014 第一击

旁白 neutral

I was happy I'd managed to get away from Long John, so I began to enjoy exploring this strange island

我很高兴摆脱了朗·约翰，于是开始享受探索这座陌生岛屿的乐趣。

旁白 neutral

I crossed a marshy area full of willows, cattails, and odd swamp trees and came out near an open piece of rolling, sandy land

我穿过一片长满柳树、香蒲和怪异沼泽树木的沼泽地，来到一片起伏的沙地空地附近。

旁白 neutral

It was about a mile long and dotted with pines, with a great number of twisted trees, similar to oaks but with paler leaves

这片空地约一英里长，点缀着松树，还有许多扭曲的树木，类似橡树但叶子颜色较浅。

旁白 neutral

On the far side of this open area was one of the hills, showing two rocky peaks that shone vividly in the sun

空地远端是一座小山，露出两个岩石山顶，在阳光下闪闪发光。

旁白 neutral

As I was gazing at some unfamiliar flowers

当我正凝视着一些不熟悉的花朵时，

旁白 neutral

a snake suddenly raised its head from a nearby rock and hissed at me with a noise that sounded like the spinning of a top

一条蛇突然从附近的岩石上抬起头，朝我发出咝咝声，那声音就像陀螺在旋转。

旁白 neutral

" I wonder if that snake is poisonous," I thought, backing away

“不知道那条蛇有没有毒？”我心想，一边往后退。

旁白 neutral

Later, I would find out that it certainly was and the sound was its rattle

后来我才知道，它确实有毒，那声音是它的响环发出的。

旁白 neutral

Eventually, I came to a long thicket of the twisted, oaklike trees, which grew low along the sand like rambling bushes

最后，我来到一片长长的扭曲的类橡树丛，它们沿着沙地低矮生长，像蔓生的灌木。

旁白 neutral

This thicket stretched down from the top of one of the hills and grew taller until it reached the edge of the wide wetland

这片灌木丛从一座小山顶向下延伸，越长越高，直到宽阔的湿地边缘。

旁白 neutral

There, a river made its way to the anchorage, and as the marsh steamed in the strong sun, the outline of Spyglass Hill trembled through the haze

那里，一条河流向锚地。沼泽在烈日下蒸腾，望远镜山的轮廓在雾气中颤动。

旁白 neutral

" What a strange island," I said to myself

“多奇怪的岛啊。”我自言自语地说。

旁白 neutral

Suddenly a wild duck flew up with a quack, and then another followed

突然，一只野鸭嘎地一声飞起，接着又是一只。

旁白 neutral

Soon a great cloud of birds scattered, screaming and circling in the air

很快，一大群鸟飞散开来，尖叫着在空中盘旋。

旁白 neutral

" Some of my shipmates must be near," I thought, and I soon heard the distant, low tones of a human voice, and then another voice

“一定有些船员在附近。”我想。不久，我就听到远处低低的人声，然后又是另一个声音。

旁白 neutral

They were growing louder

声音越来越响。

旁白 neutral

Scared, I crawled under cover of the nearest bush, moments before the speakers paused and, I supposed, sat down

我吓坏了，爬到最近的灌木丛下躲起来。说话的人只过了一会儿便停了下来，我猜，是坐下了。

旁白 neutral

The birds grew quiet and settled again to their places in the swamp

鸟儿又安静下来，回到沼泽中原来的地方。

旁白 neutral

I crawled steadily but slowly on all fours toward the speakers until, at last, I raised my head

我四肢着地，稳而慢地朝说话者爬去，最终抬起了头。

旁白 neutral

I could see between the trees all the way down into a little green clearing beside the marsh

我透过树木望去，一直看到沼泽边上那片小小的绿色空地。

旁白 neutral

Long John Silver stood there with the sun beating down on him, conversing with another man

朗·约翰·西尔弗站在那里，烈日当空照在他身上，正和另一个男人交谈。

旁白 neutral

" Tim Cooper," he said," it's because I like you that I'm warning you. Join us!"

“蒂姆·库珀，”他说，“正因为喜欢你，我才警告你。加入我们吧！”

旁白 neutral

Tim's face was red and he spoke in a hoarse, shaky voice

蒂姆的脸涨得通红，用嘶哑而颤抖的声音说道。

旁白 neutral

" Silver," he replied," you have a good reputation — and money too, which lots of sailors don't

“西尔弗，”他回答道，“你名声不错——也有钱，这是好多水手都比不上的。

旁白 neutral

So why are you going along with those swabs? I'd sooner die than turn against my captain."

那你为什么要跟那些家伙同流合污？我宁可死，也不会背叛我的船长。”

旁白 neutral

" An honest man!" I thought

“一个正直的人！”我心想。

旁白 neutral

Then suddenly, from far out in the marsh, a cry of anger rang out

就在这时，远处沼泽地里忽然传来一声愤怒的叫喊。

旁白 neutral

Could that be another man who didn't want to join the pirates?

那会不会是另一个不愿入伙的人？

旁白 neutral

The cry, however, was followed by a long, horrible scream, and the boom of a gunshot

然而，叫喊之后，紧接着是一声长长的、可怕的惨叫，还有一声枪响。

旁白 neutral

The sound echoed against the rocks of Spyglass Hill

这声音在望远镜山的岩石间回荡。

旁白 neutral

The whole marsh of birds rose again, darkening the sky

整片沼泽的鸟儿再次腾空飞起，遮天蔽日。

旁白 neutral

Then the air became silent except for the rustle of the birds

接着，空中沉寂下来，只听得见鸟儿振翅的沙沙声。

旁白 neutral

Tim jumped at the sound, but Long John didn't even blink

蒂姆被这声响吓得一惊，但朗·约翰连眼睛都没眨一下。

旁白 neutral

He stood where he was, resting lightly on his crutch, looking like a snake about to strike

他站在原地，轻轻靠着拐杖，活像一条准备发起攻击的蛇。

旁白 neutral

" John!" Tim said, stretching out his hand." Please, don't do this."

“约翰！”蒂姆伸出手说道，“求你了，别这么做。”

旁白 neutral

" Don't touch me!" roared Long John, leaping back with the speed of a trained gymnast

“别碰我！”朗·约翰吼道，以训练有素的体操运动员般的速度向后跃去。

旁白 neutral

" All right, I won't touch you," Tim said." But just tell me, what was all that screaming?"

“好，我不碰你，”蒂姆说，“但告诉我，刚才那片惨叫是怎么回事？”

旁白 neutral

" That?" said Long John, smiling but warier than ever, his eyes like glass." Oh, I reckon that was Alan Jenkins."

“那个？”朗·约翰微笑着说，但眼神比任何时候都警惕，眼睛像玻璃珠子，“哦，我猜那是艾伦·詹金斯。”

旁白 neutral

" Alan!" cried Tim." Rest his soul, he was a true seaman!

“艾伦！”蒂姆喊道，“愿他安息，他是个真正的水手！

旁白 neutral

As for you, Long John Silver, you're no mate of mine

至于你，朗·约翰·西尔弗，你不再是我的同伴。

旁白 neutral

If I die like a dog, I'll die doing the right thing

就算我死得像条狗，也要死在正道上。

旁白 neutral

You've killed Alan, have you? Kill me too, if you can, but I won't join you."

你杀了艾伦，是吗？有本事连我也杀了吧，但我绝不会加入你。”

旁白 neutral

Then the brave fellow turned his back and started walking toward the beach, but he did not go far

说完，这个勇敢的人转过身，开始朝海滩走去，但他没走多远。

旁白 neutral

With a cry, Long John seized a broken tree branch to steady himself and then hurled his crutch like a missile at poor Tim Cooper's back

朗·约翰大喊一声，抓住一根断裂的树枝稳住身体，然后将拐杖像投掷物一样，猛地砸向可怜的蒂姆·库珀的后背。

旁白 neutral

It struck him — point first — with stunning violence, right between the shoulders

拐杖尖端先击中了他——力道大得惊人，正打在双肩之间。

旁白 neutral

Tim's hands flew up, and he gave a sort of gasp and fell

蒂姆双手猛地扬起，发出一声类似倒抽气的声音，然后倒下了。

旁白 neutral

Long John, agile as a monkey even without a leg or crutch, was on him in a moment and stabbed Tim hard in the back twice with his knife

即便没了一条腿也没了拐杖，朗·约翰仍像猴子一样敏捷，转眼就扑到他身上，用刀狠狠在蒂姆背上刺了两下。

旁白 neutral

I could hear Long John panting as he struck the blows and I must have fainted, because the whole world swam away from me in a whirling mist

我能听见朗·约翰在行凶时喘着粗气，而我一定是晕过去了，因为整个世界都变得模糊，在一片旋转的雾气中离我远去。

旁白 neutral

Long John, the birds, and the tall Spyglass hilltop spun around and around

朗·约翰、那些鸟儿，还有那高高的望远镜山山顶，都在不停地旋转。

旁白 neutral

When I recovered, the monster had his crutch under his arm and his hat on his head

等我回过神来，那个恶魔已经把拐杖夹在腋下，帽子戴在头上了。

旁白 neutral

The murderer wiped his bloodstained knife on a tall wisp of grass beside Tim's motionless body

凶手在蒂姆一动不动的躯体旁边，用一丛高高的草擦净了血迹斑斑的刀。

旁白 neutral

I couldn't believe I'd just witnessed a human life cruelly cut short

我简直不敢相信，自己刚刚目睹了一条人命被残忍地夺去。

旁白 neutral

Then Long John blew a whistle, and several blasts rang far across the heated air

接着，朗·约翰吹响了哨子，几声尖锐的哨音在灼热的空气中传向远方。

旁白 neutral

I was afraid, knowing more men would come at his signal

我很害怕，知道他的信号会引来更多人。

旁白 neutral

" I've got to get out of here," I thought." Two honest men are dead — I might be next."

“我得离开这里，”我想，“两个正直的人已经死了——下一个可能就是我。”

旁白 neutral

Immediately, I crawled back to the thicket with all the speed and silence I could manage, while Long John and his men shouted to one another

我立刻拼尽全力，以尽可能快而无声的速度爬回灌木丛，而朗·约翰跟他的手下正在互相呼喊。

旁白 neutral

As soon as I got to the trees, I ran as I'd never run before

一钻进树林，我就以前所未有的速度跑了起来。

旁白 neutral

I didn't care which way I went, so long as it was away from the murderers

我不在乎往哪个方向跑，只要离那些凶手远远的就行。

旁白 neutral

After a long while, I neared the foot of the little hill with the two rocky peaks

过了好一会儿，我靠近了那座有着两个岩石尖顶的小山脚下，

旁白 neutral

and here a fresh alarm brought me to a standstill with a thumping heart

这时，一阵新的恐慌让我猛地停住脚步，心怦怦直跳。