Chapter 3

3 The Trail North Rosa and Stick set off to the north, the direction in which Nan had gone. Stick ran ahead, her nose at the ground sniffing as she zigzagged from pebbles to rocks and patches of scruffy grass. Rosa recognised their route. The stones and trees seemed familiar to her, though seasons had passed and strong winds had taken down a few branches or ailing pines. Nan had once taken her this way in search of Stick's

罗莎和斯蒂克向北出发了，也就是南去的方向。 棍子跑在前面，她的鼻子在地上嗅着，从鹅卵石到岩石，再到一片片肮脏的草地。 罗莎认出了他们的路线。 这些石头和树木对她来说似乎很熟悉，尽管季节已经过去，强风吹倒了一些树枝和病松。 南曾经带她走这条路去找斯蒂克

family, and Rosa had tried hard to remember the landmarks. Her effort had paid off. They trekked for hours and made good progress, eventually reaching Dusty Woods late in the afternoon. 'Well, look at this!' said Rosa. The woods were full of life, with bluebells and anemones carpeting the forest floor, and green shoots bursting from tree stumps. The sound of hammering and sawing echoed around like an annoying fly buzzing back and forth about your head. 'HELLOOOOooo!' called Rosa. Stick howled along. After a few seconds the noises stopped and

罗莎一直在努力回忆那些地标。 她的努力得到了回报。他们跋涉了几个小时，取得了很好的进展，最终在下午晚些时候到达了达斯迪森林。 “嗯，看看这个！”罗莎说。 树林里充满了生机，风信子和海葵铺满了森林的地面，树桩上冒出了绿色的嫩芽。 锤子和锯子的声音就像一只恼人的苍蝇在你的头上飞来飞去。 “HELLOOOOooo !罗莎叫道。 棍子嚎叫着往前走。几秒钟后，声音停止了

instead Rosa heard the crunching sound of footsteps coming closer. Stick looked to her fearfully, but Rosa patted her on the head. 'Don't you worry,' she said. 'I think it's only Mr Higgs.' Suddenly the cheerful hedgehog burst out from the undergrowth. His cheeks were red with effort, and his prickles were covered in sawdust. 'Prickles on fire!' he said, overjoyed to see them. 'What a delightful surprise.' 'Mr Higgs,' said Rosa, 'I'm so happy to find you. Has Nan passed this way?' The hedgehog rubbed a bit of chipped wood from his nose. lfllac. 'Why, yes,' he said. 'A good few days ago now, though.'

相反，罗莎听到了越来越近的嘎吱声。 木棍害怕地看着她，但罗莎拍了拍她的头。 “别担心，”她说。 “我想只是希格斯先生。”突然，那只快活的刺猬从矮树丛里窜了出来。 他的脸颊因劳累而红了，他的刺上沾满了木屑。 “皮刺着火了！”他说，见到他们欣喜若狂。 “真是个惊喜。“希格斯先生，”罗莎说，“我很高兴见到你。” 南从这里经过吗？”刺猬从鼻子上蹭了一点碎木头。 “啊，是的，”他说。“不过是几天前的事了。”

'Did she say where she was going?' asked Rosa. 'She was supposed to be home by now, but she hasn't returned.' 'Oh dear … that doesn't sound like Nan, does it?' he said worriedly. 'No, not at all,' agreed Rosa.

“她说她要去哪儿了吗？”罗莎问。 “她现在应该到家了，但她还没有回来。“哦，天哪……这听起来不像南，是吗？”他担心地说。 “不，一点也不，”罗莎同意道。

Higgs took a seat on a pile of logs. It was always easier to think when sitting down, after all. 'Nan was heading up the mountain,' he said. 'She was determined to hurry on – wouldn't even stop for a cup of tea. She was looking for Albert the Moose, I think.'

希格斯在一堆原木上坐了下来。 毕竟，坐下来思考总是比较容易。 他说，南正往山上走。 她下定决心要抓紧时间——甚至不愿停下来喝杯茶。 我想她是在找驼鹿阿尔伯特。”