Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 Nobody at the table seemed to breathe. Had his little sister really called a Nazi colonel a deadly snake? Hugo edged closer to Gertie, ready to grab her for a quick escape. But to Hugo's shock, Kohl smiled.

第七章饭桌上似乎没有人在呼吸。 难道他的妹妹真的把纳粹上校称为致命的蛇吗? 雨果慢慢靠近格蒂，准备抓住她迅速逃走。 但令雨果吃惊的是，科尔笑了。

"Well, thank you, Liebchen," he said, reaching out to touch Gertie's cheek with his black-gloved hand. "I am most fascinated by snakes." Mom stood up and whisked Gertie out of her seat. "Poor baby is exhausted," she said with a nervous smile. In a flash, they disappeared from the dining room. Kohl stood there a moment, not seeming to mind the nervous silence. "I look forward to seeing you all again," he said finally. And with a bow he turned and walked back to where his men were waiting. Everyone at the table seemed to exhale with relief as the Nazis left the dining room. "Such an odd man!" Miss Crowther said, reaching for a drink of water. "What on earth is he doing on the Hindenburg?" demanded Mr. Lenz. Mr. Merrick looked around, alert for eavesdroppers. "I believe Kohl is searching for a

“好，谢谢你，利布臣，”他说着，伸出戴着黑手套的手去摸格蒂的脸颊。 “我最喜欢蛇。” 妈妈站起来，把格蒂从座位上拉了起来。 “可怜的孩子累坏了，”她紧张地笑着说。 转眼间，他们从餐厅里消失了。 科尔在那里站了一会儿，似乎并不介意这种紧张的沉默。 “我期待着再次见到你们，”他最后说。 他鞠了一躬，转身向等待他的人走去。 当纳粹分子离开餐厅时，餐桌上的每个人似乎都松了一口气。 “真是个怪人!”克劳瑟小姐说着伸手去喝水。 “他到底在兴登堡号上干什么?”伦茨问道。 麦里克先生环顾四周，提防有人偷听。 “我相信科尔正在寻找一个

spy." Marty and Hugo looked at each other with wide eyes. A spy! "Someone stole a top secret document from the Nazis," Mr. Merrick continued. "It contains a list of Nazis living secretly in America hatching dangerous plots against the United States. The spy has smuggled this paper onto the Hindenburg so he can take it to the American government." "And how do you know this?" Mr. Lenz said. "I have some important friends," Mr. Merrick said. "That is all I can say." "That spy must be a courageous man," Dad said. "Or woman," said Miss Crowther, raising her pointy eyebrows. "Actually, the Nazis do believe this spy is a man," Mr. Merrick said. Dad turned to Mr. Singer. "What do you think?"

间谍。”马蒂和雨果瞪大了眼睛互相看着。 一个间谍!“有人从纳粹那里偷走了一份绝密文件，”梅里克接着说。 “里面有一份秘密居住在美国的纳粹分子名单，他们正在策划针对美国的危险阴谋。 间谍把这份文件偷偷带到了兴登堡号上，这样他就可以把它交给美国政府了。” “你是怎么知道的?”伦茨说。 “我有一些重要的朋友，”梅里克说。 “我只能说这么多。”“那个间谍一定是个勇敢的人，”爸爸说。 “或者女人。”克劳瑟小姐扬起尖尖的眉毛说。 “实际上，纳粹确实相信这个间谍是个男人，”梅里克说。 爸爸转向辛格先生。“你觉得怎么样?”

Mr. Singer looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think the Hindenburg would be a dangerous place for a spy," he said. "A large ocean liner would be far better. A person can blend in with thousands of passengers and could easily remain hidden." Hugo had to agree. The ship to Africa had been huge and crowded. Just getting from the dining room to their cabin took fifteen minutes. Hugo once got so lost he was sure he'd never find his family again. "And how would a spy get secret papers past the guards at the airport?" Mr. Singer asked. Another good point, Hugo thought. Who could forget that long line at the Frankfurt airport? Miss Crowther's pointy eyebrows rose up even higher. "Perhaps there's a ghost on the Hindenburg, too," she said wryly. "Or a vampire," chuckled Mr. Lenz. Mr. Merrick frowned.

辛格先生沉思了一会儿。 “我认为兴登堡号对间谍来说是个危险的地方，”他说。 “一艘大型远洋客轮要好得多。 一个人可以混在成千上万的乘客中，很容易隐藏起来。” 雨果不得不同意。开往非洲的船又大又拥挤。 光是从餐厅到他们的小屋就花了15分钟。 雨果有一次迷路了，他确信自己再也找不到家人了。 “一个间谍怎样才能拿到秘密文件，通过机场的警卫呢?”辛格问道。 又说得好，雨果想。 谁能忘记在法兰克福机场排长队呢? 克劳瑟小姐的尖眉毛扬得更高了。 “兴登堡号上也许也有鬼，”她挖苦地说。 “或者是吸血鬼，”伦茨轻声笑着说。 麦里克先生皱起了眉头。

"I don't think this is funny," he said. "If there is a spy on this airship, I fear for his life. Kohl will surely catch him before we get to America. He'll lock him up somewhere on this zeppelin and bring him back to Germany." He looked around. "Or he'll shoot him on the spot!" "Mr. Merrick, please!" Miss Crowther scolded. "You're going to give us nightmares." Miss Crowther was right. That night, Hugo had a dream that he found a cobra in his bed, a cobra with pale blue eyes and bloodred stripes. But this time Panya wasn't there to chase it away, and the cobra grew and grew, its angry hood flaring into a pair of enormous, slithery wings. The hideous snake smiled at Hugo with yellow fangs dripping with venom. Hugo woke up in a sweat, gripping his throat. And it was a long time before he fell asleep again.

“我不认为这有什么好笑的，”他说。 “如果这艘飞艇上有间谍，我担心他的生命。 科尔肯定会在我们到美国之前抓到他的。 他会把他锁在这艘齐柏林飞艇上的某个地方，然后把他带回德国。” 他环顾四周。“不然他会当场枪毙他的!”“先生。 梅里克,请!”克劳瑟小姐责备道。 “你会给我们带来噩梦的。” 克劳瑟小姐说得对。那天晚上，雨果做了一个梦，他在床上发现了一条眼镜蛇，一条有着淡蓝色眼睛和血红条纹的眼镜蛇。 但这一次，潘亚没有在那里把它赶走，眼镜蛇越长越大，它愤怒的头罩张开成一对巨大而光滑的翅膀。 这条可怕的蛇露出黄色的毒牙，向雨果微笑。 雨果醒了，浑身是汗，掐着喉咙。 过了很长时间他才又睡着了。