24 THE BOAT

CHAPTER 24 THE BOAT Sunlight spread down through the water and illuminated the robot. She was marching across a wide sandy plain, dotted with boulders and seagrass. The ocean was a little deeper there, and floating above her was a glittering school of fish. The fish were twisting and turning together, as if they shared the same mind. Roz had seen flocks of birds flying through the sky in a similar manner. Then, as now, she couldn't stop watching the undulating group of animals. The robot called out, "Hello, fish, my name is Roz! I am headed north in search of the Ancient Shark. Have you heard of her?" But the moment was interrupted by a distant buzzing noise. A boat was approaching. Roz hid against some rocks and waited for the boat to pass. The engine noise grew louder and louder, and then the boat appeared. It plowed across the surface, its underside dark against the bright sky. At the back end, its propellers fizzed through the water and left a trail of frothy waves in its wake.

第二十四章小船阳光透过水面照射下来，照亮了机器人。 她正穿过一片广阔的沙质平原，上面点缀着巨石和海草。 那里的海水稍微深一些，她的上方漂着一群闪闪发光的鱼。 鱼在一起扭来扭去，好像他们有一个共同的想法。 罗兹曾见过成群的鸟以类似的方式飞过天空。 那时，就像现在一样，她无法停止观察这群起伏的动物。 机器人喊道：“你好，鱼，我的名字是罗兹！我要向北去寻找古鲨。 你听说过她吗？”但这一刻被远处的嗡嗡声打断了。 一艘船驶近了。罗兹躲在一些岩石上，等着船过去。 发动机的声音越来越大，然后船出现了。 它在水面上翻腾着，在明亮的天空映衬下，它的底面是黑色的。 在船尾，它的螺旋桨在水中嘶嘶作响，在它的尾迹中留下了一串泡沫的波浪。

There was activity to the rear of the boat, and then a huge fishing net slowly lowered into the ocean. Roz tried to warn the fish. "Swim away!" she cried. "A fishing boat is coming!" But the engine noise drowned out her voice. The net swept through the school, scooping up fish as it went. Their shiny bodies thrashed as they tried to break free, but the net was too strong. When the net was full, it was reeled in, and the fish were hauled above the surface and out of sight. In a matter of minutes, the vast glittering school had been reduced to a few survivors, who quickly flitted away.

船的后面有动静，然后一个巨大的渔网慢慢地放到海里。 罗兹试图警告鱼。 “游开！”她叫道。“一艘渔船来了！”但是发动机的噪音盖过了她的声音。 渔网扫过鱼群，边扫边捞起鱼来。 它们闪亮的身体拼命挣扎，想挣脱，但网太结实了。 网满了，就卷进去，鱼就被拖出水面，看不见了。 几分钟之内，这一群闪闪发光的庞然大物只剩下几个幸存者，他们迅速地飞走了。