18 My Cruise in a Coracle

CHAPTER 18 My Cruise in a Coracle My little boat, or coracle, was tossing toward the south end of Treasure Island when I awoke. I was racked by thirst and found myself in and out of giant waves that tossed me to and fro without stopping. I could not paddle and I saw that I would be drowned or dashed to death on sharp rocks if I came closer to shore. And I saw what looked like giant slugs on the rocks. These, I later learned, were sea lions, barking in the sun.

当我醒来时，我的小船，或者说小筏子，正朝着金银岛的南端颠簸而去。 我被口渴折磨着，发现自己在巨浪中进进出出，不停地把我抛来抛去。 我不会划水，我知道，如果我靠近海岸，我就会被淹死，或者被尖锐的岩石砸死。 我看到岩石上有巨大的鼻涕虫。 后来我才知道，那是在阳光下吠叫的海狮。

I saw that I would never make shore and that I was heading north toward the Cape of the Woods. I thought I might be able to land there. I was still rolling in the waves when I found a smooth swell. I noticed that if I just let the boat go on its own, I made progress. It moved on top of the waves like a leaf and I thought I might reach land. But it was not to be. As I rolled up and down in the terrible sun, my brain burning and my throat dry, I drifted past the point of landing. What was I to do? As I rounded the next cape, I saw an incredible sight. The Hispaniola, under full sail, was moving my way. At first, I thought it was going the other way. Then I thought the sailors had come out of their heavy sleep and were chasing me. When it made yet another strange move, I was confused, not knowing what to think.

我知道我永远也到不了岸了，我正在向北驶向森林角。 我想我可以在那里降落。 我还在波浪中翻滚，这时我发现了一个平缓的浪头。 我注意到，如果我让船自己走，我就取得了进步。 它像一片树叶一样在波浪上移动，我想我可能会到达陆地。 但事实并非如此。我在可怕的阳光下滚来滚去，我的大脑在燃烧，喉咙在干燥，我飘过了着陆点。 我该怎么办呢？当我绕过下一个岬角时，我看到了令人难以置信的景象。 伊斯班袅拉号正开满帆向我驶来。 一开始，我以为是另一种情况。 然后我以为水手们刚从酣睡中醒来，正在追赶我。 当它又做了一个奇怪的动作时，我很困惑，不知道该怎么想。

Suddenly, I understood, as the great ship swayed back and forth, that no one was steering it. The men were either hiding themselves belowdecks or had abandoned ship. And then, the idea occurred to me to try to take the ship and give it back to its Captain. Could it be that I could get aboard and steer it back? If the frightened pirates were on board, could I tie them up and take the wheel? I was made brave by the idea and tried to make my way toward the ship. Tossing in the wind, it continued to sail toward me. As I drew alongside, I saw that I had one chance. I could see the ship's shiny brass fixtures now and thought it might be easy. But the wind died and the ship stayed put. Then, just as suddenly, it began to spin toward me with the cabin window still open.

突然，当那艘大船前后摇晃时，我明白了，原来没有人在掌舵。 这些人要么躲在甲板下，要么弃船而逃。 然后，我想到了一个主意，试着把这艘船还给它的船长。 我能上船把船开回来吗？ 如果吓坏了的海盗在船上，我能把他们绑起来，然后掌舵吗？ 这个想法使我变得勇敢起来，我试着向船走去。 它在风中颠簸着，继续向我驶来。 当我靠近时，我看到我有一次机会。 我现在可以看到船上闪闪发光的黄铜固定装置，我想这可能很容易。 但是风停了，船停了下来。 然后，同样突然地，它开始向我旋转，船舱的窗户还开着。

It came around and I saw that it would spin by and the bowsprit, a wooden beam that jutted out in front of the ship, would be over my head. I jumped like a rocket from the boat into the air, catching the beam. Just as suddenly, the boat rose up and came down on my little craft, crushing it. I knew then that I had no way back home but upon theHispaniola.

它转过身来，我看到它会旋转，船头斜桅，一根突出在船前面的木梁，会在我的头顶上。 我像火箭一样从船上跳到空中，抓住了横梁。 突然间，那只小船浮了起来，砸在我的小船上，把它压碎了。 那时我知道，除了伊斯班袅拉号，我没有回家的路了。