The Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor 9

When I had somewhat recovered I began to examine the spot in which I found myself, and truly it seemed to me that I had reached a garden of delights. There were trees everywhere, and they were laden ¹ with flowers and fruit, while a crystal stream wandered in and out under their shadow. When night came I slept sweetly in a cosy²（舒适的） nook（角落
，隐匿处）, though the remembrance that I was alone in a strange land made me sometimes start up and look around me in alarm, and then I wished heartily ³ that I had stayed at home at ease. However, the morning sunlight restored my courage, and I once more wandered among the trees, but always with some anxiety as to what I might see next. I had penetrated ⁴ some distance into the island when I saw an old man bent ⁵ and feeble（微弱的） sitting upon the river bank, and at first I took him to be some ship-wrecked mariner⁶（水手，船员） like myself. Going up to him I greeted him in a friendly way, but he only nodded his head at me in reply. I then asked what he did there, and he made signs to me that he wished to get across the river to gather some fruit, and seemed to beg me to carry him on my back. Pitying his age and feebleness, I took him up, and wading ⁷ across the stream I bent down that he might more easily reach the bank, and bade him get down. But instead of allowing himself to be set upon his feet (even now it makes me laugh to think of it!), this creature who had seemed to me so decrepit⁸（衰老的 ，破旧的） leaped nimbly upon my shoulders, and hooking his legs round my neck gripped me so tightly that I was well-nigh choked, and so overcome with terror that I fell insensible to the ground. When I recovered my enemy was still in his place, though he had released his hold enough to allow me breathing space, and seeing me revive he prodded ⁹ me adroitly ¹⁰ first with one foot and then with the other, until I was forced to get up and stagger about with him under the trees while he gathered and ate the choicest fruits. This went on all day, and even at night, when I threw myself down half dead with weariness, the terrible old man held on tight to my neck, nor did he fail to greet the first glimmer ¹¹ of morning light by drumming upon me with his heels, until I perforce（一定
，必须） awoke and resumed my dreary ¹² march with rage and bitterness in my heart. , ,It happened one day that I passed a tree under which lay several dry gourds ¹⁴, and catching ¹⁵ one up I amused myself with scooping ¹⁶ out its contents and pressing into it the juice of several bunches of grapes which hung from every bush. When it was full I left it propped ¹⁷ in the fork of a tree, and a few days later, carrying the hateful old man that way, I snatched at my gourd ¹³ as I passed it and had the satisfaction of a draught ¹⁸ of excellent wine so good and refreshing ¹⁹ that I even forgot my detestable burden, and began to sing and caper ²⁰. , ,The old monster was not slow to perceive the effect which my draught had produced and that I carried him more lightly than usual, so he stretched out his skinny hand and seizing the gourd first tasted its contents cautiously, then drained them to the very last drop. The wine was strong and the gourd capacious（宽敞的）, so he also began to sing after a fashion, and soon I had the delight of feeling the iron grip of his goblin legs unclasp, and with one vigorous effort I threw him to the ground, from which he never moved again. I was so rejoiced to have at last got rid of this uncanny old man that I ran leaping and bounding down to the sea shore, where, by the greatest good luck, I met with some mariners ²¹ who had anchored off the island to enjoy the delicious fruits, and to renew their supply of water. , , ,"Go with them," said he, "and do as they do, but beware of losing sight of them, for if you strayed your life would be in danger." , ,With that he supplied me with provisions, and bade me farewell, and I set out with my new companions. I soon learnt that the object of our expedition was to fill our sacks with cocoanuts, but when at length I saw the trees and noted ²⁸ their immense height and the slippery smoothness of their slender trunks, I did not at all understand how we were to do it. The crowns of the cocoa-palms were all alive with monkeys, big and little, which skipped from one to the other with surprising agility ²⁹, seeming to be curious about us and disturbed at our appearance, and I was at first surprised when my companions after collecting stones began to throw them at the lively creatures, which seemed to me quite harmless. But very soon I saw the reason of it and joined them heartily, for the monkeys, annoyed and wishing to pay us back in our own coin, began to tear the nuts from the trees and cast them at us with angry and spiteful gestures, so that after very little labour our sacks were filled with the fruit which we could not otherwise have obtained. #p#分页标题#e#, ,Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事
。,We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。