8 A bumpy ride

Chapter Eight A BUMPY RIDE It felt like they were moving in slow motion as the stretcher bumped and slid over the gravelly path. Cheng pushed again. This time, the stretcher began moving by itself. "I can't believe we're surfing down Mount Yasur!" said Halani, laughing. She seemed to have forgotten about her ankle in the

第八章颠簸的旅程担架在满是碎石的小路上颠簸滑行，他们感觉像是在慢镜头中移动。 程又推了一下。这一次，担架开始自己移动了。 “真不敢相信我们在亚苏尔山上冲浪！”哈拉尼笑着说。 她似乎忘了她的脚踝

excitement of the moment, and cuddled Keemo close. The stretcher was definitely picking up speed, and the warm, sulfurous air on Cheng's face started to feel more like a rushing wind. The stretcher tipped down a steep part of the path. "Whoa!" shouted Cheng. "WHOA!"

兴奋的时刻，她紧紧地拥抱着基莫。 担架的速度确实在加快，热的、含硫的空气吹在程脸上，感觉更像是一阵疾风。 担架在一段陡峭的山路上倾斜而下。 “哇！”程喊道。“哇!”

The stretcher was at full speed now, swinging wildly from side to side. They skidded over the rocks, which Cheng knew were a mixture of ash, black solidified lava, and light-gray chunks of pumice—a kind of stone with holes in it like a sponge, which was so light it could float on water. It was formed when rock was thrown out by a volcano. He held his arms out ahead, doing his best to shield them all from flying pebbles and rock fragments. They were rapidly approaching a curving, right-hand bend in the path. For a dizzying moment, Cheng imagined the stretcher hurtling straight on, and off the edge of the mountain, plunging down into the trees. The ground was racing away from him too fast to put his hands down.

担架现在全速前进，疯狂地左右摇摆着。 他们在岩石上滑行，程知道这些岩石是火山灰、黑色凝固的熔岩和浅灰色的浮石块的混合物。浮石是一种像海绵一样有洞的石头，很轻，可以漂浮在水面上。 它是由火山喷出的岩石形成的。 他伸出双臂，尽力保护自己不受飞来的鹅卵石和岩石碎片的伤害。 他们正迅速接近小路上一个右转弯的地方。 在那令人眩晕的一瞬间，程想象着担架直冲直撞，冲出山崖，一头扎进树林里。 地面飞快地离他而去，他无法放下双手。

"We need to steer around that bend, Halani!" he shouted through the buffeting air. "Do you have any surfing tips?" "Yes!" Halani shouted back. "Lean into the curve. Put your weight on the right side of the surfboard—I mean, stretcher. Now!" Cheng leaned with Halani, putting all his weight into the right-hand side. The metal base of the stretcher groaned and tipped. Cheng could feel the stretcher turning slowly. They made it around the corner with inches to spare! Cheng leaned quickly to the

“我们得绕过那个弯道，哈拉尼！”他在摇晃的空气中喊道。 “你有冲浪技巧吗？”“是的!”哈拉尼喊道。 “向曲线倾斜。把你的重心放在冲浪板的右侧——我是说担架。 现在!”程和哈拉尼靠在一起，把他所有的体重都放在右手边。 担架的金属底座呻吟着倾斜着。 程可以感觉到担架在慢慢地转动。 他们跑过拐角时还差几英寸！程很快就学会了

left, to avoid oversteering into the mountainside. Halani did the same. Keemo's ears flapped in the wind. "Teamwork!" yelled, laughing. Halani "Makes the dream work!" Cheng replied, a little breathlessly. The path leveled out. Evening was approaching, and the sky on the horizon was beginning to turn a darker shade of blue. The ground began to soften beneath the stretcher, slowing them down. Halani shouted instructions for steering whenever they reached a corner. Cheng concentrated, moving his weight from side to side. Behind them, Mount Yasur shook and rumbled.

左转，避免过度转向山腰。 哈拉尼也这样做了。姬默的耳朵在风中拍打着。 “团队合作！” 哈拉尼“让梦想成真！”程有点上气不接下气地回答。 小路变得平坦了。夜幕降临，地平线上的天空开始变成更深的蓝色。 担架下的地面开始变软，拖慢了他们的脚步。 每当他们走到拐角处时，哈拉尼就大喊着指示他们转向。 程集中注意力，身体左右移动。 在他们身后，亚苏尔山震动着，发出隆隆声。