儿童英语读物《神奇树屋》 第二册 Knight At Dawn 03 Across the Bridge

3跨过吊桥

安妮站在树下面，朝着雾蒙蒙的远处看去。

“依我看，骑士这是要往那座吊桥去。”安妮说，“吊桥通向那座城堡。”

“等一等，我看看书。”杰克说，“把手电筒给我!”

他从她手中接过手电筒，从背包里抽出那本城堡书。他翻到插着皮书签的那一页。

他读着骑士画下面的文字：

这是一个骑士赶往城堡参加宴会。骑士们身着全副盔甲，长途跋涉，历经艰险。

盔甲十分笨重。仅头盔就可达40磅。

哇噻。杰克五岁时才重40磅　[注]。这就是说，骑士骑马时就好像头上还坐着一个五岁的孩子。

杰克拿出自己的笔记本。他要做笔记，就像上次到恐龙时代游历那样做。

他写道：

笨重的头

还有什么呢?

他翻动城堡书的书页。他发现一幅画，这幅画展现了整个城堡和周围的建筑物。

“那个骑士正通过吊桥。”安妮说，“他通过了城堡的大门……他已经进去了。”

杰克仔细研究画中的吊桥。

他读道：

吊桥跨越护城河。护城河灌满了水，以帮助城堡防御敌人。有些人相信护城河里养有鳄鱼。

杰克在笔记本里写道：

护城河里有鳄鱼?

“看!”安妮透过雾气看见了什么。“一架风车!就在那边!”

“嗯，这儿也有一架风车。”杰克说，指着书中的画。

“看看真风车，杰克。”安妮说，“不是书中的风车。”

一声尖锐刺耳的叫声划破长空。

“天啊。”安妮说，“这声音好像是从那边小屋里传来的!”她的手指向雾中。

“这儿有一间小屋。”杰克边说边观察着书中的画。他翻了一页读道：鹰屋在城堡的内苑。鹰经过训练，用来捕获其他鸟儿和小动物。

杰克在笔记本上写道：

鹰屋里的鹰

“我们必须进入城堡的内苑。”杰克说。

“听!”安妮低声说，“你听见了吗?鼓声!号角声!它们从城堡里传来。我们去看。”

“等一下。”杰克说。他又翻了几页书。

“我要真真切切地看看城堡里正在做些什么事，杰克，不是书中的叙述。”安妮说。

“但是看看这个!”杰克说。

他指着一幅举行盛大宴会的画面。一些男子正站在大门的旁边，打着鼓吹着号角。

他读道：

迎宾曲奏了起来，随即各色各样的菜肴端了上来。宴会在大厅里举行。

“你就看你的书吧，我要到真正的宴会上去。”安妮说。

“等一下。”杰克说。他研究着画上的场景：画面上一些与他年龄差不多大的男孩儿们端上一盘盘食品。全猪、馅饼、全身羽毛的孔雀。孔雀?

杰克写道：

他们吃孔雀?

他捧着书给安妮看。“看，我想他们吃——”

她上哪儿了?不见了。又一次不见了。

杰克透过浓雾，费力地看着。

他听见了真正的鼓声，真正的号角声。他看见了真切切的鹰屋，真切切的风车，真切切的护城河。

他看见安妮跨过了真正的吊桥。然后她进了城堡的大门，消失了。

3 Across the Bridge

Annie was under the tree， looking across the foggy ground.

“The knight’　s riding toward that bridge， I think，” said Annie.

“The bridge goes to the castle.”

“Wait. I’ll look it up，” said Jack. “Give me the flashlight!”

He took the flashlight from her and pulled the castle book out of his pack. He opened it to the page with the leather bookmark.

He read the words under the picture of the knight：

This is a knight arriving for a castle feast. Knights wore armor when they traveled long and dangerous distances. The armor was very heavy.

A helmet alone could weigh up to forty pounds.

Wow. Jack had weighted forty pounds when he was five years old. So it’

d be like riding a horse with a five-year-old on your head.

Jakc pulled out his notebook. He wanted to take notes， as he’d done on their dinosaur trip.

He wrote：

heavy head

What else?

He turned the pages of the castle book.He found a picture that showed the whole castle and the buildings around it.

“The knight’s crossing the bridge，” said Annie. “He’s going through the gate.... He’s gone.”

Jack studied the bridge in the picture.

He read：

A drawbridge crossed the moat. The moat was filled with water， to help protect the castle from enemies.

Some people believe crocodiles were kept in the moat.

Jack wrote in his notebook：

crocodiles in moat?

“Look!” said Annie， peering through the mist. “A windmill! Right over there!”

“Yeah， there’　s a windmill in here， too，” said Jack， pointing at the picture.

“Look at the real one， Jack，” said Annie. “Not the one in the book.”

A piercing shriek split the air.

“Yikes，” said Annie. “It sounded like it came from that little house over there!” She pointed through the fog.

“There’　s a little house here，” said Jack， studying the picture.

He turned the page and read：

The hawk house was in the inner ward of the castle. Hawks were trained to hunt other birds and small animals.

Jack wrote in his notebook：

hawks in hawk house

“We must be in the inner ward，” said Jack.

“Listen!” whispered Annie. “You hear that? Drums! Horns! They’re coming from the castle. Let’s go see.”

“Wait，” said Jakc. He turned more pages of the book.

“I want to see what’s really going on， Jack. Not what’s in the book，” said Annie.

“But look at this!” said Jack.

He pointed to a picture of a big party. Men were standing by the door， playing drums and horns.

He read：

Fanfares were played to announce different dishes in a feast. Feasts were held in the Great Hall.

“You can look at the book. I’m going to the real feast，” said Annie.

“Wait，” said Jack， studying the picture. It showed boys his age carrying trays of food. Whole pigs. Pies. Peacocks with all their feathers. Peacocks?

Jack wrote：

they eat peacocks?

He held up the book to show Annie. “Look， I think they eat—”

Where was she? Gone. Again.

Jack looked through the fog.

He heard the real drums and the real horns. He saw the real hawk house， the real windmill， the real moat.

He saw Annie dashing across the real drawbridge. Then she vanished through the gate lead