The men who command our ships, pilot our airplanes, and run the great locomotives that pull our trains cannot be weaklings. 操纵帆船，驾驶飞机，操作火车头的人决不能软弱。

They must be able to think and act with quickness and courage, for the lives of others depend upon them. 他们要能够思考和行动，而且要动作敏捷，有勇气，人们的生命依靠他们。

Many a brave deed that these men do never gets into the newspapers, because such deeds are all in the day's work for them. 这些人的英勇事迹从未上过报纸，因为这些事迹是他们的日常工作。

It was past midnight when Potts came out of Galesburg, Illinois, pulling the Chicago express from Burlington. 那是后半夜，波茨离开了伊利诺伊州盖尔斯堡，他驾驶着芝加哥快车从伯灵顿出发。

There was a full moon, making the whole country almost as bright as day; 月亮很圆，将整个国家照亮地就像白天一样光明，

the September air was warm and sweet with the smell of the woods. 九月的天气温暖和煦，有树木的气味。

Harrison, the fireman, was swinging the black door of the fire-box and shoveling in the coal. 消防员哈里森摇摆着火箱的黑门，火箱正在消耗煤。

Potts, with his left hand resting carelessly on the throttle lever, 波茨的左手惬意地放在节流杆上，

leaned out of the cab window and wished that all night runs might be made in nights like this one. 他向驾驶窗外倾斜，希望所有夜晚都能像今晚一样。

Under him quivered the great steel giant that he had grown to love as a friend, and behind him trailed the long, dark, voiceless train. 他的下面是颤抖的巨大钢铁巨人，他早就爱上了它，并把它当做朋友，它后面拖拽着长长的，暗色无声列车。

There were eleven cars in all, four baggage cars, three day coaches, three sleepers, and a mail car, one of the heaviest trains on the road. 总共有11节车厢，四节行李厢，三节硬座车厢，三节软卧车厢，一节邮政，这也是公路上最重的火车之一。

Packed away inside of them were two hundred fifty persons or more, bound eastward from Burlington, Omaha, Denver, and the Far West. 车厢中有250多名乘客，他们从伯灵顿、奥马哈、丹佛以及远西地区，前往东部地区。

They dozed, secure in their faith that the steady but unknown hand that guided the engine would bring them safe into Chicago. 他们在打盹，并坚信这双稳重但未知的双手将操纵引擎，安全地将他们带入芝加哥。

At the blinking of the Altona semaphore Potts drew down on the whistle lever, and the engine gave one long cheer for the little town 在阿尔托纳信号标的闪烁下，波茨向下拉汽笛杆，引擎在小镇上发出了长长的轰鸣声，

which it intended to pass with no other notice. As the train slowed to schedule speed, a few straggling buildings came up suddenly into the moonlight, 它本来想在不注意的情况下通过，随着火车减慢到规定速度，几栋零星的建筑突然出现在月光中，

stood for a moment in plain view, and then darted backward again into the darkness. 在清晰的背景下矗立了一会，之后又快速往回进入了黑暗中。

Altona was passed with a clear track and a long upgrade ahead. 我们越过了阿尔托纳，前面还有很长的向上斜坡。

A mile eastward blinked a semaphore, white and safe, and to its left, close down to the track, 向西一英里处亮起了白色信号，在它的左边，靠近铁轨处，

there were three other lights, a large one and two small ones. Tramp freight, said Potts to himself, 还有三盏灯，一个大的两个小的，波茨对自己说不定期航船，

as he saw the lights of the stranger slowly brighten. There was no need of further reducing speed. 他看到信号灯逐渐变亮，无需再次减速。

It was a double track all the way, and the passenger must make time. 一路上都是双轨，乘客必须留出时间。

The two trains would slip by each other with the usual shrieks of friendly greeting. 两辆火车将擦肩而过，发出刺耳的问候声。