月亮和六便士 第四十七章(8)

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Round the room people were sitting at table, here half a dozen sailors uproariously drunk, there a group of soldiers; 屋子四周人们围坐在小桌旁边，这边六七个水手已经喝得半醉，吵吵嚷嚷，那边坐着的是一群士兵。

and in the middle, crowded together, couples were dancing. 屋子中央人们正一对对地挤在一起跳舞。

Bearded sailors with brown faces and large horny hands clasped their partners in a tight embrace. 留着大胡子、面色黝黑的水手用粗硬的大手使劲搂着自己的舞伴。

The women wore nothing but a shift. 女人们身上只穿着内衫。

Now and then two sailors would get up and dance together. The noise was deafening². 不时地也有两个水手站起来互相搂着跳舞。喧闹的声音震耳欲聋。

People were singing, shouting, laughing; and when a man gave a long kiss to the girl sitting on his knees, cat-calls from the English sailors increased the din¹. 没有一个人不在喝，不在叫，不在高声大笑；当一个人使劲吻了一下坐在他膝头上的女人时，英国的水手中就有人嘘叫，更增加了屋子的嘈杂。

The air was heavy with the dust beaten up by the heavy boots of the men, and gray with smoke. It was very hot. 男人们的大靴子扬起的尘土和口里喷出的烟雾弄得屋子乌烟瘴气。空气又闷又热。

Behind the bar was seated a woman nursing her baby. 卖酒的柜台后面坐着一个女人在给孩子喂奶。

The waiter, an undersized youth with a flat, spotty face, hurried to and fro carrying a tray laden³ with glasses of beer. 一个身材矮小、生着一张长满雀斑的扁脸年轻侍者，托着摆满啤酒杯子的托盘不住脚地走来走去。

In a little while Tough Bill, accompanied by two huge negroes, came in, and it was easy to see that he was already three parts drunk. 过了不大一会儿工夫，硬汉子彼尔在两个高大黑人的陪同下走了进来。一眼就可以看出，他已经有七八分醉意了。

He was looking for trouble. 他正在故意寻衅闹事。

He lurched against a table at which three soldiers were sitting and knocked over a glass of beer. 一进门彼尔就东倒西歪地撞在一张台子上，把一杯啤酒打翻了。

There was an angry altercation⁴, and the owner of the bar stepped forward and ordered Tough Bill to go. 坐在这张桌子边上的是三个士兵，双方马上争吵起来。酒吧间老板走出来，叫硬汉子彼尔走出去。

He was a hefty fellow, in the habit of standing⁵ no nonsense from his customers, and Tough Bill hesitated. 老板脾气暴烈，从来不容顾客在他的酒馆闹事。硬汉子彼尔气焰有些收敛，

The landlord was not a man he cared to tackle, for the police were on his side, and with an oath he turned on his heel. 他不太敢同酒吧间老板冲突，因为老板有警察作后盾。彼尔骂了一句，掉转了身躯。

Suddenly he caught sight of Strickland. 忽然，他一眼看见了思特里克兰德。

He rolled up to him. He did not speak. He gathered the spittle in his mouth and spat⁶ full in Strickland's face. 他摇摇晃晃地走到思特里克兰德前边，一句话不说，嘬了一口唾沫，直啐到思特里克兰德脸上。

Strickland seized his glass and flung it at him. 思特里克兰德抄起酒杯，向他扔去。

The dancers stopped suddenly still. 跳舞的人都停了下来。

There was an instant of complete silence, 有那么一分钟，整个酒吧间变得非常安静，一点声音也没有。

but when Tough Bill threw himself on Strickland the lust⁷ of battle seized them all, and in a moment there was a confused scrimmage. 但是等硬汉子彼尔扑到思特里克兰德身上的时候，所有的人的斗志都变得激昂起来。刹那间，酒吧间开始了一场混战。

Tables were overturned, glasses crashed to the ground. There was a hellish row. 啤酒台子打翻了，玻璃杯在地上摔得粉碎。双方厮打得越来越厉害。

The women scattered⁸ to the door and behind the bar. Passers-by surged in from the street. 女人们躲到门边和柜台后面去，过路的行人从街头涌进来。

You heard curses in every tongue the sound of blows, cries; and in the middle of the room a dozen men were fighting with all their might. 只听见到处一片咒骂声、拳击声、喊叫声，屋子中间，一打左右的人打得难解难分。

On a sudden the police rushed in, and everyone who could made for the door. 突然间，警察冲了进来，所有的人都争先恐后地往门外窜。

When the bar was more or less cleared, Tough Bill was lying insensible on the floor with a great gash⁹ in his head. 当酒吧间里多少清静下来以后，只见硬汉子彼尔人事不醒地躺在地上，头上裂了个大口子。

Captain Nichols dragged Strickland, bleeding from a wound in his arm, his clothes in rags, into the street. 尼柯尔斯船长拽着思特里克兰德逃到外面街上，思特里克兰德的胳臂淌着血，衣服撕得一条一条的。

His own face was covered with blood from a blow on the nose. 尼柯尔斯船长也是满脸血污；他的鼻子挨了一拳。

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