To this short time allowed for labour, I desire may be added the exceeding laboriousness of my work; the many hours which for want of tools, want of help, and want of skill, every thing I did, took up out of my time:
一天中能工作的时间太短。此外,我还得提一下我工作的艰苦性。因为缺乏工具、助手和经验,做每件事都要浪费许多时间。
For example, I was full two and forty days making a board for a long shelf, which I wanted in my cave; whereas two sawyers with their tools, and a sawpit, would have cut six of them out of the same tree in half a day.
例如,为了在我的洞室里做一个长架子,我花了整整四十二天的功夫才做成一块木板;而实际上,如果有两个锯木工在锯坑里用锯子锯,只要半天就能从同一棵树上锯出六块木板来。
My case was this, it was to be a large tree, which was to be cut down, because my board was to be a broad one.
我做木板的方法是这样的:因为我需要一块较宽的木板,就选定一棵大树把它砍倒。
This tree I was three days a cutting down, and two more cutting off the bows, and reducing it to a log, or piece of timber.
砍树花了三天的时间,再花了两天把树枝削掉,这样树干就成了一根大木头,或者说是成了木材。
With inexpressible hacking and hewing I reduced both the sides of it into chips, till it began to be light enough to move; then I turned it, and made one side of it smooth, and flat, as a board from end to end; then turning that side downward, cut the other side, till I brought the plank to be about three inches thick, and smooth on both sides.
然后用大量的时间慢慢劈削,把树干两边一点点地削平。削到后来,木头就轻了,这样就可以搬动了。然后把削轻的木头放在地上,先把朝上的一面从头至尾削光削平,像块木板的板面一样;再把削平的这一面翻下去,削另一面,最后削成三寸多厚两面光滑的木板。
Anyone may judge the labour of my hands in such a piece of work; but labour and patience carried me through that and many other things:
任何人都可以想象,做这样的工作,我得用双手付出多少劳力啊!但劳力和耐心终于使我完成了这件工作以及许多其他工作。
I only observe this in particular, to show the reason why so much of my time went away with so little work, that is:
我举做木板的例子旨在说明为什么我花了那么多的时间只能完成很少的工作;
what might be a little to be done with help and tools, was a vast labour, and required a prodigious time to do alone, and by hand.
做任何工作,如果有助手和工具,本来是一件轻而易举的事情,但若单凭一个人空手去做,便要花费大量的劳力和时间。
But notwithstanding this, with patience and labour I got through everything; indeed my circumstances made necessary to me to do, as will appear by what follows.
尽管如此,凭借耐力和劳力,我完成了大量工作。下面,我将叙述我如何为生活环境所迫,完成了许多必不可少的工作。
I was now, in the months of November and December, expecting my crop of barley and rice.
现在正是十一、十二月之间,是大麦和稻子丰收的时候。
The ground I had manured or dug up for them was not great; for as I observed, my seed of each was not above the quantity of half a peck; for I had lost one whole crop by sowing in the dry season; but now my crop promised very well, when on a sudden I found I was in danger of losing it all again by enemies of several sorts, which was scarcely possible to keep from it;
我耕种和施肥的面积不大,如上所述,我所有的种子每样只不过半斗,而且第一次又在旱季播种,把播下去的种子全毁了,但这一次却丰收在望。然而,我突然发现,庄稼受到好几种敌人的威胁,而且这些敌人简直难以对付,全部收获又将丧失殆尽。
as first, the goats, and wild creatures which I called hares who tasted the sweetness of the blade, lay in it night and day, as soon as it came up, and eat it so close, that it could get no time to shoot up into stalk.
首先,就是山羊和像野兔似的野物。它们尝到了禾苗的甜味后,等禾苗一长出来,就昼夜伏在田里,把长出地面的禾苗吃光,禾苗根本就无法长出茎秆来。
This I saw no remedy for, but by making an enclosure about it with a hedge, which I did with a great deal of toil; and the more, because it required speed.
除了做个篱笆把庄稼地围起来,我想不出其他办法。我花了大量艰苦的劳动,才把篱笆筑好。尤其吃力的是,我必须很快把篱笆建成。
However, as my arable land was but small, suited to my crop, I got it totally well fenced, in about three weeks time; and shooting some of the creatures in the day time, I set my dog to guard it in the night, tying him up to a stake at the gate, where he would stand and bark all night long; so in a little time the enemies forsook the place, and the corn grew very strong, and well, and began to ripen apace.
好在我种子不多,因而耕种面积也不大,所以不到三星期我就把庄稼地围起来了。白天,我打死3只野物;晚上,我把狗拴在大门外的一根柱子上,让狗整夜吠叫,看守庄稼地。不久,那些敌人就舍弃了这块地方,庄稼茁壮成长,很快成熟。
But as the beasts ruined me before, while my corn was in the blade; so the birds were as likely to ruin me now, when it was in the ear; for going along by the place to see how it throve, I saw my little crop surrounded with fowls of I know not how many sorts, who stood as it were watching till I should be gone: I immediately let fly among them (for I always had my gun with me).
在庄稼长出禾苗时,遭到了兽害;而现在庄稼结穗时,又遇到了鸟害。我到田里去看看庄稼的生长情况,却发现无数飞禽围住了我那块小小的庄稼地,飞禽种类之多,简直数不胜数。它们围着庄稼地,仿佛等我走开后就可飞进去饱餐一顿。我立刻向鸟群开了枪(我外出时枪不离身)。
I had no sooner shot, but there rose up a little cloud of fowls, which I had not seen at all, from among the corn itself.
枪声一响,我又看到在庄稼地中无数飞禽纷纷腾空而起,而刚才我还没有发现在庄稼地中竟也潜伏着这么一大群飞禽。
This touched me sensibly, for I foresaw, that in a few days they would devour all my hopes, that I should be starved, and never be able to raise a crop at all, and what to do I could not tell:
这使我非常痛心。可以预见,要不了几天,它们就会把我的全部庄稼吃个精光。我将无法耕种任何庄稼,到头来只好挨饿,而我又不知如何对付这些飞禽。
However, I resolved not to lose my corn, if possible, tho'I should watch it night and day.
但我决心不能让我的庄稼白白损失,即使整天整夜守着也在所不惜。
In the first place, I went among it to see what damage was already done, and found they had spoiled a good deal of it, but that as it was yet too green for them, the loss was not so great, but that the remainder was like to be a good crop if it could be saved.
我先走进庄稼地看看损失的情况,发现那些飞禽已糟蹋了不少庄稼,但大麦和稻子还都未成熟,所以损失还不大。假如我能把其余部分保住,还可能有一个不错的收成。
I stayed by it to load my gun, and then coming away I could easily see the thieves sitting upon all the trees about me, as if they only waited till I was gone away, and the event proved it to be so; for as I walked off as if I was gone, I was no sooner out of their sight, but they dropped down one by one into the corn again.
我站在庄稼地旁,把枪装上弹药。当我走开时,我清楚地看到那些偷谷贼都停在周围的树上,好像专等我走开似的。事实也确实如此。我慢慢走远,假装已经离开。一旦它们看不见我了,就立即又一个个飞进庄稼地。
I was so provoked that I could not have patience to stay till more came on, knowing that every grain that they ate now, was, as it might be said, a peck loaf to me in the consequence; but coming up to the hedge, I fired again, and killed three of them.
见此情景,我气极了。等不及更多的鸟飞下来,我就走到篱笆边开了一枪,一下子打死了三只。因为我知道,它们现在所吃掉的每一颗谷粒,几年后对我来说就是一大斗。
This was what I wished for; so I took them up, and served them as we serve notorious thieves in England, (viz. ) hanged them in chains for a terror to others; it is impossible to imagine that this should have such an effect, as it had;
鸟给打死了,这正是我所期望的。我把打死的鸟从地里拾起来,用英国惩治恶名昭著的窃贼的办法,把它们用锁链吊起来,以儆效尤。真想不到,这个办法居然十分奏效。