7.“She feels it!She springs!Observe,”he said;“the light opens from the hummock already;if she will only bear her canvas,we shall go clear!”A report like that of a cannon interrupted his exclamation,and something like a white cloud was seen drifting before the wind from the head of the ship,till it was driven into the gloom far to leeward.“’Tis the jib blown from the bolt-ropes,”said the commander of the frigate.“This is no time to spread light duck,but the mainsail may stand it yet.”“The sail would laugh at a tornado,”returned the lieutenant;“but that mast springs like a piece of steel.”“Silence,all!”cried the pilot.“Now,gentlemen,we shall soon know our fate.Let her luff,luff you can.”
8.This warning effectually closed all discourse,and the hardy mariners,knowing that they had done all in the power of man to insure their safety,stood in breathless anxiety,awaiting the result.At a short distance ahead of them,the whole ocean was white with foam,and the waves,instead of rolling on in regular succession,appeared to be tossing about in mad gambols.A single streak of dark billows,not half a cable‘s length in width,could be discerned running into this chaos of water;but it was soon lost to the eye amid the confusion of the disturbed element.Along this narrow path the vessel moved more heavily than before,being brought so near the wind as to keep her sails touching.
9.The pilot silently proceeded to the wheel,and with his own hands he undertook the steerage of the ship.No noise proceeded from the ship to interrupt the horrid tumult of the ocean,and she entered the channel among the breakers with the silence of a desperate calmness.Twenty times,as the foam rolled away to leeward,the crew were on the eve of uttering their joy,as they supposed the vessel past the danger;but breaker after breaker would still rise before them,following each other into the general mass,to cheek their exultation.Occasionally,the fluttering of the sails would be heard;and when the looks of the startled seamen were turned to the wheel,they beheld the stranger grasping its spokes,with his quick eye glancing from the water to the canvas.At length,the ship reached a place where she appeared to be rushing directly into the jaws of destruction,when suddenly her course was changed,and her head receded rapidly from the wind.At the same instant,the voice of the pilot was heard shouting,“Square away the yards!-in mainsail!”
10.A general burst from the crew echoed,“Square away the yards!”and,quick as thought,the frigate was seen gliding along the channel before the wind.The eye had hardly time to dwell on the foam,which seemed like clouds driving in the heavens,when the gallant vessel issued from her perils,and rose and fell on the heavy waves of the open sea.
中文阅读
1.然而,人们仍然能够听到舵手的声音,沉着、镇定,却是那么清晰高亢,这样每个人都能够听得到。船员们对其言听计从,不顾暴风雨的肆虐,按照他的命令旋转着桅杆,好像他手握着儿时的玩具。那美丽的船体,顺从支配,再次优雅地将船首转向风口。与此同时,调整船帆,船从曾经陷入的危险暗礁中挪出,动作稳健而迅速,就像它曾经接近它们时那样。
2.这次睿智的机动动作成功地完成了之后,紧接着是一阵让人窒息的惊叹,只是大家没有时间像往常那样表达这种惊叹罢了。陌生人手里还拿着扬声器,每当需要审慎或者技术地导引船改变航线的时候,他就继续在狂风呼啸中提高嗓门。在接下来的一个多小时里,为了保全他们,他进行了一场令人恐惧的挣扎,每一步的通道都变得越来越复杂,船员周围每一侧的潜在危机都变得越来越大。水砣被迅速地投掷下去,舵手锐利的眼睛似乎穿透了黑暗,超出了人类的视觉敏锐度和人类的力量。
3.对所有船上的人来说,显而易见的是,他们此时正在一个非常懂行的人的指导下航行,他们每一次努力,就会重拾一分信心。护卫舰似乎一次又一次地盲目地冲向了潜在的危机,那里的大海被浪花所遮蔽。在那里,毁灭似乎随时都会发生,而这种毁灭一定会突然发生。人们听到陌生人清晰的声音,警告他们存在的危险,鼓励他们尽职尽责。船员们默默地听从他的指挥。在那些令人焦急的时刻,船冲向侧翼的水域,巨浪打在巨大的帆桁上,每个人都急切地想听到下达给全体船员们的命令。在这样的环境里,只有具备超级的沉稳和完美的技巧的人才能发出这样的声音。船改变了路径,从而放缓了动作,恢复了正常。船经常做关键性的抢风调向,在这次抢风调向的过程中,舵手第一次扮演了护卫舰指挥官的角色。
4.“现在是最关键的时刻,”他说,“如果船航行良好,我们就安全了;如若不然,我们所做的一切都会徒劳无功。”听他说话的一位老海员听到了这不祥的预兆,离开绳索叫他的第一中尉,让这位陌生人解释一下他的警告是什么意思。“看到南岬那边的灯光了吗?”舵手说道,“你可能是靠附近那颗时而沉入海里的星星发现的。现在,观察一下它那靠北一点的冰丘,看起来就像是地平线上的阴影,其实那是远在内陆的小山。如果我们能够看到山那边的灯一直亮着的话,我们的情况就是良好,不能的话,我们肯定会粉身碎骨。”“让我们再次抢风航行!”中尉惊呼道。
5.领航员边摇头边答道:“今晚不会再抢风航行或顺风转向了。在这条路上我们几乎没有可以逃脱危险的空间,如果我们能够经受得住’魔鬼的肆虐‘,我们就能扫清它们最外面的区域的障碍;但是如果经受不起的话,像我之前说过的那样,那就只有一条路可走了。”“如果我们能搞清楚我们来时的路,”格里菲斯大喊道,“我们本应该很顺利的。”“也可以这么说,潮水要是允许我们这样做的话。”领航员平静地回答。“先生们,我们必须要快。我们只有一英里要走,船像在飞一样。那个上桅帆在风中稳不住船,我们需要船首三角帆和主帆。”“在这样的暴风雨里,松开帆太危险啦!”船长表示怀疑。“非这么做不可!”陌生人镇定地说,“不然我们都得死。瞧瞧!光线已经移到了冰丘的边缘,大海要在背风面把我们扔出去了。”“应该这么做!”格里菲斯从领航员手中夺过扬声器喊道。
6.中尉的命令刚一下达,大家就差不多已经执行完毕了。所有的一切都准备好了,巨大的折叠主帆勇敢地对着暴风雨展开来。当前途未卜的时候,有那么一瞬间的犹疑,超负荷的船帆似乎笃定了要反抗所有的约束,将船抖到了船帆的中心。但是这样的技巧与力量占了上风,帆布渐渐扩张开来,风涨满了船帆,一百个人奋力地将船帆拉回到正常的位置上。船向这一附加的巨大力量屈服了,像芦苇在微风面前一样低头屈服了。陌生人欣喜的叫喊声宣布了这个策略的成功,这声音似乎是从他的心底深处突然爆发出来的。
7.“船感觉到了!船跳起来了!看啊!”他说,“光线已经从冰丘那面展现出来了。要是船能承受帆布的压力的话,很明显我们就要脱身啦!”一个像榴弹炮似的报告打断了他的惊叹声,大家看到一片白云样的东西飘浮在船前吹过来的风中,最后被驱逐到远远的背风面的黑暗里。“这是从螺栓锁那里吹过来的船首三角帆。”护卫舰的指挥官说,“没时间展开轻帆了,不过主帆还撑得住。”“这张帆会嘲笑龙卷风的。”中尉回答道,“可桅杆像一块钢铁一样在跳动。”“安静!”舵手大喊道,“现在,先生们,我们很快就会知道我们的命运了。将船首朝向上风向,努力驶出上风。”将船转舵,努力地转舵。
8.这声警告有效地制止了所有的声音,吃苦耐劳的水手们知道自己已经尽了全力来确保船的安全,现在大家屏息静气,焦灼地等待着结果。在他们前面不远处,整个大海泛着白沫,浪花没有像之前那样有规律地翻滚复翻滚,似乎在上蹿下跳地玩着疯狂的雀跃游戏。巨浪中一条暗色的条纹,还不到电缆宽度的一半,人们看到它钻入了混沌的海水中,却又很快在乱七八糟的混乱因素的干扰下在人们的眼前消失了。船沿着这条航线前行,行动比原来要迟缓沉重,为了靠上风航行,离风特别近。
9.舵手继续默默地操作着方向盘,他亲手掌握着船舵。船上再也没有人说话来打断大海那可怕的喧闹声了,船在绝望中静静地驶入了碎浪区通道。有二十次,当浪花翻滚着进入背风面的时候,船员们以为船已经通过了危险区,可是就要欢呼雀跃的时候,一个接一个的碎浪区却又在他们面前出现,跟着他们进入一大团混沌,阻断了他们过早得意的举动。偶尔,人们能听到船帆的鼓动声。当船员们一脸惊诧地转向船舵,注视着陌生人,捕捉着他即将说出的话,只见他敏锐的眼光从海面扫向了船帆。最终,船到达了一个地方,这个地方就像是他们直接冲向了毁灭的入口处,也就是在这个时候,船的航线突然一变,船头突然从风口浪尖上退了下来。与此同时,人们听到舵手大声喊道:“与桁保持一致!--主桅帆!”
10.船员们齐喊:“与桁保持一致!”很快,人们看到护卫舰在风中开始沿着通道滑行。人们的眼睛还来不及停留在浪花上,浪花就像飞进了天堂的白云。雄伟的护卫舰脱险了,在茫茫的大海上随着巨浪不停起伏。