Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 AUGUST 27 9:00 A.M. BROOKLYN, NEW YORK The men of the Connecticut 5th were ordered to help guard the Gowanus Heights. Days before, Captain Marsh had told Nate that he would stay inside the fort for as long as they were in Brooklyn.

第十四章八月二十七日上午九时 纽约，布鲁克林，康涅狄格第5步兵师奉命帮助守卫高瓦纳斯高地。 几天前，马什上尉告诉内特，只要他们还在布鲁克林，他就会一直呆在堡垒里。

"You're not a soldier," he'd said. "I don't want you on the battlefield." But that morning, twenty-two men in the Connecticut 5th were too sick to march. There were not enough men to carry ammunition and other supplies to the ridge. "Nate," the captain said. "I need you to march with us to the camp. And then you'll return here to the fort." They were taking the place of some Pennsylvania soldiers who had been on duty there for three days straight. "You'll march back here with the Pennsylvania men." "Yes, sir," Nate said. "Anything happens, we all get ourselves back to the fort. You hear?" "Yes, sir." Gruesome pictures flashed through Nate's mind as he thought of stepping out of the fort.

“你不是士兵，”他说。 “我不想让你上战场。” 但是那天早上，康涅狄格第5步兵师有22人病得无法行军。 没有足够的人手把弹药和其他补给品运到山脊上。 “内特，”船长说。“我需要你和我们一起去营地。 然后你就回城堡来。” 他们接替的是一些宾夕法尼亚士兵，这些士兵已经连续三天在那里执勤。 “你和宾夕法尼亚的人一起回到这里来。” “是的，先生，”内特说。“不管发生什么事，我们都得回到堡垒。 你听说了吗?”“是的,先生。”当内特想要走出堡垒时，可怕的画面在他脑海中闪过。

Exploding cannonballs. Gut-smashing musket balls. Bayonets dripping with blood. But a rush of pride swept Nate's fears away. Captain Marsh was counting on Nate. Paul helped Nate load up a large knapsack with extra ammunition cartridges. He was unusually quiet. He didn't like the idea of Nate leaving the fort. "You follow me," Paul said as they were lining up. "And stay close." Nate nodded. He took a place in line between Paul and Samuel. And they all set out into the wilds of Brooklyn. They marched along a narrow road, under a sunny sky. The road cut through fields and meadows. They passed a deserted farm. The house was boarded up and there was not a person or animal in sight. In the yard was a big tree, with a wooden

爆炸的炮弹。粉碎内脏的火枪子弹。 鲜血淋漓的刺刀。 但一股自豪感扫去了内特的恐惧。 马什队长就指望内特了 保罗帮内特把多余的弹壳装进一个大背包里。 他异常安静。他不喜欢内特离开堡垒。 他们排队的时候，保罗说:“你们跟我来。” “跟紧点。”内特点点头。 他的位置在保罗和撒母耳之间。 然后他们都出发去了布鲁克林的荒野。 他们在晴朗的天空下沿着一条狭窄的道路行进。 这条路穿过田野和草地。 他们经过一个废弃的农场。 房子用木板封住了，看不见一个人或动物。 院子里有一棵大树，上面有一根木头

swing hanging from a branch. Nate could imagine Theo shrieking happily as he flew up and down. Nate felt the familiar ache of missing Theo. He also thought about the family that had built up that farm. Where had they all gone? Would they ever be able to come back? For the first time it really hit Nate: This war wasn't just about King George and soldiers on battlefields. Regular people would lose their homes. Others would lose far more — their family members and friends. Even if the Americans won, some people would never be able to get back what they had lost. The road took them up a hill, and soon they were in the woods. They had reached the Gowanus Heights. There were groups of American soldiers standing guard along the way, but not as many as Nate would have expected. They turned off the road and walked along the ridge. The thickening woods

挂在树枝上的秋千。 内特可以想象西奥在上下飞行时快乐地尖叫。 内特感到了想念西奥的那种熟悉的痛苦。 他也想起了建立那个农场的那一家人。 他们都到哪里去了?他们还能回来吗? 这是内特第一次真正意识到:这场战争不仅仅是乔治国王和战场上的士兵。 普通人会失去他们的家园。 其他人会失去更多——他们的家人和朋友。 即使美国人赢了，有些人也永远无法挽回他们失去的东西。 这条路把他们带到了一座山上，很快他们就到了树林里。 他们到达了高瓦纳斯高地。 一路上有几群美国士兵站岗，但没有内特预期的那么多。 他们离开大路，沿着山脊走。 茂密的树林

made it hard to see more than just a few yards ahead. All was very quiet. And then… Boom! Boom! Two sharp cannon blasts shook the ground. Nate froze. Samuel whipped around. "That's strange," he said, his eyes narrowed with worry. "Those cannons were shot from this side of the ridge." Samuel scanned the woods. "The Americans don't have big cannons this far from the forts. The British aren't supposed to be anywhere near here." But they were. And they had the high ground! KI-crack! KI-crack! KI-crack! KI-crack! Musket fire blasted them from the hill just above. Hissssssss! A ball streaked right by Nate's ear.

让我很难看清前方几码以外的地方。 一切都很安静。然后……砰!繁荣!两声尖锐的炮响震动了地面。 内特愣住了。塞缪尔猛地转过身来。 “真奇怪，”他说，担心地眯起眼睛。 “那些大炮是从山脊这边发射的。” 塞缪尔扫视了一下树林。“美国人在离堡垒这么远的地方没有大炮。 英国人不应该出现在这附近。” 但他们确实是。而且他们占据了高地!KI-crack !KI-crack !KI-crack !KI-crack !火枪从上面的山上向他们开火。 Hissssssss !一个球从内特耳边掠过。

Looking up, Nate saw splashes of red between the trees up on the hill. Redcoats! "Take cover!" Captain Marsh shouted. Nate threw himself down into the dirt and covered his head with his hands. More shots exploded. KI-crack! Hissssss! Samuel cried out. Nate peeked up just in time to see him crumple to his knees. Samuel's hands flew up to his chest. Blood gushed from between his fingers. Nate saw it all so clearly. But he couldn't believe it was happening. All he could think was no. No, no, no, no. The life drained from Samuel's face. His body seemed to melt to the ground. Nate sprang up and rushed for Samuel. But the Redcoats were shooting again.

内特抬头一看，只见山上的树间有一片片红色。 兵!“隐蔽!”马什船长喊道。 内特扑倒在土里，用手捂着头。 更多的子弹爆炸了。KI-crack !Hissssss !塞缪尔叫道。 内特偷看了一眼，正好看到他跪倒在地。 塞缪尔双手举到胸前。 血从他指间涌出。 内特看得很清楚。 但他不敢相信这一切正在发生。 他能想到的只有“不”。 不，不，不。塞缪尔的脸上失去了生气。 他的身体似乎融化在地上。 内特跳起来冲向塞缪尔。 但是红衣兵又开始射击了。