■鲁滨逊漂流记
Robinson Crusoe
◎Daniel Defoe/丹尼尔·笛福
Fear of Danger is ten thousand Times more terrifying than Danger it self, when apparent to the Eyes.
I was dreadfully frightened,（that I must acknowledge）when I perceived him to run my way; and especially, when, as I thought, I saw him pursued by the whole body, and now I expected that part of my dream was coming to pass, and that he would certainly take shelter in my grove; but I could not depend by any means upon my dream for the rest of it,（viz.）that the other savages would not pursue him thither[34], and find him there. However I kept my station, and my spirits began to recover, when I found that there was not above three men that followed him, and still more was I encouraged, when I found that he outstripped them exceedingly in running, and gained ground of them, so that if he could but hold it for half an hour, I saw easily he would fairly get away from them all.
There was between them and my castle the creek which I mentioned
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事情总是这样的，对危险的恐惧，比起亲眼所见的危险本身来，往往要吓人万分。
我必须承认，当我看到他向我这儿跑来时，确实大吃一惊；尤其是如我所想的一样，那些野人都来追他了。现在，我想，我的梦境有部分就要成真，他肯定要在我的小树林里找个地方躲起来；但我绝不会相信剩下的事也会朝我的梦的方向发展下去——其他野人不会追到对岸，也不会在那里找到他。我还是按兵不动，当我发现只有三个野人在追他时，我的精神振奋起来——特别是我发现他比那三个野人跑得快得多，而且他们被落下得越来越远；要是他能够坚持半个小时，就能轻易摆脱他们了；我为此雀跃不已。
在他们和我的城堡之间是一条小河，故事的开端我就多次提到过，
often at the first part of my story, when I landed my cargoes out of the ship; and this I saw plainly, he must necessarily swim over, or the poor wretch would be taken there. But when the savage escaping came thither, he made nothing of it, though the tide was then up, but plunging in, swam through in about thirty strokes or thereabouts, landed and ran on with exceeding strength and swiftness; when the three persons came to the creek, I found that two of them could swim, but the third could not, and that standing on the other side, he looked at the other, but went no further; and soon after went softly back again, which as it happened, was very well for him in the main.
I observed, that the two who swam, were yet more than twice as long swimming over the creek, as the fellow was, that fled from them: It came now very warmly upon my thoughts, and indeed irresistibly, that now was my time to get me a servant, and perhaps a companion, or assistant; and that I was called plainly by providence to save this poor creature’s Life; I immediately run down the ladders with all possible expedition, fetches my two guns, for they were both but at the foot of the ladders, as I observed above; and getting up again, with the same haste, to the top of the hill, I crossed toward the sea; and having a very short cut, and all down hill, clapped my self in the way, between the pursuers, and the pursued; hallowing aloud to him that fled, who looking back, was at first perhaps as much frightened at me, as at them; but Ibeckoned[35] with my hand to him, to come back; and in the mean time, I slowly advanced towards the two that followed; then rushing at once upon the foremost, I knocked him down with the stock of my piece I was loath[36] to fire, because I would not have the rest hear; though at that distance, it would not have been easily heard, and being out of sight of the smoke too, they would
我从船上运货物的时候就是经由这条河；我看得很明白，那个逃跑的野人必须要游过这条河，否则，这可怜人就会在河边被抓住。尽管那时潮水正高涨，但当那个逃跑的野人跑到岸边时，丝毫没有犹豫就跃进了河里，大概只划了30下就游过了河。他敏捷地爬上了岸，不顾一切地奋力奔跑；另外追他的那三个野人也来到了河岸边，但我发现，这三个野人当中只有两个会游泳，另一个根本不会，只好站在岸边看着他的两个同伴，无能为力。待了一会儿，这个不会游泳的野人就悄悄回去了，这个举动确实救了他自己。
我注意到，那两个追赶的野人要比逃跑的野人慢太多，他们至少花了两倍的时间才游过河，这样一来，逃跑的野人就能成功逃脱。这时，一个强烈的、不可压制的想法浮现在我的脑海中——是时候找个奴仆了，也可以说是同伴，或帮手；这是上天的旨意要我去救这个可怜人的命。我毫不迟疑，马上爬下梯子，拿上梯子脚下的两把枪，之前我已经提到过了；然后又赶紧爬上梯子，冲上山顶，跑向海边。我走了一条捷径，跑下山，把自己安身在追赶者和被追赶者之间的路上。我向那个逃跑的野人大声叫喊，他回头看了看我，一开始神色惊慌，不亚于看见追他的那两个野人；我招手叫他回来，同时慢慢接近后面追上来的那两个野人；之后马上冲向跑在前面的那个野人，用我的枪杆一下子击倒了他——我不想开枪以免让后面那个听到枪声；尽管当时那个距离他很难听到，也看不到硝烟，所以他们一定不会轻易知晓这是怎么回事。打倒第一个野人之后，后面那个追赶者跟了上来，但他停住脚步，仿佛被我吓到了。
not have easily known what to make of it. Having knocked this fellow down, the other who pursued with him stopped, as if he had been frightened; and I advanced a-pace towards him; but as I came nearer, I perceived presently, he had a bow and arrow, and was fitting it to shoot at me; so I was then necessitated to shoot at him first, which I did, and killed him at the first shoot; the poor savage who fled, but had stopped; though he saw both his enemies fallen, and killed, as he thought; yet was so frightened with the fire, and noise of my piece, that he stood stock still, and neither came forward or went backward, though he seemed rather inclined to fly still, than to come on; I hollowed again to him, and made signs to come forward, which he easily understood, and came a little way, then stopped again, and then a little further, and stopped again, and I could then perceive that he stood trembling, as if he had been taken prisoner, and had just been to be killed, as his two enemies were; I beckoned him again to come to me, and gave him all the signs of encouragement that I could think of, and he came nearer and nearer, kneeling down every ten or twelve steps in token of acknowledgement for my saving his Life. I smiled at him, and looked pleasantly, and beckoned to him to come still nearer; at length he came close to me, and then he kneeled down again, kissed the ground, and laid his head upon the ground, and taking me by the foot, set my foot upon his head; this it seems was in token of swearing to be my slave for ever; I took him up, and made much of him, and encouraged him all I could. But there was more work to do yet, for I perceived the savage who I knocked down, was not killed, but stunned with the blow, and began to come to himself; so I pointed to him, and showing him the savage, that he was not dead; upon this he spoke some words to me, and though I could not understand them, yet I thought they were pleasant to hear, for they were the first sound of a man’s voice, that I had heard, my own excepted, for above
我向他跑去，但当我快接近他时，我看见他拿着弓和箭要射我；所以我不得不先开枪射他，而我一枪就射死了他。那个可怜的逃跑野人已经停住了脚步；尽管他目击了他的敌人倒下，并且在他看来已经死去，但也被我的枪和枪声吓坏了。他站在那里呆若木鸡，既没有走向前来，也没有转身离去，他似乎更想逃开而不是走近我。我又向他大喊大叫，并打着他容易理解的手势叫他过来。他向我这挪了一点点，然后又停住，然后又挪近了些，再停住。这时，我能看见他站在那里颤抖着，好像以为自己成了我的俘虏，以为自己也会像他的那两个敌人一样被处死。我又向他招手示意他过来，并倾尽我能想到的所有手势鼓励他不要害怕，接着他就离我越来越近了。每走十一二步他就跪下来向我致谢，因为我救了他的命。我冲他微笑，亲切地看着他，示意他再走近点。最后，他终于来到我的面前；他又跪下亲吻大地，把头贴着大地，把我的脚放在头上；这似乎代表着他正宣誓要永远成为我的奴仆。我扶起他，对他很和善，并尽力安抚他。但眼下似乎还有别的事要做，因为我看见被我打中的那个野人还没有死，只是被击晕了，现在开始苏醒过来。我指了指那个昏倒的野人，示意他没死；他跟我说了一些话，尽管我没听懂，但我觉得是如此美妙，因为这是我25年来第一次听到真人的声音，以前除了我的自言自语，别的便没有了。但现在没时间沉浸于此，那个被打晕的野人已经醒过来，并且坐在地上。我看见我的奴仆又开始害怕了，便举起我的另一支枪想射击他；这时，我的奴仆——现在我就这么称呼他，对我做了个手势，让我把挂在腰间没有刀鞘的刀借给他，我便递给了他。
twenty five years. But there was no time for such reflections now, the savage who was knocked down recovered himself so far, as to sit up upon the ground, and I perceived that my savage began to be afraid; but when I saw that, I presented my other piece at the man, as if I would shoot him, upon this my savage, for so I call him now, made a motion to me to lend him my sword, which hung naked in a belt by my side; so I did: he no sooner had it, but he runs to his enemy, and at one blow cut off his head as cleverly, no executioner in Germany, could have done it sooner or better; which I thought very strange, for one who 1 had reason to believe never saw a sword in his life before, except their own wooden swords; however it seems, as I learned afterwards, they make their wooden swords so sharp, so heavy, and the wood is so hard, that they will cut off heads even with them, ay and Arms, and that at one blow too; when he had done this, he comes laughing to me in sign of triumph, and brought me the sword again, and with abundance of gestures which I did not understand, laid it down with the head of the savage, that he had killed just before me.
他一接过刀便冲向他的敌人，一刀下去就砍下了那野人的头，任何一个德国的刽子手都不能像他这样干净利落；对此我讶异不已。在他的有生之年，我相信他肯定没见过一把刀，除了他们自己的木刀；但似乎他们用木刀也能一下子砍下人头。后来我了解到，他们确实把木刀做得很锋利、很沉，木头也够硬。他做完这一切，带着胜利的微笑走到我面前，又把刀还给我，做了各种手势，但我都没懂。然后，他把他刚砍下的野人的头放在我脚边。