8 The Steam Caverns

CHAPTER 8

第八章

The Steam Caverns The next day the three remaining contestants arrived at the base of the volcano. The Spires led them to the Steam Caverns. These were caves formed inside the volcano by ancient lava flows. "To qualify for the final round, you must be the first through the Steam Caverns," said the Head Spire. "Good luck."

第二天，剩下的三名选手来到了火山底部。 塔尖把他们带到了蒸汽洞穴。 这些洞穴是古代熔岩流在火山内部形成的。 “要想晋级最后一轮，你必须是第一个通过蒸汽洞穴的人。”大头尖塔说。 “祝你好运”。

The contestants stepped into the mouth of the cave. Clara waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Then she spotted three different paths—one to her left, one to her right, and one straight ahead. "I'll take the right," Gilbert said, and darted toward that tunnel, which had the most light. "I'll go left," Tublock said, and lumbered toward the tallest tunnel.

选手们步入洞口。 克拉拉等着她的眼睛适应黑暗。 然后她发现了三条不同的路径——一条在她的左边，一条在她的右边，还有一条在她的正前方。 “我从右边走，”吉尔伯特说，然后冲向那个光线最亮的隧道。 “我往左边走，”塔布洛克说，然后笨重地朝最高的隧道走去。

Clara stared at the middle tunnel. She wasted no time and dashed into the darkness. Once inside, she had to feel her way along the cold, jagged walls with her hands. Soon the cold gave way to warmth. The farther she walked, the hotter and brighter the tunnel became. The walls around her glowed. I must be near the heart of the volcano, she thought. Along the way Clara brushed several spiderwebs from her face as she pressed on in the unbearable heat. Then the tunnel narrowed. Clara started to crawl on her hands and knees along the craggy dried lava. Hot steam burned her cheeks. Finally she squeezed through the passage and could stand up again. In the distance, she spied an opening on the other side of the volcano.

克拉拉盯着中间的隧道。 她不失时机地冲进了黑暗中。 一进去，她就必须用手在冰冷、参差不齐的墙壁上摸索着走。 不久，寒冷变成了温暖。 她越往前走，隧道就越热，越亮。 她周围的墙壁闪闪发光。 我一定是在火山中心附近，她想。 克拉拉在酷热难耐的天气里继续赶路，一路上拂去脸上的几张蜘蛛网。 然后隧道变窄了。克拉拉开始用手和膝盖在嶙峋的干熔岩上爬行。 热气烫着她的面颊。 最后，她挤过了通道，又站了起来。 在远处，她发现火山的另一边有一个开口。

Clara gasped. The opening was guarded by a massive spider! She quickly looked for another way out. To her right a tunnel branched away from the spider.

克拉拉气喘吁吁地说。洞口被一只巨大的蜘蛛守着！她迅速寻找另一条出路。 在她的右边，有一条隧道从蜘蛛身上伸出来。