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The Most Dangerous Game《最危险的游戏》节选
作者：Richard Connell（理查德·康奈尔）
首次出版：1924 年 1 月 19 日
首次收录于：《Collier’s Weekly》《科利尔周刊》
出版背景：美国，以杂志刊载形式推出
收录说明：无专属原始单行短篇集，后广泛收录于各类冒险故事选本
创作背景：
这是经典的冒险悬疑短篇小说。
故事以荒岛狩猎为载体，
反转狩猎者与猎物的身份，
探讨暴力、人性边界以及何为文明的深刻命题。
英文原文
“Off there to the right—somewhere—is a large island,”
said Whitney.
“It’s rather a mystery—”
“What island is it?” Rainsford asked.
“The old charts call it ‘Ship-Trap Island,’”
Whitney replied.
“A suggestive name, isn’t it?
Sailors have a curious dread of the place.
I don’t know why.
Some superstition—”
“Can’t see it,” remarked Rainsford,
trying to peer through the dank tropical night
that was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht.
“You’ve good eyes,” said Whitney,
“and I’ve seen you pick off a moose moving in the brown fall bush at four hundred yards,
but even you can’t see four miles or so through a moonless Caribbean night.”
“Nor four yards,” admitted Rainsford.
“Ugh! It’s like moist black velvet.”
“It will be light enough in Rio,” promised Whitney.
“We should make it in a few days.
I hope the jaguar guns have come from Purdey’s.
We should have some good hunting up the Amazon.
Great sport, hunting.”
“The best sport in the world,” agreed Rainsford.
“For the hunter,” amended Whitney.
“Not for the jaguar.”
“Don’t talk rot, Whitney,” said Rainsford.
“You’re a big-game hunter, not a philosopher.
Who cares how a jaguar feels?”
“Perhaps the jaguar does,” observed Whitney.
“Bah! They’ve no understanding.”
“Even so,
I rather think they understand one thing—fear.
The fear of pain and the fear of death.”
“Nonsense,” laughed Rainsford.
“This hot weather is making you soft, Whitney.
Be a realist.
The world is made up of two classes—hunters and huntees.
Luckily, you and I are hunters.
Do you think we’ve passed that island yet?”
“I can’t tell in the dark.
I hope so.”
Rainsford leaned far out over the rail,
staring into the blackness.
He reached for his pipe,
and as he struck a match,
a sudden wave crashed against the side of the yacht.
His pipe slipped from his mouth,
bounced against the rail,
and vanished into the sea.
He lunged forward,
trying to catch it,
and the movement sent him over the rail.
For a terrifying moment,
he struggled in the cold salt water,
calling out to Whitney,
but the yacht steamed steadily away into the night.
The lights grew fainter and fainter,
until at last they disappeared entirely.
Rainsford fought to keep his head above the waves.
He swam toward the distant sound of breaking surf.
It took him hours of exhausting labor,
but at last his hands touched the hard sand of a shoreline.
He dragged himself out of the water,
collapsed upon the soft sand,
and fell into a deep, heavy sleep.
When he woke,
the sun was high in the sky.
He explored the shore,
and soon found the tracks of boots in the soft mud.
Someone had walked here recently.
He followed the trail through dense jungle,
until he came upon a large, imposing house set upon a high bluff.
The gates were iron,
ornate and heavy.
A huge man answered his knock,
holding a pistol pointed straight at Rainsford’s chest.
“Who are you?” the man demanded.
Before Rainsford could reply,
another voice called from inside.
“Steady, Ivan.
This is a guest.”
A tall, elegant man stepped out.
He had white hair,
a black beard,
and piercing dark eyes.
“I am General Zaroff,” he said smoothly.
“I read your book about hunting snow leopards in Tibet, Mr. Rainsford.
I recognized your name at once.”
Zaroff welcomed Rainsford inside,
offered him food and dry clothing.
Over dinner,
Zaroff spoke of his lifelong passion for hunting.
He told Rainsford that he had hunted every kind of big game across the globe.
But gradually,
hunting animals had begun to bore him.
“No animal has a chance against me,” Zaroff said calmly.
“They lack reason.
They cannot plan, cannot think.”
Rainsford stared at him, uneasy.
“What hunting have you turned to, then?”
Zaroff smiled,
a cold, quiet smile.
“I hunt the most dangerous game of all.”
Rainsford’s blood ran cold.
“You hunt men.”
“Yes,” said Zaroff.
“Life is for the strong,
to be lived by the strong,
and, if needs be, taken by the strong.
The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure.
I hunt sailors who are shipwrecked on this island.
They have reason.
They can scheme.
That makes them dangerous,
and that makes the sport worth pursuing.”
Rainsford told him he would not take part in this madness.
Zaroff’s smile faded.
He explained that Rainsford had no choice.
Either he would be hunted across the island,
or he would be handed over to Ivan,
who knew terrible forms of torture.
At dawn the next day,
the most dangerous game began.
译文
“在右边远处某个地方，有一座大岛。”
惠特尼说道。
“那地方相当神秘——”
“是什么岛？”雷恩斯福德问道。
“旧海图上叫它‘捕船岛’。”
惠特尼答道。
“名字耐人寻味，不是吗？
水手们对这片地方怀着一种莫名的恐惧。
我不知道缘由。
大概是某种迷信——”
“我看不见它。”雷恩斯福德说。
他努力望向潮湿闷热的夜色，
浓稠温暖的黑暗如同实质一般，
压迫在游艇四周。
“你的视力很好。”惠特尼说。
“我见过你在四百码外，
射中一头躲在秋日褐色灌木丛里的驼鹿。
可就算是你，
也无法在没有月光的加勒比夜里，看清四英里开外。”
“四码都看不清。”雷恩斯福德承认。
“呃！这夜色像湿润的黑丝绒。”
“到里约就亮堂了。”惠特尼宽慰道。
“再过几天我们就能抵达。
我希望普迪的猎 Jaguar 枪已经送到。
我们可以去亚马逊好好狩猎一番。
狩猎是很棒的消遣。”
“世上最棒的消遣。”雷恩斯福德附和。
“对猎人而言是。”惠特尼纠正。
“对 Jaguar 可不是。”
“别说蠢话，惠特尼。”雷恩斯福德说。
“你是大型猎物猎手，不是哲学家。
谁会在乎 Jaguar 感受如何？”
“或许 Jaguar 自己在乎。”惠特尼说道。
“胡说！它们没有思考能力。”
“就算没有，
我相信它们至少明白一件事——恐惧。
害怕痛苦，害怕死亡。”
“荒唐。”雷恩斯福德笑起来。
“这闷热天气让你变得软弱了，惠特尼。
现实一点。
世界就分成两类：猎人和猎物。
幸运的是，你我都是猎人。
你觉得我们已经驶过那座岛了吗？”
“黑暗里分辨不出。
希望已经过了。”
雷恩斯福德探出身子，趴在船舷上，
凝视无边黑暗。
他伸手去拿烟斗，
划亮火柴的一瞬间，
一道巨浪猛地拍向游艇船身。
烟斗从他嘴边滑落，
撞在船舷上，
坠入大海。
他猛地探身去抓，
重心一失，整个人翻出船外。
在惊恐的片刻，
他在咸冷的海水里挣扎，
大声呼喊惠特尼，
可游艇依旧朝着夜色平稳驶远。
船上灯火一点点暗淡下去，
最后彻底消失。
雷恩斯福德拼命让头部浮出浪涛。
他朝着远处海浪拍岸的声响游去。
耗费数小时精疲力竭的挣扎，
他终于摸到坚实的岸边沙地。
他拖着身子爬上岸，
瘫倒在柔软沙滩上，
沉沉昏睡过去。
他醒来时，
太阳已经高高悬在天上。
他沿着海岸探查，
很快在湿软泥土里发现靴印。
不久前有人从这里走过。
他循着足迹穿过茂密丛林，
一座宏伟的大宅出现在高高的峭壁之上。
大门是铁制的，
繁复厚重。
一个高大男人开门，
一把手枪直指雷恩斯福德胸口。
“你是谁？”男人厉声质问。
雷恩斯福德还没来得及回答，
屋内传来另一个声音。
“放下枪，伊万。
这位是客人。”
一个身形挺拔、举止优雅的男人走出来。
他白发苍苍，
留着黑色胡须，
深色眼眸锐利逼人。
“我是扎洛夫将军。”他语调平稳。
“我读过你写的西藏雪豹狩猎专著，雷恩斯福德先生。
我一眼认出你的名字。”
扎洛夫招待雷恩斯福德进屋，
给他食物和干爽衣物。
晚餐席间，
扎洛夫谈起自己毕生对狩猎的热爱。
他告诉雷恩斯福德，
全世界各类大型野兽他都狩猎过。
可慢慢地，
猎杀野兽再也无法让他感到兴奋。
“没有野兽能真正抗衡我。”扎洛夫平静地说。
“它们没有理性。
不会谋划，不会思考。”
雷恩斯福德看着他，心底不安。
“那你转而狩猎什么？”
扎洛夫露出一抹冰冷淡淡的笑。
“我狩猎最危险的猎物。”
雷恩斯福德浑身发冷。
“你猎杀人。”
“没错。”扎洛夫说。
“生命属于强者，
由强者享有，
必要之时，也由强者夺取。
世间弱者存在的意义，
就是给强者带来欢愉。
我狩猎失事搁浅在岛上的水手。
他们拥有理性。
能够谋划。
正因如此他们才危险，
这场狩猎才称得上乐趣。”
雷恩斯福德告诉他，自己绝不会参与这种疯狂行径。
扎洛夫脸上笑意褪去。
他告诉雷恩斯福德，他别无选择。
要么在整座岛屿上被他追捕，
要么交给伊万，
伊万精通各种残酷酷刑。
次日黎明，
这场最危险的狩猎，正式开始。
🔍长难句赏析与拆解
原句一
He reached for his pipe,
and as he struck a match,
a sudden wave crashed against the side of the yacht.
句式解读
本句由and连接并列主句，
as引导时间状语从句，
描述同步发生的连续动作，
推动情节转折，制造意外感。
句子主干
He reached for his pipe, and a wave crashed against the yacht.
原句二
Rainsford fought to keep his head above the waves.
He swam toward the distant sound of breaking surf.
句式解读
两句均为主谓宾简单句；
后一句中of breaking surf为动名词短语作后置定语修饰sound。
短句连续排布，还原落水后紧张挣扎的节奏。
句子主干
Rainsford fought to keep his head above the waves.
He swam toward the sound.
原句三
“I hunt sailors who are shipwrecked on this island.”
句式解读
本句包含who引导限制性定语从句，修饰先行词sailors，
交代狩猎对象的来源，凸显扎洛夫的冷酷逻辑。
句子主干
I hunt sailors.
📖全篇句式特点
文本长短句交替排布。
大量使用时间状语从句、定语从句、并列句。
多用短句推进紧张情节，
长句用于环境铺垫、人物对话与心理烘托。
对话简洁有力，冲突感强。
叙事节奏由舒缓闲聊，急转至落水遇险，
再逐步揭开扎洛夫扭曲的狩猎规则，层层递进。
适合学习状语从句、定语从句、叙事类情节写作。
核心词汇
1. palpable
/ˈpælpəbl/
可感知的，明显的
形容词（adj.）
2. amend
/əˈmend/
修正，补充说道
动词（v.）
3. lunge
/lʌndʒ/
猛冲，扑过去
动词（v.）
4. surf
/sɜːf/
拍岸浪花
名词（n.）
5. imposing
/ɪmˈpəʊzɪŋ/
宏伟的，气势威严的
形容词（adj.）
6. bluff
/blʌf/
悬崖，峭壁
名词（n.）
7. scheme
/skiːm/
谋划，筹划
动词（v.）
8. torture
/ˈtɔːtʃə(r)/
折磨，酷刑
名词（n.）
9. shipwrecked
/ˈʃɪprekt/
遭遇海难的
形容词（adj.）
10. pursue
/pəˈsjuː/
追逐，进行
动词（v.）
📜文学赏析
《最危险的游戏》是英语短篇悬疑小说经典。
选文开篇以两位猎手的对话埋下伏笔：
雷恩斯福德原本笃定世界只有猎人与猎物，
他漠视猎物的恐惧。
这场海难、荒岛偶遇扎洛夫的经历，
恰恰把他从猎人的位置，强行变成猎物。
扎洛夫并非粗鄙的野蛮人，
他学识优雅、谈吐得体，
却建立一套强者至上的残酷逻辑。
文明的外表和野蛮的嗜好形成强烈反差。
作者没有直白说教，
依靠身份反转制造冲击力。
原本关于狩猎的轻松闲谈，
一步步滑向生死博弈的绝境。
故事的核心冲突，
是何为文明、何为野蛮的拷问。
拥有理性，本是人类区别于野兽的标志，
扎洛夫却把理性当成狩猎的刺激点。
他将理性扭曲成施暴的借口。
💡主旨品读
选文借一场颠倒身份的狩猎，
推翻雷恩斯福德最初简单的认知：
猎人与猎物的界限，并非固定不变。
当人沦为被追捕的一方，
才能真切体会恐惧、无助与死亡的压迫。
小说批判了强者至上的掠夺观念。
单纯力量与优势，并不代表拥有支配他人生命的权力。
所谓文明，不在于狩猎技巧、学识与优雅外表，
而在于对生命本身的敬畏。
这篇作品依靠强反转的情节，
不断叩问人性底线，
也成为后世大量逃亡、狩猎题材故事的原型。
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