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The seamen were too busy with their cannon and the rigging to regard the new danger;
此刻甲板上忙亂成團，有的水兵在發射炮彈，有的在桅桿上扯拉風帆索具，
and the frigate entered one of the dangerous passes of the shoals, in the heat of a severely contested battle.
在戰事最為白熱化階段，水兵們全然不知美軍防衛艦已駛入最危險的灘涂地帶，一場滅頂之災咫尺之遙。
The wondering looks of a few of the older sailors glanced at the sheets of foam that flew by them,
炮聲間隙中，突然船底水流清晰不安的沖刷聲，讓幾位老水手好生疑惑，他們匆忙中發現，
in doubt whether the wild gambols of the waves were occasioned by the shot of the enemy,
軍艦疾駛過的水域幾乎無法激起涌浪，不由心中疑惑，
when suddenly the noise of cannon was succeeded by the sullen wash of the disturbed element,
是否敵艦炮彈造成海浪的消失？此刻，炮聲歇息了但海浪的沖刷聲令人令嚴躁不安。
and presently the vessel glided out of her smoky shroud, and was boldly steering in the center of the narrow passages.
不一會，軍艦悄悄地駛出那片煙霧繚繞、充滿裹尸布氣息的恐怖海域，終于，在那條極為狹窄的通道中勇敢地轉舵成功。
For ten breathless minutes longer the Pilot continued to hold an uninterrupted sway,
十分鐘窒息時光，似乎如此漫長，領航員冷靜沉著地指揮，
during which the vessel ran swiftly by ripples and breakers, by streaks of foam and darker passages of deep water,
軍艦迅速地轉向，一路上浪花不驚，危機四伏，漸漸地浪花變大，最后駛入海水顏色漸深的海域，
when he threw down his trumpet and exclaimed—What threatened to be our destruction has proved our salvation.
領航員突然扔下喇叭，發出大聲尖叫， 說，拯救順利啦！我們終于將要擺脫死亡的魔爪！
Keep yonder hill crowned with wood one point open from the church tower at its base, and steer east and by north;
注意那邊林木茂密的山頂，就是那處冒出教堂塔尖的地方，注意轉舵，保持朝東偏北的航線方向，
you will run through these shoals on that course in an hour,
一小時后，我們就能穿過這片危險的灘涂地帶。
and by so doing you will gain five leagues of your enemy, who will have to double their trail.
這樣看來，我艦就會比敵艦快五海里，他們路程肯定會增倍。
Every officer in the ship, after the breathless suspense of uncertainty had passed,
船上官兵人人無不屏住呼吸，等到熬過這段艱險萬分的航程后，
rushed to those places where a view might be taken of their enemies.
大家紛紛沖到最佳位置，尋找可以清楚看清敵艦方位的地方。
