未完成的旅行

The devil was in the Mississippi River that night. You could feel it with every eddy swirling against the helm of the boat. You could hear it in every jangle of the bell. You could see it in the dim light of the lantern as it tried to pierce the swirling fog. You could sense it in the sound of the chugging engine. The devil was in the river. It was a bad night to be out in a paddleboat. But he had sworn when he set out that nothing could make him turn back.

那晚，魔鬼游蕩在密西西比河上。你可以從每一次渦流裝機船舷的回蕩中感覺到它；你可以從一下下刺耳的鐘聲中聽見它；你可以通過感覺要刺穿迷霧的昏暗的光中看見它；你可以從間歇的點燃的引擎中感覺到它，魔鬼就在河里。對于船上的人來說，那晚從屋里出去簡直是個最壞的選擇了，但是他發誓，沒有什么能使他回頭。

No other pilot dared brave the Mississippi that night. They were all huddled in the tavern， gossiping. After an evening of listening to their empty boasts， he had made one himself. He knew the Mississippi River so well that he could guide his paddleboat on his run even through the thickness of the night's fog. When the other pilots heard his boast， they laughed and told him he would be back before midnight. He had grown angry at their jeers， and had sworn in front of them all that he would not turn back this night for any reason， should the Devil bar the way!

那晚，沒有其他的駕駛員敢直面密西西比河，他們都聚在船里的酒吧里閑聊。聽完了那些人無趣的自吹之后，他也開始自吹起來，他說他很了解密西西比河的情況，即使在晚上大霧彌漫的時候，他也能辨明方向，很自在地在密西西比河上行駛。其他的駕駛員聽了他的自吹之后，都嘲笑他，并打賭他肯定會在午夜之前跑回來。他對他們的嘲笑非常惱火，當著他們面發誓他無論如何也不會在今晚回來的，即使是魔鬼擋住了去路。

The paddle wheeler was rocking oddly under the strange eddies of the river. But he knew every turn and guided her along despite the fog. He was almost to Raccourci when he saw shore where no shore had ever been before.

奇怪的渦流使他駕駛的船在河里飄蕩著，雖然有很厚的霧，他還是知道每一個轉彎，并駕船自在的行駛著。當他馬上就要到達拉庫里齊的時候，他看見了河岸，但那里以前是沒有河岸的。

He turned the boat this way and that. It could not be! The river ran straight through on this branch. He had guided his paddleboat through this place a hundred times.

他駕船左右搖晃，想找到出口，但是無濟于事！這個河流在這里是直接下去的，沒有河岸的啊，他在這里駛過上百次了啊。

But the devil must have been listening at the tavern and had heard his boast， for the Mississippi had shifted! He swore every curse he knew， and kept searching for a way through. He had vowed to complete his run without turning back and he was determined to carry out his vow. He would never go back. Never! He would stay there until daybreak， and beyond if need be.

但是魔鬼一定聽見了他在酒館吹牛的話，然后把密西西比河改道了！他念了所有他會的詛咒的經文，并且繼續尋找出路，他發過誓他要完成這次旅行，不許回頭的，他要履行他的誓言。他不會回去的，絕不會！他想待在那直到黎明，非常想。

Suddenly， the paddleboat gave a massive jerk. The engine stalled. The boat shuddered and overturned. When the fog lifted the next day， they found his paddleboat sunk to the bottom with a gaping hole in its side， and the pilot drowned.

突然，他的船像抽搐了一樣，而且引擎突然熄滅。他的船在劇烈的震動翻轉著。當第二天大霧散去的時候，人們發現他的船翻了，船身上有好幾個大洞，他也淹死在船里。

On foggy nights， you can still hear the ring of the bell， the sound of the engine and the curses of the ghost captain trying to complete his run!

在大霧的晚上，你還能清晰地聽見鈴聲的響起，引擎的轟鳴和船長的詛咒，他想完成這次旅行!

能說會用

bare和empty的區別：empty表示內部是空的，bare表示表面上沒有覆蓋物的。

例如“這間房子空空的”我們就要翻譯成“this room is empty”(因為，房間內部是空的）。而“你光著腳”則翻譯成“your feet are bare”(你的腳表面沒有覆蓋襪子、鞋等）。

另外，empty還可以表示抽象意義上的“空洞”、“空虛”等含義，bare則沒有這樣的用法。