名著·鲁宾逊飘流记 - 第70节


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  另一方面,我在巴西的利益似乎需要我去一次。可是,如果我不把这儿的事料理好,把我的财产交托给可靠的人管理,我怎么能贸然前往呢?最初,我想到了我的老朋友,就是那位寡妇。我知道他为人诚实可靠,而且也一定不会亏待我。可是,现在她已上了年纪,又很穷;而且,据我所知,还负了债。所以,一句话,我没有别的办法,只有带着我的财产,自己亲自回英国了。

   It was some Months however before I resolved upon this; and therefore, as I had rewarded the old Captain fully, and to his Satisfaction, who had been my former Benefactor, so I began to think of my poor Widow, whose Husband had been my first Benefactor, and she, while it was in her Power, my faithful Steward and Instructor. So the first thing I did, I got a Merchant in Lisbon to write to his Correspondent in London, not only to pay a Bill, but to go find her out, and carry her in Money, an hundred Pounds from me, and to talk with her, and comfort her in her Poverty, by telling her she should, if I liv'd, have a further Supply: At the same time I sent my two Sisters in the Country, each of them an Hundred Pounds, they being, though not in Want, yet not in very good Circumstances; one having been marry'd, and left a Widow; and the other having a Husband not so kind to her as he should be.

  然而,过了好几个月,才把这件事情决定下来。我现在已充分报答了我从前的恩人老船长,他也感到心满意足。所以,我开始想到那位可怜的寡妇了。他的丈夫是我的第一位恩人,而且,她本人在有能力时,一直是我忠实的管家,并尽长辈之责经常开导我。因此,我做的第一件事情是,我让一位在里斯本的商人写信给他在伦敦的关系人,除了请他替我把汇票兑成现款外,还请他亲自找到她,替我把一百英镑的现款亲自交给她。我还要此人当面和她谈一下,因为她目前非常贫困,境况不佳,所以我要此人好好安慰她,并告诉她,只要我活在人世,以后还会接济她。另外,我又给我那两个住在乡下的妹妹每人寄了一百。她们虽然并不贫困,但境况也不太好。一个妹妹结了婚,后来成了寡妇;另一个妹妹的丈夫对她很不好。

   But among all my Relations, or Acquaintances, I could not yet pitch upon one, to whom I durst commit the Gross of my Stock, that I might go away to the Brasils, and leave things safe behind me; and this greatly perplex'd me.

  可是,在我所有的亲戚朋友中,我还找不到一个可以完全信托的人,把我的全部财产交付给他保管,这样我自己可以放心到巴西去,毫无后顾之虑。这件事一直使我十分烦恼。

   I had once a Mind to have gone to the Brasils, and have settled my self there; for I was, as it were, naturaliz'd to the Place; but I had some little Scruple in my Mind about Religion, which insensibly drew me back, of which I shall say more presently. However, it was not Religion that kept me rom going there for the present; and as I had made no Scruple of being openly of the Religion of the Country, all the while I was among them, so neither did I yet; only that now and then having of late thought more of it, (than formerly) when I began to think of living and dying among them, I began to regret my having profess'd my self a Papist, and thought it might not be the best Religion to die with.

  我一度也曾想到过在巴西安家落户,因为我从前入过巴西籍。但是在宗教上我总有一点顾虑,使我不敢贸然作出决定。关于这个问题,我不久再会谈到,但当前,妨碍我前往的不是宗教问题。从前我在巴西的时候,已毫无顾忌地皈依了他们的宗教,现在当然更无所顾虑了。不过,最近我经常会考虑到这个问题,想到我将在他们中间生活和去世,我有点后悔当时我皈依了旧教天主教,并感到自己有点不甘心以旧教徒的身份死去。

   But, as I have said, this was not the main thing that kept me from going to the Brasils, but that really I did not know with whom to leave my Effects behind me; so I resolv'd at last to go to England with it, where, if I arrived, I concluded I should make some Acquaintance, or find some Relations that would be faithful to me; and according I prepar'd to go for England with all my Wealth.

  但是,我上面已说过,目前妨碍我前往巴西的不是什么宗教问题,而是我不知道该把我的财产托付给谁代管。所以,我决定带着我的钱和财产回英国去。到了那里,我相信一定可以结交一些朋友,或找到什么忠于我的亲戚。这样,我就决定带着我的全部财富回英国去。

  回国之前,当然先得把一些事情料理一下。开往巴西的船队马上要起航了,所以我决定先写几封回信,答复巴西方面寄给我的那些报告。应该说,他们的报告既忠实,又公正,所以,我的回信也应该写得十分得体。首先,我给圣奥古斯丁修道院院长写了一封回信,在信中,我对他们公正无私的办事态度充满了感激之情,并把那没有动用的八百七十二块葡萄牙金币全部捐献了出去,其中五百块金币捐给修道院,三百七十二块金币随院长意思捐给品民,并请他为我祈祷。

   I wrote next a Letter of Thanks to my two Trustees, with all the Acknowledgment that so much Justice and Honesty call'd for; as for sending them any Present, they were far above having any Occasion of it.

  接着,我又给两位代理人写了一封感谢信,赞扬他们公正无私、诚实忠诚的办事态度。我本想送他们一些礼物,可是一想他们什么也不缺,也就作罢了。

   Lastly, I wrote to my Partner, acknowledging his Industry in the Improving the Plantation, and his Integrity in encreasing the Stock of the Works, giving him Instructions for his future Government of my Part, according to the Powers I had left with my old Patron, to whom I desir'd him to send whatever became due to me, 'till he should hear me more particularly; assuring him that it was my Intention, not only to come to him, but to settle my self there for the Remainder of my Life: To this I added a very handsom Present of some Italian Silks for his Wife, and two Daughters, for such the Captain's Son inform'd me he had; with two Pieces of fine English broad Cloath, the best I could get in Lisbon, five Pieces of black Bays, and some Flanders Lace of a good Value.

  最后,我又给我的合股人写了一封信,感谢他在发展我们的种植园工作上所付出的辛勤劳动,以及他在扩大工厂经营中所表现的廉洁精神。在信中,我对今后如何处置我的那部分资产作了指示,请他按我赋予老船长的权力,把我应得的收益寄给老船长。以后办法如有改变,我将会再详细通知他。同时,我还告诉他,我不仅会亲自去巴西看他,还打算在那里定居,度过我的余生。另外,我又送了一份丰厚的礼物给他的太太和两个女儿,因为老船长告诉我,他已有了家室。礼物中包括一些意大利丝绸,两匹英国细呢,那是我在里斯本市场上所能买到的最好的呢料,五匹黑色粗呢,以及一些价格昂贵的佛兰德斯花边。

   Having thus settled my Affairs, sold my Cargoe, and turn'd all my Effects into good Bills of Exchange, my next Difficulty was, which Way to go to England: I had been accustom'd enough to the Sea, and yet I had a strange Aversion to going to England by Sea at that time; and though I could give no Reason for it, yet the Difficulty encreas'd upon me so much, that though I had once shipp'd my Baggage, in order to go, yet I alter'd my Mind, and that not once, but two or three times.

  就这样,我把该料理的事情都办了,把货也卖出去了,又把我的钱财换成可靠的汇票,下一步的难题就是走哪一条路回英国。海路我是走惯了,可是这一次不知什么原因,我就是不想走海路。我不愿意从海路回英国,尽管我自己也说不出什么理由。这种想法越来越强烈,以至有两三次,我把行李都搬到船上了,可是还是临时改变了主意,重新把行李从船上搬了下来。

   It is true, I had been very unfortunate by Sea, and this might be some of the Reason: But let no Man slight the strong Impulses of his own Thoughts in Cases of such Moment: Two of the Ships which I had singl'd out to go in, I mean, more particularly singl'd out than any other, that is to say, so as in one of them to put my things on Board, and in the other to have agreed with the Captain; I say, two of these Ships miscarry'd, viz. One was taken by the Algerines, and the other was cast away on the Start near Torbay, and all the People drown'd except three; so that in either of those Vessels I had been made miserable; and in which most, it was hard to say.

  我的航海生涯确实非常不幸,这也许是我不想再出海的理由之一。但在这种时候,任何人也不应忽视自己内心这种突然产生的念头。我曾特别挑选过两条船,本来我是决定要搭乘的。其中有一条,我把行李都搬上去了;另一条,我也都和船长讲定了。可是,最后我两条船都没有上。后来,那两条船果然都出事了。一条给阿尔及利亚人掳了去;另一条在托贝湾的斯塔特岬角沉没了,除了三个人生还,其他人都淹死了。反正不管我上哪条船,都得倒霉;至于上哪条船更倒霉,那就很难说了。

  我为这事心里烦透了,就去与老船长商量。他坚决反对我走海路,而劝我最好走陆路到拉科鲁尼亚,渡过比斯开湾到罗谢尔,再从罗谢尔走陆路到巴黎,既安全又舒适,然后再从巴黎到加来和多佛尔;或先到马德里,然后由陆路穿过法国。

   In a Word, I was so prepossess'd against my going by Sea at all, except from Calais to Dover, that I resolv'd to travel all the Way by Land; which as I was not in Haste, and did not value the Charge, was by much the pleasanter Way; and to make it more so, my old Captain brought an English Gentleman, the Son of a Merchant in Lisbon, who was willing to travel with me: After which, we pick'd up two more English Merchants also, and two young Portuguese Gentlemen, the last going to Paris only; so that we were in all six of us, and five Servants; the two Merchants and the two Portuguese, contenting themselves with one Servant, between two, to save the Charge; and as for me, I got an English Sailor to travel with me as a Servant, besides my Man Friday, who was too much a Stranger to be capable of supplying the Place of a Servant on the Road.

  总之,我不想走海路已成了一种先入为主的想法,怎么也无法改变了;唯一我愿意坐船的一段路,就是从加来到多佛尔这段海路。现在,我既不想急于赶路,又不在乎花钱,所以就决定全部走陆路,而且陆上旅行实在也是很愉快的。为了使这次旅行更愉快,我的老船长又给我找了一位英国绅士为伴。此人是在里斯本的一位商人的儿子,他表示愿意和我结伴同行。后来我们又找到了两位英国商人和两位葡萄牙绅士,不过两位葡萄牙绅士的目的地是巴黎。这样,我们现在一共有六个旅伴和五个仆人;那两位英国商人和两位葡萄牙绅士为了节省开支,各共用一个听差。而我除了星期五之外,又找了一个英国水手当我路上的听差,因为星期五在这异乡客地,难以担当听差的职务。

   In this Manner I set out from Lisbon; and our Company being all very well mounted and armed, we made a little Troop, whereof they did me the Honour to call me Captain, as well because I was the oldest Man, as because I had two Servants, and indeed was the Original' of the whole Journey.

  我们就这样从里斯本出发了。我们都骑着好马,全副武装,成了一支小小的部队。大家都很尊敬我,称我为队长,一来是我年纪最大,二来我有两个听差。再说,我也是这次旅行的发起人哩。

   As I have troubled you with none of my Sea-Journals, so I shall trouble you now with none of my Land-Journal: But some Adventures that happen'd to us in this tedious and difficult Journey, I must not omit.

  前面,我没用我的航行日记使读者生厌;现在,我当然也不想用陆上旅行日记使读者厌烦了。但是,这趟旅行既疲劳又艰苦,期间也发生了几件险事,在这里不能不提一下。

   When we came to Madrid, we being all of us Strangers to Spain, were willing to stay some time to see the Court of Spain, and to see what was worth observing; but it being the latter Part of the Summer, we hasten'd away, and set out from Madrid about the Middle of October: But when we came to the Edge of Navarre, we were alarm'd at several Towns on the Way, with an Account, that so much Snow was fallen on the French Side of the Mountains, that several Travellers were obliged to come back to Pampeluna, after having attempted, at an extream Hazard, to pass on.

  我们到了马德里之后,因为大家都第一次来到西班牙,所以都想逗留几天参观一下西班牙皇宫和其他值得观光的地方。但这时已近夏末秋初,我们不得不匆匆重新上路。离开马德里时,已是十月中旬了。可是,当我们到达纳瓦拉边境时,在沿路的几个小城镇里听到人们议论纷纷,说在法国境内的山上,已经大雪纷飞。几个冒险试图越过山区的旅客,都被迫返回了潘佩卢那。

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名著·鲁宾逊飘流记 - 第70节