Chapter 64

My clothes disintegrated, victims of the sun and the salt. First they became gauze-thin. Then they tore until only the seams were left. Lastly, the seams broke. For months I lived stark naked except for the whistle that dangled from my neck by a string.

Salt-water boils - red, angry, disfiguring - were a leprosy of the high seas, transmitted by the water that soaked me. Where they burst, my skin was exceptionally sensitive; accidentally rubbing an open sore was so painful I would gasp and cry out. Naturally, these boils developed on the parts of my body that got the most wet and the most wear on the raft; that is, my backside. There were days when I could hardly find a position in which I could rest. Time and sunshine healed a sore, but the process was slow, and new boils appeared if I didn't stay dry.

第六十四章

    由于太阳曝晒和盐分侵蚀，我的衣服都烂了。它们先是变得像纱布一样薄。然后破了，只剩下线缝。最后线缝也断了。有好几个月，除了脖子上有一根绳子挂着一只哨子，我完全是一丝不挂。

    盐 水疖——发红，肿痛，丑陋的疖子——是公海上的麻风病，是通过漫湿我的海水传染的。疖子胀破的地方，皮肤异常敏感；不小心碰到了裸露的疮会让我疼得倒吸一 口气，大叫起来。自然，这些疖子都长在我身上最潮湿的、在小筏子上磨得最厉害的地方，也就是我的背上。有很多天，我几乎无法以任何姿势休息。时间和阳光让 疮结了痂，但是这个过程很慢，而且如果我不保持身体干燥，新的疖子又会长出来。