The sun is half way down in the west. Men are leaning over the outer edge of the bridge with ropes in their hands. But fifty more niches must be cut before the longest rope can reach the boy! Two minutes more, and all will be over. That blade is worn to the last half inch. The boy's head reels. His last hope is dying in his heart, his life must hang upon the next niche he cuts. That niche will be his last.
太阳快要下山了。男人们正手握绳子趴在桥的边缘。但仍然需要超过50壁龛的长度才能够到男孩儿。再拖延两分钟左右，所有的努力将以失败告终。刀片已经磨损到只剩半英寸了。男孩的头开始眩晕。他最后的希望在心中忽明忽暗，所有希望都悬在他所立足的下一个缝隙中。那个缝隙很可能是最后一个。
At the last cut he makes, his knife—his faithful knife—drops from his little nerveless hand, and ringing down the precipice, falls at his mother's feet! An involuntary groan of despair runs through the crowd below, and all is still as the grave. At the height of nearly three hundred feet, the devoted boy lifts his hopeless heart and closing eyes to commend his soul to God.
在他刻下最后一刀时，他的小刀——那把忠实的小刀——从无力的小手中滑落，发出“叮叮当当”的响声，沿着峭壁滚落在他妈妈的脚边。底下的人群不自主地发出一阵绝望的叹息，所有人的心情都很沉重。在接近300英尺的高度，这位虔诚的男孩儿心灰意冷，闭上双眼将自己的灵魂托付给上帝。
Hark!—a shout falls on his ears from above! A man who is lying with half his length over the bridge, has caught a glimpse of the boy's head and shoulders. Quick as thought the noosed rope is within reach of the sinking youth. No one breathes. With a faint, convulsive effort, the swooning boy drops his arm into the noose.
“听！”——一声大喊从上面传来。一个男人半倚着桥，瞥见了男孩的头和双肩。很快，带有锁套的绳子已经触碰到下沉的青年了。所有人都屏住了呼吸。伴着眩晕和抽搐，这个近乎晕倒的男孩将手臂伸进了锁套里。
Not a lip moves while he is dangling over that fearful abyss; but when a sturdy arm reaches down and draws up the lad, and holds him up before the tearful, breathless multitude—such shouting and such leaping and weeping for joy never greeted a human being so recovered from the jaws of death.
当小男孩在可怕的深渊里悬着时，所有人都屏息凝视，但当一支强壮的手臂碰到并抓住男孩，将他带到满含泪水，目瞪口呆的人群中时，大家用前所未有的欢呼雀跃和喜极而泣来迎接这位从鬼门关走了一圈的孩子。
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