To Build Fire 生火
AY HAD DAWNED COLD AND GRAY WHEN the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail. He climbed the high earth-bank where a little-traveled trail led east through the pine forest. It was a high bank, and he paused to breathe at the top.
天剛亮,天氣寒冷而灰暗,這個人從育空河的主要小徑轉向。他爬上了一個高高的土堤,那裡有一條少有人走的小徑向東穿過松林。這是一個高高的土堤,他在頂部停下來喘氣。
He excused the act to himself by looking at his watch. It was nine o’clock in the morning. There was no sun or promise of sun, although there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a clear day. However, there seemed to be an indescribable darkness over the face of things.
他看了看手錶,為自己辯解。現在是早上九點。雖然天空中沒有雲,但也沒有太陽或太陽的跡象。這是個晴朗的日子。然而,似乎有一種難以形容的黑暗籠罩著一切。
That was because the sun was absent from the sky. This fact did not worry the man. He was not alarmed by the lack of sun. It had been days since he had seen the sun.
那是因為太陽不在天空中。這個事實並沒有讓那個人擔心。他並不因為缺少太陽而驚慌。他已經好幾天沒見到太陽了。
The man looked along the way he had come. The Yukon lay a mile wide and hidden under three feet of ice. On top of this ice were as many feet of snow. It was all pure white. North and south, as far as
那個男人沿著他來的路看去。育空河寬達一英里,被三英尺厚的冰層覆蓋。在這冰層上又有同樣厚度的雪。到處都是純白色。無論是北邊還是南邊,遠至
his eye could see, it was unbroken white. The one thing that relieved the whiteness was a thin dark line that curved from the pine-covered island to the south. It curved into the north, where it disappeared behind another pine-covered island.
他的眼睛所見之處,盡是無盡的白色。唯一打破這片白色的是一條細細的黑線,從南邊的松樹覆蓋的島嶼彎曲而來。它彎向北方,在另一個松樹覆蓋的島嶼後面消失了。
This dark line was the trail-the main trail. It led south 500 miles to the Chilcoot Pass, and salt water.
這條黑線就是小徑——主要的小徑。它向南延伸 500 英里到達奇爾庫特山口和鹽水。
It led north 75 miles to Dawson, and still farther on to the north a thousand miles to Nulato, and finally to St. Michael, on Bering Sea, a thousand miles and half a thousand more.
它向北延伸 75 英里到達道森,再向北延伸一千英里到達努拉托,最後到達白令海的聖邁克爾,總共一千五百英里。
But all this-the distant trail, no sun in the sky, the great cold, and the strangeness of it all-had no effect on the man. It was not because he was long familiar with it. He was a newcomer in the land, and this was his first winter.
但是所有這些——遙遠的小徑、沒有太陽的天空、極度的寒冷以及這一切的陌生感——對這個人都沒有影響。這並不是因為他對這些早已熟悉。他是這片土地的新來者,這是他的第一個冬天。
The trouble with him was that he was not able to imagine. He was quick and ready in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in their meanings. Fifty degrees below zero meant 80 degrees of frost. Such facts told him that it was cold and uncomfortable, and that was all.
他最大的問題是他無法想像。他在生活中的事情上反應迅速且準備充分,但僅限於事情本身,而不是它們的意義。零下五十度意味著八十度的霜凍。這些事實告訴他天氣很冷且不舒服,僅此而已。
It did not lead him to consider his weaknesses as a creature affected by temperature. Nor did he think about man’s general weakness, able to live only within narrow limits of heat and cold. From there, it did not lead him to thoughts of heaven and the meaning of a man’s life.
這並沒有讓他考慮到自己作為一個受溫度影響的生物的弱點。他也沒有想到人類的普遍弱點,只能在狹窄的熱和冷範圍內生存。從那裡,它並沒有引導他思考天堂和人類生命的意義。
50 degrees below zero meant a bite of frost that hurt and that must be guarded against by the use of mittens, ear coverings, warm moccasins, and thick socks. 50 degrees below zero was to him nothing more than 50 degrees below zero.
零下 50 度意味著刺骨的寒霜,必須用手套、耳罩、暖和的鹿皮鞋和厚襪子來防範。對他來說,零下 50 度不過就是零下 50 度。
That it should be more important than that was a thought that never entered his head.
那應該比那更重要的想法從未進入他的腦海。
As he turned to go, he forced some water from his mouth as an experiment. There was a sudden noise that surprised him. He tried it again. And again, in the air, before they could fall to the snow, the drops of water became ice that broke with a noise.
當他轉身要走時,他試著從嘴裡噴出一些水作為實驗。突然有一個聲音讓他感到驚訝。他又試了一次。再一次,在水滴落到雪地之前,水滴在空中變成了冰,並發出破裂的聲音。
He knew that at 50 below zero water from the mouth made a noise when it hit the snow. But this had done that in the air. Undoubtedly it was colder than 50 below. But exactly how much colder he did not know. But the temperature did not matter.
他知道在零下五十度時,從嘴裡出來的水打在雪上會發出聲音。但這次在空中就已經發出聲音了。毫無疑問,這比零下五十度還要冷。但到底冷多少他不知道。不過溫度並不重要。
He was headed for the old camp on Henderson Creek, where the
他正前往亨德森溪上的舊營地,那裡
boys were already. They had come across the mountain from the Indian Creek country. He had taken the long trail to look at the possibility of floating logs from the islands in the Yukon down the river when the ice melted. He would be in camp by six o’clock that evening.
男孩們已經到了。他們從印第安溪地區翻越山脈而來。他走了很長的路來考察當冰融化時,是否有可能將木材從育空河的島嶼漂流下來。他會在當天晚上六點之前回到營地。
It would be a little after dark, but the boys would be there, a fire would be burning, and a hot supper would be ready. As he thought of lunch, he pressed his hand against the package under his jacket.
天色會有點暗,但男孩們會在那裡,火會燃燒著,熱騰騰的晚餐會準備好。當他想到午餐時,他把手按在夾克下的包裹上。
It was also under his shirt, wrapped in a handkerchief, and lying for warmth against the naked skin. Otherwise, the bread would freeze. He smiled contentedly to himself as he thought of those pieces of bread, each of which enclosed a generous portion of cooked meat.
它也在他的襯衫下,用手帕包著,貼在裸露的皮膚上取暖。否則,麵包會凍結。他想到那些麵包,每一塊都包著一大塊熟肉,便滿意地笑了。
He plunged among the big pine trees. The trail was not well marked here. Several inches of snow had fallen since the last sled had passed. He was glad he was without a sled. Actually, he carried nothing but the lunch wrapped in the handkerchief.
他衝進了大松樹之間。這裡的小徑標記不明顯。自從最後一輛雪橇經過後,已經下了幾英寸的雪。他很高興自己沒有雪橇。事實上,他除了用手帕包著的午餐外,什麼也沒帶。
He was surprised, however, at the cold. It certainly was cold, he decided, as he rubbed his nose and face with his mittened hand. He had a good growth of hair on his face, but that did not protect his nose or the upper part of his face from the frosty air.
然而,他對寒冷感到驚訝。他決定,確實很冷,於是用戴著手套的手揉了揉鼻子和臉。他臉上長了很多毛髮,但這並不能保護他的鼻子或臉的上部免受寒冷空氣的侵襲。
Following at the man’s heels was a big native dog. It was a wolf dog, gray-coated and not noticeably different from its brother, the wild wolf. The animal was worried by the great cold. It knew that this was no time for traveling.
跟在那男人腳後的是一隻大土狗。那是一隻狼狗,灰色的皮毛,與它的兄弟野狼沒有明顯的區別。這隻動物因為極度的寒冷而感到不安。它知道這不是旅行的時候。
Its own feeling was closer to the truth than the man’s judgment. In reality, it was not merely colder than 50 below zero; it was colder than 60 below, than 70 below. It was 75 below zero. Because the freezing point is 32 above zero, it meant that there were 107 degrees of frost.
它自己的感覺比那個人的判斷更接近真相。實際上,氣溫不僅僅是零下 50 度,它比零下 60 度、零下 70 度還要冷。氣溫是零下 75 度。因為冰點是零上 32 度,這意味著有 107 度的霜凍。
The dog did not know anything about temperatures. Possibly in its brain there was no understanding of a condition of very cold, such as was in the man’s brain. But the animal sensed the danger.
狗對溫度一無所知。牠的大腦中可能沒有像人類大腦中那樣對極冷狀況的理解。但這隻動物感覺到了危險。
Its fear made it question eagerly every movement of the man as if expecting him to go into camp or to seek shelter somewhere and build a fire. The dog had learned about fire, and it wanted fire. Otherwise, it would dig itself into the snow and find shelter from the cold air.
它的恐懼使它急切地質疑那個人的每一個動作,彷彿期待他會紮營或尋找某處避難並生火。狗已經學會了火,它想要火。否則,它會鑽進雪裡,尋找避開冷空氣的庇護所。
The frozen moistness of its breathing had settled on its fur in a fine powder of frost. The hair on the man’s face was similarly frosted, but more solidly. It took the form of ice and increased with every warm, moist breath from his mouth. Also, the man had tobacco in his mouth.
它呼吸的冰冷濕氣在毛皮上凝結成一層細細的霜粉。男人臉上的毛髮也同樣結霜,但更為堅固。它以冰的形式出現,並隨著他每一次溫暖、潮濕的呼吸而增加。此外,男人嘴裡還含著煙草。
The ice held his lips so tightly together that he could not empty the juice from his mouth. The result was a long piece of yellow ice hanging from his lips. If he fell down it would break, like glass, into many pieces.
冰把他的嘴唇緊緊地黏在一起,使他無法將嘴裡的汁液吐出。結果是一長條黃色的冰掛在他的嘴唇上。如果他摔倒了,冰就會像玻璃一樣碎成許多片。
He expected the ice formed by the tobacco juice, having been out twice before when it was very cold. But it had not been as cold as this, he knew.
他預料到煙草汁會結冰,因為之前有兩次天氣非常寒冷。但他知道,這次的寒冷程度前所未有。
He continued through the level forest for several miles. Then he went down a bank to the frozen path of a small stream. This was Henderson Creek and he knew he was ten miles from where the stream divided. He looked at his watch. It was ten o’clock.
他繼續穿過平坦的森林走了幾英里。然後他下到一條小溪的冰凍小徑上。這是亨德森溪,他知道自己離溪流分岔處有十英里。他看了看手錶。現在是十點鐘。
He was traveling at the rate of four miles an hour. Thus, he figured that he would arrive where the stream divided at half-past twelve. He decided he would eat his lunch when he arrived there.
他以每小時四英里的速度行進。因此,他計算出他會在十二點半到達溪流分岔處。他決定到達那裡後再吃午餐。
The dog followed again at his heels, with its tail hanging low, as the man started to walk along the frozen stream. The old sled trail could be seen, but a dozen inches of snow covered the marks of the last sleds. In a month no man had traveled up or down that silent creek.
當那人開始沿著冰凍的小溪行走時,狗再次跟在他的腳後跟,尾巴低垂著。可以看到舊的雪橇痕跡,但有一尺多厚的雪覆蓋了最後幾輛雪橇的痕跡。一個月來,沒有人在那條寂靜的小溪上上下下。
The man went steadily ahead. He was not much of a thinker. At that moment he had nothing to think about except that he would eat lunch at the stream’s divide and that at six o’clock he would be in camp with the boys.
那個男人穩步向前走。他不是個多思考的人。此刻他沒什麼可想的,除了他會在溪流的分岔處吃午飯,並且在六點鐘時會和男孩們一起在營地。
There was nobody to talk to; and, had there been, speech would not have been possible because of the ice around his mouth.
沒有人可以交談;即使有人在場,由於他嘴邊的冰,說話也是不可能的。
Once in a while the thought repeated itself that it was very cold and that he had never experienced such cold. As he walked along he rubbed his face and nose with the back of his mittened hand. He did this without thinking, frequently changing hands.
偶爾他會反覆想到天氣非常寒冷,他從未經歷過這樣的寒冷。他一邊走一邊用戴著手套的手背揉臉和鼻子。他不假思索地這樣做,經常換手。
But, with all his rubbing, the instant he stopped, his face and nose became numb. His face would surely be frozen. He knew that and he was sorry that he had not worn the sort of nose guard Bud wore when it was cold.
但是,無論他怎麼揉搓,一停下來,他的臉和鼻子就會變得麻木。他的臉肯定會凍僵。他知道這一點,並且為自己沒有像巴德那樣在寒冷時戴上鼻罩而感到遺憾。
Such a guard passed across the nose and covered the entire face. But it did not
這樣的護具穿過鼻子並覆蓋整個臉部。但它並沒有
matter much, he decided. What was a little frost? A bit painful, that was all. It was never serious.
沒什麼大不了的,他決定了。一點霜有什麼關係?有點痛而已,這沒什麼大不了的。
Empty as the man’s mind was of thoughts, he was most observant. He noticed the changes in the creek, the curves and the bends. And always he noted where he placed his feet. Once, coming around a bend, he moved suddenly to the side, like a frightened horse.
儘管這個人的腦海中沒有任何想法,他卻非常善於觀察。他注意到小溪的變化、彎曲和轉折。而且他總是注意到自己把腳放在哪裡。有一次,當他轉過一個彎時,他突然像受驚的馬一樣向旁邊移動。
He curved away from the place where he had been walking and retraced his steps several feet along the trail. He knew the creek was frozen to the bottom. No creek could contain water in that winter.
他從原來走的地方轉了個彎,沿著小徑往回走了幾步。他知道小溪已經凍到底了。在那個冬天,沒有小溪能夠有水。
But he knew also that there were streams of water that came out from the hillsides and ran along under the snow and on top of the ice of the creek. He knew that even in the coldest weather these streams were never frozen, and he also knew their danger.
但他也知道有些水流從山坡上流出來,沿著雪下和溪流上的冰面流動。他知道即使在最冷的天氣裡,這些水流也從不結冰,他也知道它們的危險。
They hid pools of water under the snow that might be three inches deep, or three feet. Sometimes a skin of ice half an inch thick covered them, and in turn was covered by the snow. Sometimes there was both water and thin ice, and when a man broke through he could get very wet.
他們在雪下藏了水池,可能有三英寸深,也可能有三英尺深。有時候,半英寸厚的冰層覆蓋在水池上,然後再被雪覆蓋。有時候既有水又有薄冰,當有人踩破時,他可能會弄得很濕。
That was why he had jumped away so suddenly. He had felt the ice move under his feet. He had also heard the noise of the snow-covered ice skin breaking. And to get his feet wet in such a temperature meant trouble and danger.
那就是為什麼他突然跳開的原因。他感覺到冰在他腳下移動。他還聽到了覆蓋著雪的冰層破裂的聲音。而在這種溫度下弄濕腳意味著麻煩和危險。
At the very least it meant delay, because he would be forced to stop and build a fire. Only under its protection could he bare his feet while he dried his socks and moccasins.
至少這意味著延誤,因為他將被迫停下來生火。只有在火的保護下,他才能脫掉鞋子,烘乾襪子和鹿皮靴。
He stood and studied the creek bottom and its banks. He decided that the flowing stream of water came from the right side. He thought a while, rubbing his nose and face. Then he walked to the left. He stepped carefully and tested the ice at each step.
他站著研究溪底和溪岸。他判斷流水來自右邊。他思考了一會兒,揉了揉鼻子和臉。然後他向左走去。他小心翼翼地走著,每一步都試探著冰面。
Once away from the danger, he continued at his four-mile pace.
一旦遠離危險,他便以每小時四英里的速度繼續前進。
During the next two hours he came to several similar dangers. Usually the snow above the pools had a sunken appearance. However, once again he came near to falling through the ice. Once, sensing danger, he made the dog go ahead. The dog did not want to go.
在接下來的兩個小時裡,他遇到了幾個類似的危險。通常,池塘上方的雪看起來是下陷的。然而,他再次差點掉進冰裡。有一次,感覺到危險,他讓狗走在前面。狗不想走。
It hesitated until the man pushed it forward. Then it went quickly across the white, unbroken surface. Suddenly it fell through the ice, but climbed out on
它猶豫了一下,直到那個人把它推向前。然後它迅速穿過白色、未破的表面。突然它掉進了冰裡,但爬了出來。
the other side, which was firm. It had wet its feet and legs. Almost immediately the water on them turned to ice. The dog made quick efforts to get the ice off its legs. Then it lay down in the snow and began to bite out the ice that had formed between the toes.
另一邊是堅硬的。它弄濕了腳和腿。幾乎立刻,它們上的水變成了冰。狗迅速努力將冰從腿上弄掉。然後它躺在雪地上,開始咬掉在腳趾間形成的冰。
The animal knew enough to do this. To permit the ice to remain would mean sore feet. It did not know this. It merely obeyed the commands that arose from the deepest part of its being.
動物知道要這樣做。允許冰停留意味著腳會疼。它不知道這一點。它只是服從來自其內心深處的命令。
But the man knew these things, having learned them from experience. He removed the mitten from his right hand and helped the dog tear out the pieces of ice. He did not bare his fingers more than a minute, and was surprised to find that they were numb. It certainly was cold.
但是這個人知道這些事情,因為他從經驗中學到了。他脫下右手的手套,幫助狗撕開冰塊。他的手指裸露的時間不超過一分鐘,卻驚訝地發現它們已經麻木了。天氣確實很冷。
He pulled on the mitten quickly and beat the hand across his breast.
他迅速戴上手套,並把手拍在胸前。
At twelve o’clock the day was at its brightest. Yet the sun did not appear in the sky. At half-past twelve, on the minute, he arrived at the divide of the creek. He was pleased at his rate of speed. If he continued, he would certainly be with the boys by six o’clock that evening.
在十二點鐘的時候,白天是最亮的。然而,太陽並沒有出現在天空中。在十二點半整,他到達了小溪的分岔口。他對自己的速度感到滿意。如果他繼續前進,他肯定會在當天晚上六點鐘之前與男孩們會合。
He unbuttoned his jacket and shirt and pulled forth his lunch. The action took no more than a quarter of a minute, yet in that brief moment the numbness touched his bare fingers. He did not put the mitten on, but instead, struck the fingers against his leg.
他解開了夾克和襯衫的扣子,拿出了他的午餐。這個動作不超過四分之一分鐘,但在那短暫的瞬間,麻木感觸及了他的裸露手指。他沒有戴上手套,而是把手指敲打在腿上。
Then he sat down on a snow-covered log to eat. The pain that followed the striking of his fingers against his leg ceased so quickly that he was frightened. He had not had time to take a bite of his lunch. He struck the fingers repeatedly and returned them to the mitten.
然後他坐在一根覆滿雪的原木上吃東西。他的手指撞到腿上的疼痛消失得如此之快,以至於他感到害怕。他還沒來得及咬一口午餐。他反覆敲打手指,然後把它們放回手套裡。
Then he bared the other hand for the purpose of eating. He tried to take a mouthful, but the ice around his mouth prevented him.
然後他露出另一隻手準備吃東西。他試圖吃一口,但嘴邊的冰阻止了他。
Then he knew what was wrong. He had forgotten to build a fire and warm himself. He laughed at his own foolishness. As he laughed, he noted the numbness in his bare fingers. Also, he noted that the feeling which had first come to his toes when he sat down was already passing away.
然後他知道問題出在哪裡了。他忘了生火取暖。他嘲笑自己的愚蠢。當他笑的時候,他注意到自己光著的手指已經麻木了。此外,他還注意到,當他坐下時,最先出現在腳趾上的感覺已經消失了。
He wondered whether the toes were warm or whether they were numb. He moved them inside the moccasins and decided that they were numb.
他想知道腳趾是暖和的還是麻木的。他在鹿皮靴裡動了動腳趾,決定它們是麻木的。
He pulled the mitten on hurriedly and stood up. He was some-
他匆忙地戴上手套,站了起來。他是某個...
what frightened. He stamped forcefully until the feeling returned to his feet. It certainly was cold, was his thought. That man from Sulphur Creek had spoken the truth when telling how cold it sometimes got in this country. And he had laughed at him at the time!
他感到害怕。他用力跺腳,直到感覺回到他的腳上。確實很冷,他這樣想。那個來自硫磺溪的人說的沒錯,這個國家有時候真的會變得這麼冷。而他當時還嘲笑過他!
That showed one must not be too sure of things. There was no mistake about it, it was cold. He walked a few steps, stamping his feet and waving his arms, until reassured by the returning warmth. Then he took some matches and proceeded to make a fire.
那顯示了一個人不應該對事情過於確信。毫無疑問,天氣很冷。他走了幾步,跺著腳,揮動著手臂,直到回暖讓他感到安心。然後他拿出一些火柴,開始生火。
In the bushes, the high water had left a supply of sticks. From here he got wood for his fire. Working carefully from a small beginning, he soon had a roaring fire.
在灌木叢中,高水位留下了一堆樹枝。他從這裡取來了生火的木材。從一個小火苗開始,他小心翼翼地工作,很快就燃起了熊熊大火。
Bending over the fire, he first melted the ice from his face. With the protection of the fire’s warmth he ate his lunch. For the moment, the cold had been forced away.
彎腰靠近火,他先把臉上的冰融化了。在火的溫暖保護下,他吃了午餐。此刻,寒冷被驅散了。
The dog took comfort in the fire, lying at full length close enough for warmth and far enough away to escape being burned. When the man had finished eating, he filled his pipe with tobacco and had a comfortable time with a smoke.
狗在火旁找到了安慰,伸展著身體,既靠得夠近以獲取溫暖,又離得夠遠以免被燒傷。當那人吃完飯後,他把煙斗裝滿煙草,愜意地抽起煙來。
Then he pulled on his mittens, settled his cap firmly about his ears, and started along the creek trail toward the left.
然後他戴上手套,把帽子緊緊地扣在耳朵上,開始沿著溪流小徑向左走去。
The dog was sorry to leave and looked toward the fire. This man did not know cold. Possibly none of his ancestors had known cold, real cold. But the dog knew and all of its family knew. And it knew that it was not good to walk outside in such fearful cold.
狗很不情願離開,並望向火堆。這個人不知道什麼是寒冷。可能他的祖先也從未體驗過真正的寒冷。但是狗知道,牠的家族也都知道。牠知道在這樣可怕的寒冷中走在外面是不好的。
It was the time to lie in a hole in the snow and to wait for this awful cold to stop. There was no real bond between the dog and the man. The one was the slave of the other. The dog made no effort to indicate its fears to the man.
這是躺在雪洞裡等待這可怕的寒冷停止的時候。狗和人之間沒有真正的聯繫。一個是另一個的奴隸。狗沒有努力向人表達它的恐懼。
It was not concerned with the well-being of the man. It was for its own sake that it looked toward the fire. But the man whistled, and spoke to it with the sound of the whip in his voice. So the dog started walking close to the man’s heels and followed him along the trail.
它並不關心那個人的福祉。它是為了自己才看向火的。但是那個人吹了口哨,並用帶有鞭聲的語氣對它說話。於是狗開始緊跟在那個人的腳後,沿著小徑跟著他走。
The man put more tobacco in his mouth and started a new growth of yellow ice on his face. Again his moist breath quickly powdered the hair on his face with white. He looked around him.
那個男人把更多的煙草放進嘴裡,臉上又開始長出一層新的黃色冰霜。他濕潤的呼吸再次迅速地在臉上的毛髮上覆蓋了一層白色的粉末。他環顧四周。
There did not seem to be so many pools of water under the snow on the left side of Henderson Creek, and for half an hour the man saw no signs of any.
在亨德森溪左側的雪下似乎沒有那麼多水池,半個小時內那個人沒有看到任何跡象。
And then it happened. At a place where there were no signs, the man broke through. It was not deep. He was wet to the knees before he got out of the water to the firm snow.
然後事情就發生了。在一個沒有任何標誌的地方,那個人突破了。水不深。他在上岸到堅實的雪地之前,膝蓋以下都濕透了。
He was angry and cursed his luck aloud. He had hoped to get into camp with the boys at six o’clock, and this would delay him an hour. Now he would have to build a fire and dry his moccasins and socks. This was most important at that low temperature. He knew that much.
他很生氣,大聲咒罵自己的運氣。他本來希望在六點鐘和男孩們一起進入營地,這會讓他耽擱一個小時。現在他必須生火,烤乾他的鹿皮鞋和襪子。在那麼低的溫度下,這是最重要的。他知道這一點。
So he turned aside to the bank, which he climbed. On top, under several small pine trees, he found some firewood which had been carried there by the high water of last year. There were some sticks, but also larger branches, and some dry grasses.
於是他轉向岸邊,爬了上去。在上面,幾棵小松樹下,他發現了一些去年洪水沖來的柴火。有一些樹枝,也有較大的樹枝,還有一些乾草。
He threw several large branches on top of the snow. This served for a foundation and prevented the young flame from dying in the wet snow. He made a flame by touching a match to a small piece of tree bark that he took from his pocket. This burned even better than paper.
他把幾根大樹枝扔在雪上。這些樹枝作為基礎,防止年輕的火焰在濕雪中熄滅。他從口袋裡拿出一小片樹皮,用火柴點燃。這比紙燒得更好。
Placing it on the foundation, he fed the young flame with pieces of dry grass and with the smallest dry sticks.
將它放在地基上,他用乾草和最小的乾樹枝餵養著年輕的火焰。
He worked slowly and carefully, realizing his danger. Gradually, as the flame grew stronger, he increased the size of the sticks with which he fed it. He sat in the snow, pulling the sticks from the bushes under the trees and feeding them directly to the flame.
他慢慢地、小心翼翼地工作,意識到自己的危險。隨著火焰逐漸變強,他增加了餵火的樹枝的大小。他坐在雪地裡,從樹下的灌木叢中拉出樹枝,直接餵給火焰。
He knew he must not fail. When it is 75 below zero, a man must not fail in his first attempt to build a fire. This is especially true if his feet are wet. If his feet are dry, and he fails, he can run along the trail for half a mile to keep his blood moving.
他知道自己不能失敗。當氣溫在零下 75 度時,一個人第一次生火絕不能失敗。這一點尤其在他的腳是濕的時候更為重要。如果他的腳是乾的,而他失敗了,他可以沿著小徑跑半英里來保持血液循環。
But the blood in wet and freezing feet cannot be kept moving by running when it is 75 degrees below. No matter how fast he runs, the wet feet will freeze even harder.
但是在零下 75 度時,濕冷的雙腳無法靠奔跑來保持血液流動。無論他跑得多快,濕冷的雙腳都會凍得更厲害。
All this the man knew. The old man on Sulphur Creek had told him about it, and now he was grateful for the advice. Already all feeling had gone from his feet. To build the fire he had been forced to remove his mittens, and the fingers had quickly become numb.
這一切那個人都知道。硫磺溪的老人曾告訴過他這些,現在他對這些建議感到感激。他的腳已經完全失去了知覺。為了生火,他不得不脫下手套,手指很快就變得麻木了。
His pace of four miles an hour had kept his heart pushing the blood to all parts of his body. But the instant he stopped, the action of the heart slowed down. He now received the full force of the cold. The blood of
他的步速是每小時四英里,這使得他的心臟將血液推送到身體的各個部位。但一停下來,心臟的活動就減慢了。他現在完全感受到了寒冷的威力。血液
his body drew back from it. The blood was alive, like the dog. Like the dog, it wanted to hide and seek cover, away from the fearful cold. As long as he walked four miles an hour, the blood rose to the surface. But now it sank down into the lowest depths of his body.
他的身體向後退縮。血液像那隻狗一樣活躍。像那隻狗一樣,它想要躲藏,尋找掩護,遠離可怕的寒冷。只要他每小時走四英里,血液就會上升到表面。但現在它沉入了他身體的最深處。
His feet and hands were the first to feel its absence. His wet feet froze first. His bare fingers were numb, although they had not yet begun to freeze. Nose and face were already freezing, while the skin of all his body became cold as it lost its blood.
他的腳和手首先感受到它的缺失。他的濕腳先凍住了。他光著的手指麻木了,雖然它們還沒有開始凍結。鼻子和臉已經在凍結,而全身的皮膚因失去血液而變冷。
But he was safe. Toes and nose and face would be only touched by the frost, because the fire was beginning to burn with strength. He was feeding it with sticks the size of his finger. In another minute he would be able to feed it with larger branches.
但是他是安全的。腳趾、鼻子和臉只會被霜凍輕輕觸及,因為火開始旺盛地燃燒。他正用手指大小的樹枝餵火。再過一分鐘,他就能用更大的樹枝餵火了。
Then he could remove his wet moccasins and socks. While they dried, he could keep his naked feet warm by the fire, rubbing them first with snow. The fire was a success. He was safe.
然後他可以脫下濕透的鹿皮鞋和襪子。在它們晾乾的時候,他可以先用雪擦腳,然後在火邊取暖。火生得很成功。他安全了。
He remembered the advice of the old man on Sulphur Creek, and smiled. The man had been very serious when he said that no man should travel alone in that country after 50 below zero. Well, here he was; he had had the accident; he was alone; and he had saved himself.
他想起了硫磺溪那位老人的忠告,笑了。那人當時非常嚴肅地說,在零下五十度的天氣裡,沒有人應該獨自一人在那片地區旅行。好吧,他現在就在這裡;他遇到了意外;他是獨自一人;但他救了自己。
Those old men were rather womanish, he thought. All a man must do was to keep his head, and he was all right. Any man who was a man could travel alone. But it was surprising, the rapidity with which his face and nose were freezing.
那些老男人相當娘娘腔,他想。男人只要保持冷靜,就沒問題。任何真正的男人都可以獨自旅行。但令人驚訝的是,他的臉和鼻子凍結的速度如此之快。
And he had not thought his fingers could lose their feeling in so short a time. Without feeling they were, because he found it very difficult to make them move together to grasp a stick. They seemed far from his body and from him.
他沒想到他的手指會在這麼短的時間內失去感覺。它們確實失去了感覺,因為他發現要讓它們一起動作去抓住一根棍子非常困難。它們似乎離他的身體和他自己很遠。
When he touched a stick, he had to look to see whether or not he was holding it.
當他碰到一根棍子時,他必須看一下自己是否拿著它。
All of which mattered little. There was the fire, promising life with every dancing flame. He started to untie his moccasins. They were coated with ice. The thick socks were like iron almost to the knees. The moccasin’s strings were like ropes of steel.
這一切都無關緊要。那裡有火,每一個跳動的火焰都在承諾生命。他開始解開他的鹿皮鞋帶。它們覆蓋著冰。厚厚的襪子幾乎到膝蓋都像鐵一樣硬。鹿皮鞋的鞋帶像鋼繩一樣。
For a moment he pulled them with his unfeeling fingers. Then, realizing the foolishness of it, he grasped his knife.
有一會兒,他用冷漠的手指拉扯著它們。然後,意識到這樣做的愚蠢,他抓住了他的刀。
But before he could cut the strings, it happened. It was his own
但在他能剪斷繩子之前,事情發生了。那是他自己的
fault, or instead, his mistake. He should not have built the fire under the pine tree. He should have built it in an open space. But it had been easier to pull the sticks from the bushes and drop them directly on the fire.
錯誤,或者說,他的錯。他不應該在松樹下生火。他應該在空曠的地方生火。但是從灌木叢中拉出樹枝並直接扔到火上要容易得多。
Now the tree under which he had done this carried a weight of snow on its branches. No wind had been blowing for weeks and each branch was heavy with snow. Each time he pulled a stick he shook the tree slightly.
現在他在樹下做這件事,樹枝上積滿了雪。幾個星期以來都沒有風吹過,每根樹枝都被雪壓得很重。每次他拉動樹枝時,都會稍微搖動樹木。
There had been just enough movement to cause the awful thing to happen. High up in the tree one branch dropped its load of snow. This fell on the branches beneath. This process continued, spreading through the whole tree.
樹上剛好有足夠的動靜引發了可怕的事情。高處的一根樹枝掉下了積雪。這些雪落在下面的樹枝上。這個過程繼續進行,蔓延到整棵樹。
The snow fell without warning upon the man and the fire, and the fire was dead. Where it had burned was a pile of fresh snow.
雪毫無預警地落在那人和火上,火熄滅了。火燃燒過的地方是一堆新雪。
The man was shocked. It was like hearing his own judgment of death. For a moment he sat and stared at the spot where the fire had been. Then he grew very calm. Perhaps the old man on Sulphur Creek was right. If he had a companion on the trail he would be in no danger now.
那個人震驚了。這就像聽到了自己死亡的判決。他坐了一會兒,盯著火曾經燃燒過的地方。然後他變得非常冷靜。也許硫磺溪的老人是對的。如果他在路上有個同伴,他現在就不會有危險了。
The companion could have built the fire. Now, he must build the fire again, and this second time he must not fail. Even if he succeeded, he would be likely to lose some toes. His feet must be badly frozen by now, and there would be some time before the second fire was ready.
同伴本可以生火。現在,他必須再次生火,這次他不能失敗。即使他成功了,他也可能會失去一些腳趾。他的腳現在一定已經嚴重凍傷了,還需要一些時間才能準備好第二次火。
Such were his thoughts, but he did not sit and think them. He was busy all the time they were passing through his mind. He made a new foundation for a fire, this time in the open space, where no tree would be above it. Next, he gathered dry grasses and tiny sticks.
這些是他的想法,但他並沒有坐下來思考。他在這些想法閃過腦海的時候一直很忙。他為火堆做了一個新的基礎,這次是在空曠的地方,沒有樹木在上面。接著,他收集了乾草和細小的樹枝。
He could not bring his fingers together to pull them out of the ground, but he was able to gather them by the handful. In this way he also got many pieces that were undesirable, but it was the best he could do.
他無法將手指併攏把它們從地上拔出來,但他能夠一把一把地把它們聚集起來。這樣他也得到了許多不理想的碎片,但這是他能做到的最好結果。
He worked carefully, even collecting an armful of the larger branches to be used later when the fire gathered strength. And all the while the dog sat and watched him.
他小心翼翼地工作,甚至收集了一大捆較大的樹枝,以便在火勢增強時使用。整個過程中,狗一直坐著看著他。
There was an anxious look in its eyes, because it depended upon him as the fire provider, and the fire was slow in coming.
它的眼中露出焦慮的神情,因為它依賴他作為火源,而火來得很慢。
When all was ready, the man reached in his pocket for the second piece of tree bark. He knew the bark was there, although he could not feel it with his fingers. He tried again and again, but he could not
當一切準備就緒,這個人伸手到口袋裡拿出第二塊樹皮。他知道樹皮就在那裡,儘管他用手指感覺不到。他一次又一次地嘗試,但他無法
grasp it. And all the time, in his mind, he knew that each instant his feet were freezing. This thought alarmed him, but he fought against it and kept calm.
抓住它。而且一直以來,他心裡都知道他的腳每一刻都在凍結。這個想法讓他感到驚慌,但他努力抗拒並保持冷靜。
He pulled on his mittens with his teeth, and began swinging his arms. Then he beat his hands with all his strength against his sides. He did this while he was sitting down. Then he stood up to do it.
他用牙齒拉上手套,開始揮動手臂。然後他用盡全力拍打自己的兩側。他坐著的時候這樣做。然後他站起來繼續做。
All the while the dog sat in the snow, its tail curled warmly over its feet and its sharp wolf ears bent forward as it looked at the man. And the man, as he waved his arms and hands, looked with longing at the creature that was warm and secure in the covering provided by nature.
在這段時間裡,狗坐在雪地上,尾巴溫暖地捲在腳上,尖銳的狼耳向前彎曲,注視著那個男人。而那個男人揮動著手臂和雙手,渴望地看著那隻在大自然提供的覆蓋下溫暖而安全的生物。
After a time, he began to notice some feeling in his beaten fingers. The feeling grew stronger until it became very painful, but the man welcomed the pain. He pulled the mitten from his right hand and grasped the tree bark from his pocket.
過了一段時間,他開始注意到他被打的手指有了一些感覺。這種感覺越來越強烈,直到變得非常疼痛,但這個人歡迎這種疼痛。他從右手上脫下手套,從口袋裡拿出樹皮。
The bare fingers were quickly numb again. Next, he brought out his pack of matches. But the awful cold had already driven the life out of his fingers. In his effort to separate one match from the others, the whole pack fell in the snow.
裸露的手指很快又麻木了。接著,他拿出了火柴盒。但是可怕的寒冷已經讓他的手指失去了知覺。在他努力將一根火柴從其他火柴中分開時,整盒火柴掉進了雪裡。
He tried to pick it out of the snow, but failed. The dead fingers could neither touch nor hold.
他試圖從雪中撿起它,但失敗了。那僵硬的手指既無法觸碰也無法握住。
Now he was very careful. He drove the thought of his freezing feet, and nose, and face, from his mind. He devoted his whole soul to picking up the matches. He followed the movement of his fingers with his eyes, using his sense of sight instead of that of touch.
現在他非常小心。他把凍僵的腳、鼻子和臉的念頭從腦海中驅趕出去。他全心全意地撿起火柴。他用眼睛跟隨手指的動作,用視覺代替觸覺。
When he saw his fingers on each side of the pack, he closed them. That is, he willed to close them, because the fingers did not obey. He put the mitten on the right hand again, and beat it fiercely against his knee.
當他看到他的手指在包的兩側時,他合上了它們。也就是說,他想要合上它們,但手指並不聽從。他再次把手套戴在右手上,並猛烈地拍打他的膝蓋。
Then, with both mittened hands, he lifted up the pack of matches, along with much snow, to the front of his jacket. But he had gained nothing.
然後,他用戴著手套的雙手把火柴盒連同大量的雪一起舉到夾克前面。但他什麼也沒得到。
After some struggling he managed to get the pack between his mittened hands. In this manner he carried it to his mouth. The ice broke as he opened his mouth with a fierce effort. He used his upper teeth to rub across the pack in order to separate a single match.
經過一番掙扎,他終於把火柴盒夾在戴著手套的手中。就這樣,他把火柴盒送到嘴邊。他用力張開嘴時,冰塊碎裂了。他用上排牙齒在火柴盒上摩擦,以便分出一根火柴。
He succeeded in getting one, which he dropped on his jacket. His condition was no better. He could not pick up the match. Then he thought how he might
他成功地拿到了一根火柴,但他把它掉在了夾克上。他的情況並沒有好轉。他無法撿起火柴。然後他想著他可能會如何
do it. He picked up the match in his teeth and drew it across his leg. Twenty times he did this before he succeeded in lighting it. As it flamed he held it with his teeth to the tree bark. But the burning smell went up his nose, causing him to cough.
做吧。他用牙齒夾住火柴,然後在腿上劃過。他這樣做了二十次才成功點燃火柴。當火柴燃燒時,他用牙齒夾住它靠近樹皮。但燃燒的氣味進入他的鼻子,使他咳嗽。
The match fell into the snow and the flame died.
火柴掉進了雪裡,火焰熄滅了。
The old man on Sulphur Creek was right, he thought in the moment of controlled despair that followed. After 50 below zero, a man should travel with a companion. He beat his hands, but failed to produce any feeling in them.
硫磺溪的老人是對的,他在隨後的那一刻受控的絕望中這樣想。零下五十度後,人應該和同伴一起旅行。他拍打著自己的手,但未能產生任何感覺。
Suddenly he bared both hands, removing the mittens with his teeth. He caught the whole pack of matches between his hands. His arm muscles were not frozen and he was able to press the hands tightly against the matches. Then he drew the whole pack along his leg.
突然間,他露出雙手,用牙齒脫掉手套。他用雙手抓住整包火柴。他的臂肌沒有凍僵,能夠將雙手緊緊壓在火柴上。然後他沿著腿拉動整包火柴。
It burst into flame, 70 matches at once!
它突然燃燒起來,一次點燃了 70 根火柴!
There was no wind to blow them out. He kept his head to one side to escape the burning smell, and held the flaming pack to the tree bark. As he so held it, he noticed some feeling in his hand. His flesh was burning. He could smell it. The feeling developed into pain.
沒有風可以吹熄它們。他把頭偏向一邊以避開燃燒的氣味,並將燃燒的包裹靠在樹皮上。當他這樣做時,他注意到手上有些感覺。他的皮肉在燃燒。他能聞到它的氣味。這種感覺變成了疼痛。
He continued to endure it. He held the flame of the matches to the bark that would not light readily because his own burning hands were taking most of the flame.
他繼續忍受著。他把火柴的火焰對準樹皮,但樹皮不容易點燃,因為他自己燃燒的雙手吸收了大部分的火焰。
Finally, when he could endure no more, he pulled his hands apart. The flaming matches fell into the snow, but the tree bark was burning. He began laying dry grasses and the tiniest sticks on the flame.
最後,當他再也無法忍受時,他把手分開了。燃燒的火柴掉進了雪裡,但樹皮還在燃燒。他開始把乾草和最細小的樹枝放在火焰上。
He could not choose carefully because they must be pieces that could be lifted between his hands. Small pieces of green grass stayed on the sticks, and he bit them off as well as he could with his teeth. He treated the flame carefully. It meant life, and it must not cease.
他無法仔細挑選,因為它們必須是可以用雙手舉起的木片。小片的綠草留在木棍上,他盡可能用牙齒咬掉它們。他小心翼翼地對待火焰。這意味著生命,火焰不能熄滅。
The blood had left the surface of his body and he now began to shake from the cold. A large piece of a wet plant fell on the little fire. He tried to push it out with his fingers. His shaking body made him push it too far and he scattered the little fire over a wide space.
血液已經離開了他的身體表面,他現在開始因寒冷而顫抖。一大塊濕植物掉在小火上。他試圖用手指把它推開。他顫抖的身體使他推得太遠,結果把小火弄得四處散開。
He tried to push the burning grasses and sticks together again. Even with the strong effort that he made, his trembling fingers would not obey and the sticks were hopelessly scattered. Each stick smoked a little and died. The fire
他試圖再次把燃燒的草和樹枝推到一起。即使他付出了很大的努力,他顫抖的手指也不聽使喚,樹枝無望地散開了。每根樹枝都冒了一點煙,然後熄滅了。火
provider had failed. As he looked about him, his eyes noticed the dog sitting across the ruins of the fire from him. It was making uneasy movements, slightly lifting one foot and then the other.
供應者失敗了。當他環顧四周時,他的眼睛注意到狗坐在火堆的廢墟對面。它在不安地動來動去,稍微抬起一隻腳又放下另一隻腳。
The sight of the dog put a wild idea into his head. He remembered the story of the man, caught in a storm, who killed an animal and sheltered himself inside the dead body and thus was saved. He would kill the dog and bury his hands in the warm body until feeling returned to them.
看到那隻狗,他腦中閃過一個瘋狂的念頭。他想起了一個故事:一個人在暴風雪中被困,殺死了一隻動物,然後躲在動物的屍體裡,從而得救。他決定殺死那隻狗,將雙手埋在溫暖的屍體裡,直到手恢復知覺。
Then he could build another fire.
然後他可以再生一堆火。
He spoke to the dog, calling it to him. But in his voice was a strange note of fear that frightened the animal. It had never known the man to speak in such a tone before. Something was wrong and it sensed danger.
他對狗說話,叫它過來。但他的聲音中帶著一種奇怪的恐懼,嚇到了這隻動物。它從未聽過這個男人用這種語氣說話。出了問題,它感覺到了危險。
It knew not what danger, but somewhere in its brain arose a fear of the man. It flattened its ears at the sound of the man’s voice; its uneasy movements and the liftings of its feet became more noticeable. But it would not come to the man.
它不知道是什麼危險,但在它的大腦某處產生了對那個人的恐懼。它聽到那個人的聲音時就把耳朵壓平;它不安的動作和抬起腳的動作變得更加明顯。但它不會靠近那個人。
He got down on his hands and knees and went toward the dog. But this unusual position again excited fear and the animal moved away.
他雙手雙膝跪下,朝狗走去。但這個不尋常的姿勢再次引起了恐懼,狗又移開了。
The man sat in the snow for a moment and struggled for calmness. Then he pulled on his mittens, using his teeth, and then stood on his feet. He glanced down to assure himself that he was really standing, because lack of feeling in his feet gave him no relation to the earth.
那個男人在雪地裡坐了一會兒,努力讓自己冷靜下來。然後他用牙齒拉上手套,站了起來。他低頭看了一眼,以確保自己真的站著,因為腳上的麻木感讓他無法感覺到地面。
His position, however, removed the fear from the dog’s mind.
然而,他的姿勢消除了狗心中的恐懼。
When he commanded the dog with his usual voice, the dog obeyed and came to him. As it came within his reach, the man lost control. His arms stretched out to hold the dog and he experienced real surprise when he discovered that his hands could not grasp.
當他用平常的聲音命令狗時,狗服從並走向他。當狗走到他伸手可及的範圍內時,這個人失去了控制。他伸出雙臂想要抱住狗,當他發現自己的手無法抓住時,他感到非常驚訝。
There was neither bend nor feeling in the fingers. He had forgotten for the moment that they were frozen and that they were freezing more and more.
他的手指既沒有彎曲也沒有感覺。他一時忘了它們已經凍僵,而且還在越來越凍。
All this happened quickly and before the animal could escape, he encircled its body with his arms. He sat down in the snow, and in this fashion held the dog, while it barked and struggled.
這一切發生得很快,在動物來得及逃跑之前,他用雙臂圍住了它的身體。他坐在雪地上,以這種方式抱住了狗,而狗則吠叫著掙扎。
But it was all he could do: hold its body encircled in his arms and sit there. He realized that he could not kill the dog. There was no way to do it. With his frozen hands he could neither draw nor hold his
但他所能做的就是:用雙臂環抱著它的身體,坐在那裡。他意識到自己無法殺死這隻狗。根本沒有辦法做到。凍僵的雙手既無法拔出也無法握住他的
knife. Nor could he grasp the dog around the throat. He freed it and it dashed wildly away, still barking. It stopped 40 feet away and observed him curiously, with ears sharply bent forward.
刀子。他也無法抓住狗的喉嚨。他放開了它,狗瘋狂地跑開了,仍然在吠叫。它停在 40 英尺外,好奇地觀察著他,耳朵尖尖地向前彎著。
The man looked down at his hands to locate them and found them hanging on the ends of his arms. He thought it curious that it was necessary to use his eyes to discover where his hands were. He began waving his arms, beating the mittened hands against his sides.
那個男人低頭看著他的手,發現它們掛在他的手臂末端。他覺得必須用眼睛來找到他的手的位置很奇怪。他開始揮動手臂,用戴著手套的手拍打他的兩側。
He did this for five minutes. His heart produced enough blood to stop his shaking. But no feeling was created in his hands.
他這樣做了五分鐘。他的心臟產生了足夠的血液來停止他的顫抖。但他的手沒有產生任何感覺。
A certain fear of death came upon him. He realized that it was no longer a mere problem of freezing his fingers and toes, or of losing his hands and feet. Now it was a problem of life and death with the circumstances against him.
一種對死亡的恐懼籠罩著他。他意識到這不再僅僅是手指和腳趾凍僵,或是失去手腳的問題。現在,這是一個生死攸關的問題,而情況對他不利。
The fear made him lose control of himself and he turned and ran along the creek bed on the old trail. The dog joined him and followed closely behind. The man ran blindly in fear such as he had never known in his life.
恐懼使他失去了自我控制,他轉身沿著小溪床上的舊路徑跑去。狗跟著他,緊緊地跟在後面。這個人盲目地跑著,感受到他一生中從未有過的恐懼。
Slowly, as he struggled through the snow, he began to see things again - the banks of the creek, the bare trees, and the sky.
慢慢地,當他在雪中掙扎前行時,他開始再次看到事物——溪流的岸邊、光禿的樹木和天空。
The running made him feel better. He did not shake any more. Maybe, if he continued to run, his feet would stop freezing. Maybe if he ran far enough, he would find the camp and the boys. Without doubt, he would lose some fingers and toes and some of his face.
跑步讓他感覺好些了。他不再顫抖了。也許,如果他繼續跑,他的腳就不會再凍僵了。也許如果他跑得夠遠,他會找到營地和那些男孩。毫無疑問,他會失去一些手指和腳趾以及他的一部分臉。
But the boys would take care of him and save the rest of him when he got there. And at the same time, there was another thought in his mind that said he would never get to the camp and the boys.
但是那些男孩會照顧他,並在他到達那裡時拯救他的其餘部分。與此同時,他心中還有另一個想法,那就是他永遠無法到達營地和那些男孩。
It told him that it was too many miles away, that the freezing had too great a start and that he would soon be dead. He pushed this thought to the back of his mind and refused to consider it. Sometimes it came forward and demanded to be heard.
它告訴他,距離太遠了,冰凍已經開始得太早,他很快就會死去。他把這個想法推到腦後,拒絕考慮它。有時這個想法會浮現出來,要求被聽到。
But he pushed it away and tried to think of other things.
但他推開它,試圖想些其他的事情。
It seemed strange to him that he could run on feet so frozen that he could not feel them when they struck the earth and took the weight of his body. He seemed to be flying along above the surface and to have no connection with the earth.
他覺得很奇怪,他的腳凍得如此僵硬,以至於當它們踩在地上並承受他身體的重量時,他完全感覺不到。他似乎在地面上方飛奔,與地面沒有任何聯繫。
His idea of running until he arrived at the camp and the boys pre-
他的想法是一直跑到營地,然後男孩們預-
sented one problem: he lacked the endurance. Several times he caught himself as he was falling. Finally, he dropped to the ground, unable to stop his fall. When he tried to rise, he failed. He must sit and rest, he decided. Next time he would merely walk and keep going.
呈現出一個問題:他缺乏耐力。有好幾次他在跌倒時抓住了自己。最後,他掉到了地上,無法阻止自己的跌倒。當他試圖站起來時,他失敗了。他決定必須坐下來休息。下次他只會走路並繼續前進。
As he sat and regained his breath, he noted that he was feeling warm and comfortable. He was not shaking, and it even seemed that a warm glow had come to his body. And yet, when he touched his nose or face, there was no feeling. Running would not bring life to them.
當他坐下來恢復呼吸時,他注意到自己感到溫暖和舒適。他沒有顫抖,甚至似乎有一股溫暖的光芒籠罩著他的身體。然而,當他觸摸自己的鼻子或臉時,卻沒有感覺。奔跑也無法讓它們恢復知覺。
Nor would it help his hands and feet. Then the thought came to him that the frozen portions of his body must be increasing. He tried to keep this thought out of his mind and to forget it.
也不會幫助他的手腳。然後他想到他身體凍結的部分一定在增加。他試圖把這個想法從腦海中趕走並忘記它。
He knew that such thoughts caused a feeling of fright in him and he was afraid of such feelings. But the thought returned and continued, until he could picture his body totally frozen. This was too much, and again he ran wildly along the trail.
他知道這樣的想法讓他感到害怕,他害怕這種感覺。但這個想法又回來了,並且持續著,直到他能想像他的身體完全凍僵。這太過分了,他再次瘋狂地沿著小徑奔跑。
Once he slowed to a walk, but the thought that the freezing of his body was increasing made him run again.
一度他放慢腳步走路,但想到身體的凍結正在加劇,他又開始跑了起來。
And all the time the dog ran with him, at his heels. When he fell a second time, the dog curled its tail over its feet and sat in front of him, facing him, curiously eager. The warmth and security of the animal angered him. He cursed it until it flattened its ears.
而且一直以來,狗都跟在他身後跑。當他第二次摔倒時,狗把尾巴捲在腳上,坐在他面前,好奇而急切地看著他。動物的溫暖和安全感讓他感到憤怒。他咒罵它,直到它把耳朵壓平。
This time the shaking because of the cold began more quickly. He was losing his battle with the frost. It was moving into his body from all sides. This thought drove him forward. But he ran no more than 100 feet, when he fell head first.
這次因為寒冷而開始顫抖得更快。他正在與霜凍的戰鬥中失敗。寒冷從四面八方侵入他的身體。這個想法驅使他向前走。但他跑了不超過 100 英尺,就頭朝下摔倒了。
It was his last moment of fear. When he had recovered his breath and his control, he sat and thought about meeting death with dignity. However, the idea did not come to him in exactly this manner. His idea was that he had been acting like a fool.
這是他最後的恐懼時刻。當他恢復了呼吸和控制後,他坐下來思考如何有尊嚴地面對死亡。然而,這個想法並不是以這種方式出現的。他的想法是,他一直在像個傻瓜一樣行事。
He had been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He was certain to freeze in his present circumstances, and he should accept it calmly. With this newfound peace of mind came the first sleepiness. A good idea, he thought, to sleep his way to death.
他像無頭蒼蠅一樣到處亂跑。他在目前的情況下肯定會凍死,他應該冷靜地接受這一點。隨著這種新發現的心靈平靜,第一次感到困倦。他想,睡著死去是一個好主意。
Freezing was not as bad as people thought. There were many worse ways to die.
凍死並不像人們想像的那麼糟糕。有很多更糟糕的死法。
He pictured the boys finding his body the next day. Suddenly he
他想像著男孩們第二天發現他的屍體。突然間他
saw himself with them, coming along the trail and looking for himself. And, still with them, he came around a turn in the trail and found himself lying in the snow. He did not belong with himself any more.
看見自己和他們一起,沿著小徑走來,尋找自己。而且,仍然和他們在一起,他轉過小徑的一個彎,發現自己躺在雪地裡。他不再屬於自己了。
Even then he was outside of himself, standing with the boys and looking at himself in the snow. It certainly was cold, was his thought. When he returned to the United States he could tell the folks what real cold was.
即使那時他也在自己之外,和那些男孩站在一起,看著自己在雪中。他的想法是,確實很冷。當他回到美國時,他可以告訴家人什麼是真正的寒冷。
His mind went from this to the thought of the old man of Sulphur Creek. He could see him quite clearly, warm and comfortable, and smoking a pipe.
他的思緒從這裡轉到了硫磺溪的老人。他可以清楚地看到他,溫暖舒適,抽著煙斗。
“You were right, old fellow. You were right,” he murmured to the old man of Sulphur Creek.
「你是對的,老朋友。你是對的。」他對硫磺溪的老人低聲說。
Then the man dropped into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known. The dog sat facing him and waiting. The brief day ended in a long evening. There were no signs of a fire to be made.
然後那個男人進入了他所認為的最舒適和滿意的睡眠。狗坐在他面前等待。短暫的一天在漫長的夜晚中結束。沒有任何生火的跡象。
Never in the dog’s experience had it known a man to sit like that in the snow and make no fire. As the evening grew darker, its eager longing for the fire mastered it. With much lifting of its feet, it cried softly. Then it flattened its ears, expecting the man’s curse.
在狗的經驗中,它從未見過有人這樣坐在雪地裡而不生火。隨著夜色漸深,它對火的渴望愈發強烈。它不停地抬起腳,輕聲哀鳴。然後它把耳朵壓平,等待著那人的咒罵。
But the man remained silent. Later, the dog howled loudly. And still later it moved close to the man and caught the smell of death. This made the animal back away. A little longer it delayed, howling under the stars that leaped and danced and shone brightly in the cold sky.
但是那個人保持沉默。後來,狗大聲嚎叫。再後來,它靠近那個人,聞到了死亡的氣味。這使得這隻動物退了回去。它又拖延了一會兒,在寒冷的天空中閃爍跳躍的星星下嚎叫著。
Then it turned and ran along the trail toward the camp it knew, where there were the other food providers and fire providers.
然後它轉身沿著小徑跑向它熟悉的營地,那裡有其他的食物提供者和火提供者。