023 退潮

旁白 neutral

Ben Gunn's boat — I soon discovered — was a very safe boat for a person my size

本·冈恩的小船——我很快发现——对我这身材的人来说非常安全。

旁白 neutral

It was quite buoyant, but crooked and difficult to manage

它浮力很好，但歪歪扭扭的，很难驾驭。

旁白 neutral

Even Ben Gunn himself had admitted the boat was hard to handle until you got used to it

就连本·冈恩自己也承认，这艘船很难操纵，得习惯了才行。

旁白 neutral

The boat turned every direction but the one I wanted to go, and most of the time I went sideways

小船转来转去，就是不去我要去的方向，大部分时间我都在横着漂。

旁白 neutral

But fortunately, as I paddled, the tide swept me along, and soon the Hispaniola loomed right in front of me, pitch black in the darkness

不过幸运的是，我划着桨，潮水推着我前进，很快伊斯帕尼奥拉号就赫然出现在眼前，在黑暗中漆黑一团。

旁白 neutral

Slowly, I saw her spars — the poles supporting the rigging — and the hull take shape

慢慢地，我看见了它的桅杆——那些支撑索具的杆子——还有船体逐渐显现出来。

旁白 neutral

The closer I got to the ship, the faster the current grew

我离船越近，水流就越急。

旁白 neutral

Soon I was alongside the ship and next to the thick, twined rope of the anchor line. I grabbed hold

很快我到了船边，紧挨着那根粗粗的、绞在一起的锚绳。我一把抓住。

旁白 neutral

" A few cuts with my pocketknife and the Hispaniola will float out with the tide," I said to myself

“用小刀割几下，伊斯帕尼奥拉号就会随潮水漂出去了。”我自言自语道。

旁白 neutral

Then I noticed how tightly stretched the anchor line was

接着我注意到锚绳绷得有多紧。

旁白 neutral

" The tension is so tight, it's like a bowstring," I thought

“这绳索绷得紧紧的，就像弓弦一样，”我心想。

旁白 neutral

" If I cut this line when the ship is pulling so hard against the anchor, my boat and I could be knocked clean out of the water. It's too dangerous."

“如果船正这样猛拉锚的时候割断绳子，我和小船可能会被直接甩出水面。太危险了。”

旁白 neutral

But then a light wind started blowing from the southwest

可就在这时，一阵微风从西南方吹来。

旁白 neutral

The wind caught the Hispaniola, and the ship shifted position just a bit

风兜住了伊斯帕尼奥拉号，船身稍稍偏转了一下。

旁白 neutral

I felt the anchor line go limp in my grasp and decided to go ahead and cut the rope

我感觉到手中的锚索松了，便决定趁机割断绳子。

旁白 neutral

I took out my pocketknife, opened it with my teeth, and cut one thick strand after another

我掏出小刀，用牙咬开，接着一根接一根地割断那些粗绳股。

旁白 neutral

Soon the vessel was held in place by only two strands, which had tightened up once more

很快，船就只由两股绳子拉着了，而且它们又绷得紧紧的。

旁白 neutral

" When the rope becomes loose again," I said to myself," I'll cut these last strands."

“等绳子再松下来，”我自言自语道，“我就割断这最后两股。”

旁白 neutral

While I waited for a good gust of wind, someone opened a window in the stern

在我等着一阵强风的时候，有人打开了船尾的一扇窗。

旁白 neutral

Something was thrown out and it splashed in the water — an empty bottle probably

有东西被扔了出来，扑通一声掉进水里——大概是个空瓶子。

旁白 neutral

" You stupid swab!" one man shouted." I deserve a bigger share of the money!"

“你这蠢货！”一个男人喊道，“我应该多分点钱！”

旁白 neutral

I recognized the voice of Israel Hands and deduced that he was the other pirate left on the ship with Red Cap

我听出那是伊斯雷尔·汉兹的声音，便推断他和“红帽子”是留在船上的另一个海盗——

旁白 neutral

the name I started calling the man in the red nightcap. They were drunk and arguing

“红帽子”是我开始用来称呼那个戴红色睡帽的人的名字。他们喝醉了，在争吵。

旁白 neutral

" You're a dog!" Red Cap shouted back." You won't get any more!"

“你是条狗！”红帽子吼了回去，“你别想再多拿！”

旁白 neutral

The men argued and cursed at each other

两人争吵着，互相咒骂。

旁白 neutral

" They'll be trying to kill each other soon," I thought

“他们很快就会想杀了对方，”我想。

旁白 neutral

But they quieted down again and drank some more

但他们又安静下来，接着喝起了酒。

旁白 neutral

Meanwhile on shore, the glow of the great campfire burned warmly through the trees

与此同时，岸上那堆巨大篝火的光芒透过树林，温暖地燃烧着。

旁白 neutral

Someone was singing an old sailor's song:

有人在唱一首老水手的歌：

旁白 neutral

" But one of her crew was still alive, Of the ship that sailed with seventy-five."

“但那七十五人出航的船上，还有一名船员活着。”

旁白 neutral

At last another strong breeze came, and the ship shifted

最后又一阵强风吹来，船移动了一下。

旁白 neutral

I felt the rope go limp once more, and with a good, tough effort, I cut the last thick strands

我感到绳索又松了，于是用力一割，切断了最后几股粗绳。

旁白 neutral

The ship began to turn, spinning slowly, across the current

船开始转向，在潮流中缓慢旋转。

旁白 neutral

I paddled furiously to avoid being flooded by the ship's wake, but I couldn't get out of the way of the huge, turning ship

我拼命划桨，想避开船尾激起的浪花，但无法躲开这艘巨大而旋转的船。

旁白 neutral

As the ship's hull came close to Ben Gunn's boat, I tried to shove myself away

当船身靠近本·冈恩的小船时，我试图把自己推开。

旁白 neutral

But the effort was useless, and just as I gave one last push against the ship, my hands came across a thin cord that was hanging over the side

但徒劳无功，就在我最后推了一下船身时，我的手碰到了一根从船舷垂下的细绳。

旁白 neutral

Instantly I grabbed it

我立刻抓住了它。

旁白 neutral

" I'm saved!" I thought as the boat steadied

“我得救了！”小船稳定下来时，我想。

旁白 neutral

I stood up in the boat and pulled my body up along the side of the ship

我在小船里站起来，沿着船舷往上爬。

旁白 neutral

Immediately the ship and the boat began gliding swiftly together through the water

立刻，大船和小船一起在水中快速滑行。

旁白 neutral

" Why don't they notice the ship is moving?" I wondered

“他们怎么就没注意到船在动呢？”我纳闷道。

旁白 neutral

To satisfy my curiosity, I did something crazy — I pulled myself up just enough to peek inside the window of the captain's cabin

为了满足好奇心，我做了件疯狂的事——我把自己拉高，刚好能透过船长室的窗户往里偷看。

旁白 neutral

One glance, and I knew the reason. Israel and Red Cap were locked in deadly combat, each with a hand upon the other's throat

只看了一眼，我就明白了原因。伊斯雷尔和红帽正殊死搏斗，各自用手掐着对方的喉咙。

旁白 neutral

I dropped back onto the seat of Ben Gunn's boat as the pirates at the campfire broke into another song, one that I'd heard so often:

我跌坐回本·冈恩小船的座位上，此时篝火旁的海盗们又唱起了一首歌，一首我常听到的歌：

旁白 neutral

" Fifteen men on the dead man's chest, Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

“死人的箱子上有十五个人，唷嗬嗬，再来一瓶朗姆酒！

旁白 neutral

Drink and the devil had done for the rest, Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"

喝酒和魔鬼害死了其余的人，唷嗬嗬，再来一瓶朗姆酒！”

旁白 neutral

All of a sudden, Ben Gunn's boat quickly jerked left, zig-zagged, and seemed to change course

突然之间，本·冈恩的小船猛地向左一歪，曲折前行，似乎改变了航向。

旁白 neutral

" What is happening?" I said to myself as the boat's speed strangely increased

“发生什么事了？”我自言自语道，小船的速度诡异地加快了。

旁白 neutral

The Hispaniola seemed to stagger in her course too as she headed southward, her masts tossing back and forth against the blackness of the night

伊斯帕尼奥拉号在向南航行时，似乎也步履蹒跚，桅杆在漆黑的夜色中前后摇摆。

旁白 neutral

I glanced over my shoulder. There, right behind me, was the glow of the campfire — but it was quickly getting smaller!

我扭头瞥了一眼。就在我身后，是篝火的光芒——但它正迅速变小！

旁白 neutral

" I'm being pulled away from the island!" I thought in a panic

“我正被拖离小岛！”我惊慌地想。

旁白 neutral

Bubbling higher, the water was sweeping the Hispaniola and Ben Gunn's boat through the narrow, rocky strait

水位越涨越高，海水正卷着伊斯帕尼奥拉号和本·冈恩的小船，穿过那条狭窄、多礁的海峡，

旁白 neutral

between Skeleton Island and Treasure Island and out into the open sea

位于骷髅岛和金银岛之间的海峡，驶向开阔的大海。

旁白 neutral

Suddenly the ship turned violently, and I could hear shouting and then feet pounding on the deck ladders

突然，大船猛烈转向，我能听到叫喊声，接着是脚重重踩在甲板梯子上的声音。

旁白 neutral

The two drunkards had finally stopped quarrelling and awakened to their danger

那两个醉鬼终于停止了争吵，意识到了危险。

旁白 neutral

" Lord, save me!" I prayed as I lay down flat in the bottom of my little boat

“上帝，救救我！”我祈祷着，在小船底板上平躺下来。

旁白 neutral

All I could think of was being crushed on the jagged rocks

我满脑子想的都是在嶙峋的岩石上撞得粉碎。

旁白 neutral

" I'm going to die!" I cried as I shut my eyes tight

“我要死了！”我紧闭双眼，大喊着。

旁白 neutral

I must have lain in Ben Gunn's boat for hours, beaten to and fro by the waves, drenched with the flying ocean spray, and expecting death at every moment

我肯定在本·冈恩的小船里躺了好几个小时，被海浪来回拍打，浑身被飞溅的海水浸透，时刻准备着死亡的降临。

旁白 neutral

Gradually, weariness and numbness overtook me, and I fell asleep in my sea-tossed little boat

渐渐地，疲惫和麻木席卷了我，我在波涛中颠簸的小船里睡着了。

旁白 neutral

I dreamed of home and the old Admiral Benbow

我梦到了家和老本鲍将军旅店。