William Bartram - Travels 汉译

      The morning pleasant, we decamped early, proceeding on, rising gently for several miles, over sandy, gravelly ridges, we find ourselves in an elevated, high, open, airy region, somewhat rocky, on the backs of the ridges, and presents to view on every side, the most dreary, solitary, desert waste I had ever beheld; groups of bare rocks emerging out of the naked gravel and drifts of white sand; the grass thinly scattered and but few trees; the pines, oaks, olives and sideroxilons, poor, misshapen and tattered, scarce an animal to be seen or noise heard, save the symphony of the western breeze, through the bristly pine leaves, or solitary sand crickets screech, or at best the more social converse of the frogs, in solemn chorus with the swift breezes, brought from distant fens and forests. Next we joyfully enter the borders of the level pine forest and savannas, which continued for many miles, never out of sight of little lakes or ponds, environed with illumined meadows, the clear waters sparkling through the tall pines.

       Having a good-spirited horse under me, I generally kept ahead of my companions, which I often chose to do, as circumstances offered or invited , for the sake of retirement and observation.

       The high road being here open and spacious, at a good distance before me, I observed a large hawk on the ground, in the middle of the road; he seemed to be in distress, endeavoring to rise; when, coming up near him, I found him closely bound up by a very long coachwhip snake that had wreathed himself several times round the hawk’s body, who had but one of his wings at liberty; beholding their struggles awhile, I alighted off my horse with an intention of parting them; when, on coming up, they mutually agreed to separate themselves, each one seeking his own safety, probably considering me as their common enemy. The bird rose aloft and fled away as soon as he recovered his liberty, and the snake as eagerly made off, I soon overtook him but could not perceive that he was wounded.

       I suppose the hawk had been the aggressor, and fell upon the snake with an intention of making a prey of him, and that the snake dexterously and luckily threw himself in coils round his body, and girded him so close as to save himself from destruction.

       We rise again, passion over sand ridges of gentle elevation, savannas and open pine forests. Masses or groups of rocks present to view on every side, as before mentioned, and with difficulty we escaped the circular infundibuliform cavities or sinks in the surface of the earth; generally a group of rocks, shaded by palms, live oaks and magnolias is situated on their limb: some are partly filled up with earth, whilst others and the greater number of them are partly filled with transparent cool water, which discover the well or perforation through the rocks in the center. This day being remarkably sultry, we came to camp early, having chosen our situation under some stately pines, near the verge of a spacious savanna.

       After some refreshment, our hunters went out into the forest, and returned towards evening; amongst other game, they brought with them a savanna crane which they shot in the adjoining meadows. This stately bird is above six feet in the adjoining meadows. This stately bird is above six feet in length from the toes to the extremity of the beak when extended, and the wings expand eight or nine feet; they are above five feet high when standing erect; the tail is remarkably short, but the flag or pendant feathers which fall down off the rump on each side, are very long and sharp pointed, of a disease texture, and silky softness; the beak is very long, straight and sharp-pointed; the crown of the head bare of feathers, of a reddish rose color, thinly barbed with short, stiff, black hair; the legs and thighs are very long, and bare of feathers a great space above the knees; the plumage of this birds is generally of a pale ash color, with shades or clouds of pale brown and sky blue, the brown prevails on the shoulders and back; the barrels of the prime quil feathers are long and of a large diameter, leaving a large cavity when extracted from the wing: all the bones of this bird have a thin shell, and consequently a large cavity or medullary receptacle. When these birds move their wings in flight, their strokes are slow, moderate and regular, and even when at a considerable distance or high above us, we plainly hear the quill feathers, their shafts and webs upon one another, creak as the joints or working of a vessel in a tempestuous sea.