Chapter 1-8

CHAPTER EiGHT The Nastiest Show in the World gets suddenly worse It is fair to say that the three children and the Mammoth were as odd a sight as any of the sideshows as they queued up, very politely, at the Nasty Show gates. It was a sunny afternoon in a green meadow, on the border between Prince Bennett's Land of the Deep Lakes, and Princess Florizella and Prince Courier's Seven Kingdoms.

第八章 世上最糟糕的表演突然雪上加霜 说实话，三个孩子和猛犸象彬彬有礼地在“糟糕秀”门口排队时，他们的模样和里面任何一个杂耍表演一样古怪扎眼。 那是个晴朗的午后，他们站在一片翠绿的草甸上，这里是贝内特王子的深湖领地，与弗洛里泽拉公主、库里尔王子的七王国的交界之处。

Florizella had the blue messenger parrot on her shoulder and was wearing a green archer's costume with the pointy hat pulled low over her face. Bennett was dressed like a haymaker with an enormous floppy straw hat. He was carrying a pitchfork for extra effect, and Courier was dressed in full princess costume with the pointy hat called a henin on his blond curls. The Mammoth had asked the royal hatter to make him a big cowboy hat. He was so afraid of the Countess N'Asty that he wore it low, pulled down over his eyes, believing that if he could not see her (or, indeed, anything) then she could not see him. This meant that the children had to stand on either side of him, two to steer him by his ears, and one behind to act as a brake by hauling on his tail. Since it was a Nasty Show there were quite horrible people all around and nobody noticed them at all.

弗洛里泽拉肩上停着那只蓝色信鸽鹦鹉，一身绿色弓箭手装束，尖顶帽子拉得低低的，遮住了脸。 贝内特打扮成干草农的样子，戴着一顶超大的软檐草帽。 为了更像那么回事，他还扛着一把干草叉；库里尔则穿了一整套公主裙，金色卷发上扣着那顶叫“埃宁帽”的尖顶女帽。 猛犸象请皇家帽匠给他做了一顶大大的牛仔帽。 他实在太怕娜斯蒂伯爵夫人了，于是把帽子往下拉，盖住了眼睛，还以为只要自己看不见她（其实是什么都看不见），她就也看不见自己。 这下孩子们只好分别站在他两边，两个人揪着他的耳朵引导方向，还有一个在后面拽着他的尾巴当“刹车”。 毕竟这是“糟糕秀”，周围全是奇奇怪怪的人，压根没人注意到他们这一伙。

"Are you buying a ticket or selling him as an exhibit?" the ticket man asked pointing at the huge walking hat. "No, no," Florizella said. "This is my… er… dog." "Bit big for a dog," the man said, looking at the bobbing stetson and the huge russet body. "Isn't he?" Courier agreed. "That's what they all say. He's terribly big, even for a big dog. Over." "Rover, is he?" the man said, thinking Courier had said the dog's name. "Rover," Courier agreed as they shuffled past with the Mammoth between them. "Over." "Come on, Rover-over," Bennett said cheerily, pulling the Mammoth along, and they took their tickets and went in. Luckily, there was no turnstile where the Mammoth would have got stuck, but a double gate that Florizella opened wide. They walked quickly past the cages of the sombre hyenas and the silent kookaburra bird. They could not bear to meet the eyes of the spectacled bear, or peer into the cage of the rattlesnake without a rattle or the grave raspberry crazy ant. Florizella turned her head from the aviary, which imprisoned the songbird

“你是来买票的，还是要把他当展品卖啊？” 售票员指着那顶会走路的大帽子问道。 “不，不是的，”弗洛里泽拉连忙说， “这是我的……呃……狗。” “这当狗也太大了点吧。”售票员看着那顶晃来晃去的牛仔帽，还有下面庞大的红棕色身躯，开口说道。 “可不是嘛！” 库里尔接话道。 “大家都这么说。 他真的特别大，就算是大型犬里也算超大的。 完毕。” “他叫罗弗，对不对？” 售票员以为库里尔刚才说的是狗的名字，便问道。 “罗弗，”他们搀着猛犸象慢慢走进去的时候，库里尔顺势应道， “完毕。” “走啦，罗弗-完毕，”贝内特拉着猛犸象，开开心心地喊了一声，他们拿好票就进去了。 幸好入口没有旋转闸，不然猛犸象肯定会被卡住，那里是一道双开大门，弗洛里泽拉把门拉得大开。 他们快步走过关着闷闷不乐的鬣狗、还有一声不吭的笑翠鸟的笼子。 他们不忍心看眼镜熊的眼睛，也不敢往关着没响板的响尾蛇、还有严肃的树莓疯蚁的笼子里瞅。 弗洛里泽拉扭过头不看鸟舍，里面关着的鸣鸟

without a tune, the lark with no sense of fun, the unsociable calling bird and the sleepy nightingale. Not even Courier admired the sweet-smelling skunk, the good-tempered camel or the silent and very bald screaming hairy armadillo. "This is dweadful," the Mammoth said, much distressed. "Don't wet me go! Don't wet them take me too! Can't we go now? Will you wet me go home?" "Soon," Florizella said gently, and she and Bennett took a good grip of an ear each and Courier wrapped the Mammoth's tail round his hand as they turned a corner and saw the great glass tank. There, leaning on the sloping brim, looking bored and disdainful, was their old friend the Sea Serpent. It saw them at once, and recognised them at once, but it did not call out. Its long green eyelashes closed in a wink and it leaned over the tank towards them. "Hewwo! Huwwah! Hewwo!" the Mammoth cried out. "Shhhh," it said. "We've come to see if you are all right," Courier told it. "Over." "Awwight!" the Mammoth gasped. "Are you?"

唱不出曲调，云雀毫无活力，叫唤鸟怕生不爱理人，夜莺总是昏昏欲睡。 就连库里尔也没兴趣看那只闻起来香喷喷的臭鼬、好脾气的骆驼，还有光秃秃、安安静静的尖叫毛犰狳。 “这太可啪了，”猛犸象难过极了，开口说道， “别让我流在这儿！ 别让他们也把我抓起来！ 我们现在就走行不行？ 你们让我回家好不好？” “很快就走啦。”弗洛里泽拉轻声安抚他，她和贝内特各自牢牢抓着猛犸象的一只耳朵，库里尔把猛犸象的尾巴缠在自己手上，这时他们转过一个拐角，看见了那个巨大的玻璃水箱。 他们的老朋友海蛇正靠在倾斜的水箱边缘，看起来又无聊又不屑。 它一眼就看见了他们，也立刻认出了他们，但没有出声打招呼。 它眨了眨长长的绿睫毛，朝他们的方向探过身来。 “你好！ 胡哇！ 你好！” 猛犸象忍不住叫出了声。 “嘘——”海蛇示意他们小声。 “我们是来看看你有没有事的。”库里尔对它说， “完毕。” “没事！” 猛犸象喘着气问， “你没事吗？”

"I'm not," the Sea Serpent whispered. "I want to come home." "Home?" the Mammoth piped. "She won't let me leave." "Weave?" The Sea Serpent sighed. "Have I forgotten? Did he always repeat everything I said?" "Wepeat!" the Mammoth repeated desperately. "He's frightened," Florizella explained. "He's missed you, and he's frightened of Countess N'Asty." "Fwightened!" the Mammoth agreed, nodding furiously, his huge hat rocking on his head. "Did you send a message asking for help?" Bennett asked. "Yes," the Sea Serpent said. "It was that messenger parrot." It pointed its long nose at the parrot Timothy who nodded emphatically, looking very pleased with himself. "What did you say?" Courier asked. "Over." The Sea Serpent leaned over the side of the tank so only they could hear it whisper. "I sssaid: I feel Emotion," it confided. It looked at them to see if they were surprised. They were completely stunned. The

“我不好，”海蛇小声说， “我想回家。” “回家？”猛犸象尖声重复。 “她不让我走。” “走？” 海蛇叹了口气。 “我是不是忘了？ 他以前就总是重复我讲的话吗？” “重复！” 猛犸象急急忙忙地跟着重复。 “他吓坏了，”弗洛里泽拉解释道， “他很想你，而且他特别怕娜斯蒂伯爵夫人。” “害怕！” 猛犸象点点头同意，头点得太用力，头上的大帽子都晃了起来。 “你是不是发了求救消息？” 贝内特问。 “是呀，”海蛇回答， “就是那只信鸽鹦鹉送的。” 它用长鼻子指了指鹦鹉蒂莫西，蒂莫西用力点头，看起来得意极了。 “你当时说的是什么呀？” 库里尔问。 “完毕。” 海蛇把身子探到水箱边上，凑得近近的，只有他们能听见它的悄悄话。 “我当时说：我感受到了“情绪”。”它偷偷告诉他们。 它看着他们，想知道他们会不会惊讶。 他们完全惊呆了。 那