He had fallen before and seemed okay this time. He scrambled to his feet and, pausing to squint at the track, found his lines and started again, limping slightly on his left foot. The rest of the boys had passed him and he was about a quarter track behind. He ran doggedly around the far corner, arms pumping at his sides, and into the straightaway. Just as he was starting to gain on the last boy, his foot slipped again and he dropped to the track, rolling onto his side and groping blindly around him for balance.

他曾经跌倒过，这次跌倒他似乎没觉得难过。他挣扎地站起来，停下斜视着赛道，找到了自己的跑道，左脚略跛着又跑了起来。其余的人从他身边跑过，他已落后了约四分之一个赛程。他锲而不舍地从最外圈的角落绕过来，手臂在他的两侧挥动着，跑入了直道。正当他已开始接近跑在最后的人时，他的脚下又一打滑，再次倒在了轨道上，侧着身滚动着，并盲目地摸索着周围，以便保持平衡。