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第17章

the silverado squatters-第17章

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Toll House? … with its city throng; its jostling shoulders; 

its infinity of instant business in the bar?  The mind would 

not receive it!  The heartfelt bustle of that hour is hardly 

credible; the thrill of the great shower of letters from the 

post…bag; the childish hope and interest with which one gazed 

in all these strangers' eyes。  They paused there but to pass:  

the blue…clad China…boy; the San Francisco magnate; the 

mystery in the dust coat; the secret memoirs in tweed; the 

ogling; well…shod lady with her troop of girls; they did but 

flash and go; they were hull…down for us behind life's ocean; 

and we but hailed their topsails on the line。  Yet; out of 

our great solitude of four and twenty mountain hours; we 

thrilled to their momentary presence gauged and divined them; 

loved and hated; and stood light…headed in that storm of 

human electricity。  Yes; like Piccadilly circus; this is also 

one of life's crossing…places。  Here I beheld one man; 

already famous or infamous; a centre of pistol…shots:  and 

another who; if not yet known to rumour; will fill a column 

of the Sunday paper when he comes to hang … a burly; thick…

set; powerful Chinese desperado; six long bristles upon 

either lip; redolent of whiskey; playing cards; and pistols; 

swaggering in the bar with the lowest assumption of the 

lowest European manners; rapping out blackguard English oaths 

in his canorous oriental voice; and combining in one person 

the depravities of two races and two civilizations。  For all 

his lust and vigour; he seemed to look cold upon me from the 

valley of the shadow of the gallows。  He imagined a vain 

thing; and while he drained his cock…tail; Holbein's death 

was at his elbow。  Once; too; I fell in talk with another of 

these flitting strangers … like the rest; in his shirt…

sleeves and all begrimed with dust … and the next minute we 

were discussing Paris and London; theatres and wines。  To 

him; journeying from one human place to another; this was a 

trifle; but to me!  No; Mr。 Lillie; I have not forgotten it。



And presently the city…tide was at its flood and began to 

ebb。  Life runs in Piccadilly Circus; say; from nine to one; 

and then; there also; ebbs into the small hours of the 

echoing policeman and the lamps and stars。  But the Toll 

House is far up stream; and near its rural springs; the 

bubble of the tide but touches it。  Before you had yet 

grasped your pleasure; the horses were put to; the loud whips 

volleyed; and the tide was gone。  North and south had the two 

stages vanished; the towering dust subsided in the woods; but 

there was still an interval before the flush had fallen on 

your cheeks; before the ear became once more contented with 

the silence; or the seven sleepers of the Toll House dozed 

back to their accustomed corners。  Yet a little; and the 

ostler would swing round the great barrier across the road; 

and in the golden evening; that dreamy inn begin to trim its 

lamps and spread the board for supper。



As I recall the place … the green dell below; the spires of 

pine; the sun…warm; scented air; that gray; gabled inn; with 

its faint stirrings of life amid the slumber of the mountains 

… I slowly awake to a sense of admiration; gratitude; and 

almost love。  A fine place; after all; for a wasted life to 

doze away in … the cuckoo clock hooting of its far home 

country; the croquet mallets; eloquent of English lawns; the 

stages daily bringing news of … the turbulent world away 

below there; and perhaps once in the summer; a salt fog 

pouring overhead with its tale of the Pacific。







A STARRY DRIVE







IN our rule at Silverado; there was a melancholy interregnum。  

The queen and the crown prince with one accord fell sick; 

and; as I was sick to begin with; our lone position on Mount 

Saint Helena was no longer tenable; and we had to hurry back 

to Calistoga and a cottage on the green。  By that time we had 

begun to realize the difficulties of our position。  We had 

found what an amount of labour it cost to support life in our 

red canyon; and it was the dearest desire of our hearts to 

get a China…boy to go along with us when we returned。  We 

could have given him a whole house to himself; self…

contained; as they say in the advertisements; and on the 

money question we were prepared to go far。  Kong Sam Kee; the 

Calistoga washerman; was entrusted with the affair; and from 

day to day it languished on; with protestations on our part 

and mellifluous excuses on the part of Kong Sam Kee。



At length; about half…past eight of our last evening; with 

the waggon ready harnessed to convey us up the grade; the 

washerman; with a somewhat sneering air; produced the boy。  

He was a handsome; gentlemanly lad; attired in rich dark 

blue; and shod with snowy white; but; alas! he had heard 

rumours of Silverado。  He know it for a lone place on the 

mountain…side; with no friendly wash…house near by; where he 

might smoke a pipe of opium o' nights with other China…boys; 

and lose his little earnings at the game of tan; and he first 

backed out for more money; and then; when that demand was 

satisfied; refused to come point…blank。  He was wedded to his 

wash…houses; he had no taste for the rural life; and we must 

go to our mountain servantless。  It must have been near half 

an hour before we reached that conclusion; standing in the 

midst of Calistoga high street under the stars; and the 

China…boy and Kong Sam Kee singing their pigeon English in 

the sweetest voices and with the most musical inflections。



We were not; however; to return alone; for we brought with us 

Joe Strong; the painter; a most good…natured comrade and a 

capital hand at an omelette。  I do not know in which capacity 

he was most valued … as a cook or a companion; and he did 

excellently well in both。



The Kong Sam Kee negotiation had delayed us unduly; it must 

have been half…past nine before we left Calistoga; and night 

came fully ere we struck the bottom of the grade。  I have 

never seen such a night。  It seemed to throw calumny in the 

teeth of all the painters that ever dabbled in starlight。  

The sky itself was of a ruddy; powerful; nameless; changing 

colour; dark and glossy like a serpent's back。  The stars; by 

innumerable millions; stuck boldly forth like lamps。  The 

milky way was bright; like a moonlit cloud; half heaven 

seemed milky way。  The greater luminaries shone each more 

clearly than a winter's moon。  Their light was dyed in every 

sort of colour … red; like fire; blue; like steel; green; 

like the tracks of sunset; and so sharply did each stand 

forth in its own lustre that there was no appearance of that 

flat; star…spangled arch we know so well in pictures; but all 

the hollow of heaven was one chaos of contesting luminaries … 

a hurry…burly of stars。  Against this the hills and rugged 

treetops stood out redly dark。



As we continued to advance; the lesser lights and milky ways 

first grew pale; and then vanished; the countless hosts of 

heaven dwindled in number by successive millions; those that 

still shone had tempered their exceeding brightness and 

fallen back into their customary wistful distance; and the 

sky declined from its first bewildering splendour into the 

appearance of a common night。  Slowly this change proceeded; 

and still there was no sign of any cause。  Then a whiteness 

like mist was thrown over the spurs of the mountain。  Yet a 

while; and; as we turned a corner; a great leap of silver 

light and net of forest shadows fell across the road and upon 

our wondering waggonful; and; swimming low among the trees; 

we beheld a strange; misshapen; waning moon; half…tilted on 

her back。



〃Where are ye when the moon appears?〃 so the old poet sang; 

half…taunting; to the stars; bent upon a courtly purpose。





〃As the sunlight round the dim earth's midnight tower of 

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