美国语文第五册 第195期：癫狂的火车司机（05）
I looked at the window, and found that we were dashing along at a speed never before traveled on that road.
我朝窗外望去，火车正以从未有过的速度箭一般向前飞驰，
Posts, fences, rocks, and trees flew by in one undistinguished mass, and the carriages now swayed fearfully.
那些无法辨清的标杆、栅栏、山体以及树木统统呼啸而过，车厢摇摆愈发让人恐惧。
I started to my feet, and met a passenger on the platform.
我离开车厢，在过道遇到一位旅客，
He was one of the chief owners of our road, and was just on his way to Berlin.
他是我们那条铁路投资的一家大股东，当时正准备前往柏林。
He was pale and excited.
此刻，他脸色煞白，情绪极为激动。
"Sir," he gasped, "is Martin Kroller on the engine?"
“先生，”他倒抽了一口凉气，“难道是马丁·克罗尔在开车？”
"Yes," I told him.
“不错，正是他。”我对他说。
What! didn't you know him?
天呀，你难道不知道他？
"Know?" I repeated, somewhat puzzled; what do you mean?
“怎么回事？”我再次询问，有点丈二和尚摸不着头脑，你说的什么意思？
He told me his name was Kroller, and that he was an engineer. We had no one to run the engine, and...
他对我说，他叫马丁·克罗尔，是位火车司机。当时，我们找不到火车司机，而且……
"You took him!" interrupted the man.
“你就让他来开！”他打断了我的话，
Good heavens, sir, he is as crazy as a man can be!
我的老天，先生，这家伙简直疯狂得不可理喻！
He turned his brain over a new plan for applying steam power.
他绞尽脑汁地策划一项蒸气动力的新计划，
I saw him at the station, but did not fully recognize him, as I was in a hurry.
我在站台房见到他，由于当时匆忙，我没有看清。
Just now one of your passengers told me that your engineers were all gone this morning,
刚才一位乘客告诉我，今天早上，你的火车司机们全都不在，
and that you found one that was a stranger to you.
于是你找到一位陌生人，
Then I knew the man whom I had seen was Martin Kroller.
我马上意识到，我遇见的那人正是马丁·克罗尔，
He had escaped from the hospital at Stettin. You must get him off somehow.
他是从斯德丁的医院里逃出来的，不管怎样，你要尽快让他将火车停下来。
The whole fearful truth was now open to me.
可怕的真相就在我的面前，
The speed of the train was increasing every moment,
火车仍然还在分分秒秒加速，加速。
and I knew that a few more miles per hour would launch us all into destruction.
我清楚，每小时提速不过数英里的列车亦足以带我们大家走向坟墓。
