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One night, about nine o'clock, I heard one of the sailors in the cabin saying quietly to the others, 'Shuan's killed him at last!' We all knew who he meant. Just then the captain came in. I was surprised to see him walk towards me and say kindly, 'My man, we want ye to help us in the round-house. From now on, ye'll sleep there instead of Ransome.' As he spoke, two sailors carried Ransome into the cabin. His face was as white as a sheet, and he did not move. My blood ran cold when I saw him.
一天晚上，约莫九点钟，我听见机舱里有位水手悄悄地对别的水手们说：“舒安到底杀了他！”我们大家都明白他指的是谁。正在那时船长进来了。我很吃惊地看见他走向我，和蔼地对我说：“小伙子，我们需要你到后甲板室给我们帮忙。从现在起，你就代替兰塞姆睡在那儿。”当他说话时，两名水手把兰塞姆抬进机舱。他的脸和纸一样白，并且他不动弹。我看见他时，被吓得不寒而栗。
I obeyed the captain, and ran to the round-house. It was a large room, with a table, a bench and locked cupboards. All the best food and drink was kept there, under the captain's eyes, as well as the guns. When I entered, I saw Mr Shuan sitting at the table, with a bottle of whisky in front of him. He did not seem to notice what was happening around him, and was looking fixedly at the table.
我遵从船长的话，跑到后甲板室。后甲板室很大，有一张桌子、一个凳子和锁住的一些小橱子。最好的食品和饮料都放在那儿，就在船长的眼皮底下，也在枪口保护之下。当我进去时，看见舒安先生正坐在桌旁，面前摆着一瓶威士忌。他似乎没有注意周围发生的一切，他的眼睛直直地看着桌子。
Mr Riach soon joined the captain and me. He looked at Hoseason meaningfully, and I understood from his look that Ransome was dead. We three all stood silently looking down at Mr Shuan.
里亚奇先生很快加入到我和船长中间。他意味深长地看看霍齐亚森，从他的表情我明白兰塞姆死了。我们三个都静静地站着，俯视着舒安先生。
Suddenly the captain stepped forward. 'Do ye know what ye've done?' he cried. 'Ye've murdered the boy!'
猛然间船长大步走向前。“你知道你干了些什么吗？”他喊道。“你杀了那个男孩！”
Mr Shuan put a hand to his head. 'Well,' he said, 'he brought me a dirty glass!'
舒安先生把一只手放到头上。“唔，”他说道，“他当时给我拿来一个脏杯子！”
The captain and Mr Riach and I looked at each other, almost frightened. Then Hoseason took Mr Shuan by the arm, and told him to go to bed. The murderer cried a little at first, but he took off his boots and lay down, like a small child.
我、船长还有里亚奇你看我、我望你，差不多给吓住了。接着霍齐亚森抓住舒安先生的胳膊，命令他上床睡觉。这个谋杀犯起初叫了一小下，但是他还是像一个小孩似地脱了靴子并且躺了下来。
'Mr Riach,' said the captain, when we could see that Mr Shuan was asleep, 'nobody on land must know what happened tonight. We'll say that the boy fell into the sea. Get us a drink, David, we both need one,' and he gave me the key to the cupboards.
“里亚奇先生，”当我们确实看到舒安睡着之后船长开口说道，“不能让岸上的人知道今晚发生的事儿。我们就说那个男孩掉进了海里。戴维，给我们拿点喝的来，我们二人都需要喝一杯。”接着他给了我开小橱子的钥匙。
In the next few days I was very busy, running here and there with the officers' food and drink. Mr Riach and the captain were surprisingly patient with me when I made mistakes. Perhaps they were thinking of the poor boy who had died. But Mr Shuan was very strange after Ransome's death. He did not seem to know what he had done, or to recognize me. On my second day in the round-house, he looked at me with a white face and fear in his eyes. 'You weren't here before?' he asked.
在接下来的几天里，我很忙，一会儿跑到这儿、一会儿跑到那儿地拿高级船员们的食品和饮料。里亚奇先生和船长即使在我出了错时也对我很出奇地耐心。也许是他们还在想那个已死的可怜的小男孩。但兰塞姆死后舒安先生变得很怪了。他似乎不知道他做了些什么，也不认识我。在我待在后甲板室的第二天，他脸色苍白、眼带恐惧地看着我。“你以前不在这儿吗？”他问道。
'No, sir,' I replied.
“对，先生，”我回答道。
'There was another boy?' he asked. 'Ah! Yes, I thought so,' and sitting down, he called for some more whisky.
“有另外一个小男孩吗？”他问道。“啊！是的，我想有。”他又叫了些威士忌，坐了下来。
It wasn't a hard life for me. I was able to eat well, and talk to Mr Riach, who spoke to me like a friend. But I could not forget poor Ransome. As the days passed, I became more and more worried. I knew that, when the ship arrived in the Carolinas, I would no longer be a free man, but a slave. I thought hard, but there did not seem to be any way of escaping.
这生活对我来说并不艰难。我能吃好，能够与里亚奇先生交谈。他像一个朋友一样对我说话。但我不能忘记可怜的兰塞姆。当日子一天天过去时，我变得越来越担忧了。我明白，当船抵达卡罗来纳时，我将不再是个自由人，而是一个奴隶了。我使劲想，但似乎没有逃跑的方法。
