Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 Marcus went to the fountain and splashed cool water on his face. He didn't have much time. Soon the parade would reach the gladiator barracks, and Tata would be locked away. The barracks was like a prison, with high stone walls and a towering iron gate. Marcus had heard that the fighters were locked in dark cells, their arms and legs shackled, until it was time to fight. Once Tata was in the barracks, it would be too late. Somehow, Marcus had to steal Tata away from the parade.

马库斯走到喷泉边，往脸上泼凉水。 他没有多少时间。很快游行队伍就会到达角斗士兵营，塔塔就会被关起来。 营房就像一座监狱，高高的石墙和高耸的铁门。 马库斯听说战士们被关在黑暗的牢房里，手脚都戴着镣铐，直到战斗的时刻到来。 一旦塔塔进入军营，一切就太晚了。 不管怎样，马库斯不得不把塔塔从游行队伍中偷走。

But how? He searched his mind for ideas. Again, he thought of Odysseus. Odysseus wasn't the strongest man. But he was cunning. There had come a low point in the Trojan War when the Greek armies had Troy surrounded, but they could not break through the massive wall that encircled the city. Thousands of Trojan archers guarded the wall, ready to fire down on anyone who came close. Some Greek generals were ready to give up on invading the city of Troy. Not Odysseus. He came up with the ingenious idea of building a giant wooden horse with a hollow belly. He and his best Greek soldiers hid inside the horse. They made the Trojans believe the wooden animal was an offering from the gods, and tricked them into bringing it inside their walls. And then — attack! In the dead of night, Odysseus and the hidden soldiers snuck out of the horse and opened the gates. The Greek soldiers smashed the Trojan army and conquered the city.

但如何?他在脑子里寻找主意。 他又想起了奥德修斯。 奥德修斯不是最强壮的人。 但他很狡猾。当希腊军队包围特洛伊城时，特洛伊战争进入了低谷，但他们无法突破包围城市的巨大城墙。 成千上万的特洛伊弓箭手守卫着城墙，随时准备向任何靠近的人开火。 一些希腊将军准备放弃入侵特洛伊城。 奥德修斯。他想出了一个别出心裁的主意:造一个肚子中空的巨型木马。 他和他最好的希腊士兵藏在马里面。 他们让特洛伊人相信这只木制动物是众神的祭品，并欺骗他们把它带进了他们的城墙。 然后——进攻!在夜深人静的时候，奥德修斯和隐藏的士兵们从马里溜了出来，打开了城门。 希腊士兵击溃了特洛伊军队，征服了这座城市。

Marcus searched around. All he saw was the laundry bag, lying where he had dropped it. But wait… The idea flashed into Marcus's mind, and before he could talk himself out of it, he had ripped the sack open and was rummaging through Festus's clothes. He grabbed a toga, a robe woven from the finest wool and edged with purple ribbon. Marcus couldn't build himself a wooden horse. But he could hide in Festus's toga, disguise himself as an important Roman citizen. Marcus threw it around himself, covering his old tunic. The toga stank like rotten food, old wine, and Festus's sweat. Marcus fought back his nausea as he wrapped the endless stretch of fabric around his body, finally draping the loose end over his shoulder. He straightened his shoulders. The toga dragged on the ground a bit, but it would do. Marcus spat into his hands and flattened his hair to his forehead, the style of a rich son of Rome. Now he just needed a weapon, something to scare the guards so he and Tata could escape.

马库斯四处搜寻。他只看到洗衣袋躺在他扔下的地方。 但是等等……这个想法在马库斯的脑海里闪过，他还没来得及说服自己，就撕开了麻袋，翻遍了非斯都的衣服。 他抓起一件长袍，那是一件用最好的羊毛织成的长袍，边系着紫色缎带。 马库斯不会给自己做木马。 但他可以藏在非斯都的长袍里，伪装成一个重要的罗马公民。 马库斯把它裹在自己身上，盖在他的旧外衣上。 袍子散发出腐烂的食物、陈酒和非斯都汗的臭味。 马库斯抑制住了他的恶心，他把无尽的织物缠绕在他的身体上，最后把松散的一端披在肩上。 他挺直了肩膀。 袍子在地上拖了一点，但还行。 马库斯往手里吐了口唾沫，把头发平到前额，这是罗马富家子弟的风格。 现在他只需要一件武器，一件能吓到守卫的东西，这样他和塔塔就能逃跑了。

Once again, the answer was right in front of him, on the sidewalk: the snake charmer. Somehow, the old man was still dozing with the basket at his feet. Marcus crept up, kneeled, and snatched the basket. The old man was awake in a flash, hollering after him. "Stop him! Stop that thief!" Marcus darted through the crowd, one hand firmly on the lid of the basket. He was terrified that the lid would fly off, that the cobra would spring out and sink its fangs into Marcus's neck. He could feel the snake hissing ferociously, banging its body against the sides of the flimsy basket. Marcus's heart pounded, his legs wobbled, his mind swirled with fear. But somehow he kept himself moving until he caught up with the parade. The music had stopped and the lanista was unlocking the gates of the gladiator barracks. Marcus was almost out of time. And he would have just one chance.

答案又一次摆在他面前，就在人行道上:耍蛇人。 不知怎么的，老人还在打着盹儿，脚边放着篮子。 马库斯蹑手蹑脚地爬上来，跪在地上，抓起篮子。 老人刹那间醒了过来，在他身后大叫。 “阻止他!抓住那个小偷!”马库斯冲过人群，一只手紧紧抓住篮子盖。 他很害怕盖子会飞开，眼镜蛇会跳出来，把毒牙咬进马库斯的脖子里。 他能感觉到蛇发出凶恶的嘶嘶声，用身体撞击着脆弱的篮子。 马库斯的心怦怦直跳，双腿颤抖，心里充满了恐惧。 但不知怎么的，他一直在移动，直到赶上了游行队伍。 音乐停止了，拉尼斯塔正在打开角斗士营房的大门。 马库斯快没时间了。 他只有一次机会。