hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第60章
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¨Never。 You can ask anyone。 And Iˇve never done anything with girls in my life。〃
¨Honest Lil；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨Wouldnˇt you rather have me that way？ You donˇt like porquer？as。 You like to make love and be happy and go to sleep。 I know you。〃
¨Todo el mundo me conoce。〃
¨No； they donˇt。 They have all sorts of different ideas about you。 But I know you。〃
He was drinking another of the frozen daiquiris with no sugar in it and as he lifted it； heavy and the glass frost…rimmed； he looked at the clear part below the trapped top and it reminded him of the sea。 The frapp？d part of the drink was like the wake of a ship and the clear part was the way the water looked when the bow cut it when you were in shallow water over marl bottom。 That was almost the exact color。
¨I wish they had a drink the color of sea water when you have a depth of eight hundred fathoms and there is a dead calm with the sun straight up and down and the sea full of plankton；〃 he said。
¨What？〃
¨Nothing。 Letˇs drink this shallow water drink。〃
¨Tom； whatˇs the matter？ Do you have some problem？〃
¨No。〃
¨Youˇre awfully sad and youˇre a little bit old today。〃
¨Itˇs the norther。〃
¨But you always used to say a norther gave you pep and cheered you up。 How many times have we made love because there was a norther？〃
¨Plenty。〃
¨You always liked a norther and you bought me this coat to wear when we have them。〃
¨Itˇs a pretty coat； too。〃
¨I could have sold it half a dozen times；〃 Honest Lil said。 ¨More people were crazy for this coat than you can imagine。〃
¨This is a fine norther for it。〃
¨Be happy； Tom。 You always get happy when you drink。 Drink that drink and have another one。〃
¨If I drink it too fast it hurts across the front of my forehead。〃
¨Well just drink slow and steady； then。 Iˇm going to have another highbalito。〃
She made it herself from the bottle Seraf？n had left in front of her on the bar and Thomas Hudson looked at it and said； ¨Thatˇs a fresh water drink。 That is the color of the water in the Firehole River before it joins the Gibbon to become the Madison。 If you put a little more whisky in it you could make it the color of a stream that comes out of a cedar swamp to flow into the Bear River at a place called Wab…Me…Me。〃
¨Wab…Me…Me is funny；〃 she said。 ¨What does it mean？〃
¨I donˇt know；〃 he said。 ¨It is an Indian place…name。 I ought to know what it means but Iˇve forgotten。 Itˇs Ojibway。〃
¨Tell me about Indians；〃 Honest Lil said。 ¨I like to hear about the Indians even more than about the crazies。〃
¨There are quite a few Indians down the coast。 They are sea Indians and they fish and dry the fish and are charcoal burners。〃
¨I donˇt want to hear about Cuban Indians。 Theyˇre all mulatos。〃
¨No； theyˇre not。 Some are real Indians。 But they may have captured them in the early days and brought them over from Yucatan。〃
¨I donˇt like yucatecos。〃
¨I do。 Very much。〃
¨Tell me about Wabmimi。 Is it in the Far West？〃
¨No； itˇs up north。 In the part thatˇs near Canada。〃
¨I know Canada。 I came into Montreal up the river once on a Princess ship。 But it was raining and we could see nothing and we left that same evening for New York on the train。〃
¨Did it rain all the time on the river？〃
¨All the time。 And outside； before we came into the river there was fog and part of the time it snowed。 You can have Canada。 Tell me about Wabmimi。〃
¨It was just a village where there was a sawmill on the river and the train ran through it。 There were always great piles of sawdust beside the railroad tracks。 They had booms across the river to hold the logs and they were almost solid across the river。 The river was covered with logs a long way above the town。 One time I had been fishing and I wanted to cross the river and I crawled across on the logs。 One rolled with me and I went into the water。
When I came up it was all logs above me and I could not get through between them。 It was dark under them and all I could feel with my hands was their bark。 I could not spread two of them apart to get up to the air。〃
¨What did you do？〃
¨I drowned。〃
¨Oh；〃 she said。 ¨Donˇt say it。 Tell me quick what you did？〃
¨I thought very hard and I knew I had to get through very quickly。 I felt carefully around the bottom of a log until I came to where it was pushed against another log。 Then I put my two hands together and pushed up and the logs spread apart just a little。 Then I got my hands through and then my forearms and elbows through and then I spread the two logs apart with my elbows until I got my head up and I had an arm over each log。 I loved each log very much and I lay there like that a long time between them。 That water was brown from the logs in it。 The water thatˇs like your drink was in a little stream that flowed into that river。〃
¨I donˇt think I could ever have come up between the logs。〃
¨I didnˇt think I could for a long time。〃
¨How long were you underwater？〃
¨I donˇt know。 I know I rested a long time with my arms on the logs before I tried to do anything else。〃
¨I like that story。 But it will make me have bad dreams。 Tell me something happy； Tom。〃
¨All right；〃 he said。 ¨Let me think。〃
¨No。 Tell one right away without thinking。〃
¨All right；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨When young Tom was a little baby〃
¨？Qu？ muchacho m？s guapo！〃 Honest Lil interrupted。 ¨？Qu？ noticias tienes de ？l？〃
¨Muy buenas。〃
¨Me alegro；〃 said Honest Lil； tears coming into her eyes at the thought of young Tom the flyer。 ¨Siempre tengo su fotograf？a en uniforme con el sagrado coraz？n de Jes？s arriba de la fotograf？a y al lado la virgen del Cobre。〃
¨You have great faith in the Virgen del Cobre？〃
¨Absolutely blind faith。〃
¨You must keep it。〃
¨And she is looking after Tom day and night。〃
¨Good；〃 said Thomas Hudson。 ¨Seraf？n； another of these big ones； please。 Do you want the happy story？〃
¨Yes； please；〃 Honest Lil said。 ¨Please tell me the happy story。 I feel sad again。〃
¨Pues el happy story es muy sencillo；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨The first time we ever took Tom to Europe； he was only three months old and it was a very old； small； and slow liner and the sea was rough most of the time。 The ship smelled of bilge and oil and the grease on the brass of portholes and of the lavabos and the disinfectant they used that was in big pink cakes in the pissoirs〃
¨Pues； this isnˇt a very happy story。〃
¨S？； mujer。 Youˇre wrong as hell。 This is a happy story； muy happy。 I go on。 The ship also smelled of baths you had to take at regular hours or be looked down on by the bath steward and of the smell of hot salt water coming out of the brass nozzles of the bath fixtures and of the wet wooden grate on the floor and of the starched jacket of the bath steward。 It also smelled of cheap English ship cooking which is a discouraging smell and of the dead butts of Woodbines； Players； and Gold Flakes in the smoking room and wherever they were dropped。 It did not have one good smell； and as you know the English； both men and women； all have a peculiar odor； even to themselves； much as we have to Negroes； and so they have to bathe very often。 An Englishman never smells sweet as a cowˇs breath does and a pipe…smoking Englishman does not conceal his odor。 He only adds something to it。 Their tweeds smell good and so does the leather of their boots and all their saddlery smells good。 But there is no saddlery on a ship and the tweeds are impregnated with the dead pipe smell。 The only way you could get a good smell on that ship was when your nose was deep in a tall glass of dry sparkling cider from Devon。 This smelled wonderful and I kept my nose in it as much as I could afford。 Maybe more。〃
¨Pues； it is a little more happy now。〃
¨Here is the happy part。 Our cabin was so low； just above the water line； that the port had to be kept closed all the time and you saw the sea racing by and then you saw it solid green as the sea went past the porthole。 We had built a barricade with trunks and suitcases roped together so that Tom could
