Audiobook Dictation: “He would have been drowned, the…”

He would have been drowned, the breath battered clean out of him, in half a minute more, had he maintained the hopelessly unequal struggle.

若是他继续这场毫无希望、力量悬殊的挣扎，再过半分钟，他就会被冲得完全喘不过气而淹死。

Once more he half emerged, filled his gasping lungs, and pounded onward desperately, half flying and half swimming.

他又一次半浮出水面，让喘息的肺吸满空气，然后拼命向前冲，半飞半游。

It was a mongrel method of progression, in which he was singularly expert.

这是一种不伦不类的前进方式，而他对此却格外娴熟。

Immediately over his outstretched gleaming head flew the hawk.

就在他伸长的、闪闪发亮的脑袋正上方，那只鹰在飞。

Where the waves for an instant sank, they came closer,--but not quite within grasping reach.

在浪头稍稍低落的地方，它们靠得更近了，但还不在可以一把抓住的范围之内。

The marauder from the upper air was waiting till his quarry should reach less turbulent waters.

这个来自高空的掠夺者正等着猎物游进不那么湍急的水域。

A few yards further on, the torrent fell seething over a long ledge into a pool of brief quiet.

再往前几码，急流翻滚着越过一道长长的石檐，落入一个短暂平静的水潭。

Immediately beyond the lip of the ledge the hawk lifted his wings high over his back and struck downward, so that his talons went deep into the water.

刚过石檐边缘，那鹰便把双翼高高举过背脊，猛地向下一扑，利爪深深没入水中。

But water was all they clutched.

但它们抓住的只是水。

The wily drake had plunged with the plunge of the fall itself, and was now darting onward at a safe depth.

那只狡猾的公鸭随着瀑布的跌落一同潜了下去，此刻正在安全的深处飞速前行。