Chapter 16

ChAPTER SIXTEEN Sunlight streamed through the twisting vines and giant trees, warming the newly freed Swindlers. Flowers so big Kate could have sat in them bloomed overheard, and the cacklings and croonings she'd been so scared of last night sounded musical now she was among them, not listening from the deck of Miss Custard.

第十六章 阳光透过缠绕的藤蔓和参天大树洒下来，暖暖地照在刚重获自由的“骗徒号”众人身上。 那些大得能让凯特坐进去的花儿在头顶盛放，昨夜让她怕得不行的嘎嘎叫声和咕咕低鸣，此刻听来竟像乐曲一般——毕竟她已经身在其中，不是在“奶冻小姐号”的甲板上远远听着了。

"That felt like a dream," said Kate. "More like a nightmare," said Rupert. His sailor's hat had vanished and he was telling anyone who would listen that Toot had been "eyeing it up', but Kate knew he was just as astonished by the night's events as herself and Bertie. Bertie, mind you, had a smile so big it wasn't fading, and kept saying things like, "Quit your terrarium living," to Kate and, "Keep driving, kid," to Rupert. As for Kate, she couldn't believe they'd done it. They were the only people in the world who knew the real story behind the silver wibbler. She felt a bit sorry for C.A. Bloom, who would never discover what it truly meant to be wild

“刚才感觉像做了场梦。”凯特说。 “更像做了场噩梦。”鲁珀特说。 他的水手帽不见了，逮着谁就跟谁说嘟嘟一直“盯着他的帽好久了”，可凯特知道，他和自己还有伯蒂一样，都被昨晚发生的事惊得够呛。 至于伯蒂嘛，脸上的笑就没褪下去过，还不停念叨，一会儿跟凯特说“别再缩在你的小玻璃房里过日子啦”，一会儿跟鲁珀特说“接着开啊，伙计”。 凯特呢，根本不敢相信他们真的做到了。 这世上只有他们三个知道银色晃翼鸟背后的真实故事。 她有点为C.A.布鲁姆感到可惜，他永远都体会不到什么叫真正的狂野自由，也没机会和那三只戴印花头巾、把他骗得团团转的鸟儿面对面聊天了。

and free, or talk face to face with the three bandana-wearing birds who had fooled him so expertly. She wondered if he was still captivated by the birds, or if the diary they had studied was one of his last. They rounded a corner and saw Miss Custard bobbing in the morning sun. Soon they were right beside her. Carefully and quietly, the gang tied The Swindler to her side, hurried up a ladder and tumbled aboard. On the deck above them, passengers were preparing for the Champion-Shrimp Awards. "You know what, Rupert?" said Kate, straightening up. "Maybe I should write

她不知道他是不是还为那些鸟儿着迷，也不知道他们读过的那本日记是不是他最后几本作品之一。 他们转过一个弯，就看见“奶冻小姐号”在晨光里轻轻晃着。 没一会儿他们就走到了船边。 这群小家伙小心翼翼、安安静静地把“骗徒号”拴在“奶冻小姐号”旁边，匆匆爬上梯子，一股脑儿翻进了船里。 在他们头顶的甲板上，乘客们正忙着准备“冠军虾大赛”的颁奖礼。 “鲁珀特，你知道吗？”凯特直起身子说道。 “或许我真的应该写点 关于虾和‘奶冻小姐号’的故事。

about the shrimps and Miss Custard after all. I can report on the competition and how Dad wiped the floor with everyone." "And I've got a new-found confidence and relationship with our incredible environment that I want to share with all the Bird Brigaders and General Hornbill," reeled off Bertie, his windmill hat spinning happily. "Do you now?" The General was standing behind them, with a curious look in his eye that Kate couldn't quite read. But he kept talking before they could answer, his words getting faster and faster. "You've been out! You've been off the boat and I know exactly why!

说到底，还是关于那些小虾，还有卡斯塔德号的事。 我可以报道这次比赛，还有爸爸是怎么把所有人都打得落花流水的。” “而且我现在对咱们神奇的大自然有了全新的信心，也和它建立了新的联结，我想把这些都分享给所有鸟类旅的成员，还有犀鸟长官。”伯蒂滔滔不绝地说着，他的风车帽子开心地转个不停。 “是吗？” 长官就站在他们身后，眼神里带着点凯特读不懂的好奇。 还没等他们回答，他就先开口了，话说得越来越快。 “你们刚才出去了！ 你们下过船，我清楚得很你们是去干什么了！

Empty your pockets, all of you!" Kate was suddenly very aware of the map tucked in her top pocket. It led straight to the birds" secret lair- but hadn't General Hornbill made it exceedingly clear that the silver wibbler was a "fart in the wind" and a "myth for silly billies'? "It's none of your business!" she retorted. He might have the right to boss Bertie around, but she wasn't a Bird Brigade! "Oh, it's all of my business," frothed the General, who was practically hopping. "Tell me where it was! What does it look like? What is its wingspan?!" Kate's mind was whizzing like a river snake. "Are you talking about-"

把你们的口袋都掏空，所有人！” 凯特猛地意识到那张地图就塞在她的上衣口袋里。 那地图能直接通向鸟儿们的秘密巢穴——可是犀鸟长官不是之前说得清清楚楚，银色晃翼鸟就是“空气里的屁”，是“骗傻子的神话”吗？ “这和你没关系！” 她反驳道。 他有权利使唤伯蒂没错，可她又不是鸟类旅的成员！ “哦，这可和我关系大了。”长官气得唾沫横飞，整个人都快跳起来了。 “告诉我它在哪！ 它长什么样？ 翼展有多长？！” 凯特的脑子转得像水里窜的游蛇一样快。 “你说的是——”