Chapter 82

I kept rainwater and the water I collected from the solarstills in the locker¹, out of Richard Parker's sight, in the three50-litre plastic bags. I sealed them with string. Those plasticbags wouldn't have been more precious to me had theycontained gold, sapphires², rubies³ and diamonds. I worriedincessantly about them. My worst nightmare was that I wouldopen the locker one morning and find that all three had spilledor, worse still, had split. To forestall⁴ such a tragedy, I wrappedthem in blankets to keep them from rubbing against the metalhull of the lifeboat, and I moved them as little as possible toreduce wear and tear. But I fretted⁵ over the necks of thebags. Would the string not wear them thin? How would I sealthe bags if their necks were torn?
When the going was good, when the rain was torrential,when the bags had as much water as I thought they couldtake, I filled the bailing⁶ cups, the two plastic buckets, the twomulti-purpose plastic containers, the three beakers and theempty cans of water (which I now preciously kept). Next Ifilled all the plastic vomit⁷ bags, sealing them by twisting themshut and making a knot. After that, if the rain was still comingdown, I used myself as a container. I stuck the end of therain-catcher tube in my mouth and I drank and I drank and Idrank.
I always added a little sea water to Richard Parker's freshwater, in a greater proportion in the days following a rainfall, ina lesser⁸ during periods of drought. On occasion, in the earlydays, he dipped his head overboard, sniffed⁹ the sea and took afew sips¹⁰, but quickly he stopped doing it.
Still, we barely got by. The scarcity¹¹ of fresh water was thesingle most constant source of anxiety and suffering throughoutour journey.
Of whatever food I caught, Richard Parker took the lion'sshare, so to speak. I had little choice in the matter. He wasimmediately aware when I landed a turtle or a dorado or ashark, and I had to give quickly and generously. I think I setworld records for sawing open the belly¹² shells of turtles. As forfish, they were hewn to pieces practically while they were stillflopping about. If I got to be so indiscriminate about what Iate, it was not simply because of appalling¹³ hunger; it was alsoplain rush. Sometimes I just didn't have the time to considerwhat was before me. It either went into my mouth that instantor was lost to Richard Parker, who was pawing and stampingthe ground and huffing impatiently on the edge of his territory.
It came as an unmistakable indication to me of how low I hadsunk the day I noticed, with a pinching of the heart, that I atelike an animal, that this noisy, frantic¹⁴, unchewing wolfing-downof mine was exactly the way Richard Parker ate.

1 locker   

n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人

参考例句：

• At the swimming pool I put my clothes in a locker.在游泳池我把衣服锁在小柜里。
• He moved into the locker room and began to slip out of his scrub suit.他走进更衣室把手术服脱下来。

2 sapphires   

n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色

参考例句：

• Again there was that moment of splintered sapphires before the lids, dropping like scales, extinguished it. 她眼眶中又闪烁出蓝宝石的光彩，接着眼睑象鱼鳞般地垂落下来，双目又黯然失色了。 来自辞典例句
• She also sported a somewhat gawdy gold watch set with diamonds and sapphires. 她还收到一块镶着钻石和蓝宝石的金表。 来自辞典例句

3 rubies   

红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色

参考例句：

• a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
• The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。

4 forestall   

vt.抢在…之前采取行动；预先阻止

参考例句：

• I left the room to forestall involvements.我抢先离开了这房间以免受牵累。
• He followed this rule in order to forestall rumors.他遵守这条规矩是为了杜绝流言蜚语。

5 fretted   

焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的

参考例句：

• The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝，有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学
• The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。

6 bailing   

（凿井时用吊桶）排水

参考例句：

• Both fountains were going furiously and both pumps bailing with might and main. 两个人的口水只管喷泉似地朝外涌，两个抽水机全力以赴往外抽水。
• The mechanical sand-bailing technology makes sand-washing operation more efficient. 介绍了机械捞砂的结构装置及工作原理，提出了现场操作注意事项。

7 vomit   

v.呕吐，作呕；n.呕吐物，吐出物

参考例句：

• They gave her salty water to make her vomit.他们给她喝盐水好让她吐出来。
• She was stricken by pain and began to vomit.她感到一阵疼痛，开始呕吐起来。

8 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

9 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 sips   

n.小口喝，一小口的量( sip的名词复数 )v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• You must administer them slowly, allowing the child to swallow between sips. 你应慢慢给药，使小儿在吸吮之间有充分的时间吞咽。 来自辞典例句
• Emission standards applicable to preexisting stationary sources appear in state implementation plans (SIPs). 在《州实施计划》中出现了固定污染的排放标准。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

12 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

13 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

14 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。