Ralph lay in a covert, wondering about his wounds. The bruised flesh was inches in diameter over his right ribs, with a swollen and bloody scar where the spear had hit him. His hair was full of dirt and tapped like the tendrils of a creeper. All over he was scratched and bruised from his flight through the forest. By the time his breathing was normal again, he had worked out that bathing these injuries would have to wait. How could you listen for naked feet if you were splashing in water? How could you be safe by the little stream or on the open beach?
拉尔夫躺在一个树丛中，思量着自己受的伤。右肋上直径几英寸的皮肉青紫，被长矛刺中的伤口处浮肿着，有一块血红的疤。头发肮脏不堪，轻叩起来就像一根根藤蔓卷须。由于穿越森林飞快地逃跑，他被擦得遍体鳞伤。他的呼吸逐渐恢复了平静，他也想好了：只好等一段时间才能冲洗这些伤口了。因为泼水冲洗时怎么能听得到赤足的脚步声呢？而在小溪边或在开阔的海滩上，又怎么能平安无事呢？
Ralph listened. He was not really far from the Castle Rock, and during the first panic he had thought he heard sounds of pursuit. But the hunters had only sneaked into the fringes of the greenery, retrieving spears perhaps, and then had rushed back to the sunny rock as if terrified of the darkness under the leaves. He had even glimpsed one of them, striped brown, black, and red, and had judged that it was Bill. But really, thought Ralph, this was not Bill. This was a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and shirt.
拉尔夫侧耳倾听。其实他离城堡岩并不远，在先前的惊慌失措之中他曾以为听到了追逐的响声。但是猎手们仅仅偷偷地跑到了绿树丛的边缘，也许是为了捡回长矛，随后都一窝蜂地退回到阳光照射的城堡岩上，好像他们也被叶丛下的黑暗吓坏了似的。拉尔夫还瞥见了其中一个，涂着一道道褐色、黑色和红色的条纹，他判断那是比尔。但事实上这不是比尔，拉尔夫想。这是一个野蛮人，他的外貌跟过去的比尔——一个穿着衬衫和短裤的孩子——的形象很难一致起来。
The afternoon died away; the circular spots of sunlight moved steadily over green fronds and brown fiber but no sound came from behind the rock. At last Ralph wormed out of the ferns and sneaked forward to the edge of that impenetrable thicket that fronted the neck of land. He peered with elaborate caution between branches at the edge and could see Robert sitting on guard at the top of the cliff. He held a spear in his left hand and was tossing up a pebble and catching it again with the right. Behind him a column of smoke rose thickly, so that Ralph’s nostrils flared and his mouth dribbled. He wiped his nose and mouth with the back of his hand and for the first time since the morning felt hungry. The tribe must be sitting round the gutted pig, watching the fat ooze and burn among the ashes. They would be intent.
下午慢慢地过去了；太阳的圆光斑渐渐地移上了绿色的棕榈叶丛和褐色的树纤上，但是城堡岩的后面并没有什么声音传过来。最后拉尔夫扭动着身子钻出了羊齿草丛，偷偷地爬到了隘口前面那难以逾越的乱丛棵子的边上。他透过树枝十分小心地窥视，看见罗伯特坐在悬崖顶上放哨。罗伯特左手持着长矛，右手把一块卵石往上抛起又接住，再抛起再接住。在罗伯特的背后，一股浓烟冉冉上升，拉尔夫鼻孔张得老大，嘴里馋涎欲滴。他用手背擦擦鼻子和嘴巴。这时他觉得饥肠辘辘，这也是早晨以来他第一次感到肚子饿。那伙人一定围着开胸剖膛的野猪席地而坐，看着脂油熔化着滴在灰烬上嗞嗞而燃。他们一定很聚精会神。
Another figure, an unrecognizable one, appeared by Robert and gave him something, then turned and went back behind the rock. Robert laid his spear on the rock beside him and began to gnaw between his raised hands. So the feast was beginning and the watchman had been given his portion.
另一个认不出是谁的人影出现在罗伯特身旁，给了他什么东西，随后转身走开，隐没在岩石背后。罗伯特把长矛放在靠身边的岩石上，双手抬起，把两只手之间的东西放在嘴里咬。吃喝开始了，看守者也分得了一份。
Ralph saw that for the time being he was safe. He limped away through the fruit trees, drawn by the thought of the poor food yet bitter when he remembered the feast. Feast today, and then tomorrow…
拉尔夫晓得他暂时没有危险，就一瘸一拐地穿过了野果树林，想随便弄点蹩脚的食物来吃；而当他想到山上的人有许多东西吃，不由得一阵心酸。他们今天有的吃，那么明天……
“No. They’re not as bad as that. It was an accident.”
“不。他们不会那么坏。那是碰巧发生的。”
He argued unconvincingly that they would let him alone, perhaps even make an outlaw of him. But then the fatal unreasoning knowledge came to him again. The breaking of the conch and the deaths of Piggy and Simon lay over the island like a vapor. These painted savages would go further and further. Then there was that indefinable connection between himself and Jack; who therefore would never let him alone; never.
他在心里反反复复地想，但是想不透他们是不是会把他丢在一边不管；或许会把他当作一个放逐者。但是那决定命运的看法不假思索地回到了他身上。海螺被砸得粉碎，还有猪崽子和西蒙的死，像烟雾笼罩在岛的上空。这些脸上涂得五颜六色的野蛮人会越走越远。其次还有他自己和杰克之间讲不清楚的关系；因此杰克是决不会让他太平的；决不会的。
He ducked under the bough, ran clumsily, then stopped and listened.
他从大树枝下钻过去，笨拙地奔着，又停下来谛听。
He paused, sun-flecked, holding up a bough, prepared to duck under it. A spasm of terror set him shaking and he cried aloud.
拉尔夫停顿了一下，在斑驳的阳光之下托起了一根大树枝，打算从下面钻过去。一阵恐怖使他浑身颤抖，他出声地喊道：
He came to the smashed acres of fruit and ate greedily. He saw two littluns and, not having any idea of his own appearance, wondered why they screamed and ran.
拉尔夫来到一块地方，见遍地野果，就贪婪地吃起来。他看到两个小家伙尖叫着逃走，觉得纳闷，却一点也没有想到自己的一副尊容。
The slanting sticks of sunlight were lost among the branches. At length he came to a clearing in the forest where rock prevented vegetation from growing. Now it was a pool of shadows and Ralph nearly flung himself behind a tree when he saw something standing in the center; but then he saw that the white face was bone and that the pig’s skull grinned at him from the top of a stick. He walked slowly into the middle of the clearing and looked steadily at the skull that gleamed as white as ever the conch had done and seemed to jeer at him cynically. An inquisitive ant was busy in one of the eye sockets but otherwise the thing was lifeless.
倾斜的阳光消失在密密的树枝当中。他最后来到了一块林中空地，那儿的岩石使得植物无法生长。此时空地上满是阴影，拉尔夫一眼看到空地中间有什么东西站着，赶忙闪到一棵树后；后来他看清了那白面孔只是个骨头架子，插在一根木棒上头的一只猪头正在朝他露齿而笑，就慢慢地走进空地中央，盯着那猪头看。猪头像先前的海螺那样地闪着微微的白光，似乎在讥笑他，挖苦他。一只好奇的蚂蚁在一只眼窟窿里忙碌，除此以外猪头毫无生气。
When he had eaten he went toward the beach. The sunlight was slanting now into the palms by the wrecked shelter. There was the platform and the pool. The best thing to do was to ignore this leaden feeling about the heart and rely on their common sense, their daylight sanity. Now that the tribe had eaten, the thing to do was to try again. And anyway, he couldn’t stay here all night in an empty shelter by the deserted platform. His flesh crept and he shivered in the evening sun. No fire; no smoke; no rescue. He turned and limped away through the forest toward Jack’s end of the island.
吃完以后，拉尔夫朝海滩走去。此刻阳光斜射到塌掉了的窝棚旁边的棕榈树林里。那儿有平台和水潭。现在最好不要去理睬心里那种沉闷的感觉，相信他们也有常识，相信他们白天神志会正常。既然那一伙人已吃完了，那就再试试看吧。无论如何，他总不能整夜呆在这儿，呆在荒无人影的平台边空荡荡的窝棚里。在落日的余晖中，他感到自己汗毛直竖，浑身打战。没有火，没有烟，也没有人来救。他转过身去，一瘸一拐地穿越森林，朝岛上杰克他们那一头走去。
The skull regarded Ralph like one who knows all the answers and won’t tell. A sick fear and rage swept him. Fiercely he hit out at the filthy thing in front of him that bobbed like a toy and came back, still grinning into his face, so that he lashed and cried out in loathing. Then he was licking his bruised knuckles and looking at the bare stick, while the skull lay in two pieces, its grin now six feet across. He wrenched the quivering stick from the crack and held it as a spear between him and the white pieces. Then he backed away, keeping his face to the skull that lay grinning at the sky.
猪头看着拉尔夫，好像它知道一切答案却不肯讲似的。拉尔夫感到一种令人恶心的恐惧和愤怒。他狠狠地挥拳猛击面前这丑陋的东西，它像玩具似的摇了摇，又晃了回来，仍然朝着他龇牙咧嘴地笑，于是他边打边大声咒骂。随后，他舔舔自己青肿的指关节，看着光秃秃的木棒，猪头骨一摔两爿，在六英尺外还在痴笑。拉尔夫一阵猛扭，把颤动着的木棒从岩缝里拔了出来，他把木棒拿在手里，置于他自己和白色的碎头盖骨之间，就像是拿着一根长矛。然后他往后退，面孔始终盯着躺在地上朝天痴笑的猪头。
Little prickles of sensation ran up and down his back. He stood, the skull about on a level with his face, and held up his hair with two hands. The teeth grinned, the empty sockets seemed to hold his gaze masterfully and without effort.
拉尔夫觉得背上好像有针在上上下下地刺着。他站在那儿，双手撩起自己的头发，猪头跟他的脸大致处于同一高度。它龇牙咧嘴地笑着，两只眼窟窿仿佛毫不费力地巧妙地吸引住了他的目光。
What was it?
它是什么？
Or was it?
或者说，它确是毫无生气的吗？
When the green glow had gone from the horizon and night was fully accomplished, Ralph came again to the thicket in front of the Castle Rock. Peeping through, he could see that the height was still occupied, and whoever it was up there had a spear at the ready.
当苍白的光从天际消失，夜幕完全降临以后，拉尔夫又回到了城堡岩前面的乱丛棵子里。他从树丛中向外窥视，看见岩石高处仍有人守着，不知是谁拿着长矛在上面值勤。
He knelt among the shadows and felt his isolation bitterly. They were savages it was true; but they were human, and the ambushing fears of the deep night were coming on.
他跪在黑影当中，痛苦地感到自己形影相吊，十分孤单。他们确实是一群野蛮人；但他们总还是人吧，一种潜伏的、对深沉黑夜的恐惧正在袭来。
Ralph moaned faintly. Tired though he was, he could not relax and fall into a well of sleep for fear of the tribe. Might it not be possible to walk boldly into the fort, say — “I’ve got pax,” laugh lightly and sleep among the others? Pretend they were still boys, schoolboys who had said, “Sir, yes, Sir”– and worn caps? Daylight might have answered yes; but darkness and the horrors of death said no. Lying there in the darkness, he knew he was an outcast.
拉尔夫无力地悲叹着。他虽然很累了，但是由于害怕那一伙人，还是无法宽下心来，倒头酣睡一觉。要这样做可能不行了：勇敢地走进他们占据的堡垒，对他们说——“我不跟你们吵了，”并微微一笑，在他们当中睡下去，把他们当作一群孩子，当作一群戴着帽子，过去老说“先生，是，先生”的学生吧？大白天对此的回答也许是肯定的；然而黑夜和对死的恐怖对此的回答却相反。拉尔夫躺在一片漆黑之中，他知道自己无处可归。
“‘Cos I had some sense.”
“就因为我还有点头脑。”
He rubbed his cheek along his forearm, smelling the acrid scent of salt and sweat and the staleness of dirt. Over to the left, the waves of ocean were breathing, sucking down, then boiling back over the rock.
他用前臂擦着自己的脸颊，闻到一股刺鼻的气味：又是盐味，又是汗味，又是污垢的霉臭味。再往左边去，大海的浪涛在不断地上涨又退落，在礁石上翻腾过去。
There were sounds coming from behind the Castle Rock. Listening carefully, detaching his mind from the swing of the sea, Ralph could make out a familiar rhythm.
城堡岩的后面传出了响声。拉尔夫使思想摆脱潮起潮落的声响，他仔细地听，听得出是一种熟悉的节奏。
“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”
“杀野兽哟！割喉咙哟！放它血哟！”
A noise nearer at hand made him quiver. Savages were clambering up the Castle Rock, right up to the top, and he could hear voices. He sneaked forward a few yards and saw the shape at the top of the rock change and enlarge. There were only two boys on the island who moved or talked like that.
听到从离他更近处的一个声响，拉尔夫直哆嗦。野蛮人正在往城堡岩上爬，一直往顶上去，拉尔夫听得到各种说话声音。他偷偷地朝前爬了几码，看到岩石顶上的人形变了样，并且变大了。岛上只有两个孩子会那样地移动，那样地说话。
At length the guard climbed down. The two that remained seemed nothing more than a dark extension of the rock. A star appeared behind them and was momentarily eclipsed by some movement.
看守者终于爬了下去。没有离开的两个看上去好像成了黑沉沉的岩石的扩大了的一部分。他们身后出现了一颗星，瞬息之间就被什么东西移动过来遮住了。
The tribe was dancing. Somewhere on the other side of this rocky wall there would be a dark circle, a glowing fire, and meat. They would be savoring food and the comfort of safety.
那一伙人在跳舞。在这堵岩石形成的墙的另一侧的某个地方，他们一定围成一个黑乎乎的圆圈，有一堆火在燃烧，还有肉。他们可能正在津津有味地吃着，享受着舒适的安全之感。
Ralph put his head down on his forearms and accepted this new fact like a wound. Samneric were part of the tribe now. They were guarding the Castle Rock against him. There was no chance of rescuing them and building up an outlaw tribe at the other end of the island. Samneric were savages like the rest; Piggy was dead, and the conch smashed to powder.
拉尔夫把头伏在前臂上，伤心地接受了这一新的事实。眼下萨姆埃里克也是他们那一伙的了。他们俩正守卫着城堡岩来反对他。再也没有机会可以把他们俩救出来，没有机会在岛的另一头把一伙被放逐者组织起来了。萨姆埃里克像那些人一样变成了野蛮人；猪崽子死了，海螺也已被砸得个粉碎。
He heard a cry and a flurry from the rock. The twins had grabbed each other and were gibbering.
他听到岩石上传来一声惊叫和一阵慌乱声。双胞胎俩互相紧紧地抓住，结结巴巴地嘟囔着什么。
He called very gently.
他轻声地叫道：
“Samneric –“
“萨姆埃里克——”
Ralph edged forward, feeling his way over the uneven surface as though he were blind. There were miles of vague water at his right and the restless ocean lay under his left hand, as awful as the shaft of a pit. Every minute the water breathed round the death rock and flowered into a field of whiteness. Ralph crawled until he found the ledge of the entry in his grasp. The lookouts were immediately above him and he could see the end of a spear projecting over the rock.
拉尔夫慢慢地向前移动，像瞎子似的摸索着高低不平的地面前进。他的右手方向是一片模模糊糊的海水，他的左手下方横卧着骚动不安的大海，从上面往下看去，就像是看着一个竖井的井底，令人生畏。海水不停地围绕着那块死亡礁石起伏着，并汇成白茫茫的一片。拉尔夫慢慢地爬着，终于用手抓住了入口处的架状岩石。岗哨就在他的头上，他看得见从岩石上露出的矛尖。
There was no reply. To carry he must speak louder; and this would rouse those striped and inimical creatures from their feasting by the fire. He set his teeth and started to climb, finding the holds by touch. The stick that had supported a skull hampered him but he would not be parted from his only weapon. He was nearly level with the twins before he spoke again.
没人回答。为了能使人听到他必须说得响一点；而这就可能会惊动那些敌视他的、满身条纹的家伙，他们正在火堆旁大吃大喝。他咬紧牙关开始爬上去，用手摸索着可以抓得住的支撑点向上攀。他手里拿着的那根曾经支着猪头的木棒妨碍着他，但是他不愿意丢掉自己唯一的武器。拉尔夫差不多到了跟双胞胎同一的高度，这才又开口喊道：
“Samneric –“
“萨姆埃里克——”
Terrified that they would run and give the alarm, he hauled himself up until his head and shoulders stuck over the top. Far below his armpit he saw the luminous flowering round the rock.
他生怕他们会跑去报警，用力地爬上去，在岩石上探出头和肩来。他从胳膊窝处看下去，远远地看见下面围着礁石四溅的白色浪花。
“It’s me. Ralph.”
“是我，拉尔夫。”
Sam shifted uneasily.
萨姆不自在地移动了一下。
He wagged his spear and essayed fierceness.
他晃着长矛，做出凶狠的样子。
Eric nodded agreement and jabbed his spear in the air. Ralph leaned on his arms and did not go.
埃里克点头表示同意，并把长矛刺向空中。拉尔夫用手臂撑着，没有走。
“You two aren’t painted. How can you –? If it were light –“
“你们俩没有涂彩。你们怎么能够——？要是有亮光的话——”
Words could not express the dull pain of these things. He fell silent, while the vivid stars were spilt and danced all ways.
话语是无法表达这些隐痛的。他沉默下来，而明亮的星星却一直在闪闪烁烁。
“– we thought –“
“——我们以为——”
“You got to go, Ralph. You go away now –“
“你得走，拉尔夫。你马上就走开——”
“I came to see you two.”
“我来看看你们两人。”
His voice was thick. His throat was hurting him now though it had received no wound.
他的声音沙哑，嗓子疼痛，尽管他的喉咙并没有负伤。
“It’s only me. Ralph.”
“是我呀，是我拉尔夫。”
“– we didn’t know what it was –“
“——我们不晓得是什么——”
“You shove off. See?”
“你离开。明白吗？”
At length they bent forward and peered in his face.
终于，他们俩弯腰朝前，注视起他的面孔。
“I came to see you two –“
“我是来看你们两人的——”
“Honest, Ralph, you’d better go.”
“说实话，拉尔夫，你最好还是走吧。”
Memory of their new and shameful loyalty came to them. Eric was silent but Sam tried to do his duty.
他们俩记起了自己新的、但又令人羞愧的忠诚。埃里克不吭声，可萨姆倒试图尽起他的职责。
“We thought it was –“
“我们还以为是——”
Ralph looked up again.
拉尔夫又仰起了头。
If it were light shame would burn them at admitting these things. But the night was dark. Eric took up; and then the twins started their antiphonal speech.
要是有亮光的话，承认这些事情会使他们感到羞愧之心在灼烤。但夜是黑沉沉的。埃里克接过了话头，随后双胞胎俩一唱一和地说道：
They bent to him and lowered their voices.
他们俩俯身向他，放低了嗓门。
“But why?”
“可为什么呀？”
“The chief and Roger –“
“头领和罗杰——”
“Push off, Ralph –“
“走开吧，拉尔夫——”
“– until we find you.”
“——非找到你不可。”
“– we couldn’t help it –“
“——我们无可奈何——”
When Ralph spoke again his voice was low, and seemed breathless.
拉尔夫再开口的时候，声音很低，似乎接不上气。
“What have I done? I liked him — and I wanted us to be rescued –“
“我做了什么事呀？我喜欢他——我希望大家得救——”
“– they made us –“
“——他们强迫我们——”
“– it’s a tribe –“
“——这是一个帮派——”
“– yes, Roger –“
“——对，罗杰——”
“Listen, Ralph. Never mind what’s sense. That’s gone –“
“听着，拉尔夫。别再想着什么理智了。那算完了——”
“We’ve got to give signals like this.”
“我们要像这样发信号。”
“You got to go because it’s not safe –“
“你一定得走，因为不安全——”
“– we’re going forward from this end –“
“——我们要从这一头出发——”
“Never mind about the chief –“
“头儿的事你就别在意了——”
“Who? Jack?”
“谁？杰克？”
“We’re going to spread out in a line across the island –“
“我们要横越全岛撒开搜索线——”
“They’re going to hunt you tomorrow.”
“他们明儿要追捕你。”
“– they made us. They hurt us –“
“——他们强迫我们。他们伤害了我们——”
“– you got to go for your own good.”
“——为你自己好你得走。”
“I dunno. And Ralph, Jack, the chief, says it’ll be dangerous –“
“我不晓得。拉尔夫，还有杰克——就是头领，他说那会很危险——”
“Oh no –“
“哦，不——”
“– and we’ve got to be careful and throw our spears like at a pig.”
“——要我们小心行事，像投刺野猪那样用长矛扎你。”
“They hate you, Ralph. They’re going to do you.”
“他们恨你，拉尔夫。他们打算干掉你。”
Again the stars spilled about the sky. Eric shook his head, earnestly.
天上的星星又闪着微光。埃里克摇摇头，诚恳地说：
“Well — what –?”
“那么——怎么——？”
The twins were silent. Beneath him, the death rock flowered again.
双胞胎一声不响。在拉尔夫下面，那块死亡礁石上又飞溅起浪花。
“Keep away. As far as you can.”
“避开点。尽可能避远点。”
He could not bring himself to be specific at first; but then fear and loneliness goaded him.
他一开始还无法作出明确的答复；可随后恐惧心和孤独感又刺激起他来。
“– only louder, of course.”
“——当然，声音要响些。”
“For your own good.”
“为你自己好。”
“You got to go now, Ralph.”
“你必须马上走，拉尔夫。”
After a moment’s silence, Sam spoke in a strangled voice.
在片刻的沉默之后，萨姆仿佛透不过气来似地说道：
“Like that –“
“就像那样——”
“What are they — oh God! I’m hungry –“
“他们打算——哦，天哪！我真饿——”
“Won’t you come with me? Three of us — we’d stand a chance.”
“你们俩愿不愿意跟我一块儿走？咱们三个——咱们会有希望的。”
“You don’t know Roger. He’s a terror.”
“你还不了解罗杰。他可真叫人害怕。”
“And the chief — they’re both –“
“——还有头领——他们两人都——”
Eric raised his head and achieved a faint ululation by beating on his open mouth. Then he glanced behind him nervously.
埃里克抬起头拍着自己张大的嘴巴，发出轻轻的呜呜声。随即他又紧张地回首瞥了一眼。
“But I’ve done nothing,” whispered Ralph, urgently. “I only wanted to keep up a fire!”
“可我什么也没干过呀，”拉尔夫迫切地低声说道，“我只是想要维持着火堆罢了！”
The twins answered his question indirectly.
双胞胎间接地回答了他的问题。
“When they find me, what are they going to do?”
“他们找到我以后准备干什么？”
The towering rock seemed to sway under him.
高耸的岩石在他下面仿佛要摇动起来。
He paused for a moment, thinking miserably of the morrow. A matter of overwhelming importance occurred to him.
拉尔夫停了片刻，痛苦地想到明天。对他来说，这件事情的发生是无比重要的。
“What are you –?”
“你打算——？”
“But what are you going to do when you catch me?”
“可逮住我以后你们打算怎么办呢？”
“Here!” said Sam suddenly. “Take this –“
“给你！”萨姆突然说。“拿着——”
“– terrors –“
“——叫人害怕——”
“I’ll lie up close; in that thicket down there,” he whispered, “so keep them away from it. They’ll never think to look so close –“
“我就躺在近旁；在下面那儿的乱丛棵子里，”他低声说道。“别让他们到那儿去。他们决不会想到去查这么近的地方——”
“What are you going to do –?”
“你们打算怎么办呢？”
“Sam — I’m going to be all right, aren’t I?”
“萨姆——我会平安无事的，是吗？”
The twins were silent again.
双胞胎又默不作声了。
Ralph felt a chunk of meat pushed against him and grabbed it.
拉尔夫觉得一大块肉推到他身上，忙一把攥住。
“– only Roger –“
“——不过罗杰——”
The footsteps were still some distance away.
脚步声还离着一段路。
As he prepared to let himself down the cliff, Ralph snatched at the last possible advantage to be wrung out of this meeting.
在准备下峭壁的时候，拉尔夫想最后利用一下这次碰头的机会。
“He’s coming to see if we’re keeping watch. Quick, Ralph!”
“他来查岗了。快走，拉尔夫！”
From the top of the towering rock came the incomprehensible reply.
从高耸的岩石顶上传来了令人不解的答复。
“Roger sharpened a stick at both ends.”
“罗杰把一根木棒的两头都削尖了。”
Both boys froze. Someone was climbing toward them from the tribe.
两个孩子都吓呆了。有人正从那一伙人所在的地方朝他们爬来。
Silence above. He sounded silly to himself. He lowered himself down the rock.
头上没人吭声。他傻里傻气地自言自语着，爬下了岩石。
Roger sharpened a stick at both ends. Ralph tried to attach a meaning to this but could not. He used all the bad words he could think of in a fit of temper that passed into yawning. How long could you go without sleep? He yearned for a bed and sheets — but the only whiteness here was the slow spilt milk, luminous round the rock forty feet below, where Piggy had fallen. Piggy was everywhere, was on this neck, was become terrible in darkness and death.
罗杰把一根木棒的两头都削尖了。拉尔夫竭力想领会这句话的含意，可就是搞不清。他恼火地把一切坏字眼都想到了，可是却打起呵欠来。一个人不睡能熬多久呢？他渴望有张铺着被单的床——然而这儿唯一所有的，就是四十英尺下面那白茫茫的一片，那像溢出牛奶似的、围绕着那块礁石慢慢铺开的闪光的一片，那是猪崽子摔下去的地方。猪崽子无处不在，他在这隘口处，在黑暗和死亡中变得令人生畏。
If Piggy were to come back now out of the water, with his empty head — Ralph whimpered and yawned like a littlun. The stick in his hand became a crutch on which he reeled.
要是此刻猪崽子从水里冒出他那个光脑瓜，回到他身边来，该有多好哇——拉尔夫像个小家伙一样呜呜地哭，又打起呵欠来。他感到眼前天旋地转，就把手中的木棒当作一根拐杖支撑着。
Then he tensed again. There were voices raised on the top of the Castle Rock. Samneric were arguing with someone. But the ferns and the grass were near. That was the place to be in, hidden, and next to the thicket that would serve for tomorrow’s hideout. Here — and his hands touched grass — was a place to be in for the night, not far from the tribe, so that if the horrors of the supernatural emerged one could at least mix with humans for the time being, even if it meant…
可随后拉尔夫又紧张起来。城堡岩顶上有讲话声音。萨姆埃里克在跟什么人斗嘴。但是羊齿草丛和草地已经很近了。那是该钻进去躲起来的地方，旁边就是准备明天藏身在里面的乱丛棵子。这儿——他的手触到了野草——是夜里躲藏的好地方，离那伙人不远，这样，当那个怪物再出现，发生恐怖的时候，至少暂时还能跟人们混在一起，即使这意味着……
What did it mean? A stick sharpened at both ends. What was there in that? They had thrown spears and missed; all but one. Perhaps they would miss next time, too.
这意味着什么呢？一根两头削尖的木棒。里面有什么名堂呢？他们投长矛，可除了一根别的都没扎中。或许他们下次也会投偏。
He squatted down in the tall grass, remembered the meat that Sam had given him, and began to tear at it ravenously. While he was eating, he heard fresh noises — cries of pain from Samneric, cries of panic, angry voices. What did it mean? Someone besides himself was in trouble, for at least one of the twins was catching it. Then the voices passed away down the rock and he ceased to think of them. He felt with his hands and found cool, delicate fronds backed against the thicket. Here then was the night’s lair. At first light he would creep into the thicket, squeeze between the twisted stems, ensconce himself so deep that only a crawler like himself could come through, and that crawler would be jabbed. There he would sit, and the search would pass him by, and the cordon waver on, ululating along the island, and he would be free.
拉尔夫蹲坐在高高的野草中，记起了萨姆给他的一块肉，就贪婪地撕咬起来。他正吃着，听到有一种新的喧哗声——萨姆埃里克发出痛苦的叫声，惊恐的哭喊，再加上愤怒的话语。这意味着什么呢？除了他以外，至少双胞胎中的一个正碰上了麻烦。随后，说话声消失在岩石下面，他也不再去想到它了。拉尔夫用手摸索着，碰到了背靠着乱丛棵子的、冷冷的、细嫩的蕨类叶丛。那么这儿就是夜里藏身的地方了。晨曦初露他就爬进乱丛棵子，挤在杂树乱枝之中，把自己隐蔽得深深的，只有像他一样地爬才能爬进来；而他就会对这样爬进来的人狠狠刺去。他将坐在那儿，搜索的人会擦身而过，封锁线朝前移动，沿岛发出呜呜的报警声，可他仍然不会被抓住。
He was awake before his eyes were open, listening to a noise that was near. He opened an eye, found the mold an inch or so from his face and his fingers gripped into it, light filtering between the fronds of fern. He had just time to realize that the age-long nightmares of falling and death were past and that the morning was come, when he heard the sound again. It was an ululation over by the seashore — and now the next savage answered and the next. The cry swept by him across the narrow end of the island from sea to lagoon, like the cry of a flying bird. He took no time to consider but grabbed his sharp stick and wriggled back among the ferns. Within seconds he was worming his way into the thicket; but not before he had glimpsed the legs of a savage coming toward him. The ferns were thumped and beaten and he heard legs moving in the long grass. The savage, whoever he was, ululated twice; and the cry was repeated in both directions, then died away. Ralph crouched still, tangled in the ferns, and for a time he heard nothing.
拉尔夫醒了，他闭着眼睛，倾听着近旁的喧闹声。他睁开一只眼睛，发现松软的泥土几乎贴着脸庞，便把手指挖进泥土中去。亮光从羊齿草的叶丛中筛漏进来，他又听到了声音，这才意识到漫长的下坠与死亡的恶梦已经过去，早晨来临了。喧闹声是在海岸边传过来的一种呜呜声——此刻又一个野蛮人在答应，又一个野蛮人在答应。喊声像飞鸟的惊鸣，越过他、越过岛的狭窄的一头，从大海扫向环礁湖。他来不及多加考虑，只是抓起他削尖了的木棒，扭动着身子爬回到羊齿草丛中。几秒钟之内他就开始往乱丛棵子爬去；但还没爬进乱丛棵子，他就瞥见两条腿，一个野蛮人正朝他走来。羊齿草丛被重重地踩踏着，被踩倒在地，他听到有人在长长的野草中走动。一个野蛮人，不知是哪一个，呜呜地叫了两次；喊叫声在两个方向上重复着，随后又消失了。拉尔夫仍蹲伏着，缠在矮树丛之中，一时他什么也没听见。
He pulled himself between the ferns, tunneling in. He laid the stick beside him, and huddled himself down in the blackness. One must remember to wake at first light, in order to diddle the savages — and he did not know how quickly sleep came and hurled him down a dark interior slope.
拉尔夫在羊齿草丛中往前钻动。他把木棒放在身旁，在黑暗中缩作一团。为了骗过这群野蛮人，必须记住天一亮就得醒——他不知自己怎么一下子就睡着了，滑入了黑沉沉的梦乡之中。
At last he heard a voice — Jack’s voice, but hushed.
最后，他听到一个声音——杰克的话音，只是嗓门压得很低。
Yet no one made a sound; and as the minutes passed, in the green shade, his feeling of triumph faded.
没有人，也没有声音；在绿荫丛中，随着时间一分钟一分钟地过去，他那胜利的感觉也渐渐地消失了。
At last he examined the thicket itself. Certainly no one could attack him here — and moreover he had a stroke of luck. The great rock that had killed Piggy had bounded into this thicket and bounced there, right in the center, making a smashed space a few feet in extent each way. When Ralph had wriggled into this he felt secure, and clever. He sat down carefully among the smashed stems and waited for the hunt to pass. Looking up between the leaves he caught a glimpse of something red. That must be the top of the Castle Rock, distant and unmenacing. He composed himself triumphantly, to hear the sounds of the hunt dying away.
最后他仔细察看这个矮树丛。毫无疑问，没人能在这儿攻击他——而且他还有点运气。砸死猪崽子的那块巨石蹦进了这个乱丛棵子，弹到了正中央，砸出一个几英尺见方的空地。他一钻到这儿就感到安全，感到灵便起来。他小心地坐到被砸断的枝干中，等待着搜寻者经过。他穿过叶丛抬头仰望，瞥见一样红色的东西。那准是城堡岩的顶部，离得很远，对他不再具有威胁。他怀着胜利的喜悦使自己镇静下来，听着搜索的声音慢慢消逝。
“Are you certain?”
“你能肯定？”
The savage addressed said nothing. Perhaps he made a gesture.
被问的野蛮人没作声，也许他做了个手势。
“If you’re fooling us –“
“要是你敢耍弄我们——”
Roger spoke.
罗杰开了口。
Immediately after this, there came a gasp, and a squeal of pain. Ralph crouched instinctively. One of the twins was there, outside the thicket, with Jack and Roger.
话音刚落，响起了一声喘气声和痛苦的嚎叫声。拉尔夫本能地蹲伏下去。在乱丛棵子外面，双胞胎中的一个在那儿，跟杰克和罗杰在一起。
“He meant he’d hide in there?”
“他是打算藏在那儿的吗？”
As he did so, he heard Jack’s voice from the top.
正当此时，他听见城堡岩顶上传来杰克的话音。
The twin moaned faintly and then squealed again.
双胞胎之一无力地呻吟着，接着又嚎叫起来。
“You’re sure he meant in there?”
“你能肯定他打算躲在那里面？”
Ralph picked up his stick and prepared for battle. But what could they do? It would take them a week to break a path through the thicket; and anyone who wormed his way in would be helpless. He felt the point of his spear with his thumb and grinned without amusement. Whoever tried that would be stuck, squealing like a pig.
拉尔夫拿起木棒，准备撕打。可他们又能怎么样呢？他们要想从乱丛棵子里劈出条路来，得花一星期时间；而谁要是钻进来，谁就会陷入孤立无援的境地。拉尔夫用大拇指摸摸矛尖，咧开了嘴，可笑不出来。谁要敢进来试试，谁就得挨扎，扎得他像野猪似的吱喳乱叫。
Silver laughter scattered among the trees.
树林里响起了一阵清脆的笑声。
There was a long, breathless silence. Ralph found that he had bark in his mouth from the gnawed spear. He stood and peered upwards to the Castle Rock.
令人窒息的沉静持续了好长一会儿。拉尔夫发觉嘴里有从长矛上啃咬下来的树皮。他站起来，仰首朝城堡岩窥探。
So they knew.
这么说他们全知道了。
They were going away, back to the tower rock. He could hear feet moving and then someone sniggered. There came again that high, bird-like cry that swept along the line. So some were still watching for him; but some –?
他们走开了，回到高耸的岩石处去了。他能听得见离去的脚步声，还有人吃吃地笑。沿着搜索线又响起了一阵尖响的，像鸟叫似的呐喊声。这说明有些人还在看守着，等他出来；但还有些人呢——？
“Yes — yes — oh –!”
“是的——是的——哎哟——！”
“Heave! Heave! Heave!”
“嗨哟！嗨哟！嗨哟！”
The red rock that he could see at the top of the cliff vanished like a curtain, and he could see figures and blue sky. A moment later the earth jolted, there was a rushing sound in the air, and the top of the thicket was cuffed as with a gigantic hand. The rock bounded on, thumping and smashing toward the beach, while a shower of broken twigs and leaves fell on him. Beyond the thicket, the tribe was cheering.
悬崖顶上他能看得见的一块红色岩石像帘幕拉起来似的消失了，他看见了人影和蓝天。过了一会儿大地震动起来，空中响起了巨大的刷刷声，乱丛棵子顶像被一只巨手猛刮一下。大石弹落下来，又猛烈地冲撞着一直滚向了海滩，一阵稀里哗啦的断枝残叶像下雨似的落到了他身上。在乱丛棵子的另一面，那一伙人在欢呼喝彩。
Silence again.
又静了下来。
He caught sight of the rise and fall of his diaphragm and was surprised to see how quickly he was breathing. Just left of center his heart-beats were visible. He put the spear down again.
他觉察到自己胸部一起一落，吃惊地看到自己呼吸得有多快。在胸膛稍偏左一点，连心跳的迹象都看得见。拉尔夫又把长矛放了下去。
Ralph put his fingers in his mouth and bit them. There was only one other rock up there that they might conceivably move; but that was half as big as a cottage, big as a car, a tank. He visualized its probable progress with agonizing clearness — that one would start slowly, drop from ledge to ledge, trundle across the neck like an outsize steamroller.
拉尔夫把手指塞进嘴里咬着。悬崖顶上只剩下一块岩石了，他们或许也会去推吧；而那块岩石就像半间茅舍那么大，大得像辆汽车、像辆坦克。他十分清楚地、也很苦恼地想象巨石会怎样滚下来——开始时是慢慢的，从一块突出的架状岩石落到另一块，然后就像一辆特大的蒸汽压路机那样隆隆地滚过隘口。
Still silence.
又是一片寂静。
“Heave! Heave! Heave!”
“嗨哟！嗨哟！嗨哟！”
“Heave! Heave! Heave!”
“嗨哟！嗨哟！嗨哟！”
Ralph put down his spear, then picked it up again. He pushed his hair back irritably, took two hasty steps across the little space and then came back. He stood looking at the broken ends of branches.
拉尔夫放下长矛，接着又捡了起来。他烦躁地把头发往后一捋，在小空地上匆匆地迈了两步，又折了回来。他站着注视起零乱的断树枝头。
Something boomed up on the red rock, then the earth jumped and began to shake steadily, while the noise as steadily increased. Ralph was shot into the air, thrown down, dashed against branches. At his right hand, and only a few feet away, the whole thicket bent and the roots screamed as they came out of the earth together. He saw something red that turned over slowly as a mill wheel. Then the red thing was past and the elephantine progress diminished toward the sea.
红岩石顶上什么东西发出了轰隆隆的响声，随即大地震动了一下，接着连续地颤抖起来，隆隆声也越来越响。拉尔夫被弹到空中，又摔了下来，撞到树杈上。在他的右手方向，只几英尺远，整片乱丛棵子被砸弯了，树根从土中被拔起时吱吱嘎嘎地响。他看见一个红色的东西像水车轮子那样慢慢地翻滚下来。红色的东西滚了过去，这笨重的滚动过程朝着大海方向渐渐地消失了。
A shrill, prolonged cheer.
一片拖长了的尖声欢呼。
Yet not entirely so. They were whispering out there; and suddenly the branches were shaken furiously at two places on his right. The pointed end of a stick appeared. In panic, Ralph thrust his own stick through the crack and struck with all his might.
可还没有静到鸦雀无声的地步。他们在外面低声地咕哝着什么；忽然在他的右面有两处树枝猛地摇动起来，冒出了一个木棒尖端。拉尔夫惊恐万状，他把自己的木棒戳过裂缝，全力地刺过去。
Ralph knelt on the plowed-up soil, and waited for the earth to come back. Presently the white, broken stumps, the split sticks and the tangle of the thicket refocused. There was a kind of heavy feeling in his body where he had watched his own pulse.
拉尔夫跪在被翻起来的泥土中，等着大地平静下来。不一会儿白色的断裂的残干余枝和杂乱的乱丛棵子又回集到一起。拉尔夫观察着自己的脉搏，觉得体内有一种沉重的感觉。
Silence again.
又是一片沉静。
His spear twisted a little in his hands and then he withdrew it again.
他用双手把长矛稍稍一转，然后拔了回来。
“Ooh-ooh –“
“哦，哦——”
“Aaa-ah!”
“啊！”
Someone was moaning outside and a babble of voices rose. A fierce argument was going on and the wounded savage kept groaning. Then when there was silence, a single voice spoke and Ralph decided that it was not Jack’s.
有人在外面呻吟，响起了一番叽里咕噜的交谈声。一场激烈的争论在继续，而那个受伤的野蛮人不停地哼哼。又静了下来，只有一个人在说话，拉尔夫判定那不是杰克的声音。
The wounded savage moaned again.
受伤的野蛮人又呻吟了。
What else? What next?
他们还有什么办法？他们接下去打算怎么办？
“See? I told you — he’s dangerous.”
“看见了吗？我告诉过你们——他是个危险的家伙。”
Ralph fastened his hands round the chewed spear and his hair fell. Someone was muttering, only a few yards away toward the Castle Rock. He heard a savage say “No!” in a shocked voice; and then there was suppressed laughter. He squatted back on his heels and showed his teeth at the wall of branches. He raise his spear, snarled a little, and waited.
拉尔夫双手紧捏着被啃咬过的长矛，长发披落。朝城堡岩方向只几码远的地方，有谁在低声咕哝。他听见一个野蛮人用一种震惊的声音说了声“不！”；接着是强压下去的笑声。他往后蹲坐到自己的脚跟上，对着树枝形成的墙露了露牙齿。他举起长矛，轻声地吼了一下，就这样等着。
“Smoke!”
“烟！”
Once more the invisible group sniggered. He heard a curious trickling sound and then a louder crepitation as if someone were unwrapping great sheets of cellophane. A stick snapped and he stifled a cough. Smoke was seeping through the branches in white and yellow wisps, the patch of blue sky overhead turned to the color of a storm cloud, and then the smoke billowed round him.
看不见的人群又一次吃吃地笑起来。他先听到一种慢慢地发出来的奇怪声音，接着是比较响的噼噼啪啪声，就像什么人在解开一大卷玻璃纸。一根枝条啪地折断了，他忙捂住嘴咳嗽了一声。黄色、白色的浓烟一缕缕地从树枝的间隙中漏进来，头顶上的一方蓝天也变得灰暗起来，接着滚滚的浓烟围住了他。
Someone laughed excitedly, and a voice shouted.
有人兴奋地大笑着，一个声音高喊：
He wormed his way through the thicket toward the forest, keeping as far as possible beneath the smoke. Presently he saw open space, and the green leaves of the edge of the thicket. A smallish savage was standing between him and the rest of the forest, a savage striped red and white, and carrying a spear. He was coughing and smearing the paint about his eyes with the back of his hand as he tried to see through the increasing smoke. Ralph launched himself like a cat; stabbed, snarling, with the spear, and the savage doubled up. There was a shout from beyond the thicket and then Ralph was running with the swiftness of fear through the undergrowth. He came to a pig-run, followed it for perhaps a hundred yards, and then swerved off. Behind him the ululation swept across the island once more and a single voice shouted three times. He guessed that was the signal to advance and sped away again, till his chest was like fire. Then he flung himself down under a bush and waited for a moment till his breathing steadied. He passed his tongue tentatively over his teeth and lips and heard far off the ululation of the pursuers.
他在浓烟下面尽量离烟远一点，在乱丛棵子中扭动身子朝森林的方向爬去。不一会儿他就看到了开阔的空地和乱丛棵子边缘的绿叶。一个涂得红一条白一条、手里拿着长矛的小野蛮人正站在他和森林的其余部分之间。小野蛮人在咳嗽，同时用手背揉着眼睛，想透过越来越浓的烟来看东西，把眼睛周围涂得都是涂料。拉尔夫像只猫似的蹿了出去：一面号叫，一面用长矛猛戳，小野蛮人弯下了腰。乱丛棵子的外边传出一声叫喊，拉尔夫带着畏惧的心情，飞快地蹿过矮灌木丛奔跑。他来到一条野猪小道，沿着它跑了一百码左右，然后往旁边跑开去。在他背后，呜呜的叫声又一次响遍全岛，有一个单独的声音连喊了三次。他猜那是号召前进的信号，于是又加快速度逃开，跑得他胸中简直像燃起了一堆火。随后他猛扑到一个矮灌木丛下，稍息一会儿，使呼吸平静一点。他用舌头舔舔自己的牙齿和嘴唇，听到追逐者的呜呜叫声被拉开了一段距离。
If only one had time to think!
要是现在有时间想想该多好哇！
There were many things he could do. He could climb a tree; but that was putting all his eggs in one basket. If he were detected, they had nothing more difficult to do than wait.
他有许多路可走。他可以爬上一棵树——可那未免有点孤注一掷。倘若发现了他，他们只要等着就行，别的什么都不用干。
What was to be done, then? The tree? Burst the line like a boar? Either way the choice was terrible.
那又该怎么办呢？爬树吗？像野公猪似的冲破搜索线吗？两种选择都很可怕。
Another double cry at the same distance gave him a clue to their plan. Any savage balked in the forest would utter the double shout and hold up the line till he was free again. That way they might hope to keep the cordon unbroken right across the island. Ralph thought of the boar that had broken through them with such ease. If necessary, when the chase came too close, he could charge the cordon while it was still thin, burst through, and run back. But run back where? The cordon would turn and sweep again. Sooner or later he would have to sleep or eat — and then he would awaken with hands clawing at him; and the hunt would become a running down.
从一个地方又传来了连续的两声呐喊，使拉尔夫猜到了一点他们的意图。任何在森林里受到了阻碍的野蛮人连叫两声，搜索线就会暂停下来，等他摆脱了障碍之后再继续向前。这样，他们就可以指望保持封锁线没有漏洞地扫过全岛。拉尔夫想起了轻而易举地冲破了他们包围的那头野公猪。要是有必要的话，在他们追得太近的时候，他可以趁封锁线拉得还开，突破它，再往回跑去。可往回跑到哪儿去呢？封锁线会来回地扫荡。他迟早总得睡觉，总得吃东西——那时候就会有人用手把他抓醒；搜寻的结果就是把他拉尔夫捕捉到手。
A single cry quickened his heart-beat and, leaping up, he dashed away toward the ocean side and the thick jungle till he was hung up among creepers; he stayed there for a moment with his calves quivering. If only one could have quiet, a long pause, a time to think!
又一声叫喊吓得他心惊肉跳，他跳起来朝大海和密林冲去，结果被缠绕在藤蔓丛中无法脱身；他在那儿呆了一会儿，腿肚子直哆嗦。要是能够休战，多停一停，再想一想，那该多好哇！
And there again, shrill and inevitable, was the ululation sweeping across the island. At that sound he shied like a horse among the creepers and ran once more till he was panting. He flung himself down by some ferns. The tree, or the charge? He mastered his breathing for a moment, wiped his mouth, and told himself to be calm. Samneric were somewhere in that line, and hating it. Or were they? And supposing, instead of them, he met the chief, or Roger who carried death in his hands?
而在那儿又无可避免地响起了横扫全岛的尖锐的呜呜叫喊声。一听到那种声音他就像一匹受惊的马似的从藤蔓中倒退出来，又一次飞跑起来，跑得上气不接下气。他扑倒在一簇羊齿草丛旁边。上树，还是突围？他屏住呼吸，抹抹嘴，告诫自己镇静下来。萨姆埃里克也在搜索线中的某处，他们恨这种勾当。或许，他们是不是在里面呢？假定不是碰到他们，而是碰上了要置自己于死地的头领或罗杰呢？
What was the sensible thing to do?
怎样做才恰当呢？
“Think.”
“想想看。”
Ralph pushed back his tangled hair and wiped the sweat out of his best eye. He spoke aloud.
拉尔夫把乱糟糟的头发往后一掠，抹去眼睛上的汗水。他出声地说道：
There was no Piggy to talk sense. There was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch.
猪崽子再也不会来议论这个问题了。不可能再召开严肃的大会来争论了，海螺的尊严也不复存在了。
“Think.”
“想想看吧。”
A third idea would be to hide so well that the advancing line would pass without discovering him.
第三种想法就是他藏得太好了，以致往前推进中的搜索线没有发现他就走了过去。
Most, he was beginning to dread the curtain that might waver in his brain, blacking out the sense of danger, making a simpleton of him.
他开始害怕脑中会有帘幕摇晃起来，使他忘掉危险，成为一个傻瓜，这是他最害怕的事了。
He jerked his head off the ground and listened. There was another noise to attend to now, a deep grumbling noise, as though the forest itself were angry with him, a somber noise across which the ululations were scribbled excruciatingly as on slate. He knew he had heard it before somewhere, but had no time to remember.
他从地上猛抬起头，侧耳倾听。此刻另有一种嘈杂声需要他留心——一种深沉的隆隆声，似乎森林本身也在对他发怒，这是一种阴沉的响声，掺杂其中的是难以忍受的呜呜乱叫声，就像什么东西在石板上乱涂乱画。他知道自己过去在什么地方听到过这种声音，可没时间去回想。
A nearer cry stood him on his feet and immediately he was away again, running fast among thorns and brambles. Suddenly he blundered into the open, found himself again in that open space — and there was the fathom-wide grin of the skull, no longer ridiculing a deep blue patch of sky but jeering up into a blanket of smoke. Then Ralph was running beneath trees, with the grumble of the forest explained. They had smoked him out and set the island on fire.
离拉尔夫更近地方的一声喊叫使他站了起来，随即拔腿就逃，在多刺的荆棘丛中飞奔。他猛地一头撞进了一块空地，发现自己又回到了那块空地里面——死猪头的嘴咧得很大，在那儿笑，这时不再是嘲笑一方湛蓝的天空，而是讥讽一片浓烟。拉尔夫在树木下奔跑着，他明白了树林里的隆隆声是怎么回事。他们要用烟把他熏出来，在放火烧岛。
Break the line.
突围。
Hide, and let them pass.
躲藏起来，让他们过去。
Hide, then.
那就躲起来吧。
A tree.
上树。
Hide was better than a tree because you had a chance of breaking the line if you were discovered.
躲起来比上树好，因为要是给发现了还有突围的机会。
He wondered if a pig would agree, and grimaced at nothing. Find the deepest thicket, the darkest hole on the island, and creep in. Now, as he ran, he peered about him. Bars and splashes of sunlight flitted over him and sweat made glistening streaks on his dirty body. The cries were far now, and faint.
他想，要是现在有一头野猪，不知它会不会同意。他毫无对象地作了一个怪相。找到岛上最密的乱丛棵子、最黑的洞子，然后爬进去。这会儿，他边跑边窥探着四周。太阳的光柱和光斑从他身上掠过，肮脏的身上汗水流淌，一条条地闪闪发亮。此刻叫喊声去远了，声音也轻了。
At last he found what seemed to him the right place, though the decision was desperate. Here, bushes and a wild tangle of creeper made a mat that kept out all the light of the sun. Beneath it was a space, perhaps a foot high, though it was pierced everywhere by parallel and rising stems. If you wormed into the middle of that you would be five yards from the edge, and hidden, unless the savage chose to lie down and look for you; and even then, you would be in darkness — and if the worst happened and he saw you, then you had a chance to burst out at him, fling the whole line out of step and double back.
后来他发现了一个似乎对他正合适的地方，尽管作出这种决定是不顾死活的。在这儿，矮灌木丛和密缠在一起的藤蔓编成了一块“毯子”，把阳光全挡住了。在这“毯子”的下面有一个约一英尺高的空间，它的四周全是伸往中心的水平方向的或向上长的细枝。要是往这当中钻进去，就会离灌木丛的边缘有五码远，会藏得很好，野蛮人只有趴下来才能找到你；即使在那种情况下，你也仍然在暗处——要是发生了最坏的情形，也就是他看到了你，你还是有机会朝他冲去，突破整条搜索线，让他们再往回跑一趟。
The fire was a big one and the drum-roll that he had thought was left so far behind was nearer. Couldn’t a fire outrun a galloping horse? He could see the sun-splashed ground over an area of perhaps fifty yards from where he lay, and as he watched, the sunlight in every patch blinked at him. This was so like the curtain that flapped in his brain that for a moment he thought the blinking was inside him. But then the patches blinked more rapidly, dulled and went out, so that he saw that a great heaviness of smoke lay between the island and the sun.
烈火熊熊，他本以为甩在身后老远地方的擂鼓似的响声，此刻却更近了。大火能不能比一匹奔驰的马跑得更快呢？从他躺的地方望出去，他可以看到约五十码之外的一块地面布满了斑驳光影：他注视着那块地面，每一块光影上的阳光都在朝他一闪一亮。这太像他脑海里飘动着的帘幕了，一时间他觉得那一闪一亮就发生在他的头脑里。但随后光影越闪越快，又暗淡下去，终于消失了，他看见岛上升起的滚滚浓烟遮住了太阳。
Cautiously, his stick trailing behind him, Ralph wormed between the rising stems. When he reached the middle of the mat he lay and listened.
拉尔夫谨慎地把木棒拖在身后，在往上长的枝条中挪动着身子。他到了“毯子”当中就躺下来倾听。
If anyone peered under the bushes and chanced to glimpse human flesh it might be Samneric who would pretend not to see and say nothing. He laid his cheek against the chocolate-colored earth, licked his dry lips and closed his eyes. Under the thicket, the earth was vibrating very slightly; or perhaps there was a sound beneath the obvious thunder of the fire and scribbled ululations that was too low to hear.
如果说有人从矮灌木丛下窥探，碰巧瞥见人体，也许只有萨姆埃里克会装作没看见，一声不吭。拉尔夫把脸颊贴到赭色的泥地上，舔着干裂的双唇，合上了双眼。在乱丛棵子之下，大地在微微地颤动着；在十分明显的熊熊大火的巨大声音的掩盖之下，在胡乱的呜呜叫声的掩盖之下，或许还有一种低得听不见的什么声音。
The cries, suddenly nearer, jerked him up. He could see a striped savage moving hastily out of a green tangle, and coming toward the mat where he hid, a savage who carried a spear. Ralph gripped his fingers into the earth. Be ready now, in case.
从更近的地方突然发出的叫喊声使他猛地站了起来。他看到从缠绕的绿叶丛中急匆匆地钻出一个身上涂有条纹的野蛮人，手持长矛直朝他藏身的“毯子”走来。拉尔夫把手指抠进泥土。现在要作好准备，以防万一……
Now the fire was nearer; those volleying shots were great limbs, trunks even, bursting. The fools! The fools! The fire must be almost at the fruit trees — what would they eat tomorrow?
眼下大火烧得更近了；那些枪炮齐鸣似的响声，是大树枝，甚至是树干爆裂的声响。真是傻瓜！真是笨蛋！大火一定已经烧到野果树林了——明天他们吃什么呢？
Someone cried out. Ralph jerked his cheek off the earth and looked into the dulled light. They must be near now, he thought, and his chest began to thump. Hide, break the line, climb a tree — which was the best after all? The trouble was you only had one chance.
有人在叫喊。拉尔夫急急地把脸从泥地上抬起来，朝暗淡的光线看去。他想，这下他们准已逼近了，他的心开始怦怦直跳。躲藏、突围、上树——到底哪种法子最好呢？困难在于只有一次机会。
Ralph stirred restlessly in his narrow bed. One chanced nothing! What could they do? Beat him? So what? Kill him? A stick sharpened at both ends.
拉尔夫在他那狭窄的藏身处不安地骚动。一个人不能冒险！他们能干出点什么事情来呢？揍他？那又怎么样呢？杀了他吗？一根两头削尖的木棒。
Ralph fumbled to hold his spear so that it was point foremost; and now he saw that the stick was sharpened at both ends.
拉尔夫摸索着拿起长矛，把矛尖对着前面，这下他才发现这根木棒也是两头尖的。
The savage stopped fifteen yards away and uttered his cry.
野蛮人停在十五码开外，叫喊起来。
A herd of pigs came squealing out of the greenery behind the savage and rushed away into the forest. Birds were screaming, mice shrieking, and a little hopping thing came under the mat and cowered.
从野蛮人背后的绿树丛中蹿出了一群吱喳乱叫的野猪，一下子就冲进了森林。鸟儿在喳喳惊鸣，老鼠在吱吱尖叫，一个双足跳的小动物也钻到了“毯子”底下，吓得发抖。
The savage moved forward so that you could only see him from the waist down. That was the butt of his spear. Now you could see him from the knee down. Don’t scream.
这野蛮人朝前走着，所以只看得见他腰以下的部分。那是他的矛柄。现在你能看得见他膝盖以下的部分了。可别吱声。
The ululation spread from shore to shore. The savage knelt down by the edge of the thicket, and there were lights flickering in the forest behind him. You could see a knee disturb the mold. Now the other. Two hands. A spear.
呜呜的叫声从这块海岸传向那块海岸。这野蛮人在乱丛棵子的边上跪下来，在他背后的森林里，有闪烁摇曳的光。看得出一只膝盖碰动了松软的泥土，接着又是一只膝盖，两只手，一根长矛。
Perhaps he can hear my heart over the noises of the fire. Don’t scream. Get ready.
也许他能越过大火的嘈杂声听到我的心跳吧。别吱声。准备好。
Five yards away the savage stopped, standing right by the thicket, and cried out. Ralph drew his feet up and crouched. The stake was in his hands, the stake sharpened at both ends, the stake that vibrated so wildly, that grew long, short, light, heavy, light again.
野蛮人停在五码开外，正站在乱丛棵子旁边，又大叫起来。拉尔夫把脚曲起来，蜷缩着。手里拿着两头尖的标桩，标桩颤抖得很厉害，仿佛一会儿长，一会儿短，一会儿轻，一会儿重，一会儿又轻。
A face.
一张面孔。
The savage peered into the obscurity beneath the thicket. You could tell that he saw light on this side and on that, but not in the middle — there. In the middle was a blob of dark and the savage wrinkled up his face, trying to decipher the darkness.
野蛮人往乱丛棵子下面的阴暗处窥探。可以判断得出他在这一边和那一边都看见有光线，而在当中——也就是拉尔夫藏身处看不见光线。当中是一团漆黑，野蛮人皱起额头，想弄清黑暗中有什么东西。
Ralph screamed, a scream of fright and anger and desperation. His legs straightened, the screams became continuous and foaming. He shot forward, burst the thicket, was in the open, screaming, snarling, bloody. He swung the stake and the savage tumbled over; but there were others coming toward him, crying out. He swerved as a spear flew past and then was silent, running. All at once the lights flickering ahead of him merged together, the roar of the forest rose to thunder and a tall bush directly in his path burst into a great fan-shaped flame. He swung to the right, running desperately fast, with the heat beating on his left side and the fire racing forward like a tide. The ululation rose behind him and spread along, a series of short sharp cries, the sighting call. A brown figure showed up at his right and fell away. They were all running, all crying out madly. He could hear them crashing in the undergrowth and on the left was the hot, bright thunder of the fire. He forgot his wounds, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet, rushing through the forest toward the open beach. Spots jumped before his eyes and turned into red circles that expanded quickly till they passed out of sight. Below him someone’s legs were getting tired and the desperate ululation advanced like a jagged fringe of menace and was almost overhead.
拉尔夫一声惊叫。这是一种恐怖的、愤怒的、绝望的惊叫，他绷直了腿，惊叫声拖长了，并变得凶了。他朝前一弹，冲出了乱丛棵子，在林间空地上狂吼乱嗥。他挥舞标桩，野蛮人被打翻在地；然而还有别的野蛮人在大叫大嚷地朝他冲来。一枝长矛朝拉尔夫飞来，他忙侧身让过，也不再喊叫，赶快逃开去。突然，在他面前闪烁着的一道道光线混合成一片，森林的吼叫变成雷鸣般的响声，挡在他正前面路上的一簇高大的灌木猛地烧将起来，熊熊的火焰形状像一把巨大的扇子。他朝右一折，拼命地飞跑，在他左面，热浪逼人，火焰像一股潮流滚滚向前。他的身后又响起了呜呜的叫声，还有一连串短促而尖响的叫声——这是表示看到了猎物的招呼声——在传扬开来。在他的右边出现了一个褐色的人影，又消失了。他们全在奔跑，在发疯似的喊叫。他听得见他们在下层林丛中咔嚓咔嚓的脚步声；而在他左边是发出很大声响的熊熊烈火，热气腾腾。他忘掉了自己的创伤和饥渴，心惊胆战；一面在飞快地逃跑，一面充满了绝望的恐惧，他冲过森林，直奔开阔的海滩。光斑在他眼前闪烁，并变成了一个个红色的圆圈，这些圆圈飞快地扩展着，然后又消失了。在他的下面，那双腿似乎是别人的了，变得越来越沉重，令人绝望的呜呜叫声就像充满威胁的一排排锯齿朝前推进，几乎就要落到头顶上。
Now he’s seen you. He’s making sure. A stick sharpened.
现在他看见你了，他在想要看看清楚。削尖的长予。
You’ll get back.
你该回去。
Don’t scream.
别吱声。
The seconds lengthened. Ralph was looking straight into the savage’s eyes.
时间一点点过去。拉尔夫也直盯着野蛮人的双眼。
He stumbled over a root and the cry that pursued him rose even higher. He saw a shelter burst into flames and the fire flapped at his right shoulder and there was the glitter of water. Then he was down, rolling over and over in the warm sand, crouching with arm to ward off, trying to cry for mercy.
他被一个树根绊倒在地，追逐的喊叫声更响了。他看到一座窝棚烧成一团，他的右肩方向火焰在噼啪作响，还看见闪闪发亮的海水。然后他翻了下去，在暖乎乎的沙滩上滚呀滚呀，蜷曲着身子，双臂举起保护头部，想要大声讨饶。
He staggered to his feet, tensed for more terrors, and looked up at a huge peaked cap. It was a white-topped cap, and above the green shade of the peak was a crown, an anchor, gold foliage. He saw white drill, epaulettes, a revolver, a row of gilt buttons down the front of a uniform.
他摇摇晃晃地站起来，紧张地准备承受更进一步的种种恐怖，抬头一看，只见一顶大盖帽。那帽顶是白色的，绿色帽檐上有王冠、海锚和金色的叶饰。他看到了白斜纹布军服，肩章，左轮手枪，制服上一排从上到下的镀金的钮扣。
A naval officer stood on the sand, looking down at Ralph in wary astonishment. On the beach behind him was a cutter, her bows hauled up and held by two ratings. In the stern-sheets another rating held a sub-machine gun.
站在沙滩上的是一个海军军官，吃惊而又警惕地俯视着拉尔夫。在军官后面的海滩边上有一艘小汽艇，艇首被拖上了海滩，由两个海军士兵拉着。艇尾部还有个士兵持着一挺轻机枪。
The ululation faltered and died away.
呜呜的叫声颤抖着，渐渐消失了。
The officer looked at Ralph doubtfully for a moment, then took his hand away from the butt of the revolver.
军官疑惑地打量了拉尔夫一下，随后把手从左轮手枪的枪柄上挪开。
“Hullo.”
“哈啰。”
Squirming a little, conscious of his filthy appearance, Ralph answered shyly.
拉尔夫意识到自己那副肮脏的样子，扭了扭身子，难为情地回答了一声。
Ralph nodded again. Behind him, the whole island was shuddering with flame. The officer knew, as a rule, when people were telling the truth. He whistled softly.
拉尔夫又点了点头。在他身后，整个岛屿被大火烧得震颤不已。军官知道拉尔夫是在说实话，正像通常的情况一样。他轻轻地吹了一声口哨。
“Fun and games,” said the officer.
“在闹着玩吧，”军官说道。
The fire reached the coconut palms by the beach and swallowed them noisily. A flame, seemingly detached, swung like an acrobat and licked up the palm heads on the platform. The sky was black.
烈火已经烧到了海滩边的椰子树林，毕毕剥剥地吞噬着椰子林。一团似乎是离开的火焰，像个杂技演员似的摇来晃去，蹿上平台上的椰子林树梢。天空黑沉沉的。
“Only two. And they’ve gone.”
“只有两具尸体，已经不见了。”
The officer leaned down and looked closely at Ralph.
军官朝前倾下身子，仔细地看着拉尔夫。
The officer inspected the little scarecrow in front of him. The kid needed a bath, a haircut, a nose-wipe and a good deal of ointment.
军官细察着他面前的这个小稻草人。这个小孩儿该好好洗洗，剪剪头发，擦擦鼻子，多上点软膏。
Ralph nodded.
拉尔夫点点头。
“Hullo.”
“哈啰。”
The officer grinned cheerfully at Ralph.
军官咧开嘴快活地笑着对拉尔夫说：
“Two? Killed?”
“两具？被杀的？”
The officer nodded, as if a question had been answered.
军官点点头，似乎一个问题已经得到了回答。
“Nobody killed, I hope? Any dead bodies?”
“我希望没人被杀吧？有没有死人？”
“Are there any adults — any grownups with you?”
“有没有成人——任何大人跟你们在一起？”
Dumbly, Ralph shook his head. He turned a halfpace on the sand. A semicircle of little boys, their bodies streaked with colored clay, sharp sticks in their hands, were standing on the beach making no noise at all.
拉尔夫发愣地摇摇头。他在沙滩上侧身转了半步。一群小孩正默不作声地围成半个圆圈站在海滩上，他们身上用有颜色的泥土涂得一条条的，手中都拿着削尖的木棒。
“We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something?”
“我们看到了你们的烟。你们一直在干什么？在打仗还是在干什么？”
“We’ll take you off. How many of you are there?”
“我们要带你们走。你们一共多少人？”
“Who’s boss here?”
“谁是这儿的头？”
Ralph shook his head. The officer looked past him to the group of painted boys.
拉尔夫摇摇头。军官的目光越过他向一群身上涂着颜色的孩子们看去。
“I should have thought,” said the officer as he visualized the search before him, “I should have thought that a pack of British boys — you’re all British, aren’t you?– would have been able to put up a better show than that — I mean –“
“我本以为，”军官说，他的脑海中浮现出刚才所看见的孩子们搜寻拉尔夫的情景，“我本以为一群英国孩子——你们都是英国人吧，是不是？——应该比刚才那样玩得更好——我是说——”
But there was no more to come. Percival Wemys Madison sought in his head for an incantation that had faded clean away.
然而他再也说不下去了。珀西佛尔·威密斯·麦迪逊拼命在脑子里搜寻着已被忘得精光的咒语。
“I’m, I’m –“
“我是，我是——”
The officer turned back to Ralph.
军官转身对拉尔夫说：
“We saw your smoke. And you don’t know how many of you there are?”
“我们看到了你们的烟。可你们却不知道自己共有多少人？”
Other boys were appearing now, tiny tots some of them, brown, with the distended bellies of small savages. One of them came close to the officer and looked up.
此刻其余的孩子也都出来了，其中有些是小娃儿，是些挺着胀鼓鼓肚子的褐色的小野蛮人。有一个小娃儿走到军官身旁，仰起头来说：
A little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary black cap on his red hair and who carried the remains of a pair of spectacles at his waist, started forward, then changed his mind and stood still.
一个头上戴着一顶已经很破烂的、式样特别的黑帽子，腰里系着一副破碎眼镜的红头发小男孩，朝前走上来，可随后又改变了主意，站定在那里不动了。
“I am,” said Ralph loudly.
“我是，”拉尔夫响亮地回答。
“No, sir.”
“是的，先生。”
“It was like that at first,” said Ralph, “before things –“
“起初是玩得很好的，”拉尔夫说，“可后来——”
“We were together then –“
“后来我们一起——”
“I know. Jolly good show. Like the Coral Island.”
“我知道了。弄得更像真的一样，像珊瑚岛那样。”
The officer nodded helpfully.
军官鼓励地点点头。
He stopped.
他停顿下来。
The officer, surrounded by these noises, was moved and a little embarrassed. He turned away to give them time to pull themselves together; and waited, allowing his eyes to rest on the trim cruiser in the distance.
军官处在这一片哭声的包围之中，被感动了，有点儿不知所措。他转过身去，让他们有时间镇定一下；眼睛看着远处那艘漂亮的巡洋舰，他等待着。
Ralph looked at him dumbly. For a moment he had a fleeting picture of the strange glamour that had once invested the beaches. But the island was scorched up like dead wood — Simon was dead — and Jack had… The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.
拉尔夫木然地看着他。一时他脑海里闪过一幅图画，一幅那曾经给海滩蒙上过神奇魅力的图画。然而现在这岛像枯树一样被烧焦了——西蒙死了——杰克已经……拉尔夫止不住热泪滚滚，全身抽搐地呜咽起来。这是他上岛以来第一次尽情地哭；巨大的悲痛使他一阵阵地抽搐，似乎把他整个身子扭成一团。头上黑烟翻滚，拉尔夫面对着正被烧毁的岛屿，越哭越响；别的小孩受到这种情感的影响，也颤抖着抽泣起来。拉尔夫在这伙孩子当中，肮脏不堪，蓬头散发，连鼻子都未擦擦；他失声痛哭：为童心的泯灭和人性的黑暗而悲泣，为忠实而有头脑的朋友猪崽子坠落惨死而悲泣。
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