I could have been content to have taken this Moor with me, and have drowned the boy, but there was no venturing to trust him. When he was gone, I turned to the boy, whom they called Xury, and said to him, "Xury, if you will be faithful to me, I'll make you a great man; but if you will not stroke your face to be true to me” —that is, swear by Mahomet and his father's beard—" I must throw you into the sea too. "The boy smiled in my face, and spoke so innocently that I could not distrust him, and swore to be faithful to me, and go all over the world with me.
我原本也可以带着摩尔人,而把这个小孩淹死的,但我觉得我可以信任这个小孩。摩尔人游走了以后,我转向那个被人称作 “佐立” 的孩子,对他说: “佐立,如果你对我忠诚,我就让你成为一个了不起的人。但如果你不摸着自己的脸,对穆罕默德和你父亲的大胡子发誓效忠于我,我一定会把你也扔到海里去。” 那个小孩冲着我微笑,还十分无邪地发誓会对我忠诚,愿意跟随我走遍世界,我没法不相信他。
While I was in view of the Moor that was swimming, I stood out directly to sea with the boat, rather stretching to windward, that they might think me gone towards the Straits' mouth (as indeed any one that had been in their wits must have been supposed to do): for who would have supposed we were sailed on to the southward, to the truly Barbarian coast, where whole nations of negroes were sure to surround us with their canoes and destroy us; where we could not go on shore but we should be devoured by savage beasts, or more merciless savages of human kind.
在那个正往回游的摩尔人尚能看得见我们的时侯,我直接让船逆风往大海行驶。这样他们或许会觉得,我是往直布罗陀海峡去了。(实际上任何有头脑的人都一定会这么做。)谁会料到,我们实际上竟是往南方那野蛮人出没的海岸行驶了呢。各个部落的黑人一定会在我们上岸之前,就乘着独木船将我们团团围住,然后杀了我们。在那里我们无法安然上岸,即使上岸了也只会被野兽,或是更加残忍的野人吞噬。
But as soon as it grew dusk in the evening, I changed my course, and steered directly south and by east, bending my course a little towards the east, that I might keep in with the shore; and having a fair, fresh gale of wind, and a smooth, quiet sea, I made such sail that I believe by the next day, at three o'clock in the afternoon, when I first made the land, I could not be less than one hundred and fifty miles south of Sallee; quite beyond the Emperor of Morocco's dominions, or indeed of any other king thereabouts, for we saw no people.
但当傍晚一来临,我就改变了航向,直接向东南方再稍稍偏东的方向行驶,这样我便能够沿着海岸行驶。此时,海上刮着阵阵凉飕飕的风,海面平静而无波澜,我们正顺风行驶。我张满了帆,相信第二天下午三点就能靠岸。靠岸时,我应该位于萨累以南一百五十海里开外的地方,已经远远驶出了摩洛哥皇帝的领地。确切地说,我们应该也不会在周围任何国王的领地上,因为我们连一个人影也没见到。
Yet such was the fright I had taken of the Moors, and the dreadful apprehensions I had of falling into their hands, that I would not stop, or go on shore, or come to an anchor; the wind continuing fair till I had sailed in that manner five days; and then the wind shifting to the southward, I concluded also that if any of our vessels were in chase of me, they also would now give over; so I ventured to make to the coast, and came to an anchor in the mouth of a little river, I knew not what, nor where, neither what latitude, what country, what nation, or what river. I neither saw, nor desired to see any people; the principal thing I wanted was fresh water. We came into this creek in the evening, resolving to swim on shore as soon as it was dark, and discover the country; but as soon as it was quite dark, we heard such dreadful noises of the barking, roaring, and howling of wild creatures, of we knew not what kinds, that the poor boy was ready to die with fear, and begged of me not to go on shore till day. "Well, Xury, " said I, "then I won't; but it may be that we may see men by day, which will be as bad to us as those lions. " "Then we give them the shoot gun, " says Xury, laughing, "make them run way. " Such English Xury spoke by conversing among us slaves. However, I was glad to see the boy so cheerful, and I gave him a dram (out of our patron's case of bottles)to cheer him up. After all, Xury's advice was good, and I took it; we dropped our little anchor, and lay still all night; I say still, for we slept none; for in two or three hours we saw vast great creatures (we knew not what to call them)of many sorts, come down to the seashore and run into the water, wallowing and washing themselves for the pleasure of cooling themselves; and they made such hideous howling and yelling, that I never indeed heard the like.
但是,我被摩尔人吓得要命,极度害怕再次落入他们的掌心。我从不停泊、上岸,更不抛锚。就这样一直顺风航行了五天。这时候风开始往南吹,我寻思就算主人派船追赶我,现在他们也应该放弃了。于是我冒险向岸边驶去,在一条小河的河口抛了锚。此时此刻我不知道身处何方,在哪个纬度,哪个国家,哪个民族,哪条河上。我既看不见,也不想看见任何人,我最需要的是淡水。傍晚的时候,我们驶入了这条小河,决心等天黑就游上岸,看看岸上是什么情况。不料天刚黑,我们就听到各种极为骇人的野兽的嚎叫和咆哮声,也不知道那都是些什么野兽。可怜的小孩魂都吓没了,求我天亮再上岸。 “佐立,” 我说, “那我们就不上岸了。但是白天我们可能会遇到人类。对我们来说,他们和这些野兽一样残忍可怕啊。” “那我们就给他们来一枪,” 佐立笑着说, “把他们赶跑。” 佐立能用这样不地道的英语在我们这些奴隶中交谈。看到这个孩子如此开心,我也高兴起来,又给了他一些酒(那是从主人装酒的箱子里拿出来的),让他打起精神来。毕竟,佐立的建议是对的,我采纳了。我们将小锚抛下,然后静静地躺了一个通宵。我之所以说静静地躺着,是因为我们根本没睡着。因为在两三个小时之后,我们看到很多种体格巨大的野兽(我们叫不出它们的名字)大群大群地来到海边,跳进水里打滚、洗澡、冲凉戏耍。它们发出的嚎叫声特别骇人,我以前从没听到过这样的声音。
Xury was dreadfully frighted, and indeed so was I too; but we were both more frighted when we heard one of these mighty creatures come swimming towards our boat; we could not see him, but we might hear him by his blowing to be a monstrous huge and furious beast. Xury said it was a lion, and it might be so for aught I know; but poor Xury cried to me to weigh the anchor and row away; "No, " said I, "Xury; we can slip our cable, with the buoy to it, and go off to sea; they cannot follow us far. " I had no sooner said so, but I perceived the creature (whatever it was)within two oars' length, which something surprised me; however, I immediately stepped to the cabin door, and taking up my gun, fired at him; upon which he immediately turned about and swam towards the shore again.
佐立吓得要死,我其实也一样。然而,更令我们俩惊恐的是,我们听到那些大野兽中有一头正向我们的船游过来。我们看不见它,但是能从它的呼吸声中听出,它一定是头巨大无比的凶猛野兽。佐立说它是一头狮子,我认为很有可能。可怜的佐立向我大喊,要我起锚,将船划走。 “不,” 我说, “佐立,我们可以把锚索放下,再放下浮筒,然后把船向海里开,它们不会跟得太远的。” 我话还没说完,就看到那头不知名的野兽离我们只有两桨的距离了,心里一惊。我马上走到船舱门边,拿起我的枪向它开火,它马上掉转头向岸上游去了。
But it is impossible to describe the horrid noises, and hideous cries and howling that were raised, as well upon the edge of the shore as higher within the country, upon the noise or report of the gun, a thing I have some reason to believe those creatures had never heard before: this convinced me that there was no going on shore for us in the night on that coast, and how to venture on shore in the day was another question too; for to have fallen into the hands of any of the savages had been as bad as to have fallen into the hands of the lions and tigers; at least we were equally apprehensive of the danger of it.
但是枪声刚落,岸边和岸上山中就响起野兽们可怕的嚎叫和嘶吼。我简直无法描述那声音到底有多么骇人。这使我有理由相信,这些野兽以前从没有听过枪声。这也使我相信,不应在夜里上岸去,而如何在白天冒险上岸也是个问题。无论是落入野人之手,还是遭遇野兽,对我们来说都很糟糕。至少,对这两种危险,我们都感到同样地恐惧。
Be that as it would, we were obliged to go on shore somewhere or other for water, for we had not a pint left in the boat; when and where to get to it was the point. Xury said, if I would let him go on shore with one of the jars, he would find if there was any water, and bring some to me. I asked him why he would go. Why I should not go, and he stay in the boat? The boy answered with so much affection as made me love him ever after. Says he, "If wild mans come, they eat me, you go way. " "Well, Xury, " said I, "we will both go and if the wild mans come, we will kill them, and they shall eat neither of us. " So I gave Xury a piece of Rusk bread to eat, and a dram out of our patron's case of bottles which I mentioned before; and we hauled the boat in as near the shore as we thought was proper, and so waded on shore, carrying nothing but our arms and two jars for water.
尽管如此,我们还是必须上岸去搞点淡水,因为我们船上的淡水已经只剩下不到一品脱了。但问题在于,我们该什么时候去找水,又该去何地找。佐立说,如果我让他带着个罐子上岸,他就去岸上找找看,要有水的话就给我带回来一些。我问他,他为什么要去。为什么不让我去,而自己留在船里呢?这孩子的回答饱含深情,令我从此喜欢上了他。他说: “如果野人来了,它们吃我,你逃跑。” “好吧,佐立,” 我说, “让我们一起上岸。如果野人来了,我们就打死他们。我们没人会被他们吃掉。” 我给了佐立一片甜面包干让他吃,又从我之前提到的主人装酒的箱子里弄了些酒给他。我们把船停靠在河岸附近我们认为距离适当的地方后,就涉水上岸了。我们只带了武器和两个水罐,别的什么也没带。
I did not care to go out of sight of the boat, fearing the coming of canoes with savages down the river; but the boy seeing a low place about a mile up the country, rambled to it, and by—and—by I saw him come running towards me. I thought he was pursued by some savage, or frighted with some wild beast, and I ran forward towards him to help him; but when I came nearer to him I saw something hanging over his shoulders, which was a creature that he had shot, like a hare, but different in color, and longer legs; however, we were very glad of it, and it was very good meat; but the great joy that poor Xury came with, was to tell me he had found good water and seen no wild mans.
我不敢走得太远,想在看得见船的地方活动,因为害怕野人会乘着独木船顺着河水到下游来。但那孩子看到岸上一英里以外有块低地,就漫步往那里走。不久后,我看见他朝我跑来。我以为他是被野人追赶,或是被野兽吓到了,于是向前跑去,想要帮忙。但当我靠近他时,才看到他的肩膀上扛着东西。那是他打到的野物,看起来像野兔,但是颜色不同,腿要长些。我们都高兴极了,这小东西的肉味道一定不错。而小佐立又告诉了我更大的喜讯:他发现了淡水,并且没有遇见野人。
But we found afterwards that we need not take such pains for water, for a little higher up the creek where we were we found the water fresh when the tide was out, which flowed but a little way up; so we filled our jars, and feasted on the hare he had killed, and prepared to go on our way, having seen no footsteps of any human creature in that part of the country.
不过,我们之后发现,不必为取水的事情如此操劳。因为当海潮退去的时候,我们在小河上游不远处发现了淡水——海潮并没有涌入小河多远。我们把水罐装满水,又把佐立杀死的野兔煮了,美美地吃了一顿,然后准备继续上路。在那一带,我们没有看见任何人类的足迹。
As I had been one voyage to this coast before, I knew very well that the islands of the Canaries and the Cape de Verde Islands also, lay not far off from the coast. But as I had no instruments to take an observation to know what latitude we were in, and not exactly knowing, or at least remembering, what latitude they were in, I knew not where to look for them, or when to stand off to sea towards them; otherwise I might now easily have found some of these islands. But my hope was that if I stood along this coast till I came to that part where the English traded, I should find some of their vessels upon their usual design of trade that would relieve and take us in.
我以前航海的时候,曾有一次到过这一带的海岸,很清楚地知道加那利群岛和佛得角群岛离海岸都不是太远。但是我手边没有仪器,不能测量我们现在是在什么纬度上,况且我还不能确切地知道,甚至也不记得这些岛所在的纬度是多少,因此我不知道应该去哪里找这些岛,也不知道该在何时离开海岸驶向大海,从而向这些岛屿开近。如果不是这样的话,我现在可能已经很容易地找到一些岛屿了。我希望,如果我顺着海岸行驶的话,也许能到达英国人做买卖的地方,这样我就能遇到经常过往的商用船只。他们会解救我们,让我们上船。
By the best of my calculation, that place where I now was must be that country which, lying between the Emperor of Morocco's dominions and the negroes, lies waste and uninhabited, except by wild beasts; the negroes having abandoned it and gone farther south for fear of the Moors, and the Moors not thinking it worth inhabiting by reason of its barrenness; and indeed, both forsaking it because of the prodigious number of tigers, lions, leopards, and other furious creatures which harbour there; so that the Moors use it for their hunting only, where they go like an army, two or three thousand men at a time; and indeed for near a hundred miles together upon this coast we saw nothing but a waste, uninhabited country by day, and heard nothing but howling and roaring of wild beasts by night.
我尽量准确地估算了一下,现在我应该正身处摩洛哥国王和黑人的领地之间。四下里荒无人烟,只有野兽出没。黑人害怕摩尔人,就弃置此地,往更南的地方去了。而摩尔人又觉得这里太荒凉,不愿居住。又因为这里有大量的老虎、狮子、猎豹和其他猛兽定居,双方自然都放弃了此地。摩尔人只把这里当作他们的猎场,每次打猎他们都有两三千人来到这里,就像一支军队。我们在沿岸行驶了大概一百英里。这其间,白天只见一片荒凉,不见人迹;晚上则只闻野兽的嚎叫和嘶吼。
Once or twice in the daytime I thought I saw the Pico of Tenerife, being the high top of the Mountain Tenerife in the Canaries, and had a great mind to venture out, in hopes of reaching thither; but having tried twice, I was forced in again by contrary winds, the sea also going too high for my little vessel; so, I resolved to pursue my first design, and keep along the shore.
有那么一两次,我在白天似乎看到了特德峰,即加那利群岛的特内里费山的山顶。我很想冒险把船开出去,争取驶到那里。但是,试了两次我都被逆风吹了回来。海面太高,而船又太小。所以,我决心像先前那样,继续沿着海岸行船。
Several times I was obliged to land for fresh water, after we had left this place; and once in particular, being early in morning, we came to an anchor under a little point of land, which was pretty high; and the tide beginning to flow, we lay still to go farther in. Xury, whose eyes were more about him than it seems mine were, calls softly to me, and tells me that we had best go farther off the shore; "For, " says he, "look, yonder lies a dreadful monster on the side of that hillock, fast asleep. " I looked where he pointed, and saw a dreadful monster indeed, for it was a terrible, great lion that lay on the side of the shore, under the shade of a piece of the hill that hung as it were a little over him. "Xury, " said I, "you shall on shore and kill him. " Xury, looked frighted, and said, "Me kill! he eat me at one mouth! " —One mouthful he meant. However, I said no more to the boy, but bade him lie still, and I took our biggest gun, which was almost musket bore, and loaded it with a good charge of powder, and with two slugs, and laid it down; then I loaded another gun with two bullets; and the third (for we had three pieces)I loaded with five smaller bullets. I took the best aim I could with the first piece to have shot him in the head, but he lay so with his leg raised a little above his nose, that the slugs hit his leg about the knee and broke the bone. He started up, growling at first, but finding his leg broken, fell down again; and then got upon three legs, and gave the most hideous roar that ever I heard. I was a little surprised that I had not hit him on the head; however, I took up the second piece immediately, and though he began to move off, fired again, and shot him in the head, and had the pleasure to see him drop and make but little noise, but lie struggling for life. Then Xury took heart, and would have me let him go on shore. "Well, go, " said I: so the boy jumped into the water and taking a little gun in one hand, swam to shore with the other hand, and coming close to the creature, put the muzzle of the piece to his ear, and shot him in the head again, which dispatched him quite.
在我们离开原来呆的地方以后,我不得不数次登上岸汲水。特别是有一回,我们一大早就到了一个小岬角,在那里抛了锚。这里地势很高,而此时海潮也正开始上涨,我们就停下来,想等待潮水涨起来后再驶入。佐立的眼睛比我尖,他轻声地向我叫喊,告诉我说,我们最好把船开到离海岸较远的地方。 “你看,” 他说, “看啊,小山那边躺着一头可怕的怪兽,它在熟睡呢。” 我顺着他手指的方向看了看,确实看到了一头可怕的怪兽,它是一只吓人的大狮子,正躺在海岸边的一片山阴下。那片山阴在它头顶上,刚好遮着它。 “佐立,” 我说, “你到岸上去打死它吧。” 佐立看起来很害怕,说道: “我打死它!它能一口吞掉我!” ——它确实一口就能吞掉佐立。于是我也不再对这孩子说什么了,而是让他呆在那里不要动,我拿起我们最大的那支枪——那枪口径几乎有火枪那么大。我往里装满了火药,又装上两发较大的子弹,把它放在一边;接着,我又给第二支枪装上两发子弹;最后,给第三支枪(我们一共有三支枪)上了五发小子弹。我拿起第一支枪,尽可能瞄准那狮子的头部开了一枪。但是它躺着的时候,腿抬到了鼻子上方一点,所以子弹打到了它的膝盖附近。它的骨头被打断了。它受了惊吓,站起来大吼,但是发现自己断了一条腿,又倒了下去。然后,它用三条腿立了起来,发出了我从未听过的可怕嘶吼。我为自己没有打到它的头而感到有些惊讶。因为它试图走开,我立刻拿起第二支枪,瞄准它的头部又放了一枪,这回我高兴地看着它倒下。它发出了小声的嘶吼,然后就躺在那里垂死挣扎。这时佐立壮起了胆子,求我让他到岸上去。 “好吧,去吧。” 我说。于是那孩子单手举着一支短枪跳进水里,用另一只手划水,向岸边游去。他走近那野兽,将枪口对着它的耳朵,又朝它头上开了一枪,结束了它的性命。
This was game indeed to us, but this was no food; and I was very sorry to lose three charges of powder and shot upon a creature that was good for nothing to us. However, Xury said he would have some of him; so he comes on board, and asked me to give him the hatchet. "For what, Xury? " said I. "Me cut off his head, " said he. However, Xury could not cut off his head, but he cut off a foot, and brought it with him, and it was a monstrous great one.
事实上,这对我们来说只是游戏罢了,因为狮子肉不能吃。我十分后悔,因为我们用了三份弹药,杀了一头对我们来说根本没用的野兽。然而,佐立说他一定要从狮子身上捞点好处,所以他上船问我要了斧子。 “你要做什么,佐立?” 我问。 “我把它的头砍掉。” 他说。但是佐立没能将它的头砍掉,而是砍掉了它的一只脚,还把这只巨大无比的脚带了回来。
I bethought myself, however, that, perhaps the skin of him might, one way or other, be of some value to us; and I resolved to take off his skin if I could. So Xury and I went to work with him; but Xury was much the better workman at it, for I knew very ill how to do it. Indeed, it took us both up the whole day, but at last we got off the hide of him, and spreading it on the top of our cabin, the sun effectually dried it in two days't ime, and it afterwards served me to lie upon.
我暗自想着,不管如何,也许狮子的皮对我们或多或少还有些用处。于是我决心尽可能地剥下它的皮。这样,佐立和我就去剥狮子的皮,佐立剥皮的技术比我高明得多,我根本就不懂该怎么去做。这项工作足足花了我们一整天的时间,最终我们还是剥下了它的皮。我们在船舱顶上将狮子皮展开晾晒,两天后就被太阳晒干了。自此以后我就躺在它上面睡觉。
CHAPTER III Wrecked on a Desert Island