Won from the Waves — Page 7
As one of the men was hurrying off to carry this order to the rest, a heavier blast than before came across the ocean.
Alors qu'un des hommes se dépêchait d'aller porter cet ordre aux autres, une rafale plus violente qu'auparavant traversa l'océan.
It had the effect of rending the veil of mist in two, and the rain ceasing, the keen eyes of the fishermen distinguished in the offing two ships running towards the land, the one a short distance ahead of the other, which was firing at her from her bow-chasers, the leading and smaller vessel returning the fire with her after guns, and apparently determined either to gain a sheltering harbour or to run on shore rather than be taken.
Elle eut pour effet de déchirer le voile de brume en deux, et la pluie cessant, les yeux perçants des pêcheurs distinguèrent au large deux navires fonçant vers la côte, l'un à une courte distance devant l'autre, qui lui tirait dessus avec ses canons de proue, le navire de tête, le plus petit, ripostant avec ses canons de poupe, et apparemment résolu soit à gagner un port abrité soit à s'échouer plutôt que d'être capturé.
The moment that revealed her to the spectators showed those on board how near she was to the shore, though evidently they were not aware of the still nearer danger of the treacherous sandbank.
L'instant qui la révéla aux spectateurs montra à ceux qui se trouvaient à bord combien elle était proche du rivage, bien qu'ils ne fussent manifestement pas conscients du danger encore plus proche du traître banc de sable.
An exclamation of dismay and pity escaped those who were looking at her.
Une exclamation de consternation et de pitié échappa à ceux qui la regardaient.
"If she had been half a mile to the nor'ard she might have stood through Norton Gut and been safe," observed Halliburt; "but if she is a stranger there is little chance of her hauling off in time to escape the sands."
« Si elle avait été à un demi-mille plus au nord, elle aurait pu passer par Norton Gut et être en sécurité, » fit observer Halliburt ; « mais si elle ne connaît pas ces parages, il y a peu de chances qu'elle s'écarte à temps pour échapper aux bancs de sable. »
While he was speaking, the sternmost ship was seen to come to the wind; her yards were braced up, and now, apparently aware of her danger, she endeavoured to stand off the land before the rising gale should render the undertaking impossible.
Tandis qu'il parlait, on vit le navire de queue venir au vent ; ses vergues furent orientées, et maintenant, apparemment conscient de son danger, il s'efforça de s'éloigner de la côte avant que la tempête qui se levait ne rende l'entreprise impossible.
The hard-pressed chase directly afterwards attempted to follow her example.
Le navire pourchassé, aux abois, tenta peu après de suivre son exemple.
Vocabulary
- Alors
- a-lor — Then, at that moment, or so
- qu'
- k — That, which, or as (conjunction)
- un
- uh — A, an (masculine indefinite article)
- des
- day — Some, of the (plural indefinite article)
- hommes
- om — Men, human beings, people
- se
- suh — Himself, herself, themselves (reflexive pronoun)
- dépêchait
- day-peh-shay — Was hurrying, rushing to do something
- d'
- d — Of, from (elided preposition before vowel)
- aller
- a-lay — To go, to travel somewhere
- porter
- por-tay — To carry, to bring, to deliver
- cet
- set — This (masculine demonstrative adjective before vowel)
- ordre
- or-druh — Order, command, instruction given
- aux
- oh — To the, at the (plural contraction)
- autres
- oh-truh — Others, other people or things
- une
- oon — A, an (feminine indefinite article)
- rafale
- ra-fal — A gust or burst of wind
- plus
- plew — More, greater in degree or quantity
- violente
- vee-o-lahnt — Violent, fierce, or intense in force
- auparavant
- oh-pa-ra-vahn — Before, previously, earlier in time
- traversa
- tra-vair-sa — Crossed, passed through or over
- l'
- l — The (elided definite article before vowel)
- océan
- oh-say-ahn — Ocean, vast body of salt water
- Elle
- el — She, it (third-person feminine pronoun)
- eut
- ew — Had (past historic of avoir)
- pour
- poor — For, in order to, intended for
- effet
- eh-fay — Effect, result, or consequence of action
- de
- duh — Of, from, about (preposition)
- déchirer
- day-shee-ray — To tear apart, rip, or split
- le
- luh — The (masculine definite article)
- voile
- vwal — Veil, sail, or thin covering
- brume
- broom — Mist, haze, or light fog
- en
- ahn — In, into, while (preposition/adverb)
- deux
- duh — Two (cardinal number)
- et
- ay — And (coordinating conjunction)
- la
- la — The (feminine definite article)
- pluie
- plwee — Rain, precipitation falling from clouds
- cessant
- seh-sahn — Ceasing, stopping, coming to an end
- les
- lay — The (plural definite article)
- yeux
- yuh — Eyes (plural of œil)
- perçants
- pair-sahn — Piercing, sharp, keen (of eyes or sound)
- pêcheurs
- peh-shur — Fishermen, people who fish professionally
- distinguèrent
- dees-tan-gair — Distinguished, made out, perceived clearly
- au
- oh — At the, to the (masculine contraction)
- large
- larj — Open sea, out at sea, offshore
- navires
- na-veer — Ships, large seafaring vessels
- fonçant
- fohn-sahn — Rushing, charging, speeding forward
- vers
- vair — Toward, in the direction of
- côte
- koht — Coast, shoreline, or coastal region
- à
- a — At, to, in (preposition)
- courte
- koort — Short, brief, or small in length
- distance
- dees-tahns — Distance, space between two points
- devant
- duh-vahn — In front of, ahead, before
- autre
- oh-truh — Other, another, different one
- qui
- kee — Who, which, that (relative pronoun)
- lui
- lwee — Him, her, it (indirect object pronoun)
- tirait
- tee-ray — Was firing, shooting, or pulling
- dessus
- duh-sew — On it, above, upon (adverb)
- avec
- a-vek — With, along with (preposition)
- ses
- say — His, her, its (plural possessive adjective)
- canons
- ka-nohn — Cannons, large artillery guns
- proue
- proo — Prow, bow, front of a ship
- navire
- na-veer — Ship, a large seafaring vessel
- tête
- tet — Head, top, or front position
- petit
- puh-tee — Small, little, minor in size
- ripostant
- ree-pos-tahn — Retorting, firing back, counterattacking
- poupe
- poop — Stern, rear section of a ship
- apparemment
- a-pa-ra-mahn — Apparently, seemingly, by all appearances
- résolu
- ray-zo-lew — Resolved, determined, firmly decided
- soit
- swa — Either, or, whether (subjunctive of être)
- gagner
- ga-nyay — To reach, win, or gain something
- port
- por — Harbor, port, place for ships
- abrité
- a-bree-tay — Sheltered, protected from wind or danger
- s'
- s — Himself, herself (elided reflexive pronoun)
- échouer
- ay-shoo-ay — To run aground, fail, or founder
- plutôt
- plew-toh — Rather, preferably, instead of something
- que
- kuh — Than, that, which (conjunction)
- être
- et-ruh — To be (fundamental linking verb)
- capturé
- kap-tew-ray — Captured, seized, taken prisoner
- instant
- an-stahn — Instant, moment, very brief time
- révéla
- ray-vay-la — Revealed, disclosed, made apparent
- spectateurs
- spek-ta-tur — Spectators, onlookers, people watching
- montra
- mohn-tra — Showed, demonstrated, made visible
- ceux
- suh — Those, they (demonstrative pronoun)
- trouvaient
- troo-vay — Were finding themselves, were located
- bord
- bor — Board, side, edge of a ship
- combien
- kohm-bee-an — How much, how many, to what extent
- elle
- el — She, it (third-person feminine pronoun)
- était
- ay-tay — Was, were (imperfect of être)
- proche
- prosh — Near, close, nearby in distance
- du
- dew — Of the, from the (masculine contraction)
- rivage
- ree-vaj — Shore, bank, water's edge
- bien
- bee-an — Well, though, very (adverb/conjunction)
- ils
- eel — They (masculine third-person plural pronoun)
- ne
- nuh — Not (negative particle with pas)
- fussent
- fews — Were (imperfect subjunctive of être)
- manifestement
- ma-nee-fest-mahn — Manifestly, obviously, clearly evident
- pas
- pa — Not, no (negative adverb)
- conscients
- kohn-syahn — Aware, conscious, mindful of something
- danger
- dahn-jay — Danger, peril, risk of harm
- encore
- ahn-kor — Still, yet, again, even now
- traître
- tret-ruh — Treacherous, traitorous, deceptively dangerous
- banc
- bahn — Sandbank, bench, or shallow shoal
- sable
- sa-bluh — Sand, sandy ground or terrain
- exclamation
- ex-kla-ma-syohn — Exclamation, outcry expressing strong emotion
- consternation
- kohn-stair-na-syohn — Consternation, dismay, shock, or distress
- pitié
- pee-tyay — Pity, compassion, sympathy for suffering
- échappa
- ay-sha-pa — Escaped, slipped out (past historic)
- regardaient
- ruh-gar-day — Were watching, looking at, observing
- Si
- see — If (conditional conjunction)
- avait
- a-vay — Had (imperfect of avoir)
- été
- ay-tay — Been (past participle of être)
- nord
- nor — North, northern cardinal direction
- aurait
- oh-ray — Would have (conditional of avoir)
- pu
- pew — Been able to (past participle of pouvoir)
- passer
- pa-say — To pass, go through, or cross
- par
- par — By, through, via (preposition)
- sécurité
- say-kew-ree-tay — Safety, security, protection from danger
- fit
- fee — Made, did (past historic of faire)
- observer
- ob-sair-vay — To observe, remark, point out
- connaît
- ko-nay — Knows, is familiar with (present tense)
- parages
- pa-raj — Waters, area, surrounding vicinity at sea
- il
- eel — He, it (masculine third-person pronoun)
- y
- ee — There, to it (adverbial pronoun)
- a
- a — Has, there is (present of avoir)
- peu
- puh — Few, little, not much
- chances
- shahns — Chances, opportunities, likelihood of success
- écarte
- ay-kart — Moves away, pushes aside, separates
- temps
- tahn — Time, weather, or period of duration
- échapper
- ay-sha-pay — To escape, evade, get away from
- bancs
- bahn — Sandbanks, shoals, shallow underwater ridges
- Tandis
- tahn-dee — While, whereas, at the same time
- parlait
- par-lay — Was speaking, talking (imperfect tense)
- on
- ohn — One, we, people (indefinite pronoun)
- vit
- vee — Saw (past historic of voir)
- queue
- kuh — Tail, end, rear of something
- venir
- vuh-neer — To come, to arrive somewhere
- vent
- vahn — Wind, moving air current
- furent
- fewr — Were (past historic of être)
- orientées
- or-ee-ahn-tay — Oriented, adjusted, directed (sails trimmed)
- maintenant
- mant-nahn — Now, at this moment in time
- conscient
- kohn-syahn — Aware, conscious of a situation
- son
- sohn — His, her, its (singular possessive adjective)
- efforça
- eh-for-sa — Strove, tried hard, made an effort
- éloigner
- ay-lwa-nyay — To move away, distance, keep off
- avant
- a-vahn — Before, in advance of (preposition)
- tempête
- tahm-pet — Storm, tempest, violent weather
- levait
- luh-vay — Was rising, getting up, increasing
- rende
- rahnd — Make, render (present subjunctive of rendre)
- entreprise
- ahn-truh-preez — Enterprise, undertaking, task attempted
- impossible
- an-po-seebl — Impossible, not able to be done
- pourchassé
- poor-sha-say — Pursued, hunted, chased relentlessly
- abois
- a-bwa — At bay, cornered, in desperate straits
- tenta
- tahn-ta — Attempted, tried (past historic of tenter)
- après
- a-pray — After, afterward, following in time
- suivre
- swee-vruh — To follow, pursue, come after
- exemple
- eg-zahm-pluh — Example, model, instance to follow
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