end of the tether-第17章

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come　up　for　a　moment；　and　stood　in　the　engine…room



companion。　　Wiping　his　hands　on　a　bunch　of　cotton



waste；　he　looked　about　with　indifference　to　the　right



and　left　at　the　river　banks　slipping　astern　of　the



Sofala　steadily。







Massy　turned　full　at　the　chair。　　The　character　of　his



whine　became　again　threatening。







〃Take　care。　　I　may　yet　dismiss　you　and　freeze　to　your



money　for　a　year。　　I　may　。　。　。〃







But　before　the　silent；　rigid　immobility　of　the　man



whose　money　had　come　in　the　nick　of　time　to　save　him



from　utter　ruin；　his　voice　died　out　in　his　throat。







〃Not　that　I　want　you　to　go；〃　he　resumed　after　a　si…



lence；　and　in　an　absurdly　insinuating　tone。　　〃I　want



nothing　better　than　to　be　friends　and　renew　the　agree…



ment；　if　you　will　consent　to　find　another　couple　of　hun…



dred　to　help　with　the　new　boilers；　Captain　Whalley。



I've　told　you　before。　　She　must　have　new　boilers；　you



know　it　as　well　as　I　do。　　Have　you　thought　this　over？〃







He　waited。　　The　slender　stem　of　the　pipe　with　its



bulky　lump　of　a　bowl　at　the　end　hung　down　from　his



thick　lips。　　It　had　gone　out。　　Suddenly　he　took　it　from



between　his　teeth　and　wrung　his　hands　slightly。







〃Don't　you　believe　me？〃　　He　thrust　the　pipe　bowl



into　the　pocket　of　his　shiny　black　jacket。







〃It's　like　dealing　with　the　devil；〃　he　said。　　〃Why



don't　you　speak？　　At　first　you　were　so　high　and　mighty



with　me　I　hardly　dared　to　creep　about　my　own　deck。



Now　I　can't　get　a　word　from　you。　　You　don't　seem　to



see　me　at　all。　　What　does　it　mean？　　Upon　my　soul；　you



terrify　me　with　this　deaf　and　dumb　trick。　　What's　go…



ing　on　in　that　head　of　yours？　　What　are　you　plotting



against　me　there　so　hard　that　you　can't　say　a　word？



You　will　never　make　me　believe　that　youyoudon't



know　where　to　lay　your　hands　on　a　couple　of　hundred。



You　have　made　me　curse　the　day　I　was　born。　。　。　。〃







〃Mr。　Massy；〃　said　Captain　Whalley　suddenly；　with…



out　stirring。







The　engineer　started　violently。







〃If　that　is　so　I　can　only　beg　you　to　forgive　me。〃







〃Starboard；〃　muttered　the　Serang　to　the　helmsman；



and　the　Sofala　began　to　swing　round　the　bend　into　the



second　reach。







〃Ough！〃　　Massy　shuddered。　　〃You　make　my　blood



run　cold。　　What　made　you　come　here？　　What　made　you



come　aboard　that　evening　all　of　a　sudden；　with　your



high　talk　and　your　moneytempting　me？　　I　always



wondered　what　was　your　motive？　　You　fastened　yourself



on　me　to　have　easy　times　and　grow　fat　on　my　life　blood；



I　tell　you。　　Was　that　it？　　I　believe　you　are　the　greatest



miser　in　the　world；　or　else　why　。　。　。〃







〃No。　　I　am　only　poor；〃　interrupted　Captain　Whalley；



stonily。







〃Steady；〃　murmured　the　Serang。　　Massy　turned　away



with　his　chin　on　his　shoulder。







〃I　don't　believe　it；〃　he　said　in　his　dogmatic　tone。



Captain　Whalley　made　no　movement。　　〃There　you　sit



like　a　gorged　vultureexactly　like　a　vulture。〃







He　embraced　the　middle　of　the　reach　and　both　the



banks　in　one　blank　unseeing　circular　glance；　and　left　the



bridge　slowly。











IX







On　turning　to　descend　Massy　perceived　the　head　of



Sterne　the　mate　loitering；　with　his　sly　confident　smile；



his　red　mustaches　and　blinking　eyes；　at　the　foot　of　the



ladder。







Sterne　had　been　a　junior　in　one　of　the　larger　shipping



concerns　before　joining　the　Sofala。　　He　had　thrown　up



his　berth；　he　said；　〃on　general　principles。〃　　The　pro…



motion　in　the　employ　was　very　slow；　he　complained；　and



he　thought　it　was　time　for　him　to　try　and　get　on　a　bit



in　the　world。　　It　seemed　as　though　nobody　would　ever



die　or　leave　the　firm；　they　all　stuck　fast　in　their　berths



till　they　got　mildewed；　he　was　tired　of　waiting；　and　he



feared　that　when　a　vacancy　did　occur　the　best　servants



were　by　no　means　sure　of　being　treated　fairly。　　Besides；



the　captain　he　had　to　serve　underCaptain　Provost



was　an　unaccountable　sort　of　man；　and；　he　fancied；　had



taken　a　dislike　to　him　for　some　reason　or　other。　　For



doing　rather　more　than　his　bare　duty　as　likely　as　not。



When　he　had　done　anything　wrong　he　could　take　a



talking　to；　like　a　man；　but　he　expected　to　be　treated



like　a　man　too；　and　not　to　be　addressed　invariably　as



though　he　were　a　dog。　　He　had　asked　Captain　Provost



plump　and　plain　to　tell　him　where　he　was　at　fault；　and



Captain　Provost；　in　a　most　scornful　way；　had　told　him



that　he　was　a　perfect　officer；　and　that　if　he　disliked　the



way　he　was　being　spoken　to　there　was　the　gangway



he　could　take　himself　off　ashore　at　once。　　But　everybody



knew　what　sort　of　man　Captain　Provost　was。　　It　was　no



use　appealing　to　the　office。　　Captain　Provost　had　too



much　influence　in　the　employ。　　All　the　same；　they　had



to　give　him　a　good　character。　　He　made　bold　to　say



there　was　nothing　in　the　world　against　him；　and；　as　he



had　happened　to　hear　that　the　mate　of　the　Sofala　had



been　taken　to　the　hospital　that　morning　with　a　sun…



stroke；　he　thought　there　would　be　no　harm　in　seeing



whether　he　would　not　do。　。　。　。







He　had　come　to　Captain　Whalley　freshly　shaved；　red…



faced；　thin…flanked；　throwing　out　his　lean　chest；　and



had　recited　his　little　tale　with　an　open　and　manly　as…



surance。　　Now　and　then　his　eyelids　quivered　slightly；



his　hand　would　steal　up　to　the　end　of　the　flaming　mus…



tache；　his　eyebrows　were　straight；　furry；　of　a　chestnut



color；　and　the　directness　of　his　frank　gaze　seemed　to



tremble　on　the　verge　of　impudence。　　Captain　Whalley



had　engaged　him　temporarily；　then；　the　other　man　hav…



ing　been　ordered　home　by　the　doctors；　he　had　remained



for　the　next　trip；　and　then　the　next。　　He　had　now　at…



tained　permanency；　and　the　performance　of　his　duties



was　marked　by　an　air　of　serious；　single…minded　appli…



cation。　　Directly　he　was　spoken　to；　he　began　to　smile



attentively；　with　a　great　deference　expressed　in　his



whole　attitude；　but　there　was　in　the　rapid　winking



which　went　on　all　the　time　something　quizzical；　as



though　he　had　possessed　the　secret　of　some　universal



joke　cheating　all　creation　and　impenetrable　to　other



mortals。







Grave　and　smiling　he　watched　Massy　come　down　step



by　step；　when　the　chief　engineer　had　reached　the　deck



he　swung　about；　and　they　found　themselves　face　to　face。



Matched　as　to　height　and　utterly　dissimilar；　they　con…



fronted　each　other　as　if　there　had　been　something　be…



tween　themsomething　else　than　the　bright　strip　of



sunlight　that；　falling　through　the　wide　lacing　of　two



awnings；　cut　crosswise　the　narrow　planking　of　the　deck



and　separated　their　feet　as　it　were　a　stream；　something



profound　and　subtle　and　incalculable；　like　an　unex…



pressed　understanding；　a　secret　mistrust；　or　some　sort



of　fear。







At　last　Sterne；　blinking　his　deep…set　eyes　and　sticking



forward　his　scraped；　clean…cut　chin；　as　crimson　as　the



rest　of　his　face；　murmured







〃You've　seen？　　He　grazed！　　You've　seen？〃







Massy；　contemptuous；　and　without　raising　his　yellow；



fleshy　countenance；　replied　in　the　same　pitch







〃Maybe。　　But　if　it　had　been　you　we　would　have　been



stuck　fast　in　the　mud。〃







〃Pardon　me；　Mr。　Massy。　　I　beg　to　deny　it。　　Of　course



a　shipowner　may　say　what　he　jolly　well　pleases　on　his



own　deck。　　That's　all　right；　but　I　beg　to　。　。　。〃







〃Get　out　of　my　way！〃







The　other　had　a　slight　start；　the　impulse　of　suppressed



indignation　perhaps；　but　held　his　ground。　　Massy's



downward　glance　wandered　rig