Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15 ABOUT FOUR MONTHS LATER MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 1964 120 MILES NORTH OF VALDEZ, NEAR THE COPPER RIVER Jackson gripped his fishing pole, gave it a jiggle. Drops of sweat trickled down his back. It was very hot today—50 degrees! He shouldn't have worn

第十五章大约四个月后，1964年8月10日，星期一，在瓦尔迪兹以北120英里处，靠近铜河的地方，杰克逊抓住他的鱼竿，摇了摇。 汗珠从他背上滴落下来。 今天很热——50度！他不该穿的

his flannel shirt. But it was still a perfect summer day in the bush. Birds chattered from the trees. An eagle soared overhead. Jackson breathed in the familiar summer smells—pine, wildflowers, river water. He looked proudly at the bucket of fish he'd caught for dinner. And then he spotted something moving just across the river. A very large animal. A grizzly! Jackson's whole body tensed… but then he relaxed. It was summer, he reminded himself. That bear had plenty of food. The river was wide and deep here, the water rushing fast. Grizzlies were good swimmers. But there was no reason for that bear to make a dangerous journey to cross. Still, Jackson backed away slowly. He kept his eyes on the bear as he crouched down behind a bush. He sucked in his breath as a flash of pain shot through his ankle. It had mostly healed,

他的法兰绒衬衫。但这仍然是一个完美的夏日丛林。 鸟儿在树上叽叽喳喳地叫着。 一只鹰在头顶翱翔。杰克逊呼吸着熟悉的夏日气息——松木、野花和河水。 他骄傲地看着他钓到的一桶鱼。 然后他发现河对岸有东西在动。 非常大的动物。灰熊!杰克逊整个身体都绷紧了，但后来又放松了。 现在是夏天，他提醒自己。 那只熊有很多食物。 这里的河水又宽又深，水流湍急。 灰熊是游泳好手。 但这只熊没有理由进行一次危险的旅行。 不过，杰克逊还是慢慢地后退了。 他蹲在灌木丛后，眼睛一直盯着那只熊。 他吸了一口气，一阵剧痛穿过他的脚踝。 它已经基本愈合了，

thanks to two surgeries in the hospital in Anchorage. But it still ached sometimes. Jackson watched the bear through the bushes. It was small but looked healthy. Its light-brown fur was thick and glossy. Jackson's mouth dropped open when he noticed that part of the grizzly's ear was missing. A chill ran up his spine. Could it be? The bear turned, and Jackson saw a patch of bare flesh on its back. The skin looked scarred, like it had been burned. His eyes widened and his heart sped up. It's you, Jackson thought. The winter bear. Jackson watched in awe as the bear drank from the river. It lifted its big head and looked around. It was enjoying this bright day just like Jackson was. And then it turned and trotted off into the woods.

多亏了安克雷奇医院的两次手术 但有时还是会疼。 杰克逊看着熊穿过灌木丛。 它很小，但看起来很健康。 它浅棕色的皮毛又厚又有光泽。 当杰克逊注意到灰熊的耳朵少了一部分时，他张大了嘴。 一阵寒意袭上他的脊背。是吗？ 熊转过身来，杰克逊看到它背上有一块光秃秃的肉。 皮肤看起来伤痕累累，像是被烧伤过。 他睁大眼睛，心跳加速。 是你，杰克逊想。 冬熊。杰克逊敬畏地看着熊喝着河里的水。 它抬起它的大脑袋，环顾四周。 它像杰克逊一样享受着这晴朗的一天。 然后它转身小跑着跑进了树林。

Jackson barely noticed the tears rolling down his cheeks. That bear had been through so much. But here it was, strong and healthy. Just like Jackson. He'd made it through the most powerful earthquake in United States history. The quake had wrecked parts of downtown Anchorage and towns and villages across Alaska. Monster tsunamis smashed into Kodiak, Seward, and Whittier. The worst was in the small village of Chenega. A wall of water more than 70 feet high practically wiped the village off the earth.

杰克逊几乎没有注意到眼泪顺着脸颊流下来。 那只熊经历了太多。 但它就在这里，强壮而健康。 就像杰克逊一样。他挺过了美国历史上最强烈的地震。 地震摧毁了安克雷奇市中心的部分地区以及阿拉斯加各地的城镇和村庄。 巨大的海啸袭击了科迪亚克、苏厄德和惠蒂尔。 最严重的是在小村庄Chenega。 70多英尺高的水墙几乎把村庄从地球上冲走了。

Luckily, the waves that hit Valdez after the quake were just a few feet high. They flooded the downtown, but by then the worst was over. And Jackson and the other kids were safe in Miss Lawrence's car. She'd spotted them as they hurried up Alaska Avenue. She'd driven them out of town, zigzagging around fissures and fallen

幸运的是，地震后袭击瓦尔迪兹的海浪只有几英尺高。 洪水淹没了市中心，但最糟糕的时候已经过去了。 杰克逊和其他孩子在劳伦斯小姐的车里是安全的。 他们匆匆走过阿拉斯加大道时，她发现了他们。 她把他们赶出了城，绕着裂缝曲折而下

telephone poles, stopping to pick up other dazed and bloody people. They wound up at a campsite about six miles from town. Dozens of other people from Valdez had fled to that spot, too. People were terrified that other waves would strike. Or aftershocks—strong jolts that could destroy the buildings already weakened by the first quake. Jackson's chest got tight as he thought about that long night. He walked back to the river and splashed his face with the cold river water. But more memories came flooding back. The earsplitting roar of the quake that rang in his ears for days. The desperate voices of people calling out for their children, their parents, their friends. The angry glow of the fires that erupted in Valdez when giant oil tanks exploded. Worst of all was the terror of thinking he might never see Mom or Dad or Uncle Solly again.

电线杆，停下来接其他晕头转向、浑身是血的人。 他们最后来到了离城镇约六英里的一个露营地。 瓦尔迪兹还有几十人也逃到了那里。 人们害怕其他海浪会袭来。 或者是余震——强烈的震动可能会摧毁已经在第一次地震中受损的建筑物。 回想起那个漫长的夜晚，杰克逊的胸口紧绷着。 他走回河边，把冰冷的河水泼在脸上。 但更多的记忆涌上心头。 震耳欲聋的震耳欲聋的震耳欲聋的震耳欲聋的震耳欲聋的震耳欲聋的震耳欲聋。 人们绝望地呼喊着他们的孩子，他们的父母，他们的朋友。 当巨大的油罐爆炸时，瓦尔迪兹爆发出愤怒的火焰。 最糟糕的是，一想到他可能再也见不到爸爸妈妈或萨利叔叔了，他就感到恐惧。