2 Chapter 2 Nairobi

Chapter 2 Nairobi Since becoming flat, Stanley had grown used to traveling long distances in small spaces. But the flight to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, was particularly difficult. The flight attendant had insisted that Stanley could not be folded into a seat pocket— "That boy is nearly the size of a small sleeping bag, sir," she had said. "It's unsafe." Despite Mr. Lambchop's protests, she

自从生活在平坦的地方，斯坦利已经习惯了在狭小的空间里长途旅行。 但飞往肯尼亚首都内罗毕的航班尤其困难。 空姐坚持认为斯坦利不能被折叠到座位口袋里——“那个男孩几乎有一个小睡袋那么大，先生，”她说。 “这是不安全的。”尽管兰切普先生反对，她

demanded that Stanley be checked underneath the cabin with the passenger baggage. As a result, Stanley had spent the entire flight in the noisy belly of the airplane, with no one to talk to except a very frightened caged poodle, a set of golf clubs, and many large suitcases. Stanley had a great deal of time during his trip to ponder how hard a life of flatness could be. Needless to say, he was very relieved when the rubber flaps on the baggage conveyor belt brushed his forehead, and he emerged into the bright light of the airport. "There he is!" cried Arthur. Mr. Lambchop ran up and pulled Stanley off the baggage carousel. It felt awfully good to stretch out. The moment they stepped outside, the three Lambchops were surrounded by people offering to take them wherever they wanted to go. Mr. Lambchop pursed his lips and peered around, looking lost. This made people shout more loudly. Someone yelling, "You need a taxi!" almost knocked Stanley over like a piece of cardboard. "Stanley, where's your brother?" Mr. Lambchop asked suddenly in a panicked voice.

要求把斯坦利和乘客的行李放在舱底检查。 结果，斯坦利整个飞行过程都是在嘈杂的机舱里度过的，除了一只吓坏了的关在笼子里的贵宾犬、一套高尔夫球杆和许多大行李箱外，没有人可以说话。 斯坦利在旅途中花了很多时间思考平坦的生活有多艰难。 不用说，当行李传送带上的橡胶挡板擦过他的额头时，他如释重负，出现在机场明亮的灯光下。 “他在那儿!”阿瑟叫道。 兰切普先生跑过来，把斯坦利从行李传送带上拉了下来。 伸伸懒腰的感觉好极了。 他们一走出家门，三只小羊就被一群人围住，愿意带他们去任何想去的地方。 兰彻先生噘起嘴唇，四处张望，一副茫然的样子。 这让人们喊得更大声了。 有人大喊:“你需要一辆出租车!”几乎把斯坦利像一块硬纸板一样撞倒。 “斯坦利，你哥哥呢?”兰彻先生突然惊慌地问。

Stanley glanced around and saw nothing but a sea of arms waving in his face. "Lift me up," he said, and Mr. Lambchop raised him over the crowd like a periscope. Stanley saw Arthur making his way through the crowd, followed by an African boy about Arthur's age. "Here he is," said Stanley matter-of-factly. "Arthur Lambchop," scolded Mr. Lambchop, "how dare you wander off in a strange country!" "But this boy can help us," said Arthur. "His name is Odinga." Odinga smiled brightly at Stanley. "Hello," said Stanley and Mr. Lambchop. Odinga said nothing. "He doesn't speak English," explained Arthur. "Arthur," said Mr. Lambchop, "what have I told you about going off with strangers?"

斯坦利环顾四周，只见一片手臂的海洋在他面前挥舞。 “把我举起来。”他说，兰彻先生把他像个潜望镜一样举过人群。 斯坦利看见阿瑟穿过人群，后面跟着一个和阿瑟年龄相仿的非洲男孩。 “他来了。”斯坦利实事求是地说。 “阿瑟·蓝切普，”蓝切普先生责备道，“你怎么敢在一个陌生的地方游荡!”“但是这个男孩可以帮助我们。”阿瑟说。 “他叫奥廷加。”奥廷加对斯坦利灿烂地笑了笑。 “你好，”斯坦利和兰彻先生说。 奥廷加什么也没说。“他不会说英语。”阿瑟解释道。 “亚瑟，”蓝切普先生说，“我不是跟你说过不要跟陌生人出去吗?”

"But I know we can trust Odinga," said Arthur. "How?" Mr. Lambchop crossed his arms. Arthur pointed to Odinga's T-shirt. The picture on it was very faded, and Stanley had to lean closer to see. He was surprised to find a picture of himself in a ninja outfit flying through the air with his leg thrust outward. It had been taken when he was in Japan, and briefly associated with the movie business. Odinga gave Stanley two very enthusiastic thumbs-up. Stanley felt his cheeks turn red. It must be the Kenyan heat. "Show him the newspaper, Dad," prodded Arthur. Mr. Lambchop reached into his pocket and unfolded the article he had clipped two days before. He held it out to Odinga, pointing to the map with the X on it, which marked the place where the flat skull had been discovered. Odinga looked at the piece of paper, turned on his heel, and walked away. Mr. Lambchop raised his eyebrows at Arthur as if to say, "I told you so." Then Odinga

“但我知道我们可以信任奥廷加。”阿瑟说。 “如何?”兰切普先生交叉着双臂。 阿瑟指着奥廷加的t恤。 上面的画已经褪色了，斯坦利不得不靠得更近一些才能看清楚。 他惊讶地发现了一张照片，照片上他穿着忍者装，腿向外伸，在空中飞翔。 这张照片是他在日本时拍摄的，与电影行业有过短暂的联系。 奥廷加热情地向斯坦利竖起了两个大拇指。 斯坦利觉得他的脸颊变红了。 一定是肯尼亚的高温。 “给他看看报纸，爸爸。”阿瑟催促道。 兰彻先生把手伸进口袋，打开了他两天前剪下的那篇文章。 他把它递给奥廷加，指着地图上的X，这标志着扁平头骨被发现的地方。 奥廷加看了看那张纸，转身走开了。 兰彻先生对阿瑟扬起眉毛，好像在说:“我早就告诉过你了。” 然后奥廷加

reappeared and grabbed Arthur's arm. He wanted the Lambchops to follow him. Walking quickly, Odinga led them through the crowd to an old minivan waiting by the curb. It was already full of people. Standing beside it was a girl who looked not much older than Stanley. Odinga went up to her and said something in Swahili. She approached the Lambchops. "I am Bisa," she said in heavily accented English. "My brother tells me you need to go to Tanzania." Once again, Mr. Lambchop held out the newspaper clipping. "Why do you want to go there?" Bisa asked. "It is very far." Stanley stepped forward. He turned sideways to show how flat he was. Then he turned to face her again. "I'm looking for answers," he said simply.

又出现了，抓住阿瑟的胳膊。 他想让小羊们跟着他。 奥廷加快步走着，领着他们穿过人群，来到一辆停在路边的旧面包车前。 里面已经挤满了人。 站在它旁边的是一个看上去不比斯坦利大多少的女孩。 奥廷加走到她跟前，用斯瓦希里语说了些什么。 她走近小羊羔。 “我是比萨，”她用带有浓重口音的英语说。 “我哥哥告诉我，你应该去坦桑尼亚。” 兰切普先生又一次递出了剪报。 “你为什么想去那儿?”Bisa问道。 “太远了。”斯坦利走上前去。 他侧过身来，显示他是多么的平。 然后他又转过身来面对她。 “我在寻找答案，”他简单地说。

Bisa said, "What if you do not like the answers you find?" Stanley could only shrug. "I understand," she said quietly. "Come," she declared with sudden excitement. "My father will help you. He is a good pilot." As the minibus bounced through the streets of Nairobi, Stanley's entire face was pressed against the window. This was because so many people were squeezed into the minibus with him. Apart from Arthur, Mr. Lambchop, Odinga, and Bisa, passengers were constantly jumping on and off. Nairobi was a big city. Bisa said that three million people lived there. Everywhere, the streets were teeming with traffic. They passed open-air markets filled with fruits and vegetables of every color. People were cooking on the side of the road. Skyscrapers towered over the city. "Look, Arthur!" Stanley said, elbowing his brother as they passed a man with a giant bird on his shoulder. Arthur squeezed his face beside Stanley's. Finally, Bisa and Odinga jumped out of the open door of the minivan, and the Lambchops

比萨说:“如果你不喜欢你找到的答案怎么办?”斯坦利只能耸耸肩。 “我明白，”她平静地说。 “来吧，”她突然兴奋地说。 “我爸爸会帮你的。他是个好飞行员。” 当小巴在内罗毕的街道上颠簸时，斯坦利的整张脸都贴在车窗上。 这是因为和他一起挤在小巴上的人太多了。 除了亚瑟、兰切普、奥廷加和比萨，乘客们都在不停地上下跳。 内罗毕是一个大城市。比萨说那里住着300万人。 到处都是车水马龙的街道。 他们经过满是各种颜色的水果和蔬菜的露天市场。 人们在路边做饭。 摩天大楼耸立在城市上空。 “看,亚瑟!”斯坦利一边说，一边用胳膊肘碰了碰弟弟，这时他们经过一个肩膀上扛着一只大鸟的男人。 阿瑟把脸挤在斯坦利的脸旁边。 最后，比萨和奥廷加从开着的小货车车门里跳出来，然后是兰博