6. “Midnight” Ride

6 "Midnight" Ride The road was a blur to Stanley. He could barely tell that they were leaving the city and heading into the smaller towns around Boston. The buildings were shorter here, and there was a lot less traffic. But Stanley couldn't see the people on the sidewalks, or the names of the stores they passed. Paul Revere was riding too fast!

在斯坦利看来，这条路一片模糊。 他几乎看不出他们正在离开这座城市，前往波士顿周围的小城镇。 这里的建筑物较矮，交通也少得多。 但是斯坦利看不见人行道上的人，也看不见他们经过的商店的名字。 保罗·里维尔骑得太快了!

They were racing the British to warn some of the colonists' most important leaders. But would they get to Lexington in time? Or would Samuel Adams and John Hancock be arrested before they got there? Stanley squirmed in the saddle behind Mr. Revere. He held on tight—one hand around Paul Revere, the other on his hat—as the horse flew past cars and bicycles. Its hooves pounded so loudly that Stanley couldn't hear anything else. He could see the moon now, peeking out from behind some clouds. Soon it would be dark, and maybe rainy. Was this what it was like on the night the real Paul Revere rode to Lexington? What was the real Paul Revere thinking as he rushed along the road? Stanley wondered. Behind every shadow, and around every corner, there could have been someone waiting to stop him. The horse was running down a twisty road. He veered right, and Stanley leaned into the turn. But when the horse veered left, Stanley was too late. Suddenly, it was like the rowboat all over again! One minute, he was on the horse; the next minute, he was carried away by a gust of wind.

他们正在和英国人赛跑，向殖民地的一些最重要的领导人发出警告。 但他们能及时到达列克星敦吗? 或者塞缪尔·亚当斯和约翰·汉考克会在他们到达之前被逮捕吗? 斯坦利在里维尔先生身后的马鞍上扭动着身子。 他一只手紧紧抓住保罗·里维尔，另一只手抓住他的帽子，马飞过汽车和自行车。 它的蹄声太响了，斯坦利听不见别的声音。 他现在可以看到月亮从云层后面露出来了。 很快天就要黑了，也许还会下雨。 这就是真正的保罗·里维尔骑马去列克星敦的那晚吗? 真正的保罗·里维尔在路上奔跑时在想什么? 斯坦利想知道。在每一个阴影后面，每一个角落，都可能有人在等着阻止他。 那匹马沿着一条弯弯曲曲的路跑着。 他向右转了个弯，斯坦利也侧身拐弯。 但当马转向左边时，斯坦利已经太迟了。 突然间，一切就像是划艇的事又重演了一遍!前一分钟，他还骑在马上;下一分钟，他被一阵风吹走了。

Stanley drifted behind the horse like a boy-shaped leaf, and Mr. Revere didn't hear or feel a thing. Even when Stanley yelled, "Help! HELP!"

斯坦利像一片男孩形状的叶子一样飘在马后面，里维尔什么也没听到，什么也没感觉到。 即使斯坦利大喊:“救命!救命!”

Stanley floated to the ground like a piece of paper, just before the horse and rider disappeared around a bend in the road. He could hear the pounding hooves for a while longer... then nothing. Stanley got out of the street quickly. His arm felt a little bruised from where'd he'd fallen, but his feelings were bruised, too. In just a few seconds, he'd gone from the center of American history to the side of the road. Stanley had no idea what to do. He couldn't get in touch with Mr. Revere. He couldn't get in touch with his family. He didn't even know where he was! Even speaking at a conference of doctors with Dr. Dan would be better than this. Then he remembered Paul Revere. Not the one who'd dropped him, but the real one. He was probably scared as he raced for Lexington, right? He must have been incredibly brave. Stanley would have to be brave, too, if he was ever going to find his way out of here. He'd have to be strong. And if he could find some courage right now, maybe he could also find the courage to

斯坦利像一张纸一样漂浮在地上，就在马和骑手消失在路的一个拐弯处之前。 他又听到了一阵马蹄声…… 然后什么都没有。斯坦利迅速离开了街道。 他的手臂因为摔倒的地方有点淤青，但他的感情也受到了伤害。 在短短几秒钟内，他就从美国历史的中心走到了路边。 斯坦利不知道该怎么办。 他联系不上里维尔先生。 他无法与家人取得联系。 他甚至不知道自己身在何处!甚至在一次医生会议上，他也和Dr。 丹会比这更好。 然后他想起了保罗·里维尔。 不是那个丢下他的人，而是真正的那个人。 他去列克星敦的时候可能很害怕，对吧? 他一定非常勇敢。 斯坦利也必须勇敢，如果他想要找到离开这里的路。 他必须很强壮。如果他现在能鼓起勇气，也许他也能鼓起勇气

talk to Dr. Dan. In spite of the problems it caused for him, Stanley still hadn't changed his mind about staying flat forever. Stanley stood up, brushed himself off, and started walking. It was so quiet in this neighborhood, wherever it was, that he could hear each of his footsteps clearly. As each one echoed, Stanley had a new thought.

和丹医生谈谈。尽管这给他带来了很多问题，但斯坦利仍然没有改变他永远保持平住的想法。 斯坦利站起来，掸了掸身上的毛，开始走路。 无论在哪里，这一带都很安静，他能清楚地听到他的每一个脚步声。 随着每一个声音的回响，斯坦利有了一个新的想法。