評論
打印
As it chanced, however, there was one of the convict-guard down there–a vile Pathan who had never missed a chance of insulting and injuring me.
事也湊巧，一個向來喜歡侮辱我，而我蓄意要向他報復的阿富汗族禁卒正在碼頭上值崗。
I had always vowed vengeance, and now I had my chance.
我無時不想報仇，現(xiàn)在機會可到了，
It was as if fate had placed him in my way that I might pay my debt before I left the island.
好似老天故意把他送到那里，在我臨走的時候給我一個回報的機會。
He stood on the bank with his back to me, and his carbine on his shoulder.
他站在海岸上，肩荷著槍，背向著我。
I looked about for a stone to beat out his brains with, but none could I see.
我想找一塊石頭砸碎他的腦袋，可是一塊也找不到。
Then a queer thought came into my head and showed me where I could lay my hand on a weapon.
最后我心生一計，想出了一件武器。
I sat down in the darkness and unstrapped my wooden leg. With three long hops I was on him.
我在黑暗里坐下，解下木腿拿在手里，猛跳了三跳，跳到他的眼前。
He put his carbine to his shoulder, but I struck him full, and knocked the whole front of his skull in.
他的槍背在肩上，我用木腿全力向他打了下去，他的前腦骨被打得粉碎。
You can see the split in the wood now where I hit him.
你們請看我木腿上的那條裂紋，就是打他時留下的痕跡。
We both went down together, for I could not keep my balance; but when I got up I found him still lying quiet enough.
因為一只腳失去了重心，我們兩人同時摔倒了，我爬了起來，可是他已一動不動地躺在那里了。
I made for the boat, and in an hour we were well out at sea.
我上了船，一個鐘頭以后就遠離了海岸。
Tonga had brought all his earthly possessions with him, his arms and his gods.
童格把他全部財產(chǎn)連同他的兵器和他的神像全都帶到船上來了。
Among other things, he had a long bamboo spear,
他還有一支竹制的長矛
and some Andaman cocoanut matting, with which I made a sort of a sail.
和幾條用安達曼椰子樹葉編的席子。我把這支矛作成船桅，席子作成船帆。
For ten days we were beating about, trusting to luck,
我們在海上聽天由命地漂浮了十天，
and on the eleventh we were picked up by a trader which was going from Singapore to Jiddah with a cargo of Malay pilgrims.
到第十一天，有一只從新加坡開往吉達、滿載著馬來亞朝圣香客的商輪，把我們救了上去。
They were a rum crowd, and Tonga and I soon managed to settle down among them.
船上的人都很奇特，可是我們不久就跟大家混熟了。
They had one very good quality: they let you alone and asked no questions.
他們有一種非常好的特點：他們能讓我們安靜地呆著，不追問我們的來歷。
