儿童英语读物《神奇树屋》 第二册 Knight At Dawn 08

8骑士

水灌满杰克的鼻子，淹过他的头。他的眼镜掉了，他及时地抓住了它。他咳嗽起来，胡乱地划动双臂。

“杰克!”安妮在头顶上喊着。

“我在……在护城河里!”杰克气喘吁吁地说。他努力踩水，想把眼镜重新戴上。他的背包、鞋子、沉重的衣服叫他几乎不能浮在水面上了。

扑通!

“喂!我在这儿!”安妮急切地说。

杰克可以听见她在附近。但是他看不见她。

“哪条路能上岸呢?”安妮问。

“我不知道!快游吧!”

杰克用狗爬式游过冰凉的黑黑的水面。

他听见安妮也在游。起先，她好像游在他前面。不过他接着听见后面哗啦一声响。

“安妮?”他大喊道。

“什么事?”她的声音来自前面。不在后面。

又哗啦一声。在后面。

杰克的心脏几乎停止跳动了。鳄鱼?戴着水蒙蒙的眼镜他什么也看不清。

“安妮!”他低声喊着。

“什么?”

“游快些!”

“但是我在这儿了!我在这边儿。挨着岸边!”她低声说。

杰克在黑暗中朝着她声音游去。他猜想一条鳄鱼正跟在他后面滑行。

又哗啦一声响!就在不远处!

杰克的手碰到一个湿淋淋、活生生的东西。

“啊，哎呀!”他大叫着。

“是我!抓住我的手!”安妮说。

杰克抓住她的手。她把他拉上护城河的岸边。他们爬上河堤，躺在湿漉漉的草地上。

安全了!

又哗啦一声响从护城河水中传来。

“天哪。”杰克说。

他浑身上下打颤，牙齿格格作响。他抖落眼镜上的水，重新戴上。

雾如此之浓，他看不见城堡。他甚至连护城河也看不见，更不用说一只鳄鱼了。

“我们……我们成功了。”安妮说。她的牙齿也格格作响。

“我知道。”杰克说，“但是我们现在在什么地方呢?”他朝雾蒙蒙的黑暗看去。

吊桥在何处?风车在何处?鹰屋在何处?树林在何处?树屋在何处?

一切的一切都被浓浓的阴湿的黑暗吞没了。

杰克摸到湿漉漉的背包，拿出手电筒。他揿动开关。没有一丝一毫的亮光。

他们陷入困境。不是在地牢里，而是在万籁俱寂的寒冷的黑暗中。

“咴咴咴咴!”

一匹马的嘶鸣声。

正在这时云开了。一轮圆月亮闪闪地照在天空。一道道光驱散了浓雾。

接着，杰克和安妮看见了几英尺之外的他——那个骑士。

他骑在黑马上，盔甲在月光下闪闪发亮。头盔遮住他的脸膛。但是他好像一直在凝视着杰克和安妮。

8 The Knight

Water filled Jack’s nose and covered his head. His glasses fell off. He grabbed them just in time. He coughed and flailed his arms.

“Jack!” Annie was calling from above.

“I’m in... the moat!” said Jack， gasping for air. He tried to tread water and put his glasses back on. With his backpack， his shoes， and his heavy clothes， he could hardly stay afloat.

SPLASH!

“Hi! I’m here!” Annie sputtered.

Jack could hear her nearby. But he couldn’t see her.

“Which way’s land?” Annie asked.

“I don’t know! Just swim!”

Jack dog-paddled through the cold black water.

He heard Annie swimming， too. At first it seemed as if she was swimming in front of him. But then he heard a splash behind him.

“Annie?” he called.

“What?” Her voice came from in front. Not behind.

Another splash. Behind.

Jack’s heart almost stopped. Crocodiles? He couldn’t see anything through his waterstreaked glasses.

“Annie!” he whispered.

“What?”

“Swim faster!”

“But I’　m here! I’　m over here! Near the edge!” she whispered.

Jack swam through the dark toward her voice. He imagined a crocodile slithering after him.

Another splash! Not far away!

Jack’s hand touched a wet， live thing.

“Ahhhh!” he cried.

“It’s me! Take my hand!” said Annie.

Jack grabbed her hand. She pulled him to the edge of the moat. They crawled over an embankment onto the wet grass.

Safe!

Another splash came from the moat waters.

“Oh， man，” Jack said.

He was shivering all over. His teeth were chattering. He shook the water off his glasses and put them back on.

It was so misty he couldn’　t see the castle. He couldn’　t even see the moat，much less a crocodile.

“We... we made it，” said Annie. Her teeth were chattering， too.

“I know，” said Jack. “But where are we?” He peered at the foggy darkness.

Where was the drawbridge? The windmill? The hawk house? The grove of trees? The tree house?

Everything had been swallowed up by the thick， soupy darkness.

Jack reached into his wet backpack and pulled out the flashlight. He pushed the switch. No more light.

They were trapped. Not in a dungeon. But in the still， cold darkness.

“Neeee-hhhh!”

A horse’s whinny.

Just then the clouds parted. A full moon was shining in the sky. A pool of light spread through the mist.

Then Jack and Annie saw him just a few feet away. The knight.