On an antique haunt of sailors， a tavern of the sea， the light of day was fading. For several evenings I had frequented this place， in the hope of hearing something from the sailors， as they sat over strange wines， about a rumour that had reached my ears of a certain fleet of galleons of old Spain still said to be afloat in the South Seas in some uncharted region.

海边有家酒馆，年代久远，水手们都爱光顾。这一天，日光正慢慢消失。有几次我曾在傍晚时分光顾这里，希望在水手们坐在一起啜饮美酒时，听他们谈论我以前听过的一个传言：说是古老西班牙的某个大帆船舰队仍然漂浮在南太平洋的某个陌生海域。

In this I was again to be disappointed. Talk was low and seldom， and I was about to leave， when a sailor， wearing ear-rings of pure gold， lifted up his head from his wine， and looking straight before him at the wall， told his tale loudly：

我又将失望了。他们说话声很低，聊得也不多，就在我要离去之时，一个戴着纯金耳环的水手停了杯，抬起头，直视着面前的墙，大声讲起了他的故事。

（When later on a storm of rain arose and thundered on the tavern’s leaded panes2， he raised his voice without effort and spoke on still. The darker it got the clearer his wild eyes shone.）

（后来，风雨大作，雨点砰砰地打在酒馆的含铅窗玻璃上。他毫不费力地提高音量，继续讲下去。他眼神狂乱，天色越暗，眼睛越亮。）

“A ship with sails of the olden time was nearing fantastic isles. We had never seen such isles.

“当时，一艘张着古帆的船正靠近奇异的群岛。我们之前从未见过那样的群岛。

“We all hated the captain， and he hated us. He hated us all alike， there was no favouritism about him. And he never would talk a word with any of us， except sometimes in the evening when it was getting dark he would stop and look up and talk a bit to the men he had hanged at the yard-arm.

“我们都恨船长，他也恨我们。他恨我们每个人，没偏没向。有时当暮色降临时，他会停下脚步，抬头看看，跟被他挂在桁端上的人说上几句。其他时候，他从不跟我们任何人说上一句话。

“We were a mutinous crew. But Captain was the only man that had pistols. He slept with one under his pillow and kept one close beside him. There was a nasty look about the isles. They were small and flat as though they had come up only recently from the sea， and they had no sand or rocks like honest isles， but green grass down to the water. And there were little cottages there whose looks we did not like. Their thatches3 came almost down to the ground， and were strangely turned up at the corners， and under the low eaves were queer dark windows whose little leaded panes were too thick to see through. And no one， man or beast， was walking about， so that you could not know what kind of people lived there. But Captain knew. And he went ashore and into one of the cottages， and someone lit lights inside， and the little windows wore an evil look.

“我们这些船员都不服管。