Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17 Rex crawled forward and tried to grab hold of the reins. But it was hopeless. The horse was running so fast the sled was practically off the ground. It rocked back and forth like a tiny boat on a storm-tossed ocean. Every time the sled hit a bump, the wood cracked and groaned. "We have to jump!" Rex screamed.

第十七章雷克斯爬上前去，想抓住缰绳。 但这是没有希望的。马跑得很快，雪橇几乎都离地了。 它像一艘小船在波涛汹涌的大海上来回摇摆。 每次雪橇碰到颠簸，木头就会裂开，发出呻吟声。 “我们必须跳下去！”雷克斯尖叫。

He was right. Any moment the sled was going to break apart. They could be trampled under the horse's hooves or crushed by the sled. "Go!" Rex cried. Heart hammering, John struggled to his feet. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and threw himself off the side. He landed hard, and rolled away as the metal sled rail sliced by him, inches from his head. John lay there, panting. Finally, he sat up. To his relief, Sven was right next to him. And Rex and Peter were behind. They all crawled closer to each other and sat in a huddle. Nobody had gotten hurt from the jump off the sled. But they were all shivering — hard. John's hands and feet were completely numb. They couldn't last out here for much longer. Rex was looking all around. "We're near the Ricker farm," he shouted.

他是对的。雪橇随时都有解体的危险。 他们可能被马蹄踩到，也可能被雪橇压碎。 “走吧!”雷克斯叫道。约翰的心砰砰直跳，挣扎着站了起来。 他闭上眼睛，屏住呼吸，跳了下去。 他重重地落在地上，然后滚开了，金属雪橇的栏杆从他身边划开，离他的头只有几英寸。 约翰躺在那里，喘着气。最后，他坐了起来。 让他松了一口气的是，斯文就在他旁边。 雷克斯和彼得在后面。 他们都靠得更近了，坐成一团。 没有人因为跳下雪橇而受伤。 但他们都在发抖——浑身发抖。 约翰的手脚完全麻木了。 他们在这里撑不了多久了。 雷克斯环顾四周。 “我们在里克农场附近了。”他喊道。

The Rickers had a real wooden house, with three rooms. "I'm pretty sure the house is right over there," Rex shouted. "Where?" Sven shouted back. Rex looked around. "Close!" John's heart sank. Close. That word meant nothing in a blizzard like this. The schoolhouse had been just a few feet away while John was staggering around the schoolyard. If Miss Ruell hadn't come to rescue him, he'd be a frozen corpse by now, buried in the snow. It would be almost impossible to find the Ricker house. It might as well be on the moon. But they had two choices: Get moving or freeze to death right here. So when Rex shouted, "Come on!" they all struggled to their feet and followed. They staggered through the wall of slashing snow and ice. The wind's nonstop scream

里克斯家有一座真正的木屋，有三个房间。 “我很确定房子就在那边，”雷克斯喊道。 “在哪里?”斯文喊道。 雷克斯环顾四周。“近!”约翰的心一沉。 关闭。在这样的暴风雪中，那个词毫无意义。 当约翰摇摇晃晃地在校园里走来走去时，校舍已经离他只有几英尺远了。 要不是鲁埃尔小姐来救他，他现在已经是一具冰冻的尸体，埋在雪里了。 要找到里克家几乎是不可能的。 还不如在月球上呢。 但他们有两个选择要么离开要么冻死在这里 所以当雷克斯喊“加油”时，他们都挣扎着站起来，跟在后面。 他们摇摇晃晃地穿过刺骨的冰雪。 风不停地尖叫

burrowed through John's skull, deep into his brain. It was taunting John, hissing at him as he tried to push his way forward. You're weak. You can't make it. You're doomed! That wind was right. John didn't belong out here in Dakota. He'd always known it. And now he'd never escape. John walked with his head down, crouched over like an old man, pushing himself through the wall of wind and ice and snow. He could make it only a few steps without falling. One of his friends would grab his arms and yank him back up. And then Rex would fall down, or Peter or Sven. And it would be John helping lift them up. On and on they went. Battered by the maniac wind. Lashed by the ground-glass ice. Falling down. Standing up. Falling down. Standing up. Colder, colder, colder.

穿过约翰的头骨，深入他的大脑。 它在嘲弄约翰，在他试图向前挤的时候对他发出嘶嘶声。 你弱。你做不到的。 你注定要失败的!风是对的。 约翰不属于达科他。 他一直都知道。现在他再也逃不掉了。 约翰走路时低着头，像个老人一样蹲着，艰难地穿过风、冰和雪的墙。 他只走了几步就摔倒了。 他的一个朋友会抓住他的胳膊，把他拉起来。 然后雷克斯就会倒下，或者彼得或者斯文。 那就是约翰帮着把他们抬起来。 他们走啊走啊。被狂暴的风吹打着。 被磨砂玻璃冰撞击。 落下来。站起来。 落下来。站起来。 更冷，更冷，更冷。

And then came a savage gust. An ice-packed whirl so furious it knocked them all down at once. And this time, not one of them could stand back up. Not even Rex. They sat there, sinking deeper into the snow. John felt the last of his body's warmth seeping out of him, like blood leaking from a deep cut. That screaming wind was right, John thought. They were doomed.

接着来了一阵狂风。 冰封的旋风如此猛烈，一下子把他们全都打倒在地。 这一次，他们没有一个人能站起来。 连雷克斯都没有。他们坐在那里，越陷越深。 约翰感到身体的最后一点温暖从他身上渗出来，就像血液从深深的伤口流出来一样。 那呼啸的风是对的，约翰想。 他们注定要失败。