To Build A Fire中英.docx

To Build A Fire中英.docx

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ToBuildAFire中英

ToBuildAFire

JackLondon

Dayhadbrokencoldandgray,exceedinglycoldandgray,whenthemanturnedasidefromthemainYukontrailandclimbedthehighearth-bank,whereadimandlittle-travelledtrailledeastwardthroughthefatsprucetimberland.Itwasasteepbank,andhepausedforbreathatthetop,excusingtheacttohimselfbylookingathiswatch.Itwasnineo'clock.Therewasnosunnorhintofsun,thoughtherewasnotacloudinthesky.Itwasaclearday,andyetthereseemedanintangiblepalloverthefaceofthings,asubtlegloomthatmadethedaydark,andthatwasduetotheabsenceofsun.Thisfactdidnotworrytheman.Hewasusedtothelackofsun.Ithadbeendayssincehehadseenthesun,andheknewthatafewmoredaysmustpassbeforethatcheerfulorb,duesouth,wouldjustpeepabovethesky-lineanddipimmediatelyfromview.

Themanflungalookbackalongthewayhehadcome.TheYukonlayamilewideandhiddenunderthreefeetofice.Ontopofthisicewereasmanyfeetofsnow.Itwasallpurewhite,rollingingentleundulationswheretheice-jamsofthefreeze-uphadformed.Northandsouth,asfarashiseyecouldsee,itwasunbrokenwhite,saveforadarkhair-linethatcurvedandtwistedfromaroundthespruce-coveredislandtothesouth,andthatcurvedandtwistedawayintothenorth,whereitdisappearedbehindanotherspruce-coveredisland.Thisdarkhair-linewasthetrail—themaintrail—thatledsouthfivehundredmilestotheChilcootPass,Dyea,andsaltwater;andthatlednorthseventymilestoDawson,andstillontothenorthathousandmilestoNulato,andfinallytoSt.MichaelonBeringSea,athousandmilesandhalfathousandmore.

Butallthis—themysterious,far-reachinghair-linetrail,theabsenceofsunfromthesky,thetremendouscold,andthestrangenessandweirdnessofitall—madenoimpressionontheman.Itwasnotbecausehewaslongusedtoit.Hewasanewcomerintheland,achechaquo,andthiswashisfirstwinter.Thetroublewithhimwasthathewaswithoutimagination.Hewasquickandalertinthethingsoflife,butonlyinthethings,andnotinthesignificances.Fiftydegreesbelowzeromeanteighty-odddegreesoffrost.Suchfactimpressedhimasbeingcoldanduncomfortable,andthatwasall.Itdidnotleadhimtomeditateuponhisfrailtyasacreatureoftemperature,anduponman'sfrailtyingeneral,ableonlytolivewithincertainnarrowlimitsofheatandcold;andfromthereonitdidnotleadhimtotheconjecturalfieldofimmortalityandman'splaceintheuniverse.Fiftydegreesbelowzerostoodforabiteoffrostthathurtandthatmustbeguardedagainstbytheuseofmittens,ear-flaps,warmmoccasins,andthicksocks.Fiftydegreesbelowzerowastohimjustpreciselyfiftydegreesbelowzero.Thatthereshouldbeanythingmoretoitthanthatwasathoughtthatneverenteredhishead.

Asheturnedtogoon,hespatspeculatively.Therewasasharp,explosivecracklethatstartledhim.Hespatagain.Andagain,intheair,beforeitcouldfalltothesnow,thespittlecrackled.Heknewthatatfiftybelowspittlecrackledonthesnow,butthisspittlehadcrackledintheair.Undoubtedlyitwascolderthanfiftybelow—howmuchcolderhedidnotknow.Butthetemperaturedidnotmatter.HewasboundfortheoldclaimontheleftforkofHendersonCreek,wheretheboyswerealready.TheyhadcomeoveracrossthedividefromtheIndianCreekcountry,whilehehadcometheroundaboutwaytotakealookatthepossibilitiesofgettingoutlogsinthespringfromtheislandsintheYukon.Hewouldbeintocampbysixo'clock;abitafterdark,itwastrue,buttheboyswouldbethere,afirewouldbegoing,andahotsupperwouldbeready.Asforlunch,hepressedhishandagainsttheprotrudingbundleunderhisjacket.Itwasalsounderhisshirt,wrappedupinahandkerchiefandlyingagainstthenakedskin.Itwastheonlywaytokeepthebiscuitsfromfreezing.Hesmiledagreeablytohimselfashethoughtofthosebiscuits,eachcutopenandsoppedinbacongrease,andeachenclosingageneroussliceoffriedbacon.

Heplungedinamongthebigsprucetrees.Thetrailwasfaint.Afootofsnowhadfallensincethelastsledhadpassedover,andhewasgladhewaswithoutasled,travellinglight.Infact,hecarriednothingbutthelunchwrappedinthehandkerchief.Hewassurprised,however,atthecold.Itcertainlywascold,heconcluded,asherubbedhisnumbnoseandcheek-boneswithhismittenedhand.Hewasawarm-whiskeredman,butthehaironhisfacedidnotprotectthehighcheek-bonesandtheeagernosethatthrustitselfaggressivelyintothefrostyair.

Attheman'sheelstrottedadog,abignativehusky,theproperwolf-dog,gray-coatedandwithoutanyvisibleortemperamentaldifferencefromitsbrother,thewildwolf.Theanimalwasdepressedbythetremendouscold.Itknewthatitwasnotimefortravelling.Itsinstincttolditatruertalethanwastoldtothemanbytheman'sjudgment.Inreality,itwasnotmerelycolderthanfiftybelowzero;itwascolderthansixtybelow,thanseventybelow.Itwasseventy-fivebelowzero.Sincethefreezing-pointisthirty-twoabovezero,itmeantthatonehundredandsevendegreesoffrostobtained.Thedogdidnotknowanythingaboutthermometers.Possiblyinitsbraintherewasnosharpconsciousnessofaconditionofverycoldsuchaswasintheman'sbrain.Butthebrutehaditsinstinct.Itexperiencedavaguebutmenacingapprehensionthatsubdueditandmadeitslinkalongattheman'sheels,andthatmadeitquestioneagerlyeveryunwontedmovementofthemanasifexpectinghimtogointocamportoseeksheltersomewhereandbuildafire.Thedoghadlearnedfire,anditwantedfire,orelsetoburrowunderthesnowandcuddleitswarmthawayfromtheair.

Thefrozenmoistureofitsbreathinghadsettledonitsfurinafinepowderoffrost,andespeciallywereitsjowls,muzzle,andeyelasheswhitenedbyitscrystalledbreath.Theman'sredbeardandmustachewerelikewisefrosted,butmoresolidly,thedeposittakingtheformoficeandincreasingwitheverywarm,moistbreathheexhaled.Also,themanwaschewingtobacco,andthemuzzleoficeheldhislipssorigidlythathewasunabletoclearhischinwhenheexpelledthejuice.Theresultwasthatacrystalbeardofthecolorandsolidityofamberwasincreasingitslengthonhischin.Ifhefelldownitwouldshatteritself,likeglass,intobrittlefragments.Buthedidnotmindtheappendage.Itwasthepenaltyalltobacco-chewerspaidinthatcountry,andhehadbeenoutbeforeintwocoldsnaps.Theyhadnotbeensocoldasthis,heknew,butbythespiritthermometeratSixtyMileheknewtheyhadbeenregisteredatfiftybelowandatfifty-five.

Heheldonthroughthelevelstretchofwoodsforseveralmiles,crossedawideflatofniggerheads,anddroppeddownabanktothefrozenbedofasmallstream.ThiswasHendersonCreek,andheknewhewastenmilesfromtheforks.Helookedathiswatch.Itwasteno'clock.Hewasmakingfourmilesanhour,andhecalculatedthathewouldarriveattheforksathalf-pasttwelve.Hedecidedtocelebratethateventbyeatinghislunchthere.

Thedogdroppedinagainathisheels,withataildroopingdiscouragement,asthemanswungalongthecreek-bed.Thefurrowoftheoldsled-trailwasplainlyvisible,butadozeninchesofsnowcoveredthemarksofthelastrunners.Inamonthnomanhadcomeupordownthatsilentcreek.Themanheldsteadilyon.Hewasnotmuchgiventothinking,andjustthenparticularlyhehadnothingtothinkaboutsavethathewouldeatlunchattheforksandthatatsixo'clockhewouldbeincampwiththeboys.Therewasnobodytotalkto;and,hadtherebeen,speechwouldhavebeenimpossiblebecauseoftheice-muzzleonhismouth.Sohecontinuedmonotonouslytochewtobaccoandtoincreasethelengthofhisamberbeard.

Onceinawhilethethoughtreiterateditselfthatitwasverycoldandthathehadneverexperiencedsuchcold.Ashewalkedalongherubbedhischeek-bonesandnosewiththebackofhismittenedhand.Hedidthisautomatically,nowandagainchanginghands.Butrubashewould,theinstanthestoppedhischeek-boneswentnumb,andthefollowinginstanttheendofhisnosewentnumb.Hewassuretofrosthischeeks;heknewthat,andexperiencedapangofregretthathehadnotdevisedanose-strapofthesortBudworeincoldsnaps.Suchastrappassedacrossthecheeks,aswell,andsavedthem.Butitdidn'tmattermuch,afterall.Whatwerefrostedcheeks?

Abitpainful,thatwasall;theywereneverserious.

Emptyastheman'smindwasofthoughts,hewaskeenlyobservant,andhenoticedthechangesinthecreek,thecurvesandbendsandtimber-jams,andalwayshesharplynotedwhereheplacedhisfeet.Once,comingaroundabend,heshiedabruptly,likeastartledhorse,curvedawayfromtheplacewherehehadbeenwalking,andretreatedseveralpacesbackalongthetrail.Thecreekheknewwasfrozencleartothebottom,—nocreekcouldcontainwaterinthatarcticwinter,—butheknewalsothattherewerespringsthatbubbledoutfromthehillsidesandranalongunderthesnowandontoptheiceofthecreek.Heknewthatthecoldestsnapsneverfrozethesesprings,andheknewlikewisetheirdanger.Theyweretraps.Theyhidpoolsofwaterunderthesnowthatmightbethreeinchesdeep,orthreefeet.Sometimesaskinoficehalfaninchthickcoveredthem,andinturnwascoveredbythesnow.Sometimestherewerealternatelayersofwaterandice-skin,sothatwhenonebrokethroughhekeptonbreakingthroughforawhile,sometimeswettinghimselftothewaist.

Thatwaswhyhehadshiedinsuchpanic.Hehadfeltthegiveunderhi