10 A MEETING OF THE THING

10. A MEETING OF THE THING The Thing was a real step forward for the Viking Tribes. It took place in a gigantic circular dip on the slopes of Huge Hill. Steps had been cut into the dip to make an enormous amphitheater, and heather grew on the steps, which normally made them springy and comfy to sit on, but unfortunately due to circumstances beyond the organizers' control, this heather had recently been burned to a cinder. Everybody had to leave their weapons in a large heap before they entered the amphitheater, just in case discussions got heated. There was Madguts the Murderous, deep in discussion with Mogadon the Meathead, and his son Thuggory. Norbert the Nutjob, Chief of the Hysterics, fiddling nervously with his beard because he'd had to leave his axe outside so he didn't know

10. 对于维京部落来说，这是一个真正的进步。 它发生在巨大的山坡上的一个巨大的圆形斜坡上。 山坡上的台阶被凿成一个巨大的圆形剧场，台阶上长着石南花，这通常使台阶上坐起来很有弹性，很舒服，但不幸的是，由于组织者无法控制的情况，这些石南花最近被烧成了灰烬。 每个人在进入圆形剧场之前都必须把武器堆成一大堆，以防讨论变得激烈。 杀人如麻的麦德古斯正在和杀人如麻的摩加迪安和他的儿子屠戈里深入讨论。 疯婆子诺伯，歇斯底里的首领，紧张地摆弄着他的胡子，因为他不得不把斧头放在外面，所以他不知道

what to do with his hands. Grabbit the Grim was there, trying to hide from Big-Boobied Bertha because he'd rustled some of her reindeer a couple of months ago, and the sledgehammer fists and breathquenching breasts of Big-Boobied Bertha were the Terror of the Archipelago. There was Deadlydog Dullard getting into a fistfight with Megalugs Mountain because Megalugs had laughed at his rather bright yellow leggings. And there was Camicazi, Big-Boobied Bertha's tiny, tangle-haired daughter, gently pouring Itchyworms into the back of Grabbit's trousers without him even noticing, in secret retaliation for the reindeer-rustling incident mentioned earlier. All around and above were the Vikings' dragons, snapping at each other, shrieking, tripping people up by running through their legs, and having to be pulled apart by their owners as they got into dragon fights. And right in the front row of this arguing, shouting, muscle-bound mess, sat Stoick the Vast, his chest puffed up with importance, swelling with pride and dignity. Before him was a small plinth, and sitting on the plinth was the Fire-Stone. And HE, Stoick the Vast, had stolen this Stone with his own fat hands, which made HIM the Big

怎么处理他的手。 阴森魔王格拉比特也在那里，他想躲着大奶子伯莎，因为几个月前他偷了她的几头驯鹿，而大奶子伯莎的大锤拳和令人窒息的胸部是群岛上的恐怖。 死狗笨蛋和巨蛋山打了一架，因为巨蛋山嘲笑他那亮黄色的紧身裤。 还有卡米卡齐，大咪咪伯莎的小女儿，头发乱蓬蓬的，轻轻地把痒虫倒在格拉比特的裤子后面，他甚至没有注意到，这是对之前提到的驯鹿沙沙事件的秘密报复。 四周和上方都是维京人的龙，它们互相撕咬，尖叫，从人的腿上跑过去绊倒人，在与龙搏斗时，它们的主人不得不把它们拉开。 在这场争吵、叫喊、肌肉发达的混乱的前排，坐着巨人斯托伊克，他的胸膛因重要而鼓起来，因骄傲和尊严而膨胀起来。 在他面前有一个小底座，底座上坐着那块火石。 而他，浩瀚的斯托伊克，是用他自己的肥手偷来这块石头的，这使他成为了巨人

Man at this event. The Thing couldn't take place without the Stone. You had to be holding the Stone in order to speak, so that everybody didn't all talk at once. The Hairy Scary Librarian blew the bugle. He took the golden Fire-Stone in his ancient old hands. "WOULD THE PLAYERS PLEASE TAKE THEIR PLACES ON THE FIELD!" he wheezed. The finest Warriors from every Tribe strode forward, flexing their muscles. The amphitheater exploded with noise as everybody sitting round about on the sooty seating yelled in support of their own Tribe. "GO MEATHEADS GO!" "KILL 'EM BASHEM-OIKS KILL 'EM!" "VISI-THUGS, VISI-THUGS, VISITHUGS!" etc., etc., etc. The Hairy Scary Librarian blew the bugle again and threw the Fire-Stone in the air. All heck broke loose, with the Warriors on the field pushing and shoving each other out of the way to get underneath it, and the supporters on the benches shouting at the top of their lungs and barely able to control themselves from storming on to the pitch to join in. Shortlegs of Glum had the slightly doubtful glory of catching the Stone. And then both Shortlegs and the Fire-Stone

男人在这个场合。没有魔法石，那事就不会发生。 你必须拿着魔法石才能说话，这样大家才不会同时说话。 毛茸茸的可怕的图书管理员吹响了号角。 他把金色的火石握在他苍老的手中。 “请球员们到场上各就各位好吗？”他喘息着说。 每个部落最优秀的战士大步向前，展示着他们的肌肉。 圆形剧场里一片嘈杂，坐在熏黑的座位上的每个人都在为自己的部落呐喊助阵。 “走吧，笨蛋！”“杀了他们，混蛋，杀了他们！”“暴徒，暴徒，暴徒！”等等，等等，等等。 毛茸茸的可怕的图书管理员又吹响了号角，把火石抛向空中。 一切都失控了，球场上的勇士们互相推搡，挤到对方的脚下，板凳上的支持者们扯着嗓子大喊大叫，几乎无法控制自己冲到球场上加入进来。 格卢姆的短腿有一点值得怀疑的光荣，他抓住了魔法石。 然后是短腿和火石

disappeared into a yelling scrum of muscly arms and legs and tattooed fists. Stoick the Vast waited casually some way away, hovering near the plinth, confident that his Warriors would pull it out of the bag for him. And, sure enough, after a few minutes, the hand of Gobber the Belch emerged from out of the heaving mass, chucking the Stone toward the larger of the Vicious Twins, who threw a long pass to Stoick the Vast... who dodged out of the way of Mogadon the Meathead, belly-charged Madguts the Murderous, caught the Stone in one fat hand, and touched it down on the plinth. "TOUCH-DOOOOOOOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled the happy Hooligans. "EVERYBODY QUIET! STOICK! STO-ICK! STO-ICK!" Now the Rules of the Thing said that everybody had to stay ABSOLUTELY STILL and silent while they listened to Stoick. The heaving mass of the scrum had to stay absolutely as they were, legs and arms not-so-lovingly intertwined, while Stoick had his say. Stoick the Vast, holding the Stone, cleared his throat importantly and began to speak. "Friends, Enemies, and Fellow Barbarians!" bellowed Stoick the Vast. "We are all facing a

消失在一群肌肉发达的胳膊、腿和纹身的拳头中。 巨大的斯托伊克在远处漫不经心地等待着，徘徊在基座附近，相信他的勇士们会为他从袋子里掏出它。 果然，几分钟后，打嗝人戈伯的手从翻滚的人群中伸出来，把石头扔给了邪恶双胞胎中块头较大的那个，后者把一个长传传给了巨人斯托伊克…… 他躲开了“笨蛋”摩加迪安，“凶残的疯子”麦德古斯，用一只胖乎乎的手抓住了魔法石，把它放在了底座上。 “TOUCH-DOOOOOOOWN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 喊快乐的流氓。 “大家安静!STOICK !STO-ICK !STO-ICK !”事物的规则说每个人在听斯托伊克讲话的时候必须保持绝对的静止和沉默。 在斯托伊克有发言权的时候，拥挤的人群必须完全保持原样，腿和胳膊不那么可爱地缠在一起。 巨人斯托伊克拿着魔法石，庄严地清了清嗓子，开始说话了。 “朋友，敌人，还有野蛮人！”巨人斯托伊克吼道。 “我们都面临着

Common Enemy today, an Enemy not seen in our Lands for hundreds and hundreds of years. These Extermi-whatsits are coming, and apparently there are a few of them. SHOULD WE FLEE LIKE THOSE COWARDLY BUNNY RABBITS THE LAVA-LOUTS?" "NOOOOOOO!" bellowed the Vikings, drumming their feet on the incinerated heather. (You were allowed to reply, when asked a question.) "Could you repeat that?" asked Shortlegs of Glum, from the very bottom of the scrum, for Grabbit's elbow was nestling in his ear-hole, and he couldn't hear a thing. "I SAY WE FIGHT!" screamed Stoick the Vast. "ARE YOU WITH ME?" "YAAAAAAAAY!" yelled everybody happily back at him. "ARE WE THE KIND OF PEOPLE TO LET A PIDDLY LITTLE THING LIKE A TINY VOLCANIC ERUPTION GET US DOWN?" asked Stoick the Vast at full volume. "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" yelled back the Vikings. "YOU BET YOUR BARNACLES WE AREN'T!" yelled Stoick the Vast. "FOR WE ARE BARBARIANS, AND THE THING ABOUT BARBARIANS IS, WE NEVER SURRENDER! CAN YOU SING IT OUT FOR US

今天是我们共同的敌人，一个数百年来在我们的土地上从未见过的敌人。 这些极端的东西要来了，而且显然有几个。 难道我们要像那些胆小的小兔子那样逃跑吗？”“不！”维京人咆哮着，用脚跺着烧焦的石南花。 （当被问及问题时，你可以回答。）“你能再说一遍吗？”短腿格伦站在人群的最下面问，因为格拉比特的胳膊肘塞在他的耳洞里，他什么也听不见。 “我说我们要战斗！”巨人斯托伊克尖叫道。 “你跟得上我吗？”“啊——啊——啊！”每个人都高兴地冲着他喊道。 “我们是那种会让像火山爆发这样微不足道的小事让我们失望的人吗？”斯托伊克以最大的音量问道。 “不，！！！！”维京人喊道。 “你敢打赌，我们不是！”巨人斯托伊克喊道。 “因为我们是野蛮人，野蛮人的特点是，我们从不投降！”你能大声唱出来吗

BARBARIANS, GUYS?" All the Vikings jumped to their feet and sang their hearts out, with Stoick conducting the chorus, the Stone held like a Bashyball in one fat hand only: "RULE BARBARIANS, BARBARIANS RULE THE WAVES... VI-KINGS NEVER EVER EVER SHALL BE SLAVES..." Hiccup and Humungous had arrived at The Thing just after the second bugle had sounded, and Humungous was watching the proceedings with his mouth gently open. Here was a version of democracy that he had never even dreamed of. "OK," whispered Hiccup, "my father's minute is nearly up. I want you to go and hover near the plinth, Humungous, and get ready to touch-down the Stone..." "Righty-ho," said Humungous, elegantly flexing his humungous biceps. This looked like his sort of game. Hiccup sidled up to Camicazi, who was cheering on the Bog-Burglars. Camicazi was a friend of his, despite the fact that she belonged to another Tribe. "Camicazi, can you do me a favor, and sneak into the scrum and pinch the Stone for me next time they blow the bugle?" Hiccup asked.

野蛮人,伙计们?”所有的维京人都跳了起来，放声高歌，斯托伊克指挥着合唱队，一只胖乎乎的手里只拿着一块像棒球一样的石头：“统治野蛮人，野蛮人统治海浪…… 维京国王永远永远不会成为奴隶……” 在第二次号角吹响后，小嗝嗝和胡蒙格斯赶到了“怪物”，胡蒙格斯轻轻地张着嘴，看着整个过程。 这是一种他做梦都没想到的民主。 “好了，”小嗝嗝低声说，“我父亲的时间快到了。 我要你去靠近底座盘旋，巨怪，准备让魔法石着陆……” “对——对。”胡蒙说着，优雅地扭动着他那巨大的二头肌。 这看起来像是他的游戏。 小嗝嗝悄悄走到卡米卡齐身边，卡米卡齐正在为“沼泽窃贼”欢呼。 Camicazi是他的朋友，尽管她属于另一个部落。 “卡米卡齐，你能帮我个忙吗？下次他们吹响号角的时候，你能溜进人群，帮我捏一下魔法石吗？”打嗝问道。