小鬼闹非洲《中文版》

《 小鬼闹非洲《中文版》》

　　But the misery of the poor passengers in the cabin was of anothernature, and far beyond the rest; for as, first, the ship's companyhad so little for themselves, it was but too true that they had atfirst kept them very low, and at last totally neglected them: sothat for six or seven days it might be said they had really no foodat all, and for several days before very little. The poor mother,who, as the men reported, was a woman of sense and good breeding,had spared all she could so affectionately for her son, that atlast she entirely sank under it; and when the mate of our ship wentin, she sat upon the floor on deck, with her back up against thesides, between two chairs, which were lashed fast, and her headsunk between her shoulders like a corpse, though not quite dead.My mate said all he could to revive and encourage her, and with aspoon put some broth into her mouth. She opened her lips, andlifted up one hand, but could not speak: yet she understood whathe said, and made signs to him, intimating, that

　　I thought, long before this, that as we came nearer to Europe weshould find the country better inhabited, and the people morecivilised; but I found myself mistaken in both: for we had yet thenation of the Tonguses to pass through, where we saw the sametokens of paganism and barbarity as before; only, as they wereconquered by the Muscovites, they were not so dangerous, but forrudeness of manners and idolatry no people in the world ever wentbeyond them. They are all clothed in skins of beasts, and theirhouses are built of the same; you know not a man from a woman,neither by the ruggedness of their countenances nor their clothes;and in the winter, when the ground is covered with snow, they liveunderground in vaults, which have cavities going from one toanother. If the Tartars had their Cham Chi-Thaungu for a wholevillage or country, these had idols in every hut and every cave.This country, I reckon, was, from the desert I spoke of last, atleast four hundred miles, half of it being another desert, whichtook

them better rules than they were able to give themselves;only I made them promise me to live in love and good neighbourhoodwith one another; and so I prepared to leave them.