Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18 6 MONTHS LATER FEBRUARY 2, 1777 2:00 P.M. Nate walked quickly along the quiet dirt road. It was very cold, but the sun was warm on his back. He'd been traveling for three days. He'd journeyed first by boat, then by wagon. Now he

第十八章六个月后1777年2月2日下午两点 内特沿着安静的土路快步走着。 天气很冷，但太阳照在他背上很温暖。 他已经旅行了三天。 他先是坐船，然后是马车。 现在他

was on foot. Very soon his long journey would be over. Nate's mind was filled up with memories of all that had happened to him over these past seven months. He thought of the scared and lonely boy who had run away from Storch's house. Had that really been Nate? Somehow he'd left that boy behind, maybe in that bloody forest in Brooklyn. Oh, that terrible battle! What a disaster it had been for the Americans. The British had outmanned them, outgunned them, and outsmarted them. Hundreds of Americans had been killed. Many more had been injured and captured. It could have been far worse. The British could have captured most of the American army, including General Washington! But they kept delaying their attack on the American forts. The stormy weather kept the big British warships from laying their trap in the East River. The delay gave General Washington a chance to pull off a miracle. On the dark and

是步行的。他的长途旅行很快就要结束了。 内特的脑海里充满了过去七个月里发生在他身上的一切回忆。 他想起了那个从斯托奇家跑出来的又害怕又孤独的男孩。 真的是内特吗? 不知怎么的，他把那孩子丢在了布鲁克林那该死的森林里。 啊，那场可怕的战斗!这对美国人来说是一场灾难。 英国人在兵力、武器和智慧上都超过了他们。 数百名美国人丧生。 更多的人受伤和被俘。 情况可能会更糟。 英国人本可以俘虏大部分美国军队，包括华盛顿将军!但是他们一直推迟对美国堡垒的进攻。 暴风雨的天气使英国的大型战舰无法在东河布设陷阱。 拖延给了华盛顿将军一个创造奇迹的机会。 在黑暗中

foggy night of August 27, almost ten thousand American troops snuck off Brooklyn in a fleet of small boats. They made it safely back to New York City. When the British finally attacked the forts, they found them empty. Most of the American army had managed to survive the Battle of Brooklyn. But General Washington's troubles were just beginning. Within weeks, the British had attacked New York City. By the end of November, all of Manhattan Island was in British hands. America's fight for freedom was melting away. Soldiers fled the army until there were only about three thousand men left. The Connecticut 5th had dwindled down to just thirty men. But Paul never gave up hope. And neither did General Washington. On December 26, the Americans launched a surprise attack on a Hessian camp in Trenton, New Jersey. A week later, the Americans battled

8月27日一个雾蒙蒙的夜晚，近万名美国士兵乘坐一队小船从布鲁克林偷偷溜了出来。 他们安全回到了纽约市。 当英国人最终进攻这些堡垒时，他们发现里面空空如也。 大部分美国军队在布鲁克林战役中幸存下来。 但华盛顿将军的麻烦才刚刚开始。 几周之内，英国人袭击了纽约市。 到11月底，整个曼哈顿岛都在英国人手中。 美国争取自由的斗争正在逐渐消失。 士兵们纷纷逃离军队，最后只剩下大约三千人。 康涅狄格第5团已经减少到只有30人。 但保罗从未放弃希望。 华盛顿将军也不知道。 12月26日，美国人对新泽西州特伦顿的黑森人营地发动了突然袭击。 一周后，美国人开战了

the British in Princeton, New Jersey — and won. Those small victories put the spirit back into the American fight. Even Captain Marsh smiled a little. Nate had planned to stay with the Connecticut 5th. He'd moved with them to the American army's winter camp, in Morristown, New Jersey. But then, just seven days ago, Nate had received a letter. It was from Mr. Marston, Storch's friend. Somehow word must have gotten back to Norwalk that Nate was in the Connecticut 5th. Mr. Marston had managed to track Nate down. Nothing could have prepared Nate for what that letter said. Storch was dead, of smallpox. Returning American soldiers had brought the disease back to Norwalk. More than one hundred people had died. But the truly shocking news came at the end of the letter.

在新泽西州的普林斯顿，英国人赢了。 这些小小的胜利让美国人重拾斗志。 就连马什上尉也微微一笑。 内特原计划留在康涅狄格第五团。 他和他们一起搬到了位于新泽西州莫里斯敦的美军冬令营。 但是，就在七天前，内特收到了一封信。 是斯托奇的朋友马斯顿先生寄来的。 诺沃克一定听说内特在康涅狄格第五团。 马斯顿先生找到了内特。 内特对那封信的内容毫无准备。 斯托奇死于天花。 回国的美国士兵把这种疾病带回了诺瓦克。 超过一百人死亡。 但真正令人震惊的消息出现在信的末尾。

Mr. Marston explained that Storch had left no will — no letter saying what should be done with his property. You are your uncle's only living family member. Because he left no will, all of your uncle's assests go to you. Nate read that sentence about twenty times until he fully understood what this meant for him — and for Eliza and Theo. They could be free. That's why Nate was heading back to Norwalk. So he could get Eliza and Theo their freedom papers. Captain Marsh, Martin, and Paul had helped Nate plan his trip back to Norwalk. They'd hugged him good-bye, even Captain Marsh. Paul took his ugly green hat and put it onto Nate's head, to bring him luck. "You better come back soon!" Paul had said, the flash in his eyes brighter than ever. "We're going to win this fight!"

马斯顿先生解释说，斯托奇没有留下遗嘱，也没有写一封信说明如何处理他的财产。 你是你叔叔唯一在世的家庭成员。 因为他没有留下遗嘱，你叔叔的所有财产都归你所有。 内特把这句话读了大约20遍，直到他完全明白这对他、对伊丽莎和西奥意味着什么。 他们可能是免费的。所以内特才要回诺瓦克。 这样他就能帮伊莱莎和西奥拿到自由证了。 马什上尉、马丁和保罗帮内特计划了回诺沃克的行程。 他们拥抱了他，连马什上尉也不例外。 保罗把他那顶难看的绿帽子戴在内特的头上，给他带来好运。 “你最好快点回来!”保罗说，他眼中的闪光比以前更亮了。 “我们会赢得这场战斗!”

Nate didn't doubt it. The Americans would keep fighting for as long as it took. But for now, at least, Nate's army days were over. He'd seen enough blood. His dreams were filled with horror — of unblinking Hessian eyes, Samuel's body crumpled on the ground, the explosions of cannons and muskets. And he never stopped hearing those British battle drums, that ghostly RAT, tat, tat, tat, tat. Even when he was awake that terrible rattle echoed through his mind. Nate walked more quickly now. He could see the roof of the house in the distance. What would happen next? Eliza would have plans of her own. She'd want to find her husband, Gregory. Maybe Theo could go to school. As for Nate, he wasn't sure. Papa had been right: You never knew what was ahead in life. And these past seven months had taught Nate something else: that nothing was impossible.

内特对此毫不怀疑。美国人会一直战斗到底。 但至少现在，内特的军旅生涯结束了。 他已经看够了血。他的梦里充满了恐惧——黑森人的眼睛一眨不眨，塞缪尔的尸体倒在地上，大炮和火枪的爆炸声。 他不停地听到英国的战鼓，那幽灵般的老鼠声，那，那，那。 甚至当他醒着的时候，那可怕的声音也在他的脑海里回响。 内特走得更快了。 他能看到远处房子的屋顶。 接下来会发生什么?伊丽莎会有她自己的计划。 她会想找到她的丈夫格雷戈里。 也许西奥可以去上学。 至于内特，他也不确定。 爸爸是对的:你永远不知道前面会有什么。 过去的七个月教会了内特另一件事:没有什么是不可能的。