Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 THE NEXT DAY WEDNESDAY, MAY 5 All morning, Hugo and Marty kept their ears pricked up for whispers about the spy. They watched for Colonel Kohl. But the hours passed calmly with no sign of the Nazi.

第八章第二天，5月5日星期三整个上午，雨果和马蒂都竖起耳朵倾听有关间谍的窃窃私语。 他们等着科尔上校。 但是几个小时平静地过去了，没有纳粹的迹象。

After lunch, Mom took Gertie back to the cabin for a nap, and Mr. Singer announced that he had a surprise for Hugo and Dad — a tour of the zeppelin. Of course, Marty came along. They started in the front of the zeppelin, in the Hindenburg's control car. The airship's command center was just a quick walk from the passenger area, through a short tunnel and then up a few stairs. When Hugo walked in, he had no idea where to look first — at the five men in crisp blue uniforms, at the rows of spinning dials and gauges and levers and buttons, or at the dazzling view of the ocean stretched out as far as he could see. They shook hands with the Hindenburg's commander, Captain Pruss, a short man who looked more like a kindly science teacher than a famous zeppelin captain. The captain showed them a large map hanging on the wall. He traced the Hindenburg's route across the North Atlantic

午饭后，妈妈带格蒂回小屋小睡一会儿，辛格先生宣布他给雨果和爸爸准备了一个惊喜——参观齐柏林飞艇。 当然，马蒂也来了。 他们从齐柏林飞艇的前部开始，在兴登堡号的控制车里。 飞艇的指挥中心离乘客区不远，穿过一条短隧道，再上几级楼梯。 当雨果走进来的时候，他不知道该先看哪里——是看那五个穿着整洁的蓝色制服的人，是看那一排排旋转着的表盘、仪表、操纵杆和按钮，还是看那一望无际的大海。 他们和兴登堡号的指挥官普鲁斯船长握了握手。普鲁斯船长个子不高，看上去更像一位和蔼可亲的科学老师，而不像一位著名的齐柏林飞艇船长。 船长给他们看了挂在墙上的一张大地图。 他追踪了兴登堡号穿越北大西洋的路线

with his finger, and showed them exactly where they were now. They were close to land, Hugo could see. In just a few hours, they'd reach Canada's coast. From there they'd turn south and fly along the beaches of New England, over New York City, and finally to the Hindenburg's American airfield, in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

用手指指了指他们现在的确切位置。 他们离陆地很近了，雨果看得出来。 再过几个小时，他们就会到达加拿大海岸。 从那里，他们转向南方，沿着新英格兰的海滩飞行，飞越纽约市，最后到达位于新泽西州莱克赫斯特的兴登堡号美国机场。

Hugo realized that the voyage was nearly over. Tomorrow morning they'd be landing. He should have felt happy that they were almost back in New York. But part of him didn't want this journey to end. Maybe Marty was right, and there was something magical about the Hindenburg. It was almost as though the zeppelin had transported them to another universe, one where Gertie was well and Mom and Dad were happy. And what about Marty? Would he ever see her again? They said good-bye to Captain Pruss and the others and headed back into the passenger area. But the tour wasn't over. Now Mr. Singer led them down a hallway to a door that was guarded by a young member of the Hindenburg's crew. The man greeted Mr. Singer with a smile and stepped aside to let them through. "Passengers aren't allowed into this part of the airship on their own," Mr. Singer said. As they climbed up into the zeppelin's enormous main body, Hugo had the feeling he'd

雨果意识到航行就要结束了。 明天早上他们就要着陆了。 他们快回到纽约了，他本应该感到高兴的。 但他内心深处不希望这段旅程就此结束。 也许马蒂是对的，兴登堡号确实有某种魔力。 就好像齐柏林飞艇把他们送到了另一个宇宙，在那里格蒂很好，爸爸妈妈也很快乐。 那马蒂呢?他还会再见到她吗? 他们向普鲁斯船长和其他人道别，回到乘客区。 但是旅行还没有结束。现在辛格领着他们穿过走廊，来到一扇由兴登堡号上一名年轻船员把守的门口。 那名男子微笑着向辛格打招呼，然后走到一边让他们通过。 “乘客不能独自进入飞艇的这个部分，”辛格说。 当他们爬上齐柏林飞艇巨大的主体时，雨果有一种感觉

been swallowed up by a giant animal, with bones and guts made out of bright metal. Thousands of metal beams and girders and wires jutted in every direction. And all around them were huge tan bags — the gas cells filled with hydrogen. They billowed softly, as if they were breathing. If the metal beams were the Hindenburg's bones, these bags of gas were its lungs. Mr. Singer led them along a narrow walkway that ran straight through the entire body of the airship. He pointed out a row of large tanks. They were filled with water, Mr. Singer explained. The water was used as ballast, extra weight to keep the ship on the ground. When the ship took off, thousands of gallons of water would splash out through the bottom. This made the ship lighter, so it would rise up. "Remind me not to stand under a zeppelin without an umbrella," Dad laughed. As they walked farther back, the roar of the engines got louder and louder. Up front in the

被一种巨大的动物吞噬，骨头和内脏都是由明亮的金属制成的。 成千上万的金属梁、大梁和金属线向四面八方伸出。 他们周围都是巨大的棕黄色袋子——装满氢的气体电池。 它们轻轻地翻腾着，仿佛在呼吸。 如果说金属梁是兴登堡号的骨头，那么这些气体袋就是它的肺。 辛格领着他们沿着一条狭窄的走道往前走，这条走道直通整个飞艇。 他指着一排大坦克。 辛格解释说，里面装满了水。 水被用作压舱物，额外的重量使船保持在地面上。 当飞船起飞时，数千加仑的水会从底部飞溅出来。 这使船更轻，所以它会上升。 “提醒我不要站在没有雨伞的齐柏林飞艇下，”爸爸笑着说。 他们越往回走，发动机的轰鸣声就越响。 在前面

passenger area, they could barely hear the engines. But back here, the clattering roar hammered against Hugo's eardrums. And then there was a new sound, a strange growling noise that rose up above the engines. "What on earth is that?" Mr. Singer said, looking around with worried eyes. "Could that be one of the engines?" Hugo felt a stab of fear. "Father, is something wrong?" Marty asked worriedly. Mr. Singer stood very still. "I've never heard anything like this on a zeppelin. And it doesn't sound right at all." Mr. Singer turned and hurried over to a big wooden telephone that was mounted to the wall. He picked up the handle and pushed a button. "I must notify Captain Pruss immediately!"

乘客区，他们几乎听不到引擎声。 但回到这里，轰鸣声敲打着雨果的耳膜。 接着，又有一种新的声音，一种奇怪的咆哮声从发动机上方传来。 “那到底是什么?”辛格忧心忡忡地环顾四周说。 “会是其中一个引擎吗?”雨果感到一阵恐惧。 “爸爸，出什么事了吗?”马蒂担心地问。 辛格先生一动不动地站着。 “我从来没有在齐柏林飞艇上听到过这样的声音。 这听起来一点也不对。” 辛格先生转过身，匆匆走到挂在墙上的一个大木制电话跟前。 他拿起手柄，按下按钮。 “我必须立即通知普鲁斯船长!”