No Other Choice—别无选择（乔治·布莱克）（第三章~Section 8）

     I had walked on for about ten minutes when I heard the tinkling of little bells. Round a bend in the track came a flock of sheep, followed by a shepherd, the first human being I had encountered since I left the village. He spoke no French but from his mixture of Spanish and Basque I understood that I was going in the right direction but I was still in France and the actual frontier still lay a little way ahead.

【我走了大约十分钟，突然听到铃铛叮当作响。一群羊绕过一个弯道来了，后面跟着一个牧羊人，他是我离开村子后遇到的第一个人。他不会说法语，但从他混合着西班牙语和巴斯克语的口音来看，我知道我走的方向是对的，但我仍然在法国，真正的前线还在前面。】

     I felt very angry with the guides who had let us down at what seemed the most dangerous point of our journey. I had to go back now and find my travelling companion to tell him what I had learned.

【我对导游非常生气，他们在旅途中似乎最危险的地方抛弃了我们。我现在得回去找我的旅伴，把我所了解到的情况告诉他。】

     I started back at a trot and had not got far beyond the point where we had parted when I found him leaning despondently against a rock. I told him of my encounter with the shepherd and that we were still in France. The sense of danger and the knowledge that the goal was near lent him wings and we hurriedly retraced my steps. Suddenly the track descended steeply into a deep gully through which a watercourse ran into the stream we had followed. We clambered down and waded through, not realising that in doing so we were actually crossing the frontier. The track again rose steeply and when we got to the top a small valley spread before us. On the bank of the stream stood a large farmhouse from which the sound of voices reached us. The figures of soldiers and mules moved among the trees. We hastily withdrew behind a rock, but it was too late. We had been spotted. A warning shot rang out and the soldiers, who, to judge by their uniforms, were neither French nor German, motioned us to come down. When we got to the stream they surrounded us. We were in Spain, but no longer free.

【我快步往回走，走到我们分手的地方还没走多远，就发现他垂头丧气地靠在一块岩石上。我告诉他我遇到了牧羊人，我们还在法国。危险的感觉和目标就在眼前的情况给了他动力，我们赶紧往回走。突然，小路陡然下降，进入一个深深的沟壑，一条水道穿过沟壑，汇入我们刚才走过的那条小溪。我们往下爬，涉水而过，并没有意识到这样做实际上是在跨越边界。当我们到达山顶时，一个小山谷展现在我们面前。河岸上有一座大农舍，从那里传来了说话声。士兵和骡子的身影在树林中穿梭。我们急忙退到一块岩石后面，但已经太晚了。我们被发现了。一声鸣枪示警，那些士兵(从他们的制服来看，他们既不是法国人也不是德国人)示意我们下来。当我们到达小溪时，他们包围了我们。我们在西班牙，但不再自由。】

     In the farmhouse we found a small group of refugees who had arrived earlier by the same route. We were given bread and a nourishing soup and spent the night in a large barn. The following morning the luggage was loaded on a mule and another provided for one of the women who had a small child. Then we set out, escorted by few soldiers. Late in the afternoon we arrived in a village where we were put up in the local inn. The next morning we had to appear before the commander of the Guardia Civil who asked us our reasons for coming to Spain and took down our particulars. My travel companion was able to establish that he was Portuguese and that he had enough money to travel on his own, so he was allowed to go. The refugee family and myself were taken by bus to Irun, a well-known crossing point on the French-Spanish border. The small hotel, where we spent the night, was already full of refugees. It stood not far from the customs barrier on the Spanish side. From the windows we could see the French barrier, some fifty yards away, guarded by helmeted German soldiers. This was an unpleasant enough sight in itself, but what made it worse was the strong rumour going around that we had been brought to Irun to be handed back to the Germans.

【在农舍里，我们发现了一小群难民，他们是早些时候从同一条路线到达的。我们吃了面包，喝了滋补的汤，还在一个大谷仓里过夜。第二天早晨，行李被装上了骡子，另一件是给一个有小孩的妇女准备的。然后我们在几个士兵的护送下出发了。下午晚些时候，我们到达了一个村庄，在当地的一家客栈里住了下来。第二天早晨，我们不得不去见国民警卫队的指挥官，他问我们来西班牙的原因，并记下了我们的详细情况。我的旅伴证实他是葡萄牙人，而且他有足够的钱独自旅行，所以他被允许去了。我和这个难民家庭乘公共汽车去了伊伦，这是法国和西班牙边境上一个著名的过境点。我们过夜的那家小旅馆已经住满了难民。它离西班牙那边的海关关卡不远。从窗口我们可以看到大约五十码开外的法国屏障，由戴着头盔的德国士兵守卫着。这本身就是一个令人不愉快的景象，但更糟糕的是，谣言四起，说我们被带到伊伦，要交还给德国人。】

     The attitude of the Spanish government in the war, so far, made such a move not at all unlikely. It had openly sympathised with the Germans and Italians and described its position not as 'neutral', but as 'non-belligerent'. The Allied landings in North Africa, however, had brought about a subtle change in this attitude, which became less openly pro-German. Finding themselves suddenly inundated with refugees, as a result of the occupation by the Germans of the whole of France, they had not quite made up their minds what to do. The policy of handing back refugees was now, evidently, thought too risky, for the next morning we were all herded into a bus which, to our great relief, headed south, away from the dreaded barrier. Although it would not have been very difficult to run away, it needed not much imagination to realise that one would soon be caught. Without knowledge of the language, without money and above all without being able to count on the help of the local population, as one could in the occupied part of Europe, it would not be long before one ran into the arms of the ubiquitous Guardia Civil.

【西班牙政府在战争中的态度，到目前为止，使这样的行动完全不可能。它曾公开同情德国人和意大利人，并表示自己的立场不是“中立”，而是“非好战”。然而，盟军在北非的登陆使这种态度发生了微妙的变化，变得不那么公开地亲德了。由于德国人占领了整个法国，他们发现自己突然被难民淹没，他们还没有完全决定要做什么。显然，现在遣返难民的政策太冒险了，因为第二天早上我们都被赶上了一辆公共汽车，它驶离可怕的屏障，向南行驶，这使我们大感宽慰。虽然逃跑并不难，但它不需要太多的想象力就会意识到，一个人很快就会被抓住。没有语言知识，没有钱，最重要的是没有办法依靠当地居民的帮助，就像在欧洲被占领的地区一样，不久就会陷入无处不在的公民警卫队的怀抱。】

     The bus took us to Pamplona, the capital of the province. There it stopped in front of a crenellated gateway, flanked by two turrets. The gates swung open and the bus drove slowly into what was unmistakably a prison courtyard. We were ordered to get out and taken into a high, glass-domed central hall. Here the men were separated from the women and children. We were crowded seven into a cell and given two blankets between us. The cells were unheated and the nights at the end of November in that part of Spain pretty cold. We spread one of the blankets on the concrete floor and huddled together, covering ourselves with the other as best we could. The next morning breakfast served through a hatch in the door. It consisted of a lukewarm, brown liquid in which floated a few crusts of bread. Of one accord we put it down after the first spoonful or two - it tasted so horrible that none of us would eat it.

【公共汽车把我们带到该省的省会潘普洛纳。它停在一个锯齿状的大门前，两侧有两个塔楼。大门打开了，巴士慢慢驶进了一个显然是监狱院子的地方。我们被命令下车，并被带进一个高高的、玻璃圆顶的中央大厅。在这里，男人与女人和孩子被分开。我们七个人挤在一间牢房里，每人中间有两条毯子。牢房没有暖气，十一月底的夜晚，西班牙的那个地区相当寒冷。我们把其中一条毯子铺在水泥地上，挤成一团，用另一条毯子尽可能地盖住自己。第二天早上，早餐从门上的一个舱口送来。它是一种微温的棕色液体，里面漂着几片面包皮。我们不约而同地喝了一两勺就把它放下了——它太难吃了，我们谁也不肯吃。】

     After a while our cell door was unlocked and we were taken down to the courtyard. In the middle stood a stool on which we had to sit in turn while a Spanish prisoner shaved our heads completely bald. After that we were taken back to our cells. Our position seemed suddenly pretty desperate. If they shaved our hair off, they meant to keep us for a long time. Nobody knew we were there, nobody could claim us, and, if the Spanish authorities felt so inclined, they could keep us in prison indefinitely.

【过了一会儿，牢房的门开了，我们被带到楼下的院子里。中间放着一张凳子，我们必须轮流坐在上面，一个西班牙囚犯把我们的头剃得光秃秃的。之后，我们又被带回牢房。我们的处境突然变得非常绝望。如果他们把我们的头发剃掉，就意味着要让我们呆很长时间。没有人知道我们在那里，没有人可以认领我们，而且，如果西班牙当局这么想的话，他们可以无限期地把我们关在监狱里。】

     At about four o'clock the rattling of tins on the landing heralded the second and last meal of the day. This time it was another brownish liquid in which floated a few potato peelings. This first day set the pattern for the next three weeks. Kept completely in ignorance of what our fate would be, we sat huddled together all day, numbed by cold and hunger, until at eight o'clock in the evening we were allowed to lie down on the floor. With me in the cell were two young Poles, who had succeeded in making their way from Poland, and four Frenchmen of various ages, who wanted to join the French forces in North Africa. We were too cold and hungry to talk very much, but as soon as we heard the rattling of tins on the landing, we would crowd round the little hatch like wild animals to receive our ration, which never varied from day to day. We gulped it hastily down and sank back again in silent apathy.

【大约四点钟的时候，楼梯口传来罐头盒的咔嗒声，预示着这一天的第二顿也是最后一顿饭就要来了。这次又是一种棕色的液体，里面漂着几片土豆皮。这第一天为接下来的三个星期定下了模式。我们完全不知道我们的命运将会怎样，我们整天挤在一起坐着，被寒冷和饥饿弄得麻木，直到晚上八点钟，才允许我们躺在地板上。和我一起被关在牢房里的还有两个成功地从波兰逃出来的波兰人，还有四个不同年龄的法国人，他们都想在北非加入自由法国军队。我们又冷又饿，说不出多少话来，但一听到楼梯平台上罐头盒的咔哒咔哒声，我们就会像野兽一样围拢在小舱口处领取我们的口粮，而我们的口粮一天比一天少。我们急忙把它吞下去，然后又沉默而冷淡地坐了下来。】

     Early one morning we were all taken out of our cells. In the central hall we were lined up in fours and handcuffed together. Under escort of armed Guardia Civil in their shining black Napoleonic hats and wide capes, we were marched through the streets of Pamplona to the station. There we were hustled into the reserved carriages of a waiting train.

【一天清晨，我们都被带出牢房。在中央大厅里，我们四人一排，铐在一起。在武装的国民警卫队的护送下，他们戴着闪亮的黑色拿破仑帽，披着宽大的斗篷，我们列队穿过潘普洛纳的街道，来到车站。在那里，我们被推入一列正在等候的火车的预定车厢。】

     It was already late when we arrived at the camp of Miranda del Ebro, where the citizens of Allied nations who had entered Spain illegally, were interned during the war. We were put in a long, bare hut, where the only furniture consisted of two tiers of bunks, and given some tattered blankets. The next morning I wandered out in the cold drizzle in search of breakfast which was served in the main square. The rain had turned the paths between the huts into a soggy mess of heavy, sticky mud. Long queues were slowly advancing towards a number of large, black pots, from which prisoners were ladling the same brownish liquid with which I was already familiar from Pamplona prison. I joined one of the queues, but well before I got near the pot, it was already empty.

【当我们到达米兰达•德尔•埃布罗集中营时，已经很晚了。战争期间，非法进入西班牙的盟国公民曾在这里被拘留。我们被安置在一间长长的、光秃秃的茅屋里，屋里唯一的家具是两层铺位和一些破毯子。第二天早晨，我在寒冷的毛毛雨中漫步出去，寻找主广场上供应的早餐。雨水把小屋之间的小路变成了一堆湿漉漉、黏糊糊的泥泞。长长的队伍慢慢地向一些黑色的大罐子走去，囚犯们正从罐子里舀出一种褐色的液体，我在潘普洛纳监狱里已经熟悉了这种液体。我加入了一个队列，但在我接近这个罐子之前，它已经空了。】

     I walked round rather disconsolately and wondered how I was to survive in this place where one apparently only got food if one managed to be first in the queue. The Spanish authorities limited their ministrations to guarding us and providing twice a day the brownish liquid which passed for food. Apart from this, they left us completely to our own resources. These, as I learned later that morning, when I struck up acquaintance with two French Air Force cadets who had arrived a week earlier in the camp, were not inconsiderable. They also told me that each nationality had a representative in the camp, an internee, who represented the interests of his fellow countrymen with the camp authorities and was in touch with his consulate. I found the British representative in a small room made of jute and the wood of tea cases. I had no difficulty in establishing my identity as, to my great surprise, he turned out to be none other than the young man in the American consulate in Lyon who had issued me with my travel document. He had arrived in the camp the week before and just taken over as British representative. I at once became eligible for a very generous food ration, supplied by the British Embassy in Madrid. I was given packets of biscuits, tins of sardines, tea, coffee, milk, sugar, cigarettes and bars of chocolate. The vision of death by starvation, which had haunted me that morning, vanished as by magic and suddenly life had become quite bearable again. In a much more cheerful mood I went back to my new French friends and shared my unexpected riches with them. We not only were no longer dependent on the food supplied by the Spaniards but could now purchase all sorts of things, such as a primus stove, a tea kettle and a frying pan which helped to vary our menu. Later we obtained some wood from packing cases and built ourselves a little room.

【我闷闷不乐地走来走去，想知道在这个显然只有排在前面才能得到食物的地方，我该怎么活下去。西班牙当局把他们的服务限制在让我们不会死，每天提供两次作为食物的褐色液体。除此之外，他们让我们完全依靠自己的资源。那天早上晚些时候，当我结识了两名一周前抵达营地的法国空军学员时，我了解到，这些并非微不足道。他们还告诉我，每个国家在营地都有一名代表，即一名被拘留者，他向营地当局代表他同胞的利益，并同他的领事馆联系。我在一间由黄麻和茶叶盒木材制成的小房间里找到了英国代表。我毫不费力地确认了我的身份，使我大为吃惊的是，原来他正是美国驻里昂领事馆给我签发旅行证件的那个年轻人。他一周前抵达营地，刚刚接任英国代表。我立刻有资格领取由英国驻马德里大使馆提供的一份非常慷慨的食物配给。他们给了我几包饼干、几听沙丁鱼、茶、咖啡、牛奶、糖、香烟和几条巧克力。那天早上一直萦绕在我心头的饥饿死亡的幻象，像变魔术一样消失了，生活突然又变得可以忍受了。我带着更加愉快的心情回到我的新法国朋友身边，和他们分享我意想不到的财富。我们不仅不再依赖西班牙人提供的食物，而且现在可以购买各种各样的东西，如炉灶、茶壶和煎锅，这有助于改变我们的菜单。后来，我们从包装箱上取了一些木材，给自己盖了一个小房间。】