15
P
Phosphorus
30.97376

Blockade Runners
封锁线与偷运者

At night the water in the Ocean of Dreams is phosphorescent. Our galleon trails long swirls of blue and white and green in its wake. The creatures that dwell below are phosphorescent as well, in places and patches, according to their nature. Sometimes a great serpent will glide by beneath us, its spots all in a line as regular as the windows of a passing train. But larger, much larger! So large it can take an hour to pass us.
一到晚上，梦之海的水就会发出磷光。我们的帆船拖着长长的蓝色、白色还有绿色的痕迹在它醒前航过。居住在海下的生物在，无论是集群的还是四散分布的者，也都依着这里的自然本性发着磷光。有时候，我们下面会滑过一条大蛇，在它经过时，其背上那整整齐齐排成一行的斑点就和飞驰而过的火车的窗户一样。但是要更大，大很多！那条蛇有那么大，它从头到脚经过我们可能要花上一个小时。

None of the crew are native to this life. I was a stockbroker in the waking lands. I never expected to become a privateer. I never expected to rise through the ranks to become captain. And I certainly never expected I’d someday operate under a letter of marque from Lucifer himself.
我们船上的机组人员都不是这个世界、这种自然本性的人。我在清醒之地是个股票经纪人。我没想到会登上海盗船。我从没想过要升任船长。当然我更从没想到有一天我会因为路西法本人的一封信就干这一堆子事。

But these things happen.
但是这些事情的确都发生了。

We were positioned offshore of Arcadian Greece when we spotted three fat merchanters trying to ride the winds past our blockade. In quick order we engaged with them, and sent two ships to the bottom of the sea. The third we grappled with and boarded. After a brief but furious hand-to-hand, we were victorious. We took its treasure to add to our own, and scuttled the ship, sending it to join its sisters below.
我们当时还在希腊阿卡迪亚的海上，发现了三艘满载而去的商船试图绕过我们的封锁线。我们迅速与它们接触，并把其中两艘送去了海底。我们奋力和第三艘拼搏，并最终登上了甲板。经过短暂而激烈的交火后，我们取得了胜利。我们将船上的珍宝运回我们自己的船上，然后将商船拆毁，送它到下面和它的姐妹们团聚去了。

That night (it is always night on the Ocean of Dreams), Will, the cabin boy, came to see me. “There’s a noise in the for’ard storage, sir.”
就在那天晚上（梦之海只有晚上），那个船上的服务生威尔过来找我：“船前舱的储藏室里有什么声音，先生。”

“Is there, now?” I seized my pistol. “Lead the way.”
“现在？还在那儿吗？”我抓住了我的手枪，“带路吧。”

So we caught Midshipman Homer in the treasure locker. He’d broken open a chest of Stories and was greedily filling his pockets. The phosphorescence from within lit up his gloating face. How his expression changed when I cocked the pistol and laid it to his head!
然后我们就在储藏室中抓到了见习船员荷马。他已经砸开了一个故事箱，正贪婪地往口袋里装着。口袋里面的磷光照亮了他的脸。当我握住手枪并将其顶在他的头上时，他的表情变得可丰富了！

All the crew turned out for the discipline. I stripped Homer of his rank. Then I blinded him with my own two thumbs. “You wanted Story?” I thrust a handful of the stuff into his mouth. “Eat it!”
所有的船员都参加了惩罚。我剥夺了荷马的军衔，然后用自己的两个拇指按瞎了他的两眼。“你想要故事吗？”我把一小撮这东西塞进他的嘴里。“吃了它！”

Then I had him flung overboard.
然后我把他扔出了船外。

Several nights later, young Will approached me and said, “It seems a harsh punishment on Midship—I mean, on Mister Homer.”
过了几晚，年轻人威尔找到我，跟我说：“对见习船员，我是说荷马先生，对他来说这惩罚过于严厉了一些。”

“He was within swimming distance of Greece—just. If he guessed the right direction, he might have made it ashore. He could find work as a storyteller, then. The pay’s not good, but it’ll keep him alive.”
“他在到希腊的游泳距离之内，刚刚好。如果他猜对了方向，他可能就会安全上岸。到时候他就可以靠讲故事为生了。赚不了大钱，但至少可以让他养活自己。”

“Why do we live like this? What makes Stories so important?”
“我们为什么要这样生活？为什么故事这东西这么重要？”

I sighed. “I don’t know, lad. It’s possible that they make people stronger or wiser or better, somehow. The Devil doesn’t want them to get through, and that’s good enough for the likes of us.”
我叹了口气。“小子，我不知道。它们可能以某种方式使人变得更强、更聪明或更厉害。魔鬼不希望他们就这么过去，而对我们这样的人来说这理由已经足够了。”

Which was the end of that. But I had my eye on young Will now. He seemed a likely lad. So the next time we made port (in a dingy wooden London, in Renaissance England), I gave him a pistol and cutlass, and set him to guard the treasure room while I went ashore for provisions.
这件事到这为结束了。但是我现在注意到了年轻的威尔了。他似乎是个挺不错的小伙子。因此，后来当我们进港（肮脏又呆板的伦敦，没办法，毕竟是在文艺复兴时期的英格兰）时，我把手枪和弯刀交给了他，让他在我上岸找粮食时看守财宝室。

“Keep a sharp eye out,” I told the boy, “and don’t get any smart ideas.”
“眼睛放机灵点，”我对这孩子说，“还有，别起任何心思。”

The phosphorescent glow of our hoarded Stories bathed the lad in uncertain light. He stood to attention and said, “I won’t, sir.”
故事的磷光照在小伙子身上，让他生出了一种不真实的感觉。他起身立正，说：“我不会的，先生。”

“See that you don’t, Master Shakespeare,” I said. “See that you don’t.”
“你最好不会。莎士比亚先生，”我说，“你最好不会。”