經典科幻文學:《宇宙盡頭的餐館》第30章4

For the next fifty miles of their journey eastward they kept on finding the occasional gift of fruit lying in their path, and though they once or twice had a quick glimpse of a native man-creature amongst the trees, they never again made direct contact. They decided they rather liked a race of people who made it clear that they were grateful simply to be left alone.
The fruit and berries stopped after fifty miles, because that was where the sea started.
Having no pressing calls on their time they built a raft and crossed the sea. It was reasonably calm, only about sixty miles wide and they had a reasonably pleasant crossing, landing in a country that was at least as beautiful as the one they had left.
Life was, in short, ridiculously easy and for a while at least they were able to cope with the problems of aimlessness and isolation by deciding to ignore them. When the craving for company became too great they would know where to find it, but for the moment they were happy to feel that the Golgafrinchans were hundreds of miles behind them.
Nevertheless, Ford Prefect began to use his Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic more often again. Only once did he pick up a signal, but that was so faint and from such enormous distance that it depressed him more than the silence that had otherwise continued unbroken.
On a whim they turned northwards. After weeks of travelling they came to another sea, built another raft and crossed it. This time it was harder going, the climate was getting colder. Arthur suspected a streak of masochism in Ford Prefect – the increasing difficulty of the journey seemed to give him a sense of purpose that was otherwise lacking. He strode onwards relentlessly.
Their journey northwards brought them into steep mountainous terrain of breathtaking sweep and beauty. The vast, jagged, snow covered peaks ravished their senses. The cold began to bite into their bones.
They wrapped themselves in animal skins and furs which Ford Prefect acquired by a technique he once learned from a couple of ex-Pralite monks running a Mind-Surfing resort in the Hills of Hunian.
The galaxy is littered with ex-Pralite monks, all on the make, because the mental control techniques the Order have evolved as a form of devotional discipline are, frankly, sensational – and extraordinary numbers of monks leave the Order just after they have finished their devotional training and just before they take their final vows to stay locked in small metal boxes for the rest of their lives.
Ford’s technique seemed to consist mainly of standing still for a while and smiling.
After a while an animal – a deer perhaps – would appear from out of the trees and watch him cautiously. Ford would continue to smile at it, his eyes would soften and shine, and he would seem to radiate a deep and universal love, a love which reached out to embrace all of creation. A wonderful quietness would descend on the surrounding countryside, peaceful and serene, emanating from this transfigured man. Slowly the deer would approach, step by step, until it was almost nuzzling him, whereupon Ford Prefect would reach out to it and break its neck.
“Pheromone control,” he said it was, “you just have to know how to generate the right smell.”

一路向東，接下來的五十英里，他們一直在尋找偶爾出現在他們前進道路上的水果禮物。有一兩次，他們瞥見樹叢中閃過一個土著的身影，但他們再也沒有直接和土著碰過面，他們認定-這個種族不喜歡受別人打擾，只要不打擾他們，他們就會對來客表示出自己的感激之情。
五十英里之後，水果和漿果消失了，因爲大海從這裏發端。
他們從容不迫地紮了一隻筏子，開始橫渡大海。海面相對來說還箅平靜，只有大約六十英里寬，所以他們輕鬆愉快地橫渡過去。登上一片至少和他們離開的那片土地同樣美麗的土地。
一甸話，這裏的生活簡直輕鬆得近乎荒謬，這也使得他們至少一度能夠對抗自己面對的種種問題，諸如漫無目的、孤立無援等等，方法是忽略這些問題。如果需要他人的陪伴，他們知道在哪裏能找到高爾伽弗林查姆人。但就目前而言，他們對那些人被他們甩在身後好幾百英里這一點感到很高興。
儘管如此，福特長官仍開始更多地使用他的亞以太感應器了。只有一次收到了一個信號，但是信號太微弱，相距過於遙遠，甚至比沒有接收到信號更讓他沮喪。
一時心血來潮，他們轉而向北方前進。經過了幾個星期的跋涉之後，他們來到了另一片大拇，紮了另一個筏子開始橫渡。但這次卻比較艱苦，氣溫正在下降，變得寒冷起來。阿瑟開始懷疑福特長官身上有自虐傾向。旅程中逐漸增加的困難似乎給他帶來了一種目的感——這正是原本最缺乏的。福特長官堅持不懈地大步前進。
朝北的旅程把他們帶到了一處陡峭的山區地帶，這裏有綿延的山勢，美麗的風光，冰雪覆蓋、成鋸齒狀排列的巨大山峯簡直把他們迷住了。不過寒冷也開始侵入他們的骨髓。
他們裹上了動物毛皮，這是福特長官捕獲的。他所用的技巧是從兩個尊帕萊特僧侶那兒學米的：脫離他們的教派之後，這兩人在休尼安山上經營一處思維衝浪療養院。
銀河系內到處都是前帕萊特僧侶，個個野野心勃勃。這個教派的大本營在奧德爾星上，作爲祈禱功課的一種形式，他們開發出了一種精衝控制術。這種技術，直截了當地說吧，實在太了不起了！於是，大批憎侶在完成這種祈禱訓練之後，離開了奧德爾——搶在最終發誓把自己鎖在小金屬箱子裏度過餘生之前。
福特的技巧看起來主要是這樣的：一動不動地站着，面帶笑容。
過不了多久，一隻動物，也許是一頭鹿，就會從樹林中出現，警覺地看着他。福特繼續對它微笑着，他的眼睛變得十分柔和，閃着光。他似乎發射出一種深沉而普遍的愛意，一種要擁抱一四生物的愛意。平和而安詳，這是從這個彷彿美的化身的人身上散發出來的。慢慢地，這隻鹿將會走近，一步接着一步，最後幾乎偎依着他。然後，福特長官就會撲倒它，扭斷它的脖子。
“信息素控制法，”他這樣過門技巧，“你只需要知道如何產生正確的氣味就行。”