Island of the Blue Dolphins（Ⅲ）

◎By Scott O’Dell

新的首领决定带领全族人离开这座岛屿，族人准备集体登船离开海豚岛去东方居住，可是卡拉娜发现自己的弟弟还未登船，她立刻跳下船寻找弟弟，于是和弟弟一起被留在了海豚岛。

Track 9

The ship began to circle the kelp bed and I thought surely that it was going to return to the shore. I held my breath, waiting. Then slowly its direction changed. It pointed toward the east. At that moment I walked across the deck and, though many hands tried to hold me back,1)flungmyself into the sea.

A wave passed over my head and I went down and down until I thought I would never behold the day again. The ship was far away when I rose. Only the sails showed through the2)spray. I was still3)clutchingthe basket that held all of my things, but it was very heavy and I realized that I could not swim with it in my arms. Letting it sink, I started off toward the shore.

I could barely see the two rocks that guarded the entrance to Coral Cove, but I was not fearful. Many times I had swum farther than this, although not in a storm.

1) flinɡ [flɪŋ] v. （用力）投；猛地移动

2) spray [spreɪ] v. 喷洒

3) clutch [klʌtʃ] v. 抓紧

I kept thinking over and over as I swam how I would punish Ramo when I reached the shore, yet when I felt the sand under my feet and saw him standing at the edge of the waves, holding his fishing spear and looking so4)forlorn, I forgot all those things I planned to do. Instead I fell to my knees and put my arms around him.

The ship had disappeared.

4) forlorn [fəˈlɔːn] adj. 被遗弃的；绝望的

船开始绕过海草区，我满以为它将折回岸上去。我屏住呼吸等待着。谁知船的方向在渐渐改变。它在向东方驶去。就在这一瞬间，我几步跨过甲板，尽管许多手向我伸来，想把我拉回去，我还是一头栽进了海里。

一个浪头盖没了我的头顶，我在一个劲儿地往下沉，我以为再也见不到天日了。等到我从水里冒出来，大船已经远去。透过浪花只能看到半片帆影。那只装着我全部家当的篮子，还牢牢抓在我的手里，沉得要命。我心里明白，手挽一只篮子是不可能游泳的。我让篮子沉下海底，开始朝岸上游去。

我模模糊糊看见守卫珊瑚湾入口的两块礁石，但我并不害怕。有好多次我游得比这还远呢。不过在暴风雨里游水，这还是头一回。

我一边往岸上游，一边在反复考虑到了岸上该如何处罚拉莫。可是当我脚触沙子，看见他站在浪边，手拿他的捕鱼镖枪，一副失魂落魄的样子，我把原先的打算忘得一干二净，反倒跪在沙子上，把他紧紧搂在怀里。

船已经无影无踪。