Chapter 1

The Falcon's Feathers

猎鹰的羽毛

Chapter 1 Dink stepped on a branch. It broke with a loud snap. "Geez, Dink, you sound like an elephant!" Josh said. "We have to be quiet!" "Josh Pinto, where are you taking us?" Ruth Rose demanded. "I'm all scratches! Why didn't

丁克踩到了一根树枝。 它啪的一声破裂了。 “天啊，丁克，你听起来像一头大象!”杰克说。 “我们必须安静!”“乔希·平托，你要带我们去哪里?”露丝·罗斯问道。 “我全是抓人的!”为什么不

you tell us we'd be walking through pricker bushes?" The kids were deep in the woods, not far from the horse trails. The bushes were thick under the tall trees. Josh grinned at his friends. "It's a surprise," he said. "Trust me, you'll love it." "Well, I don't love all these mosquitoes," Dink muttered. Ruth Rose sat on a log and scratched a bite on her ankle. "I'm not going any farther until you spill the beans," she said. "Me neither," Dink said. He plopped down next to Ruth Rose. "Out with it, Josh. Why'd you drag us into this jungle?" "And what's with the binoculars?" Ruth Rose asked. "Okay, I'll tell you." Josh squeezed between them on the log and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. He spread it out across his knees.

你是说我们要穿过荆棘丛吗?”孩子们在树林深处，离马道不远。 高大的树下灌木茂盛。 乔希对他的朋友们咧嘴一笑。 “这是一个惊喜，”他说。 “相信我，你会喜欢的。” “好吧，我不喜欢这些蚊子，”丁克喃喃地说。 露丝·罗斯坐在一根圆木上，挠了挠脚踝上的咬痕。 “你不把秘密说出来，我就不走了，”她说。 “我也是，”丁克说。他扑通一声坐在露丝·罗斯旁边。 “说出来吧，乔希。你为什么要把我们拖进这个丛林?”“那双筒望远镜是怎么回事?”露丝·罗斯问。 “好吧，我告诉你。”乔希挤在他们之间的圆木上，从口袋里掏出一张纸。 他把它摊开放在膝盖上。

It was a drawing of a bird. It had dark feathers, a curved beak, and black markings under the eyes. "What is it?" asked Dink. "An eagle?" Josh shook his head. "No, it's a peregrine falcon. They were almost extinct—but now there's a family in Green Lawn!" Dink was impressed. "Did you draw this?"

画的是一只鸟。 它长着黑色的羽毛，弯曲的喙，眼睛下面有黑色的斑纹。 “这是什么?”丁克问。“鹰?”乔希摇了摇头。 “不，这是一只游隼。 它们几乎灭绝了——但现在绿草坪上有一个家族!”丁克对此印象深刻。 “你画的吗?”

Josh nodded. "Yup. I found a nest with three babies. I've been watching them for a couple of weeks now." "And you're just telling us today?" Ruth Rose said. "Thanks for sharing, Josh." Josh folded the drawing and stuck it in his pocket. "Falcons don't like to be disturbed," he said. "I was waiting to tell you when the babies were older." Dink looked over their heads at the trees. "So where's the nest?" he asked. Josh stood up. "We're almost there," he said. The kids picked their way through the undergrowth. Between the branches, Dink could see glimpses of the Indian River. A minute later, Josh stopped. "It's right over there," he whispered. "The tall tree in the clearing." "All I see are leaves," Ruth Rose said. Josh pointed about halfway up the tree. "See that brown stuff right over the dead branch?" "I see it!" Ruth Rose cried. "Me too," Dink said. "How did you climb up there?"

杰克点了点头。“是的。我发现了一个有三个宝宝的窝。 我已经观察他们几个星期了。” “你今天才告诉我们?”露丝·罗斯说。 “谢谢你的分享，乔希。” 乔希把画折叠起来，塞进口袋里。 “猎鹰不喜欢被打扰，”他说。 “我本来想等孩子们大一点再告诉你的。” 丁克越过他们的头顶看了看树木。 “那么鸟巢在哪里?”他问。 乔希站了起来。“我们就快成功了，”他说。 孩子们在矮树丛中摸索着前进。 在树枝间，丁克瞥见了印第安河。 一分钟后，乔希停了下来。 “就在那儿。”他低声说。 “空地上的那棵大树。” “我看到的都是树叶，”露丝·罗斯说。 乔希指着树的一半。 “看到枯枝上那个棕色的东西了吗?”“我看见了!”露丝·罗斯哭了。 “我也是，”丁克说。“你是怎么爬上去的?”

"I didn't," said Josh. "If you disturb the nest, the parents might abandon the babies." Josh pointed to a white birch tree at the edge of the clearing. "I climb that tree and look over with my binoculars." "Can we climb up and take a look?" Ruth Rose asked. "Sure," Josh said. "Only we have to be quiet. I don't want to scare them." The birch tree was perfect for climbing. The smooth limbs made a natural ladder. Dink and Ruth Rose followed Josh up to a thick branch. Josh trained his binoculars on the other tree. He adjusted the focus by turning a little wheel between the two eyepieces.

“我没有，”乔希说。“如果你扰乱巢穴，父母可能会抛弃孩子。” 乔希指着空地边上的一棵白桦树。 “我爬上那棵树，用我的双筒望远镜往下看。” “我们能爬上去看看吗?”露丝·罗斯问。 “当然，”乔希说。“只是我们必须保持安静。 我不想吓到他们。” 这棵桦树最适合爬树。 光滑的树枝是天然的梯子。 丁克和露丝·罗斯跟着乔希走到一根粗树枝前。 乔希把他的双筒望远镜对准另一棵树。 他转动两个目镜之间的一个小轮子来调整焦距。