VI.

VI.

Baron von Münchhausens eventyrlige sjøreiser.

Baron von Münchhausen's Wondrous Sea Voyages.

Den første gang, jeg reiste utenlands, var lang tid før den russiske reise, hvis merkeligste hændelser jeg nylig har hat den ære at berette.

The first time I traveled abroad was long before the Russian journey, whose most remarkable events I recently had the honor of recounting.

Jeg var i den alder da man ligger i proces med gaasen, som min morbror, en husaroberst med de største mustascher som nogen endnu har baaret, pleide at si for spøk; det vil si, det var uavgjort om det fine dun som bedækket min hake, skulde bli til skjæg eller fjær.

I was at that age when one is in a lawsuit with the goose, as my maternal uncle, a hussar colonel with the largest moustaches anyone has ever worn, used to say in jest; that is to say, it was undecided whether the fine down covering my chin should become beard or feathers.

Det var da at reiser tilsjøs blev mine længslers drømmer.

It was then that voyages by sea became the dreams of my longings.

Min far hadde selv tilbragt en stor del av sin ungdom paa reiser, og han pleide at forkorte de lange vinteraftener for os med at fortælle om sine oplevelser, hvilket han gjorde paa en enkel og fordringsløs maate.

My father had himself spent a great deal of his youth traveling, and he used to shorten the long winter evenings for us by telling of his experiences, which he did in a simple and unassuming manner.

Jeg skal kanske siden ha den ære at berette nogen av hans fortællinger.

I may perhaps later have the honor of telling some of his tales.

Saa kan jeg da med skjæl si, at baade fødselen og opdragelsen i like maate har bidraget til at nære denne min tilbøielighet for reiselivet.

So I can truly say that both birth and upbringing have likewise contributed to nourishing this inclination of mine for the traveling life.

Jeg grep enhver leilighet til at tale min sak, men bestandig forgjæves.

I seized every opportunity to plead my case, but always in vain.

Hvis jeg engang imellem kunde rokke min fars beslutning, saa kunde jeg være viss paa at min mor og mine tanter la sig imellem, saa jeg bestandig tapte enhver fordel, som jeg kunde ha vundet.

If now and then I could sway my father's decision, I could be sure that my mother and my aunts would intervene, so that I always lost every advantage I might have gained.

Tilsidst sendte skjæbnen mig tilhjælp en av min mors slægtninger som avla os et besøk.

At last, fate sent to my aid one of my mother's relatives who paid us a visit.

Jeg blev snart hans yndling; han fortalte mig, at jeg var en kjæk gut, og at han vilde gjøre alt for at mit ønske skulde bli opfyldt.

I soon became his favorite; he told me that I was a fine lad, and that he would do everything to fulfill my wish.

Hans veltalenhet gjorde mere virkning end min egen, og efter mange spørsmaal, indvendinger og utflugter, blev det tilslut bestemt at jeg skulde faa følge med ham til Ceylon, hvor hans farbror var guvernør.

His eloquence had more effect than my own, and after many questions, objections, and excuses, it was finally decided that I should accompany him to Ceylon, where his paternal uncle was governor.

Vi avseilet fra Amsterdam med meget vigtige depecher fra de hollandske generalstater.

We set sail from Amsterdam with very important dispatches from the Dutch States-General.

Vor reise udmerket sig ikke ved merkelige tildragelser, med undtagelse av en storm, som jeg maa ofre nogen ord paa, paa grund av de merkelige følger som den hadde.

Our voyage was not distinguished by remarkable occurrences, with the exception of a storm upon which I must bestow a few words, on account of the remarkable consequences it had.

Orkanen brøt løs, just som vi hadde kastet anker ved kysten av et stort rike for at indta vand og ved, og den raste med slik voldsomhet, at en hel skog av uhyre store trær blev rykket op med roten og slynget op i luften.

The hurricane broke loose just as we had dropped anchor off the coast of a great realm to take on water and wood, and it raged with such violence that an entire forest of immensely large trees was uprooted and hurled into the air.

De blev kastet i en saadan høide, at de største trær kun syntes os at være som smaa dun, som man undertiden ser flyve omkring i luften.

They were thrown to such a height that the largest trees appeared to us as merely tiny down feathers that one sometimes sees floating around in the air.

Men det hadde ikke saa farlige virkninger endda, for straks stormen stilnet av faldt ethvert træ ned paa sin gamle plads hvor roten øieblikkelig fæstnet, med undtagelse av et eneste og tilmed det største av dem allesammen.

Yet it did not have such dangerous consequences after all, for as soon as the storm subsided, every tree fell back into its former place where the roots instantly took hold, with the exception of a single one, and moreover the largest of them all.

I det øieblik da dette træ blev rykket op, var et egtepar ivrig ifærd med at plukke agurker av dets grener, for i den del av verden vokser agurker paa trær.

At the moment when this tree was uprooted, a married couple was eagerly engaged in picking cucumbers from its branches, for in that part of the world, cucumbers grow on trees.

De brave folk fandt sig i sin skjæbne med beundringsværdig taalmod, men deres vægt foraarsaket, at træet forandret retning og faldt ned paa jorden efter hele sin længde.

The good people resigned themselves to their fate with admirable patience, but their weight caused the tree to change direction and fall to the ground along its entire length.

Nu maa De vite at provinsens statholder hadde forlatt sin bolig, som alle der pleier at gjøre under en orkan, av frygt for at bli begravet under sit slots ruiner.

Now you must know that the governor of the province had left his residence, as everyone there is accustomed to do during a hurricane, for fear of being buried under the ruins of his castle.

Da orkanen stilnet av, vendte han tilbake gjennem sin have, da træet faldt ned paa ham og lykkeligvis slog ham ihjel.

When the hurricane subsided, he was returning through his garden when the tree fell upon him and fortunately struck him dead.

Lykkeligvis?

Fortunately?

Ja, lykkeligvis, mine herrer, for statholderen var med Deres tilladelse den skammeligste tyran.

Yes, fortunately, gentlemen, for the governor was, with your permission, the most disgraceful tyrant.

Alle provinsens indbyggere, hans egne yndlinger iberegnet, var de elendigste skapninger under solen.

All the inhabitants of the province, including his own favorites, were the most wretched creatures under the sun.

Uhyre forraad laa og raatnet i lader og forraadshus, mens folket som han hadde utsuget, holdt paa at dø av hunger.

Enormous stores lay rotting in barns and storehouses, while the people he had bled dry were dying of hunger.

Han hadde intet at frygte av fremmede voldsmænd, og dog utskrev han alle unge mænd for med vold og magt at gjøre helter av dem, og naar de saa var oplært, solgte han hele samlingen til høistbydende, for at kunne ophope nye millioner til de millioner som hans far hadde efterlatt ham.

He had nothing to fear from foreign aggressors, yet he conscripted all the young men to forcibly make heroes of them, and when they were trained, he sold the entire lot to the highest bidder, in order to heap new millions upon the millions his father had left him.

Man fortalte os at han hadde lært denne uhørte fremgangsmaate paa en reise til Norden.

We were told that he had learned this unprecedented method on a journey to the North.

Endskjøndt vi var store patrioter, saa gjorde vi dog intet forsøk paa at gjendrive denne paastand, da en reise til Norden for disse mennesker likesaavel kunde bety til de canariske øer som til Grønland; men vi hadde forresten mange andre grunder til ikke at indlate os paa dette emne.

Although we were great patriots, we made no attempt to refute this assertion, as a journey to the North for these people could just as well mean to the Canary Islands as to Greenland; but besides, we had many other reasons not to engage in this topic.

I taknemlig ihukommelse av de store tjenester som dette agurkplukkende par hadde bevist sit land, indgav samtlige indbyggere en underdanigst ansøkning til regjeringen om at faa manden utnævnt til hans efterfølger, hvilket ogsaa naadigst blev indvilget.

In grateful remembrance of the great services this cucumber-picking couple had rendered their country, all the inhabitants submitted a most humble petition to the government to have the man appointed as his successor, which was also graciously granted.

Vistnok hadde disse brave folk paa sin ufrivillige luftreise kommet solen saa nær, at denne vor lyskildes blændende glans hadde omtrent utslukket baade deres ytre og indre lys; men de styrte derfor kun saa meget desto bedre, og ingen spiste sidenefter agurker der i landet uten at rope:

To be sure, these good people had come so close to the sun during their involuntary air journey that the dazzling radiance of this source of light of ours had almost extinguished both their outer and inner light; but for that reason they governed only all the better, and no one thereafter ate cucumbers in that country without shouting:

«Himlen bevare vor statholder!»

“May Heaven preserve our governor!”

Efter at ha utbedret den skade, som stormen hadde tilføiet vort skib og overværet festmaaltidet til ære for den nye statholder, avseilet vi med gunstig vind og kastet anker ved Ceylon efter seks ukers forløp.

After having repaired the damage the storm had inflicted upon our ship and attended the banquet in honor of the new governor, we set sail with a favorable wind and dropped anchor off Ceylon after the lapse of six weeks.

Da vi hadde været der omtrent fjorten dage, spurte guvernørens ældste søn mig om jeg vilde gaa paa jagt med ham, et tilbud som jeg mottok med megen glæde.

When we had been there about fourteen days, the governor's eldest son asked me if I would go hunting with him, an offer which I accepted with great joy.

Min ven var stor og sterk og vant til klimaets utaalelige hete, mens jeg snart blev træt og derfor var et godt stykke bakefter ham da vi naadde skogen.

My friend was tall and strong and accustomed to the intolerable heat of the climate, while I soon grew tired and was therefore a good distance behind him when we reached the forest.

Jeg vilde just til at sætte mig ned for at hvile ved den bratte bred av en elv, som en stund hadde fæstet min opmerksomhet, da jeg med et fik høre et forfærdelig brøl bak mig.

I was just about to sit down to rest by the steep bank of a river, which had caught my attention for a moment, when suddenly I heard a terrible roar behind me.

Jeg saa mig om, og man kan tænke sig min forfærdelse ved at se en uhyre løve komme imot mig, og i hvis ansigt jeg tydelig kunde se en allernaadigst beslutning om at ta mig til frokost uten at spørre mig om lov.

I looked around, and one can imagine my horror at seeing a huge lion coming toward me, in whose face I could clearly read a most gracious decision to take me for breakfast without asking my permission.

Min bøsse var bare ladd med hagl, og desuten hadde jeg hverken tid eller aandsnærværelse nok til at betænke mig.

My gun was loaded only with shot, and besides, I had neither time nor presence of mind enough to consider.

Jeg sigtet paa den, da jeg haabet om end ikke at saare den, da idetmindste at kunne skræmme den.

I aimed at it, as I hoped, even if not to wound it, then at least to be able to frighten it.

Men bæstet kom rasende imot mig, som om det hadde forstaat hvad min hensigt var.

But the beast came raging toward me as if it had understood what my intention was.

Jeg blev da aldeles fra mig selv, kastet bøssen og forsøkte rent instinktmæssig at flygte.

I then lost my head completely, threw down the gun, and purely by instinct tried to flee.

Jeg gyser endnu, naar jeg tænker paa det syn som da mødte mig.

I still shudder when I think of the sight that then met me.

Nogen skridt foran mig laa en uhyre krokodille med aapent gap for at sluke mig.

A few paces ahead of me lay a huge crocodile with an open mouth to swallow me.

Forestil Dem, mine herrer, min frygtelige stilling: bak mig løven, foran mig krokodillen, tilvenstre en rivende strøm, tilhøire en frygtelig avgrund som jeg bakefter fik høre, var fuld av giftige ormer.

Imagine, gentlemen, my dreadful situation: behind me the lion, before me the crocodile, to the left a raging torrent, to the right a terrible abyss which I later learned was full of poisonous snakes.

Det svimlet for mig, og bevidstløs faldt jeg til jorden.

My head swam, and unconscious I fell to the ground.

Jeg er sikker paa at endog Herkules vilde ha gjort det samme i min stilling.

I am sure that even Hercules would have done the same in my position.

En eneste tanke stod endnu klar for mig, og det var at jeg det næste øieblik kunde vente at kjende den rasende løves tænder eller at bli opslukt av krokodillen.

A single thought still stood clear before me, and that was that in the next instant I could expect to feel the raging lion's teeth or be swallowed by the crocodile.

Nogen sekunder forløp, da hørte jeg et sterkt bulder, hvorefter det blev aldeles stille.

A few seconds passed, then I heard a loud crash, after which it became completely quiet.

Om en stund vovet jeg at løfte hodet, og hvad tror I vel jeg saa?

After a while I dared to lift my head, and what do you suppose I saw?

Jo, til min uutsigelige glæde fandt jeg, at løven hadde sprunget over mig i det øieblik da jeg faldt, og like ind i krokodillens aapne gap.

Why, to my inexpressible joy, I found that the lion had leaped over me at the very moment I fell, and straight into the open jaws of the crocodile.

Dens hode var kommet ned i krokodillens svælg, og begge arbeidet av alle kræfter for at komme løs.

Its head had lodged in the crocodile's throat, and both were working with all their might to get free.

Jeg sprang straks op, drog min hirschfænger og skilte med et eneste hug løvens hode fra kroppen, som blev liggende ved mine føtter.

I instantly sprang up, drew my hunting sword, and with a single blow severed the lion's head from its body, which remained lying at my feet.

Derpaa støtte jeg med bøssekolben hodet saa langt jeg kunde, ned i gapet paa krokodillen, som derved blev kvalt i et øieblik.

Thereupon, with the butt of my gun, I rammed the head as far as I could down into the crocodile's jaws, which was thereby suffocated in an instant.

En liten stund efter denne min glimrende seir, kom min ven til, da han var blit urolig over mit lange fravær.

A short while after this brilliant victory of mine, my friend arrived, having grown anxious over my long absence.

Han lykønsket mig paa det varmeste, og vi maalte nu krokodillen som vi fandt var firti fot og syv tommer lang.

He congratulated me most warmly, and we then measured the crocodile, which we found to be forty feet and seven inches long.

Saasnart guvernøren fik høre om denne merkelige jagthændelse, sendte han en vogn og folk for at hente begge dyrene.

As soon as the governor heard of this remarkable hunting incident, he sent a wagon and men to fetch both animals.

Jeg fik en bundtmaker der paa stedet til at gjøre mig en hel del tobakspunger av løvens hud, og forærte bort en del til mine bekjendte paa Ceylon.

I engaged a local furrier to make me a great number of tobacco pouches from the lion's skin, and presented a few to my acquaintances in Ceylon.

Ved min tilbakekomst til Holland skjænket jeg resten dels til borgermesteren i Amsterdam, dels til nogen kjøbmænd, for at bevidne dem min særdeles agtelse, formedelst disse herrers almindelig bekjendte tilbøielighet til at sætte det almene bedste fremfor sin egen vinding.

Upon my return to Holland, I presented the rest partly to the burgomaster of Amsterdam, partly to certain merchants, to testify my particular esteem for them, on account of these gentlemen's widely known inclination to set the public good above their own gain.

Krokodillens hud blev utstoppet paa sædvanlig vis, og den utgjør nu en av de største prydelser for Amsterdams museum.

The crocodile's skin was stuffed in the usual manner, and it now constitutes one of the greatest ornaments of the Amsterdam museum.

Vaktmesteren paa stedet fortæller alle besøkende mit eventyr.

The caretaker of the place tells my adventure to all visitors.

Jeg maa imidlertid si, at han desværre tilføier en hel del, som aldeles ikke bidrager til fortællingens troværdighet.

I must say, however, that he unfortunately adds a great deal which by no means contributes to the credibility of the tale.

Saaledes bruker han f. eks. at berette, at løven rendte tvers igjennem krokodillens legeme, og at den just skulde til at rende ut gjennem den anden ende, da den «verdensberømte baron» avhugget dens hode og tillike tre fot av krokodillens hale.

Thus he is accustomed, for example, to relate that the lion ran straight through the crocodile's body, and that it was just about to run out through the other end when the “world-famous baron” chopped off its head and three feet of the crocodile's tail as well.

Krokodillen, fortsætter den brave vaktmester, blev da saa forarget over tapet av sin hale at den vendte helt rundt, snappet hirschfængeren ut av baronens haand og slukte den med slik voldsomhet, at den gik tversigjennem hjertet saa den kreperte paa flekken.

The crocodile, the good caretaker continues, was then so enraged at the loss of its tail that it turned completely around, snatched the hunting sword out of the baron's hand, and swallowed it with such violence that it went straight through its heart so that it perished on the spot.

Jeg behøver ikke at si, mine herrer, at jeg er meget kjed over denne slyngels uforskammethet.

I need not say, gentlemen, that I am deeply annoyed by this rascal's impudence.

Vi lever jo i en saa vantro tid, at folk som ikke kjender mig, kunde komme til at tvile paa sandfærdigheten av mine oplevelser, bare for slike paatagelige løgners skyld, og jeg kan ikke andet end si at slikt er i høi grad saarende for en mand av ære.

We live, after all, in such an incredulous age that people who do not know me might come to doubt the truthfulness of my experiences, merely on account of such palpable lies, and I cannot but say that such a thing is in the highest degree hurtful to a man of honor.