51 THE AIRSHIP

CHAPTER 51 THE AIRSHIP The sun was up and our friends were on the move. They were traveling quickly and quietly along a narrow strip of forest that cut between vast crop fields. If not for that nagging fear of being spotted, it would have been a very pleasant hike. Wind whispered through the leaves. Insects hummed and chirped. Farm machines rumbled in the distance. And then there came a new sound. A buzzing sound. Our friends hid in the underbrush as an airship rose up from the horizon, ahead of them. It was a sleek white triangle, flying low and fast. Roz adjusted her vision and saw familiar robots gazing out the front window. RECO 1, RECO 2, and RECO 3 had been destroyed back on the island. Perhaps these robots were RECOs 4, 5, and 6? "They're flying toward Hilltop Farm," said Brightbill.

第五十一章飞艇太阳出来了，我们的朋友们出发了。 他们沿着大片农田之间的一条狭窄的森林地带快速而安静地行进着。 如果不是因为担心被发现，这将是一次非常愉快的徒步旅行。 风在树叶间低语。 昆虫嗡嗡地叫着。 农用机器在远处隆隆作响。 然后又传来了新的声音。 嗡嗡的声音。当一艘飞艇从地平线上升起时，我们的朋友们躲在灌木丛中。 那是一个光滑的白色三角形，飞得又低又快。 罗兹调整了一下视力，看到熟悉的机器人正凝视着前面的窗户。 侦察兵1号，侦察兵2号和侦察兵3号都在岛上被摧毁了。 也许这些机器人是reco 4、5和6？ “他们正飞向山顶农场，”布莱特比尔说。

"We need to keep moving," said Roz. The airship disappeared to the south and the travelers continued north at a faster pace. They hurried through more strips of forest, passing squirrels and birds and groundhogs and other friendly creatures. But the robot and the goose had no time to chat. Later that day, the trees came to an abrupt end. Roz and Brightbill stood at the forest edge and faced an ocean of wheat. The wheat was still young and green. It gently waved in the wind, and spread out as far as they could see. "What should we do?" asked Brightbill. "We need to keep moving," said Roz, staring across the plains. "But I am not safe in the open. There must be more trees out there somewhere." "I'll take a look," said Brightbill, and the goose launched himself skyward. Up, up, up he went, high into the air, until he finally stopped and floated, just a tiny winged shape against the blue, and then he dove back to his mother. "There are trees in that direction," said Brightbill, pointing. "It's far, about thirty minutes at top speed." "Then we had better get started," said Roz.

“我们需要继续前进，”罗兹说。 飞艇消失在南方，旅行者继续以更快的速度向北。 他们匆匆穿过更多的林带，路过松鼠、鸟、土拨鼠和其他友好的动物。 但是机器人和鹅没有时间聊天。 那天晚些时候，树木突然消失了。 罗兹和布莱特比尔站在森林边缘，面对着一片小麦的海洋。 小麦还很嫩，还很绿。 它在风中轻轻摆动，向远处伸展开去，直到他们能看到的地方。 “我们该怎么办？”布莱特比尔问。 “我们得继续前进，”罗兹说，眼睛盯着整个平原。 “但是我在户外不安全。 外面一定有更多的树。” “我去看看，”布莱特比尔说，母鹅飞向了天空。 他飞啊飞，飞啊飞，飞到空中，最后他停了下来，漂浮在空中，在蓝色的天空中只有一个小小的翅膀，然后他飞回妈妈身边。 “那个方向有树，”布莱特比尔指着说。 “距离很远，以最快速度大约要30分钟。” “那我们最好开始吧，”罗兹说。

Our friends burst out from the underbrush, the robot sprinting through the field, the goose flying by her side. Roz had to concentrate to keep from slipping in the soft, muddy soil. But she stomped on, and far ahead, another line of trees slowly climbed into view. Brightbill suddenly swooped up and out of sight as his mother kept running. Then he lowered back down beside her and squawked, "The airship is returning!" Behind them, a tiny white triangle rose up from the horizon. It was growing larger and louder by the second. If Roz was seen, her newfound freedom, and her life, would be over. She couldn't take any chances. "Go on without me!" hollered the robot, and she dropped to the ground. Brightbill hoped his mother knew what she was doing, and he flew on without her. Once he reached the trees he perched himself on a branch and looked back. His mother had vanished. The airship, however, seemed to fill the sky. Its shadow flitted across the ground where Roz had just been. But the ship didn't see her, and it detected no electronic signal, so it kept going, racing above the trees and over the next field.

我们的朋友们从灌木丛中冲了出来，机器人在田野中疾跑，鹅在她身边飞翔。 罗兹必须集中精力，以免在松软泥泞的土地上滑倒。 但她还是继续往前走，远处，另一排树慢慢地爬进了视野。 布莱特比尔突然猛扑起来，在他妈妈不停地跑着的时候消失了。 然后他回到她身边，大声叫道：“飞艇要回来了！”在他们身后，一个小小的白色三角形从地平线上升起。 这声音越来越大，越来越响。 如果罗兹被发现，她新获得的自由和她的生活就完了。 她不能冒任何风险。 “你走吧，别管我！”机器人喊道，然后倒在地上。 布莱特比尔希望他的母亲知道她在做什么，于是他独自飞了起来。 一到树下，他就坐在一根树枝上回头看。 他的母亲不见了。然而，飞艇似乎充满了天空。 它的影子掠过罗兹刚才所在的地面。 但是飞船没有看到她，也没有探测到任何电子信号，所以它继续前进，在树林上方和下一片田野上飞驰。

Its engine noise gradually faded, and it disappeared to the north. "You can come out, Ma!" squawked Brightbill from his branch. A column of wheat stood up in the field. The robot had rushed her camouflage, and it crumbled off her body when she started to march. As she approached the trees, Roz looked at Brightbill in the branches and said, "We need to keep moving."

它的发动机噪音逐渐减弱，消失在北方。 “你可以出来了，妈妈！”布莱特比尔在树枝上尖声叫道。 田里立着一株麦柱。 机器人冲向了她的迷彩服，当她开始行军时，迷彩服从她身上摔了下来。 当她走近树林时，罗兹看着树枝上的布莱特比尔说：“我们得继续走了。”