Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18 "Maybe he can't find the key?" Pearl questioned from inside the locked birdcage on Dusty's back. The donkey remained tied to a hitching post outside a small house on the grounds of the Church of the Visitation. Ruben had run up to the church and not yet returned. "This would be a perfect time to make a run for it," Merle mused as he rattled the bars of the birdcage. "If we had some more time, I could grow my hair out and bend these bars apart like the squirrel version of Samson." "Now that would be a miracle," Pearle commented.

第十八章“也许他找不到钥匙？”珠儿从达斯迪背上锁着的鸟笼里问。 那头驴仍然被拴在一所小房子外的一根拴住的柱子上，房子位于探访教堂的场地上。 鲁本已经跑到教堂去了，还没有回来。 “这将是一个绝佳的逃跑时机，”莫尔若有所思地摇晃着鸟笼的栅栏。 “如果我们有更多的时间，我可以把头发留长，像松鼠版的参孙一样把这些栏杆掰开。” “这将是一个奇迹，”珀尔评论道。

Merle was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly exclaimed, "Hold on! I have an actual idea!" "Uh-oh," Pearl responded. Usually when Merle had an idea, it was followed by some sort of trouble. "Maybe we can't escape— but Dusty can!" "I'm tied to a post and don't have opposable thumbs," Dusty pointed out. "No— but we do!" Merle said. "Actually, we don't," Pearl corrected. "Squirrels don't have thumbs." "Well, we can grab stuff, can't we? Same thing," Merle countered. Pearl shrugged. "So?" "We can reach through the cage and untie Dusty's reins," Merle said. "Merle— we're on his back, and your arms aren't that long."

梅尔沉默了几秒钟，然后突然喊道：“等等！我有个好主意！”“哦哦，”珠儿回答。 通常莫尔一有主意，就会招来麻烦。 “也许我们逃不掉——但达斯迪可以！”“我被绑在柱子上，没有对生的拇指，”达斯迪指出。 “没有——但是我们有！”默尔说。 “事实上，我们没有。”珠儿纠正道。 “松鼠没有拇指。” “嗯，我们可以拿东西，不是吗？” 同样的道理，”梅尔反驳道。 珍珠耸耸肩。“所以?”“我们可以把手伸进笼子，解开Dusty的缰绳，”Merle说。 “莫尔——我们骑在他背上，你的胳膊也没那么长。”

This was obvious to Merle, but he had something else in mind. "Right, but all Dusty has to do is get us, in the cage, close enough to reach the rope." Compared to all the crazy ideas Pearl had heard from Merle over the years, this one actually didn't sound all that bad. "Hmm," she pondered, which for Merle was just as good as "Let's do it!" "Dusty, try getting down on your front knees, so the cage will slide forward toward the post," Merle instructed. "If we're going to try this, we've got to hurry," Pearl cautioned. "Ruben will be back any minute."

这对梅尔来说是显而易见的，但他心里还有别的想法。 “对，但是达斯迪要做的就是把我们关在笼子里，让我们够得着绳子。” 与这些年来珀尔从莫尔那里听到的所有疯狂的想法相比，这个想法听起来并没有那么糟糕。 “嗯，”她想了想，这对莫尔来说就像“我们开始吧！”“达斯迪，试着双膝跪下，这样笼子就会向前滑向柱子，”梅尔指示道。 “如果我们要尝试这个，我们得快点，”珀尔警告说。 “鲁本随时都会回来。”

Dusty knelt down on his front legs, and the cage started forward, but stopped with a jolt. "Oh great." Merle slapped a paw to his forehead. "It's strapped down. Never mind." "Actually guys, this might work," Dusty said. "After our Good Samaritan deed on the Old Jericho Road, Ruben must not have tightened the straps all the way when he put your cage back up. I think I can shake you loose!" "How are you gonna do—?" Merle hadn't finished his sentence before Dusty started bucking his hind legs. It's a move donkeys are famous for, but it's seldom tried by kneeling donkeys. Not only did his bucks violently rattle the birdcage, but they sent his jaw pounding into the ground. "OOOF! OOOFFF!" Dusty grunted over the sound of the clattering cage.

达斯迪前腿跪了下来，笼子开始向前移动，但突然摇晃了一下，停了下来。 “哦,好。”莫尔用一只爪子拍了拍他的额头。 “它被绑住了。没关系。” “实际上，伙计们，这可能行得通，”达斯迪说。 “我们在老耶利哥路上做了一件见义勇为的事之后，鲁本把你的笼子放回去的时候，肯定没有一路系紧带子。 我想我能把你甩掉！”“你打算怎么办？”莫尔的话还没说完，达斯迪就开始翘起后腿。 这是驴子最拿手的动作，但很少有驴子跪着尝试。 他的雄鹿不仅猛烈地震响了鸟笼，还把他的下巴撞到了地上。 “OOOF !OOOFFF !”达斯迪在笼子的哗啦声中哼了一声。

"AHHHHH!" Merle yelled. "SHHHHH!" Pearl tried to shush as she bounced up and down. "He'll hear us!" "SORRY!" Merle yelled even louder. Suddenly, the strap broke loose, and the birdcage flew off Dusty's saddle and straight into the hitching post with a CLANG! Dusty then collapsed on the ground with a THUD. "SHHHHH!" Pearl repeated, dizzy from the ride. Merle wasted no time in reaching through the cage and unlooping Dusty's rein from the post.

“啊! ! !”默尔喊道。“嘘!”珠儿跳上跳下，试图不出声。 “他会听到我们的！”“对不起!”莫尔叫得更大声了。 突然，皮带松了，鸟笼从达斯迪的马鞍上飞了出去，砰的一声直接落在了拴绳上！达斯迪砰的一声倒在地上。 “嘘!”珠儿又说了一遍，骑得晕头转向。 莫尔立刻从笼子里伸出手来，把达斯迪的缰绳从柱子上解开。