13 When yelling doesn’t work

13. WHEN YELLING DOESN'T WORK The Dragon slept on as the Council of War argued about what to do next. 'I am going to write a strongly-worded letter to Professor Yobbish,' said Stoick the Vast. 'This book needs a lot more WORDS to tell you what to do if yelling doesn't work.' Which shows how cross Stoick was– he never wrote a letter if he could help it. Stoick, in fact, was really rattled, for the first time in his life. This is what comes of not following the Law, he thought to himself. If I had banished the boys last night like I should have done, they would not be here to die with the rest of us. I should have put my trust in Thor. Mogadon the Meathead had not yet realised the gravity of the situation. He thought it was a question of constructing some sort of megaphone machine to make the Yell sound bigger. 'A gigantic dragon just needs a gigantic Yell,'

he said. 'We already TRIED that, O Plankton Brain,' said Stoick. 'WHO ARE YOU CALLING PLANKTON BRAIN?' demanded Mogadon and they went whisker to whisker like a couple of furious walruses. Hiccup sighed and walked out of the village. He had a feeling the grown-ups weren't going to come up with anything fiendishly clever. To Hiccup's surprise he was followed, not only by Fishlegs but by all the Novices from both the Hooligan AND the Meathead tribes. They stood around Hiccup in a semi-circle. 'So, Hiccup,' said Thuggory the Meathead. 'What are we going to do now, then?' 'Whaddyamean by asking HICCUP?' demanded Snotlout crossly. 'You're not going to ask THE USELESS to get us out of this mess, are you? He just single-handedly got us all to fail the Final Initiation Test. We were about to be banished and eaten by cannibals all because of HIM. He can't even control a dragon the size of an earwig!' 'Can YOU talk to dragons then, Snotface?' asked Fishlegs.

'I am pleased to say I cannot,' said Snotlout, with dignity. 'Well, shut up, then,' said Fishlegs. Snotlout got hold of Fishlegs by the arm and started twisting. 'Nobody, but NOBODY, tells SNOTFACE SNOTLOUT to shut up,' hissed Snotlout. 'I do,' said Thuggory the Meathead. He grabbed Snotlout by the shirt and lifted him clear off the ground. 'YOUR dragon got us failed just as much as HIS. I didn't notice anybody's dragon sitting up and begging like a good boy in the middle of that dragon- fight. YOU shut up or I will tear you limb from limb and feed you to the gulls, you winkle-hearted, seaweed-brained, limpet-eating PIG.' Snotlout looked into Thuggory's stern little eyes. Snotlout shut up. Thuggory dropped him and wiped his hands disdainfully on his tunic. 'Anyway,' said Thuggory, 'MY father was on that stupid Council of Elders too. I'm with Hiccup. What kind of father puts his stupid Laws before the life of his son? And what kind of stupid Test was that, anyway? If we save all those stupid people from a REAL dragon like this one, maybe

该页暂无翻译

they'll let us into their stupid Tribe after all.' WELL, WELL, WELL, thought Hiccup. This is a turn up for the books. Maybe that Dragon was right and he is going to help me with my It's-Hard-to-Be-a-Hero problem. Before he eats me, of course. One solo meeting with the Green Death and here were nineteen young barbarians, most of them much bigger and tougher and rougher than Hiccup, looking at Hiccup expectantly to tell them what to do. Hiccup stood on tiptoe and tried to look like a Hero. 'OK,' said Hiccup. 'I need some time to think.' 'GIVE THE BOY SOME ROOM HERE!' yelled Thuggory, pushing all the others back. He swept off a rock for Hiccup to sit on. 'You just do all the thinking you need, boyo,' said Thuggory. 'This is a situation that needs a lot of thought and I have a feeling you're the only one here who can do it. Anybody who can have a twenty minute conversation with a winged shark the size of a planet and come out of it alive is a better thinker than I am.' Hiccup found himself warming to Thuggory the Meathead.

'QUIET!' yelled Thuggory. 'HICCUP IS THINKING.' Hiccup thought. And thought. After about half an hour, Thuggory said: 'Whatever you're thinking about to get rid of that monster better work for both of them.' 'There's ANOTHER Dragon?' asked Hiccup. Thuggory nodded. 'I went up to the Highest Point and spotted him while you were having your chat with the Big Green One.' 'OK,' said Hiccup. 'That's good news, actually. Let's check out the new Horror.' The trail up to the Highest Point was littered with scallop shells and dolphin's bones thrown up by the gigantic storm. Along the way they even passed the wreck of one of Stoick's favourite ships, The Pure Adventure, lost at sea seven years before, and now perched crazily on a rock three quarters of the way up the biggest hill on Berk. Once you were right at the top it was possible to see most of Berk's coastline and the sea encircling you