In return, I signed the instrument of sale in the form which they sent from Lisbon, and sent it to my old man,
我在他们从里斯本寄给我的卖契上签了字,并把契约寄回给在里斯本的那位老朋友。
who sent me the bills of exchange for thirty?two thousand eight hundred pieces of eight for the estate,
他给我奇来了一张三万二千八百块葡萄牙金币的汇票,那是我出卖那份产业所得的钱。
reserving the payment of one hundred moidores a year to him (the old man) during his life, and fifty moidores afterwards to his son for his life, which I had promised them, and which the plantation was to make good as a rent?charge.
我仍然履行了先前许下的诺言,每年付给这位老人一百块葡萄牙金币,直到他逝世;并在他死后,每年付给他儿子五十块葡萄牙金币作为终身津贴。原先这笔钱是我许诺从种植园的每年收益中支取的。
And thus I have given the first part of a life of fortune and adventure ? a life of Providence's chequer?work, and of a variety which the world will seldom be able to show the like of;
现在,我叙述完了我一生幸运和冒险经历的第一部分。我这一生犹如造物主的杰作,光怪陆离,浮沉不定,变化无常,实乃人间罕见。
beginning foolishly, but closing much more happily than any part of it ever gave me leave so much as to hope for.
虽然开始时我显得那么愚昧无知,但结局却比我所期望的要幸运得多。
Any one would think that in this state of complicated good fortune I was past running any more hazards ? and so, indeed, I had been, if other circumstances had concurred;
我现在可谓是福星高照,佳运交集。在这种情况下,任何人都以为我不会再出去冒险了。如果情况不是像后来发生的那样,我也确实会在家安享余年。
but I was inured to a wandering life, had no family, nor many relations; nor, however rich, had I contracted fresh acquaintance;
可是,我现在的情况是,自己已过惯了游荡的生活,加上我目前一无家庭牵连,二无多少亲戚,而且,我虽富有,却没有结交多少朋友。
and though I had sold my estate in the Brazils, yet I could not keep that country out of my head, and had a great mind to be upon the wing again;
所以,尽管我把在巴西的种植园已经出卖,可是我还常常想念那个地方,很想旧地重访,再作远游。
especially I could not resist the strong inclination I had to see my island, and to know if the poor Spaniards were in being there.
我尤其想到我的岛上去看看,了解一下那批可怜的西班牙人是否上了岛。
My true friend, the widow, earnestly dissuaded me from it, and so far prevailed with me, that for almost seven years she prevented my running abroad, during which time I took my two nephews, the children of one of my brothers, into my care;
我忠实的朋友,就是那位寡妇,竭力劝我不要再外出远游了。她真的把我劝住了。整整七年,她都不让我出游。在这期间,我领养了两个侄儿,他俩都是我一个哥哥的孩子。
the eldest, having something of his own, I bred up as a gentleman, and gave him a settlement of some addition to his estate after my decease.
大侄儿本来有点遗产,我把他培养成了一个有教养的人,并且拨给他一点产业,在我死后并入他的财产。
The other I placed with the captain of a ship; and after five years, finding him a sensible, bold, enterprising young fellow, I put him into a good ship, and sent him to sea; and this young fellow afterwards drew me in, as old as I was, to further adventures myself.
我把另一个侄儿托付给一位船长。五年后,我见他已成了一个通情达理、有胆识、有抱负的青年,就替他买了一条好船,让他航海去了。后来,正是这位小青年竟把我这个老头子拖进了新的冒险事业。
In the meantime, I in part settled myself here; for, first of all, I married, and that not either to my disadvantage or dissatisfaction, and had three children, two sons and one daughter;
在此期间,我在国内也初步安居下来。首先,我结了婚。这个婚姻不算太美满,也不算不美满。我生了三个孩子:两个儿子和一个女儿。
but my wife dying, and my nephew coming home with good success from a voyage to Spain, my inclination to go abroad, and his importunity, prevailed, and engaged me to go in his ship as a private trader to the East Indies; this was in the year 1694.
可是,不久我妻子就过世了。这时,我的侄子又正好从西班牙航海归来,获利甚丰。我出洋的欲望又强烈起来,加上我侄儿一再劝说,于是,我就以一个私家客商的身份,搭他的船到东印度群岛去。这是一六九四年的事。
In this voyage I visited my new colony in the island, saw my successors the Spaniards, had the old story of their lives and of the villains I left there;
在这次航行中,我回到了我的岛上。现在,这座小岛已是我的新殖民地了。我看到了我的那些继承人--就是那批大陆上过去的西班牙人,
how at first they insulted the poor Spaniards, how they afterwards agreed, disagreed, united, separated, and how at last the Spaniards were obliged to use violence with them; how they were subjected to the Spaniards, how honestly the Spaniards used them ?
了解了他们的生活情况以及我留在岛上的那几个恶棍的情况,知道他们起初怎样侮辱那批可怜的西班牙人,后来又怎样时而和好,时而不和,时而联合,时而分开;最后那批西班牙人又怎样被迫使用武力对付他们,把他们制服,以及那批西班牙人又怎样公正地对待他们。
a history, if it were entered into, as full of variety and wonderful accidents as my own part ? particularly, also, as to their battles with the Caribbeans, who landed several times upon the island, and as to the improvement they made upon the island itself,
他们的这段经历如果写出来,也会像我自己的经历一样光怪陆离,变化多端,尤其是他们同加勒比人打仗的故事,更是惊险异常。那些加勒比土人曾三番五次地登上海岛。他们也谈到了岛上生产发展和生活改善情况,
and how five of them made an attempt upon the mainland, and brought away eleven men and five women prisoners, by which, at my coming, I found about twenty young children on the island.
以及他们怎样派了五个人攻到大陆上去,虏来了十一个男人和五个女人。所以,当我这次重访小岛时,那儿已经有了二十来个孩子。
Here I stayed about twenty days, left them supplies of all necessary things, and particularly of arms, powder, shot, clothes, tools, and two workmen, which I had brought from England with me, viz. a carpenter and a smith.
我在岛上逗留了大约二十天,给他们留下了各种日用必需品,特别是枪支弹药、衣服和工具,以及我从英国带来的两个工人,一个是木匠,另一个是铁匠。
Besides this, I shared the lands into parts with them, reserved to myself the property of the whole, but gave them such parts respectively as they agreed on;
另外,我把全岛领土加以划分后分配给他们,我自己保留全岛的主权。我根据他们的要求,把土地一一分给他们。
and having settled all things with them, and engaged them not to leave the place, I left them there.
这样,我替他们解决了土地的归属问题,并嘱咐他们不要离开小岛,我自己就离开了。
From thence I touched at the Brazils, from whence I sent a bark, which I bought there, with more people to the island;
从那儿,我到了巴西。在巴西,我买了一条帆船,又送了一些人到岛上去。
and in it, besides other supplies, I sent seven women, being such as I found proper for service, or for wives to such as would take them.
在那条船上,除了一些日用品外,又给他们送了七个妇女去。这七个妇女都是经我亲自挑选的,有的适于干活,有的适于做老婆,只要那边有人愿意娶她们。
As to the Englishmen, I promised to send them some women from England, with a good cargo of necessaries, if they would apply themselves to planting ? which I afterwards could not perform.
至于那几个英国人,我答应从英国给他们送几个女人和大批的日用必需品去。前提是,只要他们愿意在岛上勤于耕作,这些诺言我后来也都实践了。
The fellows proved very honest and diligent after they were mastered and had their properties set apart for them.
这几个人被制服后,分到了土地,后来都成了诚实勤劳的人。
I sent them, also, from the Brazils, five cows, three of them being big with calf, some sheep, and some hogs, which when I came again were considerably increased.
我还从巴西给他们送去了五条母牛,其中有三条已怀了小牛,另外还有几只羊和几头猪。后来我再去时,那儿已是牛羊成群了。
But all these things, with an account how three hundred Caribbees came and invaded them, and ruined their plantations, and how they fought with that whole number twice, and were at first defeated, and one of them killed;
除了这些事情外,后来还发生了不少惊险的遭遇。三百来个加勒比土著曾入侵海岛,破坏了他们的种植园。他们曾两次与这些野人作战,起先被野人打败了,死了三个人。
but at last, a storm destroying their enemies' canoes, they famished or destroyed almost all the rest, and renewed and recovered the possession of their plantation, and still lived upon the island.
后来,刮起了风暴,摧毁了土著的独木舟;其余的野人不是饿死就是被消灭了,这样才重新收复了种植园,继续在岛上过日子。
All these things, with some very surprising incidents in some new adventures of my own, for ten years more, I shall give a farther account of in the Second Part of my Story.
所有这些事情,以及我个人后来十多年的惊险遭遇,我可能以后再一一叙述。