Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 JUNE 6, 1944 JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT The night was very dark, with thick clouds covering the stars. They walked along the paths Paul knew so well. The night was so quiet and peaceful it was impossible to imagine what was ahead. Those ships must already be gathered in the channel, packed with soldiers. Mr. Leon said there

第十四章1944年6月6日午夜过后夜很黑，厚厚的云层遮住了星星。 他们沿着保罗非常熟悉的小路走着。 夜晚是如此的宁静祥和，无法想象前方会发生什么。 那些船一定已经集结在海峡里了，满载着士兵。 里昂先生说

might be close to 150,000 men, not only from America and England but Canada and Greece and other countries, too. Paul thought of what it must be like for those soldiers, riding through the choppy waters in the dark. Would they get seasick? Paul had, the one time he went on a boat ride on the channel. And what would happen when they got to the beaches? The boats wouldn't be able to bring them all the way in to the land, Mr. Leon had explained. They would have to get off their boats at least a hundred yards from the beach. They would wade ashore in the freezing water, carrying their guns and supplies. Paul tried not to think of those Nazi machine guns and cannons poking out from the cliffs, like hungry beasts waiting for their prey. So instead, he thought of the question he'd been meaning to ask Mr. Leon since he arrived at the castle.

可能有近15万人，不仅来自美国和英国，还有加拿大、希腊和其他国家。 保罗想到那些士兵在黑暗中骑着马在波涛汹涌的水中穿行的情景。 他们会晕船吗？保罗有一次乘船在英吉利海峡上。 当他们到达海滩时会发生什么呢？ 利昂解释说，这些船不可能把他们一路带到陆地上。 他们必须在离海滩至少一百码的地方下船。 他们带着枪和补给品，在冰冷的海水中涉水上岸。 保罗尽量不去想那些从悬崖上伸出来的纳粹机关枪和大炮，就像饥饿的野兽在等待猎物。 于是，他想到了自己到达城堡后一直想问里昂先生的问题。

"Mr. Leon," he whispered. "What about that burned body they found near the tower?" He glanced at Mr. Leon, and to his surprise his teacher wore a faint smile. "We made it up," he said, stepping over a fallen branch. "The burned body was a lie, a trick. Pierre wrote up a report in the police department to make it appear official. "And it worked. Nobody came to the castle," Mr. Leon went on. He looked at Paul. "Until you showed up." "And what about the dragon?" Paul asked, pointing to a gap in a big bush they needed to pass through. "Do you think about it when you're at the castle?" Mr. Leon actually slept at the castle, Maman had said. "I do," Mr. Leon said. "Quite a bit. But not in the way you might think. In the legend, the dragon protects the castle. And when there was a war, the

“里昂先生，”他低声说。“他们在塔附近发现的那具烧焦的尸体呢？”他瞥了莱昂先生一眼，令他吃惊的是，他的老师脸上带着淡淡的微笑。 “我们和好了，”他说着，跨过了一根倒下的树枝。 “烧焦的尸体是个谎言，是个骗局。 皮埃尔在警察局写了一份报告，使它看起来是正式的。 这招奏效了。没有人来城堡，”里昂先生继续说。 他看着保罗。“直到你出现。” “那龙呢？”保罗指着他们需要穿过的大灌木丛中的一个缺口问道。 “你在城堡里的时候想过这个问题吗？”妈妈说，里昂先生实际上睡在城堡里。 “是的，”莱昂说。“相当多。 但不是你想的那样。 在传说中，龙保护着城堡。 当发生战争的时候

people of Le Roc would rush to the castle for safety." Paul thought about this. So this old castle had always been a place where people could hide from danger. "I haven't been to the tower," Mr. Leon continued. "It seems ready to crumble apart. But I've looked up there plenty of times. I haven't seen any glowing eyes, or heard any whooshing wings. To tell you the truth, though, I wouldn't mind if I did. It's lonely in that castle when I'm sleeping there at night. It's nice to think that there's something watching over me. Watching over all of us." Paul nodded. He liked that idea, too. They chatted quietly for another couple minutes, until the smell of salt water tickled Paul's nose. They were getting closer to the beach. It was time to stop talking. This was where most of the Nazis lived, and where Stroop had his headquarters. They crept along, zigzagging their

洛克城的人会冲向城堡寻求安全。” 保罗想了想。所以这座古老的城堡一直是人们躲避危险的地方。 “我还没去过那座塔，”莱昂接着说。 “它似乎准备分崩离析。 但我看过很多次了。 我没有看到任何发光的眼睛，也没有听到任何嗖嗖作响的翅膀。 不过说实话，我不介意这样做。 当我晚上睡在城堡里的时候，我觉得很孤独。 想到有什么东西在守护着我，感觉真好。 守护着我们所有人。”保罗点了点头。 他也喜欢这个主意。他们又安静地聊了几分钟，直到海水的味道使保罗的鼻子发痒。 他们离海滩越来越近了。 是时候停止说话了。 这里是大多数纳粹分子居住的地方，也是斯特鲁普总部的所在地。 他们蹑手蹑脚地走着，曲折地走着

way to the cliffs. There were Nazi guards patrolling the streets, but they looked relaxed. Some talked and joked. To them this was just a regular night. Paul thought of Hitler, sleeping peacefully, with no idea of what was about to happen. Paul led Mr. Leon over a stone wall, down a weedy path, and through another hedgerow. On the other side, the Nazis had put up barbed wire. But Mr. Leon put on thick leather gloves and took out a pair of large wire cutters. He pulled and cut the twisted, sharp-pointed wire without shredding his skin. They hiked up a steep hill, and then there they were. Ten deadly Nebelwerfers lined up in a row.

通往悬崖的路。有纳粹警卫在街上巡逻，但他们看起来很放松。 一些人在聊天和开玩笑。对他们来说，这只是一个普通的夜晚。 保罗想起了希特勒，他正安详地睡着，对即将发生的事情一无所知。 保罗领着莱昂先生翻过一堵石墙，走下一条杂草丛生的小路，穿过另一处树篱。 在另一边，纳粹已经架设了铁丝网。 但里昂先生戴上厚厚的皮手套，拿出一把大钢丝钳。 他扯断了扭曲的尖金属丝，却没有伤到自己的皮肤。 他们爬上一座陡峭的小山，然后就到了。 十个致命的尼伯维尔人排成一排。