010 小帆船

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Having provided bread for my family, I began to think again about the wreck and all the valuables on board

在为家人提供了面包之后，我再次开始思考那艘沉船和船上所有的贵重物品。

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Most of all I wanted to acquire the beautiful little sailboat

我最想得到那艘漂亮的小帆船。

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But I knew I would need a lot of help to do so

但我知道，要做到这一点我需要很多帮助。

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I began to coax my wife to let me take all the boys except Franz

我开始哄劝妻子，让她允许我带上除弗朗茨之外的所有男孩。

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" I'll consent to this," she finally said," but you must promise me one thing."

“我同意这个，”她终于说，“但你必须答应我一件事。”

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" Anything," I said eagerly

“什么都行，”我急切地说。

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" You'll never spend another night on that dangerous wreck."

“你再也不能在那艘危险的沉船上过夜了。”

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" I promise."

“我保证。”

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The three boys were delighted to go along

三个男孩很高兴能一起去。

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At Safety Bay we fastened on our life preservers and stepped into the tub boat

在安全湾，我们系好救生衣，踏进了那艘澡盆船。

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With the raft in tow, we steered straight for the wreck

拖着小筏，我们径直朝沉船驶去。

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On board I directed the boys to collect some provisions and load the raft

上了船，我吩咐孩子们收集一些补给，装到小筏上。

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Meanwhile I studied the sailboat parts, which were stowed in a small compartment in the hold

与此同时，我研究了帆船的部件，它们被存放在底舱的一个小隔间里。

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The space was so narrow that it would be impossible to put the pieces together there

那地方太窄了，根本不可能把部件组装起来。

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But the individual parts were so heavy that we couldn't move them to a bigger space

但每个单独的部件又太重了，我们没法把它们挪到更开阔的地方去。

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" Room to work in, boys!

“孩子们，我们需要作业空间！

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That's what we need first," I said when they came to see what I was doing

这是首要任务，”他们过来看我做什么时，我说道。

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" Fetch axes and let's break down the walls around the sailboat."

“去拿斧头来，我们把帆船周围的舱壁拆掉。”

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We worked hard, but as evening approached, we'd made little progress

我们干得很卖力，但夜幕降临时，进展却很小。

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Leaving the wreck, we headed for Safety Bay

离开沉船，我们朝安全湾驶去。

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Imagine our surprise when we found my wife and Franz waiting for us at Tentholm

你想象不到我们有多惊讶——我的妻子和弗朗茨竟在帐篷之家等着我们。

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She had decided to live there while we worked on the wreck

她决定，我们在沉船上干活时，她就住在这里。

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" That way you'll live nearer your work, and I won't lose sight of you," she said

她说：“这样你们就离工作地点更近，我也能一直看见你们。”

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I was delighted by her plan

她的想法让我喜出望外。

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" We'll work with great speed, so you may soon return to your beloved Falconhurst."

“我们会加紧干，这样你很快就能回到你心爱的鹰巢了。”

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We spent our days clearing an open space around the sailboat

我们每天都忙着清理帆船周围的空地。

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Then we worked on putting the parts together

然后，我们开始组装各个部件。

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We started early and returned at night, always bringing valuable cargo from the old wreck

我们早出晚归，每次都会从那艘旧沉船上带回珍贵的物资。

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At last the sailboat was ready to be launched

帆船终于准备就绪，可以下水了。

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But it was still imprisoned within massive wooden walls

但它仍被巨大的木质结构困在里面。

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We had been able to free the boat from its compartment, but we couldn't break through the ship's hull

我们已把船从隔间取出，却无法打破船壳。

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Now it seemed that our work would end in failure and disappointment

如今看来，我们的努力将以失败和失望告终。

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I was almost in despair when an idea suddenly came to me

我几乎绝望之际，忽然有了个主意。

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I took a large cannon, filled it with gunpowder, and added a long fuse

我拿起一门大炮，填满火药，加了一根长引信。

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Then I placed the cannon so that it would blow out the side of the ship when it exploded

然后把大炮安放在能炸开船舷的位置。

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After the boys were in the tub boat, I lit the fuse

等男孩们坐上小桶船后，我点燃了引信。

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My heart was pounding as I hurried after them

我心跳加速，急忙追上他们。

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We sailed back to Safety Bay, where we began unloading the day's haul

我们驶回安全湾，开始卸下当天的收获。

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No one noticed my anxiety as I waited for the sound of the explosion

没人察觉我等待爆炸声时的焦虑。

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And then it came — a mighty roar! A grand burst of smoke!

然后它来了——一声巨响！一大股烟尘！

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Terror-stricken, my wife and children looked first toward the sea and then at me

我的妻子和孩子们惊恐万分，先是望向大海，然后又看向我。

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" Perhaps you left a light burning near some gunpowder," suggested my wife

“也许你在火药旁留了一盏没熄灭的灯，”妻子猜测道。

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" That's possible," I said quietly." I'll go see what's happened

“有可能，”我平静地说。“我去看看发生了什么。

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Will anyone come with me?"

有人愿意跟我来吗？”

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The boys sprang into the tub boat

男孩们立刻跳进了那只澡盆小船。

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The wreck looked the same from the side where we usually approached

从我们通常靠近的那一侧看，沉船看起来没什么两样。

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But then we pulled around to the other side

但当我们绕到另一侧时。

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There was a huge hole in the side of the ship, and the decks were torn apart

船的一侧出现了一个大洞，甲板也被撕裂了。

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" Hurrah!" I cried." The sailboat is ours!"

“好哇！”我喊道。“帆船是我们的了！”

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The boys looked at me in surprise

男孩们惊讶地看着我。

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" You planned that explosion!" said Ernest

“是你策划了那场爆炸！”欧内斯特说。

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" Yes, I did," I admitted." But let's not tell Mother or Franz

“是的，没错，”我承认道。“但我们先别告诉妈妈和弗朗茨。

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I want them to be surprised when we sail into the bay."

我想等我们驶进海湾时，给他们一个惊喜。”

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I had put rollers beneath the sailboat before the explosion

我在爆炸前就在帆船底下放好了滚轴。

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So with levers and pulleys we were able to gently lower the boat into the water

于是我们借助杠杆和滑轮，顺利将船缓缓放低，进入水中。

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The boys spent the next few days helping me rig the boat and mount the two little brass cannons

接下来的几天，男孩们帮我给船装配索具，还安装好两门小小的黄铜炮。

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Casting off from the wreck and spreading our sail, we began our voyage

我们解开系在沉船上的缆绳，升起帆，开始了航行。

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The sailboat glided swiftly through the water. I stood at the helm

帆船在水中轻快地滑行。我站在舵柄旁。

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Ernest and Jack manned the cannons while Fritz gave the signal

欧内斯特和杰克操作大炮，弗里茨发出信号。

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" Fire!" he cried

“开炮！”他喊道。

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Bang! Bang! The sound of the cannons echoed among the cliffs, followed by our happy shouts

砰！砰！炮声在悬崖间回荡，接着传来我们快乐的呼喊声。

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My wife and Franz greeted us onshore. Fritz helped them to come aboard

妻子和弗朗茨在岸上迎接我们。弗里茨扶着她们登上船。

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" I don't know whether to scold you or praise you," said Mother breathlessly

“我真不知道该责怪你们，还是该夸奖你们，”妈妈气喘吁吁地说。

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" First I was startled by the sight of this strange boat

“一开始看到这艘陌生的船，我吓了一跳。

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Then I heard the cannons. If I hadn't recognized your shouts — "

然后我听到了炮声。要不是我听出了你们的叫喊声——”

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" But do you like our sailboat?" interrupted Jack

“不过你喜欢我们的帆船吗？”杰克打断了她。

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" I do indeed, you dear, horrid, wonderful boys." My wife gave Jack a hug

“我当然喜欢啦，你们这群可爱、淘气又了不起的孩子们。”妻子拥抱了杰克。

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" But don't you ever scare me like that again!"

“不过你们可再也别那样吓我了！”