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第12章

end of the tether-第12章

小说: end of the tether 字数: 每页4000字

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there still had been a ship in the roadstead to which



he could get himself pulled off in the evening。  Far



away; beyond the houses; on the slope of an indigo



promontory closing the view of the quays; the slim



column of a factory…chimney smoked quietly straight



up into the clear air。  A Chinaman; curled down in the



stern of one of the half…dozen sampans floating off the



end of the jetty; caught sight of a beckoning hand。



He jumped up; rolled his pigtail round his head swiftly;



tucked in two rapid movements his wide dark trousers



high up his yellow thighs; and by a single; noiseless; fin…



like stir of the oars; sheered the sampan alongside the



steps with the ease and precision of a swimming



fish。







〃Sofala;〃 articulated Captain Whalley from above;



and the Chinaman; a new emigrant probably; stared



upwards with a tense attention as if waiting to see the



queer word fall visibly from the white man's lips。



〃Sofala;〃 Captain Whalley repeated; and suddenly his



heart failed him。  He paused。  The shores; the islets; the



high ground; the low points; were dark: the horizon had



grown somber; and across the eastern sweep of the shore



the white obelisk; marking the landing…place of the



telegraph…cable; stood like a pale ghost on the beach



before the dark spread of uneven roofs; intermingled



with palms; of the native town。  Captain Whalley be…



gan again。







〃Sofala。  Savee So…fa…la; John?〃







This time the Chinaman made out that bizarre sound;



and grunted his assent uncouthly; low down in his bare



throat。  With the first yellow twinkle of a star that ap…



peared like the head of a pin stabbed deep into the



smooth; pale; shimmering fabric of the sky; the edge



of a keen chill seemed to cleave through the warm air



of the earth。  At the moment of stepping into the sam…



pan to go and try for the command of the Sofala Cap…



tain Whalley shivered a little。











When on his return he landed on the quay again Venus;



like a choice jewel set low on the hem of the sky; cast



a faint gold trail behind him upon the roadstead; as



level as a floor made of one dark and polished stone。



The lofty vaults of the avenues were blackall black



overheadand the porcelain globes on the lamp…posts



resembled egg…shaped pearls; gigantic and luminous;



displayed in a row whose farther end seemed to sink



in the distance; down to the level of his knees。  He put



his hands behind his back。  He would now consider



calmly the discretion of it before saying the final word



to…morrow。  His feet scrunched the gravel loudlythe



discretion of it。  It would have been easier to appraise



had there been a workable alternative。  The honesty of



it was indubitable: he meant well by the fellow; and



periodically his shadow leaped up intense by his side on



the trunks of the trees; to lengthen itself; oblique and



dim; far over the grassrepeating his stride。







The discretion of it。  Was there a choice?  He seemed



already to have lost something of himself; to have given



up to a hungry specter something of his truth and dig…



nity in order to live。  But his life was necessary。  Let



poverty do its worst in exacting its toll of humiliation。



It was certain that Ned Eliott had rendered him; with…



out knowing it; a service for which it would have been



impossible to ask。  He hoped Ned would not think there



had been something underhand in his action。  He sup…



posed that now when he heard of it he would understand



or perhaps he would only think Whalley an eccentric



old fool。  What would have been the good of telling



himany more than of blurting the whole tale to that



man Massy?  Five hundred pounds ready to invest。  Let



him make the best of that。  Let him wonder。  You want



a captainI want a ship。  That's enough。  B…r…r…r…r。



What a disagreeable impression that empty; dark;



echoing steamer had made upon him。 。 。 。







A laid…up steamer was a dead thing and no mistake;



a sailing…ship somehow seems always ready to spring



into life with the breath of the incorruptible heaven;



but a teamer; thought Captain Whalley; with her fires



out; without the warm whiffs from below meeting you on



her decks; without the hiss of steam; the clangs of iron



in her breastlies there as cold and still and pulseless as



a corpse。







In the solitude of the avenue; all black above and



lighted below; Captain Whalley; considering the dis…



cretion of his course; met; as it were incidentally; the



thought of death。  He pushed it aside with dislike and



contempt。  He almost laughed at it; and in the un…



quenchable vitality of his age only thought with a kind



of exultation how little he needed to keep body and soul



together。  Not a bad investment for the poor woman



this solid carcass of her father。  And for the restin



case of anythingthe agreement should be clear: the



whole five hundred to be paid back to her integrally



within three months。  Integrally。  Every penny。  He



was not to lose any of her money whatever else had



to goa little dignitysome of his self…respect。  He



had never before allowed anybody to remain under any



sort of false impression as to himself。  Well; let that



gofor her sake。  After all; he had never SAID any…



thing misleadingand Captain Whalley felt himself



corrupt to the marrow of his bones。  He laughed a little



with the intimate scorn of his worldly prudence。



Clearly; with a fellow of that sort; and in the peculiar



relation they were to stand to each other; it would not



have done to blurt out everything。  He did not like the



fellow。  He did not like his spells of fawning loquacity



and bursts of resentfulness。  In the enda poor devil。



He would not have liked to stand in his shoes。  Men



were not evil; after all。  He did not like his sleek hair;



his queer way of standing at right angles; with his nose



in the air; and glancing along his shoulder at you。  No。



On the whole; men were not badthey were only silly



or unhappy。







Captain Whalley had finished considering the discre…



tion of that stepand there was the whole long night



before him。  In the full light his long beard would



glisten like a silver breastplate covering his heart; in



the spaces between the lamps his burly figure passed less



distinct; loomed very big; wandering; and mysterious。



No; there was not much real harm in men: and all the



time a shadow marched with him; slanting on his left



handwhich in the East is a presage of evil。







 。      。      。      。      。      。      。







〃Can you make out the clump of palms yet; Serang?〃



asked Captain Whalley from his chair on the bridge of



the Sofala approaching the bar of Batu Beru。







〃No; Tuan。  By…and…by see。〃  The old Malay; in a



blue dungaree suit; planted on his bony dark feet under



the bridge awning; put his hands behind his back and



stared ahead out of the innumerable wrinkles at the



corners of his eyes。







Captain Whalley sat still; without lifting his head to



look for himself。  Three yearsthirty…six times。  He



had made these palms thirty…six times from the south…



ward。  They would come into view at the proper time。



Thank God; the old ship made her courses and distances



trip after trip; as correct as clockwork。  At last he mur…



mured again







〃In sight yet?〃







〃The sun makes a very great glare; Tuan。〃







〃Watch well; Serang。〃







〃Ya; Tuan。〃







A white man had ascende

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