福尔摩斯探案集·四签名 第76期:凶手的末日(9)
"Yes, it is your boy," I cried. "I can see him plainly."
我喊道：“不错，那就是你派的小帮手，我看得很清楚。”
"And there is the Aurora," exclaimed Holmes, "and going like the devil!
福尔摩斯喊道："那就是"曙光"号，你看它的速度真快。
Full speed ahead, engineer. Make after that launch with the yellow light.
机师，咱们加速前进，紧追着那有黄灯的汽船。
By heaven, I shall never forgive myself if she proves to have the heels of us!"
假若咱们追不上它，我是永远不能原谅自己的。"
She had slipped unseen through the yard-entrance and passed between two or three small craft,
"曙光"号已经从船坞开了出去，被两三条小船遮得看不见了。
so that she had fairly got her speed up before we saw her.
等到我们再看见它的时候，它已经驶得相当快了。
Now she was flying down the stream, near in to the shore, going at a tremendous rate.
它在沿着河岸向下游急进，
Jones looked gravely at her and shook his head.
琼斯看了只是摇头，
"She is very fast," he said. "I doubt if we shall catch her."
说道："这船神速极了，咱们恐怕追不上它。"
"We must catch her!" cried Holmes between his teeth.
福尔摩斯叫道："咱们必须追上它。
"Heap it on, stokers! Make her do all she can! If we burn the boat we must have them!"
火夫，快快地加煤！尽全力赶上去！就是把咱们的船烧了，也要赶上它！"
We were fairly after her now. The furnaces roared, and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked like a great metallic heart.
我们紧追在后面，锅炉火势凶猛。马力强大的引擎，气喘吁吁，铿锵作响，好似一具钢铁的心脏，
Her sharp, steep prow cut through the still river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us.
尖尖的船头划破平静的河水，向左右两侧各自冲起一股滚滚的浪花来，
With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing.
随着发动机的每一次悸动，船身在震颤、跃进，就象是一个有生命的东西似的。
One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long, flickering funnel of light in front of us.
船舷上的一盏大黄灯向前方射出了长长的闪烁的光束。
Right ahead a dark blur upon the water showed where the Aurora lay,
前面远远的一个黑点，就是"曙光"号，
and the swirl of white foam behind her spoke of the pace at which she was going.
它后边有两行白色浪花，说明了它航行的神速。
We flashed past barges, steamers, merchant-vessels, in and out, behind this one and round the other.
那时河上的大小船只很多，我们横穿侧绕着飞掠过去。
Voices hailed us out of the darkness, but still the Aurora thundered on, and still we followed close upon her track.
可是"曙光"号还是那样的飞快，我们紧紧钉在它的后面。
