dzis !
|
Pendant ce temps, le Major était retourné
dans l'abri. Déjà le Sergent avait enlevé sa pelisse et commencé a allumer un
feu dans l'entrée pour réchauffer l'abri. Jacques était toujours inanimé. Le Major faisait le tour de la modeste demeure,
commentant chacune de ses trouvailles qu'il déposait ensuite délicatement en petit tas
près de l'entrée. Il fut
particulièrement intéressé par le pistolet
et le poignard ainsi que par l'arc et les flèches. Il trouva aussi le
carnet de notes du malheureux et fut tenté de le lire mais finalement il se
ravisa et le rangea délicatement dans son sac.
Ensuite, il ne leur fallut qu'assez peu de temps pour mettre sur
le travois Jacques couvert de pelisses.
Le capitaine avait demandé à deux de ses Mounties de rassembler et transporter
les quelques possessions de l'homme, non
sans s'étonner sur l'arc et les flèches, qu'ils trouvèrent les plus
inattendus! Le Major leur dit qu'il
renverrait un ou deux "volontaires"
d'ici quelques jours pour chercher
quelques bricoles qu'ils n'avaient pas pu prendre.
Ensuite, ils le montèrent jusqu'au traineau,
où Charbonneau le musher, averti par Lavallée avait fait de la place pour
l'homme qu'il allaient transporter. Quand tout fut prêt, la petite troupe se
mit en marche. Le chien blanc, pour une fois calme, courait juste à côté du traineau, jetant souvent un
œil vers l'homme qui y était allongé........
Lexique
:
*Les
Mounties : * surnom donné à la Gendarmerie royale du Canada ou GRC (en anglais: "Royal Canadian Mounted Police", abrégé en RCMP)
*châsses:
les yeux
*Musher: conducteur de traineau
*icitte:
ici
*les
chins : les chiens (*chin bian : chien blanc)
* rin vute : rien vu
* froques:
manteaux, pelisses
*Cibouère
: Christ ! (juron québécois)
* Chu
tanné: je suis fatigué / j'en ai marre
*Acoute:
écoute
*en piace de: au lieu de .
******************************************************************************
Chapter 6 : The Mounties:
(It's almost impossible
to translate exactly the dialogs because they are written in the particular
French of Quebec, so I've translated in French then in English !)
Jean-Baptiste Lavallée : Hey Major,
What is there, which is on the promontory? It looks like an airplane or something like that.
Major Archambault: Shut up, Tabarnak, everyone knows that you have bad eyes! We will better return to the cabin to get warm near the fireplace.
Lavallée: - With all my respect Cap'n, I tell you that there is something! Look with your binoculars, because my eyes are not enough, it seems!
Major: - ..... by the Blessed Virgin Mary! it looks like there is something that is not natural, you were right John! .... Guys, we'll have to go there to see it more closely. I want two scouts forward, we don't know what there is out there ..
Major Archambault: Shut up, Tabarnak, everyone knows that you have bad eyes! We will better return to the cabin to get warm near the fireplace.
Lavallée: - With all my respect Cap'n, I tell you that there is something! Look with your binoculars, because my eyes are not enough, it seems!
Major: - ..... by the Blessed Virgin Mary! it looks like there is something that is not natural, you were right John! .... Guys, we'll have to go there to see it more closely. I want two scouts forward, we don't know what there is out there ..
François Charbonneau (Musher
):-What I must do with the sledge and
the dogs, Sir ? "
The Major: Oh well! you will not put them in the snow! Wait here. And this "good-for-nothing" white dog will stay with you, it will be a good fellow! "
The Major: Oh well! you will not put them in the snow! Wait here. And this "good-for-nothing" white dog will stay with you, it will be a good fellow! "
The Mounties, because they were Mounties, began to approach the snowy Camp. Fortunately, the snow was still thin and they could move fairly quickly. The one who seamed to be the Chief gave a few brief orders from time to time.
when they were at about hundred meters from the headland, they stopped and looked at the plane above them on the promontary.
Bedard: -"What there is special in it ?? he has two wings like you ! ha ha ha!
The other Mounties:-he has closed your mouth ! ha ha ha ha !
Major: , hey! you ! could you close your mouth ?
Mounties -
.............................................
Major:: - La Vallée and Bedard, you'll see it gently by above, one on each side, and then the Sergeant and I will going to see from below, it looks like there would be something which doesn't look to be very normal!
.........
.........
The major Joseph-Marie Marquette and the sergeant François Xavier Archambault cleared a rather big passage to be able to enter the shelter where he discovers the body of the captain Jacques Ciel. They remained some instants near him and the Major came out again to give his orders:
Major : "Lavallée and Bedard, prepare a sledge to carry the guy to the sleigh and then you put your coats to him it warms up a bit, it looks completely frozen!
Lavallée: Would there be a guy below? Did you know him?
Major: - Christ! I'm tired of hear 'your nonsense! So stop chatter like magpies and do what I tell you!
Bedard (to Lavallée): Hear now the orders of Major and do as he said, you can see that it's not a bear that is in here because he told you to give your furs!
Lavallée: you do well the clever man, you, and instead of talking for nothing, do the travois!
Meanwhile, Major was returned to the shelter. Sergeant had already removed his coat and started a fire in the entrance to warm up shelter. Jacques was still unconscious. Major went around the modest homecommenting each of his finds he then gently deposited in small heaps near the entrance. He was particularly interested in the gun and dagger as well as bows and arrows. He also found the notebook of the poor guy and was tempted to read it but finally changed his mind and gently put it in his bag.
Then it took them relatively little time to put on the sledge Jacques covered with pelisses. The captain had asked two of his Mounties to collect and transport the few possessions of the man, not without be surprised on the bow and arrows, which they found the most unexpected! Major told them he would send one or two "volunteers" in a few days to seek a few things they had not been able take.
Then they went to the sledge, Charbonneau the musher, warned by Lavallée, had made space to the man that he would carry. When all was ready, the little band began to move. The white dog, for once quiet, ran right next to the sled, often glancing at the man who was lying there ........