Chapter 1

The Jaguar's Jewel

美洲虎的珍宝

Chapter 1 Dink spread the note on his knees and read it out loud. Dear Nephew Donny,

丁克把纸条摊开放在膝盖上，大声读了出来。 亲爱的侄子唐尼:

I am so happy that you're coming to visit! You and your friends are going to love New York city. I will meet your train at four o'clock on Friday, at grand central Station. Love, uncle Warren Josh giggled. "He calls you Donny?" "Yeah," Dink said, blushing. "But if you ever do, I'll tell all the kids at school your middle name is Carol." "But my middle name isn't Carol!" Josh said. Dink flashed an evil grin. "So?" "Guys, I think we're there," Ruth Rose said. The train slowed. Suddenly, the bright, sunny day vanished. Everything outside the train windows turned black. "Hey, what happened?" Josh cried. Dink laughed. "We're in a tunnel, Josh," he said. "Don't worry. Ruth Rose and I will protect you." The train slowed even more, then stopped. "New York, Grand Central Station!" the conductor called. "Last stop! All passengers off!"

我很高兴你能来参观!你和你的朋友会爱上纽约的。 我将于星期五四点钟在中央车站接你的火车。 “爱你，”沃伦·乔希叔叔咯咯地笑着说。 “他叫你东尼?”“是啊，”丁克红着脸说。 “但如果你真这么做了，我会告诉学校里所有的孩子你的中间名是卡罗尔。” “但是我的中间名不是卡罗尔!”杰克说。 丁克露出邪恶的笑容。 “所以?”“伙计们，我想我们成功了，”露丝·罗斯说。 火车慢了下来。突然间，阳光明媚的日子消失了。 火车窗外的一切都变黑了。 “嘿，发生什么事了?”杰克哭了。 丁克笑了。“我们在隧道里，乔希，”他说。 “别担心。露丝·罗斯和我会保护你的。” 火车更慢了，然后停了下来。 “纽约，中央车站!”售票员喊道。 “最后一站!所有乘客离开!”

The kids grabbed their backpacks and followed the other passengers to the door. "Watch your step," the conductor said. He helped the kids hop onto the platform. They found themselves standing in a concrete tunnel. The dust and soot coming up from under the train made Dink sneeze. "Where do we go?" Josh asked. "My uncle said he'd meet us," Dink said. "Maybe we should just wait here." All around them, people were hurrying along the platform. Dink stood on tiptoe, but he couldn't see his uncle anywhere. "Is that him?" Ruth Rose asked. She pointed to a short man in a gray suit. He was pushing toward them through the crowd. Dink jumped up and down and waved. "Uncle Warren, here we are!"

孩子们抓起书包，跟着其他乘客走到门口。 “小心脚下，”售票员说。 他帮助孩子们跳上平台。 他们发现自己站在一个混凝土隧道里。 从火车下面冒出来的灰尘和烟灰使丁克打了个喷嚏。 “我们去哪儿?”杰克问。 “我叔叔说他会来接我们，”丁克说。 “也许我们应该在这里等着。” 在他们周围，人们正沿着站台匆匆赶路。 丁克踮起脚尖，但他哪儿也看不见叔叔。 “是他吗?”露丝·罗斯问。 她指着一个穿灰色西装的矮个子男人。 他穿过人群朝他们挤去。 丁克跳上跳下，挥着手。 “沃伦叔叔，我们到了!”

Uncle Warren Duncan had white hair and a big smile. He carried an umbrella and wore a red carnation in his lapel. His eyeglasses twinkled in the underground lights. "Donny, welcome!" he said, beaming at the kids. "How was your train ride? Are you hungry?" "We're fine," Dink said. "The train was great, and Mom packed sandwiches for us." "Splendid!" Dink's uncle gave him a big hug. "And whom have we here?" he asked, peering through his round glasses. "Josh and Ruth Rose," Dink said, "my best friends!" "Marvelous!" Uncle Warren said, shaking their hands. "Now let's go find a cab. Follow me!" Uncle Warren marched up a long ramp with the kids right behind him. A moment later, they entered the biggest room Dink had ever seen. Hundreds of people bustled in every direction. A deep voice announcing train arrivals and departures echoed over a loudspeaker. Piles of luggage were heaped around the gleaming marble floor.

沃伦·邓肯叔叔满头白发，笑容灿烂。 他带着一把伞，翻领上别着一朵红色康乃馨。 他的眼镜在地下的灯光下闪烁。 “东尼，欢迎你!”他微笑着对孩子们说。 “你的火车之旅怎么样?”你饿吗?”“我们很好，”丁克说。 “火车很好，妈妈还给我们准备了三明治。” “精彩!”丁克的叔叔给了他一个大大的拥抱。 “这是谁呢?”他透过圆眼镜往外看，问道。 “乔希和露丝·罗斯，”丁克说，“我最好的朋友!”“了不起的!”沃伦叔叔握着他们的手说。 “现在我们去找辆出租车吧。跟我来!”沃伦叔叔走上一条长长的坡道，孩子们跟在他后面。 过了一会儿，他们走进了丁克从未见过的最大的房间。 成百上千的人从四面八方涌来。 一个低沉的声音在喇叭里回响，宣布火车到站和发车。 一堆堆行李堆在闪闪发光的大理石地板上。

Try as he might, Dink couldn't take it all in. Uncle Warren said, "This is Grand Central Station's main terminal. Look up!" The kids tipped their heads back and looked up…and up! Gold-painted stars and animals danced across an emerald green ceiling. "This is so awesome!" Josh said. "Look, there's a bull and a goat!" "Taurus and Capricorn—the zodiac signs, dear boy," Uncle Warren explained. "Now onward!" Uncle Warren marched them toward an exit. The kids followed him out of the building. The street outside Grand Central Station was a shock to Dink. His ears were blasted by horns honking, brakes squealing, music blaring, and food vendors shouting. "Welcome to the Big Apple!" Uncle Warren said.

尽管丁克很努力，但他还是无法完全接受。 沃伦叔叔说:“这是中央车站的总站。 查!”孩子们把头往后仰，抬头看……金色的星星和动物在翠绿的天花板上跳舞。 “这太棒了!”杰克说。 “看，有一头公牛和一只山羊!”“金牛座和摩羯座——十二生肖，亲爱的孩子，”沃伦叔叔解释道。 “现在开始!”沃伦叔叔领着他们走向一个出口。 孩子们跟着他出了楼。 中央车站外的街道令丁克震惊。 他的耳朵被喇叭声、刹车声、音乐声和摊贩的叫卖声震得直响。 “欢迎来到纽约!”沃伦叔叔说。