8 The Gray Ghost

8 THE GRAY GHOST "Wait a minute," said Jack, stunned. "The Gray Ghost is a snow leopard? And she is your friend?" "Yes," said Tenzin. "In my youth, snow leopards were called Gray Ghosts. We thought of them as Guardians of the Mountains." The snow leopard brushed her head gently against Tenzin's face. She kept her long furry tail wrapped around him. "She's guarding you now, I think," said Annie. "Yes, she is," said Tenzin quietly. "I told her of my sorrow." "That's amazing," said Annie. "When did you first meet her?" "Many years ago. Whenever I climbed alone, she would appear," Tenzin said. "Finally we sat together and looked at the world below. But I have not seen her since—" He looked away. "Since I lost my family."

“等一下，”杰克说，惊呆了。 “灰鬼是雪豹？” 她是你的朋友吗？”“是的，”丹增说。 “在我年轻的时候，雪豹被称为灰鬼。 我们认为他们是山里的守护者。” 雪豹用她的头轻轻地拂过丹增的脸。 她用毛茸茸的长尾巴缠着他。 “我想她现在在保护你，”安妮说。 “是的，她是。”丹增平静地说。 “我把我的悲伤告诉了她。” “太神奇了，”安妮说。 “你第一次见到她是什么时候？”“很多年前。 每当我独自攀登时，她就会出现，”丹增说。 最后我们坐在一起，看着下面的世界。 但从那以后我就没见过她——”他把目光移开。 “自从我失去了家人。”

The snow leopard still didn't move. As she stared at Jack and Annie, Jack remembered their rhyme: The Gray Ghost of the Mountains, The phantom of snow, Has a secret to tell you That very few know. Alone on the hillside, She hides in plain sight. Her wisdom speaks softly In shadows and light. Jack looked into the big cat's soft green eyes. He looked hard and tried to grasp her wisdom. The snow leopard held his gaze. Jack could tell that she was strong and gentle. But he couldn't figure out her secret. Again, the cat brushed her head against Tenzin's face. Then she rose up and leapt from the rock. The snow leopard seemed to fly through the air. She bounded up the slope until she was out of sight. "Good-bye!" Annie called after her. "Wait," said Tenzin. "In a moment, she will tell us good-bye herself."

雪豹仍然一动不动。 当她盯着杰克和安妮时，杰克想起了他们的押韵：山中的灰色幽灵，雪的幽灵，有一个秘密要告诉你，很少有人知道。 独自在山坡上，她隐藏在众目睽睽之下。 她的智慧在阴影和光明中轻声细语。 杰克看着这只大猫那双温柔的绿眼睛。 他仔细地看了看，试图领会她的智慧。 雪豹凝视着他。 杰克看得出来她既坚强又温柔。 但他不知道她的秘密。 猫的头又一次蹭到了丹增的脸。 然后她站起来，从岩石上跳了下来。 雪豹似乎在空中飞翔。 她跳到斜坡上，直到看不见为止。 “再见!”安妮在她身后叫道。 “等等，”丹增说。“过一会儿，她会亲自向我们告别的。”

"You mean she'll come back to us?" asked Annie. "No. Look up, my friends." He pointed to a higher part of the mountain. The snow leopard was perched on a rock. Her fur blended into the gray of the mountain and the low clouds. She looked down at them. Jack was astonished. How did she get up there so fast? he wondered. It was almost as if she'd vanished and then magically reappeared. Tenzin laughed. "She always likes to be seen one last time," he said. "I salute her," said Annie, bowing her head.

“你是说她会回到我们身边？”安妮问。 “没有。抬头看，我的朋友们。” 他指着山的高处。 雪豹栖息在一块岩石上。 她的皮毛与灰色的山峦和低低的云层浑然一体。 她低头看着他们。杰克很吃惊。 她怎么这么快就上去了？ 他想知道。就好像她消失了，然后又神奇地出现了。 丹增笑了。他说：“她总是希望大家最后见她一面。” “我向她致敬，”安妮低下头说。

"Me too," whispered Jack. Then the snow leopard was gone. When they looked up, she'd vanished as quickly as she'd appeared. Annie turned to Tenzin. "Thank you for helping us find the Gray Ghost," she said. "Thank you for showing me the letter from your friend Morgan," said Tenzin. He jumped to his feet and stretched out his arms. He looked younger and stronger now. "The day is going very well!" he said proudly. "Let us go back down and join the others!" Tenzin started hiking back down the slope. Jack and Annie followed him. Following Tenzin was much easier now than before. Heading down the slope, Jack and Annie stayed close behind him. If he got too far ahead, he waited for them. By the time they reached Tenzin's hut, the clouds had started to lift. The day had grown warmer. "Let us go down into the village!" said Tenzin. "Right," said Jack. He and Annie grabbed their red backpacks and pulled them on. When they turned around, they saw that Tenzin had already started down the path toward the village.

“我也是。”杰克小声说。然后雪豹走了。 他们抬头一看，她出现的速度和消失的速度一样快。 安妮转向丹增。“谢谢你帮我们找到灰鬼，”她说。 “谢谢你给我看你朋友摩根的信，”丹增说。 他跳了起来，伸出双臂。 他现在看起来更年轻、更强壮了。 “今天过得很顺利！”他自豪地说。 “我们下去和大家会合吧！”丹增开始沿着山坡往回走。 杰克和安妮跟着他。 现在跟着丹增比以前容易多了。 杰克和安妮走下山坡，紧紧跟在他身后。 如果他走得太远，他就等着他们。 当他们到达丹增的小屋时，乌云开始消散。 天气变暖了。“我们到村子里去吧！”丹增说。 “好的，”杰克说。他和安妮抓起各自的红色背包，背了上去。 当他们转身时，他们看到丹增已经沿着小路朝村子走去了。

"Tenzin, wait!" called Annie. Tenzin didn't seem to hear her. He kept walking. "Tenzin!" Jack shouted as they hurried to catch up with him. Tenzin stopped just as they came within sight of the village. "Look down below!" he called excitedly. "Oh, wow!" said Annie. Everything looked different now. The mountain village was no longer gloomy at all!

“丹增，等等！”安妮叫道。 丹增似乎没有听见她的话。 他继续往前走。“丹增!”他们急忙追上杰克时，杰克喊道。 就在他们看到村子的时候，丹增停了下来。 “往下看！”他兴奋地叫道。 “哦，哇！”安妮说。现在一切看起来都不同了。 山村里一点也不阴郁了！