STEPPING ASHORE had an exhilarating effect on me. Ned Land tested the soil with his foot, as if he were laying claim to it. Yet it had been only two months since we had become, as Captain Nemo expressed it, "passengers on the Nautilus," in other words, the literal prisoners of its commander.
我一腳踩在地上,感到一種難以形容的深刻印象,尼德-蘭拿腳試着踢一踢土地,好像要佔有它似的。其實,我們作“諾第留斯號的乘客”——照尼摩船長的說法,實際上是諾第留斯號船長的俘虜——也不過僅僅兩個月。
In a few minutes we were a gunshot away from the coast. The soil was almost entirely madreporic, but certain dry stream beds were strewn with granite rubble, proving that this island was of primordial origin. The entire horizon was hidden behind a curtain of wonderful forests. Enormous trees, sometimes as high as 200 feet, were linked to each other by garlands of tropical creepers, genuine natural hammocks that swayed in a mild breeze. There were mimosas, banyan trees, beefwood, teakwood, hibiscus, screw pines, palm trees, all mingling in wild profusion; and beneath the shade of their green canopies, at the feet of their gigantic trunks, there grew orchids, leguminous plants, and ferns.
幾分鐘後,我們和島岸只有槍彈射程的距離了。土地差不多完全是由造礁珊瑚沉積形成的,但有些乾涸了的急流河床,間雜有花崗石的殘餘,說明這島的形成是在原始的太古時期。整個天際都由令人讚美的森林簾幕遮掩起來。許多高大的樹——其中有些樹幹高達二百英呎——由葛藤把它們彼此連接起來,看來真像和風搖擺着的天然吊床呢。這是合歡樹、無花果樹、火鳥樹、麻慄樹、木芙蓉、班達樹、棕樹,枝葉茂盛的混雜起來。在這些樹的青綠窟窿下。在它們的的齒形樹幹腳邊,叢生許多蘭科、豆科、蕨科植物。
Meanwhile, ignoring all these fine specimens of Papuan flora, the Canadian passed up the decorative in favor of the functional. He spotted a coconut palm, beat down some of its fruit, broke them open, and we drank their milk and ate their meat with a pleasure that was a protest against our standard fare on the Nautilus.
可是,加拿大人並不注意巴布亞土生植物的美麗品種,他拋開了美麗的,去追求實際有用的。他看見一棵椰子樹,打下樹上好幾個椰子,劈開來,我們喝了裡面的汁、吃了裡面的肉,心中感到滿意,這正說明了我們對於諾第留斯號船上家常飯食的不滿。
"Excellent!" Ned Land said.
“好吃得很!”尼德-蘭說。
"Exquisite!" Conseil replied.
“味道真美!”康塞爾回答。
"And I don't think," the Canadian said, "that your Nemo would object to us stashing a cargo of coconuts aboard his vessel?"
“我想,”加拿大人說,“我們把這些果品帶回船上去,您那個尼摩不至于反對吧?”
"I imagine not," I replied, "but he won't want to sample them."
“我想他不至于反對,”我回答,“不過他一定不吃。”
"Too bad for him!" Conseil said.
“活該他沒口福!”康塞爾說。
"And plenty good for us!" Ned Land shot back. "There'll be more left over!"
“我們倒可以多吃了!”尼德-蘭回答,“因為那樣剩下來的才更多。”
"A word of caution, Mr. Land," I told the harpooner, who was about to ravage another coconut palm. "Coconuts are admirable things, but before we stuff the skiff with them, it would be wise to find out whether this island offers other substances just as useful. Some fresh vegetables would be well received in the Nautilus's pantry."
“我告訴您一句話,尼德-蘭師傅,”我對這個魚叉手說,他又要打另一棵椰子樹了,“椰子是好吃的東西,但不要馬上把小艇都裝滿了椰子,先考察一下島上是否還出產別的東西,一些又好吃又有用的東西,這才是聰明的辦法。譬如新鮮的蔬菜,諾第留斯號船上的廚房一定很歡迎。”
"Master is right," Conseil replied, "and I propose that we set aside three places in our longboat: one for fruit, another for vegetables, and a third for venison, of which I still haven't glimpsed the tiniest specimen."
“先生說得有理,”康塞爾回答,“我提議把我們小艇分成三部分,一部分放水果,一部分放蔬菜,一部分放獵物。可是一直到現在,連野味的影子還沒有看見呢。”
"Don't give up so easily, Conseil," the Canadian replied.
“康塞爾,對刊-麼都不應該失望。”加拿大人回答。
"So let's continue our excursion," I went on, "but keep a sharp lookout. This island seems uninhabited, but it still might harbor certain individuals who aren't so finicky about the sort of game they eat!"
“那麼,我們繼續走吧,”我說,“不過眼睛要留神,要四處張望。雖然島上看來沒有人居住,但很可能有些生人,他們對於豬物性質的看法可能跟我們不同!肌
"Hee hee!" Ned put in, with a meaningful movement of his jaws.
“嘻:嘻!尼德-蘭發出怪聲,擺動着上下兩顎的牙床,作出意義明顯的表示。
"Ned! Oh horrors!" Conseil exclaimed.
“尼德-蘭,您怎麼啦——”康塞爾喊。
"Ye gods," the Canadian shot back, "I'm starting to appreciate the charms of cannibalism!"
“說真的,”加拿大人回答,“我現在開始懂得人肉味的誘惑力了!”
"Ned, Ned! Don't say that!" Conseil answered. "You a cannibal? Why, I'll no longer be safe next to you, I who share your cabin! Does this mean I'll wake up half devoured one fine day?"
“尼德!尼德!您說的什麼?”康塞爾問,“您,吃人肉的動物!那我,跟您住在一個艙房,在您身邊,簡直性命都不安全了!難道我會一天醒來,身子被咬去了一半嗎?”
"I'm awfully fond of you, Conseil my friend, but not enough to eat you when there's better food around."
“康塞爾好朋友,我很喜歡您:,但不到緊要關頭我不吃你。”
"Then I daren't delay," Conseil replied. "The hunt is on! We absolutely must bag some game to placate this man-eater, or one of these mornings master won't find enough pieces of his manservant to serve him."
“這我不敢相信——”康塞爾回答,“快打獵去!我一定要打到一些獵物來滿足這吃人肉的人的口腹,不然的話,總有一天早晨,先生只能看見他僕人一塊一塊的肉來服侍他了。”
While exchanging this chitchat, we entered beneath the dark canopies of the forest, and for two hours we explored it in every direction.
當我們彼此說笑話,交換一些意見的時候,我們穿人了森林的陰沉的穹窿下,只有兩小時的功夫,我們四面八方都走遍了。
We couldn't have been luckier in our search for edible vegetation, and some of the most useful produce in the tropical zones supplied us with a valuable foodstuff missing on board.
偶然的意外滿足了我們的心願,使我們找到了許多可食的植物,其中一種是熱帶地區最有用的產品,它成了我們船上所沒有的寶貴食物。
I mean the breadfruit tree, which is quite abundant on Gueboroa Island, and there I chiefly noted the seedless variety that in Malaysia is called "rima."
我說的是麵包樹,在格波羅爾島上,這種樹非常多,我特別留心那沒有核仁的一種,馬來亞語管它叫“利馬”。
This tree is distinguished from other trees by a straight trunk forty feet high. To the naturalist's eye, its gracefully rounded crown, formed of big multilobed leaves, was enough to denote the artocarpus that has been so successfully transplanted to the Mascarene Islands east of Madagascar. From its mass of greenery, huge globular fruit stood out, a decimeter wide and furnished on the outside with creases that assumed a hexangular pattern. It's a handy plant that nature gives to regions lacking in wheat; without needing to be cultivated, it bears fruit eight months out of the year.
這種樹跟別的樹不同的地方是它的樹幹筆直,有四十英呎高。樹頂十分美麗,作環形,由耳珠很多的闊大樹葉組成,在一個生物學家看來,充分地顯示出這是“麵包果樹”,很運氣的是這樹在馬斯卡林群島已經移植成功了。在團團的青綠叢中,垂下粗大的球形果子,約一分米大,外表凹凸不平,好像六角形。這是大自然恩賜給不產麥地區的有用植物,不用耕種,一年中有八個月都結麵包果供應人們。
Ned Land was on familiar terms with this fruit. He had already eaten it on his many voyages and knew how to cook its edible substance. So the very sight of it aroused his appetite, and he couldn't control himself.
尼德-蘭很熟悉這些麵包果。他從前在多次旅行中已經吃過了,他很知道怎樣調製這種可吃的東西。所以看見這些果子,馬上就引起他的食慾,他再也忍耐不住了。
"Sir," he told me, "I'll die if I don't sample a little breadfruit pasta!"
“先生,”他跟我說,“如果我不嘗一嘗這麵包樹的麵條子,真要急死我了!”
"Sample some, Ned my friend, sample all you like. We're here to conduct experiments, let's conduct them."
“嘗嘗吧,尼德-蘭好朋友,您隨意嘗吧。我們是到這裡來獲得經驗的,那我們就試試看吧。”
"It won't take a minute," the Canadian replied.
“那費不了很多的時間。“加拿大人回答。
Equipped with a magnifying glass, he lit a fire of deadwood that was soon crackling merrily. Meanwhile Conseil and I selected the finest artocarpus fruit. Some still weren't ripe enough, and their thick skins covered white, slightly fibrous pulps. But a great many others were yellowish and gelatinous, just begging to be picked.
他於是拿了火鏡,利用陽光,把干樹枝點着,火光熊熊燃燒起來了。這個時候,康塞爾和我選了麵包樹上最好的果子摘下來。有些還沒有到足夠成熟的程度,厚的表皮上蒙了一層白肉,但很少帶纖維。其他的大多數變黃了,有粘性了,只等人去摘了。
This fruit contained no pits. Conseil brought a dozen of them to Ned Land, who cut them into thick slices and placed them over a fire of live coals, all the while repeating:
這些果子並沒有核仁。康塞爾拿了十二三個給尼德。蘭,他把它們切成厚片,放在紅火上,當他切片的時候,總是說:
"You'll see, sir, how tasty this bread is!"
“您瞧吧,先生,這麵包是多麼好吃呢!”
"Especially since we've gone without baked goods for so long," Conseil said.
“特別是我們很久都沒有吃麵包了!”康塞爾說。
"It's more than just bread," the Canadian added. "It's a dainty pastry. You've never eaten any, sir?"
加拿大人又說:“甚至于可以說,這並不是平常的麵包,而是美味的糕點。先生,您從來沒有吃過嗎?”
"No, Ned."
“沒有吃過,尼德。”
"All right, get ready for something downright delectable! If you don't come back for seconds, I'm no longer the King of Harpooners!"
“那麼,您快作準備,來嘗嘗這別有風味的東西吧。如果您吃了不再要的話,那我就不是天字第一號魚叉手了-
After a few minutes, the parts of the fruit exposed to the fire were completely toasted. On the inside there appeared some white pasta, a sort of soft bread center whose flavor reminded me of artichoke.
幾分鐘後,果子向着紅火的部分已經完全烤焦了。裡面露出白粉條,好像又軟又嫩的麵包屑,吃起來像百葉菜的味兒。
This bread was excellent, I must admit, and I ate it with great pleasure.
應當承認,這麵包很好吃,我很喜歡吃。
"Unfortunately," I said, "this pasta won't stay fresh, so it seems pointless to make a supply for on board."
“可惜這樣一種好麵糰不能長久保持新鮮,””我說/孜想用不着拿回船上去作貯藏的食品了。”
"By thunder, sir!" Ned Land exclaimed. "There you go, talking like a naturalist, but meantime I'll be acting like a baker! Conseil, harvest some of this fruit to take with us when we go back."
“真的嗎,先生!”尼德-蘭喊,“您是拿生物學家的身份來說這話;但我要拿製麵包人的身份來作事。康塞爾,您去摘取這些果子,我們回去的時候可以帶走。”
"And how will you prepare it?" I asked the Canadian.
“您怎樣把這些果子製作起來呢?”我問加拿大人。
"I'll make a fermented batter from its pulp that'll keep indefinitely without spoiling. When I want some, I'll just cook it in the galley on board--it'll have a slightly tart flavor, but you'll find it excellent."
“拿這果子的澱粉泥製成發麵團,那就可以長久保存,不至于腐敗。當我要食用的時候,到船上廚房裡一烤使得,雖然有些酸味,但您一定覺得它很好吃。”
"So, Mr. Ned, I see that this bread is all we need--"
“尼德-蘭師傅,那麼,有了這麵包,看來我們是不短什麼了吧?……”
"Not quite, professor," the Canadian replied. "We need some fruit to go with it, or at least some vegetables."
“還短些東西,教授,”加拿大人回答,“還短些水果,至少還短些蔬菜!”
"Then let's look for fruit and vegetables."
“我們找水果和蔬菜去。”
When our breadfruit harvesting was done, we took to the trail to complete this "dry-land dinner."
當我們摘完了麵包果,我們就去尋找,要把我們的“地上”午餐豐富完備起來。
We didn't search in vain, and near noontime we had an ample supply of bananas. This delicious produce from the Torrid Zones ripens all year round, and Malaysians, who give them the name "pisang," eat them without bothering to cook them. In addition to bananas, we gathered some enormous jackfruit with a very tangy flavor, some tasty mangoes, and some pineapples of unbelievable size. But this foraging took up a good deal of our time, which, even so, we had no cause to regret.
我們的尋找並沒有白費功夫,到中午左右,我們得到大量的香蕉。這種熱帶地方的美昧產物,長年都有,馬來亞人叫它們“比桑”,意思是生吃,不必熟煮。跟香蕉一起,我們又得到味道很辛烈的巨大雅克果,很甜的芒果和大到難以相信的菠蘿。這次採水果費了我們一大部分時間,但成績很好,並沒有什麼可惋惜的。
Conseil kept Ned under observation. The harpooner walked in the lead, and during his stroll through this forest, he gathered with sure hands some excellent fruit that should have completed his provisions.
康塞爾總是隨着尼德-蘭。魚叉手在前走,當他在樹林中走過的時候,他手法熟練,總能采到很好吃的果子,把貯藏的食品更加豐富起來。
"So," Conseil asked, "you have everything you need, Ned my friend?"
康塞爾問:“尼德-蘭好朋友,我們再也不短什麼了吧?”
"Humph!" the Canadian put in.
“嗯!”加拿大人表示不耐煩地說。
"What! You're complaining?"
“怎麼!您還不滿足嗎?”
"All this vegetation doesn't make a meal," Ned replied. "Just side dishes, dessert. But where's the soup course? Where's the roast?"
“所有這些植物都不能成為正式的整餐,”尼德-蘭回答,“那是整餐最後的萊,那是餐後的點心。可是湯在哪兒呢?肉在哪兒呢?”
"Right," I said. "Ned promised us cutlets, which seems highly questionable to me."
“對呀,”我說,“尼德答應我的排骨,看來很成問題了。”
"Sir," the Canadian replied, "our hunting not only isn't over, it hasn't even started. Patience! We're sure to end up bumping into some animal with either feathers or fur, if not in this locality, then in another."
“先生,”加拿大人回答,“打獵不但沒有結束,而是還沒有開始呢。耐心些!我們一定可以碰到一些有羽毛的動物,如果這一處沒有,另一處一定有……”
"And if not today, then tomorrow, because we mustn't wander too far off," Conseil added. "That's why I propose that we return to the skiff."
“如果今天碰不着,明天一定可以碰着,”康塞爾補充說,“因為我們不應走得過遠。我要提議回小艇中去了。”
"What! Already!" Ned exclaimed.
“什麼!就要回去了!”尼德-蘭喊。
"We ought to be back before nightfall," I said.
“我們在黑夜到來之前一定要回去。”我說。
"But what hour is it, then?" the Canadian asked.
“那現在是什麼時候呢?“加拿大人問。
"Two o'clock at least," Conseil replied.
“至少是午後兩點了。”康塞爾回答。
"How time flies on solid ground!" exclaimed Mr. Ned Land with a sigh of regret.
“在地上過的時間真快呵!”尼德-蘭師傅帶著惋惜的嘆聲說。
"Off we go!" Conseil replied.
“走吧。”康塞爾回答。
So we returned through the forest, and we completed our harvest by making a clean sweep of some palm cabbages that had to be picked from the crowns of their trees, some small beans that I recognized as the "abrou" of the Malaysians, and some high-quality yams.
我們從林中穿回來,我們又得到了新的食品,因為我們臨時又採摘了菜棕擱果,這果一定要到樹頂上去采,我認出是馬來亞人叫做“阿布盧,的小豆,以及上等品質的芋薯。
We were overloaded when we arrived at the skiff. However, Ned Land still found these provisions inadequate. But fortune smiled on him. Just as we were boarding, he spotted several trees twenty-five to thirty feet high, belonging to the palm species. As valuable as the artocarpus, these trees are justly ranked among the most useful produce in Malaysia.
當我們到了小艇,我們帶回的東西實在太多了。可是尼德,蘭覺得他的食物還不夠。算他走運,他又得了些東西。在我們上小艇的時候,他看見好幾棵樹,高二十五英呎至三十英呎,屬於棕擱一類。這些樹跟麵包樹一樣有用,一樣寶貴,正是馬來亞地方最有用的產物之一。
They were sago palms, vegetation that grows without being cultivated; like mulberry trees, they reproduce by means of shoots and seeds.
這是西米樹,是不用種植就生長起來的植物,像桑樹那樣,由於自己的嫩枝和種子,不需人工,自然繁殖滋長。
Ned Land knew how to handle these trees. Taking his ax and wielding it with great vigor, he soon stretched out on the ground two or three sago palms, whose maturity was revealed by the white dust sprinkled over their palm fronds.
尼德-蘭知道對付這些樹的方法。他拿出斧子,揮動起來,不久就把兩三棵西米樹砍倒在地下,從灑在葉上的白粉屑來看,這幾棵樹是很成熟了。
I watched him more as a naturalist than as a man in hunger. He began by removing from each trunk an inch-thick strip of bark that covered a network of long, hopelessly tangled fibers that were puttied with a sort of gummy flour. This flour was the starch-like sago, an edible substance chiefly consumed by the Melanesian peoples.
我看著他砍樹,與其說是拿餓肚人的眼光看,不如說是拿生物學家的眼光看。他把每一根樹幹剝去一層厚一英吋的表皮,表皮下面是纏繞作一團的結子所組成的長長纖維網,上面就粘着膠質護膜般的細粉。這粉就是西米,就是作為美拉尼西亞居民糧食的主要食物。
For the time being, Ned Land was content to chop these trunks into pieces, as if he were making firewood; later he would extract the flour by sifting it through cloth to separate it from its fibrous ligaments, let it dry out in the sun, and leave it to harden inside molds.
尼德-蘭此刻只是把樹幹砍成片,像他砍那要燒的劈柴一般,準備將來提取樹幹上的粉,讓粉通過一塊薄布,使它跟纖維絲分開,把它晾在太陽下,讓水氣幹了,然後把它放在模中,讓它凝固起來。
Finally, at five o'clock in the afternoon, laden with all our treasures, we left the island beach and half an hour later pulled alongside the Nautilus. Nobody appeared on our arrival. The enormous sheet-iron cylinder seemed deserted. Our provisions loaded on board, I went below to my stateroom. There I found my supper ready. I ate and then fell asleep.
到了下午五點的時候,我們裝上我們所得的財富,離開了這島的海岸,半小時後,我們的小艇又靠在諾第留斯號旁邊了。我們到船上的時候,沒有一個人出來。這只巨大鋼鐵板的圓錐筒好像是沒有人管,被拋棄了的一般。我們把食物搬上去之後,我就下到我的房間中。我看見晚餐已經擺在房中。我吃了飯,便睡覺。
The next day, January 6: nothing new on board. Not a sound inside, not a sign of life. The skiff stayed alongside in the same place we had left it. We decided to return to Gueboroa Island. Ned Land hoped for better luck in his hunting than on the day before, and he wanted to visit a different part of the forest.
第二天,1月6日,船上沒有什麼消息。內部沒有一點聲響,沒有一點生氣。小艇仍然停在諾第留斯號旁邊,就在我們昨天擱下它的地方。我們決定再到格波羅爾島上去。尼德。蘭希望在打獵方面,今天能比昨天運氣好一點,他想到樹林的另一部分去看一下。
By sunrise we were off. Carried by an inbound current, the longboat reached the island in a matter of moments.
太陽升起來的時候,我們已經在小艇上了。小艇因有向島岸衝擊的海浪推送,不一會就到了島上。
We disembarked, and thinking it best to abide by the Canadian's instincts, we followed Ned Land, whose long legs threatened to outpace us.
我們下了小艇,走上陸地,我想讓加拿大人憑直覺來帶路或者好一些,因此,我們跟在尼德-蘭後面,他的長腿走得很快,時常把我們拋在遠遠的後面。
Ned Land went westward up the coast; then, fording some stream beds, he reached open plains that were bordered by wonderful forests. Some kingfishers lurked along the watercourses, but they didn't let us approach. Their cautious behavior proved to me that these winged creatures knew where they stood on bipeds of our species, and I concluded that if this island wasn't inhabited, at least human beings paid it frequent visits.
尼德-蘭沿著海岸向西走了一會兒,涉水渡過一些急流,到了高地平原,邊緣上儘是令人讚美的樹林。有些翠烏在水流邊飛來飛去,但它們不讓人接近,見人來就飛走。由於它們的小心警惕,我明白這些飛禽是很知道怎樣對付我們這些兩足動物的,我於是得到結論,即使這島上沒有居民,至少也是常有生人到島上來。
After crossing a pretty lush prairie, we arrived on the outskirts of a small wood, enlivened by the singing and soaring of a large number of birds.
穿過了一片相當廣大的草原,我們來到一座小樹林的邊緣,林中有許多禽鳥飛舞歌唱,顯得生氣洋溢。
"Still, they're merely birds," Conseil said.
“這還不過是一些禽鳥呢。”康塞爾說。
"But some are edible," the harpooner replied.
“但裡面也有可吃的呢!”魚叉手回答。
"Wrong, Ned my friend," Conseil answered, "because I see only ordinary parrots here."
“沒有,尼德好朋友,”康塞爾回答,“因為我看見那裡僅有一些鸚鵝。”
"Conseil my friend," Ned replied in all seriousness, "parrots are like pheasant to people with nothing else on their plates."
,‘康塞爾好朋友,”尼德-蘭嚴肅地回答,“對沒有別的東西吃的人來說,鸚鵡就等於山鷄。”
"And I might add," I said, "that when these birds are properly cooked, they're at least worth a stab of the fork."
“再說,,,我說,“這種鳥烹調得好,也很值得動刀叉。”
Indeed, under the dense foliage of this wood, a whole host of parrots fluttered from branch to branch, needing only the proper upbringing to speak human dialects. At present they were cackling in chorus with parakeets of every color, with solemn cockatoos that seemed to be pondering some philosophical problem, while bright red lories passed by like pieces of bunting borne on the breeze, in the midst of kalao parrots raucously on the wing, Papuan lories painted the subtlest shades of azure, and a whole variety of delightful winged creatures, none terribly edible.
正是這樣,在樹林的濃密樹葉底下,一大群鸚鵡在樹枝間飛來飛去,只要細心地教育它們,便可以說人類的語言了。目前它們只是陪着所有各種顏色的雌鸚鵝,嘰嘰喳喳說個不休:有神氣嚴肅的五彩鸚鵡,好像在思考些哲學問題;有大紅色的赤鸚鵡,在飛時作響聲的加羅西鸚鵝電間,好像一塊隨鳳飄蕩的紅紗;有染上最美的天藍色的巴布亞櫻鵝,以及各種各樣的美麗可愛的飛禽,但一般來看,都是屬於不可食用的一類。
However, one bird unique to these shores, which never passes beyond the boundaries of the Aru and Papuan Islands, was missing from this collection. But I was given a chance to marvel at it soon enough.
但是,這地方特產的一種鳥,它從不走過阿盧群島和巴布亞群島的邊界,現在在這一群禽鳥中我並沒有看到。命運暫時把這鳥保留起來,但不久我就能欣賞它了。
After crossing through a moderately dense thicket, we again found some plains obstructed by bushes. There I saw some magnificent birds soaring aloft, the arrangement of their long feathers causing them to head into the wind. Their undulating flight, the grace of their aerial curves, and the play of their colors allured and delighted the eye. I had no trouble identifying them.
穿過了一座不很濃密的叢林,我們又到了一片有許多樹叢堆垛着的平原。我看到了好些華麗的鳥飛在空中,它們身上很長的羽毛使它們一定要逆鳳才能飛行。它們的波狀起伏的飛行,它們在空中的優美曲綫,它們鮮艷奪目的色澤,吸引了和迷惑了人們的眼睛。我一點不困難就認出是它們來了。
"Birds of paradise!" I exclaimed.
“無雙鳥,無雙鳥!”我喊。
"Order Passeriforma, division Clystomora," Conseil replied.
“燕雀目,直腸亞目。”康塞爾回答。
"Partridge family?" Ned Land asked.
““鶴鵠科嗎?“尼德-蘭問。
"I doubt it, Mr. Land. Nevertheless, I'm counting on your dexterity to catch me one of these delightful representatives of tropical nature!"
“我想不是,尼德-蘭師傅。不過我要靠您的好手段,把這種熱帶出產的最美麗可愛的東西打下一隻來!”
"I'll give it a try, professor, though I'm handier with a harpoon than a rifle."
“我試試,教授,雖然我用慣了魚叉,使槍要差一些。”
Malaysians, who do a booming business in these birds with the Chinese, have various methods for catching them that we couldn't use. Sometimes they set snares on the tops of the tall trees that the bird of paradise prefers to inhabit. At other times they capture it with a tenacious glue that paralyzes its movements. They will even go so far as to poison the springs where these fowl habitually drink. But in our case, all we could do was fire at them on the wing, which left us little chance of getting one. And in truth, we used up a good part of our ammunition in vain.
這種烏是馬來亞人對中國人的一宗重要貿易;馬來亞人用種種不同的方法來捕捉這種鳥,但我們都不能使用。他們或者把羅網安放在無雙鳥喜歡居住的高樹頂上,或者使用強力的雀膠,使它們粘上不能動。他們甚至于把毒藥投到這些鳥經常去喝的泉水中。至於我們現在,只有在它們飛翔時進行射擊這一種辦法。我們很少有機會可以擊中它們。果然我們確實白費了一些彈葯。
Near eleven o'clock in the morning, we cleared the lower slopes of the mountains that form the island's center, and we still hadn't bagged a thing. Hunger spurred us on. The hunters had counted on consuming the proceeds of their hunting, and they had miscalculated. Luckily, and much to his surprise, Conseil pulled off a right-and-left shot and insured our breakfast. He brought down a white pigeon and a ringdove, which were briskly plucked, hung from a spit, and roasted over a blazing fire of deadwood. While these fascinating animals were cooking, Ned prepared some bread from the artocarpus. Then the pigeon and ringdove were devoured to the bones and declared excellent. Nutmeg, on which these birds habitually gorge themselves, sweetens their flesh and makes it delicious eating.
到十一點左右,我們已經走過了構成這島中心的第:層山脈,可是仍然毫無所得。腹中作響,饑餓煎熬着我們。打獵人相信自己打獵一定有成果,可是錯了,一點獵物也得不到。很幸運,康塞爾開了兩槍,完全出於意外地獲得了午餐的獵物。他打下一隻白鴿和一隻山鳩。急忙把它們拔掉羽毛,掛在叉子上,放在燃點起來的干木頭的旺火上烤着。當烤炙這些很有意味的動物的時候,尼德-蘭就調理着麵包果。一會兒,白鴿和山鳩連骨頭都被吃得精光,大家都說很好吃。這些鳥慣常吃很多的肉豆寇,因此它們的肉像加了香料一般,成為一盤又青又好吃的萊。
"They taste like chicken stuffed with truffles," Conseil said.
“這味道好像吃香菌長大的母鷄的味兒一般。”康塞爾說。
"All right, Ned," I asked the Canadian, "now what do you need?"
“尼德,現在我們還短些什麼嗎?”我問加拿大人。
"Game with four paws, Professor Aronnax," Ned Land replied. "All these pigeons are only appetizers, snacks. So till I've bagged an animal with cutlets, I won't be happy!"
“還短一隻四足的獵物,阿龍納斯先生。”尼德-蘭回答,“所有這些鴿子、山鳩都不過是零食和小吃。因此,只要我還沒有打到有排骨肉的動物,我就決不能滿意。”
"Nor I, Ned, until I've caught a bird of paradise."
“尼德,如果我沒有捕捉到一隻無雙鳥,我也不能滿意。”
"Then let's keep hunting," Conseil replied, "but while heading back to the sea. We've arrived at the foothills of these mountains, and I think we'll do better if we return to the forest regions."
“那麼我們繼續打獵吧,”康塞爾回答,“不過要向大海這一邊走。我們已經到了山嶺的第一層斜坡,我想再回到森林地帶要好些。
It was good advice and we took it. After an hour's walk we reached a genuine sago palm forest. A few harmless snakes fled underfoot. Birds of paradise stole off at our approach, and I was in real despair of catching one when Conseil, walking in the lead, stooped suddenly, gave a triumphant shout, and came back to me, carrying a magnificent bird of paradise.
康塞爾很有見識,我們就照他的意見辦了。走了一小時,我們到了一座真正是西米樹的森林。有些不傷人的蛇在我們腳下逃走了。無雙鳥看見我們走近就飛開。當我十分失望,沒有辦法捉到它們的時候,走在我前面的康塞爾,忽然彎下身子,發出勝利的呼喊,拿着一隻十分好看的無雙鳥走近我身邊來。
"Oh bravo, Conseil!" I exclaimed.
“好!你成功了!康塞爾。“我喊。
"Master is too kind," Conseil replied.
“先生,不敢當,您過獎了。”康塞爾回答。
"Not at all, my boy. That was a stroke of genius, catching one of these live birds with your bare hands!"
“不,好小伙子,你真是做了一件出奇的事哩。弄到一隻潔的無雙鳥,把它捉在手裡,真了不得!”
"If master will examine it closely, he'll see that I deserve no great praise."
“如果先生細心地考查它一下,那就可以看到我實在沒有什麼多大的功勞。”
"And why not, Conseil?"
“康塞爾,為什麼呢?”
"Because this bird is as drunk as a lord."
“因為這鳥像鵪鶉一般醉了。”
"Drunk?"
“醉了嗎?”
"Yes, master, drunk from the nutmegs it was devouring under that nutmeg tree where I caught it. See, Ned my friend, see the monstrous results of intemperance!"
“是的,先生,它在豆寇樹下吃豆寇吃醉了,我就在樹下把它捉到。尼德好朋友,請您看看這貪吃貪喝、過度任性的可怕結果吧!”
"Damnation!" the Canadian shot back. "Considering the amount of gin I've had these past two months, you've got nothing to complain about!"
“怪話!”加拿大人回答,“我這兩個月來只是喝了一些真尼酒,實在用不着責備我!”
Meanwhile I was examining this unusual bird. Conseil was not mistaken. Tipsy from that potent juice, our bird of paradise had been reduced to helplessness. It was unable to fly. It was barely able to walk. But this didn't alarm me, and I just let it sleep off its nutmeg.
我於是檢查一下這只奇異的鳥。康塞爾沒有搞錯。無雙烏被豆寇汁迷醉了,使得它癱軟無力。它不能飛,走路也很困難。但我用不着為它擔心,讓它好好地睡它的酒後覺就是了。
This bird belonged to the finest of the eight species credited to Papua and its neighboring islands. It was a "great emerald," one of the rarest birds of paradise. It measured three decimeters long. Its head was comparatively small, and its eyes, placed near the opening of its beak, were also small. But it offered a wonderful mixture of hues: a yellow beak, brown feet and claws, hazel wings with purple tips, pale yellow head and scruff of the neck, emerald throat, the belly and chest maroon to brown. Two strands, made of a horn substance covered with down, rose over its tail, which was lengthened by long, very light feathers of wonderful fineness, and they completed the costume of this marvelous bird that the islanders have poetically named "the sun bird."
這只無雙鳥屬於巴布亞和鄰近群島出產的八種無雙鳥中最美的一種。這是“大翡翠”無雙鳥,最罕有的一種。它有三分米長,頭比較小,眼睛也不大,就在嘴近邊。它的嘴是黃色,腳爪和指甲是褐色,翼是臻子色,翼端是硃紅色,頭上和頸後是淡黃色,喉間是翡翠色,腹部和胸部是栗子色,因此,它看來像是十分華麗的各種色彩的綜合。而且尾巴上聳起兩個角形的絨毛綠球,和很細膩的很輕飄的細長羽毛連接,好像拖垂的長帶,於是這一切就把這只奇鳥的整個形象完全美化起來了,所以當地上人很詩意地稱它為“太陽的鳥”。
How I wished I could take this superb bird of paradise back to Paris, to make a gift of it to the zoo at the Botanical Gardens, which doesn't own a single live specimen.
我很希望能把這只好看的無雙鳥帶回巴黎去,送給植物園,因為園中還沒有一隻活的無雙鳥。
"So it must be a rarity or something?" the Canadian asked, in the tone of a hunter who, from the viewpoint of his art, gives the game a pretty low rating.
“這鳥真是很罕見嗎廣加拿大人問,用一種不從美術的觀點來估計獵物的口氣。
"A great rarity, my gallant comrade, and above all very hard to capture alive. And even after they're dead, there's still a major market for these birds. So the natives have figured out how to create fake ones, like people create fake pearls or diamonds."
“十分罕見,我老實的同伴,特別是十分難得捉到活的。就是死了,這些鳥仍然是重要的貿易對象。所以上人想法製造假的,像製造珍珠和鑽石一樣。”
"What!" Conseil exclaimed. "They make counterfeit birds of paradise?"
“怎麼!”康塞爾喊,“有人做假無雙鳥嗎?”
"Yes, Conseil."
“是的,康塞爾。”
"And is master familiar with how the islanders go about it?"
“那麼,先生知道土人的製造方法嗎?”
"Perfectly familiar. During the easterly monsoon season, birds of paradise lose the magnificent feathers around their tails that naturalists call 'below-the-wing' feathers. These feathers are gathered by the fowl forgers and skillfully fitted onto some poor previously mutilated parakeet. Then they paint over the suture, varnish the bird, and ship the fruits of their unique labors to museums and collectors in Europe."
“知道。當東方的季候鳳起來的時候,無雙鳥便脫掉了它尾巴周圍的美麗羽毛,這些脫下的羽毛,生物學家把它們叫做副翼羽毛。假造鳥類的人把這些羽毛收拾起來,很巧妙地把它們裝在預先打死、拔了毛的可憐的鸚鵡身上。然後他們把皮毛接合的地方粘起來,粉飾好鳥身,他們就把這些新奇的製作品送到歐洲各地的博物館和喜愛鳥類的人。”
"Good enough!" Ned Land put in. "If it isn't the right bird, it's still the right feathers, and so long as the merchandise isn't meant to be eaten, I see no great harm!"
“好廣”尼德-蘭說,“雖然這不是鳥的本體,但總是鳥的羽毛,如果鳥不是拿來食用,我想也沒有什麼壞處!”
But if my desires were fulfilled by the capture of this bird of paradise, those of our Canadian huntsman remained unsatisfied. Luckily, near two o'clock Ned Land brought down a magnificent wild pig of the type the natives call "bari-outang." This animal came in the nick of time for us to bag some real quadruped meat, and it was warmly welcomed. Ned Land proved himself quite gloriously with his gunshot. Hit by an electric bullet, the pig dropped dead on the spot.
我的慾望雖然因為捕得這只無雙鳥得到滿足,但加拿:大獵人的慾望還沒有得到滿足。很運氣,在兩點左右,尼德-蘭打到一隻肥大的林中野豬,這是土人叫做“巴利奧唐”的一種豬。這豬正好在我們追求真正四足獸肉的時候到來了,所以它很受歡迎,被留下了。尼德-蘭對自己打槍的準確,表示很得意。野豬中了電氣彈,倒在地上死了。
The Canadian properly skinned and cleaned it, after removing half a dozen cutlets destined to serve as the grilled meat course of our evening meal. Then the hunt was on again, and once more would be marked by the exploits of Ned and Conseil.
加拿大人從豬身上割下六七塊腰窩肉準備晚上烤着吃,他又把它的皮毛剝去,開膛,清出內臟。然後又來打獵,這次打獵又顯出了尼德-蘭和康塞爾的勞績。
In essence, beating the bushes, the two friends flushed a herd of kangaroos that fled by bounding away on their elastic paws. But these animals didn't flee so swiftly that our electric capsules couldn't catch up with them.
果然,這一對朋友在搜索樹叢的時候,趕出了一大群袋鼠,它們伸開有彈性的腿來,一蹦一跳地逃走。這些動物雖然跳、走得快,但還沒有逃遠,電氣彈已經追上它們了。
"Oh, professor!" shouted Ned Land, whose hunting fever had gone to his brain. "What excellent game, especially in a stew! What a supply for the Nautilus! Two, three, five down! And just think how we'll devour all this meat ourselves, while those numbskulls on board won't get a shred!"
“啊!教授,”尼德-蘭喊,他打獵的興緻狂熱起來了,“多麼好吃的獵物,特別是悶煮起來!在諾第留斯號船上,這是多麼難得的食物!兩隻!三隻!五隻在地上了!我想到我們要吃所有這些肉的時候,船上的那些蠢東西一點肉渣也嘗不到,我真高興:”
In his uncontrollable glee, I think the Canadian might have slaughtered the whole horde, if he hadn't been so busy talking! But he was content with a dozen of these fascinating marsupials, which make up the first order of aplacental mammals, as Conseil just had to tell us.
我想這個加拿大人,在過度歡喜中,如果他不是說了那麼多的話,可能他把這整群的袋鼠都屠殺了!他只打了一打左右就停止了。
These animals were small in stature. They were a species of those "rabbit kangaroos" that usually dwell in the hollows of trees and are tremendously fast; but although of moderate dimensions, they at least furnish a meat that's highly prized.
“這類袋鼠是乎腹哺侞類的第一目。”康塞爾說。這些袋鼠身材短小,是兔袋鼠的一種,通常居住在樹洞中,跑得非常快。它們身材雖然不大,可是肉很好吃,被當做一種珍品。
We were thoroughly satisfied with the results of our hunting. A gleeful Ned proposed that we return the next day to this magic island, which he planned to depopulate of its every edible quadruped. But he was reckoning without events.
我們很滿意我們打獵的結果。快樂的尼德-蘭提議明夭再到這個迷人的島上來,他要把所有可以吃的四足動物都打盡,一個不留。但他這樣打算,井沒有想到就要來的意外事件。”
By six o'clock in the evening, we were back on the beach. The skiff was aground in its usual place. The Nautilus, looking like a long reef, emerged from the waves two miles offshore.
下午六點,我們回到了海灘。我們的小艇仍然停在原來的地方。諾第留斯號好像一座很長的礁石:在離岸兩海里的海面現出來。
Without further ado, Ned Land got down to the important business of dinner. He came wonderfully to terms with its entire cooking. Grilling over the coals, those cutlets from the "bari-outang" soon gave off a succulent aroma that perfumed the air.
尼德-蘭一點也不耽擱,立即準備晚餐這件大事。“巴利奧唐”野豬的腰窩肉烤在紅火上,不久即發出一種很香的氣味,空中都充滿香味了!……
But I catch myself following in the Canadian's footsteps. Look at me--in ecstasy over freshly grilled pork! Please grant me a pardon as I've already granted one to Mr. Land, and on the same grounds!
我覺得我也跟加拿大人是同道了。面對著這些新鮮的烤肉,我也大樂起來!請大家原諒我,像我原諒過尼德-蘭師傅一樣,完全是由於同樣的理由!
In short, dinner was excellent. Two ringdoves rounded out this extraordinary menu. Sago pasta, bread from the artocarpus, mangoes, half a dozen pineapples, and the fermented liquor from certain coconuts heightened our glee. I suspect that my two fine companions weren't quite as clearheaded as one could wish.
晚餐實在是好吃。加上兩隻山鳩,這特肆的萊單更豐富,更完美了。西米麵條,麵包果,一些芒果,六七個菠蘿和一種椰子果釀成的飲料,我們吃得快活極了。我並且認為,,我的忠實同伴們的頭腦連那必要的清醒都沒有了。
"What if we don't return to the Nautilus this evening?" Conseil said.
“我們今晚不回諾第留斯號船上好嗎?”康塞爾說。
"What if we never return to it?" Ned Land added.
“我們永遠不回去好嗎?”尼德-蘭說。
Just then a stone whizzed toward us, landed at our feet, and cut short the harpooner's proposition.
就在這個時候,一塊石頭落在我們腳邊,立刻把魚叉手的提議打斷。