4. The Mayan Temple

4 The Mayan Temple Stanley had traveled more than most people his age. And although he enjoyed visiting faraway places, it was not always easy. For instance, airmail was sometimes warm and uncomfortable. But the journey to see La Abuela was more difficult than any Stanley had ever taken. On this trip, he did not have the luxury of waiting patiently in an envelope, or of being rolled up and placed on the back of a horse. On this trip, he walked. He walked, and walked, and walked. Guided by Eduardo and three others—little Isabel with her wide eyes, and the tall boys named Esteban and Felipe—Stanley walked until he thought his legs would crumple. Finally, on the third day, Stanley was so tired, he started seeing things. "I must be back in Egypt," he mumbled. "I see a pyramid."

斯坦利比大多数同龄人旅行得都多。 尽管他喜欢去遥远的地方旅行，但并不总是那么容易。 例如，航空邮件有时又热又不舒服。 但去看拉阿布拉的旅程比斯坦利以往任何一次都要艰难。 在这次旅行中，他没有在信封里耐心等待的奢侈，也没有被卷起放在马背上的奢侈。 在这次旅行中，他步行。他走啊走啊走。 在爱德华多和另外三个人——大眼睛的小伊莎贝尔，以及两个名叫埃斯特班和菲利普的高个子男孩——的带领下，斯坦利一直走到双腿都要皱起来为止。 最后，在第三天，斯坦利太累了，他开始看到一些东西。 “我一定是回埃及了。”他喃喃地说。 “我看到一个金字塔。”

Eduardo grinned. "We are not in Egypt," he said. "That is a Mayan temple." He slapped Stanley excitedly on the shoulder. "We are getting close!"

爱德华多咧嘴一笑。“我们不是在埃及，”他说。 “那是一座玛雅神庙。”他兴奋地拍了拍斯坦利的肩膀。 “我们快到了!”

Stanley stared up at the enormous pyramid rising out of the jungle. It was different from the ones in Egypt. It appeared that there was a giant staircase on each side. And all of the steps led to one place: a small, rectangular building on top. Isabel ran ahead and started up the steps. Esteban and Felipe followed her. Eduardo slowed his pace to walk alongside Stanley. "This was once a royal city," he explained. "There were roads, a palace, and aqueducts to carry water. For two thousand years, the Mayan empire stretched from here to Honduras. The Maya were scientists and mathematicians. They made a calendar that is more accurate than ours today. They figured out how long a year is on the planet Venus. Apart from ruins like these, only their descendants remain." At the base of the pyramid, Eduardo turned and leaned in close to Stanley. "And La Abuela is one of them." "Pardon moi." A tall man with a thin mustache held out a camera to Stanley. He wore a white shirt that had two rows of buttons down the front. "Would you take my photo?" he said with a

斯坦利抬头凝视着从丛林中拔地而起的巨大金字塔。 它和埃及的不同。 似乎两边都有一个巨大的楼梯。 所有的台阶都通向一个地方:一个小的矩形建筑。 伊莎贝尔跑在前面，开始走上台阶。 埃斯特班和费利佩跟着她。 爱德华多放慢脚步，走在斯坦利旁边。 “这里曾经是一座皇家城市，”他解释说。 “那里有道路、宫殿和输水管道。 两千年来，玛雅帝国从这里一直延伸到洪都拉斯。 玛雅人是科学家和数学家。 他们制作的日历比我们今天使用的日历更准确。 他们算出了金星上的一年有多长。 除了这样的废墟，只剩下他们的子孙。” 在金字塔底部，爱德华多转过身，靠向斯坦利。 “La Abuela就是其中之一。” “原谅我。”一个留着小胡子的高个子男人向斯坦利拿出了一台照相机。 他穿着一件前面有两排纽扣的白衬衫。 “你能帮我照张相吗?

smooth French accent. "This is a very special day for moi." "Sure," said Stanley. This was the first tourist other than himself he'd seen the whole trip. "Say cheese!" Stanley said. But instead of smiling, the man frowned like a clown. "No, no, no," he sang. "Cheese is not the ingredient we had in mind." Two other men emerged from the jungle— one short and fat, the other bald and muscular. Both wore the same uniform as the first man. Stanley noticed an insignia on the breasts of their white double-buttoned shirts. They looked like chefs. In fact, the bald one was holding what appeared to be a long kitchen knife. "Spies!" realized Stanley. Eduardo turned and sprinted up the pyramid toward Isabel, Felipe, and Esteban. The man grabbed Stanley's arm before Stanley could follow.

流利的法国口音。“这对我来说是非常特殊的一天。” “当然，”斯坦利说。这是除了他自己之外，他第一次看到整个旅程。 “说奶酪!”斯坦利说。 但他没有微笑，而是皱起了眉头，像个小丑。 “不，不，不，”他唱道。“奶酪不是我们想要的配料。” 另外两个男人从丛林里走了出来——一个又矮又胖，另一个秃顶，肌肉发达。 两人都穿着和第一个人一样的制服。 斯坦利注意到他们的白色双扣衬衫胸前有一个徽章。 他们看起来像厨师。事实上，那个秃顶的人拿着一把很长的菜刀。 “间谍!”斯坦利意识到。 爱德华多转身向金字塔上的伊莎贝尔、费利佩和埃斯特班奔去。 斯坦利还没来得及跟上，那人就抓住了他的胳膊。