selected writings-第47节

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〃She　told　me；　although　she　made　fun　of　him　as　she　did　so；　about

that　'Odyssey'　of　the　barricades　and　of　the　hulks　which　made　up

Bakounine's　history；　and　which　is；　nevertheless；　the　exact　truth；

about　his　adventures　as　chief　of　the　insurgents　at　Prague　and

then　at　Dresden；　of　his　first　death　sentence；　about　his

imprisonment　at　Olmutz；　in　the　casemates　of　the　fortress　of　St。

Peter　and　St。　Paul；　and　in　a　subterranean　dungeon　at

Schusselburg；　about　his　exile　to　Siberia　and　his　wonderful　escape

down　the　river　Amour；　on　a　Japanese　coasting…vessel；　and　about

his　final　arrival；　by　way　of　Yokohama　and　San　Francisco；　in　London；

whence　he　was　directing　all　the　operations　of　Nihilism。



〃　'You　see；'　she　said；　'he　is　a　thorough　adventurer；　and　now　all

his　adventures　are　over。　He　got　married　at　Tobolsk　and　became　a

mere　respectable；　middle…class　man。　And　then　he　has　no　individual

ideas。　Herzen；　the　pamphleteer　of　〃Kolokol；〃　inspired　him　with

the　only　fertile　phrase　that　he　ever　uttered：　〃Land　and　Liberty！〃

But　that　is　not　yet　the　definite　formula；　the　general

formulawhat　I　may　call　the　dynamite　formula。　At　best；　Bakounine

would　only　become　an　incendiary；　and　burn　down　cities。　And　what

is　that；　I　ask　you？　Bah！　A　second…hand　Rostoptchin！　He　wants　a

prompter；　and　I　offered　to　become　his；　but　he　did　not　take　me

seriously。'



　*　*　*　*　*　*　*



〃It　would　be　useless　to　enter　into　all　the　psychological　details

which　marked　the　course　of　my　passion　for　the　Countess；　and　to

explain　to　you　more　fully　the　curious　and　daily　growing

attraction　which　she　had　for　me。　It　was　getting　exasperating；　and

the　more　so　as　she　resisted　me　as　stoutly　as　the　shyest　of

innocents　could　have　done。　At　the　end　of　a　month　of　mad　Satanism；

I　saw　what　her　game　was。　Do　you　know　what　she　intended？　She　meant

to　make　me　Bakounine's　prompter；　or；　at　any　rate；　that　is　what

she　said。　But　no　doubt　she　reserved　the　right　to　herselfat

least　that　is　how　I　understood　herto　prompt　the　prompter；　and

my　passion　for　her；　which　she　purposely　left　unsatisfied；　assured

her　that　absolute　power　over　me。



〃All　this　may　appear　madness　to　you；　but　it　is；　nevertheless；　the

exact　truth。　In　short；　one　morning　she　bluntly　made　the　offer：



〃　'Become　Bakounine's　soul；　and　you　shall　possess　me。'



〃Of　course　I　accepted；　for　it　was　too　fantastically　strange　to

refuse。　Don't　you　think　so？　What　an　adventure！　What　luck！　A

number　of　letters　between　the　Countess　and　Bakounine　prepared　the

way；　I　was　introduced　to　him　at　his　house；　and　they　discussed　me

there。　I　became　a　sort　of　Western　prophet；　a　mystic　charmer　who

was　ready　to　nihilize　the　Latin　races；　the　Saint　Paul　of　the　new

religion　of　nothingness；　and　at　last　a　day　was　fixed　for　us　to

meet　in　London。　He　lived　in　a　small；　one…storied　house　in

Pimlico；　with　a　tiny　garden　in　front；　and　nothing　noticeable

about　it。



〃We　were　first　of　all　shown　into　the　commonplace　parlor　of　all

English　homes；　and　then　upstairs。　The　room　where　the　Countess　and

I　were　left　was　small；　and　very　badly　furnished。　It　had　a　square

table　with　writing　materials　on　it；　in　the　center　of　the　room。

This　was　his　sanctuary。　The　deity　soon　appeared；　and　I　saw　him　in

flesh　and　boneespecially　in　flesh；　for　he　was　enormously　stout。

His　broad　face；　with　prominent　cheek…bones；　in　spite　of　fat；　a

nose　like　a　double　funnel；　and　small；　sharp　eyes；　which　had　a

magnetic　lock；　proclaimed　the　Tartar；　the　old　Turanian　blood

which　produced　the　Attilas；　the　Genghis…Khans；　the　Tamerlanes。

The　obesity　which　is　characteristic　of　nomad　races；　who　are

always　on　horseback　or　driving；　added　to　his　Asiatic　look。　The

man　was　certainly　not　a　European；　a　slave；　a　descendant　of　the

deistic　Aryans；　but　a　scion　of　the　atheistic　hordes　who　had

several　times　already　almost　overrun　Europe；　and　who；　instead　of

ideas　of　progress；　have　Nihilism　buried　in　their　hearts。



〃I　was　astonished；　for　I　had　not　expected　that　the　majesty　of　a

whole　race　could　be　thus　revived　in　a　man；　and　my　stupefaction

increased　after　an　hour's　conversation。　I　could　quite　understand

why　such　a　Colossus　had　not　wished　for　the　Countess　as　his

Egeria；　she　was　a　silly　child　to　have　dreamed　of　acting　such　a

part　to　such　a　thinker。　She　had　not　felt　the　profoundness　of　that

horrible；　philosophy　which　was　hidden　under　his　material

activity；　nor　had　she　seen　the　prophet　under　this　hero　of　the

barricades。　Perhaps　he　had　not　thought　it　advisable　to　reveal

himself　to　her；　but　he　revealed　himself　to　me；　and　inspired　me

with　terror。



〃A　prophet？　Oh！　yes。　He　thought　himself　an　Attila；　and　foresaw

the　consequences　of　his　revolution；　it　was　not　only　from　instinct

but　also　from　theory　that　he　urged　a　nation　on　to　Nihilism。　The

phrase　is　not　his；　but　Turgenieff's；　I　believe；　but　the　idea

certainly　belonged　to　him。　He　got　his　programme　of　agricultural

communism　from　Herzen；　and　his　destructive　radicalism　from

Pougatcheff；　but　he　did　not　stop　there。　I　mean　that　he　went　on　to

evil　for　the　sake　of　evil。　Herzen　wished　for　the　happiness　of　the

Slav　peasant；　Pougatcheff　wanted　to　be　elected　Emperor；　but　all

that　Bakounine　wanted　was　to　overthrow　the　actual　order　of

things；　no　matter　by　what　means；　and　to　replace　social

concentration　by　a　universal　upheaval。



〃It　was　the　dream　of　a　Tartar；　it　was　true　Nihilism　pushed　to

extreme　and　practical　conclusions。　It　was；　in　a　word；　the　applied

philosophy　of　chance；　the　indeterminate　end　of　anarchy。　Monstrous

it　may　be；　but　grand　in　its　monstrosity！



〃And　you　must　note　that　the　typical　man　of　action　so　despised　by

the　Countess　was；　in　Bakounine；　the　gigantic　dreamer　whom　I　have

just　shown　to　you。　His　dream　did　not　remain　a　dream；　but　began　to

be　realized。　It　was　by　the　care　of　Bakounine　that　the　Nihilistic

party　became　an　entity；　a　party　in　which　there　is　a　little　of

everything；　you　know；　but　on　the　whole；　a　formidable　party；　the

advanced　guard　of　which　is　true　Nihilism；　whose　object　is　nothing

less　than　to　destroy　the　Western　world；　to　see　it　blossom　from

under　the　ruins　of　a　general　dispersion；　the　last　conception　of

modern　Tartarism。



〃I　never　saw　Bakounine　again；　for　the　Countess's　conquest　would

have　been　too　dearly　bought　by　any　attempt　to　act　a　comedy　with

this　'Old…Man…of…the…Mountain。'　And　besides　that；　after　this

visit；　poor　Countess　Satan　appeared　to　me　quite　silly。　Her　famous

Satanism　was　nothing　but　the　flicker　of　a　spirit…lamp；　after　the

general　conflagration　of　which　the　other　had　dreamed。　She　had

certainly　shown　herself　very　silly；　when　she　could　not　understand

that　prodigious　monster。　And　as　she　had　seduced　me　only　by　her

intellect　and　her　perversity；　I　was　disgusted　as　soon　as　she　laid

aside　that　mask。　I　left　her　without　telling　her　of　my　intention；

and　never　saw　her　again；　either。



〃No　doubt　they　both　took　me　for　a　spy　from　the　'Third　Section　of

the　Imperial　Chancellery。'　In　that　case；　they　must　have　thought

me　very　clever　to　have　escaped　discovery；　and　all　I　have　to　do　is

to　look　out；　lest　any　affiliated　members　of　their　society

recognize　me！〃



Then　he　smiled　and；　turning　to　the　waiter　who　had　just　come　in；

said：　〃Open　another　bottle　of　champagne；　and　make　the　cork　pop！

It　will；　at　any　rate；　remind　us　of　the　day　when　we　ourselves

shall　be　blown　up　with　dynamite。〃







THE　COLONEL'S　IDEAS



〃upon　my　word；〃　said　Colonel　Laporte；　〃I　am　old　and　gouty；　my

legs　are　as　stiff　as　two　sticks；　and　yet　if　a　pretty　woman　were

to　tell　me　to　go　through　the　eye　of　a　needle；　I　believe　I　should

take　a　jump　at　it；　like　a　clown　through　a　hoop。　I　shall　die　like

that；　it　is　in　the　blood。　I　am　an　old　beau；　one　of　the　old

regime；　and　the　sight　of　a　woman；　a　pretty　woman；　stirs　me　to　the

tips　of　my　toes。　There！



〃And　then　we　are　all　very　much　alike　in　France；　we　remain

cavaliers；　cavaliers　of　love　and　fortune；　since　God　has　been

abolished；　whose　bodyguard　we　really　were。　But　nobody　will　ever

get　the　woman　out　of　our　hearts；　there　she　is；　and　there　she　will

remain；　we　love　her；　and　shall　continue　to　love　her；　and　to

commit　all　kinds　of　frolics　on　her　account；　so　long　as　there　is　a

France　on　the　map　of　Europe。　And　even　if　France　were　to　be　wiped

off　the　map；　there　would　always　be　Frenchmen　left。



〃When　I　am　in　the　presence　of　a　woman；　of　a　pretty　woman；　I　feel

capable　of　anything。　By　Jove；　when　I　feel　her　looks　penetrating

me；　those　confounded　looks　which　set　your　blood　on　fire；　I　could

do　anything：　fight　a　duel；　have　a　row；　smash　the　furniture；

anything　just　to　show　that　I　am　the　strongest；　the　bravest；　the

most　daring；　and　the　most　devoted　of　men。



〃But　I　am　not　the　only　onecertainly　not；　the　whole　French　army

is　like　me；　that　I　will　swear　to。　From　the　common　soldier　to　the

general；　we　all　go　forward；　and　to　the　very　end；　mark　you；　when

there　is　a　woman　in　the　case；　a　pretty　woman。　Remember　what　Joan

of　Arc　made　us　do　formerly！　Come；　I'd　make　a　bet　that　if　a　pret