There was no light left save that of the stars. When they had understood what made this ghostly noise and Percival was quiet again, Ralph and Simon picked him up unhandily and carried him to a shelter. Piggy hung about near for all his brave words, and the three bigger boys went together to the next shelter. They lay restlessly and noisily among the dry leaves, watching the patch of stars that was the opening toward the lagoon. Sometimes a littlun cried out from the other shelters and once a bigun spoke in the dark. Then they too fell asleep.
除了星光之外，其他什么光也没有。他们搞清了这鬼叫似的声音是哪里来的，而珀西佛尔又安静下来，拉尔夫和西蒙笨手笨脚地把他抬到一个窝棚里。猪崽子因为说过大话，也就在离他们不远的地方跟着。然后三个大男孩一起走到邻近的一个窝棚。他们焦躁不安地躺在枯叶堆中，发出嘈杂的响声，仰望着点点的群星，星光正投向环礁湖。有时从别的窝棚里传出一个小家伙的哭叫声，偶尔又有一个大家伙在黑暗中说着梦话。随后他们三个也进入了梦乡。
A sliver of moon rose over the horizon, hardly large enough to make a path of light even when it sat right down on the water; but there were other lights in the sky, that moved fast, winked, or went out, though not even a faint popping came down from the battle fought at ten miles’ height. But a sign came down from the world of grownups, though at the time there was no child awake to read it. There was a sudden bright explosion and corkscrew trail across the sky; then darkness again and stars. There was a speck above the island, a figure dropping swiftly beneath a parachute, a figure that hung with dangling limbs. The changing winds of various altitudes took the figure where they would. Then, three miles up, the wind steadied and bore it in a descending curve round the sky and swept it in a great slant across the reef and the lagoon toward the mountain. The figure fell and crumpled among the blue flowers of the mountain-side, but now there was a gentle breeze at this height too and the parachute flopped and banged and pulled. So the figure, with feet that dragged behind it, slid up the mountain. Yard by yard, puff by puff, the breeze hauled the figure through the blue flowers, over the boulders and red stones, till it lay huddled among the shattered rocks of the mountain-top. Here the breeze was fitful and allowed the strings of the parachute to tangle and festoon; and the figure sat, its helmeted head between its knees, held by a complication of lines. When the breeze blew, the lines would strain taut and some accident of this pull lifted the head and chest upright so that the figure seemed to peer across the brow of the mountain. Then, each time the wind dropped, the lines would slacken and the figure bow forward again, sinking its head between its knees. So as the stars moved across the sky, the figure sat on the mountain-top and bowed and sank and bowed again.
一弯新月升在海平线上，月亮小得很，就连直投到水面上时也形不成一道亮光；然而在夜空中却有着别的光，它们倏忽而过，一闪一闪，或者熄灭掉，十英里高空的战斗甚至连一下轻微的爆裂声都没有传来。但是一个信号从成人世界飘扬而下，虽然当时孩子们都睡着了，谁也没有注意到。突然一下耀眼的爆炸，一条明亮的螺旋状的尾巴斜越夜空，然后又是一片黑暗，群星闪闪。海岛上空出现了一个斑点，在一顶降落伞下一个人影垂荡着摇晃的四肢，正在迅速下降。不同高度的风向变幻不定，风把人影吹来吹去。接着，在三英里的高处，风向固定了，风带着人影以一条圆弧形的下降曲线划破夜空，倾斜度很大地越过礁石和环礁湖，朝山飞去。人影掉在山侧的蓝野花丛当中，缩成一团，可此刻在这个高度也有一股轻轻的微风，降落伞啪啪翻动，砰然着地，拖拉起来。于是人影双脚拖在身后，滑上山去。轻风拖着人影，一码一码，一扑一扑地穿越蓝色的野花丛，翻过巨砾和红石，最后在山顶的乱石碎砾中挤做一团。这儿微风时有时无，降落伞的绳索东拉西张地往下挂着，或者缠绕起来；人影坐着，戴盔的脑袋耷拉在双膝之间，搁在错综交叉的绳索上面。微风吹过，伞绳会绷直，这种牵拉偶尔会使人影的脑袋抬起，胸膛挺直，于是他的目光似乎越过山顶，凝望着远方。然后，每当风势减弱，伞绳便会松弛下去，人影又向前弯曲着，把脑袋深埋在双膝之间。因此当群星移过夜空时，看得出山顶上坐着的人影一会儿弯成弓形，一会儿松落下去，一会儿又弯成弓形。
The other knelt down.
另一个跪了下去。
In the darkness of early morning there were noises by a rock a little way down the side of the mountain. Two boys rolled out a pile of brushwood and dead leaves, two dim shadows talking sleepily to each other. They were the twins, on duty at the fire. In theory one should have been asleep and one on watch. But they could never manage to do things sensibly if that meant acting independently, and since staying awake all night was impossible, they had both gone to sleep. Now they approached the darker smudge that had been the signal fire, yawning, rubbing their eyes, treading with practiced feet. When they reached it they stopped yawning, and one ran quickly back for brushwood and leaves.
在清晨的黑暗中，山侧下面一条小路的岩石旁响起了喧闹声。两个男孩从一堆灌木和枯叶中翻滚出来，两个模糊的影子似醒未醒地扯淡着。这是双胞胎俩，他们在值班管火。论理应该是一个睡觉，另一个守着。但是他们俩独立行动的时候从来都做不成一件像样的事；而因为整夜呆着不睡是做不到的，两人就都去睡觉了。这会儿他们走近曾经是信号火的一堆黑漆漆的余烬，打着呵欠，揉着眼睛，熟门熟路地走着。可一到火堆边他们就停止打呵欠了，其中一个匆匆奔回去拿木柴和树叶。
“I believe it’s out.”
“我看火已经灭了。”
He fiddled with the sticks that were pushed into his hands.
他拿起一根塞到他手中的木棒拨弄起来。
“Sam — give us –“
“萨姆——给我们——”
“No.”
“没灭。”
“– tinder wood.”
“——焦炭。”
He lay down and put his lips close to the smudge and blew soffly. His face appeared, lit redly. He stopped blowing for a moment.
他躺下去，把嘴贴近黑漆漆的余烬，轻轻地吹着。他的脸慢慢地显出来，被照得红通通的。吹了一会儿，他停了下来。
Eric bent down and blew softly again till the patch was bright. Sam poked the piece of tinder wood into the hot spot, then a branch. The glow increased and the branch took fire. Sam piled on more branches.
埃里克弯下腰去又轻轻地吹着，直吹到一团余烬旺了。萨姆把一块焦炭放到开始发红的地方，接着加上一根枝条。火越来越旺，枝条燃着了。萨姆堆上了更多的枝条。
“‘Boy — you-are-driving-me-slowly-insane!'”
“孩子——你—可真要—把我—给慢慢地—气疯了！”
“Huh. Remember old Waxy at school?”
“嘿，记得学校里总发脾气的那个老先生吗？”
“Huh.”
“嘿。”
“Waxy.”
“光火的。”
“Lucky he went for Jack, ‘stead of us.”
“幸好他是冲着杰克，而不是冲着咱们俩。”
For a few moments the twins watched the fire in silence. Then Eric sniggered.
双胞胎默默地注视着火堆。随后埃里克吃吃地闷笑起来。
“That was near.”
“可真差不离。”
Eric squatted back and watched Sam make up the fire. He built a little tent of dead wood and the fire was safely alight.
埃里克往后蹲坐着，看着萨姆生火。萨姆把焦木搭成一个小小的遮风的棚，火稳稳地点着了。
“Let’s warm up.”
“咱们来暖暖身子。”
The twins shared their identical laughter, then remembered the darkness and other things and glanced round uneasily. The flames, busy about the tent, drew their eyes back again. Eric watched the scurrying woodlice that were so frantically unable to avoid the flames, and thought of the first fire — just down there, on the steeper side of the mountain, where now was complete darkness. He did not like to remember it, and looked away at the mountain-top.
双胞胎两人会心地哈哈大笑，接着他们又想起了黑暗和别的一些东西，不安地东张西望起来。在架空的木柴旁，火焰燃得正旺，这又把他们的眼光吸引了回来。埃里克注视着：树虱在疯狂地乱跑，却免不了被火焰所吞噬，他想起了第一次所生的火——就在那下面，在山的更陡峭的一侧，那儿此刻是一片黑暗。他并不喜欢记起这件事，侧脸看起山顶来了。
“Besides, it’s –“
“还有，天——”
“Wasn’t he waxy?”
“他不是光火了吗？”
“He’d have been –“
“他会要——”
“– dark. All right, then.”
“——天太黑了。那好吧。”
“Fire and the pig.”
“火堆和野猪的时候。”
“So’m I.”
“我也冷。”
“About the –“
“在谈到——”
“I’m cold.”
“我冷。”
“Don’t burn the lot,” said Eric, “you’re putting on too much.”
“别烧得太多，”埃里克说道，“你放得太多了。”
“We’ll only have to fetch more wood.”
“那又得去搬柴火了。”
“Sam –“
“萨姆——”
The flames were mastering the branches, the bark was curling and falling away, the wood exploding. The tent fell inwards and flung a wide circle of light over the mountain-top.
枝条燃起了熊熊的火焰。树皮被烧得蜷曲起来，随火而化，木头发出了噼啪的爆裂声。遮风的小棚朝内坍塌下去，山顶上好大一圈被照得通亮。
“Huh?”
“啥？”
Warmth radiated now, and beat pleasantly on them. Sam amused himself by fitting branches into the fire as closely as possible. Eric spread out his hands, searching for the distance at which the heat was just bearable. Idly looking beyond the fire, he resettled the scattered rocks from their flat shadows into daylight contours. Just there was the big rock, and the three stones there, that split rock, and there beyond was a gap — just there — “Sam.”
这会儿热气四射，令人愉快地照到了他们身上。萨姆尽可能近地把枝条塞进火里，闹着玩儿。埃里克伸出双手，试试看放在多远可以经受得住火堆辐射出来的热量。他无聊地看着火堆的另一边，从乱石碎砾扁平的阴影中重新想象出它们白天的轮廓。就在那儿有块大岩石，那儿有三块石头，裂开的岩石，从那儿再过去，有一道山罅——就在那儿——“萨姆。”
“Nothing.”
“没什么。”
“Huh?”
“啥？”
Sam looked at Eric irritably. The intensity of Eric’s gaze made the direction in which he looked terrible, for Sam had his back to it. He scrambled round the fire, squatted by Eric, and looked to see. They became motionless, gripped in each other’s arms, four unwinking eyes aimed and two mouths open.
萨姆烦躁地看看埃里克。埃里克的眼神显得很紧张，说明他所看的方向凶险可怕；萨姆原先背对着那个方向，现在急匆匆地兜过火堆，蹲坐在埃里克身旁也盯着看起来。他们呆若木鸡，互相紧揪着手臂，两双眼睛一眨不眨，两张嘴巴难以合拢。
“Sam! Sam!”
“萨姆！萨姆！”
Far beneath them, the trees of the forest sighed, then roared. The hair on their foreheads fluttered and flames blew out sideways from the fire. Fifteen yards away from them came the plopping noise of fabric blown open.
在他们下面远远的地方，无数的林木哀叹着，随之怒号起来。他们额前的头发飘动，火焰从火堆中旁逸出来。在他们之外十五码的地方，传来布被风吹开的噗噗声响。
Ralph was dreaming. He had fallen asleep after what seemed hours of tossing and turning noisily among the dry leaves. Even the sounds of nightmare from the other shelters no longer reached him, for he was back to where he came from, feeding the ponies with sugar over the garden wall. Then someone was shaking his arm, telling him that it was time for tea.
拉尔夫正做着美梦。经过几小时嘈杂的辗转反侧，他终于在枯叶堆中进入了梦乡。连别的窝棚里的孩子在梦魇中发出的惊叫也没有惊动他，因为他已在梦中回到了自己的老家，正隔着花园的围墙拿糖喂小马。随之有人摇他的手臂，告诉他该吃茶点了。
The leaves were roaring still. Piggy bumped into him and a twin grabbed him as he made for the oblong of paling stars.
树叶仍在怒号。拉尔夫直奔椭圆形的、暗淡的星群，一头撞到猪崽子身上，双胞胎中的一个忙拽住他。
“Ralph! Wake up!”
“拉尔夫！醒醒！”
“Quiet. Piggy!”
“别出声。猪崽子！”
“Who are you? The twins?”
“你们是谁？双胞胎吗？”
“– plain!”
“——清清楚楚！”
“– the beast –“
“——野兽——”
Neither of the boys screamed but the grip of their arms tightened and their mouths grew peaked. For perhaps ten seconds they crouched like that while the flailing fire sent smoke and sparks and waves of inconstant light over the top of the mountain.
两个孩子都没尖声呼叫，只是用手更紧地抓住对方的臂膀，嘴巴突出。他们这样蹲伏了约十秒钟时间，与此同时，噼啪作响的火堆冒出了浓烟和火星，火光在山顶上摇曳不停。
“Ralph, wake up!”
“拉尔夫，醒醒！”
“What’s the matter?”
“怎么啦？”
The leaves were roaring like the sea.
树叶哗哗作响，像大海那样怒号。
Then as though they had but one terrified mind between them they scrambled away over the rocks and fled.
接着，就好像他们两人只有同一颗被吓坏了的心，双胞胎跌跌撞撞地爬过山岩，逃之夭夭。
“We saw –“
“我们看见——”
“We saw the beast –“
“我们看见野兽了——”
“Piggy — where are the spears?”
“猪崽子——长矛在哪儿？”
“I can hear the –“
“我听得见——”
“You can’t go out — it’s horrible!”
“你不能出去——太可怕了！”
They lay there listening, at first with doubt but then with terror to the description the twins breathed at them between bouts of extreme silence. Soon the darkness was full of claws, full of the awful unknown and menace. An interminable dawn faded the stars out, and at last light, sad and grey, filtered into the shelter. They began to stir though still the world outside the shelter was impossibly dangerous. The maze of the darkness sorted into near and far, and at the high point of the sky the cloudlets were warmed with color. A single sea bird flapped upwards with a hoarse cry that was echoed presently, and something squawked in the forest. Now streaks of cloud near the horizon began to glow rosily, and the feathery tops of the palms were green.
他们躺在那里倾听，起初有点怀疑，可在一阵阵死寂之中听着双胞胎低声细语的描述，也畏惧起来。一会儿工夫，黑暗中似乎满是爪子，满是可怕的无名之兽和威胁之意。漫无止境的拂晓慢慢地隐去了群星，最后，灰蒙蒙的光线终于射进了窝棚。他们开始动弹身子，尽管窝棚外面的世界仍然危险得令人无法忍受。黑暗中迷乱的景象分得清远近了，天空高处小片的云彩涂上了一层暖色。一只孤零零的海鸟扑棱棱地拍翅飞向云天，嘶哑地鸣叫一声，引起几下回声；森林中有什么东西粗厉地戛然长鸣。靠近海平线的一片片云彩此刻闪耀出玫瑰红色，而棕榈树羽毛似的树冠也呈现出清翠碧绿。
“Quiet then. Lie still.”
“快静下来。躺着。”
Ralph knelt in the entrance to the shelter and peered cautiously round him.
拉尔夫跪在窝棚的进口处，小心翼翼地窥测着四周的动向。
“Sam ‘n Eric. Call them to an assembly. Quietly. Go on.”
“萨姆和埃里克。叫他们来碰碰头。悄悄地。去吧。”
The twins, holding tremulously to each other, dared the few yards to the next shelter and spread the dreadful news. Ralph stood up and walked for the sake of dignity, though with his back pricking, to the platform. Piggy and Simon followed him and the other boys came sneaking after.
双胞胎瑟瑟发抖地互相搀着，壮着胆子走了几码到邻近的一个窝棚里去传播那令人畏惧的消息。拉尔夫站了起来，为了自己的尊严，尽管心里忐忑不安，还是硬撑着走向平台。猪崽子和西蒙跟着他，其他孩子也蹑手蹑脚地跟在后面。
“We’d just made it up –“
“我们俩刚生好火——”
“We’ve seen the beast with our own eyes. No — we weren’t asleep –“
“我们俩亲眼看到了野兽。不——我们当时没睡着——”
“It was furry. There was something moving behind its head — wings. The beast moved too –“
“野兽是毛茸茸的。头的后面有东西飘来飘去——像是翅膀。它动得太——”
“The fire was bright –“
“火光很亮——”
“That was awful. It kind of sat up –“
“真可怕。它那么直挺挺地坐起来——”
Ralph took the conch from where it lay on the polished seat and held it to his lips; but then he hesitated and did not blow. He held the shell up instead and showed it to them and they understood.
海螺搁在光溜溜的位子上，拉尔夫拿起海螺放到嘴边；可接着他犹豫片刻，并没有吹，只举起贝壳向大家示意一下，他们都明白了。
The rays of the sun that were fanning upwards from below the horizon swung downwards to eye-level. Ralph looked for a moment at the growing slice of gold that lit them from the right hand and seemed to make speech possible. The circle of boys before him bristled with hunting spears.
太阳的光线像把扇子似的从海平线下面往上展开，又向下晃到齐眼睛那么高。拉尔夫瞥一下从右面照亮他们的、正在越来越扩大的一片金色的闪光，似乎要选择适当的方向来发言。在他前面围成圈的孩子们手中都竖拿着一根根打猎的长矛。
He handed the conch to Eric, the nearest of the twins.
他把海螺递给最靠近他的埃里克——双胞胎中的一个。
“– more sticks on –“
“——还在往上多加木柴——”
“Teeth –“
“牙齿——”
Sam took up the story. By custom now one conch did for both twins, for their substantial unity was recognized.
萨姆接过故事讲下去。现在一个海螺管双胞胎两个共用已成了习惯，因为大家已经公认他们俩实在是密不可分的。
“There were eyes –“
“有眼睛——”
“Claws –“
“爪子——”
“We ran as fast as we could –“
“我们俩没命地奔逃——”
“Bashed into things –“
“猛撞到什么东西上——”
“Nearly touched me –“
“差一点碰到我——”
The reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.
他们回答得非常肯定，无可怀疑。
“I suppose you aren’t pulling our legs?”
“我想你们不会跟我们开玩笑吧？”
Eric felt his face.
埃里克摸摸自己的脸。
“I’m all rough. Am I bleeding?”
“我脸上都弄破了。在流血吗？”
“The beast followed us –“
“野兽跟着我们俩——”
The circle of boys shrank away in horror. Johnny, yawning still, burst into noisy tears and was slapped by Bill till he choked on them. The bright morning was full of threats and the circle began to change. It faced out, rather than in, and the spears of sharpened wood were like a fence. Jack called them back to the center.
围成圈的孩子们害怕地退缩下去。约翰尼还在打着呵欠，忽然出声地哭起来，被比尔刮了个嘴巴子，才强忍住眼泪。明亮的早晨充满了种种威胁，孩子们的圈儿开始有了变化。他们的脸不是朝里，而是朝外，用木头削尖制成的长矛像一道篱笆。杰克叫他们向中心靠拢。
Jack sneered at him.
杰克嘲笑地对他说：
“I saw it slinking behind the trees –“
“我看到它鬼鬼祟祟地躲在树木后面——”
“This’ll be a real hunt! Who’ll come?”
“这才是真正的打猎呢！谁敢去？”
Ralph moved impatiently.
拉尔夫不耐烦地动弹了一下。
“These spears are made of wood. Don’t be silly.”
“这些长矛是木头做的。别傻了。”
He turned to the twins, yearning but hopeless.
杰克转向双胞胎，期待他们的回答，却感到失望。
Piggy took the conch.
猪崽子拿过海螺。
Ralph pointed fearfully at Eric’s face, which was striped with scars where the bushes had torn him.
拉尔夫怀着恐惧的心情指指埃里克的脸，上面有一些伤痕，是矮灌木丛划的。
“How did you do that?”
“你那是怎么搞的？”
“Frightened?”
“害怕了？”
“‘Course I’m frightened. Who wouldn’t be?”
“当然怕了。谁会不怕呢？”
“Couldn’t we — kind of — stay here? Maybe the beast won’t come near us.”
“咱们能不能——还是——待在这儿？可能野兽不会到咱们附近来。”
“I mean — how about us? Suppose the beast comes when you’re all away. I can’t see proper, and if I get scared –“
“我是说——我们怎么办呢？假如你们都走开，而野兽倒来了。我又看不清楚，要是我被吓坏了——”
“You haven’t got the conch. Here.”
“你还没拿海螺。它在这儿。”
“How about us, Ralph?”
“拉尔夫，我们怎么办呢？”
“No we’re not. What about the littluns?”
“不，我们没有。小家伙们怎么办呢？”
“That’s right. Keep Piggy out of danger.”
“好呀。好让猪崽子别冒风险。”
“Nobody has so far.”
“过去谁也不需要照顾。”
“Have some sense. What can Piggy do with only one eye?”
“动动脑筋吧。猪崽子一只眼能干得了什么？”
“There was no need! Now there is. Piggy’ll look after them.”
“过去没这个必要！可现在有了。让猪崽子来照管他们。”
“Let’s be moving,” said Jack relentlessly, “we’re wasting time.”
“让我们行动吧，”杰克焦躁地说，“我们在浪费时间。”
“Sucks to the littluns!”
“别管那些小家伙！”
“And another thing. You can’t have an ordinary hunt because the beast doesn’t leave tracks. If it did you’d have seen them. For all we know, the beast may swing through the trees like what’s its name.”
“还有一件事。你们这次可不像寻常的打猎，因为野兽没留下足迹。要是它留下了，你们倒可以看得见。大家都知道，野兽可能像荡秋千似的从一棵树摆到另一棵树，就像刚才所说的一样。”
“So we’ve got to think.”
“所以咱们必须想一想。”
Piggy took off his damaged glasses and cleaned the remaining lens.
猪崽子取下摔坏的眼镜，擦擦残余的眼镜片。
But for the sense of something watching them, Ralph would have shouted at him.
要不是好像感到有什么东西正瞧着他们，拉尔夫早就对猪崽子大声吆喝起来。
“Someone’s got to look after them.”
“得有人照顾他们。”
The rest of the boys were looking from Jack to Ralph, curiously.
其余的孩子好奇地看看杰克，又看看拉尔夫。
They nodded.
大家点头称是。
“Stay here? And be cramped into this bit of the island, always on the lookout? How should we get our food? And what about the fire?”
“呆在这儿？圈在这么一小块岛上，总得提防着？咱们怎么弄到吃的呢？火堆又怎么办呢？”
Jack broke in, contemptuously.
杰克轻蔑地插了一句。
“Conch! Conch!” shouted Jack. “We don’t need the conch any more. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us.”
“海螺！海螺！”杰克叫道，“我们再也用不着海螺。我们知道该由谁发言。西蒙说话有什么用？比尔、沃尔特说话顶个屁？是时候了，该让有些人知道他们得闭上嘴，让我们其余的来下决定——”
“I got the conch –“
“我拿着海螺——”
He looked back at Jack.
他回过头去看了杰克一眼。
Ralph could no longer ignore his speech. The blood was hot in his cheeks.
拉尔夫不再能无视他的发言。热血涌上了双颊。
The rest of the boys watched intently. Piggy, finding himself uncomfortably embroiled, slid the conch to Ralph’s knees and sat down. The silence grew oppressive and Piggy held his breath.
其余的孩子们目不转睛地看着。猪崽子感到自己被卷入了纷争的漩涡，心里不自在，他悄悄地把海螺放回到拉尔夫的膝盖上，坐了下去。气氛静得逼人，猪崽子屏气静息。
“Don’t you all want to be rescued?”
“难道你们全都不想得救了吗？”
“This is more than a hunter’s job,” said Ralph at last, “because you can’t track the beast. And don’t you want to be rescued?”
“这不止是猎手的活，”拉尔夫最后说，“因为你无法追踪野兽。你难道不要得救了吗？”
Jack’s face went so white that the freckles showed as clear, brown flecks. He licked his lips and remained standing.
杰克的面孔变得如此苍白，脸上的雀斑显得像褐色的污点那样清楚。他舔舔嘴唇，仍然站着。
“I said before, the fire is the main thing. Now the fire must be out –“
“我从前说过，火堆最要紧。眼下火堆一定灭掉了——”
“You haven’t got the conch,” he said. “Sit down.”
“你没拿到海螺。”他说。“坐下。”
He turned to the assembly.
他转向全体与会者。
“This is a hunter’s job.”
“这是猎手的活儿。”
“You’re always scared.”
“你总是吓破胆。”
All the assembly talked at once.
大伙儿哄地一声说开了。
The old exasperation saved him and gave him the energy to attack.
先前的恼怒又给了他以还击的力量。
“And the thing might live there.”
“那东西可能住在那儿。”
“Hasn’t anyone got any sense? We’ve got to relight that fire. You never thought of that, Jack, did you? Or don’t any of you want to be rescued?”
“难道你们都没有头脑了？咱们必须再把火生起来。杰克，你从来没有想到过火堆，不是吗？要不然你们全都不想得救了？”
“There’s only — but of course! You remember? The tail-end part, where the rocks are all piled up. I’ve been near there. The rock makes a sort of bridge. There’s only one way up.”
“只有——当然啰！你记得吗？岛的尾端，山岩都堆集起来的那个地方。我到过那儿附近。岩石堆得像桥一样。上去只有一条路。”
Unwillingly Jack answered.
杰克不情愿地答道：
“Now think, Jack. Is there anywhere on the island you haven’t been?”
“想想吧，杰克。在岛上你还有什么地方没去过？”
“Quite! All right. That’s where we’ll look. If the beast isn’t there we’ll go up the mountain and look; and light the fire.”
“静一静！好。那就是咱们要去看一看的地方。要是野兽不在那儿，咱们就爬上山去看看；再点着火堆。”
Yes, they wanted to be rescued, there was no doubt about that; and with a violent swing to Ralph’s side, the crisis passed. Piggy let out his breath with a gasp, reached for it again and failed. He lay against a log, his mouth gaping, blue shadows creeping round his lips. Nobody minded him.
不，他们都要得救，对此无可怀疑；大家的倾向猛地偏向拉尔夫一边，危机过去了。猪崽子喘了口粗气，想缓一缓过来，可没成功。他倚躺在一根圆木旁，张大着嘴巴，嘴唇上布满了一圈青紫的斑印。谁也没去注意他。
“Let’s go.”
“咱们走吧。”
“We’ll eat first. Then go.” Ralph paused. “We’d better take spears.”
“咱们先吃了再去。”拉尔夫停顿了一下。“最好带着长矛。”
Simon, walking in front of Ralph, felt a flicker of incredulity — a beast with claws that scratched, that sat on a mountain-top, that left no tracks and yet was not fast enough to catch Samneric. However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick.
西蒙走在拉尔夫前头，感到有点儿怀疑——一个会用爪子抓人的野兽，坐在山顶上，没留下足迹，跑得不很快，捉不住萨姆埃里克。不管西蒙怎么想象那头野兽，在他内心里浮现的却总是这样一幅图画：一个既有英雄气概又是满面病容的人。
After they had eaten, Ralph and the biguns set out along the beach. They left Piggy propped up on the platform. This day promised, like the others, to be a sunbath under a blue dome. The beach stretched away before them in a gentle curve till perspective drew it into one with the forest; for the day was not advanced enough to be obscured by the shifting veils of mirage. Under Ralph’s direction, they picked up a careful way along the palm terrace, rather than dare the hot sand down by the water. He let Jack lead the way; and Jack trod with theatrical caution though they could have seen an enemy twenty yards away. Ralph walked in the rear, thankful to have escaped responsibility for a time.
吃完以后拉尔夫和大家伙们就沿着海滩出发了。他们把猪崽子留在平台上支撑局面。这一天像其他日子一样，天气可望晴朗，在蔚蓝色的苍穹之下，大地上沐浴着万道霞光。在他们面前展现的海滩微呈弧形，它一直伸向远方，直至弯进了一片森林；还不到白天的那个时候：蜃景变幻的帷幕会使各种景象模糊不清。在拉尔夫的指挥下，他们谨慎地选了一条沿着棕榈斜坡的小路，而不敢沿着海边发烫的沙滩行走。拉尔夫让杰克带着路；杰克装模作样地小心地走着，尽管要是有敌人的话，他们在二十码开外一眼就能看见。拉尔夫殿后，很高兴暂时地逃脱了责任。
He sighed. Other people could stand up and speak to an assembly, apparently, without that dreadful feeling of the pressure of personality; could say what they would as though they were speaking to only one person. He stepped aside and looked back. Ralph was coming along, holding his spear over his shoulder. Diffidently, Simon allowed his pace to slacken until he was walking side by side with Ralph and looking up at him through the coarse black hair that now fell to his eyes. Ralph glanced sideways, smiled constrainedly as though he had forgotten that Simon had made a fool of himself, then looked away again at nothing. For a moment or two Simon was happy to be accepted and then he ceased to think about himself. When he bashed into a tree Ralph looked sideways impatiently and Robert sniggered. Simon reeled and a white spot on his forehead turned red and trickled. Ralph dismissed Simon and returned to his personal hell. They would reach the castle some time; and the chief would have to go forward.
他叹了口气。别人能站起来对着大庭广众发言，显然他们没那种可怕的个性上的压力感，就好像只是对一个人说话那样。西蒙朝旁边跨出一步，回首张了一下。拉尔夫正跟上来，肩上扛着长矛。西蒙胆怯地放慢了脚步，等到跟拉尔夫并肩而行，他透过此刻又落到眼边的粗硬的黑头发，仰望着拉尔夫。拉尔夫却瞥向一边，脸上露出勉强的笑容，好像忘了西蒙曾经愚弄过他，随后又向别处看去，其实什么也没看。有那么一会儿工夫，西蒙为自己被接受而感到快乐，接着他不再想他自己的事情。忽然西蒙一不留意猛撞到一棵树上，拉尔夫不耐烦地向一边看去，罗伯特吃吃地笑了。西蒙头昏眼花，摇摇晃晃，额前出现了白的一块，又变成红颜色并出了血。拉尔夫不去理睬西蒙，他又想起了自己倒霉的心事。过一会儿他们就要到城堡岩了；那时头儿就得上前。
“All right. We’ll get as close as we can.”
“好吧。我们要尽可能靠近些。”
Jack came trotting back. “We’re in sight now.”
杰克小步跑回来。“我们已经看得见了。”
He followed Jack toward the castle where the ground rose slightly. On their left was an impenetrable tangle of creepers and trees.
他跟在杰克身后走向城堡岩，那儿的地势稍稍高起。在他们的左面是不可穿越的紧缠着的藤蔓和树木。
“Because you can see. Nothing goes in or out.”
“因为你可以看到。那儿没有东西进进出出。”
“Why couldn’t there be something in that?”
“为什么那儿就不会有东西呢？”
“Look.”
“瞧吧。”
Ralph parted the screen of grass and looked out. There were only a few more yards of stony ground and then the two sides of the island came almost together so that one expected a peak of headland. But instead of this a narrow ledge of rock, a few yards wide and perhaps fifteen long, continued the island out into the sea. There lay another of those pieces of pink squareness that underlay the structure of the island. This side of the castle, perhaps a hundred feet high, was the pink bastion they had seen from the mountain-top. The rock of the cliff was split and the top littered with great lumps that seemed to totter.
拉尔夫分开眼前的草，放眼望去。多石的地面只有不多几码了，再往前岛的两侧几乎要交叠起来，让人预料前面应该是一个海岬的最高点。但所看到的却是一条狭窄的岩石突出部，有几码宽，大概十五码长，使岛继续延伸到海里。那儿卧着一块构成这个岛的底部的那种粉红色的方岩石。城堡岩的这一面约有一百英尺高，他们从山顶上远眺时像个粉红色的棱堡。峭壁的岩石断裂，峭壁顶上凌乱地散布着似乎摇摇欲坠的大块石头。
“What about the castle then?”
“那城堡岩怎么样？”
Behind Ralph the tall grass had filled with silent hunters. Ralph looked at Jack.
拉尔夫背后长长的野草中，挤满了不声不响的猎手。拉尔夫朝杰克瞧瞧。
Jack went red.
杰克脸红了。
He forced his feet to move until they had carried him out on to the neck of land.
他勉强地挪动脚步向前走，一直走到陆地的隘口。
“I know. All right.”
“我知道。没错。”
Jack muttered.
杰克喃喃地答道：
“Well. So long.”
“好吧。回头见。”
His mouth was tight and pale. He put back his hair very slowly.
拉尔夫嘴巴抿紧，嘴唇苍白。他慢慢地把头发往后捋一捋。
He turned to the others.
他转向其他的孩子。
“No. I suppose not.”
“对。我猜也没有。”
Simon mumbled confusedly: “I don’t believe in the beast.”
西蒙含糊不清地咕哝道：“我不信有什么野兽。”
Something deep in Ralph spoke for him.
拉尔夫感到，有一种深沉的东西使他不由自主地说道：
“I’ve been all over. It must be here.”
“我到处都去过了。那东西准在这儿。”
“I see.”
“我明白了。”
“You’re a hunter.”
“你是个猎手。”
He found his voice tended either to disappear or to come out too loud. He looked at Jack.
他发现自己的声音不是轻得听不见，就是显得太响。他看着杰克。
Ralph answered him politely, as if agreeing about the weather.
好像同意天气不会怎么样似的，拉尔夫彬彬有礼地答道：
“Do you — think?”
“你是不是——认为？”
“You. Hide here. Wait for me.”
“你们都躲在这儿。等着我。”
He was surrounded on all sides by chasms of empty air. There was nowhere to hide, even if one did not have to go on. He paused on the narrow neck and looked down. Soon, in a matter of centuries, the sea would make an island of the castle. On the right hand was the lagoon, troubled by the open sea; and on the left — Ralph shuddered. The lagoon had protected them from the Pacific: and for some reason only Jack had gone right down to the water on the other side. Now he saw the landsman’s view of the swell and it seemed like the breathing of some stupendous creature. Slowly the waters sank among the rocks, revealing pink tables of granite, strange growths of coral, polyp, and weed. Down, down, the waters went, whispering like the wind among the heads of the forest. There was one flat rock there, spread like a table, and the waters sucking down on the four weedy sides made them seem like cliffs. Then the sleeping leviathan breathed out, the waters rose, the weed streamed, and the water boiled over the table rock with a roar. There was no sense of the passage of waves; only this minute-long fall and rise and fall.
拉尔夫四周别无遮拦，被空气所团团围住。即使不必向前，也无藏身之地。他停在狭窄的隘口俯视着。要不了几百年，大海就会把这个城堡变成一个岛。右手方向是环礁湖，被浩瀚的大海冲袭着；左手方向是——拉尔夫不寒而栗。是环礁湖使他们免遭太平洋的侵袭：由于某种原因，只有杰克才一直下去，到达过另一侧的海边。此刻他以陆上人的眼光看到了滚滚浪涛的景象，看来就像某种巨兽在呼吸。海水在礁石丛中缓缓地沉落下去，露出了一块块粉红色的花岗岩地台，露出了各种奇形怪状的生长物：珊瑚呀，珊瑚虫呀，海藻呀。海水退啊，退啊，退却下去，就像阵风吹过森林里的树梢那样沙沙地响。那儿有一块扁平的礁石，像张桌子似的平放着，海水退落时把四面的海藻带下去，看上去就像一座座悬崖峭壁。然后，沉睡的利维坦[1]呼出气来——海水又开始上涨，海藻漂拂，翻腾的海水咆哮着卷上那像桌子似的礁石。几乎觉察不到波浪的经过，只有这一分钟一次的有规律的浪起浪落。【注：[1] 源出希伯来文Livyathan，即《圣经》上所说的一种强大无比的海兽。】
“I’m chief. I’ll go. Don’t argue.”
“我是头头。我去。别争了。”
He saw that he could climb the cliff but this was not necessary. The squareness of the rock allowed a sort of plinth round it, so that to the right, over the lagoon, one could inch along a ledge and turn the corner out of sight. It was easy going, and soon he was peering round the rock.
拉尔夫看得出自己能爬上峭壁，但是这没有必要。四四方方的山岩有一圈类似柱脚的侧石围绕着，因而在右面，俯瞰着环礁湖的那个方向，可以沿着突出部一点点上去，拐过还看不见的犄角。爬上去挺方便，一会儿他就正远眺山岩的四周了。
Ralph turned away to the red cliff. They were waiting behind him in the long grass, waiting to see what he would do. He noticed that the sweat in his palm was cool now; realized with surprise that he did not really expect to meet any beast and didn’t know what he would do about it if he did.
拉尔夫转向粉红色的峭壁。在他身后，孩子们等在长长的野草中，等着看他怎么办。拉尔夫感到自己手掌心里的汗珠这会儿是凉的；他吃惊地认识到：他并不真的盼望碰到什么野兽，要是真碰上了也会不知所措。
Nothing but what you might expect: pink, tumbled boulders with guano layered on them like icing; and a steep slope up to the shattered rocks that crowned the bastion.
没有什么出乎意料的东西：乱七八糟的粉红色的大圆石，上面铺着一层糖霜似的鸟粪；一条陡峭的斜坡直通冠于棱堡之上的乱石碎砾。
“Couldn’t let you do it on your own.”
“不能让你独个儿干哪。”
A sound behind him made him turn. Jack was edging along the ledge.
拉尔夫背后的声响使他回过头去。杰克正侧身沿着突出部徐徐而上。
Ralph said nothing. He led the way over the rocks, inspected a sort of half-cave that held nothing more terrible than a clutch of rotten eggs, and at last sat down, looking round him and tapping the rock with the butt of his spear.
拉尔夫一言不发。他带路翻上山岩，检查着一种略呈半洞穴状的岩石，里面没什么可怕的东西，只有一窝臭蛋，他终于坐了下来，环视着四周，用长矛柄敲打起岩石。
“No fresh water.”
“不是淡水。”
“There’s no signal now. Nothing to show.”
“这会儿没信号了。影踪全无。”
“You could keep a coconut shell there, filling all the time.”
“可以在这儿放上个椰子壳，一直盛着。”
“What’s that then?”
“那么是什么呢？”
“Why?”
“呃？”
Consciousness of the bad times in between came to them both. Jack talked quickly.
他们俩都记起了那段困难的时光。杰克匆匆地说道：
“One heave,” cried Jack, exulting, “and — wheee –!”
“嗨哟一下，”杰克兴奋地叫喊道，“就会——哗地——！”
Side by side they scaled the last height to where the diminishing pile was crowned by the last broken rock. Jack struck the near one with his fist and it grated slightly.
他们并肩攀上了最后一段高度，越缩越小的岩石堆上顶着最后一块断裂的岩石。杰克挥拳向靠近他的一块岩石击去，石头发出轻轻的轧轧声。
“You were looking — I don’t know why.”
“你在看——我不晓得怎么办。”
A hundred feet below them was the narrow causeway, then the stony ground, then the grass dotted with heads, and behind that the forest.
他们下面一百英尺光景是狭窄的岩石突出部——石桥，再过去是多石的地面，由此再过去是散布在野草上的点点人头，在那之后则是森林。
There was indeed a long green smudge half-way up the rock. They climbed up and tasted the trickle of water.
在岩石的半当中实际上挂着一长条污浊的绿颜色的水。他们爬上去尝着细细的水流。
“Shove a palm trunk under that and if an enemy came — look!”
“往那岩石下面塞进一根棕榈树干，要是敌人来了——那就瞧吧！”
“What a place for a fort!”
“做一个堡垒这地方该有多好啊！”
Ralph turned.
拉尔夫回过头来。
“Not me. This is a rotten place.”
“我可不。这是个肮里肮脏的地方。”
He made a sweeping movement with his hand. Ralph looked toward the mountain.
杰克用手做了个向下猛推的动作。拉尔夫却朝山的方向望去。
A column of spray wetted them.
一股水花溅湿了他们的身体。
Jack was excited.
杰克煞是激动。
“What’s the matter?”
“怎么啦？”
“Do you remember –?”
“你记得吗——？”
He sucked his bruised fist.
他吮吸着青肿的拳头。
“That’s all we’ve got.”
“那就是我们所有的一切了。”
“You’re nuts on the signal.”
“你真是个迷上信号的傻瓜。”
He leaned his spear against the rocking stone and pushed back two handfuls of hair.
拉尔夫把长矛斜依在一块摇动的石头上，两手把头发往后捋。
“We’ll have to go back and climb the mountain. That’s where they saw the beast.”
“我们必须往回赶，爬到山上去。野兽是在那儿发现的。”
“Smoke.”
“烟。”
The others, waiting in the grass, saw Jack and Ralph unharmed and broke cover into the sunlight. They forgot the beast in the excitement of exploration. They swarmed across the bridge and soon were climbing and shouting. Ralph stood now, one hand against an enormous red block, a block large as a mill wheel that had been split off and hung, tottering. Somberly he watched the mountain. He clenched his fist and beat hammer-wise on the red wall at his right. His lips were tightly compressed and his eyes yearned beneath the fringe of hair.
躲在野草里的其他孩子，看到杰克和拉尔夫没有受到伤害，都刷地跑到了阳光里。他们沉浸在探险的兴奋之中，把野兽忘记了。他们涌过石桥，一会儿爬的爬、叫的叫。拉尔夫此刻站着，一手撑着一大块红色的石块，大得像只水车轮子，石块已经裂开，悬空着，有点儿摇晃。拉尔夫阴沉地注视着山头。他握紧拳头朝右捶打着红色的石墙，抿紧了嘴唇，额发下的眼睛里充满了渴望的神色。
But Jack was not there. A knot of boys, making a great noise that he had not noticed, were heaving and pushing at a rock. As he turned, the base cracked and the whole mass toppled into the sea so that a thunderous plume of spray leapt half-way up the cliff.
但是杰克已经不在那儿了。一小群男孩正发出他没注意到的乱哄哄的吵闹声，在嗨哟嗨哟地推一块石头。当拉尔夫转过身子时，正好石基破裂了，整块岩石倒进大海，轰隆一声巨响，水柱直溅到峭壁的半腰里。
The taut blue horizon encircled them, broken only by the mountain-top.
蓝色的、整齐的海平线包围着他们，只有一个地方被山峰所遮蔽。
“The beast won’t be there.”
“野兽不会在那儿。”
“What else can we do?”
“我们还能干什么呢？”
“Jack! Come on.”
“杰克！跟我来。”
“This would make a wizard fort.”
“这儿会成为一个出色的堡垒的。”
“Let’s have a fort.”
“让我们做个堡垒——”
Ralph shook his head.
拉尔夫摇摇头。
“We’ve got plenty of time!”
“咱们有的是时间！”
Bill came up to Ralph.
比尔走近拉尔夫问道：
“Smoke.”
“烟。”
“We could go by the shore. There’s fruit.”
“咱们可以沿着海滩去。那儿有野果。”
“Why can’t we stay here for a bit?”
“为什么我们不可以在这地方再待一会儿？”
“Smoke.”
“烟。”
“We can roll rocks –“
“我们可以滚石头——”
The clamor broke out. Some of the boys wanted to go back to the beach. Some wanted to roll more rocks. The sun was bright and danger had faded with the darkness.
一阵吵吵嚷嚷。有的男孩要回到海滩上去，有的要再滚石头。阳光灿烂，危险跟黑暗一块儿渐渐消失。
“I say we’ll go on!” shouted Ralph furiously. “We’ve got to make certain. We’ll go now.”
“我说咱们继续前进吧！”拉尔夫狂怒地叫喊道。“咱们一定要搞清楚。现在就走。”
“There’s no food here,” said Ralph, “and no shelter. Not much fresh water.”
“这儿没吃的，”拉尔夫说道，“没有窝棚。也没有多少淡水。”
“We’ll go to the mountain.”
“咱们必须爬到山上去。”
“Stop it! Stop it!”
“停下！停下！”
“That’s right.’
“说得对。”
His voice struck a silence among them.
拉尔夫的高声大喊使他们安静下来。
“Jack. The beast might be on the other side. You can lead again. You’ve been.”
“杰克。野兽可能在另一侧。你再带路。你去过。”
Roger shouted.
罗杰喊道：
A strange thing happened in his head. Something flittered there in front of his mind like a bat’s wing, obscuring his idea.
拉尔夫的脑子里发生了一个奇怪的变化。他的内心深处掠过什么东西，就像蝙蝠振翼那样干扰了他的思想。
“Right onto the bridge –“
“一直滚到那石桥上——”
At once the ideas were back, and the anger.
一谈到烟他的思想立刻又清楚了，怒火也燃烧起来。
“We want smoke. And you go wasting your time. You roll rocks.”
“咱们需要烟。而你们却在浪费时间。你们倒滚起石头来了。”
Ralph struck the skin off his knuckles. They did not seem to hurt.
拉尔夫把拳头捶击得连指关节的皮都破了。他似乎并没有觉得痛。
“No!”
“不行！”
“Let’s stay here –“
“让我们待在这儿——”
“I’m tired –“
“我累了——”
“Back to the shelter –“
“回到窝棚去——”
“I’m chief. We’ve got to make certain. Can’t you see the mountain? There’s no signal showing. There may be a ship out there. Are you all off your rockers?”
“我是头头。咱们必须搞个水落石出。难道你们没看见山吗？那儿没有信号在发出指示。也许有一艘船正从那外面经过。你们全都疯了吗？”
Mutinously, the boys fell silent or muttering.
男孩子们不完全同意地逐渐平静了下来，有些孩子还在低声地抱怨着。
Jack led the way down the rock and across the bridge.
杰克领路走下了山岩，跨过了石桥。
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