The vague disquietude which prevailed among the spectators had so much affected one of the crowd that he did not await the arrival of the vessel in harbor, but jumping into a small skiff, desired to be pulled alongside the Pharaon, which he reached as she rounded into La Reserve basin.
When the young man on board saw this person approach, he left his station by the pilot, and, hat in hand, leaned over the ship’s bulwarks.
He was a fine, tall, slim young fellow of eighteen or twenty, with black eyes, and hair as dark as a raven’s wing; and his whole appearance be spoke that calmness and resolution peculiar to men accustomed from their cradle to contend with danger.
“Ah, is it you, Dantes?” cried the man in the skiff. “What’s the matter? and why have you such an air of sadness aboard?”
“A great misfortune, M. Morrel,” replied the young man, “a great misfortune, for me especially! Off Civita Vecchia we lost our brave Captain Leclere.”
“And the cargo?” inquired the owner, eagerly.
“Is all safe, M. Morrel; and I think you will be satisfied on that head. But poor Captain Leclere...”
“What happened to him?” asked the owner, with an air of considerable resignation. “What happened to the worthy captain?”
“He died.”
“Fell into the sea?”
“No, sir, he died of brain-fever in dreadful agony.”
Then turning to the crew, he said, “Bear a hand there, to take in sail!”
All hands obeyed, and at once the eight or ten seamen who composed the crew, sprang to their respective stations at the spanker brails and outhaul, topsail sheets and halyards, the jib downhaul, and the topsail clewlines and buntlines.
The Vocabulary
prevail vi. 占上风,占优势,盛行,流行
skiff n. 轻舟,小船
bulwark n. 壁垒,保障,防波堤 n. pl. (船的)舷墙
raven n. 大乌鸦
accustom vt. 使习惯,习惯于
cradle n. 摇篮,发祥地
contend vi. 争斗 vt. 坚决主张
cargo n. 货物,运载物
agony n. 极度的痛苦
brail n. 斜撑杆,卷帆索
outhaul n. 驶帆索
halyard n. 升降索
downhaul n. 收帆索
buntline n. 帆脚索
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修改:easior FROM 27.115.42.*
FROM 27.115.42.*