end of the tether-第30章

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damaged　his　grass　plot　in　front　（it　was　not　easy　to



obtain　some　approach　to　a　lawn　in　the　tropics；　and　the



other　day　had　broken　down　some　rare　bushes　he　had



planted　over　there。　　And　Captain　Whalley　remembered



immediately　that；　in　'forty…seven；　the　then　Sultan；　〃this



man's　grandfather；〃　had　been　notorious　as　a　great　pro…



tector　of　the　piratical　fleets　of　praus　from　farther　East。



They　had　a　safe　refuge　in　the　river　at　Batu　Beru。　　He



financed　more　especially　a　Balinini　chief　called　Haji



Daman。　　Captain　Whalley；　nodding　significantly　his



bushy　white　eyebrows；　had　very　good　reason　to　know



something　of　that。　　The　world　had　progressed　since



that　time。







Mr。　Van　Wyk　demurred　with　unexpected　acrimony。



Progressed　in　what？　he　wanted　to　know。







Why；　in　knowledge　of　truth；　in　decency；　in　justice；　in



orderin　honesty　too；　since　men　harmed　each　other



mostly　from　ignorance。　　It　was；　Captain　Whalley　con…



cluded　quaintly；　more　pleasant　to　live　in。







Mr。　Van　Wyk　whimsically　would　not　admit　that　Mr。



Massy；　for　instance；　was　more　pleasant　naturally　than



the　Balinini　pirates。







The　river　had　not　gained　much　by　the　change。　　They



were　in　their　way　every　bit　as　honest。　　Massy　was　less



ferocious　than　Haji　Daman　no　doubt；　but　。　。　。







〃And　what　about　you；　my　good　sir？〃　　Captain



Whalley　laughed　a　deep　soft　laugh。　　〃YOU　are　an　im…



provement；　surely。〃







He　continued　in　a　vein　of　pleasantry。　　A　good　cigar



was　better　than　a　knock　on　the　headthe　sort　of　wel…



come　he　would　have　found　on　this　river　forty　or　fifty



years　ago。　　Then　leaning　forward　slightly；　he　became



earnestly　serious。　　It　seems　as　if；　outside　their　own　sea…



gypsy　tribes；　these　rovers　had　hated　all　mankind　with



an　incomprehensible；　bloodthirsty　hatred。　　Meantime



their　depredations　had　been　stopped；　and　what　was　the



consequence？　　The　new　generation　was　orderly；　peace…



able；　settled　in　prosperous　villages。　　He　could　speak



from　personal　knowledge。　　And　even　the　few　survivors



of　that　timeold　men　nowhad　changed　so　much；　that



it　would　have　been　unkind　to　remember　against　them



that　they　had　ever　slit　a　throat　in　their　lives。　　He　had



one　especially　in　his　mind's　eye：　a　dignified；　venerable



headman　of　a　certain　large　coast　village　about　sixty



miles　sou'west　of　Tampasuk。　　It　did　one's　heart　good



to　see　himto　hear　that　man　speak。　　He　might　have



been　a　ferocious　savage　once。　　What　men　wanted　was



to　be　checked　by　superior　intelligence；　by　superior



knowledge；　by　superior　force　tooyes；　by　force　held　in



trust　from　God　and　sanctified　by　its　use　in　accordance



with　His　declared　will。　　Captain　Whalley　believed　a　dis…



position　for　good　existed　in　every　man；　even　if　the





world　were　not　a　very　happy　place　as　a　whole。　　In　the



wisdom　of　men　he　had　not　so　much　confidence。　　The　dis…



position　had　to　be　helped　up　pretty　sharply　sometimes；



he　admitted。　　They　might　be　silly；　wrongheaded；　un…



happy；　but　naturally　evilno。　　There　was　at　bottom



a　complete　harmlessness　at　least　。　。　。







〃Is　there？〃　Mr。　Van　Wyk　snapped　acrimoniously。







Captain　Whalley　laughed　at　the　interjection；　in　the



good　humor　of　large；　tolerating　certitude。　　He　could



look　back　at　half　a　century；　he　pointed　out。　　The　smoke



oozed　placidly　through　the　white　hairs　hiding　his　kindly



lips。







〃At　all　events；〃　he　resumed　after　a　pause；　〃I　am



glad　that　they've　had　no　time　to　do　you　much　harm　as



yet。〃







This　allusion　to　his　comparative　youthfulness　did　not



offend　Mr。　Van　Wyk；　who　got　up　and　wriggled　his



shoulders　with　an　enigmatic　half…smile。　　They　walked



out　together　amicably　into　the　starry　night　towards



the　river…side。　　Their　footsteps　resounded　unequally　on



the　dark　path。　　At　the　shore　end　of　the　gangway　the



lantern；　hung　low　to　the　handrail；　threw　a　vivid　light



on　the　white　legs　and　the　big　black　feet　of　Mr。　Massy



waiting　about　anxiously。　　From　the　waist　upwards　he



remained　shadowy；　with　a　row　of　buttons　gleaming　up



to　the　vague　outline　of　his　chin。







〃You　may　thank　Captain　Whalley　for　this；〃　Mr。　Van



Wyk　said　curtly　to　him　before　turning　away。







The　lamps　on　the　veranda　flung　three　long　squares



of　light　between　the　uprights　far　over　the　grass。　　A　bat



flitted　before　his　face　like　a　circling　flake　of　velvety



blackness。　　Along　the　jasmine　hedge　the　night　air



seemed　heavy　with　the　fall　of　perfumed　dew；　flower…



beds　bordered　the　path；　the　clipped　bushes　uprose　in



dark　rounded　clumps　here　and　there　before　the　house；



the　dense　foliage　of　creepers　filtered　the　sheen　of　the



lamplight　within　in　a　soft　glow　all　along　the　front；



and　everything　near　and　far　stood　still　in　a　great　im…



mobility；　in　a　great　sweetness。







Mr。　Van　Wyk　（a　few　years　before　he　had　had　occasion



to　imagine　himself　treated　more　badly　than　anybody



alive　had　ever　been　by　a　woman）　felt　for　Captain



Whalley's　optimistic　views　the　disdain　of　a　man　who



had　once　been　credulous　himself。　　His　disgust　with　the



world　（the　woman　for　a　time　had　filled　it　for　him　com…



pletely）　had　taken　the　form　of　activity　in　retirement；



because；　though　capable　of　great　depth　of　feeling；　he



was　energetic　and　essentially　practical。　　But　there　was



in　that　uncommon　old　sailor；　drifting　on　the　outskirts



of　his　busy　solitude；　something　that　fascinated　his



skepticism。　　His　very　simplicity　（amusing　enough）　was



like　a　delicate　refinement　of　an　upright　character。　　The



striking　dignity　of　manner　could　be　nothing　else；　in　a



man　reduced　to　such　a　humble　position；　but　the　ex…



pression　of　something　essentially　noble　in　the　character。



With　all　his　trust　in　mankind　he　was　no　fool；　the　seren…



ity　of　his　temper　at　the　end　of　so　many　years；　since　it



could　not　obviously　have　been　appeased　by　success；　wore



an　air　of　profound　wisdom。　　Mr。　Van　Wyk　was　amused



at　it　sometimes。　　Even　the　very　physical　traits　of　the



old　captain　of　the　Sofala；　his　powerful　frame；　his　re…



poseful　mien；　his　intelligent；　handsome　face；　the　big



limbs；　the　benign　courtesy；　the　touch　of　rugged　severity



in　the　shaggy　eyebrows；　made　up　a　seductive　person…



ality。　　Mr。　Van　Wyk　disliked　littleness　of　every　kind；



but　there　was　nothing　small　about　that　man；　and　in



the　exemplary　regularity　of　many　trips　an　intimacy　had



grown　up　between　them；　a　warm　feeling　at　bottom　under



a　kindly　stateliness　of　forms　agreeable　to　his　fastidious…



ness。







They　kept　their　respective　opinions　on　all　worldly



matters。　　His　other　convictions　Captain　Whalley　never



intruded。　　The　difference　of　their　ages　was　like　another



bond　between　them。　　Once；　when　twitted　with　the　un…



charitableness　of　his　youth；　Mr。　Van　Wyk；　running　his



eye　over　the　vast　proportions　of　his　interlocutor；　re…



torted　in　friendly　banter







〃Oh。　　You'll　come　to　my　way　of　thinking　yet。　　You'll



have　plenty　of　time。　　Don't　call　yourself　old：　you　look



good　for　a　round　hundred。〃







But　he　could　not　help　his　stinging　incisiveness；　and



though　moderating　it　by　an　almost　affectionate　smile；



he　added







〃And　by　then　you　will　probably　consent　to　die　from



sheer　disgust。〃







Captain　Whalley；　smiling　too；　shook　his　head。　　〃God



forbid！〃







He　thought　that　perhaps　on　the　whole　he　deserved



something　better　than　to　die　in　such　sentiments。　　The



time　of　course　would　have　to　come；　and　he　trusted　to



his　Maker　to　provide　a　manner　of　going　out　of　which



he　need　not　be　ashamed。　　For　the　rest