Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 Nate took off, joining the stampede of terrified soldiers rushing away from the docks. He ended up alone in an alley, huddling in the doorway of a stone building. He knew trying to hide was useless. No building would protect him from the force of a cannonball. But he couldn't just stand out in the street. He squeezed himself tighter into the doorway and tried not to think about the

内特离开了码头，加入了惊惶失措的士兵们的行列。 最后，他独自一人来到一条小巷，蜷缩在一座石砌建筑的门口。 他知道试图躲藏是没有用的。 没有任何建筑能保护他免受炮弹的伤害。 但他不能就这么站在街上。 他把身子缩得更紧，尽量不去想那件事

gruesome stories Papa's men used to tell, about men who'd had their heads blown off by cannonballs. What a fool Nate was! He'd never make it out here on his own! He wasn't tough like Slash O'Shea. When Slash was just fourteen, the merchant ship he worked on was destroyed in a storm. Only a few men survived, including Slash. And what did he do next? He joined the British navy. England was in the middle of a huge war with France and Spain. Slash was stationed on a man-of-war, on the cannon deck. He was a powder monkey, which meant it was his job to rush heavy bags of explosive gunpowder to the men loading the cannons. Powder monkeys had to be small and fast like real monkeys — and as brave as lions. Because cannons didn't just kill the enemy. Sudden sparks, too much gunpowder… any small mistake could cause an accidental explosion. It was one of those

爸爸的手下过去常讲一些可怕的故事，讲那些脑袋被炮弹炸掉的人。 内特真是个傻瓜!他一个人肯定逃不出来!他不像Slash O'Shea那么强硬。 当Slash只有14岁的时候，他工作的商船在一场风暴中被摧毁了。 只有几个人幸存下来，包括Slash。 接下来他做了什么?他加入了英国海军。 当时，英国正与法国和西班牙进行一场激烈的战争。 斯莱士驻扎在一艘战舰上的加农炮甲板上。 他是一名火药工人，这意味着他的工作是将沉重的爆炸性火药袋快速送到装填大炮的人那里。 粉猴必须像真猴子一样小巧敏捷，像狮子一样勇敢。 因为大炮不仅能杀死敌人。 突然的火花，太多的火药，任何一个小错误都可能导致意外爆炸。 这就是其中之一

fiery accidents that left Slash without his right hand. After that, the navy didn't want him anymore. But Slash didn't curl up like a little shrimp. No! He went on to be the greatest pirate ever! Thinking about Slash calmed Nate down a bit, and put that strong, shimmering feeling inside his chest again. Nate closed his eyes and pictured Papa's face. He tried to imagine Eliza's hand gripping his. When Nate finally opened his eyes, the explosions had faded. The smoke had mostly cleared. Those British warships must have sailed away. Nate unpeeled himself from the stone wall. Now he just wanted to get out of this battlefield. And if he couldn't escape on a boat, he'd just have to walk. The whiff of gunpowder still prickled Nate's nose. But the danger seemed to have passed. The soldiers on the streets were back to work with their shovels and axes. Nate walked north, hoping

惨烈的事故让Slash失去了右手。 从那以后，海军就不再要他了。 但是Slash并没有像小虾一样蜷缩起来。 不!他后来成为了有史以来最伟大的海盗!想到Slash, Nate平静了一点，把那种强烈的、闪烁的感觉再次放在他的胸膛里。 内特闭上眼睛，想象着爸爸的脸。 他试着想象伊丽莎的手握着他的手。 当内特终于睁开眼睛时，爆炸声已经消失了。 烟基本上散了。 那些英国军舰一定是开走了。 内特从石墙上爬了下来。 现在他只想离开这个战场。 如果他不能坐船逃跑，他就只能走路了。 火药的气味仍然刺痛着内特的鼻子。 但是危险似乎已经过去了。 街上的士兵们拿着铁锹和斧头回来干活了。 内特满怀希望地向北走去

to find the road out of the city. He passed a big lawn that had been turned into a huge army camp. Every inch of grass was covered with tents — row after crooked row of the grimiest, droopiest tents Nate had ever seen. Nate wove through a crowd of soldiers building an enormous wall out of dirt and rocks. A man's voice shouted out from somewhere behind him.

找到出城的路。 他经过一大片草坪，那里已经变成了一个巨大的军营。 每一寸草地上都盖满了帐篷——一排又一排歪歪斜斜的帐篷是内特从未见过的最肮脏、最下垂的。 内特穿过一群士兵，他们用泥土和岩石建造了一堵巨大的墙。 一个男人的声音从他身后传来。

"Nate!" Nate ignored it. There had to be dozens of Nathaniels in this city. But then the voice shouted out again. "Nathaniel Fox!" Nate's heart stopped. His mind spun until he understood who it had to be: one of Storch's men! His wretched uncle had a whole crew of muscled bullies he hired to collect money from people who owed him. And now one of those men had tracked Nate down. He was going to drag him back to Storch for more beatings. Nate took off in a panic. He sprinted across the street. He had just made it when a strong hand grabbed hold of the back of his shirt. Nate wriggled and squirmed until he wrenched himself free. He whirled around and raised his fists, ready to fight.

“奈特!”内特没有理会。这个城市里肯定有几十个纳撒尼尔。 但那个声音又喊了出来。 “纳撒尼尔·福克斯!”内特的心跳停止了。 他的脑子转来转去，直到他明白那一定是谁:是斯托奇的人!他那卑鄙的叔叔雇了一帮肌肉发达的恶霸向欠他钱的人讨债。 现在其中一个人找到了内特。 他要把他拖回斯托奇再打一顿。 内特惊慌失措地离开了。他飞快地穿过街道。 他刚跑出来，就有一只有力的手抓住了他的衬衫后面。 内特扭动着，扭动着，终于挣脱了。 他转过身来，举起拳头，准备战斗。

He lifted his chin and stared dead-on into the face of the man chasing him. And then Nate's mouth fell open in shock. It was a young soldier with a goofy, gaptoothed smile. A mop of bright red curls spilled out from under a crumpled green triangle hat. Before Nate could say anything, the man grabbed Nate into a crushing, joyful hug. It was his old friend from Papa's crew: Paul Dobbins.

他抬起下巴，直勾勾地盯着那个追他的人的脸。 然后内特吓得张大了嘴。 那是一个年轻的士兵，脸上挂着一副傻乎乎的、咧着嘴笑的笑容。 一头鲜红色的卷发从一顶皱巴巴的绿色三角帽下露出来。 内特还没来得及说话，那人就一把抓住内特，快乐地拥抱了他一下。 是他爸爸手下的老朋友保罗·杜宾斯。