Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 Tata was silent for most of the ride down, hunkered deep inside his thoughts. Marcus could sense that he was trying to assemble a huge puzzle in his mind, to make sense out of all they had seen. As they came to the bottom of the mountain, Tata had his theory, and he explained it all to Marcus in terrifying detail. "Some mountains are not just solid rock," Tata began. "They are filled with gases and fire and melted rock. Virgil wrote about such a mountain in Greece, called Etna." Virgil was one of Rome's most famous writers.

塔塔在下山的大部分时间里都沉默不语，沉思着。 马库斯可以感觉到他正在努力在脑海中拼凑一个巨大的谜题，从他们所看到的一切中找到意义。 当他们来到山脚下时，塔塔有了他的理论，他向马库斯详细地解释了这一切。 “有些山不只是坚硬的岩石，”塔塔开始说。 “它们充满了气体、火焰和融化的岩石。 维吉尔写过希腊的一座山，叫埃特纳。” 维吉尔是罗马最著名的作家之一。

"Virgil told of a terrible eruption, maybe a hundred years ago," Tata continued. "He said that fire and ash shot from the mountain into the sky, that day turned to night, and a burning cloud swept down the mountain, destroying everything in its path." Tata turned to look at Marcus. "I never imagined it could be true," Tata said. "I thought it was just an exciting tale. But now we've seen for ourselves." Yes, they had, though Marcus still couldn't quite believe it had all happened. The earth tremors. Killer clouds. Foul water. Dead sheep. Flames shooting out of the ground. And that terrifying explosion. It was stranger than any tale Marcus had ever read. "It all makes sense," Tata said. "What is happening now on Vesuvius tells me that the worst is yet to come, that the entire mountain is about to explode." Marcus shivered, though the heat was searing. "Will Pompeii be destroyed?" he said. Tata was silent for a moment. "I have no doubt," Tata said finally.

“维吉尔说过一次可怕的喷发，可能是一百年前的事。”塔塔继续说。 "他说火和灰烬从山上直冲云霄，白天变成黑夜，燃烧的云从山上刮下来，沿途的一切都被摧毁了" 塔塔转过身来看着马库斯。 “我从没想过这是真的，”塔塔说。 “我以为这只是一个激动人心的故事。 但现在我们亲眼看到了。” 是的，他们是这样做的，尽管马库斯仍然不能完全相信这一切都发生了。 大地在颤动。杀手云。 污水。死羊。火焰从地面喷出。 还有那可怕的爆炸。 这比马库斯读过的任何故事都要离奇。 “这一切都说得通，”塔塔表示。 “维苏威火山现在发生的事情告诉我，最糟糕的事情还在后面，整座山都要爆炸了。” 马库斯颤抖着，尽管天气很热。 “庞贝会被摧毁吗?”他说。 塔塔沉默了一会儿。 “我毫不怀疑，”塔塔最后说。

Marcus held Tata tighter. "I met an old woman yesterday, a beggar," he said, remembering the woman's shining green eyes and gnarled hands. "She said the strangest things to me — that Pompeii was doomed, that the city would burn. I thought she was a madwoman. But what she said was right! She could read the future!" "I don't believe in prophets and witches," Tata said. "But nature sends out warnings. Why do you think all of the animals have fled? They felt the tremors, scented the sulfur, tasted the water. Their instincts told them to flee. Linus would say that the old woman is keenly sensitive — or that she has the mind of a great scientist." It was hard to imagine that poor old hag discussing science with Tata and Linus. But what Tata said made sense. "Where will we go?" Marcus asked. Tata didn't answer right away. Then he slowed Peg to a stop and turned in the saddle to face Marcus. "We need to warn the people of Pompeii," he said. "They have no idea what is about to happen.

马库斯把塔塔抱得更紧了。“我昨天遇到一个老妇人，一个乞丐，”他说，想起了那个女人闪亮的绿眼睛和粗糙的手。 “她对我说了最奇怪的话——庞贝注定要灭亡，这座城市将被烧毁。 我以为她是个疯女人。 但是她说的是对的!她能预见未来!”“我不相信先知和女巫，”塔塔说。 “但大自然会发出警告。 你觉得为什么所有的动物都逃走了? 他们感觉到了震动，闻到了硫磺的味道，尝到了水的味道。 他们的本能告诉他们要逃跑。 莱纳斯会说这位老妇人非常敏感，或者说她有一个伟大科学家的头脑。” 很难想象那个可怜的老巫婆会和塔塔和莱纳斯讨论科学。 但塔塔所说的是有道理的。 “我们去哪儿?”马库斯问道。 塔塔没有立即回答。 然后他让佩格慢下来，在马鞍上转过身来面对马库斯。 “我们需要警告庞贝的人们，”他说。 “他们不知道将要发生什么。

If we don't warn them, they could all be killed." It took Marcus a moment for Tata's words to sink in. Was he really saying they should go to the very city about to be destroyed? A city where slave hunters were prowling through every alley with their spears and chains? Marcus didn't want to go anywhere near that wretched city! He and Tata needed to save themselves, to get as far away as they could. Now! "I don't understand," Marcus said. Tata touched Marcus's hand. "But you do. There are more than ten thousand people living in Pompeii. It's our duty to warn them of what is about to happen." Marcus tried to look away from Tata, but their eyes were locked together. And Marcus recognized something in Tata's gaze. It was the same determined look that Marcus had always imagined on the faces of his heroes as they prepared for their battles. Hadn't Odysseus and Hercules risked their lives over and over? Hadn't they plunged into danger

如果我们不警告他们，他们可能都被杀了。” 马库斯过了一会儿才明白塔塔的话的意思。 他真的是说他们应该去那个即将被摧毁的城市吗? 一个奴隶猎人带着长矛和锁链在每一条小巷里徘徊的城市? 马科斯根本不想靠近那个该死的城市!他和塔塔需要自救，尽可能地离开。 现在!“我不明白，”马库斯说。 塔塔摸了摸马库斯的手。 “但是你知道。有一万多人住在庞贝。 我们有责任警告他们即将发生的事情。” 马库斯试图把目光从塔塔身上移开，但他们的目光紧紧地锁在了一起。 马库斯从塔塔的目光中发现了一些东西。 当他的英雄们为战斗做准备时，马库斯总是想象他们脸上的坚定表情。 奥德修斯和赫拉克勒斯不是一次又一次地冒着生命危险吗? 难道他们没有陷入危险吗

without thinking about whether they'd come out alive? Marcus had read so many stories of heroic warriors. But it was only now, looking at his father, that he finally understood what it meant to have honor, to be a hero. Marcus reached deep inside himself, trying to summon some courage of his own. To his surprise, he found more than he expected. He sat taller. "Yes, I understand, Tata." Marcus saw the flash of pride on Tata's face before he turned back around. He gave Peg a pat. And off they galloped, on their tattered mare, toward the doomed city of Pompeii.

不考虑他们是否能活着出来? 马库斯读过很多英勇战士的故事。 但直到现在，看着父亲，他才终于明白了什么是荣誉，什么是英雄。 马库斯深入内心，试图鼓起自己的勇气。 令他吃惊的是，他发现的比他预期的要多。 他坐得更高了。“是的，我明白，塔塔。” 马库斯看到塔塔脸上闪现出骄傲的神情，随即转过身来。 他拍了拍佩格。于是，他们骑着那匹破马疾驰而去，奔向那注定要灭亡的庞贝城。