Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16 "I'm sooooo hooooot!" Merle groaned as he and Pearl huddled under the tiny bit of shade cast by the umbrella. He'd had his fill of not sinking and now was hoping for some relief from the sun. "It doesn't help that we're both covered in fur and hugging," Pearl responded. "We have to get out of this sun! Why aren't there any trees around here?" Merle complained. "My guess is because it's the desert." Merle spotted a rocky cliffside along the shoreline. "Let's head over there," he suggested. "Maybe we can find some better shade. Maybe even a cave!"

第十六章“我太……太……太……”莫尔呻吟着，他和珠儿挤在雨伞投下的那一点阴影下。 他已经受够了不沉下去的感觉，现在他希望能从阳光中得到一些解脱。 珀尔回应说：“我们都穿着毛皮，拥抱在一起，这无济于事。” “我们得离开这太阳！”为什么这附近没有树？”默尔抱怨道。 “我猜是因为这里是沙漠。” 梅尔在海岸线上发现了一个岩石悬崖。 “我们到那儿去吧。”他建议道。 “也许我们能找到更好的树荫。 甚至可能是一个洞穴！”

Leaving their raft behind, the two picked up their beach chair and umbrella and headed for the cliffs, their stiff, salt-covered fur crackling as they walked. Before long, they spotted an opening in the rocks with a large, beautiful pool of shade underneath. The squirrels ran toward it and collapsed on the cool, sandy ground. Pearl, the more sensible of the two, suggested they wait in the shade until nightfall and then look for a town or a camel caravan. "Good idea." Then Merle realized something. "Hey... I've never been in a cave!" "Don't get any ideas," Pearl warned. "There are only two types of squirrels: tree squirrels and ground squirrels—"

两人把木筏抛在身后，拿起沙滩椅和雨伞，朝悬崖走去，他们僵硬的、被盐覆盖的皮毛在路上发出噼啪声。 没过多久，他们就在岩石上发现了一个开口，下面是一大片美丽的树荫。 松鼠们朝它跑去，瘫倒在凉爽的沙地上。 珠儿是两个孩子中比较聪明的一个，她建议她们在阴凉处等到天黑，然后再去找一个城镇或骆驼商队。 “好主意。”然后莫尔意识到一件事。 “嘿…我从来没进过山洞！”“别胡思乱想，”珀尔警告说。 “世界上只有两种松鼠：树松鼠和地松鼠——”

"—and if God wanted you to mess around in caves, he would have made you a bat," Merle continued. "My dad always told me the same thing. 'Never go into a cave!' he said." "That's great advice, Merle." Pearl tried to brush some of the salt off her fur. "Remember what Paul said? 'Honor your father and your mother.'" "Moses said it first. Besides, I'm a full-grown squirrel!" Merle said. "Actually, God said it first, and you're never too old for good advice." Pearl shook her finger at him. "But it looks so interesting and cool— like temperature cool— back there, Pearl. Let's just go have a quick look." Without waiting for an answer, Merle crept further inside the mouth of the cave.

“如果上帝想让你在洞穴里胡闹，他早就把你变成一只蝙蝠了。”莫尔继续说。 “我爸爸总是对我说同样的话。 “永远不要进山洞！”’他说。 “这是个好建议，莫尔。” 珠儿想把皮毛上的盐擦掉。 “还记得保罗说的话吗？孝敬你的父母。’”摩西先说的。 再说，我是一只成年松鼠！”默尔说。 “事实上，这是上帝先说的，你永远不会因为年龄太大而得不到好的建议。” 珠儿朝他摇了摇手指。 “可是那儿看起来那么有趣，那么凉爽——像温度一样凉爽，珠儿。 我们快去看看吧。” 不等回答，莫尔就往洞口爬去了。