4. Flying High

4 Flying High Stanley was impressed by how carefully Eduardo drove, obeying Stanley's mother's first rule. They left the city and were soon in a red landscape of cacti and low bushes. Eventually they came to a small town. There was a main street lined with low buildings that looked like part of a set from one of the old western movies Stanley's father loved. They passed a saloon and an old-fashioned-looking bank. Eduardo parked in front of a building with a sign that read BIG BILL'S DUDE RANCH. A man with a gray handlebar mustache and a ten-gallon hat lumbered down the dusty porch and waved to them. "Welcome to Bandera, the cowboy

爱德华多开车非常小心，遵守了他母亲的第一条规矩，这给斯坦利留下了深刻的印象。 他们离开了城市，很快就来到了一片红色的仙人掌和低矮的灌木丛中。 最后他们来到了一个小镇。 有一条主街，两旁排列着低矮的建筑物，看起来就像斯坦利父亲喜欢的一部老西部电影的场景。 他们经过一家酒馆和一家老式的银行。 爱德华多把车停在一栋建筑前，上面写着“大比尔的度假牧场”。 一个留着灰色八字胡，戴着一顶十加仑的帽子的男人笨重地走下尘土飞扬的门廊，向他们挥手。 “欢迎来到班德拉，牛仔

capital of the whole doggone world! The name's Big Bill. You bandits fixin' to saddle up?" "Yes, sir!" said Carlos. "We need two horses to ride into the wilderness for an overnight camping trip," said Eduardo. "I have just the horses for you," said Big Bill. He led Stanley, Carlos, and Eduardo toward a stable to the side of the building.

整个世界的首都!我叫大比尔。 你们这些强盗准备上马了吗?”“是的，先生!”卡洛斯说。 爱德华多说:“我们需要两匹马骑着去荒野露营过夜。” “我正好有马给你，”大比尔说。 他领着斯坦利、卡洛斯和爱德华多走向大楼旁边的一个马厩。

"Hey!" said Arthur. "Hay is for horses, Arthur," said Stanley. Their mother was always correcting Arthur when he said that. "Don't forget your grammar." "That's what I meant!" said Arthur, pointing to a bale of hay beside a hitching post. "It's hay!"

“嘿!”阿瑟说。“干草是给马吃的，亚瑟。”斯坦利说。 当亚瑟说这句话时，他们的母亲总是纠正他。 “别忘了语法。” “我就是这个意思!”阿瑟指着一根拴马的柱子旁的一捆干草说。 “草!”

"This here is Sam Houston," Big Bill said, patting a brown horse with a white star on its nose. "Named after the first elected president of the Republic of Texas. Y'all know that before it was a state, Texas was its own country for a while? Real independent. Sam Houston here has a mind of his own." Stanley laid his hand against the side of the horse, and Sam Houston gave a friendly shudder. The man moved over and tightened the saddle on a black horse. "And this is Davy Crockett. You heard o' him? The King of the Wild Frontier? He fought at the Alamo. Bet you didn't know that the real Davy Crockett was a congressman from Tennessee." He patted the horse. "Anyway, Davy here used to have a coonskin cap, but he ate it." Stanley grinned. "Thanks, Big Bill," he said. Their saddlebags were packed with supplies for the night, and Carlos and Eduardo rode together on Sam Houston, while Arthur and Stanley rode Davy Crockett. Stanley had not ridden a horse since their friend Calamity Jasper had taken him and Arthur looking for gold in South Dakota. He'd forgotten how fun and bouncy it was.

“这位是萨姆·休斯顿，”大比尔一边说，一边拍着一匹鼻子上有一颗白星的棕色马。 以得克萨斯共和国第一任民选总统的名字命名。 你们都知道在它成为一个州之前，德州有一段时间是独立的国家? 真正的独立。山姆·休斯顿有他自己的想法。” 斯坦利把手放在马背上，萨姆·休斯顿友好地打了个寒颤。 那人走过去，系紧了一匹黑马的马鞍。 “这位是戴维·克罗克特。 你听说过他吗?荒野边境之王? 他参加了阿拉莫战役。我打赌你不知道真正的戴维·克罗克特是田纳西州的国会议员。” 他拍了拍马。“不管怎么说，戴维以前有一顶浣熊皮帽子，但他把它吃了。” 斯坦利咧嘴一笑。“谢谢，大比尔，”他说。 他们的鞍囊里装满了过夜的用品，卡洛斯和爱德华多一起骑萨姆·休斯顿，亚瑟和斯坦利骑戴维·克罗克特。 自从他们的朋友Calamity Jasper带他和亚瑟去南达科塔找金子后，斯坦利就再也没有骑过马了。 他已经忘记了它是多么有趣和有弹性。

With Sam Houston and Davy Crockett kicking up clouds of dust behind them, Stanley and his fellow cowboys rode into the Texan wilderness. Stanley's flat legs were just starting to hurt from slapping against the sides of his horse when Arthur suggested they stop to drink from their canteens. As Stanley dismounted, the wind picked

随着山姆·休斯顿和戴维·克罗克特在他们身后踢起尘土，斯坦利和他的牛仔同伴们骑进了德克萨斯的荒野。 斯坦利的平腿刚开始因为拍打马的侧面而疼痛，这时阿瑟建议他们停下来喝点饭桶里的水。 斯坦利下马时，刮起了风

up. He held on to Davy Crockett's reins as the wind blew him a few feet off the ground. "It's getting windy," Stanley said nervously. Arthur poked a finger in the air. "Good kite weather!" he announced. Since Stanley had been flattened, Arthur often enjoyed flying him on a string on weekends. "How about parasailing?" said Carlos. Stanley's mouth went dry. "Come on, Stanley," said Arthur. "It'll be fun." Stanley swallowed. The wind scared him— especially since it had dragged him out the car window—but he didn't want to let his friends down. "Okay," he croaked. Eduardo dug a rope out of one of the bags. Carlos tied one end to Sam Houston's saddle and the other end around Stanley. "Ready?" Eduardo called from atop Sam Houston. With a grunt, Carlos lifted Stanley up over his head like a board, and they grabbed each other's wrists. "Whatever you do, don't let go," Stanley said.

向上。他紧紧抓住戴维·克罗克特的缰绳，一阵风把他吹离地面几英尺。 “起风了。”斯坦利紧张地说。 阿瑟朝空中戳了戳手指。 “放风筝的好天气!”他宣布。 自从斯坦利被压扁后，阿瑟经常喜欢在周末用绳子把它放飞。 “滑翔伞怎么样?”卡洛斯说。 斯坦利的嘴都干了。“加油，斯坦利。”阿瑟说。 “会很有趣的。”斯坦利吞下。 风把他吓坏了——尤其是风把他拖出了车窗——但他不想让他的朋友们失望。 “好吧。”他沙哑地说。爱德华多从其中一个袋子里挖出一根绳子。 卡洛斯把绳子一端系在山姆·休斯顿的马鞍上，另一端系在斯坦利身上。 “准备好了吗?”爱德华多在山姆·休斯顿的上方喊道。 卡洛斯哼了一声，把斯坦利像一块木板一样举过头顶，他们抓住对方的手腕。 “无论你做什么，都不要放手，”斯坦利说。