57 THE FIRE

CHAPTER 57 THE FIRE Strange sounds were echoing from the far side of the pond. What started as a low murmur gradually swelled to a chorus of terrified voices. There was an eerie glow in that part of the forest, and a thick plume of smoke began rising up from the snowy treetops. Roz charged across the ice and found the second lodge completely engulfed by a raging fire. Frightened animals were running in every direction, fleeing for their lives through the deep snow. "What happened?" shouted Roz as Broadfoot galloped wildly past. "We put too many logs in the fire pit!" he said without stopping. "The flames climbed up to the ceiling!" "My baby is still in there!" cried a mother hare, pointing at the burning lodge. "Somebody help! Please!" Roz didn't hesitate. She plowed through the snow

第五十七章火奇怪的声音从池塘的另一边回响着。 一开始是低低的窃窃私语，后来逐渐变成了一阵惊恐的合唱。 森林的那一部分有一种怪异的光芒，一股浓浓的烟雾开始从白雪皑皑的树梢上升起。 罗兹冲过冰面，发现第二间小屋完全被熊熊大火吞没了。 受惊的动物们四散奔逃，在厚厚的积雪中逃命。 “发生了什么事？”罗兹喊道，这时布罗德富特狂奔而过。 “我们在火坑里放了太多的木头！”他不停地说。 “火焰爬上了天花板！”“我的孩子还在里面！”一只兔子妈妈指着燃烧的小屋喊道。 “有人的帮助!请!”罗兹没有犹豫。 她在雪地里犁地前进

and ducked into the lodge. Flames and smoke were everywhere. A tall stack of logs blazed in the fire pit. And in the far corner, a tiny ball of fur was shaking with fear. Crouching low, the robot wound her way beneath the smoke and around the flames and gently scooped up the young hare. "Do not worry!" Roz yelled over the roar of the fire. "You are going to be okay!" She turned to leave, but the doorway had started to crumble. So she shielded the hare with her body and smashed right through the walls of the lodge. Sizzling pieces of wood went flying as the robot and the hare burst outside into the soft snow. "Oh, darling, you're all right!" cried the mother hare, pulling her daughter close. "Thank you for saving my baby, Roz!" Now that everyone was safely away, the robot turned her attention to putting out the fire. Her glowing eyes darted around as she computed a plan. Then, with all the strength in her legs, Roz launched herself high up into the snowy branches of the nearest pine tree. A moment later, the tree was shaking violently and heaps of snow were sliding from its branches and pouring onto the flames like an

然后躲进了小屋。 到处都是火焰和烟雾。 一堆高高的圆木在火坑里燃烧着。 在远处的角落里，一个毛茸茸的小球害怕地颤抖着。 机器人蹲得很低，在烟雾中绕着火焰蜿蜒而行，轻轻地把小兔子抱起来。 “别担心！”罗兹在大火的轰鸣声中大声喊叫。 “你会没事的！”她转身要离开，但门口已经开始坍塌。 所以她用自己的身体挡住了兔子，直接砸穿了小屋的墙。 机器人和兔子冲到外面柔软的雪地里，木头哗哗地飞起来。 “哦，亲爱的，你没事了！”兔妈妈叫道，把女儿拉近了。 “谢谢你救了我的孩子，罗兹！”既然每个人都安全离开了，机器人就把注意力转向灭火。 她一边盘算着一个计划，一边炯炯有神的眼睛四处扫视。 然后，萝丝用尽双腿的力气，爬上了最近的一棵松树的白雪皑皑的树枝。 过了一会儿，那棵树剧烈地摇晃着，一堆堆的雪从树枝上滑下来，像洪水一样倾泻在火焰上

avalanche. Steam hissed up through the smothering mound of snow. The flames quickly died, the snow quickly melted, and within minutes all that remained was the charred foundation of the lodge. Roz dropped down from the tree and waited as the frightened animals slowly returned. Then she said to them, "Would you like another lodge?" The animals looked at one another, unsure of what to do. Understandably, they were afraid of another fire breaking out. But they were far more afraid of the deadly cold. So they pulled together and worked with Roz and built a bigger, better lodge on top of the old one. It had a taller ceiling and a deeper fire pit, it was made with more rock and less wood, and it had a supply of water for emergencies. But the most important safety features of this rebuilt lodge were the lodgers themselves, who now had a whole new respect for fire.

雪崩。蒸汽从令人窒息的雪堆中嘶嘶地冒出来。 火焰很快熄灭，雪很快融化，几分钟后只剩下烧焦的小屋地基。 罗兹从树上下来，等着受惊的动物们慢慢回来。 然后她对他们说：“你们想要另一个小屋吗？”动物们面面相觑，不知道该怎么办。 可以理解的是，他们害怕再次发生火灾。 但他们更害怕刺骨的寒冷。 于是他们齐心协力，和罗兹一起在老房子的基础上建了一个更大更好的小屋。 它有一个更高的天花板和一个更深的火坑，它是用更多的岩石和更少的木材建造的，它有一个紧急情况下的水供应。 但是这个重建的小屋最重要的安全特征是房客们自己，他们现在对火有了全新的尊重。