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Suddenly Harrison drew in his head. She's slowing up to take water, he said sharply.
哈里森突然探出頭，他急促地說火車正在減慢速度，準備灌水。
For a moment Potts was undecided. In a few seconds' time he would be opposite the broken freight.
此時波茨猶豫不決，幾秒鐘不到，他將在這列損壞貨車的對面。
The stopping of its detached front end would hasten the collision. His train had only partly slacked its terrific speed,
讓分離的前端停車會加速撞擊，他的火車還沒有完全降速，
although the air indicator trembled at 55. If he waited to stop and back, and there was a collision,
盡管氣動指針在55處顫動，如果他等著列車停下來，那么將發生撞車，
what would become of his train? He already saw in a flash of imagination the fiery burst of the explosion,
他的列車將發生什么？他在大腦中瞬間出現了猛烈的爆炸，
the heaps of crushed cars, tangled and twisted with burning oil spluttering over them;
滿是被壓碎的列車，扭曲成一團，燃燒的汽油在它們上面發出噼啪聲；
and he heard the agonized cries of the passengers pinned to their death under the wrecked sleeping cars.
他聽到了乘客的痛苦尖叫聲，在毀壞的臥鋪車廂下奄奄一息。
But in a moment excitement of the discovery passed. Potts stood six feet one in his stockings, and he weighed two hundred twenty pounds.
但在這一刻，他看到了發現的喜悅，波茨有6.1英尺高，穿著長筒襪，體重是240磅。
There was nerve in every inch of him. Besides, he knew the huge, black, breathing machine under him,
他全身散發著勇氣的力量，他了解這個在他下面呼吸的巨型黑色機器，
and he had confidence in her. He shut off the air brake. Coal her up, he shouted to Harrison.
他對它有信心，他關閉了氣閘，他向哈里森叫嚷到，給它加點燃料。
But you can't run by, there isn't time, Coal her up, roared the voice again,
但你沒法越過去，沒時間了，他再次叫嚷到，給它加點燃料，
and the engineer's huge height loomed up on his seat at the right of the cab.
在駕駛艙的右邊，工程師的高大身軀聳立在他的座位上。
His hair was loose, and his face was smutty. He knew the risk of the attempt to drive his train past the danger point.
他的頭發很松散，一張很性感的臉龐，他知道嘗試讓列車越過危險點的風險。
He knew it might cost him his life, and he had a wife and baby at home in Burlington; but his hand never wavered.
他知道這或許會讓他喪命，他在伯靈頓還有妻兒，但他的手從未顫抖過。
Open came the throttle, the whistle screeched, and the engine leaped forward as if it fully appreciated the need of effort.
打開了節流閥，汽笛發出刺耳的聲音，引擎加足馬力，好似它很欣賞這次努力。
Again the sleepers in the Pullman cars grumbled at being shaken up. Harrison, the fireman, bent steadily from tender to fire pit,
普爾曼式臥車中的乘客再次抱怨了這次晃動，從煤水車到火坑，消防員哈里森沉著地彎下腰，
and each time he bent, the flames glowed more fiercely. All this happened within the space of a dozen seconds.
每次他彎腰，火焰都會更加劇烈的燃燒，這些都在12秒之內發生。
At such a time an engineer must act as quickly as he thinks. The loss of one second may cost a hundred lives.
此時此刻，工程師必須馬上行動，損失一秒或將讓數百人殞命。
The head of the freight appeared alongside. Potts caught a glimpse of its engineer leaning lazily out of his window,
貨車車長在他身旁出現，波茨看到了這名工程師懶散散地伸出了窗外，
unconscious of impending disaster. The detached end of the freight, as Potts saw it now, was well down the grade,
沒有意識到即將發生的災難，火車脫節的尾部，就如波茨現在看到的樣子，正在向斜坡下走去，
rushing straight for the front end at terrific speed.
急沖沖地像前端尾部沖去。
The roar and jar of its wheels could be heard above the sound of his own train.
輪胎的隆隆聲已經蓋過了他自己的火車聲音。
Fifty thousand gallons of inflammable oil soon to collide with another fifty thousand gallons and then!
5萬加侖燃燒的汽油將瞬間與另外5萬加侖相撞。
