5 Once in a Blue Moon

CHAPTER 5

第五章

Once in a Blue Moon "I remember the day well," Nanny Louisa began. "I was a young maiden in those days—not a single gray hair nor a wrinkle. I worked at the Dew Drop Inn. I often served a young gentleman known as Captain Douglas Brown. Captain Brown was strong, kind, and well-liked in the village. One rainy night he asked me to be the cook aboard his ship, the Blue Moon. He planned to take some men on a fishing trip. I have always liked adventure, so I agreed to go. "We sailed the open sea for three weeks. The boys caught mackerel, tuna, and herring. Then we set our course for home. I stood on deck and enjoyed a gentle breeze. I watched the clouds turn pink. Then my eyes fell on a dark patch of water. A patch of seaweed, I

“那一天我记得很清楚，”露易莎保姆开始说。 “那时候我还是个少女——没有一根白发，也没有一条皱纹。 我在露珠酒店工作。 我经常为一位名叫道格拉斯·布朗上尉的年轻绅士服务。 布朗上尉强壮、善良，在村里很受欢迎。 一个雨夜，他叫我到他的船“蓝月号”上当厨师。 他计划带几个人去钓鱼。 我一直喜欢冒险，所以我同意去。 “我们在公海上航行了三个星期。 男孩们捕了鲭鱼、金枪鱼和鲱鱼。 然后我们确定了回家的路线。 我站在甲板上，享受着和风。 我看着云变成粉红色。 然后，我的目光落在一片黑色的水面上。 一片海藻，我

thought to myself. I looked more closely and noticed the dark water begin to boil and churn. A pod of dolphins? I wondered.

我心想。我更仔细地看了看，注意到黑色的水开始沸腾和搅拌。 一群海豚？我想知道。

"Then something unimaginable happened. A creature began to rise from the water. It rose higher and higher—above and beyond the mast of the Blue Moon. It had the head of a dragon, with two horns and a mouth full of daggerlike teeth. The creature had a never- ending neck of green scales for a body, like an enormous snake. "But the strangest thing of all was the rusty old cauldron that hung from the monster's jaw. It looked like a wizard's cauldron, though cracked and broken. Why does it have a cauldron in its mouth? I wondered. "I stared—too scared to move. A brave sailor grabbed a spyglass and climbed the rigging to the crow's nest to get a better look. Others began to throw things at the creature: boat hooks, silverware, and dishes— anything that might scare it away. The monster roared and threw his head to one side. Then it flung the cauldron right at our ship!

“然后，不可想象的事情发生了。 一个生物开始从水里浮上来。 它越升越高，超过了蓝月亮的桅杆。 它有一个龙的头，两个角和一个满是匕首般的牙齿的嘴。 这种生物的脖子上长着连绵不断的绿色鳞片，就像一条巨大的蛇。 但最奇怪的是那只挂在怪物下巴上的生锈的旧坩埚。 它看上去就像一只巫师的坩埚，不过已经破裂了。 它嘴里为什么有一口大锅？ 我想知道。我盯着，吓得不敢动。 一个勇敢的水手抓起一架望远镜，爬上索具，来到瞭望台，想看得更清楚些。 其他人开始向这个生物扔东西：船钩、银器和盘子——任何可能把它吓跑的东西。 怪物咆哮着把头歪向一边。 然后它把大锅扔向我们的船！

"The cauldron crashed onto the deck and we dove to, get out of its path. The ship rocked this way and that. Captain Brown quickly spun the wheel to get us to safety. Then the men pulled themselves up and threw more things at the monster."

“大锅撞到了甲板上，我们跳下去，躲开它。 船这边摇那边摇。 布朗船长迅速转动方向盘把我们送到安全的地方。 然后这些人爬起来，向怪物扔了更多的东西。”