14 The Caest of Souls

14. THE CHEST OF SOULS In the darkness, Matilda's hands closed around the object Bones had dropped. It was the key! But the thuds and shouts of the pirate crew were getting ever louder and closer. Suddenly, Matilda could see candlelight bouncing against the joists and feet tumbling down some steps. "Quick, Bones, we'd better hide!" she whispered, but Bones had already disappeared. Matilda was on her own.

14. 在黑暗中，玛蒂尔达的双手紧握着骨头掉在地上的东西。 这是钥匙！但是海盗们的砰砰声和喊叫声越来越响，越来越近。 突然，玛蒂尔达看见烛光在屋梁上跳动，脚从台阶上滚下来。 “快点，骨头，我们最好躲起来！”她小声说，但骨头已经不见了。 玛蒂尔达只能靠自己了。

And then it was too late. A huddle of ghostly pirates wielding cutlasses, muskets, and lanterns had spotted her and were advancing. "We've found that key, Cap'in!" shouted a scrawny pirate who was missing an arm. "But it looks like we've got a stowaway. Ye'd better come see!"

然后一切都太晚了。一群挥舞着弯刀、火枪和灯笼的幽灵般的海盗发现了她，正在向她前进。 “我们找到钥匙了，船长！”一个失去了一只胳膊的骨瘦如柴的海盗喊道。 “但看起来我们有一个偷渡者。 你最好过来看看！”

More ghost pirates swarmed into the gun deck, armed to the teeth and chattering excitedly. But as soon as they saw Matilda, they stopped in their tracks. Then louder thuds sounded and the steps groaned under a heavy weight. The pirate crowd parted and Twirlybeard

更多的幽灵海盗涌进炮台，全副武装，兴奋地叽叽喳喳。 但他们一看到玛蒂尔达，就停住了脚步。 接着是更大的砰砰声，沉重的脚步声发出了呻吟声。 海盗们分开了，旋须离开了

appeared. He was followed by his first mate, who had a firm hold of Jim. "Look, lads," Twirlybeard said with a laugh. "It appears that Jim's wee doggy has turned itself into a young lady...." The pirates giggled, twitching ner- vously and gripping their weapons tight. "But us piratin' types are a superstitious lot, and we don't like no girls on our ships. Shall we throw 'er overboard?" The pirates roared their approval. "TOSS 'ER IN THE SEA!" "FREE 'ER TO THE SHARKS!" "Give me that key, girl, and it'll save ye a drenchin'," said Twirlybeard as softly as he could.

出现了。跟在他后面的是他的大副，他牢牢地抓住了吉姆。 “听着，伙计们。”旋转胡子笑着说。 “看来吉姆的小狗变成了一位年轻女士....” 海盗们咯咯地笑着，紧张地抽搐着，紧紧地抓着武器。 “但是我们这些海盗都很迷信，我们不喜欢船上没有女孩子。 我们把它扔到海里好吗？”海盗们咆哮着表示赞同。 “把她扔进海里！”“把她给鲨鱼！”“把钥匙给我，姑娘，这样你就不用淋雨了。”旋转胡子尽量轻声地说。

Matilda held the key close and looked at Jim, struggling in the arms of the first mate. But he wasn't looking at her. He was looking beyond her, wide-eyed, to the far corner of the gun deck. She turned to see what had caught his attention. There, glistening in the dim glow of the crew's lanterns, was a huge briny chest, entwined in ropes and chains and covered in barnacles.... The Chest of Souls!

玛蒂尔达紧紧握住钥匙，看着在大副怀里挣扎的吉姆。 但他没有看她。 他睁大眼睛望着船的另一边，望着炮台远处的角落。 她转过身去看看是什么引起了他的注意。 在船员灯笼的微光下，一个巨大的箱子闪闪发光，上面缠着绳子和链子，爬满了藤壶.... 灵魂之箱！