5 Saving the scientist

Chapter Five SAVING THE SCIENTIST Kiki rummaged frantically through the Beagle's storage compartments. It wasn't difficult to imagine the hungry polar bear breathing down her neck. The Beagle BEEPED and flashed its lights as she sifted through rations and bottles of water, until she found what she was looking for at the bottom: a harness and a set of strong ropes.

第五章拯救科学家琪琪疯狂地翻遍了小猎犬号的储物舱。 不难想象那只饥饿的北极熊在她的脖子上呼吸。 当她筛选口粮和瓶装水时，小猎犬号发出哔哔声，闪烁着灯光，直到她在底部找到了她要找的东西：一根挽具和一套结实的绳子。

Connor helped her fix one end of the ropes to the harness and the other to the Beagle. Then Kiki ran back to the crevasse, clutching the harness, with the rope spilling out behind her. "Remember the ice is unstable!" Connor called. He was still standing with the Beagle. "Stay back, Kiki!" Kiki knelt cautiously at the rim of the crevasse.

康纳帮她把绳子的一端固定在挽具上，另一端固定在小猎犬号上。 然后琪琪跑回裂缝，紧紧抓住挽具，绳子在她身后溢出。 “记住，冰是不稳定的！”康纳。 他仍然站在小猎犬号旁边。 “退后，琪琪！”琪琪小心翼翼地跪在裂缝边缘。

"I'm going to pass this harness down to you," she told the frightened scientist. "Can you fix it around yourself?" Dr. Mikkelsen nodded and reached upward. Kiki lowered the harness down with the ropes until it was in Dr. Mikkelsen's hands. As the scientist slid her arms inside, her fingers shook so much that she struggled to fix the buckle.

“我要把这个脊甲传给你，”她对吓坏了的科学家说。 “你能自己把它修好吗？”博士。 米克尔森点点头，向上伸手。 琪琪用绳子把挽具放下来，直到它进了医生的房间。 米凯尔森的手里。当这位科学家把她的手臂伸进去时，她的手指抖得厉害，她挣扎着要把安全带扣好。

Kiki knew she had to keep Dr. Mikkelsen calm. Maybe I can distract her from how scary this is, she thought. Her eye caught the deep blue color of the ice ledge where the scientist was standing. "What makes the ice down there so blue, Dr. Mikkelsen?" she asked. "This is old ice," Dr. Mikkelsen said, as she fought to buckle the harness. "It was once under a lot of pressure. The pressure forced out all the air bubbles, changing its density and color." Her fingers stopped shaking as she looked around at the blue glow. "This ice was once part of a great glacier," she said. "Most of the top layer has melted away, leaving only this." There was a sudden click. Dr. Mikkelsen grinned up at Kiki—she was clearly relieved that the harness was now securely buckled.

琪琪知道她必须留住医生。 米凯尔森平静。也许我可以转移她的注意力，让她不去想这有多可怕，她想。 她的目光瞥见了科学家站着的那块深蓝的冰脊。 “是什么使那里的冰那么蓝呢？” 米克尔森？”她问。“这是古老的冰。” 米克尔森一边说，一边努力扣上安全带。 “它曾经承受着很大的压力。 压力迫使所有的气泡排出，改变了它的密度和颜色。” 当她环顾四周的蓝色光芒时，手指停止了颤抖。 “这块冰曾经是一个大冰川的一部分，”她说。 “最上面的一层大部分都融化了，只剩下这一层。” 突然咔哒一声。博士。 米克尔森朝琪琪咧嘴一笑，她显然松了一口气，因为安全带现在已经扣好了。

Kiki felt a rush of relief, too. She turned to signal to Connor. Connor revved the Beagle's engine, sending up a spray of ice. The Beagle flashed its lights. "Ready to get out of there, Dr. Mikkelsen?" Connor called. The Beagle flashed its light again and beeped urgently. Beep beep BEEP! Kiki held up her hand. "Wait, Connor!" she said. "The Beagle's trying to warn you." Connor looked down at the dashboard.

琪琪也感到如释重负。 她转身向康纳示意。 康纳启动了小猎犬号的引擎，喷出一股冰雾。 小猎犬号闪动着它的灯光。 “准备好离开那里了吗？ 米凯尔森?”康纳。 小猎犬号又亮起了灯，发出急迫的哔哔声。 哔哔哔！琪琪举起她的手。 “等等，康纳！”她说。“小猎犬号在警告你呢。” 康纳低头看着仪表盘。

"What? Why?" "You don't need to drive at full power," Kiki explained. "Snowmobiles have spiked treads, so the wheels won't lose grip like a car's do in snow—the Beagle will go really fast, and Dr. Mikkelsen will come flying out of the crevasse like a cork popping from a bottle!" "Got it!" called Connor. He gently drove the Beagle away from the crevasse. The spiked treads gripped the ice firmly and the rope grew taut.

“什么?为什么?”“你不需要开足马力开车，”琪琪解释说。 雪地摩托的履带是尖的，这样车轮就不会像汽车在雪地里那样失去抓地力。 米克尔森会从裂缝里飞出来，就像从瓶子里跳出来的软木塞一样！”“明白了！”康纳喊道。 他轻轻地把小猎犬号驶离了冰缝。 带刺的履带牢牢地抓住了冰面，绳子也变得绷紧了。