Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 The cats left Number 10 as the summer sun was beginning to fade. They followed their noses through a warren of alleyways down to the river, towards the Sour Saucer. The riverside milk bar (a bit like a human pub) was directly underneath Blackfriars bridge on the north side of the Thames. It was right near the waterline, and almost completely hidden from human eyes. It

第五章夏天的太阳开始下山时，猫离开了唐宁街10号。 他们顺着鼻子走，穿过一条错综复杂的小巷，来到河边，朝酸碟餐厅走去。 河边的牛奶酒吧（有点像人类酒吧）就在泰晤士河北侧的黑衣修士桥正下方。 它就在水线附近，几乎完全隐藏在人类的视线之外。 它

had been there since Victorian times and was the legendary stop off where scores of thirsty animals used to have their final drink before boarding ships bound for lives in the new worlds of America or Australia. All animals were welcome: cats, rats, dogs, you name it. They all drank (and fought) here. It took its name from the beverage that had made the milk bar famous. It was said that if you could drink the sour saucer of milk in one go without turning green, you were worthy of a place on board a ship. If not, you had to walk the plank from the bar, straight out, SPLASH, into the Thames. Toto and Silver could hear fog horns and the sound of seagulls squawking as they

从维多利亚时代起就在那里，是传说中的中转站，几十只口渴的动物在登船前往美洲或澳大利亚的新世界之前，会在这里喝上最后一杯水。 所有的动物都受到欢迎：猫，老鼠，狗，你能想到的。 他们都在这里喝酒（打架）。 它的名字来源于使牛奶棒出名的饮料。 据说，如果你能一口气喝完那碟酸牛奶而不脸色发青，你就值得在船上呆上一段时间。 如果没有，你就得从酒吧走跳板，直接出来，扑通一声，跳进泰晤士河。 托托和西尔弗可以听到雾笛和海鸥的叫声

descended the steps to the entrance of the milk bar. The sun had set now and there was a chilly summer fog where the warm air met the cold river. They could just about see the lights from the top of the Shard in one direction and the Houses of Parliament in the other. 'Ok, sis, I'll do the talking, said Silver. 'It's the one thing I know I can do. "That's probably for the best, replied Toto. 'I'll only be able to see this Elias Copinger up close, and me going from cat to cat staring might draw attention to us!' 'Quite right. You stay by the door and let me scope the place. I'll call you over when I've found the guy. Just one thing though, Silver, you can

走下台阶来到牛奶吧的入口。 太阳已经落山了，温暖的空气和冰冷的河水交汇的地方，起了一层凉飕飕的夏雾。 他们只能从一个方向看到碎片大厦顶部的灯光，从另一个方向看到国会大厦。 “好吧，姐姐，我来谈，”西尔弗说。 “我知道这是我唯一能做的事。 “这也许是最好的办法，”托托回答说。 “我只能近距离地看到这个伊莱亚斯·科彭格，我从一只猫到另一只猫地盯着看，可能会引起大家的注意！””“完全正确。 你守在门边，让我看看这个地方。 我找到那个人就叫你过去。 不过有一件事，小银，你可以

talk for Italy... Please DON'T talk your way into trouble. Just use the code word for the all important information and then we can get out of here. 'Trust me, Silver said with a wink as he opened the door, and together the cats slipped into the dim room beyond. The packed bar had a low ceiling with wooden beams and it was lit completely by candle light. There were several long tables in the centre of the room and countless booths in the nooks and crannies along the walls where the patrons ate and drank and whispered in the shadows to each other. A band made up of two cats on violins, a Saint Bernard dog on double bass, and a skinny rat on accordion played in the left corner.

为意大利说话……请不要说大话惹上麻烦。 把所有重要的信息都用暗号，然后我们就可以离开这里了。 “相信我，”西尔弗打开门，眨眨眼说，两只猫一起溜进了后面那间昏暗的房间。 酒吧里挤满了人，天花板很低，有木梁，全靠烛光照明。 房间中央摆着几张长桌，墙边的角落和缝隙里有无数的小隔间，顾客们在那里吃吃喝喝，在阴影里互相窃窃私语。 两只猫拉小提琴，一只圣伯纳犬拉低音提琴，一只瘦老鼠拉手风琴，乐队在左角演奏。