With the running of the blood Simon’s fit passed into the weariness of sleep. He lay in the mat of creepers while the evening advanced and the cannon continued to play. At last he woke and saw dimly the dark earth close by his cheek. Still he did not move but lay there, his face sideways on the earth, his eyes looking dully before him. Then he turned over, drew his feet under him and laid hold of the creepers to pull himself up. When the creepers shook the flies exploded from the guts with a vicious note and clamped back on again. Simon got to his feet. The light was unearthly. The Lord of the Flies hung on his stick like a black ball.
由于鼻子流血，西蒙的痉挛过去了，他进入昏昏欲睡的状态。他躺在毯子似的藤蔓之中，傍晚渐渐地过去，放炮似的隆隆雷声仍在响着。西蒙终于醒过来，模模糊糊地看到贴近在脸颊边的黑色泥土。他仍然一动不动，只是躺在那儿，脸侧靠着地面，眼睛呆滞地看着前面。然后他翻过身来，把脚缩到身下，拉着藤蔓站立起来。藤蔓摇动不已，成群的苍蝇从内脏上嗡地飞开，发出邪恶的噪声，又一窝蜂地落回原处。西蒙站了起来。光线是神秘的。蝇王悬挂在木棒上，像个黑色的球。
Over the island the build-up of clouds continued. A steady current of heated air rose all day from the mountain and was thrust to ten thousand feet; revolving masses of gas piled up the static until the air was ready to explode. By early evening the sun had gone and a brassy glare had taken the place of clear daylight. Even the air that pushed in from the sea was hot and held no refreshment. Colors drained from water and trees and pink surfaces of rock, and the white and brown clouds brooded. Nothing prospered but the flies who blackened their lord and made the spilt guts look like a heap of glistening coal. Even when the vessel broke in Simon’s nose and the blood gushed out they left him alone, preferring the pig’s high flavor.
岛的上空乌云还在集结。暑热的气流整天不断地从山上升起，直冲到一万英尺的高空；无数旋转着的气团堆聚起静电，空中似乎随时都可能发生爆炸。将近傍晚时分，太阳已经落山了，黄铜色的炫目的光取代了明亮的日光。甚至连从海上吹来的微风也是热乎乎的，没有能使人恢复精神的凉意。水上，树上，岩石粉红的表面上，色彩都在暗淡下去，灰褐色的乌云低覆着。除了苍蝇闹哄哄地使蝇王变得更黑，使掏出的内脏看上去就像一堆闪闪发亮的煤块，一切都在沉寂下去，甚至当西蒙鼻子里有一根血管破裂，鲜血喷洒而出的时候，苍蝇也宁可选择猪的臭味，而任凭西蒙留在一边。
“What else is there to do?”
“那又怎么办呢？”
Nothing replied. Simon turned away from the open space and crawled through the creepers till he was in the dusk of the forest. He walked drearily between the trunks, his face empty of expression, and the blood was dry round his mouth and chin. Only sometimes as he lifted the ropes of creeper aside and chose his direction from the trend of the land, he mouthed words that did not reach the air.
没有回答。西蒙转脸避开空地，慢慢地爬出了藤蔓，他处在森林的薄暮之中。西蒙意气消沉地在树干之中走着，脸上毫无表情，嘴上和下巴上血迹斑斑。只是有时候他撩开一根根藤蔓，根据地形的趋势选择方向，嘴中才嘟囔着听不出话音的话语。
Presently the creepers festooned the trees less frequently and there was a scatter of pearly light from the sky down through the trees. This was the backbone of the island, the slightly higher land that lay beneath the mountain where the forest was no longer deep jungle. Here there were wide spaces interspersed with thickets and huge trees and the trend of the ground led him up as the forest opened. He pushed on, staggering sometimes with his weariness but never stopping. The usual brightness was gone from his eyes and he walked with a sort of glum determination like an old man.
过一会儿树上交织垂挂下来的藤蔓越来越少，树丛中筛下自天而降的珍珠色的散光。这儿是这个岛的岛脊，山下平卧着稍稍高起的地形，树林也不再是密密的丛林。在这儿，宽阔的空地上散布着乱丛棵子和高大的树木，他顺着地势向上，树林更开阔了。他继续朝前走，由于疲劳而跌跌撞撞，但并不停止前进。平素明亮的眼神从他的双眸中消失了，西蒙像个老头儿似的，以一种阴郁的决心不停地走着。
Simon spoke aloud to the clearing.
西蒙对着空地大声说道：
The flies had found the figure too. The life-like movement would scare them off for a moment so that they made a dark cloud round the head. Then as the blue material of the parachute collapsed the corpulent figure would bow forward, sighing, and the flies settle once more.
苍蝇也已经发现了那个身形。有生命的运动一时把它们吓得飞开了，苍蝇围着那东西的脑袋形成一朵黑云。随后蓝色的降落伞倒坍下来，臃肿的身形更朝前倾，发出叹息的声音，而苍蝇则再一次停落下来。
A buffet of wind made him stagger and he saw that he was out in the open, on rock, under a brassy sky. He found his legs were weak and his tongue gave him pain all the time. When the wind reached the mountain-top he could see something happen, a flicker of blue stuff against brown clouds. He pushed himself forward and the wind came again, stronger now, cuffing the forest heads till they ducked and roared. Simon saw a humped thing suddenly sit up on the top and look down at him. He hid his face, and toiled on.
一阵风吹得他踉踉跄跄，西蒙看到自己已经到了开阔地，在黄铜色的天穹之下，在山岩之上。他感到自己的双腿没劲，舌头一直发痛。风吹到山顶时他看到了什么东西在动弹：背衬着乌云有一样蓝色的东西在摇曳。西蒙努力朝前走着，风又来了，此刻风势更强，猛吹过森林里成片的树梢，树梢被吹低了头，发出阵阵的怒号。西蒙看到山顶上有一个隆起的东西突然端坐起来，俯看着他。西蒙把脸遮住，继续吃力地往前走。
Simon felt his knees smack the rock. He crawled forward and soon he understood. The tangle of lines showed him the mechanics of this parody; he examined the white nasal bones, the teeth, the colors of corruption. He saw how pitilessly the layers of rubber and canvas held together the poor body that should be rotting away. Then the wind blew again and the figure lifted, bowed, and breathed foully at him. Simon knelt on all fours and was sick till his stomach was empty. Then he took the lines in his hands; he freed them from the rocks and the figure from the wind’s indignity.
西蒙感到膝盖猛地撞到山岩上。他慢慢地朝前蠕动着，一会儿他就明白了。绳索绕作一团、互相牵扯，为他展示了这种拙劣模仿的动力结构；他细看着白花花的鼻梁骨，牙齿，腐烂不堪的外貌。他看到一层层的橡皮和帆布多么无情地把本该烂掉的可怜的身子拉扯在一起。接着又吹过了一阵风，那身形又被提起来，鞠着躬，朝他散发出一股恶臭。西蒙四肢贴地，把肚子里的东西都呕了出来。随后他把降落伞的伞绳揪到手中，把缠在山岩上的解开，那身形这才摆脱了狂风的肆虐。
Piggy was inspecting the looming-sky through his glass.
猪崽子正透过眼镜审察着渐渐暗下来的天空。
“Bathing,” said Ralph, “that’s the only thing to do.”
“洗澡，”拉尔夫说，“只有这件事可做。”
At last he turned away and looked down at the beaches. The fire by the platform appeared to be out, or at least making no smoke. Further along the beach, beyond the little river and near a great slab of rock, a thin trickle of smoke was climbing into the sky. Simon, forgetful of the flies, shaded his eyes with both hands and peered at the smoke. Even at that distance it was possible to see that most of the boys — perhaps all of the boys — were there. So they had shifted camp then, away from the beast. As Simon thought this, he turned to the poor broken thing that sat stinking by his side. The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible. He started down the mountain and his legs gave beneath him. Even with great care the best he could do was a stagger.
最后他转过脸去俯瞰海滩。平台旁的火堆看来已经灭了，至少没有在冒烟。沿着海滩再过去，在小河的另一边，靠近一大块平坦的岩石，一缕细烟在空中冉冉上升。西蒙忘掉了苍蝇，他用双手圈住眼睛凝视着烟。即使在那样的距离，还可以依稀看到大多数的孩子——也许是全部孩子——都在那儿。那么他们是为了避开野兽，已经把营盘搬过去了吧。想到这儿，西蒙把身子转向坐在他身旁那发出恶臭的、可怜的破烂东西。野兽是无害而又是恐怖的，必须尽早地把这个消息传给其他人。他开始走下山去。下面两条腿有点支撑不住，即使他尽很大的努力，也只能做到蹒跚而行。
“I don’t like them clouds. Remember how it rained just after we landed?”
“我不喜欢那些乌云。还记得咱们刚着陆时的那阵大雨吗？”
“Going to rain again.”
“又要下雨了。”
Ralph dived into the pool. A couple of littluns were playing at the edge, trying to extract comfort from a wetness warmer than blood. Piggy took off his glasses, stepped primly into the water and then put them on again. Ralph came to the surface and squirted a jet of water at him.
拉尔夫一头潜入水潭。两个小家伙正在潭边玩耍，他们试图从比血还温暖的湿润中得到慰抚。猪崽子取下眼镜，拘谨地迈到水中，随后又戴上眼镜。拉尔夫浮到水面上，朝猪崽子喷出一股水。
“Mind my specs,” said Piggy. “If I get water on the glass I got to get out and clean ’em.”
“当心我的眼镜儿，”猪崽子说。“眼镜弄上水我就得爬出去擦干。”
“Stop it!” he shouted. “D’you hear?”
“停下！”猪崽子叫喊道，“听见没有？”
“That’s where they’ve gone. Jack’s party.”
“那就是他们所去的地方，杰克那一帮。”
“And Bill?”
“还有比尔？”
“I got a pain in my head. I wish the air was cooler.”
“我头痛，空气凉快一点就好了。”
“All right, all right,” said Ralph. “Keep your hair on.”
“好吧，好吧，”拉尔夫说道。“别发脾气嘛。”
“I wish we could go home.”
“我就盼咱们可以回家。”
“Where’s Samneric?”
“萨姆埃里克在哪儿？”
Piggy sat up.
猪崽子坐起来。
“Let them go,” said Ralph, uneasily, “I don’t care.”
“随他们去，”拉尔夫不自在地说道，“我可不在乎。”
“P’raps they’re lying in the shelter.”
“也许他们正躺在窝棚里。”
Piggy pointed beyond the platform.
猪崽子指着平台以外更远的地方。
“Where’s everybody?”
“人都到哪儿去了？”
Ralph squirted again and missed. He laughed at Piggy, expecting him to retire meekly as usual and in pained silence. Instead, Piggy beat the water with his hands.
拉尔夫又喷出一股水，可没射中。他取笑猪崽子，指望他会像平常那样逆来顺受地退却，受辱也默不作声。不料猪崽子却也用手拍起水来。
Piggy stopped beating the water.
猪崽子停止击水。
Furiously he drove the water into Ralph’s face.
他愤怒地朝拉尔夫脸上泼着水。
Piggy lay back against the sloping sand side of the pool. His stomach protruded and the water dried on it. Ralph squinted up at the sky. One could guess at the movement of the sun by the progress of a light patch among the clouds. He knelt in the water and looked round.
猪崽子往后躺在水潭倾斜的沙岸上。他挺着肚子，让肚子上的水干掉。拉尔夫朝天喷水。人们可以根据云中光斑的移动来猜测太阳的趋向。拉尔夫跪在水中东张西望。
“I wish the rain would come.”
“但愿快点下雨。”
“And for hunting,” said Ralph, wisely, “and for pretending to be a tribe, and putting on war-paint.”
“还有打猎，”拉尔夫精明地说，“装作是一个部落，涂上野蛮人打仗前涂的涂料。”
“I mean — to make sure nothing happens.”
“我是说——去弄弄清楚，的确没有发生什么事情。”
“Just for some meat –“
“就是为了一点肉——”
Piggy stirred the sand under water and did not look at Ralph.
猪崽子俯首拨动着水下的沙子，没看拉尔夫。
“P’raps we ought to go too.”
“也许咱们也应该去。”
Ralph looked at him quickly and Piggy blushed.
拉尔夫忙看着他，猪崽子脸红了。
Ralph squirted water again.
拉尔夫又喷起了水。
Long before Ralph and Piggy came up with Jack’s lot, they could hear the party. There was a stretch of grass in a place where the palms left a wide band of turf between the forest and the shore. Just one step down from the edge of the turf was the white, blown sand of above high water, warm, dry, trodden. Below that again was a rock that stretched away toward the lagoon. Beyond was a short stretch of sand and then the edge of the water. A fire burned on the rock and fat dripped from the roasting pigmeat into the invisible flames. All the boys of the island, except Piggy, Ralph, Simon, and the two tending the pig, were grouped on the turf. They were laughing, singing, lying, squatting, or standing on the grass, holding food in their hands. But to judge by the greasy faces, the meat eating was almost done; and some held coconut shells in their hands and were drinking from them. Before the party had started a great log had been dragged into the center of the lawn and Jack, painted and garlanded, sat there like an idol. There were piles of meat on green leaves near him, and fruit, and coconut shells full of drink.
早在拉尔夫和猪崽子赶到杰克那块地盘以前，他们就听到了那伙人的闹声。在森林和海岸之间，在棕榈树留出一条宽宽的、带状草根土的地方，有一片草。从草根土的边缘再往下走一步，就是超出潮汐最高水位的白晃晃的、吹散开的沙地，这沙地暖暖的、干乎乎的、经过人们的踩踏。在沙地下还有一块岩石朝外伸到了环礁湖中。在这岩石之外是一小段沙滩，再往外就靠着海水。岩石上燃烧着火堆，烤猪肉的脂油滴滴答答地掉进从这里望过去看不见的火焰之中。除了猪崽子、拉尔夫、西蒙，还有两个管烤猪的，岛上所有的孩子都聚在草根土上。他们笑呀、唱呀，有的在草地上躺着、有的蹲着、有的站着，手里都拿着吃的。可是从他们油污的面孔来判断，猪肉已经吃得差不多了；有些孩子手持椰子壳喝着。在聚会以前，他们把一根大圆木拖到草地中央，杰克涂着涂料，戴着花冠，像个偶像似的坐在那儿。在他身旁，绿色树叶上堆放着猪肉，还有野果和盛满了水的椰子壳。
Piggy and Ralph came to the edge of the grassy platform; and the boys, as they noticed them, fell silent one by one till only the boy next to Jack was talking. Then the silence intruded even there and Jack turned where he sat. For a time he looked at them and the crackle of the fire was the loudest noise over the droning of the reef. Ralph looked away; and Sam, thinking that Ralph had turned to him accusingly, put down his gnawed bone with a nervous giggle. Ralph took an uncertain step, pointed to a palm tree, and whispered something inaudible to Piggy; and they both giggled like Sam. Lifting his feet high out of the sand, Ralph started to stroll past. Piggy tried to whistle.
猪崽子和拉尔夫来到有草的岩石台边缘；孩子们看到他们来了，就一个个都不讲话了，只有杰克旁边的那个还在讲。随后，他也不说话了，杰克转身回到原来坐的地方，他盯着他们俩好一会儿，火堆噼噼啪啪的响声压倒了浪击礁石的沉闷的低音，成了最响的声音。拉尔夫把目光移开去，萨姆却以为拉尔夫向他转过身来是要指责他，于是放下啃了一半的骨头，一边神经质地格格地笑笑。拉尔夫不稳地走了一步，指着一棵棕榈树，低声地向猪崽子说了什么，他们俩也像萨姆一样格格地笑了。拉尔夫把脚从沙地里拔出来，开始闲逛过去。猪崽子想吹口哨。
At this moment the boys who were cooking at the fire suddenly hauled off a great chunk of meat and ran with it toward the grass. They bumped Piggy, who was burnt, and yelled and danced. Immediately, Ralph and the crowd of boys were united and relieved by a storm of laughter. Piggy once more was the center of social derision so that everyone felt cheerful and normal.
在这当口，在火堆旁烤肉的孩子们突地拖着好大一块肉朝草地奔过来。他们撞到猪崽子身上，猪崽子被烫得哇哇乱叫跺脚乱跳。拉尔夫立刻和那群孩子连成了一气，暴风雨般的哄笑缓和了他们之间的气氛。猪崽子又一次成了众矢之的，人人兴高采烈，情绪也正常了。
Jack waved his spear again.
杰克又舞了舞长矛。
Jack stood up and waved his spear.
杰克站起身，挥舞着长矛。
“Take them some meat.”
“给他们拿点肉。”
“Has everybody eaten as much as they want?”
“每个人都吃够了吗？”
There was still food left, sizzling on the wooden spits, heaped on the green platters. Betrayed by his stomach, Piggy threw a picked bone down on the beach and stooped for more.
还有肉多余下来，有的在小木叉上烤得嘶嘶作响，有的堆放在绿色的大叶子上。猪崽子肚子不争气，他把肉已经啃光了的骨头丢到海滩上，弯下腰去想再要一点。
The boys with the spit gave Ralph and Piggy each a succulent chunk. They took the gift, dribbling. So they stood and ate beneath a sky of thunderous brass that rang with the storm-coming.
带木叉的孩子们给了拉尔夫和猪崽子各一大块肥肉。他俩馋涎欲滴地把肉接住，就站着吃起来，天空呈黄铜色，雷声隆隆，预告着暴风雨即将来临。
“Has everybody eaten as much as they want?”
“每个人都吃够了吗？”
Jack spoke again, impatiently.
杰克又不耐烦地问道：
His tone conveyed a warning, given out of the pride of ownership, and the boys ate faster while there was still time. Seeing there was no immediate likelihood of a pause, Jack rose from the log that was his throne and sauntered to the edge of the grass. He looked down from behind his paint at Ralph and Piggy. They moved a little farther off over the sand and Ralph watched the fire as he ate. He noticed, without understanding, how the flames were visible now against the dull light. Evening was come, not with calm beauty but with the threat of violence.
他的声调带有警告的意味，这是一种占有者由于自豪感而发出的警告；孩子们趁还有时间赶紧吃。估计孩子们不会马上停止，杰克就从那根圆木上——那是他的宝座——站起来，漫步到草地边上。他似乎是在那张花脸后面俯看着拉尔夫和猪崽子。他们俩在沙地的那一边，并移远了一点，拉尔夫边吃边看着火堆，他注意到了，虽然并不理解，此刻衬着暗淡的光线火焰可以看得见了。傍晚来临了，不是带着宁静的甜美，而是带着暴力的威胁。
Henry brought him a shell and he drank, watching Piggy and Ralph over the jagged rim. Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape.
亨利给他拿了个椰子壳，杰克边喝边透过锯齿状的果壳边缘观察着猪崽子和拉尔夫。权力在他褐色的、隆起的前臂上；权威在他的肩上，像野猿似的在他耳边喋喋而语。
“I gave you food,” said Jack, “and my hunters will protect you from the beast. Who will join my tribe?”
“我给你们吃的，”杰克说道，“我的猎手们会保护你们免遭野兽的伤害。谁愿意加入到我的队伍里来？”
“All sit down.”
“全体坐下。”
The boys ranged themselves in rows on the grass before him but Ralph and Piggy stayed a foot lower, standing on the soft sand. Jack ignored them for the moment, turned his mask down to the seated boys and pointed at them with the spear.
孩子们在杰克面前的草地上排列成行，但是拉尔夫和猪崽子仍然站在低一英尺的松松的沙地上。杰克暂时不理他们俩，他转过假面具似的脸部，俯视着坐在地上的孩子们，并用长矛指着他们。
Jack ignored him again.
杰克又不理他了。
“Who’s going to join my tribe?”
“谁打算加入到我的队伍里来？”
Ralph made a sudden movement that became a stumble. Some of the boys turned toward him.
拉尔夫猛地一动，一个趔趄。一些孩子向他转过去。
Ralph went crimson.
拉尔夫脸红耳赤。
“I’m chief,” said Ralph, “because you chose me. And we were going to keep the fire going. Now you run after food –“
“我是头头，”拉尔夫说，“是你们选我的。我们要把火堆一直维持着。此刻你们却哪儿有吃就往哪儿跑——”
“I said you were hunters. That was your job.”
“我说过你们是猎手，那是你们的活儿。”
“Who’ll join my tribe and have fun?”
“谁想加入到我的队伍里来一起玩？”
“Give me a drink.”
“给我点喝的。”
“You ran yourself!” shouted Jack. “Look at that bone in your hands!”
“你自己也跑来啦！”杰克喊道。“瞧瞧你手里的那根骨头吧！”
Jack spoke.
杰克开口道：
“I’m chief,” said Ralph tremulously. “And what about the fire? And I’ve got the conch –“
“我是头头，”拉尔夫声音颤抖地说道。“火堆怎么样？我有海螺——”
All at once the thunder struck. Instead of the dull boom there was a point of impact in the explosion.
突然响起一声霹雳。不是沉闷的隆隆雷声，而是豁喇一声猛烈的爆裂声。
“What are you going to do about it then?”
“那你打算拿海螺派什么用？”
“Come away. There’s going to be trouble. And we’ve had our meat.”
“走吧。会惹出麻烦来的。咱们也吃过肉了。”
“You haven’t got it with you,” said Jack, sneering. “You left it behind. See, clever? And the conch doesn’t count at this end of the island –“
“你没带着它，”杰克嘲讽地说。“你把它丢在那儿没有带来。明白些，放聪明点吧？海螺在岛的这一头不算数——”
“I will.”
“我愿。”
“Me.”
“我。”
“I will.”
“我愿意。”
Ralph examined the ranks of boys. There was no help in them and he looked away, confused and sweating. Piggy whispered.
拉尔夫仔细地看着一排排孩子。从他们那儿是得不到帮助的，拉尔夫转过脸去，心乱如麻，大汗淋漓。猪崽子低声说着：
“Who’ll join my tribe?”
“谁愿意加入到我的队伍里来？”
“We shan’t hear it.”
“我们不要听。”
There was a blink of bright light beyond the forest and the thunder exploded again so that a littlun started to whine. Big drops of rain fell among them making individual sounds when they struck.
森林的那一边闪过一道明晃晃的闪电，霹雳又炸开了，一个小家伙哭起来。大滴大滴的雨点落到他们中间，每一滴打下来都发出一记声响。
“The fire — rescue.”
“火堆——得救。”
Piggy touched Ralph’s wrist.
猪崽子碰碰拉尔夫的手腕。
“I’ll blow the conch,” said Ralph breathlessly, “and call an assembly.”
“我要吹海螺了，”拉尔夫上气不接下气地说道，“我要召开大会。”
“The conch counts here too,” said Ralph, “and all over the island.”
“海螺在这儿也算数，”拉尔夫说，“在整个岛上都管用。”
The hunters were looking uneasily at the sky, flinching from the stroke of the drops. A wave of restlessness set the boys swaying and moving aimlessly. The flickering light became brighter and the blows of the thunder were only just bearable. The littluns began to run about, screaming.
猎手们不安地看着天空，躲避着雨点的袭击。一阵焦虑使孩子们左摇右晃，没有目的地乱动起来。忽隐忽现的闪电更亮了，隆隆的雷声几乎使人忍受不住。小家伙们尖叫着四散奔逃。
“Going to be a storm,” said Ralph, “and you’ll have rain like when we dropped here. Who’s clever now? Where are your shelters? What are you going to do about that?”
“要下暴雨了，”拉尔夫说，“这下你们该碰上咱们刚降落到岛上时下的大雨了。现在看来是谁更聪明？你们的窝棚在哪儿？你们打算怎么办？”
Jack leapt on to the sand.
杰克跳到沙地上。
“Do our dance! Come on! Dance!”
“跳咱们的舞！来吧！跳舞！”
He ran stumbling through the thick sand to the open space of rock beyond the fire. Between the flashes of lightning the air was dark and terrible; and the boys followed him, clamorously. Roger became the pig, grunting and charging at Jack, who side-stepped. The hunters took their spears, the cooks took spits, and the rest clubs of firewood. A circling movement developed and a chant. While Roger mimed the terror of the pig, the littluns ran and jumped on the outside of the circle. Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society. They were glad to touch the brown backs of the fence that hemmed in the terror and made it governable.
他跌跌撞撞地穿过厚厚的沙地，跑到火堆另一边的空阔的岩石上。在耀眼的闪电的间歇中，空中是黑沉沉的，令人害怕；孩子们吵吵嚷嚷地跟着他。罗杰装作一头野猪，呼噜呼噜地哼哼着冲向杰克，杰克则朝边上让。猎手们拿起长矛，管烤肉的拿起木叉和余下的木柴。一个圆圈在跑动、在扩大，孩子们和唱的声音也越来越响。罗杰模仿着野猪受到惊吓的样子，小家伙们在圆圈的外围跑着、跳着。猪崽子和拉尔夫受到穹苍的威胁，感到迫切地要加入这个发疯似的，但又使人有点安全感的一伙人当中去。他们高兴地触摸人构成的像篱笆似的褐色的背脊，这道篱笆把恐怖包围了起来，使它成了可以被控制的东西。
The dark sky was shattered by a blue-white scar. An instant later the noise was on them like the blow of a gigantic whip. The chant rose a tone in agony.
黑沉沉的穹苍绽裂开一道蓝白色的口子。霎时间，在孩子们的上方响起了豁喇一声巨响，就像有一条巨鞭在抽打他们似的。合唱的调子升高了，带着一种感情的迸发。
“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”
“杀野兽哟！割喉咙哟！放它血哟！”
Now out of the terror rose another desire, thick, urgent, blind.
此刻从恐怖中又出现了另一种渴望，强烈、紧迫而又盲目的渴望。
“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”
“杀野兽哟！割喉咙哟！放它血哟！”
The movement became regular while the chant lost its first superficial excitement and began to beat like a steady pulse. Roger ceased to be a pig and became a hunter, so that the center of the ring yawned emptily. Some of the littluns started a ring on their own; and the complementary circles went round and round as though repetition would achieve safety of itself. There was the throb and stamp of a single organism.
孩子们开始有节奏地兜着圈圈跑，他们的合唱也不再只是起初那表面的兴奋，而是开始像脉搏那样一起一落地跳个不停。罗杰停止装扮野猪，又扮作了猎手，因而圈子当中变得空空的。有些小家伙自个儿组起了一个小圆圈；大小两个圆圈不停地转，似乎重复地转会自然而然地获得安全一样。这就像是一个有机体在跳动和跺脚。
“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”
“杀野兽哟！割喉咙哟！放它血哟！”
“Him! Him!”
“野兽！野兽！”
Again the blue-white scar jagged above them and the sulphurous explosion beat down. The littluns screamed and blundered about, fleeing from the edge of the forest, and one of them broke the ring of biguns in his terror.
他们头上又裂开了一道蓝白色锯子状的口子，带有硫磺味的霹雳声又猛地打将下来。此时小家伙们从森林边飞奔出来，他们尖声怪叫、四散乱逃，有一个冲破了大家伙们的圆圈，惊恐地叫道：
“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!”
“杀野兽哟！割喉咙哟！放它血哟！干掉它哟！”
“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”
“杀野兽哟！割喉咙哟！放它血哟！”
The circle became a horseshoe. A thing was crawling out of the forest. It came darkly, uncertainly. The shrill screaming that rose before the beast was like a pain. The beast stumbled into the horseshoe.
圆圈变成了一个马蹄形。有一个东西正从森林里爬出来。吃不准爬出来的是个什么东西，黑咕隆咚的。在“野兽”面前孩子们发出受伤似的尖利急叫。“野兽”磕磕绊绊地爬进马蹄形的圈圈。
Then the clouds opened and let down the rain like a waterfall. The water bounded from the mountain-top, tore leaves and branches from the trees, poured like a cold shower over the struggling heap on the sand. Presently the heap broke up and figures staggered away. Only the beast lay still, a few yards from the sea. Even in the rain they could see how small a beast it was; and already its blood was staining the sand.
然后乌云分开了，像瀑布似的下起了倾盆大雨，雨水从山顶上溅下来，把树上的青枝绿叶打落下来；雨水倾泻到沙滩上正在打闹的孩子们身上，就像是冷水淋浴。不一会儿那群孩子四散开来，一个个人影跌跌撞撞地跑开去。只有那“野兽”静静地躺在那儿，离海边几码远。即使在大雨滂沱之中，他们也能看得出那“野兽”小得可怜，它的鲜血染红了沙滩。
The blue-white scar was constant, the noise unendurable. Simon was crying out something about a dead man on a hill.
天上蓝白色的口子一动也不动，雷响声令人难以忍受。西蒙大声地叫喊着，山上有个死人。
The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise something about a body on the hill. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.
一条条木棒揍下去，重新围成一个圈圈的孩子们的嘴发出嘎吱嘎吱咬嚼的声音和尖叫声。“野兽”在圈子当中双膝着地，手臂交叠地护着面孔。衬着电闪雷鸣的巨响，“它”大叫大嚷山上有个死尸。“野兽”挣扎着朝前，冲破了包围圈，从笔直的岩石边缘摔倒在下面靠近海水的沙滩上。人群立刻跟着它蜂拥而下，他们从岩石上涌下去，跳到“野兽”身上，叫着、打着、咬着、撕着。没有话语、也没有动作，只有牙齿和爪子在撕扯。
The edge of the lagoon became a streak of phosphorescence which advanced minutely, as the great wave of the tide flowed. The clear water mirrored the clear sky and the angular bright constellations. The line of phosphorescence bulged about the sand grains and little pebbles; it held them each in a dimple of tension, then suddenly accepted them with an inaudible syllable and moved on.
当潮水的大浪流动的时候，环礁湖的边缘成了一条慢慢向前伸展的磷光带。清澈的海水映照出清澈的夜空和辉光闪闪的群星座。磷光带在小沙粒和小卵石旁膨胀扩大；浮动着的磷光以一个个小圈圈紧包着小石粒，随后突如其来地，无声无息地裹着小石粒向前移动。
Now a great wind blew the rain sideways, cascading the water from the forest trees. On the mountain-top the parachute filled and moved; the figure slid, rose to its feet, spun, swayed down through a vastness of wet air and trod with ungainly feet the tops of the high trees; falling, still falling, it sank toward the beach and the boys rushed screaming into the darkness. The parachute took the figure forward, furrowing the lagoon, and bumped it over the reef and out to sea.
此刻一阵大风把雨吹向一边，雨水从树上像小瀑布似的落下。山顶上的降落伞被风吹得鼓起来，并开始移动；伞下的人也被带动了，它直立起来，旋转着，接着摇摇晃晃地朝下穿过一大片濛濛细雨，以笨拙的脚步擦过高高的树梢；它往下摔，一直往下摔，朝海滩降落下去。孩子们尖叫着冲到黑暗的地方躲起来。降落伞带着人身继续向前，在环礁湖水面上划出波浪，从礁石上方撞过去，飘向大海。
Toward midnight the rain ceased and the clouds drifted away, so that the sky was scattered once more with the incredible lamps of stars. Then the breeze died too and there was no noise save the drip and trickle of water that ran out of clefts and spilled down, leaf by leaf, to the brown earth of the island. The air was cool, moist, and clear; and presently even the sound of the water was still. The beast lay huddled on the pale beach and the stains spread, inch by inch.
夜半时分雨收云散，夜空又一次布满了令人难以置信的明亮的星星。随后微风也消失了。从岩缝里流出的涓涓细流，经过一片又一片的树叶往下滴淌，最后流到岛上灰褐的泥土里；除了这雨水的滴滴答答的声音之外，其他什么响声也没有。空气清凉、湿润、澄澈；一会儿甚至连水滴声也停了下来。“野兽”在灰白的海滩上蜷缩成一团，血迹渐渐地渗透开去。
Along the shoreward edge of the shallows the advancing clearness was full of strange, moonbeam-bodied creatures with fiery eyes. Here and there a larger pebble clung to its own air and was covered with a coat of pearls. The tide swelled in over the rain-pitted sand and smoothed everything with a layer of silver. Now it touched the first of the stains that seeped from the broken body and the creatures made a moving patch of light as they gathered at the edge. The water rose farther and dressed Simon’s coarse hair with brightness. The line of his cheek silvered and the turn of his shoulder became sculptured marble. The strange attendant creatures, with their fiery eyes and trailing vapors, busied themselves round his head. The body lifted a fraction of an inch from the sand and a bubble of air escaped from the mouth with a wet plop. Then it turned gently in the water.
在靠海岸方向的浅滩边缘，不断推进的一片明亮的海水中，充满了奇怪的、银色身体的小生物，它们长着炯炯的小眼睛。各处都有一块块较大的卵石被隔绝空气，包上了一层珍珠。潮水涨到了沙滩上被雨点打成的一个个坑，把一切都铺上一层银色。此刻磷光触到了从破裂的身体里渗出来的第一批血迹，小生物在浅滩边缘聚集起来，形成一片移动着的光影。潮水继续上涨，西蒙粗硬的头发披上了一层亮光。他的脸颊镶上了一条银边，弯弯的肩膀就像是大理石雕出来的。那些奇怪的、如影随形的小生物，长着炯炯的眼睛，拖着雾汽的尾巴，在西蒙的头旁边忙碌着。西蒙的身子从沙滩上抬起一点儿，嘴里冒出一个气泡，连气带水发出扑的一声。然后他的身子渐渐地浮在海水之中。
Somewhere over the darkened curve of the world the sun and moon were pulling, and the film of water on the earth planet was held, bulging slightly on one side while the solid core turned. The great wave of the tide moved farther along the island and the water lifted. Softly, surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures, itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations, Simon’s dead body moved out toward the open sea.
在地球曲面的某个黑暗部分，太阳和月亮正在发挥着引力；地球的固体部分在转动，地球表面的水却被牵住，在一边微微地上涨。潮水的大浪沿着岛屿向前推移，海水越涨越高。一条由充满了好奇心的小生物组成的闪亮的边镶在西蒙尸体的四周；在星座稳定的光芒的照耀之下，它本身也是银光闪闪的；就这样，西蒙的尸体轻轻地漂向辽阔的大海。
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