English Original
Considering it simply as an excursion, George Scott thought, leaning over the side of the canal-boat and looking at the shadow of the hills in the water, his plan for spending his summer vacation might be a success, but he was not so sure about his opportunities for studying human nature under the worst conditions.
He had been in the habit of saying that nothing interested him as much as the study of his fellows. But George had higher aspirations, and was not disposed to be satisfied with the opportunities presented by crude collegians or even learned professors, and so meant to go out among men. When he was younger, he had dreamed of a mission among the Indians, but the Modocs and Captain Jack had lowered his faith, while the Rev. Dr. Buck’s story of how the younger savages had been taught to make beds and clean knives had dispelled more of the glitter, and he had resolved to confine his labours to his white brethren.
He did not mean to seek his opportunities among the rich, nor among the monotonously dreary poor of the city, but in a fresher field. Like most theological students, he was well read in current literature, and he had learned how often the noblest virtues are found among the roughest classes. He had read of California gamblers who had rushed from tables to warn a coming train of broken rails, and, when picked up maimed and dying, had simply asked if the children were saved. He knew the story of the Mississippi engineer who saved his boat from wreck by burning his wedding clothes and fortune for fuel. When men are capable of such heroism, George would say, they are open to true reformation.
About noon he had not been quite so sanguine regarding his mission. The sun was then pouring down directly on the boat, the cabin was stifling, the horses crept sluggishly along, the men were rude and brutal, and around him was an atmosphere of frying fish and boiling cabbage. The cabbage was perhaps the crowning evil. There seemed to be little, he thought, to reward his quest or maintain his theory that every one had at least one story to tell.
He had hinted something of this to Joe Lakin early in the morning, when the mist was rising off the hills and the air was fresh and keen. Joe was the laziest and roughest of the men on the boat, but he sometimes had such a genial and even superior manner, that George had felt sure that he would comprehend his meaning. Thus when noon came, hot, close, and heavy with prophecy of dinner, George had sickened of human nature and of psychological studies; but now the sun had set, and a golden glory lit the sky; the fields on one side of the river rolled away green in clover and wavy in corn, the hills heavily wooded rose high and picturesquely on the other side, and the little island in the bend of the river seemed the home of quiet and of peace.
The horses plodded patiently through the water, and the boys, forgetting to shout and swear, rode along softly whistling. Over by the hills stood a cottage, and in the terraced garden a group of girls with bright ribbons in their hair were playing quoits with horseshoes.
中文翻译
乔治·斯科特倚在运河船的船舷上，望着水中山峦的倒影，心想，如果仅仅当作一次短途旅行，他度过暑假的计划或许算是成功，但他对于在最恶劣的条件下研究人性的机会，就不那么确定了。
他一直习惯于说，没有什么比研究他的同类更让他感兴趣的了。但乔治有更高的志向，不满足于粗鲁的大学生甚至博学的教授所提供的机会，因此决心走向人群。年轻时，他曾梦想在印第安人中传教，幻想能在他们中间触及原始的原则；但莫多克族人和杰克船长的事迹动摇了他的信念，而巴克牧师讲述的关于年轻野蛮人被教导如何铺床和清洁刀具，直到他们更喜欢这些文明职业而非在林中奔跑的旧习的故事，则驱散了他心中更多的幻想光芒，于是他决定将自己的努力局限于他的白人同胞。
他无意在富人，或城市里单调沉闷的穷人中寻找机会，而是想去一个更清新的领域。像大多数神学生一样，他广泛阅读当代文学，并了解到最高尚的美德往往存在于最粗野的阶层中。他读过关于加州赌徒的故事，他们从赌桌旁冲出去警告即将驶来的火车铁轨断裂，当被救起时已伤残垂死，只是问孩子们是否得救。他也知道密西西比河上那位工程师的故事，他带着千辛万苦挣来的财富回家迎娶等待的新娘，却为了给船补充燃料，先后烧掉了帽子、外套、靴子、结婚礼服、手套、纪念品，最后是他那袋美钞和北太平洋铁路债券，从而避免了船只失事，然后身无分文、失去新娘，却带着荣誉和满足的良心回到了岗位。乔治会说，当人们能够做出如此英雄主义的行为时，他们便易于接受真正的改造，所需要的只是施加某种影响，使这种冲动成为常态而非偶发。
临近中午时，他对自己的使命已不那么乐观，几乎决定一到斯普林菲尔德就返回东部，加入一些去卡茨基尔山的同学。那时太阳直射在船上，船舱闷热难耐，马匹缓慢爬行，船员粗鲁野蛮，周围弥漫着煎鱼和煮卷心菜的气味。卷心菜或许是最大的祸害；因为他发现，虽然可以强迫自己的耳朵和眼睛对不愉快的事物充耳不闻、视而不见，但却没有任何意志力能战胜嗅觉。他带着对自己期望的些许轻蔑想到，似乎没有什么能回报他的探寻，或支撑他那“每个人都至少有一个故事可讲”的理论。他曾说，那不一定是自己的故事，但即使最贫乏无奇的生活也会与更激烈的生活接触，从而有机会通过他人的眼睛窥见悲剧、道德胜利和激烈冲突。
清晨薄雾从山间升起，空气清新凛冽，阳光使河面上长长的油污带像许多闪亮的蛇一样发光时，他曾向乔·拉金暗示过这一点。乔是船上最懒散粗鲁的人，但他有时显得如此亲切甚至卓尔不群，以至于乔治确信他能理解自己的意思。因此，当正午来临，炎热、沉闷，充满了对晚餐的预示时，乔治已对人性和心理学研究感到厌倦；但现在太阳已经落山，金色的光辉照亮了天空；河岸一侧的田野绿草如茵，玉米田波浪起伏，另一侧林木茂密的山峦高耸而起，风景如画，河流弯道中的小岛仿佛是宁静与和平的家园。
马匹耐心地在水中跋涉，走向浅滩，避开近岸的深流，男孩们忘记了喊叫和咒骂，骑着马轻声吹着口哨。山边矗立着一座小屋，在梯台式花园里，一群头发上系着鲜艳丝带的女孩正在用马蹄铁玩投环游戏。