Ch5-Bandits!

CHAPTER FIVE Bandits! Jack looked around wildly. Dark figures on horses were galloping across the sand toward them. They were yelling and shouting. "Oh, no!" cried Jack. "What should we do?"

第五章强盗！杰克疯狂地环顾四周。 黑影骑着马在沙地上向他们奔来。 他们不停地大喊大叫。 “哦，不！”杰克叫道。“我们该怎么办？”

"We will fight them off!" said Mamoon. "You and Annie take this box and ride to the dunes!" Mamoon pulled a flat wooden box out of one of his saddlebags. He thrust the box into Jack's hands. "Hurry! Ride as fast as you can! Protect it with your lives!" Jack frantically tried to stuff the box into his shoulder bag. But Mamoon slapped the back of Jack's camel, and she bolted forward. The reins slipped from Jack's hands. He grabbed the saddle horn with one hand and clutched the wooden box to his chest with the other. He held on for his life as Beauty galloped across the dark desert.

“我们会打败他们的！” “你和安妮拿着这个箱子去沙丘！”马蒙从他的一个鞍囊里拿出一个扁平的木盒子。 他把盒子塞到杰克手里。 “快点!骑得越快越好！用你们的生命保护它！”杰克疯狂地试图把盒子塞进他的肩包里。 但马蒙拍了拍杰克的骆驼背，她向前跑去。 缰绳从杰克手中滑落。 他一只手抓住鞍角，另一只手把木箱抱在胸前。 当美驰过黑暗的沙漠时，他紧紧抓住不放。

Annie's camel ran beside Jack's. Like two racehorses, Beauty and Cutie thundered across the sand toward the distant dunes. Rocking crazily from side to side, Jack clung to the box. "Slow down!" he yelled. "Please!" It was no use. Beauty ran like the wind. She and her sister practically flew over the desert under the starry sky. Jack wanted the camels to stop. But at the same time, he wanted to get far away from the bandits. Finally the camels began to slow their pace. Jack looked back. He couldn't see the caravan at all, and no one seemed to be following them.

安妮的骆驼跑在杰克的旁边。 “美女”和“可爱”像两匹赛马一样，轰隆隆地穿过沙滩，奔向远处的沙丘。 杰克紧紧抓住箱子，疯狂地左右摇晃。 “慢点！”他喊道。“请!”这没有用。 美像风一样跑。她和妹妹几乎是在星空下飞过了沙漠。 杰克想让骆驼停下来。 但与此同时，他又想远离土匪。 骆驼终于放慢了脚步。 杰克回头看了看。他根本看不见车队，似乎也没有人在跟踪他们。

When the two camels reached the dunes, they began plodding around the steep hills. Once they were nestled safely between tall sand drifts, they stopped to rest. Beauty grunted. Cutie snorted. "Thanks… thanks, girls," said Annie, panting. "I hope Mamoon and the others are safe from the bandits," said Jack. "Me too," said Annie. "What's in the box he gave us?" Jack held up the flat wooden box. "I don't know," he said. "But Mamoon said we should protect it with our lives." "Maybe it's a precious spice," said Annie.

当两只骆驼到达沙丘时，他们开始在陡峭的山坡上步履蹒跚。 一旦他们安全地依偎在高高的沙堆之间，他们就停下来休息。 美哼了一声。漂亮的女孩哼了一声。 “谢谢……谢谢，姑娘们，”安妮喘着气说。 “我希望马蒙和其他人都不会被强盗抢到，”杰克说。 “我也是，”安妮说。“他给我们的盒子里装的是什么？”杰克举起那个扁平的木箱。 “我不知道，”他说。“但是马蒙说我们应该用生命来保护它。” “也许这是一种珍贵的香料，”安妮说。

"I hope it's more than that," said Jack. "I'd hate to risk my life for cinnamon or pepper." "Should we look?" said Annie. "I don't know," said Jack. "Mamoon might not want us to." "But don't you think we could protect it better if we knew what it was?" said Annie. "Maybe…," said Jack. He could see Annie's point. "Okay." Jack tried to open the lid of the box, but he couldn't. In the dark, his finger pressed against a keyhole. "Forget it," he said. "It's locked." "Shh! Listen!" said Annie.

“我希望不止这些。”杰克说。 “我可不想为了肉桂或胡椒而冒生命危险。” “我们应该看看吗？”安妮说。 “我不知道，”杰克说。 “月亮可能不希望我们这么做。” “但你不认为如果我们知道它是什么，我们就能更好地保护它吗？”安妮说。 “也许……”杰克说。他明白安妮的意思。 “好吧。”杰克试图打开盒子的盖子，但他打不开。 黑暗中，他的手指按在锁眼上。 “算了吧，”他说。“这是锁着的。” “嘘!听着！”安妮说。

Jack listened. He heard a high-pitched moaning sound. It sounded like music from a violin. Wafting through the dry sand dunes, the haunting music grew louder. "What is that?" said Jack. "Uh-oh," said Annie. "Now I hear something else." Jack held his breath. He heard hooves galloping over the desert. "The bandits!" he said. "We have to hide the box!" said Annie. "Where?" said Jack. "In the sand!" said Annie. She clucked her tongue, and Cutie knelt down to the ground. Beauty knelt, too. Jack and Annie jumped off

杰克听。他听到一种尖锐的呻吟声。 听起来像是小提琴演奏的音乐。 在干燥的沙丘上飘荡，萦绕心头的音乐越来越响。 “那是什么？”杰克说。 “哦哦，”安妮说。“现在我又听到了别的声音。” 杰克屏住了呼吸。他听到马蹄声在沙漠上疾驰。 “强盗！”他说。“我们得把盒子藏起来！”安妮说。 “在哪儿？”杰克问。“在沙子里！”安妮说。 她咯咯地咂着舌头，可爱地跪在地上。 Beauty也跪了下来。杰克和安妮跳了下来