end of the tether-第41章

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Wyk　would　not　have　been　able　to　learn　any　details　had



it　not　been　for　Sterne；　whom　he　met　one　day　on　the　quay



near　the　bridge　over　the　creek；　almost　on　the　very　spot



where　Captain　Whalley；　to　preserve　his　daughter's　five



hundred　pounds　intact；　had　turned　to　get　a　sampan



which　would　take　him　on　board　the　Sofala。







From　afar　Mr。　Van　Wyk　saw　Sterne　blink　straight　at



him　and　raise　his　hand　to　his　hat。　　They　drew　into　the



shade　of　a　building　（it　was　a　bank）；　and　the　mate　re…



lated　how　the　boat　with　the　crew　got　into　Pangu　Bay



about　six　hours　after　the　accident；　and　how　they　had



lived　for　a　fortnight　in　a　state　of　destitution　before　they



found　an　opportunity　to　get　away　from　that　beastly



place。　　The　inquiry　had　exonerated　everybody　from　all



blame。　　The　loss　of　the　ship　was　put　down　to　an　un…



usual　set　of　the　current。　　Indeed；　it　could　not　have　been



anything　else：　there　was　no　other　way　to　account　for



the　ship　being　set　seven　miles　to　the　eastward　of　her



position　during　the　middle　watch。







〃A　piece　of　bad　luck　for　me；　sir。〃







Sterne　passed　his　tongue　on　his　lips；　and　glanced　aside。



〃I　lost　the　advantage　of　being　employed　by　you；　sir。



I　can　never　be　sorry　enough。　　But　here　it　is：　one　man's



poison；　another　man's　meat。　　This　could　not　have　been



handier　for　Mr。　Massy　if　he　had　arranged　that　ship…



wreck　himself。　　The　most　timely　total　loss　I've　ever



heard　of。〃







〃What　became　of　that　Massy？〃　asked　Mr。　Van　Wyk。







〃He；　sir？　　Ha！　ha！　　He　would　keep　on　telling　me



that　he　meant　to　buy　another　ship；　but　as　soon　as　he



had　the　money　in　his　pocket　he　cleared　out　for　Manilla



by　mail…boat　early　in　the　morning。　　I　gave　him　chase



right　aboard；　and　he　told　me　then　he　was　going　to　make



his　fortune　dead　sure　in　Manilla。　　I　could　go　to　the



devil　for　all　he　cared。　　And　yet　he　as　good　as　promised



to　give　me　the　command　if　I　didn't　talk　too　much。〃







〃You　never　said　anything　。　。　。〃　Mr。　Van　Wyk



began。







〃Not　I；　sir。　　Why　should　I？　　I　mean　to　get　on；　but



the　dead　aren't　in　my　way；〃　said　Sterne。　　His　eyelids



were　beating　rapidly；　then　drooped　for　an　instant。



〃Besides；　sir；　it　would　have　been　an　awkward　business。



You　made　me　hold　my　tongue　just　a　bit　too　long。〃







〃Do　you　know　how　it　was　that　Captain　Whalley　re…



mained　on　board？　　Did　he　really　refuse　to　leave？　　Come



now！　　Or　was　it　perhaps　an　accidental　。　。　。？〃







〃Nothing！〃　Sterne　interrupted　with　energy。　　〃I　tell



you　I　yelled　for　him　to　leap　overboard。　　He　simply



MUST　have　cast　off　the　painter　of　the　boat　himself。　　We



all　yelled　to　himthat　is；　Jack　and　I。　　He　wouldn't　even



answer　us。　　The　ship　was　as　silent　as　a　grave　to　the　last。



Then　the　boilers　fetched　away；　and　down　she　went。



Accident！　　Not　it！　　The　game　was　up；　sir；　I　tell　you。〃







This　was　all　that　Sterne　had　to　say。







Mr。　Van　Wyk　had　been　of　course　made　the　guest　of



the　club　for　a　fortnight；　and　it　was　there　that　he　met



the　lawyer　in　whose　office　had　been　signed　the　agreement



between　Massy　and　Captain　Whalley。







〃Extraordinary　old　man；〃　he　said。　　〃He　came　into



my　office　from　nowhere　in　particular　as　you　may　say；



with　his　five　hundred　pounds　to　place；　and　that　engineer



fellow　following　him　anxiously。　　And　now　he　is　gone　out



a　little　inexplicably；　just　as　he　came。　　I　could　never



understand　him　quite。　　There　was　no　mystery　at　all



about　that　Massy；　eh？　　I　wonder　whether　Whalley　re…



fused　to　leave　the　ship。　　It　would　have　been　foolish。



He　was　blameless；　as　the　court　found。〃







Mr。　Van　Wyk　had　known　him　well；　he　said；　and　he



could　not　believe　in　suicide。　　Such　an　act　would　not



have　been　in　character　with　what　he　knew　of　the　man。







〃It　is　my　opinion；　too；〃　the　lawyer　agreed。　　The　gen…



eral　theory　was　that　the　captain　had　remained　too　long



on　board　trying　to　save　something　of　importance。　　Per…



haps　the　chart　which　would　clear　him；　or　else　something



of　value　in　his　cabin。　　The　painter　of　the　boat　had



come　adrift　of　itself　it　was　supposed。　　However；　strange



to　say；　some　little　time　before　that　voyage　poor　Whalley



had　called　in　his　office　and　had　left　with　him　a　sealed



envelope　addressed　to　his　daughter；　to　be　forwarded　to



her　in　case　of　his　death。　　Still　it　was　nothing　very　un…



usual；　especially　in　a　man　of　his　age。　　Mr。　Van　Wyk



shook　his　head。　　Captain　Whalley　looked　good　for　a



hundred　years。







〃Perfectly　true；〃　assented　the　lawyer。　　〃The　old



fellow　looked　as　though　he　had　come　into　the　world　full…



grown　and　with　that　long　beard。　　I　could　never；　some…



how；　imagine　him　either　younger　or　olderdon't　you



know。　　There　was　a　sense　of　physical　power　about　that



man　too。　　And　perhaps　that　was　the　secret　of　that　some…



thing　peculiar　in　his　person　which　struck　everybody　who



came　in　contact　with　him。　　He　looked　indestructible　by



any　ordinary　means　that　put　an　end　to　the　rest　of　us。



His　deliberate；　stately　courtesy　of　manner　was　full　of



significance。　　It　was　as　though　he　were　certain　of　hav…



ing　plenty　of　time　for　everything。　　Yes；　there　was



something　indestructible　about　him；　and　the　way　he



talked　sometimes　you　might　have　thought　he　believed



it　himself。　　When　he　called　on　me　last　with　that　letter



he　wanted　me　to　take　charge　of；　he　was　not　depressed　at



all。　　Perhaps　a　shade　more　deliberate　in　his　talk　and



manner。　　Not　depressed　in　the　least。　　Had　he　a　pre…



sentiment；　I　wonder？　　Perhaps！　　Still　it　seems　a　misera…



ble　end　for　such　a　striking　figure。〃







〃Oh　yes！　　It　was　a　miserable　end；〃　Mr。　Van　Wyk　said；



with　so　much　fervor　that　the　lawyer　looked　up　at　him



curiously；　and　afterwards；　after　parting　with　him；　he



remarked　to　an　acquaintance







〃Queer　person　that　Dutch　tobacco…planter　from　Batu



Beru。　　Know　anything　of　him？〃







〃Heaps　of　money；〃　answered　the　bank　manager。　　〃I



hear　he's　going　home　by　the　next　mail　to　form　a　com…



pany　to　take　over　his　estates。　　Another　tobacco　district



thrown　open。　　He's　wise；　I　think。　　These　good　times



won't　last　for　ever。〃







In　the　southern　hemisphere　Captain　Whalley's　daugh…



ter　had　no　presentiment　of　evil　when　she　opened　the



envelope　addressed　to　her　in　the　lawyer's　handwriting。



She　had　received　it　in　the　afternoon；　all　the　boarders



had　gone　out；　her　boys　were　at　school；　her　husband　sat



upstairs　in　his　big　arm…chair　with　a　book；　thin…faced；



wrapped　up　in　rugs　to　the　waist。　　The　house　was　still；



and　the　grayness　of　a　cloudy　day　lay　against　the　panes



of　three　lofty　windows。







In　a　shabby　dining…room；　where　a　faint　cold　smell　of



dishes　lingered　all　the　year　round；　sitting　at　the　end　of



a　long　table　surrounded　by　many　chairs　pushed　in　with



their　backs　close　against　the　edge　of　the　perpetually　laid



table…cloth；　she　read　the　opening　sentence：　〃Most　pro…



found　regretpainful　dutyyour　father　is　no　more



in　accordance　with　his　instructionsfatal　casualty



consolationno　blame　attached　to　his　memory。　。　。　。〃







Her　face　was　thin；　her　temples　a　little　sunk　under　the



smooth　bands　of　black　hair；　her　lips　remained　resolutely



compressed；　while　her　dark　eyes　grew　larger；　till　at　last；



with　a　low　cry；　she　stood　up；　and　instantly　stooped　to



pick　up　another　envelope　which　had　slipped　off　her



knees　on　to　the　floor。







She　tore　it　open；　snatched　out　the　inclosure。　。　。　。







〃My　dearest　child；〃　it　said；　〃I　am　writing　this　while



I　am　able　yet　to　write　legibly。　　I　am　trying　hard　to



save　for　you