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"Canallers, Don, are the boatmen belonging to our grand Erie Canal. You must have heard of it.
“运河船的水手，先生，就是我们的伊利大运河的船夫。你一定听说过。
Nay, Senor; hereabouts in this dull, warm, most lazy, and hereditary land, we know but little of your vigorous North."
“不，先生；在我们这种向来就是气候温暖、沉闷、弄得大家都懒洋洋的地方，对于你们那种严寒的北方，我们是不大清楚的。
"Aye? Well then, Don, refill my cup. Your chicha's very fine; and ere proceeding further I will tell ye whatour Canallers are; for such information may throw side-light upon my story.
“是吗？那么，先生，再给我满一满杯。你们的奇赤(奇赤——西班牙和南美洲人惯喝的一种甜酒。)真不错；我得先把我们的运河船的水手是怎样一种人，告诉你后再继续说下去，因为这种知识，可以间接说明我的故事。
For three hundred and sixty miles, gentlemen, through the entire breadth of the state of New York; through numerous populous cities and most thriving villages; through long, dismal, uninhabited swamps, and affluent, cultivated fields, unrivalled for fertility; by billiard-room and bar-room; through the holy-of-holies of great forests; on Roman arches over Indian rivers; through sun and shade; by happy hearts or broken; through all the wide contrasting scenery of those noble Mohawk counties; and especially, by rows of snow-white chapels, whose spires stand almost like milestones, flows one continual stream of Venetianly corrupt and often lawless life. There's your true Ashantee, gentlemen; there howl your pagans; where you ever find them, next door to you; under the long-flung shadow, and the snug patronizing lee of churches."
“诸位先生，在长达三百六十英里(伊利运河的长度在三百五十至三百六十英里间。)的距离间，有一条威尼斯式的腐化而无法无天的生活的。流个不停的河流，它经过:纽约州的整个宽度，无数人口稠密的城市和最兴旺的村庄，漫长的、凄凉的、渺无人烟的沼地，丰饶肥沃无与伦比的耕地，弹子房与酒吧间，至圣的大森林地带，穿过跨连印第安河流的罗马式的横桥，烈日高照和荫荫凉凉的地方，叫人心欢和心碎的地方，那些有名的莫霍克郡（英霍克郡——在纽约州中部。）的差别显著的风景区，特别是经过一列列的雪白的教堂，教堂的尖顶简直就象里程碑似的高矗着。诸位先生，这就是你们的地道的阿散蒂（阿散蒂——非洲黄金海岸的一个郡，多山多林，土地肥沃，出产丰富，民性强悍。作者在这里把它比喻为伊利运河流域一带的美国地方。），在那里，你们那些异教徒在号叫，这些人到处都看得到，就在你的身旁，就在教堂的长射的阴影下，躲在教堂的舒适而神气十足的背风处。
