海底兩萬里 第284期 第21章 在陸地上的兩天(16)

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During this whole time of low tide, the islanders lurked near the Nautilus, but they weren't boisterous. I often heard them repeat the word assai, and from their gestures I understood they were inviting me to go ashore, an invitation I felt obliged to decline.

在整個(gè)低潮期間，這些土人在諾第留斯號周圍轉(zhuǎn)來轉(zhuǎn)去；但他們并不大聲喧鬧。我常常聽到他們一再說阿洗這句話，從他們的手勢來看，我懂得他們是要我到島上去，但我想對他們這個(gè)邀請還是謝絕的好。

So the skiff didn't leave shipside that day, much to the displeasure of Mr. Land who couldn't complete his provisions. The adroit Canadian spent his time preparing the meat and flour products he had brought from Gueboroa Island. As for the savages, they went back to shore near eleven o'clock in the morning, when the heads of coral began to disappear under the waves of the rising tide. But I saw their numbers swell considerably on the beach. It was likely that they had come from neighboring islands or from the mainland of Papua proper. However, I didn't see one local dugout canoe.

所以這一天小艇不能離大船了，使得尼德·蘭師傅很是失望，他不可能補(bǔ)足他所要的食物了。這個(gè)手巧的加拿大人于是利用他的時(shí)間，來準(zhǔn)備他從格波羅爾島上帶回來舶肉類和面粉。至于那些土人，在早晨十一點(diǎn)左右，當(dāng)珊瑚石尖頂開始在上漲的潮水下隱沒不見時(shí)，都回到岸上去了。但我看見他們在海灘上的人數(shù)大量增加了。大約他們是從鄰近小島來的，或者就是從巴布亞本島來的。不過我還沒有看到一只上人的獨(dú)木舟。

Having nothing better to do, I decided to dredge these beautiful, clear waters, which exhibited a profusion of shells, zoophytes, and open-sea plants. Besides, it was the last day the Nautilus would spend in these waterways, if, tomorrow, it still floated off to the open sea as Captain Nemo had promised.

我因?yàn)槟壳皼]有什么可做的，就想到要在這些清澈的海水中去撈撈看，好像水里面有豐富的貝殼類、植蟲類和海產(chǎn)植物。并且今天又是諾第留斯號在這一帶海面停留的最后一天了，因?yàn)檎漳崮ΥL的諾言，在明天潮漲的時(shí)候，船就要浮出去了。

So I summoned Conseil, who brought me a small, light dragnet similar to those used in oyster fishing.

因此我叫康塞爾，他給我拿了一個(gè)輕便的小撈器，就像拿來打牡蠣的撈器一般的網(wǎng)。

What about these savages? Conseil asked me. With all due respect to master, they don't strike me as very wicked!

那些野蠻人呢？康塞爾問我，不怕先生見怪，我覺得他們并不十分兇惡！

They're cannibals even so, my boy.

可是他們要吃人的，老實(shí)人。

A person can be both a cannibal and a decent man, Conseil replied, just as a person can be both gluttonous and honorable. The one doesn't exclude the other.

一個(gè)人同時(shí)可以是吃人肉的又是老實(shí)的，康塞爾回答就像一個(gè)人同時(shí)可以是貪食的又是誠實(shí)的一樣，彼此中不對立。