舌尖上的航海丨第24集 中國魯賓遜與老白干

這個故事發(fā)生在七十四年前的東非海域。

不久前，《海洋和諧號》來到英國一個港口，離港口不遠(yuǎn)有座臨海的名叫約克的城市，是聞名于世的“魯濱遜“的老家。

這里有座專門經(jīng)營航海書藉的書店；“煙斗”書店。

《海洋和諧號》船長馬驊利用裝貨空擋，帶領(lǐng)船員來到這家書店?！稛煻窌辍肥且贼敒I遜煙斗命名的。

書店門面不大，里外擠滿了人。書店門前的招牌上畫有一只大煙斗，煙斗上還寫著一個人的名字：塞爾柯克。

“塞爾柯克？”幾個船員不禁問道：“為什么不叫魯濱遜！？”

船長馬驊笑著說：“塞爾柯克是魯濱遜的原型，一個來自蘇格蘭的水手。”船長馬驊是位海員業(yè)余作家，寫了許多有關(guān)海上生活的作品，海上知識很豐富，在航海界小有名氣：“一次遠(yuǎn)航途中，性格暴烈的塞爾柯克與船長發(fā)生激烈的爭吵，最后離船而去，被遺棄在距離智利500多公里的蘇南得島上。這是座無人居住的荒島。”

船員們十分敬佩船長的知識，邊參觀書店邊聽船長介紹：”塞爾柯克在荒島上生活了四年另四個月，才被英國著名的航海家羅克斯船長營救?；氐接?，羅克斯船長根據(jù)塞爾柯克在荒島上的離奇經(jīng)歷，寫了部《環(huán)球巡航記》，記載了塞爾柯克四年多的荒島生活。后來這部《環(huán)球巡航記》引起當(dāng)時著名作家丹尼爾，笛福的關(guān)注和興趣。最終以《環(huán)球巡航記》的主人塞爾柯克為原型寫了部長篇小說《魯濱遜漂流記》。”

”這里為啥叫煙斗書店呢？“人們產(chǎn)生了疑問。

這個問題連知識豐富的船長馬驊也一時語塞。

他們找到了書店的主人。

書店主人叫約翰遜，正在籌迠《魯濱遜紀(jì)念館》。紀(jì)念館離書店不遠(yuǎn)，正是塞爾柯克的故居。

約翰遜聽說是來自遠(yuǎn)道的中國海員，熱情地將他們迎進屋內(nèi)，詳細(xì)地介紹了塞爾柯克在荒島四年多的荒島求生事蹟，最后說，當(dāng)年性格暴烈好勝的塞爾柯克與船長激烈爭吵后毅然離去。離船時，船長特地送一個煙斗給塞爾柯克。幾年后，塞爾柯克得救后，與老船長重逢時，倆人悲喜交加，幾度哽噻。塞爾柯克將隨身攜帶四年多的那只煙斗送還老船長：“當(dāng)作紀(jì)念吧！沒有那次爭吵，就沒有今天的塞爾柯克，也不可能有今天享譽世界的魯濱遜！”，並在煙斗上寫上了自已的名字。這個故事感動了成千上萬的，所以決定把這個書店命名為《煙斗書店》?！?/p>

聽完店主的介紹，大家十分感動，正要準(zhǔn)備離去，店主卻將他們帶回書店，從書架上取出一本書：“剛出版的一書新書，介紹七十多年前中國船員在荒島上生活的故事，是中國的魯濱遜！”

人們相爭著接過這夲書。封面上幾個紅色大字陡然映入眼簾：中國魯濱遜與“老白干“

這時，有人突然發(fā)現(xiàn)這夲書的作者，不是別人正是他們的船長馬驊。這個意外的收蕕連馬驊船長也未想到，在此看到自己剛出版不久的，以中國海員沈祖挺為原型的作品。心里十分高興！

當(dāng)?shù)曛鞯弥獣淖髡呔褪敲媲暗倪@位船長時，十分激動，連聲喊道：”簡直太奇妙了！太高興了！”並在書上簽了自已的名字，雙手遞給馬驊船長面前：“留做紀(jì)念吧！”

回到船上，人們圍坐在馬驊船長身邊，靜聽馬驊船長關(guān)于《中國魯濱遜與“老白干”》的故事。

事情發(fā)生在1944年8月12日。

英國倫敦哈得利輪船公司所屬的“雷貝利“號貨輪滿侢四千多噸煤炭從葡屬東非（現(xiàn)莫桑比克）洛倫索馬克斯港駛往英國控制下的肯尼亞蒙巴薩港。

”雷貝利”號是艘老式的蒸氣動力船。二戰(zhàn)期間移交英國戰(zhàn)時指揮部。開始為盟軍運輸物資。

當(dāng)時船上共有56名船員，除船長，駕駛員和6名海軍護航人員外，其余均是中國海員。

沒有護航的”雷貝斯”號駛出洛倫索馬克斯港的第二天，遭到德國潛艇魚雷的攻擊，不幸起火沉沒。幸存的船員在納粹潛艇離開后不久，紛紛登上漂泊在海上的救生艇。

船上56名船員除救生艇上的40人外，船長，駕駛員和報務(wù)員等16人均已遇難。剩下的40名船員中，中國船員有36名，其中職務(wù)最高的是輪機長沈祖挺。

沈祖挺成了這批幸存者的“首領(lǐng)”。開始在茫茫的海上漂泊。

救生艇里的食品，淡水和藥品有限。為了生存，每人每天只分到三塊壓縮并干和二杯淡水。為了減少不必要的體力消耗，除駕帆，掌舵和瞭望人員外，盡量不要活動和說話。

救生艇在漫無邊際的大洋漂流著。

終于在8月16日，負(fù)責(zé)瞭望的船員突然發(fā)現(xiàn)前方有個黑影，似乎是條船。驚喜若狂的船員拼命朝黑影方向駛?cè)ァ?。然而，靠近后發(fā)現(xiàn)，那是一座弧島。

已經(jīng)在海上漂流了三天三夜精癔力竭的船員準(zhǔn)備登島。

這是一座荒蕪人煙的小島，從島上唯一座法國人的墓碑上，得知島名叫歐羅巴烏。

人們將救生艇物資分批搬上小島。沈祖挺還找到了二盒防風(fēng)火柴。為后來的荒島求生起了至關(guān)重要的作用。

島上沒有人煙，更沒有任何食物，只有散落在島上的鳥蛋。淡水成了登島船員生存的關(guān)鍵；打了幾眼井，全部是咸水！

沈祖挺望著眼前疲癔不堪饑餓難熬的船員兄弟，心急如焚。望著茫茫大海，突然想起了“雷貝斯“號上的海水淡化機：將海水變成淡水？這時正巧大管輪老盧走了過來，倆人一商量，立馬將救生艇里的空氣箱制成一臺簡易的海水淡化機。經(jīng)過多次試驗，終于制作成了救命的淡水！

淡水解決了，生存問題有了著落。但是每到了夜晚，人們悲覌失望的情偖又涌現(xiàn)出來；難道我們要終身守在島上，死在島上…？

做為荒島上的“首領(lǐng)“，沈祖挺曾讀過《魯濱遜漂流記》，魯濱遜的勇氣和智慧，強烈的求生欲望深深打動了他！

沈祖挺開始給伙伴們講起魯濱遜的故事；魯濱遜一個人能在荒島上堅持了四年多，大家?guī)资畟€人只要齊心堅持下去，就能等到獲救的那一天，何況我們都是炎黃子孫，要為中國人爭光…。

在沈祖挺的帶領(lǐng)和鼓動下，人們情緒逐漸平靜下來…。大伙屈指一算，在島上已經(jīng)度過2個多月。

時間一天天過去了。

10月26日清晨，天矇朦亮，一名瞭望人員突然發(fā)現(xiàn)北面天空，出現(xiàn)了一個黑點，正朝荒島上空移動。原來是架盟軍的飛機。驚喜若狂的人們立馬用人體在島上排成”雷貝利”號的字樣。飛行員看到后投下一只鐵罐，鐵罐里一張紙條里寫著：立刻向盟軍總部報告！

荒島上的“魯濱遜”們，揮午看衣衫，含著熱淚奔跑著，高聲大喊：“我們終于得救了！”。

三天之后，英國的《利納尼亞》號巡洋艦抵達(dá)了這座荒島。人們告別了近三個月的荒島求生的日子！

中國海員的勇氣和智慧得到了盟國的高度稱贊和評價。各大報紙都在頭版刊登了這一驚人的消息：“中國的魯濱遜荒島求生記“。

”那書名里的《老白干》是咋回事？“，人們聽完馬驊娓娓講過后，不禁地問道。

馬驊船長解拜說：人們獲救的當(dāng)天，沈祖挺和伙伴將水杯盛滿島上自制的淡水，激動地流著淚說道：“我們在島上同生死共患難，整整度過了七十八個日日夜夜，不愧為炎黃子孫，為中國人爭了光，讓我們高舉水杯，以水為老白一干而盡！”。老白干是船上船員最喜愛的家鄉(xiāng)酒，逢年過節(jié)或盛大節(jié)日總要干上一杯！

1985年，中國上映了一部以《雷貝斯》號中國船員事跡為背景的電影《雷貝斯號沉沒在印度洋》，受到廣大觀眾的喜愛和歡迎！

This story takes place about seventy-four years ago in the waters off the coast of East

Africa.

Not long ago, the cargo ship SS Harmony arrived at a port near the city of York in

England, which is the hometown of the famous fictional explorer, Robinson Crusoe. The

captain of SS Harmony, Captain Ma, used this opportunity to take his crew to a famous

bookstore in York named The Pipe, where many books about nautical adventures resided.

The bookstore was even named The Pipe after Robinson Crusoe’s pipe.

The Pipe wasn’t very spacious, but was filled with people. A large painting of a pipe

hung on the walls next to a window, with the name “Selkirk” written on it.

“Selkirk?” A sailor asked, “Shouldn’t it be Crusoe instead?”

Captain Ma laughed and responded, “Selkirk is a Scottish sailor that Robinson Crusoe’s

stories were based on.”

The captain himself was a writer as well as a seafarer, and had written many pieces

about his life at sea. His writing had gained him a fair amount of popularity within the

nautical world, and he once wrote about Alexander Selkirk, the Scottish sailor that inspired

the stories of Robinson Crusoe. He told his crew, “During a particular voyage, Selkirk was

abandoned and stranded on a deserted island off the coast of Chile.”

The sailors of SS Harmony were amazed by Captain Ma’s knowledge. “After four years

and four months of living in extremely harsh conditions, Selkirk was found by an English

explorer named Woodes Rogers. Selkirk finally returned to Britain, and soon after, his

experiences were described in a novel named A Voyage to the South Sea and Round the World

written by a fellow crew member, Edward Cooke, and eventually republished by Rogersin

1712. In 1719, Daniel Defoe published a similar novel by the title of The Life and Surprising

Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, which was heavily influenced by Selkirk’s personal

endeavors.”

Captain Ma’s crew nodded at Selkirk’s incredible story, but wondered, “So why is the

bookstore named after Selkirk’s pipe?”

This was a question that even Captain Ma could not answer. A cashier at the bookstore

told them to look for The Pipe Bookstore’s owner, Johnson, who could be frequently found

working near the Robinson Crusoe Memorial in York.

John was delighted to hear that a crew of Chinese sailors were fascinated by his

bookstore and the stories of Robinson Crusoe, and invited them into his office. He recounted

Alexander Selkirk’s days during his castaway on Mas a Tierra island in great detail, and

finally disclosed that the short-tempered Selkirk had left his post on his ship after a heated

argument with his captain. Beforer Selkirk set off alone, his captain gifted him with a pipe

that Selkirk kept for the entirety of his four years on Mas a Tierra. After he was rescued and

reunited with his captain, the two men embraced one another, laughing and apologizing at the

same time.

After a while, Selkirk returned his pipe to the old captain. “I’d like to return this to you

as a souvenir,” Selkirk said, “Without it, I never would have had those difficult experiences,

but the world would also never have many of the fascinating stories that people love today.”

Selkirk carved his name onto the body of the pipe, and the tale of Selkirk and his

captain’s reconciliation spread through the nautical world. Johnson was touched by Selkirk’s

forgiveness and the captain’s humility, and named his bookstore after their pipe.

The crew of the SS Harmony stayed in The Pipe Bookstore for a long time, listening to

Johnson’s retellings of Selkirk’s life and discovering the worlds inside other nautical novels

that Johnson presented to them. As they got ready to return to their ship, Johnson disappeared

into his office for a few moments, and rushed out with a brand new book in his hands.

“This is a new novel that was just recently published, about a Chinese sailor who was

also stranded on a deserted island. He is the Robinson Crusoe of China!”

The crew received the book from Johnson and looked at its cover in awe. The title read,

“The Chinese Robinson Crusoe and Lao Bai Gan”, and to the crew’s surprise, the author was

none other than their captain, Captain Ma!

Captain Ma himself held onto his novel, amazed at this accomplishment. He wrote the

book after researching the life of a Chinese seafarer named Shen Zuting, and only published

it recently in China. Coincidentally, the book somehow fell into his hands miles away from

his hometown, in a renowned foreign bookstore!

When Johnson realized that Captain Ma was the author of this new novel, he exclaimed,

“What a wonderful coincidence! I am so honored to meet you!”

Johnson opened the novel to its front page, and wrote a note with his signature on its

blank spaces. He handed the book back to Captain Ma, and said, “Please take this from me as

a souvenir.”

That night, the entire crew of the SS Harmony huddled around Captain Ma and asked to

hear about the Chinese Robinson Crusoe and his Lao Bai Gan. Slowly, Captain Ma flipped

through his novel and marveled at his achievement. He started telling his crew the story of

Shen Zuting.

It all began on August 12th, 1944.

The British cargo ship, SS Bradbury, sailed from Portuguese Mozambique to the

British-controlled port in Mombasa, Kenya with more than 4,000 tons of coal.

The SS Bradbury was an old-fashioned steamship used commonly by British forces in

the Second World War. It transported supplies and necessities for the Allied Forces, and had a

total of 56 sailors on board. Aside from the captain, the chief navigator, and six naval

officers, the rest of the crew were all Chinese sailors.

The day after the SS Bradbury left the port of Mozambique without protection from

Allied naval forces, it was intercepted by a German submarine and unfortunately caught fire

and sank into the ocean. The surviving crew members boarded lifeboats that drifted aimlessly

after the Nazi forces retreated, and awaited Allied forces to come to their rescue.

Out of the fifty seafarers on the SS Bradbury, only forty were fortunate enough to board

a lifeboat. The captain, navigator, and naval officers were among the sixteen that were

missing. Shen Zuting was the chief engineer and the member of the highest rank within the

sailors that boarded a liferaft, and in his captain’s absence, Shen became the leader of the

surviving members of the crew.

Food and drinkable water were scarce in their lifeboats, so Shen rationed their supplies

out to prepare for the worst case scenarios. Each sailor only got three biscuits and two cups of

water each day, and were ordered to only use their energy on maintaining their lifeboats and

keeping watch for patrolling Allied ships.

Their lifeboats remained afloat for many arduous days.

Finally, on August 16th, one sailor noticed a figure far off in the distance that seemed to

be a British rescue ship. The desperate mariners rowed their rafts furiously towards their only

hope, only to find that the figure wasn’t a vessel at all, but a deserted, desolate island.

The crew that drifted atop the sea for three days and three nights had no choice but to

step onto the land in the feeble expectations of some sort of help.

But the island was deserted without a single person to be found. The only sign of

civilization on the island was a tombstone of a Frenchman which told the crew that the

island’s name was Europa.

The sailors moved their supplies from their liferafts onto the island, and decided to set

up a camp. Shen Zuting even found a box of half-used matches leftover by the island’s

previous inhabitants, and knew that these matches would come in handy when trying to gain

passing rescue ships’ attention.

Nevertheless, the Europa Island had no signs of food or life other than some scattered

bird nests and eggs that the crew scavenged for. The only water available was also saline

water, which was practically undrinkable for the parched and dehydrated sailors.

Shen Zuting watched as his crew buried their faces in distress, and racked his brain for

some way to turn saltwater into fresh water that the sailors could drink. He pondered about

the desalination machine on the SS Bradbury, which used a thermal technique to distill

saltwater into vapor, and then the vapor into purified fresh water. With his second chief

engineer Lu at his side, Shen used an oxygen generator and experimented with different ways

to purify saline water. After many attempts, Shen and Lu successfully distilled freshwater

from salt water!

The issue of hydration was solved, but then came the problem of survival in the rapidly

changing temperatures of the island. At night, the men’s misery and grief manifested

themselves. “Are we going to die on this island?” Some asked. “Is anyone ever going to find

us?”

Shen Zuting remembered the time he read the stories about Robinson Crusoe, and

realized that Crusoe’s courage, resilience, and resourcefulness were what allowed him to

persist on until the end. Shen huddled his crew together and retold the story of Robinson

Crusoe: “Crusoe persevered for four years alone on a deserted island. We have forty times the

manpower and brainpower than Crusoe did, so as long as we all work together and carry on

until the end, then help will one day come for us, there is no doubt about it.”

With Shen Zuting’s encouragement and positivity, the crew were determined to survive

and patiently waited for the day the Allied forces came to their rescue. They fell into a

routine, each sailor was given a task that corresponded to their duties on the SS Bradbury, and

they depended on one another for their strength and livelihood.

Eventually, two months had passed by.

On the morning of October 26th, a shiphand noticed a dark spot moving around rapidly

in the morning sky. He shook awake the rest of the crew and pointed to the sky, shouting that

their help had finally come. It was a patrol helicopter from the Allied forces, searching for

stranded sailors that they needed to rescue. Exhilarated, the crew lined up and spelled out the

word “Bradbury” with their bodies, waving their arms and shouting.

The pilot of the helicopter dropped a tin can with a note written inside: We will report to

the Allied headquarters immediately!

The men of SS Bradbury ran around screaming and crying tears of joy. “We have finally

been saved!” They screamed at the top of their lungs.

Three days later, the British craft HMS Linaria arrived at the deserted island and rescued

the surviving crew of SS Bradbury. The crew put behind their days of surviving while

stranded on the island, and steadily returned to society.

The sailors’ perseverance and wisdom impressed the entire nautical world and were

highly praised by the Allied naval forces. Many newspapers ran the headline, “Survival of the

Chinese Robinson Crusoe”.

“What does this have anything to do with Lao Bai Gan?” Some sailors of the SS

Harmony inquired as Captain Ma told the story.

Captain Ma explained that on the day the SS Bradbury sailors were rescued, Shen

Zuting and his crew raised their glasses and toasted one another with the freshwater that they

distilled using oxygen tanks from their liferafts, saying, “We spent seventy-eight days

together on this island with only one another to depend on. We are the glory of the SS

Bradbury and we’ve brought respect to Chinese sailors all across the world. Let us raise our

glasses, and use water as a substitute for our favorite Chinese liquor, Lao Bai Gan!”

Lao Bai Gan was the most beloved liquor for Chinese sailors, and on any festive or

joyous occasion, Chinese seafarers that were kept away from their families indulged in Lao

Bai Gan to remind themselves of home.

In 1985, a film titled Sank to the Indian Ocean was released in theaters all over China. It

told the story of Shen Zuting and the SS Bradbury, and was widely beloved by viewers inside

and beyond China alike.