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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，約莫九點鐘，我聽見機艙里有位水手悄悄地對別的水手們說：“舒安到底殺了他！”我們大家都明白他指的是誰。正在那時船長進來了。我很吃驚地看見他走向我，和藹地對我說：“小伙子，我們需要你到后甲板室給我們幫忙。從現在起，你就代替蘭塞姆睡在那兒。”當他說話時，兩名水手把蘭塞姆抬進機艙。他的臉和紙一樣白，并且他不動彈。我看見他時，被嚇得不寒而栗。
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.
我遵從船長的話，跑到后甲板室。后甲板室很大，有一張桌子、一個凳子和鎖住的一些小櫥子。最好的食品和飲料都放在那兒，就在船長的眼皮底下，也在槍口保護之下。當我進去時，看見舒安先生正坐在桌旁，面前擺著一瓶威士忌。他似乎沒有注意周圍發生的一切，他的眼睛直直地看著桌子。
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.
里亞奇先生很快加入到我和船長中間。他意味深長地看看霍齊亞森，從他的表情我明白蘭塞姆死了。我們三個都靜靜地站著，俯視著舒安先生。
Suddenly the captain stepped forward. 'Do ye know what ye've done?' he cried. 'Ye've murdered the boy!'
猛然間船長大步走向前。“你知道你干了些什么嗎？”他喊道。“你殺了那個男孩！”
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頭上。“唔，”他說道，“他當時給我拿來一個臟杯子！”
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、船長還有里亞奇你看我、我望你，差不多給嚇住了。接著霍齊亞森抓住舒安先生的胳膊，命令他上床睡覺。這個謀殺犯起初叫了一小下，但是他還是像一個小孩似地脫了靴子并且躺了下來。
'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.
“里亞奇先生，”當我們確實看到舒安睡著之后船長開口說道，“不能讓岸上的人知道今晚發生的事兒。我們就說那個男孩掉進了海里。戴維，給我們拿點喝的來，我們二人都需要喝一杯。”接著他給了我開小櫥子的鑰匙。
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.
在接下來的幾天里，我很忙，一會兒跑到這兒、一會兒跑到那兒地拿高級船員們的食品和飲料。里亞奇先生和船長即使在我出了錯時也對我很出奇地耐心。也許是他們還在想那個已死的可憐的小男孩。但蘭塞姆死后舒安先生變得很怪了。他似乎不知道他做了些什么，也不認識我。在我待在后甲板室的第二天，他臉色蒼白、眼帶恐懼地看著我。“你以前不在這兒嗎？”他問道。
'No, sir,' I replied.
“對，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.
“有另外一個小男孩嗎？”他問道。“啊！是的，我想有。”他又叫了些威士忌，坐了下來。
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.
這生活對我來說并不艱難。我能吃好，能夠與里亞奇先生交談。他像一個朋友一樣對我說話。但我不能忘記可憐的蘭塞姆。當日子一天天過去時，我變得越來越擔憂了。我明白，當船抵達卡羅來納時，我將不再是個自由人，而是一個奴隸了。我使勁想，但似乎沒有逃跑的方法。
