I looked at the window, and found that we were dashing along at a speed never before traveled on that road.
我朝窗外望去,火車正以從未有過的速度箭一般向前飛馳,
Posts, fences, rocks, and trees flew by in one undistinguished mass, and the carriages now swayed fearfully.
那些無法辨清的標(biāo)桿、柵欄、山體以及樹木統(tǒng)統(tǒng)呼嘯而過,車廂搖擺愈發(fā)讓人恐懼。
I started to my feet, and met a passenger on the platform.
我離開車廂,在過道遇到一位旅客,
He was one of the chief owners of our road, and was just on his way to Berlin.
他是我們那條鐵路投資的一家大股東,當(dāng)時(shí)正準(zhǔn)備前往柏林。
He was pale and excited.
此刻,他臉色煞白,情緒極為激動(dòng)。
"Sir," he gasped, "is Martin Kroller on the engine?"
“先生,”他倒抽了一口涼氣,“難道是馬丁·克羅爾在開車?”
"Yes," I told him.
“不錯(cuò),正是他。”我對(duì)他說。
What! didn't you know him?
天呀,你難道不知道他?
"Know?" I repeated, somewhat puzzled; what do you mean?
“怎么回事?”我再次詢問,有點(diǎn)丈二和尚摸不著頭腦,你說的什么意思?
He told me his name was Kroller, and that he was an engineer. We had no one to run the engine, and...
他對(duì)我說,他叫馬丁·克羅爾,是位火車司機(jī)。當(dāng)時(shí),我們找不到火車司機(jī),而且……
"You took him!" interrupted the man.
“你就讓他來開!”他打斷了我的話,
Good heavens, sir, he is as crazy as a man can be!
我的老天,先生,這家伙簡(jiǎn)直瘋狂得不可理喻!
He turned his brain over a new plan for applying steam power.
他絞盡腦汁地策劃一項(xiàng)蒸氣動(dòng)力的新計(jì)劃,
I saw him at the station, but did not fully recognize him, as I was in a hurry.
我在站臺(tái)房見到他,由于當(dāng)時(shí)匆忙,我沒有看清。
Just now one of your passengers told me that your engineers were all gone this morning,
剛才一位乘客告訴我,今天早上,你的火車司機(jī)們?nèi)疾辉冢?/p>
and that you found one that was a stranger to you.
于是你找到一位陌生人,
Then I knew the man whom I had seen was Martin Kroller.
我馬上意識(shí)到,我遇見的那人正是馬丁·克羅爾,
He had escaped from the hospital at Stettin. You must get him off somehow.
他是從斯德丁的醫(yī)院里逃出來的,不管怎樣,你要盡快讓他將火車停下來。
The whole fearful truth was now open to me.
可怕的真相就在我的面前,
The speed of the train was increasing every moment,
火車仍然還在分分秒秒加速,加速。
and I knew that a few more miles per hour would launch us all into destruction.
我清楚,每小時(shí)提速不過數(shù)英里的列車亦足以帶我們大家走向墳?zāi)埂?/p>