6

　　A footprint

　　Then，one year，something strange and terrible happened. I often walked along the shore，and one day I saw something in the sand. I went over to look at it more care－fully，and stopped in sudden surprise.

　　It was a footprint—the footprint of a man！

　　Who could this be？Afraid，I looked around me. I listened. I waited. Nothing. I was more and more afraid. Perhaps this man was one of those wild people who killed and ate other men！I looked everywhere，but there was nobody，and no other foot-print. I turned and hurried home. 'There's someone on my is－land，'I said to myself. 'Perhaps he knows about me…Per-haps he's watching me now from behind a tree…Perhaps he wants to kill me. '

　　That night I couldn't sleep. The next day I got all my guns ready and I put more wood and young trees around my house. Nobody could see me now. But，after fifteen years alone on the island，I was afraid，and I did not leave my cave for three days.

　　In the end，I had to go out to milk my goats. But for two years I was afraid. I stayed near my home and I never used my guns because I didn't want to make a noise. I could not forget the footprint，but I saw and heard nothing more，and slowly I began to feel happier.

　　One day，a year later，I was over on the west side of the is-land. From there I could see the other islands，and I could also see a boat，far out to sea. 'If you have a boat，'I thought，'it's easy to sail across to this island. Perhaps that explains the foot-print—it was a visitor from one of the other islands. '

　　I began to move more freely around the island again，and built myself a third house. It was a very secret place in a cave. 'No wild man will ever find that，'I said to myself.

　　Then one year something happened which I can never forget. I was again on the west side of the island and was walk-ing along the shore. Suddenly，I saw something which made me feel ill. There were heads，arms，feet，and other pieces of men's bodies everywhere. For a minute，I couldn't think，and then I understood. Sometimes there were fights between the wild men on the other islands. Then they came here to my island with their prisoners，to kill them，cook them，and eat them. Slowly，I went home，but I was very angry. How could men do this？

　　For many months I watched carefully for the smoke from fires，but I didn't see anything. Somehow the wild men came and went，and I never saw them. I was angry and afraid. I wanted to shoot them all，but there were many of them and on-ly one of me. 'Perhaps I can shoot two or three，'I said to my－self，'but then they will kill and eat me. '

　　Then，one morning in my twenty-third year on the island，I was out in my fields and I saw the smoke from a fire. Quickly，I went up the hill to watch.

　　There were nine men around the fire，and they were cooking their terrible food. Then these wild men danced round the fire，singing and shouting. This went on for about two hours，and then they got into their boats and sailed away. I went down to the shore and saw the blood of the dead men on the sand. 'The next time they come，I'm going to kill them，'I said angrily.

　　6 一个脚印

　　有一年，古怪而且可怕的事情发生了。我经常沿着海岸走，一天我看见在沙滩上有些东西。我跑过去想瞧个仔细，但却在震惊中停了下来。

　　那是一个脚印——一个人的脚印！

　　这是谁的呢？我害怕极了，环顾四周，我倾听着、等候着，却什么也没有，我越来越怕。也许，这是一个杀死并吃掉其他人的野人！我到处看，但都没有人，也没有别的脚印。我转过身匆忙赶回家。“岛上有人，”我自言自语，“也许他知道我……也许他现在正从树后面观察我……也许他想杀了我。”

　　那一夜我不能入睡。第二天我把所有的枪备好并在房子的周围堆上更多的木头和小树。现在没有人能够看见我。可是，岛上独自生活了十五年后，我还是害怕，以至于一连三天没离开过我的山洞。

　　最终，我还是不得不出去给我的山羊挤奶，但两年里我一直提心吊胆。我呆在房子的附近，从来不使用我的枪因为我不想弄出声音。我忘不掉那个脚印，但由于再也没有听到其他什么，渐渐地，我的感觉开始好起来。

　　一年以后的一天，我来到小岛的西侧，从那儿我能看到其他岛和远处大海中的船。“如果有一只船，”我想，“穿过海面来到这个岛是挺容易，也许，这样可以解释这脚印——是一个来自其他岛的来访者。”

　　我又开始在岛上自由自在地走动并给自己建了第三所房子。它是在一个山洞里非常隐蔽的地方。“没有野人能够找到它，”我对自己说。

　　然而有一年，有些事出现令我永远不能忘记。我又一次在岛的西侧沿着海岸散步。突然，我瞧见令我作呕的东西，那儿到处是人头、手臂、脚和一些人体其他部位的碎块。那一刻，我简直无法思考，随即，我就明白了。以前另一个岛上的野人之间发生了一场战斗，然后他们带着他们的俘虏来到了我的岛上，杀了俘虏，接着烹了吃掉。慢慢地，我走回家中，我愤怒。人怎么能够做这样的事？

　　几个月来，我仔细观察火堆升起的烟，但我什么也没看见。究竟野人如何来来去去我却从来没有发现过。我又愤怒又害怕。我想把他们全都杀了，但他们很多人而我只有一个人。“也许，我可以杀死两、三个，”我自言自语，“可是，然后他们却会杀了我并把我吃掉。”

　　此后，正是我在岛上的第23个年头的一个早上，我正在我的地里劳作，我看见一堆火上升起的烟，飞快地，我爬上山去观察。