So the convicts were still there, watching the corral, and determined to kill the settlers one after the other. —
囚犯们还在那里，盯着畜栏，决心一个接一个地杀害定居者。 —

There was nothing to be done but to treat them as wild beasts. —
只能将他们视为野兽。 —

But great precautions must be taken, for just now the wretches had the advantage on their side, seeing, and not being seen, being able to surprise by the suddenness of their attack, yet not to be surprised themselves. —
但必须采取极大的预防措施，因为现在这些可怜虫们占据了优势，能看见而不被看见，能通过突然袭击对方，但自己却不会被突袭。 —

Harding made arrangements, therefore, for living in the corral, of which the provisions would last for a tolerable length of time. —
因此，哈丁安排了在畜栏内生活，那里的食物可以维持一段相当长的时间。 —

Ayrton’s house had been provided with all that was necessary for existence, and the convicts, scared by the arrival of the settlers, had not had time to pillage it. —
艾尔顿的房子里有生存所需的一切，囚犯们在定居者到来时吓跑了，还没来得及抢劫。 —

It was probable, as Gideon Spilett observed, that things had occurred as follows:
正如吉迪恩·斯皮勒特观察到的那样，可能发生的事情是这样的：

The six convicts, disembarking on the island, had followed the southern shore, and after having traversed the double shore of the Serpentine Peninsula, not being inclined to venture into the Far West woods, they had reached the mouth of Falls River. From this point, by following the right bank of the watercourse, they would arrive at the spurs of Mount Franklin, among which they would naturally seek a retreat, and they could not have been long in discovering the corral, then uninhabited. —
6名囚犯登岛后沿着南岸前进，经过蛇形半岛的两段海岸后，由于不愿冒险进入远西林地，他们到达了瀑布河口。从这一点开始，沿着河流右岸行进，他们将到达富兰克林山的支脉，在那里他们自然会寻找一个庇护所，他们不会花很久时间就发现了当时无人居住的畜栏。 —

There they had regularly installed themselves, awaiting the moment to put their abominable schemes into execution. —
他们在那里规规矩矩地安顿下来，等待着实施他们卑鄙计划的时机。 —

Ayrton’s arrival had surprised them, but they had managed to overpower the unfortunate man, and–the rest may be easily imagined!
艾尔顿的到来使他们感到惊讶，但他们设法压倒了这个不幸的人，–其余的事情可以很容易地想象出来！

Now, the convicts,–reduced to five, it is true, but well armed,–were roaming the woods, and to venture there was to expose themselves to their attacks, which could be neither guarded against nor prevented.
现在，囚犯们–虽然只剩下五个，但武装完善–正在穿行树林，冒险进入那里就等于让自己暴露在他们的攻击之下，这既无法防范也无法避免。

“Wait! There is nothing else to be done!” repeated Cyrus Harding. —
“等待！别无他法！” 塞勒斯·哈丁重复道。 —

“When Herbert is cured, we can organize a general battle of the island, and have satisfaction of these convicts. —
“等赫伯特康复后，我们可以组织全岛总攻，对这些囚犯进行惩罚。 —

That will be the object of our grand expedition at the same time–”
这也将是我们即将展开的大规模远征的目的同时–”

“As the search for our mysterious protector,” added Gideon Spilett, finishing the engineer’s sentence. —
“寻找我们神秘的保护者,” 吉迪恩·斯皮勒特补充道，结束工程师的话。 —

“An, it must be acknowledged, my dear Cyrus, that this time his protection was wanting at the very moment when it was most necessary to us!”
“啊，必须承认，我亲爱的塞勒斯，这一次他的保护在我们最需要的时刻缺席了！”

“Who knows?” replied the engineer.
“谁知道呢？”工程师回答道。

“What do you mean?” asked the reporter.
“你是什么意思？”记者问道。

“That we are not at the end of our trouble yet, my dear Spilett, and that his powerful intervention may have another opportunity of exercising itself. —
“亲爱的斯皮莱特，这意味着我们还没有摆脱困境，他强大的干预可能还有另一个机会发挥作用。 —

But that is not the question now. Herbert’s life before everything.”
但现在不是问题。赫伯特的生命高于一切。”

This was the colonists’ saddest thought. Several days passed, and the poor boy’s state was happily no worse. —
这是殖民者最悲伤的想法。几天过去了，可怜的男孩的状态幸运地没有恶化。 —

Cold water, always kept at a suitable temperature, had completely prevented the inflammation of the wounds. —
始终保持适宜温度的冷水完全防止了伤口的发炎。 —

It even seemed to the reporter that this water, being slightly sulphurous,–which was explained by the neighborhood of the volcano, had a more direct action on the healing. —
甚至记者觉得这种水，稍微含有硫磺–这可以解释为火山附近，对愈合有更直接的作用。 —

The suppuration was much less abundant, and thanks to the incessant care by which he was surrounded!–Herbert returned to life, and his fever abated. —
化脓明显减少，多亏了他所受到的无休止的关怀!–赫伯特恢复了生机，发烧也减轻了。 —

He was besides subjected to a severe diet, and consequently his weakness was and would be extreme; —
此外，他进行了严格的饮食，因此他的虚弱程度极大； —

but there was no want of refreshing drinks, and absolute rest was of the greatest benefit to him. —
但是饮料不乏清凉之物，并且绝对休息对他大有好处。 —

Cyrus Harding, Gideon Spilett, and Pencroft had become very skilful in dressing the lad’s wounds. —
西里斯·哈丁、吉迪恩·斯皮莱特和潘克罗夫在包扎男孩的伤口方面变得非常熟练。 —

All the linen in the house had been sacrificed. —
屋子里所有的亚麻都被用掉了。 —

Herbert’s wounds, covered with compresses and lint, were pressed neither too much nor too little, so as to cause their cicatrization without effecting any inflammatory reaction. —
赫伯特的伤口被用纱布和棉绒覆盖，既没有太多又没有太少地压迫，以便引起愈合而不引起炎症反应。 —

The reporter used extreme care in the dressing, knowing well the importance of it, and repeating to his companions that which most surgeons willingly admit, that it is perhaps rarer to see a dressing well done than an operation well performed.
记者在包扎时极其小心，深知其重要性，并告诉他的同伴，大多数外科医生也情愿承认，一个成功的包扎可能比一个成功的手术更罕见。

In ten days, on the 22nd of November, Herbert was considerably better. —
十天后的11月22日，赫伯特明显好转了。 —

He had begun to take some nourishment.
他已经开始进食一些营养品。

The color was returning to his cheeks, and his bright eyes smiled at his nurses. —
脸色渐渐恢复正常，他那明亮的眼睛对护士们微笑。 —

He talked a little, notwithstanding Pencroft’s efforts, who talked incessantly to prevent him from beginning to speak, and told him the most improbable stories. —
尽管潘克罗夫不停地讲话，试图阻止他开口说话，并给他讲了一些令人难以置信的故事，他还是说了一些话。 —

Herbert had questioned him on the subject of Ayrton, whom he was astonished not to see near him, thinking that he was at the corral. —
赫伯特问起了艾顿的事情，惊讶地发现他不在身边，以为他在兽栏。 —

But the sailor, not wishing to distress Herbert, contented himself by replying that Ayrton had rejoined Neb, so as to defend Granite House.
但水手没有想要让赫伯特感到烦恼，只是回答说艾顿已经和尼布团聚了，以守卫花岗岩屋。

“Humph!” said Pencroft, “these pirates! they are gentlemen who have no right to any consideration! —
“嗯！”潘克罗夫说，“那些海盗！他们都是一群不配获得任何关怀的绅士！ —

And the captain wanted to win them by kindness! —
那艘船长竟然想要以善意赢得他们的支持！ —

I’ll send them some kindness, but in the shape of a good bullet!”
我会送他们一些善意，但是以一颗好子弹的形式！”

“And have they not been seen again?” asked Herbert.
“他们还没再次出现吗？”赫伯特问道。

“No, my boy,” answered the sailor, “but we shall find them, and when you are cured we shall see if the cowards who strike us from behind will dare to meet us face to face!”
“没有，孩子，”水手回答，“但是我们会找到他们，等你康复了，我们就会看到那些背后袭击我们的懦夫敢不敢正大光明地与我们对峙！”

“I am still very weak, my poor Pencroft!”
“我还是很虚弱，可怜的潘克罗夫！”

“Well! your strength will return gradually! What’s a ball through the chest? —
“嗯！你的体力会逐渐恢复的！胸膛中流了颗子弹又算什么呢？ —

Nothing but a joke! I’ve seen many, and I don’t think much of them!”
完全不必大惊小怪！我见过不少，对此我并不在乎！”

At last things appeared to be going on well, and if no complication occurred, Herbert’s recovery might be regarded as certain. —
最后情况似乎在好转，如果不出现意外，赫伯特的康复可以被看作是肯定的。 —

But what would have been the condition of the colonists if his state had been aggravated, –if, for example, the ball had remained in his body, if his arm or his leg had had to be amputated?
如果他的病情恶化了，——比如说，子弹一直在体内，他的胳膊或腿必须截掉的话，殖民地的情况会怎样呢？

“No,” said Spilett more than once, “I have never thought of such a contingency without shuddering!”
“没有，”斯派莱特不止一次地说，“一想到这种情况我就不禁发抖！”

“And yet, if it had been necessary to operate,” said Harding one day to him, “you would not have hesitated?”
“但是，如果必须进行手术，”哈定有一天对他说，“你会犹豫吗？”

“No, Cyrus!” said Gideon Spilett, “but thank God that we have been spared this complication!”
“不，赛勒斯！”吉迪恩·斯派莱特说，“但感谢上帝，我们被免除了这一困境！”

As in so many other conjectures, the colonists had appealed to the logic of that simple good sense of which they had made use so often, and once more, thanks to their general knowledge, it had succeeded! —
正如在许多其他猜测中一样，殖民者们依靠着曾经多次使用过的那种简单好理性的逻辑，再一次，因为他们的广泛知识，它得到了成功！ —

But might not a time come when all their science would be at fault? They were alone on the island. —
但是难道可能会有一个时刻，他们的科学都束手无策吗？他们在这座岛上孤身一人。 —

Now, men in all states of society are necessary to each other. —
如今，无论在何种社会状态，人们彼此是必需的。 —

Cyrus Harding knew this well, and sometimes he asked if some circumstance might not occur which they would be powerless to surmount. —
赛勒斯·哈定深知这一点，有时他会问，是否可能出现一些情况使他们无力应对。 —

It appeared to him besides, that he and his companions, till then so fortunate, had entered into an unlucky period. —
此外，他感觉到，他和他的同伴们，直到那时都是多么幸运，如今似乎进入了一个不祥的时期。 —

During the two years and a half which had elapsed since their escape from Richmond, it might be said that they had had everything their own way. —
在从里士满逃脱以来已经过去的两年半时间里，可以说他们一切顺利。 —

The island had abundantly supplied them with minerals, vegetables, animals, and as Nature had constantly loaded them, their science had known how to take advantage of what she offered them.
这座岛屿充分为他们提供了矿物、蔬菜、动物，而大自然不断地赐予他们，他们的科学知识能够利用她提供的一切。

The wellbeing of the colony was therefore complete. —
殖民地的福祉因此是完备的。 —

Moreover, in certain occurrences an inexplicable influence had come to their aid! —
此外，在某些事件中，一股难以言喻的影响力曾经帮助过他们！ —

… But all that could only be for a time.
但是这一切只能是暂时的。

In short, Cyrus Harding believed that fortune had turned against them.
总之，赛勒斯·哈定相信运气已经对他们不利了。

In fact, the convicts’ ship had appeared in the waters of the island, and if the pirates had been, so to speak, miraculously destroyed, six of them, at least, had escaped the catastrophe. —
事实上，罪犯的船出现在岛的水域，如果说海盗们被，可以说是奇迹般地摧毁了，那么至少有六人逃过了灾难。 —

They had disembarked on the island, and it was almost impossible to get at the five who survived. —
他们已经在岛上上岸了，而要抓住那五个幸存者几乎是不可能的。 —

Ayrton had no doubt been murdered by these wretches, who possessed firearms, and at the first use that they had made of them, Herbert had fallen, wounded almost mortally. —
无疑，埃尔顿已经被那些拥有枪支的恶棍谋杀了，而他们第一次使用武器时，赫伯特受了几乎致命的伤。 —

Were these the first blows aimed by adverse fortune at the colonists? —
这些是对殖民者发起的第一次逆境？ —

This was often asked by Harding. This was often repeated by the reporter; —
这是哈丁经常问的问题，这是记者反复提到的； —

and it appeared to him also that the intervention, so strange, yet so efficacious, which till then had served them so well, had now failed them. —
他也觉得，那种奇怪但又有效的干涉，直到现在一直对他们有利，现在似乎已经失效了。 —

Had this mysterious being, whatever he was, whose existence could not be denied, abandoned the island? —
这种无法否认的存在，无论他是什么，是否已经离开了这个岛？ —

Had he in his turn succumbed?
他是否轮到他倒下了？

No reply was possible to these questions. —
对这些问题无法回答。 —

But it must not be imagined that because Harding and his companions spoke of these things, they were men to despair. —
但不要以为哈丁和他的伙伴们因为提到这些事情，就是绝望的人。 —

Far from that. They looked their situation in the face, they analyzed the chances, they prepared themselves for any event, they stood firm and straight before the future, and if adversity was at last to strike them, it would find in them men prepared to struggle against it.
相反。他们正视着自己的处境，分析着可能性，为任何事件做好准备，他们坚定站在未来面前，如果逆境最终袭击他们，它将遇到准备好与之抗争的人。