2 Seals in a Storm

Chapter 2 Seals in a Storm Max felt a gentle thud as Wind Rider dropped anchor near the rocks. The flippered sea animals turned their curious, puppylike faces toward the boat and greeted it with a chorus of grunts and barks.

第2章风暴中的海豹风骑士在岩石附近抛锚时，马克斯感到一阵轻微的撞击。 这些长着鳍的海洋动物把它们好奇的、小狗一样的脸转向小船，用咕噜声和吠叫的合唱迎接它。

Max studied their faces and spotted fur. "They are seals! And do you see their short muzzles? I think they're harbor seals!" he said. "Really?" said Sofia. "I was hoping to see harbor seals in Starry Bay this summer!" Max grinned. "I guess they have them in Scotland, too." Six spotted seals rested on the rocks, watching the kids with their shiny black eyes. One sniffed the air while another settled lazily back down, rolling sideways

马克斯仔细研究了它们的脸和斑点皮毛。 “它们是海豹！”你看到它们的短口鼻了吗？ 我想它们是海豹！”他说。 “真的吗？”索菲亚说。“我希望今年夏天能在星空湾看到海豹！”马克斯咧嘴一笑。 “我想苏格兰也有。” 六只斑点海豹在岩石上休息，用它们闪亮的黑眼睛看着孩子们。 一只嗅了嗅空气，另一只懒洋洋地落了下来，滚向一边

as if to say, No worries. They look friendly. Max pointed at a seal that lay on its belly, lifting its head and tail off the ground. "That one is shaped like a banana," he said, chuckling. The seal barked, as if in response. A gust of wind swept across the sea, and the kite bobbed upward—along with every seal head. "They like the kite!" Max said. He untied the string from the rail and let out more line, and the kite fluttered higher above the seals. They stared at it, scooching forward to get a closer look. "Maybe they think it's a bird."

好像在说，别担心。他们看起来很友好。 马克斯指着一只海豹，它趴在地上，抬起头和尾巴离开地面。 “那个形状像香蕉，”他笑着说。 海豹汪汪地叫着，好像是作为回应。 一阵风吹过海面，风筝和每一个海豹头一起浮了起来。 “他们喜欢风筝！”马克斯说。 他把线从栏杆上解开，放了更多的线，风筝在海豹上空更高地飘扬着。 他们盯着它看，凑过去凑近看。 “也许他们认为那是一只鸟。”

Sofia laughed. "Maybe. Oh look, there's a baby!" She pointed as a seal—shorter and slightly less round than the others—nosed its way past its mother. Keeping its eyes on the kite, the pup lunged forward—and tumbled off the rock. Seconds later, its sleek head popped out of the waves. It splashed in a playful circle before its mother barked, calling it back out of the water. Sofia's heart leaped. "It's so cute. I could watch it for hours!" "Me too," said Max, but he shivered as he spoke. "At least until I turn into a Popsicle. It's cold here. Should we look for jackets belowdecks?" Sofia hesitated, but when the seals slid into the water—one by one—she sighed. "Yes, let's go see. Maybe we'll find clues down there about why Wind Rider brought us here!" Max strode toward the hatch, winding up the line of his kite as he walked. Like the deck above, the cabin of the sailboat looked shiny and new. The wooden shelf that held the turtle eggshell and macaw feathers gleamed in the light that poured through the portholes. Near the shelf, Sofia spotted a thick atlas resting on a table. The book flipped open and the pages flew, settling on a page showing a green mass of land surrounded on both sides and above

索非亚笑了。“也许。哦，看，有个婴儿！”她指了指一只海豹——比其他海豹更短，也略不那么圆——用鼻子从妈妈身边走过。 它的眼睛一直盯着风筝，小狗向前冲去，从岩石上滚了下来。 几秒钟后，它光滑的头从波浪中伸出来。 在它的妈妈叫着把它从水里叫出来之前，它嬉闹着打了一个圈。 索菲亚的心怦怦直跳。“它太可爱了。 我可以看几个小时！”“我也是。”马克斯说，但他说话时打了个寒颤。 “至少在我变成冰棍之前。 这里很冷。我们应该在甲板下面找夹克吗？”索菲亚犹豫了一下，但当海豹一只接一只地滑入水中时，她叹了口气。 “是的，我们去看看。也许我们会在下面找到线索，知道风骑士为什么带我们来这里！”马克斯大步走向舱口，一边走一边把风筝线收好。 和上面的甲板一样，帆船的船舱看起来又亮又新。 装着龟壳和金刚鹦鹉羽毛的木架子在从舷窗射进来的光线中闪闪发光。 在书架附近，索菲亚看到一张桌子上放着一本厚厚的地图集。 书翻开了，书页飞了起来，落在一页上，两边和上面都是一片绿色的土地

by blue sea. "Aha!" said Sofia, slapping the page. "We are in Scotland." Behind her, Max yelped. When Sofia turned, she saw him standing beside a huge wooden chest. It was decorated with carvings of animals and always seemed to hold just what they needed for each adventure. Max was tugging a woolen sweater over his head, but he appeared to be stuck. "Can I mumble, mumble, mumble?"

蔚蓝的大海。“啊哈！”索非亚说，拍了拍那页纸。 “我们在苏格兰。”麦克斯在她身后大叫。 索菲亚转过身来，看见他站在一个巨大的木箱子旁边。 它装饰着动物的雕刻，似乎总是能容纳他们每次冒险所需要的东西。 马克斯把一件羊毛衫套在头上，但他似乎被卡住了。 “我能喃喃自语，喃喃自语，喃喃自语吗？”

"Huh?" Sofia laughed as she pulled down gently on Max's sweater. Finally, his freckled face popped out the top. "I said, can I get a little help here?" said Max. "Whew! This sweater is snug, but it sure is warm." The sea-blue sweater felt sturdy, yet light and soft. "There's one for you, too." Max tossed Sofia a reddish-orange sweater. She pulled hers on. "So I guess Wind Rider knew we'd be cold," she said. "Yes, and I have a feeling we'll be getting wet," Max announced. He pulled two life jackets out of the trunk, along with rain jackets. "Very wet." Sofia laughed out loud. "It looks like it!" "But what's with this big orange backpack?" asked Max. He lugged it out of the trunk, and it seemed stuffed full. As he started to unzip it, Sofia stopped him. "It's not a backpack," she said. She pointed to the words printed on the front. "'Inflatable kayak,'" Max read. "Really? Cool!" "Look, paddles!" Sofia announced, pulling them from the trunk. "And wet suits, too." Max dug deeper and found some cozy cushions and extra-thick blankets. "Ooh, pool noodles! Are we going to be giving swimming lessons to someone?" He pulled

“嗯?”索菲亚笑着，轻轻地把马克斯的毛衣拉下来。 最后，他那张布满雀斑的脸从上面蹦了出来。 “我说，你能帮我个忙吗？”麦克斯说。 “嘘!这件毛衣很舒服，但确实很暖和。” 这件海蓝色的毛衣摸起来结实，又轻又软。 “也有一个给你的。” 马克斯扔给索菲亚一件橙红色的毛衣。 她穿上了她的。“所以我猜风骑士知道我们会很冷，”她说。 “是的，我觉得我们要淋湿了。”麦克斯宣布。 他从后备箱里拿出两件救生衣和雨衣。 “非常湿。”索菲亚大声笑了起来。 “看起来是这样！”“但是这个橙色的大背包是怎么回事？”麦克斯问。 他把它从后备箱里拖了出来，里面似乎塞满了东西。 当他开始打开拉链时，索菲亚阻止了他。 “这不是一个背包，”她说。 她指着印在正面的字。 “‘充气皮艇’，”马克斯念道。 “真的吗?酷!”“看,桨!”索菲亚宣布道，把他们从后备箱里拉出来。 “还有潜水服。”麦克斯挖得更深，找到了一些舒适的靠垫和加厚的毯子。 “哦，泳池面！”我们要给别人上游泳课吗？”他把