經典科幻文學:《宇宙盡頭的餐館》第30章1
Chapter 30
The stars came out that night, dazzling in their brilliance and clarity. Ford and Arthur had walked more miles than they had any means of judging and finally stopped to rest. The night was cool and balmy, the air pure, the Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic totally silent. A wonderful stillness hung over the world, a magical calm which combined with the soft fragrances of the woods, the quiet chatter of insects and the brilliant light of the stars to soothe their jangled spirits. Even Ford Prefect, who had seen more worlds than he could count on a long afternoon, was moved to wonder if this was the most beautiful he had ever seen. All that day they had passed through rolling green hills and valleys, richly covered with grasses, wild scented flowers and tall thickly leaved trees, the sun had warmed them, light breezes had kept them cool, and Ford Prefect had checked his Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic at less and less frequent intervals, and had exhibited less and less annoyance at its continued silence. He was beginning to think he liked it here.
Cool though the night air was they slept soundly and comfortably in the open and awoke a few hours later with the light dewfall feeling refreshed but hungry. Ford had stuffed some small rolls into his satchel at Milliways and they breakfasted off those before moving on.
So far they had wandered purely at random, but now they struck out firmly eastwards, feeling that if they were going to explore this world they should have some clear idea of where they had come from and where they were going.
Shortly before noon they had their first indication that the world they had landed on was not an uninhabited one: a half glimpsed face amongst the trees, watching them. It vanished at the moment they both saw it, but the image they were both left with was of a humanoid creature, curious to see them but not alarmed. Half an hour later they glimpsed another such face, and ten minutes after that another.
A minute later they stumbled into a wide clearing and stopped short.
Before them in the middle of the clearing stood a group of about two dozen men and women. They stood still and quiet facing Ford and Arthur. Around some of the women huddled some small children and behind the group was a ramshackle array of small dwellings made of mud and branches.
Ford and Arthur held their breath.
第三十章
那天晚上，星星出來了，耀眼而明淨。福特和阿瑟已經走了很長的路，連他們自己都無法判斷自己走了多長的路了，最後他們終於停下來休息。夜晚涼爽，空氣純淨芬芳，亞以太感應器始終沉默着。這個世界，神奇的靜謐混合着樹林散發出的柔和的芳香，昆蟲的低吟淺唱和星星的明亮光芒撫慰着他們飽受刺激的精衝。甚至像福特長官這種曾經僅在一個漫長的下午就見識了萬千世界的人，此刻也深受感動，心想，這足不是他所見過的最美麗的世界。這一整天，他們走過了盪漾着綠色的山巒和峽谷，地面覆蓋着青草、芬芳的野花和枝繁葉茂的高樹；太陽照得他們暖洋洋的，輕拂的微風叉使他們感到涼爽一幅特長官每次榆矗他的亞以太感應器的間隔時間越來越長，對這玩意兒持續的沉默所表現出來的惱火也越來越少。他開始覺得自己喜歡這個地方了。
夜晚涼爽的空氣使他們在野外睡得很香、很舒適，好幾個小時以後才因爲稍微有些降露而醒過來。他們感到神清氣爽，但是卻餓了。福特在“天盡頭”時曾經往他的揹包裏塞了一些麪包卷，於是他們吃過了早飯，繼續上路。
在此之前，他們只是隨意閒逛，但從現在起卻開始堅定地朝着東方前進。他們感到，如果要探索這個世界，他們必須對自己的前進方向有個清晰的概念。
臨近中午的時候，他們發現了第一個跡象，表明俐門降落於斯的這個世界並非一個無人居住的世界。樹叢中露出半張臉，窺視着他們。就在他們倆同時看見它的時候，那半張臉消失了。兩人的印象中，這是一種具有人類特徵的生物，看見他們很好奇，但並不害怕。半小時後，他們又瞥見了另一張這樣的臉；十分鐘後，又一張……
過了一分鐘，他們跌跌撞撞地來到一片寬闊的空地，停了下來。
他們面前，在空地的中央，站着大約二十多個男人女人，安靜地站在原地，望着福特和阿瑟。幾個女人周圍擠着一些小孩子，人羣身後，是一排用泥巴和樹枝建起來的搖搖欲墜的小房子。
福特和阿瑟屏住了呼吸。
