63 THE ROWBOAT

CHAPTER 63 THE ROWBOAT The sun was shining, the fog was thinning, the robot was rowing. Roz was no thief, and she didn't like taking that old rowboat. But judging from its appearance, it had been abandoned years ago. She hoped it wouldn't be missed. Anybody who's rowed one of these boats knows you're supposed to face backward. That can make it tough to see where you're going. This wasn't a problem for Roz, however. She started off rowing normally, and after several strokes of the oars, her head spun around until she was facing forward. And what she saw was blue sky, and dark waves, and a sliver of green on the horizon. "We're in a bay," said Brightbill, swooping down into the boat. "To the north is that distant coastline. To the east is open water. To the west is a seaport. And to the south is the village, and the wolf." It seemed the travelers had no choice but to cross

第六十三章划艇阳光明媚，雾渐薄，机器人在划桨。 罗兹不是小偷，她也不喜欢坐那只旧划艇。 但从外观来看，它多年前就被遗弃了。 她希望不会错过。 任何划船的人都知道你应该面朝后。 这会让你很难看清自己要去哪里。 然而，这对罗兹来说不是问题。 她开始正常划桨，划桨几下后，她的头开始旋转，直到她面朝前。 她看到的是蓝色的天空，黑色的海浪，还有地平线上的一片绿色。 “我们在一个海湾里。”布莱特比尔说着，跳上了小船。 “北边是遥远的海岸线。 东面是开阔的水域。 西边是一个海港。南边是村庄，还有狼。” 旅行者们似乎别无选择，只能过河

the bay. Luckily, Roz could row long and fast. Brightbill settled in for the ride, and the robot's mechanical muscles started pumping. She pulled and pulled and pulled on the oars, and the rowboat glided through the waves. Roz was nervous. Time and again, the robot's Survival Instincts had stopped her from going into deep water. Now an old rowboat was all that separated her from the murky depths. She couldn't wait to feel solid ground beneath her feet again. As they rowed deeper into the bay, the waves got larger and rougher. Gigantic swells of water rolled in from the open ocean and started tossing the boat around like a toy. The waves finally became too much for Brightbill. He spread his wings, lifted up on the breeze, and anxiously looked at the choppy surf ahead. "Row faster!" he squawked. "I don't know how much more the boat can take!" Roz tried to power through. She rowed faster and faster, until the boat was skimming across the water. Too fast. The left oar snapped, then the right, and suddenly the boat was at the mercy of the waves. "Hold on, Mama!" cried the goose. "Here comes a

海湾。幸运的是，罗兹可以划得又长又快。 布莱特比尔坐了下来，机器人的机械肌肉开始跳动。 她不停地划桨，划艇在海浪中滑行。 罗兹很紧张。一次又一次，机器人的生存本能阻止她进入深水。 现在，只有一条旧划艇把她和黑暗的深渊隔开了。 她迫不及待地想再次感受到脚下坚实的土地。 随着他们向海湾划得越深，海浪越来越大，越来越汹涌。 巨大的巨浪从开阔的海面滚滚而来，开始把船像玩具一样甩来甩去。 布莱特比尔终于受不了海浪了。 他展开翅膀，在微风中飞翔，焦急地望着前方汹涌的海浪。 “划快点！”他尖声叫道。 “我不知道这船还能装多少！”罗兹试图撑过去。 她划得越来越快，直到船掠过水面。 太快了。左桨啪地一声折断，接着是右桨，突然间，小船受着海浪的摆布。 “坚持住，妈妈！”母鹅叫道。 “来了一个

big one!" The rowboat was pulled up the side of a towering wall of water. It teetered at the top. And then the boat went crashing down the other side with such force that the whole thing splintered apart! Roz felt water surging up around her. She clung to debris and kicked her legs, but she wouldn't stay afloat for long. The robot began to sink. The goose floated above. The ocean rolled and sloshed. Then there was a sudden burst of air from somewhere nearby. Brightbill looked toward the noise but saw only sea spray drifting on the breeze. And when he looked back to his mother, she was

大的!”划艇被一堵高耸的水墙拉到了岸边。 它在顶端摇摇欲坠。然后船从另一边撞了下去，撞得整个船都碎了！罗兹感到水在她周围汹涌澎湃。 她紧紧抓住碎片，踢着腿，但她不会在水面上漂浮太久。 机器人开始下沉。那只鹅漂浮在上面。 大海翻滚着，晃动着。 这时，附近突然有一股气流吹了进来。 布莱特比尔朝嘈杂的地方望去，但只看到微风中飘来的浪花。 当他回头看他的母亲时，她

dipping below the surface. "What can I do, Mama?" Brightbill cried from the air. "Tell me what to do!" "There is nothing more you can do!" came Roz's gargling voice. "I am sorry!" The young goose could only watch as the ocean dragged the robot down down down.

浸入水面以下。 “我该怎么办，妈妈？”布莱特比尔在空中喊道。 “告诉我该怎么办！”“你已经无能为力了！”罗丝用漱口的声音说。 “对不起！”小鹅只能看着大海把机器人往下拖。