hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第53章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
In the car Thomas Hudson and the chauffeur went down the driveway and the chauffeur jumped out and unchained the gate and then climbed back in and drove the car through。 A Negro boy was coming up the street and he called to him to close the gate and the boy grinned and nodded his head。
¨He is a younger brother of Mario。〃
¨I know；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
They rolled through the squalor of the village side street and turned onto the central highway。 They passed the houses of the village； the two grocery stores open onto the street with their bars and rows of bottles flanked by shelves of canned goods； and then were past the last bar and the huge Spanish laurel tree whose branches spread all the way across the road and were rolling downhill on the old stone highway。 The highway ran downhill for three miles with big old trees on either side。 There were nurseries； small farms； large farms with their decrepit Spanish colonial houses that were being cut up into subdivisions； their old hilly pastures being cut by streets that ended at grassy hillsides； the grass brown from the drought。 The only green now on the land； in this country of so many greens； was along the watercourses where the royal palms grew tall and gray； their green tops slanted by the wind。 This was a dry norther； dry； hard； and cold。 The Straits of Florida had been chilled by the other northers that had come before it and there was no fog and no rain with this wind。
Thomas Hudson took a sip of the ice…cold drink that tasted of the fresh green lime juice mixed with the tasteless coconut water that was still so much more full…bodied than any charged water； strong with the real Gordonˇs gin that made it alive to his tongue and rewarding to swallow； and all of it tautened by the bitters that gave it color。 It tastes as good as a drawing sail feels； he thought。 It is a hell of a good drink。
The cork glass…holder kept the ice from melting and weakening the drink and he held it fondly in his hand and looked at the country as they drove into town。
¨Why donˇt you coast down here and save gas？〃
¨I will if you say；〃 the chauffeur answered。 ¨But this is government gas。〃
¨Coast for the practice；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Then you will know how to do it when it is our gas and not the governmentˇs。〃
They were down on the flat now where flower…growersˇ fields ran off the left and on the right were the houses of the basket…weavers。
¨I must get a basket…weaver to come up and mend the big mat in the living room where it is worn。〃
¨S？； se？or。〃
¨Do you know one？〃
¨S？； se？or。〃
The chauffeur； whom Thomas Hudson disliked very much for his general misinformation and stupidity； his conceit； his lack of understanding of motors； and his atrocious care of the cars and general laziness； was being very short and formal because of the reprimand about coasting。 With all his faults he was a splendid driver； that is； he was an excellent car handler with beautiful reflexes in the illogical and neurotic Cuban traffic。 Also he knew too much about their operations to be fired。
¨Are you warm enough with the sweater？〃
¨S？； se？or。〃
The hell with you； Thomas Hudson thought。 You keep that up and Iˇll ream you out good。
¨Was it very cold in your house last night？〃
¨It was terrible。 It was horroroso。 You canˇt imagine it； Mr。 Hudson。〃
Peace had been made and they were now crossing the bridge； where the trunk of the girl who had once been cut into six pieces by her policeman lover and the pieces wrapped in brown paper and scattered along the Central Highway； had been found。 The river was dry now。 But on that evening it had been running with water and cars had been lined up for half a mile in the rain while their drivers stared at the historic spot。
The next morning the papers published photographs of the torso on their front pages and one news story pointed out that the girl was undoubtedly a North American tourist since no one of that age living in the tropics could be so undeveloped physically。 How they had already arrived at her exact age Thomas Hudson never knew since the head was not discovered until some time later in the fishing port of Batabano。 But the torso； as shown in the front pages； did fall rather short of the best fragments of Greek sculpture。 She was not an American tourist； though； and it turned out that she had developed whatever attractions she had in the tropics。 But for a while Thomas Hudson had to give up doing any road work in the country outside the Finca because anybody seen running or even hurrying； was in danger of being pursued by the populace crying； ¨There he goes！ Thatˇs him！ Thatˇs the man who chopped her up！〃
Now they were over the bridge and going up the hill into Luyano where there was a view； off to the left； of El Cerro that always reminded Thomas Hudson of Toledo。 Not El Grecoˇs Toledo。 But a part of Toledo itself seen from a side hill。 They were coming up on it now as the car climbed the last of the hill and he saw it again clearly and it was Toledo all right； just for a moment； and then the hill dipped and Cuba was close on either side。
This was the part he did not like on the road into town。 This was really the part he carried the drink for。 I drink against poverty； dirt； four…hundred…year…old dust； the nose…snot of children； cracked palm fronds； roofs made from hammered tins； the shuffle of untreated syphilis； sewage in the old beds of brooks； lice on the bare necks of infested poultry； scale on the backs of old menˇs necks； the smell of old women； and the full…blast radio； he thought。 It is a hell of a thing to do。 I ought to look at it closely and do something about it。 Instead you have your drink the way they carried smelling salts in the old days。 No。 Not quite that； he thought。 Sort of a combination of that and the way they drank in Hogarthˇs Gin Lane。 Youˇre drinking against going in to see the Colonel； too； he thought。 Youˇre always drinking against something or for something now； he thought。 The hell you are。 Lots of times you are just drinking。 You are going to do quite a lot of it today。
He took a long sip of the drink and felt it clean and cold and fresh…tasting in his mouth。 This was the worst part of the road where the street car line ran and the traffic was bumper to bumper on the level crossing of the railroad when the gates were down。 Ahead now beyond the lines of stalled cars and trucks was the hill with the castle of Atares where they had shot Colonel Crittenden and the others when that expedition failed down at Bah？a Honda forty years before he was born and where they had shot one hundred and twenty…two American volunteers against that hill。 Beyond； the smoke blew straight across the sky from the tall chimneys of the Havana Electric Company and the highway ran on the old cobblestones under the viaduct； parallel to the upper end of the harbor where the water was as black and greasy as the pumpings from the bottoms of the tanks of an oil tanker。 The gates came up and they moved again and now they were in the lee of the norther and the wooden…hulled ships of the pitiful and grotesque wartime merchant marine lay against the creosoted pilings of the wooden docks and the scum of the harbor lay along their sides blacker than the creosote of the pilings and foul as an uncleaned sewer。
He recognized various craft that he knew。 One； an old barque； had been big enough for a sub to bother with and the sub had shelled her。 She was loaded with timber and was coming in for a cargo of sugar； Thomas Hudson could still see where she had been hit； although she was repaired I now； and he remembered the live Chinamen and the dead Chinamen on her deck when they had come alongside her at sea。 I thought you werenˇt going to think about the sea today。
I have to look at it； he said to himself。 Those that are on it are a damned sight better off than those that live in what we have just been riding through。 This harbor that I has been fouled for three or four hundred years isnˇt the I sea anyway。 And this harbor isnˇt bad out by the mouth。 Nor even so bad over by the Casablanca side。 Youˇve known good nights in this harbor and you know it。
¨Look at that；〃 he said。
