鲁宾孙飘流记 英文版 Robinson Crusoe
丹尼尔.笛福 Daniel Defoe
CHAPTER XI - FINDS PRINT OF MAN'S FOOT ON THE SAND Page 2
In the middle of these cogitations, apprehensions, and reflections,it came into my thoughts one day that all this might be a merechimera of my own, and that this foot might be the print of my ownfoot, when I came on shore from my boat: this cheered me up alittle, too, and I began to persuade myself it was all a delusion;that it was nothing else but my own foot; and why might I not comethat way from the boat, as well as I was going that way to theboat? Again, I considered also that I could by no means tell forcertain where I had trod, and where I had not; and that if, atlast, this was only the print of my own foot, I had played the partof those fools who try to make stories of spectres and apparitions,and then are frightened at them more than anybody.
Now I began to take courage, and to peep abroad again, for I hadnot stirred out of my castle for three days and nights, so that Ibegan to starve for provisions; for I had little or nothing withindoors but some barley-cakes and water; then I knew that my goatswanted to be milked too, which usually was my evening diversion:and the poor creatures were in great pain and inconvenience forwant of it; and, indeed, it almost spoiled some of them, and almostdried up their milk. Encouraging myself, therefore, with thebelief that this was nothing but the print of one of my own feet,and that I might be truly said to start at my own shadow, I beganto go abroad again, and went to my country house to milk my flock:but to see with what fear I went forward, how often I looked behindme, how I was ready every now and then to lay down my basket andrun for my life, it would have made any one have thought I washaunted with an evil conscience, or that I had been lately mostterribly frightened; and so, indeed, I had. However, I went downthus two or three days, and having seen nothing, I began to be alittle bolder, and to think there was really nothing in it but myown imagination; but I could not persuade myself fully of this tillI should go down to the shore again, and see this print of a foot,and measure it by my own, and see if there was any similitude orfitness, that I might be assured it was my own foot: but when Icame to the place, first, it appeared evidently to me, that when Ilaid up my boat I could not possibly be on shore anywherethereabouts; secondly, when I came to measure the mark with my ownfoot, I found my foot not so large by a great deal. Both thesethings filled my head with new imaginations, and gave me thevapours again to the highest degree, so that I shook with cold likeone in an ague; and I went home again, filled with the belief thatsome man or men had been on shore there; or, in short, that theisland was inhabited, and I might be surprised before I was aware;and what course to take for my security I knew not.
Oh, what ridiculous resolutions men take when possessed with fear!It deprives them of the use of those means which reason offers fortheir relief. The first thing I proposed to myself was, to throwdown my enclosures, and turn all my tame cattle wild into thewoods, lest the enemy should find them, and then frequent theisland in prospect of the same or the like booty: then the simplething of digging up my two corn-fields, lest they should find sucha grain there, and still be prompted to frequent the island: thento demolish my bower and tent, that they might not see any vestigesof habitation, and be prompted to look farther, in order to findout the persons inhabiting.
These were the subject of the first night's cogitations after I wascome home again, while the apprehensions which had so overrun mymind were fresh upon me, and my head was full of vapours. Thus,fear of danger is ten thousand times more terrifying than dangeritself, when apparent to the eyes; and we find the burden ofanxiety greater, by much, than the evil which we are anxious about:and what was worse than all this, I had not that relief in thistrouble that from the resignation I used to practise I hoped tohave. I looked, I thought, like Saul, who complained not only thatthe Philistines were upon him, but that God had forsaken him; for Idid not now take due ways to compose my mind, by crying to God inmy distress, and resting upon His providence, as I had done before,for my defence and deliverance; which, if I had done, I had atleast been more cheerfully supported under this new surprise, andperhaps carried through it with more resolution.
This confusion of my thoughts kept me awake all night; but in themorning I fell asleep; and having, by the amusement of my mind,been as it were tired, and my spirits exhausted, I slept verysoundly, and waked much better composed than I had ever beenbefore. And now I began to think sedately; and, upon debate withmyself, I concluded that this island (which was so exceedinglypleasant, fruitful, and no farther from the mainland than as I hadseen) was not so entirely abandoned as I might imagine; thatalthough there were no stated inhabitants who lived on the spot,yet that there might sometimes come boats off from the shore, who,either with design, or perhaps never but when they were driven bycross winds, might come to this place; that I had lived therefifteen years now and had not met with the least shadow or figureof any people yet; and that, if at any time they should be drivenhere, it was probable they went away again as soon as ever theycould, seeing they had never thought fit to fix here upon anyoccasion; that the most I could suggest any danger from was fromany casual accidental landing of straggling people from the main,who, as it was likely, if they were driven hither, were hereagainst their wills, so they made no stay here, but went off againwith all possible speed; seldom staying one night on shore, lestthey should not have the help of the tides and daylight back again;and that, therefore, I had nothing to do but to consider of somesafe retreat, in case I should see any savages land upon the spot.
Now, I began sorely to repent that I had dug my cave so large as tobring a door through again, which door, as I said, came out beyondwhere my fortification joined to the rock: upon maturelyconsidering this, therefore, I resolved to draw me a secondfortification, in the manner of a semicircle, at a distance from mywall, just where I had planted a double row of trees about twelveyears before, of which I made mention: these trees having beenplanted so thick before, they wanted but few piles to be drivenbetween them, that they might be thicker and stronger, and my wallwould be soon finished. So that I had now a double wall; and myouter wall was thickened with pieces of timber, old cables, andeverything I could think of, to make it strong; having in it sevenlittle holes, about as big as I might put my arm out at. In theinside of this I thickened my wall to about ten feet thick withcontinually bringing earth out of my cave, and laying it at thefoot of the wall, and walking upon it; and through the seven holesI contrived to plant the muskets, of which I took notice that I hadgot seven on shore out of the ship; these I planted like my cannon,and fitted them into frames, that held them like a carriage, sothat I could fire all the seven guns in two minutes' time; thiswall I was many a weary month in finishing, and yet never thoughtmyself safe till it was done.
When this was done I stuck all the ground without my wall, for agreat length every way, as full with stakes or sticks of the osier-like wood, which I found so apt to grow, as they could well stand;insomuch that I believe I might set in near twenty thousand ofthem, leaving a pretty large space between them and my wall, that Imight have room to see an enemy, and they might have no shelterfrom the young trees, if they attempted to approach my outer wall.
Thus in two years' time I had a thick grove; and in five or sixyears' time I had a wood before my dwelling, growing so monstrouslythick and strong that it was indeed perfectly impassable: and nomen, of what kind soever, could ever imagine that there wasanything beyond it, much less a habitation. As for the way which Iproposed to myself to go in and out (for I left no avenue), it wasby setting two ladders, one to a part of the rock which was low,and then broke in, and left room to place another ladder upon that;so when the two ladders were taken down no man living could comedown to me without doing himself mischief; and if they had comedown, they were still on the outside of my outer wall.
Thus I took all the measures human prudence could suggest for myown preservation; and it will be seen at length that they were notaltogether without just reason; though I foresaw nothing at thattime more than my mere fear suggested to me.