尤利西斯-第169章

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In　confirmation　of　which　statement　he　extricated　from　an　inside　pocket　and　handed　to　his　neighbours　a　not　very　clean　looking　folded　document。　
　You　must　have　seen　a　fair　share　of　the　world；　the　keeper　remarked；　leaning　on　the　counter。　
　Why；　the　sailor　answered；　upon　reflection　upon　it；　I've　circumnavigated　a　bit　since　I　first　joined　on。　I　was　in　the　Red　Sea。　I　was　in　China　and　North　America　and　South　America。　I　seen　icebergs　plenty；　growlers。　I　was　in　Stockholm　and　the　Black　Sea；　the　Dardanelles；　under　Captain　Dalton　the　best　bloody　man　that　ever　scuttled　a　ship。　I　seen　Russia。　Gospodi　pomilooy。　That's　how　the　Russians　prays。　
　You　seen　queer　sights；　don't　be　talking；　put　in　a　jarvey。　
　Why；　the　sailor　said；　shifting　his　partially　chewed　plug；　I　seen　queer　things　too；　ups　and　downs。　I　seen　a　crocodile　bite　the　fluke　of　an　anchor　same　as　I　chew　that　quid。　
He　took　out　of　his　mouth　the　pulpy　quid　and；　lodging　it　between　his　teeth；　bit　ferociously。　
　Khaan！　Like　that。　And　I　seen　maneaters　in　Peru　that　eats　corpses　and　the　livers　of　horses。　Look　here。　Here　they　are。　A　friend　of　mine　sent　me。　
He　fumbled　out　a　picture　postcard　from　his　inside　pocket；　which　seemed　to　be　in　its　way　a　species　of　repository；　and　pushed　it　along　the　table。　The　printed　matter　on　it　stated：　Choza　de　Indios。　Beni；　Bolivia。　
All　focused　their　attention　on　the　scene　exhibited；　at　a　group　of　savage　women　in　striped　loincloths；　squatted；　blinking；　suckling；　frowning；　sleeping；　amid　a　swarm　of　infants　（there　must　have　been　quite　a　score　of　them）　outside　some　primitive　shanties　of　osier。　
　Chews　coca　all　day　long；　the　municative　tarpaulin　added。　Stomachs　like　breadgraters。　Cuts　off　their　diddies　when　they　can't　bear　no　more　children。　See　them　there　stark　ballocknaked　eating　a　dead　horse's　liver　raw。　
His　postcard　proved　a　centre　of　attraction　for　Messrs　the　greenhorns　for　several　minutes；　if　not　more。　
　Know　how　to　keep　them　off？　he　inquired　genially。　
Nobody　volunteering　a　statement；　he　winked；　saying：　
　Glass。　That　boggles　'em。　Glass。　
Mr　Bloom；　without　evincing　surprise；　unostentatiously　turned　over　the　card　to　peruse　the　partially　obliterated　address　and　postmark。　It　ran　as　follows：　Tarjeta　Postal。　Se？or　A。　Boudin；　Galeria　Becche；　Santiago；　Chile。　There　was　no　message　evidently；　as　he　took　particular　notice。　Though　not　an　implicit　believer　in　the　lurid　story　narrated　（or　the　eggsniping　transaction　for　that　matter　despite　William　Tell　and　the　Lazarillo…Don　Cesar　de　Bazan　incident　depicted　in　Maritana　on　which　occasion　the　former's　ball　passed　through　the　latter's　hat）；　having　detected　a　discrepancy　between　his　name　（assuming　he　was　the　person　he　represented　himself　to　be　and　not　sailing　under　false　colours　after　having　boxed　the　pass　on　the　strict　q。t。　somewhere）　and　the　fictitious　addressee　of　the　missive　which　made　him　nourish　some　suspicions　of　our　friend's　bona　fides；　nevertheless　it　reminded　him　in　a　way　of　a　longcherished　plan　he　meant　to　one　day　realise　some　Wednesday　or　Saturday　of　travelling　to　London　via　long　sea　not　to　say　that　he　had　ever　travelled　extensively　to　any　great　extent　but　he　was　at　heart　a　born　adventurer　though　by　a　trick　of　fate　he　had　consistently　remained　a　landlubber　except　you　call　going　to　Holyhead　which　was　his　longest。　Martin　Cunningham　frequently　said　he　would　work　a　pass　through　Egan　but　some　deuced　hitch　or　other　eternally　cropped　up　with　the　net　result　that　the　scheme　fell　through。　But　even　suppose　it　did　e　to　planking　down　the　needful　and　breaking　Boyd's　heart　it　was　not　so　dear；　purse　permitting；　a　few　guineas　at　the　outside；　considering　the　fare　to　Mullingar　where　he　figured　on　going　was　five　and　six　there　and　back。　The　trip　would　benefit　health　on　account　of　the　bracing　ozone　and　be　in　every　way　thoroughly　pleasurable；　especially　for　a　chap　whose　liver　was　out　of　order；　seeing　the　different　places　along　the　route；　Plymouth；　Falmouth；　Southampton　and　so　on；　culminating　in　an　instructive　tour　of　the　sights　of　the　great　metropolis；　the　spectacle　of　our　modern　Babylon　where　doubtless　he　would　see　the　greatest　improvement　tower；　abbey；　wealth　of　Park　Lane　to　renew　acquaintance　with。　Another　thing　just　struck　him　as　a　by　no　means　bad　notion　was　he　might　have　a　gaze　around　on　the　spot　to　see　about　trying　to　make　arrangements　about　a　concert　tour　of　summer　music　embracing　the　most　prominent　pleasure　resorts；　Margate　with　mixed　bathing　and　firstrate　hydros　and　spas；　Eastbourne；　Scarborough；　Margate　and　so　on；　beautiful　Bournemouth；　the　Channel　islands　and　similar　bijou　spots；　which　might　prove　highly　remunerative。　Not；　of　course；　with　a　hole　and　corner　scratch　pany　or　local　ladies　on　the　job；　witness　Mrs　C。　P。　M'Coy　type　…　lend　me　your　valise　and　I'll　post　you　the　ticket。　No；　something　top　notch；　an　all　star　Irish　cast；　the　Tweedy…Flower　grand　opera　pany　with　its　own　legal　consort　as　leading　lady　as　a　sort　of　counterblast　to　the　Elster　Grimes　and　Moody…Manners；　perfectly　simple　matter　and　he　was　quite　sanguine　of　success；　providing　puffs　in　the　local　papers　could　be　managed　by　some　fellow　with　a　bit　of　bounce　who　could　pull　the　indispensable　wires　and　thus　bine　business　with　pleasure。　But　who？　That　was　the　rub。　
Also；　without　being　actually　positive；　it　struck　him　a　great　field　was　to　be　opened　up　in　the　line　of　opening　up　new　routes　to　keep　pace　with　the　times　apropos　of　the　Fishguard…Rosslare　route　which；　it　was　mooted；　was　once　more　on　the　tapis　in　the　Circumlocution　departments　with　the　usual　quantity　of　red　tape　and　dillydallying　of　effete　fogeydom　and　dunderheads　generally。　A　great　opportunity　there　certainly　was　for　push　and　enterprise　to　meet　the　travelling　needs　of　the　public　at　large；　the　average　man；　i。e。　Brown；　Robinson　and　Co。　
It　was　a　subject　of　regret　and　absurd　as　well　on　the　face　of　it　and　no　small　blame　to　our　vaunted　society　that　the　man　in　the　street；　when　the　system　really　needed　toning　up；　for　a　matter　of　a　couple　of　paltry　pounds；　was　debarred　from　seeing　more　of　the　world　they　lived　in　instead　of　being　always　cooped　up　since　my　old　stick…in…the…mud　took　me　for　a　wife。　After　all；　hang　it；　they　had　their　eleven　and　more　humdrum　months　of　it　and　merited　a　radical　change　of　venue　after　the　grind　of　city　life　in　the　summertime；　for　choice；　when　Dame　Nature　is　at　her　spectacular　best；　constituting　nothing　short　of　a　new　lease　of　life。　There　were　equally　excellent　opportunities　for　vacationists　in　the　home　island；　delightful　sylvan　spots　for　rejuvenation；　offering　a　plethora　of　attractions　as　well　as　a　bracing　tonic　for　the　system　in　and　around　Dublin　and　its　picturesque　environs；　even；　Poulaphouca；　to　which　there　was　a　steam　tram；　but　also　farther　away　from　the　madding　crowd；　in　Wicklow；　rightly　termed　the　garden　of　Ireland；　an　ideal　neighbourhood　for　elderly　wheelmen；　so　long　as　it　didn't　e　down；　and　in　the　wilds　of　Donegal；　where　if　report　spoke　true；　the　coup　d'il　was　exceedingly　grand；　though　the　lastnamed　locality　was　not　easily　getatable　so　that　the　influx　of　visitors　was　not　as　yet　all　that　it　might　be　considering　the　signal　benefits　to　be　derived　from　it；　while　Howth　with　its　historic　associations　and　otherwise；　Silken　Thomas；　Grace　O'Malley；　George　IV；　rhododendrons　several　hundred　feet　above　sealevel　was　a　favourite　haunt　with　all　sorts　and　conditions　of　men；　especially　in　the　spring　when　young　men　s　fancy；　though　it　had　its　own　toll　of　deaths　by　falling　off　the　cliffs　by　design　or　accidentally；　usually；　by　the　way；　on　their　left　leg；　it　being　only　about　three　quarters　of　an　hour's　run　from　the　pillar。　Because　of　course　uptodate　tourist　travelling　was　as　yet　merely　in　its　infancy；　so　to　speak；　and　the　acmodation　left　much　to　be　desired。　Interesting　to　fathom；　it　seemed　to　him；　from　a　motive　of　curiosity　pure　and　simple；　was　whether　it　was　the　traffic　that　created　the　route　or　vice…versa　or　the　two　sides　in　fact。　He　turned　back　the　other　side　of　the　card　picture　and　passed　it　along　to　Stephen。　
　I　seen　a　Chinese　one　time；　related　the　doughty　narrator；　that　had　little　pills　like　putty　and　he　put　them　in　the　water　and　they　opened；　and　every　pill　was　something　different。　One　was　a　ship；　another　was　a　house；　another　was　a　flower。　Cooks　rats　in　your　soup；　he　appetisingly　added；　the　Chinese　does。