07 The Burning of the Books

Chapter 7, The Burning of the Books. The Dragon King watched the bonfire as it blazed up toward the sky. Around the fire the air was thick and wavy. Bamboo books were stacked beside the fire waiting to be burned. Hurry! said the scholar. They jumped down from the cart and joined the crowd by the bonfire. The Dragon King shouted to the soldiers. They began throwing the books into the fire. The bamboo crackled as it burned.

第七章 焚书 龙王望着篝火冲天燃烧 火堆周围的空气闷热又晃荡 竹简堆在火堆旁等着被焚烧 “快点！”学者说 他们从马车上跳下来，加入了篝火旁的人群 龙王对着士兵们大喊 他们开始把书扔进火里 竹子烧得噼啪作响

Stop !" cried Annie. Jack grabbed her. Quiet, he said. Annie pulled away. Stop! she shouted again, but her voice was lost in the noise of the roaring fire. There's your story, said the scholar. He pointed to a bamboo book that had fallen off a waiting stack. I'll get it, said Annie. She dashed over to the book. Annie! cried Jack, but she had already snatched up the bundle of bamboo strips and was charging back to them. Got it! Quick! Put it in your sack, she said. Jack put the bundle of bamboo strips in his sack.

“住手！”安妮大喊。杰克一把抓住她 “小声点。”他说。安妮挣开了他 “住手！”她又喊了一声，可她的声音被熊熊烈火的轰鸣淹没了 “你的故事书在那儿。”学者说 他指着一本从待烧的书堆上掉下来的竹简 “我去拿。”安妮说。她朝那本书冲了过去 “安妮！”杰克大喊，可她已经一把抓起那捆竹简 正往他们这边跑回来 “拿到了！快！把它放进你的背包里。”她说 杰克把那捆竹简放进了自己的背包

Then he looked around fearfully. He gasped. The Dragon King was glaring at them. Then he headed their way. Seize them! The Dragon King shouted. Run through the burial grounds, the scholar said to Jack and Annie. The soldiers will be afraid to follow. They fear the spirits of the ancestors. Thanks! said Jack. Thanks for everything. Good luck! cried Annie. Then she and Jack took off. Soldiers shouted after them. An arrow whizzed by. But Jack and Annie kept running. They ran down the path to the burial grounds. They jumped over the low brick wall and ran between the huge mounds of earth.

然后他害怕地环顾四周，猛地倒抽一口冷气：龙王正瞪着他们 接着他就朝他们这边走了过来 “抓住他们！”龙王大喊道 “往墓地方向跑。”学者对杰克和安妮说 “士兵们不敢追过去的，他们害怕祖先的灵魂” “谢谢！”杰克说，“谢谢您做的一切” “祝您好运！”安妮大喊，然后她和杰克拔腿就跑 士兵们在他们身后大喊，一支箭嗖地擦着他们飞了过去 可杰克和安妮还在往前跑，他们沿着小路朝墓地跑去 他们跳过矮砖墙，在巨大的土丘之间奔跑

Suddenly arrows filled the air around them. The archers were shooting from the tower.

突然间，他们周围的空中飞满了箭，弓箭手正在塔楼上射箭

Look, cried Jack. There was a doorway in one of the mounds. Jack and Annie ducked inside. They were in a long hall lit with oil lamps. It's so quiet, said Annie. She walked down the passageway. Hey, there are some steps here. Don't go any farther, said Jack. Why not, said Annie. We don't know what's down there, said Jack. This is a burial tomb, remember? It's creepy. Let's just take a quick look, said Annie. Maybe it's the way out of here. Jack took a deep breath. He might be right, he said. OK, but go slow. He didn't want to stumble upon a dead body.

“看呀！”杰克大喊 其中一个土丘上有个入口 杰克和安妮弯腰钻了进去 他们来到了一个点着油灯的长长厅廊里 “好安静啊。”安妮说 她沿着通道往前走 “嘿，这儿有几级台阶” “别再往前走了。”杰克说 “为什么不行呀？”安妮说 “我们不知道下面有什么。”杰克说 “这是个墓葬，还记得吗？” “怪吓人的” “我们就飞快地看一眼嘛。”安妮说 “说不定这是出去的路呢” 杰克深吸了一口气 “她说不定是对的。”他说 “好吧，但是走慢点” 他可不想撞见一具尸体