Chris Farrington, Able Seaman

克里斯·法林顿——一等水手

"If you vas in der old country ships, a liddle shaver like you vood pe only der boy, and you vood wait on der able seamen. Und ven der able seaman sing out, 'Boy, der water—jug! ' you vood jump quick, like a shot, and bring der water—jug. Und ven der able seaman sing out, 'Boy, my boots! ' you vood get der boots. Und you vood pe politeful, and say 'Yessir' and 'No sir. ' But you pe in der American ship, and you t 'ink you are so good as der able seamen. Chris, mine boy, I haf ben a sailorman for twenty—two years, and do you t' ink you are so good as me? I vas a sailorman pefore you vas borned, and I knot and reef and splice ven you play mit topstrings and fly kites. "

“如果你是在乡下的老船上，像你这样的小伙子就只能是个练习生，而且你要服侍那些一等水手。当一等水手大喊： ‘练习生，去拿水罐！’ 你就得像出膛的子弹一样飞快地跳起来，把水罐拿来。当一等水手大喊： ‘练习生，我的靴子！’ 你就得把靴子拿来。而且你一定要恭恭敬敬，回答 ‘是，先生’ 和 ‘不，先生。’ 但如果你在一艘美国船上，你可能会认为自己跟那些一等水手一样棒。克里斯，我的小伙子，我做水手都22年了，你觉得你像我一样能干吗？你出生之前我就在做水手了，你还在玩翻绳游戏，放风筝的时候我就已经会打结、收帆、捻接绳子了。”

"But you are unfair, Emil! " cried Chris Farrington, his sensitive face flushed and hurt. He was a slender though strongly built young fellow of seventeen, with Yankee ancestry writ large all over him.

“可你这么说不公平，埃米尔！” 克里斯·法林顿叫道，他敏感的脸庞涨红了，表情显得很受伤。他是个17岁的年轻小伙，身材修长但很健壮，浑身上下都彰显着他的美国血统。

"Dere you go vonce again! " the Swedish sailor exploded. "My name is Mister Johansen, and a kid of a boy like you call me 'Emil! ' It vas insulting, and comes pecause of der American ship! "

“你敢再说一遍试试！” 那个瑞典水手勃然大怒， “我是约翰森先生，你一个练习生小子却叫我 ‘埃米尔！’ 这太无礼了，都是因为这艘美国船！”

"But you call me 'Chris' ! " the boy expostulated, reproachfully.

“可你也叫我 ‘克里斯’ 了！” 男孩以责备的口吻告诫道。

"But you vas a boy. "

“但你就是个练习生。”

"Who does a man's work, " Chris retorted. "And because I do a man's work I have as much right to call you by your first name as you me. We are all equals in this fo 'castle, and you know it. When we signed for the voyage in San Francisco, we signed as sailors on the Sophie Sutherland and there was no difference made with any of us. Haven't I always done my work? Did I ever shirk? Did you or any other man ever have to take a wheel for me? Or a lookout? Or go aloft? "

“可我干的是水手的活。” 克里斯反驳道， “就因为我干着水手的活，我有权像你叫我一样对你直呼其名。在这个水手舱里我们都是平等的，这点你很清楚。当我们在旧金山签订出海协议时，签的都是这艘索菲·萨瑟兰号的船员，我们这些人之间并没有什么不同。难道一直以来我没尽职做事吗？我偷过懒吗？我曾让你或者其他的船员帮我掌过舵吗？或者帮我顶班去了望吗？还是替我上帆索了？”

"Chris is right, " interrupted a young English sailor. "No man has had to do a tap of his work yet. He signed as good as any of us, and he's shown himself as good—”

“克里斯说得对，” 一个年轻的英国水手插嘴说道， “还没有谁曾需要帮他分担一点工作。他签约的时候同我们一样，他的表现也一样出色……”

"Better! " broke in a Nova Scotia man. "Better than some of us! When we struck the sealing—grounds he turned out to be next to the best boat—steerer aboard. Only French Louis, who'd been at it for years, could beat him. I 'm only a boat—puller, and you're only a boat—puller, too, Emil Johansen, for all your twenty—two years at sea. Why don't you become a boat—steerer?”

“是更加出色！” 一名来自新斯科舍的水手插嘴道， “比我们中的一些人要更出色！当我们到达海豹猎捕地区的时候，他的表现仅次于船上最好的舵手。只有来自法国，曾掌舵多年的路易斯能胜过他。我只是个拉船的，埃米尔·约翰森，你在船上呆了22年，也只是个拉船的。你怎么就不当舵手呢？”

"Too clumsy, " laughed the Englishman, "and too slow. "

“太笨手笨脚，” 那个英国水手笑道， “也太迟顿了。”

"Little that counts, one way or the other, " joined in Dane Jurgensen, coming to the aid of his Scandinavian brother. "Emil is a man grown and an able seaman; the boy is neither. "

“不管怎样，那都无关紧要，” 来自丹麦的于尔根森加入到谈话中，帮他斯堪的纳维亚的兄弟说话， “埃米尔是个成熟的大人，也是位一等水手；这两个身份那个男孩都不具备。”

And so the argument raged back and forth, the Swedes, Norwegians and Danes, because of race kinship, taking the part of Johansen, and the English, Canadians and Americans taking the part of Chris. From an unprejudiced point of view, the right was on the side of Chris. As he had truly said, he did a man's work, and the same work that any of them did. But they were prejudiced, and badly so, and out of the words which passed rose a standing quarrel which divided the forecastle into two parties.

这样，双方唇枪舌剑，争论激烈地进行起来。瑞典人、挪威人和丹麦人，由于种族亲属关系，支持约翰森；而英国人、加拿大人和美国人则支持克里斯。从公正的角度来看，克里斯一方有理。他说的不假，他干的是水手的活，和大家干着一样的活。但他们怀有偏见，而且是严重的偏见。然后船上传开的消息引发了一场持久的争论，把水手舱里的船员们分成了两派。

The Sophie Sutherland was a seal—hunter, registered out of San Francisco, and engaged in hunting the furry sea—animals along the Japanese coast north to Bering Sea. The other vessels were two—masted schooners, but she was a three—master and the largest in the fleet. In fact, she was a full—rigged, three—topmast schooner, newly built.

索菲·萨瑟兰号是一艘捕海豹船，在旧金山登记注册，沿着日本海岸一路向北至白令海峡，捕捉有皮毛的海洋动物。其他的船都是双桅纵帆船，只有这艘是三桅船，而且是舰队里最大的一艘船。实际上，它是一艘新建造的纵帆船，装备齐全，配有三个中桅。

Although Chris Farrington knew that justice was with him, and that he performed all his work faithfully and well, many a time, in secret thought, he longed for some pressing emergency to arise whereby he could demonstrate to the Scandinavian seamen that he also was an able seaman.

虽然克里斯·法林顿知道自己有理，也明白自己已经尽心尽力地把工作做得很好，但很多时候，他偷偷地希望能发生某个紧迫的突发事件，好让他向那些斯堪的纳维亚水手们证明自己也是个能干的水手。

But one stormy night, by an accident for which he was in nowise accountable, in overhauling a spare anchor—chain he had all the fingers of his left hand badly crushed. And his hopes were likewise crushed, for it was impossible for him to continue hunting with the boats, and he was forced to stay idly aboard until his fingers should heal. Yet, although he little dreamed it, this very accident was to give him the long—looked—for opportunity.

但是一个暴风雨之夜，在放松一条备用的锚链之时，发生了一个他完全不必负责任的意外，他左手的所有手指都被严重挤伤了。而他的希望也随之破灭，因为他不可能继续随船捕猎了。他被迫在船上无所事事地呆着，直到手指痊愈为止。然而，虽然他几乎没有想过，但正是这次事故为他带来了他期待已久的机会。

One afternoon in the latter part of May the Sophie Sutherland rolled sluggishly in a breathless calm. The seals were abundant, the hunting good, and the boats were all away and out of sight. And with them was almost every man of the crew. Besides Chris, there remained only the captain, the sailing—master and the Chinese cook.

五月末的一个下午，索菲·萨瑟兰号在一片让人喘不过气的寂静中缓慢地颠簸前行。海豹很多，捕猎情况良好，船只都去海里捕猎了，远在视线之外了。船队里的每一个人几乎都随之而出。留在船上的除了克里斯，只有船长、航海官以及一个中国厨师。

The captain was captain only by courtesy. He was an old man, past eighty, and blissfully ignorant of the sea and its ways; but he was the owner of the vessel, and hence the honorable title. Of course the sailing—master, who was really captain, was a thoroughgoing seaman. The mate, whose post was aboard, was out with the boats, having temporarily taken Chris's place as boat—steerer.

这位船长只是名义上的船长而已。他是个年过八旬的老头，对海洋和航海路线一无所知，但他是这艘船的所有者，因此得了个船长的荣誉头衔。当然航海官才是真正的船长，他则是位十足的水手。本应留在船上的大副也随船走了，暂时代替克里斯的位置做舵手。

When good weather and good sport came together, the boats were accustomed to range far and wide, and often did not return to the schooner until long after dark. But for all that it was a perfect hunting day, Chris noted a growing anxiety on the part of the sailing—master. He paced the deck nervously, and was constantly sweeping the horizon with his marine glasses. Not a boat was in sight. As sunset arrived, he even sent Chris aloft to the mizzen—topmast—head, but with no better luck. The boats could not possibly be back before midnight.

天气又好，猎物又多的时候，船只通常会去更远的地方进行更广范围地捕猎，经常会到天黑很久之后才回到纵帆船处。尽管这是个完美的捕猎天气，但克里斯注意到航海官变得越来越焦虑起来。他紧张地在甲板上踱来踱去，不停地用航海望远镜扫视着地平线。一条船也看不见。日落之时，他甚至派克里斯爬到后桅和中桅的最高处去查看，但他的运气也不怎么好，依然什么也没看见。午夜之前，船只很可能回不来了。

Since noon the barometer had been falling with startling rapidity, and all the signs were ripe for a great storm—how great, not even the sailing—master anticipated. He and Chris set to work to prepare for it. They put storm gaskets on the furled topsails, lowered and stowed the foresail and spanker and took in the two inner jibs. In the one remaining jib they put a single reef, and a single reef in the mainsail.

从中午开始，气压计上的读数就以惊人的速度急剧下降，种种迹象预示着一场强暴风雨即将来临——其猛烈程度甚至连航海官都无法预料。他和克里斯开始为暴风雨的来临做准备。他们给卷起的上桅帆套上了防风暴的束帆索，将前桅帆和后纵帆降下装好，并把两个内艏帆收了起来。他们在剩下的一个艏帆上打了一个缩帆结，在主帆上也打了一个。

Night had fallen before they finished, and with the darkness came the storm. A low moan swept over the sea, and the wind struck the Sophie Sutherland flat. But she righted quickly, and with the sailing—master at the wheel, sheered her bow into within five points of the wind. Working as well as he could with his bandaged hand, and with the feeble aid of the Chinese cook, Chris went forward and backed the jib over the weather side. This with the flat mainsail left the schooner hove to.

在他们完成这些之前，夜幕已经降临，风暴也随着黑暗到来了。低沉的呜咽声在海面上掠过，风猛然地撞击着索菲·萨瑟兰号。但它迅速恢复了平稳，由航海官掌舵，船头转向了风的五个罗经点内。克里斯用他缠着绷带的手尽力地干活，在中国厨师微弱的帮助下，他走上前，沿着上风侧把艏帆向后拉。这样做，再加上将主帆收至龙骨线处，最终让纵帆船顶风停了下来。

"God help the boats! It's no gale! It's a typhoon! " the sailing—master shouted to Chris at eleven o'clock. "Too much canvas! Got to get two more reefs into that mainsail, and got to do it right away! " He glanced at the old captain, shivering in oilskins at the binnacle and holding on for dear life. "There's only you and I, Chris—and the cook; but he's next to worthless! "

“上帝保佑那些船啊！这可不是狂风！这是台风！” 航海官在十一点钟方向对着克里斯大喊道， “帆太开了！得给主帆再多打两个缩帆结，得马上去！” 他匆匆地看了一眼那个老船长，船长裹着油布雨衣，拼命地抓着罗经座，浑身都在颤抖。 “克里斯，这儿只有你和我了——还有厨师，但他基本上什么也干不了！”

In order to make the reef, it was necessary to lower the mainsail, and the removal of this after pressure was bound to make the schooner fall off before the wind and sea because of the forward pressure of the jib.

要缩帆就必须要降低主帆，而在压力之下移动主帆，纵帆船就必然会因艏帆向前的压力而在风浪前转向下风处。

"Take the wheel! " the sailing—master directed. "And when I give the word, hard up with it! And when she's square before it, steady her! And keep her there! We'll heave to again as soon as I get the reefs in! "

“过来掌舵！” 航海官指示他道， “我下命令的时候，上风满舵！船与风浪成直角的时候，把船稳住！保持住了！我一打好缩帆结，我们就要再次顶风停船！”

Gripping the kicking spokes, Chris watched him and the reluctant cook go forward into the howling darkness. The Sophie Sutherland was plunging into the huge head—seas and wallowing tremendously, the tense steel stays and taut rigging humming like harp—strings to the wind. A buffeted cry came to his ears, and he felt the schooner's bow paying off of its own accord. The mainsail was down!

克里斯紧抓着剧烈震动的舵轮把柄，看着他和不情愿的厨师走进了咆哮着的黑暗之中。索菲·萨瑟兰号正往顶头巨浪里沉陷，船身剧烈地颠簸着，拉紧的钢铁支索和绷紧的索具迎着风如竖琴琴弦一般嗡嗡作响。持续的拍击声传入了他的耳朵里，他感到纵帆船的船头正在自动地转向下风处。主帆掉了下来！

He ran the wheel hard—over and kept anxious track of the changing direction of the wind on his face and of the heave of the vessel. This was the crucial moment. In performing the evolution she would have to pass broadside to the surge before she could get before it. The wind was blowing directly on his right cheek, when he felt the Sophie Sutherland lean over and begin to rise toward the sky—up—up—an infinite distance! Would she clear the crest of the gigantic wave?

他将舵轮掌至满舵，同时焦急地关注着刮在脸上的风的变化方向以及船的起伏状况。这就是关键时刻。要改变处境，船就必须在冲进巨浪之前从其侧边驶过。风径直地吹着他的右脸颊，就在这时，他感觉到索菲·萨瑟兰号船身倾斜，开始往高空冲去——向上——向上——冲向无限高的地方！它能越过那滔天巨浪的波峰吗？

Again by the feel of it, he could see nothing, he knew that a wall of water was rearing and curving far above him along the whole weather side. There was an instant's calm as the liquid wall intervened and shut off the wind. The schooner righted, and for that instant seemed at perfect rest. Then she rolled to meet the descending rush.

他又一次感觉到自己无法视物，他知道在他上方高处有一堵水墙正在沿着整个上风侧聚拢弯曲。在水墙冲进风里把风阻断的片刻，有那么一瞬间的平静。纵帆船稳住了，在那一瞬间似乎完全处于静止状态。然后，船摇晃着遭遇下落的潮涌。

Chris shouted to the captain to hold tight, and prepared himself for the shock. But the man did not live who could face it. An ocean of water smote Chris's back and his clutch on the spokes was loosened as if it were a baby's. Stunned, powerless, like a straw on the face of a torrent, he was swept onward he knew not whither. Missing the corner of the cabin, he was dashed forward along the poop runway a hundred feet or more, striking violently against the foot of the foremast. A second wave, crushing inboard, hurled him back the way he had come, and left him half—drowned where the poop steps should have been.

克里斯朝着船长大喊抓紧，自己也准备好迎接冲击。但只有没有经历过的人才能面对这种情况。大量的海水冲击着克里斯的后背，他紧握着舵轮把柄的手如婴儿的手一般无力地松开了。昏昏沉沉，浑身无力，他就像是激流面前的一根稻草一般被卷向前方，不知将漂向何处。绕过船舱的一角，他被水流裹着向前冲去，沿着船尾通道冲出了百余英尺，猛地撞上了前桅的底座。又一波巨浪冲进船内，将他沿原路猛地甩了回去，落在原是船尾楼梯的地方淹得半死。

Bruised and bleeding, dimly conscious, he felt for the rail and dragged himself to his feet. Unless something could be done, he knew the last moment had come. As he faced the poop, the wind drove into his mouth with suffocating force. This brought him back to his senses with a start. The wind was blowing from dead aft! The schooner was out of the trough and before it! But the send of the sea was bound to breach her to again. Crawling up the runway, he managed to get to the wheel just in time to prevent this. The binnacle light was still burning. They were safe!

浑身淤青，鲜血直流，意识模糊，他摸索着栏杆，拖着身体站了起来。他知道再不做点什么的话，就难逃一劫了。当他面朝船尾的时候，风以一种令人窒息的力度灌进了他的嘴里。这让他猛地一惊，清醒了过来。风是从船的正后方刮来的！纵帆船已经跳出了波谷，跃到了前面！但是汹涌的海浪肯定会再把它冲垮的。他挣扎着爬上跑道，够到了舵盘，刚好来得及阻止这一切发生。罗经座的灯还亮着。他们安全了！

That is, he and the schooner were safe. As to the welfare of his three companions he could not say. Nor did he dare leave the wheel in order to find out, for it took every second of his undivided attention to keep the vessel to her course. The least fraction of carelessness and the heave of the sea under the quarter was liable to thrust her into the trough. So, a boy of one hundred and forty pounds, he clung to his herculean task of guiding the two hundred straining tons of fabric amid the chaos of the great storm forces.

就是说，他和纵帆船都安全了。至于他的三个同伴是否安全，他还说不准。他也不敢为了找他们而离开舵轮，因为他必须每一秒钟都全神贯注，这样才能保持船沿着航线行进。一丁点的分心加上船侧后部起伏的海浪都有可能将船推进波谷。所以，这个一百四十磅的男孩，坚持不懈地执行着他艰巨的任务——操纵着这艘二百吨重的船只在强风暴雨造成的混乱中前行。

Half an hour later, groaning and sobbing, the captain crawled to Chris's feet. All was lost, he whimpered. He was smitten unto death. The galley had gone by the board, the mainsail and running—gear, the cook, everything!

半小时以后，船长呻吟着，抽泣着爬到了克里斯的脚下。都没了，他呜咽着说。他受到了致命的打击。船上的厨房已经从船侧滑落到水中，主帆、驱动装置、厨师，所有的一切都没了！

"Where's the sailing—master?” Chris demanded when he had caught his breath after steadying a wild lurch of the schooner. It was no child's play to steer a vessel under single—reefed jib before a typhoon.

“航海官在哪儿？” 纵帆船猛然倾斜，克里斯把船掌稳后得以喘息之际问道。要在台风中驾驶一艘只有一个艏帆且只打了一个缩帆结的船，这绝非儿戏。

"Clean up for 'ard, " the old man replied. Jammed under the fo' c 'slehead, but still breathing. Both his arms are broken, he says, and he doesn't know how many ribs. He's hurt bad.

“他在船头清理，” 老船长回答道， “被困在了水手舱前端的下面，但还活着。他说他的两只胳膊都断了，此外不知道断了多少根肋骨。他伤得很重。”

"Well, he'll drown there the way she's shipping water through the hawse—pipes. Go for 'ard! " Chris commanded, taking charge of things as a matter of course. Tell him not to worry; that I' m at the wheel. Help him as much as you can, and make him help "—he stopped and ran the spokes to starboard as a tremendous billow rose under the stern and yawed the schooner to port—" and make him help himself for the rest. Unship the fo 'castle hatch and get him down into a bunk. Then ship the hatch again.

“哎，从船现在通过锚链筒往里进水的样子看来，他会淹死在那的。快去！” 克里斯命令道，理所当然地负责起了所有事务， “告诉他别担心，我在掌舵。尽量地帮助他，让他帮” ——这时，一个滔天巨浪从船尾升起，掀得船往左舷偏去，他止住了话并将舵轮尽力向右转动—— “剩下的让他靠自己。把水手舱的口盖移下来，把他弄到床铺上去。然后再盖上舱盖。”

The captain turned his aged face forward and wavered pitifully. The waist of the ship was full of water to the bulwarks. He had just come through it, and knew death lurked every inch of the way.

船长饱经沧桑的脸转向前，摇摇晃晃，很是可怜。船腰的部位至舷墙处都积满了水。他刚刚从那里脱险，知道那条路上的每一寸都潜藏着死亡的危险。

"Go! " Chris shouted, fiercely. And as the fear—stricken man started, "And take another look for the cook! "

“快去！” 克里斯大声嘶喊道。而正当这个吓坏了的老头准备走的时候，克里斯又说： “再看一下厨师的情况！”

Two hours later, almost dead from suffering, the captain returned. He had obeyed orders. The sailing—master was helpless, although safe in a bunk; the cook was gone. Chris sent the captain below to the cabin to change his clothes.

两个小时后，船长死里逃生，终于回来了。他服从了命令。航海官在船铺上虽然安全了，但一点忙也帮不上了；厨师已经不在了。克里斯让船长下到船舱里去换衣服。

After interminable hours of toil, day broke cold and gray. Chris looked about him. The Sophie Sutherland was racing before the typhoon like a thing possessed. There was no rain, but the wind whipped the spray of the sea mast—high, obscuring everything except in the immediate neighborhood.

经过漫长的几小时苦战，天终于亮了，但依然寒冷阴郁。克里斯环顾四周。索菲·萨瑟兰号正疯了一般地迎着台风全速行进。没有雨，但风把海浪的飞沫卷到桅杆一样高，除了最直接邻近的东西，一切都变得模糊不清。

Two waves only could Chris see at a time—the one before and the one behind. So small and insignificant the schooner seemed on the long Pacific roll! Rushing up a maddening mountain, she would poise like a cockle—shell on the giddy summit, breathless and rolling, leap outward and down into the yawning chasm beneath, and bury herself in the smother of foam at the bottom. Then the recovery, another mountain, another sickening upward rush, another poise, and the downward crash. Abreast of him, to starboard, like a ghost of the storm, Chris saw the cook dashing apace with the schooner. Evidently, when washed overboard, he had grasped and become entangled in a trailing halyard.

克里斯一次只能看到两个波浪——船前方的以及船后方的。在浩淼汹涌的太平洋面前，纵帆船看起来是如此渺小而微不足道！冲上一个汹涌的波峰，纵帆船就像一叶轻舟一样在令人眩晕的峰顶悬着，无法喘息、摇摇晃晃，接着向外跃出，冲向下面裂开大口的浪谷，淹没在了底部令人窒息的浪花里。然后恢复过来，又一个波峰，又一阵令人作呕的上冲，再悬着，最后再往下坠落。与他并列，在船的右舷方向，克里斯发现了厨师像风暴中的幽灵一样随着纵帆船往前猛冲。很显然，在被水冲出船外的时候，厨师抓住了一根拖曳的吊索，并被它缠住了。

For three hours more, along with this gruesome companion, Chris held the Sophie Sutherland before the wind and sea. He had long since forgotten his mangled fingers. The bandages had been torn away, and the cold, salt spray had eaten into the half—healed wounds until they were numb and no longer pained. But he was not cold. The terrific labor of steering forced the perspiration from every pore. Yet he was faint and weak with hunger and exhaustion, and hailed with delight the advent on deck of the captain, who fed him all of a pound of cake—chocolate. It strengthened him at once.

又过了三个小时，同这个阴森可怕的同伴一起，克里斯在风浪里驾驶着索菲·亚瑟兰号。他早就忘记了自己受了重伤的手指。绷带早就被撕扯掉了，冰冷的盐水不断地渗进半愈合的伤口中，直到手指麻木，失去痛感。但他并不觉得冷。掌舵所带来的极端劳累迫使他的每个毛孔都在出汗。但因为饥饿和过度疲惫，他已经感到眩晕虚弱了。当船长出现在甲板上时他兴奋地欢呼，因为船长拿了整整一磅的蛋糕巧克力来喂他。这让他立刻就有劲了。

He ordered the captain to cut the halyard by which the cook's body was towing, and also to go forward and cut loose the jib—halyard and sheet. When he had done so, the jib fluttered a couple of moments like a handkerchief, then tore out of the bolt—ropes and vanished. The Sophie Sutherland was running under bare poles.

他命令船长去切断拖住厨师尸体的吊索，还让他上前把艏帆的吊索和缭绳都割断。当他做完这些，艏帆就像一块手帕一般飘扬了片刻，然后脱离了帆边绳，消失无踪了。索菲·萨瑟兰号现在就靠光秃秃的桅杆前进了。

By noon the storm had spent itself, and by six in the evening the waves had died down sufficiently to let Chris leave the helm. It was almost hopeless to dream of the small boats weathering the typhoon, but there is always the chance in saving human life, and Chris at once applied himself to going back over the course along which he had fled. He managed to get a reef in one of the inner jibs and two reefs in the spanker, and then, with the aid of the watch—tackle, to hoist them to the stiff breeze that yet blew. And all through the night, tacking back and forth on the back track, he shook out canvas as fast as the wind would permit.

到中午时，风暴已经势穷而停了下来；到傍晚六点，海浪已经基本平息，克里斯可以离开舵轮了。奢望那些小捕猎船能经受住台风几乎是不可能的，但总还是有救回生命的可能。于是克里斯立刻集中精力沿着他先前逃离的路线返回。他在其中一个内艏帆里找到了一个缩帆，在后纵帆里找到了两个，然后，借助轻便绞轆，他把它们升到了依然刮着的强风之中。整个晚上，他都在返回的路上来来回回抢风航行，一旦风势允许就张开船帆。

The injured sailing—master had turned delirious and between tending him and lending a hand with the ship, Chris kept the captain busy.

受伤的航海官已经神志不清，克里斯让船长一直忙着，照顾航海官或者给他搭把手。

"Taught me more seamanship, " as he afterward said, "than I'd learned on the whole voyage. " But by daybreak the old man's feeble frame succumbed, and he fell off into exhausted sleep on the weather poop.

就像他之后讲的： “这次风暴教给我的航海技术比我在整个航程中学到的还要多。” 但是到黎明时分，老头虚弱的身体已经支撑不住，倒在了向风侧的船尾上疲惫地睡着了。

Chris, who could now lash the wheel, covered the tired man with blankets from below, and went fishing in the lazaretto for something to eat. But by the day following he found himself forced to give in, drowsing fitfully by the wheel and waking ever and anon to take a look at things.

克里斯现在已经能掌稳舵了，他从下面拿来了毯子给这个疲惫的老人盖上，然后去船尾的贮藏室里捞了些东西吃。但到了第二天，他发现自己也坚持不住了，在舵轮旁一阵一阵地打瞌睡，时不时醒来看看周围情况。

On the afternoon of the third day he picked up a schooner, dismasted and battered. As he approached, close—hauled on the wind, he saw her decks crowded by an unusually large crew, and on sailing in closer, made out among others the faces of his missing comrades. And he was just in the nick of time, for they were fighting a losing fight at the pumps. An hour later they, with the crew of the sinking craft, were aboard the Sophie Sutherland.

第三天下午，他救起了一艘已经折了桅杆、破败不堪的纵帆船。当他迎风航行着靠近时，他看见甲板上挤着的船员异常之多，再驶近一点，他从人群中辨认出了他失踪的伙伴们的脸庞。他来得正及时，因为他们正在与水泵苦战，做着无望的斗争。一小时后，克里斯与同伴们，以及那艘正在下沉的船的船员们，一起登上了索菲·萨瑟兰号。

Having wandered so far from their own vessel, they had taken refuge on the strange schooner just before the storm broke. She was a Canadian sealer on her first voyage, and as was now apparent, her last.

原来已经远离自己纵帆船的同伴们，恰好在暴风雨来临之前，登上了一艘陌生的纵帆船，所以得以避难。那是一艘第一次出航的加拿大捕豹船，现在看来，很明显这也会是它最后一次出海。

The captain of the Sophie Sutherland had a story to tell, also, and he told it well—so well, in fact, that when all hands were gathered together on deck during the dog—watch, Emil Johansen strode over to Chris and gripped him by the hand.

索菲·萨瑟兰号的船长也有故事要讲，而且他讲得非常精彩——实际上，当所有船员聚集在甲板上换班时，听了精彩故事的埃米尔·约翰森大步走向克里斯，抓住了他的手。

"Chris, " he said, so loudly that all could hear, "Chris, I gif in. You vas yoost so good a sailorman as I. You vas a bully boy and able seaman, and I pe proud for you!

“克里斯，” 他说，声音大得能让所有人听见， “克里斯，我认输。你是个好水手，不比我差。你是个勇敢的孩子，也是位一等水手，我真为你骄傲！

"Und Chris! " He turned as if he had forgotten something, and called back, "From dis time always you call me 'Emil' mitout der 'Mister! ' "

“还有，克里斯！” 他转过身，好像忘记了什么，又叫住他道， “从现在起，你就叫我 ‘埃米尔’ ，不用称 ‘先生’ 了！”