5 DO NOT OPEN THIS COFFIN

5. DO NOT OPEN a coffin that says 'DO NOT OPEN' on the front As soon as they got to the Hooligan Village, Hiccup and Fishlegs changed into dry(ish) clothes. (Berk was one of those damp places where clothes never really dried. They just became warm and wet rather than cold and wet.) They hurried as quickly as they could towards the Great Hall. By the time they got there, Stoick had called a Big Meeting of Everybody and the Great Hall was already packed to bursting with great Hairy Hooligans jostling each other for a good view of the coffin, which had been placed on a table in front of the fire. Bit by bit Hiccup and Fishlegs managed to wriggle their way through the crowd to the front.

'Ah, Hiccup, there you are,' said Hiccup's father Stoick the Vast absent-mindedly, as he consulted with the other Elders in front of the coffin. Stoick was a terrifying red-headed bull of a man whose belly turned a corner a good foot or two before the rest of him. 'Interesting find you've made here, my boy,' said Stoick, ruffling his son's hair proudly. 'The Lost Treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly, eh?' 'Yes, Father, but…' said Hiccup. 'We're just about to open it,' said Stoick. 'But what I'm trying to say is,' interrupted Old Wrinkly (the cleverest and most ancient Elder of the Hooligan Tribe), 'it is written quite clearly on the top, "DO NOT OPEN THIS COFFIN, Cursed be he who disturbs the remains of Grimbeard the Ghastly, the greatest pirate who ever struck Terror into the Inner Isles"… In my considerable experience it is always a good idea NOT TO OPEN a coffin that says "DO NOT OPEN" on the front...' 'I agree,' said Hiccup nervously. 'Grimbeard the Ghastly was a nasty piece of work. Anybody who opens that coffin could be in for a horrible shock.' 'Rubbish,' scoffed Stoick the Vast. 'A warning

该页暂无翻译

like that to put off grave-robbers should not stay the hand of Fearsome Vikings like ourselves. Shall we, who laugh in the face of Death and spit in the eye of the Great Typhoon, quail at a simple curse to scare infants and old men?' Cries of 'No!' and 'Not likely, guv'nor!' 'All those in favour of opening up the box and seeing whether the Lost Treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly is inside say AYE!' 'AYE!!!' bellowed out every member of the Hooligan Tribe, except for Fishlegs, Old Wrinkly and Hiccup. 'R-r-run for your lives!' yelped Toothless, and hid in Hiccup's shirt. Fishlegs edged backwards into the crowd. 'NOT a good idea, NOT a good idea, NOT a good idea,' muttered Hiccup. He started backing away from the coffin as Stoick fiddled clumsily with the iron clasps. 'NOT a good idea, NOT a good idea, NOT A GOOD IDEA,' repeated Hiccup as Stoick slowly c-r-e-a-k-e-d up the coffin lid…

该页暂无翻译

The coffin lid dropped open with a bang. Stoick jumped away to avoid being splashed by the seawater gushing out of it from all sides. Everybody else tried very hard not to look nervous. Stoick peered into the coffin. There was a bit of a pause. 'Not pretty, was he?' sniffed Stoick the Vast, trying to show off how much he laughed in the face of Death. 'Oh, I don't know, sir,' said Gobber the Belch, leaning in to look as well. 'I think I can see a bit of a family resemblance.' 'I know what you mean,'said Baggybum the Beerbelly, turning his head thoughtfully. 'There's a look of Great Aunt Heftythighs.' Hiccup forced himself to open his eyes. If he was ever going to be a pirate he would have to get used to this sort of thing. He made himself peer over the edge and into the coffin. There, in a state of green and yellow decay, lay the corpse of Grimbeard the Ghastly. It wasn't so bad really. The face was all slimy and drippy, but it wasn't crawling with maggots or anything disgusting. Rather