aaron trow-第1节

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　Aaron　Trow


by　Anthony　Trollope






I　would　wish　to　declare；　at　the　beginning　of　this　story；　that　I
shall　never　regard　that　cluster　of　islets　which　we　call　Bermuda　as
the　Fortunate　Islands　of　the　ancients。　　Do　not　let　professional
geographers　take　me　up；　and　say　that　no　one　has　so　accounted　them；
and　that　the　ancients　have　never　been　supposed　to　have　gotten
themselves　so　far　westwards。　　What　I　mean　to　assert　is　thisthat；
had　any　ancient　been　carried　thither　by　enterprise　or　stress　of
weather；　he　would　not　have　given　those　islands　so　good　a　name。　　That
the　Neapolitan　sailors　of　King　Alonzo　should　have　been　wrecked　here；
I　consider　to　be　more　likely。　　The　vexed　Bermoothes　is　a　good　name
for　them。　　There　is　no　getting　in　or　out　of　them　without　the
greatest　difficulty；　and　a　patient；　slow　navigation；　which　is　very
heart…rending。　　That　Caliban　should　have　lived　here　I　can　imagine；
that　Ariel　would　have　been　sick　of　the　place　is　certain；　and　that
Governor　Prospero　should　have　been　willing　to　abandon　his
governorship；　I　conceive　to　have　been　only　natural。　　When　one
regards　the　present　state　of　the　place；　one　is　tempted　to　doubt
whether　any　of　the　governors　have　been　conjurors　since　his　days。

Bermuda；　as　all　the　world　knows；　is　a　British　colony　at　which　we
maintain　a　convict　establishment。　　Most　of　our　outlying　convict
establishments　have　been　sent　back　upon　our　hands　from　our　colonies；
but　here　one　is　still　maintained。　　There　is　also　in　the　islands　a
strong　military　fortress；　though　not　a　fortress　looking　magnificent
to　the　eyes　of　civilians；　as　do　Malta　and　Gibraltar。　　There　are　also
here　some　six　thousand　white　people　and　some　six　thousand　black
people；　eating；　drinking；　sleeping；　and　dying。

The　convict　establishment　is　the　most　notable　feature　of　Bermuda　to
a　stranger；　but　it　does　not　seem　to　attract　much　attention　from　the
regular　inhabitants　of　the　place。　　There　is　no　intercourse　between
the　prisoners　and　the　Bermudians。　　The　convicts　are　rarely　seen　by
them；　and　the　convict　islands　are　rarely　visited。　　As　to　the
prisoners　themselves；　of　course　it　is　not　open　to　themor　should
not　be　open　to　themto　have　intercourse　with　any　but　the　prison
authorities。

There　have；　however；　been　instances　in　which　convicts　have　escaped
from　their　confinement；　and　made　their　way　out　among　the　islands。
Poor　wretches！　　As　a　rule；　there　is　but　little　chance　for　any　that
can　so　escape。　　The　whole　length　of　the　cluster　is　but　twenty　miles；
and　the　breadth　is　under　four。　　The　prisoners　are；　of　course；　white
men；　and　the　lower　orders　of　Bermuda；　among　whom　alone　could　a
runagate　have　any　chance　of　hiding　himself；　are　all　negroes；　so　that
such　a　one　would　be　known　at　once。　　Their　clothes　are　all　marked。
Their　only　chance　of　a　permanent　escape　would　be　in　the　hold　of　an
American　ship；　but　what　captain　of　an　American　or　other　ship　would
willingly　encumber　himself　with　an　escaped　convict？　　But；
nevertheless；　men　have　escaped；　and　in　one　instance；　I　believe；　a
convict　got　away；　so　that　of　him　no　farther　tidings　were　ever　heard。

For　the　truth　of　the　following　tale　I　will　not　by　any　means　vouch。
If　one　were　to　inquire　on　the　spot　one　might　probably　find　that　the
ladies　all　believe　it；　and　the　old　men；　that　all　the　young　men　know
exactly　how　much　of　it　is　false　and　how　much　true；　and　that　the
steady；　middle…aged；　well…to…do　islanders　are　quite　convinced　that
it　is　romance　from　beginning　to　end。　　My　readers　may　range
themselves　with　the　ladies；　the　young　men；　or　the　steady；　well…to…
do；　middle…aged　islanders；　as　they　please。

Some　years　ago；　soon　after　the　prison　was　first　established　on　its
present　footing；　three　men　did　escape　from　it；　and　among　them　a
certain　notorious　prisoner　named　Aaron　Trow。　　Trow's　antecedents　in
England　had　not　been　so　villanously　bad　as　those　of　many　of　his
fellow…convicts；　though　the　one　offence　for　which　he　was　punished
had　been　of　a　deep　dye：　　he　had　shed　man's　blood。　　At　a　period　of
great　distress　in　a　manufacturing　town　he　had　led　men　on　to　riot；
and　with　his　own　hand　had　slain　the　first　constable　who　had
endeavoured　to　do　his　duty　against　him。　　There　had　been　courage　in
the　doing　of　the　deed；　and　probably　no　malice；　but　the　deed；　let　its
moral　blackness　have　been　what　it　might；　had　sent　him　to　Bermuda；
with　a　sentence　against　him　of　penal　servitude　for　life。　　Had　he
been　then　amenable　to　prison　discipline；even　then；　with　such　a
sentence　against　him　as　that；he　might　have　won　his　way　back；　after
the　lapse　of　years；　to　the　children；　and　perhaps；　to　the　wife；　that
he　had　left　behind　him；　but　he　was　amenable　to　no　rulesto　no
discipline。　　His　heart　was　sore　to　death　with　an　idea　of　injury；　and
he　lashed　himself　against　the　bars　of　his　cage　with　a　feeling　that
it　would　be　well　if　he　could　so　lash　himself　till　he　might　perish　in
his　fury。

And　then　a　day　came　in　which　an　attempt　was　made　by　a　large　body　of
convicts；　under　his　leadership；　to　get　the　better　of　the　officers　of
the　prison。　　It　is　hardly　necessary　to　say　that　the　attempt　failed。
Such　attempts　always　fail。　　It　failed　on　this　occasion　signally；　and
Trow；　with　two　other　men；　were　condemned　to　be　scourged　terribly；
and　then　kept　in　solitary　confinement　for　some　lengthened　term　of
months。　　Before；　however；　the　day　of　scourging　came；　Trow　and　his
two　associates　had　escaped。

I　have　not　the　space　to　tell　how　this　was　effected；　nor　the　power　to
describe　the　manner。　　They　did　escape　from　the　establishment　into
the　islands；　and　though　two　of　them　were　taken　after　a　single　day's
run　at　liberty；　Aaron　Trow　had　not　been　yet　retaken　even　when　a　week
was　over。　　When　a　month　was　over　he　had　not　been　retaken；　and　the
officers　of　the　prison　began　to　say　that　he　had　got　away　from　them
in　a　vessel　to　the　States。　　It　was　impossible；　they　said；　that　he
should　have　remained　in　the　islands　and　not　been　discovered。　　It　was
not　impossible　that　he　might　have　destroyed　himself；　leaving　his
body　where　it　had　not　yet　been　found。　　But　he　could　not　have　lived
on　in　Bermuda　during　that　month's　search。　　So；　at　least；　said　the
officers　of　the　prison。　　There　was；　however；　a　report　through　the
islands　that　he　had　been　seen　from　time　to　time；　that　he　had　gotten
bread　from　the　negroes　at　night；　threatening　them　with　death　if　they
told　of　his　whereabouts；　and　that　all　the　clothes　of　the　mate　of　a
vessel　had　been　stolen　while　the　man　was　bathing；　including　a　suit
of　dark　blue　cloth；　in　which　suit　of　clothes；　or　in　one　of　such　a
nature；　a　stranger　had　been　seen　skulking　about　the　rocks　near　St。
George。　　All　this　the　governor　of　the　prison　affected　to　disbelieve；
but　the　opinion　was　becoming　very　rife　in　the　islands　that　Aaron
Trow　was　still　there。

A　vigilant　search；　however；　is　a　task　of　great　labour；　and　cannot　be
kept　up　for　ever。　　By　degrees　it　was　relaxed。　　The　warders　and
gaolers　ceased　to　patrol　the　island　roads　by　night；　and　it　was
agreed　that　Aaron　Trow　was　gone；　or　that　he　would　be　starved　to
death；　or　that　he　would　in　time　be　driven　to　leave　such　traces　of
his　whereabouts　as　must　lead　to　his　discovery；　and　this　at　last　did
turn　out　to　be　the　fact。

There　is　a　sort　of　prettiness　about　these　islands　which；　though　it
never　rises　to　the　loveliness　of　romantic　scenery；　is　nevertheless
attractive　in　its　way。　　The　land　breaks　itself　into　little　knolls；
and　the　sea　runs　up；　hither　and　thither；　in　a　thousand　creeks　and
inlets；　and　then；　too；　when　the　oleanders　are　in　bloom；　they　give　a
wonderfully　bright　colour　to　the　landscape。　　Oleanders　seem　to　be
the　roses　of　Bermuda；　and　are　cultivated　round　all　the　villages　of
the　better　class　through　the　islands。　　There　are　two　towns；　St。
George　and　Hamilton；　and　one　main　high…road；　which　connects　them；
but　even　this　high…road　is　broken　by　a　ferry；　over　which　every
vehicle　going　from　St。　George　to　Hamilton　must　be　conveyed。　　Most　of
the　locomotion　in　these　parts　is　done　by　boats；　and　the　residents
look　to　the　sea；　with　its　narrow　creeks；　as　their　best　highway　from
their　farms　to　their　best　market。　　In　those　daysand　those　days
were　not　very　long　sincethe　building　of　small　ships　was　their
chief　trade；　and　they　valued　their　land　mostly　for　the　small　scrubby
cedar…trees　with　which　this　trade　was　carried　on。

As　one　goes　from　St。　George　to　Hamilton　the　road　runs　between　two
seas；　that　to　the　right　is　the　ocean；　that　on　the　left　is　an　inland
creek；　which　runs　up　through　a　large　portion　of　the　islands；　so　that
the　land　on　the　other　side　of　it　is　near　to　the　traveller。　　For　a
considerable　portion　of　the　way　there　are　no　houses　lying　near　the
road；　and；　there　is　one　residence；　some　way　from　the　road；　so
secluded　that　no　other　house　lies　within　a　mile　of　it　by　land。　　By
water　it　might　probably　be　reached　within　half　a　mile。　　This　place
was　called　Crump　Island；　and　here　lived；　and　had　lived　for　many
years；　an　old　gentleman；　a　native　of　Bermuda；　whose　business　it　had
been　to　buy　up　cedar　wood　and　sell　it　to　the　ship…builders　at
Hamilton。　　In　our　story　we　shall　not　have　very　much　to　do　with　old
Mr。　Bergen；　but　it　will　be　necessary　to　say　a　word　or　two　about　his
house。

It　stood　upon　what　would　have　been　an　island　in　the　creek；