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Among the luxuries which the captain had provided for himself and passengers was a fine green turtle,
船上那只漂亮的綠毛龜有幸列入美味佳肴的名單，那是船長為旅客及他本人準備的。
which was not likely to suffer from exposure to salt water, so it was reserved until all the pigs, and sheep, and poultry had been eaten.
那種龜不可能在海水里喂養，因此待到鴨雞一干家常肉類悉數消耗殆盡，綠毛龜這才引起饕餮們熱情關注。
A few days before we arrived, it was determined to kill the turtle and have a feast the next day.
輪船眼看幾天后就要抵達目的地了，事情即刻敲定下來，明天船長好好地犒勞大家，這回，綠毛龜也該壽終正寢了。
Our cabin gentlemen had been long enough deprived of fresh meats to make them cast lickerish glances towards their hard-skinned friend,
客艙里的紳士們很久未能品嘗鮮肉，隨著有肉可啖的消息傳開，盯著那位長有堅硬綠殼的朋友，
and there was a great smacking of lips the day before he was killed.
人們眼里無不冒出饑渴綠光。那頭龜卻是如此不諳人事，嘴里不時發出的吧咂聲響亮依然。
As I walked aft occasionally, I heard them congratulating themselves on their prospective turtle soup and forcemeat balls;
我偶爾走到船尾，聽到那些先生們興高采烈地談論期待中的龜湯，甚至還有噴香的五香龜肉丸。
and one of them, to heighten the luxury of the feast, ate nothing but a dry biscuit for the twenty-four hours preceding,
有位紳士更為大肆渲染餐宴的規格排場，盡管接下來整整一天，除了啃點發硬的餅干，船上什么吃的也沒有，
that he might be prepared to devour his full share of the unctuous compound.
可他，簡直為自己那份鮮美醇厚的龜煲湯急不可耐了。
It was to be a gala day with them; and though it was not champagne day, that falling on Saturday and this on Friday,
紳士們的歡樂日子到來了，盡管周六才能喝上香檳，今天周五，
they agreed to have champagne a day in advance, that nothing should be wanting to give a finish to their turtle.
大家還是一致贊同將香檳日提前，這樣看來，龜湯帶來的憧憬亦就不會留有任何遺憾了。
It happened to be a rougher day than usual when the turtle was cooked,
更何況還有，今天海上風浪很不湊巧地比平常要大，但人們對船上顛簸早已習以為常，
but they had become too well used to the motion of the ship to mind that.
更何況還有廚房里噴香的美食誘惑，這些風浪亦就實在不值得計較了。
