39 THE SEABIRDS

CHAPTER 39 THE SEABIRDS Seabirds from all around were drawn to a frothy, fishy patch of ocean. Gulls and terns hovered above the water, picking fish from the waves. Only the puffins took the plunge. Their plump bodies plopped into the surf, and then they started to hunt. Flapping their short wings, the puffins seemed to fly through the water as they snatched fish with their sturdy beaks. When one of the puffins popped back to the surface he slammed into something hard. A lifeless fish dangled from his beak as he squawked, "Ay! Om fithin hee!" "I do not understand," said the robot, who was treading water beside him. The puffin grunted. Then he spit out the fish and secured it with his wing. "I said, 'Hey! I'm fishing here!'"

第三十九章海鸟四面八方的海鸟被吸引到一片多泡沫、多鱼的海洋上。 海鸥和燕鸥在水面上盘旋，在波浪中啄鱼。 只有海雀跳入水中。 它们胖胖的身体扑通一声扑进海浪，然后开始捕食。 海雀扇动着短短的翅膀，仿佛在水里飞翔，用它们结实的喙抓鱼。 当其中一只海雀跳回水面时，它撞上了坚硬的东西。 他尖声叫道：“啊！我相信你！”“我不明白，”在他身边踩水的机器人说。 海雀哼了一声。然后他把鱼吐了出来，用翅膀把它固定住。 “我说，‘嘿！我在这里钓鱼！＇＂

"I am sorry for disturbing you," said the robot. "But I need to speak with a seabird. I am on a mission to stop the poison tide and—" The puffin cut in. "Oh, I know about the poison tide. It came to the coast where I used to live. The other birds were so excited to see dead fish piling up on the rocks. But old Kerplunk knew better. That's my name—Kerplunk. Nice to meet you. Anyway, I said not to touch the fish. I said something didn't smell right, but nobody would listen. They gobbled down as many fish as they could. And pretty soon, the rocks were piling up with dead birds. I moved my family to a safer spot, but so many fish are leaving the area that we may have to leave too." It was a troubling story. The robot didn't know what to say. Neither did the puffin. They quietly bobbed on the waves together. Behind them, the feeding frenzy calmed down, and the other seabirds flew off.

“对不起，打扰你了，”机器人说。 “但我需要和一只海鸟说话。 我的任务是阻止毒潮，而且——”海雀插嘴说。 “哦，我知道毒潮的事。 它来到了我曾经住过的海岸。 其他的鸟看到死鱼堆积在岩石上非常兴奋。 但老Kerplunk知道得更清楚。 那是我的名字——kerplunk。 见到你很高兴。不管怎样，我说了不要碰鱼。 我说有什么地方不对劲，但没人听。 他们狼吞虎咽地吃掉了尽可能多的鱼。 很快，岩石上就堆满了死鸟。 我把我的家人搬到了一个更安全的地方，但这么多鱼正在离开这个地区，我们可能也不得不离开。” 这是一个令人不安的故事。机器人不知道该说什么。 海雀也不知道。他们一起静静地在海浪上荡来荡去。 在他们身后，疯狂的捕食平静下来，其他的海鸟飞走了。

At last Roz said, "I must find the Ancient Shark. I have heard that she lives in the northern ocean. Can you show me the fastest way there?" Kerplunk winked and said, "No problem." The puffin gripped the fish with his beak. Then he flapped his wings and scampered over the waves and lifted into the air. Roz followed him through the water, and before long, a rugged coastline climbed into view. That coast had once been home to thousands of seabirds. Now only a few hundred were left. They were screeching and soaring and nesting on the hillsides. In addition to puffins and gulls and terns, there was another type of bird, called a skua. Two skuas peeled away from the others and bolted toward Kerplunk. They wanted his fish. The puffin saw them coming. He dodged left and right, then swooped low, skimming the water. The skuas curved through the air and beat their wings and easily caught up to Kerplunk. They harassed the poor puffin, nipping at his tail and his wings, and finally they grabbed his fish and sent him tumbling into the sea. "Are you okay?" said Roz when she reached him. Kerplunk grunted, "I'm okay. But now I've got more fishing to do." He pointed to the coast, where a stream was cascading down a grassy slope. "Follow that stream back across the land," said Kerplunk. "It'll lead you to a glacier. From there, you'll see the northern

最后，罗兹说：“我必须找到那条古老的鲨鱼。 我听说她住在北海。 你能告诉我去那儿最快的路吗？”柯普朗克眨了眨眼，说：“没问题。” 海雀用嘴咬住了那条鱼。 然后，他拍打着翅膀，在海浪上蹦蹦跳跳，飞到了空中。 罗兹跟着他穿过水面，不久，一条崎岖的海岸线映入眼帘。 那个海岸曾经是成千上万只海鸟的家园。 现在只剩下几百只了。 它们尖叫着，翱翔着，在山坡上筑巢。 除了海雀、海鸥和燕鸥，还有另一种鸟，叫做贼鸥。 两只贼鸥从其他贼鸥中挣脱出来，向柯普朗克奔去。 他们想要他的鱼。海雀看见他们来了。 他左右躲闪，然后俯冲下来，掠过水面。 贼鸥在空中盘旋，拍打着翅膀，很容易就追上了克普朗克。 他们骚扰可怜的海雀，咬它的尾巴和翅膀，最后抓住了它的鱼，把它扔进了海里。 “你还好吗？”罗丝走到他身边问。 Kerplunk咕哝道：“我没事。 但现在我有更多的钓鱼要做。” 他指了指海岸，那里有一条小溪从长满草的斜坡上倾泻而下。 “顺着那条小溪穿过陆地回去。”克普朗克说。 “它会带你到一个冰川。 从那里，你可以看到北方

ocean. And Roz, do us all a favor and stop the poison tide, would ya? Life is hard enough out here as it is." The robot watched as the puffin took off and headed back out to catch another meal.

海洋。罗兹，帮我们个忙，阻止毒潮，好吗？ 这里的生活已经够艰难的了。” 机器人看着海雀飞走，飞回外面去抓另一顿饭。