英语听书《海底两万里》第361期 第23章 珊瑚王国(59)

 I'll let you assess the degree of anger consuming our impatient Ned Land. He hurled¹ at the hapless animal the most potent² swearwords in the English language.  人们可以想象到，这个时候，性急的尼德·兰被激怒到了什么程度。他对这条不幸的海马发出英语中最有力量的咒骂。

For my part, I was simply distressed³ to see this dugong outwit our every scheme. 在我个人，我只是因为海马把我们所有的计谋部弄失败，心中有些不高兴罢了。

We chased it unflaggingly for a full hour, and I'd begun to think it would prove too difficult to capture, when the animal got the untimely idea of taking revenge on us, a notion it would soon have cause to regret.  我们在一个钟头内，不停地追赶它，我正在想，捕捉它：恐怕是很不容易了，但这个东西忽然起了不良的报复念头。

It wheeled on the skiff, to assault us in its turn. 这是它要后悔的呢！它回过身来，攻击小艇。

This maneuver⁴ did not escape the Canadian. 海马的这种行径逃不过加拿大人的眼光。

Watch out! he said. 小心！他说。

The coxswain pronounced a few words in his bizarre language, and no doubt he alerted his men to keep on their guard. 小艇艇长说了几句他的奇怪语言，当然是他通知水手们，大家要小心警戒。

Arriving within twenty feet of the skiff, the dugong stopped, sharply sniffing⁵ the air with its huge nostrils⁶, pierced not at the tip of its muzzle⁷ but on its topside.  海马到了离小艇二十英尺的水面上停住，它那不在嘴尖端，而在嘴上部敞开的大鼻孔，突然吸着空气。

Then it gathered itself and sprang at us. 然后，鼓起气力，向我们扑来。

The skiff couldn't avoid the collision. Half overturned, it shipped a ton or two of water that we had to bail⁸ out.  小艇不可能躲开它的冲撞，艇身翻倒了一半，海水跑进艇中有一两吨之多。

But thanks to our skillful coxswain, we were fouled⁹ on the bias¹⁰ rather than broadside, so we didn't capsize.  这水必须排出去。由于艇长的机灵，艇身只是斜面的而不是正面的受到海马攻击，所以没被憧翻沉没。

Clinging to the stempost, Ned Land thrust his harpoon¹¹ again and again into the gigantic animal, which imbedded its teeth in our gunwale and lifted the longboat out of the water as a lion would lift a deer.  尼德兰紧靠在小艇前头，把鱼叉向巨大的动物刺去，这东西牙齿咬住小艇的边缘，把小艇顶出水面，像狮子咬小鹿那样。

We were thrown on top of each other, and I have no idea how the venture would have ended had not the Canadian, still thirsting for the beast's blood, finally pierced it to the heart. 我们都被撞翻，彼此身子压着，如果不是那狠命地跟海马战斗的加拿大人把叉打中了动物的心脏，我真不知道这次的冒险打猎将怎样结束呢。

I heard its teeth grind on sheet iron, and the dugong disappeared, taking our harpoon along with it.  我听到牙齿在小艇铁板上的喳喳声响，海马沉没不见了，把叉带走了。

But the barrel soon popped up on the surface, and a few moments later the animal's body appeared and rolled over on its back.  但不久小木桶浮上水面来，一会儿，海马的躯体现出，脊背翻过来了。

Our skiff rejoined it, took it in tow, and headed to the Nautilus. 小艇划向前去，把它拖在后面，向诺第留斯号划去。

1 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

3 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

4 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

5 sniffing   

n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 nostrils   

鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
• The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

7 muzzle   

n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默

参考例句：

• He placed the muzzle of the pistol between his teeth.他把手枪的枪口放在牙齿中间。
• The President wanted to muzzle the press.总统企图遏制新闻自由。

8 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

9 fouled   

v.使污秽( foul的过去式和过去分词 )；弄脏；击球出界；（通常用废物）弄脏

参考例句：

• Blue suit and reddish-brown socks!He had fouled up again. 蓝衣服和红褐色短袜！他又搞错了。
• The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories. 整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。

10 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

11 harpoon   

n.鱼叉；vt.用鱼叉叉，用鱼叉捕获

参考例句：

• The harpoon drove deep into the body of the whale.渔叉深深地扎进鲸鱼体内。
• The fisherman transfixed the shark with a harpoon.渔夫用鱼叉刺住鲨鱼。