四签名 80凶手的末日（13）（在线收听）

We were within a boat's-length by this time, and almost within touch of our quarry.

这时彼此之间只有一船之隔了，几乎能触摸到我们的猎物了

I can see the two of them now as they stood, the white man with his legs far apart, shrieking out curses,

我现在能看到他们俩人在站立着，白人叉开两腿不断地怒骂，

and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face, and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern.

那个矮小的黑人满脸忿恨地向着我们的灯光，咬牙切齿地狂叫。

It was well that we had so clear a view of him.

幸而我们看他们看得很清楚。

Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short, round piece of wood, like a school-ruler, and clapped it to his lips.

那个小黑人从毯子里掏出了一个好似木尺的短圆的木棒搁在唇边。

Our pistols rang out together.

我们立即扳动枪机，两弹启发。

He whirled round, threw up his arms, and, with a kind of choking cough, fell sideways into the stream.

那黑人转了转身就两手高举，喘了口气，跌入河内，

I caught one glimpse of his venomous, menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters.

刹那之间我就看到他那一双狠毒的眼睛在白色的漩涡之中消失了。

At the same moment the wooden-legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it hard down,

这时，那装木腿的人冲向船舵，用尽他全身力量扳那舵柄，

so that his boat made straight in for the southern bank,

那船突向南岸冲去，

while we shot past her stern, only clearing her by a few feet.

我们以相差几尺的距离躲开了它的船尾总算没有撞上。

We were round after her in an instant, but she was already nearly at the bank.

我们随即转变方向追上前去。那时"曙光"号已经接近南岸，

It was a wild and desolate place, where the moon glimmered upon a wide expanse of marsh-land,

岸上是一块荒凉的旷野，月光照着空旷的沼地，

with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation.

地面上聚着一片片的死水和一堆堆的腐烂植物。

The launch, with a dull thud, ran up upon the mud-bank, with her bow in the air and her stern flush with the water.

那只汽船冲到岸上就搁浅了，船头耸向空中，船尾没在水里。