曼乔森男爵惊奇冒险简体--曼乔森原著，江铭辉译
这是描述有关曼乔森男爵第一次旅行，旅行中遭遇暴风展开惊奇的故事，被暴风带到锡兰 ，战斗并征服二个非比寻常的对手，终于回到荷兰。
几年前，当我还未长出胡子宣告已是成年时;换言之，当时我既不是大人也不是小孩，而是介于两者之间时，虽然我的父亲是一位常常旅行的人，但我一再地争论表明我想出外看看世界的强烈欲望时，却被我的父母挡住。当我要放弃非凡目标和有趣冒险（我加上去）前，我的愿望出现了。我有一位表兄（母亲这一方）非常喜欢我，经常称谓我是位卓越、热心的好青年，并且非常倾向让我去满足我的好奇心。他的口才比我更具有说服力，因此我的父亲同意让我跟他乘船去锡兰岛一趟，他的叔父在那儿担任多年的总督。
我们带荷兰国阁员们发出的急件公文，由阿姆斯特丹乘船出发了。在旅途中唯一值得一提的是我们遭遇到一场惊奇的大风暴。风暴发生的时候，我们正停泊在一个小岛上补给木柴和水，那场风暴竟将岛上无数的巨树连根拔起。有些树重达好几吨，然而它们照样被风吹到惊人的高度，就像是小鸟的羽毛漂浮在空中一般，它们离也至少也有五哩。然而，当风暴一平息，它们便垂直地落入各自的位置，再次生根。此外，有一棵最大的树，发生奇妙的事，当它被吹到空中时，恰巧有一个人和他的太太（非常诚实的一对老夫妻），正在这棵树上采胡瓜(在地球的这一方，这种食用蔬菜是生长在树上)。
当这树落下来时，这对夫妇的体重使树干失去平衡，导致水平坠落，落在这个小岛的酋长身上，当场把他击毙了。
这位酋长唯恐屋子倒下来压到他，于是在风暴中离开他的住屋。当这件幸运的事件发主时，他正好穿过他的花园回家。这里所说的「幸运」一词，需要加以解说。这位酋长是一个本性非常贪婪暴虐个性的人。虽然尚未成家，岛上的居民在他的压迫、无耻征收下都饿得半死。
他向人民搜括来的物品却在仓库裹腐败了，而那些被搜括的苦命穷人，在贫困中度日。虽然暴君的死亡纯属意外，但人民仍然推举这对采胡瓜的夫妇作为他们的统治者，对这对夫妇意外杀死了暴君表示感激。
在我们修复这场不寻常的风暴中所造成的损坏后，便向这位新统治者和他的夫人告别，然后我们在顺风下航向目的地。
大约六个星期后，我们到达锡兰，在那儿我们受到了深厚的情谊和真诚的礼遇。以下奇特的冒险可能非常有趣。
在锡兰居住了大约两个星期以后，我和地方官的一位兄弟参加了一个打猎活动。他是一位强壮又好运动的人，由于他已经习惯了当地的风土（因为他已住在那儿好几年了）所以比我更能忍受烈日的热度;在打猎过程中，当我还在入口时，他已通过密密的树林，相当有发展。
当我靠近一个引我注意的大池岸边时，我听到背后传来一阵沙沙的噪音。当我回头一看，我几乎吓呆了(谁不会呢?)。我看见一只狮子正靠过来，显然在不经过我的同意，就要拿我可怜的躯体满足牠的食欲。在此恐怖的进退维谷之际，我该怎么办呢?我简直没有半点思考的时间，而我的枪除了仅装上射天鹅的子弹外，并且手中也没有其它子弹了。虽然，我没想过要用那样微弱的弹药去杀死如此庞然的野兽，但是也许我可以用枪弹的爆炸声吓吓牠，或许还可打伤牠。不等牠靠进射击的距离内，我立刻开枪，而枪弹的爆炸声的确激怒了牠，因为现在牠已经加快步伐，似乎正以全速向我冲过来。
我企图逃跑，但是，那只是增加我的困境罢了(如果可能会增加的话 )。当我一转身，发现一只大鳄鱼正张开大嘴巴，准备迎接我。在我的右方是前面说过的那片池水，而我的左方是一个深深的断崖，就我经验所知，底下藏有各种有毒的生物。简言之，我丧失一切，因为那只狮子现在以后腿立地，正展开向我扑袭的姿势!我吓得不由地跌在地上，以后似乎是牠从我身上跃过。在笔墨无法形容的心境下，我躺了好久，随时预计感受牠的尖爪利齿降临到我身体的某一部份。
图：我前面是凶鳄，后面是猛狮，右方是一大片潭水，左方是断崖，此时只有伏到地上等死。
我
在俯卧的情况下等了几秒钟后，我听到一阵暴乱而不寻常的喧闹声，不同于以前曾经侵袭我耳朵的任何声音。如果我把声音发自何处告诉你，这也就完全没有什么可惊奇的了!倾听了一段时间后，我冒险抬起头来看看四周。当我发现狮子在饥渴向前我猛扑过来，我伏到地上，而牠竟跳进鲤鱼的嘴里，真有说不出的喜悦!如前所述，鳄鱼的嘴大张着，狮子的头正插入牠的喉咙里，而牠们正挣扎着互相摆脱。我幸运记得猎刀在我的身边，用这个工具一刀切断狮子的头，牠的身躯落在我的脚下。然后，我用鸟枪的枪托把狮子的头撞进鳄鱼的喉咙，使牠窒息而死，因为牠吞也吞不去，吐也吐不出来。
把这两个威猛的敌人彻底称征服不久之后，我的同伴找到我;因为当他发现我并没有跟看他进入森林里时。便回头过来找我，他担心我可能迷了路或是遭遇什么意外了。彼此互相庆贺一番做，我们量-量那只足足有四十英呎长的鳄鱼。
我们很快向地方官报告这项傲人的冒险故事，他马上送来一辆大型马车和几个仆人，将这两只动物的尸体运回家。狮子的皮连同狮毛被妥善保存着，之后，我将它来制成一些烟草袋，回到荷兰时，便赠送给几位市长。他们为了回报，请求我接受他一千元的金币。
鳄鱼皮按照一般的方式填充制成一个标本。还成为阿姆斯特丹大众博物院的第一流作品。这里的解说员加上他们认为的适当说法，向每位参观者描述整个故事。有些说法已过分夸张超过事实。其中的一种说法是：狮子完全跃入鳄鱼体内，由后面正要逃出时，就在牠的头一伸出来的剎那间，伟大的男爵先生(他们喜欢这样称呼我)，便一刀将牠同鳄鱼三尺长的尾巴一起砍下。不但如此，因为他们很少去注意事情的真相，所以他们有时又添加说:当鳄鱼的尾巴一失掉后，便马上回头，夺走男爵手上的猎刀，急切吞进腹中，于是刀子刺穿牠的心脏，牠立刻死亡。
因为那些鲁莽的家伙总是不大关心事实的真相，使得我有时害怕我的真实事迹将来也和他们那些荒谬的杜撰连在一起，沦落到使人不能相信的地步。
The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen原文
( Baron Münchhausen)
图：公元1797~1720，此图是年青时的曼乔森男爵
The Baron relates an account of his first travels—The astonishing effects of a storm—Arrives at Ceylon; combats and conquers two extraordinary opponents--Returns to Holland.
Some years before my beard announced approaching manhood, or, in other words, when I was neither man nor boy, but between both, I expressed in repeated conversations a strong desire of seeing the world, from which I was discouraged by my parents, though my father had been no inconsiderable traveller himself, as will appear before I have reached the end of my singular, and, I may add, interesting adventures. A cousin, by my mother's side, took a liking to me, often said I was fine forward youth, and was much inclined to gratify my curiosity. His eloquence had more effect than mine, for my father consented to my accompanying him in a voyage to the island of Ceylon, where his uncle had resided as governor many years.
We sailed from Amsterdam with despatches from their High Mightinesses the States of Holland. The only circumstance which happened on our voyage worth relating was the wonderful effects of a storm, which had torn up by the roots a great number of trees of enormous bulk and height, in an island where we lay at anchor to take in wood and water; some of these trees weighed many tons, yet they were carried by the wind so amazingly high, that they appeared like the feathers of small birds floating in the air, for they were at least five miles above the earth: however, as soon as the storm subsided they all fell perpendicularly into their respective places, and took root again, except the largest, which happened, when it was blown into the air, to have a man and his wife, a very honest old couple, upon its branches, gathering cucumbers (in this part of the globe that useful vegetable grows upon trees): the weight of this couple, as the tree descended, over-balanced the trunk, and brought it down in a horizontal position: it fell upon the chief man of the island, and killed him on the spot; he had quitted his house in the storm, under an apprehension of its falling upon him, and was returning through his own garden when this fortunate accident happened. The word fortunate, here, requires some explanation. This chief was a man of a very avaricious and oppressive disposition, and though he had no family, the natives of the island were half-starved by his oppressive and infamous impositions.
The very goods which he had thus taken from them were spoiling in his stores, while the poor wretches from whom they were plundered were pining in poverty. Though the destruction of this tyrant was accidental, the people chose the cucumber-gatherers for their governors, as a mark of their gratitude for destroying, though accidentally, their late tyrant.
After we had repaired the damages we sustained in this remarkable storm, and taken leave of the new governor and his lady, we sailed with a fair wind for the object of our voyage.
In about six weeks we arrived at Ceylon, where we were received with great marks of friendship and true politeness. The following singular adventures may not prove unentertaining.
After we had resided at Ceylon about a fortnight I accompanied one of the governor's brothers upon a shooting party. He was a strong, athletic man, and being used to that climate (for he had resided there some years), he bore the violent heat of the sun much better than I could; in our excursion he had made a considerable progress through a thick wood when I was only at the entrance.
Near the banks of a large piece of water, which had engaged my attention, I thought I heard a rustling noise behind; on turning about I was almost petrified (as who would not be?) at the sight of a lion, which was evidently approaching with the intention of satisfying his appetite with my poor carcase, and that without asking my consent. What was to be done in this horrible dilemma? I had not even a moment for reflection; my piece was only charged with swan-shot, and I had no other about me: however, though I could have no idea of killing such an animal with that weak kind of ammunition, yet I had some hopes of frightening him by the report, and perhaps of wounding him also. I immediately let fly, without waiting till he was within reach, and the report did but enrage him, for he now quickened his pace, and seemed to approach me full speed: I attempted to escape, but that only added (if an addition could be made) to my distress; for the moment I turned about I found a large crocodile, with his mouth extended almost ready to receive me. On my right hand was the piece of water before mentioned, and on my left a deep precipice, said to have, as I have since learned, a receptacle at the bottom for venomous creatures; in short I gave myself up as lost, for the lion was now upon his hind-legs, just in the act of seizing me; I fell involuntarily to the ground with fear, and, as it afterwards appeared, he sprang over me. I lay some time in a situation which no language can describe, expecting to feel his teeth or talons in some part of me every moment: after waiting in this prostrate situation a few seconds I heard a violent but unusual noise, different from any sound that had ever before assailed my ears; nor is it at all to be wondered at, when I inform you from whence it proceeded: after listening for some time, I ventured to raise my head and look round, when, to my unspeakable joy, I perceived the lion had, by the eagerness with which he sprung at me, jumped forward, as I fell, into the crocodile's mouth! which, as before observed, was wide open; the head of the one stuck in the throat of the other! and they were struggling to extricate themselves! I fortunately recollected my couteau de chasse, which was by my side; with this instrument I severed the lion's head at one blow, and the body fell at my feet! I then, with the butt-end of my fowling-piece, rammed the head farther into the throat of the crocodile, and destroyed him by suffocation, for he could neither gorge nor eject it.
Soon after I had thus gained a complete victory over my two powerful adversaries, my companion arrived in search of me; for finding I did not follow him into the wood, he returned, apprehending I had lost my way, or met with some accident.
After mutual congratulations, we measured the crocodile, which was just forty feet in length.
As soon as we had related this extraordinary adventure to the governor, he sent a waggon and servants, who brought home the two carcases. The lion's skin was properly preserved, with its hair on, after which it was made into tobacco-pouches, and presented by me, upon our return to Holland, to the burgomasters, who, in return, requested my acceptance of a thousand ducats.
The skin of the crocodile was stuffed in the usual manner, and makes a capital article in their public museum at Amsterdam, where the exhibitor relates the whole story to each spectator, with such additions as he thinks proper. Some of his variations are rather extravagant; one of them is, that the lion jumped quite through the crocodile, and was making his escape at the back door, when, as soon as his head appeared, Monsieur the Great Baron (as he is pleased to call me) cut it off, and three feet of the crocodile's tail along with it; nay, so little attention has this fellow to the truth, that he sometimes adds, as soon as the crocodile missed his tail, he turned about, snatched the couteau de chasse out of Monsieur's hand, and swallowed it with such eagerness that it pierced his heart and killed him immediately!
The little regard which this impudent knave has to veracity makes me sometimes apprehensive that my real facts may fall under suspicion, by being found in company with his confounded inventions.