For a moment Potts was undecided. In a few seconds' time he would be opposite the broken freight. 此时波茨犹豫不决，几秒钟不到，他将在这列损坏货车的对面。

The stopping of its detached front end would hasten the collision. His train had only partly slacked its terrific speed, 让分离的前端停车会加速撞击，他的火车还没有完全降速，

although the air indicator trembled at 55. If he waited to stop and back, and there was a collision, 尽管气动指针在55处颤动，如果他等着列车停下来，那么将发生撞车，

what would become of his train? He already saw in a flash of imagination the fiery burst of the explosion, 他的列车将发生什么？他在大脑中瞬间出现了猛烈的爆炸，

the heaps of crushed cars, tangled and twisted with burning oil spluttering over them; 满是被压碎的列车，扭曲成一团，燃烧的汽油在它们上面发出噼啪声；

and he heard the agonized cries of the passengers pinned to their death under the wrecked sleeping cars. 他听到了乘客的痛苦尖叫声，在毁坏的卧铺车厢下奄奄一息。

But in a moment excitement of the discovery passed. Potts stood six feet one in his stockings, and he weighed two hundred twenty pounds. 但在这一刻，他看到了发现的喜悦，波茨有6.1英尺高，穿着长筒袜，体重是240磅。

There was nerve in every inch of him. Besides, he knew the huge, black, breathing machine under him, 他全身散发着勇气的力量，他了解这个在他下面呼吸的巨型黑色机器，

and he had confidence in her. He shut off the air brake. Coal her up, he shouted to Harrison. 他对它有信心，他关闭了气闸，他向哈里森叫嚷到，给它加点燃料。

But you can't run by, there isn't time, Coal her up, roared the voice again, 但你没法越过去，没时间了，他再次叫嚷到，给它加点燃料，

and the engineer's huge height loomed up on his seat at the right of the cab. 在驾驶舱的右边，工程师的高大身躯耸立在他的座位上。

His hair was loose, and his face was smutty. He knew the risk of the attempt to drive his train past the danger point. 他的头发很松散，一张很性感的脸庞，他知道尝试让列车越过危险点的风险。

He knew it might cost him his life, and he had a wife and baby at home in Burlington; but his hand never wavered. 他知道这或许会让他丧命，他在伯灵顿还有妻儿，但他的手从未颤抖过。

Open came the throttle, the whistle screeched, and the engine leaped forward as if it fully appreciated the need of effort. 打开了节流阀，汽笛发出刺耳的声音，引擎加足马力，好似它很欣赏这次努力。

Again the sleepers in the Pullman cars grumbled at being shaken up. Harrison, the fireman, bent steadily from tender to fire pit, 普尔曼式卧车中的乘客再次抱怨了这次晃动，从煤水车到火坑，消防员哈里森沉着地弯下腰，

and each time he bent, the flames glowed more fiercely. All this happened within the space of a dozen seconds. 每次他弯腰，火焰都会更加剧烈的燃烧，这些都在12秒之内发生。

At such a time an engineer must act as quickly as he thinks. The loss of one second may cost a hundred lives. 此时此刻，工程师必须马上行动，损失一秒或将让数百人殒命。

The head of the freight appeared alongside. Potts caught a glimpse of its engineer leaning lazily out of his window, 货车车长在他身旁出现，波茨看到了这名工程师懒散散地伸出了窗外，

unconscious of impending disaster. The detached end of the freight, as Potts saw it now, was well down the grade, 没有意识到即将发生的灾难，火车脱节的尾部，就如波茨现在看到的样子，正在向斜坡下走去，

rushing straight for the front end at terrific speed. 急冲冲地像前端尾部冲去。

The roar and jar of its wheels could be heard above the sound of his own train. 轮胎的隆隆声已经盖过了他自己的火车声音。

Fifty thousand gallons of inflammable oil soon to collide with another fifty thousand gallons and then! 5万加仑燃烧的汽油将瞬间与另外5万加仑相撞，然后....