Lying in my berth in the bows, I’d been lulled asleep by the undulant waters of the Chenal du Four, sheltered between the Brittany coast and the outlying Ushant isles. But the change in conditions brought me back awake to find myself wedged onto one side of the berth, on the verge of being thrown out. The rigging was soughing above my head, and the Grayhound was bludgeoning northwards like a tractor ploughing a field of rocks.
在Chenal du Four起伏海浪的“催眠”下,躺卧船头铺位上的我迷迷糊糊进入了梦乡。Chenal du Four是夹在法国布列塔尼海岸(Brittany)与孤悬大海中的阿申特岛(Ushant isles)之间的一片隐蔽海域(指在沿海航区内,由海岸与岛屿、岛屿与岛屿围成的遮蔽条件较好、波浪较小的海域,译者注)。但帆船突然降速惊醒了我,我发现自己已滑至床铺边沿,有被甩出的危险。操控桅杆与船帆的绳索不断在我头顶发出飒飒声响,我所在的Grayhound帆船正披波斩浪北去,犹如在满是石头的田地中不停翻土的拖拉机。