諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第8章Part 5

That was it, they thought, and removed themselves from those Cherokee who signed the treaty, inorder to retire into the forest and await the end of the world. The disease they suffered now was amere inconvenience compared to the devastation they remembered. Still, they protected each otheras best they could. The healthy were sent some miles away; the sick stayed behind with the dead— to survive or join them.
The prisoners from Alfred, Georgia, sat down in semicircle near the encampment. No one cameand still they sat. Hours passed and the rain turned soft. Finally a woman stuck her head out of herhouse. Night and nothing happened. At dawn two men with barnacles covering theirbeautifulskinappro(came) ached them. No one spoke for a moment, then Hi Man raised his hand. TheCherokee saw the chains and went away. When they returned each carried a handful of small axes. Two children followed with a pot of mush cooling and thinning in the rain.
Buffalo men, they called them, and talked slowly to the prisoners scooping mush and tapping awayat their chains. Nobody from a box in Alfred, Georgia, cared about the illness the Cherokee warnedthem about, so they stayed, all forty-six, resting, planning their next move. Paul D had no idea ofwhat to do and knew less than anybody, it seemed. He heard his co-convicts talk knowledgeably ofrivers and states, towns and territories. Heard Cherokee men describe the beginning of the worldand its end. Listened to tales of other Buffalo men they knew — three of whom were in the healthycamp a few miles away. Hi Man wanted to join them; others wanted to join him. Some wanted toleave; some to stay on. Weeks later Paul D was the only Buffalo man left — without a plan. All hecould think of was tracking dogs, although Hi Man said the rain they left in gave that no chance ofsuccess. Alone, the last man with buffalo hair among the ailing Cherokee, Paul D finally woke upand, admitting his ignorance, asked how he might get North. Free North. Magical North. Welcoming, benevolent North. The Cherokee smiled and looked around. The flood rains of amonth ago had turned everything to steam and blossoms.
"That way," he said, pointing. "Follow the tree flowers," he said. "Only the tree flowers. As they go, you go. You will be where you want to be when they aregone."

到此爲止吧，他們想，然後，他們從那些簽了條約的切羅基人中分離出來，以便退隱森林，等待世界末日。他們現在遭受的疾病同他們所記得的那次滅頂之災相比，不過是頭痛腦熱而已。然而，他們仍舊竭盡全力互相保護。健康的被送到幾英里開外的地方；生病的和死者一起留在後面——要麼活下來，要麼加入死者的行列。
從佐治亞州阿爾弗雷德來的犯人們在營房附近坐成一個半圓。沒有人來，他們就一直坐在那裏。幾個小時過去，雨小了些。終於，一個女人從房子裏探出腦袋。一夜無事。黎明時分，兩個美麗皮膚上遮着貝殼的男人朝他們走來。一時沒有人開口，然後"嗨師傅"舉起了手。兩個切羅基人看見鎖鏈就走了。他們回來的時候每人抱着一抱小斧頭。隨後，兩個孩子擡來一罐讓雨淋得又涼又稀的玉米糊糊。
他們稱呼新來的人爲野牛人，慢聲慢氣地同這些盛着粥、砸着鎖鏈的囚犯們說起話來。在佐治亞州阿爾弗雷德的匣子裏待過的這些人，對切羅基人讓他們提防的那種疾病都毫不在乎，於是他們留了下來，所有四十六個，一邊歇息，一邊盤算下一步。保羅·D根本不知道該幹什麼，而且好像比誰知道得都少。他聽同犯們很淵博地談起河流、州省、城鎮和疆域。聽切羅基人煞有介事地描述世界的起始和終結。聽他們講所知道的關於別的野牛人的故事——其中有三個就待在幾英里外的健康營裏。"嗨師傅"想去與他們會合，其他人想跟着"嗨師傅"。有一些人想離開，一些人想留下。幾星期過後，保羅·D成了唯一剩下的野牛人——一點打算也沒有。他滿腦子想的只有循着蹤跡追來的獵犬，儘管"嗨師傅"說過，有了他們經歷的那場大雨，追蹤根本沒有成功的可能。作爲最後一個長野牛毛的男人，孤單的保羅·D終於在生病的切羅基人中間覺醒了，承認自己的無知，打聽他怎麼才能去北方。自由的北方。神奇的北方。好客、仁慈的北方。那切羅基人微笑四顧。一個月前的那場暴雨使一切都在蒸騰和盛開。
"那條路。"他指着說。"跟着樹上的花兒走，"他說道，"只管跟着樹上的花兒走。它們去哪兒你去哪兒。它們消失的時候，你就到了你要去的地方。"