火事とポチ Kaji to Pochi, part 4: After the Fire, Pochi Is Missing

変かわったといえば家いえの焼やけあとの変かわりようもひどいものだった。And talking about things changing, the burned-out ruins of our house had changed terribly too.

黒くろこげの材木ざいもくが、積つみ木きをひっくり返かえしたように重かさなりあって、そこからけむりがくさいにおいといっしょにやって来きた。Blackened timbers were heaped on top of each other like a box of building blocks tipped upside down, and smoke came drifting out of them with a nasty smell.

そこいらが広ひろくなって、なんだかそれを見みるとおかあさんじゃないけれども涙なみだが出でてきそうだった。The whole place had gone wide and empty, and somehow when I looked at it, I felt like I might start crying, even though I'm not Mother.

半分はんぶんこげたり、びしょびしょにぬれたりした焼やけ残のこりの荷物にもつといっしょに、ぼくたち六ろく人にんは小ちいさな離はなれでくらすことになった。So the six of us ended up living in the little outbuilding, along with the things left over from the fire, some half burned and some soaking wet.

御飯ごはんは三さん度ど三さん度ど官舎かんしゃの人ひとたちが作つくって来きてくれた。Three meals a day, every day, the people from the officials' houses made our food and brought it over.

熱あついにぎり飯めしはうまかった。The hot rice balls were really good.

ごまのふってあるのや、中なかから梅干うめぼしの出でてくるのや、海苔のりでそとを包つつんであるのや……こんなおいしい御飯ごはんを食たべたことはないと思おもうほどだった。Ones sprinkled with sesame, ones with a pickled plum hiding inside, ones wrapped up in seaweed... they were so good I thought I'd never eaten food that tasted like that before.

火ひはどろぼうがつけたのらしいということがわかった。We found out it looked like a burglar had started the fire.

井戸いどのつるべなわが切きってあって水みずをくむことができなくなっていたのと、短刀たんとうが一本いっぽん火ひに焼やけて焼やけあとから出でてきたので、どろぼうでもするような人ひとのやったことだと警察けいさつの人ひとが来きて見みこみをつけた。The rope on the well bucket had been cut so nobody could draw any water, and a dagger, all burned in the fire, turned up in the ruins, so a man from the police came and decided it must have been done by somebody like a burglar.

それを聞きいておかあさんはようやく安心あんしんができたといった。When she heard that, Mother said she could finally stop worrying.

おとうさんは二に、三日さんにちの間あいだ、毎日まいにち警察けいさつに呼よび出だされて、しじゅう腹はらをたてていた。For two or three days Father got called to the police station every single day, and he was angry the whole time.

おばあさまは、自分じぶんの部屋へやから火事かじが出でたのを見みつけだした時ときは、あんまり仰天ぎょうてんして口くちがきけなくなったのだそうだけれども、火事かじがすむとやっと物ものがいえるようになった。They say Grandmother was so shocked when she saw the fire coming out of her room that she couldn't say a word, but once the fire was over she was finally able to talk again.

そのかわり、すこし病気びょうきになって、せまい部屋へやのかたすみに床とこを取とってねたきりになっていた。But instead she got a bit sick, and she had her bedding laid out in a corner of the cramped room and stayed in bed all the time.

ぼくたちは、火事かじのあった次つぎの日ひからは、いつものとおりの気持きもちになった。As for us kids, from the day after the fire we felt just the same as always.

そればかりではない、かえってふだんよりおもしろいくらいだった。That's not all, either. It was actually even more fun than usual.

毎日まいにち三さん人にんで焼やけあとに出でかけていって、人足にんそくの人ひとなんかに、じゃまだ、あぶないといわれながら、いろいろのものを拾ひろい出だして、めいめいで見みせあったり、取とりかえっこしたりした。Every day the three of us went out to the ruins, and even while the workmen kept telling us we were in the way and it was dangerous, we dug out all kinds of things, and each of us showed the others what we'd found, and we swapped things too.

火事かじがすんでから三みっ日かめに、朝あさ目めをさますとおばあさまがあわてるようにポチはどうしたろうとおかあさんにたずねた。On the third day after the fire, when we woke up in the morning, Grandmother asked Mother in a flustered sort of way what had happened to Pochi.

おばあさまはポチがひどい目めにあった夢ゆめを見みたのだそうだ。It seems Grandmother had dreamed that something awful happened to Pochi.

あの犬いぬがほえてくれたばかりで、火事かじが起おこったのを知しったので、もしポチが知しらしてくれなければ焼やけ死しんでいたかもしれないとおばあさまはいった。Grandmother said she only knew there was a fire because that dog barked, and if Pochi hadn't warned her she might have burned to death.

そういえばほんとうにポチはいなくなってしまった。Now that she said it, Pochi really had disappeared.

朝あさ起おきた時ときにも、焼やけあとに遊あそびに行いってる時ときにも、なんだか一ひとつ足たらないものがあるようだったが、それはポチがいなかったんだ。When I got up in the morning, and when I was off playing in the ruins too, it felt somehow like one thing was missing, and that thing was Pochi not being there.

ぼくがおこしに行いく前まえに、ポチは離はなれに来きて雨戸あまどをがりがり引ひっかきながら、悲かなしそうにほえたので、おとうさんもおかあさんも目めをさましていたのだとおかあさんもいった。Mother said too that before I went to wake them up, Pochi had come to the outbuilding and scratched and scratched at the shutters, barking sadly, so Father and Mother were already awake.

そんな忠義ちゅうぎなポチがいなくなったのを、ぼくたちはみんなわすれてしまっていたのだ。And all of us had forgotten that Pochi, who was so loyal, was gone.

ポチのことを思おもい出だしたら、ぼくは急きゅうにさびしくなった。When I remembered Pochi, I suddenly felt lonely.

ポチは、妹いもうとと弟おとうととをのければ、ぼくのいちばんすきな友ともだちなんだ。Leaving out my little sister and little brother, Pochi is my very best friend.

居留地きょりゅうちに住すんでいるおとうさんの友ともだちの西洋人せいようじんがくれた犬いぬで、耳みみの長ながい、尾おのふさふさした大おおきな犬いぬ。He's a dog we got from a Western friend of Father's who lives in the foreign settlement, a big dog with long ears and a bushy tail.

長ながい舌したを出だしてぺろぺろとぼくや妹いもうとの頸くびの所ところをなめて、くすぐったがらせる犬いぬ、けんかならどの犬いぬにだって負まけない犬いぬ、めったにほえない犬いぬ、ほえると人ひとでも馬うまでもこわがらせる犬いぬ、ぼくたちを見みるときっと笑わらいながら駆かけつけて来きて飛とびつく犬いぬ、芸当げいとうはなんにもできないくせに、なんだかかわいい犬いぬ、芸当げいとうをさせようとすると、はずかしそうに横よこを向むいてしまって、大おおきな目めを細ほそくする犬いぬ。A dog who sticks out his long tongue and licks and licks my neck and my sister's neck till it tickles, a dog who never loses to any other dog in a fight, a dog who hardly ever barks, a dog who scares people and even horses when he does bark, a dog who always comes running up laughing and jumps on us when he sees us, a dog who can't do a single trick but is somehow really sweet anyway, a dog who looks away all shy and narrows his big eyes when you try to make him do a trick.

どうしてぼくはあのだいじな友ともだちがいなくなったのを、今日きょうまで思おもい出ださずにいたろうと思おもった。I wondered how I could have gone all this time without remembering that my precious friend was gone.