Chapter 3 arrive

A simple young man travels from his hometown of Hamburg in midsummer to the Davos Heights in Graubindischen.He was planning to travel by car for a three-week visit. But it was a long way from Hamburg to get there; and the journey seemed very long indeed, compared with such a short stay.When traveling, you have to pass through the land of several countries, going up the mountain for a while, and going down the mountain for a while, from the plateau in southern Germany, down to the seaside of the Schwabisch Sea, and then take a boat across the turbulent sea, passing through some places that used to be considered It is an unfathomable canyon.

From there the broad, straight-line course was interrupted.There are stops and turns along the way.In Rorschach, in Switzerland, the railways are again used, but at present the trains only run to Landkwald, a small station on the edge of the Alps, where people have to change trains.Here, you have to stand for a while in the windy and unattractive place before boarding a narrow-gauge train; when the train's small but surprisingly powerful engine starts, the truly exciting journey begins.The train kept going up the steep hill, seemingly unwilling to stop.The terrain of Landekwart station is not very high, but at this moment the train is running hard among the rocky cliffs, heading towards the high mountains of the Alps.

Hans Castorp—that was the name of the young man—sat alone in the gray upholstered compartment with the crocodile-skin handbag by his side, which belonged to his uncle and foster father Tienner. A gift from Consul Pell (we will only briefly introduce his name here).He also brought a roll of traveling blankets and a winter coat, which hung on a hook in the carriage.He sat by the shattered window, and as the afternoon grew cooler, the pampered youth turned up the collar of his fashionable summer silk coat.On the seat next to him was a magazine called Ocean Liner, which he had read from time to time when the journey had begun, but which he had now put aside.The engine of the locomotive was roaring and panting, and the smoke was blowing in, and there was a lot of soot on the covers of the books.

This young man has not been deeply involved in the world, and the two-day journey has separated him from the world of the past. All the consciousnesses called responsibilities, aspirations, worries, futures, etc. have been left behind him; The feeling of the hustle and bustle was far stronger than when he went to the train station in a carriage.The space that swirls between himself and the country has some power that we usually ascribe to time.Space, like time, produced changes in him from moment to moment, but in a way more markedly.Like time, it can also cause people to forget everything, but it is only possible when our bodies are freed from the influence of the surrounding environment and returned to the original state of freedom and unrestraint.Yes, it can even turn bookworms and country fools into rascals or something.Some people say that time is like a river of forgetting the old, but going to a distant place to change the air is like drinking water in the river of forgetting the old; although its effect is not so strong, the onset is faster.

Hans Castorp felt this way at the moment.For this trip, he didn't intend to take it too seriously, and took it calmly in his heart.He would have liked to have done the trip quickly, because it had to be done; and as he had left, so had he returned.At the same time, he is also preparing to rearrange his life in the place where he must live now.Just yesterday, his mind was still haunted by some usual things. On the one hand, he was full of reminiscences about the exam he had recently passed, and on the other hand, he was looking forward to his upcoming internship at the "Tonder Wilms" company. , a company that combines shipbuilding, machinery manufacturing and smelting.The next three weeks didn't bother him at all, just as he used to be impatient with anything that happened to him.But now, he seemed to have to concentrate on the situation in front of him, and it seemed that he couldn't take it lightly.

①In Graubindischen, Switzerland, there is a tuberculosis sanatorium on the mountain, and there are hot springs nearby. ②The name of a village in Switzerland. ③ This was an honorary title bestowed by foreign countries on certain famous citizens in Germany at that time.These people live in the larger industrial and commercial cities of Germany and act as representatives of the economic interests of a certain country. ④ Lethe, a translation of Wangchuan, originated from Greek mythology, saying that as long as a person drinks a sip of water in Wangchuan, he can forget his past. Now the train was taking him to places he had never been to, where the conditions of life he knew were not at all accustomed, unusual, austere, one might say.He began to get agitated and felt a little uneasy.Home and normal life were not only far behind, but hundreds of meters below his feet, and the train was still climbing up the hill.He drifted between the past and the unknown life of the future, and asked himself how to live there in the future.He has been living on the plains only a few meters above sea level all his life, and now it may not be enough for him to take a train to these remote highlands all at once, and not stop at any place along the way. Sensible, inopportune? He longed to reach his destination at once, because he thought that once there, he would be able to live like other places, without having to recall the uncomfortable scene he was currently climbing the peak.Then he looked out: the train was turning toward the Channel; he saw the cars ahead, and he saw the locomotive puffing up puffs of brown, green, and black smoke that were blowing on the wind.The water roars and rushes in the deep valley on the right, while the rocks on the left are towering dark fir trees.The train entered the dark tunnel, and when it saw the sun again, a wide canyon came oncoming; in the depths of the canyon, countless villages were dotted.Then the strait disappeared, and new valleys appeared, and snow was still visible in the clefts and fissures of the valleys.The train sometimes stops in front of a poor small station, sometimes in front of a big station, and leaves in the opposite direction, making people confused about where they are going, and can no longer remember which corner of the world they are in.The towering peaks spread out one after another in front of them. Their scenery is majestic and magnificent, with endless changes, which makes people feel solemn and solemn.The trails on the mountain twist and turn, passing by one by one, and then disappearing from sight.Hans Castorp thought that the tree-lined country had fallen far below them, that perhaps there would be no more birds and flowers here, and he could not help feeling that life had stood still, so empty and barren that he Suddenly felt a slight dizziness, very uncomfortable.He covered his eyes with his hands, and it took two or three seconds for him to recover.He could see that the climb was over, that the train had passed the crest of the canyon.At this time, the train moved forward smoothly and steadily on the plain at the foot of the mountain.

It was nearly eight o'clock, but twilight had not yet settled down.There is also a sea in the distance.The sea was blue-gray; nearer the shore a black fir forest rose up to the surrounding plateaus, and the woods thinned out as they went up, till at last there remained only bare rocks, like mist-shrouded rocks. .The train stopped at a small station.Hans Castorp heard someone shouting outside that the village of Davos had arrived.Now he is almost at his destination.Suddenly, Joachim Ziemsen's voice sounded beside him, it was his cousin's melodious Hamburg voice, and the cousin said: "Hey, you are here, come out now!" He looked out and saw Joachim Achim was standing on the platform below the window, in a baggy brown coat and hatless, looking healthier than ever.He smiled and continued, "Come out, don't be coy!"

"But I'm not here yet," said Hans Castorp, perplexed, still sitting still. "Here's the stop. You've arrived. This is the village. It's closer to the nursing home. I've called a car. Give me your things." So Hans Castorp, amidst the excitement and laughter of arrival and reunion, handed him his handbag, winter coat, and a roll of traveling bags with walking sticks and umbrellas, and finally handed him the book "Ocean Liner". " was also handed to him.Then he walked out of the car along the narrow aisle, jumped onto the platform, and greeted his cousin.It can also be said that he did not meet his cousin in person until this time.They did not reunite with enthusiasm, as is the habit among level-headed people.Strange to say, they have never called each other's names, just to keep their passionate truth from showing.Because they don't call each other by their last names, they call each other "you".This is also a deep-rooted custom among cousins.

A man in a livery with a tail hanging from his hat looked on as they shook hands hastily, and at the same time, awkwardly.At this moment he came forward and asked Hans Castorp for a luggage ticket; as he was the concierge of the Heights International Sanatorium, he was willing to pay for the Davos village station when the two gentlemen drove straight to dinner. This guest is carrying the big suitcase.The man walked with a conspicuous limp, and Hans Castorp's first words to Joachim Ziemsen were: "Is he a veteran? Why is he limping so badly?" "Well, of course not!" replied Joachim, somewhat bitterly. "A war veteran! He's got a knee problem, or rather, he's been sick in the past, and his kneecaps have been amputated."

Hans Castorp thought quickly. "So it is!" he said, and as he walked, he glanced back at the cripple. "But you still can't convince me that you still retain that poise. You haven't unfastened the fringe on your sword. It looks like you just came back from a military exercise." He cast a sidelong glance at his cousin. Joachim was taller and broader in shoulders than he was, and looked vigorous, as if he had been born to be a soldier.He was dark-skinned, not uncommon in a race with blue eyes, fair hair, and fair complexion.His complexion was also originally swarthy, but it was almost bronzed by exposure to the sun for a long time.His eyes were large and dark, and he had a good mouth, with a black beard on his upper lip, and he would have been a handsome man if his ears hadn't been a little protruding.At a certain stage in the past, these ears were the only thing in his life that he regretted.Now he has other worries.Hans Castorp continued:

"Are you going back to your hometown with me? I don't see anything bothering you." "Are you going back with you?" My cousin stared blankly at him with those big eyes and asked.These eyes have always been very gentle, but in the past five months they have looked a little tired, even melancholy. "When did you say?" "In three weeks." "Hey, in your head you're already thinking about going home," Joachim replied. "Well, wait a minute, you've only just been there. Three weeks isn't much to us mountain people, but to you, who's here as a guest, and you only want to stay three weeks, it's a lot. It's been a long time. You've got to get used to the water and soil here, and you'll see later that it's not easy to get used to the water and soil. But the weather isn't the only weird thing about us here. You'll see it later. There are a lot of new things, just wait and see. About me, it didn't go as smoothly as you imagined. You said 'go home in three weeks', which is what the people of the mountain think. Yes, my skin is a bit Er Hei, this is mainly due to the long-term reflection of the snow light. This is nothing special, and Behrens often said so. Last time when everyone checked their bodies, he said, I must stay here for half a year." "Half a year? Are you crazy?" cried Hans Castorp.Then they climbed into a yellow carriage which was parked in the clearing of gravel in front of the station, which was as dilapidated as a shed.When the two brown horses started, Hans Castorp sat on the hard mat and began to complain angrily. "Half a year? You've lived here for almost half a year! You don't have that much time alone..." "That's right, time," said Joachim, nodding his head frequently, completely ignoring his cousin's righteous indignation. "They're playing with human time here in a way you won't believe. Three weeks is like a day to them. You'll see it all for yourself soon enough," he went on. Say, "Here, people's conception of things changes." Hans Castorp could not stop watching him from one side. "You've recovered pretty well, though," he said, shaking his head. "Do you think that's true?" Joachim replied. "Isn't it? I think so too!" He straightened up on the cushion, but immediately sat down sideways again. "I'm definitely getting better," he said, "but I'm not back to health. I used to hear rales in the upper part of my left lung, and now it's just a little rough, which doesn't matter much. But the lower lung breath sounds are still rough, There is still some murmur in the second intercostal space." "See how much you know already," said Hans Castorp. "Well, God knows, that's a lot of knowledge. It's a knowledge I've accumulated bit by bit since I got this disease," Joachim replied. "But I still have phlegm," he said, shrugging his shoulders, both indifferently and passionately.The expression did not match his face.He showed his cousin something from the side pocket of his coat, and stuffed it in again as soon as it was half exposed.It was a small arched flat blue glass bottle with a metal cap. "Most of us here have these bottles," he said. "We also gave them a name, or a nickname, which is very interesting. Are you enjoying the scenery here?" Hans Castorp was really admiring it, saying: "It's beautiful!" "You really think so?" Joachim asked. By this time they had been running for some time on the rough road running along the ridge, which ran parallel to the railway.Then the carriage turned to the left, crossed a narrow lane and a waterway, and galloped on a road that led up to a wooded hillside.Now they came to a slightly protruding highland, which looked like a grassland. In the southwest of the highland stood a huge building with a round roof, with many bright balconies in front, which looked like holes in the distance, like a sponge.The lights in the building were just beginning to come on.It was getting dark quickly.The faint twilight that had dyed the sky red just a moment ago has disappeared, and nature is immersed in a dim, melancholy and peaceful twilight, which heralds the approaching nightfall.The densely populated and meandering valley is now filled with lights from thousands of homes. There are lights everywhere on the flat ground and on both sides of the hillside, especially on the high ground on the right, where the houses are all terraced.On the left several paths led up the slopes of the prairie, and then disappeared into the vague darkness of the pine forest.The valley narrowed at the entrance, and the distant ridge was a dull gray-blue behind it.A gust of wind blew up in the sky, making people feel the chill of the night. "No, frankly, it's not that daunting here," said Hans Castorp. "Where are the glaciers, the snow-capped peaks, and the high mountains? They don't seem very high to me." "Hey, they're really tall," Joachim replied. "You can see towering trees almost everywhere, and they're chiseled. The fir trees stop growing, and everything else doesn't. You can see the rocks in those places behind. You see, in that 'black peak' Isn't there a glacier on the right side of the peak, that is, the right side of the sharp peak? Can you see a piece of clear blue over there? Ta' Glacier. In the middle of the canyon are Pitts Michel and Tinzenhorn, which you can't see from here. They are covered with snow all year round." "There is always snow," said Hans Castorp. "Well, forever, call it what you want. But these mountains are very high. But you have to think about it, we are terribly high here. Sixteen hundred meters above sea level. So these mountains are nothing." "Really, it's a hell of a hill to climb! I must say, I'm terrified. Sixteen hundred meters! I figured it's almost five thousand feet high. I've never been that high in my life. ’ And Hans Castorp took a deep, tentative breath of the air of this strange place curiously.The air is fresh—that's all.There was no fragrance, no impurities, no moisture in it; he inhaled it effortlessly, but without pleasure. "Pretty good!" he said politely. "Well, the air here is famous for being good. But I must say again, the scenery here is not very good tonight, and sometimes it is better, especially when there is snow. But people get tired of seeing snow. You can Believe me, we mountain people are sick of it all," Joachim said.The corners of his mouth twisted in disgust.It struck one as excessive, not quite composed, and not quite befitting his manners. "You speak very peculiarly," said Hans Castorp. "Am I talking in a special way?" Joachim asked somewhat wistfully, turning his face to his cousin... "No, no, forgive me, I only felt it for a moment!" said Hans Castorp hastily.But he was referring to the words "we mountain people here," which Joachim had used three or four times, and it sounded a bit off-putting to him. "Our nursing home is higher than the place you see," Joachim continued. "Fifty meters high. In the guidebook, it says 'one hundred', but it's actually only fifty. The tallest sanatorium is Sattachalp over there, and you can't see it. In winter, The body was to be sleighed down the hill because the roads were impassable at that time." "Their corpses? Oh, I see!" Hans Castorp exclaimed.Suddenly he burst out laughing, so hard, so uncontrollably, that his chest heaved and heaved, and his face stiffened by the cold wind showed a strange look, and there was a dull pain. "Use a sledge! And you're so indifferent when you tell me about it? You've gotten really cynical these five months!" "Not at all cynical," replied Joachim, shrugging his shoulders. "What does it matter? Dead bodies are all the same anyway... Besides, we people seem to be a little cynical here. Behrens has always been a cynical man himself. Besides, he's a good doctor, The student union in the early years The student union is a reputation-oriented, student life-oriented and nationalistic student body.Member, seems to be an excellent surgeon, he will make you like him. There is also a Krokoff Skye was his assistant—a great fellow. His proficiency was specifically mentioned in the literature, that is, he could do psychoanalysis of patients." "What's he going to do? Psychoanalysis? It's disgusting!" exclaimed Hans Castorp, his spirits now lifted.He was completely out of control, and psychoanalysis finally opened his mind.He laughed so hard that tears fell on his hands.He bent forward, covering his eyes with his hands.Joachim, too, laughed heartily, and it seemed to do him good.And so the young couple exited the carriage cheerfully, for at last the carriage ambled up the steep, winding drive and brought them to the gates of the International Hills Sanitarium.