Large Farmsteads.—Wedding Party.—Atoning for an Insult.—Rowdy Lichuan.—Old-fashioned Inn.—Dog's Triumphal Progress.—Free Fight.—Wicked Music.—Poppy-fields.—Bamboo Stream
Large Farmsteads.—Wedding Party.—Atoning for an Insult.—Rowdy Lichuan.—Old-fashioned Inn.—Dog's Triumphal Progress.—Free Fight.—Wicked Music.—Poppy-fields.—Bamboo Stream.
大型農莊——婚禮隊伍——為侮辱贖罪——吵鬧的利川——古老的客棧——狗的凱旋進行——群毆——邪惡的音樂——罌粟田——竹溪
It is very unusual to make the journey from Ichang to Chungking by land; but one year in the spring-time the thought of the dog-roses and the honeysuckle tempted us, as also the prospect of getting to our destination a few days earlier; so we crossed the river at Ichang, and set off over the mountains, at first all white and glittering with new-fallen snow. How delicious oranges tasted, when we took alternate bites of them and crisp mountain snow!
從宜昌（Ichang）到重慶（Chungking）通常不會選擇陸路旅行；但有一年春天，我們被野薔薇和金銀花的美景吸引，同時也期望能提前幾天到達目的地，因此我們在宜昌過河，開始了翻越群山的旅程。起初，山上被新落的雪覆蓋著，白茫茫地閃閃發光。我們一邊吃著橙子，一邊嚼著脆脆的山雪，真是美味極了！
Here and there were large farmsteads, where a whole clan lived together, thus avoiding the loneliness of English country life, as also the insecurity. How it works, and whether there is some natural law by which no family increases beyond a certain number, or how it is decided when the moment comes that some members have to go out into the world to seek their fortunes, and who it should be, I do not know. But it is obvious that the Chinese plan leads to a great deal of pleasant sociability; and as it is always the 59eldest man of the family whose authority is (nominally) absolute, this must lead to a certain continuity of régime, very different from what it would be, if, as with us, a young eldest son every now and then became the head. It also leads to the erection of very large and very beautiful homesteads, with generally a beautiful temple near at hand.
途中偶爾會看到大型農莊，整個家族住在一起，避免了英國鄉村生活的孤獨感，也增加了安全性。這種方式如何運作，以及是否有某種自然法則使得家族人數不會超過某個上限，或者當某些成員需要外出謀生時，是如何決定的，我不得而知。但顯而易見的是，中國的這種計劃帶來了大量的社交活動；而且家族中最年長的男性（名義上）擁有絕對的權威，這必然導致某種連續的管理方式，這與我們的年輕長子不時成為家主的情況截然不同。這也導致了非常大且非常美麗的農舍的建設，通常附近還有一座美麗的寺廟。
It was a pretty sight one day to watch a wedding party behind us winding up and down the mountainsides, seven men carrying flags, seven or eight ponies with red cloth saddles, a red State umbrella carried by itself, two sedan-chairs, and music, which last sounded quite pleasantly in the fresh country air. They were going to fetch the bride, we were told; but our last sight of them was sad. For, encountering an opium caravan, one of the wedding party was saucy, and a free fight ensued, branches being torn off the trees, whilst all the cavaliers, now mounted, stood huddled together on a hill, declaring they knew nothing about it instead of dashing in to the rescue. Meanwhile, one at least of the wedding party was carried off prostrate and bleeding, and the opium caravan, with its heavy carrying-poles, was having it all its own way.
有一天，我們看到一個婚禮隊伍在我們後面蜿蜒上下山坡，這是一幅美麗的景象。七個男人舉著旗幟，七八匹馬背上裝著紅布鞍子，一把紅色的國傘獨自被攜帶著，還有兩頂轎子和音樂，最後在清新的鄉村空氣中顯得相當悅耳。據說他們是去接新娘的；但我們最後見到他們時，情景卻變得悲傷。因為遇到了一個鴉片商隊，婚禮隊伍中的一個人態度無禮，隨即爆發了一場群毆，樹枝被從樹上折下，而所有的騎士此時已經上馬，卻蜷縮在一座山上，聲稱他們對這一切一無所知，並沒有衝進去救人。與此同時，至少有一名婚禮隊伍成員被抬走，瘫倒在地，鮮血直流，而鴉片商隊則用沉重的挑杆肆意妄為。
Once we thought we were going to spend the night, as we always tried to do, at a lonely inn; but there was a village just beyond it, and the villagers came over, and were rather troublesome in their curiosity. What was particularly annoying was that our room was only partly boarded over at the top with loose, dirty boards; and when we closed the door, all who could rushed 60up ladders into the rafters to look down, or on to the loose boards above us, staring down at us, and covering us and our dinner with dust. This had to be stopped; so we opened the door again. And I got so tired of the people, I went outside to walk up and down the road in the moonlight, though certainly we had had quite enough walking; for our little pony had lost two shoes, and with so many miles yet to go had to be spared a good deal. Even in the moonlight, however, a growing crowd followed me, staring and giggling, till impatiently I remonstrated. On which a man stepped forward as spokesman. "We are nothing but mountain people," he said, "and anything like you we have never seen before! So we do just want to look." On this it was impossible not to show oneself off answering beforehand all the questions I knew they would otherwise ask, on which they laughed merrily, quite delighted. But we really wanted to go to bed some time or other; and so far I had not been able to wash at all except just my face and hands, which after a long day across mountains is hardly satisfactory. So now we tried the expedient of being exceedingly polite, and wishing them all good-night. After this had been repeated two or three times, the door being shut after each good-night, the people dispersed, some each time taking the hint and going away. But, alas! it seemed some were going to sleep up above us; and as there was nothing to prevent their staring down at us as much as they liked over the ends of the loose planks, I had to wait till my husband had undressed 61comfortably by candle-light, and put the candle out, and then, as so often before, go to bed in the dark. Certainly, a man has great advantages in travelling.
有一次，我們本打算像往常一樣在一個偏僻的客棧過夜，但附近有一個村莊，村民們過來圍觀，非常麻煩。特別令人煩惱的是，我們的房間頂部只有一些鬆散、骯髒的木板部分遮蓋。當我們關上門時，所有能上梯子的人都爬到了椽子上俯視，或者爬到我們頭頂的鬆散木板上，盯著我們看，弄得我們和晚餐滿是灰塵。這必須停止；於是我們重新打開了門。我對這些人感到非常厭煩，便走到外面，在月光下的路上來回走動，雖然我們確實已經走了很久；因為我們的小馬丟了兩隻蹄鐵，還有很多英里的路要走，所以得多加照顧它。然而，即使在月光下，越來越多的人群跟隨我，盯著我看，咯咯笑著，直到我不耐煩地抗議。一個人走上前來做發言人。他說：「我們只是山里人，從來沒見過像你這樣的人！所以我們只是想看看。」聽到這話，我無法不先回答他們所有可能會問的問題，大家聽後都開心地大笑。然而，我們真的需要上床睡覺，而且到目前為止我除了臉和手之外什麼也沒洗過，這在翻越群山的漫長一天後是遠遠不夠的。於是我們試圖通過極其禮貌地向他們道晚安來解決這個問題。這句話重複了兩三次，每次說完就關上門，部分人聽懂了暗示就離開了。但不幸的是，似乎有些人打算在我們頭頂上過夜，而那裡沒有任何東西可以阻止他們從鬆散的木板邊緣俯視我們。於是我只能等到我丈夫在燭光下舒舒服服地脫了衣服，吹滅蠟燭，然後像往常一樣在黑暗中上床睡覺。確實，男人在旅行中有很多優勢。
Another day one of our coolies had a fight with one of his substitutes about pay. Every man we pay always sweats the work out to some one else. The substitute boxed his ears. He called his substitute's mother dreadful names. They were both from the same town, which made it worse. In a second all our men had thrown down their loads, and were flying down the hill to join in the fight. As we had just passed through a little village, I thought, of course, my husband, who was behind, had been attacked; whilst he came hurrying up to learn what had been done to me. Meanwhile, our cook, the real fighting man of our party, had rushed in to have his innings, just as ignorant as either of us as to what had really occurred. Whatever it was, we felt sorry for the poor substitute, overpowered by the members of our party; so we at last succeeded in stopping the tail-pulling and cudgelling, but not before the poor man's face was all bleeding. Some ten miles farther on we came to a wayside house, with two venerable-looking Chinamen sitting in the seat of justice, and the whole party had to go in. It was decided our coolies were in the wrong. And I was delighted to hear that such an insult as they had offered to the man's mother could not be atoned for by money. They had publicly to k`otow (bow till they touched the ground with their foreheads), and to apologise.62
又有一天，我們的一個苦力和他的替工為了工資打了一架。我們付工資給某人，但他總是把工作轉包給別人。那位替工打了他的耳光，而他則對替工的母親破口大罵。由於他們倆來自同一個鎮，這使得情況更糟。轉眼間，我們所有的工人都扔下了貨物，飛奔下山加入了打鬥。由於我們剛剛經過一個小村莊，我自然以為是我丈夫在後面遭到了攻擊，而他則匆忙趕來看看我發生了什麼事。與此同時，我們的廚師，隊伍中真正的打手，也衝了過去參戰，和我們一樣對實際發生的事情一無所知。不管怎樣，我們對可憐的替工感到非常同情，因為他被我們隊伍的成員壓制住了；最終，我們成功阻止了扯頭髮和棍打，但那可憐的人的臉已經在流血了。再往前走了十英里左右，我們來到一座路邊的房子，裡面坐著兩位看起來很有威嚴的中國老人，充當裁判，整個隊伍都不得不進去。結果判定我們的苦力有錯。令我高興的是，他們對那位替工母親的侮辱不能用錢來彌補。他們不得不公開磕頭（k`otow），額頭觸地，並道歉。
At Lichuan occurred our first mobbing, the more unfortunate as most of our coolies came from there. Our cook had, as we thought, very imprudently engaged rooms for us in an inn outside the walls, and evidently not the best inn. To make it worse, it had an entrance back and front, and the room assigned to us had three large windows. So often we had no windows at all, it seemed particularly unfortunate we should have three there; for in poured a howling crowd, and the windows were at once a sea of faces. We thought it best to bolt the door of the room, setting our soldier-coolie on guard over it. And the only thing to do with the windows seemed to be to close the shutters and wait inside in the darkness, hoping the crowd would go away when there was nothing more to see. But there were eyes and fingers at every crack—and the room was all cracks—and the people coughed to attract our attention, and called to us to come out; while to judge by the sounds—but one can never do this in China—there seemed to be fierce fighting between some of them and our coolies. Presently my husband went out, and tried to reason with them, telling them if it was only himself they should be free to come into his room, and see him all the time; but they knew themselves it was not proper to look into women's apartments. They seemed too low and rude a crowd for reasoning; so then he went to the landlord. And there were one or two furious onslaughts, and then as many or more men as were driven out from before came in from behind. And the 63landlord said he was powerless. Once they broke the shutters open, and my husband really frightened them, rushing out and asking who was trying to steal our things, and saying he would have the thieves arrested and taken to the yamen. This was an excellent idea, and quieted them for a little while. But then it all began again.
在利川（Lichuan），我們第一次遇到了暴民襲擊，這更加不幸的是我們大多數的苦力都來自那裡。我們的廚師非常不慎地為我們在城牆外的一家客棧訂了房間，而且顯然不是最好的客棧。更糟的是，這家客棧前後都有入口，而分配給我們的房間有三個大窗戶。經常我們根本沒有窗戶，而這次竟然有三個窗戶，實在是特別不幸；因為一群吼叫的群眾湧了進來，窗戶立刻成了一片臉的海洋。我們認為最好把房間的門插上，讓我們的士兵苦力守衛。我們唯一能對付窗戶的方法似乎就是關上百葉窗，黑暗中等待，希望當沒有東西可看時，人群會散去。但每個縫隙裡都充滿了眼睛和手指——而整個房間都是縫隙——人們咳嗽以引起我們的注意，並叫我們出來；從聲音來判斷——但在中國你永遠不能這樣做——他們似乎與我們的苦力發生了激烈的打鬥。
不久，我的丈夫走了出去，試圖與他們講道理，告訴他們如果只是他一個人，他們可以隨時進他的房間看他；但他們自己也知道，盯著女人的房間看是不合適的。他們看起來是一群無法講理的粗野人群；於是他去找了房東。接著有一兩次猛烈的襲擊，然後更多的人從後面湧了進來。而房東說他無能為力。一次他們把百葉窗打開，我丈夫真的嚇到了他們，衝出去問誰在試圖偷我們的東西，並說他要逮捕小偷並送到衙門（yamen）。這是個絕妙的主意，讓他們安靜了一會兒。但接著一切又開始了。