18 The Earthquake
18 地震
Johnny lived with his mother and father in a restful mountainous town in Switzerland.
小约翰和爸爸妈妈一起住在瑞士一座宁静的山城里。
One day there was an earthquake near the town. Many houses were injured. Everybody thought that there would soon be another earthquake. They were worried that the second earthquake would be worse than the first.
一天小城附近发生了一场地震，很多马匹都受伤了。大家都认为不久就会有第二场地震。他们担心第二场会比第一场更猛烈。
"We must send Johnny to a safe place," Johnny's mother said to her husband, "many of our friends are sending their children to relatives in other towns."
“我们必须把小约翰送到安全的地方，”小约翰的妈妈对她丈夫说，“很多朋友都把孩子送到住在别的城市的亲戚家了。”
"We'll send him to my brother, Peter." "Johnny's mother said, "He lives a long way away. Johnny will be safe with him."
“我们把他送到我兄弟彼得那里吧，”约翰的爸爸说，“他住得离这里很远，小约翰和他在一起会很安全。”
He telephoned Johnny's Uncle Peter, an expert in botany, and asked him if he would let Johnny live with him.
他给约翰的叔叔彼得，一个植物学专家，打电话问他是否可以让小约翰和他住在一起。
"Your nephew is a good boy," he said, "He won't give you any trouble."
“你的侄子是个好孩子，”他说，“他不会给你带来麻烦的。”
"All right," Johnny's Uncle Peter said, "But I'm not used to children. I live a very quiet and peaceful life."
“好的，”小约翰的叔叔彼得说，“但我不太习惯孩子，我的生活非常安静平和。”
"You won't know Johnny's in the house," his father told him.
“你不会觉察到小约翰在屋里的。”约翰的爸爸对他说。
So Johnny, who was five, went to live with his uncle.
于是五岁的小约翰就去和叔叔住在一起了。
Two days later, his mother and father received a telegram from Peter. It said: "An returning child. Please send earthquake."
两天后，爸爸和妈妈接到一封彼得发来的电报。上面写着：“孩子已寄回，请把地震寄来。”