I think the building must have been used as a farmer’s winter store for I found piles of forgotten dried chestnuts and grain in rotting barrels. I tried the chestnuts but they tasted sour, Paulo said he would bring me food, but that was three days ago.
我想这栋建筑一定是用来作为农民的冬季商店，因为我在腐烂的桶里发现了成堆的被遗忘的干栗子和谷物。我尝了栗子，但是太酸了，保罗说他会给我带吃的，但是那是三天前的事了。
Yesterday, I heard a car engine getting closer, and climbed up to hide in the beams of the patched roof. But the men just looked in quickly through the worn-out windows and broken doors before they left. I clung to the dusty wooden beam, feeling it would bend under my weight, and tried to make no noise. My arms and legs grew numb, then began to tremble. I longed to move, but I waited until I heard the policemen drive off.
昨天，我听到一个汽车引擎声越来越近，于是爬上车躲进补丁屋顶的横梁里。但是在他们离开之前，这些人只是从破旧的窗户和破碎的门里快速地往里看。我紧紧抓住积满灰尘的木梁，感觉它会被我的重量压弯，尽量不发出声音。我的胳膊和腿麻木了，然后开始发抖。我很想动一下，但我一直等到警车开走了才敢。
I know that they will return. When we began the final part of our journey, we were warned that the police patrolled the land around here regularly. They are always searching for us, or others like us; the coast of Morocco and the Presidio of Ceuta are only ten miles away across the Straits.
我知道他们会回来的。当我们开始我们旅程的最后一部分时，我们被警告说警察经常在这附近的土地上巡逻。他们总是在寻找我们，或者像我们这样的其他人；摩洛哥海岸和休达的海峡只有 10英里远。
That is how I got here: squeezed in with fifteen other men in a shallow boat meant for eight, with the cold waves reaching over the sides and the night deep and black as a tomb. I have never been more scared. I prayed all the way across, and thought about my family. I told myself, over and over, that I was doing it for them. That trip took almost all of my money. All of the money I had saved in Ecuador. The boatmen left us on a beach in the middle of the night. We lost sight of them but we could still hear their small engine across the waves. Six of us started walking inland but the others waited for the contacts, the friends of the boatmen, as they had been told.
我就是这样来到这里的：和另外十五个男人挤在一条 8人的小船上，寒冷的海浪从船边翻过来，夜色深沉，像坟墓一样黑。我从来没有这么害怕过。我一路祈祷，想着我的家人。我一遍又一遍地告诉自己，我这么做是为了他们。那次旅行几乎花光了我所有的钱。我在厄瓜多尔存的所有钱。船夫们半夜把我们丢在海滩上。我们看不见他们了，但是我们仍然可以听到他们的小引擎声穿过波浪。我们中的六个人开始往内陆走，但其他人等待着联系人，船夫的朋友，就像他们被告知的那样。
We were lucky: we met Paulo. We found the town and waited until the first bar opened; I went in alone while the others hid in the orchard nearby. When I asked for a cup of coffee, the young barman looked at me and nodded. He made the coffee, then disappeared into the back room. Cold and without strength, I wrapped my hands around the warm cup, not caring whether the barman had called the police, not caring about the next moment, just about the present.
我们很幸运：我们遇到了 Paulo。我们找到了小镇，一直等到第一家酒吧开门；我一个人进去，其他人躲在附近的果园里。当我要一杯咖啡时，年轻的酒保看着我点了点头。他煮了咖啡，然后消失在后面的房间里。寒冷而没有力量，我裹着我的手放在温暖的杯子上，不在乎酒保是否报了警，不在乎下一刻，只在乎现在。
But the man had called Paulo, who came and helped us. Paulo was always smiling, always happy. He was from Seville, a busy city of many people, and he knew many people. Paulo found work for us. I made good money on the farms. I picked cabbages, beans, cucumbers and peas. I picked great round yellow squashes that smelled of rich perfume when you broke them. The farmers hired us by the day, and were content. The local people would never work for the wages we are paid. But there were many farms, and many crops to be picked. We were welcomed.
但是那个人给保罗打了电话，保罗来帮助了我们。保罗总是面带微笑，总是很开心。他来自塞维利亚，那是一个人口众多的繁忙城市，他认识很多人。保罗为我们找到了工作。我在农场上赚了不少钱。我采了卷心菜，豆子，黄瓜和豌豆。我摘了一些很棒的黄色南瓜，当你打碎它们的时候，它们散发着浓郁的香味。农民们每天雇用我们，他们很满意。当地人决不会为了我们的工资而工作。但是那里有许多农场，还有许多可以采摘的庄稼。我们受到了欢迎。
I shared a small clean house in the town with seven other workers. We had journeyed from Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, even Argentina. Paulo found the house for us — he knew the landlord and arranged a good price. We lived well, with enough food and sometimes wine. I earned more in a week than I could in three months back home if there had been work to do there. I sent most of the money that was left to my wife and parents, and wrote many letters to them. Then the government changed the rules so that we needed work permits.
我和另外七个工人一起住在镇上一个干净的小房子里。我们从厄瓜多尔、哥伦比亚、委内瑞拉甚至阿根廷旅行过。保罗为我们找到了房子——他认识房东，并且安排了一个好价钱。我们生活得很好，有足够的食物，有时还有酒。如果有工作要做的话，我一个星期挣的钱比回家三个月挣的钱还多。我把剩下的大部分钱都寄给了我的妻子和父母，并给他们写了很多信。后来政府改变了规定，我们需要工作许可证。
I queued with hundreds of other workers, waiting for the application forms. We sat on the stone benches beneath the trees and read the forms. Some of the other workers are from small villages and towns, and cannot read as well as I can, so I explained to them that the government wanted our birth certificates, driving licenses, passports and many other documents. Many of the workers had perhaps one or two of these documents, but most had none. I helped the others complete the forms and we gave them to the clerk. He looked at our documents, stamped the forms many times and told us that they would be sent to Madrid, and our permits would be returned in two or three months if the forms were approved.
我和其他几百名工人一起排队等候申请表。我们坐在树下的石凳上，阅读形式。其他一些工人来自小村庄和城镇，不能像我一样阅读，所以我向他们解释说，政府想要我们的出生证明，驾驶执照，护照和许多其他文件。许多工人可能有一个或两个这样的文件，但大多数没有。我帮助其他人完成了表格，我们把它们交给了职员。他看了我们的文件，在表格上多次盖章，并告诉我们，这些表格将送到马德里，如果表格得到批准，我们的许可证将在两三个月内退回。
We had to wait. Even Paulo and his friends could not help us.
我们必须等待，就连保罗和他的朋友也帮不了我们。
The first month was not too bad as most of the farmers continued to use us; their crops were rich, waiting to be picked. Then some men from Madrid visited all of the farms, and maybe half of the farmers stopped using us. The farmers told us that they were sorry, and we understood them.
第一个月还不算太糟，因为大多数农民继续使用我们；他们的庄稼很丰富，等待采摘。然后一些来自马德里的男人参观了所有的农场，也许一半的农民不再使用我们。农民们告诉我们他们很抱歉，我们理解他们。
So the second month was worse: only a few of the farmers would use us, and those that did pay very poor wages. We shared what we had, and ate once a day: rice, porridge, bread, cheap food that would fill our stomachs. We began to stare at each other, and wonder which of us would find work. There were fights in the morning, between different groups of workers, when the farms’ supervisors came to choose who would work that day. But still we had some hope.
所以第二个月更糟糕：只有少数农民愿意雇用我们，而那些确实支付非常低的工资的农民。我们分享我们所拥有的，每天吃一次：大米，粥，面包，能填饱我们肚子的便宜食物。我们开始互相凝视，想知道谁能找到工作。当农场的主管来挑选当天的工作人员时，上午不同工人群体之间发生了争斗。但我们仍然抱有一些希望。
We lost the house in the third month, as we had no money for rent. We were able to get some food from the charity kitchens around the town, and the church, but we found always a long queue and very little food. We took our bags and blankets and slept in the fields. Then the weather became cold and we slept where we could, huddled together, in old forgotten buildings and alleys. Sometimes I dreamed of my family, and when I awoke, I wished the dream could continue.
我们在第三个月失去了房子，因为我们没有钱付房租。我们可以从镇上的慈善厨房和教堂里得到一些食物，但是我们发现总是有很长的队伍和很少的食物。我们拿上包和毯子，在田野里睡觉。然后天气变冷了，我们就在那些被遗忘的老房子和小巷里挤作一团睡觉。有时我会梦见我的家人，当我醒来时，我希望这个梦能继续下去。
The people of the town stared at us from the sides of their eyes as they passed us. They clenched their hands and muttered, and some of them spat on the pavement. A few of us were attacked and beaten in the dark, and driven from the parks and streets. All of the time, the Police told us to move on, move on.
当镇上的人们从我们身边经过时，他们的眼睛从两侧注视着我们。他们握紧双手，喃喃自语，有些人还在人行道上吐口水。我们中的一些人在黑暗中受到攻击和殴打，被赶出了公园和街道。一直以来，警察都告诉我们要向前看，向前看。
It is the end of the third month when it happens.
它发生的时候是第三个月末。
The farmers hired coaches and send them into the town. From four o’clock in the morning we waited in agitating silence, hands pushed deep into pockets, our hats pulled down tight against the cold and the watching policemen.
农民们雇了马车把他们送进城里。从凌晨四点开始，我们就在令人不安的寂静中等待着，手深深地插进口袋，帽子紧紧地拉下来御寒，警察也在监视着我们。
By the time the coaches arrived, there are hundreds of workers waiting in the darkness. We pressed forward as the doors opened. The supervisors stood on the bottom steps of the coaches and asked, “Who has the permit?”
等到长途汽车到达时，已有数百名工人在黑暗中等候。门一开，我们就向前挤。主管们站在教练的最下面的台阶上，问道：“谁有许可证？”
The men with permits hold them up and were allowed onto the coaches.
有许可证的人把他们举起来，然后让他们上车。
Some of the workers were from the countries in Europe and did not need permits, so they were allowed on when they showed their passports. I went from coach to coach until I saw a group of Chileans, who I knew have no permits, climbing aboard a waiting coach. The leader of their group spoke first with the foreman and shook his hand, then they were taken on. I stood before the supervisor.
其中一些工人来自欧洲国家，不需要许可证，所以当他们出示护照时就可以继续工作。我从一节车厢到另一节车厢，直到我看到一群智利人登上一辆等候的车厢，我知道他们没有许可证。他们小组的领导人先和工头说话，并和他握手，然后他们被接纳了。我站在主管面前。
“You have the permit?”he asked me. He was broad, stout and filled the doorway of the coach. His fat neck spilt from the upturned collar of his leather jacket. His hair was shaven close to his head. I explain to him that my application was rejected but I would try again.
“你有许可证吗？”他问我。他身材高大结实，站在马车门口。他那肥胖的脖子从皮夹克翻起的领子上露了出来。他的头发剃得很短。我向他解释，我的申请被拒绝了，但我会再试一次。
“Come back when you have a permit,” he told me. He frowned as he inhaled a smoke and looked down the avenue to where the policemen were watching the coaches. I explained to him that I was a hard worker, that I had eaten only once in three days, that I was eager to work and send money to my family.
“等你有了许可证再来吧，”他告诉我。他一边皱着眉头，一边吸入烟雾，顺着大街望向警察监视教练的地方。我向他解释说我是一个勤奋的工人，我三天只吃一顿饭，我渴望工作并给家里寄钱。
He looked at the policemen, who had started walking along the pavement beside the coaches, and glared at me and says, “Go to Madrid and tell them.”
他看着那些开始沿着马车旁人行道走的警察，瞪着我说：“去马德里告诉他们。”
The Chileans were laughing and pointing at me through the coach windows. The supervisor tossed his half-finished cigarette into the gutter by his foot. At the moment I stabbed him in the stomach. He bent down with a small cry. The policemen looked at us and I began to run away from the coaches, into the dark side streets. I heard loud running steps close behind me, and the roar of car engines.
智利人透过车厢的窗户笑着指着我。主管用他的脚把半成品香烟扔到排水沟里。当时我刺中了他的肚子。他低下头，轻轻地叫了一声。警察看着我们，我开始从马车上跑开，跑进黑暗的小街上。我听到身后响亮的跑步声和汽车发动机的轰鸣声。
I slid into the shadows of a shop’s back door, behind two tall metal containers that stank of rotting meat and spoiled foodstuff. I gasped, and each breath burnt. My heart hammered against my chest.
我溜进了一家商店后门的阴影里，躲在两个高大的金属容器后面，这两个容器散发着腐烂肉类和变质食品的臭味。我喘息着，每一次呼吸都燃烧起来。我的心砰砰地撞击着胸膛。
I waited for a long time until the sounds of the cars and people faded. I walked slowly to the end of the alley and looked out, but the streets were empty.
我等了很长时间，直到车声和人声都消失了。我慢慢地走到小巷的尽头，向外望去，但街上空无一人。
I had run almost to the river; I could hear it rushing in the darkness beneath me.
我几乎跑到了河边，我能听到它在黑暗中奔跑的声音。
My right hand felt cold. I looked down in the yellow light of a street lamp, and saw my hand still clenched into a fist. It looked like the hand of another person, not part of me. A short blade, no longer than my thumb, stuck out from the fist. The blade, my fist, and my sleeve were all stained dark red.
我的右手感到冰冷。我在路灯的黄色灯光下往下看，看到我的手仍然紧握在拳头里。它看起来像另一个人的手，而不是我的一部分。从拳头里伸出一把短短的刀片，不比我的拇指长。刀刃，我的拳头，我的袖子都染成了深红色。
Paulo gave me the knife when I picked artichokes on the farms. The short thick blade is very sharp, made for cutting the plants’ stalks.
我在农场采洋蓟的时候，保罗把刀子给了我。短而粗的刀片非常锋利，用来切割植物的茎。
I scrambled down to the banks of the river and threw the knife into the river water. I heard it splashed far away. The river touched my feet. I bowed down and washed my sleeve and hand, although the water was so cold, like ice, that my hand became numb. Then I walked back up to the street.
我爬下河岸，把刀扔进河水里。我听见它溅得很远。河水触到了我的脚。我弯下腰，洗了我的袖子和手，尽管水很冷，像冰一样，我的手都麻木了。然后我走回街上。
I found some of the other workers hiding in the deserted warehouse we had found. One of them went to find Paulo, who came and told me about the old farm buildings near to the coast road. I waited until darkness before I followed the road out of the town, throwing myself into the ditch if I heard a car approaching.
我发现其他一些工人躲在我们发现的废弃仓库里。他们中的一个去找保罗，保罗来告诉我靠近海岸公路的旧农场建筑。我一直等到天黑，才沿着公路出了城，如果听到有车开过来，我就跳进沟里。
The weather has been clear and I have seen the coast of Morocco every day. Across the blue sea, the land is a strip of dark brown and gray, and looks close enough for me to touch. Maybe I could find an old tractor tyre tube around the farm and float across the Straits? Or maybe I could walk along the shore and steal a boat?
天气晴朗，我每天都能看到摩洛哥海岸。在蓝色的海洋对面，陆地是一条深棕色和灰色的带子，看起来离我很近，足以让我触摸。也许我可以在农场周围找到一个旧的拖拉机轮胎管，然后漂过海峡？或者我可以沿着海岸走，偷一艘船？
I do not want to become a thief. I am an honest man who wants only to work and support his family. But what can I do?
我不想当小偷。我是一个诚实的人，只想工作和养家。但是我能做什么呢？
I will wait here for Paulo and listen to him. He will tell me what to do for the best. I know that he will help me.
我会在这里等保罗，听他讲话。他会告诉我该怎么做才是最好的。我知道他会帮助我的。
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