21 在陆地上的两天(14)

The captain's fingers then ran over the instrument's keyboard, and I noticed that he touched only its black keys, which gave his melodies a basically Scottish color. Soon he had forgotten my presence and was lost in a reverie that I no longer tried to dispel.

船长的指头于是又在风琴键盘上奔驰了,我看他只是按黑键,这使他弹出的和声主要是带苏格兰乐曲的特。不久他就忘记了我在他面前,沉浸在一种美梦幻想中,我不敢去惊动他,打搅他。

I climbed onto the platform. Night had already fallen, because in this low latitude the sun sets quickly, without any twilight. I could see Gueboroa Island only dimly. But numerous fires had been kindled on the beach, attesting that the natives had no thoughts of leaving it.

我又回平台上来。黑夜已经来临,因为在这低纬度的地区,太落下得很快,并且没有黄昏的时候。我看那格波罗尔岛很是模糊不清。但有许多火光在海滩上闪耀,证明这些土人不想走开,守在那里。

For several hours I was left to myself, sometimes musing on the islanders-- but no longer fearing them because the captain's unflappable confidence had won me over--and sometimes forgetting them to marvel at the splendors of this tropical night. My memories took wing toward France, in the wake of those zodiacal stars due to twinkle over it in a few hours. The moon shone in the midst of the constellations at their zenith. I then remembered that this loyal, good-natured satellite would return to this same place the day after tomorrow, to raise the tide and tear the Nautilus from its coral bed. Near midnight, seeing that all was quiet over the darkened waves as well as under the waterside trees, I repaired to my cabin and fell into a peaceful sleep.

我一个人这样在平台上留了好几个钟头,有时想着这些土人——但并不特别怕他们,因为船长的坚定不移的信.心影响着我——有时忘记了他们,欣赏这热带地区的夜间的美丽景象。我的思想飞向法国去了,好像跟着黄道十二宫的星宿一齐去似的,这些星是有好几个钟头照着法国的。月亮在顶上星辰中间辉煌照耀,我于是想到,这座忠实殷勤的地球卫星要在后天回到相同的这个地方来,掀起这些海波,使诺第留斯号脱离它的珊瑚石床。到夜半左右,看见沉黑的海波上一切都很平静,同时海岸的树下也一样没有声息,我就回到我的舱房中,安心地睡去。

The night passed without mishap. No doubt the Papuans had been frightened off by the mere sight of this monster aground in the bay, because our hatches stayed open, offering easy access to the Nautilus's interior.

夜过去,没有不幸事故发生。巴布亚人可能由于单单看见搁浅在海湾中的大怪物,便不敢前来,因为嵌板仍然开着,他们很容易走进诺第留斯号里面来。

At six o'clock in the morning, January 8, I climbed onto the platform. The morning shadows were lifting. The island was soon on view through the dissolving mists, first its beaches, then its summits.

早晨六点1月8日—我又走上乎台。早晨的影散开了。格波罗尔岛从消失的雾气中露出来,首先露出海滩,然后现出山峰。