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第三章 荒岛遇难1

After this stop, we made on to the southward continually for ten or twelve days, living very sparingly on our provisions, which began to abate very much, and going no oftener to the shore than we were obliged to for fresh water. My design in this was to make the river Gambia or Senegal, that is to say anywhere about the Cape de Verde, where I was in hopes to meet with some European ship; and if I did not, I knew not what course I had to take, but to seek for the islands, or perish there among the Negroes. I knew that all the ships from Europe, which sailed either to the coast of Guinea or to Brazil, or to the East Indies, made this cape, or those islands; and, in a word, I put the whole of my fortune upon this single point, either that I must meet with some ship or must perish.

在这次停泊之后,我们继续向南航行了十一二天。我们节省地吃着船上少量的粮食,但粮食在渐渐地变少。如果不是必须要到岸上取水,我们一般不上岸。我这么做是为了到达冈比亚河或者塞内加尔河,换句话说,只要到佛得角附近就行。我希望在那里遇到来自欧洲的船只,如果遇不上,我就不知道该按什么路线走了。那样的话我就只能去寻找那些岛屿,或者被黑人杀死。我知道,所有从欧洲向几内亚海岸、巴西或者东印度群岛行驶的船只都会路过这个岬角,经过这些岛屿。总之,我把自己的全部命运都赌在这唯一的机会上了,要么遇到船只,要么命丧黄泉。

When I had pursued this resolution about ten days longer, as I have said, I began to see that the land was inhabited; and in two or three places, as we sailed by, we saw people stand upon the shore to look at us; we could also perceive they were quite black and naked. I was once inclined to have gone on shore to them; but Xury was my better counselor, and said to me, "No go, and no go. " However, I hauled in nearer the shore that I might talk to them, and I found they ran along the shore by me a good way. I observed they had no weapons in their hand, except one, who had a long slender stick, which Xury said was a lance, and that they could throw them a great way with good aim; so I kept at a distance, but talked with them by signs as well as I could; and particularly made signs for something to eat: they beckoned to me to stop my boat, and they would fetch me some meat. Upon this I lowered the top of my sail and lay by, and two of them ran up into the country, and in less than half an hour came back, and brought with them two pieces of dried flesh and some corn, such as is the produce of their country; but we neither knew what the one or the other was; however, we were willing to accept it, but how to come at it was our next dispute, for I would not venture on shore to them, and they were as much afraid of us; but they took a safe way for us all, for they brought it to the shore and laid it down, and went and stood a great way off till we fetched it on board, and then came close to us again.

我带着这样的决心又行驶了大概十天。就像我说的那样,我开始看到了有人居住的地方。有两三个地方,我们在经过时看见有人站在岸上看着我们。我们也能看出他们肤色很黑,全身赤裸。一次,我试图上岸接近他们,但佐立明智地劝我,对我说: “别去,别去。” 但是,我还是靠近了海岸,以期与他们交谈。我发现,他们沿着岸边,跟着我跑了很远。我注意到,他们的手里都没有武器,只有一个人拿着一根又长又细的棍子。佐立说那是一种长矛,他们能准确地将其投掷到很远的地方。我和他们保持着一定的距离,但尽力通过打手势和他们谈话。我特地打出了讨要食物吃的手势,他们招手让我停船,表示会拿些肉给我。于是,我就把帆顶落下,把船停在那里。他们当中有两个人跑进村里,不出半个小时,他们就带着两块干肉和一些谷物回来了。这些是他们那里的土产,我们俩都叫不出这些东西的名字。我们想接受这些食物,但是怎么样才能拿到它们,对我们来说却又是个问题。我不想冒险上岸到他们那里,他们也很害怕我们。不过他们采取了一个对所有人来说都比较安全的法子。他们把东西带到岸边放下来,然后走到很远的地方站着,直到我们将东西弄到船上以后,才再次靠近我们。

We made signs of thanks to them, for we had nothing to make them amends; but an opportunity offered that very instant to oblige them wonderfully; for while we were lying by the shore came two mighty creatures, one pursuing the other (as we took it)with great fury from the mountains towards the sea; whether it was the male pursuing the female, or whether they were in sport or in rage, we could not tell, any more than we could tell whether it was usual or strange, but I believe it was the latter; because, in the first place, those ravenous creatures seldom appear but in the night; and, in the second place, we found the people terribly frighted, especially the women. The man that had the lance or dart did not fly from them, but the rest did; however, as the two creatures ran directly into the water, they did not offer to fall upon any of the negroes, but plunged themselves into the sea, and swam about, as if they had come for their diversion; at last one of them began to come nearer our boat than at first I expected; but I lay ready for him, for I had loaded my gun with all possible expedition, and bade Xury load both the others. As soon as he came fairly within my reach, I fired, and shot him directly in the head; immediately he sank down into the water, but rose instantly, and plunged up and down, as if he were struggling for life, and so indeed he was; he immediately made to the shore; but between the wound, which was his mortal hurt, and the strangling of the water, he died just before he reached the shore.

因为我们没有什么可以回报他们的东西,就作出表示感谢的手势。但这时突然出现了一个好机会,让我们得以好好地报答了他们。当我们的船停在岸边的时候,从山中冲出来两只巨大的野兽,它们十分狂躁地互相追逐着(在我们看来是这样),直向海边跑来。我们无从得知,这究竟是雄兽在追逐雌兽,还是两兽在嬉戏抑或打斗。我们也不清楚,这在当地是常常能见到的,还是罕见的。我觉得应该不常见,因为第一,这些猛兽一般都是在晚上出来,白天很少见;第二,我们发现那些黑人十分害怕,女人尤其如此。除了那个拿着长矛抑或标枪的人,其他人都从野兽跟前逃走了。但这两头野兽并没有去攻击任何一个黑人,它们直接向水里跑去,跳进海里四处游弋,似乎来这里只是为了嬉戏。后来,出乎我的意料,有一头野兽开始向我们的船游来。但是我已准备好去应付它了,我以最快的速度给枪上了膛,又让佐立给另外两支枪上膛。那野兽刚一进入我能够用枪打到的范围,我就开枪了,并且直接打中了它的头部。它立刻就沉了下去,但是很快又浮了上来,上下扑腾着,似乎是在拼命挣扎,事实也正是如此。它立刻向岸边游去,但因为它的伤口是致命的,加上海水让它难以呼吸,它没游到岸就死了。

It is impossible to express the astonishment of these poor creatures at the noise and fire of my gun: some of them were even ready to die for fear, and fell down as dead with the very terror; but when they saw the creature dead, and sunk in the water, and that I made signs to them to come to the shore, they took heart and came, and began to search for the creature. I found him by his blood staining the water; and by the help of a rope, which I slung round him, and gave the negroes to haul, they dragged him on shore, and found that it was a most curious leopard, spotted, and fine to an admirable degree; and the negroes held up their hands with admiration, to think what it was I had killed him with.

我无法描述这些可怜的黑人在看到枪里的火光、听到枪声之时是多么震惊。他们中的有些人甚至被吓了个半死,因为惊恐而跌倒在地上,像死人般动弹不得。但当他们看见野兽已经死去并且沉到水里,而我向他们做手势让他们到岸边来,这才胆大起来,开始到岸边寻找野兽。我顺着水中的血痕找到了那头野兽,用绳子捆了一圈,然后交给黑人去拖。他们把它拖到岸上,发现那是一只很特别的豹子,身上布满斑点,很是美丽。黑人出于钦佩举起了他们的双手,不知道我到底是用什么杀死它的。 5D1xgcGLB922XrhOI7zmn3+f7PCVGAt7onMUntj4rw0poMyrIvYR2iBiPgTqHKHt

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