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04-01-03-三怪客泛舟记 [23]

By Root 1707 0
些硬,但因为我们的牙好,所以也没什么大问题。
  哈里斯吃罢晚饭变得有些不太友好——我想这一定是那顿饭在作怪,他还不适应那么丰盛的食物。乔治和我打算到亨利城里面转一转,把哈里斯留在船上。他说他要喝一杯威士忌,抽斗烟,再把船弄好,准备过夜。我们停在一个岛上,所以回来的时候只要在岸上喊上一声,哈里斯就把船摇过来接我们。临行的时候,我们叮嘱他:“可别睡着了!”
  亨利城里面十分热闹,我们在那里碰见不少伦敦城里的熟人。时间过得真快,我们动身回来时,已经十一点了,还有长长的一段路要走。
  那是个阴沉可怕的夜晚,冷气逼人,又下着小雨。我们穿过黑暗寂静的旷野,低声谈着话,心里直犯嘀咕,也不知道走的路对不对。一想到我们那个温暖,舒适的小船,想到哈里斯和“元帅”,还有威士忌——真不如就呆在船上呢。
  我们想像自己拖着饥饿、疲惫的身子回到船上,周围是阴森可怕的河水。我们仿佛看见自己坐下来吃着晚餐,互相递着冷肉和一片片厚厚的面包;我们仿佛听见刀叉叮当作响,听到自己阵阵的笑语。我们归心似箭,要尽快实现这个梦想。
  又过了一段时间,我们终于到了河边,心中才高兴起来,知道自己走的路没有错。我们经过希普雷克的时候是十一点三刻,乔治慢吞吞地问道:“你还记得咱们住的那个小岛,是吗?”
  “不,记不得了,”我回答说,然后我也开始使劲想。“一共有几个岛啊?”
  “只有四个,”乔治回答。“只要哈里斯醒着,准能找到。”
  “要是他没醒着怎么办?”我问。
  我们打定主意不去那么想。
  我们走到第一个岛对面大喊大叫,可是毫无回音。我们又跑到第二个岛对面又喊,还是没有回音。
  “哦,我想起来了,”乔治说。“我们住的是第三个岛。”
  我们满怀希望地跑到第三个岛又喊了一通,还是没有回音。
  这样,问题就严重了。时间已过半夜,旅馆也早已客满,我们总不能走遍全城,半夜里一家一家挨着敲门吧!乔治说也许我们应该回亨利城,找个警察,把他打一顿,他就会把我们抓起来带到派出所。那样我们就有地方睡觉了。可是转念一想:“说不定警察不抓我们,倒是也把我们揍一顿呢!”我们不能整个晚上都和警察打架。
  我们又摸索到第四个岛,同样毫无结果。雨下得越来越大,没有停的样子。我们又冷又湿,狼狈不堪。我们开始怀疑起来:到底是不是只有四个小岛呢?还是我们走到了另一个河岸?漆黑一片,一切都变幻莫测。
  正在我们绝望的当间儿,我忽然看见一道奇异的光线,从河对岸的树林里透了出来,于是我扯起嗓子喊起来。
  我们静静等了一会儿。啊!我们听见“元帅”吠叫(哦!我们太高兴了!)
  我们又声嘶力竭地喊了五分钟,才看见小船上的灯光慢慢地向我们移过来,又听见哈里斯迷迷糊糊的声音,问我们在哪里。
  哈里斯显得有点奇怪,困得不象是一般的疲倦。他把船靠到岸边,停下来,可那个地方我们根本无法上船,而他自己却又马上睡着了。
  我们只能喊着,尖叫着才能把他弄醒。他好不容易醒过来,我们这才得以上船。
  哈里斯看上去十分难过,就好像经历了一场大劫难。我们问他到底发生了什么事儿,他说了两个字:“天鹅!”
  原来,我们把船停在了天鹅巢的旁边。就在我和乔治起身刚走,天鹅太太回来了。她冲着哈里斯直嚷嚷,而哈里斯呢,使出浑身解数把天鹅太太赶走。于是她把她丈夫拉来了。哈里斯说他和两只天鹅战斗得异常激烈,哈里斯愈战愈勇,最后大获全胜。
  过了半个小时,它们卷土重来——又带来了十八只天鹅!又是一场昏天黑地的战斗。那些天鹅要把哈里斯和“元帅”拖到水里去,淹死他们。哈里斯再次以大无畏的精神又战斗了四个小时,把它们全部歼灭。它们只能游到别的地方,等死去吧!
  “你说一共有多少只天鹅?”乔治问道。
  “三十二只,”哈里斯半睡半醒地回答说。
  “可你刚才不是说十八只吗?”乔治说。
  “我可没说,”哈里斯咕哝道。“我说的是十二只。你当我不会数数啊?”
  到底那场天鹅战争是怎么一回事,我们始终没搞清楚。第二天早上我们问起哈里斯这件事,他却说:“什么天鹅?”他以为乔治和我一直还做着梦呢!
  哦,重新回到船上可真好!我们美美地吃了一顿晚餐。本来还想好好地喝上点威士忌,却怎么也找不着。我们审问哈里斯,把威士忌搞到哪里去了,他一派茫然无知的样子,根本不懂我们在谈什么。可“元帅”脸上的表情却好像告诉我们,他知道些内幕,但它什么也不说。
  我那天晚上睡得很好,尽管哈里斯把我吵醒了十好几回。他一直在找衣服,似乎一晚上尽担心他的衣服了。
  他把乔治和我推醒了两次,就是为了看看我们有没有压在他的裤子上。第二次的时候,乔治气坏了。
  “你半夜三更起来找裤子,到底要干嘛?”乔治喊道。“干嘛不躺下来好好去睡觉。”
  我第二次醒来时,哈里斯说找不着鞋了。后来我还记得他把我推了一个个儿,还在说:“我的伞能去哪儿呢?”


■ Chapter 14 Work, washing, and fishing
  We woke up late the next morning, and it was about ten o'clock when we moved off. We had already decided that we wanted to make this a good day's journey.
  We agreed that we would row, and not tow, the boat. Harris said that George and I should row,and he would steer.I did not like this idea at all.I said that he and George should row,so that I could rest a little.I thought that I was doing too much of the work on this trip. I was beginning to feel strongly about it.
  I always think that I am doing too much work. It is not be-cause I do not like work. I do like it. I find it very interesting.I can sit and look at it for hours. You cannot give me too much work.I like to collect it.My study is full of it.
  And I am very careful with my work, too.Why,some of the work in my study has been there for years, and it has not got dirty or anything.That is because I take care of it.
  However,although I love work, I do not want to take other poople's work from them But I get it without asking for it,and this worries me.
  George says that I should not worry about it. In fact, he thinks that perhaps I should have more work.However, I ex-pect he only says that to make me feel better.
  In a boat, I have noticed that each person thinks that he is doing all the work. Harris's idea was that both George and I had let him do all the work. George said that Harris never did anything except eat and sleep. He, George, had done all the work.He said that he had never met such lazy people as Harris and me.
  That amused Harris.
  'George! Work!'he laughed.'If George worked for half an hour, it would kill him. Have you ever seen George work?'he added, and he turned to me.
  I agreed with Harris that I had never seen George work.
  'Well,how can you know?'George answered Harris.
  'You're always asleep. Have you ever seen Harris awake, ex-cept at meal times?'George asked me.
  I had to tell the truth and agree with George.Harris had done very little work in the boat.
  'Oh, come on! I've done more than old J
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