Silence now. Ralph lifted the cream and pink shell to his knees and a sudden breeze scattered light over the platform. He was uncertain whether to stand up or remain sitting. He looked sideways to his left, toward the bathing pool. Piggy was sitting near but giving no help.
此刻静了下来。拉尔夫把带粉红斑点的米色贝壳提到自己的膝盖上，一阵突如其来的微风轻轻吹过平台。他吃不准站好还是坐好。他侧眼朝左面、朝洗澡的那个水潭方向瞧瞧。猪崽子就坐在身边，并没有给他出主意。
By the time Ralph finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded. There were differences between this meeting and the one held in the morning. The afternoon sun slanted in from the other side of the platform and most of the children, feeling too late the smart of sunburn, had put their clothes on. The choir, less of a group, had discarded their cloaks.
拉尔夫一吹完海螺，平台已挤得满满的。这次聚会跟上午举行过的那次不同。下午的阳光从平台的另一侧斜射进来，大多数孩子在感到灼人的阳光的威力时已经被晒得很厉害，他们穿上了自己的衣服。而合唱队，引人注目地不那么像一个团体，仍将斗篷扔在一边。
Ralph sat on a fallen trunk, his left side to the sun. On his right were most of the choir; on his left the larger boys who had not known each other before the evacuation; before him small children squatted in the grass.
拉尔夫坐在一根倒下的树干上，左面朝着太阳。他的右面是合唱队的大多数成员；他的左面是这次疏散前互不相识的稍大的孩子；他的前面是蹲坐在草地上的小孩子们。
All at once he found he could talk fluently and explain what he had to say. He passed a hand through his fair hair and spoke.
他随即发现自己能顺顺当当地说下去，解释清自己必须说的话。他一手捋捋自己金黄的头发，一面说道：
“Well then.”
“那就这样吧。”
Ralph cleared his throat.
拉尔夫清清嗓子。
“And another thing. We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school.”
“还有件事。咱们不能许多人同时发言，必须像在学校里那样来个‘举手发言’。”
All three of them tried to convey the sense of the pink live thing struggling in the creepers.
他们三人全都忙着试图转达一种感受，一种看到过肉色有生命的东西在藤蔓中挣扎的感受。
“Before I could kill it — but — next time!”
“我还没来得及下手——但是——下一回！”
The meeting hummed and was silent.
会上一片唧唧喳喳，随之又静下来。
“Yes. There are pigs on the island.”
“对呀。这岛上有野猪。”
“There aren’t any grownups. We shall have to look after ourselves.”
“一个大人也没有。咱们只好自己照顾自己。”
“So you see,” said Ralph, “We need hunters to get us meat. And another thing.”
“大家知道，”拉尔夫说，“咱们需要有人去打猎、去弄肉。还有件事。”
“We saw –“
“我们看见——”
The meeting settled down again.
会议又继续下去。
“We’re on an island. We’ve been on the mountain top and seen water all round. We saw no houses, no smoke, no footprints, no boats, no people. We’re on an uninhabited island with no other people on it.”
“我们在一个岛上。我们几个到过山顶，看到四面都是海水。我们没看到房子和炊烟，也没看到足迹、船只和人。我们是在一个没人居住的荒岛上，这岛上没别人。”
“Squealing –“
“吱喳乱叫——”
Jack slammed his knife into a trunk and looked round challengingly.
杰克把刀猛劈进一枝树干，挑战似的朝四下瞧瞧。
He lifted the shell on his knees and looked round the sun-slashed faces.
他举起了膝盖上的贝壳，环顾着一张张光影斑驳的面孔。
“It broke away –“
“它逃脱了——”
Jack broke in.
杰克插嘴说：
“All the same you need an army — for hunting. Hunting pigs –“
“我们得有一支队伍——去打猎。猎野猪——”
He held the conch before his face and glanced round the mouth.
他把海螺举到面前，打量着海螺嘴。
“We’ll have rules!” he cried excitedly. “Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks ’em –“
“咱们要作些规定！”他激动地高叫道。“规定许多条！谁要是破坏这些条条——”
“They knew at the airport.”
“在飞机场会有人知道。”
He paused effectively.
他停顿一下以引起大家的重视。
“That’s what this shell’s called. I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.”
“这贝壳就叫海螺。我把海螺给下一个要发言的。他就拿着海螺说话。”
“The man with a trumpet-thing –“
“带喇叭那东西的大人——”
“Bong!”
“好啊！”
“Look –“
“瞧——”
“And he won’t be interrupted: Except by me.”
“谁也不可以打断他的发言，我除外。”
“Who knows we’re here? Eh?”
“谁知道咱们在这儿？呃？”
“But –“
“可是——”
Piggy put on his glasses.
猪崽子又戴上眼镜。
“You’re hindering Ralph. You’re not letting him get to the most important thing.”
“你们在妨碍拉尔夫。你们不让他抓住最重要的事情。”
“Then I’ll give him the conch.”
“谁要发言我就给他拿海螺。”
“Doink!”
“干吧！”
Ralph felt the conch lifted from his lap. Then Piggy was standing cradling the great cream shell and the shouting died down. Jack, left on his feet, looked uncertainly at Ralph who smiled and patted the log. Jack sat down. Piggy took off his glasses and blinked at the assembly while he wiped them on his shirt.
拉尔夫感到有谁从他膝上拿起海螺。接着猪崽子站了起来，兜着那只米色的大贝壳站在那儿，欢叫声静了下去。杰克还站着，疑惑不定地瞥了拉尔夫一眼，后者却在笑嘻嘻地轻拍着一根圆木。杰克只好坐了下来。猪崽子一面取下眼镜朝衬衫上擦擦，一面眼睛眨巴眨巴地看着与会者。
“Wacco!”
“真带劲！”
“My dad.”
“我爸爸。”
“Conch?”
“海螺？”
“Whee — oh!”
“喂——哦！”
“Nobody knows where we are,” said Piggy. He was paler than before and breathless. “Perhaps they knew where we was going to; and perhaps not. But they don’t know where we are ‘cos we never got there.” He gaped at them for a moment, then swayed and sat down. Ralph took the conch from his hands.
“没人知道咱们在什么地方，”猪崽子说道。他的脸色更加苍白，呼吸急促。“他们大概知道咱们要上哪儿；大概不知道。但是他们不知道咱们现在哪儿，因为咱们根本没到过目的地。”他张口结舌地瞧了大家一会儿，然后摇晃着身子坐下。拉尔夫从猪崽子手里接过了海螺。
Jack was on his feet.
杰克站起身。
“Blue flowers –“
“蓝蓝的野花——”
He gesticulated widely.
他狂热地作着手势。
“So we may be here a long time.”
“那咱们只好在这儿呆老长时间了。”
“But this is a good island. We — Jack, Simon and me — we climbed the mountain. It’s wizard. There’s food and drink, and –“
“可这个岛真不赖啊。我们——杰克、西蒙和我——我们爬过山。这个岛好极了。有吃有喝的，还有——”
The silence was so complete that they could hear the unevenness of Piggy’s breathing. The sun slanted in and lay golden over half the platform. The breezes that on the lagoon had chased their tails like kittens were finding their way across the platform and into the forest. Ralph pushed back the tangle of fair hair that hung on his forehead.
真是鸦雀无声，大家连猪崽子呼哧呼哧的呼吸声也能听见。阳光斜射进来，半个平台都铺满了金色的阳光。环礁湖上的轻风一阵紧接一阵，就像追逐着自己尾巴的小猫，夺路越过平台，窜进森林。拉尔夫把垂在前额上的一绺金发往后一捋。
“While we’re waiting we can have a good time on this island.”
“咱们在岛上等的时候可以玩个痛快。”
Piggy, partly recovered, pointed to the conch in Ralph’s hands, and Jack and Simon fell silent. Ralph went on.
猪崽子有点儿恢复过来了，他指指拉尔夫手里的海螺，杰克和西蒙不响了。拉尔夫继续说道：
At once there was a clamor.
一下就爆发出一阵喧嚷声。
Nobody said anything. He grinned suddenly.
没人吱声。拉尔夫突然咧嘴笑起来。
“Rocks –“
“各种山岩——”
“It’s like in a book.”
“就像在书里写的一模一样。”
“That’s what I was going to say,” he went on, “when you all, all…” He gazed at their intent faces. “The plane was shot down in flames. Nobody knows where we are. We may be here a long time.”
“我打算说的就是这个，”他接着说，“当你们全都，全都……”他注视着大伙儿全神贯注的表情。“飞机被击落着火了。没人知道咱们在哪儿。咱们可能会在这儿呆老长时间。”
Ralph waved the conch.
拉尔夫挥舞着海螺。
Jack held out his hand for the conch.
杰克伸手拿了海螺。
“Coral Island –“
“珊瑚岛[3]——”【注：[3] 英国作家巴兰坦（1825—1894）的小说。描写三个英国青少年在南太平洋珊瑚岛上的惊险故事。他们性格开朗，机智勇敢，是患难与共的好朋友，由于船只失事而漂流到一座孤岛上，终于战胜了海盗和土人，回到了故乡。书中的杰克是个身强力壮、见义勇为的英俊青年；拉尔夫年纪稍小一些，故事的讲述者；彼得金是个小个子，年纪最小，头脑机敏，好开玩笑。戈尔丁创作《蝇王》受到《珊瑚岛》的影响，但《蝇王》实质上是对《珊瑚岛》充满光明描写的否定。】
“Treasure Island –“
“金银岛[1]——”【注：[1] 指英国作家史蒂文森（1850—1894）的小说。】
He handed the conch back to Ralph and sat down. Apparently no one had found anything.
他把海螺递还给拉尔夫，坐了下来。显然没人发现别的东西。
The other little boys, whispering but serious, pushed him toward Ralph.
别的小孩低声嘟哝着，可态度全挺严肃，他们把他推向拉尔夫。
“There’s pigs,” he said. “There’s food; and bathing water in that little stream along there — and everything. Didn’t anyone find anything else?”
“有野猪，”他说。“有吃的；沿那边过去的小溪里可以去洗澡——样样都不缺。还有人发现别的东西吗？”
The older boys first noticed the child when he resisted. There was a group of little boys urging him forward and he did not want to go. He was a shrimp of a boy, about six years old, and one side of his face was blotted out by a mulberry-colored birthmark. He stood now, warped out of the perpendicular by the fierce light of publicity, and he bored into the coarse grass with one toe. He was muttering and about to cry.
稍大的孩子们注意到了一个小孩意见相反。有群小孩怂恿他出来，可他不肯。这个小孩是个小不点儿，小得像只虾米，约摸六岁，一侧的面孔由于一块紫红的胎记而模糊不清。此刻他站着，被众目睽睽的眼光盯得不知所措，他用一只脚趾头往下钻弄着粗壮的野草。他嘟嘟哝哝，几乎要哭了出来。
“Swallows and Amazons –“
“燕子号人和亚马逊号人[2]——”【注：[2] 英国作家兰塞姆（1884—1967）所写的少儿系列小说的第一种。燕子和亚马逊是两只小船的名字，两派少年分别以船名命名，互相开战闹着玩。书中描写了强盗、风暴和探险等。以孩子们共同机智地战胜了强盗为结局。】
“All right,” said Ralph, “come on then.”
“好吧，”拉尔夫说道，“那就来说吧。”
“This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us we’ll have fun.”
“这是咱们的岛。一个美好的岛。在大人找来之前，咱们可以在这儿尽情玩耍。”
The small boy looked round in panic.
小男孩心慌意乱地四下张望着。
“Let him have the conch!” shouted Piggy. “Let him have it!”
“让他拿海螺！”猪崽子喊道。“让他拿！”
“Tell us about the snake-thing.”
“给我们讲讲蛇样的东西。”
“Speak up!”
“快说吧！”
“In the woods.”
“在林子里。”
“Where?”
“在哪儿？”
“A snake-thing. Ever so big. He saw it.”
“蛇样的东西。好大好大。他见过。”
“Beastie?’
“小野兽？”
“You couldn’t have a beastie, a snake-thing, on an island this size,” Ralph explained kindly. “You only get them in big countries, like Africa, or India.”
“在这么大小的岛上不可能有小野兽、蛇样的东西，”拉尔夫好心地解释道。“只有在大地方，要么像非洲、要么像印度，才找得到那种东西。”
Ralph laughed, and the other boys laughed with him. The small boy twisted further into himself.
拉尔夫笑了，别的孩子也跟着笑了。小男孩蜷曲着身体缩作一团。
“He wants to know what you’re going to do about the snake-thing.”
“他要知道你们打算拿蛇样的东西怎么办。”
At last Ralph induced him to hold the shell but by then the blow of laughter had taken away the child’s voice. Piggy knelt by him, one hand on the great shell, listening and interpreting to the assembly.
拉尔夫示意他拿起了海螺，可随之一阵笑声淹没了小男孩的声音。猪崽子跪在他身边，一手按在大海螺上，听他讲，并向其余的人作出解释。
Either the wandering breezes or perhaps the decline of the sun allowed a little coolness to lie under the trees. The boys felt it and stirred restlessly.
不知是飘荡的微风，还是西下的夕阳，给树木底下带来了阵阵的凉意。孩子们感到了这点，骚动起来。
The small boy held out his hands for the conch and the assembly shouted with laughter; at once he snatched back his hands and started to cry.
小男孩伸出双手去拿海螺，与会的孩子们大笑大嚷起来；他马上缩回双手，哭开了。
“Now he says it was a beastie.”
“现在他说那是只小野兽。”
“Then he couldn’t see it!”
“那他根本就看不见！”
“He says in the morning it turned into them things like ropes in the trees and hung in the branches. He says will it come back tonight?”
“他说在早上小野兽变成绳子样的东西挂在树枝上，不知道今儿晚上会不会再来。”
“He still says he saw the beastie. It came and went away again an’ came back and wanted to eat him –“
“他还是说见过小野兽。那东西来过又走了，后来又回来，要吃掉他——”
Murmur; and the grave nodding of heads.
一阵喃喃细语声；接着是一阵庄重的点头。
“Did you hear that? Says he saw the thing in the dark –“
“你们听见吗？他说在黑暗中看到了那东西——”
“But there isn’t a beastie!”
“可根本没小野兽呀！”
“He must have had a nightmare. Stumbling about among all those creepers.”
“他准是做恶梦了。因为老在这些藤蔓中跌跌撞撞。”
“He says the beastie came in the dark.”
“他说小野兽在黑暗中出来。”
There was no laughter at all now and more grave watching. Ralph pushed both hands through his hair and looked at the little boy in mixed amusement and exasperation.
此刻却一点笑声都没有了，大伙儿面容肃然地瞧着他。拉尔夫双手捋着头发，又好玩又恼怒地注视着这个小男孩。
“He was dreaming.”
“他在做梦呢。”
More grave nodding; they knew about nightmares.
更庄重的点头；孩子们知道恶梦是怎么回事。
“He says he saw the beastie, the snake-thing, and will it come back tonight?”
“他说见过野兽、蛇样的东西。他问今晚它会不会再来。”
Laughing, Ralph looked for confirmation round the ring of faces. The older boys agreed; but here and there among the little ones was the doubt that required more than rational assurance.
哄堂大笑。拉尔夫环顾着四周，看着一张张面孔，寻求大家的赞同。大点的孩子们赞同拉尔夫；可小孩子中却有不少人表示疑惑，单靠推理式的保证可说不服他们。
“But there isn’t a beastie!”
“可根本没有小野兽呀！”
Laughter and cheers.
一阵笑声、欢闹声。
The assembly was silent.
与会者默不吭声。
“But there isn’t a snake!”
“可实在没有蛇呀！”
“Ralph’s right of course. There isn’t a snake-thing. But if there was a snake we’d hunt it and kill it. We’re going to hunt pigs to get meat for everybody. And we’ll look for the snake too –“
“当然拉尔夫说得对。没有蛇样的东西。但要是真有蛇我们就把它逮住干掉。我们正要去猎野猪，为大伙儿搞点肉。我们也要去打蛇呢——”
Jack seized the conch.
杰克一把抢过海螺。
“Now we come to the most important thing. I’ve been thinking. I was thinking while we were climbing the mountain.” He flashed a conspiratorial grin at the other two. “And on the beach just now. This is what I thought. We want to have fun. And we want to be rescued.”
“现在咱们来讨论最重要的事情。我一直在考虑。就是在我们几个爬山时也在想。”他向另外两个会意地咧嘴笑笑。“刚才在海滩上也在想。我想的就是，咱们要玩，还要得救。”
“But I tell you there isn’t a beast!”
“可我告诉你们没有野兽！”
The passionate noise of agreement from the assembly hit him like a wave and he lost his thread. He thought again.
与会者表示赞同的热情呼声像热浪那样冲击着他，他一时断了话头，想了想后又说：
Ralph was annoyed and, for the moment, defeated. He felt himself facing something ungraspable. The eyes that looked so intently at him were without humor.
拉尔夫恼了，一时无法可想。他感到自己面对着某种不可捉摸的东西。而盯着他的眼睛又是那么样的全神贯注，毫无幽默感。
Something he had not known was there rose in him and compelled him to make the point, loudly and again.
拉尔夫不知是什么力量从他内部涌上来迫使他又大声地强调这一点。
“But there isn’t a beast!”
“可实在没有野兽呀！”
Ralph lifted the conch again and his good humor came back as he thought of what he had to say next.
拉尔夫又举起海螺，他一想到自己接下去要说的话，心情又好了起来。
“We’ll make sure when we go hunting.”
“我们去打猎时会搞清楚的。”
Voices babbled. The simple statement, unbacked by any proof but the weight of Ralph’s new authority, brought light and happiness. He had to wave the conch before he could make them hear him.
响起了一派喧闹声。这种只是出于拉尔夫的新的权威，并非有什么根据的直率的断论，却给大家带来了光明和欢乐。拉尔夫不得不挥舞海螺以示安静，让大伙儿继续听他说。
“We want to be rescued; and of course we shall be rescued.”
“咱们要得救，当然咱们会得救。”
“My father’s in the Navy. He said there aren’t any unknown islands left. He says the Queen has a big room full of maps and all the islands in the world are drawn there. So the Queen’s got a picture of this island.”
“我父亲在海军里。他说已经没什么岛屿是人们所不知道的了。他说女王有个大房间，里面全是地图，世界上所有的岛都画在那上面。所以女王一定会有这个岛的地图的。”
Again came the sounds of cheerfulness and better heart.
又响起了一片欢天喜地的声音。
“And sooner or later a ship will put in here. It might even be Daddy’s ship. So you see, sooner or later, we shall be rescued.”
“早晚会有船派到这儿。说不定还是我爸爸的船呢。大家等着，早晚咱们总会得救。”
Ralph waved the conch.
拉尔夫挥挥海螺。
He paused, with the point made. The assembly was lifted toward safety by his words. They liked and now respected him. Spontaneously they began to clap and presently the platform was loud with applause. Ralph flushed, looking sideways at Piggy’s open admiration, and then the other way at Jack who was smirking and showing that he too knew how to clap.
他停顿一下，以示强调。与会者因他的话而产生一种安全感。他们本来就喜欢拉尔夫，而现在更尊敬他了。大伙儿自发地开始拍手叫好，一会儿平台上就响彻了掌声。拉尔夫一阵脸红，他侧眼看到猪崽子毫不掩饰的钦羡之情，而在另一侧看到杰克在嘻嘻地傻笑，表现他也知道怎么鼓掌。
“I bet it’s gone tea-time,” said Piggy. “What do they think they’re going to do on that mountain?”
“我打赌是吃茶点的时候了，”猪崽子说。“真不知他们跑到那山上去想干什么？”
“Shut up! Wait! Listen!”
“停下！等一等！听我说！”
“A fire! Make a fire!”
“一堆火！生一堆火！”
At once half the boys were on their feet. Jack clamored among them, the conch forgotten.
一半孩子立刻站了起来。杰克在当中鼓噪着，也不记得拿海螺了。
“Like kids!” he said scornfully. “Acting like a crowd of kids!”
“一群小孩儿！”他轻蔑地说。“一举一动真是像一群小孩儿！”
He went on in the silence, borne on his triumph.
他在安静的气氛中得意扬扬地继续说道：
The space under the palm trees was full of noise and movement. Ralph was on his feet too, shouting for quiet, but no one heard him. All at once the crowd swayed toward the island and was gone — following Jack. Even the tiny children went and did their best among the leaves and broken branches. Ralph was left, holding the conch, with no one but Piggy.
棕榈树下的一片空地充满了噪声，孩子们跑动起来。拉尔夫也站了起来，大叫安静，可没人听他。人群一下子都跑向岛的一端，一窝蜂地跑了——跟着杰克跑了。甚至连小小的孩子们也跑起来，踩着断枝落叶，使劲地跑着。留下拉尔夫拿着海螺，此外就只剩下了猪崽子。
Piggy’s breathing was quite restored.
猪崽子的呼吸几乎已经完全恢复正常。
“Come on! Follow me!”
“来吧！跟我来！”
Ralph looked at him doubtfully and laid the conch on the tree trunk.
拉尔夫犹豫不决地看着猪崽子，把海螺搁到树干上。
“There’s another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire.”
“还有件事。咱们有办法帮助他们找。船只经过岛的附近时，船上的人不一定会注意到咱们。因此必须在山顶上升起烟来。咱们一定要生堆火。”
He caressed the shell respectfully, then stopped and looked up.
他颇带敬意地抚摸着海螺，随后停下来抬头仰望。
Piggy watched him in disgust.
猪崽子带着很不满的眼光看着他。
Ralph was already clambering over the first smashed swathes of the scar. A long way ahead of him was crashing and laughter.
拉尔夫已经爬上了孤岩的第一层断裂面。他前面老长一段路都响着孩子们咔嚓咔嚓地踩着枝叶的声音和欢笑声。
Below the other side of the mountain top was a platform of forest. Once more Ralph found himself making the cupping gesture.
山顶的另一侧之下有块平坦的森林。拉尔夫无意中又做了个倒放着的杯子的手势。
“Ralph! Hey! Where you going?”
“拉尔夫！嘿！你上哪儿？”
He sighed, bent, and laced up his shoes. The noise of the errant assembly faded up the mountain. Then, with the martyred expression of a parent who has to keep up with the senseless ebullience of the children, he picked up the conch, turned toward the forest, and began to pick his way over the tumbled scar.
他叹了口气，弯下腰系紧鞋带。蜂拥而去的人群中的噪声随着他们上山而渐渐消逝。然后，猪崽子带着一种长者不得不跟上孩子愚蠢的胡闹而作出牺牲的表情，他捡起海螺，转向森林，开始择路翻过高低不平的孤岩。
“Like a crowd of kids –“
“像一群小孩儿——”
Jack nodded and pulled at his underlip. Starting perhaps a hundred feet below them on the steeper side of the mountain, the patch might have been designed expressly for fuel. Trees, forced by the damp heat, found too little soil for full growth, fell early and decayed: creepers cradled them, and new saplings searched a way up.
杰克点点头，用牙齿咬住下嘴唇。在山的较陡峭的一侧，在他们脚下约一百英尺处开始，有块地方好像已经特地设计好来放燃料似的。在潮湿的暑压之下，树木缺乏足够的泥土，没法长足，过早地倒下腐烂了：藤蔓盘缠，在底下托着枯树，新的树苗夺路而长。
“Down there we could get as much wood as we want.”
“那下面咱们要多少柴火就有多少。”
Jack turned to the choir, who stood ready. Their black caps of maintenance were slid over one ear like berets.
杰克转向已经站好的合唱队。他们戴着的黑帽子滑向一侧，盖住一只耳朵，就像戴着贝雷帽。
“We’ll build a pile. Come on.”
“咱们要搞一个柴火堆。来吧。”
They found the likeliest path down and began tugging at the dead wood. And the small boys who had reached the top came sliding too till everyone but Piggy was busy. Most of the wood was so rotten that when they pulled, it broke up into a shower of fragments and woodlice and decay; but some trunks came out in one piece. The twins, Sam ‘n Eric, were the first to get a likely log but they could do nothing till Ralph, Jack, Simon, Roger and Maurice found room for a hand-hold. Then they inched the grotesque dead thing up the rock and toppled it over on top. Each party of boys added a quota, less or more, and the pile grew. At the return Ralph found himself alone on a limb with Jack and they grinned at each other, sharing this burden. Once more, amid the breeze, the shouting, the slanting sunlight on the high mountain, was shed that glamour, that strange invisible light of friendship, adventure, and content.
他们找出最恰当的下坡路，开始用力地拖拉枯树残枝。已到山顶的小孩子们也跟着滑了下来，除了猪崽子一人以外，人人都在忙碌。大多数的树木都已腐烂不堪，一拉就碎，木屑四飞，还有纷扬的树虱和烂物；可也有些树干被原根拉出来。双胞胎萨姆和埃里克先找到一根可能会是原根的圆木，但他们搬不动，拉尔夫、杰克、西蒙、罗杰和莫里斯也来插手帮忙。接着他们把那棵奇形怪状的枯树一点点抬到岩石上，把它往柴火堆上一倒。每一群孩子都多少加了点，柴火堆越来越高。又一个来回时拉尔夫发现自己正同杰克一块儿扛一根大树枝，他们俩分担着这个重物，不由互相咧嘴而笑。在微风中、在欢叫中、在斜射到高山上的阳光中，再次散发出一种魅力，散发出一种亲密无间、大胆冒险和令人满足的光辉，一种奇妙而无形的光辉。
“Not for the two of us.”
“咱们俩能扛得动。”
Jack grinned back.
杰克露齿笑着回答：
“Almost too heavy.”
“真有点吃不消。”
Together, joined in an effort by the burden, they staggered up the last steep Of the mountain. Together, they chanted One! Two! Three! and crashed the log on to the great pile. Then they stepped back, laughing with triumphant pleasure, so that immediately Ralph had to stand on his head. Below them, boys were still laboring, though some of the small ones had lost interest and were searching this new forest for fruit. Now the twins, with unsuspected intelligence, came up the mountain with armfuls of dried leaves and dumped them against the pile. One by one, as they sensed that the pile was complete, the boys stopped going back for more and stood, with the pink, shattered top of the mountain around them. Breath came evenly by now, and sweat dried.
他们俩一块儿竭力扛着树枝，摇摇晃晃地爬上了最后一段陡峭的山路。他们俩一块儿哼着一！二！三！把大树枝砰地扔到大柴火堆上。随后他们俩又洋溢着胜利的欢乐，欢笑着走回去，于是拉尔夫忍不住来了个拿大顶。在他们下面，孩子们仍在干着活，尽管有些小家伙已经没有兴趣，在这片新的森林里寻找起野果来。此刻双胞胎以令人意想不到的聪明，捧着一抱抱枯树叶爬上山来，把叶子倾倒在柴火堆上。感到柴火堆够高了，孩子们一个个都不再回去拿，他们站在粉红色的、嶙峋的山顶石之中。呼吸现在平静了，身上的汗水也干了。
Ralph and Jack looked at each other while society paused about them. The shameful knowledge grew in them and they did not know how to begin confession.
拉尔夫和杰克互相瞅瞅，大伙儿都在他们边上干等着。他们俩滋生起一种惭愧的感觉，也不知道怎么来表示这种心情。
Ralph spoke first, crimson in the face.
拉尔夫红涨着脸先开了口。
“Will you?”
“你来怎么样？”
Ralph shouted at him.
拉尔夫朝他喊道：
The other boys took up the cry till the mountain rang. Piggy shook his head and came to the pile.
别的孩子跟着嚷嚷，山上一片嗡嗡响。猪崽子摇摇头，来到柴火堆旁。
Jack pointed suddenly.
杰克突然用手指着，说：
“You rub two sticks. You rub –“
“你把两根树枝互相摩擦。你摩擦——”
“You make a bow and spin the arrow,” said Roger. He rubbed his hands in mime. “Psss. Psss.”
“你做张弓，旋动那枝箭取火，”罗杰说道。他搓手模仿着，“嘶嘶。嘶嘶。”
“My! You’ve made a big heap, haven’t you?”
“嗳呀！是你们搞了这么个大堆？是不是？”
“Will you light the fire?”
“你来点火好吗？”
“Piggy! Have you got any matches?”
“猪崽子！你带火柴了吗？”
“Has anyone got any matches?”
“谁有火柴吗？”
He cleared his throat and went on.
他清清嗓子继续说：
Now the absurd situation was open, Jack blushed too. He began to mutter vaguely.
于是尴尬的局面揭开了，杰克的脸也红了。他开始含糊不清地喃喃而语。
A little air was moving over the mountain. Piggy came with it, in shorts and shirt, laboring cautiously out of the forest with the evening sunlight gleaming from his glasses. He held the conch under his arm.
一阵微风吹过山来。随之而来的是穿着短裤和衬衫的猪崽子，他小心翼翼地从森林中费力地走了出来，夕照在他的眼镜上反射出一闪一闪的亮光。他胳膊下夹着海螺。
“His specs — use them as burning glasses!”
“他的眼镜——拿眼镜作聚光镜！”
Piggy was surrounded before he could back away.
猪崽子没来得及脱身就给团团围住了。
He glanced at Ralph, who blurted out the last confession of incompetence.
他瞥了一下拉尔夫，拉尔夫却不打自供了无能，他脱口而出。
“Here — let me go!” His voice rose to a shriek of terror as Jack snatched the glasses off his face. “Mind out! Give ’em back! I can hardly see! You’ll break the conch!”
“嘿——放我走！”正当猪崽子发出恐怖的尖叫，杰克早一把从他脸上抢走了眼镜。“当心！还我眼镜！我都看不见了！你要把海螺给打碎了！”
“Stand out of the light.”
“站开，别挡光。”
Ralph elbowed him to ne side and knelt by the pile.
拉尔夫用胳膊肘把他推向一边，跪在柴火堆旁。
There was pushing and pulling and officious cries. Ralph moved the lenses back and forth, this way and that, till a glossy white image of the declining sun lay on a piece of rotten wood. Almost at once a thin trickle of smoke rose up and made him cough. Jack knelt too and blew gently, so that the smoke drifted away, thickening, and a tiny flame appeared. The flame, nearly invisible at first in that bright sunlight, enveloped a small twig, grew, was enriched with color and reached up to a branch which exploded with a sharp crack. The flame flapped higher and the boys broke into a cheer.
一阵推推拉拉，再加上瞎起劲的大叫大嚷。拉尔夫把眼镜片前前后后，上下左右地移来移去，夕阳的一道亮闪闪的白光落到一块烂木头上。几乎同时升起了一缕轻烟，呛得拉尔夫干咳起来。杰克也跪下轻轻地吹着，于是轻烟飘散开去，接着烟更浓了，终于出现了一小团火苗。在明亮的阳光下开始几乎看不见的火苗卷住了一根细树枝，火越来越大，闪现着灿灿的火光，又蹿上一根树枝，发出噼里啪啦的尖响的爆裂声。火苗越蹿越高，孩子们一片欢腾。
“My specs!” howled Piggy. “Give me my specs!”
“我的眼镜！”猪崽子号叫着。“还我眼镜！”
Ralph stood away from the pile and put the glasses into Piggy’s groping hands. His voice subsided to a mutter.
拉尔夫从柴火堆旁站开一点，把眼镜塞到猪崽子摸索着的手里。猪崽子的声音慢慢变成了叽里咕噜的自怨自诉。
The boys were dancing. The pile was so rotten, and now so tinder-dry, that whole limbs yielded passionately to the yellow flames that poured upwards and shook a great beard of flame twenty feet in the air. For yards round the fire the heat was like a blow, and the breeze was a river of sparks. Trunks crumbled to white dust.
孩子们跳起了舞。柴火堆那么朽蚀不堪，现在像引燃物那么干燥，金黄的火焰大口地吞没着一根根大树枝，熊熊的火苗蹿到二十英尺的空中摇来晃去。火堆近处，热浪逼人，微风吹过，带起一条火星。一根根树干在烈火中蜷缩为灰白的余烬。
“Jus’ blurs, that’s all. Hardly see my hand –“
“弄得这么脏。我戴着连手都看不见——”
“More wood! All of you get more wood!”
“再要柴火！大家全去找柴火！”
Life became a race with the fire and the boys scattered through the upper forest. To keep a clean flag of flame flying on the mountain was the immediate end and no one looked further. Even the smallest boys, unless fruit claimed them, brought little pieces of wood and threw them in. The air moved a little faster and became a light wind, so that leeward and windward side were clearly differentiated. On one side the air was cool, but on the other the fire thrust out a savage arm of heat that crinkled hair on the instant. Boys who felt the evening wind on their damp faces paused to enjoy the freshness of it and then found they were exhausted. They flung themselves down in the shadows that lay among the shattered rocks. The beard of flame diminished quickly; then the pile fell inwards with a soft, cindery sound, and sent a great tree of sparks upwards that leaned away and drifted downwind. The boys lay, panting like dogs.
此刻生活变成了一场同火的竞赛，孩子们四散奔进了稍在高处一点的森林。要在山上保持一面迎风飘扬的美好的火之大旗已成当务之急，没一个人再顾得上别的。即使连最小的孩子们也拿来小片的木头投进火堆，除非被果子所吸引的。空气流动得稍快一些，成了一股轻风，因此下风头和上风头有了明显的界限。一头空气凉飕飕的，但另一头火堆中冲出灼人的热浪，一瞬间就能把头发都烘得拳曲起来。孩子们感到了习习晚风吹拂在湿漉漉的脸上，停下享受这股清凉，于是便发现自己已精疲力竭。他们扑倒在乱石堆中的阴影里。火苗迅速减弱下去；随后火堆渐渐坍下去了，内中不时地响起一种焦炭的轻轻的爆裂声，一大股火星往上直冲，倾斜开来，随风飘去。孩子们躺在地上，像狗似的喘着粗气。
Ralph shouted.
拉尔夫叫喊道：
Ralph raised his head off his forearms.
拉尔夫把搁在前臂上的脑袋抬起来。
“I got the conch,” said Piggy indignantly. “You let me speak!”
“我拿着海螺，”猪崽子恼怒地说道。“你们让我发言！”
“You shut up!”
“你闭嘴！”
“What d’you mean?”
“你这是什么意思？”
“We haven’t made a fire,” he said, “what’s any use. We couldn’t keep a fire like that going, not if we tried.”
“咱们没生成火，”他说，“有什么用！像这样烧的火堆咱们又没法维持，再怎么试也不行。”
Piggy wilted. Ralph took the conch from him and looked round the circle of boys.
猪崽子蔫了。拉尔夫从他那儿拿过海螺，环顾了一下周围的孩子们。
“A fat lot you tried,” said Jack contemptuously. “You just sat.”
“胖子你太费心思啦，”杰克鄙视地说。“你只会干坐。”
“I got the conch in my hand.”
“我手里拿着海螺。”
Roger spat efficiently into the hot dust.
罗杰不住地往灼热的灰烬中呸呸吐着唾沫。
“That was no good.”
“没用啊。”
“We used his specs,” said Simon, smearing a black cheek with his forearm. “He helped that way.”
“咱们用过他的眼镜，”西蒙边说，边用前臂擦擦黑污污的脸颊。“他那样也算帮了忙。”
“Put on green branches,” said Maurice. “That’s the best way to make smoke.”
“放上青树枝，”莫里斯说道。“那是生烟的最好法子。”
“The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain,” said Jack, “so you shut up.”
“海螺在山顶上不算数，”杰克说，“你还是闭嘴吧。”
“I got the conch –“
“我拿着海螺——”
Jack turned fiercely.
杰克恶狠狠地转脸说：
“There wasn’t any smoke. Only flame.”
“没有烟，只有火啊。”
“We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out there”– he waved his arm at the taut wire of the horizon –“and if we have a signal going they’ll come and take us off. And another thing. We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting. The same up here as down there.”
“咱们得专门派人看管火堆。要是哪一天有船经过那儿，”——他挥臂指向笔直的海平线——“如果咱们有个点燃的信号，他们就会来带咱们走。还有件事。咱们该再作些规定。哪儿吹响海螺就在哪儿开会。山上这儿同下面那儿都一样。”
Piggy had settled himself in a space between two rocks, and sat with the conch on his knees.
猪崽子已经安安稳稳地坐在两块岩石当中，膝盖上放着海螺。
“I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things.”
“我同意拉尔夫说的。咱们必须有规定照着办。咱们毕竟不是野蛮人。咱们是英国人；英国人干哪样都干得最棒。所以咱们干哪样都得像个样。”
They assented. Piggy opened his mouth to speak, caught Jack’s eye and shut it again. Jack held out his hands for the conch and stood up, holding the delicate thing carefully in his sooty hands.
大伙儿都同意了。猪崽子张嘴要说，瞥见杰克的眼神，又闭口不言。杰克伸出手去拿海螺，他站起来，乌黑的手小心地捧着易碎的海螺。
“Ralph, I’ll split up the choir — my hunters, that is — into groups, and we’ll be responsible for keeping the fire going –“
“拉尔夫——我将把合唱队——我的猎手们拆散开来，也就是说——分成小组，我们负责看管生火堆的事——”
The assembly assented gravely.
与会者庄重地一致同意。
“And we’ll be responsible for keeping a lookout too. If we see a ship out there”– they followed the direction of his bony arm with their eyes –“we’ll put green branches on. Then there’ll be more smoke.”
“而且我们还要负责设一个观察哨。要是我们看到那儿有船，”——大伙儿顺着杰克臂骨粗突的手臂所指的方向望过去——“我们就把青树枝放上去。那时烟就更浓了。”
“We’ll let the fire burn out now. Who would see smoke at night-time, anyway? And we can start the fire again whenever we like. Altos, you can keep the fire going this week, and trebles the next –“
“我们现在就让火烧完它。反正晚上有谁会看到烟呢？而且，我们只要喜欢，随便什么时候都可以再把它生起来。奥尔托斯——这星期你来管生火；下星期再增加到三个人——”
He turned to Ralph.
他转向拉尔夫。
This generosity brought a spatter of applause from the boys, so that Jack grinned at them, then waved the conch for silence.
这样的慷慨大度引起了孩子们一阵喝彩之声，杰克因此咧嘴笑看着大家，随后挥动海螺以示安静。
“I’ve been watching the sea. There hasn’t been the trace of a ship. Perhaps we’ll never be rescued.”
“我一直盯着海看。连船的影子也没有。多半咱们压根儿别想得救了。”
“I said before we’ll be rescued sometime. We’ve just got to wait, that’s all.”
“我以前说过咱们会得救的。咱们只要等着就行了。”
“That’s what I said! I said about our meetings and things and then you said shut up –“
“那就是我说的！我说过开会呀，还有别的事呀，可随后你们都要我住口——”
They gazed intently at the dense blue of the horizon, as if a little silhouette might appear there at any moment.
大家目不转睛地直盯着深蓝的海平线，似乎那儿随时都可能出现一个小小的船影。
The sun in the west was a drop of burning gold that slid nearer and nearer the sill of the world. All at once they were aware of the evening as the end of light and warmth.
西下的夕阳就像一滴燃烧着的金子，一点点滑向海平线。当阳光和温度趋弱之际，他们几乎同时觉察到了傍晚姗姗来临。
Daring, indignant, Piggy took the conch.
猪崽子勇敢地、怒气冲冲地拿过海螺。
Roger took the conch and looked round at them gloomily.
罗杰拿起海螺，神色沮丧地环顾着大伙儿。
His voice lifted into the whine of virtuous recrimination. They stirred and began to shout him down.
他的嗓门越来越响，变成了一种道德上的责问，变成了一种哀诉。大伙儿骚动起来，开始轰他下去。
A murmur rose and swept away. Ralph took back the conch.
一阵嘁嘁喳喳的咕哝之声，然后又是一片静寂。拉尔夫取回了海螺。
He paused in the tumult, standing, looking beyond them and down the unfriendly side of the mountain to the great patch where they had found dead wood. Then he laughed so strangely that they were hushed, looking at the flash of his spectacles in astonishment. They followed his gaze to find the sour joke.
他愤激得说不下去，站在那里，眼光越过他们，俯视着山的冷漠的一侧，直看到他们刚才找到枯树残枝的那块美好的地方。随后猪崽子怪笑起来，大伙儿则沉默下去，惊诧地瞧着他那闪光的眼镜。他们顺着他那专注的眼光看去，想发现这带敌意的冷笑究竟是什么意思。
“You said you wanted a small fire and you been and built a pile like a hayrick. If I say anything,” cried Piggy, with bitter realism, “you say shut up; but if Jack or Maurice or Simon –“
“你们说要一个小火堆，结果给弄了个像干草堆那样的大堆。要是我说什么，”猪崽子以一种认识到无情现实的痛苦表情叫喊道，“你们就说住口住口，可要是杰克、莫里斯或西蒙——”
“You got your small fire all right.”
“你们确实有了小火堆呢。”
Smoke was rising here and there among the creepers that festooned the dead or dying trees. As they watched, a flash of fire appeared at the root of one wisp, and then the smoke thickened. Small flames stirred at the trunk of a tree and crawled away through leaves and brushwood, dividing and increasing. One patch touched a tree trunk and scrambled up like a bright squirrel. The smoke increased, sifted, rolled outwards. The squirrel leapt on the wings of the wind and clung to another standing tree, eating downwards. Beneath the dark canopy of leaves and smoke the fire laid hold on the forest and began to gnaw. Acres of black and yellow smoke rolled steadily toward the sea. At the sight of the flames and the irresistible course of the fire, the boys broke into shrill, excited cheering. The flames, as though they were a kind of wild life, crept as a jaguar creeps on its belly toward a line of birch-like saplings that fledged an outcrop of the pink rock. They flapped at the first of the trees, and the branches grew a brief foliage of fire. The heart of flame leapt nimbly across the gap between the trees and then went swinging and flaring along the whole row of them. Beneath the capering boys a quarter of a mile square of forest was savage with smoke and flame. The separate noises of the fire merged into a drum-roll that seemed to shake the mountain.
从枯死或将要枯死的树木上垂下的藤蔓中，正到处冒出烟来。他们看到，在一缕烟的底部出现了一闪一亮的火光，随后烟越冒越浓。小小的火苗在一株树干上颤动着，又悄悄地爬过簇叶和灌丛蔓延开去，火势在不断增强。一条火舌舔到另一根树干，像欢快的松鼠攀缘直上。烟正在扩大，它泄漏出来，滚滚朝外。火之松鼠借着风势，跃攀上一棵挺立的树木，又从上往下吞食着。在黑的树叶和浓烟形成的天盖之下，遍地的大火紧贴地面抓住森林张口吞噬。成片的黑黄色的浓烟不断地滚滚涌向大海。看着熊熊的烈焰，看着它不可抗拒地向前的势头，孩子们爆发出一阵阵尖叫声，一阵阵激动的欢呼声。火焰仿佛凶禽猛兽，像美洲豹似的腹部贴地匍匐前进，接着扑向一排桦树似的小树苗——密布在粉红色的岩石露头上的小树苗。大火扑闪着向当道的树木蔓延，树上的枝叶随火而化。火势中心的烈焰轻捷地跃过树木之间的间隙，然后摇曳而行，兀地一闪就点燃了一整排树木。孩子们欢呼雀跃，在他们的下面，四分之一平方英里的一块森林发狂似的冒着浓烟烈焰，十分凶恶可怕。一阵阵毕毕剥剥的火声汇成了似乎要震撼山岳的擂鼓似的隆隆声。
“We wanted smoke –“
“我们要烟火——”
The twins giggled together.
双胞胎一起咯咯地发笑。
“You got your small fire all right.”
“你们总算有了自己的小火堆。”
“There ain’t nothing we can do. We ought to be more careful. I’m scared –“
“咱们什么法子也没有。咱们应该更当心一点。我真怕——”
“Now look –!”
“瞧哪——”
They looked at him with eyes that lacked interest in what they saw, and cocked ears at the drum-roll of the fire. Piggy glanced nervously into hell and cradled the conch.
大伙儿看着他，以一种对所看到的东西毫无兴趣的眼光看着他，他们竖起耳朵倾听着擂鼓似的隆隆火声。猪崽子胆怯地瞥一眼那可怕的大火，把海螺紧兜在怀里。
“The conch. I got a right to speak.”
“海螺。我有权发言。”
“We got to let that burn out now. And that was our firewood.”
“现在只好让那林子烧光了。那可是咱们的柴火呢。”
Startled, Ralph realized that the boys were falling still and silent, feeling the beginnings of awe at the power set free below them. The knowledge and the awe made him savage.
孩子们的情绪在低落下去，大家默不作声，他们对自己释放出的那种力量开始产生一种敬畏感，拉尔夫吃惊地意识到这一点。这种想法和惧怕使他勃然大怒。
Unwillingly Ralph turned away from the splendid, awful sight.
拉尔夫勉强地转过身来，还留恋着既光彩夺目又令人畏惧的景象。
A pall stretched for miles away from the island. All the boys except Piggy started to giggle; presently they were shrieking with laughter.
一股烟幕延伸出岛外达数英里之遥。除了猪崽子以外，所有的孩子都吃吃地笑开了；一下子他们又笑又叫，兴高采烈。
He licked his lips.
他舔舔嘴唇。
“You’re always scared. Yah — Fatty!”
“你老是怕呀怕呀。唷——胖子！”
Jack dragged his eyes away from the fire.
杰克的视线移开火海。
“What’s that?”
“怎么啦？”
“I got the conch,” said Piggy, in a hurt voice. “I got a right to speak.”
“我拿着海螺，”猪崽子以受到挫伤的口气说道。“我有权发言。”
“I got the conch,” said Piggy bleakly. He turned to Ralph. “I got the conch, ain’t I Ralph?”
“我拿着海螺，”猪崽子脸色苍白地说。他转向拉尔夫。“拉尔夫，我拿着海螺，是不是？”
“Oh, shut up!”
“哼，住口！”
Piggy lost his temper.
猪崽子冒火了。
“I got the conch! Just you listen! The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down there by the beach. It wasn’t half cold down there in the night. But the first time Ralph says ‘fire’ you goes howling and screaming up this here mountain. Like a pack of kids!”
“我拿着海螺！你们听着！咱们该做的头一件事就是在那下面，在海滩边造几间茅屋。夜里在那下面可冷呢。但拉尔夫刚说个‘火’字，你们就扯开嗓门儿，乱叫乱嚷地爬到这儿山上来。就像一帮小孩儿！”
By now they were listening to the tirade.
大家听着他那激烈的长篇大论。
He took off his glasses and made as if to put down the conch; but the sudden motion toward it of most of the older boys changed his mind. He tucked the shell under his arm, and crouched back on a rock.
他取下眼镜，作了个好像要放下海螺的姿势；但是大多数大孩子朝海螺突然一动又使猪崽子改变了主意。他把海螺往胳膊下一塞，又蹲伏到一块岩石上。
“How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper?”
“要是你们不肯急事先办、合理行动，又怎么能盼望得救呢？”
“Then when you get here you build a bonfire that isn’t no use. Now you been and set the whole island on fire. Won’t we look funny if the whole island burns up? Cooked fruit, that’s what we’ll have to eat, and roast pork. And that’s nothing to laugh at! You said Ralph was chief and you don’t give him time to think. Then when he says something you rush off, like, like –“
“后来你们又到这儿来搞了个根本没用的大篝火。这下可已经把整个岛都点着了。要是整个岛都烧个精光，才真是可笑哩！咱们不得不吃煮水果，还有烤猪肉。那可不是闹着玩的！你们说拉尔夫是个头，可又不给他时间多想想。随后他说了句什么，你们就哄地一下跑了，就像、就像——”
He paused for breath, and the fire growled at them.
他停下喘了口气，大火正朝着他们咆哮。
“I told you to. I told you to get a list of names!”
“我早跟你讲过。我告诉你要造份名单！”
“How could I,” cried Piggy indignantly, “all by myself? They waited for two minutes, then they fell in the sea; they went into the forest; they just scattered everywhere. How was I to know which was which?”
“我怎么能做得到呢，”猪崽子气愤地叫喊道，“全靠我一个人？他们待不了两分钟就跳到海里；要不就跑进森林；他们散得哪儿都是。我怎么能把他们的人和名字一一对上号呢？”
Ralph licked pale lips.
拉尔夫舔舔灰白的嘴唇。
Piggy stood up and pointed to the smoke and flames. A murmur rose among the boys and died away. Something strange was happening to Piggy, for he was gasping for breath.
猪崽子站起来指指浓烟烈焰。孩子们一阵咕哝，又安静下来。猪崽子的神态显得有点异样，因为他正喘不过气来。
Jack turned on him.
杰克转身向他。
“That’s enough!” said Ralph sharply, and snatched back the conch. “If you didn’t you didn’t.”
“够了够了！”拉尔夫尖刻地叫着，一把夺回了海螺。“要是你不想干就干不成。”
“And that’s not all. Them kids. The little ‘uns. Who took any notice of ’em? Who knows how many we got?”
“事情还没完呢。那些小孩儿们。那些小家伙[4]。谁理会他们了？谁知道咱们有多少人？”【注：[4] 原文littlun，系戈尔丁所臆造的词，因此将后文的bigun（亦系作者所造）译作“大家伙”，以体现原文结构上的对称。】
“Then you don’t know how many of us there ought to be?”
“你就不知道咱们应该有多少人吗？”
“You shut up!”
“你闭嘴！”
Ralph took a sudden step forward.
拉尔夫突然朝前一迈。
“How could I with them little ‘uns running round like insects? Then when you three came back, as soon as you said make a fire, they all ran away, and I never had a chance –“
“那些小东西像小虫子似的到处乱跑，我又怎么跟得上他们呢？后来你们三个就回来了，你一说要搞个火堆，他们全跑了开去，我根本就没有机会——”
“– then you come up here an’ pinch my specs –“
“随后你们就来到山上，在这儿抢走了我的眼镜——”
“– and them little ‘uns was wandering about down there where the fire is. How d’you know they aren’t still there?”
“——那些小东西正在下面那有火堆的地方逛来逛去。你怎么能担保他们现在就不在那儿？”
In the west, and unheeded, the sun lay only an inch or two above the sea. Their faces were lit redly from beneath. Piggy fell against a rock and clutched it with both hands.
不知不觉之中，西下的夕阳离海平面已经很近很近了。孩子们的脸膛被由下而上的阳光照得通红通红的。猪崽子扑倒在一块岩石上，伸开双手紧抓着。
“Him that talked about the snakes. He was down there –“
“那个说看见蛇的小男孩。他在那下面——”
The crowd was as silent as death.
人群静得像死一样。
A tree exploded in the fire like a bomb. Tall swathes of creepers rose for a moment into view, agonized, and went down again. The little boys screamed at them.
大火中一棵树像炸弹似的轰地炸裂开来。高挂着的一条条藤蔓刹时跃入眼帘，它们拼命地挣扎着，随之又垂荡下去。小孩子们看到后尖声大叫起来：
“Snakes! Snakes! Look at the snakes!”
“蛇！蛇呀！看蛇哪！”
“That little ‘un –” gasped Piggy –“him with the mark on his face, I don’t see him. Where is he now?”
“那个小东西——”猪崽子气喘吁吁地说——“那个脸上带斑记的小男孩，我没看见他。他到哪儿去了？”
“That little ‘un that had a mark on his face — where is — he now? I tell you I don’t see him.”
“那个脸上有斑记的小东西——眼下他可在——哪儿呀？我对你们说，我可没看见他。”
Ralph muttered the reply as if in shame. “Perhaps he went back to the, the –“
拉尔夫似乎羞愧地喃喃答道：“多半他回到那，那——”
Beneath them, on the unfriendly side of the mountain, the drum-roll continued.
在他们下面，山的冷漠的一侧，擂鼓似的隆隆火声还在不停地回荡。
“– where is he now?”
“——眼下他在什么地方？”
The boys looked at each other fearfully, unbelieving.
孩子们面面相觑，惊恐万状，心里很疑惑。
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