Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 Thomas's mind was swirling. He looked at the skunk. And without really thinking, he lunged for it, grabbing it by the tail. Hisssssssss! It reared around, snapping its little jaws. Its sharp teeth almost clamped down on Thomas's cheek. "Hey!" he called. The tall man looked over at Thomas, his eyes flashing with surprise, and then fury. And then, with all of his might, Thomas hurled the skunk toward the men. Thud.

第五章托马斯的心在打转。 他看着臭鼬。他想都没想就扑过去，抓住了它的尾巴。 Hisssssssss !它转过身来，咬着它的小嘴。 它锋利的牙齿几乎咬住了托马斯的脸颊。 “嘿!”他喊道。高个子男人看着托马斯，眼睛里闪着惊讶和愤怒的光芒。 然后，托马斯使出全身的力气，把那只臭鼬扔向他们。 砰的一声。

It landed right in front of one of the horses. There was a split second of silence. And then an explosion of noise — screeching horses, shouting men, the shriek of the skunk. "Stay down!" he whispered to Birdie. But Thomas only kneeled, watching the scene of panic. The horses reared up, their heads twisting in fear as the air filled with the rotten smell. The men, coughing and gagging, struggled to calm the horses. They grabbed for the reins, dodging the horses' flying hooves.

它正好落在其中一匹马的前面。 有那么一刹那的沉默。 接着是一阵嘈杂声——马的尖叫声，人的喊叫声，臭鼬的尖叫声。 “趴下!”他小声对小鸟说。 但托马斯只是跪着，看着这惊恐的一幕。 马直立起来，空气中弥漫着腐烂的气味，它们恐惧地扭着头。 男人们咳嗽、呕吐，努力使马平静下来。 他们躲避着马蹄声，抓住缰绳。

But the horses broke free and bolted into the woods at full speed. The men shouted to each other. "Get the horses!" "Hurry!" "Just leave him!" They thundered into the woods after their animals. Thomas sat there for a few seconds, stunned and choking in the sour cloud. Then he came to his senses. He and Birdie had to get out of there! Those men could be back any second! "Come on, Birdie!" he said, ready to run. But then voices rang out in the distance. More soldiers! "Corporal Green!" a voice boomed. "Green! Where are you?" A group of five blue soldiers hurried over, led by a man with a thick silver beard. They huddled around the injured man.

但是马挣脱了，全速跑进了树林。 男人们互相叫喊着。 “把马牵来!”“快点!”“别管他!”他们轰隆隆地走进树林，追赶他们的动物。 托马斯在那里坐了几秒钟，在酸酸的云中目瞪口呆，哽咽着。 然后他恢复了理智。 他和伯蒂必须离开那里!那些人随时都可能回来!“来吧，小鸟!”他说，准备跑。 但这时远处传来了说话声。 更多的士兵!“格林下士!”一个声音响起。 “绿色!你在哪儿?”一队五名蓝衣士兵匆匆走了过来，由一个留着浓密银胡子的人领着。 他们围着受伤的人。

"It was the rebels, Captain Campbell," the bloodied soldier — Corporal Green — rasped. "They were on horseback… cavalry, I think. They attacked me, sir, back near our camp, when I was getting some firewood. They chased me here. They were halfway to killing me." "I hear reports that there could be hundreds of rebel cavalry around here," the captain said. "Let's get back to camp, before this stink kills us all!" The men helped Corporal Green to his feet. "Can you walk?" said the captain. "Yes, sir… but wait." The corporal turned and looked over to where Thomas and Birdie were hiding. Thomas huddled against the fallen tree, his heart pounding. But suddenly six sets of curious eyes were looking down at Thomas and Birdie. Birdie smiled at them, and Thomas saw their eyes soften.

“是叛军干的，坎贝尔上尉，”浑身是血的士兵——格林下士——粗声说。 “他们骑在马背上……我想是骑兵。 他们袭击了我，长官，就在我们营地附近，当时我正在拿柴火。 他们追我到这里。他们差点就杀了我。” “我听说这附近可能有数百名叛军骑兵，”上尉说。 “在这臭气把我们都害死之前，咱们赶紧回营地去吧!”士兵们扶着格林下士站了起来。 “你能走吗?”船长说。 “是的，先生……等等。”下士转身向托马斯和伯蒂躲藏的地方望去。 托马斯靠着倒下的树缩成一团，心怦怦直跳。 突然，六双好奇的眼睛俯视着托马斯和伯蒂。 伯蒂对他们笑了笑，托马斯看到他们的眼神变得柔和了。

And then Corporal Green held out his hand to Thomas. "I'm Henry," he said, shaking Thomas's hand. "Captain," Henry said, turning, "meet the boy who saved my life."

然后格林下士向托马斯伸出手。 “我是亨利，”他握着托马斯的手说。 “船长，”亨利转过身说，“来见见救了我一命的男孩。”