end of the tether-第22章

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with　the　last　vestige　of　incredulity；　of　the　original



emotions；　set　into　a　tumult　by　the　discovery；　some　trace



of　the　first　awe　alone　remained。　　Not　the　awe　of　the



man　himselfhe　could　blow　him　up　sky…high　with　six



wordsrather　it　was　an　awestruck　indignation　at　the



reckless　perversity　of　avarice　（what　else　could　it　be？）；



at　the　mad　and　somber　resolution　that　for　the　sake　of　a



few　dollars　more　seemed　to　set　at　naught　the　common



rule　of　conscience　and　pretended　to　struggle　against



the　very　decree　of　Providence。







You　could　not　find　another　man　like　this　one　in　the



whole　round　worldthank　God。　　There　was　something





devilishly　dauntless　in　the　character　of　such　a　deception



which　made　you　pause。







Other　considerations　occurring　to　his　prudence　had



kept　him　tongue…tied　from　day　to　day。　　It　seemed　to



him　now　that　it　would　yet　have　been　easier　to　speak　out



in　the　first　hour　of　discovery。　　He　almost　regretted　not



having　made　a　row　at　once。　　But　then　the　very　mon…



strosity　of　the　disclosure　。　。　。　　Why！　　He　could　hardly



face　it　himself；　let　alone　pointing　it　out　to　somebody



else。　　Moreover；　with　a　desperado　of　that　sort　one　never



knew。　　The　object　was　not　to　get　him　out　（that　was



as　well　as　done　already）；　but　to　step　into　his　place。



Bizarre　as　the　thought　seemed　he　might　have　shown



fight。　　A　fellow　up　to　working　such　a　fraud　would　have



enough　cheek　for　anything；　a　fellow　that；　as　it　were；



stood　up　against　God　Almighty　Himself。　　He　was　a



horrid　marvelthat's　what　he　was：　he　was　perfectly



capable　of　brazening　out　the　affair　scandalously　till　he



got　him　（Sterne）　kicked　out　of　the　ship　and　everlast…



ingly　damaged　his　prospects　in　this　part　of　the　East。



Yet　if　you　want　to　get　on　something　must　be　risked。　　At



times　Sterne　thought　he　had　been　unduly　timid　of　taking



action　in　the　past；　and　what　was　worse；　it　had　come　to



this；　that　in　the　present　he　did　not　seem　to　know　what



action　to　take。







Massy's　savage　moroseness　was　too　disconcerting。　　It



was　an　incalculable　factor　of　the　situation。　　You　could



not　tell　what　there　was　behind　that　insulting　ferocity。



How　could　one　trust　such　a　temper；　it　did　not　put



Sterne　in　bodily　fear　for　himself；　but　it　frightened　him



exceedingly　as　to　his　prospects。







Though　of　course　inclined　to　credit　himself　with　ex…



ceptional　powers　of　observation；　he　had　by　now　lived



too　long　with　his　discovery。　　He　had　gone　on　looking



at　nothing　else；　till　at　last　one　day　it　occurred　to　him



that　the　thing　was　so　obvious　that　no　one　could　miss



seeing　it。　　There　were　four　white　men　in　all　on　board



the　Sofala。　　Jack；　the　second　engineer；　was　too　dull　to



notice　anything　that　took　place　out　of　his　engine…room。



Remained　Massythe　ownerthe　interested　person



nearly　going　mad　with　worry。　　Sterne　had　heard　and



seen　more　than　enough　on　board　to　know　what　ailed　him；



but　his　exasperation　seemed　to　make　him　deaf　to　cau…



tious　overtures。　　If　he　had　only　known　it；　there　was　the



very　thing　he　wanted。　　But　how　could　you　bargain　with



a　man　of　that　sort？　　It　was　like　going　into　a　tiger's　den



with　a　piece　of　raw　meat　in　your　hand。　　He　was　as



likely　as　not　to　rend　you　for　your　pains。　　In　fact；　he



was　always　threatening　to　do　that　very　thing；　and　the



urgency　of　the　case；　combined　with　the　impossibility　of



handling　it　with　safety；　made　Sterne　in　his　watches　below



toss　and　mutter　open…eyed　in　his　bunk；　for　hours；　as



though　he　had　been　burning　with　fever。







Occurrences　like　the　crossing　of　the　bar　just　now　were



extremely　alarming　to　his　prospects。　　He　did　not　want



to　be　left　behind　by　some　swift　catastrophe。　　Massy　be…



ing　on　the　bridge；　the　old　man　had　to　brace　himself　up



and　make　a　show；　he　supposed。　　But　it　was　getting　very



bad　with　him；　very　bad　indeed；　now。　　Even　Massy　had



been　emboldened　to　find　fault　this　time；　Sterne；　listen…



ing　at　the　foot　of　the　ladder；　had　heard　the　other's



whimpering　and　artless　denunciations。　　Luckily　the



beast　was　very　stupid　and　could　not　see　the　why　of　all



this。　　However；　small　blame　to　him；　it　took　a　clever　man



to　hit　upon　the　cause。　　Nevertheless；　it　was　high　time　to



do　something。　　The　old　man's　game　could　not　be　kept



up　for　many　days　more。







〃I　may　yet　lose　my　life　at　this　foolinglet　alone　my



chance；〃　Sterne　mumbled　angrily　to　himself；　after　the



stooping　back　of　the　chief　engineer　had　disappeared



round　the　corner　of　the　skylight。　　Yes；　no　doubthe



thought；　but　to　blurt　out　his　knowledge　would　not　ad…



vance　his　prospects。　　On　the　contrary；　it　would　blast



them　utterly　as　likely　as　not。　　He　dreaded　another



failure。　　He　had　a　vague　consciousness　of　not　being



much　liked　by　his　fellows　in　this　part　of　the　world；　inex…



plicably　enough；　for　he　had　done　nothing　to　them。



Envy；　he　supposed。　　People　were　always　down　on　a



clever　chap　who　made　no　bones　about　his　determination



to　get　on。　　To　do　your　duty　and　count　on　the　gratitude



of　that　brute　Massy　would　be　sheer　folly。　　He　was　a　bad



lot。　　Unmanly！　　A　vicious　man！　　Bad！　　Bad！　　A　brute！



A　brute　without　a　spark　of　anything　human　about　him；



without　so　much　as　simple　curiosity　even；　or　else　surely



he　would　have　responded　in　some　way　to　all　these　hints



he　had　been　given。　。　。　。　　Such　insensibility　was　almost



mysterious。　　Massy's　state　of　exasperation　seemed　to



Sterne　to　have　made　him　stupid　beyond　the　ordinary



silliness　of　shipowners。







Sterne；　meditating　on　the　embarrassments　of　that　stu…



pidity；　forgot　himself　completely。　　His　stony；　unwink…



ing　stare　was　fixed　on　the　planks　of　the　deck。







The　slight　quiver　agitating　the　whole　fabric　of　the



ship　was　more　perceptible　in　the　silent　river；　shaded　and



still　like　a　forest　path。　　The　Sofala；　gliding　with　an



even　motion；　had　passed　beyond　the　coast…belt　of　mud



and　mangroves。　　The　shores　rose　higher；　in　firm　slop…



ing　banks；　and　the　forest　of　big　trees　came　down　to　the



brink。　　Where　the　earth　had　been　crumbled　by　the



floods　it　showed　a　steep　brown　cut；　denuding　a　mass　of



roots　intertwined　as　if　wrestling　underground；　and　in



the　air；　the　interlaced　boughs；　bound　and　loaded　with



creepers；　carried　on　the　struggle　for　life；　mingled　their



foliage　in　one　solid　wall　of　leaves；　with　here　and　there



the　shape　of　an　enormous　dark　pillar　soaring；　or　a



ragged　opening；　as　if　torn　by　the　flight　of　a　cannon…



ball；　disclosing　the　impenetrable　gloom　within；　the



secular　inviolable　shade　of　the　virgin　forest。　　The



thump　of　the　engines　reverberated　regularly　like　the



strokes　of　a　metronome　beating　the　measure　of　the　vast



silence；　the　shadow　of　the　western　wall　had　fallen　across



the　river；　and　the　smoke　pouring　backwards　from　the



funnel　eddied　down　behind　the　ship；　spread　a　thin



dusky　veil　over　the　somber　water；　which；　checked　by



the　flood…tide；　seemed　to　lie　stagnant　in　the　whole



straight　length　of　the　reaches。







Sterne's　body；　as　if　rooted　on　the　spot；　trembled　slightly



from　top　to　toe　with　the　internal　vibration　of　the　ship；



from　under　his　feet　came　sometimes　a　sudden　clang　of



iron；　the　noisy　burst　of　a　shout　below；　to　the　right　the



leaves　of　the　tree…tops　caught　the　rays　of　the　low　sun；



and　seemed　to　shine　with　a　golden　green　light　of　their



own　shimmering　around　the　highest　boughs　which　stood



out　black　against　a　smooth　blue　sky　that　seemed　to



droop　over　the　bed　of　the　river　like　the　roof　of　a　tent。



The　passengers　for　Batu　Beru；　kneeling　on　the　planks；



were　engaged　in