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Fast in the Ice by Robert Michael Ballantyne, Chapter One.

Chapter One.

One day, many years ago, a brig cast off from her moorings, and sailed from a British port for the Polar Seas. That brig never came back.

Many a hearty cheer was given, many a kind wish was uttered, many a handkerchief was waved, and many a tearful eye gazed that day as the vessel left Old England, and steered her course into the unknown regions of the far north.

But no cheer ever greeted her return; no bright eyes ever watched her homeward-bound sails rising on the far-off horizon.

Battered by the storms of the Arctic seas, her sails and cordage stiffened by the frosts, and her hull rasped and shattered by the ice of those regions, she was forced on a shore where the green grass has little chance to grow, where winter reigns nearly all the year round, where man never sends his merchandise, and never drives his plough. There the brig was frozen in; there, for two long years, she lay unable to move, and her starving crew forsook her; there, year after year, she lay, unknown, unvisited by civilised man, and unless the wild Eskimos (see note 1) have torn her to pieces, and made spears of her timbers, or the ice has swept her out to sea and whirled her to destruction, there she lies still—hard and fast in the ice.

The vessel was lost, but her crew were saved, and most of them returned to tell their kinsfolk of the wonders and the dangers of the frozen regions, where God has created some of the most beautiful and some of the most awful objects that were ever looked on by the eye of man.

What was told by the fireside, long ago, is now recounted in this book.

Imagine a tall, strong man, of about five-and-forty, with short, curly black hair, just beginning to turn grey; stern black eyes, that look as if they could pierce into your secret thoughts; a firm mouth, with lines of good-will and kindness lurking about it; a deeply-browned skin, and a short, thick beard and moustache. That is a portrait of the commander of the brig. His name was Harvey. He stood on the deck, close by the wheel, looking wistfully over the stern. As the vessel bent before the breeze, and cut swiftly through the water, a female hand was raised among the gazers on the pier, and a white scarf waved in the breeze. In the forefront of the throng, and lower down, another hand was raised; it was a little one, but very vigorous; it whirled a cap round a small head of curly black hair, and a shrill “hurrah!” came floating out to sea.

The captain kissed his hand and waved his hat in reply; then, wheeling suddenly round, he shouted, in a voice of thunder:

“Mind your helm, there; let her away a point. Take a pull on these foretopsail halyards; look alive, lads!”

“Aye, aye, sir!” replied the men.

There was no occasion whatever for these orders. The captain knew that well enough, but he had his own reasons for giving them. The men knew that, too, and they understood his reasons when they observed the increased sternness of his eyes, and the compression of his lips.

Inclination and duty! What wars go on in the hearts of men—high and low, rich and poor—between these two. What varied fortune follows man, according as the one or the other carries the day.

“Please, sir,” said a gruff, broad-shouldered, and extremely short man, with little or no forehead, a hard, vacant face, and a pair of enormous red whispers; “please, sir, Sam Baker's took very bad; I think it would be as well if you could give him a little physic, sir; a tumbler of Epsom, or some-think of that sort.” “Why, Mr Dicey, there can't be anything very far wrong with Baker,” said the captain, looking down at his second mate; “he seems to me one of the healthiest men in the ship. What's the matter with him?” “Well, I can't say, sir,” replied Mr Dicey, “but he looks 'orrible bad, all yellow and green about the gills, and fearful red round the eyes. But what frightens me most is that I heard him groanin' very heavy about a quarter of an hour ago, and then I saw him suddenly fling himself into his 'ammock and begin blubberin' like a child. Now, sir, I say, when a grow'd-up man gives way like that, there must be some-think far wrong with his inside. And it's a serious thing, sir, to take a sick man on such a voyage as this.” “Does he not say what's wrong with him?” asked the captain. “No, sir; he don't. He says it's nothin', and he'll be all right if he's only let alone. I did hear him once or twice muttering some-think about his wife and child; you know, sir, he's got a young wife, and she had a baby about two months 'fore we came away, but I can't think that's got much to do with it, for I've got a wife myself, sir, and six children, two of 'em bein' babies, and that don't upset me , and Baker's a much stronger man.” “You are right, Mr Dicey, he is a much stronger man than you,” replied the captain, “and I doubt not that his strength will enable him to get over this without the aid of physic.”

“Very well, sir,” said Mr Dicey.

The second mate was a man whose countenance never showed any signs of emotion, no matter what he felt. He seldom laughed, or, if he did, his mouth remained almost motionless, and the sounds that came out were anything but cheerful. He had light grey eyes which always wore an expression of astonishment; but the expression was accidental; it indicated no feeling. He would have said, “Very well, sir,” if the captain had refused to give poor Baker food instead of physic.

“And hark'ee, Mr Dicey,” said the captain, “don't let him be disturbed till he feels inclined to move.” “Very well, sir,” replied the second mate, touching his cap as he turned away.

“So,” murmured the captain, as he gazed earnestly at the now distant shore, “I'm not the only one who carries a heavy heart to sea this day and leaves sorrowing hearts behind him.” ---

Note 1. This word is here spelled as pronounced. It is usually spelled Esquimaux.

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Chapter One. Chapter One. Capítulo primero. Capítulo I. 第一章。 第一章

One day, many years ago, a brig cast off from her moorings, and sailed from a British port for the Polar Seas. ||||||Brigg||||||||||||||| Um dia, há muitos anos, um brigue soltou-se das suas amarras e partiu de um porto britânico para os mares polares. 许多年前的一天,一艘双桅船从她的系泊处脱离,从英国的一个港口驶向极地海域。 That brig never came back. |Esa fragata nunca regresó.||| Aquele brigue nunca mais voltou. 那艘双桅船再也没有回来。

Many a hearty cheer was given, many a kind wish was uttered, many a handkerchief was waved, and many a tearful eye gazed that day as the vessel left Old England, and steered her course into the unknown regions of the far north. 那天,当船离开旧英格兰,驶向遥远北方的未知区域时,人们发出了许多热烈的欢呼,表达了许多善意的愿望,挥动了许多手帕,许多人泪流满面地注视着。

But no cheer ever greeted her return; no bright eyes ever watched her homeward-bound sails rising on the far-off horizon. 但是没有欢呼迎接她的归来。从来没有明亮的眼睛注视过她返航的帆在遥远的地平线上升起。

Battered by the storms of the Arctic seas, her sails and cordage stiffened by the frosts, and her hull rasped and shattered by the ice of those regions, she was forced on a shore where the green grass has little chance to grow, where winter reigns nearly all the year round, where man never sends his merchandise, and never drives his plough. 在北极海域的风暴中,她的帆和绳索因霜冻而僵硬,她的船体被这些地区的冰层撕裂和破碎,她被迫在一片绿草几乎没有机会生长的海岸上,那里是冬天的主宰几乎一年四季,人们从不发送货物,也从不开犁。 There the brig was frozen in; there, for two long years, she lay unable to move, and her starving crew forsook her; there, year after year, she lay, unknown, unvisited by civilised man, and unless the wild Eskimos (see note 1) have torn her to pieces, and made spears of her timbers, or the ice has swept her out to sea and whirled her to destruction, there she lies still—hard and fast in the ice. 双桅船在那里被冻住了;在那里,她躺了两年,动弹不得,饥饿的船员们抛弃了她。年复一年,她躺在那里,不为人知,文明人未曾到访,除非野生爱斯基摩人(见注 1)将她撕成碎片,用她的木材制成长矛,或冰将她卷入大海并旋转她走向毁灭,她静静地躺在那里——坚硬而快速地躺在冰层中。

The vessel was lost, but her crew were saved, and most of them returned to tell their kinsfolk of the wonders and the dangers of the frozen regions, where God has created some of the most beautiful and some of the most awful objects that were ever looked on by the eye of man. 船丢了,但她的船员得救了,他们中的大多数人都回来告诉他们的亲人冰冻地区的奇迹和危险,上帝在那里创造了一些有史以来最美丽和最可怕的物体被人的眼睛看着。

What was told by the fireside, long ago, is now recounted in this book. 很久以前,炉边所说的,现在在这本书中重新叙述。

Imagine a tall, strong man, of about five-and-forty, with short, curly black hair, just beginning to turn grey; stern black eyes, that look as if they could pierce into your secret thoughts; a firm mouth, with lines of good-will and kindness lurking about it; a deeply-browned skin, and a short, thick beard and moustache. 想象一个高大强壮的男人,大约五四十岁,一头黑色的短卷发,刚刚开始变灰;深邃的黑眸,仿佛能洞悉你隐秘的思绪;一张坚定的嘴,嘴边潜藏着善意和善意的线条;深褐色的皮肤,短而浓密的胡须和小胡子。 That is a portrait of the commander of the brig. His name was Harvey. He stood on the deck, close by the wheel, looking wistfully over the stern. 他站在甲板上,靠近方向盘,若有所思地看着船尾。 As the vessel bent before the breeze, and cut swiftly through the water, a female hand was raised among the gazers on the pier, and a white scarf waved in the breeze. 船在微风中弯曲,在水面上疾驰而过,一只女性的手在码头上的凝视者中举起,一条白色的围巾在微风中飘扬。 In the forefront of the throng, and lower down, another hand was raised; it was a little one, but very vigorous; it whirled a cap round a small head of curly black hair, and a shrill “hurrah!” came floating out to sea. 在人群的最前面,向下,另一只手举起;它很小,但非常有活力;它用一顶帽子绕着一头乌黑的小卷发旋转,发出一声尖锐的“万岁!”浮出海面。

The captain kissed his hand and waved his hat in reply; then, wheeling suddenly round, he shouted, in a voice of thunder: 船长吻了吻他的手,挥舞着帽子作为回答。然后,他突然转身,用雷鸣般的声音喊道:

“Mind your helm, there; let her away a point. “注意你的舵,那里;让她离开一点。 Take a pull on these foretopsail halyards; look alive, lads!” 拉动这些前帆升降索;看起来还活着,小伙子们!”

“Aye, aye, sir!” replied the men.

There was no occasion whatever for these orders. 这些命令没有任何机会。 The captain knew that well enough, but he had his own reasons for giving them. 船长很清楚这一点,但他有自己的理由给予他们。 The men knew that, too, and they understood his reasons when they observed the increased sternness of his eyes, and the compression of his lips.

Inclination and duty! What wars go on in the hearts of men—high and low, rich and poor—between these two. 这两者之间在人们心中发生着什么样的战争——高低,贫富。 What varied fortune follows man, according as the one or the other carries the day. 不同的命运跟随着人,取决于一个人或另一个人的日子。

“Please, sir,” said a gruff, broad-shouldered, and extremely short man, with little or no forehead, a hard, vacant face, and a pair of enormous red whispers; “please, sir, Sam Baker's took very bad; I think it would be as well if you could give him a little physic, sir; a tumbler of Epsom, or some-think of that sort.” “求你了,先生,”一个粗鲁、宽肩、极矮的男人说,他的前额很少或没有,一张冷酷的、空洞的脸,以及一对巨大的红色耳语。 “拜托,先生,山姆·贝克的情况很糟糕;先生,我想如果你能给他一点物理治疗就好了。爱普生的玻璃杯,或者类似的东西。” “Why, Mr Dicey, there can't be anything very far wrong with Baker,” said the captain, looking down at his second mate; “he seems to me one of the healthiest men in the ship. “为什么,戴雪先生,贝克不会有什么大问题,”船长说,低头看着他的二副。 “在我看来,他是船上最健康的人之一。 What's the matter with him?” “Well, I can't say, sir,” replied Mr Dicey, “but he looks 'orrible bad, all yellow and green about the gills, and fearful red round the eyes. “好吧,我不能说,先生,”戴雪先生回答说,“但他看起来很糟糕,鳃周围全是黄绿色,眼睛周围是可怕的红色。 But what frightens me most is that I heard him groanin' very heavy about a quarter of an hour ago, and then I saw him suddenly fling himself into his 'ammock and begin blubberin' like a child. 但最让我害怕的是,大约一刻钟前,我听到他沉重的呻吟,然后我看到他突然跳进他的“吊床”,像个孩子一样开始哭泣。 Now, sir, I say, when a grow'd-up man gives way like that, there must be some-think far wrong with his inside. 现在,先生,我说,当一个成熟的男人像那样屈服时,他的内心一定有什么——认为他有很大的错误。 And it's a serious thing, sir, to take a sick man on such a voyage as this.” 先生,在这样的航程中带上一个病人是一件很严重的事情。” “Does he not say what's wrong with him?” asked the captain. “No, sir; he don't. He says it's nothin', and he'll be all right if he's only let alone. 他说这没什么,只要他放任不管,他就会没事的。 I did hear him once or twice muttering some-think about his wife and child; you know, sir, he's got a young wife, and she had a baby about two months 'fore we came away, but I can't think that's got much to do with it, for  I've got a wife myself, sir, and six children, two of 'em bein' babies, and that don't upset  me , and Baker's a much stronger man.” “You are right, Mr Dicey, he is a much stronger man than you,” replied the captain, “and I doubt not that his strength will enable him to get over this without the aid of physic.” “你说得对,戴雪先生,他比你强壮得多,”船长回答,“我不怀疑他的力量能让他在没有药物帮助的情况下克服这个困难。”

“Very well, sir,” said Mr Dicey.

The second mate was a man whose countenance never showed any signs of emotion, no matter what he felt. 二副是一个无论怎么想,脸上都不会流露出任何情绪的人。 He seldom laughed, or, if he did, his mouth remained almost motionless, and the sounds that came out were anything but cheerful. 他很少笑,即使笑了,嘴巴也几乎一动不动,发出的声音一点也不欢快。 He had light grey eyes which always wore an expression of astonishment; but the expression was accidental; it indicated no feeling. 他有一双浅灰色的眼睛,总是带着惊讶的神情。但表达是偶然的;它表示没有感觉。 He would have said, “Very well, sir,” if the captain had refused to give poor Baker food instead of physic. 如果船长拒绝给可怜的贝克食物而不是药物,他会说“很好,先生”。

“And hark'ee, Mr Dicey,” said the captain, “don't let him be disturbed till he feels inclined to move.” “听好了,戴雪先生,”船长说,“在他想动身之前,别让他受到打扰。” “Very well, sir,” replied the second mate, touching his cap as he turned away.

“So,” murmured the captain, as he gazed earnestly at the now distant shore, “I'm not the only one who carries a heavy heart to sea this day and leaves sorrowing hearts behind him.” ---

Note 1. This word is here spelled as pronounced. 这个词在这里拼写为发音。 It is usually spelled Esquimaux. 它通常拼写为 Esquimaux。