5 Now’s the Time!

Chapter 5 NOW'S THE TIME! Jack and Annie followed Tuya. Batu and Gan were waiting outside the yurt. They all hurried after other families and volunteers leaving the camp. Everyone was headed down a path bordered by feathery grasses. Jack remembered things Khan the bus driver had said: Officials report the planes landed safely…. Hundreds of people greeted them…. Get ready for a miracle…. Jack could hardly wait to see the miracle. The crowd from the nomad camp soon arrived at the nature reserve. Beyond the arched entrance was a blue building. The minibus and a few trucks were in a parking lot. Beside the building was a bike stand. It was filled with mountain bikes.

第五章是时候了！杰克和安妮跟着图雅。 巴图和甘等在蒙古包外面。 他们都急忙跟着其他家庭和志愿者离开营地。 每个人都沿着一条长着羽毛般的草的小路走去。 杰克想起了公交车司机汗说过的话：官方报告飞机安全着陆.... 数百人欢迎他们.... 准备好迎接奇迹吧.... 杰克迫不及待地想看到奇迹。 从游牧营地来的人群很快到达了自然保护区。 拱门入口的后面是一座蓝色的建筑。 小巴和几辆卡车停在一个停车场里。 大楼旁边是一个自行车站。 到处都是山地车。

"This is the field station of the reserve," Tuya said to Jack and Annie. "Who owns all those bikes?" asked Jack. "The station," said Tuya. "Eco-Volunteers use bikes to ride around the reserve." She pointed to a vast open plain bordered by distant hills. "You don't ride your horses there?" asked Annie. "Oh, no, tame horses are not allowed," said Tuya. "The nature reserve is a home only for wild animals." "Come, Tuya!" called Gan. The crowd had already gathered around a fenced area near the bike stand. Jack and Annie hurried with Tuya, her mother, and brother. They all squeezed into an open spot near the gate.

“这是保护区的野外站，”图雅对杰克和安妮说。 “这些自行车是谁的？”杰克问。 “车站。”图雅说。“生态志愿者骑自行车在保护区周围骑行。” 她指着远处群山环绕的广阔平原。 “你不在那儿骑马吗？”安妮问。 “哦，不，驯服的马是不允许的，”图雅说。 “自然保护区是野生动物的家园。” “来吧，图雅！”甘叫道。人群已经聚集在自行车站附近的围栏周围。 杰克和安妮带着图雅、她的母亲和弟弟匆匆而去。 他们都挤在大门附近的空地上。

Inside the fenced area were rangers in green uniforms. They were waiting beside a row of large wooden crates. The crates were as tall as the men who stood beside them. "Hi! We're here!" Tuya yelled, waving. Two rangers waved back. "That's my father and big brother!" Tuya told Jack and Annie. "They helped build this fence. It circles fifty acres of the reserve." "How big is the whole reserve?" asked Jack. "Over one hundred thousand acres!" said Tuya. "Wow, that's huge!" said Annie. From inside the crates came sounds of thumping and banging. "What's inside the boxes?" Jack asked. "The Takhi!" Tuya said. "What are the Takhi?" Annie asked. Before Tuya could answer, a burly ranger shouted to the crowd, "It's time! They just took a thirty-hour trip on planes and trucks to get here! They will be confused at first! Be very quiet! Do not frighten them!" The crowd grew silent. Photographers held up their cameras.

围栏内是身穿绿色制服的护林员。 他们在一排大木箱旁边等着。 箱子和站在箱子旁边的人一样高。 “嗨!我们在这里!”图雅喊道，挥手。 两个护林员也向他挥了挥手。“那是我的爸爸和哥哥！”图雅告诉了杰克和安妮。 “他们帮助建造了这道栅栏。 它环绕着五十英亩的保护区。” “整个保护区有多大？”杰克问。 “超过十万英亩！”图雅说。 “哇，好大啊！”安妮说。 从板条箱里传来砰砰的声音。 “盒子里装的是什么？”杰克问。 “Takhi !”平顶火山说。“塔奇是什么？”安妮问。 图雅还没来得及回答，一个魁梧的护林员向人群喊道：“时间到了！他们坐了30个小时的飞机和卡车才到这里！他们一开始会感到困惑！安静点！不要吓他们！”人群安静了下来。 摄影师们举起了他们的相机。

Jack gripped the wire fence. The suspense was almost more than he could bear. He felt like aliens from another planet were about to come out of the boxes. "Get ready!" yelled the burly ranger. The other rangers gripped the door handles on the crates. "Now!" one of them shouted, and they all pulled the doors open at the same time. Slowly, a pale brown horse stepped from one of the crates onto the grass. It looked around shyly and pricked up its ears. Then another horse stepped out of a crate. Then another… and another… until more than a dozen horses had stepped out onto the grass.

杰克紧紧抓住铁丝栅栏。 这种悬念几乎使他无法忍受。 他觉得好像有来自另一个星球的外星人要从盒子里出来似的。 “准备好！”魁梧的护林员喊道。 其他护林员抓住板条箱的门把手。 “快！”其中一个喊道，他们同时把门拉开了。 慢慢地，一匹淡棕色的马从一个板条箱里走到草地上。 它害羞地环顾四周，竖起耳朵。 接着，另一匹马从板条箱里走了出来。 接着是另一匹马，接着是另一匹马，直到十几匹马走到草地上。

The horses all looked alike. They had round white bellies and spiky black manes. They were smaller than regular horses. Their heads were large, but their legs were short. The crowd held its breath. "Ohhh… they are so beautiful," said Tuya. Gan was shaking. Batu wiped away tears. What's the big deal? Jack wondered. Leaning over the fence, he peered through his binoculars. A couple of the horses stamped the ground. They snorted, then bolted away from the crates. Then all the other horses followed, breaking into a full gallop. As the herd thundered down the long fenced area, the crowd began clapping and cheering. Photographers snapped pictures. Tuya jumped up and down, bumping into Jack. His binoculars slipped from his hands. They landed on the other side of the fence, inside the horse corral.

所有的马看起来都很像。 它们有白色的圆肚子和黑色的尖鬃。 它们比一般的马小。 他们的头很大，但腿很短。 人群屏住了呼吸。 “哦……它们太美了，”图雅说。 甘在颤抖。巴图擦去眼泪。 这有什么大不了的？杰克想知道。 他靠在篱笆上，用双筒望远镜往外看。 两匹马踏着地面。 他们哼了一声，然后从板条箱旁跑开了。 然后其他所有的马也跟着狂奔起来。 当牛群轰鸣着走过长长的围栏时，人群开始鼓掌欢呼。 摄影师抓拍照片。 图雅跳上跳下，撞到了杰克身上。 他的双筒望远镜从手中滑落。 他们落在围栏的另一边，马栏里面。