Chapter 7

Chapter 7 "Look, there's another one!" Dink said, pointing ahead on the path. "And another!" "I wonder who made them," Ruth Rose said. She knelt down and put her finger in one of the prints. "These are toe marks. Did you guys notice if that guy in the grave was barefooted?" Dink shrugged. He put his own foot next to the print. "It's nearly twice as long as mine!" "Let's follow them," Ruth Rose said.

第七章“看，又有一只!”丁克指着前面的小路说。 ”另一个!”“我想知道是谁做的，”露丝·罗斯说。 她跪下来，把手指伸进其中一个指纹里。 “这些是脚趾印。你们注意到坟墓里的那个人是光着脚的吗?”丁克耸耸肩。 他把自己的脚放在脚印旁边。 “它几乎是我的两倍长!”“我们跟着他们吧，”露丝·罗斯说。

Josh nearly choked. "Are you crazy?" "Josh, don't you want to know whose feet these are?" Dink asked. "It could be the grave robber!" "Come on," Ruth Rose said, taking the lead again. As they walked the trail, the soil changed from dark red to brown to almost black. They had no trouble finding more footprints in the soft earth. Suddenly Josh stopped. He stuck his nose into the air like a wolf. "I smell food," he said. "What?" Dink asked. "Hot dogs?" Josh shook his head. "Something sort of spicy," he said. "Like chili!" "Chili in the woods?" Dink asked. "Gee, maybe there's a restaurant out here in the middle of nowhere." The next one to stop suddenly was Ruth Rose. She put a finger to her lips. "Shhh, listen!" she hissed. A few seconds later, they all heard a thunk. Then there were more thunks. The kids stared at each other with raised eyebrows. Ruth Rose kept walking and the others followed.

乔希几乎窒息了。“你疯了吗?”“乔希，你不想知道这是谁的脚吗?”丁克问道。 “可能是盗墓贼!”“来吧，”露丝·罗斯说，再次领先。 当他们走在小路上时，土壤从深红色变成了棕色，几乎变成了黑色。 他们毫不费力地在松软的土地上找到了更多的脚印。 突然，乔希停了下来。他像狼一样把鼻子伸到空中。 “我闻到了食物的味道，”他说。“什么?”丁克问道。 “热狗吗?”乔希摇了摇头。 “有点辣的东西，”他说。 “就像辣椒!”“在树林里吃辣椒?”丁克问道。 “哎呀，也许在这荒无人烟的地方会有一家餐馆。” 下一个突然停下来的是露丝·罗斯。 她把一根手指放在嘴唇上。 “嘘，听!”她嘶嘶地说。 几秒钟后，他们都听到了一声巨响。 然后是更多的嘘声。 孩子们扬起眉毛，面面相觑。 露丝·罗斯继续往前走，其他人跟在后面。

The trail ended in a sunny clearing. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose stood and gaped. Straight ahead was a small cabin built from stuff you'd find in a junkyard: old hunks of tin, mismatched boards, sheets of plastic, even the rusted hood of a car. The cabin was raised off the ground on thick tree stumps. A gigantic tree shaded the house. Dink noticed a tire swing hanging from one of the branches. He wondered if kids lived here. Standing with his back to them was a tall man holding an ax. His hair was so light it looked white. He wore long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Below the pant bottoms, Dink could make out large bare feet. The man raised the ax over his head and brought it down on a log. When he bent to grab

小路的尽头是一片阳光明媚的空地。 丁克、乔希和露丝·罗斯站在那里目瞪口呆。 正前方是一间小木屋，是用你能在垃圾场找到的东西建造的:旧锡块、不匹配的木板、塑料片，甚至是生锈的汽车引擎盖。 小屋是用厚厚的树桩搭起来的。 一棵大树遮蔽了房子。 丁克注意到一根树枝上挂着一个轮胎秋千。 他想知道这里是否住着孩子。 一个拿着斧头的高个子男人背对着他们站着。 他的头发很浅，看起来很白。 他穿着长裤和长袖衬衫。 在裤脚下面，丁克可以看到一双大光脚。 那人把斧头举过头顶，砍在一根圆木上。 当他弯下腰去抓

the two split pieces, he noticed the kids watching him. Dink was surprised. He had expected an older man. But the face staring at them was smooth. The man had warm brown eyes. He looked no older than Jack. "Hello," the man said. His voice was deep but gentle. "Are you lost?" Dink spoke up. "No, we're … exploring," he said. "Are you hungry?" the tall man asked. Behind the stack of firewood, a fire was burning in a pit. A black iron pot was suspended over the flames, and the smell of something spicy filled the air. "We just had breakfast," Ruth Rose said. "But thank you anyway, mister." "My name is Byron," the man said. "I'm Ruth Rose, and these are my friends Dink and Josh," Ruth Rose said. Dink saw an easel set up under a tree. "Can we look at your painting?" he asked. "Okay," Byron said, blushing. The three kids walked over to the easel. Byron had painted an old iron fence. Hanging over the

那两块碎片，他注意到孩子们在看着他。 丁克很吃惊。他原以为会是一个年纪更大的人。 但那张盯着他们的脸却很光滑。 那人有一双温暖的棕色眼睛。 他看上去并不比杰克大。 “你好，”那人说。他的声音深沉而温柔。 “你迷路了吗?”丁克大声说。 “不，我们在……探索，”他说。 “你饿吗?”高个子男人问。 在那堆柴火后面，一个坑里正燃着火。 一只黑铁锅悬在火焰上，空气中弥漫着某种辛辣的气味。 “我们刚吃过早饭，”露丝·罗斯说。 “不过还是谢谢你，先生。” “我叫拜伦，”那人说。 “我是露丝·罗斯，这是我的朋友丁克和乔希，”露丝·罗斯说。 丁克看见树下立着一个画架。 “我们能看看你的画吗?”他问。 “好吧，”拜伦红着脸说。 三个孩子走向画架。 拜伦曾粉刷过一道旧铁栅栏。 悬挂在

fence was a tree branch dripping gray Spanish moss. The moon shone down, bathing the scene with a soft glow. The space behind the fence was blank. "It's not finished yet," Byron said from behind Dink, startling him. How could such a big guy walk so silently? Dink wondered.

篱笆是一根滴着灰色西班牙青苔的树枝。 月亮照了下来，给景色蒙上了柔和的光辉。 篱笆后面一片空白。 “还没写完呢，”拜伦从丁克身后说，吓了他一跳。 这么大的一个家伙怎么能走得这么安静? 丁克很好奇。