The other creature, frighted with the flash of fire and the noise of the gun, swam on shore, and ran up directly to the mountains from whence they came; nor could I, at that distance, know what it was. I found quickly the Negroes wished to eat the flesh of this creature, so I was willing to have them take it as a favour from me; which, when I made signs to them that they might take him, they were very thankful for. Immediately they fell to work with him; and though they had no knife, yet, with a sharpened piece of wood, they took off his skin as readily, and much more readily, than we could have done with a knife. They offered me some of the flesh, which I declined, pointing out that I would give it them; but made signs for the skin, which they gave me very freely, and brought me a great deal more of their provisions, which, though I did not understand, yet I accepted. I then made signs to them for some water, and held out one of my jars to them, turning it bottom upward, to show that it was empty, and that I wanted to have it filled. They called immediately to some of their friends, and there came two women, and brought a great vessel made of earth, and burnt, as I supposed, in the sun, this they set down to me, as before, and I sent Xury on shore with my jars, and filled them all three. The women were as naked as the men.
另外一只野兽被闪亮的火光和枪声吓到了,游回了岸上,径直向它们栖息的山里跑了回去。我在很远的地方,看不清它到底是什么动物。很快我发现,黑人想要吃这头豹子的肉,我也乐得给他们些好处。当我做手势告诉他们,可以把豹子带走的时候,他们对我非常感激。他们立刻就开始动手剥皮,尽管他们没有刀子,但他们用一片削尖的木头,很快就把豹子皮剥了下来,比我们用刀剥还要快得多。他们要给我一些豹子肉,我谢绝了,做手势说全归他们,不过我表示要那张皮。他们爽快地把豹子皮给了我,还带了很多当地食物给我,虽然我不清楚这些食物是什么,但还是接受了。接着,我又跟他们做手势,表示想要一些水。我向他们举起一个罐子,把罐子倒过来拿,表示罐子已经空了,而我希望能将它装满水。他们马上招呼自己的朋友,一会儿便有两个女人抬着一个大水缸过来了——我觉得那水缸是用泥土在太阳下烤制而成的。她们像之前那样,把缸放在地上。我让佐立带上我的水罐到岸上去,并把三只水罐都灌满了。那些女人像男人一般赤裸着身体。
I was now furnished with roots and corn, such as it was, and water; and leaving my friendly negroes, I made forward for about eleven days more, without offering to go near the shore, till I saw the land run out a great length into the sea, at about the distance of four or five leagues before me; and the sea being very calm, I kept a large offing to make this point. At length, doubling the point, at about two leagues from the land, I saw plainly land on the other side, to seaward; then I concluded, as it was most certain indeed, that this was the Cape de Verde, and those the islands called, from thence, Cape de Verde Islands. However, they were at a great distance, and I could not well tell what I had best to do; for if I should be taken with a fresh of wind, I might neither reach one or other.
我现在有了很多块茎类和谷物类的食物,还有了淡水,于是离开了友善的黑人,又向前航行了大概十一天,一次也没有靠近过海岸。后来我看见一片陆地,长长地向海里延伸开去,大概就在我前面四五里格远的地方。海面很平静,我与海岸保持着一段较远的距离,驶过这个海角。最后,我绕过了这个海角。在离海岸大概两里格的地方,我清楚地看到,海角的另一头有一块向海里延伸的陆地。我十分肯定,这里就是佛得角,而那边的岛屿就是佛得角群岛。然而,它们离我很远,我也不知道怎么做才好。如果我遇到强风的话,可能任何地方都到不了。
In this dilemma, as I was very pensive, I stepped into the cabin and sat down, Xury having the helm; when, on a sudden, the boy cried out, "Master, master, a ship with a sail! " and the foolish boy was frighted out of his wits, thinking it must needs be some of his master's ships sent to pursue us, but I knew we were far enough out of their reach. I jumped out of the cabin, and immediately saw, not only the ship, but that it was a Portuguese ship; and, as I thought, was bound to the coast of Guinea, for Negroes. But, when I observed the course she steered, I was soon convinced they were bound some other way, and did not design to come any nearer to the shore; upon which I stretched out to sea as much as I could, resolving to speak with them if possible.
在这样的困境里,我非常忧虑,佐立在掌舵,我走进了舱房并坐下。突然,那孩子叫喊起来: “主人,主人!一只帆船!” 这个笨小孩以为,那是他原来的主人派来追我们的大船,都被吓傻了。但我知道我们已驶出了很远,不可能让他们追上。我跳出船舱,一眼就看见了那船,还看出它是艘葡萄牙船。我想,那船应该是开往几内亚沿岸去贩运黑奴的。但当我观测了它的航线以后,我立刻确信他们在朝着其他方向航行,是不会靠近岸边的。于是我尽力向海上行驶,决心尽可能和他们联系上。
With all the sail I could make, I found I should not be able to come in their way, but that they would be gone by before I could make any signal to them: but after I had crowded to the utmost, and began to despair, they, it seems, saw by the help of their glasses that it was some European boat, which they supposed must belong to some ship that was lost; so they shortened sail to let me come up. I was encouraged with this, and as I had my patron's ancient on board, I made a waft of it to them, for a signal of distress, and fired a gun, both which they saw; for they told me they saw the smoke, though they did not hear the gun. Upon these signals they very kindly brought to, and lay by for me; and in about three hours't ime I came up with them.
虽然我张满了帆全力行驶,但是我发现我无法开到他们的航线上。在我能向他们发出任何信号之前,他们就会开走。在我全速行驶了一会儿之后,我开始绝望了。然而,他们似乎通过望远镜看到了我们的欧式大艇,估计他们认为这是从失事了的大船上放下来的,于是收帆减速,等我赶上。我受到了鼓舞,因为船上还有我主人的旗帜,我就向他们摇了摇旗帜,当作求救信号,又鸣了枪。这些他们都看到了,因为他们之后告诉我,尽管没听到枪声,但他们看到了开枪时冒的烟。他们一看到这些信号,就非常好心地停下等我。大概三个小时之后,我追上了他们。
They asked me what I was, in Portuguese, and in Spanish, and in French, but I understood none of them; but at last a Scotch sailor, who was on board, called to me: and I answered him, and told him I was an Englishman, that I had made my escape out of slavery from the Moors, at Sallee; they then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, and all my goods.
他们用葡萄牙语、西班牙语和法语询问我的身份,但是我一句也听不懂。后来船上的一个苏格兰水手向我喊话,我回答了他,告诉他我是英格兰人,逃脱了萨累的摩尔人的奴役。然后他们招呼我上船,并友善地接纳了我,还把我的所有东西也拿到船里。